The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1881-01-28

tie for some minutes, first succession of
short sharp whistles, then prolonged one,
| which they did not seem to mind at all and
he would have to bring the train to stand
still until the cows were driven Off This &C.
CURED a number of times. There is very
unjust law existing in Florida, compelling
the tiller OF the soil to do all of the fencing
and permitting the stock owner to let his an
imals run at large anywhere and if the eng-
neer would run into and injure or kill any
kind of stock he has them to pay for. The
brakesman told me the engineer ran into and
killed several cows few days before, and
lost his months salary thereby. This makes
them cautious They do not run at night for
| this reason. The railroads in the South are
| generally eXecrable, and this one was not an
exception. 1t took four hours to run 60
miles, and | can only compare the roughness
and jolting to riding in an ox-cart over a
stony road from Darlington to Trapp church,
| for nstance)
We arrived in Jacksonville ats p. NJ. The
| thermometer registered 9S degrees, and the
sun seemed TO me to he about 100 yards up
over my head. There is something peculiar
| about the heat in Florida. Ifyou get many
| kind of shade, there is always n breeze, and
the nights are delightful. But to 90 out in
| the sun after 8 o'clock it is very hot; and at
| the same time the thermometer may not be
| over 80 degrees.
Jacksonville is quite a pretty place, of
about 5000 inhabitants. 1t is located on the
| st. Johns river, % miles from the ocean. 1t
is the chief city and principal commercial
emporium ON the Atlantic coast south of Sa-
vannah 1t extends along the banks of the
river for four miles, and has n number of fine
hotels and innumerable boarding houses
The Grand National Hotel and the Aston
House compare favorably with any hotel in
Baltimore. The lumber interest is very
large, giving employment to a perfect fleet Of
vessels and many hands. 1t is noted winter
resort. The place was dull at that time of
the year, but in winter | was told it was very
lively, as the Yankee crop is on hand They
say the shop-keepers subsist on mullets in
summer and Yankees in winter They charge
exorbtant prices for curiosities such as sea
beans, shells and alligator tooth ewelry
We stopped overnight here and the next
morning took the steamer down st. Johns
river. This fine stream was called by the In
dams We-la-ka, meaning that it had its own
way. 1t is 400 miles long and is navigable
for large steamers down to Enterprise, on
Lake Munroe, 112 miles. Its real source is
unknown, but it is supposed to be formed by
numerous streams in the unexplorcd regions
of the Everglades. The water is beautiful
amber color and brackish for 100 miles down
to Lake George)
We passed small place called Mandarin,
where Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe resides
She has fine orange grove of several acres.
This place was the scene of dreadful massacre
by the Seminole Indians. The banks of the
river are dotted here and there with beauti-
full orange groves and handsome residences
of wealthy persons, who reside there only in
winter They all have handsome boat houses
and steam launches. There is railroad from
Tocoi on the st. Johns across to st. Angus
tine owned by Aston of New York The
fare across IA miles) is two dollars.
There is no place of any size or special in
terest until we arrived at Palatka, rs miles
from Jacksonville. This is n very pretty
town, larger than Bel Air, and boasts of
population of 800. The streets are shaded
with the wild orange which were in bloom at
that time with some fruit about half matured
ON them You will see the sweet orange
tree in blossom, with fruit on it from the
size of walnut to the yellow ripe orange.
ITO be COntinued)