Wilmington journal., 1875-09-17
For the Wilmington Journa!.I
JOTTINGS HY THE WAY
An Excursion Upon the ~. Jei.n's,
Fla IN tho spring OF 1870

On Tuesday about sundown, we en-
tered Lake Monroe, an enlargement
of the river, about 25O miles above its
mouth, and the appointed terminus oi
our trip. At Sanford, city IL pcs
pective, We went ashore, partly 20 VS.
it the city, which il not get. but mere
to yisit thevery pretty church, which,
thanks to Mrs Sanford's energy is,
and awaits the congregation that is to
be. Obtaining the key, we entered
and admired sacred edifice really
worthy of admiration. There Eci::t
nothing else to visit, ~o Returns Il +:
our floating home, and crossed :h'
Lake to Enterprise. From ih!s pomn
tlere is..a mail coach to New Smyrna,
upon the sea coast, Il pint;'' "i a H"l..%
promis,, We were told, aud wi.re, this
year, one person has employed 300
hands in cutting live oak tinbeF i'f
ship building Some cf the Gen'ts-
men went ashore at Enterprise and
found a large and commOdlouS hotel,
the resort of many visitors during the
winter, but now approaching the end
of it's sesson, and about to be closed.
the wharf, and anchored at the out ct
of the Lake till morning. These lakes
which appeared to us to be oily
bounded widenings of the river. and
which gave to it its old name Welaka
{, 6. sstring of lakes" constitute one Of
It's peculiar and most beautiful ctlarac
teristics. They contribute largely to
its variety, receiving the traveller,
sometimes unexpectedly from between
close lowering banks into mimic seas
Great Lake George, as one of them IS
called, is fifteen miles long by twelve
in diameter.
On the morrow, Wednesday, with
averted eyes, sad as Eurydice or the son
of Calliope, we commenced onr return,
Upon our way, we were tautnllzed by
q second panorama of the lovely
scenes through which we had pa, sed
before, pleasure restored to our gaze,
only to be snatched away again, per
haps forever.
Some new glimpses of beauty
wero afforded US by a brief visit
to the Ocklawnha stream Of
especial loveliness coming into the St.
Johns not far from the entrance OF
Little Lake George. We were aux-
ious to visit the celebrated Silver
Spring, to which the OckiGwaha is the
road, no highway indeed, but, if wet
may be compared with dry more like
bride path over savage mountains,
Unfortunately for us. our boat was
not adapted to the narrow and intri-
este navigation, and after proceeding
a few miles, was obliged to return
while return was possible. But What
portion of tire stream we did ascend,
amply repaid us by it's picturesque
beauty, and will live in our memories
"jOy forever"
We stopped at many interesting
places on Our return, among them,
Orange Bluff, the home of our pilot
Ben, who, himself SpauIard intro
duced us to his Spanish wife. There
we pluckt d sweet oranges from the
trees, and obtained flowers and several
curious varieties of the air plant. An
other call was made at Federal point,
where we found a cluster of piauta-
tations, destined to develope some day
into a group of orange groves, and
banana orchards. The settlement con-
sists for the most part, of body of skill
full New York farmers, churchmen al,
connected by blood or marriage. The
culture of the strawberry, out of ne-
i've eGOch, QdS D6ou puT-
sued there by Mr.. Evans. His ber-
ries, which are well flavoured and very
large, were in market this year by the
first of FEBRUARY / am sure, and
think early in January.
We reached Green Cove on Thurs
day morning, and went ashore before
brated Sulphur Spring, which day
and night discharges it is said 5000
gallons pe- minute of mineral water.
Here began our separations; Rev.
Mr.. nj. and his sister leaving us, on
their return to s. Augustine. After
short visit to Hibernia, and call at
Mandarin, where one of our party
had relatives living, we steamed for
jacksonville, our boat festooned with
flowers, and wild vines, MOSES and
branches of trees, memorials of our
many stopping places. Among our
trophies was the top of young cab
bage palm (the common palm of the
country but 80 named, because of the
bud, which is not unlike a small cab
bags in size, and is edible, raw or
cooked. Il is said moreover to make
fine pickle. The leaves enfoIding it
and which were large, upon being un-
rolled. presented toward the inte-
riOr Of the bud, the appearance Of pol
ished ivory. We were told that they
could be used as parchment for wri-
ting.
Upon our way we met the Dictator,
and on board of her our excellent host
who had come to meet us. A small
boat soon transferred him to our deck,
and then had it not been for our loss
In the morning, our party would have
been complete. His absence had been
the only drawback to the pleasure If
the expedition, which yet was SO full
OF pleasure. that we have only EXPIRE s.
ed our daily feeling In calling it per
feet.
The whole trip was a success, thanks
to the kindness, forethought, and lib
erality of our host. 1t was all unusual
pleasure. Our party being small and
compos- OF ofmutual friends, and the
steamer being entirely at our com
leisure. and indulge in any anuse-
ment desirable, whether shooting,
fishing, sleeping, reading, conversation
have the boat tied up to the bank, that
we might pluck an orange, or flow
er, could even crowd into the pilots
sanctua and be welcome The pro
visi ons for our material comfort were
complete. Big chairs, little chairs,
rockers, and mattresses, and well
filled pantry to rest, refresh, and com |
fort us by day and state-rooms at night. |
there was no chasm left in the material |
man TO be filled, while other and loftier |
o. deeper ones were made impossibleby |
the congeniality, culture, and enthusi-
asm OF the party. Nor were still high
sr sources Of happiness wanting. Our
Maker was remembered, and our fell |
low man not forgotten, in the long and |
earnest conferences and discussions
which filled the intervals and made the |
time seem all too short. The whole
affair was one of those happy micro
oOsms which are sometimes evolved
from out the whirl of the nebula homi-
mum.
Nor did our independence cut us off
entirely from the contact of the cutter
world. Beside our frequent visits to
the stationary world ashore, the many