The territory of Florida: or sketches of the topography, civil and natural history, of the country, the climate, and the Indian tribes, from the first discovery to the present time

Preface

In the preface to my View of West Florida, published in 1827; I intimated an intention of publishing, at some future period, a similar view of East Florida. To be, also, accompanied with a Map of the country. Since that time I have employed every interval of leisure, and every opportunity, that business or accident has presented, to collect such facts, as would enable me to point out its geographical peculiarities, its native productions and its civil and natural history. I have traversed the country in various directions and have coasted the whole shore of the Peninsula, from Pensacola to St. Marys, examining, with minute attention, the various clusters of Keys or Islets, that are grouped on the margin of the coast. I have ascended many of the rivers, explored the lagoons and bays, traced the ancient improvements, scattered ruins and its natural productions, by land and by water.

In addition to my own observations, I have availed myself of the knowledge collected by others. I am under obligations to the writings of Garcelasso de la Vega, Romans, Roberts, Stork, the elder and younger Bartram, Darby, Forbes, Vignolles and Simmons, for various and extensive information, and I was lately favored with a rare and ancient manuscript in the Spanish language, in which the early history of Florida was condensed, with a regular succession of dates and events. On the sub ject of the ancient aborigines of the south, this manuscript has been of great use to me ; on that of the missions established in the interior of the country for the dissemination of the Catholic religion, and for subjecting to the crown of Spain the powerful tribes whici), at that time, swarmed over these extensive and beautiful regions, this information is in my estimation invaluable. We can now fully account for the piles of ruins, the extensive moats, the deep ditches, the numerous roads, the broad avenues, and the

PREFACE.

. wide spreading fields, that even now, show signs of former cultivation. For a perusal of this manuscript I am indebted to the politeness of Mr. Tria one of the Aldermen of this city. And for its translation, I am un der equal obligations to my lamented friend, the late Thomas Murphy Esq. Mr. Alvarez, Keeper of the Archives, has also carefully examined the protocols in his office, and thus enabled me to correct or establish many dates and facts of this history. Still I have to regret that the work is very imperfect. Not one half of the Territory has been yet surveyed. But a small portion is yet inhabited. The outline south of Tampa Bay and Indian River, I have been unable to fill up. The interior of this part of the Territory is wholly unexplored by white men, and the descriptions of the Indian inhabitants is at best imperfect.

Such as it is, I have compared it with the statements of the elder Bartram and of Col. Gadsden, who crossed a corner of it near the head savannas of St. John's river. When I explored the coast, my force was not sufficient to ascend the large rivers that enter the Gulf of Mexico, and the great lakes that are believed to supply these rivers, are wholly unknown. From the eastern coast to the everglades, the distance is short ; I entered the borders of these. To explore them effectually the winter season must be improved. A boat must be had large enough to carry fuel as well as provisions and lodgings, for the eye can discover no timber, but rests on a boundless range of grass meadows, interspersed with Lagoons and Lakes, and swarm ing with gnats and musquetoes. The traditions of the Indians state that there are many lovely Islets of timbered land interspersed over these wild and watery regions ; it may be true, but it is at least uncertain.

It is stated in the manuscript of Mr. Tria, that at the time the English took possession of Florida, the catholic Yemmassees fled be3'ond the marshes, to islands inac cessable to white men. It also states that a Spanish Gov. of Florida sent persons to inhabited islands in the great Myacco Lake to seek for pearls that were found in muscles. It is greatly to be hoped that our government will cause this part of the Territory to be carefully explored. We should not be indifferent to a knowledge of our own territories, at the same time that we send exploring vessels to examine the waters of the south seas. In the natural history of Florida, I have come very far short of my original intentions. Want of leisure and books were both felt as obstacles to the in-

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. V vestigation of a field so boundless, but they were not the only ones. It was suggested to me by some friends whose opinions I have been accustomed to respect, that the subjects of natural history are not generally interesting to the mass of readers, and that it might be more expedient to devote to these a separate work. Among various improvements of the Map, I have inserted a complete outline of St. Andrews bay. This extensive sheet of water had never been examined by any of the surveyors of our coast or of the public lands, and the sketches on all our charts and maps, represent anything, but a correct de lineation of one of the finest harbors on the Gulf of Mexico. The Wakasas se Bay embraces the Fresh Water Keys, a group so extensive, that I have been unable to do more than to point to their location.

