The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-06-26
ON EBgE, 81. JOHNS

On EBIE 81. JOHNS.
Prof. Strllr, agricultural editor of the
M"hil" Hy;~fr, continues his narrative
OF travel in Florida last ,lring. W"
extract from the article dcSc,ipriy" OF
his trip on the upper st. Johns. which
gains much interest from the Introduction
OF old Eartram chronicle Of experiences
on the river more than a century ago:
We were now FIVE or six miles from
Lax" George. where daylight had first
struck MS. Th" morning being very
fine one for the season. the passengers
were out in full force with their ollilc
books, reading about the old spanish set
Elements mentioned ~ having once had
an existence in the nrighhorhood, and
looking for alIi@atnrs, the lattrr sad to
have their natural home" all along the
river from this point S"uttWarl. Among
the passengers was an cd tn@v-Iooking
gent lrman with a very old fnrv-loolinr
guide book, bound in old tngv looking
leather after an old io4v-ioukinr stvlo.
1t was soon plain to be seen that from
some cause or other this old forv Wa, he
coming tn" chief centre OF attractinn.-
We investigated the phenomenon. It
was his "guidc book that attracted
them, and no wonder. At Just about this
same season of the year, in l71i. William
Bartram, the noted botanist, had passed
mp this same St Johns river (St. Juan he
called iU, in a small open canoe, alone,
making a tour OF the then Florida will
Il L.. 4 Il I l
a book giving an account of his trip and
a description of the country, and now
here was a copy Of that Identical old pub
lication printed more than one hundred
years ago, brought to light and being
used as a guide book 1t was not n mere
reprint. but a genuine copy OF the first
and perhaps only clifton of the work
6 Is. SAID thcoll gentleman, looking
up from his book and motioniug with his
hand towards Nolu>ia now disappearing
from View behind Il point of timbcr
that is undoubtedly where was located
the Indian trading post known a Spald-
ing. Upper store, one hundred and ten
years ago. | know | am not mistaken
for have closely kept the run of things
all the way l5artram mentions the place
ing post. on Lake Monroe that fits cX-
actly. From this point Bartram set sail
in a dugout for up the river accom-
panied by an Indian, but just up yonlcr,
Ca short distance above Astor) according
to the book, the Indian left him and never
returned, l;artram having put him ashore
to hunt for wild turkeys: so Bartram
went on alone"
\ little later, when we had passed
Orange Bluff and struck out through an
cXpansc of the river presenting the ap-
pcarancc of small lake, he read from
the long $ and dipthong Typography of
his brown looking old pages as follows:
The little lake, which IS an expansion nf lie
river, now appeared in view ON The east side
are extensive marshes, and on the "'hcr high
forests and orange groves and then bay lined
with vast cypress sWamps, both COASTS gradually
approaching each other 10 the opening of the
RIVER again, which in his place is about three
hundred yards wide.
There it all was, exactly rs it had ap
pearcd to the distinguished explorer over
one hundred years ago: hence the old
man and his look became ut once the lion
Of the occasion. He read ON:
Evening drawing nigh was anXiouS to reach
some high bank OF lho river. where | intended To
lol~c. and agreeable 10 my Wishes soon ntlcr
discovered, on the west shore, little promon-
tory at the turung of the river, contracting il
here to about one hundred and fifty yards in
width the promontory is Il peninsula, con-
lainng about three acres Of hIeI ground, anl is
one entire orange grove, with few live oaks,
magnolias and rallnes.
And we saw it all, Just as described,
though the orange trees seemed to have
mostly disappeared, yet We could still
note abundant traces of them. Mr. Bar
tram landed and encampcd for the night,
and his book says:
The evening was ttmpcratclv cn0l and calm.
The crockoiiic~ C,lligatoi>) began ln rpnr aud ap
pear in uncommon numbers along lhc shores OF
the river fixed my camp in m open plain
near the utmost projection at the pr"moniory,
under the shelter OF large live oak. which
stood on the highest part OF The ground, and but
a few yards from my boat
After Drawing the storms of eleven adj
ditional decades there stood that live oak
still, appearing to us, from the decks of
great steamer, doubtless very much as it
appeared TO the lonely voyagcr appronch-
ing it III his trail canoe, over one hundred
years ago. The old man read on. of how
Bartram saw alligators crowding about
his harbOr. and suspected that they were
intending to attack him how he collected
a good supply of wood to keep up a
smoke and fire through the night for the
purpose of soaring them off, and how he
went up the lagoon with his boat, about
one hundred yards away, to catch some
fish for supper. While quietly fishing in
that lagoon, which we could now plainly
see, an alligator of immense size came
along, and Mr.. Bartram says:
Behold him making forth from the flags and
reeds His enormous body swells His plated
tail brandishcd high as he floats upon the lake.
The waters like cataract descend from his
opening jaws! Clouds of vapor issue from his
datcd nostrls. The earth trcmbles with his
thunder
That alligator had fallen in with the
e Ilo CO..