rity, its support was derived from the presence of the officers of government, &c. Its population at one period was estimated at 5000, but for a considerable lapse of time, the number has been decreasing, and the city is rapidly going to decay.

2d. Pensacola and the western sea shore. The lands here are very barren, but as Pensacola has become a naval depot, and contains a strong garrison, it improves very fast. The society is agreeable, being in a great degree composed of officers of the army and navy, and their families. In 1819, the population of Pensacola was estimated at 2000 souls. At present the number must be very greatly increased. There is a settlement at St. Joseph's bay, which may lessen the importance of Pensacola, but enough will remain to make it an eligible place of residence and business. It stands upon a dry sandy plain, about eighteen or twenty feet above the level of the sea, and is generally well built. Some of the public and private edifices are spacious and in good taste.

3d. Tallahassee and the country recently acquired from the Indians. This division comprises parts of Jackson, Walton, Washington, and Gadsden counties, near the Georgia line, besides the whole of Leon and Jefferson counties. The lands here being sold annually by the United States, are entirely unincumbered with grants. A large proportion of this district, it is true, is composed of poor pine barrens or marshes, but in the midst of these are found gentle eminences of fertile land, supporting a vigorous growth of oaks and hickories, while numerous rivulets of pure water flow through the country, or expand into beautiful lakes. The city of Tallahassee is a prosperous little place, if an opinion may be formed from the number and excellence of its stores and taverns. The vicinity is rapidly changing from native forest land, to cultivated fields. But as Tallahassee is twenty miles distant from the ocean, it can scarcely become a place of extensive business. The trade in bulky articles will be principally carried on at St. Mark's, yet as this town is built upon a low marshy point, its unhealthiness will prevent it from either acquiring or retaining a large population.

To the third section of country described, the attention of new settlers who are agriculturists must be directed. If they are engaged in trade, Pensacola, Tallahassee, and various other situations favourable for country stores, may be selected. Professional men will act wisely by deferring their migration to this new country, until more time has elapsed, and the people come to require and learn to appreciate their services more generally. The surface of the country in Florida is generally flat, or but slightly undulating, though towards the interior it rises into a succession of slight elevations, running nearly from north to south. Towards the seashore, the country is exceedingly low, and abounds in marshes and lagoons. To judge from what may

be daily observed along the coast, we might readily conclude that a very large part, if not the whole of Florida, was originally founded, if we may use the expression, by molluscous animals, which inhabit the adjacent sea in countless myriads. The vast banks of shells, and reefs of coral, which are every where to be seen, continually increasing, show beyond doubt that the longcontinued action of the same agents, may produce bars and islands, or even extensions of continent. Nothing more is necessary thereto, after these shells, corals, madrepores, &c. have been accumulated to a certain degree, than that their surfaces should be gradually levelled by the accumulation of weeds, and their own detrition, until by a succession of vegetations, the soil becomes sufficiently secured to resist the encroachments of the sea. In fact, every step of this process of formation, may be witnessed on the Florida coast. Enormous reefs, not of rocks, but of coral, (upon which the little animals are hourly building, from the lowest depths of the ocean, until they approach within a short distance of the surface,) extend for miles in different directions, and fill the experienced mariner with apprehension. Of such materials, are the foundations of all the "Keys" and islands of this coast, and the progress of the decomposition of the shells, corals, madrepores, &c. may be seen from the first fragments produced by the violence of the waves, to the complete disintegration, and subsequent agglutination of the particles forming the solid rocks. But for the force of the currents which sweep along the shores, and the tremendous commotions to which these waters are liable, the increase of the land, from such causes, would be more strikingly obvious. The friends of the theory, which teaches that a vast body of land has heretofore been swallowed up by the ocean, between the old and new continents, must beware of taking the islands on the Florida coast, as fragments of the sunken country, since these have unequivocally risen, or Tather grown from the bottom of the briny deep. To the geologist, Florida will hereafter offer a very instructive field of research, as it is highly probable that many parts of its soil entomb the organic remains of extinct animals, which, as the country becomes thoroughly peopled and explored, will be discovered. But the mineralogist has little to expect from a country so thoroughly alluvial and new.

The climate of Florida is generally mild and pleasant, without violent vicissitudes of weather, from the month of October, until June. In the months of July, August, and September, the heat is very great, and the air is peculiarly sultry. This may be considered as the unhealthy season, when the endemic fevers are prevalent; but even at this season, the climate of St. Augustine is considered to be salubrious and pleasant; and is resorted to by invalids, and such as are desirous of avoiding sickness.

The magnificent luxuriance of vegetation, which is exhibited in Florida, is altogether surprising to those who have been accustomed to the simpler verdure of more northern countries. There is an appearance of vigour and strength in the growth of the most ordinary weeds, which cannot be overlooked, and leads the observer to remark that both the climate and soil are especially suited to vegetable productions. Many of these are highly interesting and curious in themselves, but we cannot, without extending this paper to an extraordinary length, enter into a detailed description of them. The woods and the waters equally teem with animal life; vast numbers of insects and reptiles are occupants of the marshes, lagoons, &c., and when the season for the decay of the vegetable matter arrives, the extent and rapidity of the decomposition extricate an immense amount of vegetoanimal miasmata, of the most deleterious character. The increase of population, as it is accompanied by an improvement of the face of the country, will gradually lessen, or altogether remove these sources of evil. There is one error, at present occasionally committed, in attempting to remove such causes of disease; and this is especially to be avoided by settlers. They are frequently annoyed by ponds of fresh water, at no great distance from the sea, which are the prolific nurseries of insects, and vegetable matter, whose putrefaction during the hot season, is so much to be dreaded. To prevent these consequences, canals are occasionally dug to admit the sea water to these ponds; the salt water immediately causes the destruction of all the fresh water animal and vegetable matters, while the mixture of the fresh water with that of the ocean, acts as efficiently upon the marine substances. The result is a greater mischief than could have occurred with out the interference just mentioned.

