Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1854-01-28
Scenery and Natural History Of
EI0r;da,

Tho following description "ou'u 10
no discredit to the most practical wri-
ter. It's from the Autobiography Of an
English soldier in the United States
Army
The llummocks of Florida are Pc
culiar feature of the country. The un-
cleared lands, consisting of what is call.
ed Pine barrens, are wholly composed
of large pine trees open to air aud light,
and between which there thriyes lux
uriant underground of palmettoes, and
great variety of richly-scen,cd and
gorgoously.colored Towering shrubs. A
savannah OF tall strong grass, five or
six feet in length, which occurs here
aud there, and an occasional swamp, arc
the only relieving features, besides the
hummocks, which diversity the dreary
monotouy of these interminable pine
barrens, covering nearly tho whole sur.
face of the State, of which there is,
comparatively speaking, but small
portion under cultivation. At intervals
of a few miles, dense forest thickets,
containing magnificent trees of every
description common in Florida, except
tho pine, occur in travelling through
these pine barrens. Oak, liquid amber,
hickory, chesnut, cotton wood and mag
nolia, are among the varieties found III
the hummocks, which vary in size from
about one mile 10 two or three in cir
cumferenco. The bottoms of many
parts of them are usually swampy, and
there is thick underground of lhorny
shrubs and vines, which makes it exceed
ingly difficult to penetrate into their
dark recesses. During the Florida war,
the constant places Of refuge for the In
dians were the hummocks, and woo to
the soldiers who followed them too
rashly; Uncle Sums troops being no
match for the red men in those natural
and almost impregnablo fortresses.
Wounded deer frequently fly TO them
for shelter, and when one of them sue
ceeds in reaching the skirts of o hum
mock, after having been wounded at
some distance, without the assistance OF
a good dor, there is small chance Of
discovering dSiaa aplese. Ihaye some
times been sedlced into their dark and
sombre shades, in following flock of
turkeys which had taken shelter in the
branches of some of the gigantic trees;
on such occasions | have generally been
compelled to emerge from their treach-
erous recesses with torn clothes, face
and hands scratched, and bcmirel up
to the middle with tho mud of the
swamp. In going through these hum.
mocks, one sees the fallen trunks Of
large decayed trees lying scattered on
the ground in all drectionsi these are
very inviting to step on, when one i'm
AGNES he is in danger of sinking up to
the armpi,s in a swamp hole. Beware,
however, | would say to the inexperien-
ccd and incauiious stranger, how ynu
tread on these fallen trunks; try them
with your foot gently, and see if they
are sound; many of them are rotten
and hollow, and some Of them contain
dry lodgings for numerous and tin'
wing colony of moccasns and rattle
snakes, single puncture from the ven
omous tooth of ono of which would
make you grievously rue your reckless
infusion upon their domestic privacy.
Snakes Of a great many different va
rio,ies are very numerous in Florida
During the winter they remain in their
holes in torpid state, seldom making
their appearance for two or three months
during that season; but in spring and
summer never went out to take a walk
without seeing number of them. The
ra,,lesnake, adder and moccasins, are
three different species found there,
whose bito is exceedingly dangerous,
aud, in many cases, fatal bat they all
possess very quick sense OF hearing
and generally contrive to get out OF the
way before they are trod upon. new
or heard of single person being bitten
while wo lay there, though in summer
we seldom went into the woods without
very strong pair of boots, as pro'cc'
ton against a chance bite. These boots
came up to the knees, and were worn
over the pantaloons.
Alligators are numerous in the ponds
and rivers of Florida, and may often bc
seen floating with tho stream like tho
trunk of a tree, while watching for their
prey, on tho surface Of the HillsbOro
river, close to the garrison at Tampa
Bays, One Of the soldiers who caught
a Young one, brought it to the garrison,
designing to rear it as pct but as 1t
gave no signs Of proiling by the oppor'
tuuni,ics of improvement afforded it, Ut;
,erly lespising the soothing system, and
exhibiting in the most undisguiscd man
ner the natural dcpravity aud apparent
" incorrigiblc vicious propens'ios oftho
alligator family, by swapping at dogs,
children, and who over came near it, he
was forced to destroy it as a nuisance
Opossums, raccoons, squirrels, aud
rabits, were found in the woods round
tho garrison, and a great variety of the
Ioatbcrcd tribo frcquonted its vicinity,