Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-06-20
English View Of Florida.

Ely ilSu Wow VI FlOflUa.
The m st popular winter resort in the
United States, writes AN English tour
- list, Ii Florida, whose shores are laved
resp. ctiv.ly on the east and west by the
Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico,
and ~hOse southern termination reaches
almost to the tropics. Though having
- an area of fifty mine Thousand two hum
: ,drtd and sixty eight square miles, its
surface is almost sn uAuuiating prairie
\ throughout, its highest point being
scarcely more than three hundred feet
$ above the level of the sea. 1t is COW
ered with dense forests Of palms. oaks,
palmettOs, pines, and other trees, and
, with tropical and semi-tropical fruits
I. and flowers; fine rivers traverse it in
every direction and it is dotted with
huge me. icinsl springs, and with the
- mort beautiful lakes tbs mind Can con
b, ceiye. eome of them being perfectly
enchanting in their loveliness. The
! latter ure sprinkled over with islauds
e. that are 30 heavily clad with groves of
the orange, lemon. citron, pomegrsnate,
and other kindred fruits, as to seem
tropical gardens and they are rendered
d, unusually interesting 10y the number
less ilrde Of brilliant plumage that fit
Z through the trees, the thousands OF
I SVEN, teese ducks, aAmingoes, cranes,
and Leious that make them their win
ter lone, and the numerous game ami
8li mails that frequent them ut all times.
The G iulate of Florida il one of the
finest III The world, for, though ten de-
0' gres tartr the equator than Southern
(, Italy III. temperature is not any warmer,
a., and the air ~ lar moro dry, 20 liable, and
mlubri"us. Hhe mean tsmperature
~ from November to April varies from
% fifty tMWto seventy three degrees but
tie average may be placed Ut sixty. one
a degrees. The difference between the
wlniei and summer climate throughout
q the State Is about twenty dc re- but
In some portions, such as the south and
< south eastern, the only appreciable diff.
IN fsrehce III the Temperature ia in the
greater cuplOusness Ut the summer show.
~ ers. his renders 1t Hi unrivalled resort
,a. Tor th,'se suffering from pulmonary COM
plants for, according " the statistics
OF 1871, fewer people died of con.
A' sunptlOD there than III any other State
In the Union, and those who succumbed
to the "isease were, IN nearly all cases.
2; inyalids from other sections of the
country. Many persons suffering from
that uJie complaint, visit the State to
get cured Tor not only Is its climate
s genial, but it is supposed that the de-
liclous teiebinthine Udors OF the pine
Forests purify the atmosphere, and give
1t soothing. healing, and lnvig0rating
qualify. .f
Those who wish to escape the rigors
"a fhurn WI nh a., <<,s . l.
as December and, ~ large numbers
Of them are in excellent health, and 20
south, like the birds, only for the pur.
: pose Of following the sun, they make
the towns along the banks Of the St
Z John b liver scenes Of buuyant pleas
ure for tour or Ave months, and one
/ may there see American social lie in all
Its freedom and gayety. The largest.
most Important, anu the gayest city i'll
the State is Jacksonville. when is
Perched on bank of the St. Johns
river, "a few miles from its mouth. This
wealthy metropolis, " hich bosets a popu-
latlOA of sixteen thousand liz surrounded
py delightful scenery, by dense and
vast 10, ests, in which the oak and G,
- press compete with the my rtle. palm and
palmetto for supremacy, and by groves
--
streets seem like sections OF "a hothouse,
( 30 NUMEROUS anu varien are the south
ern fruits, flowers, and arb,r-al beau
ties that u .orn them. The mos, prom
y 1nent objects to the tourists are the
large humber Of white saloon st+am-
boats that line the wLarves or cours.
up and down the river. and the svl,u.
G. did hotels that occupy the principal
!: thorOugLtares. The latter III man,
cases are paiatiat structures and are
T. furnished with all the lavish Iuxuriance
l. that characterlzes these Institutions in
, the United States. Their bills of fare
may be understood from the TACT that [
counted eighteen different dishes for
breakfast III one menu, and forty two
= Tor dinner; and in all Instances these EN-.
~ Draced FROM two to six species of game,
and from three to five species of fish.
while every variety of fruit grown in
the United States was marked on them.
e e4et these mag nihcent hosteiries charged
only from ten shillings to q pound Der
:, day for everything; and pixuos, parlOrs,
=. drawing-roOms and other privileged
- appenliages III England were open to
a. all. The cosmopolitan character of the
people which one meets in them; the
ease, infoFmality and bonhom,e of Amer.
lean snclety III general; and the desire
OF all TO and each other IN killing time
pleasantly, make long larry ut them
round Of pleasure; for hops, ball.
concerts, aud kindred amusen.e nts are
INDUCED IN to very large extent.