WORTH AMERICA. - 22 J 
branches or collateral brooks or rivers tributary to 
it, but that it is fed or augmented by great fprings 
which break out through the banks. From the ac- 
counts given by them, and my own obfervations on 
the country round about, it feems a probable af- 
fertion; for there was not a creek or rivulet to be 
feen, running on the furface of the ground, from 
the great Alachua Savanna to this river, a diftance 
of above feventy miles ; yet, perhaps, no part of the 
earth affords a greater plenty of pure, falubrious 
waters. The unparalleled tranfparency of thefe wa- 
ters furnifhes an argument for fuch a conjecture, 
that amounts at leaft to a probability, were it not 
Confirmed by ocular demonftration ; for in all the 
flat countries of Carolina and Florida, except this 
ifthmus, the waters of the rivers are, in fome degree, 
turgid, and have a dark hue, owing to the annual 
firing of the foreits and plains ; and afterwards the 
heavy rains walking the light furface of the burnt 
earth into rivulets, which rivulets running ra- 
pidly over the furface of the earth, flow into 
the rivers, and tinge the waters the colour of 
lye or beer, almofl: down to the tide near the fea 
coaft. But here behold how different the appear- 
rance, and how manifeft the caufe ! for although the 
furface of the ground produces the fame vegetable 
fubftances, the foil the fame, and fuffers in like 
manner a general conflagration, and the rains, in 
impetuous fliowers, as liberally defeend upon the 
parched furface of the ground; yet the earth be- 
ing fo hollow and porous, thefe fuperabundant wa- 
ters cannot conflitute a rivulet or brook, to conti- 
nue any diftance on its furface, before they are 
arrefted in their courfe and fwallowed up : thence 
defeending, they are filtered through the fands and 
other 
