Litchfield enquirer., 1874-03-26
Florida,

The following interesting extracts from private letters from Florida are sent us by a lady with whose contributions ou, readers have been occasionally favored:
 JACKSONVILLE, FLA, Jan. 25th, 1872
 ''I reached this place on Thursday last, the tenth day after leaving home. One might have crossed the Atlantic in shorte, time. l went on board the South Caro- lima on Tuesday, the 9th Jan, expecting to sail at F. NJ, but densefog arose about that time. making it unsafe to start, and on the following day ''the Com pany" decided to keep the steamer over until Thursday, winch was another regu- lar sailing day,-an economical dodge, the i coolness of which was quite wonderful It rained. or rather poured. during those two entire days making it impossible to i leave the steamer. Imagine, if you can, the aggravation of remaining all that time shut up i'll close, uncomfortable i little cabin. almost within stones throw of home, with pothing to do. but lounge i about, yawn and grumble. One would ] have thought that when we were at last ] ''under weigh We ought to make at least l the ordinary speed; but we were .scareelf ! out of the harbor when defective fiue was discovered, and We Were ublged to l stop entirely for three hours on that night, and on the following day made but four ! miles m hour, Ill consequence of winch. we did not reach Charleston until mid night of Sunday, and were obliged. .to,waIt there for the Florida boat, until Tuesday evening. 1 had time to "do" Charleston ! quite thoroughly. I believe I saw nearly everything worth seeing. I wish I could send you some of the Japonicas which l saw there. Such teauties! And such quantities of them, growing on trees 12 and 15 feet high, in what seems to us Northerners such e.rtraragant profusion. For fifteen cents you could buy boquet of them which l suppose would cost as many dollars in New York.
 The trip from Charleston to Jackson vile was delightful. We stopped several hours at Savannah, giving us time to see good deal of the city. It is full of parks,-one of them perfect little beau ty, full of live oaks and pines draped with long, hanging moss, lovely foun- tain in the centre with Japonicas bloom ing all about it, and here and there mounds covered with ivy growing iii the i greatest luxuriance. We left Savannah at P. M., and the sunset which saw l that "fseruUon sure ill giUw 1T, my memory forever Such glory in the clouds l never saw before, and have more than one stored safely away in my mental picture gallery. We reached Jack sonville little before noon on the follow ing day where my travels ended, though I must say I looked with longing eyes up the beautiful St. Johns which widens and narrows, and winds about in the most fas- ! cinating manner
 ! The first four days of my stay here were very cold, rainy and miserable. ] became so discouraged that was almost ready to take refuge in the St. John's. But yesterday at noon 1t cleared-the Te- mainder of the day was warm and lovely, and to-day has been equally so. No wrappings are needed out of doors. and in a sunny room a fire would be very un- comfortable. It does not seem to me to be very attractive place. The water oaks, rows of which grow on each side oi nearly every street, are very pretty, but the roads .are sunken-deep with sand, there are but few pretty houses, things in general have dilapidated, a,,kempt ap- pearance. In this Gland of flowers one naturally expects to Bee an occasional blossom; but in all the yards and gardens into which I have peeped (and I have seen the greater portion of those in Jack sonville), I have discovered just two roses and few sickly, discouraged look ing punches of candy-tuft. The only things which seem to thrive here are conch-shells, and inverted bces. bottles with which the would-be flower beds art frequently surrounded. The air is very soft and pleasant, but there seems nc bracing element in it.
 ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA, March 10, 1874.
 This is perfectly charming old place The boating is delightful. I know evel so many people here and get invitations for sailing and rowing almost every day and sometimes both morning and even ing-of course don't refuse many o them.
 St. Agustine is, as some one said o Marblehead, ''a kind of an old, hob-gob lin place, in which the past is peepins over the shoulders of the present.: ths past in the crumbhng old fort, with it: dungeons, its Romish chapel, its rusty old cannon and dark, gloomy vaults and passages, the venerable looking Cathe dral, and picturesque ruins of the gates the narrow streets, high walls, and quaini old Spanish houses; the present, in the many handsome houses, built mostly since the war, scattered about among those of the olden time.
 went few days ago to see Mr. Blacks place (of the firm of Ball G Black). The house, which is nearly completed, is a beauty and stands in beautiful spot. There is an avenue of orange trees run ming through the centre of the grounds. The trees are set very closely, and -theil branches meet in beautiful arch over the driveway. It is a pretty sight to stand at one end of the avenue and look down through it, and just try to imagine the overpowering sweetness of the air when all these trees are in bloom
 i My winter is passing delightfully."-, al-