The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-05-16
DESCRIPTION OF FLORIDA.

DESCRIPTION OF FLORIDA.
AZ time, when our government is necocat-
ing for the purchaEe of the F'ordas, and
men TO very little is known by our people of
Dc tate OF that country, tmaynOt he anilS to
= them with the following defcription
D.nil, its waters aud its productions.
proved from the supplementary Re-
OF Volney to his "Yiezv of tie Soil
|Eriate oft5e United States of 1fu7e,ica -
Is, perhaps, the moi correct account
the Floridas, that has ever vet appeared.
matter of iome furpriie, and it dferves
Zoe fubie9 ofgreat regret, that this valua-
le" View" ihould have 70 little attracted the
Pttention OF our countymen. 1t was unfor-
u"ate that the attempt to reprsient it ass
Srots fatire upon our manners, ihould
have 10 early excited the Grongch preiudi.
ees againit It. There was very little generofity
indeed in culling out the few illiberal Griaures
which it contained upon our cookery aud
agriculture and circulating thefe in the
public prints as famples of the f2irit of the
work.
1t ought at the fame time, to have been known
that theie itrictures were in fact confined
to three or four pages. This wo,k is not A
view" OF our manners of the works
of man but of our natural and phyGcal
phenomena. Under ibis point of view,
where is there Jingle book of American ira
Otter tourifS have defcribed things as they
only tawt them. 1t is Volney alone, whohas la
bonred to trace every phenomenon to its
cauie. 2bet annie you with all the frivolity
OF superficial painter But Volney carries
forever about him the air of 4 profound Phi
igjapler.
= Ga cfo'ifi, and 7;.ork entitled C57ec Natural AMI
Moral HjFory Of Egf and mn Florida, BY Bernard
Romans. 2mo Nezo-1-o,k, l776
BERNARD ROMANS was an enligbtened nbv-
ilcian and oberver, who pent feveral years in Flo
\ rda He divides the country into two climates
one of which he calls the northern extending from,
latitude $40 to 270 40; the outhern extending to
Ehe end OF the peniifula, in latitude c4o This DIFF
l'intton he chiefly POUNDS upon the frequency
Q. roits wiehin one line and their rarity beyond it.
He might have faid, more accurately and dantalv.
that water freezes far louh as go 49, but ceaIes
| 70 freeze in the reit Of the peniniu,a
The extremity of Florida, on the weGern fide is
very liable to ttorms and whrlwinds, from May to
Augut. Iheyriie iuddenly from the fouth-weG and
iouth-iouth- wet, aud are tran!jent.
Dr. Mackenzie has laid much Of the effect of the air
IN producing mould, rua, BIC. but though this is ma
nhet at st. Augutine, yet there is not healthier
place than this in this quarter. The inhabitants en-
Joy found health, and reach great longevity and in
Vai's reioFt hither from Cuba, as to another Mont
pe.lier.
'Ihe aortheru diqria, which is formed by the com
tnenta part OF Florida, reembes the fouthern part
oil the pennluia, bat its cultomary winds are fome-
what colder. The epidemic of Mobile in 1850 aroCa
entirely from the intemperance of he folders Even
PhyDcans advite the (etters a moderate uie of L.
quor, hut, unluckily they are fre to overeap tbe
-Acribed bounds, and TO into exceis.
The great evil Of the American climate is no, tbe
a*gree OF temperature, either high or low, nor the
drought, nor the wet, but it is the violent aud fldden
tTanhtIon from tate its oppalite So great are
th'ie changes, that they fometmes amount to 90 de-
efIcs m twelve hours, and This evil is much greater
IN the north than the iouth
The foil of Florida is gcneraya bed Of white CLAW
~, : tratnn above it Of white lani. The COAT is
naked and bare but the inland Is f,rea of frs.
hrinaFh Romans agrees with in his notions of
thu favages. f!c deierihes them as a CottiH fltbv
~ p'iierng and naughty race; vain irritable, vim
I've ma ierociou5 The Chic, flws he linges on,
the WORT of them all, and the Cha.4aws are it
MS, LITTLE Better. They are honen, have fome
mons oil Perlonal property, and more iadulrious
IAN the rett They are hopitable to exce6 but are
imProVident. telling their all to the pedlar, and ha
Harding their all in gambling. Suicide ard fodonv
are crimes by no means rare among every tribe.
In Hi, the Chickafaws could mu1er $50 ,yarr;
ors, the Chactaws 2GoO and the confederate Creek
5000 which together make up no defp.cable force
of upwards of 5000 men
On the foil and produce Of the country our author
Is very full and satisfactory. Hedivdes the land in
y" I'm inherent KINDS the pine land, hammock land
annahs, fwamPs, marines, and bay, or cyp-eG,
Firs the pine iar1. commonly called pine barren.
eh makes up the argeit body by far the peninGula
g fcarce any thing efe ; but about hundred
Stewards the north-weR from St Auguline, and
about two hundred from the iea in wen Foridas car
~ us entirely out fit. This land conliRs of grey
or white iand and in nsany places Of red or yellow,
gravel 1t produces great variety of rubs or plants
The principle produce from whence it derives its
name is the 1irH fills iogsim5 * aaa thea tc,,;,
or yellow pine and pitch pinetree which take to be
variety OF the fame pecies, both excellent and good
gisr%
1t is on this kind of land that imnene hocks of
tie are maintained, although the moa natural oraf
this Toll is of very harIh nature and the cattle
at all fond of it. 1t is known By the name of wire
sand they only eat it while young For the procu |
j. lung, or renewing this kind of palnre. the
oeds are frequently fired, and at different feaCons in
ier to have fucceiion of young grafs. bat the "a |
mahs that are interiperied in this kind of land fur
Hfl more plentiful and more proper food for the
tsrtlt.
aone high pine hills are fe covered with two or
| thririeties OF the oak, to make an underwood !
70 tbfty pines; and fpeces Of dwarf chefnut is !
o'teend here another lpecies, Of larger growth,
IS a9und IN the lower parts, particularly in the |
sd2t the bay or cypref5 gals.
rs barren and unidvourabie foil in wet fsa- |
fo7Fs many things far beyond expet .tion, aud +. |