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THE
\ writer in the F.a*t Florida Herald, who
signs himself “A Native Floridian,” has writ.!
fen twelve lengthy nowhere <>u various sub
lets cfpnei-teii with agricultural improve
ments, <vc. of that territory. He appears to be
n person of much theory, nnd speculates on
many subjects which are quite new to us. We
<lo not, however, pretend to pronounce any ol
them visionary or impracticable. In hopes
that some of his hints may not be altogether in
applicable to nvr latitude, we submit a part
of the 12th number to the perusal of our read
ers, and may hereafter give some further ex
tracts from his writings.
Nor is the cochineal literally an
article of vegetable culture; but
the plant indispensable to its sub
sistence must be cultivated to give
value to this little animal both in
quantity and quality. In Mexico
large fields of what is called there
the time, and here the prickly pear
are planted for their food. This
product could he made as impor
tant in the southern parts of Flori
da as in Mexico, where the annual
export has in times of political
tranquility,amounted to a vast sum.
As to the question not yet fully at
re3t among naturalists, whether
this is an insect or a berry, we who
see it live and move in plenty
among the wild prickly pear,as far
north as St. Augustine, need not
take a part; but raise and ship it:
to the dyers and doctors. It will
employ younger and weak hands
Very advantageously.
The plant to be cultivated for
this purpose is perennial, and may
be called perpetual in self propo
rtion. It has to lie planted but
once, and such is its tenacity of
life and prolificacy in generative
powers, that were but the broken
leaves thrown on the surface of the
land, it will shoot roots and erect
itself into a plant with but the aid
of a shower of rain. The only
cultivation necessary after the first
planting to keep down the extrane
ous growth, and remove from it
the decayed parts of its leaves ;
which are gathered into small
heaps in the intervals of the beds
during summer and burnt off in the
winter.
This insect is gathered and cur
ed in the fall of the year, by strip
ping from the leaves of the pricklv
pear a white and very fine web that
cloathes them in patches in which
these shelter, leaving here and
there a patch of the web with its
contents as seed for the ensuing
year and these webs are placed
over the steam of boiling water for
a few moments to kill the insects;
they are then shook from the web
and spread out thinly to dry. Fre
quently they are taken from the
web alive, put into a bag, and dipt
into boiling water : but in this pro
cess many get mashed and lost in
their struggles of resistance: be
ing like a small full tick, with a ten
der skin ; and the hot water it is
said impairs their fine die.
The fruit of the prickly pear,for
ming like small pears, standing
erect, and highly coloured of a
deep crimson, when ripe, affords a
good dye, but less valuable than co-
This should be picked and and ied
when ripe ; it pays well on expor
tation.
Bene and Ground Nuts are too
well known in this country, and it
would he supposed, to adm it of any
thing new being said about them,
but this is not the case, we have
walked over them like many other
good things without stopping to
ponder on their value, much less
putting them to the trial. They
have not been planted as a crop for
market; and the answer of some
of our planters is, but surely not
from experience, that a hand will
make as much by planting corn.—
But this is wrong in a general way
for our very light lands, or those
much worn by culture and no ma
nuring, w ild produce in quantity at
least two ior one of ground nuts to
to corn; and bene though fall
ing short in measure will make up
in its greater value. Moreover
corn requires in its cultute from
the commencement, to the storing
the labor of able hands: for such
is our economy as well as industr\,
that carts are nearly as strange a
contriyance among us as plows
the negroes carry home the corn
on their heads.
Every plantation worked by ne
groes have to their numbers of
slaves a portion of old men, and
women a ltd children that are not
considered taskable hands; and
the former spend most of their
time in gathering weeds for the
hogpen (gardens not being in vogue
and corn never in plenty) or in
some other frivolous matter ; and
the children run about as untutor
ed as the calves. —Thole could be
well employed in all parts of a bene
crop, and particularly so in that of
ground nuts, except preparing the
land to receive the grain, and giv
ing it one hoeing to kill the first
suit of grass.
I know of no article wc could!
plant that would exceed the ground,
nuts as a manure. Three or four
quarts will plant an acre so as to ;
cover it with a high and dense bed
of leaves and branches, and those:
leaves of a thick and succulent na
ture. Three or four feet apart and
two grains in a hole, is the usual
mode ot planting it; but when it
is intended for manure, if planted:
about two feet apart, and turned ini
with the plough just before the:
leaves begin to turn yellow and the
hogs let in upon the nuts in the
winter; for by that time the leaves
and branches are pretty well de-j
composed and the nuts remain per-;
fectly sound, a fourfold advantage ,
wouid be the results,namely : The!
nuts on the surface, thrown up by:
the plough, and gathered after the
first rain, would pay for the plant
ing ploughing and gathering; the
land would be manured the nuts
under gronnd become a fattening
mass to the hogs; and their dili
gence in searching for them would ;
so thoroughly work up the land
that it would, with but little ’abour
be mellow and ready for any thing
in the spring.
