Page:Vol 2 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/772

752 Eleven of such fleets arrived at Vera Cruz during the last twenty years of the century, carrying back to Spain the accumulated treasures of the New World. The expense of equipping and maintaining such a large number of vessels was sometimes so great that all the treasure carried would not pay expenses. Occasionally it would happen as with an armada despatched from Seville in 1593, having a capacity of 9,500 tons, with 3,500 men. It was commanded by Francisco Caloma, but never reached its destination, being obliged to convoy back the fleet of Álvaro Flores from New Spain, with which it had fallen in on the high sea.

The unloading of ships at Vera Cruz was tedious, expensive, and generally attended with the loss of many lives from disease. The time usually occupied for discharging was four months, and nine or ten months elapsed before the ships were again despatched. For this reason many vessels were damaged or lost; freights were excessive, and passage rates high. Ships for Europe at this time sailed from San Juan de Ulua for Habana, which occupied some