The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1878-01-16

The following letter from Mr.. Fletcher
who recently lel No. Hyde Park with a
party for Florida will doubtless be OF in
terest to many Of our readers:
Mr.. EDITOR:-
Thinking our friends Of Hyde Park and
vicinity would like 20 hear from us. We
take this opportunity to give TO all short
sketch Of our trip 10 Florida. On the 10Th
of Dec. az u NJ. we took the cars for
New York. II taking three hours to get 10
Burlington, and out of r. nc eight in
the evening. Eight hours to get past the
foTty-mile point. At Albany, imagine
our disappointment, when they told us
the train we should have taken had been
gone just five minutes. Ii was now three
in the morning aud no train until six.
thus giving us chance TO enjoy the com
forts of depot. without any place to lay
our tired and sleepy children, except the
son side of a stone floor. At six we were
again en- route. and as we went down the
Hudson, the daylight afforded us a good
chance to enjoy the scenery on this beau
tiful river. Here in their country resi-
dences the people from the city find rest
for their brain and body, during the heat
ed months of summer. A little further
on the bluffs or palisades, appearedtO our
delighted vision. No language of mine
can describe the beauty and grandeur of
the scene. therefore | shall not attemptit.
We did not arrive in Y. Y. until eleven.
We stopped here on visit until four 2. NJ.
next day. To us verdant VermOnters N.
Y. was a grand sight, and as we passed
along the sidewalk lined with stands COW
cred with fruits of all kinds, we noticed
with satisfaction, that the largest and
incest looking oranges, were marked
"FlOrida Sweet Oranges" Friday at
four p. NJ. we embarked on the "City Of
Dallas. bound for Fernandina. Various
were the EXPLANATIONS of delight, from
different ones, at being on the water, but
very soon there was a visible falling off of
numbers, one and another going to their
rooms. BY the time the tea-bell rang,
but few of our party had an appetite for
their supper. All but one of us, in COM
mon with others, were sick that night.
Saturday as night came on the wind grew
stronger, and the sea rougher. During
the night we had a severe thunder storm,
accompanied with a very high wind, and
perfect deluge of rain. 1t was a fear
full night to me, but to all appearance
those ON the boat, were perfectly uncon-
cerned. Sunday morning just after day
| light. we rounded cape Hatteras. We
hoped for better weather now. The sea
continued to be very rough all day, and
as night came on, the wind increased to a
gale, and we had another rough disagree
able night. Monday the wind Gained
down and the sea grew quiet. That morn
ing we passed the light-ship on Frying
Pan shoals, Wilmington, n. G. The sea
confined to grow calm and night came on
starlight and beautiful, giving us chance
to see both sides of life on the ocean. The
sickness was all gone and we were fully
prepared to enjoy the lovely evening.
Tuesday morning early we steamed into
the harbor. at Port Royal. Here we got
our first glimpse of Southern life. judy
ing by the crowd on the wharf. | should
say that two-thirds, or three-fourths of
the people were colOred. We saw here for
the first time the beautiful magnolia. This
tree has very profuse foliage, of thick
dark green leaves, from eight to twelve
inches in length. Altogether Port Royal
presented a novel sight to us, coming as
we did from a land of snow. A little
Yankee enterprise however, would make
this place look very different. One more
pleasant evening we spent on that boat,
and on the morning of the 2nd of Jan. ar
rived at Fernandina. Here we babe adieu
to the City of Dallas" and her pleasant
and agreeable managers, and here let me
say to any one coming South, that the
Getty of Dallas" is the boat to come in.
They told us just before we left the boat,
they had the toughest voyage they had
had for two years. What we saw of Fer
nandina from the boat looked very beau-
tiful. A great profusion of green trees
among the houses and nice green grass.
At half past three we took the boat Car
RE" and started up the river st. Johns
We saw great many oyster beds in the
river. but they told us these were not
used, because they were of an inferior
quality. But those under the water, of
which there were many, were very
nice. We should have landed at Orange
Park in the night. but the Capt. finding
out our destination, and that we were
strangers in the place, very kindly stop
ped at Jacksonville longer than usual,
that we might stay on the boat until day
light. We landed at the Park just at day
break. The view we got of Orange Park
as we came up to the landing, was very
fine. Here our journey and our letter
ends. AMI.