Gauld here skipped over thirty miles of the coast, and modern surveyors have followed his ex ample, probably because this bay is shut in, by an extensive reef, through which a navigable channel was not discovered. I however have much reason to believe that such a channel does exist, although I have not been so fortunate as to discover it. The Wakasasse river enters the east side of this Bay. The mouth of the Ouithlacouche river and the Anclote Keys, are cor rectly laid on Patten's Chart, published in 1828. They are placed too far south on most of the Charts. On this Chart also, the Bay of Espiritu Santo is restored to its proper size and shape. It has been shamefully misrepresented on most of the former charts, and even on the recent Maps of Florida, professing to be correct. Cape Roman or Puerta Longa, I discovered, to be the extreme point of a large Island, fifteen miles in length.

The Caximba* sound, which separates it from the main, is nine miles long and affords six feet water through. The width could not be discovered, it being full of extensive islands. To my great surprise, I have found here several well cultivated plantations, long hid from the civilized world. Sharks River, which occu pies so conspicuous a place in most of our maps, I have omitted, simply be cause I could not find it. From Racoon point about twelve miles above the cape, I examined the coast with much attention, but discovered only one small stream, called Dry river. It is connected with some lagoons, and * Pronounced Kahamba. VI

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. they have another outlet behind an island, about six miles north. It is pos sible that such a river does exist farther north. No improvement can ever be made in Gauld's survey of the Florida Keys. And the Atlantic coast is generally correct. The whole face of the country east of the St. John's river is more particularly, and I trust more correctly exhibited on mine, than on any former map. Still perfect correctness cannot be expected, until the country is surveyed. I present the work to the public, as the best I have been able to render, and I trust that the leading facts and outlines will be found generally cor rect. The style and manner has occupied less attention than the subject deserves, but had the author abilities, he has not had leisure to improve them. HISTORY OF FLORIDA. The name " Florida" was at one period, applied to all that tract of country, which extends from Canada to the Rio del Norte.

This extent has, in a course of two hundred years, been curtailed by various political arrangements, until it was finally settled, by the treaty with Spain, in 1795. Roberts, in his natural history, states, that this name was given by Ponce de Leon, in consequence of his having discovered the country, on Easter day, in the year 1512. Without disputing with De Leon, the credit of naming the country, we must certainly deny that he was the original discov erer ; as it is known, that Sebastian Cabot coasted the whole of its eastern shore, in 1498. By the treaty with Spain, in 1795, the Perdido was constituted the western limit of Florida. On the north, the 31° of north latitude was ex tended, from the Perdido to the Chattahooche river, the boundary, thence descended that river to the forks of Appalachicola ; it thence proceeded east ward, to the head of St. Mary ; thence down that river to its mouth.

On the east, it is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean ; and by the Gulf of Mexi co, on the south. Its length, from east to west, is about 385 miles : and its width, from north to south, varies from 50 to 250 miles, forming an area, of 57,000 square miles, and 37,000,000 acres of land. Its present population is 34,725 souls. The face of the country is uneven, but not mountainous. Numerous rivers intersect it, from north to south and some in all directions ; several of them, especially the St. Marys, St. Johns, and Appalachicola, afford excellent navigation for coasting vessels. The whole extent of the sea coast, is in dented with bays and lagoons, and the interior of the country is diversified with beautiful lakes and ponds, abounding in fish and fowl, of various kinds, and of th§ most delicate flavor.

