, 1858-08-27
PUGET SOUND HERALD.
sTEILACoOM, W. T., AUG. 81, 1858.



the smalluegs Of their means, it would be diff
cult to point out in the whole history Of the
world a community which has Struggled against
overwhelming force.wit greater spirit or with
greater tenacity than have the Indians Of Florida.
When this territory was coded to US by Spain in
1890, it contained an Indian population all told,
and including some eight hundred negroes at
lached to the various Indian villages, of less than
five thousand persons. The greater part of
these Indians were offshoots from the Lower
Greeks whose principal settlements were on the
Cbattahoochee, and who, in conjunction with
the English cOlonists Of Carolina, had carly in
the eighteenth century invaded Florida, and had
almost extcrminated the original Indian inhabit-
ants, among whom a sort Of standardization had
bccn introduced by Spanish missionaries. For
forty years and more after this dcsolatng inroad,
Florida appears to have remained nearly dcsti-
tute Of Indian inhabitants; but about the year
1850, quarrel arising among the Lower Greeks,
"a portion Of them--whO received from those
whom they left behind the name Of Scminolcs
or Ruuaways-rcmoved into the peninsula, and
SctuVu !" eh't SShuH P"'t va pS'"eS" wv
rivers SuwanCo and St John, and which now
constitutes the County OF Alachua. Another
emigration from the Lower Greeks took place
about 1908; these new immigrants settling in
tho vicinity Of Tallahassee In addition, how
ever, to these ofshoots from the Lower Greeks,
there was the tribe Of Mikasukies on the banks
Of the lake Of that name, northeast Of Talahas-
see, who appear to have been remnant Of the
earlier Indian inhabitants; and in the extreme
southern part Of the peninsula small tribe,
whose language was much intcrmixcd with Span
ish, and whose existence was not known till in
the course Of the war We were brought INTO con-
tict with them
by the treaty ot Fort Mouitric, IN 1876 the
Indians surrendered up that portion Of Florida
most valuable Tor agricultural purposes; but
they were enved even the wrctchod pine 6arrens
and swamps which they still retained, and IN
1859, BY another 'rca'y--that oi Payncs Land
ing-thcy were induced 10 agree To emlgrate to
Arkansas at the end oil three years, provided the
country set apart for them there should prove
satisfactory TO delegation Of Their chiefs who
were 70 be sent 70 examine It. Ihese delegates
were induced 70 slgn' at Fort uioson' an addl'
nonai article 10 inc treaty o. 1907, oy wnieh they
prolcssed themselves sa'iSned Nitli inc arkansas
nnuS' anu asreeu 70 remove tn''ner' in t"'s
shape the treaty was Iau'neu W Tue fresldcn'
anu senate, ana III 1850, measures were taken
70 carry inc provision iOr removal INTO eiieeI
ine ihu'a"s' however, Pro'es'ed against the
who'e. proceeding. ihcy denied inc authority
o' 'ne'r delegates 70 olhd tnem as thry mad un-
uor'aAen 70 ." Ahe only eh'ci VINO Inclined 10
submit 70 inc treaty. ana VINO proposed 10 en-
gra'c' was Wayla'u ana shot 1en. THOMPSON
the agent charged with experimenting tho emf
sratlon' shared the same lAtc and the destruction
oi Major Dadc, with hundred men, on their
march from Tampa Bay to Fort King, to aid in
lOrcing The Indians to Gmigate, on the 2Sth Of
December, 1855, iairly commenced the war.
The leading spirit in i was osceola, young
cher about thirty years Of age, the son oil an
hnghsh trader VINO bad domestlcatcd himself
among tue Lower creeks oy an indian woman,
VINO haa JOineu ~ inc emigration Of IsOS 10 Flor
ila' takihg her infant son WIN her aud leaving
hcr whl'e husband behind.
The whole force Of tho Indians at the COM
menecnicnt Of this war was rcckoned at about
1000 warriors, including some ESQ negroes,
whom the fear Of falling into the hands Of white
claimants made very jealous opponents Of the
removal Doiicv A consilerabis number of