The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-11-06

'125.
dred and fifty dollars, and third from nfteeI
dollars to three hundred dollars. This beats
the Palmetto State. Jacksonville has three
hotels, the st. James, the Union and
THE METROPOLITAN,
which hotel is' close to the landing, ano
is kept in handsome style by Mr.. Togni (form
erly OF Charleston) and Mr.. Bettelini. It's
truly comfortable house. Attached to the
hotel is an elegant billiard.room-fner, by
far, than Charleston can show. This is undel
the superintendence of Mr.. N. Fehrenbach. A
fourth hotel sin course of erection, and fiftf
is projected. A short time ago
THE REV. W. W. HICKS
put in an appearance at Jacksonville, where
he delived two lectures; the subject OF one Of
them was Home, Sweet Home. Mr.. Hicks has
preached several times In the city, and is well
thought of there. Gentlemen who knew him
In Charleston say that he retains hs old IRE
and fervor, hut that his voice is broken. He
has bought plantation on the st. Johns, and
proposes TO 60 into the orange business.
Leaving Jacksonville at an early hour on Mon
day morning, the excursionist passes up the
st. Johns River, magnificent sheet Of water.
| One of the interesting points is Mandarin,
where
MRS. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE
resides. This lady seems to be rather tolera-
ted than loved, and 1t is believed that she Is
not now as much ensmored of Cuffee as when
she was engaged In cooking up the CHASTITY
untruths of Uncle Toms Cabin. At Tokoi the
excursionlst leaves the steamer and takes the
railroad for st. Augustine, fifteen miles dis
tant. 1T
THE WORST RAILROAD IN TIE SOUTH
by long odds, and the dearest. The track is
of wood: the car Is an ordinary King street
car, las 1t would be called in Charleston,)
drawn By two attenuated mules. These jolt
and lump the excursionIst along at the rate OF
four miles an hour. For the privilege of being
bruised black and blue and checked with dust,
he pays two dollars. During the three winter
months the cash receipts Of the road average
from four to five hundred dollars day. Surely
this should enable the company 10 do better.
But they don't.
ST. AUGUSTINE
is quaint little place-the oldest town in
America. It's chief lion Is the old fort OF 81.
Marco-now Fort Marion. This fort is two
hundred years old, more or lees, and Is 10 the
custody of Sergeant Mcguire, who has all
the good and. bad points of the cieerone Of
the period. A dungeon is shown where were
found two skeletons sdugly packed In iron
cages, an earlhen pitcher lying just beyond
the tip OF each bony hand. sergea Ma
gulre suggests that these skeletons were those
of two Spanish mobiles of high rauk-a sort
of
MAN WITH THE IRON MASK
business. The view from the ramparts ls
very ane Another sight is the old Roman
Catholic Cathedral, where the lamp OF the
sanctuary is said to have burned, without In
termisslon, for more than two hundred years.
The streets of st. Augustine range from ten to
fifteen feet wide; most of the old houses are
built of cochIna, an artificial stone made of
lime and sea shells, which appears to be inde-
structible. st. Augustine Ia the headquarters
of the manufacturers of
PALMETTO Hats AND RoNNETs.
These are made principally by ladies. Some
of the most tasty hats are ornamented with
plumes of dried teathery grass, and are e1-
ceedingly pretty. A. 7. Stewart & Co., of New
York, are large buyers of these hats. Last
season more than five thousand dollars worth
were sent to that house. The st. Augusl-
mans also make brooches, earrings, sleeve
buttons, &C., OF alllgators' teeth. These are
elaborately carved. It may be noticed, In
passing, that on the st. Johns there Is an
active
DEMAND FOR ALLIGATOR SKINS.
These bringing a dollar each-small pay for
hard shooting. They are exported to Europe
and made Into boots. One Jacksonville house
has an order for two thousand of these skins.
Old as 1t is-perhsps because of the absence
of the eternal "pine and paint"-st. Angus
tine ls a lovesble place. The sea.wall makes
pleasant promenade, and the surf bathing
would freshen the most faded votary OF fashion.
Returning to TokoI By the two-mule railroad,
the excursonist again takes the steamer and
runs up to
PALATKA,
thriving little town, embosomed in orange
groves. At this point the excurslonist may,
If he have time, take the steamer and run up
to Enterprise. This enables him to see the
most picturesque part of the st. Johns. The
country Is broken, and the chain of lakes,
connected by the pellucd river, bordered by
orange groves and fields Of emerald sugar.
cane, make up scene of luxuriant beauty
which is not soon forgotten. But if the ex-
cursionist's leave of absence is sinexorably lin
tied to eight or ten days, it's best for him
to return to Magnolia or Hlbernia or
GREEN COVE SPRINGS.
These are settlements on the st. Johns; de-
pending for their fortunes on the influx OF
health-seekers in the winter. The last named
| Ia town of some four hundred Inhabitants.
It has two hotels. Near one of these-the
Clarendon House-and belonging to Its pro.
prIetor, is the famous White Sulphur Springs
which gives Its name to the town. 1t dis
charges three thousand gallons a minute, and
Its average temperature is seventy-eight de-
grees. From the spring the water passes into
q bathing pool, twenty-five by one hundred
feet. where snug little rooms and other appur'
tenances give the bather every necessary com.
fort and convenience. The spring has magical
ogoot nnou nersons suffering from rheumatic