CHAPTER XXVII.

We departed from Matanzas shortly after our return from the cave. The

scenery along the route to Havana leaves the impression that the country

is declining. The buzzards fly close to the train, apparently gentle

escorts, and sufficiently numerous to be the national emblem--a heavy

fine being the penalty for injuring one of these scavengers. They are

styled the red-crested vultures of Cuba, for grandeur.

The island is surrounded by a chain of keys, reefs, and shoals, which

make it inaccessible except to the experienced pilot. Havana was

permanently settled by Velasquez, and named in 1519. At the point of

entrance to the bay is a rock on which stands El Moro, or Castellos de

los Santos Reyes, the light-house, and signal-station, where an

excellent, revolving light can be seen from a distance of more than

twenty miles. The following description is given of Moro Castle when it

was first built: "It was of triangular shape, containing some heavy

pieces of ordnance, which produced a perceptible quaking in the vicinity

when fired." Forty pieces of cannon, of twenty-four pounds each, were

mounted on the parapet. From the main castle there runs a line, or wall,

mounted with twelve very long pieces of cannon, lying almost level with

the water. These are all thirty-six-pounders, and most of them brass,

being called "The Twelve Apostles" by way of eminence. At the point

between this castle and the sea stands a tower having a round lantern at

the top, where a sentinel is constantly on duty to see what ships are

approaching the harbor, of which he signals by hoisting as many flags as

they are in number. In 1691 the whole fort was surrounded by a moat

filled with water, when it was captured and destroyed by an English

fleet under Sir George Pocock, after a siege of twenty-nine days, at

which time a thousand Spaniards were killed. The present Castle del Moro

guards the bay on the east side, and is able to resist all attacks by

sea, having two bastions toward the water, and two on the land side.

Around this old structure lingers as many unpleasant memories as the

Venetian Bridge of Sighs, which led from the palace to the prison--it

being the prevailing opinion that whoever crossed it never returned.

Those against whom any accusation can be brought of sufficient magnitude

to thrust them in the Moro will find the chances greatly against their

ever seeing the outside world again, or enjoying their freedom. Another

castle, built opposite this, is called El Punta. This communicates with

the city, and is usually well filled with soldiery. It has four regular

bastions, and a platform mounted with sixty pieces of brass cannon.

The city of Havana, a hundred years since, was the most important port

in America for the Spanish commerce, where a thousand ships could anchor

in nearly forty feet of water, it then being a rendezvous for other

fleets when coming from the Spanish possessions of the Western

Continent. All the Spanish galleons and merchant-ships met at this point

every year, in September, to obtain supplies and water, that they might

return to Spain together. They held a kind of carnival during their

stay, which lasted until a proclamation from the governor was issued,

forbidding any who belonged to the ships remaining in the city on pain

of death, and at a given signal they all retired on board. This fleet

was regarded the richest in the world, carrying several million pounds

sterling. They came from Spain laden with merchandise, and were

frequently attacked by pirates and buccaneers. These galleons were only

factors for the other countries among which this wealth was distributed

when they made a successful voyage. In 1796 the Santo Domingo massacre

drove twelve thousand families to Havana, which now has a population of

two hundred thousand. The dwellings are built entirely of rock, or

brick, which is furnished from the island. The substantial manner in

which the most common tenements are constructed is really remarkable,

looking as though they were designed to last forever. The style of

architecture now in use was originally of Moorish origin. The windows

descend from the ceiling to the floor, with iron rods extending the

whole length, more nearly resembling cages for wild beasts, but are

retreats from which beauty casts many sly glances. In private residences

curtains are drawn during the day, but in stores and market-houses the

windows and doors are closed only at night, thus exposing the inside

movements of the occupants all day. The dwellings for private

residences have only one entrance for man or beast. The mistress and

_volante_ come in together, when the horse is stabled on the first

floor, and the lady walks up-stairs to her parlor. The narrow streets

and narrower sidewalks keep the minds of visitors in a constant state of

trepidation for fear of seeing some one crushed under the fast-moving

vehicles. The mules, while waiting for a load, turn their heads from

instinct, to let conveyances pass. Gradually the city proper has crossed

the old wall boundaries, and now the outside is more attractive in

appearance than inside. Soldiers are seen all about the city, but they

are very peaceable. A censorship is kept over the newspapers, and

letters from way-stations are delivered into the hands of the mail

agent, instead of bags, while a dark veil conceals its politics and

movements, in every way cherishing with jealous care the condition of

all its internal troubles.

El San Carlos is situated nearest the bay, and most convenient for

travelers. This hotel is four stories high, commanding a fine view of

the city and Moro, where we are now promenading for the purpose of

sight-seeing. The roofs of the houses are mostly flat, and a favorite

resort after sunset. The surrounding scenes entertain us. Children and

chickens are seen in close proximity on the neighboring house-tops,

where they live and sport apparently happy and hearty in their

contracted boundaries. This resort being protected by a high wall around

the outside, which prevents any accident to the occupants, whole

families resort here to smoke and talk, it being more private than any

fresh-air resort on the premises. The rear of all the residences is a

kind of labyrinthian retreat of avenues, accessible by an indescribable

variety of movements, together with flights of steps of different

altitudes. In these coverts swarms of human beings are born, live, and

die, in this condensed condition, regardless of comforts. At night, when

the curtains are raised, heads are seen in these tenements as thick as

rows of pins in a paper. Neither stoves nor fire-places are used in

Havana: the cooking is done on a furnace in the back-yard--charcoal,

made by the colliers in the mountains, being the only fuel required.

The firing of heavy cannon from the English man-of-war anchored in the

bay, and echoed by the Moro guns, agitate our thoughts and break the

quiet of the dying day. The panorama before us is changing. An invisible

hand behind the scene has dropped a shadow over the light of day draped

in its brilliant and gorgeous glories. When the curtain rises again, the

Queen of Night, more lovely than any queen of kingdoms, arrayed in her

robes of royalty--for God has dressed her with the glories of

heaven--appears, reflecting her full orb in the water, when an unbroken

trail of silvery light apparently connects the two worlds. El Paseo,

where the wealth and fashion of the city come at the close of the day

for an airing, where are seen the beautiful señoritas, their eyes

sparkling with the bright thoughts of their hearts, giving signals to

their friends and lovers with their fans, which are readily comprehended

and returned, although not a word has been spoken. The liveried

postilions, with jack-boots, bare legs, brass buttons, and blue coats,

accompany the Cuban _volantes_ in which they ride. This vehicle has been

superseded to a considerable extent by a lighter conveyance known as "El

Coche," or the French coach. This coach is capable of containing two

persons with ease; sometimes three are seen riding in it. A screen of

canvas, buttoned to the back of the driver's high seat, and then

fastened to the top of the conveyance, excludes the rude gaze of the

vulgar, gaping throngs, through which we are driven. The residence of

the Captain-general is situated on the edge of El Paseo Militaire. Here,

amid the song of birds from the aviary, the falling waters of the

cascade, cooling echoes from the numerous _jets d'eau_ and fountains,

the sweet odors that freight the air from the flowers, and the

picturesque landscape over which the royal palms watch with their waving

wands, we should expect to find the home of happy hearts. It is quite

the reverse: the general has a care-worn visage, beneath which beats a

troubled heart. He rides in a fine coach drawn by matched iron-grays,

and guarded by armed postilions. He walks with an escort, for his

kingdom is filled with insurrection. He is invested with almost

unlimited power, being in command of the civil, military, and religious

authorities, and from his decision there is no appeal.

Many tourists appear desirous of getting over the greatest amount of

space in the least possible time. It was that class of persons composed

our party in visiting this object of interest. How they rushed about as

though a policeman was on their track, in hot pursuit, and they could

not stop to look at any thing! "O supper will be ready!" they kept

constantly exclaiming, as though eating was the sole object of their

existence. El Salle de los Mercaderes is the street on which the banks

are located, the ladies resorting there only in their _volantes_ and

coaches for the purpose of shopping. They never display their charms by

alighting; it would be considered immodest: all goods which they wish to

examine are brought to them while seated in their conveyances. The

prevailing religion here is Catholic. Several years since this city

contained more priests than people, more holidays than working

ones--this kind of government basis requiring indulgence in order to

insure allegiance. The scenes enacted on Sunday in the market-house are

the same as on other days. The cobbler, seated on his bench at the door,

made fun of us as we entered, thinking we could not comprehend him.

"_Sombreros Americanos!_" said he. I looked at him, repeating the words,

"_Vaya usted_"--Begone! when, as if taken aback, he ceased his impudence

and commenced sewing. What a profusion of fruits is seen here! bushels

of oranges, immense bunches of bananas, cocoa-nuts by the wagon-load,

plantains--until we wonder what will be done with them all--but when

fried they form an important article of diet among the Cubans--besides

many fruits for which we cannot find a name or use. Meats of any kind

were not exposed in quantities, but much fish, among which the gar

appeared most abundant. Much of this produce is brought here in panniers

on the backs of mules or horses, while long lines of moving

[Illustration: A CUBAN ORANGE-MARKETER.]

bundles come filing in, with the animals that bear them invisible,

except their legs. These pack-mules are more used than wagons, on

account of the narrow streets, the danger in passing being less than

with loaded vehicles. The amount sold to each purchaser appears small: a

piece of meat wrapped in a paper, and a little fruit tied up in a

handkerchief, is all. When a purchase is made a present is expected,

which they call _cuntra_. In proceeding to the cathedral we pass the

stores and shops, all of which are open. The tailor sits, with his legs

crossed, sewing as earnestly as though he was repeating his

_Paternoster_. They are all Roman Catholics, who have already been to

receive the supposed requisite supply of grace for the week, and have

now returned to their business vocations. The drinking-saloons are open,

with their patrons in full view, seated at the marble-topped tables,

chatting with their friends, their favorite beverages in front of them,

while the blind beggar, with his wife, stands outside singing Spanish

ballads. The drays and wagons are not running, which is all the contrast

between work-days and Sunday in Havana. The proximity between wealth and

misery here is close, and the contrast so visibly marked that the

impression received is more lasting than in America. Beggars

expostulate and importune us until our hearts sicken with the sight of

our surroundings. "_Lottera!_" is cried on every side by

miserable-looking men and women selling tickets, which may be blanks or

prizes, to be tested in the great Havana Lottery.

The cathedral occupies a fine position in the city, being located in the

_Calle del Ignacio_. It has stood so long, and withstood so much, that

it has become an historic record, uniting the past and present. Here

happy hearts have plighted their vows, and many times the last tribute

of tenderness rendered to loved ones. Here the faithful follower of this

religion has counted her beads, while the penitent knelt, confessing his

crimes, and tarried for absolution. It contains numerous altars devoted

to different saints. In rear of the cathedral is a monastery for the

Padres. The cathedral, with its mystical scenes, causes our thoughts to

revert to the times of Aaron, when, with his priestly vestments trimmed

with tinkling bells and pomegranates, he stood before the altar and

burned incense as an oblation for the sins of the people. The plate and

ornaments of the main altar are silver and gold. The candelabra are of

the most curious workmanship--some of them weighing nearly a hundred

pounds. The bishop, assisted by twenty-four fathers and acolytes,

conducted the service. Mass was read in Latin, the acolytes composed the

choir, the members responding audibly. Worship, like other things in

Cuba, is conducted with a zest. The number of worshipers in attendance

was small. Those who came assumed the most devotional of attitudes,

kneeling, during the entire service, in a promiscuous manner, on the

hard tiles, if they had not provided themselves with soft rugs for the

occasion. I could not determine where the line of distinction in color

was drawn--white and black all supplicating together. The most

elaborately-dressed señoras and señoritas bend before the confessional.

A poorly-dressed Cuban woman, among the number, kept prostrating herself

lower and lower until she kissed the marble tiling, when she rose with a

look of satisfaction, as though the act of humiliation had unburdened

her soul. The organ sent forth its thundering tones from behind the

colossal pillars, playing the "_Te Deum_" and "_Miserere_"--thus

enabling us to comprehend, to a certain extent, the grandeur of the

music at St. Peter's Church in Rome.

On the right of the main altar is a tablet, on which is engraved the

following inscription: "_O restos è y imagen del grande Colon! Mil

siglos duraran guardados en la urna y en la remembranza de nuestra

nacion._" "O ashes and image of the great Columbus! You will be guarded

for a thousand centuries in the tomb and in the heart of our nation."