The quadrupeds at present known to inhabit Florida, are generally small, though sufficiently numerous. The common deer, (Cervus Virginianus,) is, perhaps, the largest wild quadruped. At an early period, the bison, (Bos Americanus,) ranged over this territory, but this noble animal has long since been exiled to the remote trans-Mississippian regions. The black, or American bear, (Ursus Americanus,) may occasionally be found in the northern part of the territory, but the animals which are most numerous are principally the smaller carnivorous and gnawing animals, the wolf, (Canis Lupus,) the fox, (C. Vulpes,) wild cat, (Felis Rufa,) raccoon, (Procyon Lotor,) the otter, (Lutra Brasiliensis,) and various species of mustele, or weasels, species of squirrel, rats and mice, are very numerous; the beaver is at present unknown in Florida, and what may be considered exceedingly fortunate in a country where so much dyking and banking are necessary, the muskrat, (Fiber Zibethicus,) is not found within a hundred miles of the seacoast.

The reptiles found in Florida are rather numerous, and a few of them quite notorious for their size and destructiveness; among these, the largest and most celebrated is the alligator, which is found in considerable numbers, inhabiting the lagoons and reedy margins of the rivers, growing to such a size as to become quite formidable. They have been killed of fifteen or eighteen feet in length. In general, they are productive of little injury, as they are easily discovered and avoided by travellers, or residents of the country. Many wonderful stories are related of their carrying off blacks, &c., but these stories are as often fictions, as they are built upon the slightest degree of fact. The history of their peculiar manners and habits would be highly interesting, but cannot be introduced here, for the reason already given. Several species of rattlesnake are also found in Florida, possessing all the virulence of poison so peculiarly distinctive of their race.

We may now make some observations on the works whose titles stand at the head of this article.

The first is a small book, or rather pamphlet, written shortly after Florida came into the possession of the British government. It contains a short and unpretending statement of the character and productions of the soil, as far as the country was then explored. This sketch is rendered more interesting by the journal kept by the botanist, John Bartram, on his voyage up St. John's river, whose book appears to be out of print at present, although it is well worthy of preservation, among a collection devoted to the illustration of the natural history of Florida.

The Travels of William Bartram are more recent and better known, and contain à great number of most interesting facts and observations. It is much to be regretted, however, that with his opportunities, this amiable author had not written with a greater degree of systematic precision, and with fewer pages of mere exclamatory admiration at the beauties and wonders of Nature. His rambling mode of writing, is rendered fatiguing and unsatisfactory by a minute record of his reflections, rather than his observations. We hardly observe the real value of the numerous facts he has collected, until we become sufficiently acquainted with the book to skip the passages that may be fairly styled notes of admiration. However, his work has a great deal of interesting matter in it, and will always be referred to as conveying a good general idea of the countries through which he passed. A very entertaining and useful treatise, containing about half the number of pages, might be digested from his volume.

The next work on the list, is that of Mr. Grant Forbes, a partner of the house of John Forbes & Co., which claims a large tract of land at the mouth of Apalachicola. This book was evidently written for the purpose of alluring settlers and selling off lands; and, as might be expected, the descriptions are every

where flattering to an excessive degree. Some information relative to the ancient history of the country is however given, but the author has uniformly fallen into errors in the geographical part of his work. Except Picolata, an old deserted town, eighteen miles from St. Augustine, there are no traces to be found of the settlements of which he speaks; he also is entirely mistaken as to the rivers. But the most laughable misrepresentations, are contained in his chapter describing the productions of the country. Among the different staples, whose modes of culture are minutely described, may be found mahogany, cinnamon, alspice, cocoa, coffee, roucou, cassava, and vanilla; which are not only unknown in Florida, but the greater number of them could not be raised there. The only two date trees in the territory, are both unproductive, being of the same sex. Two olive trees, of very large size, and supposed to be of very great age, did grow near St. Augustine, and a few more were raised at New-Smyrna, but from some cause, none of them were fruitful. On Cumberland Island, in Georgia, about sixty miles north of St. Augustine, is a plantation of olives, which succeeds very well. The olives have been generally pickled, at this place; at least, we have not heard that any attempt has been made to extract oil. There is every reason to believe, that the olive might be advantageously intro duced into Florida. Of the West India papaw, there is but one tree, at Tomoka. We may conclude our observations on this book, by remarking that it is well written, but so replete with mistakes and misrepresentations, as to be a very unsafe guide.

The work which follows the foregoing, in our list, is distinguished chiefly by the excessive credulity of its anonymous author. To exemplify this statement at length, it would be requisite to quote the greater part of the book; for some of the most extraordinary instances, the reader may refer to pages 30, 35, 40, 59, &c. It is, however, evidently written with an honest intention to diffuse a knowledge of the country, of which the author appears to have been a zealous, although an undiscriminating admirer. His description of St. Augustine, and vindication of its climate, are true, and worthy of perusal. The natural orange groves of Allachua, are very correctly portrayed; some groves of the same kind are to be found to the south of St. Augustine, on the hummocks of land, the streams, and lagoons. They are generally considered as indications of a very superior soil.

This author's notice of the Indians is mere romance; than whom a more miserable and pitiable race can scarcely be imagined. The picture he has presented of the savages, and his ideas of savage life, are about as accurate as the ideas a youth would form of pastoral life, from the glowing descriptions of Virgil. Chateaubriand has viewed the Indians much in the same way, "his eye in a fine frenzy rolling;" but we expect poetry and