No part of the United States affords greater facilities for internal and external commerce. A large portion of the country, is covered with pine forests ; the trees of which, standing at a con siderable distance, from each other, without brush or underwood, affords an opportunity for the grass and flowers to spread luxuriantly, over the surface of the earth, during the whole year. The borders of water courses, how ever, are usually skirted by hammocks, of hard timber, entangled with grape and other flowering vines. Notwithstanding so large a portion of Florida is of that quality, usually termed " pine barrens," and much of it extremely poor, still there, are many extensive tractof table land, hammock and swamp, of the richest soil, finely adapted to the culture of sugar, rice, cotton, corn, tobacco and fruits.

A considerable quantity of the pine land, is equally rich, and the barrens, themselves, afford extensive ranges of grazing land, usually intersected with streams of pure water. Many parts of the Territory abounds in yellow pine an! live oak timber. Our sea coast is generally healthy, in many parts remarkably so. The interior is not behind the coast, in this respect, unless it be, near extensive marshes. The seasons are mild, the mercury rarely arising to 90° in summer, or desending to 30° above zero in winter. The southern coast of Florida, between Perdido and cape St. Bias, a distance of a hundred and forty miles, is formed of pure white sand, principally silicious, but mixed with calcareous particles of broken sea shells. Between cape St. Bias and Appalache Bay, the sand becomes of a yellow brown color, and extensive salt marshes alternate with the sand hills.

From the Appalache river to the Suwanne, a distance of 80 miles, a soft calcareous rock forms the sea coast : it is uniformly covered with coarse grass and rushes, which extends from the woody coast, several miles into the sea. The same limestone forms the base of the peninsula and of the Florida Keys ; but in the Appalache Bay it is sheltered from the storms, and is very shoal, so that, at low tide, the sea appears like a green meadow five or six miles from the coast. South of the Suwanne, the shore and keys present a bare rock with small trees of cabbage and cedar growing in the crevices, until we pass the Anclote Keys ; the sea then beats heavily on the shore, and makes a rough coast, as far south as Isle Roman. The pine barrens here, usually extend to the rocky shore. About the 27th degree, the coral insect begins to cover the calcareous rock, with his various and beautiful habitations.

The first that we discovered near shore, is at Sarrazota sound or bay ; they become more general, farther south. The Florida Keys are wholly covered with them. From Appa lache river, to Cape Sable, the reef extends very far from the shore. Oppo site Wakasasse Bay, it is near twelve miles distant. It is broken at Tampa Bay and at Charlotte Harbor, and it closes with the land, at the middle curve of Cape Sable. The coral formation is prominent as far as the Soldier Keys. Key Biscayne is sandy, as is the coast north of it, as far as Jupiter Inlet. From thence the Coquina formation lines the coast, as high as Anastasia Island, in front of St. Augustine ; here it ceases, and not a rock of this formation is north of this Inlet. Coralines are discovered in Indian river, and even as high as Halifax river, but in no proportion to those on the western coast.

North of St. Augustine, the whole coast is formed of white silicious sand, as far as the St. Marys. Between the Perdido Bay and the Escambia River, the interior country presents an exterior surface of fine silicious sand, on a substratum of clay. This clay presents various colors, as red, white, yellow and blue. The strata are often 30 feet thick, and are worked into excellent bricks. Iron sand-stone, of a dark brown color, is sometimes found here, especially near the Escambia River ; most of it appears to have been melted ; it is hard and answers well for rough walls. This tract of country is generally poor. It affords some good pine timber, and good grazing in wet seasons. Bricks are the most valuable productions j they form a considerable article of com merce. The peninsula, extending near 30 miles, between St. Rosa Sound and Pensacola Bay, is from two to five miles wide.

It has a poor sandy soil, in some places chequered by small hammocks, pleasantly situated for coun try seats. It is in some places subtended by peat, and at others with soft iron sand stone. On the north side of Pensacola Bay, Black Water River descendsthrough a valley of fine timbered land. Near the head of the stream there are good hammock and pine tracts. Between this river and the Escambia, the Pine Level affords some excellent farms. North of the Chactawhatche Bay, a high ridge of land divides the water courses, which fall southwardly into the bay, and northwardly into Shoal and Titi creeks ; both tributaries of Yellow Water River. This ridge termin ates, near the sources of Allaqua river, Uche and Shoal Creeks, in groups of high peaks. A pleasant country extends from the Allaqua to the Uche Valley.