The great injustice done him while living cannot be atoned for now when

dead by dragging his remains about the world. He died in Valladolid,

Spain, where he was buried. His body was exhumed and taken to Seville,

then to Santo Domingo--afterward, with great ceremony, to Cuba, and

deposited in the cathedral, where it will, no doubt, be kept until some

other idea seizes the minds of his impulsive countrymen. The cathedral

walls are hung with the choicest of peaceful, benign portraits, of their

glorified saints, looking with calmness upon us. Among the number is a

life-size, finely-executed painting of St. Christopher, or Santo

Christobal, who flourished during the third century A.D., and is the

guardian saint of Havana. Immense statues of St. Christopher are still

to be seen in many cathedrals. He is always represented as girded, with

staff in hand, for a journey, which gives expression to his allegoric

wanderings through the sea of tribulation, by which the faithful

intended to signify the many sufferings passed before he arrived at the

Eternal Gate.

This saint was formerly implored against pestilential misfortunes or

distempers. He adopted the name of St. Christopher as an inestimable

treasure. His martyrdom is commemorated on the 9th of May. Many

paradoxical things are related of him: "That he was a giant with a dog's

head, and devoured men, but a transformation occurred when he believed

on Christ. He is said to have been instructed from heaven in the way of

right; that he was baptized by the moisture in a cloud which came from

the sky, an invisible voice uttering the sacramental words." He is

related as having had numerous contentions with Satan--his majesty's

presence only being kept at bay by crossing himself. He was advised by a

hermit, as an act of penance, to pray. "That I cannot do," he replied.

"Then you must carry travelers over deep rivers." While performing his

assigned tasks a child applied to him, to whom, when seated, he said,

"You seem heavy as the whole world." The child replied, "I created the

world, I redeemed the world, I bear the sins of the world." Then

Christopher saw that he had borne Christ over the river, and for this

reason he is always represented with the infant Jesus on his shoulders.

It was common, during the Middle Ages, to place effigies of him in

statuary outside the gates of a city, as he who looked on this figure of

St. Christopher was safe from sudden death that day. The following

inscription accompanies the figure of St. Christopher:

Christophori sancti faciem quicumque tuetur.

Illa nempe die non morte male morietur.

Monday morning I ordered a coach for the purpose of visiting Cemetario

de Espeda, named for an ancient bishop in Havana. The entrance to this

cemetery is through a fine rock archway, designed only for pedestrians,

and not carriages. The office has to be passed, and money handed in,

before any corpse has a Christian burial in these consecrated grounds.

Whatever might have been their virtues while living, the dead one here

is to have wealth to take the body into a vault and the soul through

purgatory. This cemetery contains not less than fifty acres of ground,

around which is built a rock wall eight feet in height and about the

same thickness. These walls are made of well-dressed rock, in which are

vaults for interment. Inside the main inclosure are built other high

walls for the same purpose. Paved walks cross each other through the

grounds, covered with square-cut rock, which give a hollow echo when

stepped upon, and, no doubt, contain other tombs. Vaults of sufficient

size to admit a coffin are made in all these walls, which are afterward

sealed, then a tablet of marble is fitted in, being secured with mortar,

on which is placed the inscription, chiseled in Spanish. This tablet is

arranged in accordance with the taste of the friends of those deceased

who survive them. Some contain glass cases, with pictures of the Virgin;

others, wreaths of black beads strung on wire, hung over the tomb. In

one I saw a chameleon cozily ensconced, as though the wreath was made

for him. Lizards were crawling in all directions; harmless little

creatures, they liked the retirement of death's victims! The

inscriptions were mostly very simple. Here are two of them: "A NUESTRO

QUERIDO, HIJO TOM." "To our beloved son Thomas." "HIJA, MIA." "My

beloved daughter." No mounds of earth mark the resting-place of any.

Many birds of varied plumage were singing their songs among the roses,

cape jasmines, pride of China, and mimosa trees.

As we alighted, two bodies had just preceded us into the cemetery for

deposit--a rich and a poor man, distinguishable by distinctions in death

as in life. The rich man was in a fine casket, with his name engraved on

the lid, and six silver handles, borne by liveried attendants, dressed

in black clothes, trimmed with wide white stripes. No women were

present, but a large number of dignified-looking Spanish gentlemen. The

casket was placed in a vault, after which workmen, with brick and

mortar, commenced closing up the orifice, which was witnessed by those

in attendance until it was finished, when they retired with the same

manifestations of grief as though a dead leaf had dropped from a tree.

The poor man was borne on the shoulders of four rough-looking fellows,

who grunted as though the body might have weighed a ton. They trotted

away into a corner with the bones, and no mourners, as if it were a log,

instead of a human being, where once dwelt the breath and likeness of

the Eternal God.

A hundred dollars is considered a remuneration for the use of a vault

twenty years--at the expiration of which time, if there is no renewal of

funds, the remains are taken out and thrown into a common pit, or

potter's-field, where the poor are buried without coffins. The corpse of

a pretty little girl, dressed in white, her head wreathed in flowers,

was brought in a coffin with no cover, accompanied by a few poor, sad

friends, when a rock tablet was raised by means of ropes drawn through

iron rings, and the child's body thrown into a deep pit--the coffin

being taken away, which could be used again in bringing many more poor

children for burial. Protestants are not permitted sepulture here, on

any consideration, if the fact is known to those in charge. We retired

from this "garden of slumberers" to the entrance, where sat the Padres,

one of whom smiled and called _el coche_ with a peculiar p-s-t-s-c-h,

which sound goes whizzing through the air like a rocket.

There are persons with whom we meet in life whose smile means mischief,

whose friendly grasp is a covering for treachery, which fact is, alas!

true in regard to the Cubans, for they rarely mean what they say to you.

Ah! it was only a promise. Then there is so little manifestation of

repentance with them, if you are disappointed. They pile up excuses for

all untoward acts until you are led to believe it was not a

reality--only a mistaken idea of your imagination.

It is thus in Havana. Orders are given to be called in time for the

early train. Soon after retiring, peaceful slumbers possess your body

and pleasant dreams your mind, until finally, on awakening, you come to

realize the facts that too much time has passed, the train gone, and a

day longer before you, where the thought of remaining had not crossed

your mind. It appears to be a preconcerted plan, on the part of

landlords, to retain paying patrons. Persons having a large amount of

patience will find frequent exercise for it while traveling in Cuba.

A Ramble into the Early History of Florida.

In trying to ascertain the distribution of tribes during the early

explorations of the Florida settlers, we feel as though the veil of

obscurity had never been lifted. However, three divisions have been

traced, with some degree of certainty, after the extinction of the

original Caribs, or Cannibals, whose works are seen so extensively on

the St. John's and sea-coast of Florida. In the northern part lived the

Temuncas, on the eastern coast the Ais, and the Cobooras on the

south-western. It was these Indians who were found occupying the soil

when the Spanish and French explorers first landed on the new continent.

Their presence in this country was, and still continues to be, an

unsolved mystery. Different tribes have their peculiar legends, which

date back for centuries. Some of them say their ancestors walked out

from a cave; others, that they came from the clouds, consequently were

of heavenly origin.

Whatever may have formerly been the difference of opinion in regard to

the first discoverer of Florida, the honor is now awarded to Sebastian

Cabot, who was born in Bristol, England, A.D. 1477. He was the son of

John Cabot, a Venetian pilot, who in the pursuit of his vocation spent a

portion of his time in Italy, but his home was in England; hence the

erroneous statement made by writers that he was a Venetian. The fact has

been well authenticated that the continent of America was discovered by

Cabot, 1497, although Columbus first landed on some of the islands.

England poorly requited Cabot for the great discovery of the New World.

Henry VII.--whose ruling passion was parsimony--then being king, could

not comprehend the magnificent prize which lay within his grasp by right

of discovery. It is stated Cabot died about 1557, aged eighty years.

During his last illness, just before his spirit took its flight, his

mind being illumined with the radiance of another existence, he remarked

that "Divine revelation was an infallible method of ascertaining the

longitude he could then disclose to no one." After this great discovery

of Cabot the adventurers returned with tales of the wonderful, before

which fiction paled into insignificance. They all thirsted for riches,

and the wildest fantasies of the imagination could not keep pace with

their golden dreams, to be realized in this far-away El Dorado. The

sojourners at home seized upon the information with the same avidity as

the explorers.

The discovery of Florida has usually been given to a companion of

Columbus, Ponce de Leon, a daring cavalier, whom fortune had favored in

all his undertakings. Having been promoted to the highest official

position on the island of Porto Rico, his declining strength was a

bitter potion, which remained in the cup of his closing life. Failing

in the realization of his golden dreams in the new country, he afterward

heard of an immortal fountain toward the setting sun, called Bimini,

whose waters not only gave youth and beauty, but a perennial existence.

It was before this much-coveted prize the glory of all earthly honors

faded into shadows. The traditions of these wonderful rejuvenating

waters had lived among the Carib Indians for many years, and from the

fact that those who journeyed thither had never returned, the conclusion

was inferred that they were roaming through the newly-found Elysian

Fields, so delighted they did not wish to leave their new home, never

imagining they could have perished by the hand of violence. Ponce do

Leon had no difficulty in obtaining companions for this visionary

voyage. He fitted out three vessels for the expedition, which sailed

from the port of St. Germain, March, 1512, when, steering westward, they

landed a little to the north of St. Augustine, March 27, 1512, on Palm

Sunday, naming the country _Pascua Floridas_, which it still retains.

Ponce was much charmed with the general appearance of every thing he

saw. The number of streams which he drank from is unknown, but as none

of the fabled waters imparted fresh vigor to his worn, battered body,

made thus from age and toil, he returned home, if no younger, wiser on

the subject of adventurous enterprise. After his arrival in Cuba he

reported his discovery to Ferdinand, who conferred on him the title of

_Adelantado_, which would immortalize him on the records of history

after death, if no rejuvenating waters could affect him while living.

Hardly had he returned and recovered from the toils of his discovery

before information was received that the Caribs were encroaching upon

the island of Porto Rico, capturing the Spaniards and carrying them

away, and, as they were never seen afterward, it was inferred they had

been eaten by these cannibals. An expedition was soon sent out to

conquer them, commanded by Ponce de Leon. He landed first on the island

of Guadalupe, when he sent his men on shore for wood, and the women to

wash their clothes. The hostile Indians made a descent on them, killing

the men, and carrying off the women prisoners to the mountains. This

movement was a heavy blow to the ambitious Ponce, whose health and

spirits both commenced declining. The squadron, on his return from Porto

Rico, was taken charge of by one of his captains. After remaining on the

island for several years, still retaining the office of governor, he was

told the land he had discovered was not an island, but portion of a

large unknown country. The fame of Cortez, who was then winning laurels

in the conquest of Mexico, reached the ears of Ponce de Leon, who, not

wishing to be considered the least among the conquerors, fitted out

another expedition of two ships at his own expense, which sailed from

Porto Rico, 1521, for the purpose of making farther explorations in the

new continent. A bird of ill omen appeared to perch on his pennons from

the time he left port. Heavy seas assailed him on every side, tossing

his frail bark like a feather on their creamy crests, threatening

destruction at every moment. He finally landed at the nearest point on

the coast of Florida, being in the vicinity of St. Augustine, where he

proclaimed himself governor and possessor of the soil. The Caribs,

thinking themselves unauthorized in the recognition of any power outside

of their own race, met him with fierce opposition, showering their

arrows upon the astonished Spaniards, killing several of them, and

mortally wounding Ponce de Leon. He was carried to the ship in a

helpless condition, and from thence to Cuba. A Spanish writer makes the

following remark upon the visionary scheme in which this unfortunate

adventurer had embarked: "Thus fate delights to reverse the schemes of

men. The discovery that Juan Ponce flattered himself was to be the means

of perpetuating his life, had the ultimate effect of hastening his

death." The last undertaking closed his earthly career, and found for

him a grave on the island of Cuba. The following is a correct copy of

the epitaph placed upon his tomb, translated into Spanish by Castellano:

Aequeste lugar estrecho

Es sepulchro del varon

Que en el nombre fue Leon,

Y mucho mas en el hecho.

When rendered into English, means, In this sepulcher rest the bones of a

man who was a lion by name, and still more by nature.

