The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1827-03-06


! savannah river TIE settlements vert com
pleieiy DESTROYED This agrees tolcrably well
ai,h the tradltionary account of the INDIAN
Chef A1eo. wbossvs tat his father told him the
settlements ftrnsd by the ntertnarr'aBe at the
Spamard and Indians, had been destroyed BY
| a great WARRIOR after 3 different i0vasions.-
lChrfsicn say STINT when hoy. the country vas
80 open ~ to be scarce OF game, aud was not
re.orted 10 by the Indians until the forests grew
up that i, vas then full Of Orange and ffg
t,ers aud the roads and bridges still 10 be seen.
A present the traces of the roads are still Vsi-
Die and also numerous sites of villages, tort'
Iand private residences. A number of towns
are aid down on the old maps, the principal OF
which are, ST Mathew, 81. JUN, Aspalaea, u
con. Tapalaga, 81 Mark de Apalache Ayass a
Ia, san Pedro, &c. No such pla eas ~. Louis
!, marked, aud am at Il loss To know on what
authority the runs of iot near tallahassee
has been been called by thai name
| Tn District of Apalache. we learn from Gar
ciIlaso de Ia Vega, was very popnlous at a peri
od much more remote. PamphIlc de NarvGs
| was the irT who discovered he bay OF Apa-
linche but was compelled to retreat on board
his vessels With great loss. lhiS IS the same
person Who afterwards appointed by the Gov
etnor of { uha to superccde Cortcs in the con-
quest OF Mexico. Eleven years after the
lauding of NarVHes, thai Is, IN 1880, the cele-
bfdtcd fernando soto landed Al Tampa bay,
aud ma, cIIed along the coast, until he came to
| Apakchr, Of which u very curious aud interest
ing description is gwen. The Governor and
III. companions having been informed. in the
town Of osacbile that the province Of Apala-
che, winch they had heard 40 highly praised, as
wcll on account Of the abundance aud fertility
OF the soil rs for The yHlor of IFS inhabitants,
was NOW al no great distance, were DESTROYS to
| sec whether IL was a. IL tile as II was repfesen-
ed 10 be Nder slow aud tedious march OPP
posed at every step BY parties oi indlnns, and
after several bloody engagements, he reached
the province. i" At da, light he observes.
3" the Spanards proceeded through extensive
fields ofeoin, beans, pumpkins, aud other We.
lgrablcs. which extended on either side OF the
lrond farther than the eye could reach Be
tween the fields great number OF houses we've
scattered about, without any order as in the
villages. On the next day the Governor went
IN advance with Two hundred cavalry and one
hundred infantry, and reached the principal
town. whirh he fonnd deserted. II consisted
lof 2jo large aud good houses, IN which he lodg-
ed his amy, While he himself occupied the resi-
dence oft1e Caciquc, Besides this town, there
twas through out the whole district nj the dis
tanCe of hall league. league, Il a league a. a
half villages containing 90 or n 100 houses be
sides pastnumber OF dwellings, scattered about
without order The face of the whole province il
ldclightinl, the land fertile with great abund.
ance ofproviSIons, and plenty of fish, which
the natives catch all the year aud preseryc
for use The Governor and his followers were
delighted 10 see this country and It's fertility but
found the Indians fierce and wailikc 10 show
the fertility OF this province, IL suifices 10 say,
mat the whole oi The Spanish army together
lt.Ftti. L.. Ill. Al.
800, and 'b)o horses, subsisted on the supplies
taken al ilrst aud when they stood IN need Of
any addition, they never went more than a
league aud a half 10 procure it. The country
is also well suited 10 the rearing of every kind
of live stock, having fine woods, excellent wa
ter takes, ponds and reeds which cattle eat so
r"hdllv AZ not To require any kind of grain in
addition. II is also well adapted to the cul-
lure OF silk II ~ the great quantity of null.
berry trees ana there is, besides an abund-
anCc Of fish OF an excellent quality" This de-
Scriptlon IS wonderfully accurate The settle
mont OF this country may perhaps be dated from
the year 10 10, which, until the destruction in
'h would he nearly two hundred years II
Is probable that part of DE Soto's army re.
NAMED IN possession we have, however, no
authentic account OF the exact period at which
the opaniardS made their settlements. II is
,
sruction by Gov. Moor, they carried on n con-
siderable trade with Havana Ivy small vessels
| After the destruction, the country appears 10
have been lost sight OF by European Powers
the Spaniards made no attempt To settle il a.
gam, and II was not until about the year 1863
that the British built the present Fort OF ST.
Mark but formed no settlement, perhaps on
account OF the hostility OF the Muscopee In
lIans who then possessed it, During the pc
nod the Spaniards subsequently, possessed il.
the SemlnolcS and Muscogees carefully forbade
any one To enter It. As proof how little il was
known TO thf Spanlards, will mention the fact
that there Is MOI II single Spanish grant in the
whole oft; the grant of Forbes merely an
proaches lis borders. In some old maps it is
marked " the Apaache old fields THE
march of General jackson into this district
IN 1878, IN pursuit of the Seminole Indians
was the first notice we ever had of it, Ii IS now
about three years since our settlements began.
and contains population of about two thou.
sand souls, which is rapidly increasing By
the last census, Tallahassee contained about
eight hundred, and five or six mercantile estab.
llShments, which do an extensive business
One wing ofthe Capitol, a handsome brick buiId
ing is now completed, and occupied this White,
by the Legislative Council. The country begin,
10 wear the appearance of cultivation goo,
i""dS are hihde IN all directions, and carts, wa
CONS aud carriages, are constantly travelling
them. The grant 10 Gen. Lafayette, containing
23,eh acres OF the best land, adjoining the
town, remains wilderness but il is to be hoped
,nat something will be done with il before long
for, 50 large II body of land remaining unim
proved, must undoubtedly tend to retard tn,
progress OF the town. If the grape, the olive
and the silk worm can succeed any where in A
mcrica, IT must he here. This present to IN,
good old General, no doubt frequently occu
PIES his thoughts, not an object of sordit
speculation, but as the means of uniting hi,
name, and his interests with the very soil of on,
Republic.
am, respectfully, your most obedient ser
want H. NJ BRACkENRIDIE
Col. j. NJ. WHITE,
Delegate Florida.
! A ID ~