Contents
Chapter I 17
Adieu to Atlanta and arrival in Macon—Early settlement of Savannah by General Oglethorpe—Met by the Yamacraw Indians with presents—Death of Count Pulaski—Bonaventure Cemetery—The inland route to Florida—Pass St. Simon’s Island—Wesley visits Frederica to establish his faith—Cumberland Island, the home of Nathanael Greene—Olives—The scuppernong vine—Dungenness, the burial-place of Light-Horse Harry Lee—General Robert E. Lee visits the grave of his father—Amelia Island—Taken by filibusters—Their surrender—Fine beach and light-house—The turtle—Sea-shells—God’s treasures—A resting-place for the weary.
Chapter II 28
Fate of the Spanish galleons—St. John’s Bar and River—General remarks on Florida—Lumber-mills—Jacksonville—Grumblers—The invalid—Churches—Dr. Stowe preaches in the Methodist church—Mrs. Harriet Stowe goes to sleep—Sermon by a colored brudder—Journalism—Moncrief Springs—The invincibility of boarding-housekeepers—The cemetery—Too much delay with invalids before coming to Florida.
Chapter III 46
Jacksonville Agricultural Association, and its advantages—Exhibits of wine, perfume, and fruits—Industries of the ladies—Yachts—General Spinner—Steamer Dictator—Nimbus on the river—Mandarin—Employment of its inhabitants—Murder of Mr. Hartley by Indians—Weariness of war by the settlers—Fanciful names given to towns—Hibernia and Magnolia—Green Cove Springs—Fort at Picolata—Pilatka—Putnam House—The Herald, edited by Alligator Pratt—Colonel Harte’s orange-grove—The Catholic Bishop as sexton—Ocklawaha River.
Chapter IV 55
No fossilized Spaniards on the Ocklawaha—Scenery on its banks—Thick growth of timber—Passengers amuse themselves killing alligators—Climbing asters—Air-plants—Water-lily—An affectionate meeting at Orange Springs—The deaf lady—Pleasure-riding in a cracker-cart—Northern and Southern crackers—March of improvement—Make fast!—Wooding up—Passengers take a walk—Night on the water—Surrounded by thickets—Our flame-lit craft moves on with its pillar of fire—Who!—Plutonic regions—Pyrotechnic displays.
Chapter V 69
Incident as we enter Silver Springs—A gentleman loses his grinders—The Mirror of Diana—Sunset—A beautiful legend of the Princess Weenonah—A scientific description by Prof. J. Le Conte—Vicinity of the springs—Improvements—Description of Ocala—Impressions of DeSoto—Public Square—Contented, hospitable people—Marion county the back-bone of the State—Matt. Driggers and his neighbors go on a mastodon hunt—Lakes and long prairie-grass above Silver Springs—The man who wanted a sheriff to marry him—Leesburg and its improvements—A dredging-boat mistaken for a cook-stove—Indian trails—Historic relics—Lake Dunham—Okahumkee—The Ocklawaha historic ground.
Chapter VI 90
Florida during the Indian war—Cumbersome movements of the troops—Cause of the war—Treaty of Payne’s Landing—Birthplace of Osceola—Lives with his mother in Okefinokee Swamp—Afterward in the Big Swamp—Osceola expresses opposition to the “treaty”—Jumper unwilling to go West—Charlie Emaltha—Plea for remaining—Indian poetry—Appearance of Osceola—Hostility toward the survey force—Does not favor immigrating—Decision of Micanopy—Osceola in irons at Fort King—Sullen, then penitent—First hostile demonstration from the Indians—Murder of Private Dalton—Killing of Charlie Emaltha—Osceola seeks revenge in the assassination of General Thompson—Dade Massacre—Micanopy fires the first gun—More than one hundred whites killed—Depredations of daily occurrence—Battle of Withlacoochee—Captain Ellis, of Gainesville—Capture of Osceola by General Jessup—Imprisoned first in Fort Marion, afterward sent to Fort Moultrie—His death—Chechotar, his wife—Poetry by a friend—Sisters of Osceola now living in the West.