‘J hese nuts make an excellent ta
ble oil; but, perhaps, they would
pay better by being sold for the
manufacture of chocolate, he. —
The bene affords more oil and that
not inferior to the best olive oil in!
table and culinary uses and it is,
lound to keep better from rancidi-]
ty and other evils of age. Both
the ground nuts and bene, parched
and beat make a good and palata
ble soup in the absence of flesh ;
and the ground nuts when nearly
ripe, or blanched and beat when
ripe and dry, make sexeral good
dishes, among diem a delightful j
puslding. The Indians prepare a 1
pleasant food for travelling that is
scarcely equalled in nutritive qual
ity to its bulk. This is done by
beating in a morter equal parts of
parched corn and parched ground
nuts to a thorough paste, and dry
ing it i cakes.
Hemp and flax, I have never
heard ol either being tried in Flor
ida but in one instance ; Mr. Fish,
a gentleman from New York, who
owned St. Anastacia’s Island, I
have heard him say that he has rai
sed hemp on that island as fine a-,
he ever saw.
The castor bean or palma christi,
will make a good crop in the north
ern parts of Florida, hut it is
more at home far south, inasmuch
as in the former it must be planted
annually ;it is generally killed by
the frost, but to the south it con
tinues its growth for years , there
fore becomes larger, and much
more abundant in its product.
Sarsaparilla has never been ex
ported from hence, in fact but few
knew tha- it grew’ atall in this coun
try. —This however is nothing sur
prising; we knew as much of the
province of Yucatan as we did of
the southern interior of Florida ;
such has been the want of ever)
thing like energy and industry ; as
to enterprise that was out of the
question : The most of those who
lived northwardly were as though
they did not belong to Florida;
Georgia was their precedent, their
factor, and their hobby : The Au*
gustinians seldom lost sight of the
smoke of their own chimneys:—
And the southern settlers kept
within the mosquitoes. The few
who travelled farther south having
in view but fishing and wrecking,
seldom lost sight of the sea coast;
and if they did they might as well
have found two pebbles as a pebble
and a diamond. Philosophic dis
positions were but little more abun
dant among us than those of the
mercurial; all stood to the order
of the day ; indigo and rice for a
time, and then cotton for another.—
In short our genius for contrivance
discovery, and enterjwizc, in no
part o*’Florida, would ever have
led to a suspicion of our setting any
of the rivers on fire.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE.
(Concluded.)
The act of Congiess of the se
venth of May’ one thousand eight
hundred and twenty-two appropri
ated the sum of twenty two thous
and seven hundred dollars for the
purpose of erecting two piers as a
shelter for vessels from ice, near
Cape Henlopen, Delaware Bay.
To effect the object of the act, the
officers of the board of Engineers
with Commodore Bainbridge, were
directed to prepare plans and esti
mates of piers sufficient to answer
the purpose intended by the act. It
appears by their report which ac
companies the documents from the
War Department, that the appro
priation is not adequate to the pur
pose intended ; and, as the piers
w ould be of great service, both to
the navigation ol the Delaware
Bay, and the protection of vessels
on the adjacent parts of the coast, I
submit for the consideration ot
Congress, whether additional and
sufficient appropriations should not
be made.
The board of Engineers were
also directed to examine and sur
vey the entrance ot the harbor of
the port of Presqu’isle in Penns) 1-
vania, in order to make an estim
ate of the expense of removing the
obstructions to the entrance, with
a plan of the best mode of effecting
the same under the appropriation
for that purpose, by act of Con
gress passed third of March last.
The report of the Board accompan
ies the papers from the War De
partment and is submitted for tbe
consideration of Congress.
A strong hope has been long en
tertained, founded on the heroic
struggle of the Greeks, that they
would succeed in their contest, and
resume their equal station as am
ong the nations of the earth. It is
believed that the whole civilized
world takes a deep interest in their
welfare. Although no power has
declared in their favor yet none,
according to our information, has
taken part against them. Their
cause and their name have protec
ted them from dangers, which
might ere this, have overwhelmed
anv other people. The ordinary
calculations of interest, and of ac
quisition, with a view to aggran
dizement, which mingle so much
iu the transactions of nations, seem
to ha\ e had no effect in regard to
them. From the facts which have
come to our knowledge there is
good cause to believe that their
enemy has lost forever all dominion
over them ; that Greece will be
i come again an independent nation.
