New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-04
A WINTER HOLIDAY.
sr.pcuMa FOR GOOD WEATHER.

N.se,u Mp. JAN 27.-" This" said a serious
messenger bracing himself against an awning
nosa ON the forward deck and splitting carelessy
pyer the side this has been very peculiar winter
-uncommonly So" The statement went pretty lar;
hut pobody wished to dispute it. We were moving
AWAY from the wharf at Savannah, IN the wake
of the handsome big steamship just in from New
York and as soon as she was fast at her own per-
we ran along sde to take the passengers bound 1or
Florida by the INSIDE route" 1never saw Savan-
nah look worse. The mud was not only deep III
the streets but it seemed to be paste1ed over inc
whole town and carried. to considerable eA'ehV
ON the persons of the inhabitants. The low iealeh
sky had been dropping rain at intervals al uay'
The warehouses on the waterfront were reeKihR
with slime and moisture; ugly CROWNS Vi fungus
md huge black stains spotted the walls; cotton
bales lay soaking on the soft ground; Mucous
aradgino machine was scraping the bed OF the
tnrb;d river; and across the thick brown tide
strctched miles of marsh and sedge. wei ana
mud wet and mud saturated the whole dreary
landscape The Florida is new steamboat built
purposely for the crooked inland route with no
araught to speak of, and facility for turning short
corners The saloon Is large and we'll furnished,
md the staterooms are very comfortable; out
having been constructed at Pittsburg, upon
modification of the Allegheny and Ohio river pat
Term with paddles near the stern. furnaces and
machinery distributed over the main deck, towering
tunnels vomiting black smoke from the pine-wood
Rres and monstrous pile of joiner work erected
pver the shallow hull, the boat looms above the
marshes, ugly and ungainly to the last degree. AS
It went Tuning and splash:ng down the coffee
rolored river, crowded with pale and shiverng
passengers it seemed to harmonic exactly with
the grimy shores and the dismal evening. Pres
ently we turned into an inlet among the MARSHES,
and began to thread the narrow and intricate
channel among the half-submerged Sea Islands
which line the whole Georgia coast 1t was
highly uninterestlng aud monotonous progress, with
nothing to be seen but dirty water VERY little OF
hiatt and the brown stalks of rushes and wild lice
But after a while we ran upon a mud bank, ana
stuck fast there with a falling tide.
In the morning the whole scene was changed
We were atloat again, i'll brighter water and under
n GENIAL s,ln Here and there a prospect of blue
ocean opened on our left. There green
growth on the shores. Pine woods rose in the
distance. Lumber-lade barks were sailing out
of the sounds POTpOises played around u.s. Bnz-
yards and multitude of waterfowl rose from the
creeks An imperturbable heron. majestic and
ridiculous, stood upon bare strip OF land lhe
country grew more and mole sllmmcr-ike. At last.
in the early afternoon passing tmcklV wooded
island we sailed into Cumberland Sound and saw
in front of us an old brick fort, the rampant on
one side half buriedby the driftcd white sand and
the masonry broken down. On the lett the sea
dashed in long line of breakers on the bar ana
in the opposite direction lay the town of Fernan-
dina.
There is n distinction between the old and the new
Ferpandlua which are separated by marsh. anu
connected by q mile of plank walk raised upon
posts in the mud. But tue old town contains no
relics of the ancient Spanish settlement; it Is
merely collection of negro cabins, with saw
mill and a wharf The new town has made some
nrenaratiops to Lecome a winter waerng-place.
in rivalry of Jacksonville An excellent hotel has
been opened and the streets planted with orange
trees But as yet, though 1T has many natural
advantages Fernandina is little more than place
for missing railroad and steamboat connexions
One of the first things tor traveller in the South to
learn is the Righteousness OF schedules lime Is vi
no value in this law land, and ticket agents as
rnle are oofted with tropically luxuriant magma
tions forget what wild romance was told me at
Savannah about the length OF the voyage fIon tiat
mort TO Fernandina. 1t was 10 be ever 50 many
honrs shorter than under the most favorable clrcun
srtances it ever had been. But what mattereu IT,
while we sailed under a warm sun : AL ldie uaN-
eller with more time than be knsw what 10 40 WILL
could ,onnge rs comfortably on the steamboat as on
shore: and for me, fortunately. there was no iii-
patient locomotive waiting there was no business
more pressing than to get out OF tire "nhc"m-
monty peculiar" winter. Those who were waiting
at Savannah to come down by the boat next oaN
perhaps looked upon disregard OF the tlhe-ta"i'
with less composure for the FLORIDA o'ulttcd hcr
next advertised trip altogether; beng unable 10
cot frewood at Fernandina in season for the re-
turn though the saving and shipping OF pnc
wood is the principal industry OF the place!
IT was almost "a melancholy exercise to watch
the faces OF the passengers as they Went ashore
into what they had believed TO be the and Oh ever
lasting summer and perennial flowers. The orange
trees were all withered the thick glossy leaves had
tnrned q dead brown the frozen fruit was net
worth the picking; the teshy leaves OF the ci'tus
we're sbriyelled. The uncommonly peculiar
winter had blasted all the new beauty OF the Dud-
ding Watering place. and left shabby island OF
white sand and scrub palmetto. Most of the traV-
arers hurried on by rail to Jacksonville only to
End that frost and rain had made mischief there
Zoo From all over the South came the most DIS
bearteninr reports of cold and wet weather. anu of
invalids shyering in the comtortless hotels. But
there were mild bright days just then, and fOr me
at anv rate the time passed pleasantly enouth aC
.Fernapdina while waited for the steamer TO take
me away from the frost-chlled continent 10 that
gentle spring climate which reigns on the o'hcr
aide of the Gulf Stream among the Banana lsiahds
There is q drive across the island on which rcl-
nandina stands to smooth white beach. sara 10 10
fifteen on twenty miles Icing, harder and cleaner anu
moe regular than any otheI beach have seen !;
where the carriage wheels hardly make an impress
sion on the sand ana the sea is always casting up
pretty shells 1t was delicious to drive thcre OF
warm afternoon leaning back in the open Carriage
with eyes half Shut and listening to the geh'lc pau
ter of the horses hoos, and the sootnihg liuSio ."
the surf A small steamboat took us ono oaJ iio'"
Fernandina across the sound to Dungeness OH Cu'n
berland Island. the splendid estate which tne peo-
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