Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-05-02

The long peninsula which runs out into the
Atlantic. forming the southern part of Florida,
has always been occupied by a singular ,ncees-
sion ol -avnnnahs. hnmmocls. agoon- swanps
aud forests, nearly mpregnable and quite unin-
habitable. except rs the lurking place Of Semi
noe-. They extend into the henri of the coun-
Try. 2oD miles north of Cape Sable, and, eollec-
tiYely, are called The Everglades"
During the past winter, natural outlet has
opened somewhere, which is draining the ever
glndes dry Formerly two months, though no
water flowed out ofany of the known outlets the
waier III the gndes continued to fall rapidly. The
invisible vent must have discharged II volume
equal to The Mississippi River.
\ letter from a resident, dated April 81, says:
Tho everglades nre extremely dry-hternlly
parehe1 up--whieh has not occurred before in
the twenty five years that hive lived in this re.
eon. aud have hunted on them almost every
son during TINT time"
Vessels passing tho coast, report that they
hive seen brnckirh. discoored water at various
points, ~ II it was pouring out of th" swamps.
but the stories are 81 NHgue aud conflicting TINT
il Is impossible Ia determine whether n new riv-
or has formed through some labyrinth of lngoon-
aud Islands, ar whether there Is cavornuus,
suhtcrrnnean passage to the depths of the Sea.
One of the Coast Survey vessels, at work in
TINT quarter, sailed ON an exploring cruise in
search Of it, in March but a storm arose which
drove II back To port, and compelled abandon.
ment Of the search.
Florida has always been noted for its mysieri
aus streams. There sevaral creeks md riy-
ers Of hmpid water, in the State which sink into
the earth and disappear. Others rise suddenly
out ol the ground one Of which CHE Wnkulln) is
navgahlo from it, very source. The strange
counts of them which reached Spnin, in the early
yrars 81 discovery led Ponce de Le.n thlther in
search ol the "fountmn Of Gonth."
SuunnwCrs II e'rcs"Htiv. OF Ee,rr nui tguc.
Lieutenant Maury, in nn article communea-
ted IL the Rurai Aeir YORKER maintains that
The growing of snnilpwcr@ aroundu dwelling 10
cntrd near II fever and ngur region, ncutra2es
the mia slna IN which that disease originates. He
WIS led to experiment on the subject in conse-
qaeuee Of the dwelling If the Superintendent of
thu Observatory at Washington having been ron
dered mjnhablabe five months in the year by
the tniasma that arises from the marshes which
nearly surround it. Tho rank glass and weeds
which cover these ma, she's begin Ia decay early
in August. and by them the miasma is evolved
Mr., Maury's theory was that the poisonous mat
ter which evolved must have been elaborated
during tho growth of the weeds. aud set free in
their decay, On this supposion, by planting
other vegetable matter between the house and the
marshes, aud bringing it into vigorous growth
about the time that that of the marshes began
to decay, the poisonous matter mi ht be absorb
cd and again elaborated into vegetable tissue, and
so purify the air.
In the spring of 1856 a belt about forty five
feet broad, between the observatory and the
marshes, WINS prepared and planted with sunAow
ors, which Lieut.. Maury recoected having sopn
growing about the cabins in the West. where it
WIS said to be "healthy" to have them. The
flowers grew finely, and the result com
Plete success, although the chlls appeared Mt
the White House and other places the watehmen
! at the Observatory. who were most exposed TO
| the night air; weathcrcd the summer clear of
ehlls and fever. Previously, two or three re-
| lays Of these mon would be attacked during the
| season.
Lieut. Maury says that an acre of sunnowers
with absorb during their growth many thousand
| gallons of water more than supplied by the
rains. They Of easy cultivation, and the
seeds, which are very valuable, find ready may
ket at the drug stores. Mr.. Mary suggests
that water lilies planted in marshes would pro
duoe the same effect as sunflowers.