The Republican journal., 1873-02-27
GIimpses at the South.
Correspondence of the journal
PALATKA, Feb. 6.

island at Fort George. | will make Il note
ui some OF the objects of interest that at
tract attention on my return up the river.
Unlike any and every other large river
in The United States, the St. John flows
nearly due north from its source. Its
Indian name was Welaka; translated into
English the word signifies, 1T hath its
own way. is alone and contrary to every
other" In the Spanish chronicles it is
called Rio de San Matteo, the river St
Matthew; subsequently it received the
appellation of San Juan; in English ST.
John.
short distance above Pilot Town, re-
ierred to in my last, are found those
mounds of oyster shells, from twenty to
fifty feet in height, known as The Sisters.
They are the banks on which drafts are
made for manufacturing the shell roads in
Jacksonville. and are composed entirely
Of oyster shells in a broken and partially
decomposed condition. When spread upon
,
reduce them to the consistency of ordinary
soil These mounds are covered with
~oil from one to three feet in Depth in
which shrubs, and trees even, find root
and sustenance.
About six miles from the mouth Of the
7.yer i 81. Johns Bluff; the spot where
tccurding to the best authorities, a com
panv OF Huguenots, under Coligny, made
settlement about 1862, and where Fort
Caroline was built. During the late war
this bluff was occupied by the Conieder
ties for while, somewhat to the annoy
tnce ot the Union gunboats in the river.
The tall tree which was used for "look-
1ut' was pointed out to me; the piece of
board, or plank. which constituted the
seat oi the Waterman still rests on its
branches. and can be seen from the pass
ing steamer. The road, or pathway, from
the river up to the Notification, is also
" ble, but ii is rapidly disappearing.
Every year portion of it is crumbing
If the effect Of the constant washing of
the river against its base. So perish all
n-ementos OF the bloody struggle
More than three centuries ago this spot
was the scene of bloody tragedy, of
which you have doubtless read. 1t was
here, about 1868, that Rene de Landowners
established a colony of French Protestants.
Intelligence of the fact soon reached the
Spanish Court, and force was forthwith
despatched under the command of Menen-
~ de AViles, a jealous Catholic, with
ulders to eNpel the Professionals The OIL
der was carried out by the indiscriminate
massacre OF the colonists, men, women
and children. Intelligence of the outrage
reached the French Court in due time,
aud an expedition was fitted ont by
private citizen, Dominique de Gourgues,
with the sanction OF Government, to
avenge the wrong perpetrated by the
Spaniards. 1t was avenged speedily and
teartully. The Spanish garrison was at
tackled routed, slain, and the fort burned
J. was reported that Menendez, after per
petrating his massacre, left on the spot
tablet with an inscription thereon, in sub
stance, that the Protestants had been mas
sacred mot asFrenchmen but as heretics. -
De Iourgues returned the compliment by
leaving a similar tablet with the inscrip-
ton that the Spaniards slain were slain
mot as Spaniards, but as traitors, thieves
and murderers
The winds and waves are making sad
havoc among the higher banks of the
ST. John. Composed principally OF sand,
the substance being continually washed
away, the everything soil is gradually slid
no down into the river This St Johns
Bluff, near the foot of which is the present
has receCbed so far inward within
the last twenty-five years, that where the
channel then was there is now an island,
in the manner before suggested
by the sliding down of the exterior por-
lion OF the bluff into the river; seeds caught
on what was at first only sand bank,
terminated and vegetation following,
binding the soil together with roots, has
given permanence TO it, and this created
an island This process OF island manu-
tacture is constantly going on, and so the
channel OF the river is continually chang
ing. derive this information from an
experienced pilot on the river.
A few miles beyond St. Johns Bluff, on
the opposite side OF the river, is Yellow
Bluff. This spot was selected by Col
Hart, the founder OF Jacksonville, as the
site OF a city on the st. John; for vari-
Gus considerations he abandoned his origi-
nal design and finally settled on Cows
Ford, now Jacksonville. There is small
village at Yellow Bluff; its inhabitants
principally employed in the fisheries I
noticed quite fleet Of fishing boats, at
anchor, all of fine model, painted white,
and apparently in good order and well
conditioned. On the opposite side of the
river is an Indian mound also the re-
mains of an ancient earthwork of Spanish
origin.
Passing by Jacksonville the next point
of interest, fifteen miles above it on the
easterly side of the river, is Mandarin,
the winter residence of Mrs, Harriet
Beecher Stowe Quite number of hand
some residences are visible here and there,
among the trees as we pass, but there is
no village, as we understand the term
There was small settlement at this point
in lS4l; it was attacked by the Seminoles,
the buildings burned and nearly every
one ofthe inhabitants slain. Capt. Sprague,
in his account OF the affair says, that 'ior
sixteen hours the savages, naked and
painted, danced around the corpses of the
slain"
short distance above Mandarin, in
the channel of the river, lies the gunboat
Maple Leaf, which was blown up by
torpedo during the last war and sunk.
T. o,.y Of