Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-08-06

prevent her giving any alarm; tnen
they brought her back to the house,
and after securing her also, retired
The neighborhood had no information
of what had occurred at the priests
house till next morng."
Ne,U- York Even. Post.
ed in describing the natural curiosities of West
Florida. His account of the remarkable
spring and cavern described below, will be
read with interest:
Cat twelve miles distant from the
Tallihasse, is the Big Spring,the source
of the Wakulla river. This celebrated
fountain is onstof the greatest natural
curiosities in the United States. AS
cending the river about one mile below
its source, it becomes SO much obstruc-
ted by flags and river weeds, that it is
with great difficulty that boat can be
propelled up the stream: suddenly this
immense spring breaks upon the eye.
1t is nearly one mile in breadth, and Of
a circular form. The water is almost
as transparent as air itself. 1t is of all
unfathomable depth, which gives the
water deep blue tint, similar in APP
pearance to the water in the gulf
stream. 1t is said that plumb has
drawn down $50 fathoms Of line with
out finding any bottom. After arriv-
ing in the centre Of the spring in a
small boat upon clear day, the APP
pearance Of the azure vault above, and
the blue depth below US, gives rise TO a
succession of the most singular ideas.
1t appeared after obstructing the SUR
rounding foliage from the mind that we
were suspended in the immense regions
of space. The water is highly impreg-
mated with decomposed limestone,
which gives it that extremely transpa-
rent appearance, which can only be &C
counted for by supposing that water
impregnated with calcarous substances,
has much less retroactive powers for
light, than water in state Of purity
The temperature Of the water is very
low, even in the warmest weather it
has all icy GOODNESS. 1t has however a
nauceous taste, by being highly i'm
pregnated with the sulphuret of lime.
On the northern side of this spring,
beautiful hammock rises gently from
the water; this is the scite Of the for
mer English Factory for the Indian
trade, while this country was under the
British crown, and afterwards the resi-
dence Of the celebrated Ambrister, exc
cuted during the Seminole campaign.
This fountain is fed from subterrane-
Gus sources which gush from the bow
els of the earth with incredible force,
rising in the centre with the velocity
of boiling water; some idea may be
formed of the power with which it
rushes from the earth, by its displacing
a column of water of more than two
hundred and fifty fathoms in height,
and removing with violence the water
on the surface. This spring is about
twelve miles from fort St. Marks, and
about twenty from the ocean.
"The arch cave, situate in Jackson
county, about mile south Of the pub
lie road leading to, and about three
miles distant from, the ferries On Chi
polia river, opens to the east by an a.
perture of thirty feet wide and four or
FIVE in height. 'Ehe passage descends
for three or four rods, at an angle Of IS
degrees, and the cavern gradually o.
pens to an hundred feet wide and fifty
feet high. A deep channel filled with
transparent water, skirts the south side
for some distance, then breaks off in
swells and finally disappears. The
course of the cave is about N. w. and
resembles an arch of the Gothic order.
In about sixty yards it is crossed by
stream twenty feet wide and five feet
deep, which contains abundance of
craw fish. After crossing the stream,
the arch turns rather east of north, and
presents a hall one hundred yards in
length; pretty straight, but with an un-
even floor, forming nils and valleys;
the base red clay covered with the
dust, decomposed from the rock above.
A range of beautiful columns fills the
centre of the hall, while thousands OF
stalectiles stretch down their long
tubes towards the white bases, which
are growing up to meet them from the
floor. Many large holes in the arch
are filled with bats, who on the APP
proach oflight fit off into recesses Of
the rock, with a noise like thunder.-l