Liberty advocate., 1838-05-05

uern rensacoia,a ,anu coneeftlng communica
, itions with his noble wife, whom he ha,
left in charge Of his government, at Ha
, vana, he proceeded into the interior.
Without expatiating ON the desperat,
and gallant contests between the natiy,
sons Of the forest, (most probably the an
cestors Of the Seminoles,) and their war
like invaders, | will barely select few O
the most prominent and interesting points
which have been identified in this, tn,
boldest Of the European explorations o
Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. m
Icaluza, or Tuscaloosa, as it is now written
is first presented. He was, says the Peru
lvian historian, "one Of the most polite
proud and warlike Of the native chieftain
of the south" He has left his name indel
Iibly stamped in river, and the capital o
the neighboring State of Alabama. Hi.
territories must have comprised a grea
part of what are now the States of Alaba
ma and Mississippi.
The Spaniards entered entered his town
Of Mauvila, evidently the origin Of Mo.
biie,) which is supposed TO have stood
about the junction Of the Tombeckbee with
the Alabama river. Here was the scene
of one Of the bioodiest battles between the
natives and their invaders. The ruins of
this town, sacked and burned by the Span
iards, became the tomb ofthe heroic chief
of Tuscaloosa, and several thousands Of
his subjects. The plain around the town
was strewn with more than $500 bodies.
Within the walls, the streets were blocked
up by the dead" SIN one building thou
sand perished in the hames," "a greater
part Of them females" 1t is some COM
pensa,ion for this demoniac havoc, that its
authors did not entirely escape from the
calamities they had brought upon these
distant shores. Eighty-two Spaniards,
cased as they were in armor Of steel, per-
ished, and forty-two Spanish horses were
killed by the Indians, and monrned, stsays
the same historian" "as ifthey had been
SO many fellow-soldiers." The baggage
and stores of the Spaniards were consul
med in the flames of the town. The next
point reached by shc expedftfon, OF imnle-
date interest to US, is the province and
town Of Chicaza or Chickasaw. This is
supposed to have been in the upper part of
| this State, on the western bank of the va
ZOO, about 24O miles northwest Of Mobile.
Here the Spaniards experienced despe-
rate night attack from the Indians, losing
many Of their men and more Of their hor
ses, then unknown in America, and so pre-
cious to the invaders.
After many similar adventures, all tes-
tifying to the undaunted bravery and per-
severing fortitude in the natives, the Span
ish party came in sight of the Mississippi,
on the Rio Grande, as they called it. Be-
low the lowest Chickasaw Bluff, the pre-
sent site of Memphis, just ten miles above
the northern limits of this State, is an an
cient and convenient passage over the
great rivers Here De Soto is supposed to
have crossed the Mississippi, and left the
territory Of our State. 1t does not COM
port with the purpose of this discourse to
follow this gallant, but unfortunate wan
derer beyond the limits of the Mississippi.
| will barely mention, that, after penetra-
ting to the highlands of White river, 200
miles from the Mississippi, to Little Pra
Iirie, the Salines and Hot Springs Of Wash
itta, the Spanish Captain reached the
country about the mouth Of Red river
Here he sent out party to explore the
country farther to the south. lhe ire
quent bayous, the impossible cane6rakes,
and the dense woods, permitted them 70
proceed but 40 miles in eight days; thus
obstructed, the party returned with the
disheartening intelligence they had pro-
cured. This disappointment, aided to
the sorrows of his whole career in these
regions, so different from his fate on the
, golden coast Of Peru, and defiance sent
r him by tribe Of Indians near Natchez
completed the work Of melancholy, and
, broke the heart ofDe Soto. He fell a prey
+ to n mortal disorder; and 10 conceal the
body of the dauntless associate OF Plzarro
: the royernor of Cuba ard the firstexplorel
) slofthese southwestern regions, "thecorPse
5 wrapt in mantle and in the stiffness 2
d midnight, was silently sunk in the Missls
: sippi." Thus the discoyerer cfthe MIS-
I sissippi slept beneath its waters. "tie 20:
h crossed the continent in search Of gold
says the eloquent and most learned Ban
!, croft, sand had found nothing so remarka
# bic as his burial place." Three hundred
! out Of one thousand, who had embarked
$ with De Soto, alone lived to return TO Mex
$ leo and to his heart broken wife, the nobl
y Bobadilla.
IT Having had occasion, a few days ago, :
il upprize our readers Of the severe illness Q
= Al. Cooroto.,, po,.,.r-r on alarming 4