; That she may obtain that rank, is
the object ol our most ardent wish
es.
It was stated at the commence
ment of the last session, that a
great effort was then making in
Spain and Portugal to improve
the condition of the people of those
countries; and that it appeared
to be conducted with extraordina
ry moderation. It need scarcely
be remarked, that the result has
been so far very different from
what was then anticipated. Os
events in that quarter of the globe
with which we have so much in
tercourse, Ik from which we derive
our origin, we have always been
anxious and interested spectators.
The citizens of the U. States cher
ish sentiments the most friendly,
in favor of the liberty and happi
ness of their fellow men on that
side of the Atlantic. In the wars
of the European powers, in matters
relating to themselves, we have ne
ver taken any part, nor does it com
port with our policy so to do. It
is only when our rights are inva
ded, or seriously menaced, that we
resent injuries, or make prepara
tion for our defence. With the
movements in this hemisphere,
we are, of necessity, more imme
diately connected, and by causes
which must be obvious to all en
lightened and impartial observers.
The political system of the allied
powers is essentially different, in
this respect, from that of America.
This difference proceeds from that
which exists in their respective
governments. And to the defence
of our own, which has been achiev
ed by the loss of so much blood
and treasure, and matured by the
wisdom of their most enlightened
citizens, and under which wc have
enjoyed unexampled felicity, this
whole nation is devoted. We owe
it therefore to candor, and to the
amicable relations existing between
theU- States and those powers, to
declare, that wc should consider
ahv attempt, on their part to ex
tend their system to auv portion
of this hemisphere, as dangerous
to our peace and safety’. M ith
the existing colonies or dependen
cies of any European power, we
have not interfered, and shall not
interfere. But with tbe govern
ments who have declared their in
dependence, and maintained it,
and whose independence we have
on great consideration and on just
principles,acknowledged, we could
not view any interposition for the
purpose of oppressing them, or
controlling, in any other manner,
their destiny bv any Europeanpporer,w r
er, in any other light than as the
manifestation of an unfriendly dis
position towards the United States.
In the war between those new gov
ernments and Spain, we declared
our neutrality at the time ot their
recognition, and to this we have
adhered, and shall continue to ad
here, provided no change shall oc
cur, which, in the judgement of
the competent authorities of this
govenment, shall make a corres
ponding change on the part of the
U. States indispensable to their se
curity.
The late events in Spain and Por
tugal shew that Europe is still un
settled. Os this important fact,
no stronger proof can be adduced
than that the allied powers should
have thought it proper, on any
principles satisfactory to themselves
to have interposed by foice, in the
internal concerns of Spain. To,
what extent such interposition mav
be carried, on the same principle,
is a question in which all indepen
dent powers, whose governments
differ from theirs, are interested ;
even those most remote, and sure
ly none more so than the U. States.
Our policy in regard to Europe,
which was adopted at an early
stage of the wars which have so
long agitated that quarter of the
globe, nevertheless remains the
same, which is, not to interfere in
the internal concerns of any of its
powers ; to consider the govern
ment de facto as the legitimate gov
ernment for us ; to cultivate friend
ly relations by a frank, firm and
manly policy, meeting in all instan
ces the just claims of every pow er;
submitting to injuries from none.—
But in regard to these continents,
circumstances are eminently and
conspicuously different. It is im
possible that the allied powers
should extend their political sys
tem to any portion of either contin
ent without endangering our peace
and happiness ; nor can any one
believe that our southern brethren
if left to themselves would adopt it
of their accord. It is equally im
possible, therefore, that we should
viev such interposition, in any form,
with indifference. If we look to the
comparitive strength and resourses
of Spain and those new govern
ments, and their distance from each
other, it must be obvious that she
can never subdue them. It is still
the true policy of the U. States to
leave the parties to themselves, in
the hope that other powers will pur
sue the same course.
