248 INQUIRY CONCERNING 
But the following quotation renders it probable, that at 
the period which I have juft mentioned, the true honey= 
bee was not foundinFlorida. In acurious little work, enti= 
tled A Relation of the invafion and conqueft of Florida by the 
Spaniards, under the command of Fernando de Soto, which 
was written by a Portuguefe gentleman, who accompa= 
nied the Spanifh general in his ‘mad adventures” in 
Florida, we are informed that the Indians of Chiaha “ had 
a great deal of Butter, or rather Sewet, in pots that run 
like Oy]; they faid it was Bear’s greafe: we found Walnut- 
Oy] there alfo, as clearas the Sewet, and of a very good tafte, 
with a pot of Honey, though before nor after we found 
neither Bees nor Honey inall Florida.” * 
This fimple relation of a fact is very ported. Soto and 
his fuecceffor Louis Mofcofod, Alvarado had rambled over 
an extenfive tract of country from the end of May, or the 
beginning of June, 1539 to July 1543. ‘The granaries 
and the ftore-houfes of the unfortunate natives were con- 
ftantly ranfacked by an army of needy Spaniards. The 
troops paffed through extenfive forefts, and yet they ne- 
ver faw but one pot of honey, and no bees at all. Ifthe 
honey-bee had been a native of the countries which were 
the {cene of Soto’s villanies, the valuable produ of this 
little infect would have been more frequently met with, 
and the bees, in territories pregnant with a profufion of 
fweet-{melling and neCtareous plants, would, doubtlefs, 
have been feen very often, and in great numbers. 
Thus far the opinion of Mr. Jefferfon feems to be 
ftrongly fupported by ‘hiftorical evidence; and, I think, 
we are warranted to affert that the true honey-bee was 
not originally an indigenous animal of the fouthern parts 
ofthe American continent. But this opinion may be 
fupported by other arguments. | My 
+ The Modern Univerfal Hiftory. Vo]. KL. page 393. Edition of 1763. 
* See page 72. 
