Bo » Remarks upon Fast Florida. 
a a better aspect, and that the soil ith 3 improve in a corresponding — 
degree. It is the fallen tree of this pine, which furnishes the In- 
dian with his “light-wood ;” a source of comfort and conveni- 
ence that strongly attaches him to the soil which produces it. 
The fuel formed from these prostrate trunks, is at hand on every 
spot, and is easily ignited, making, in all weathers, a bright and 
durable fire. .The nights of Florida are almost invariably cool, 
and the facility with which the Florida Indian can temper their 
chilliness, by means of this ready and combustible wood, is a 
conspicuous item in the privileges of his life, the gréat design of 
which is to attain desirable objects with the least effort. Our 
troops, in the late campaigns, have been equally indebted to it | 
for many a comfortable encampment, as, even in the midst of | 
heavy rains, a brilliant fire might be kindled, which, with due 
cate, no rains could extinguish. 
The hammocks at present are generally secure from eneroach- 
ment from the barrens, being mostly covered with a dense growth 
of trees, which preserves them from change. But, whenever the 
time arrives in which they shall be cleared up, and become ex- f 
posed to external influences, it is not unlikely that the surround=_ 
ing barrens, clothed in a soil of such levity as to be acted. cs 
by winds and rains, will gradually overspread these comparativ 
small spots on the surface of the country, and reduce nearly the 
whole to one general character. % 
- The waters of Pionda abocadin feb. Even the upper parts. 
of the St. John’s afford a large supply of very tolerable qualita“ 
But the lagoons of the coast have not only an abundance of the 
finest fish, but also of the finest oysters. The oysters of Indian 
river are surpassed by none, in size or quality, on the Atlantic 
coast. Want could never approach the inhabitants of that region. 
The present war, during which the Indians have been too much 
harassed to attend to seed-time or harvest, has turned attention to 
the class of indigenous esculent.vegetables, which, by their sponta- 
neous abundance, have, through the extremities of this period, af- 
forded them ample means of subsistence. ‘The most conspicu- 
us among these are the red and white coonta roots. The first is 
China-briar, or Smilax china, a vine of great thriftiness, spread~ 
etimes over the space of more than a hundred feet, with 
ce a large, es and irregular potatoe. The white coonta 
Lamia i » which: has a full tap-root, rounded wee, 