Chapter VII 105
Shores of the upper St. John’s, where various kinds of timber grow, and bony stock range—Mounds and their contents—Their obscure origin—The chasm not yet bridged—Belief in the immortality of the soul—The mounds a shrine—Conduct of the Spanish invaders—Ancestral veneration—Articles for use deposited with the body—Unanswered questions—History of mound-building in its infancy—Found in Europe—Uses of mounds—Monumental mounds—The mystery shrouding their structure—Intrusive burial—The growth on Florida mounds, and the distinguishable feature of mound-builders—Mound near New Smyrna—Mounds in South Florida—The large one at Cedar Keys—Mounds for sacrifice—Description of a victim—Pyramid of Cholula—Mexican teocalli—Pyramids for kings—Mounts of ordinance—Sacred fires—Indians worshiped “high places”—The temple at Espiritu Santo—Residence of King Philip—Lake Jessup mound—Copper weapons—Indians worship the sun and moon—Burial urns—Pearls a heavenly product—The Indian empress a prisoner—Manufacture of beads from conch-shells—Pearls of no value found on the coast of Florida—Who were these architects?—A veil obscures our vision in trying to discover the engineers of these mounds—The key never found—Tumuli, mounds, and plateaus, all objects of interest.
Chapter VIII 121
A description of the animals and birds seen on the St. John’s a century since—Lovely landscape—The happy family—Lake George—Enterprise—Mellouville—Sulphur Springs—Lake Harney and Salt Lake—Indian River—Settlers discouraged on account of the Indians—An order for blood-hounds—Battle of Caloosahatchee—Famished soldiers, and fidelity of the dog—Big Cypress Swamp—Locality of the chiefs—What the Indians cultivate—Their babies never cry—The Prophet, and his influence as a medicine man—Wild Cat in command of Fort Mellon—Speech of Sam Jones—Hanging of Chekika—Major Belknap takes his command into the Big Cypress—Country developed by war—Indian River after the war the sportsman’s heaven—Game, oysters, and fish—Scientific theory on the formation of coquina—Fine products of the Indian River country—A resort for consumptives—Camp-cooking—Soothing influences from the surroundings—Coming down the St. John’s—The sick man—Stewardess and “’gaitors”—Curious people with curious things—The chameleon—The fawn—The crane—The bug-hunter and his treasures—The many old people in Florida—The sportsman.
Chapter IX 139
Stop at Tocoi for St. Augustine—Scenery along the route—Stage-contractor’s notice—Murder of Dr. Weedman—Cloth houses—Two mail-carriers murdered—The blood-hounds—Mr. Francis Medicis and four others shot—Remarks by a resident on witnessing the scene—Wild Cat the leader of this atrocity—The theatricals fill their engagement—Coacoochee admires himself in the glass, also one of General Hernandez’s beautiful daughters—His capture and escape—His twin sister and her pearls—Returns, dressed in theatricals, for a parley with the whites—Starts West, and dies on the way.
Chapter X 154
St. Augustine described in rhyme—The old Spaniards—A place for stimulus of thought—Treachery of legends—Early settlers lured by tales of wealth—Historical antiquity—Astonished Seloes—Capture by Sir Francis Drake—St. Augustine, 1764—French privateers—Rory McIntosh the Don Quixote of the times—American flag raised in 1821—Freedom to worship God—St. Augustine archives—Dr. McWhir the founder of Presbyterianism in Florida—Appearance in 1834—The frost—Every thing shrouded in a kind of tradition—Fromajardis, or Garden Feast—Matanzas River—Nuns—Escribanio, or St. Mary’s Convent—The ancient city sleeps all summer—The dear old folks from their Northern homes, and the young ones too—Curiosities—Crafts of all kinds—Gayety of the winter—Remarkable memory of the natives—Peaceful days—No welcome for adventurers—St. Augustine supposed to have been the residence of the Peri—Expressing an unfavorable opinion about Florida not popular here.
