New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-08-16

From Hilton Head to the Ultima Thule OF
Recessia-Pcrnandina and the Old Town
Of ~. Augustine, Fiorida-Its Aspect,
Esistory, and Inhabitants.

| The Department of tie South, al present con.
trolled by Gen. Hunter, consists officially Of "tbe
States of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida
really Of the seaboard of the sAme Some weeks
buck, | waa honored with invitation to accompany
the General on voyage Of inspection to tue diler-
ent ports within his Jurisdiction, comprising Fernan-
dina, st. Augustine, Key West, the Tortugas--per.
hare Pensacola. The title of the voyage explains
tself il involves u particular scrutiny into things
military within the department, and incidentally into
affairs in general Weari,d with the sultry moDOt
| ony aud military torpor Of Hilton Head relieved
only by prospee, Of those necessary pDgnes OF the
service cou t-luartals gladly accepted the oppor-
tunity Of temporary escape 10 lees tropical At
mosrbere, and simultaneously, OF look into the
| ultima lhair ol Secrsta. Accordingly, after delay
of one OF the du-st and hottest OF weeks concevn-
| b e. went on lard tie steamer Delaware, on the
afternoon of the 26ib Of july III company not VIII
Gtn. Hunter, but vi Brg. ticn. Terry 10 whom The
| inspection had been wor,hsiy dsputed. Gen Terry
| commanded the "a Connecticut during the three
months service. and was Colonel Of the 9TH uutl
May la.t. lie iss call man, in the old ms well as
the new EnSsh Senso Of the word ind q most
! By 81 T.. IN. we got of. The Delaware IL hand
some spacious steamer; IN aute-r-ce.sion tunes II
usea to ply between New-York and Philsde ii'hia:
{ Commanded un this occasion by Nap'. rairci"ti u'
coast dat back to the bombardnen, Of Hilton Head,
but wio has been all round the world aud iurtler,
Il affords tian the average OF uanii al comfort,
| he nails of which superintendent by an esIe-
claily excellent purser, Birdrsl, bY nrIe IA loiiy'
ana wirhsl NJ lble nan a. Id wish 10 meet with.
| IL had on board upward OF i75 soul-, inolndog
abon, - officer, ouJany Of the Volunteer tugi..
neer Regiment bound for Fernanoina. the crew, aud
five uulucky prlroners, tenten"d I" limited Danish
nent 10 the Tor ngas. With this freight We Put oat
TO Pea and by 10 o'clock next morning found our
selves ct FrrrnDdna, Florida. IL you look ~ the
mnp Won will had this Place at the extreme northern
border of the State, olo,e TO Georgia. Lake Oil
Sun,hern porls IT In sppTuuet'd by devious tbai-
low river, obrirneted by u zanzibar.
| lie s.i-ct 10 one common enough IN a-boerd
Dixie. On tho night, nIt mar,h or long reaches oi
saud, on the left march and distant woods bric4
fort, An anatomical rier, skeleton s."-'niii ANA
white cottage.lbe houses AMID the iuhorisni vepe-
tat,ou of southern Sumner. 60 sshOrc aud you had
| net walks, paved with small 'h'ls, TWO or 'br'e
" OGDEN churches, and hou'e- II the same material,
embOwered ia tIces-blOstOnlng oIenndcf-, growing
III hi, k as rore-bu-hes the " Pride II InGis tb-
spIky Spanish bayonet, the eh"pD1aI-and q ger
| sIrclve OF sunlight, sand, and mo.scnrcT.d llve-
oaks. All the teDemen's-l do not think there II a
brick or stone ole IN The Ilac'-b"Ne iohs, covered
balcouise come of them Kind OF srbor on top evil
del, for tie benefit 81 ooolnes, 10 the inhabitants
Add railway depot ldlsn-ed .ince our occupation oil
the pl.cel tie beginning Of line crossing the ZEN
! insnla II FLORIDA and You have New'reriiiidin".
/ u.
present visit oar tine being limited; II forms the
s. OF ono OF tbs olGes, Spanish settlements on tins
eontipon; Of tie antique Qualifications are YET
To b. secn.
