The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1885-04-02


We make the subjoiued extracts from
the lengthy and we'll prepared report OF
the St Augustine Weekly, which, with
commendable enterprise, published in full
the eloquent aud instructive Grafton OF
Major Fairbanks:
For many days crowds of people have been
arriving to witness the celebration OF an event
that lies right at the foundation OF the history OF
our city in its checkered career for three hun
,lreti and seventv-thre years, e., the LANDING
OF Ponce de Leon and his followers, on April 3.
1912 The city was OVERLOOKING with people
by Thursday night, and fresh arrivals on FRIDAY
morning, March 9th, caused the hotels and
boarding house keepers some uneasiness as 10
caring for such an immense concourse OF people,
but they proved equal to the occasion. Inc
public and private buildings on the line OF march
through the principal streets were decorated
with bunting, flags, shields, evergreens and
many devices, all lovely and some very cosby;
The celebration was opened at sunrise Oy the
firing of national or royal salute OF twenty one
guns by the Barracks Artillery Company. The
sun rose to give the first real warm, lovely
spring day The fresh, green, new leaves ana
sweet odors therefrom in harmony with the en-
tire city in its holiday attire, easily prepared the
visitors tourists and natives for the surprise IN
landing of Ponce de Leon, at eleven O'CLOCK
IN
The Spanish schooner was anchored in the
MantanZas River east of the sea wall and south
of Fort San Marco, say one fourth OF mile
The landing from the vessel was effected In tour
vawls. The Admiral Ponce de Leon, Father
Lynch and Captains RogerO and Carrera, came
ashore in the first boat and the Spanish tag
held by Ponce de Leon was unflrled by his AID
and rested on the new world once more as of
yore. The Admiral was represented by splen-
did specimen of manhood and typical Spanish
grandee, Senator Francisco GenOvar, who
was handsomely dressed in maroon velvet cloak,
vest and knee pants, black silk hose and slippers
and adorned with long, sweeping black plume
in low, widc-br hat wearing also the in
sigma OF his authority, the long-pointed Spanish
sword. His forty six attendants, natives OF the
Ancient City, were dressed i'll typical Spanish
costumes of yellow knee pants, red vests, black
hose, and slippers crowned with glittering sill
very helmets and battle axes. The landing was
witnessed by six to eight thousand spectators
| from the fort, San Marco, sca-wall and balloon
les aud windows Of houses fronting on the bay.
| Certainly ii was sight that once beheld, could
not ever be forgotten, especially the scene OF
! hundreds of people upon the dark and frown-
! ing walls of San Marco, 50 fifty representing the
! times of Ferdinand and isabelle, in their own
Spanish war times. Indeed it was simply
| grand.
|
lowers, formed on Bay street, heading north
ward to the Fort and were escorted by the
| Third Artillery Band and thousands Of persons.
! The march to the interior Of the Fort San Mar
co, which is in the shape OF large parallelo-
| gram, where on the north side in bunting, flags,
shields, &c, in neat chancel beautifully
| adorned, rs was the rest of the Fort, high
Mass was appropriately celebrated by
Father Lynch assisted by Father Mooney, Of
| New York, and upon completion of the same
General II. g. Gibson delivered a mastery and
eloquent introductory address. Then the Secre-
tary Dr. De Wit, Webb, read at the request OF
Chairman Gibson, letter from Governor h. A
Perry, who regretted his inability to be present
on this interesting occasion, and expressed his
hearty approval of the celebration.
Next came the Grafton The orator of the
day being Major George r. Fairbanks, of the
Mrror, of Fernandina, who gave an eloquent
address upon the past history of ST. Augustine
and the part played by the various nations in
the dark drama so wildly portrayed to the
minds of the Indians of the new world in flash
ing fire and sword and whiZzing ball. Readers
OF the Weekly will we believe, appreciate our
enterprise in laying before them, thus early, the
address in full, for future reference.
AT night on the 9th there were fancy
dress balls and masquerades at Rink San
Marco and Hotel San Augustine. On
the 2sth there were boat races and sail
ing regattas, and at night procession OF
Illuminated boats, lowed about the har
Dor by powerful steam tug, and crowd
ed with people. The following is from
the press dispatch:
| SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CELEBRATION.
The interesting historic events celebrated to
! link our own day directly with Columbus him
self, for Juan Ponce de Leon had accompanied
| The great Gcnoese navigator on his second vOy
age across the Atlantic, in 1893 and had passed
the next twenty years in the West Indies, nc
quirng the GOvernorship of the eastern district OIL
| Hispaniola and of Porto Rico. The tough old
soldier became possessed in his declining years
| with the mania for going in search OF that fOun-
! tain Of perpetual youth whose existence some
where in the New World was firmly credited
by most of his c0untrymen. On this quest he
set out from Porto Rico early in March, 1913
with three Ships and, on March 81, according to
our present reckoning OF the calendar, it being
Easter Sunday, Pascua Florida, he saw the
| land to which, beautiful with its wealth oil
flowers, the name Of Florida was given.
Ponce de Leon skirted the whole Atlantic
coast OF the peninsula, from The st. Johns Ia
The Torugas, and doubled Cape Sable. He
| found, however, no waters that could renew
! that lost ardor of youth which he had known
during his campaigns in Granada, and hostile
savagcs batcd his efforts to reach the in crior
Eight years later when he again visited Florida
! his ships were driven off by the Indians, and
! Ponce himself was MORALLY wounded.