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'a peculiar people.THE LAST OF THE RACE OFMINORCANS.A Strange People In the Lantern Partof Florida Who Are Rapidly FinningAwujr — Their Language'll (JueerSound*The people of no state in the union have had no more sudden and violent changes in their personnel and character than those of Florida. For 280 years after the discove;y of the stale by the Spaniards, in 1512, it was a constant struggle between the Spanish, the English, and, in some part, the French, as to which should be the predominant element of the population. If the Spaniards had been as bent upon colonization as they were upon adventure and spoliation of the aborigines they would have impressed upon Florida their race type and language, so that after the lapse of quite a century after the independence of the colonies had been achieved these would haveas strong a hold as the French character and language have today upon the people of Louisiana, which was once comprehended in what was vaguely spoken of as the Floridas/* Instead of this being the case, the Spanish type is Jess prevalent in Florida today than one familiar with its early historywould suppose, and especially in west Florida, where the Spanish adelantados were wont to show their fine feathers at Penascola, the seat of government, and to issue forth upon these expeditions in whose results the element of tragedy overshadowed those of romance. At the time the Spaniardsceased to control Florida it is estimated that no more than 7,000 of them were within the borders of the state. Gen. James Grant, the first English governor of East Florida, was appointed in 1763. Immediately upon the beginning of hie administration he set about drawing to the state an industrious class of emigrants from the British islands. Among other influences set in motion to increase the populationwas the formation of an association in London, at the head of which was Dr. Andrew Turnbull, to form a settlement upon a valuable tract of land near Mosquito inlet. At an expense of $166,-U0O Sir William Duncan and Dr. Turnbull brought from Smyrna, on the Mediterranean, under indentures, 1,500 Greeks, Italians, and Minorcans, and in 1767 effected v. settlement which they called New Smyrna. The indenturesrequired the emigrants to work a cer-; tain number of years for the companyi for the money spent for their passage [ and support. The soil was found to be ' very rich, and the river and forests f abounded in fish and game. The prin-! cipal articles cultivated were indigo and sugar, but the vine and fig were not neg-i leeted. Because of severe punish-* merits inflicted upon some of their number an insurrection broke out among the colonists in 1769, but it was1 suppressed and the ringleaders executed after being tried at St. Augustine, j In nine years, because of inhuman• treatment and sickness, the colonists had been reduced from 1,400 to 600. Inj 1776 two of the colonists went to St. Augustine and placed their grievances before Attorney General Yonge, in the , hope of securing some relief from the intolerable abuses practiced by their proprietors by virtue of the indentures.Upon a civil trial of the issues at St. Augustine the indentures were cancelled and the unfortunate colonists, were released from all obligations to the proprietors. These latter madt* liberal offers to the Minorcans, for such were all the colonists designated, to remain at New Smyrna anti to con tine to cultivate the lands as freeholders; but ihe unfortunates had had enough of Dr. Turnbull's slavery, and the entireI Bcolony removed to St. Augustine, receiving allotments of land in the northern part of the city. Dr. Turnbull, it is conjectured, must have lost most of the money he had Invested in the enterprise, for, although the colony had been brought to a good pitch of cultivation. it required great additional outlay to effect this, and the returns innine years would not have been anyreimbursement. In 1870, when my father removed from west to east Florida, the Minorcans were a very numer* j Otis people indeed at St. Augustine and | on til* St, John's river from Pieolata to jkayport, at the month of the river. They were a very runty and swarthy people, some of them olive colored. Their hair was usually jet black and very coarse and thick. Their average height must have been four and a half feet, a few of them were given to obesity, but in rhc main they were a Very slender race, though as sturdy as Mexican bronchos. They were remarkablyclannish, seldom marrying outside of j their race circle. * i
Newspaper Details
Bloomington Courier
Bloomington, Indiana, US
Fri, Apr 26, 1895
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
FL, USA 10 Feb 2023
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