NORTH AMERICA, 
i$9 
Upon our arrival we repaired to the public fquare 
or council-houfe, where the chiefs and fenators were 
already convened ; the warriors and young men af- 
fembled foon after, the bufinefs being tranfa&ed 
in public. As it was no more than a ratification 
of the late treaty of St. Auguftine, with fome par- 
ticular commercial flipulations, with refped; to the 
citizens of Alachua, the negotiations foon terminated 
to the fatisfa&ion of both parties. 
The banquet fucceeded ; the ribs and choicefl fat 
pieces of the bullocks, excellently well barbecued, 
were brought into the apartment of the public fquare, 
conftrudted and appointed for feailing; bowls and 
kettles of ftewed flefh and broth were brought in for 
the next courfe, and with it a very fingular difh, 
the traders call it tripe fbup ; it is made of the belly 
or paunch of the beef, not overcleanfed of its 
contents, cut and minced pretty fine, and then 
made into a thin foup, feafoned well with fait and 
aromatic herbs 5 but the feafcning not quite ftrong 
enough to extinguish its original favour and fcent. 
This difli is greatly efteemed by the Indians, but 
is, in my judgment, the leafc agreeable they haye 
amongfl them. 
The town of Cufcowilla, which is the capital of 
the Alachua tribe, contains about thirty habitations, 
each of which confifls of two houfes nearly the fame 
fize, about thirty feet in length, twelve feet wide, 
and about the fame in height. The door is placed 
midway on one fide or in the front. This houfe 
is divided equally, acrofs, into two apartments, one 
of which is the cook room and common hall, and 
the other the lodging room. The other houfe is 
nearly of the fame dimenfions, Handing about twenty 
yards from the dwelling houfe, its end fronting 
6 fjia 