It forms the eastern part of Walton county. The Allaqua passes over a soap stone formation. The Uche creek drains the only limestone country, west of the Chactawhatche River. North of the Uche creek, burrstone is found, extending, in detached masses, far into Alabama and Georgia. It seems a congeries of small tellina shells, quite entire, cemented together with a strong alluminous matter, nearly as hard as chalcedony. It is quite porous and has been manufactured into excellent mill-stones. It is of a light brown color, its break conchoidal, has an earthy appearance, and rings like marble. Ponds and lime sinks are numerous between the Chactawhatche and Chipola rivers. Large springs, forming navigable streams, frequently burst from this formation. The waters, although perfectly transparent, are highly impregnated with lime, and are considered as rather unhealthy.

Approaching the Chipola, the limestone acquires greater firmness, loses the shelly structure and clayey concrete ; it often swells into hills, or high platforms, covered with grass ; but from want of soil, trees cannot take root. At other places, the rocks diverge in broken fragments, and are interspersed with dogwood, plumb and hydrangie bushes. The land, in this district of country, is excellent and already supports a dense population. But they do not extend more than twenty miles from the Alabama line ; towards the coast, the pine barrens again predominate. The Econfina river bursts from the limestone formation and traverses a valley of fine land, to the Bay of St. Andrews. The limestone of Florida, is a deposition, but little harder than chalk, of a bluish cast, amorphous, with nodules of hornestone.

It hardens when exposed to the air ; lies in different strata, and ascends to the ridge of the peninsula. The different strata are separated by clay or sand. Chrystal ized limestone is found in Hamilton county near the Suwanne river, and on the Econfina, in Washington county. On the east side of the Appalachicola, there are very high rocky banks, but after passing them, there are few indications of stone, until we approach Leon county. Here a ledge of rocks surrounds the Appalache Bay, at four to six miles distance, forming falls and rapids in all the streams, passing into the bay, except Oscilla, which finds a passage beneath it. A higher stratum pervades the hills of Tallahasse ; it is of a light yellow, enclosing both shells and bones, but when calcined forms a very good mild lime. The silex contained in the limestone formation, is usually of a light grey color, does not form kidney shaped masses, but spreads through the mass, in cones, full of holes, which are filled with calcareous matter ; when this is washed out by the water, the residue forms very rough flinty reefs.

The hornstone is quite opaque, breaks with a conchoidal fracture, and gives fire freely with steel. But it is void of that greasy feel, usual to the kidney shaped masses. The rock formation is very productive of grass. This vegetable constantly springs up siomit, through salt or fresh water, even to the depth of twenty feet. Oysters grow to the rocks in great masses, and are hard to separate from them. Through Gadsden and Leon counties, the limestone is covered with yellow or red clay, from 20 to 100 feet deep ; the red clay here, terminates an extensive formation, which extends along the east side of the Apalachian mountains, through Georgia and the Caroli nas. It is always rich in vegetable productions, and lies in graceful undula tions ; in its natural state, covered with black oaks, cane brakes and vines.

The soil in this part of the Territory, is usually a brown loam, very rich and productive ; the pines usually mark those lands latest cultivated ; these are extensive and strongly marked with ancient ditches, foundations, wells &c. The springs are numerous and pure, rising above the limestone, but they scarcely ever attain the size of mill streams, ere they are precipitated into the caverns of the earth, to join the subterraneous torrents which occasionally burst out in navigable rivers. Lakes, ponds, and sinks are also com mon. Some of the former can scarcely be excelled in beauty. The waters of most of them are transparent and cool, abound in fish, and evidently appear to be connected with the rivers beneath the surface of the earth. They are, however, usually tinctured with lime. East of the Wakasasse Bay, the coast bends rapidly to the southeast.

