The king refused to see Milhet and only sent word that the transfer was a fait accompli. But, Millet did not return to New Orleans until 1767, and when the Spanish king did not immediately send his own official, the colonist began to hope that the transfer would not take place.

So, when Spanish governor Don Antonio de Ulloa finally arrived in New Orleans on March 5, 1766, he was met with disdain if not outright resistance by the French colonists. Ulloa had arrived with only ninety men, hoping that he would gain many enlistees from the French regiments in New Orleans. When the French soldiers refused, Ulloa found himself unable to exert the force needed to establish a firm rule over the French colonists. He made matters worse when he enacted typical Spanish mercantile restrictions which prohibited trade with any country other than Spain or its colonies. The colonists had previously been free of such restrictions and were not willing to abide by them now. Nevertheless, the Spanish flag flew over the Place d’Armes and Ulloa was recognized as governor even though the colonists resisted Ulloa and Spain in every way they could manage.