FLORIDA, a province in North America, is bounded on the north by Georgia ; on the east, by the Atlantic ; on the south, by the gulf of Mexico; and on the west, by the Mississippi. It extends between 500 and 600 miles from east to west; and little more than 100 from north to south, except at its eastern peninsula, where the breadth is nearly 400 miles. It is situated between 25' and 31° of North Latitude, and between 80° and 92° of \Vest Longitude. This country was first visited in 1497, by Sebastian Cabot, a 'Venetian mariner in the service of Henry V11. of Eng land; but was more completely discovered by Juan Ponce de Leon, a native of Spain, in 1512. This navigator giv ing credit to an old tradition, that a fountain existed on the American continent, which had the property of bestow ing perpetual youth, fitted out a small squadron, and bent his course towards the quai ter where these precious waters were supposed to be concealed. Discovering land on Eas ter day, he gave it the name of Florida, from the Spanish name cf that festival, Pasqua de Flores ; or, according to Herrera, from the appearance of the country, which was covered with flowers, and the most beautiful blossoms. He landed on the coast ; and, taking possession of the soil in the name of his Catholic Majesty, he erected a stone with an inscription, commemorating his visit. But, having been prevented by the opposition of the natives from effecting a settlement, and being disappointed in the chief object of his expedition, he returned to Puerto Rico. Another voyage was undertaken, in 1528, by Pamphilo de Narvacz, who sailed with 400 men from the island of Cuba ; and, at tempting to penetrate into the interior of the country, was never more heard of. At length, in the year 1539, it was entirely subdued by Ferdinand de Soto, one of the bravest officers in the Spanish service ; but it cost the Spaniards a long and bloody struggle before they were able to establish themselves in the country.
In 1564, the French began to form some small settle ments on the coast; but they made little improvement of the natural advantages which the country presented, and devoted their whole attention to hunting and warlike ex cursions. The Spaniards, in the mean time, sent a fleet against their colony, and put all the settlers to the sword. A Frenchman, named De' Gourges, made severe reprisals in 1597, demolishing all the forts erected by the Spaniards, and murdering all the colonists whom he found in the coun try. From this period the French neglected America, and the Spaniards continued to make petty establishments on the coasts of Florida.
In 1586, their principal fort, St Augustine, was attacked by Sir Francis Drake, who reduced and pillaged the place ; and, in 1665, it was entered and plundered by Cap tain Davis, at the head of a body of Buccaneers. In 1702, Colonel More, Governor of Carolina, attempting to annex the country to the British dominions, marched a corps of 500 English and 700 Indians to the walls of St Augus tine, and besieged it for the space of three months ; but the Spaniards, having sent a squadron to the relief of the garrison, he raised the siege, and made a precipitate re treat, just when he was on the point of accomplishing his enterprize. When a British colony was settled in Georgia, in 1733, the Spaniards became very apprehensive of a new attempt upon Florida ; and, in 1740, an expedition was fit ted out against St Augustine by General Oglethorpe. But the Spanish commander having received intelligence of the intended attack, made such additions to the strength of the garrison, and adopted such skilful measures of defence, that the English were compelled, after sustaining consider able loss, to abandon their design. In 1763, Florida was ceded to Great Britain, in exchange for the Havannah, which had been taken from Spain ; and, by the encourage ment given to agriculture by its new masters, numbers of colonists poured into the country from the neighbouring provinces, the British isles, and all the Protestant nations of Eui'ope. In the year 1781, it was again recovered by
the Spaniards, and was guaranteed to them by the treaty of peace of 1783. In their possession it has remained from that period, and forms one of the three governments which compose the captainship-general of the island of Cuba. In 1810, a revolution took place in West Florida, disclaiming the authority of Spain ; but the leaders were divided in opi nion, whether they should maintain their independence as a separate state, or accede to the American confederation. They sent agents to Washington, who had an interview with the President of the United States ; and, in the mean time, the American government have been prosecuting a claim upon the province since the year 1804, and in 1811 took measures for occupying the western division. This claim arose out of a dispute respecting the boundaries of Louisiana, which Spain had ceded to France in 1801, and which the latter power sold soon after to the United States, for the sum of fifteen millions of dollars. It is contended by the American government, that West Florida forms a part of Louisiana, which they purchased from France ; and, on the ground of certain spoliations, alleged to have been committed by Spain on American commerce, they have advanced pretensions upon East Florida also, by way of in demnification. These pretensions have been supported by actual invasion ; and there being little probability of a re storation or a re-conquest, the whole province may now be considered as included in the territory of the United States. East Florida consists of a large peninsula, and a tract of land, extending from the mouth of the river St Mary west ward, to the river Appalachicola. It lies between 30° 50' and 25° North Latitude, and between 80° and 85° West Longitude, extending from east to west from 100 to 190 miles, and from north to south from 100 to 400. West Florida lies between 67° and 73° West Longitude, and ex tends along the north coast of the Mexican Gulf, upwards of 300 miles from the river Appalachicola to the lakex Ponchartrain and Maurepas ; thence along the river Iber ville to the Mississippi ; and thence to the 31° North Lati tude, from which a line drawn eastward to the river Appa lachicola, forms its northern boundary. The sea coast of both provinces is low, and the country continues very flat for more than 40 miles inland, when it becomes a little hilly. interspersed with rocks. Towards the west, the rise is more gradual, and the surface more woody. The coast is deeply indented with small gulfs and inlets, and intersected with numerous rivers. Along the south coast are several islands, which are included in the province, but which are of little importance or utility. The most remarkable are Cat Island, eight miles east of St Louis Bay, above six miles in length, and bordered with immense quantities of shells ; Ship Island, about ten miles south of Biloxy Bay, nine miles lung, and two broad ; Horn Island, about six miles farther east, very narrow, and about seventeen miles in length ; Massacre Island, two miles cast of the last men tioned, also very narrow, but nearly nine miles long ; Dau phin Island, five miles farther east, six miles in length, and about two in breadth ; Ross Island, a long and nal row sari; dy slip, parallel to the coast, between Rosc Bay and that of Pensacola ; and the Tortugas, about ten in number, nearly opposite the most southern point of East Florida, covered with mangrove bushes, and extending ten or eleven miles from north-east to south-west. Some of these islands are mere sand, and none of them produce any thing better than grass and pines. The principal island in the east coast is Anastasia, opposite to he town of St Augustine, divided from the mainland by a narrow channel, and twenty-five miles in length.