Arkansas true Democrat., 1859-04-27
From the National Intelligencer. THE FLORIDA MDIANs
FOR THE NATIONAL INTELL1eENcER

| The florlda war lasted about twenty years. During all this time the best ener- gies of our army were directed to subdu- ing the Indians. No expense was spared by Government, no plan left untried that | promised success; no device of ingenuity. not even the cruel experiment of the fla nous bloodhounds. Battles were fought; a few Indians were killed; few taken pri- soners. But who of all the soldiers in the field returned with laurels? It was not in the power of our most celebrated com manders to perform renowned action: the country and foe alike forbade it.
 It is true Col. Harney hung some Jn- dians in the Everglades; but this was scarce setoff to the massacre of his command on the Colooshatchie Gen. Tavlor fought the battle of Ocochobee; but to which side the victory belonged is a very open oues tion. The Indians exult at the mention of Ocochobee; are foolish enough to think they did good day work-did profitable swap ping in the business of death The ordinary skirmishes of the times were too insienif- cant to attract the notice of the country, or scarcely to be remembered by the parti- clpants. But in the meanwhile there were great dolngs going on. Great forts were being built, great vessels were sailing load ed with great quantities of military stores, great numbers of h ,rses were tramping over the country bearing great unwieIdv dragons, great trains of wagons with sup plles for troops; and adding all these greats With great many others, the result was tnghttully great amount of money dis pursed by liberal quartermasters and the dlfferen employees of the government- The expenses of the war hung like an in cubus on our country for twenty years. It IS distressing to contemplate the poor re- suits ot so many exertions-of such ex- pendltures; to know that so many millions of dollars were squandered in enticing less than three thousand wretched Seminoles to leave the most sterile and worthless section of the whole Union.
 Whilst the war operations were going on, the civilians that are always found con nected with such affairs were far from be- ing inattentive to their own interests Towns sprung up at points where troops were stationed almost as quickly as they dld Tn California at places where new dig gngs were discovered. Gentlemen found their pockets to grow heavy. They began to be owners of horses, mules. wagons: shlpowners and men of great business ex- perlence-lndispensa assistants in mili- tarv transactions.
 But, after long time, our Government discovered that building fine forts running steamers, hanling wagons, and like exercis es did not slay Indians very fast: that ip stead of worrying the poor wretches till they had nothing on their backs to protect them from the blistering sun, and no arms or ammunition for obtaining food, they wore good towels, very pretty blue calico, hlgh ostrich feathers, and went about through th woods shooting turkeys and deer with first-rate rifles, Du Fonts pow der and St. Louis lead
 A new policy was entered upon. In lSo6 treaty was made between the Uni ted States anil the western Seminoles. In this it was provided that delegation of Seminoles should proceed to Florada, ac compaincd by commissioner on the part ot the Government and induce by presents, promises, and all fair means their brethren to abandon hostlities and emigrate to the new country beyond the Mississippi The oitlcer selected by the Government to car " out the requirments of the treaty was Col. Elias Rector superintendent of South ren Indian affairs. He entered, as all know, upon his duty with alacrity, and prosecu- ted It with an energy that was crowned with gratifying success. He had no pleas ure tour-no sinecure excursion-but was surrounded from first to last with perplex- ing difficulties and disagreeable exposure to all the annoyances of a Florida cam. palgn and Florada climate. The result of his first expedition was the carrying away of Bowlegs and one hundred and seventy of hlS followers to their new home in the l West.
 After the exodus of the Bowlegs people, Florida was dispossessed of troops; forts were left untenanted; old hulks, uncmploy- ed, rotted in the harbors; money did not flow to the pockets of gentlemen as former | ". To make matters yet worse Col. Rec tor returned with another delegation. In the mean time, notwithstanding Gov. Per " in his message to the Legislature at Tal- lahasse had praised the gallant volunteers for their prowcSS in the war, and threat. ened destruction to the Indians if they neg lected to emigrate with Col. Rector, it was discovered by party in the councils of the State that the Indians were not so bad af- ter all, that they were pretty good people and ought to be permitted to remain and exercise their virtues
 But Col. R. proceeded to the perform ance of his duties as he had in the previous season. Seventy more Indians were car ried west. A remnant, the poorest and most insignificant of all the bands, remained old sam Jones party, numbering, from all accounts given by the emigrants, between thirty and forty, big and little, male and female. They could not be induced to leave, and it was not thought worth while by the superintedent to make any exertions to induce them to do so. Most of the few warriors were surprisingly old and decrepit, and not worth the bothering with.
 Since the last emigration 1t is evident that times are distressing to the dwelers of the peninsula. Sand banks, pines, pal | lllClto DuSllcS NloIu ilo HioHCy III tillleS Ol peace "Rich hammock" cannot produce unless bloody savages skulk in it. The peninsula cannot hope for prosperity in any sense without raging war.
 There are some of the citizens that are capital Florida economists. But short time since the following appeared in a Tampa paper:
 '12 o'cLocK M., Saturday, Feb 19.
 "HosTILE INDIANs.-We stop the press to announce the arrival of John Jackson, esq. who brings us the unpleasant intelli- gence that he was ordered by the Indians to leave their country, where he was en- gagged in surveying. On the morning ol the 9th, a negro man in charge of Mr. Jackson's team was met by Indians, and, by words and unmistakable signs, ordered to leave in two days. On the 10th, Mir Jackson, in company with the rest of his party, discovered seven or eight warriors On approaching near them they hid behind trees, and to all appearances made arrange ments for fight. Mir. J. deemed it pru dent to comply with their request, and on the 1lth abandoned his work and started tor this place. At the old station on Fish Eating Creek he saw many women and