Yul-e, alias Levi, that "I.rarl'e with Egyrian
| principe, lived IN I,uiaiciia III one al Tie brbt
honres II the place. We find II occupied by the
commander If the poet. Col itch, Of the 3ih Maine,
whose regiment IL here, and invited by the cha iAI
cur ielow-voyaysr, dne1 ht the ferd~ioe o. tr rA-
senator aud prr.ent Rebel. He, aipesrr, WIS
in last That lett FrfnhDdliA
| innd conveyed away most Of the nIabi,antsl I'M
fortunately not the one killed upon tha' occius'on
leisnrely stroll afterwsrd through the sunny, de.
serted streets, GnriuY wiirh We discover hotei
tur, ed into barracks and little open suace, ike
miniature Eugh-h common, with very email grave
ward ~ he center where fepores-on The testimony
OF "A shattered tomb Stone leaning against the feuce,
4" the roiy VI Do nIngo Fernandez, native OF Cat
licin = tiin and we are quite ready tn re-eubafX
on board The Delaware, eEpec ally ~ the orer'art
! Ky threatens min and IA We mediate longer
visit 10 Fernandina Oh our tretqrn. ten. ief9ys
bu-ne,s there l., Ind'e dri-rrrd until tat"eea""
| We il, Oh shore, eli iy during rain-ttorm al
mort tr,Ia al in its fury, until midfight and early
next morning came IN siyht Of q pacr from wbich
nierrrs YOU. Ar tho old III town IN tile late uniIed
Satc.. " tie first permanent fe,tleuiet OF tie WINE
man by more thnn ipry yyars III inns '9uiederucy
| I glo,e tie historian, Fairbanks, wih ia.sing
wisb that he vera pot low fugive ReDel-l re-
garded NJ. Augustine with no email degree OF curl
orily When c,u.lt my FIR. glinlse oi IL, through
tho window III the berth o my cabin; when wen,
ON deck AID behed on the .edYy shores of The anu
GUS river by which il j. approached, pecans fishing
iud looking very unlike their conventional Iicio-
| nal repres.n'aiOne,; when l saw the haH-SPahsn
pilot expressn1 his anxitv for the safe conduct OF
tie Delaware by siec'es Of insane aa".a Oh .uo
deck, my curiosity Increased. ~ u Ny 'no "wo
iu.if d aud saiis'.d.
Looking landward from the rlver, one Gees
long s,a.w all or esplanade, gray old fort 10 the
right, with tall mar'+Ilo tower or lookout az ns
extreme angle others of lesser hight ut lie remain
ing c,rnsss \; long, slender pier on the leii de-
hind and between brow rooted dilapdAted nohses,
with occasional verdurc. Aud TINS " L." ohmPre
a, San Aueusttn," W il was deu dominated IN tue
DAYS of the Philips aid FerdlDaDds, Ia anicipa ION
Of a title since bestowed ON Cuba. Spain, was nj
ways prodigal OF hpe names they coz ag'm"s,
| The pnns Of the old fort gave us h.J'r Gen
or Pa salute ia assumption OF the arrival Of Grn'
| Hunter: the band Of the 4th New-liAnPshire-s
very excellent one-played the national tunes, Ma
tho troops tho riinIarin clisered, ~ we "eas'
up IN the slender pier. Dur appearance Afforded
srnsatio both to tue inhabitants and military so
iourners; for 1t. Augustine u All extremely out-oi.
tbe world place particularly ~ since he advent OF
Secession Here steamer from Hilton Head means
rup,li-s Ietters, newspapers. Only tnihk Oh IL
The ,eo,le had heard absolutely nothing OF PIG
| Ci.Ilan's def mean retreat from Richmond. We
ere the Grst To convey 70 them that Intelligence
In all the pruud consciousness OF posrr-slpg hr
mott AN armful Of TKIBUsEs IA palef particularly
interesting 10 the inbs ants OF riorda' ''oli ".
uoy.l,yl. / went ashore aud registered my na@o ~
~u- OF Tie two hotels q the place A'hefe we're
three. bat one, closed by Secession, 10 now . osr'
r,.ckl and Tor Use ensuing four days devoted NY
vii 10 the contemplation Of 81. Augustine present
and uast--S, Augustine the historical, snd oufipg
he great Rebellion. u, ~,
Very probably You know its history Il Gid n0s
mill esme bither in which case you can SKIP the
ensuing paragraph. Ponce de Leon, felow.voy. yer
viii Columbus, Landed here, or . few uuiss :" 'ns