')66 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



seed Bown eight or nine years ago — that at Key 

 Vacas there is a shrub of sea-island coiton in 

 bearing ever since 1823. He does not Unow, and 

 cannot conceive, {\\,\\,fi)r ihis very reason, it can- 

 not be profitat)ly cultivated by large planters with 

 numerous slaves; and that, vice versa, it can be 

 most profitably propagated by small cultivators 

 with feeble lan)ilips. Indeed, it will be a more 

 profitable business for family occupation than even 

 the sillt mulberry, in South Florida. The princi- 

 pal recommendation for the production of silk in 

 South Florida is the fact, that it can be produced 

 at any hour when the person or his lamily has not 

 any thing better to do. But silly must he be who 

 shall pluck leaves, to feed silU-worms, during the 

 same days that he can pluck pods of sea-island 

 cotton. 



DEATH OF DR. PERRINE. 



The foregoing extract derives a melancholy in- 

 terest from the fact, now known to our readers ge- 

 nerally, that within a few days alter it was written, 

 its author fell a victim to the Seminole savages, 

 Tvho invaded and sacked Indian Key, and butcher- 

 ed such of its helpless inhabitants, of every age 

 and sex, as could not make (heir escape. The 

 lives of the wife and young daughters of Dr. 

 Perrine were almost miraculously saved. He was 

 shot, while speaking (in Spanish) to the Indians, 

 and probably in the hope of diverting their atten- 

 tion from the escape of his more helpless family. 

 His bones were afterwards found among the ashes 

 of his house. With his corpse, the flames de- 

 stroyed his numerous manuscripts, and his valua- 

 ble botanical and other collections. Indeed, all the 

 fruits of his patriotic and benevolent labors have 

 perished with him, except the reputation earned 

 with the \'e\\ who have fully appreciated the value 

 of his long-continued and unrequited exertions for 

 the benefit of liis country and the human race. 



For many years, and through the prime of his 

 life. Dr. Perrine had devoted all his energies and 

 talents to the one dearly cherished object of ex- 

 tending the growth of valuable tropical plants, by 

 gradual acclimation, into the colder temperate re- 

 gion of the United States. The continued pro- 

 gress of the savage war was the latest and great- 

 est obstacle lo the fruition of his hopes, and it 

 forbade his even touching the designed scene of 

 his operations, on the southern part of the main- 

 land of Florida. In (he mean time, while waiting 

 for what seems farther ofi' than ever, the overcom- 

 ing and removal of a handful of hostile savages, by 

 all the power of the arms and the treasure of the 

 United States, he attempted to carry on prepira- 

 tory operations by a residence at the nearest point 

 deemed sa e from the murderous attacks of the 

 Seniinoles. But illy placed was this confidence, 

 and most disastrous the ree-ult. Indian Key, 



though separated from the main-land by 30 miles 

 of sea, was invaded by a body of Indians, in 

 canoes, and attacked in the sight of an American 

 vessel, and plundered, and every house burnt, af- 

 ter the putting to death every person who could 

 not escape. This was not all. The Indians kept 

 possession of the island as long as they pleased, 

 and long enough for them to be attacked by, and 

 to defeat and drive back, a small military force of 

 the United States army, armed with artillery, from 

 an adjacent island. The horrors and disgraces of thia 

 war with a few hundred savages increase instead 

 of diminishing, after years of duration, and alter 

 sacrifices made by this country beyond all prece- 

 dent, or what would previously have been beyond 

 all belief. 



The following extract, from a southern newspa- 

 per presents some of the particulars of this last 

 act of the Florida war. 



" About two o'clock, on the morning of the 7ih 

 inst., a Mr. Glass, in the employ of Mr. House- 

 man, happening to be up, saw boats approaching, 

 and informed a person in the same employ, when 

 they passed into Mr. Houseman's ganlen, and 

 were satisfied that they were boF.ts containing In- 

 dians. The Indians commenced their firing upon 

 t'le houses of Mr. Houseman and Dr. Perrine ; 

 the former of whom wiih his family, and that of 

 Mr. Charles Howe, succeeded in escaping to boats 

 and croFsiniT over to Tea Table Bay. Tlie family 

 of Dr. Perrine passed through a trap door into 

 their bathiuii rooms, from whence tiiey got into 

 the turtle crawl, and by great etiort removed the 

 logs and escaped to the fi'ont of Houseman's store. 

 They went to a boat at the wharf, which six In- 

 dians — all who remained — had partly filled, and 

 were in the store after a farther supply. They 

 then pushed off, and pulled with an oar, a paddle, 

 and two poles, towards the schooner Medium. 

 They were met by a boat when they had rowed a 

 mile, and taken to the schooner. 



" Mr. Motte and wife, and Mrs. Johnson, a lady 

 seventy years of age, fled into an out-house, from 

 whence Mrs. Motte was dragged by an Indian, 

 and while in the act of calling on her husband, 

 "John, save me,'' she was killed. Mr. Motte 

 shared the same fate, and was scalped; and the 

 old lady as she was dragged forth, suddenly jerk- 

 ing from the Indian, broke his hold and escaped 

 imder a house. Her grandchild, a daughter of 

 Mrs. Motte, asred eN'ven years, was then killed 

 with a clul), and the infdnt strangled and thrown 

 into the water. This was seen by Mrs. Johnson 

 from her hiding place ; but the Indians fired this 

 biiildinof, and she was again forced to flee, >ind 

 escaped to Maloney's wharfj where she secreted 

 herself, and was finally rescued. A. Sturdy, a 

 buy about eleven years of age, hid himself in the 

 cistern under Mr. Houseman's house, and was 

 scalded to death by the burning building heating 

 the water. The remains of an adult skeleton 

 were found among the ruins of Dr. Perrine's house, 

 supposed lo be the Doctor, as well as a child, 

 thought to ha\c been a slave of Mr. Houseman." 



