This text explores the natural history of Texas and more than 2900 springs in 183 Texas counties. It also includes an in-depth discussion of the general characteristics of springs - their physical and prehistoric settings, their historical significance, and their associated flora and fauna.

Reveals how commodity failure, as much as success, can shed light on aspirations, environment, and economic life in colonial societies.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1874.

An account of the discovery and excavation of the French ship La Belle, shipwrecked in 1686 in Matagorda Bay, Texas.