﻿18 
  HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  

  

  parallel 
  and 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  and 
  Lake 
  Borgne 
  and 
  

   east 
  of 
  Pearl 
  Eiver. 
  On 
  the 
  west 
  it 
  is 
  bounded 
  by 
  the 
  

   Mississippi 
  and 
  Pearl 
  Rivers, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  by 
  a 
  line 
  

   dividing 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Alabama, 
  which 
  is 
  drawn 
  

   from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Bear 
  Creek 
  on 
  the 
  Tennessee 
  River 
  

   to 
  the 
  northwestern 
  corner 
  of 
  Washington 
  County, 
  Ala- 
  

   bama, 
  and 
  thence 
  south 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  on 
  Grand 
  Bay 
  on 
  the 
  

   Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  about 
  seventeen 
  miles 
  due 
  west 
  from 
  

   the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Mobile. 
  The 
  State 
  also 
  embraces 
  the 
  islands 
  

   in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  within 
  six 
  leagues 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  shore, 
  

   the 
  principal 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  Horn, 
  Ship, 
  and 
  Cat 
  Islands. 
  

   The 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  along 
  the 
  northern 
  boundary 
  

   is 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  twenty 
  miles 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  sea-shore 
  

   seventy-eight 
  miles; 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  31° 
  of 
  north 
  latitude 
  

   one 
  hundred 
  and 
  eighty-six 
  miles. 
  The 
  greatest 
  length 
  

   from 
  north 
  to 
  south 
  is 
  three 
  hundred 
  and 
  thirty 
  miles. 
  

   It 
  embraces 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  55,500 
  square 
  miles 
  or 
  35,520,000 
  

   acres. 
  

  

  EXPEDITIOI^ 
  AND 
  DISCOVERY 
  BY 
  DE 
  SOTO. 
  

  

  About 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  1540, 
  Fernando 
  de 
  Soto, 
  

   in 
  his 
  adventurous 
  and 
  romantic 
  expedition, 
  commenced 
  

   the 
  preceding 
  year 
  at 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Espiritu 
  Santo, 
  and 
  

   designed 
  for 
  the 
  conquest 
  of 
  Florida, 
  penetrated 
  to 
  the 
  

   country 
  of 
  the 
  Chickasaws 
  in 
  the 
  northeastern 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  State. 
  

  

  With 
  his 
  shattered 
  and 
  disabled 
  forces, 
  the 
  remnant 
  

   of 
  the 
  most 
  gallant 
  and 
  imposing 
  expedition, 
  for 
  the 
  

   magnificence 
  of 
  its 
  equipage 
  and 
  the 
  rank 
  and 
  opulence 
  

   of 
  those 
  engaged 
  in 
  it, 
  that 
  ever 
  set 
  foot 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  

   world, 
  he 
  sought 
  rest 
  and 
  repose 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  in 
  

   the 
  Chicaza 
  towns, 
  after 
  nearly 
  two 
  years 
  of 
  continual 
  

   contest 
  and 
  warfare 
  with 
  the 
  Indian 
  tribes 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  

  

  