Читать книгу History of Duval County - Pleasant Daniel Gold - Страница 5

WHEN Duval was New France, the St. Johns River, which has for over three hundred and fifty years played so important a part as an artery of traffic, was called Illaca by the Indians. Admiral Jean Ribault, the leader of the first expedition of French Huguenots, named it Reviere de la Mai, in honor of the day of its discovery by him, May 1, 1562. The Spaniards called it Rio de San Mateo when they first knew it, and later Rio de San Juan. The English anglicized the Spanish name, calling it the St. Johns.

Ribault' s expedition in 1562, which resulted in the discovery of the river and the establishment of a colony thereon two years later, was the direct result of the civil and religious wars that had raged in France for many years. Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, head of the Protestant party, desiring to find a home in the new world for his followers, fitted out an expedition in 1562 and chose Ribault as its commander. Permission was obtained from Charles IX, King of France, to settle the new territory, claimed by him by virtue of discoveries in 1524, of Juan Verrazani, an Italian navigator in the French service. The King aided Coligny in fitting three vessels, with two smaller ones carried aboard the larger ones while crossing the ocean, and a complement of one hundred and fifty men, including a Huguenot preacher. They sighted Florida April 30, 1562, and sailed north, reaching the mouth of the River of May, now the St. Johns, May 1. He landed and set up a column denoting his possession of the country for his King.

Some writers claim that Ribault proceeded up the river several miles, but this is doubtful for, according to his own statement, he only spent two days in the vicinity and could not have had time for extended explorations. In his account he is enthusiastic over the beauties of the country. The Indians were friendly and gifts were exchanged. The two days' visit has a significance in the History of Duval County and of Florida in that Ribault' s discovery of the River of May pointed the way for the establishment of a French Huguenot colony here two years later. He was probably the first white man to come to the present territory of Duval County. Ponce de Leon landed in latitude thirty degrees eight minutes north on April 2, 1512, which is not far south of the River of May but it is in the present limits of St. Johns County.

Ribault, after his sojourn of two days, continued northward and landed a colony on Port Royal Sound, South Carolina. He built a fort there which he named Charlesfort, in honor of his King, and erected another column to substantiate his claim to the territory for his sovereign. Here he left a colony and proceeded homeward, promising to return with supplies within six months; but when he reached France, found it again engulfed in civil war. Readily joining the Huguenot side he was soon engaged in a battle in which his party suffered defeat and he was forced. to flee to England. Here he was thrown into prison. His colony at Charlesfort, reduced to starvation, attempted to reach France in a small ship. Their misery was so great that cannibalism was resorted to among the members of the crew before a remnant reached home. This was the tragedy of the first attempt to colonize New France, a name given to all the territory claimed by France in North America.

In 1563 civil war was temporarily halted and Coligny determined to make another attempt to colonize the Huguenots in New France. Ribault was in prison and the only leader upon whom he could depend was René Gaulaine de Laudonnière. who had accompanied Ribault on his first expedition and was familiar with the territory. After careful consideration the River of May was selected as the proper location for the colony.

Following Ribault' s first expedition, the Spanish minister at Paris had reported to the King of Spain the activities in Florida which was claimed by the Spanish government as its territory by right of discovery by Ponce de Leon. In the interim between the departure of the French garrison from Charles fort and the sailing of Laudonnière from France, the Governor of Cuba, by order of the King of Spain, sent a vessel to destroy the two columns and the fort erected by Ribault. Maurigue de Rojos, the Spanish commander, was unable to locate the column at the mouth of the River May, but succeeded in destroying Charlesfort and sent the column, erected there, to Spain.

Laudonnière sailed with three small vessels from Havre, France, on April 22, 1564. According to Lowery there were three hundred people in the expedition sailors, soldiers, " and the balance artisans of every description, besides a number of servants for the soldiers, and pages and four women, one of whom went in the capacity of chambermaid and housekeeper to Laudonnière. " These were probably the first white women to set foot within the present limits of the United States. Two months from the date of sailing the fleet arrived off the coast of Florida, June 22, 1564. The location was the present harbor of St. Augustine, which Laudonnière named the River of Dolphins. The following day he proceeded north to the mouth of the River May, on which he had promised Coligny to establish a colony.

Laudonnière states his reason for the selection: " To the southward there was nothing but a flat marshy country unfit to inhabit, and from the report of those who were left at Charlesfort the country thereabouts was not productive, while the means of subsistence seemed to abound on the River May; and upon their first visit they had seen gold and silver in the possession of the natives, a thing which put me in hope of some happy discovery in time to come. "

Laudonnière selected a spot for his fort a few miles from the mouth of the river, on a plain which he named Vale of Laudonnière. It lay immediately to the west of a high hill, and here he erected a fort of triangular shape, which he named Fort Caroline for Charles IX, King of France. This hill is what is now known as St. Johns Bluff, which rises about seventy-five feet above the river. To the west the ground slopes gradually along the river bank to a marsh about a half mile away, and to the south extends over a gently rolling and well-wooded country about a mile to a well-defined line where the flat woods begin. This was the Vale of Laudonnière. On the east side of the Bluff the land drops precipitously to a creek at its foot and beyond lies a continuous marsh intercepted by San Pablo Creek and other estuaries. Part of this marshland has been reclaimed in recent years by dredging from the river channel.

