The Magnolia gazette., 1885-12-11
MAGNOLIA GAZETTE.
Magnolia, Miss, Dec. IL, 1885.
Communication from Windsor,
Alachua county, Florida,

In order to avoid tedious epistoiary
correspondence I will give my friends
and your many renders short sketch
Of my visit to Florida. visited the
Great North, Central and South Ameri.
can Exposition on the 10th ult., heard
the Opening Addresses of the Commis.
sioners from all quarters, saw fifty
thousand people in tho Great Central
Building and beard music from band
equal to that of the Great Mexican Band
they had there last year. / remained
in New Orleans until the 10th ult. and
watched the progress of the Exposition,
When / left they we're getting their
exhibits in proper shape aud think II
possible it will be better than it was
last year. I left New Oeleaus at 4
O'Clock in the evening of the 18th uit.
for Mobile, arrived there at 8 O'Clock
that night, remained over the next day
and took stroll about the city;-found
ita mnch larger and fney city thanT OK.
pected to see. l left Mobile at half
past o'clock in the evening. landed at
Pensacola at 8 O'Clock that night and
next morning at 5 o'clock, landed at
Jacksonville at Q O'Clock that night.
The whole city appeared to be IN great
stir occasioned by the arrival of Coles
Celebrated Circus and Msnagerie. The
next day I spent walking over the city
and-T think Jacksonville is beautiful
city; has some as fine buildings as there
is in any city. The population is about
10000. Tho st. Johns river that runs
right by the city affords water sufficient
to float large steam ships, Tt is about
twenty miles to the Atlantic Ocean.
After left Jacksonville I visited many
other places and finally landed at Wind
sor on Saturday evening the 21st and
now propose to tell your readers some
thing about Florida and Windsor in
particular. Let me say first that tho
great advantage and beauty OF Florida is
its climate. The benefit OF wiater
spent here is that not only the veil but
the invalid can live out OF doors and
breath the fresh open air and bask in
the warm sunshine. Alachua county
with many others lies between the %
and 30th parallels and constitutes the
base OF the peninsula which no doubt
was formed thousands OF years ago by
the reoeding OF the Gulf and Ocean,
forming great sand bed mixed up
with marine shells making it 30 we'll
adapted for the various tropical fruits.
To day is the 25th day of November, yet
people here are in their shirt sleeves
and no necesaity OF warming fires. |
The health OF Florida or at least this
town appears to be perfectly good. II
have been here several days and In a
population Of two hundred I have not
heard OF single case OF sickness 30 you
see that 1t is poor place for doctors TO
como to get rich. The death rate accord
ing to the statistics of this State shows
one death annually for every two hun
dred Inhabitants while in my own State |
Louisiana ii shows about one to every
ssventy-fve. There is no doubt in GER
tain localities where there is great |
quantity of stagnaut water, decomposing
vegetable matter in those particular |
localities there is likely to originate
fevers. But the fact of the |
soil re.being composed largely OF sand !
absoi Djng all rainfall; Immediately 1
preventing what would take place on
1mpervlous soil. / saw several persons
In Jacksonville who coma from the |
North afflicted with asthma, consump-
lions and other diseases that had been
materially benefited since their resi-
dence IN Florida. conversed with one
man who was born in Portland Oregon,
The extreme north west of this Govern
nent, come here as he thought with |
but 10 now able to do
hard work. The water is pure and good
but not so oold as in higher latitudes.
NOVEMBER 9th, A. D.. 1885.
Az come from Pensacola Junction to
Talahassee the capital OF the State. The
country looked 30 poor. so destitute of
animal and vegetable creation that 4
,ame very near returning homo; But
from there to Jacksonville the country
improved so much that become better
reconciled. / am sure there is not
poorer country in the world than North
srp Florida which embraces twenty
counties. The country 10 billy and
rery sandy, the grass is short ard thin,
The timber consists principally of the
ong leaf pine and that very short. 1t
s not fit for stock country. it is not
'uitable for farming and cannot tell
low it will ever be utilized. Inoticed
ew turpentins distilleries along the
oad aud perhaps when the pines are
AIKEN off the sand will produce the small
ruits such as strawberries, raspbsrries,
10. The Northern tier of counties is
90 far north to produse the tropical
ruits. The orange belt con sists OF six-
een counties situated in the central part
4 the peninsula with three or four
ountiss IN the extreme southern por-
ions OF tho State that will never be
ultiYated until it is ditched and UNDER
roipa1 thus having n,,Iv obnut cna /