Chapter XI 173
The cathedral—Regular attendance of its worshipers—Harsh tones of the church chime—Early mass—Cathedral finished in 1793—Material employed—Moorish belfry—Irreverent visitors—Religion of the natives a part of their existence—The bishop regarded as a vicegerent—Mistaken conclusions of outsiders—Peculiar frescoes representing death—Christmas Eve—Ceremonial conducted by Bishop Verot—Administration of the sacrament—Tolemato Cemetery—Its custodian—Murder of Father Corpa by the Indians—Chapel dedicated to Father Varela—Tablet-inscriptions erased by time—A medallion supposed to have been worn by Father Corpa, which was brought from Rome.
Chapter XII 183
Castle San Marco—Indestructibility of the material employed—Commenced in 1565—Completed by Montiano, 1756, with the aid of Mexican convicts—Attacked by Oglethorpe—Appearance in 1740—Improper change of names—Description of Fort Marion—Its resemblance to Scott’s Garde Douloreuse—The chapel and its holy mysteries—Iron cages—Caving in of the bastion—No cages sent to the Smithsonian Institute—The wooden machine—The old sergeant—Human bones not unusual in other ruins—Spaniards branded with the cruelties of the Inquisition—True version of the iron cages from Señor B. Oliveros—No nation exempt from cruelties during some period of their history—The Western Indians retained as hostages in the fort.
Chapter XIII 198
The sea-wall—when commenced—Material employed—Boulevard of the city—City gates and vandal visitors—Tapoquoi village—Murder of Father Rodriguez—La Sylphide rose—Fine pulpit talent—Sabbath in January—The Presbyterian Church—Flowers from the gardens of Messrs. Alexander and Atwood—Gushing young men—Dr. Daniel F. March and his words of comfort—A description of the Episcopal church—A curious question about disputed grounds—Dr. Root, the clergyman—A peculiar man and his dog, that walked into the church from habit—St. Augustine a restorer to both health and reason—Public reading-room—Circulating library—What shall we eat?—Ships constantly coming in with supplies—Fresh vegetables—Oranges—Hotels and fine boarding-houses—Growlers—Gratuitous hospitality now obsolete—The most eligible houses—Summer resort—Pleasant people found by the sea.
Chapter XIV 214
How they spend their time in the ancient city—A slight departure into history—Different kinds of visitors—Grand opening of the Lunch-basket on the North Beach—Music and moonlight on the water—The Indian buffalo-hunt near the old fort—Dancing inside by the Indian prisoners—Preparation for a gala day, March, 1877—Post-band—Yacht-race—A jockey-race—The hurdle—A foot-race by the Indians—Wheelbarrow contest—Victor and greenbacks—Ham and money—The cat a musical animal—St. Augustine Hotel, where music is made from their sinews.
Chapter XV 224
Longevity in St. Augustine—Manufacture of orange marmalade and wine—“El Pavo Real”—Genovar & Brother, wine-makers—Visitors leaving—A page from unwritten history—Tolling the bells for the pope—Grand illumination by the Yacht Club—The ignes-fatui boats—String-band and dancing—Capricious weather a comfort to growlers—A change to balmy air and waving palms—The Indians leave—They have no use for Government clothes on the plains—Mrs. Black Horse and Mochi dressed in hats and plumes—The Indians leave their Moody & Sankey song-books—A picture written letter from the squaw of Minimic—These Indians differ from novel-writer characters—The strain of civilization during their stay being too great they mutiny, headed by White Horse—A squad of soldiers from the barracks search and iron four of them—Fort closed to visitors—They pine for home, the aristocracy of their nature scorning restraint—Money made by polishing sea-beans, etc.—Description of St. Anastasia Island—Ponies feeding on marsh-grass—Attack of General Oglethorpe in 1740—The old light-house built by the Spanish, and used as a fortress—Fresh water in mid-ocean caused from lime-sinks—Treaty of Fort Moultrie—Origin of the Seminoies.
