The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-05-28
THE WONDERS OF FLORIDA.
A RICH OLD COUNTRY WHICH MAS
BECOME A WILDERNESS.
Tropical Forests tovcring the sites of Adam
doncd PIantations-tirent Trees Growing
out of the he'd Of an Ancient Turnpike.


Tropical Forests tovcriug the sites Of Aban-
doncd PInntatiOns-tirent Trees Growing
Out of the he'd Of an Ancient Turnpike.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, May 2l.-Although
Florida is to-day little less than wilderness.
many portions Of It have been known 10 and
worked by the white man for hundreds Of years.
II has city which can boast OF an antiquity
reaching back hundred years before the land
ing Of the PILGRIMS on Plymouth Rock. The
rich, fertile country OF which l am about to
speak, although now dense forest OF mag
nolias, live oaks, bay, holly, and PALM was nifty
years ago an old, well-tled sugar cane and indi-
go raising country.
II we did not see go many indications OF the
truth OF this story we might be tempted to dis
pute 1t /; but the evidences are too numerous
and too strong to he questioned. have trav-
elled myself on an cid turnpike, 60 well pre-
served that its bitches still performed the ser
vice u conducting the water from its surface as
they did one hundred years ago, yet there were
trees growing all over Its face one or two feet In
diameter. This shows not only how rapid IL the
growth OF trees in this country, but also how
completely and utterly was civilization put out,
and how soon nature, which Is constantly at
warfarei with the encroachments OF man, set
about building up the wastes made by him.
There 10 one curious fact connected with this
second growth OF trees In this country. Nature
seldom attempts To restore It's lost trees Ia kind,
but will cross over to quite an extreme, SUCH for
instance. us covering the worn out pine lands
with the oak and " OAK WIN the pine, anu
sometimes diversity which II Is hard TO enume-
rate.
The country lying directly upon the Atlantic,
and extending from the head OF the Halifax
river south $50 miles to Lake Worth, or even
further to Biscayne bay, has long been known
as having the richest and most productive soil
in the state. More than a hundred years ago
tho sugar and indigo planter. from England and
many ysars amassed large fortunes ia the Gull
tivation OF those articles. Wonderful stories
are told toy the inevitable negro slave who saw
washinEt on when baby. about these immense
estates, covering thousands OF acres, with the
long row OF negro huts, the paatial residence
OF the planter, and the huge warehouses and
sugar mills which held the sweets that en-
aoled the planters, as Cowper says, TO Toll at
things to-day which show the extent and mag
nitude Of the business once conducted on these
inland seas or lagoons, now called rivers. They
are not rivers, however, but simply arms o. the
sea extending along the coast. They perhaps
means OF travel and transportation as they
would II they we're rivers, aud were situated
further inland, as they are entirely protected
from the surging Of the ocean waves, and have a
| pretty general uniformity VI depth OF water
varied only by the tides
To day this portion Of the State holds out
tempting inducements for settlement and cult
| walton, and II would long since have been occu-
pied II communication had been such as TO en-
able the settler to get there and return his
products to market. II 10 true that lie has. rs
the early settlers OF hundred years ago had
the ocean TO noat his vessels and ships, but
much uncertainty End danger attend the at
tempt To navigate a shallow lagoon with vessel
having sufficient draught to make II seaworthy,
or TO run small steamer suitable for the IN
side on the turbulent waters outside. This
great drawback upon the settlement 81 this
beautiful country IS about be overcome IN the
building OF railroad from the head of the
Halifax river across to Dunn's Lake. distance
Of about twenty-five miles, where deep water
commune alton can tie had with the ST. Johns
river, and thence t. the ocean.
TRAVELLING FACILITIES
A COMPANY has been + rm ed call ID the Florida
Inland Nav CATION Company, which mas for lie
object he 9penin. w Of mi, line q cOmuunca-
ton from Jacksonville T. the Haf < and lndi-
an rivers, and they now ave a steamer Running
regularly between JackaonN4ae AID Cres,ett
City ON punn's l. ke ,uow 'lle d Lake Crescent.
ih"y also have iie ~ hacks running from
Crescent City 10 tne HulilX, To CON Get win a
steamer ~" Uu!A.n- ~ iGl IlOu lie Halifax
Tbis new route opens up attractions for the
visitor equal 10 The wurld-renOv ned OciilaN aha,
anu being direc.Iy upon "a !lue of cvmfnuuica-
of necessity be route much freguented by the
visitor aud sItier. ne irAciDsl attractions
Crescent CITY. and law creek. Deep river. ~
it- fi.fue vNIl4 iu.Y 1T. has depth 90 water
e4llc lent 4or scs going steamer, DDt II H. mar
ou either ad", with frO fusion 4 foia-e lea'h-
ing nom tne waters edletu me most limb,
-irin- the APP Al1i.cs - tehie IA tne iuA-s "
Nrri .iie Wti.Iu@ % 'u|titrf l.e. Ilc adj -At,r
-for-. in Til, stfe..l a'iI Nirle Z = llen INN
age sing upon me uHD-as Il tho ov,rnangiug
trees. Deep river about cl- 900 miles lIu- Lake
Crescent Is twsni, a. les In Length nfli four
miles w!le. Ile like O.. -1ld 10 be tie finest IN
TIE state, and perhaps cannot be Vxcellod any
where. ne muss-ro'efvd cfpI,si, the isathery
.rs sweet gum. the stately ntrn ga. aui thu
less ostentltlous TO-, Line iis banks ON all sides
Wltn sheen ul 'rrIpht loneliness seldom Wiz
Lesscd eyeu in Florida.
ctgY oN A ul1L
Crcsc'u. cry s"s upon hlll .eycnty-rvc feet
high owe look'ns th.- autfui lnAe, and gather