In this angle, the coast is flat and filled with a large cluster of islands, called the Fresh Water Keys. The Wakasasse River empties its waters behind them, through a low marshy coast. The country then rises into rich hammocks, and extends over a series of sandy ridges, occasionally broken by masses of limestone, to the Allachua country. This is a Seminole name given to a rich tract of land thirty or forty miles in extent but wholly undefined as it regards boundary. The name has been applied to a county of great extent ; which, however, embraces the original Allachua. This part of the country is curiously diversified with savannas, lakes, ridges of hammock, and plains of pine barren. The soil is equally various, in one part covered with a rich black loam, in another sand mixed with limestone, sand-stone, or flint.

In some places for a great extent, not even a pebble can be found. Some of the savannas, the Allachua in particular, are 15 miles in length, covered with tall grass ; adjoining a ridge of sand hills will remind one of the sea coast, and the hammocks present groves of live oak, exactly similar to the shores of the Gulf, which are however twenty-five to thirty miles distant. On the whole, the Allachua is a fine country of land, and will support a dense population ; the titles to the land here are generally settled. There are considerable tracts of good land on both sides of the Santaffe river, which empties into the eastern side of the Suwanne. But from that stream to the Georgia line, the lands are poor, rolling, pine barren,; this kind of land extends eastward, to the heads of St. Marys and Nassau rivers.

South of the Allachua, the lands towards Fort King, are diversified with pine groves and hammocks of an excellent quality. That towards the sea coast, falls off in gentle swells of pine land. South of Fort King, the Big swamp, Long swamp and Wahoo swamp, present large bodies of first rate sugar lands. On every part of the country watered by the Ouithlacouche, the lands are diversified with nch hammocks, dense swamps, good pine flats, wet savannas and extensive grassy ponds. South of the Ouithlacouche and near the sea coast, is a very ex tensive tract of rich swamp land, eight or ten miles in length, and from three to four in breadth. The country, from Fort Cooper to Chicuchatty, is a high healthy country and much of it covered with a rich soil. Between Chicuchatty and Fort Alabama, there are considerable ridges of sand hills ; but on the head waters of Hillsboro river, are many beautiful and rich hammocks.

East of the great Bay of Tampa, the country is usually covered with pine. Some of the lands, that have a substratum of clay, will produce excellent crops, and there are occasionally small ham mocks about the watercourses. The Indians cultivate excellent lands, in the neighborhood of Hitchepucksasse. But in general, from the bay to Peace river, the country is flat and rather poor, even as far south as Char lotta Bay. So far as Peace and Macaco rivers have been explored, they rise in good strong land. Below Apopkachee Lake, the Indian towns had become.before the war, quite populous ; some of them contained, from one to two hundred houses. But from this lake to the Apopka on the Ocklawaha the country runs into ridges of sandy pine barrens, and this is the character of all the region about the head waters of the Ocklawaha.

Some of the ridges break off, abruptly, into high peaks. Between the Allachua country and the St. Johns river the surface is generally covered with pine timber. From the heads of Santaffe and Black Creek to the Orange Lake Creek there is a ridge of high sand hills broken by numerous ponds and Lakes, among them are many tracts of good land that formerly sheltered small Indian villages. Such were the Ettini and Santaffe hammocks. East of this ridge the country is flat pine land diversified with streams of good water, and is altogether most excellent for grazing. The east side of the St. John's, is very similar to the west, except that the grass is not so abundant and of course less valuable for raising stocks of cattle. Hogs on the contrary, thrive better on the east than on the west of the St. John's. There is little difference in either soil or productions from the St. Marys to Musquito.

The sea coast is covered with palmettoes. Two or three miles from the sea shore, there is a strip, from one to four miles wide, covered with excellent land, bordering on the lagoons, that stretch parrallel with the shore. West of that are flat pine lands. South of Musquito, and of Volusia on the St. John's, the country chang es rapidly. Vast grass meadows, and savannas, diversified with clusters of cabbage-palms, and live oaks, are separated by strips of pine land and hammocks of wild orange, and verges fast towards a tropical complexion, which increases as you approach Cape Florida. The Peninsula, which extends southwardly between the Atlantic and the Gulf, is yet imperfectly explored. In soil and productions, it varies, con siderably from the northern part of the Territory. This difference is more remarkable after passing the 27th degree of latitude.