Chapter XVI 235
Burning of the Spanish Governor’s son by the Indians over a century since—The Great Spirit as arbiter—Fort Matanzas—Its age, use, present appearance—Entered by an escalade—New Smyrna settled by Dr. Turnbull with his Greek colony—They at first engage in the culture of indigo, which soon fails—Great dissatisfaction among the colonists, who are finally released, and retire to St. Augustine—The Douglass Dummit Plantation—Indian Key Massacre, August 15, 1840—Murmurings of the citizens.
Chapter XVII 245
The Everglades Expedition, under Colonel Harney, 1841—Preparations—Spanish Indians—Leave Fort Dallas, arriving at Chitto’s Island—The bird flown—Sam Jones’s Island, containing villages and pleasure-grounds—The soldiers greatly annoyed by roaches and musquitoes—Prophet’s Island—Discovery by Indians—Sergeant Searles mortally wounded—Arrival at New River—Fort Dallas—General appearance and extent of the Everglades—Manilla hemp and the cotton-plant indigenous—Return of Colonel Harney—Grand ovation in St. Augustine—Sorrowful reflection on the situation—Present inhabitants of the Everglades—Old Tiger Tail—Intrenches himself in Mexico as brigand, afterward makes his way to Florida, and becomes chief of the Seminoles—Father Dufau goes to the Everglades as a missionary—“Two squaws no good”—Dress of the Indians—Everglade alligators and moccasins no respecters of persons—Primeval condition of the country, with its trees, birds, and native growth.
Chapter XVIII 260
From Jacksonville to Cedar Keys—The Florida Central—Baldwin—Alligators and moccasins—West India Transfer Railroad—Piney Woods—Trail Ridge—Lawtey—Starke—Turpentine distillery—Serenades—Waldo—Alachua county—Hummock-lands and phosphates—The indignant Boston lady—Alachua settled in 1750 by an Indian named Secoffe—Juggs or sinks—Approach to Gainesville—This town named for General E. P. Gaines—Accommodations for visitors—Tillandsia and its uses—Orange Lake the natural home of the orange—Budded trees—Eucalyptus-tree for malarial districts—Information on the subject of lands—Orange City, Arredondo, Albion, and other prospective cities—Bronson—Its good settlers—Otter Creek—“Great Gulf Hummock”—Its tropical growth.
Chapter XIX 270
Cedar Keys, the terminus of the West India Transit Railway—Extortion—Dr. McIlvaine’s Hotel—Fourth of July toasts, 1843—Steamers from Cedar Keys to Manatee—Early settlement of Clear Water Harbor—The unfortunate Narvaez—Inaccessibility of South Florida—Manatee—Its dwellings embowered among orange trees—Tenacity of contesting Indians—Their independence subdued by association—The cactus pear eaten by Indians—Present population—Church privileges for worship—Schools—Good physicians—Sowing before reaping—Boarding-Houses kept as sanitariums—Pantry supplies—Fine fish—An Elysium for rheumatics—No starving—The grape-culture suggested—Also wine-making—A variety of crops—Sugar-cane ratooning for six years—Old-fashioned bees in gums—This locality a fine resort for those who wish to avoid cold—The sunny-side of nature turned out in February—Oleander and orange-buds bursting their pink and white petals—The banana—Spring flowers, etc.—Zephyr breezes—The rose—“A child of summer”—Historic records—Hon. Judah P. Benjamin—Remains of the mastodon and megatherium.
Chapter XX 285
Tampa—Undisturbed slumbers—First settlement by Narvaez—Poor Juan Ortiz!—His vigils among the dead—Espiritu Santo Bay—De Soto and his festive soldiers—Billy Bowlegs—Cedar and pine lumber-mills in Tampa—A school and its teacher—Old Tampa—Uses of the cabbage palm—Fort Brooke—Appeal of General Worth to the vanity of Coacoochee, which finally results in his band being sent West—An invocation to the Great Spirit during a storm.
