40 HOME LIFE IN FLORIDA. 



France, and the latter, as a part of Louisiana, sold it to 

 the American Government in 1803. Having this much, 

 the Georgians, like Oliver Twist, wanted "more, more," 

 hence their action in the premises. 



Spain, like England, at length concluded that Florida 

 was an elephant it would be well to get rid of, as costing 

 more than it earned; so, in 1821, it was formally handed 

 over to the United States, and in 1822 East and West 

 Florida were consolidated into the Territory of Florida, 

 under an organized government, and soon after the site of 

 the former Indian settlement of Tallahassee was selected as 

 the capital. 



And now, as the rich agricultural possibilities of the 

 country and its wonderful climate began to be understood 

 at last, and more and more immigration crossed the bor- 

 ders, the Indians became an important factor in the case. 

 They occupied some of the best portions of the State, and 

 naturally resisted the advance of the whites, whom they 

 waylaid, murdered, and plundered continuously. In one 

 Indian village alone, when General Jackson, in 1818, cap- 

 tured it, were found three hundred fresh scalps of men, 

 women, and children. 



The burning of plantations, the carrying off of stock, 

 the murder of their owners were every-day occurrences ; 

 and at last it became imperative to remove the Indians 

 from the country, or abandon the fairest of all the United 

 States to their sole use and benefit. Until this was done, 

 and, as every one knows it cost seven years of war and mas- 

 sacre to do it, it is no wonder that the settlement of Flor- 

 ida was slow. 



It was not until 1842 that the settlers felt safe and could 

 draw a long breath of relief, freed forever from their ene- 

 mies. But still the development of the country was necessa- 

 rily slow. It lay outside the usual line of travel, and trans- 



