The other towns of most importance in West Florida are, St. Josef, or the bay of St. Josef, near Cape St. Blaz, in the Gulf of Mexico, situated in 85° 34ʹ west longitude, and 29° 45ʹ north latitude.
Wells, a sea-port on the west-side of St. Andrewʼs Bay, and in 30° 25ʹ north latitude, and 85° 50ʹ west longitude, and—
Campbeltown, in Pensacola Bay, is seven miles north north-east of Pensacola.
The rivers of East Florida are chiefly the Apalachicola, which rises in the United States, and as before stated, forms the boundary between the two Floridas; it is a considerable river, and falls into the Mexican Gulf near Cape St. Blaz. The mouth of the Apalachicola is encircled with a number of small islands, named St. Georgeʼs Isles.
Nassau River; a small stream, which joins the ocean in 81° 42ʹ west longitude, 30° 49ʹ north latitude.
St. Maryʼs River, famous only for its being a part of the northern boundary between Georgia and Florida; it rises in a small lake in the great Ekanfanoga Swamp, and after a short course, runs into the Atlantic in St. Maryʼs Bay, in 81° 41ʹ west longitude, and 30° 35ʹ north latitude. The Americans have a town called St. Maryʼs, on their side of the mouth of the river.
St. Johnʼs River, which rises in a swamp in the southern part of East Florida, and after running northerly for a short distance, forms several lakes; the largest of which is Lake George; it then again pursues its course to the northward, and turning to the east, joins the Atlantic in 81° 42ʹ west longitude, and 30° 22ʹ north latitude; its mouth is encumbered with a bar, otherwise it is a broad and fine river, and being situated within ten leagues of the capital is very serviceable.
Apalachia River, or Apalache, a small river which empties itself into the Bay of Apalachia, in the Mexican Gulf, in 84° 28ʹ west longitude, and 29° 43ʹ north latitude.
St. Johnʼs River, rises in Ekanfanoga Swamp, and after a winding course of two hundred miles, falls into Apalachia Bay, to the east of Apalachia River. This is said to be the purest of American rivers, receiving in its course no tributary streams, but being fed solely by the springs which exist in its banks; it is two hundred yards broad, and twenty feet deep at the Indian town of Talahosochete in East Florida.
There are a few other rivers in East Florida, the names of which are, the Assilla, St. Markʼs river, St. Matheoʼs river, which falls into Apalachia Bay, the Amajura, the Tampa and the Manatte; the two latter of which fall into the Bay del Espirtu Santo, and the Romano, which falls into Carlos harbour; but of these so little is known, as indeed is the case with respect to every thing relating to the Floridas, that a particular description is impracticable. The latitudes and longitudes of many of the above places and rivers, are variously laid down in the maps, and different accounts are given of them by different authors; so that it is not probable that they are exact; the most correct sources of information have been sought, and as no late observations have been made in the country we have been describing, the reader must unfortunately remain satisfied with the imperfect account we are enabled to give of a colony which belonged within the memory of the present generation to Great Britain, but of which, no British author has given an explicit account.