If we compare the present con
dition of our Union, with its actu
al state at the close of our revolu
tion, the history of the world fur
nishes no example of a progress
in improvement, in all the impor
tant circumstances which consti
tute the happiness of a nation,
which bears any resemblance to it
At the first epoch our population
did not exceed three millions. By
the last census it amounted to about
ten millions, and, what is more ex
traordinary, it is almost altogether
native, for the emigration from
other countries has been inconsid
erable. At the first epoch, half the
territory within our acknowledged
limits was uninhabited anil a wil
derness. Since then, new territory
has been acquired, of vast extent,
comprising within it many rivers,
particularly the Mississipi, the
navigation of which to the ocean
was of the highest importance to
the original states. Over this ter
ritory our population has expanded
in every direction, and new States
have been established, almost equal
in number, to those which formed
the first bond of our Union. This
expansion of our population, and
accession of new States to our Un
ion, have had the happiest effect
on all its highest interests. That
it has eminently augmented our
resources, added to our strength
and respectability, as a power,
is admitted by all. But, it is not
in these important circumstances
only, that this happy c ff ect ■ I
It is manifest that, h y k 'lß
the basis of our system, a 5 s M
creasing the number of ‘ ■
system itself has been 5 ’
strengthened in both > hrSjj
Consolidation and disunion k B
therein been rendered eo B
impracticable. Each govern
confiding in its own strength
less to apprehend from ■
and, in consequences each t ‘ er 'B
inga greater freedom of actio?’ E
rendered more efficient fo r an’, I **
purposes for w hich it was i- ■ B
ted. It is unnecessary to t * ” ■
here, of the vast I
made in the system itself, |, v ? I
adoption of this constitution’ a B
ot its happy effect in elev at j I
the thmw, and in
the rights ot the nation, as well 9 B
ot individuals. To what then I
we owe these blessings >j t 0 ■
known to all, that we derive the'* I
from the excellence of our B
tions. Ought we not then to a * I
dopt every measure, which ma y |* 1
necessary to perpetuate them: ■
JAMES MON HOE. I
North West Expedition Cav I
Parry arrived this morning at thj I
Admiralty, having landed at Wfo 1
by whence his Majesty’s ships F arr I
and Hecla were continuing ■
way to the river Thamas. I
The public regret that Capt. p lr . 1
ry has not been able to accompli I
the North-West passage will I
amply compensated by the general I
pleasure which will be felt at I
safe return of this gallant officer I
and his brave companions. I
In 1821, the expedition explor-■
c,d Repulse Bay, Sir Thomas KoeVl
Welcome, Middleton’s French ■
Strait, and that neighborhood, and I
finding no passage to the Notth. I
ward and westward, wintered in I
the southern bay of an island, cal-1
led Win ter Island, it lat. 60, u, I
long. 83. I
In 1822, the exdedition, guided I
and encouraged by the information I
they had received during the wit
ter, from a party of Esquimau,
with whom they had established*,
friendly intercourse, pursued their
attempt to the Northward, and ex
amined all inlets towards the West,
till they arrived at a strait which
seperates the North West Coast of
America from what Capt. Parry
considers to be a cluster of islands,
extending Northward towards the
scene of his former voyage.
lhe great object of ascertaining
the northern limits of the Conti
nent being thus accompliehed,capt.
Parry penetrated two degrees to
the Westward with considerable
expectation of final success ; bat
found that the ice was perpetual,
and not seperated in anv seasonor
under any circumstances. Tbe
expedition was therefore obliged
to winter in latitude, 69, 20, longi
tude, 81, 50.
In the summer of this year fill
ing the ice still fixed to the shore?,
in such a manner as precluded $
hopes of further progress in tiff
neighborhood in which he was,capt.
Parry thought it advisable to gift
up the attempt, and return to Ens
land.
The expedition has lost by ill*
ness, only Mr. Pyfee, the Green;
land Master, and three seamen,ai
one man killed by accident.
The Charleston Courier states,
that “ Mr. Beaumont, Editor of
the Trifler,” a paper published 1 ’
Kingston, Jamaica, has been tried
on an information for a libel on the
Duke of Manchester, Governorot
that island. The report of the tri
exhibits as striking a proof of judi
cial arrogance as we have ever setts
‘The defendant in person concluded
his defence, after a thousand in ter
ruptions, and was repeatedly cheer*
ed on his acquittal by the Jury-**
The Judge and Attorney General
were pelted with stones and brier
bats on their return from Court 1 ”
their carriages.
A Miss Crackham, has been
exhibited at Liverpool as a wonder‘d
curiosity. She is 9 years of age,
inches highland weighs less than thr* e
pounds—is-in perfect proportion ’’
and talks, and lias the use of all * icr
faculties.
Florida.— We understand that jj’*
commissioners appointed to locate ‘
seat of government in Florida, ‘
agreed that the scite shall be #l■
Louis, a spot distant fiom St. M* ’
N. N. W. about 23 miles, and
the main road from Pensacola
through the£s'jnic.