8 Attractions of Florida (1565)

John Sparke was a native of Plymouth England from a good family. He traveled with Sir John Hawkins and wrote about his adventures in Africa, the West Indies, and America. On Hawkins’ second voyage, Sparke visited Florida and wrote about what he saw. While some of his descriptions are fantastical (unicorns and three-headed monsters), his account includes interesting descriptions of the land and people and tells us quite a bit about what interested Englishmen exploring these regions.

In ranging this coast along, the captain found it to be all an island. And therefore it is all low land and very scant of fresh water, but the country was marvelously sweet with both marsh and meadow ground and goodly woods among. There they found sorell to grow as abundantly as grass and where their houses were, great store of maize and grapes of great bigness, but of taste much like our English grapes. Also deer great plenty which came upon the sands before them. Their houses are not many together, for in one house an hundred of them do lodge. They being made much like a great barn and in strength not inferior to ours, for they have stanchions and rafters of whole trees and are covered with palmetto-leaves, having no place divided but one small room for their king and queen. In the midst of this house is a hearth where they make great fires all night and they sleep upon certain pieces of wood hewn in for the bowing of their backs and another place made high for their heads, which they put one by another all along the walls on both sides. In their houses they remain only in the nights and in the day they desire the fields, where they dress their meat and make provision for victuals, which they provide only for a meal from hand to mouth. There is one thing to be marveled at, for the making of their fire, and not only they but also the Negros do the same, which is made only by two sticks rubbing them one against another. And this they may do in any place they come where they find sticks sufficient for the purpose. In their apparel the men only use deer skins, wherewith some only cover their privy members; other some use the same as garments to cover them before and behind. Which skins are painted, some yellow and red, some black and russet and every man according to his own fancy. They do not omit to paint their bodies also with curious knots or antique work as every man in his own fancy devises. Which painting, to make it continue the better, they use with a thorn to prick their flesh and dent in the same, whereby the painting may have better hold. In their wars they use a slighter color of painting their faces, whereby to make themselves show the more fierce; which after their wars ended they wash away again. In their wars they use bows and arrows, whereof their bows are made of a kind of Yew but blacker than ours and for the most part passing the strength of the Negros or Indians, for it is not greatly inferior to ours. Their arrows are also of a great length, but yet of reeds like other Indians. But varying in two points, both in length and also for nocks and feathers which the other lack, whereby they shoot very steady. The heads of the same are vipers’ teeth, bones of fishes, flint stones, piked points of knives which they having gotten of the French men, broke the same and put the points of them in their arrows heads. The women also for their apparel use painted skins, but most of them gowns of moss, somewhat longer than our moss, which they sow together artificially [artfully] and make the same surplice-wise [like a tunic], wearing their hair down to their shoulders, like the Indians.

Notwithstanding the great want that the Frenchmen had, the ground yields victuals sufficient if they would have taken pains to get the same. But they being soldiers desired to live by the sweat of other mens brows. For while they had peace with the Floridians, they had fish sufficient by weirs which they made to catch the same. But when they grew to wars, the Floridians took away the same again and then would not the Frenchmen take the pains to make any more. The ground yields naturally grapes in great store, for in the time that the Frenchmen were there, they made 20 hogsheads of wine. Also it yields roots passing good, deer marvelous store, with diverse other beasts and fowl serviceable to the use of man. These be things wherewith a man may live, having corn or maize wherewith to make bread. For maize makes good savory bread and cakes as fine as flour. The Indians with the head of maize roasted, will travel a whole day. And when they are at the Spaniards finding, they give them nothing but sodden [boiled] herbs and maize. And in this order I saw threescore of them feed, who were laden with wares and came fifty leagues off. The Floridians when they travel have a kind of herb dried, who with a cane and an earthen cup in the end [a pipe], with fire and the dried herbs put together, do suck through the cane the smoke thereof. Which smoke satisfies their hunger and therewith they live four or five days without meat or drink.

The Floridians have pieces of unicorns horns which they wear about their necks, whereof the Frenchmen obtained many pieces. Of those unicorns they have many, for that they do affirm it to be a beast with one horn which coming to the river to drink, puts the same into the water before he drinks. Of beasts in this country besides deer, foxes, hares, polecats, conies, ownces [wildcats], and leopards, I am not able certainly to say. But it is thought that there are lions and tigers as well as unicorns; lions especially. Of fish also they have in the river, pike, roach, salmon, trout, and diverse other small fishes. And of great fish, some of the length of a man and longer, being of bigness accordingly, having a snout much like a sword of a yard long. There be also of sea fishes, which we saw coming along the coast flying, which are of the bigness of a smelt. Of these we saw coming out of Guinea a hundred in a company, which being chased by the gilt heads, otherwise called the bonitos, do to avoid them the better, take their flight out of the water. These bonitos be of bigness like a carp and in color like a mackerel, but it is the swiftest fish in swimming that is, and follows her prey very fiercely. There were some of those bonitos, which being galled by a fishgig, did follow our ship coming out of Guinea 500 leagues. There is a sea-fowl also that chased this flying fish as well as the bonito. We took also dolphins which are of very goodly color and proportion to behold, and no less delicate in taste. Fowls also there be many, both upon land and upon sea. The Flamingo is one, having all red feathers and long red legs like a heron; a neck according to the bill, red.

Here I have declared the estate of Florida and the commodities therein to this day known. Yet am I of the opinion that by that which I have seen in other islands of the Indians, where such increase of cattle has been, that of twelve head of beasts in five and twenty years did in the hides of them raise a thousand pound profit yearly, that the increase of cattle only would raise profit sufficient for the same. For we may consider, if so small a portion did raise so much gains in such short time, what would a greater do in many years? And surely I may this affirm, that the ground of the Indians for the breed of cattle, is not in any point to be compared to this of Florida, which all the year long is so green as any time in the Summer with us. Which surely is not to be marveled at, seeing the country stands in so watery a climate; for once a day without fail they have a shower of rain. Which by means of the country itself, which is dry and more fervent hot than ours, does make all things to flourish therein. And because there is not the thing we all seek for [gold], being rather desirous of present gains, I do therefore affirm the attempt thereof to be more requisite for a prince who is of power able to go through with the same, rather than for any subject.

Source: “Attractions of Florida” (1565),  John Sparke, “The Voyage Made by M. John Hawkins Esquire, 1565”. From Henry S. Burrage (ed.), Early English and French Voyages, Chiefly from Hakluyt, 1534-1608. New York: Scribner’s, 1906. http://www.americanjourneys.org/aj-030/summary/index.asp