The failure of Ponce de Leon did not deter other explorers, thirsting

for glory and gain, from trying their fortunes in this unexplored

paradise. These, like many settlers in a new country the present day,

had miscalculated the toils and privations to be endured, the dangers to

be faced, the labors performed, the foes, whose cunning in the use of

death-dealing missiles would take their lives with the same freedom they

did the snake that sung the siren song of death to the thoughtless

victim that crossed his pathway. The names of De Ayllon, Miruello,

Cordova, Alaminos, Verazzano, Pamfilo de Narvaez, and Cabeca de Vaca,

all come to us covered with defeat and loss of life while attempting to

inhabit a country so uncivilized that they had never been able to

imagine even its real condition. Mountains of gold, mines of silver, and

rivers of pearls, was the Aladdin's dream that lured them from home, and

left them to perish on the sands of an inhospitable shore. Nearly twenty

years had elapsed since the demise of Ponce de Leon, when Hernando de

Soto, an officer second in rank to Pizarro the Conqueror, having

accompanied him during his Peruvian conquests, had entered the temples

of the Incas, whose brightness was only eclipsed by the great luminary

of day, while the Aztecs rendered him the honor that belonged to their

gods. De Soto still thirsted for conquest, and Florida was a new field

for the gratification of his adventurous schemes and visionary

enterprises. He consumed much time on the island of Cuba in recruiting

soldiers and sailors who were willing to serve under him, and follow

where he would lead. Finally, after his preparations were completed, he

sailed, on the 15th of May, 1539, under the ensign, "Possunt quia posse

videntur" (They are able, because they seem to be able), arriving at

Espiritu Santo Bay on Whitsunday, May 25, with a larger fleet, than had

ever landed on the shores of Florida before. De Soto was certain he had

found "the richest country in the world," where the cupidity of his

companions could be gratified to satiety; where precious metals lined

the temples, and more precious gems sparkled from their high altars,

before which the priests, clad in robes of royal purple, chanted their

orisons in the presence of worshiping crowds who, free from solicitude

for all worldly possessions, poured their surplus riches from their

well-filled coffers into the store-house of the Great Spirit, as an

expiatory offering for their misdeeds. It cannot but be conceded that a

more industrious, ubiquitous traveler than De Soto ever entered Florida.

We are certain, if the courage of his men was unfailing, that their

fine, costly apparel, becoming the knighthood of a chivalric age and

people, was much shorn of its distinguished ensigns; also, the

richly-caparisoned horses of their gaudy trappings, while exploring the

wilds of Florida. Each day their hopes were renewed by something they

saw, or heard from the Indians, who, being anxious to get rid of their

troublesome intruders, entertained them with tales of unexplored

territory containing vast treasures just beyond them. Thus they traveled

from Tampa to Ocala, thence to Tallahassee, Rome, Georgia, the

Cumberland, in Tennessee, finally crossing the Mississippi River near

Memphis. Worn out with wandering, disappointed in not finding the El

Dorado of his ambition, he calmly met and faced his last foe on the

banks of the great Father of Waters, as one writer has remarked,

"finding nothing so wonderful as his own grave." Thus ended the career

of a man, representing himself to be a child of the sun, in search of

the fairest land in the world, and himself the greatest lord that ruled

this unexplored region.

The Indians had become wearied with these children of the sun, whose

presence had given them neither peace nor plenty, as they had killed all

who opposed them; besides, these celestial visitants appropriated all

their stores for the sustenance of themselves, thus leaving them only

the prospect of extra exertion, to which their heretofore easy, idle

habits of living had rendered them averse. With the recollection of

these events, the natives, fresh from their former experience, could

hardly be expected, when the messengers of peace came to Florida, as

they saw no difference in their external appearance and that of their

predecessors, besides being goaded with the memory of their wrongs, that

they would be prepared to give them any thing but a cruel reception. For

this reason the beautiful bay of Espiritu Santo, which years before had

witnessed the pageant of a far-famed conquering general among peaceful

people, now saw the war-clubs descend with fearful force upon the

defenseless heralds of the cross, who had come in good faith to convert

them. Afterward appeared Señor Don Tristan de Luna, from Mexico, landing

at Santa Maria, or Pensacola Bay. The only remaining record of his

exploits is the fact of a Spanish settlement having been established on

the shores of Pensacola Bay, in 1561, and that numerous explorations

were made through the country at the same time, as they remained four

years, but became discouraged and left the country, which had been to

them only a scene of reverses, and returned to more friendly climes,

leaving the glory of establishing the first permanent settlement on the

shores of America to another.

During the religious differences which harassed the Huguenots in the

reign of Charles the IX. of France, Coligny, a convert, conceived the

project of seeking an asylum in the New World, where God could be

worshiped in accordance with their received opinions of his attributes.

King Charles required no importuning for the furtherance of this plan,

it being a matter of indifference to him whether they succeeded or

failed, as he would be rid of these troublesome Protestant subjects,

whom he both feared and hated. Jean Ribaut sailed from France in

February, 1562, landing first on the south side of Anastasia Island,

near the present site of St. Augustine, naming the inlet River of

Dolphins, which they could not cross with their large ships because of

the bar at its mouth. The river is now called Matanzas. They then sailed

in a northerly direction from this point, naming the present St. John's

May River, from the month in which they first discovered it. The French

historian thus glowingly describes their impressions of the country:

"The weather being fair, we viewed the lands as we passed, sparkling

with flowers and verdure, the vast forests, the unknown birds, the game

which appeared at the entrance of the glades and stood fearlessly gazing

at the apparition of man." They entered a large inlet, ninety leagues

north from Dolphin River, which Ribaut named Port Royal. On a small

island they built a fort, and named it, Charles, or Carolus, in honor of

the French king. For three years this colony existed through hardships,

but without persecution. However, unfortunately, the material they had

enlisted to found a Reformed Church on foreign shores was mixed with

dross--men without character or principle, whose vices were not improved

by transplanting. Thus, the first endeavors made by persecuted men to

seek an asylum in the New World, were attended with events too true to

be disputed, and almost too tragical to receive credence. They present a

striking instance of the chivalrous spirit which animated the reformers

of that day, also the sanguinary disposition with which they were

harassed by religious bigotry. After Ribaut had settled this colony,

consisting of twenty-five men, in charge of Captain Albert, he sailed

for France, to relate his discoveries and receive assistance. The

captain, being on friendly terms with the Indians, went on expeditions

through the country, one of which was to Onade, or Savannah River, where

the Indians gave him pearls, gold, and crystals in which the ore was

found. They also informed him that it was ten days' journey distant to

these treasures, which were no doubt the mountains of Georgia now, then

a portion of Florida. Ribaut was detained on his voyage to France by

alternate storms and calms, until his ship-stores became exhausted,

when they resorted to leather as a means of subsistence, and finally

sacrificed one of their number to sustain life in the surviving ones.

When he arrived in France, a civil war being in progress between the

Catholics and Huguenots, no opportunity presented itself for fitting out

an expedition, or sending relief to the little band at Port Royal. In

consequence of this neglect they built themselves a mere shallop, in

which they started for home. On the voyage they mutinied, killing their

commander, and were finally, in a starving, sinking condition, taken on

board an English vessel. A portion of them were landed in France, and

the remainder on the shores of England. Those in the English dominions

were brought before the king, where they related their adventures in the

New World, which narration first turned the attention of the English to

this country.

The command of the second expedition was given to one of Ribaut's

companions, Laudonnière. They again landed south of the River May; but

having received the news that Port Royal was abandoned, and being

saddened from old associations, they determined to settle near the mouth

of May River, it having presented the most attractions to them on a

former visit, as here they had been supplied with more corn and grain,

besides gold and silver, than at any other place. In the month of June,

1564, they commenced building a fort, felling trees, clearing away

undergrowth, hewing timbers, and throwing up intrenchments. The form of

this palisade was triangular, on two sides of which were a trench and

walls of earth, with retreating angles and platforms for admitting four

cannons; the other side was constructed of heavy timbers locked

together. This structure was built on the present site of St. John's

Bluff, the land being claimed by an Indian chief who rendered them good

service in its construction, also in erecting their store-houses and

buildings. The Indians were easily remunerated for their labor, being

satisfied with a few trinkets, toys, or hatchets. The roofs were of

palm-leaves, ingeniously woven together after the Indian method. The

French took possession of the country in the name of King Charles, their

sovereign, calling their new fort Caroline also. The Indians entertained

their visitors with marvelous tales of "a nation who covered their

bodies with gold and silver plates when they fought, which protected

them from the arrows of their enemies, shot from the largest bows." This

information inflamed the ambition of the Frenchmen so much that, as soon

as the fort furnished a defense for them, the ships departed for France,

leaving supplies with the colony for nine months. The new settlers again

became restless, not hearing from those who had sailed, receiving no

assistance from France, and as provisions were failing also, they

commenced building a vessel for their return. In this extremity they

were visited by Captain Hawkins, who had sailed from the West

Indies--his object in entering the river being to obtain a supply of

fresh water. Seeing what would be the result of their undertaking, he

dissuaded them from going to sea in their dangerous craft; he also sold

them a vessel and provisions, which produced a reconciliation in their

ranks. A fleet of seven vessels sailed from the port of Dieppe, May 22,

1565, landing, three months from that date, on the coast of Florida.

Laudonnière, at first, thought them his enemies, who had mutinied and

left for France, where they had been circulating evil reports in regard

to his judicial character, but was much pleased to find Ribaut had

returned, who then took command of Fort Caroline, and Laudonnière

commenced making preparations for sailing to France, where he had been

ordered. In the meantime information had been received by the Spanish

monarch of a Huguenot settlement on the coast of Florida. It was the

religious, and not the political, zeal of the Spaniards, as

circumstances go to prove, that moved them to plan the destruction of

this infant colony. Pedro Melendez de Avilez, a marine officer in the

time of Philip II. of Spain, importuned the king, on account of his

desire for worldly honors, to be sent to the then wilds of Florida. For

the furtherance of his plans he made the following plea as the

philanthropic design of his unselfish motives: "Such grief seizes me

when I behold this multitude of wretched Indians, that I should choose

the conquest and settling of Florida above all commands, or offices and

dignities which your majesty might see proper to bestow." His commission

was received without difficulty, when he adopted the motto, "Plunder

from heretics is good for the soul as well as the purse." On the 4th of

September, 1565, six vessels were seen coming from the sea, which

dropped anchor near the four large vessels of Ribaut. They were

recognized as Spanish galleons, and the French were hailed to know "what

they were doing in the dominions of King Philip." No other

demonstrations were then made, except that he was their enemy. The

enterprise of Melendez had now assumed an appearance of more dignity; it

became a crusade, and the eager impulse of ambition was stimulated by

all the usual arguments in favor of a religious war. The extirpation of

heresy was an object equally grateful to the legitimates both of France

and Spain, Charles IX. cheerfully yielding up his Protestant subjects in

Florida to the tender mercies of Spanish propagandists. Melendez came to

Florida as a conqueror, and to convert the Indians. In consideration of

his bearing a greater portion of the expense, he was styled the

Adelantado of the Floridas. During the voyage they encountered storms

which decreased their numbers nearly one-third. Having heard of the

colony being reënforced, doubts were entertained of their strength to

attack it, and Melendez appealed to them in the following manner: "The

Almighty has thus reduced our force, that his own right arm might

achieve the work." The French were unprepared for the rapidity of the

progress made by the Spaniards, and when the galleons anchored Ribaut

was at La Caroline. Fortunately, they did not reach May River until near

night, when darkness prevented an attack, which was the occasion of

their civility. They lowered sail, cast anchor, and forbore all

offensive demonstrations. But one circumstance confirmed the

apprehensions of the Frenchmen: in the brief conversation which ensued

between the parties on the arrival of the Spaniards, was their inquiries

after the chief captains and leaders of the French fleet, calling them

by their names and surnames, thus betraying an intimate knowledge of

matters which had been judiciously kept secret as possible in France,

showing conclusively that before Melendez left Spain he was thoroughly

informed, by those who knew, of the condition, movements, and strength

of Ribaut's armament. Why this information, unless there were some

designs for acting upon it? The French officers compared notes that

night, in respect to these communications, concurring in the belief that

they stood in danger of an assault. They accordingly made preparations

to leave with the dawn. At an early hour the Spaniards begun to draw

near the French, but the sails of these were already hoisted to the

breeze. Their cables severed at the first sign of hostility, when the

chase begun with the greatest animation. If the Huguenots were deficient

in force, they had the advantage in swift sailing. They suffered nothing

from the distant cannonading, although the chase lasted all day. At the

approach of night the Spaniards tacked ship and stood for the River

Selooe, named by the French Dolphin, a distance overland of but eight or

ten leagues from La Caroline. Finding they had the advantage of their

enemies fleetness, the French vessels came about also, following at a

respectful distance. After having made all the discoveries possible,

they returned to May River, when Ribaut came aboard. They reported to

him that the great ship of the Spaniards, called "The Trinity," still

kept the sea--that two ships had entered Dolphin River, and three

remained at its mouth, while the Spaniards had evidently employed

themselves in putting soldiers, with arms, munitions, and provisions,

upon shore. Emoloa, one of the Indian kings in amity with the French,

sent them word "that the Spaniards had gone on shore in great numbers,

and that they had deprived the natives of their houses at that village."

Generals Patino and Vicente had taken control of a huge barn-like

structure, formerly occupied by the Indian Cazique, which was

constructed from the trunks of large trees, and thatched over with

palmetto. They begun work on this newly-captured fortification by

intrenching with sand, employing the negroes they had brought with them,

this being the first introduction of slave-labor into the United States.

This Indian council-house, used as a fortification by Melendez, was

destroyed by fire. Twenty years afterward another structure of logs was

reared on the same spot, in the form of an octagon. It was finished in

1722, the design being to impress strangers and frighten savages. It was

christened San Juan de Pinas. After some preliminaries, preparatory to a

formal reception, the Spaniards took possession of the country amid the

firing of cannons, flourishing of trumpets, and flinging of banners to

the breeze. The priest Mendoza, with his acolytes, met Melendez with all

the pomp of a conquering prince, chanting the "_Te Deum Laudamus_," when

the Adelantado and his companions kneeled, kissing the crucifix, while

the Indians assembled, gazing in silent wonder, as the solemn mass of

"Our Lady" was performed, and the foundation of St. Augustine laid. Thus

was planted by Pedro Melendez the broad banner of Spain, with its

castellated towers, in the lonely Indian village of Selooe, beside the

river which the Huguenots had previously dignified with the title of "La

Riviere des Dolphins." It was on the 28th of August, 1565, the day on

which the Spaniards celebrate the Feast of St. Augustine, that the

Adelantado entered the mouth of the Selooe River, being attracted by the

general appearance of the country, and resolved to establish a town and

fortress. Having previously come on shore with a portion of his forces,

he found himself welcomed by the savages, whom he treated kindly, and

who requited him with the assurances of friendship. Mendoza, the priest

who accompanied the Adelantado, kept a journal of their movements both

on the voyage and after landing in America. If he had been a man of more

intelligence, posterity would now be greatly benefited by his records,

as they are so closely connected with the birth of our great republic.

Ribaut, concluding that the Spaniards designed to assail the settlement

of La Caroline from this point, with a view of exterminating the

colonists from the country, boldly conceived a move for taking the

initiative in the war. He first assembled his chief captains in the

chamber of Laudonnière, that official being ill. He compared the

relative condition of their own and the enemy's strength, concluding

that he could embark with all his forces and seek the fleet of the

Spaniards, particularly at a moment when it was somewhat

scattered--with only one great ship at sea, and the rest not

conditioned to support each other in the event of a sudden attack, as

the troops of the Adelantado, with a portion on shore and the remainder

on board their vessels, would not be ready for immediate action.

Laudonnière was entirely opposed to the scheme of Ribaut, representing

the defenseless condition of the fortress and the dangers of a fleet at

sea, particularly during a season distinguished for storms and

hurricanes. Ribaut, being an old soldier and sea-captain, was too eager

for an engagement to heed any arguments that partook of cowardice. He

ordered all the soldiers subject to his command to board their vessels.

Not satisfied with this force, he lessened the strength of the garrison

by taking a detachment of its best men, leaving few to keep the post but

invalids. On the 8th of September, 1565, he left in pursuit of the

Spaniards, and Laudonnière never saw him again. Nature put on her

wildest moods, and the skies were swallowed up in tempests. The storm

continued so long that Laudonnière mustered his command and proceeded to

put the fortress in the best possible condition for defense. Work

advanced slowly in consequence of the continued bad weather. The whole

force left in the garrison consisted of but eighty-six men capable of

bearing arms. Ribaut, relying upon the impression that he should find

his enemy at sea in full force, stripped the garrison of its strength.

His vessels being swifter than those of the Spaniards, he was certain

that if any demonstration should be made against La Caroline, he could

interpose. He made no calculation for the caprices of the weather and

cool prudence of Pedro Melendez. He intended first to destroy the fleet

of the enemy, and then make a descent upon the troops on land before

they could fortify their camps, thus overcoming them with his superior

and unembarrassed forces. The condition of things at La Caroline when

Ribaut took his departure was deplorable enough, but rendered still more

so by a scanty supply of food for the helpless who remained. Laudonnière

proceeded to assume the defensive attitude in the event of an attack;

but at the recurrence of stormy weather they ceased work, supposing the

Spaniards would not expose themselves during the severity of an

equinoctial gale.

While Melendez was busy with the preliminaries incident to founding a

new settlement, having celebrated the divine mysteries in a manner both

solemn and ostentatious, the fleet of Ribaut made its appearance at the

mouth of the inlet. His extreme caution in sounding the bar to which his

vessels were approaching lost him two precious hours, but for which his

conquest must have been certain. Had the two remaining vessels been

captured, and Melendez made prisoner, then a descent upon the dismayed

troops on shore, not yet intrenched, when the annihilation of the

settlement must have ensued: thus the whole destiny of Florida would

have been changed, the Huguenot colonies established upon the soil, a

firm possession of the land given to the French, that might have kept

the _fleur-de-lis_ waving from its summit to this day. At the very

instant when the hands of Ribaut were stretched to seize his prize, the

sudden force of the hurricane parted them--the trembling ships gradually

disappearing with their white wings in the distance and darkness, like

feeble birds borne onward in the wild fury of the tempest. Meanwhile the

mind of Melendez was not idle; a bright thought had flashed across his

pathway which opened daring exploits. His officers were summoned to a

council of solemn debate and deliberate action in regard to their future

movements. It was midnight when the assemblage of the Spanish captains

took place in the great council-house of the savages of Selooe. Rude

logs strewn about the building, even as they had been employed by the

Indians, furnished seats for the Spanish officers. They surrounded a

great fire of resinous pine, which now blazed brightly in the apartment.

Silently the Castilian noblemen took their seats. Melendez encouraged an

immediate attack on Fort Caroline while weakened by the absence of

Ribaut and his forces. His arguments and inflexible will silenced

opposition, when all the council gradually became of his mind--the whole

scene closing with a benediction from Father Salvandi. Every preparation

being completed, Melendez, with five hundred picked men, commenced an

overland march to Fort Caroline. It was on the night of the 19th of

September, 1565, Monsieur de La Vigne, being appointed to keep guard,

with his company, and having a tender heart for the men in bad weather,

pitied the guards so much he permitted them to retire to their lodgings,

and also went himself. Foul weather appeared to agree with the

Spaniards, who enjoyed the showers from which the French retired so

willingly, and that night found them in readiness for an attack on the

Huguenot colony. The surprise being complete, all show of resistance was

useless. "Slay! smite! and spare not!" was the dreadful command of

Melendez. "The groans of the heretic make music in the ears of Heaven!"

Laudonnière, with eighteen of his companions, succeeded in escaping.

Among this number was the celebrated painter Le Moyne, whom we owe much

for illustrations of Floridian scenery, lineaments, and costumes,

preserved in De Bry and other collections. These sailed out the River

May, and, after numerous adventures and detentions, arrived on the coast

of England. The most cruel portion of this drama is the last act in

regard to the fate of the wretched Huguenots taken at the capture of La

Caroline, and the dark deed by which the Spanish chief tarnished the

record which might have immortalized his name. All resistance having

ceased on the part of the Huguenots at Caroline, the standard of Castile

was unrolled from its battlements, instead of the white folds and the

smiling lilies of France. The name of the fortress was solemnly changed

to San Matheo--the day on which they found themselves in its possession

being dedicated to the honor of that saint. The arms of France, and also

of Coligny, which surmounted the gateways of the fort, were erased, and

those of Spain graven instead. The keeping of the fortress was assigned

to a garrison of three hundred men, under the command of Gonzalo de

Villaroel. These services occupied but little time, not interfering

with other performances of the Adelantado, which he thought not the less

conspicuous among the duties required at his hands. The surviving

prisoners were brought before him, among whom were many women and

children. Besides those rescued by Laudonnière, several had fled to the

forests, taking shelter with the tribes of neighboring Indians, who in

some instances were protected by them with fidelity, but in the greater

number of cases, terrified by the sudden appearance and strength of the

Spaniards, they yielded up the fugitives at the fierce demand of the

Adelantado. Others of the unfortunate Huguenots, warned by the Indians

that they could no longer harbor them, were shot down by their pursuers

as they fled through the forests. The sight of weeping and trembling

women and children, of naked captives, worn, exhausted, enfeebled by

years, by disease, and cruel wounds, all pleading for his mercy, only

seemed to strengthen him in his most cruel resolutions. "Separate these

women from the other prisoners!" This was done. "Now, detach from these

last all children under fifteen years." His command was obeyed. The

women and children thus set apart were consigned to slavery: the younger

ones were more readily persuaded to the Catholic altars, and thus

finally achieved their deliverance. The more stubborn perished in their

bonds, passing through various grades of degradation. With reference to

the remainder history is terribly definite. Fixing his cold, dark eye

upon the male captives, of whose fate he had said nothing, he demanded:

"Is there any among ye who profess the faith of the Roman Catholic

Church?" Two of the prisoners replied in the affirmative. "Take these

Christians away, and let their bonds be removed. The holy Father

Salvandi will examine them in the faith of the Mother Church. For the

rest, are there any among ye, seeing the error of your faith, will

renounce the heresy of Luther, and seek once more communion with the

only true Church?" A dread calm ensued, the captives looking mournfully

at each other and the Adelantado, in whose face there was no

encouragement, and nothing but despair in the appearance of their

companions. "Be warned!" continued the Adelantado. "To those who seek

the blessings of the true Church, she generously openeth her arms; to

those who turn away indifferently, or in scorn, are decreed death, both

temporal and eternal. Hear ye, and now say!" The silence was unbroken.

"Are ye obdurate? or do ye not comprehend that your lives rest upon your

speech? Either ye embrace the safety which the Church offers, by an

instant renunciation of that of the foul heretic, Luther, or ye die by

the halter!" One sturdy soldier advanced from the group--a bold,

high-souled fellow--his brows lifted proudly with the conscious impulse

which worked within his soul. "Pedro Melendez, we are in your power. You

are master of our mortal bodies; but with the death before us that you

threaten, know that we are members of the Reformed Church of Christ,

which ye name to be of Luther, and, holding it good to live in this

faith, we deem it not amiss to die in it." Then the speaker looked

around him into the face of his fellows, as they lightened up with a

glow of cheerfulness and pride, though no word was spoken. "Speak this

man for the rest of ye?" demanded Melendez. For a moment there was

silence. Finally a _matelot_ advanced--a common sailor--a man before the

mast. "Aye, aye, captain! What he says we say, and there's no use for

more palaver. Let there be an end of it. We are of the Church of

Monsieur Luther, and no other. If death's the word, we're not the men at

the end of the reckoning to belie the whole voyage!" "Be it even as ye

say!" answered Melendez, coldly but sternly, and without change of

action or show of passion. "Take them forth, and let them be hung to

yonder tree!"

The air was rent with the shrieks of women and cries of children--women

endeavoring to save their husbands, and children clinging to the knees

of their doomed sires, all of which produced no relentings--the parties

being separated by a strong hand, and the doomed men hurried to the

fatal tree, the priest standing ready to receive their recantations.

Exhortations were not spared--soldier and sailor had equally spoken for

the martyrdom of the whole--the reverend father preaching and promising

all in vain. Amid cries and shrieks, the victims were run up to the

wide-spreading branches of a mighty oak, disgraced in its employment for

such a purpose, where they perished with fidelity to the faith which

they professed. Their bodies were left hanging in the sun and wind,

destined equally as trophies of the victor and warnings to the heretic.

Melendez caused a monument to be raised beneath the tree, upon which

was printed, in large characters, "These do not suffer thus as

Frenchmen, but as heretics and enemies to God." Melendez thus became

master of Fort Caroline, wresting a country from the Huguenots which

they had acquired through so many vicissitudes. Before leaving he

lingered to review the garrison, and founded with his own bloody hands a

church dedicated to the God of mercy. He then departed with a small body

of troops, arriving at his camp in safety. He was received as the

vanquisher of heretics. After this slaughter the victors entered St.

Augustine in solemn procession, with four priests in front, chanting the

_Te Deum_ in triumph. However, his victory was not without its

disquietude, having heard of Ribaut somewhere on the coast, and his own

shipping destroyed. The unfortunate Ribaut, driven before the hurricane,

had been wrecked with all his squadron upon the bleak, unfriendly shores

of Cape Cannaveral, his troops being saved, but the crew drowned.

