Lily and the Totem, or, The Hugenots in Florida, A Series of Sketches, picturesque and Historical, of the Colonies of Coligni, in North America. 1562-1570. By the author of "The Yemassee"

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liS TilE LrLY AND TilE TOT£)[. reposed himself for several hours. It is pleasant to hear our Frenchman's discourse of the beauty of the spot where his sicst::L was enjoyed. " Upon tl10 top tllC!rcof, wo found nothing else but cedars, palms, and bay trees, of so sovereign odor, that balm smcllcth nothiug in comparison. The trees were cn,•ironed round with vines, bearing grapes in such quautity that tho number would suffice to make the place habitable. Touching tho pleasure of tho place, the sea may be seen plain and open from it; and moro tban five leagues off, ncar the river Belle, a man may behold tho mcadowcs, di,•idcd asunder into isles and islets, interlacing ono :mother. Briefly, the place is so pleasant, that tl10sc wl10 arc mclaucholie would be forced to change their humour.'' There is uo exaggeration in this. Such is the odor of the shrubs-such is the picturesqueness of the prospe~t. Lnudonniere departed with great reluctance ft·om a region so favorable to health, so beautiful to tho eyr, and which promised so abundautly of fruits and mineral treasures. llis course lay northwardly, in search of the colony of Captain Albert. !Io passes the ri\'er of Seine, four leagues distant from the May, and continues to the mouth of the Sommc, some six leagues further. Hcrli'lle casts anchor, lands, and is received with friendly wel­come by the Parncoussy, or king of the place, whom he describes as " one of the tallest nnd best-proportioned men that may be found. His wife sate by him, which, besides her Indian beautie, wherewith she wns greatly cnflucd, had so Yirtuous a counte­lJanco and modest grav itic, that thoro was not one amongst us but did greatly commend her. She had in her trninc five of her daughters, of so good gmce and so \vell brought up, that I easily persua.ded myself th11t their mot.hor was their miBtressc." 119 If ere Laudonnicre i.<J 11gain presented with specimens of tho precious metals, and here we find l1im already in consultation with his men, touching the propriety of abandoning tl1e settl ement of Fort Charles, the fate of which I1C has heard in his progress from the Indians, for the more attractive regions of the rh·cr 1\Iay. !lis arguments for tbis preference, may be given in his own language. "If we passed farther to tho north to scokc out Port Royall, it would be neitl1er very profitable nor convenient, .... althou,;b the haven were one of the fairest 9f the 'Vest Indies: but that, in this case, the question was not so much of the beau tie of tho plueo ru1 of tl1ings necessnry to sustainc life. And that for our inhabiting, it was much more needful for us to plant in places plentiful of victunll, than in goodly havens, faire: dccpo and plcnsante to tho viC\v. In consideration whereof, I wns of opinion, if it seemed goode unto them, to scale ourselves about the river of 1\Iay: see­ing also, that, in our first voyago, wee found the same onely, among all the rest, to aboundc in maize and corn ; besides the gohlt and silvt.r that was fou,?ulthtre; a thing that p~tt me in lwpt. of some happie di.scoctrie in time to come." Doubtless the last was the conelusi,·e suggestion. The views of Laudonnicrc were promptly agreed to by his followers; and, sailing back to tho river of May, they reached it at daybreak on the 29th June. "Il:n•ing cast anchor, I embarked all my stuffJ and the souldiors of my company, (in the pinnace we may sup­pose,) to saylo right towards the opening of the river : wherein we entered a good way up, and found a crceke of a reasonable bignisse wL.ich invited us to refresh ourselves a little, while wee reposed ourselves there. Afterward, wee went on shore to seckc