Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-03-19

the front hall way. and the horses in the rear
of the dwelling. tits great country.
Rock Ledge, Fla, is a beautiful spot, Dos
sessing a warm. equable climate, situated on
the banks of Ihe famous Salt Water sound.
known as Indian river. in the midst OF the
finest tropical fruit growing country in
America. Rock Ledge is especially attractive
aud interesting to northern people, and
though only brought into accessibility few
years ago, it is now one of the most success
ful and popular winter resorts in the United
States. The hotel Indian River is very large
and first class in all its compartments, owned
and kept by the very courteous j. NJ. Lee.
A walk to the orange grove of some 40 acres
just back of the hotel and see the trees loaded
with ripe fruit and also white with blossoms
is a wonderful, pleasing sight. This grove is
one of the finest on the river and produces
about twelve thousand boxes of oranges an
nually, and are the finest grown in the south.
Lemons grow wild and very large, all the
tropical fruits are grown here and many va
rieties that are not seen in the north.
Sportsmen grow tired fishing and shooting
ducks and geese. Sea bass and pompino
weighing 20 to 40 pounds are caught by troll
ling while the black bass, trout and sheeallia
make fine sport for the rod. Gators, as they
call them here, are plenty, but the stories that
we have heard in the north that they are man
eaters vanishes into thin air. If cornered
they will fight. but if not they will get away
as fast as possible.
From here we went by boat and rail to
Jacksonville, the metropolis of the state; it is
the terminus of the throught lines and the
great distributing point for all Florida.
Everybody stops at Jacksonville, either 60
ing or coming. as the city has attractions in
the famous hotels, fine drives, and sails on
the broad river of abundant water, the wide
st. Johns, and all the rest of it that goes to
make delightful sojourn at a fashionable
watering place. All that be remembered of
summer days at Saratoga or Bar Harbor can
be found at Jacksonville.
st. Augustine is reached next, and all the
world has heard of the famous Ponce de Leon
Hotel, a replica of some old Moorish castle.
as it looks to be, with its turrets and towers,
court yards and gate-ways, a picture taken
from the ancient history of lordly Spain.
This with the Alcazar and Cordova and the
other hostelries of more modern build, the
San Marco. Magnolia, Florida, are the names
which insure good living. ST. Augustine does
not seem to grasp the newness of advancing
ages, and sheis all the more attractive be-
cause she does not. As far back as extends
the memory of the Oldest inhabitant, the
newspaper writer and the guide book scribe
has written it eye Ancient City," till 1t has
been questioned whether st. Augustine ever
was newt is the old fort, the old dun
geons, easements, parapets and towers,
prison cells and subterranean passages. All
the balance of this great country owes debt
of gratitude to St. Augustine in that, that old
city saved the country from an everlasting
"whitewash" in securing to it the only "old
ruins" in the whole country, and the native
points with pardonable pride to the crum
bling walls of San Marco, of Ft. Matarzas,
the city gates and scores of low walled houses
in veritable proof of the city's claims. The
sea wall is not new; it is old to many lovers
whose walks up and down have worn smooth
the cap-stones. The pyramidal tombs of
Major Dade and his massacred men are moss
covered with age, and of a build that is
Egyptian in style. In the old cemeteries the
tumbled down tombs show more 16's and IT'S
than of 1873 in naming the centuries of the
dates of departure of the Dons and Donas
who rest beneath them. The streets are all
old as the town is, and a great deal narrow
er, too narrow for practical purposes, but
wide enough for st. Augenstine, yet narrow
enought to provide two shady sides all day
long, even with the low, one-storied old
houses. What more could be desired of a
street in town as old as St. Augustine?
We shall visit Ormond, Putalki, Sanford
and one or two other places and expect to be
home about the middle of March, and this
letter has grown way too long; but you
should have received large part of it about
ten days ago, but forgot to put on U. s. A.,
and the P. M. at Havanah returned it to The
hotel, but too late for the ships mail. Think,
ing our northern friends would like sketch
from the south have written this to save
answering so many questions on coming
home.