Подорож на Місяць
Florida and Texas
Then,plungingintotheGulfofMexico,itsubtendsthearcformedbythecoastofAlabama,Mississippi,andLouisiana;thenskirtingTexas,offwhichitcutsanangle,itcontinuesitscourseoverMexico,crossestheSonora,OldCalifornia,andlosesitselfinthePacificOcean.Itwas,therefore,onlythoseportionsofTexasandFloridawhichweresituatedbelowthisparallelwhichcamewithintheprescribedconditionsoflatitude.
Florida,initssouthernpart,reckonsnocitiesofimportance;itissimplystuddedwithfortsraisedagainsttherovingIndians.Onesolitarytown,TampaTown,wasabletoputinaclaiminfavorofitssituation.
InTexas,onthecontrary,thetownsaremuchmorenumerousandimportant.CorpusChristi,inthecountyofNueces,andallthecitiessituatedontheRioBravo,Laredo,Comalites,SanIgnacioontheWeb,RioGrandeCityontheStarr,EdinburghintheHidalgo,SantaRita,Elpanda,BrownsvilleintheCameron,formedanimposingleagueagainstthepretensionsofFlorida.So,scarcelywasthedecisionknown,whentheTexanandFloridandeputiesarrivedatBaltimoreinanincrediblyshortspaceoftime.FromthatverymomentPresidentBarbicaneandtheinfluentialmembersoftheGunClubwerebesiegeddayandnightbyformidableclaims.IfsevencitiesofGreececontendedforthehonorofhavinggivenbirthtoaHomer,hereweretwoentireStatesthreateningtocometoblowsaboutthequestionofacannon.
