Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-28
BEAUTIFUL ST. TERESA.
A Correspondent Draws a Roseate View
of the FlOridian PARADISE.
correspondence or the Morning Mems.
". IERESA i MIS- Icr -


A Correspondent Draws Roseate View
of the Floridian PARADISE.
Correspondence sf the Morning Mems.
ST. TERESA, JAMES ISLAND. FLORIDA.
August 22.-Contrary to my expectations
| am detained at this pleasant summer
resort longer than l intended to remain.
While some detentiOns are unpleasant.
this is by no means so. Business may
suffer for the time, but the relaxation
from care, the inyigorating gulf breeze.
the excellent salt bathing, and pleasant
and cOngenial society more than compen-
safe for an enforced absence from the
daily routine of duties incident to a busi-
ness life. Like all other watering places,
lite here is mOnOtOnOus, but its contrast
with that which we are accustomed to
| lead is pleasant. You rise early, take a
good bath, then breakfast, then letters
are written and newspapers read, and if
so disposed pleasant sail can be had to
some noted fishing ground, or, if the
weather be not too warm, with gun and
dogs, deer hunt may be enjoyed. Many
of our gentlemen visitors spend most of
toned to use the umbrella at home. they
seem not here to mind the hot sun. His
rays, so fierce in the interior and
dreaded because of their baleful effects.
seem here to be neutraliZed by the moist
atmosphere and the almost constant
breeze that prevails.
| have noticed here Il far greater variety
of fish than in Northern climes. and n
marine exhibit from Florida at the Lou
iSville Exposition would, have no doubt,
be one OF the most attractive features at
that great show, and prove that in this
department the variety would be as great
and wonderful as are our fauna and fOrd.
Nearly every day | am shown some new
( to me) specimens of the finny tribe One
that has interested me very much is the
toad or put fish. 1t is about the size of
the common toad fish, and like it in color.
But unlike 1t, the mouth is very small,
with rows of teeth. When taken from the
water and placed on its back, it sucks in
the air and begins to swell like bladder
until it looks like a ball. On being turned
over again, it gradually assumes its fish
like shape. 1t is caught with hook and
line like others of this genus. Another
! curious specimen is the cOwtish, with
small prOtuberances resembling horns,
and with head somewhat resembling the
( terrestrial quadruped and namesake. The
specimen l saw was quite small and was
caught with cast net. 1t has no scales
and is covered with a bOny substance, is
triangular i'll shape, with dOrsal and lat
eral fins, and appears to be a connecting
link between the crustacea and fin fish
1t is never seen near the surface, but is
always found at the bottom of shallow
water. Ny kind hostess has in her pos
session still another curiosity of the tinny
tribe, TO wit: the sea hOrSefSh. 1t is
about six inches in length and is an exact
counterpart of the unicorn in the Eng
liSh coat of arms. This specimen was
taken from the mouth of blackfsh
about month ago and is preserved in al
cOhOl. Sharks abound in these waters
and are caught every day. Often when
the sportsman sees his cork whizz under
the water and thinks he has hung fine
redtish he is disappointed to see dangling
at the end of his line, shark Of about a
foot long. The smaller fry of this species
is regarded as a nuisance, for they bite
and are caught when a more edible vari-
ETY. is desired. His elder brother, though,
Is not feared, and as he roams only in
deeD water. bathers are never mOlested
by him.
The farther south we go the more rank
does vegetation appear: and the same rule
holds good. not only as to marine plants,
ceOus and tinny species. For miles and
miles along our coast the bottom is COW
cred with a dense growth of seaweed,
while further out in the deeper waters
may be seen enormous Sponges. Quite a
business is done in this line, and the value
ofSpOngeS shipped annually by the Florida
fishermen amounts to quite large sum,
there being no less than five hundred men
engaged in it. Shipping turtle, too, is
another important industry, and thou
sands are shipped to New York and other
Northern cities during the ''turtle sea-
son." which, if | mistake not, is during
the months of June, July and August.
The green turtle are not as plentiful in
these waters as farther south, but the log
ger-head is frequently caught. So great
are the marine resources of our State. so
varied are they, that it is estimated that
several thousand men obtain their
living from its waters. One great pest of
the fisherman is the barnacles that fasten
to the bottom of his craft and impede her
sailing. The rapidity with which they in
crease is astounding. Every three or four
weeks it becomes necessary to scrape the
bottom of their vessels, and during that
time one of only four and a half tons will,
unless she is copper r-bOttOmed, accumu-
late no less than barrel of these crusta-
cean pests. Strange to say, they are worse
here than in the waters about Key West
But this fshy letter has been spun out
long enough. My almost two weeks So
jOurn here has been delightfully."- pleasant,
and while | enjoyed that freedom from
care incident to the daily routine of active
life my mind was carried back to the days
of my boyhood, when l, too, was ''a dwell
er by the sea-" | did not live over those
days in reality, and in bOyish pleasure,
but l did live them over in imagination.
And now that duty calls me back TO the
plodding realities of the busy world, glad
ly obey that call. The few summer residents
here-leSS this season than uSual-make
sojOurn here the more agreeable. They
are a little world among themselves, and
though deprived of daily and regular
mails, seem perfectly satisfied with the
society of each other, and are not at all
enYiOuS as to the progress of events in the
busy haunts of men. They have regained
that best of earthly blessings, good health.
Their loved ones surround them, their
time is occupied in domestic and social
duties or in recreation of the season.
What more can they want? For the pre-
sent it matters but little to them whether
France continues republic or is revOlu-
tiOniZed into a monarchy. Care sits lightly
on them and they enjoy the elixir of life to
its full. l shall leave these good people
with regret. for apart from their being the
friends of many years, their unvarying
kindness and unstinted hospitality to me
and mine is like an oasis in my b0he-
mian life, and August of 1888 will be an
epoch that l will ever look back upon with
pleasure.
This island has been favOrite summer
resort for more than thirty years past, and
as it abOun1s in sulphur and chalybeate
springs it must of necessity be the site of
a winter and summer sanitarium, and
also of large hotel. When that shall be,
capital will come in and furnish the
means of more rapid and convenient
means of travel, a want of which at
present is a sad drawback in developing
its advantages. Next summer there will
probably be steamer on the route be-
tween here and st. Marks, and st. Teresa,
being once more easy of access, will loom
up in public favor, and be all that it's
original projectors fondly hoped it would
be.
In previous letter | stated that the
depth of water on the bar off here at high
tide was eight feet; should have written
eighteen feet. LEON.
Bat and Ball.