Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-07-28
ST. AUGUSTINE
From the Water.
By REV. WENDELL pR1xs, D. D.

From the New York Observer.f Ell
81 Augustine, Florida, Is in the NatanfN
river, very near the Atlantic. Its harbor b
but the rivers mouth, protected from the
ocean by the Anastasis Island. Here the
united currents now Into the sea BY the sea
inlet which forms the entrance to st. Angus
tines bay. These two,riverS are each about
twenty miles in length. They may be called
seaside rivers, for they, dow one from the
parallel with the coast, and 80 little separated,
from the sea BY the Intervening land that
their waters are within hearing Of the break
ers. With its bay, the inlet, these two rivers,
and the adjacent ocean, st. Augustine offers
sS nsr Tafsr. Z i, st nos ier.s to those aSss " :.a Love uf
her two piers Is moored 3 feet of sail Boats,
and that all Of them have employmensin good
weather. When wind and tide are favorable
you can reach the open sea in half aAshonr,.
and it is. well to do DO when the tide ieSbout
you went out. On both the beaches which
form the shore Of the inlet there Is . snowy
surf, SO that II you are not inclined to venture
on the great deep you may nevertheless enjoy
the peculiar delight Of sailing along the earth's
many waters, filings . crown of glory on the
glittering sand. vrr
On the morning Of April 14th I was much
interested in q steamer at anchor or ashore
on the ocean side of North Beach. A strong
wind was blowing, and, though the dxyi was
looking over the bay from st. Augustine's
sea-wall, she appeared to be in the midst Of
breakers. I learned from my companions
that the vessel was the government steamer
Tsilspoosa, coming for President Arthur, who
reached here q few hours ago by rail fromSSE.
Johns river. In the night she had grounded
on the bar when the tide was pretty high, and
consequently much anxiety was expressed
lest she Wouid not come OF easily. This
anxiety wal. not unmiked with qualification
on the part Of my ses-faring neighbors, who
attributed the mishap to her not securing q
pilot. Dine Of them remarked 81 suppose
that skipper thought he could hail over the
North Beach because be was coming for tho
president" Perhaps our snxieties were all
superduouas for soon after noon the Txlls-
pOosa wxs Injunction, and In an hour anchored
In the bay near tho piers, radiant with fresh
paint, ideal tars, and bright uniforms.
II l. dif1cnlt TO exagkerate the importance
OF tins arrival. During the three weeks Of
more than half Q dozen vessels from the out
side world, and none Of them could compare
with it in magnitude and splendor. We had
one or two steam yachts on my arrival. Soon
after . sailing weasel arrived from Nassau
with . few passengers, and returned with q
load Of cattle that were nearly beaten to death
or drowned In getting them on board. II
these poor creatures reached their destination
alive, they will make the toughest beef thai
ever defed the tooth Of man. There wss 9
er .essels from the neighboring coast, and
think that these were all. " -
And yet, to M the bay ID always full of In.
terest. st. Augustine Is sfngulsrly happy In
its river front, entirely free from all the I'M
seemiy features which obscure and defle the
river-side Of 30 many cities in the old world
as well as In the new. Fort Marion, at its
northern limit, Is one of the most venerable
structures on our Continent. Meats, gates
Parspets bastions form 9 gigantic relic
shores from another and older world. tt
walls are washed by the tides Of the Matanzas
opposite the inlet. AZ they roll In from the
ocean. From this fortress, the sea-wall con
tnues along the border Of the river to the
southern extremity Of the town, where arr
United States Military. Midway between
these two points, In full view from the river
Il the central Plaza, with its semi-tropica
ahade-trees, the ancient market, the modes
monuments, and the surrounding buildings
churches, hotels, shops and private houses
On either side along the water, here and Their,
among humble dwellings, are residences o
winter visitors. When the military bant
plays, in the grounds at the headquarters, tn
sail boats gather near the shore, and MOI,
about so gracefully that they appear to b,
engaged in some aquatic minuet. Even whel
the attention of the town was divided etweel
the president ON the land, and the T~allapoos,
on the water, there were to me still greste
attractions on the other shores Of the bay an
In the adjacent rivers I do, not know hov
u It II Ut other seasons. but In these weeks
carly spring, bird-life IL 70 abundant tbs
there b something to interest every moment
In the morning Of March 2sth,,a while sailin
to the Beaches and few miles up the Mort
river, I saw q hen-hawk, several bah hawkl
numerous gulls, buzzards and crows, tw
kinda nj 4nueka. MANY mAR0nn@Pa 0HAaf Mn
berons, yellow .legesd snipe, sickle billie
eurlews, oyster-catchers; wiflets, sand-piperl
and others too distant or too quick to be de
fined. In the afternoon Of the same day, O