WESTWARD of Fogartyville, on the south side of the bay, among the most prominent residences, are those of the Warners, mother and sons. Thence westward, across a bayou, on a sand-spit projecting into the bay, stands the steam saw and planing-mill of Messrs. W. S. Warner & Co., just completed. This mill, wharf and warehouse are the nuclei of Palmasola City, which is soon to skirt the adjacent sand hills, and cause the surrounding “wilderness to blossom as the rose.” Mr. Warner is a Bay State Yankee of indomitable pluck, and his partner, Mr. J. S. Beach, who resides at Terre Haute, Ind., controls the money bags of a national bank. If capital and pluck wean build a city, the success of Palmasola may be set down as assured. Along the bay, west of the Warners, are the ranches of Messrs. Sweetzer, Burgess, Sykes and Bishop. A few miles further west is Shaw’s Point, at the mouth of the bay. Here, on an immense shell-mound, surrounded by hammock and pine land, Mr. Sam Nichols, a native of Alabama, has entered a homestead of 160 acres of land. Although severely wounded during our late “unpleasantness,” Mr. Nichols has beaten his musket into a plowshare, his sword into a pruning-hook, and, like a good citizen, is earning his bread by the sweat of his brow.

Along the Gulf coast, southward, skirting Palmasola and Sarasota Bays, may be found the hospitable homes of Messrs. Farrar, Adams, Moore, Buckner, Harp, Stephonse, Tyler, Spang, Crowley, Dorch, Callan, Riggin, Dunham, Smith, Helveston, Whitaker, Willard, Bidwell, Edmondson, C. E. and M. R. Abbe, Liddell, Greer, Yonge, Boardman, Young, Lancaster, Cunliff, Woodworth, Jones, Anderson, Crocker, Hansen, Bronson Bros., Clower, Lowe, Webb, Griffith, Bacon, Knight, Guptrel and Roberts.

On the north side of Manatee Bay, at its entrance into Tampa Bay, is Snead’s Island, separated from the mainland by a narrow and shallow “cut-off” leading into Terraceia Bay, and also by a wider and deeper channel opening into Tampa Bay, and separating it from Terraceia Island. Midway of the island, fronting on Manatee Bay, is a curiosity in the shape of a shell-mound or earth-work, crescent-shaped, and some forty feet in height. The distance between the points of the crescent on the bank of the bay, is five hundred feet. On the highest point of the mound, and nearly in the centre, stands a frame dwelling, somewhat dilapidated, erected by a former owner of the place. On the eastern angle are two date-palm and two olive trees. The former are fifteen inches in diameter and forty feet in height. The latter are eighteen inches in diameter two feet above the ground, and fifty feet in height. Both the olive and date-palms bear fruit; the former in large quantities. On the mound in the centre of the crescent, and near the house, are two olibanum trees, eighteen inches in diameter and fifty feet in height. Was this mound an Indian burial place, or was it thrown up by the early Spanish invaders as a defense against the Natchez, a warlike and semi-civilized tribe of Indians, who, at the time of the Spanish conquest, inhabited this part of Florida? Quien sabe?

The only human occupants of the island at this time are uncle Joe Franklin and his wife, an aged couple. Uncle Joe lives in a palmetto hut with a shell floor, and with the old ’oman and two glasseyed dogs as companions,

Uncle Joe is a character, and all visitors to the Manatee should call on him, examine his mammoth wild fig tree and hedge of century plants. Mem. Ask him to chain his dogs before you go ashore, otherwise the seat of your inexpressibles will require repairs. I have been there.

Eastward, above the Terraceia cut-off, is Sapp’s Point. Further along, and directly opposite Braidentown, is Palmetto, a young town containing two stores and a post-office. The reader will perceive that Uncle Sam distributes post-offices in Florida with a lavish hand. We have three of these convenient institutions within a radius of one and a half miles—Braidentown, Manatee, Palmetto—and Palmasola City, only three miles distant, will have one as soon as Postmaster Warner shall build an office to protect the mail matter of that growing city.

Immediately in the rear of Palmetto is a prairie of several miles in extent. North-east of the town, about one mile distant in the hammock, Mr. Hendricks, of Palmetto, has a promising six-years-old orange grove, grown from seeds planted with his own hands. Mr. Hendricks cultivates vegetables between the rows of his orange trees, and last year he realized several hundred dollars by shipping his early tomatoes, cucumbers and snap-beans to New York and other Northern markets. To Mr. Hendricks belongs the credit of starting the early vegetable boom in the Manatee region.

