An illustrated history of the New world : containing a general history of all the various nations, states, and republics of the western continent ..and a complete history of the United States to the present time .. . iforniaand New Mexico were ceded to the latter power, and from that pe-riod the history of these countries is included in that of the UnitedStates. PONCa DS LZOS. CHAPTER VIII. FLORIDA. LTHOUGH the southern extremity of Floridalies so near to the West Indies, yet its existencewas unknown to the Spaniards for a consider-able time after the voyages of Columbus. Itis supposed to have
An illustrated history of the New world : containing a general history of all the various nations, states, and republics of the western continent ..and a complete history of the United States to the present time .. . iforniaand New Mexico were ceded to the latter power, and from that pe-riod the history of these countries is included in that of the UnitedStates. PONCa DS LZOS. CHAPTER VIII. FLORIDA. LTHOUGH the southern extremity of Floridalies so near to the West Indies, yet its existencewas unknown to the Spaniards for a consider-able time after the voyages of Columbus. Itis supposed to have been visited by SebastianCabot during his celebrated voyage along theAmerican coast; but the principal records ofthis expedition being lost, precludes the possibility of establishingthis opinion. The hope of reaching the East Indies, or of discover-ing empires glittering with oriental luxury, led the Spanish adven-turers in a southern or south-west course; and it was not till TerraFirma had been examined, and Nunez de Balboa had discovered thePacific, that the Spaniards even suspected the existence of theregion now forming the United States. The glory of discovering Florida belongs to Juan Pence de Leon, 120. ADVENTURES OF PONCE DE LEON. 121 an adventurer who had accompanied Columbus in his second voy-age. He had then won such reputation as to be intrusted with ashare of the government of Hispaniola, and subsequently with theconquest of Porto Rica. But his claims as governor conflictingwith those of Columbus, he withdrew, and obtained, in compensa-tion, Bimini, one of the Bahamas, whicn lay nearest to the conti-nent. At this place, the veteran received intelligence which decided hisfuture destiny. An opinion was then prevalent among the Caribsthat in one of the West Indies a fountain existed whose waters couldimpart the gift of perpetual youth. In that age of romantic andchivalrous adventure, of new-found worlds and empires, it is not won-derful that the eager knight should em
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, bookidillustratedh, bookyear1868
