The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-03-02


TstcAuaanite Abroad.
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA, Feb. 49, 1871.
! DEAR COURIER: IL
As | promised you in my last letter
hat would write you from this city
and give you a description OF that part
Of Florida which l have seen, 1 will
try and be as good as my word. We
spent Que week in Jack sonvile. 1t is
a city of abou, twelve thousand inhab
itants, one half of which are negroes
It is the lurge,t city in this State. has
twelve churches. three Baptist, three
Methodist, two Episcopalian, two
Presbyterian, one Roman Catholic, and
one second Advent; the negroes also
have several churches 1t has several
fine hotels which are open during the
season which Is from Nov. LIT 10
\ pril lst, aud then they are closed for
the balance of the year. There are
niue large saw mills in operation in
and near the city. One of these mills
will cut from fifteen to twenty-five
thousand feet Of lumber per day This
iumber is sent to distant points. / Is /
altogether pine as they have 20 other
timber here. The place is quite full
of life during the winter made so by
transient visitors who are going aud
coming all the time IL summer II Is
a very dull place as there is but little
travelling done then The principal
thorOughfare i Bay street which for
about three fourths of a mile Is built
up with quite number of brick bust /
ness houses. There are three or four
baukz in the city, also has mauuiac /
tory whic hmakes fac quality OF paper
from the palmetto leaf The city has a
fire company with , engines They had I
three fires the week we were there
which created quite an excitement
among the visitors and relieved the
dullness fer the time being, We drove
out to the celebrated Moucriet Spiiugs,
the waters Of which are said to possess
very rare medicinal virtues. These
springs are impreguated with su'pher.
aud are quite warm. sufficiently 80 that
a person eau battle 10 them with pleas
ure at any time of the year. There
are two fine pools feet deep by 80
feet long aud 20 feet wide, with dress
ing room attached. The charge for a
bath Is twenty-five cents. hut the great
est difficulty Is in going four miles to
yet the bath II costs one dollar aud
fifty cents to 90 on horseback and three
dollars for carriage hire. There are
no hotels near the Springs The place
Is said to have derived its name from
a French jew who having married an
Iudian maiden was here robbed and
slain by her relatives.
The back country is poor, nothing
but sand and there Is not enough veg
etaJies grown TO supply the Jackson
Vile market. They are dependent on
the North for almost all the vegetables
+ they use | see corn here which was
+ brought from Tennessee. aud hay is
also brought from distant points NJ lost
+ of the beef i FROM Tennessee aud sells
from % to 30 cents per pound Tur
uips per barrel 81 80; irish potatoes
i per barrel 50, aud all other vegetables
. ia proportion 10 some places where
we have been it was almost impossible
to get COWS milk; they use concentra
Ted milk instead OF COWS mix which
/ Is poor substitute.
/ St Augustine can be best described
by saying that it is like nothing else
/ on the continent OF America 1t i
/ almost isolated from the world If it
+ had been situated auyWhere else it
never could have survived the rapid
( change Of time aud of modern improve
/ ment As it is. its entire b-ence from
( business faculties, is its salvation from
/ he Spectator aud the emigraut
/ How long the town may remain as it
/ l.. would be d if1icult to forctell, but it
should he preserved by the Govern
ment if possible, as "A nemento of past
/ ages This place is reached from
/ Jacksonville by steamer TO TuccT and
s'phen by rail ID miles to the ocean.
Some portions OF the old town wall
built by the Spaniards two centuries
ago is visable. The gate way OF the
Ibid wall still stands aud is a pictures
que and imposing ruin, with orn@eu
ted lofty towers aud loops hold sentry
boxes The ditch Is clearly marked
Fort Marion, the old Spanish fort,
ouee called San Juan is the wonder OF
the day. 1t was begun in 1920 aud
flushed in 1856 aud built principally
by the forced labor of Indian slaves,
who wiled on it for one hundred years
1t stands on the sea front at the upper
end of the town, aud its material is
almost wholly the Coqriua rock quar-
ried on Anatasa Island The rock i
posed of small shells aud is very
peculiar formation. \ ramble through
its heavy easement. its crumbing RO-
mao chapel with elaborate portico, and
inner altar and holy water inches, It's
dark passages, gloomy vaults and more
recently discovered dungeons, bring
ready credeuce of its many traditions
of iuquisitorial fortunes In one oil
the arched dungeons, discovered by
accident 10 1855. beneath the walls OF
the fort, was found a sealed up stone
doorway, which being dug away gave
access 70 an inner dungeon. In this
place were found two cages made OF
iron, in each of which were skeletons
one of them that of female. There
is now % Indians Imprisoned in this
fort, brought from Fort Sill, Indian
Territory. The Catholic Cathedral Is
the largest and Oldest houses of wor-
ship in the city, having been built 10
1893 1t has chime of four bells
the oldest of which is marked 1852
The streets of the city are quite narrow
one ofwhichis about Que mi.e long being
only fifteen feet wide. Thers are many
other things of interest which L could
mention. but | fear [ will weary your
+ patients. aud will close. The climate
Of Florida is delightful. We start al
10 o'clock this morning for PeIatAa
Truly ETC.,