Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1876-11-22
FE4OR1DA.l

nor be uninteresting at this time
from Theophilus Parsons late work OF
Law, entitled, The Rights of CtizcI
of the United States -
This State has q peculiar history o.
its own. 1t was first visited by Ponce
de Leon, che Spaniard. He had beer
to America repeatedly, and was at ono
time governor of IIlspaniola. lr
1912 he was an old man, and had
heard that somewhere in the islands
of the newly discovered America there
was fountain which could restore
youth and strength and beauty. Age
had not subdued his spirit of advent
ure and he sailed at the head Of an
expedition, fitted out at his own eX.
pense, in search Of this fountain. He
visited island after after island, but
sought for it in vain. In the course
Of his voyage he discovered Florida,
on Easter Day, which is called in the
Spanish language Tascua Florida
[howery passover. From this Cir
cumstance, aided perhaps by the beau
tiful vegetation around him, he gave
to the country the name of Florida.
The next year, arriving in Spain and
reporting his discovery, he was ap-
pointed governor of FLORIDA, aud re-
quircd to colonize the country, Not,
however, until 1921 did he 60 with
two ships to take possession of his
province The natives resisted hlm
with the most resolute hostility, and
drove the Spanlards to their ships +;
and in the battle Ponce de Leon was
mOltally y wounded, receiving his death
blow IN the country where he had
hoped to find the Immortality. The
Indians continued to II sist the further
efforts Of the Spaniards to colonize the
country but its settlement made con-
siderable progress.
In the middle of the sixteenth CEN
tury many French Protestants perse-
cuted at home, fled to Florida, only to
find themselves still worse treated
The Spaniards attacked them, and
hung many on trees, with an inscrip-
ton 80 the effect that thnY Wnre, M, ,d,c tc
death not as Frenchmen, DuC as hcr'
etics. A French party attacked and
took the Spanish fort, and hung the
Spanish soldiers on the same trees,
with an inscription that they were
put to 1eath not as Spaniards. but as
cut.thr0ats and murderers. The Span
iar1s, however, persisted in their CT
forts to gain possession ofthe country.
The English claimed it, and captured
the Spanish fort Of st. Augustine ii
1886. But little is known Of what
happened there for the next century
In 1896 the French settled in Pensa
cola. In 1902 English colonists from
Carolina and Georgia attacked th'
Spanish settlers. In l763 Great Brit
ain relinquished to Spain, Cuba, whicl
it had recently taken, and received
Florida in exchange. In 1888 Flori
ia was ceded by England to Spain
and in 1919 Spain ceded the Who'll
province, which had been divided IN
to two by the British, to the Unite
; States, and possession was taken i
1921. The Territory of Florida wa
= organized in 1928. There was then
, considerable immigration into tn
j. country but in 1885 the Seminol
T. war broke out, and it ragged with gref
n violence for some year, until in 1912
= treaty was made, by which most
= the Indians consented to their remov;
s west of the Mississippi. The Stat
l. was admitted into the Union in 1874
e and in 1853 all the remaining Indial
s we're removed from the State.
h ------------------