Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1854-03-24

The Discovery Of fhe AIs-assaPps by Soto
POWelPs picture Of this event, painted By order of
Congress for the vacant PANEL in the rounda of the
capitol, which . nOw On exhibition in the Court.
House, and is really work OF art which should be /
seen By every person OF taste has excited some curi-
Osy in regard TO its history short sketch of which
viii lead TO better understanding of the picture
We eondsnse from Bancroft
i had ever been believed that the depths Of the
American continent at the North concealed cities as
magnificent and temples a. richly endowed a. any
which had been PlandeFed within the limits Of the
tropics Filled with this idea, Ferdinand De Soto,
the companion Of Pizarro in the conquest Of Peru,
solicited and obtained from Charles v Of Spain. the
government Of the Island Of Cuba with absolute pow
e over the immense territory which the name Of
Florida was still vaguely applied. and in 1888 he
sailed from the port Of san Lucas de BaTremeda in
Spain. al the head Of SIX hundred men in the bIooa
Of life, the flower of the Peninsula
In May, Of the following year, his feet anchored
in the bay Of Spiritu SaRto, iE Fosida After many
wandeEings in the Intellectual search for treasures
which did lot exist, the Spanizrds waited at Pensa-
cola harbor until the next spring, when they again
commenced their search, traverzing portions of what
5 cow Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia In July
Of that year, (1540 they had great fight with the
Indians near Mobile, in which two thousand Indians
are said to have persisted and many Of the christians
who also lost their baggage, in the beginning of
I541 the SpauaEs had another Indian fight with the
Chekasaws in the upper part Of the State Of
Mississippi and came very near being defeated. De
Soto still struggled westward, and On the 25ih of
April, 1541, Indian settlements On the banks
ct the Mississippi. He the first OF Europeans 70
behold the magnificent River which rolled its i'm.
mense ofwaters through the splendid vegetation
OF vide alluvial soil The lapse Of han three
centuries has changed The character Of the
it was then described more than a mile broad
flowing with strong current aad, By the weight o.
IFS waters. forcing channel of great depth. The
Spanards were guided to the Mississippi BY natives
ard were directed 10 one Of the usual crossing places
probably the lowest ChickasaE Bluff not far from
the thirty fifth parallel Of latitude say twenty thr
ty miles below the mouth Of the Arkansas River
The scene IS thus described By Bancroft:
g The arrival Of The strangers awakened curiosity
and fear. multitude Of PEOPLE from the Western
banks Of the river painted and gayly decorated with
great plumes Of white feathers the warriors standn:
IN rows with bows and arrows IN their hands, tn'
ChIeftains, sitting under awnings magn 1cent d
The artless manufactures Of The natives could
came rowing down the stream IN feet OF two han
0Ied canoes; seeming 70 Inc a1mifIng Sp2nlaEds
Ike fair army of gaileys.' They brought gifts o.
fish and leaves made Of the fruit Of the persmmon
At first they showed some desire to offer resistance
but becoming conscious Of their relative weak
ness, they ceased to defy enemy who could no
be resisted
In about month after, the SPaniafds crossed over
and after traVersing the Western wds in all direc
tons in The vain search for gold or plumber, Sot
and the remnant Of his band again returned to tn
Western bank at point where the Red River emptie
into it broken in spirit and saddened by disappoint
ment, the stern Captain sickened and died on 2ls
May, 1542-and MS followers, to conceal his death
sunk his body in the middle OF the Mississippi. Hi
remaining soldiers attempted to make their way
land to Mexico. but failed. and finally succeeded il
reaching their felIow-countrymen there, by means
fail brigannes, without decks, built by themselre
on the Mississippi