Chapter XXI 296
Marooning from Tampa to Key West—Drum-fish—Loons—Acrobat fleas—Roaches—Bilge-water—The Methodist preacher and his children—Sailor’s fare—Landing lady-passengers—Terrasilla Island and its products—Madam Joe—The romantic young couple—Sarasota Bay—Stock-raising—Health—Mangrove thickets—Perpetual verdure—Palmetta houses—Striking for fish—Varied amusements for visitors—Hunting deer—Bugs and butterflies—Egmont Key—Rare shells and a rarer Spiritualist, with his toothless wife—Professor Agassiz—Buccaneers—Jean Lafitte—Sunset at sea—Isles of the sea—Boca Grande—Felippe the Spaniard, and his Indian concubines—Polly goes West for money—Punta Rassa, the terminus of the International Telegraph.
Chapter XXII 313
Alone with God and the stars—Phosphorescent waves—Reefs and coral formation—Key West—Cocoa-trees—Chief of the Everglades—Dwellings—Inhabitants—Early settlers—Conchs—Their origin and occupation—Court of Admiralty—Wrecking—The International Telegraph Survey—Public schools—The sisters—Cigar-makers—Reading while working—Monkey-jugs and their use—Cochineal—Sponge and spongers—Fort Taylor and other fortifications—Curiosity-shop—Captain Dixon its Greek keeper.
Chapter XXIII 327
Middle Florida and South Georgia—Jealousy between Middle, and East Florida—Good landed titles in Middle Florida—Disappointment the result of overestimation—No spot with every thing desirable—Diseased people tinctured with a sullen melancholy—Lake City—Derivation of the name—The citizens—Style of architecture adapted to the climate—Products—Atmosphere for asthmatics—Monticello—Its people—Former wealth evidenced by the numerous freedmen—Good hotel here—The festive frogs: great variety, some with loud-sounding voices—The “pretty frog” that went to England—The singing-wasp—Tallahassee, where De Soto spends his first winter, 1539—The Spanish soldiers and their armor—Town incorporated, 1825—Corner-stone of the capitol laid, 1826—Situation of Tallahassee—Governor Reed’s message, 1840—Blood-hounds and leash-men from Cuba—Two Indians caught by them—Bounties on heads—Indian scare—Only a goat—Indians attack wagons, relieving negroes of their clothing—Former wealth and culture in Tallahassee—Colonel Murat and his mother come to America—Visit the Catholic Bishop, but not in regal style—The neighbors are disappointed in a king’s son—Birthplace, home, and early associations of the gifted authoress, Mrs. Mary E. Bryan—Wakulla Spring, with a beautiful description by Bartram—Chattahoochee—State penitentiary—Montgomery and Eufaula route to Florida—Town of Quincy—Mountain-streams with a musical cadence—Cuban tobacco and scuppernong grapes grown here—Stage communication between Quincy and Bainbridge—Cherokee rose-hedges—Bainbridge—Its decline on account of railway communication—Thomasville—Mitchell House—Gulf House—Embowered dwellings—Brisk trade—Newspapers—Female college—Churches—Former wealth of Thomas county—Colored politicians prefer speaking by proxy—No water communication from Thomasville—Wire grass country—Quitman—Home-like hotels—Cotton factory—Valdosta—Pine-trees—Plenty to eat—Valdosta editor—Crowds on public days—Trip on the Gulf road—The light-wood fires an epitome of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainment.
