There were growing on the sand hills, environing Pensacola, several curious non-described plants; particularly one of the verticillate order, about eighteen inches in height: the flowers, which formed loose spikes, were large and of a fine scarlet colour; but not having time to examine the fructification, or collect good specimens, am ignorant of what order or genus it belongs to. And in the level wet savannas grew plentifully a new and very elegant species of Saracinia (Saracinia lacunosa); the leaves of this plant, which are twelve or fourteen inches in length, stand nearly erect, are round, tubular and ventricose—but not ridged with longitudinal angles or prominent nerves, as the leaves of the Saracinia flava are; the aperture at top may be shut up by a cap or lid, of a helmet form, which is an appendage of the leaf, turning over the orifice in that singular manner; the ventricose, or inflated part of the leaf, which is of a pale, but vivid green colour, is beautifully ornamented with rose coloured studs or blisters, and the inner surface curiously inscribed, or variegated with crimson veins or fibres. It was past the time for flowering, but the plant in any situation is a very great curiosity.
Next morning early we arose from our hard sandy sea-beaten couch, being disturbed the whole night by the troublesome musquitoes; set sail, and before night returned safe to the city of Mobile.
CHAPTER VII.
The next day after my return to Mobile, I found myself very ill, and not a little alarmed by an excessive pain in my head, attended with a high fever; this disorder soon settled in my eyes, nature pursuing that way to expel the malady, causing a most painful defluxion of pellucid, corrosive water; notwithstanding, I next day set off on board a large trading boat, the property of a French gentleman, and commanded by him (he being general interpreter for the Chactaw nation), on his return to his plantations, on the banks of Pearl river: our bark was large, well equiped for sailing, and manned with three stout Negroes, to row in case of necessity. We embarked in the evening, and came to about six miles below the town, at a pleasant farm, the master of which (who was a Frenchman) entertained us in a very polite and friendly manner. The wind favourable, next morning early we set sail again, and having made extraordinary way, about noon came up abreast of a high steep bluff, or perpendicular cliff of high land, touching on the bay of the west coast, where we went on shore, to give liberty to the slaves to rest and refresh themselves. In the mean time I accompanied the captain on an excursion into the spacious level forests, which spread abroad from the shore to a great distance back; observed vestiges of an ancient fortress and settlement, and there yet remain a few pieces of iron cannon; but what principally attracted my notice, was three vast iron pots or kettles, each of many hundred gallons contents: upon enquiry, my associate informed me they were for the purpose of boiling tar to pitch, there being vast forests of Pine trees in the vicinity of this place. In Carolina the inhabitants pursue a different method; when they design to make pitch, they dig large holes in the ground, near the tar kiln, which they line with a thick coat of good clay, into which they conduct a sufficient quantity of tar, and set it on fire, suffering it to flame and evaporate a length of time sufficient to convert it into pitch, and when cool, lade it into barrels, and so on until they have consumed all the tar, or made a sufficient quantity of pitch for their purpose.
After re-imbarking, and leaving this bluff a few miles, we put into shore again, and came to a farm house, a little distance from the water, where we supplied ourselves with Corn meal, Batatas, bacon, &c. The French gentleman (proprietor of the plantation) was near eighty years old, his hair almost white with age, yet he appeared active, strong and muscular; and his mother who was present, was one hundred and five years old, active and cheerful, her eyes seemed as brisk and sparkling as youth, but she was of a diminutive size, not half the stature and weight of her son: it was now above fifty years since she came into America from old France.
I embarked again, proceeding down the bay, and in the evening doubled the west point or cape of the bay, being a promontory of the main, between which and Dauphin island, we entered the channel Oleron. From this time, until we arrived at this gentleman’s habitation on Pearl river, I was incapable of making any observations, for my eyes could not bear the light, as the least ray admitted seemed as the piercing of a sword: and by the time I had arrived at Pearl river, the excruciating pain had rendered me almost frantic and stupified for want of sleep, of which I was totally deprived; and the corroding water, every few minutes, streaming from my eyes, had stripped the skin off my face, in the same manner as scalding water would have done. I continued three days with this friendly Frenchman, who tried every remedy, that he or his family could recollect, to administer relief, but to no purpose. My situation was now become dangerous, and I expected to sink under the malady, as I believe my friends here did. At last the man informed me, on Pearl island, about twelve miles distance, resided an English gentleman, who had a variety of medicines, and if I chose to go to him he would take me there. I accordingly bid adieu to this hospitable family, and set off with him in a convenient boat; before night arrived at Mr. Rumsey’s, who received me kindly, and treated me with the utmost humanity, during a stay of four or five weeks. The night however after my arrival here I sincerely thought would be my last, and my torments were so extreme as to desire it: having survived this tedious night, I in some degree recovered my senses, and asked Mr. Rumsey if he had any Cantharides; he soon prepared a blister plaister for me, which I directed to be placed betwixt my shoulders; this produced the desired relief, and more than answered my expectation, for it had not been there a quarter of an hour before I fell asleep, and remained so a whole day, when I awoke entirely relieved from pain, my senses in perfect harmony and mind composed. I do not know how to express myself on this occasion; all was peace and tranquillity: although I had my sight imperfectly, yet my body seemed but as a light shadow, and my existence as a pleasing delirium, for I sometimes doubted of its reality. I however from that moment began to mend, until my health was perfectly restored; but it was several weeks before I could expose my eyes to open day light, and at last I found my left eye considerably injured, which suffered the greatest pain and weight of the disease.
