Savannah morning news., 1886-05-08
FAR BACK IN THE PAST.
Description of Florida Written at the
Time the Pilgrims Landed.

"
Description of Florida Written at the
Time the Pilgrims LANDED.
From the st. AuSustiie tEla.) Weekly.
One Of our subscribers in Central New
York sends us what is without doubt one
of the earliest descriptions of Florida that
was ever put into print. The letter which
accompanies the extract lie as follows:
VERNON. n. Y, March 2s, 1886.
As Il pendant to your recent description
of Florida in 1874, ] send you a few ex-
tracts from Peter Heylyn's "COsmograph-
ic," published in 1921, in London, though
my copy is an edition OF 1862. 1t contains
nearly 1,lO0 folio pages, OF which about
100 arc devoted TO this continent, and
three and one half pages to Florida, The
Bahamas and TOurtugas are given as
belonging to Florida, and its northern
limits would include South Carolina
What river is meant by the "Rio de
SeccO," forming it's northern boundary, 1
do not know. Only few of the names,
towns and provinces given by HeylVn can
now be identified. This is not strange.
considering the imperfect knowledge OF
this continent prevailing when the Pill
| grims landed. The poisonous tree men,
| toned in Mr.. Sterling's extracts must
! have been discovered after Peter Heylyn
wrote. Heylyn was an Oxford scholar
and professor Of history and geography
and Dean OF Westminster.
A. P. CASE.
| HEYLYN'S ACCOUNT OF FLORIDA.
''FlOrida is bounded on the northeast
with Virginia, on the east with Mare del
/ NOorte; on the south and some parts OF
the west with the Cult OF Mexico; on the
rest of the west with parts of New CALI
! ca and some countries hitherto not dis
covered, extending from the river of
| Palmes, in the 25th deg. of latitude, to
Rio de Secco in the Bath, which Incl
dentally speaketh it for a country of
! large Dimensions
''This country laying parallel to CASTLE
in Spain, is said to be OF the same temper,
both for aire and soil, but that it is abun-
| dainty more fruitful, the heart OF the
| ground not being here worn out by con-
| tiuual tillage as perhaps 1t may be in The
other. For here they have great
abundance OF maize-the natural bread
corn OF the country-which they SOW
twice year, viz; March and June, and
reap 10 the third month alter; laying it In
some public barns, and thence distribute
! it to the necessities of particular persons,
"W ell stored with several sorts OF fruit,
as mulberries, cherries, chestnuts, grapes,
and plums, of both excellent taste and
| color; beasts. wild and tame of all kinds,
which these countries yield, and of like
/
/ OF the largest oaks and the lOftiest cedars:
some cypress trees and bays OF large
proportion, with great plenty of that
| wood which the Inhabitants call pavame,
and the French name sassafras, the bark
whereof is medicinal against some dis
| eases; and another tree which we call es-
quine, affirmed TO be a sovereign and
| present remedy for the French disease.
"The people are Of an olive color, great
statue and we'll prOpOrtioned; naked
except their privities, which they hide
| with the skins OF stays; their arms and
knees stained with divers paintings not
to be washed of; their hair, black and
hanging down as low as their thies.
Cunning they be and excellent in the arc
| of dissimulation. So stOmachfull that thew
| do actually love war and revenge, InsO-
much that they are continually in war
with one another"
1.-The women, when their husbands are
dead, used to cut of their hair close to
their ears, and throw il on his sepulcher;
and cannot marry again till their hair be
grown long enough to cover their should :
| ers. Hermaphrodtes are here also in
| great plenty, whom they use as beasts to
carry their luggage, and put them to all
| kinds of drudgery.
''They have all a good belief OF the
souls Immortality. but are otherwise
ldolators.
! "Mountains this country hath not many,
as being generally plain and level, the
| chiefest those called Apalatei, where there
are found great veins OF a reddish metal
which the French concluded TO be gold,
| though they wanted time and opportunity
TO search into them"
Among the rivers mentioned by Heylyn
are the Rio SaccO, Rio 6rande, Rio de
Flores, kio de Spiritu SantO, aud others.
"a particular description OF these
rivers. their rise. course and greatness
| find not in any OF my authors. Only Me-
Gator telleth us OF one called Porto Riale,
reckoned the chieiest of this country, the
mouth whereof is three miles broad where
| IL Openeth into the sea betwixt two pro-
! mOntories. Some OF these rivers are ar
| frmed to be haunted with croc0diles, a
creature dangerous alike both by land
/ and water.
"Among the chief towns hereof are St.
/ Helens, on or near a prOmontOry, so
named. where this country bordereth on
| Virginia. once forfeited and possessed by
the Spaniard, but not long since abah-
doned. Port Royal a we'll frequented
haven on the mouth OF the river OF thae
name; but whether there be any town now
remaining l am not able TO say. Apa-
lache, supposed to he place of great
consideration, but found 10 be a small
town Of nut forty cottages. Ocallis, an
unwalled town, but consisting Of 600
sheds. for l dare hardly call them houses.
st. Augustine on the Eastern shore. situ-
ated at the mouth 0i a small river, so
named, forfeited by tho Spanlard, vita
/ many u small