Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-04-15
NATIONAL ETELLIGENCER.
A WINTER INuE SOUTH.
sr. AuoUsrrM nvc,,,,

in the United States propose no no at all into its in
teresting and romantic history, athOyh, if had time
and opportunity rummage among chiyes Of Spain
and England would like nothing better nan to writei
history in full for since the time that its So was usurp
ed by Melendez from the Chief of the lust two
hundred and eghynne years ago. it has bee the scene
alike Of Spanish rule and persecution, Of Hgsnot mis-
fortune of buccaneer outrages, of British vasud con-
quest and of savage revenge, until find titus il ia
now the least thriving and in its aspect the most resn
city belonging to Confederacy. We may indeeasay
Of Florida in general that, the Of continAd
changes and Of violence its history is melancho
than that Of any of its sister States War and boodshed
have from the earliest times been its chief inheritance
and the Fountain of Perpetual YOUTH with the gold mines
that helped to give universal fame, have long since
melted into air and will remembered in future
years when connected with the Of De Leon and De
Eoto as the fables of the land But the sword and
the spear have given place to the plough and the pruning
hook, and peace is resting in all her berders may
now hope that what has heretofore been the Of dis
cord and carnage win hereafter be the home Of prosperity
and contcntment
NY object in this letter is simply describe ST. Au-
gustine as it now appears The position of the city
upon the extreme point of tongue Of low sandy land
formed by the junction of the ST. Sebastian river and the
small bay Of North river which affords safe harbor for
the smaller class of vessels and while the country the
west is low, sandy, and covered with pine forest, the
prospect the east comprehends the fat island of Anas
tatia famous for shell stone coquna quarry, and
surmounted by lighthouse originally Spanish look
out and beyond which sweeps the Atlantic ocean The
plan Of the city, which in the style Of the ancient Span
ish military towns, is paralleogram, raVersed lonsi-
tudinally by two very streets ntersected by
equally narrow Streets oil Of them unpaved, whereby
number Of squares are formed around which built
Of wood and occasionally Of stone the few hundred
dwar6sh fantastic ancient dapdated and extensively
baconed and gaberooed houses which characterize the
town You enter the place the anward sdeby
bridge spanning the marshy Sebastian and it protected
from the incursons of the by massive sea-wa,
which is the fashionable promenade and from which
ects the solitary wharf of the port whose commerce
is represented by the occasional arrival of steamboat
from Savannah and some half-dozcn fishing boats In
every direction unmisakable evidences of the fact
that FIRE time have done their best to make this spot
the home of desolaon; and while the more ancient
houses such as residence Of old Governor
old CUSTOM house. proclaim the opulence and good taste
of their builders many others would lead to suppose
that their cramped for and very poor
Ruined mansions and ruined wells predoninate with not
few reduced families; and, while the mere business man
could hardly spend day here without signing be away,
there is an abundance OF material TO be found the town
and its vicinity crafty for long time the lovers of the
picturesque and kindhearted population, of good iv
ing and fair sporting md agreeable society," which may
ali be enioyed undera sky where the of
are almost perpetual and where roses, rich and rare
bloom Throughout the winter and the beautiful date tree
with the cabbage palmetto aud orange vie with the olean
der and magnolia in ording it the unpretend
ing but not less interesting plants which flourish every
where in this latitude
The population of st. Augustine is somewhere about
twenty five hundred and although it boasts of small
but highly intelligent class Of American citizens large
proportion descendants of families who the story
goes were deceituly lured to Florida for selfish pur-
poses from the island of Minorca by an Englishman
phuu Thonu II boac char nped n annu-
ber of times having passed from the Spaniars to the
English and back again to the Spanards and from. them
purchased by Uncle SAM the character of its people has
undergone but little change The Minorcans chiefly
Roman Catholics, mild and inosnsye race, and, in
the small ways Of fishing and shop-kceping industrious
They live little, and their limited savings mostly
them small income. Their numerical superiority en-
abes them to elect thor city rulers and by way Of
showing their regard for the doctrine Of protection they
impose an annual tax upon their own slaves of fifteen
cents and upon those owned elsewhere, but employed
here tax Of dollars ASS community they poor,
and yet native panpers are unknown They are small in
stature but delight in large famies and that they
honest is proven by the fact that they do harbor in
their midst such affair jail In their social inter
course the Mnocans are generally somewhat exclusive
for very good reason doubt; and, as matter of
COURSE the intelligent and refined portion of the
community among whom nre several Mnorcan families
occupy pbere of their The little business of the
place sarred on by the former class but it may please
fue vsiters learn that the hotels and boarding
Are al under tho management of Southern individuals
win Northern principles of domestic economy. From
PERSONAL experience can only speak Of Of these
establishments kept by Miss Fato, estmable and
popular lady and If the others home-ke and com
Portable this, the ancient city well be proud Of her
houses for the accommodation of travellers and nvad
And thus much in general way, of the quaint, isolated
famous and almost useless city of ST. Augustine. That
it abounds in curosites may well be imagined but the
only two that be understandngly described by the
pen the Castle of st. Mark and the City Plaza.
st. Mark, though castle by name, is really nothing
NOR of strength built by
ish Government according the approved principles
of military science. By many intelligent people it might
be correctly deemed splendid affair; and yet in
official document of General Government, by whose
mandate it Is sometimes called Fort Marion it has been
pronounced merely "good specimen Of military archi
lecture" 1t number of ut the northern
tremy of the city, and is approached through very
picturesque gateway in ruins 1t built of coquna stone
with thick walls twentyone feet high and its four bas-
toned angles surmounted with graceful watch
The work. which slopes to the sde is eur
rounded the three others by broad and deep ditch
moat with perpendicular walls Of masonry over which
is thrown bridge to the entrance gate which was for
mcrly protected by draw The descent to this bridge
by two fights of winding stone steps, at the junction of
which placed block of stone, with round basin Lol-
the main entrance are in block the Spanish coat Of
and inscription in Spanish which may be trans
lated as follows: Don Ferdinand the Sixth being the
King of Spain and the Field Marsha. Don Aonzo Ferran-
dos de Hera being Governor and Captain General of this
place St Augustine of Florida and its province hereby
clare that this fortress finished in the year 1856 The
works directed by the Capt Engineer Don Pedro de
Brazas Garay." The cost Of the fortress which was
thar fifty years in building, has been estimated at