Connecticut western news., 1876-03-10
The Sunny South.
LETTER No. 2.

had been there many hours, the effects of Port Royal rum began to show itself. Large numbers of the boys in blue were gathered from the streets and wharf and earned below on their vessel, and several became crazed by the horrid stuff. Sad as was the sight of 80 much drunkenness@nd it's attendant misery, sadder still was the spectacle of the chief officer ordering the irons riveted about the joints of the men, while himself was as intoxicated as those he was ordering to be ironed. Imprisoned as are these men of the navy almost constantly on their ships, when en hour of freedom from restraint is given, they seem to be perfectly wild. ansa'
 a We left Port Royal at about 8 12 o'clock p. m. Feb. 2lst) and proceeding down the harbor, past the navy fleet, which now numbers only seven ships and one monitor, we ran into bank of fog, and which was so dense that the captain was unable to as certain his bearings, and having no guide but the land marks on either side of the harbor, was compelled to heave to and an chor, preferring the exercise of this caution to the great risk of running aground, and while we are here blockaded by fog, we'll improve the opportunity given by the quiet and rest at anchor to say word about this good ship. the "City of Austin," and its officers. The "City of Austin" was built at Mystic Conn.,, and is one of the fastest sailors on the coast. She has but recently been put on this Florida line, thls being her third trip, and SO much faster is she than those of the old line, that she gets into port al- ways ahead of time. The accommodations for passengers is all that could be asked for; the state rooms being very pleasant and the table could not fail to satisfy the most tastidious. The steamship is con- manded by, Capt. Stevens, native of Es- sex in our state of Connecticut. Captain Stevens is certainly one of the most eau tious as well as skillful of commanders at least he so impressed the passengers by his close attention to his duties; the greater part of his time being spent at his position at the lookout and near the wheel. All the officers and assistants, from the com mander down tosthe cabin boy.-not by any means emitting to make special men. tion of the stewardess. Mary, who wanted to dose the sea sick passengers with catnip tea ;-were very kind, courteous and atten' tive to the patrons of the line, and we know the passengers will cheerfully cor. roborate all we have said. For tourists or invalidss visiting Florida, there can be no doubt this line is certainly the best. Peo- pie who came to Florida by rail tell but one story viz. long, monotonous, tedious ride over very poor railroads, the only vari- ety of reliet from tho tedium being tLe privilege of gathering together ones bag. gage and ''change cars for" = and which is a privilege very freely Youchsafed to the weary traveller. .o,
 We arrived at Fernandna at 5 1-2 o'clock Tuesday afternoon, passing three whale ships just before entering the harbor, whose lookout men were at mast head watching for the king of fish, and anxious for an op portunity to cry out 'there she blows We did not know before that whales were sought for so near inland, but it appears they are in these southern waters. Fernan- dina is very pleasant village, of which we shall speak more particlarly in another let ter. Our stay in Fernandina was short, il being our purpose to spend some time there on our return. We arrived in Jacksonville and after spending one night there went uE the St. Johns river, (we say ap, because everybody here says up the river, the wa ters flowing from the south to the north
 The steamer '.Hattie," on which we tool passage, is slow boat, but the greater par of the time consumed in getting up the riv CT afforded us better opportunity to SCI the country. ., .e -.
 The scenery of the St. John is very fine The Judge pronounced it superior to tha of the Hudson. We are not quite prepare, to agree with his Honor on this point, bu will say this the scenery is very beautiful It is of course entirely unlike that of tn Hudson, whose chief feature is it's loft mountain peaks on either side and the grar deur of its scenery, while the St. Johns exactly the reverse, the banks of which and in fact the whole country about ar very low. swampy lands, and which giv out more or less according to the locatio of noxious yapors or miasmi, and consider able fever and ague is the result The larg trees, covered with the long pendant gra moss; the groves of palmetto, which gro limb, and surmounted by an umbrel
 shaped clump of long, slim coarse leave
 the entire top of the tree measuring pc haps eight feet in diameter; the numerol orange groves, and all in full green folial like vegetation in the North in the mont Of July: These, with the alligators fir quentlY seen on this river. several of whie we saw on our journey up, and whie would sluggishly crawl down from the CT bankments, where they lay basking in Il warm sun, into the rlver as the steamer a preached, or perhaps would be made to e ercise more haste than is their wont to d by the sting of bullet from the rife
 some sportsman on board, whose coniC lump of lead would rebound frcm the sh
 of the creature, unless perhaps vital poi was struck, when it would at once ma
 fest it's uneasiness and show unmistakal signs of it's entering into it's eternal rest
 is but little past ten in the morning no
 and on our way down the river two or thI have already been made to ''bite the dust
 With these alligators, and the great nu
 bers of cranes who stretch their necks,
 they are startled, and fly majestically aw
 into the depths of the forests on either sic the water turkeys and the myriads of duo
 seen at some points on the river; the oct
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