Morning journal and courier., 1880-03-26
,ntillths surrounding water was colored with

$ miss them much. The ocean seems nor | lonely. It has been exceedingly pleasant t
 see them follow our ship, and as some of tn ! more venturesome lowered over us, the undu | lations of their white widespread wing l seemed like silent benedictions. The persis | tent waving of the unspottsd feathery arms gladly welcomed as favorable omens. I wa
 not disposed to disregard the favorable augur, of the beautiful birds who so consistently fol
 lowed us over such wide spaces of ocean soli
 tudes. Certain 1t is that clear skies, smootl
 seas and gentle winds came with the gentl
 mind and heart were pervaded with the deae
 faith of old and buried nations. Messages o
 love and peace seemed winged from heaven tt
 earth. Give me, I inwardly exclaimed, tht
 old dream of the Past in exchange for some
 of the fresher and more orthodox supersti
 tions of modern times. 1t certainly affords
 temporary pleasure to diversity hackney e6
 beliefs with 8 little of the antique
 Utilizing my notes, if the reader is willing
 we will go back little, and fill up some of the
 space that intervsnss between this and my
 last letter-jotting down only some of the
 more salient points of my journey.
 Having remained for one night outside ol
 the bar of St. Marys river, our steameri in the
 early morning, as soon as daylight permitted
 where ws remained all day while oul
 steamer discharged a portion of iti
 freight. The weather was so threatening
 that we were content to simply view the city
 from the upper deck. One colorsd police
 man, black and dirty, was on duty at the
 wharf. He much needed new uniform, but
 his billy" and the revolver that protruded
 conspicuously out of one of his pockets, look
 ed as if they were capable of doing good ser
 vice. must confess that was not very fla
 vorabiy impressed with this specimen of the right arm of Florida's civil power. big negro boy who in our presence horsswhipped little one, and boldly returned the blows of colorcd man who undertook to avenge the small boys wrongs, was allowed to escape.
 A smart, pretty white boy, only four years of age, smoked three cigars in the course of 8 few hours, and was reported to have re- ceived in the morning at the hands of his fathsr-Eho had charge of the mon who un- loaded the freight-his morning glass of brandy and water! Fernandina apparently is place of some eight thousand or ten thou sand inhabitants, white and oolored. It has a pleasant look, resting upon gentle elevation above it's harbor. In leaving 1t we steamed along nearly the whole line of it's water front, and noticed that it's streets seemed grass grown, being green with a low vegetable growth of some kind. As itis connected with the Gulf of Mexico by railroad, it is the cen ter of considerable freightina business. St. Mary's river, like the St. Johns, seeks the
 
 means a number of islands arc formed-low green sayannahs, here and there diversified with forest growths, the trees and bushes giving no indications of having ever felt the noiselsss, killing touch of the great Northern frost king, who so quistly and thoroughly paves our roads and bridges and our rivers in 8 single night.
 Our passengers throngsd the bow of. our boat and feasted eye and mind upon scen- cry of unusual loyeliness. The shore lines, white beaches and dark backgrounds were constantly changing in their forms and outlines. Amelia beach reminded US as we passed of the pleasure we experienced when driving over it little moro than year ago. Our water way was marked by buoys, while sevsral ighthousesproclaimed the foster ing care of wise paternal government in lighting at night the watery highways. We passed within few feet of warning bell, so hung that the play of the ceaseless tides causes 1t to constantly rise and fall, and, un- attended, to ring out upon the waters in calm and storm during the long hours of the day md the darker and longer hours of the night n musical tones, ''Ho mariners, this is the only true way! As ye value your lives heed ne and obey my voice !"
 In vain the sun struggles to look down 1pon this charming picture of sea and land. Gold looking clouds veil the sky. Beautiful oelcans are sporting in the air amused, per naps, at the frolicsome play of the porpoisss n the waters below. Wild ducks, obeying some great social law, are seen associating ,ogethsr in large hocks, observing the most perfect order, and giving to man examples worthy of imitation of mutual forbearance, domestic peace and freedom from family jars md internal dissensions. Our old friends, he sea -gulls, hold not each with the rest so close communion, and seem to have more individual liberty with their unity; and they sniff f1oiepflv In 6eab 0tbar tn avoid he crushing loneliness of 8 solitary life. Danger ever hovsrs above and around us, and lnseen peril often most suddenly and uneX- oectsdly darts out upon us from it's ambush. But thus far only two pot.y annoyances have with the deep, strong, and steady ,urrent of our joys.
 One occurred at Port Royal, where our teamer was tied up ell night to the wharf Jose to freight house in which thousand ,ags of Peruvian guano was stored, the intoler- Ible stench of which invaded our ship, enter d the saloons, took possession of every state oom and remained with us all night For ,ungency and power.'it certainly surpassed the Ifty-nine distinct and independnet bad smells hat formerly regaled the traveller ct ono and he same instant of time in the streets of Cologne. We carried away from the Palmetto State only 6 vivid memory of that horrible dor which will last us lifetim
 The other was plague Of insects st Fsr- landina, where our ship was taken captive by treat swarms of little gnats who were 30 glad o see us that it really seemed as If they were to literally eat us up. Some hid way in sheltered hooks out of the wind when ve left, and seized every opportunity to renew heir acquaintance with the Northern ssran- ger.
 Our steamer took the outside route from and for some time before we cached the mouth of ths St. John's our sttsn- I1-sl 1. he river is carried to the north in 8 well ds- ined stream, strongly distinguished by its ,olor from that of the sea with which it re- uses to assimilate. Fed by vast wooded wamps, great lakes and unnumbered tribu ary streams, the noble St. Johns, after olling in solemn majesty through ow but picturesque banks for of miles, becomes at last
 river of the ocean. scooping out for itself, ike the Gulf stream, channel in the heavier waters of the sea.
 Ths great rivers of the South are constantly nd consistently endeavoring tos barricads heir mouths, as If principlsd against inter 'ourse with the outside world. Channels for commerce are no sooner made and buoyed trough tho great bars and banks than they re closed again. The bold navigator is psr- ,lexad and confounded by changes which are constantly taking place, and the soundings of me day are no sure guide for the next.
 1t the mouth of the St. Johns the breakers banning over vast sand fields, please the eye, ut are strongly suggestive of danger. The ortuous channel of to-day is said to be only K weeks old. It certainly differs greatly rom the one through which we were piloted ast year. Without the aid of steam tugs sail ng vessels must find it very difficult and de- idedly dangerous to make their way along the ubmsrged banks and over the bar. The re- nains of two wrecks-one that of steamer which we passed, bore silent testi- aony to the perils which navigators are here alled upon to encounter. A large number of iver pilots live at the mouth of the St. Johns nd study its constant mutations. They have uilt up village on the left bank of the river, which bears the appropriate name of ''Pilot own" Opposite this is the village of May ort, which is inhabited mostly by fishermen, 7hose fishing nets, boats and reels diversified hs view of the rivers northern bank.
 Soon after we entered the river a cloudy fight deprived us Of the pleasure we had hop d to experience in viewing for twenty-hv niles the St. Johns, below Jacksonville. | ye tied up to our wharf at about p. m.
 The next day we took passage in the little that daily makes frequent trips to The Home'' Stepping at intermediate land lgs) upon 6 beautiful river bank at tho junc- ion of Arlington creek and the river St. ohn's. We landed at St. Nicholas, upon the ight bank of the river, and for 8 few brief ut happy hours observed and tasted the weets of plantation life. reunion with