60 ~ Remarks upon East Florida. 
long, and probably half buried. beneath the surface, or deciduous 
vegetation. Suying constantly on the ground, it never acquires 
the bony hardness of the exterior coat of the upright cabbage 
tree, but is covered with a fibrous hairiness, which gives it al- 
most the softness of silken plush, prevailing through every fold, 
to» the very heart, excepting within a few inches of the end, 
where is found a nutritious pith, smaller than, but not unlike, that 
of the cabbage tree. This is bruised into meal, and made sub- 
servient to the purposes of food. ‘These roots spread, as we have 
before remarked, over nearly every barren; and, since a portion 
of them is convertible into food, there can be no limit to the spon- 
taneous subsistence of those who frequent them. The leaves or 
foldings of this root are thin and pliable, several inches long, and 
three or four wide, -~ are worked into — moneeciirs orna- 
ment and use, 
There is also found in Florida a wild potatoe, of iietable qual- 
ity, and much wild fruit. Game of all kinds is abundant, and 
wild fowls are numerous on every stream and lake. 'The Indi- 
ans, in Spanish times, were accustomed to herd cattle largely, 
and at the commencement of the present war, they are said to 
have had thousands. 
From this enumeration of the articles of food which prese : Z 
themselves spontaneously to the wants of the Indian, it will ] 
seen tha 
that. they are aisfle: “ on \ care, Sead or labor, for 
subsistence. 
The imiverdidey f- Florida is scanty. The rocks found in > 
situ are all calcareous, though siliceous boulders, of a small size, 
are occasionally seen, and nodules of hornstone are here and there 
mingled with the limestone, which elicit sparks, and are some- 
times used by the Indians for flints. 
The geology of Florida presents many interesting fatuied 7 
but it has as yet been examined with little attention, warranting 
few definite conclusions. 'The coast, as far as Cape Florida, is 
alluvial, a seeming mass of comminuted shells, resting on a rocky 
formation, composed also of shells, more or less broken and abra- 
ded: From Cape Florida, the formation is mostly coralline, the 
a ‘eys being of that character. The shells around. the Keys are 
found in nearly a perfect state. Take up a handful at random, 
and it will exhibit little else than fragments of coral and uni- 
bia of a small size, and diminishing almost to a point. 
Rm Js SUC 15 Rha SERGE 
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