New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-11-29
South Florida-the Evsrgladss

We copy from the Tallahassee Floridian the
following interesting letter written by resident
at Cape Florida The writer says.
81 am now living at the mouth of the en-
trance of Key Biscayne Bay, (Cape Florida).
Vessels drawing ten feet water can enter the
bay--a good harbor. Thence to the mouth of
the Miami River, 6 feet into the Miami, and up
the falls, four and half feet This river is
about one hundredyards wide, and only four or
five miles long. Biscayne Bay is about twenty
two miles long, and from one to seven miles wide.
It is not generally very deep, but it is beau
tful sheet Of water. The lands bordering on
the bay are generally very low-on the main
lWest) side some high land--several high, rocky
bluffs, atfording splendid views--the same at
the mouth Of the river--large tracts of ham.
mock bordering on the bluffs, very rocky J
owned by Mr.. Inglish, of South Carolina, and
one tract by Dr. Barron, who resides on the
same. The low lands are generally mangrove
Swamp, OF marsh, some of the marsh sufficient
ly high for cultivation, and quite rich. In many
places the pine lands approach near the bay
and are high. The best of spring water may
be had any where on the West side of the bay.
All the spring water in this section of the coun-
try comes from the Everglades, and is strongly
impregnated with Iron and Magnesia The
lands on the Miami, and all the other rivers
whose sources are in the Everglades, are fine,
with an occasional hammock of from three to
one hundred and fifty acres, but generally very
rocky, as are nearly all the pine lands in the
country. Bordering on the Everglades are
large hammocks, with but little rock-some of
them without any. have been several times
fifteen to twenty miles into the Everglades
Within this vast sea of grass water, the Ever
glades) are thousand of Islands, from half to
four miles apart, several feet higher than the
highest freshets ever known-extent of great
variety-from five to two thousand acres in each
free from rock, and the most fertile lands
East Of the banks of the Mississippi river The
top soil is brown for one or two inches then fol-
lows rich mulatto soil, generally from three to
twenty feet in depth.
The Islands are usually surrounded by water
from three inches to three feet deep. was on
one which contained 1000 or 1000 acres. The
Everglades were higher than usual. l saw
where large tree had been blown down, making
hole in the earth some four feet deep. This
hole was perfectly dry, and in the bottom of it,
as well as on some Of the roots, were quantities
OF Indian pot-ware. saw no difference in the
soil. These Islands are what is called made
land. On them, sugar cane and rice grow the
entire year. Cane goes to seed. From two to
four cuttings of rice may be made during the
year. The borders Of the Everglades afford the
greatest advantages for rice plantations of any
part OF the continent. | believe sugar plan
tation may be established at one of these Islands
at much less expense than in Louisiana, and
with greater product to the acre / believe
it isas healthy (and more SOY in the Everglades
than on any part of the coast of Florida Vest of
this. There is a current throughout nearly the
whole of the Everglades for the greater part of
the year, and the trade winds prevail there as
they do on this coast. The mosquitoes are not
SO numerous there as on the sea coast The
great objection to the Everglades is want of
fence timber, and the difficulty of carrying the
produce to market. The former may be obvia-
ted by bitches and hedges--the latter by small
canals to the head of Miami river, or by cause
ways, either of which may be accomplished at a
small expense If the Federal Government
would make an appropriation sufficient to cut a
canal from five to six feet deep, connecting the
Mama and Sinibal rivers, or the opposite sides
of the Everglades, such a canal would remove
all the difficulties to the settlement of this coun
try, and bring into market hundreds of thou
sands of first rate lands, and the population of
this same much abused country, (the Ever
glades) would in two years exceed all the rest of
Florida. The lands are nearly all surveyed,
except the Everglades.
We have no olive, coffee or cocoa trees grow
ing here, or the tea plant but from informa-
tion derived from those who resided here for q
long time, and who are acquainted with their
culture, l am fully assured they may all be cul-
tivated here to the greatest advantage
Our climate is most delicious, and may truly
be called ' the paradise of invalids" 1t is in
finitely better than st. Augustine or Havana
the former being too cold, the latter too warm
and relaxing. A hotel here for invalids would
do remarkably we'll.
| send you n statement of the expense and
profit of our staple commodity-the arrow root
by which it will be seen that Seven hands, in
digging and manufacturing this article, and
carrying it to market, will nett yearly about
S4,745. The cultivation of the cocoa, and other
tropical fruits, are not less profitable Orange,
banana, plantain and pine apple all come to the
greatest perfection. The orange insect is no
longer destructive to that delicious fruit, as an
effective enemy is found in the ant We have