On the 28th of September, when the weary Adelantado was taking his

_siesta_ under the sylvan roof of a Seloy, a band of Indians came in

with news that quickly roused him from his slumbers: "A French vessel

had been wrecked on the coast toward the south. Those who escaped from

her were some four leagues off, on the banks of a river, or arm of the

sea, which they could not cross. Melendez immediately sent a detachment

of men to reconnoiter. They rowed along the channel between Anastasia

Island and the main shore. After landing they struck across the island

on foot, traversing plains and marshes, reaching the sea toward night.

Craftily concealing his troops on the opposite shore, he climbed a tree

for the purpose of reconnoitering. From this point he saw the dismayed

band of Frenchmen grouped together, about two hundred strong, and, on

account of rough waters, were unable to cross in a raft they had

constructed."

We have now seen how, when Jean Ribaut was making an attack on the

Spaniards, his plans were thwarted by a storm of strange fury. One of

the ships was wrecked at a point farther northward than the rest, and it

was her company whose camp-fires were seen by the Spaniards at their

bivouac among the sands of Anastasia Island. They were attempting to

reach Fort Caroline, in regard to whose fate they knew nothing, while

Ribaut, with the remainder, was farther southward, struggling through

the wilderness toward the same goal. Of the fate of the former party

there is no French record. Solis, the priest and brother-in-law to

Melendez, was eye-witness to the following scenes, a report of which was

sent to Spain:

When the Adelantado saw the French fires at a distance, he dressed in

the garb of a common sailor, and rowed toward the shipwrecked men, the

better to learn their condition. A bold Gascon succeeded in making the

passage by swimming, when Melendez demanded, "Who are you?" The

Frenchman replied, "We are the people of Ribaut, Captain-general of

Florida." "Are you Lutherans?" "We are Lutherans." "Gentlemen,"

continued Melendez, "your fort is taken, and all in it put to the

sword, save the women and children under fifteen years of age." In proof

of which he caused articles of plunder from Fort Caroline to be shown to

the unhappy Frenchmen.

He then left and went to breakfast with his officers, first ordering

food to be set before his petitioners. Having eaten, he returned to

them. "Are you convinced, now, that what I have told you is true?" The

French captain assented. "But assist us to leave--that is, in truth,

what we demand." "Demand nothing of me, for I tell you, as a gentleman

and an officer, holding a high commission from the Court of Spain, that,

if the heavens were to mingle before my eyes, the resolution I once make

I never change. If you were Catholics, and I had ships, I would help

you, but I have none."

The supplicants expressed a hope that they would be allowed to remain

with the Spaniards till ships could be sent to their relief, since there

was peace between the two nations, whose kings were friends and

brothers. "We are men made equally in the image of Deity, and serve the

same God, if not at the same altars." "If you will give up your arms and

banners, and place yourselves at my mercy, you may do so, and I will act

toward you as God shall give me grace. Do as you will, for other than

this you can have neither truce nor friendship with me."

One of the Frenchmen recrossed to consult with his companions. After two

hours he returned, offering a large amount for their lives, which was

not accepted. Privations had demoralized these starving Frenchmen, who

then gave credence to vain hopes which they would not have entertained

from an enemy at any other time. They had no other resource but to yield

themselves to his mercy. The boat was again sent across the river, and

returned laden with their banners and weapons of warfare. The Adelantado

ordered twenty of his men to bring over ten Frenchmen at a time. He then

took the French officers aside, and, with a semblance of courtesy on his

lips and murder in his heart, he said: "Gentlemen, I have but few men,

and you are so many, that, if you were free, it would be easy for you to

take your satisfaction on us for the people we killed when we took your

fort; therefore it is necessary that you should go to my camp, four

leagues distant from this place, with your hands tied." Accordingly, as

each party advanced, they were led out of sight behind the sand-hills,

and their hands tied behind them with the match-cord of the arquebuses,

though not before they had been supplied with food. Twelve Breton

sailors professed themselves Catholics, together with four carpenters

and calkers, "of whom," writes Melendez, "I was in great need," who were

put on a boat and sent to St. Augustine. The remainder were ordered to

march thither by land. The Adelantado walked in advance until he came to

a lonely spot not far distant among the bush-covered hills. Here he

stopped and drew a line in the sand with his cane. Not one of this

wretched company, not being Catholics, was allowed to cross, and the

whole two hundred perished.

Again Melendez returned to St. Augustine, gloating over his success.

Great as had been his victory, he still had cause for anxiety, as Ribaut

could not be far off. On the next day Indians came with the tidings that

on the spot where the first party of the shipwrecked Frenchmen had been

found was now another still larger party. The murder-loving race looked

with great respect on Melendez, for his wholesale butchery of the night

before was an exploit rarely equaled in their own annals of massacre.

Melendez doubted not that Ribaut was at hand. He started on a march

thither immediately with one hundred and fifty men, reaching the inlet

at midnight, when, like a skulking savage, he intrenched himself on the

bank. After daybreak flags of truce were displayed on both sides, when

La Caille, Ribaut's sergeant-major, informed Melendez that the French

were three hundred and fifty in number, on their way to Fort Caroline,

and, like the former party, begged for boats to aid them in crossing the

river. Melendez gave them assurances of safety, and sent for Ribaut and

six of his companions. On their arrival he met them courteously, caused

wine and preserved fruits to be placed before them, and next led Ribaut

to the reeking Golgotha, where, in heaps upon the sand, lay the corpses

of his slaughtered followers; but he would not believe Fort Caroline had

been taken until part of the plunder was shown him. Ribaut then urged

that the kings of Spain and France were brothers and close friends, and

begged that the Spaniards would aid him in carrying his followers home.

Melendez gave the same unequivocal answer as before to the other party.

Ribaut, after three hours' absence, came back in the canoe, and told the

Adelantado that some of his people were willing to surrender, at

discretion, but many refused. "They can do as they please," was the

reply of Melendez. Ribaut offered large rewards for those who had

surrendered. Melendez replied, "I have great need of the money," which

gave the French encouragement, when they asked permission to cross the

river. In the morning he returned, and reported that two hundred of his

men had retreated from the spot, but the remaining one hundred and fifty

would surrender. At the same time he gave into the hands of Melendez the

royal standard and other flags, his sword, dagger, helmet, and the

official seal given him by Coligny.

Melendez entered the boat and directed his officers to bring over the

French by tens. He next led Ribaut among the bushes behind the

neighboring sand-hills, when he ordered his hands to be bound fast. Then

the scales fell from his eyes, and face to face his fate rose up before

him. The day wore on, and, as band after band of prisoners were brought

over, they were conducted behind the sand-hills, out of sight from the

farther shore, like their general. "Are you Catholics or Lutherans? and

are there any among you who will go to confession?" asked Melendez.

Ribaut answered, "I and all here are of the Reformed faith," at the same

time intoning the psalm, "_Memento, Domine._" A few were spared. "I

saved," writes Melendez, "the lives of two young gentlemen about

eighteen years of age, besides the fifer, the drummer, and trumpeter;

but I caused Jean Ribaut, with all the rest, to be put to the

sword--judging this to be expedient for the service of God our Lord and

your majesty."

As each successive party landed, their hands were bound fast behind

their backs, when they were driven, like cattle, toward the fort. At a

signal from drums and trumpets the Spaniards fell upon them, striking

them down with swords, pikes, and halberds. Ribaut vainly called on the

Adelantado to remember his oath. By his order, a soldier plunged a

dagger into the French commander's heart, when Ottigny, who stood near,

met a similar fate. The head of Ribaut was then hewn into four pieces,

one part of which was displayed on the point of a lance at each corner

of the fort in St. Augustine. Great fires were kindled, and the bodies

of the murdered burned to ashes. At night, when the Adelantado again

entered St. Augustine, there were some who blamed his cruelty, but many

applauded. A few days after, the remainder of the shipwrecked Frenchmen

were discovered by the Indians, who again informed Melendez. In all

haste he dispatched messengers for a reënforcement of one hundred and

fifty men from Fort Caroline. On the 2d of November he set forth with

such merciless energy that some of his men dropped dead with fatigue.

When, from their frail defenses, the French saw the Spanish pikes, they

fled, panic-stricken, taking refuge among the sand-hills. Melendez sent

a trumpeter, summoning them, also pledging his honor for their safety.

Some of them sent word they "would rather be eaten by savages than trust

themselves to Spaniards," and, escaping, fled to the Indian towns. The

rest surrendered, and Melendez kept his word. Those of high birth ate at

the Adelantado's table. The captives' fate may be learned from a reply

to one of Melendez's dispatches. "Say to him," writes Philip the Second,

"that, as to those he has killed, he has done well, and, as to those he

has saved, they shall be sent to the galleys." Melendez, although

victorious over the unfortunate Frenchmen, had other troubles to contend

with at St. Augustine and San Mateo. The Spaniards became restless,

mutinied, and deserted, leaving his forces much weakened. In addition to

this, a hostile cazique lived between the two forts--thus cutting off

all communication by land between them. Melendez made an attack on this

chief, in which he was repulsed--thus compelling him to act on the

defensive. As these improvident Spaniards consumed every thing, and

raised nothing, the Indians became weary feeding them without any

reward: for this cause Melendez was forced to sail for Cuba to obtain

supplies. During his absence a Spanish fleet arrived, bringing both men

and provisions, which gave them much encouragement. The missionaries

heretofore meeting with such rough treatment, some time had elapsed

since any new arrivals. However, three Jesuit priests were discovered

off the coast, near the mouth of San Mateo River, making inquiries for

the fort. These were the first of that Order that had ever come to

America, the others being Franciscans. One party of Indians directed

them, while afterward they were murdered by another on St. George's

Island, at the entrance of San Mateo River. Melendez now sailed for

Spain, to interest the crown in behalf of his colony. After a prosperous

voyage across the sea, he landed on the shores of Spain, where he was

received with a great display of empty honors, which did not satisfy the

cravings of his ambition. It was money he wanted, to strengthen his

newly-acquired territory, build up his dominions, and with them a great

name for himself. He was also impatient and apprehensive in regard to a

threatened revenge which the French had proposed taking into their own

hands. In vain had petitions been sent by the relatives of the slain,

but never, until a new Cavalier entered the field, as contestant, in the

person of the daring Chevalier de Gourgues, did injured humanity find an

avenger, or outraged France a champion. De Gourgues, being of gentle

birth, according to the chivalrous custom in those days, was educated to

the profession of arms. He entered upon his duties as a private, but was

soon promoted on account of laurels won in battle, being afterward

commissioned to an office of distinction, as captain in the regular

army. He was given the command of a fortress, which, being attacked by a

greatly superior number of Spaniards, compelled him to surrender; his

men were all killed, and himself made prisoner and condemned to

servitude on the galleys. Fortunately for himself, the vessel on which

he worked was shortly afterward captured by the Turks, which enabled him

to obtain his liberty. Activity being his motto, he sailed on an

expedition to Brazil, from which enterprise he realized a considerable

fortune. On the return of De Gourgues to France, and hearing of the

cruelties committed against his countrymen, the iron of revenge was

driven deep into his soul, not only for their mistreatment, but the

indignity he had suffered from the Spaniards himself. He accordingly

fitted out two vessels and a tender, obtaining a charter without

difficulty, under the pretext of going to Africa and bringing back

slaves. He communicated his plans to no person, but secured the services

of one of Laudonnière's men, who had remained in Florida long enough to

have some knowledge of the country and the language of the natives. He

also enlisted the services of one hundred and fifty picked men, and set

sail from Bordeaux August 2, 1567. In order to better conceal his plans,

he first landed on the coast of Africa, where he encountered some of the

natives, whom he repulsed--afterward, sailing westward, he came in port

for repairs and supplies at Santo Domingo. When he reached this point he

revealed to his crew the design of his long and perilous voyage. He

depicted, in glowing colors, the wrongs sustained by their countrymen,

which yet remained unavenged. The crew, with one voice, replied that

they would sustain him in the undertaking. The voyage was soon

completed, and so entirely unsuspecting were the Spaniards of an attack

that, on passing Fort Caroline--now Fort San Mateo--De Gourgues was

honored with a salute of two cannon, supposing them to be of their own

nation. He entered the mouth of the Altamaha, and, as his galleys drew

but little water, and were provided with oars, he had no difficulty in

ascending that river. The natives received them kindly, and the soldiers

of Laudonnière being recognized, their mission was not regarded as a

friendly one.

Immediate preparations were made to attack the fort, as one of the

officers had reconnoitered its strength. These works had been much

improved by the Spaniards, to which were added two other forts, the

whole garrison consisting of four hundred men. Its present condition was

their boast. The priest, Mendoza, said, "Not half of France could take

it." De Gourgues formed an encampment twelve miles north of the mouth of

a small river. The whole affair was conducted in a most skillful and

secret manner, he using the Indians as valuable accessions in the

enterprise, they being no friends to the Spaniards. The French

approached the fort at dawn, but remained concealed until the tide

receded, that they might reach the island on which it stood. They made

the attack at midday, when the two small forts were carried by direct

assault, killing nearly all the men, about sixty in number, while the

avenues of escape loading from Fort Mateo were guarded by the Indians.