Mr. David Zehner, from Louisiana, has recently purchased a strip of scrub hammock, east of the town, where he intends to make the cultivation of grapes and strawberries a specialty. He has already received several thousand cuttings and plants of the choicest varieties. A few miles further eastward, you reach the plantation of Major W. I. Turner, the god-father of Braidentown, who has forty acres in tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes and beans. He has already commenced shipping his vegetables to the Northern markets.

Half a mile east of Major Turner’s is the extensive plantation of Major George Patten. General Hiram W. Leffingwell, ex-United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Missouri, has recently purchased 200 acres of this land, and is negotiating for more. Two of the general’s sons, with their families and an unmarried nephew, are now encamped on the land, and are busily engaged in erecting dwelling-houses and the necessary out-buildings. The general and his wife will arrive later in the season. In addition to the cultivation of the various fruits of the citrus family, the general will devote his attention to general farm crops and the growing of early vegetables for the Northern and Western markets. Another St. Louis gentleman, Mr. C. G. B. Drummond, Assistant U. S. District Attorney, has purchased 120 acres of land on the Rogers’ hammock near Oak Hill, on which he will set out an orange grove this summer.

Mr. H. O. Cannon, a California Argonaut, and late resident of New Albany, Ind., after having spent several winters prospecting Florida, has, like a sensible man, concluded to pitch his tent on the Patten plantation. With this view, he has purchased twenty acres of land, which he has commenced grubbing and fencing, preparatory to planting an orange and lemon grove. Mr. C. H. Walworth, of Milwaukee, has purchased twenty acres of land adjoining Mr. Cannon, which he will have cleared, grubbed and planted in orange and lemon trees this year.

In ante bellum times, the present Patten plantation was known first as the Gamble, and afterward as the Cofield and Davis plantation, and was the largest and most thoroughly equipped sugar plantation in the State of Florida. The owners worked 200 hands, and had 1,400 acres of sugar-cane in one field. Their sugar-mill and refinery contained all the modern appliances, and, at the commencement of the war, was worth half a million dollars. Soon after the breaking out of hostilities, most of the slaves were sent to Louisiana, and work on the plantation was abandoned. During the last year of the war, a Federal gunboat entered the Manatee Bay, and a boat’s crew, commanded by an officer, blew up the sugar-house and set fire to the refinery. The destruction was complete; and to-day may be seen the ponderous fly-wheel of the engine, broken shafts and crumbling walls—sad mementos of the event. The family mansion, a large two-story brick structure, with galleries around three sides of both stories, escaped the hand of the destroyer. Although bearing the finger-marks of time, it is at this day, a substantial structure, and, with slight repairs, would weather the storms of another century. Connected with this old mansion is a history, now for the first time published.

Within these walls during the last days of the Southern Confederacy, when that fabric (on paper) was fast crumbling to pieces, Judah P. Benjamin, a fugitive from justice, and flying for his life under the assumed name of Charles Howard, was the guest for nearly two months of Captain Archibald McNeill, its then occupant. When on that memorable Sunday, in the spring of 1865, Jeff. Davis and his cabinet hastily fled from Richmond, Benjamin and Breckinridge struck out for the wilds of Florida, which seemed to offer a secure retreat. Arrived at Gainsville, Breckinridge sought refuge on the Atlantic coast, and Benjamin, under the guidance of Captain L. G. Leslie, started for the Gulf coast, via Tampa, and arrived safely at the mansion of Captain McNeill. After remaining nearly two months at Captain McNeill’s, Benjamin was conveyed in a boat to Manatee, and from thence to Sarasoto Bay in a horse-cart, by Rev. E. Glazier, of Manatee; from thence to Cape Florida in a small sail-boat, commanded by Captain Fred. Tresca, also a resident of Manatee. At Cape Florida a larger boat was procured, and after several hair-breadth escapes from Federal gunboats and the perils of the sea, Captain Tresca landed his charge safely on one of the islands of the Bahama group, and returned to Manatee $1,500 richer than when he left home. Benjamin reached England safely, where he has acquired fame and fortune. Should this page by chance meet his eye, he will no doubt be pleased to learn that Captain McNeill, past threescore and ten, has retired from active life and settled in Manatee, surrounded by a large family. Captain Tresca, or Captain “Fred.,” as he is called by his friends, lives with his wife and two children on a small plantation near Braidentown. Although he counts his years away up among the nineties, he is still a well-preserved “old salt.” Rev. E. Glazier is still a resident of Manatee, and looks as though he had renewed his lease of life for another half century. Judas betrayed his Master for the paltry sum of thirty pieces of silver. Twenty-five thousand dollars was the price offered by the United States Government for the corpus of the fugitive. The example of Judas was not followed by those who assisted Benjamin to escape.

