The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-04

Town In west flOr1da ne centre Wdh
still the old fort built by Bienville. now re-
named Charlotte, after the young Queen
of George Ill The town extended along
the river bluff, the front street, still called
Royal, runni ng north and south from the
fort. All over the town were public parks.
The principal residences were OF brick,
surrounding courtyards; even those OF the
poorer inhabitants were made OF cypress,
filed in with brick. plastered and white
washed. The houses were shaded by oaks
and magnolias. Mr. Hamilton describes
! Mobile as fair type Of all the French towns
| In America, New Orleans being larger
and Vincennes smaller, but both otherwise
similar. The botanist Bartram, who trav-
elled over the South in the third quarter Of
the eighteenth century, was much pleased
| with Mobile, although he found many
houses vacant and Wondering to earth.
| The principal change made in the place by
the BritiSh was in the way Of improvement
Of trade, for the bulk of the inhabitants,
though diminished, remained French as
heretofore. 1t should be remembered that
from Mobile had gone out the families that
| settled New Orleans and the banks OF the
Mississippi, and now that the daughter
settlements had grown and were to re-
main French-so far as could be seen until
the secret cession Of Louisiana by France to
| Spain was divulged-it was not unnatural
that many inhabitants of the parent city
should rally to the old flag, still flying in
the West There was thus partial emf
grafton from Mobile and complete exodus
from Pensacola, the French going for the
most part, to New Orleans, and the Spanish
to Mexico. As we have said, however, the
mass Of the white people about Mobile
remained French, and since the establish
ment OF negro slavery there had arisen
a considerable mulatto population that
spoke French and were even less inclined
to leave their old homes than were their
, white neghbors. AS late as iii, when
Romans descended the Tombigbee River,
what few civilized inhabitants he found bore
French names. The quiet, thrifty creoles,
both white and OF mixed blood, did much
to develop the country
Our author reminds us that in tropical
lands the British usually have been content
to follow the French plan of ruling subject
races by the strong arm, but their Impulse
has been in temperate zones to secure hold
upon a country by colonizing it with their
own race. West Florida was no exception.
Not long after Gov. Johnstone's arrival in
February. 1894. he issued glowing procla-
nation painting the beauties and advantage
of the country. The profits of agriculture
of timber telling and of the prospective
trade with Central America were dwelt
upon, and the Governor went 80 far as to
assert that whether its situation or climate
were regarded, West Florida babe fair to
be the emporium, as we'll as the pleasantest
part OF the New World. The effort to bring
about immigration had some success.
From the outset OF the occupation there
was certain inflow of newcomers from
Great Britain and the other colonies. and
a number of disbanded soldiers settled in
the province. When friction arose on the
Atlantic seaboard between the parties
known before and during the Revolutionary
war as Wings and Tories, there was large
lnpour OF the latter. In our authors opinion
the extent to which the development OF
West Florida was due to the British doni-
nation has seldom been appreciated. The
country has now been so long American
that a great deal which is really British
and dates back to the third quarter Of the
eighteenth century has been looked upon
as American in origin. Many names of
families, of plantations and of natural OBJ
iects can be traced to the British occupa-
ton of the Gulf coast. Mr.. Hamilton notes
that as an inducement to settlement.
the colonial government was authorized
to grant lands, without fee, to reduced Off
Gers of the last war and 10 private soldiers
disbanded in the province. as follows:
field officer might obtain 5000 acres;
a Captain 1000; a suhaltern or staff officer
? 900: a nom commissioned officer. 200. and
a private, 50 acres" Not only were these
grants gratutous, but they were exempt
from taxation for ten years and after
that time were subject only to the small
ouitrents and conditions imposed upon
other lands in the province. One is not
SURPRISED to learn that not few officers
and men took advantage Of the Govern
ment's offer.
u seems that the French had never made !
an accurate chart of the Bay of Mobile, /
nor had the Spaniards of the waters sur .
Pensacola. Maps, indeed, both
the French and the Spanards had, b'it. :
usually no soundings were given. Eng ,
land on the other hand, quickly undertook i
a marine survey Of her new seacoast on the
Gulf of Mexico, as ia shown by the charts
Of Jeffreys and others. A notable eS-
ample of the work done is found in the
admiralty Ctld1I Oi N1ODW Day, WHICH
dates from III. A road was projected
to the Natchez settlement, but how far it
was carried out is uncertain The internal
Improvement of the northwestern part of
West Florida followed another line. 1t
early occurred to the provincial authorities
that, if Bayou Mapchac otherwise called
Iberville River, could be made navigable,
there would be an all-water route from
Mobile Bay, under the shelter of the out
wing islands of the sound into Mississippi
River, practically within British territory,
which would take13the place OF the long
way through the passes and the lower
under the cannon Of the Span
ards" What was then a considerable
sum Of money was devoted to the purpose.
Every summer the Iberville was dry, for it's
bed was then twelve or more feet above
he Mississippi. and the proposal to deepen
t by drawing water from the last-named
liver was hardly practicable in those days
Nevertheless the Iberville route, even at
he season when a good deal of portage
VAS required. came to be extensively used,
md ultimately there was much more SNUG
Cling by the British into Louisiana than
here was by the French and Spaniards
nto Floridn.
I-o,+ fron, n,orral, ~ ~. a:,,;I ..l