Fort San Mateo alone remained, which was three miles above. Among the

prisoners saved was a sergeant, who knew the heights of the ramparts,

and could draw a plan of the fort. While ladders were being prepared to

scale the works, the garrison precipitated its fate by a sally,

afterward making an attempt to gain the woods. The thickets were filled

with exasperated Indians, and not one Spaniard escaped. A few prisoners

were taken, which De Gourgues suspended on the same tree that had borne

his countrymen; and for the monument and inscription of Melendez was

substituted a pine plank with this inscription: "Not as Spaniards, or

mariners, but as traitors, robbers, and murderers." To render this work

of destruction more complete, they entirely demolished the forts. When

returning to his ships, he exclaimed, "All that we have done was for the

service of the king, and for the honor of the country!" His soldiers,

flushed with victory, proposed an attack on St. Augustine, but De

Gourgues felt that his resources were insufficient. For some time

subsequent to this period the Spaniards retained Florida, although their

forts had been destroyed on San Mateo River. After the arrival of De

Gourgues in his own country the French Government persecuted him, and

the Spanish pursued him until his death. He died deeply involved from

the expense connected with his expedition. Thus terminated all dispute

in regard to French Florida--the question then to be decided was between

the British and Spaniards. Melendez, after making other efforts to

Christianize the Indians, having brought over more missionaries, which

they murdered without distinction, regarding the priests and people as

sworn enemies, abandoned the enterprise, and turned his attention

entirely to arms. However, in the midst of his career, he was cut down

by death, at Santander, a town situated on the northern coast of Spain,

A.D. 1574, after having received the appointment of Captain-general over

a Spanish armada of three hundred vessels.

From the above history it will be seen that Florida remained for many

years disputed ground, the scene of numerous conflicts from different

sources. Whether the priest with his cross, or the warrior with his

sword, they all came to vie with each other in the establishment of

creeds and division of spoils. It was in 1564 Sir Walter Raleigh, who,

being present when the men from Fort Caroline, or Port Royal, were

received by the queen, was thus stimulated with a desire to visit this

newly-explored country. This feeling was increased by De Morgues, the

companion and artist who came with Laudonnière, and had furnished them

with beautiful drawings of his travels in these far-off lands. It was

the intention of Sir Walter, besides making discoveries, to capture

Spanish galleons, which would satisfy his desire for gain. This

plundering policy, which had been pursued so extensively by all the

adventurers, was in no way designed to promote the welfare of a new

settlement. Under the auspices of the English throne an expedition was

sent, commanded by Sir Walter Raleigh, which landed on the coast of

Florida, as the division of the country was then recognized. After his

arrival he thus mentions the Indians: "These people were most loving and

faithful, such as lived after the golden age." He was also much

impressed with the land along the shores as they passed. "The

fragrance," he says, "was as if they had been in the midst of some

delicate garden, with all kinds of odoriferous flowers." Raleigh also

visited the Indies, and on his return succeeded in capturing a ship

richly laden with Spanish treasures, after which he sailed for England,

where a warm welcome awaited him. Contrary to his expectations, on his

arrival he became too much occupied with affairs of a different nature

to visit America again. However, other expeditions were fitted out,

which settled in different parts of the country. It was in 1586 that Sir

Francis Drake, the English adventurer, while coming from the West

Indies, discovered the lookout at Anastasia Island, which commanded the

approach to St. Augustine harbor. He landed, bringing a piece of

ordnance, from which, after planting, he fired two shots, one of them

damaging the Spanish standard, and the other striking the castle. The

next day they renewed the attack, with no return of hostilities from the

shore, and on landing found the town deserted. In the fort they

discovered the mahogany treasury-chest, containing two thousand pounds

sterling, designed for paying the troops, which Sir Francis confiscated.

The castle at this time was the foundation of the Selooe defense,

repaired by Melendez. It was constructed from the trunks of pine-trees

planted upright, similar to our stockades of the present day, without

ditches. Trunks of trees were laid across the whole structure, after

which it was covered with earth. The works, being unfinished, were

incapable of resisting a naval attack. An English officer, while

pursuing the Spaniards, was shot, for which act the English sacked and

then burned St. Augustine. It is said this town then contained a

monastery, church, and hall of justice--certainly very little to tempt

the cupidity of a West Indies privateer. Sir Francis made this

expedition on the ground that Spain had damaged the English commerce

during their troubles. In 1603, more than a hundred years from the

discovery of Cabot, and twenty years from the time Raleigh sent out his

first expedition, not an Englishman remained in the New World. In 1702,

Spain and England not being friendly, Governor Moore, of South Carolina,

proposed an expedition against St. Augustine, for the purpose of

displaying his military prowess, capturing Indians, or enriching himself

with plunder. Colonel Daniel took charge of the land portion of the

enterprise, which ascended the St. John's, crossed over the country from

Picolata, entered the town without resistance, and sacked it. The

inhabitants, being warned of their intentions, had supplied themselves

with four months' rations, and taken refuge, with their gold and

valuables, in the castle, from which place they could not be dislodged.

When Governor Moore landed and saw their position, he sent to Jamaica

for cannon and mortars. Before their arrival the Spaniards received

assistance by a fleet coming from Havana. On their appearance Governor

Moore became panic-stricken, left his vessels, and fled by land to

Carolina. On the return of Colonel Daniel, he, not knowing the siege had

been raised, narrowly escaped falling into the hands of his enemies.

The besieged prisoners now came from the castle, after a stay of three

months, to find their pleasant homes destroyed.

During 1715 Florida received a new accession from the Yemassees. These

Indians were found in Florida when the Spaniards first landed, but

deserted the country on account of efforts being made to convert them to

Christianity. They took refuge in Carolina, where, after remaining

awhile, they massacred some of the English colonists, and then retreated

to St. Augustine for protection. Here they were received with marked

demonstrations of kindness, accompanied by the ringing of bells and

firing of cannon. The Spaniards in Florida, having had a respite from

troublesome invaders for some time, were progressing prosperously, until

after the arrival of General Oglethorpe from England. In 1737,

hostilities having commenced between Spain and England, Oglethorpe,

fearing an attack from the Spaniards, planted a battery on Cumberland

Island as a defense. This movement was productive of dissension among

the settlers. England claimed as far as the St. John's, on account of

discoveries made by Sir Walter Raleigh, while the Spanish sent a

commissioner for the English to abandon all the territory south of St.

Helena's Sound, which they refused to relinquish. When the Spanish

ascertained that Oglethorpe had taken command of the English forces, a

party from St. Augustine garrison advanced as far as Amelia Island,

killed two Highlanders, and then cut off their heads. The English

pursued them to San Mateo, on the St. John's, drove in the Spanish

guards, and then sailed up the river as far as Cavallas. After the

return of Oglethorpe he commenced recruiting from the Creek and Cherokee

Indians, thus making active preparations for blockading St. Augustine

before men and supplies could arrive from Havana. Don Manuel being

governor then, he was ready for defense. General Oglethorpe did not

succeed in capturing the town, although he invested three

fortifications, advancing with his forces to its gates, killing several

Spanish troops under the walls of the fort. Fort Diego, twenty-five

miles from St. Augustine, Fort Francis de Pupa, seventeen miles, and

Fort Moosa, two miles north, commonly called Negro Fort, where the

runaway slaves were harbored, all surrendered. In 1748 a treaty of peace

was concluded between Spain and England, which left Florida in the quiet

possession of the Spaniards for many years.

[Illustration: text decoration]

FLORIDA GAZETTEER OF THE MOST IMPORTANT

POINTS IN THE STATE.

ABE'S SPRING.--The county-seat of Calhoun, 104 miles south-west

from Tallahassee.

ADAMSVILLE.--A small settlement in Sumter county, 5 miles west of

Leesburg, containing a post-office.

ALACHUA COUNTY.--County-seat, Gainesville.

ALAFIA.--A settlement on Alafia River, in Hillsboro county,

containing a post-office.

ALIQUA.--Settlement on a river of the same name, in Walton county,

West Florida, where, it is said, the houses were forty miles apart.

ALMIRANTE.--Walton county, West Florida, near the Alabama line.

ANCLOTE RIVER.--A tributary of Clear Water Harbor, in Hillsboro

county.

ANDERSON.--In Santa Rosa county, West Florida.

APOPKA.--Near Lake Apopka, in Orange county, containing a

post-office. The name implies "Potato-eating Town."

APPALACHICOLA.--Contains a post-office, and is situated at the

mouth of a river of the same name. It was formerly a prosperous

city, but, on account of the cotton being taken by the railroads,

has declined.

ARCHER.--Post-office. A town in Alachua county, 41 miles from Cedar

Keys.

ARLINGTON.--In Duval county, opposite Jacksonville.

ARREDONDO.--Post-office. A station 54 miles from Cedar Keys, in

Alachua county.

ASPALAGA.--In Gadsden county, on Appalachicola River.

AUCILLA.--Jefferson county, on the Pensacola and Mobile Railroad.

AUGUSTA.--On the hack-line from Gainesville to Tampa.

BAGDAD.--On Pensacola Bay, Santa Rosa county, West Florida.

BAKER COUNTY.--Celebrated for its timber, turpentine, and

agricultural productions. In East Florida.

BALDWIN.--Post-office and telegraph-station, 20 miles from

Jacksonville, on the Pensacola and Mobile Railroad.

BANANA RIVER.--A branch of the Indian River.

BARRANCAS.--A fort commanding the entrance to Pensacola Bay.

BARRSVILLE.--In Columbia county, south of Lake City. Post-office.

BARTOW.--County-seat of Polk county, South Florida.

BATTON.--A station on the West India Transit Railroad.

BAYPORT.--Post-office. A town in Hernando county.

BEAR CREEK.--Near St. Andrew's Bay.

BEECHER.--A steamboat-landing in Putnam county, on the east bank of

the St. John's.

BELLVILLE.--Post-office. A settlement in Hamilton county.

BENELLA.--On the St. John's River, 120 miles above Jacksonville.

BENTON.--Post-office, in Columbia county, on the upper waters of

Suwanee River.

BISCAYNE.--County-seat of Dade county, formerly called Miami.

BLACK CREEK.--A tributary of the St. John's River, near Magnolia.

BLACK POINT.--A steamboat-landing, 10 miles above Jacksonville.

BLACKWATER RIVER.--A tributary of Pensacola Bay, in Santa Rosa

county, West Florida.

BLOUNT'S FERRY.--On the Suwanee River, in Columbia county.

Post-office.

BLUE CREEK.--Liberty county, near Gadsden.

BLUE SPRING.--Jackson county, west of Marianna.

BLUE SPRING.--Post-office, Volusia county.

BLUNT'S TOWN.--Calhoun county, West Florida.

BRADFORD COUNTY.--On the West India Transit Company Railroad.

County-seat, Lake Butler.

BREVARD COUNTY.--Lies on both sides of the Indian River. Fort

Pierce, the county-seat.

BRISTOL.--County-seat of Liberty county. Post-office.

BRONSON.--County-seat of Levy county. Post-office. On the West

India Transit Railroad. 12 miles from here is a bed of iron ore.

BROOKLYN.--A town near Jacksonville. Rather prospective.

BROOKSVILLE.--County-seat of Hernando county. Post-office. On the

Tampa stage-line.

BROTHER'S RIVER.--In Calhoun county, West Florida.

BUFFALO BLUFF.--On the west bank of the St. John's, in Putnam

county. Post-office.

BULOW'S CREEK.--In Volusia county.

BUNKER HILL.--Near Lake Miccosukee, Leon county.

BURRIN.--Bradford county. On the West India Transit Railroad.

CABBAGE BLUFF.--On the east bank of the St. John's, 162 miles above

Jacksonville. Post-office.

CALHOUN COUNTY.--West Florida. County-seat, Abe's Spring Bluff.

CALLAHAN.--On the West India Transit Railroad, 27 miles from

Fernandina. Post-office.

CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER.--A navigable stream which empties into

Charlotte Harbor.

CAMPBELLTON.--A settlement in Jackson county.

CAMP IZARD.--In Marion county, on the Withlacoochee River.

Post-office.

CEDAR KEYS.--In Levy county. Terminus of the West India Transit

Railroad. Post-office.

CEDAR TREE.--In Hernando county, south of Brooksville.

CENTERVILLE.--Near Tallahassee, Leon county. Post-office.

