which declareth some diuersities and particularities of the land of florida: and the fruites, and beasts, and fowles that are in that countrie.
port de spiritu santo is in 29. degrees 1/2 on the west side of florida. from the port de spiritu santo, where they landed when they entred into florida, to the prouince of ocute, which may bee 400. leagues, little more or lesse, is a verie plaine countrie, and hath many lakes and thicke woods, and in some places they are of wild pine trees; and is a weake soile: there is in it neither mountaine nor hill. the countrie of ocute is more fat and fruitfull; it hath thinner woods, and very goodly medows vpon the riuers. from ocute to cutifachiqui may be 130. leagues; 80. leagues thereof are desert, and haue many groues of wild pine trees. through the wildernesse great riuers doe passe. from cutifachiqui to xuala, may be 250. leagues: it is al an hilly countrie. cutifachiqui and xuala stand both in plaine grounds, hie, and haue goodly medows on the riuers. from thence forward to chiaha, co?a, and talise, is plaine ground, dry and fat, and very plentifull of maiz. from xuala to tascalu?a may be 250. leagues. from tascalu?a to rio grande, or the great riuer, may be 300. leagues: the countrie is low, and full of lakes. from rio grande forwarde, the countrie is hier and more champion, and best peopled of all the land of florida. and along this riuer from aquixo to pacaha, and coligoa, are 150. leagues: the countrie is plaine, and the woods thinne, and in some places champion, very fruitfull and pleasant. from coligoa to autiamque are 250. leagues of hillie countrie. from autiamque to aguacay, may be 230. leagues of plaine ground. from aguacay to the riuer of daycao 120. leagues, all hillie countrie.
pagina 27. from the port de spiritu santo vnto apalache, they trauelled from east to west, and northwest. from cutifachiqui to xuala from south to north. from xuala to co?a from east to west. from co?a to tascalu?a, and to rio grande, as far as the prouinces of quizquiz and aquixo from east to west. from aquixo to pacaha to the north. from pacaha to tulla from east to west: and from tulla to autiamque from north to south, to the prouince of guachoya and daycao.
the bread which they eate in all the land of florida is of maiz, which is like course millet. and this maiz is common in all the islandes and west indies from the antiles forward. there are also in florida great store of walnuts and plummes, mulberries, and grapes. they sow and gather their maiz euery one their seuerall crop. the fruits are common to all: for they grow abroad in the open fields in great abundance, without any neede of planting or dressing. where there be mountaines, there be chestnuts: they are somewhat smaller then the chestnuts of spaine. soft walnuts eastward from rio grande. hard walnuts westward from rio grande. from rio grande westward, the walnuts differ from those that grow more eastward: for they are soft, and like vnto acornes: and those which grow from rio grande to puerto del spiritu santo for the most part are hard; and the trees and walnuts in shew like those of spaine. there is a fruit through all the countrie which groweth on a plant like ligoacan, which the indians doe plant. the fruit is like vnto peares riall: it hath a verie good smell, and an excellent taste. there groweth another plant in the open field, which beareth a fruit like vnto strawberries, close to the ground, which hath a verie good taste. the plummes are of two kindes, red and gray, of the making and bignesse of nuts, and haue three or foure stones in them. these are better than all the plummes of spaine, & they make farre better prunes of them. in the grapes there is onelie want of dressing: for though they bee big, they have a great kirnell. all other fruits are very perfect, and lesse hurtfull than those of spaine.
beasts. there are in florida many beares, and lyons, wolues, deere, dogges, cattes, marterns, and conies. fowles. there be many wild hennes as big as turkies, partridges small like those of africa, cranes, duckes, pigeons, thrushes and sparrowes. there are certaine blacke birds bigger then sparrowes, and lesser then stares. there are gosse hawkes, falcons, ierfalcons, and all fowles of prey that are in spaine.
the indians are well proportioned. those of the plaine countries are taller of bodie, and better shapen, then those of the mountaines. those of the inland haue greater store of maiz, and commodities of the countrie, then those that dwell vpon the sea coast. the countrie along the sea coast is barren and poore: and the people more warlike. the coast runneth from puerto del spiritu santo to apalache, east and west; and from apalache to rio de las palmas from east to west: from rio de las palmas vnto nueua espanna from north to south. it is a gentle coast, but it hath many sholdes, and great shelues of sand.
deo gratias.
