TRAVELS IN 
S3 2 
bly vanifhing from fight, like the two points of a 
crefcent, foftly touching the horizon, reprefent the 
molt magnificeht amphitheatre or circus perhaps in 
the whole world. The ground defcends gently from 
the groves to the edge of the. Cane-break, forming 
a delightful green graffy lawn. The Canes are 
ten or twelve feet in height, and as thick as an or- 
dinary walking flafF ; they grow fo clofe together, 
there is no penetrating them without previously cut- 
ting a road. We came up to this vaft plain where 
the ancient Spanifn highway croiTes it to Penfacola: 
there yet remain plain veftiges of the grand caufe- 
way, which is open like a magnificent avenue, and the 
Indians have a bad road or pathway on 1 it. The 
ground or foil of the plain is a perfectly black, rich, 
foapy earth, like a itiff clay or marie, wet and boggy 
near the fhore, but, further in, firm and hard enough 
in the fummer feafon, but wet and in fome places 
under water during the winter. 
This vail plain, together with the forefts conti- 
guous to it, if permitted (by the Siminoles who are 
fovereigns of thefe realms) to be in pofteftion and 
under the culture of induflrious planters and me- 
chanics, would in a little time exhibit other fcenes 
than it does at prefent, delightful as it is ; for by 
the arts of agr culture and commerce, almoft every 
defirable thing in life might be produced and made 
plentiful here, and thereby eflablifh a rich, popu- 
lous, and delightful region ; as this foil and climate 
appears to be of a nature favourable for the pro- 
duction of almoft all the fruits of the earth, as Corn *, 
Rice, Indigo, Sugar-cane, Flax, Cotton, Silk, Cochi- 
neal, and all the vaiieties of efculent vegetables ; 
and I fuppofe no part of the earth affords fuch end- 
* Zea. 
lefs 