CERRO GORDO.--The county-seat of Holmes county. Post-office.

CHALK SPRING.--Santa Rosa county, West Florida. Post-office.

CHARLES FERRY.--On Suwanee River, in Suwanee county.

CHATTAHOOCHEE.--The terminus of the Jacksonville, Pensacola, and

Mobile Railroad. In Gadsden county. Post-office, Penitentiary,

Lunatic Asylum.

CHIPOLA RIVER.--A tributary of the Appalachicola River.

CHOCTAWHATCHEE RIVER.--Flows into a bay of the same name, in West

Florida.

CIRCLE HILL.--Near Marianna, Jackson county. Post-office.

CLAY COUNTY.--County-seat, Green Cove Spring, on the St. John's.

CLAY LANDING.--In Levy county, on the east bank of the Suwanee,

near its mouth.

CLEAR WATER.--Post-office. On the Gulf coast, Hillsboro county.

CLIFTON.--A town in Madison county.

COCOANUT GROVE.--In Dade county.

COLUMBIA COUNTY.--County-seat, Lake City.

COOK'S FERRY.--A landing on Lake Harney, 224 miles above

Jacksonville.

CORK.--In Hillsboro county. Post-office.

CORKSCREW RIVER.--Monroe county, South Florida.

COTTON PLANT.--A settlement west of Ocala, Marion county.

Post-office.

CRAWFORDSVILLE.--County-seat of Wakulla county. Post-office.

CRESWELL.--In Leon county.

CRYSTAL RIVER.--A clear stream of water flowing through Hernando

county, emptying into the Gulf.

DADE COUNTY.--County-seat, Key Biscayne.

DANCEY'S PLACE.--A landing on the St. John's, 65 miles above

Jacksonville. Post-office.

DANIEL.--A settlement near the mouth of Suwanee River, in Levy

county.

DARBYVILLE.--Near Baldwin, Baker county. Post-office.

DAVIS.--A station on the railroad, near Chattahoochee.

DAYTONIA.--A settlement on Halifax River, in Volusia county. In

very flourishing condition.

DEEP CREEK.--A tributary of Lake Harney.

DELK'S BLUFF.--A steamboat-landing on the Ocklawaha River, 100

miles from its mouth.

DRAYTON ISLAND.--On the St. John's, in Lake George, Marion county.

DUMMITT'S GROVE.--A noted orange-grove, in Volusia county, on the

northern end of Indian River.

DUNN LAWTON.--A portion of the Turnbull Swamp, in Volusia county.

DUNN'S LAKE.--A small settlement in Volusia county. Post-office.

DURISOE.--A steamboat-landing, 89 miles above the mouth of the

Ocklawaha River.

DUTTON.--A station 32 miles from Fernandina, on the West India

Transit Railroad.

DUVAL COUNTY.--On the St. John's. County-seat, Jacksonville.

EAU CLAIRE.--A colony from Wisconsin, near Mellonville, Orange

county.

EAU GALLIE.--On Indian River, in Brevard county, near Lake

Washington. Post-office.

ECONFINA.--In Washington county, West Florida, on a river of the

same name. Post-office.

EGMONT ISLAND.--Situated in the Gulf of Mexico, at the entrance of

Espiritu Santo Bay.

ELBOW CREEK.--Rises in the swamps near Lake Washington.

ELLAVILLE.--A station on the Jacksonville, Pensacola, and Mobile

Railroad, 95 miles from Jacksonville.

ELLISVILLE.--A place without much celebrity at present, in Columbia

county.

EMANUELS.--A landing-place on the St. John's, 184 miles above

Jacksonville.

ENTERPRISE.--The county-seat of Volusia county since 1854. Situated

205 miles beyond Jacksonville. Post-office.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY.--Situated in West Florida, bordering on the Gulf.

This county was first incorporated by order of General Jackson,

July, 1821.

ESCAMBIA RIVER.--A tributary of Escambia Bay, West Florida.

EUREKA.--Two points in Florida bear this popular name. One is on

the Ocklawaha, 60 miles above its mouth, in Marion county; the

other, on the upper St. John's, in Orange county.

FEDERAL POINT.--Situated on the east bank of the St. John's, 60

miles above Jacksonville, in Putnam county.

FLEMINGTON.--Post-office. A small town on the Gainesville

stage-route.

FORT BROOKS.--A steamboat-landing on the Ocklawaha River, near

Orange Springs.

FORT GATES.--A steamboat-landing, 110 miles from Jacksonville, on

the St. John's River, in Putnam county.

FORT GEORGE ISLAND.--Situated near the mouth of the St. John's

River. Contains a good hotel, with accommodations for winter and

summer visitors.

FORT MEAD.--On Pease Creek, 80 miles above its mouth. In Polk

county. Cattle-sales are its principal commerce.

FORT PIERCE.--Situated on Indian River. County-seat of Brevard

county.

FORT REID.--Post-office. An enterprising, growing town, in the

neighborhood of Mellonville, on the St. John's.

FORT TAYLOR.--Post-office. In Hernando county.

FRANKLIN COUNTY.--Near the mouth of Appalachicola River.

County-seat, Appalachicola.

FREEPORT.--Post-office. Located in Walton county, West Florida.

GADSDEN COUNTY.--County-seat, Quincy.

GAINESVILLE.--A large, flourishing town on the West India Transit

Railroad. Post-office, churches, good boarding-houses.

GEORGETOWN.--A steam beat-landing on the east bank of the St.

John's, in Putnam county, 117 miles above Jacksonville.

Post-office.

GORDON.--The terminus of the semi-weekly hack-line from

Gainesville. In Alachua county.

GORES.--A landing on the Ocklawaha River, 83 miles above its mouth.

GRAHAM.--On the Ocklawaha, 84 miles above its mouth.

GREEN COVE SPRINGS.--A noted resort on the west bank of the St.

John's, 30 miles above Jacksonville. County-seat of Clay county.

Post-office.

GREENWOOD.--A town in Jackson county, near Marianna. Post-office.

HALIFAX RIVER.--In Volusia county. It is formed by the junction of

the Haulover and Bulow Creeks, and the Tomoka River. It is a mile

wide, and 30 miles in length, running nearly parallel with the

coast.

HATCHEE RIVER.--Rises in Manatee county, and flows into Charlotte

Harbor.

HAMBURG.--A town of small note, near Madison, Madison county.

HAMILTON COUNTY.--On the Georgia line. Contains an area of about

400 square acres.

HAMOSASSA.--A settlement in Hernando county, near the Gulf coast.

HANSON TOWN.--Named from the late Surgeon Hanson. Located in the

vicinity of Jacksonville.

HATCH'S BEND.--Settlement near the Santa Fe River, in La Fayette

county. Post-office.

HAULOVER CREEK.--A branch of Halifax River, in Volusia county.

HAWKINSVILLE.--A landing on the west bank of the St. John's, 160

miles from Jacksonville, in Orange county.

HAW CREEK.--A tributary of Dunn's Lake, Volusia county.

HAYWOOD'S LANDING.--On Chattahoochee River, Jackson county.

HERNANDO COUNTY.--County-seat, Brooksville.

HIBERNIA.--A pleasant stopping-place, in Clay county, on the St.

John's, 22 miles above Jacksonville. Post-office.

HICKORY HILL.--Near Marianna, Washington county, West Fla.

HILLSBORO COUNTY.--Celebrated for cattle-raising. Tampa is the

county-seat.

HILLSBORO RIVER.--A favorite name for rivers in Florida--the first

Hillsboro being a tributary of Tampa Bay; the second, Hillsboro

River in Dade county, on the Atlantic coast; the third, a lagoon in

Volusia county.

HOGARTH'S LANDING.--On the east bank of the St. John's, 36 miles

above Jacksonville. Post-office.

HOLMES COUNTY.--Near the Alabama line. County-seat, Cerro Gordo.

HORSE LANDING.--On the St. John's River, 94 miles above

Jacksonville, in Putnam county.

HOUSTON.--On the Jacksonville and Pensacola Railroad, in Suwanee

county. Post-office.

IAMONIA.--In Leon county, on a lake of the same name. Post-office.

INDIAN RIVER.--A body of salt-water 100 miles in length--more

properly a bay, as it has no current except when agitated by the

wind.

IOLA.--The name of two places--one in Calhoun county, containing a

post-office--the other, on the Ocklawaha River, 50 miles above its

mouth.

ISTEEN HATCHEE RIVER.--In La Fayette county.

JACKSON COUNTY.--Located in West Florida. County-seat, Marianna.

JACKSONVILLE.--The commercial mart, or great _entrepôt_, of

Florida. In Duval county, on the St. John's River.

JASPER--County-seat of Hamilton county. Post-office.

JEFFERSON COUNTY.--County-seat, Monticello.

JENNINGS.--In Hamilton county, near the Georgia line. Post-office.

JUPITER NARROWS.--On the Atlantic coast, near New Smyrna.

KEY LARGO.--The longest on the coast of Florida.

KEY WEST.--County-seat of Monroe county. Post-office.

KEY BISCAYNE.--Small settlement. County-seat of Dade county.

Post-office.

KING'S ROAD.--Built by Governor Grant, from New Smyrna to St.

Mary's, _via_ St. Augustine and Jacksonville.

KISSIME RIVER.--In Brevard county.

KNOX HILL.--A Scotch settlement in West Florida. Post-office.

LA FAYETTE COUNTY.--In South Florida, bounded by the Suwanee River.

County-seat, New Troy.

LAKE BUTLER.--County-seat of Bradford county.

LAKE CITY.--A place of resort for asthmatics. County-seat of

Columbia county. Post-office.

LAKE EUSTIS.--In Orange county. Post-office.

LAKE GRIFFIN.--Near Leesburg, on Lake Griffin. Rapidly improving.

Post-office.

LAKE HARNEY.--A resort in midwinter for excursionists, located

partly in Volusia and Orange counties. It is 225 miles above

Jacksonville.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE.--The largest lake in Florida, extending over an

area of more than 65 square miles.

LAKE VIEW.--On the east bank of Lake George. Post-office.

LAKE WORTH.--Near the Atlantic coast, north of Miami River.

LAWTEY.--Near Trail Bridge. The Chicago Colony has located here,

established a hotel, built many residences, planted orange-groves

and other fruits.

LA VILLA.--A suburban town near Jacksonville.

LEESBURG.--County-seat of Sumter county. A fine, thrifty, growing

place.

LEON COUNTY.--County-seat, Tallahassee.

LEVY COUNTY.--Borders on the Gulf. County-seat, Bronson.

LEVYVILLE.--In Levy county, west of Bronson.

LIBERTY.--In Hamilton county, near the Georgia Line.

LIBERTY COUNTY.--A tract of land known as the Forbes Purchase,

bounded west by the Appalachicola River.

LITTLE RIVER.--In Gadsden county.

LIVE OAK.--In Suwanee county, its principal importance being

attributable to the junction of railroads. Post-office,

telegraph-station.

LOTUS.--In Jackson county, south of Marianna.

LOWER WHITE SPRING.--On the Suwanee River, in Hamilton county.

Remarkable for its medicinal properties in curing gout and

rheumatism.

MADISON.--County-seat of Madison county. Post-office,

telegraph-station, good accommodations.

MADISON COUNTY.--Belongs to the undulating portion of the State.

County-seat, Madison.

MAGNOLIA.--A winter-resort on the St. John's, 28 miles above

Jacksonville. In Clay county.

MANATEE.--A very nice, flourishing town, on the Gulf coast, in

Manatee county. Post-office.

MANATEE COUNTY.--County-seat, Pine Level. Celebrated for its

extensive cattle-ranges.

MANATEE RIVER.--A short, navigable stream, in Manatee county.

MANDARIN.--Located on the east bank of the St. John's, 15 miles

above Jacksonville. Post-office.

MARIANNA.--County-seat of Jackson county, 30 miles west of the

Chattahoochee River.

MARION COUNTY.--One of the central counties of East Florida. Noted

for its fertility of soil and superabundance of hummock-lands.

MAYPORT.--Situated at the mouth of St. John's River. It was named

from May River, so called by the French.

MARY ESTHER.--Small settlement in Santa Rosa county, West Florida.

Post-office.

MATANZAS INLET.--A body of water separating Anastasia Island from

the main-land.

MELLONVILLE.--On the St. John's River (here called Lake Monroe),

200 miles above Jacksonville.

MERRITT'S ISLAND.--In Volusia county, and remarkable for the

mildness of its climate.

MIAMI RIVER.--In Dade county. Has its source in the Everglades, and

empties into Biscayne Bay.

MICANOPY.--On the back-line, 15 miles from Gainesville, in Alachua

county. Supposed to occupy the site of the ancient village,

Cuscowilla.

