45 
Pensacola, which we reached about five o’clock, lies upon a 
bay of the ocean. It is an ancient Spanish town, and was sur¬ 
rendered by Spain with all Florida, to the United States in 1821. 
It contains about one thousand inhabitants. We lodged ourselves 
in Collins’s Hotel, and went, immediately on our arrival, to walk 
about the town. It is the most miserable place that I have be¬ 
held since I crossed the Atlantic. Such Spaniards as possessed 
any property have left this place, when it was ceded to the United 
States, and have moved off either to New Orleans, or the island 
of Cuba. Only the poorest of them have remained. Since that 
time, the Americans settled here, have, as at Mobile, created a 
new population. The deepest sand covers the unpaved streets, 
which are broad, and regularly laid out. Only a few new houses 
are of brick, they are mostly of wood, and stand at a considerable 
distance from each other. There is not a single ship in the port. 
A new market-house of brick is building upon the shore, and not 
far from it stands the wooden catholic church, the outside of 
which appears in a forlorn condition. Near the church are the 
ruins of an old English barrack, which was burnt about four 
years ago; its two wings were covered by two block houses of 
logs, which are standing, one of which serves for a custom-house. 
About the town several block houses have stood, which formerly 
afforded a good protection against the Seminole Indians, the 
original inhabitants of this section of country. 
In the evening of this day, and on the next morning we receiv¬ 
ed visits from several officers, from Colonel Clinch, commandant 
of the 4th regiment of infantry, who was posted herewith Major 
Wright and others. Captain Campbell of the Marine Corps, who 
had the command of the new navy-yard, that was to be estab¬ 
lished here: some supplies had arrived, and were put in store at 
Fort Barrancas. As we wished to see this fort, the gentlemen 
were so polite as to accommodate us with their boats. 
I went with Colonel Wool in Captain Campbell’s boat. We had 
a favourable wind, and spreading two sails we reached fort Barran¬ 
cas, nine miles by sea from Pensacola, in an hour. On the way 
we saw a flock of sixteen pelicans. On account of the point of 
land stretching into the bay, we had to make a circuit; it was 
called Tartar point, and the new navy-yard is to be upon it. It 
is thought that it will be commenced in two months. The coun¬ 
try about Pensacola and the shores of the bay are the most disa¬ 
greeable that can be conceived of; nothing but sand heaps daz¬ 
zling-white like snow. In the bay lies a level island, St. Rosa, 
with a growth of dwarf oaks. On it had been erected a fort, 
which was blown up by the English, when they occupied Pen¬ 
sacola in the year 1814, to support the Creek Indians then at 
war with the United States, and were compelled to evacuate it 
