Daily Republican., 1884-02-19
THROUGH FlOkIDA.
A WiImingtOnian's Description OF
PiIatka and -. Angusaane-'A
Great Country, hut not like DeIa.

n W1lm1ngtOn1an's Deeft1pthOn VI
Piiatka and ~. Aagustine-'A
Great Country, hut not like Deia.
ware.
Special Correspondence Of the REPUBLICAN.
ST AUGUSTINE, Fla, Feb. 13, 1884,
We left Pilatka, Florida, February
9th, in the steamer for Crescent City, 30
miles farther up the st. Johns river,
arriving there In time for dinner. We
put up at Potter Hotel, splendid, large
new house just opened, and beautifully
situated on high ground, overlooking
the river IN front
This city is on high ground and has
lately been laid out and incorporated as
a city. Many new buildings have been
erected, and still they are going up,
such as stores, dwellings, hotels,
churches, school houses, saw-miils, Ii
brary buildings, and many o,her build
ings OF more or less Importance. Many
people are making money on the sale OF
lots, and before long this must be a
beautiful city. The situa ion and soil
are the best situated for tie growth of
orange trees. ! have seen the orange
groves, and the oranges for many miles
around here are very fine. We left
Pilatka on Saturday last and arrived
at st. Augustine at $50 p. m, and put
up at the Florida House, a splendid
hotel kept by George l.. Atkins & Sons.
They are very fine gentlemen and
keep first class house. think we
will stay here two weeks. This Is u
grand old city, walled in fog one mile
along the river. The wall is about
three feet thick on top and Ave feet at
the base, making a nice wall on top.
There Is a large number Of churches
here, the Oldest being the Spanish Ca.
thedral, in which mass was held for the
first time in St. Augustine, September,
9Th 1865. The old fort is q wonderful
building. The walls are q feet high
and inclose 180 feet square of ground.
1t was commenced In 1895 and finished
in 1856. 1t is sight to look upon. The
ancient gateway is q strange looking
thing. Two large walls on pillars are
still standing.
1t is thought that q wall extended
around the city. The public square is
one OF the beauties of st. Augustine.
1t has many very old and handsome
trees In it, and several flowing wells
throwing up large streams of sulphur
water. At the end of the square next
the river stands the old market, a one
story building with seats on both sides
and a flowing we'll In the centre. This IL
called the slav6 market.
Near the centre of the square stands
a large monument erected In 1872 in
of the Spanish Liberal
Constitution. Opposite the Spanish
monument stands the Confederate one
erected in 1880 by the Ladies' Memorial
Society in memory of the soldiers of st.
Augustine who iell in the late civil
war.
We are having a very fine rain while
| am writing this letter, which was
greatly needed. There has been no
rain here for long time. There Is a
very large number of fine no els and
boarding houses in This city, one of the
hotels, new one, is said to be the larg-
est In the State. A new M. +. church
has Just been finished. 1t is wonderful
to see the large number of orange groves
onIboth sides of the StJ John river, and
the large number Of oranges on each
tree.
Some trees have thousands of oranges
on them. max ng more than a hundred
dollars for each tree. This State Is i'm
proving very fast and land is rising in
value. Florida will soon be great
state. But with all that have seen,
Wilmington, and the State of Delaware
IA l,4p Sfu in a
its splendor shedding light, enterprise,
prosperity and happiness all over.
w. B