FLORIDA. 



69 



Indian corn In a year. All along the coaft, and two or three hundred miles 

 up the country from the fea, they have the root of which the caffave flour 

 and bread is made in the greateft part of America betwixt the two tropics ; 

 and is reckoned as good as our manchet. There is good beef, veal, and 

 mutton, with plenty of hog?, efpecially on the fea-coaft ; they have acorns, 

 cocoa-nut5, and other marts. Here are horfes, not only for draught, but 

 alfo for the faddle. Their cattle have a loni^; black fort of hair, or rather 

 wool, fo fine, that with fome fmall mixture, it is thought it would 

 be preferable to common wool for hats, cloathing, and other necelTa- 

 ries. Though cotton grov/s wild here in great plenty, yet it is not manu- 

 fadlured. Of bark of trees they make thread, cords, and ropes. Upon 

 the whole coaft, for two hundred leagues, are feveral vaft beds of oyfters ; 

 and in frefh water-lakes and rivers, is a fort of fhell-filh, between a 

 mufcle, and a pearl oyfter, in fome of which are found pearls, and 

 many larger than ordinary. From cape Florida to Mexico, both to 

 the eafl;..and weft of the Mijjifippi, is to be found alfo, efpecially after high 

 fouth winds, a fort of ftone pitch, which the Spaniards, who call it cojj'ca, 

 moiflen with greafe, and ufe it for their veffels in the nature of pitch j and 

 they fay it is much better than ours in hot countries, as not being fo apt to 

 melt. 



In latitude 26°. 56'. ani\ ^ good way upwards, the coaft of the main land of 

 Florida cannot be approacheci,' by reafon of the {hoals and fmall illands, moft 

 of which are very low and barren, and fo clofe together that canoes of bark 

 can hardly pafs between them. Few favages inhabit this part of the coun- 

 try ; but the coaft is the kingdom, as it were, of oyfters. All its fhore 

 abounds in mangrove trees, to which adhere a prodigious quantity of fmall 

 oyflers ; others much larger are to be met v/ith in the fea j and in fuch num- 

 bers, that they are fometimes taken for rocks, level with the furface of the 

 water. 



PEN- 