Chapter XXIV 355
Pensacola musings—Its early settlement and capacious harbor—Origin of the name—The soil contains clay for brick and pottery—Casa Blanca—The city conquered by the Spaniards—Causes for its not competing with other Gulf cities—Description of Fort Barrancas—It is supposed to contain a dungeon—Fort Pickens—Fort St. Michael and Fort St. Bernard—Ten dollars offered for the scalps of colonists—General movements of General Andrew Jackson—Governor Callavea in the calaboose—Description of the old plaza—Present appearance of Pensacola—It contains no fabled fountains—A plank walk on which sailors reel like drunken elephants—Prosperity of the place dependent on the demand for lumber—Commotion on the arrival of a ship—Resinous wood and its light accompaniments—The Indians hated to leave it—Ferdinand Park and its rural scenery—The market-house—The singing fishermen—The proud fishermen with their big fish—An ox-horn announces the sales—Fresh-water wells—Drawers of water lose their vocation—Porpoises—Tropical fruit-culture not very successful here—The washing bayou and its water-nymphs—Florida hunters—The fleet-footed fawn a past record—The yellow-fever visitor—Perdido, or Lost Bay—Escambia Bay—The alligator: her nest, and her young—Churches—Free schools—Catholic schools—Episcopal school, and its founder, Mrs. Dr. Scott.
Chapter XXV 378
Leaving Pensacola—Contentment in our moving habitation—A calm—Physalia utriculus—A genuine nor’-wester and its accompaniments—A moment of terror—Morning at last—Isle of Pines and its products—Pirates—Water-spouts—Early history of Cuba—The Spaniards burn an Indian—Cienfuegos—The fort on the bay—Cuban houses—Clothing of the children—Cruelty to northern seamen—Mother Carey and her unlucky chickens—The fate of the insurgents, and their numerical strength—“La Purisima Conception”—Neglect of ceremonial duties—The church inside—Its lady-attendants furnish their seats—The slave receives a gentle admonition—The largest plaza on the island—The beautiful señoritas and the band-music.
Chapter XXVI 399
Distances from Cienfuegos to Havana—Railroads—Three classes of passenger-cars—Smoking—Rain-drops—Harvest—Lo! the poor ox—Goads—Sugar-cane in bloom—Cattle-herders—The war—Arabian stock of horses—Devastations by the insurgents—Vegetation and variety—Depots and drinking—Flowers—Fences from vegetation—Royal palm and its uses—Slaves gathering palm-fruit—Great variety of growth—Cactus family—Sugar and sugar-makers—Negro slaves and coolies—Their miserable quarters—Chicken-fighting—Inhuman treatment of the poor fowls—Matanzas—A Pentecostal illustration—“English and French spoken”—Dinner and its condiments—Matanzas Bay at night—The tough old tars—Their families on shore—The phosphorescent lights on the water—The plaza and hotel—Our French valet de chambre—Siesta—My café—El volante—Up the mountain-side—El Cueva de Bellamar, being a remarkable subterranean temple—Stalactites and stalagmites—Names given to the different formations inside the cave—Return to Matanzas.
Chapter XXVII 424
From Matanzas to Havana—Buzzards—Description of El Moro Castle, A.D. 1519—Captured, 1619, by Sir George Pocock—El Moro like the Venetian “Bridge of Sighs”—Havana a century since—Its harbor and fleet of ships—Architecture of the houses—Narrow streets—A view from El San Carlos Hotel—Beautiful moonlight on the bay—El Paseo—French coaches—Residence of the Captain-general—Ladies shopping in volantes—Market-house—Mules, panniers, etc.—Working-class receive an early supply of grace—No Sabbath here—“Lottera”—Beggars—Description of the cathedral—Bishop—Acolytes—Organ—Tomb of Columbus—Santo Christobal—His life and mission as Christ-bearer—Cemetario de Espeda—Its walls, vaults, tablets, inscriptions—Three bodies for sepulture—The poor without coffins—The Protestant dead not admitted in Catholic grounds—Fragility of promises in Cuba.
A Ramble into the Early History of Florida 439
Florida Gazetteer, etc 481
Petals Plucked from Sunny Climes.