As soon as I acquired strength to walk about, and bear the least impression of open day light on my eyes, I made frequent, indeed I may say daily excursions in and about this island, strolling through its awful shades, venerable groves and sublime forests, consisting of the Live Oaks and Magnolia grandiflora, Laurus Borbonia, Olea Americana, Fagus sylvatica, Laur. Sassafras, Quercus hemispherica, Telea, Liquidambar styraciflua, Morus, Gleditsia, Callicarpa, Halesia, &c.
The island is six or seven miles in length, and four or five in width, including the salt marshes and plains, which invest it on every side, I believe we may only except a narrow strand at the South end of it, washed by Lake Borgone at the Regullets, which is a promontory composed of banks of seashells and sand cast up by the force of winds, and the surf of the lake; these shells are chiefly a small species of white clam shells, called les coquilles. Here are a few shrubs growing on these shelly heights, viz. Rhamnus frangula, Sideroxylon, Myrica, Zanthoxylon clava Herculis, Juniperus Americana, Lysium salsum; together with several new genera and species of the herbaceous and suffruticose tribes, Croton, Stillingia, &c. but particularly a species of Mimosa (Mimosa virgata), which in respect of the elegancy of its pinnated leaves, cannot be exceeded by any of that celebrated family. It is a perennial plant, sending up many nearly erect stems, from the root or source; these divide themselves into many ascendant slender rods like branches, which are ornamented with double pinnated leaves, of a most delicate formation. The compound flowers, are of a pale, greenish yellow, collected together in a small oblong head, upon a long slender peduncle, the legumes are large, lunated and flat, placed in a spiral or contorted manner, each containing several hard compressed seeds, or little beans.
The interior and by far the greater part of the island consists of high land; the soil to appearance a heap of sea sand in some places, with an admixture of sea shells; this soil, notwithstanding its sandy and steril appearance, when divested of its natural vegetative attire, has, from what cause I know not, a continual resource of fertility within itself: the surface of the earth, after being cleared of its original vegetable productions, exposed a few seasons to the sun, winds and tritrurations of agriculture, appears scarcely any thing but heaps of white sand, yet it produces Corn (Zea), Indigo, Batatas, Beans, Peas, Cotton, Tobacco, and almost every sort of esculent vegetable, in a degree of luxuriancy very surprising and unexpected, year after year, incessantly, without any addition of artificial manure or compost: there is indeed a foundation of strong adhesive clay, consisting of strata of various colours, which I discovered by examining a well, lately dug in Mr. Rumsey’s yard; but lying at a great depth under the surface, the roots of small shrubs and herbage, cannot reach near to it, or receive any benefit, unless we may suppose, that ascending fumes or exhalations, from this bed of clay, may have a vivific nutritive quality, and be received by the fibres of the roots, or being condensed in the atmosphere by nocturnal chills, fall with dews upon the leaves and twigs of these plants, and there absorbed, become nutritive or exhilerating to them.
Besides the native forest trees and shrubs already noted, manured fruit trees arrive in this island to the utmost degree of perfection, as Pears, Peaches, Figs, Grape Vines, Plumbs &c.; of the last mentioned genus, there is a native species grows in this island, which produces their large oblong crimson fruit in prodigious abundance; the fruit though of a most enticing appearance, is rather too tart, yet agreeable eating, at sultry noon, in this burning climate, it affords a most delicious and reviving marmalade, when preserved in sugar, and makes excellent tarts; the tree grows about twelve feet high, the top spreading, the branches spiny and the leaves broad, nervous, serrated, and terminating with a subulated point.