e Spanish government, appointed a commissioner to
repair to Mexico, seize the person of Cortez, suspend him from his
functions, sequestrate his property, and bring him to trial upon the
weighty charges contained in the indictment.

The accomplishment of a task so difficult required a man of consummate
tact and energy; but, unfortunately, the agent selected was totally
unqualified for his task. Christoval de Tapia, the appointed
commissioner, was a feeble, fussy old man, a government inspector of
metals in Saint Domingo. He landed at Vera Cruz in December, with
his commission in his hand. The authorities there, quite devoted to
Cortez, and fully aware that in his fall their fortunes must also
decay, threw every obstacle in their power in the path of Tapia.
They disputed his credentials, and, by innumerable embarrassments,
prevented him from entering the interior.

Cortez, on the other hand, while cordially accepting this important
co-operation on the part of his friends, the more valuable since it
did not involve him in any responsibility, wrote to Tapia a letter
full of expressions of courtesy, and of veneration for the authority
of the emperor. The imbecile old man soon became entangled in a
labyrinth of diplomacy from which he knew not how to extricate
himself. He had not sufficient force of character to cut the tangled
threads. It is said that every one has his weak point. Love of money
was the great frailty of Tapia. United with this there was great
timidity of character. Cortez, with his accustomed tact, discovered
the peculiarities of the man, and, with his habitual adroitness,
assailed him where his armor was weak. The old man's fears were
assailed with threats, and his avarice was approached by bribes, and
he very soon capitulated. Re-embarking in his ship, he returned to
Hispaniola, leaving Cortez in undisputed authority.

This affair alarmed Cortez exceedingly. The account which he himself
gives of it in his dispatch to the emperor is so curious and
characteristic of the man, that we must give it in his own words. The
dispatch itself will be more interesting and valuable than any
narrative we might give of the event. Upon the departure of Tapia,
Cortez immediately sent deputies to the emperor with a glowing
account of his new discoveries and conquests, with many rich gifts,
and the promise of immense future contributions. He gave, as it were
incidentally, an account of the mission of Tapia, explained with g