Spanish naval preparations according to the Dutch magazine Maandelyksche Nederlandsche Mercurius dated July 1758

According to a tiding from Madrid was it no longer necessary to guess for which purpose the fleet was fitted out. The intention was to join a Portuguese squadron and to end the activities of the Jesuits in South America where they founded a new kingdom. The magazine described Paraguay as a large country between the river La Plata and Brazil with as major towns Assumption and Buenos Ayres, of which the first town was the capital city and the residence of the Spanish governor.