Notes on the Floridian Peninsula; Its Literary History, Indian Tribes and AntiquitiesBrinton, Daniel G. (Daniel Garrison)
History
Notes on the Floridian Peninsula; Its Literary History, Indian Tribes and Antiquities
Brinton, Daniel G. (Daniel Garrison)
Florida -- Antiquities; Florida -- History; Florida -- History -- Bibliography; Indians of North America -- Florida
On the former of these maps, “The South Bounds of Carolina,” are placed
nearly a degree south of St. Augustine, thus usurping all the best
portion of the Spanish territory. This is but an example of the great
confusion that prevailed for a long time as to the extent of the region
called Florida. The early writers frequently embraced under this name
the whole of North America above Mexico, distinguishing, as Herrera and
Torquemada, between Florida explored and unexplored, (Florida conocida,
Florida ignorada,) or as Christian Le Clerq, between Spanish and French
and English Florida. Taking it in this extended sense, Barcia includes
in his Chronology (Ensayo Cronologico de la Florida) not only the
operations of the Spanish and English on the east coast of the United
States, but also those of the French in Canada and the expeditions of
Vasquez Coronado and others in New Mexico. Nicolas le Fer, on the other
hand, ignoring the name altogether, styled the whole region Louisiana,
(1718,) while the English, not to be outdone in national rapacity, laid
claim to an equal amount as Carolina. De Laet[127] was the first
geographer who confined the name to the peninsula. In 1651 Spain
relinquished her claims to all land north of 36° 30´ north lat., but it
was not till the Definitive Treaty of Peace of 1763, that any political
attempt was made to define its exact boundaries, and then, not with such
entire success, but room was left for subsequent disputes between our
government and Spain, only finally settled by the surveys of Ellicott at
the close of the century.
Neither Guillaume de l’Isle nor M. Bellin, both of whom etched maps of
Florida many years after the publication of that of Moll, seems to have
been aware of his previous labors, or to have taken advantage of his
more extensive information. In the gigantic _Atlas Nouveau_ of the
former, (Amsterdam, 1739,) are two maps of Florida, evidently by
different hands. The one, _Tabula Geographica Mexico et Floridæ_, gives
tolerably well the general contour of the peninsula, and situates the
six provinces of Apalacha mentioned by Bristock; the other, _Carte de la
Louisiane et du Cours du Mississippi_, is an enlarged copy with
additions of that published five years previous in the fifth volume of
the _Voyages au Nord_, on which is given the route of De Soto. Bellin’s
_Carte des Costes de la Nouvelle France suivant les premiéres
Decouvertes_ is found in Charlevoix’s _Nouvelle France_ and is of little
worth.
The map of “Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands,” that accompanies
Catesby’s Natural History of those regions, is not so accurate as we
might expect from the opportunities he enjoyed. The peninsula is
conceived as a nearly equilateral triangle projecting about two hundred
and sixty miles towards the south. Like other maps of this period, it
derives its chief value from locating Indian and Spanish towns.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account