Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1842-07-23

and spike with proud exultation of the time
when his nation extended it's protecting win,
over the thousand oha Of the Floridas.
DE Soto, with v~alorous determination, de
sp tie all obstacles, penetrated the country t.
the distance of a hundred miles, when the In
dams became more friendly, treated him witt
kindness and hospitality, entertaining him 70,
a length oftime, and supplying him with wha'
he wanted Of corn, v%enison, and such other
necessaries as he needed.
An Indian queen of some importaucs, won
by the proud bearing Of De Soto. made him
many presents, some Of which, is Is said, con.
sisted of pearls of unusual sizet This is pro.
blematical, as they are not TO be found in this
region. The beautiful romance, however,
gives to the Pearl river OF our State-the
N~unna-Doi-ya Of tile Indians, its name, which,
it still ~retainsj as a memento Of the splendid
dreams of those early adventurers.
In continuing his progress through the coun-
try he was frequently opposed; but superior
skill and the "hve Munder' which he bore wit,
hlm-his fire arns-in all instances, turned
the scale in his favor.
AT length De Soto reached the Apalachi
country, to the mountains of which he sent
several of his followers, in quest of the mines
reported to exist In that region. They return
ed, bringing with them vaiioats specimens of
metal, among which, the most prominent was
gold: They reported the mountains as mac
cessible, and that the natives were more in
~hoSPitable than any previously met by them
IN their wanderingsi So unfavorable, indeed
was their report, that our daring adyentursr.
who turned not aside from any ordinary OBJ
stacle, determined to leave them unvisited.
and returned again towards the sea, upon a
course nearly parallel to that of his advance.
taking in his route the village of Aute, from
which he detached a portion of his men TO
Och-n-si, known to the Indians as Ochuns-
sntpes-to whose numbers it owes its name,
by which it is known to the Choctaws of the
present gay. it is the spot known to US as
Pcasacola-7-.he PanzaeoM ofthe spaniards ; a
name which, by slight changing, becomes in
the Choctaw tongue, "he sealping peopIr."
This distinctive term applied to a particular
nation or tribe, proves that the practice so
common among all the northern and western
tribes, was not universal throughout the con-
tinent. De Soto forwarded, to Cuba an &C:
count of his adventures, and notice of his de-
termination to prosecute them again during
the following spring-in the mean while, TN
til the approach of that season, he collected
his different attachments at Aute, where he
had prepared winter quarters. During the
leisure thus afforded, he employed Himself in
creating. as far as practicable, 4 favourable
impression anoug the SURROUNDING tribes, i'm
proving the discipline Of his troops, and in
collecting supplies for a longer, wilder, and
more dangerous expedition west of the former,
ard with the intention of penetrating to the
mighty stream spoken of by the natives. who
III their igurativs language, spoke of it during
its spring foods. as holding within itself an
oceans waters. and variously called by the
different tribes, the Z" Ms-ate-chas-s;p-pi," an
cient father of rivers"-or "Mes-chu-se-be,"
" the father of waters" and others of similar
Specification: