Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/468

 45$ APPENDIX.

Any European ftate, except Great. Britain, would at once improve their acquifitions, taken and purchafed by an immenfe quantity of blood and trea- fure, and turn them to the public benefit. At the end of the late war, the miniftry, and their adherents, held up Eaft and Weft Florida before the eyes of the public, as greatly fuperior to thofe Weft-India iflands, which Spain and France were to receive back in exchange. The iflands however are rich, and annually add to the wealth and ftrength of thofe refpective powers : while Eaft Florida, is the only place of that extenfive and valu able tract ceded to us, that we have any way improved ; and this is little more than a negative good to our other colonies, in preventing their ne groes from flaeltering in that dreary country, under the protection of Fort St. Auguftine. The province is a large peninfula, confiding chiefly of fandy barrens -, level four ground, abounding with tu (Tucks ; here and there is fome light mixt land ; but a number of low fwamps, with very un- wholefome water in general. In proportion as it is cleared, and a free circulation of air is produced, to diipel the noxious vapours that float over the furface of this low country, it may become more healthful ; though any where out of the influence of the fea air, the inhabitants will be liable to fevers and agues. The favourable accounts our military officers gave of the pure wholeforne air of St. Auguftine, are very juft, when they com pare it with that ,of the fand burning Penfacola, and the low ftagnated Mo- bille : St. Auguftine (lands on a pleafant hill, at the conflux of two fait water rivers, overlooking the land from three angles of the caftle, and down the found, to the ocean. Their relation of the natural ad vantages of this country, could extend no farther than their marches reached. I formerly went volunteer, about fix hundred miles through the country, with a great body of Indians againft this place ; and we ranged the woods to a great extent. The tracts we did not reach, we got full in formation of, by feveral of the Mufkohge then with us, who had a tho rough knowledge, on account of the long continued excurfions they made through the country in queft of the Florida Indians ; and even after they drove them into the iflands of Florida, to live on fifli, among clouds of mufketoes. The inethod thefe Indians took to keep off thofe tor menting infects, as their fafety would not allow them to make a fire, left the fmoke mould guide their watchful enemies to furprife them, was, by anointing their bodies with rank fifti oil, mixed with the juice or afhes of ifldigo. This perfume, and its effluvia, kept off from them every kind of

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