To one standing on the top of St. Johns Bluff and viewing the surrounding country, it takes little imagination to see the reason this site was selected for the colony. To the east the river winds through the marsh, reaching the sea about five miles away in a straight line; expanses of blue ocean can be seen with the naked eye, a continuous view only being interrupted by the housetops and trees in Mayport and other settlements near the beach. When in 1564, Laudonnière proceeded up the winding channel of the River of May through the low-lying marshlands, St. Johns Bluff was the first high ground he found, a natural protection against the storms from the ocean and also affording a splendid lookout for discovery of the approach of friend or enemy. It is doubtful if a better selection could have been made in the vicinity. The land, of the hammock variety, was fertile, as evidenced by a profitable plantation here two hundred and fifty years later. If the colony had been agriculturally inclined, they could have easily produced sufficient to have sustained them.

Laudonnière made friends with the cacique of the Saturiwas, the local family of the Timucuan tribe, and they assisted him in building his fort. He then set out to explore the region and with several boats proceeded up the River of May, discovering an Indian town called Thimagua, on the site of the present town of Mandarin. Here he was advised there lived in the vicinity and farther in the interior nine other caciques — Cadecha, Chilili, Eclanan, Enacoppe, Calany, Anacharagua, Anitagua, Acquera and Mucoso.

The last-named is mentioned by historians as having been met by De Soto in his march through Florida. He evidently lived far beyond the bounds of Duval territory, in fact near the West Coast, but was well known to the Thimaguans by reputation. It was he who saved the life of Juan Ortiz, a Spaniard who came to Florida with Paufilo de Narvaez in 1528, and was captured by the Indians. Ortiz was saved from torture by the beautiful daughter of the chief. The Indian girl led him away to the home of her own betrothed, this same Mucoso, who protected him and returned him to De Soto, eleven years later, in 1539.

Laudonnière' s experience at Fort Caroline was very unfortunate. His colony consisted largely of adventurers, who came to the New World to seek riches, and had no intention of engaging in agricultural pursuits, which should have been the staple of the project. Gold was the lure that led to failure. Stories by the Indians of great riches to the west led to fruitless expeditions and supplies and stores were wasted in these vain efforts. In a land of plenty where game and fish abounded, the colony depended largely upon the Indians for food which they soon tired of furnishing

Plots and conspiracies were soon rife, and Laudonnière' s leadership was questioned. In September, 1564, he sent one of his smaller vessels back to France and with it several of those whom he suspected of conspiracy. This did not relieve the situation, for soon thereafter he was stricken with fever, and the garrison openly revolted. He was seized and confined upon a vessel in the river for fifteen days. The conspirators took two small vessels, built for river navigation, and confiscating such supplies as they wished, set out upon a piratical expedition. Part of these lost their lives in their venture and the others, being out of provisions, returned to Fort Caroline. Laudonnière tried them by court martial and four of the leaders were executed.

As time went on, the situation grew more desperate. The promised relief from Coligny did not arrive and in the summer of 1565 the question of deserting Fort Caroline and returning to France, passed from the stage of discussion into determination, and they set to work to repair their vessels for the voyage.

In the meantime, Laudonnière had made several excursions through the surrounding country; one up the River of May as far as Lake George, another to the north into what is now Nassau County, where he found the widow of a chieftain, named Hia-Caia, who received the Frenchmen kindly and gave them a quantity of supplies.

Before their ships were repaired their provisions were exhausted and their condition became pitiable., The Indians refused supplies to victual their vessels, and they attempted to obtain these from the savages by force. They seized Olata Utina, the most important cacique in the region, and held him for ransom, demanding a goodly supply of food for his release. The coup failed in its purpose, the result was the enmity of the Indians with little compensation in the way of food.

At this time the colony was saved by the arrival of Sir John Hawkins, an English mariner, who, returning from an expedition against the Spaniards, landed on August 4, 1565, at the mouth of the River of May in search of water. The Frenchmen welcomed the English admiral who generously offered to transport the entire colony to France. Laudonnière, however, refused, not knowing, as he stated, " how matters stood between his government and England, and fearing that Hawkins might have some secret and ulterior motive to make so liberal an offer. " The members of the colony, however, had no such scruples and hearing of Hawkins' proposal threatened to leave with the Englishman unless Laudonniere promised means for their immediate departure. The French commander was forced by his own men to accept Hawkins' offer of the smallest of the English vessels, for which he exchanged four pieces of artillery and a quantity of powder and iron. In addition Hawkins generously supplied them with " twenty barrels of meal, five pipes of beans, a hogshead of salt, one hundred pounds of wax, for as much as it is said, he saw the French soldiers were barefoot he took compassion upon them and gave them fifty pairs of shoes; besides this he made presents to all the officers. "

In writing of the transaction Laudonnière says that he gave Hawkins his note of hand in payment — " for which until this present I am indebted to him. "

The English departed and scarcely had the top sails of their vessels disappeared beneath the eastern horizon when the French colony prepared to depart. Le Voyne says: " We were rejoiced enough at getting possession of another vessel besides our own, which was being repaired, and of sufficient provisions for our return; and in consultation it was decided that before our departure the fort should be destroyed; in the first place to prevent its being made serviceable against the French, in case of their ever returning into those parts, by the Spaniards who, as we knew, were desirous of establishing themselves there, and secondly to prevent Saturiona from occupying it. " The preparations were ready and the little colony awaited a favorable wind before deserting and destroying Fort Caroline when on August 29, 1565, Admiral Jean Ribault, with a fleet of seven vessels dropped anchor at the mouth of the River May.