The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-05-20
a Second Artemus Ward gives the
Statistics OF Florida.


Second Artemus Ward gives the
Statistics OF Florida.
The Florida Peninsular publishes
the following letter in answer to par
tieular inquiries which q gentleman
in Alabama had directed to the post
master ut Manatee, Fla:
~ MANATEE, S. FLA.
,R. G. H., Ambur7,, Ala.:
Your letter addressed to the post
master of this village is duly to hand.
The locality is very healthy, and
has never boon sickly; but the people
are delicate, mostly complaining of
their heads (and they have just cause
of complaint) and the emptiness of
their pockets and stomachs. We are
fifteen miles from Egmont light
house, and directly on the Manatee
River, when we are not in it, which
happens whenever there is q high
tide. which empties into Tampa Bay,
which emp&es into the Gulf of Mex
leo. The inhs Etts are subject to
all the fashionable diseases, but rarely
ever have them all at once, not being
able to afford luxuries. We keep on
hand the yellow, bilious, putrid,
typhoid, typhus, broken-bone, inter-
mittent, rheumatic and greenback
fever-the last named generally fatal
to old persons.
The water is good to sail upon and
to catch fish out of, but the only
creature that can drink it without
whiskey and sugar, and with impuni-
ty, is the alligator. We drink any
think that is given us; but when we
are obliged to use water, we prefer
rain water, which we don't catch in
cisterns, but in gourds, barrels and
puddles. We have only one spring
here, and that is on Peter Shorter's
OK cart.
We have very little real land here,
but plenty of sand and Gates field
and Pelot's watermelon patch. The
products are palmetto, wild hogs,
and heas.
The country is timbered in the
usual manner, with trees; they are of
great size; two trees usually make one
bee!gum. The more one plants upon
an acre, the less it will produce, at
least above ground.
The largest game we have is
''seven up" or sold sledge," and
now and then "poker" and "brag"-
very little brag here, however.
We have two kinds of society
Christians and heathens; very little
OF the former. We have only one
church in the town, and that is pine,
1 believe, but I will let you know
positively in my next.
The political people are mostly
black and white. We have no radi-
Gals, and unless we get one soon,
Judging from appearances, there will
be none to spare from the North,
the late elections having used up their
stock.
Our school teacher is very good
man. He never beats his vile or
children, and, I believe, clothes and
feeds them. This is hearsay, how
ever. We have but one school, but
there is plenty of room for more.
We have only one lawyer. His
ability to charge is good, but his
practice hardly pays.
We have q population here, and
if many moro people come, or are
born here, it will increase. For con-
science sake, it may be divided into
classes-male and female. I nearly
forgot another large class; they wear
trowsers, but are called "old wo-
men,"
There are many blacks here, prin-
cipally Bill Hunter and his charming
wife. Mrs. Hunters conduct as
maiden, wife and mother has been
most exemplary; but 1 am sorry 1
cannot speak SO highly of Mr.. Hun
ter, for he charges one dollar and
fifty cents per day for his work,
whereas Primus Gates, our other CO.
lored brother, only gets ten dollars
per month.
There are printed newspapers in
the town; but they are printed before
they get here from Tampa.
Our markets are very good-when
. we reach them. 1 will name few:
New York, New Orleans, Boston,
Cape Cod, jersey City. and Shaw's
Point. Our way of getting our gar
dening 'sarse" to market, If we have
any to sell, will be per Brady's fiat,
Lees coffin, and Griffith's pollywog.
The cars don'b run here, but away
from, bara Tho nearast Iaoot e