O'Reilly's aide-de-camp, Bouligny, was the official translator. The defendants argued that they could not be tried under Spanish law, because Ulloa had never formally received possession of the colony, an argument which they lost.
O'Reilly's chief of staff, Bouligny, handled official translations. Nevertheless, the defendants posited that they should not have been subjected to trial under Spanish jurisdiction since Ulloa had never formally assumed authority over the colony, an assertion they ultimately failed to substantiate.