There are more than a thousand acres of the rich hammock land belonging to this plantation for sale at from $15 to $25 per acre, according to location. When the fact that it cost originally $75 per acre to clear this land, is taken into consideration, it will be seen that the price at which it is now offered is very low, and places it within the reach of persons of small means. The land will be sold in lots to suit purchasers.

Adjoining the grounds of the Patten mansion is the residence of Hamet J. Craig, who has a young orange grove of three hundred trees and ten acres of hammock land under cultivation. Five miles further on, in a north-easterly direction, is Oak Hill, the former residence of Major W. I. Turner. At this place the major has a bearing orange grove of several hundred trees, and also one of the most promising six-years-old groves of six hundred trees to be found in the Manatee region. Adjoining Major Turner is the grove of Walter Tresca, just coming into bearing, and near by is the young grove of Mr. William Gillett.

Terraceia Island, separated from Snead’s Island by a narrow channel, is bounded on the west by Tampa Bay, on the north by Frog Creek, and on the east by Terraceia Bay. This island contains several tracts of excellent hammock land, most of which is under improvement. On this island are located the bearing orange groves of Messrs. Hallock, Lennard and Williams; Messrs. Kennedy, Howard, Gifford, Watkins, Hobart, Patten and Wyatt are also located on this island. Judge Cessna, of Gainesville, has recently purchased a plantation on the island, and will soon locate there. Other persons on the line of the Transit Railroad having become disgusted with frost and ice, are seeking homes in the Manatee region. On the mainland, on the east side, and about midway of Terraceia Bay, is the plantation of Mr. John Craig. Mr. Craig raises the finest cane and has the reputation of making the best sugar in Manatee County.

A short distance north of Terraceia Island, on the mainland, Hernando De Soto, fresh from the conquest of Peru, where he was associated with Francisco Pizarro, landed his troops in the latter part of May, 1539. He sailed from Havana on Sunday, May 18th, 1539, with his troops embarked in five large ships, two caravels and two brigantines. The disastrous fate of his predecessors in Florida cast no gloom on the mind of De Soto, and his assurances of success imparted confidence to those who accompanied him. He had never been defeated in battle, and was believed by his soldiers to be invincible. His officers were men of valor and ripe experience, and his troops were well disciplined, a majority of them having served in many campaigns, and all were well acquainted with Indian warfare.

His wife, Dona Isabella, did not share his enthusiasm, and desired to accompany him and share the dangers she believed he was about to encounter; but De Soto strenuously opposed her wishes, and encouraged her to believe that the time of reunion was not far distant. The conquest of Florida appeared to De Soto to be an easy task, from which he could soon return with large accessions of wealth and glory.

Contrary and baffling winds kept the squadron tossing about in the Gulf of Mexico for several days. De Soto and his troops obtained their first view of the Land of Flowers on the morning of the 25th day of May, and in the afternoon of the same day they came to anchor about two leagues from the shore. The shoals which extended along the coast prevented the ships from coming nearer. They had, in the meantime, been discovered by the natives, who had kindled beacon-fires along the beach, now known as Pinellas, as signals to collect their forces and be in readiness to repel their enemies. De Soto’s vessels were anchored off the mouth of Tampa Bay, called by the Spaniards the Bay of Espiritu Santo.

The Natchez, who inhabited the neighboring country, were governed by a chief named Ucita, whose hatred of the Spaniards is easily explained. When Pamphilo de Narvaez visited this region in 1528, he was kindly received and hospitably entertained by the Chief Ucita, and a treaty of peace between them was formed; yet, on a very slight pretense, the wily and bloodthirsty Pamphilo caused the chief’s nose to be cut off, and his aged mother to be torn to pieces by dogs! Hence, the reason why Ucita displayed implacable resentment in his behavior to De Soto and his companions in arms.

Thus, it will be seen that from the earliest history of our country, the aborigines have been treated with the most impolitic and unchristian-like barbarity; and it is highly probable that much of that ferocity which characterizes the Indians of the far West at this time, may be ascribed to the harsh and merciless treatment which their ancestors received from the early Spanish explorers, who acted on the principle that the Indians had no rights that a white man was bound to respect.

Wishing to avoid a collision with the Indians at that time, De Soto weighed anchor, and proceeded with his fleet two leagues further up the bay, where he disembarked his troops in boats. The place where he landed was on the eastern shore of Hillsborough Bay, above the mouth of the Little Manatee River, and near the line which separates Hillsborough and Manatee Counties.

The Indians being anxious to get rid of De Soto and his followers, informed them that El Dorado, for which they were seeking, was further northward. De Soto sent his ships back to Havana, and commenced his toilsome march overland, which ended with his death and burial in the Mississippi River, on the 5th day of June, 1542, three years and one month after the date of his arrival in Tampa Bay.