The shores aud Islands of the south are uniformly covered with mangrove bushes ; these as we approach the cape, become forests of tall trees. This timber extends as far into the country as the salt water. The back country presents a singular alternation of savannas, hammocks, lagoons and grass ponds, called altogether the Everglades. These extend into the heart of the country, for two hundred miles north of Cape Sable. They are drained on the north by the noble river St. John's, and on the west by Macaco or Charlotte river. A great number of small streams drain it on the east and west ; among the former are the St. Sebastians, St. Lucia, Potomac, Rattones, and Miame, and among the latter the Gallivan, Swallow river and St. Marys. Sharks river, if it exists at all, must enter the Gulf much farther north than it is located, on Vignoles' and Tanners' maps, as we have critically examined the coast, from cape Sable, ten or twelve miles north, where no such river is found.

There is a curious contrast between the calm and gentle swells of the Gulf of Mexico, and the furious surf that eternally lashes the Atlantic coast. In the Gulf, the tide rises only two and a half feet, but on the Atlantic, it rises more than six feet. In the Gulf on the western side of the peninsula, the soundings range from seven to fourteen fathoms, at twenty miles from the coast. On the Atlantic, the same distance from the shore, in many places, soundings are lost. The eddies of the Gulf stream, throw upon the eastern coast, such a quantity of broken shells, called coquina, that, from St. Augustine to Key Largo, the mouths of all the rivers are dammed up, and their waters thrown back on the country. Such are the waters of Indian river, as well as Hillsborough, Halifax and Matanzas. These are shut out from the sea, by banks of shells and sand, from fifteen to thirty feet high.

The waters thus barred out from the ocean, unite laterally, and form extensive lagoons, peculiarly calculated for inland navigation. At this time, fourteen miles of canal would open an inland navigation from Ju piter Inlet, to the river St. Marys, a distance of three hundred miles. When the waters of these Lagoons are greatly swelled, by rains in the upper country, they burst their shelly barriers and open a deep channel into the ocean, through which the waters are soon drained, and the waves again commence a natural dam, to close the inlet. Jupiter Inlet has several times been opened and closed, and the Matanzas, about ten years since, under- CLIMATE. went the same operation. As soon as the shells are cast on the shore, the rains dissolve the calcareous matter, chrystalization commences, be tween the fragments, and the rudiments of a rock are formed.

The Coquina formation has probably commenced within a few hundred years. It extends from Anastatia Island, south, beyond Indian River, but is scarcely ever six miles wide, and generally not more than two. We think the formation began at. the south ; the rocks there appear much older than they do here. Very small quantities of shell are thrown on the coast, at Cape Canaveral, while here, they are extremely abundant. The strata are hori zontal, and of various thickness. They have been quarried to the depth of twenty feet, but we have not been able to learn how much farther they des cend into the earth. The houses of St. Augustine and the extensive old fort Marian, are built of this stone. CLIMATE. The climate of Florida is various, embracing six degrees of latitude and as many of longitude. We necessarily feel a great difference of tempera ture between the north and the south, as well as between the east and the west.

The mean temperature of St. Augustine is about 68£°. It is a little higher in Pensacola ; at that place it is also colder in the winter. Frost is felt at some seasons, in every part of Florida, though not usually below latitude 27°. During eighteen years that we have resided in Florida, the greatest heat has been 96° of Farenheit, in the shade. Three or four times it has arisen to this height, and on the sixth April, 1828, it was as low as 30. At that time ice was made an inch thick at six mile creek, and cut off the crops of corn and cotton as far south as Tomoko, while at St. Augustine and Duns Lake, the marks of frost were scarcely discoverable. In usual seasons, the mercury rises to about 90° in the hottest days of mid summer, and falls to 43 during the coldest days of winter. In West Florida, the north west winds are felt, much more powerfully, than in East Florida.