Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1871-02-25

lying a few miles to the soutli-east.-
Ten miles above this point Is the
mouth of the Ocklawaha. At this
point Is the oldtown of Welaka, once
the site of an Indian village, and af-
forwards a lourishing Spanish settle
ment n w scarce n vestige of either
Of these populations survives to tell of
their existence, so completely has
time leveled everything. The next
object of interest is
LAKE GEORGE
which we reached after n few miles
run of the steamer "Starlight.u This
lake is some sixteen miles long and
more than half that distance across.
On entering 1t, several islands are
seen, and II of considerable size,
called Rembrandt's that contains
near 1000 acres, OH which an orange
grove stands, and u two story fr me
house, which is rather a novelty, since
few houses of any sort are seen on
the river, so much of q wilderness is
it-even the shore of this lake is
scarce broken In its entire circumfer-
ence by any settlement.
The st. Johns is separated from
the ocean its entire length by a COM
paratively narrow strips of land not
over forty miles in average width. Its
banks are mostly low very apt to he
swampy, and are densely covered
with the primeval forest-live oaks,
bay-gum, and magnolia, hung with
the long waving drapery Of solemn
moss, while the beautiful palm with
its crested crown sentinels its shores
beneath and interviewer among these
are the iessamine and creeping vines
lacing the underground over with an
unbroken verdure, and rising from
the water to the tree. tops. Then a
dell appears, festooned withdrawing
and ~o'er-arching growths, gracefully
c%urtaining its entrace, and tempting
its bellOlder within the halfhidden
sylvan retreat farther on, and a
broad eXpanse, or savanna is seen,
bounded by the distant forest, with
here and there a solitary palmetto
standing alone like a plume.
The river here and there closes to
within u hundred feet, and Is con-
stantly turning the sharpest of an
giles, running back beside itself, fas-
cinated with its own beauty as it were
then whisking suddenly about, as il
on u wager to Guido itself. On either
hand, glimpses are had of bays and
mineral waters, whose surface and
shores seem likely never to have
walked to other echoes than those
of the wild birds that irhabit them.
Again the river seems lost i'm u be-
wildering perspective ofsilverstream-
lets, separated only by some narrow
knife blade of meadow-land and flow
ers; but up them they are all verdure-
banked and moss-hung and vine-cur-
tained-the very picture of tropical
profussion and loveliness. the swell
ing waves from the passing steamers
lift and move away islands that just
now were, but q moment after are
seen drifting with the current and
breeze in fragmentary sections.
Along the banks, and at the more
elevated portions, crops out just UNI
der the soil n crust of Il foot In thick
ness, of snail shell formation and
also the coquina, a species of she'll
rock, was seen. The river Is but n
chain of lakes-groveso of wild oranges
are frequently seen on the banks o
the river, laden with the yellow fruit
; After twelve hours run we reach
LAKE MOORE,
which stands at the head of regular
! steamboat navigation on the st
, Johns. Entering this handsom,
5 sheet of water, of about five miles il
diameter and nearly circular, we are
, able to discern its two principal point,
of interest. The first is Mellonville
ON the western shore, formly the sit,
of Port Mellon. The town contains
! about one dozen buildings, and look
. desolate. On the eastern shore il th,
town of Enterprise, consisting Of
hotel and half n dozen buildings. A
\ - -..,. c,.,.. tls. lnaN T., a..
D celebrated Green Spring. IL is circu
t lar in form, and nearly eighty feet il
:, diameter; and its surface is as smootl
and unrippling as If CONCEALED. Tn
= water is of adelicate green and quit,
e transparent. Its depth is said to b.
! full and hundred feet. 1t is simply
. ,,,..s,, n,.l l. xrfsftnl aG sttah