MICCOSUKEE.--Situated in Leon county, near a lake of the same name.

MIDWAY.--A lumber port in Gadsden county, West Florida.

Post-office.

MILLWOOD.--On the Chattahoochee River, in Jackson county.

MILTON.--County-seat of Santa Rosa county. Post-office. Fine

facilities for loading ships with lumber.

MITCHELL.--In Escambia county, near the Alabama line.

MOLINA.--Situated on the Escambia River, West Florida. Post-office.

MONROE COUNTY.--County-seat, Key West, Gulf of Mexico.

MONTICELLO.--County-seat of Jefferson county. Post-office,

telegraph-station. Near this town was located the old Murat

plantation, called "Liponia."

MONTICELLO JUNCTION.--Where a branch road connects with the

Jacksonville and Pensacola Railroad.

MOSS BLUFF.--A landing on the Ocklawaha River, 140 miles from its

mouth.

MOUNT ROYAL.--A landing on the east bank of the St. John's, 109

miles above Jacksonville.

MOUNT VERNON.--At the confluence of the Flint and Chattahoochee

Rivers, in Jackson county.

MULBERRY GROVE.--In Duval county, 11 miles above Jacksonville, on

the St. John's River.

MUSQUITO INLET.--Near Indian River, in Volusia county.

MYAKKA.--A small stream of water in Manatee county, South Florida.

NASSAU COUNTY.--Includes Amelia Island, on which is located

Fernandina.

NEAL'S LANDING.--A commercial point on the Chattahoochee River.

Post-office.

NEWNANSVILLE.--An old settled town in Alachua county. Stage-line

from Gainesville. Post-office.

NEWPORT.--In former times a trading-point, 3 miles from Wakulla

Spring.

NEW RIVER, or SANTA FE.--Rises in Santa Fe Lake. It forms a natural

bridge by sinking into the earth and rising again.

NEW SMYRNA.--On the Halifax River, in Volusia county. Post-office.

NEW TROY.--A small settlement on the Suwanee River, and county-seat

of La Fayette county. Post-office.

NORTH RIVER.--An inlet forming a part of the harbor at St.

Augustine.

OAK BLUFF.--Near Leesburg, Orange county. Post-office.

OAKFIELD.--In Escambia county, West Florida, on the Florida and

Alabama Railroad.

OCALA.--Near the old Indian settlement of Ocali, mentioned by De

Soto. County-seat of Marion county. Post-office.

OCKLAWAHA RIVER.--A narrow stream formed from springs and lakes,

which discharges its waters into the St. John's, 25 miles above

Pilatka.

OKAHUMKEE.--The terminus of navigation on the Ocklawaha River, 275

miles above Pilatka. Post-office.

OLD TOWN.--A settlement in La Fayette county, on Suwanee River.

Post-office.

OLUSTEE.--In Baker county, on the railroad. Post-office. In 1864 a

battle was fought here between the Federals and Confederates,

resulting in the defeat and loss of 1,200 Union troops.

ORANGE BLUFF.--A landing on the St. John's, 140 miles above

Jacksonville.

ORANGE COUNTY.--County-seat, Orlando. It is situated partly on Lake

Monroe.

ORANGE MILLS.--A landing on the east bank of the St. John's, in

Putnam county, 64 miles above Jacksonville. Post-office.

ORANGE POINT.--In Putnam county, on the St. John's, 103 miles above

Jacksonville.

ORANGE SPRING.--A sulphur spring in Marion county, on the Ocklawaha

River, 35 miles above its mouth--formerly a resort for the

afflicted. Post-office.

ORLANDO.--County-seat of Orange county. Post-office.

OTTER CREEK.--Station and eating-house on the West India Transit

Railroad, 19 miles from Cedar Keys. Post-office.

PALMETTO.--A station on the West India Transit Railroad, Levy

county.

PALMETTO LANDING.--On the Ocklawaha River, 78 miles above its

mouth.

PEASE CREEK.--A large, navigable stream, flowing into Charlotte

Harbor, on the Gulf coast.

PENSACOLA.--County-seat of Escambia county. Post-office.

PERDIDO MILLS.--A new settlement in the pine-woods, which promises

to be the finest lumber-mart in the South.

PERDIDO RIVER.--A tributary of Perdido Bay, in West Florida.

PICOLATA.--A landing on the St. John's River, 45 miles above its

mouth. Post-office.

PILATKA.--On the west bank of the St. John's River, 75 miles above

its mouth. County-seat of Putnam county. Post-office.

PINE LEVEL.--County-seat of Manatee county. Post-office.

POLK COUNTY.--County-seat, Bartow.

PORT ORANGE.--In Volusia county, between Halifax River and the

Atlantic Ocean. Post-office.

PORT WASHINGTON.--In Walton county, on the south side of

Choctawhatchee Bay.

POWELLTON.--Station on the Florida Railroad, Escambia county, West

Florida. Post-office.

PUNTA RASSA.--On the Gulf coast, in Monroe county. Post-office and

submarine-telegraph station.

PUTNAM COUNTY.--County-seat, Pilatka, through which the St. John's

River flows.

QUINCY.--County-seat of Gadsden county, where a case of hydrophobia

has never been known, nor an instance of sun-stroke occurred.

Post-office and telegraph-station.

REMINGTON PARK.--A resort on the east bank of the St. John's, 25

miles above Jacksonville. Post-office.

RIVERSIDE.--A finely-located, prospective city, on the St. John's,

near Jacksonville.

ROSE HEAD.--Located in Taylor county. Post-office.

ROSEWOOD.--On the West India Transit Railroad, 10 miles from Cedar

Keys. Post-office.

SALLIE'S CAMP.--Landing on the upper St. John's, 229 miles from

Jacksonville.

SANDERSON.--County-seat of Baker county. Post-office,

telegraph-station.

SANDY BLUFF.--Landing on the Ocklawaha River, 68 miles above its

mouth.

SAND POINT.--Seven miles from Salt Lake, on the St. John's, and 30

miles from Canaveral Light-house.

SANFORD.--It is 199 miles from Jacksonville. Contains a sanitarium,

besides all necessary comforts for the sick and well. Post-office.

SAN MATEO.--In Putnam county, on the St. John's, 80 miles above

Jacksonville. Post-office.

ST. SEBASTIAN RIVER.--An estuary which is crossed in going from the

depot to St. Augustine.

SANTA FE.--A settlement in Bradford county, near Starke.

Post-office.

SANTA FE RIVER.--A tributary of the Suwanee River.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY.--County-seat, Milton. Contains large milling

interests.

SARASOTA.--In Manatee county, on the Gulf coast, 12 miles from

Manatee, South Florida.

SHADY GROVE.--A settlement in Taylor county. Post-office.

SHARP'S FERRY.--Landing on the Ocklawaha River, 114 miles above its

mouth.

SHELL BANK.--Landing on the St. John's, 193 miles above

Jacksonville.

SHOAL RIVER.--A stream of water in Walton county, which empties

into Pensacola Bay.

SILVER SPRING.--A most remarkable phenomenon in nature--the

principal source of the Ocklawaha River, 100 miles from its mouth.

In Marion county. Post-office.

SOPCHOPPY.--In Wakulla county. Post-office.

SPRING HILL.--In Hernando county, west of Brooksville.

SPRUCE CREEK.--In Volusia county, 8 miles from Smyrna.

STARKE.--In Bradford county, 73 miles from Fernandina, on the West

India Transit Railroad. Post-office.

STARK'S LANDING.--On the Ocklawaha River, 155 miles above its

mouth, in Sumter county.

ST. AUGUSTINE.--In St. John's county. Remarkable for being the

first settled town in the United States. Post-office.

ST. JOHN'S COUNTY.--County-seat, St. Augustine. Bounded on the west

by the St. John's River.

ST. JOHN'S RIVER.--A remarkable stream of water, which has its

source in the Everglades of South Florida. It is about 350 miles in

length, flowing north to Jacksonville, where it makes an abrupt

turn to the east, and discharges into the Atlantic Ocean.

ST. JOSEPH'S.--In Calhoun county, West Florida.

ST. LUCIE SOUND.--A name given to a portion of Indian River, in

Brevard county.

ST. MARK'S.--Terminus of the Pensacola and Mobile (St. Mark's

Branch) Railroad. It is in Wakulla county, at the head of

Appalachee Bay. Post-office.

ST. MARK'S RIVER.--Considered by most persons to be the

reäppearance of Lake Miccosukee which loses itself in the earth.

ST. MARY'S RIVER.--Rises in the enchanted land of the Yemassee

Indians, forming a short boundary-line between Georgia and Florida.

SUWANEE COUNTY.--County-seat, Live Oak. Well timbered with pine.

Has marl shell-beds and white clay. In the center of the county is

a white stone, soft when dug, but hardening on exposure to the

air--used for chimney-backs and furnaces.

SUWANEE RIVER.--Rises in Southern Georgia, and empties into the

Gulf, near Cedar Keys; navigable for small steamers as far as Troy.

SUWANEE SHOALS.--In Columbia county. Post-office.

TALLAHASSEE.--Capital of the State. County-seat of Leon county.

Located by Governor Walton, and named by his daughter Octavia. The

State-house and Court-house were built by the United States

Government.

TAMPA.--County-seat of Hillsboro county. On Tampa Bay. Terminus of

the tri-weekly hack-line from Gainesville.

TAYLOR COUNTY.--On the Gulf coast, south of Madison.

TEMPLE.--Station on the West India Transit Railroad, 78 miles from

Fernandina.

TITUSVILLE.--A flourishing settlement in Volusia county, on the

west bank of Indian River. It contains a fine sanitarium for

invalids. Post-office.

TRAIL RIDGE.--The highest point on the West India Railroad, 62

miles from Fernandina.

TOCOI.--Landing on the east bank of the St. John's, 52 miles above

Jacksonville. Post-office.

UCHEEANNA.--County-seat of Walton county, West Florida.

Post-office.

UCHEE VALLEY.--Named from the Uchee tribe of Indians, who formerly

occupied it. In Walton county.

VALLOMBROSA.--Settlement in Washington county, West Florida.

VERNON.--County-seat of Washington county, West Florida.

Post-office.

VOLUSIA.--Landing on the east bank of the St. John's, 137 miles

above Jacksonville. In Volusia county. Post-office.

VOLUSIA COUNTY.--County-seat, Enterprise.

WACAHOOLA.--A settlement near Flemington, Marion county.

Post-office.

WACASSA RIVER.--Meaning "Cow Range River"--a corruption of Indian

and Spanish. In Levy county.

WACASSA RIVER.--A stream flowing through Jefferson county, and

emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.

WAKULLA COUNTY.--In this county is the celebrated Wakulla Spring.

The principal settlements are St. Mark's, Crawfordsville, and

Sopchoppy.

WAKULLA RIVER.--Rises in Wakulla Spring, and flows into the Gulf,

near St. Mark's.

WALDO.--On the West India Transit Railroad, in Alachua county, 12

miles from Gainesville. Post-office.

WALTON COUNTY.--County-seat, Ucheeanna, West Florida.

WARRINGTON.--On Escambia Bay, 7 miles from Pensacola. Post-office.

WASHINGTON COUNTY.--County-seat, Vernon, West Florida.

WAUKEENAH.--Settlement in Jefferson county.

WEBBVILLE.--A settlement in Jackson county, near Marianna.

WEELAUNEE.--Located in Jefferson county. Post-office.

WEKIVA.--Settlement in the Sanford Grant, on the upper St. John's.

Post-office.

WEKIVA RIVER.--A stream in Orange county, flowing into the St.

John's.

WELAKA.--Landing on the east bank of the St. John's, 100 miles

above Jacksonville, opposite the mouth of the Ocklawaha River.

Post-office.

WELLBORN.--On the Jacksonville, Pensacola, and Mobile Railroad, 94

miles from Tallahassee. Post-office.

WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER.--Rises in Sumter county, and empties into the

Gulf, near Cedar Keys.

WOODLAND.--In Putnam county, on Dunn's Lake. Post-office.

WOOLSEY.--A settlement on Escambia Bay, in Escambia county.

WYOMING.--A suburb of Jacksonville, Duval county. Unimportant.

YELLOW RIVER.--Rises in Walton county, and empties into Pensacola

Bay, near Milton, West Florida.

THE END.

* * * * *

Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:

changeful sea at St. Agustine=> changeful sea at St. Augustine {pg 228}

in which they are are taught=> in which they are taught {pg 375}

El bano de la Americana=> El baño de la Americana {pg 422}

rescued by Laudonnèire=> rescued by Laudonnière {pg 460}