THIS SKETCH OF DE SOTO was made years after his death from descriptions by survivors of his expedition

We inform Your Majesty that today, on the eve of departure, DeSoto has five large vessels in port, two caravels and two brigantines -- nine sail in all, having lost two since our arrival. He carries in them 237 horses, besides some of relief; 330 foot, as well as those mounted -- in all, 513 men without the sailors. With these go more abundant subsistence than could have been gotten out of Spain for an armada.

There are 3,000 loads of cacabi, 2,500 shoulders of bacon, and 2,500 hanegas of maize. Moreover, there are beasts on hoof for the settlement and for the butchery to be in readiness on return of the vessels through which we are to receive large supplies. With this object, the Adelandtado has bought many grazing farms, at the cost of much money, to be employed solely in affording us sustenance.

One woman accompanied the invasion by stowing away on her soldier-husband's transport. She was Dona Francesca Hinestrosa who tagged along for two years. She burned to death during a battle at Chicaca (Chickasaw, Mississippi) when she tried while pregnant to retrieve some pearls from a flaming hut.

The night before departure of the fleet, three officers wrote a letter to King Phillip about their prospects. The officers were Juan Gayton, Luis Fernandez de Biedma, and Juan Anasco. Biedma was the king's "factor" appointed to make sure the crown got its full share of treasure. Anasco we have already met as the advance scout. The letter follows:

In order that Your Majesty may entertain good hopes of that country of Florida, we report that directly upon our arrival here (Cuba), in order that Juan de Anasco might go with 50 men to look for some port on the coast, he was selected to be the Royal Comptroller. Although he passed through many hard-ships because of the winter, he found the most convenient place that could be desired very near. It is only 75 or 80 leagues from this latid, inhabited and very secure. He brought four of the Indians as interpreters. They are so intelligent that they already understand us, after a manner, and give grandexpectations of that country -- so much so that all depart joyful and contented.

At once we are in difficulty. Eighty leagues due north of Havana takes us only a bit past Naples, Fla., far short of either of the two west coast ports able to receive a fleet. This miscalculation by Anasco, a signer of the letter and the one man who had visited the harbor, is surprising. However, the estimate indicates a closeness which favors the nearest port -- Charlotte Harbor.

LETTER BY DESOTO

Shortly after landing, Soto wrote to the magistrates at Havana informing them of his safe arrival. He returned the letter by one of the ships sent back after unloading. It was the first piece of mail posted from mainland America.

The following interpretation is by Buckingham Smith, except for a key paragraph translated here from a Spanish-English dictionary.

There is a difference between interpretation and translation. The former is a permissive process wherein words with several possible meanings are rendered as seem most plausible in another language. The ability and judgement of the interpreter is critical to understanding. Translation, on the other hand, is more literal -- accurate but awkward in foreign tongue.

We choose translation in this one instance because we seek factual clues.