Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-04-21
A TRIa THROUGH THE SOUTH
Extracts from a letter ftom Hon. d
w. Allan OF Fai,fi,id.

We are permitted to mskethe following
extracts from letter written by Hon. ID.
W. Allen of Fairfield. who wss member
of Governor Burleigh's Council in 1889 go
from Somerset couu,y and VIII, is now,
With his wife, making a Trip through the
South. The letter is dated at Eilenton,
Manatae county, FIorids, April 10th.
"We have nov reached the most south
ern point in our trip being nearly thr' t
hundred miles sou h If Jacksonville
Ellenton Ia on the Msnsies river about
eight miles from Tampa bay on the Gulf
days old friends who moved from Maine
to Mr. b. c. Nichols formerly
Of schools In the town of Vassalboro for
seven o, eight years. We lef. home Feb
ruary l7ih and have made stops Of longer
or shorter duration in Lynn, Boston and
Wes,boro, Msss.. Philsdelphia, Whining
ton, Annapolis, one week in Washington
before Congress adjourned, Lursy Caverrs
VS., Crimora, Va, mining town near
Lursy, Rockville aud Chattanooga, Tenn,
Tcnnei Hill, Atlanta and Mscon, Georgia
Jacksonville and St. Augustine. Florids
Oar progress south has been so grsdus Il
and the weather has been so cold. wet and
backward that we have not noticed the sud
dsn change thss so many spesk OF who
find themselves ia Ss. Augustine in 81
hours by the elegant vestibule train
from New York. We are as las. in the
Sunny South" We had begun to thins
IL was "a myth, or vili-o-ths wisp. We
are living on sill kinds Of esrly vegetables
and oranges. Strawberries are nearly gone
Oianges growing scarce. We propose 70
leave here tomorrow Saturday for Por
Tampa. leaving there for Mobile by stesm-
er where We hope to arrive Monday N ,rn
iny. We are rs yetunteciied but may 60
from Mobile to New Orleans and thence BY
a Mississippi s'esmoost to Memphis snd
from there back to Chattanooga We have
not as yet found CITY with = more prom
i-jng future than Chattanooga. Atianss
il the finet city this side Of
Washington. IL hiss very msny ele-
CANT private residences The State
House (nes) is large AID very foe but no.
as beautiful as the one at Hartford, Conn
{he Senate and Representatives Halls are
larger and desks much less GRO sdsd. We
saw the residence of Heory Grady, nos
occupied by bis widow and one child. This
one old brick house that. Sherman isf
| s,sndiug Is shown with q cannon shot hols
in it's side. Jacksonville busting, bnsy
st. Augustine. sleepy, desd,--exeeps T.
beautiful h3els. Like cur ancient York
they pride themselve, on their antiquity
| IL il really quaint old town, especially ths
lat = "a h.. . ek ,t$ s,t
standing. carefully preserved, Is well a.
| many more relics OF its former greatness
Wish had the poser to describe the hote
| Ponce de Leon" bu, my feeble command
Of The Engiish language will not suffice
II would seem as though the possible COS
never entered the miad Of the srcbite C,
And you must imsgine what could BE- don,
BY some OF the fnest architects OF th'
country, having an Unlimited supply o.
money and backed by a climate producer
tropical flowers and shrubbefy. The cen
trsl court $50 feet square, . large csnsrs
soantsin, surrounded by f,weYs and shruo
whose fragrance fairly 6a toe air, fountain
and shruopery ablszs with colorsd eIectri
light The spanish word "Bieuvendi,
for welcome, over the main entrance, q
rell as the two towers 1e5 feet high an
piAzzss also illuminated With colored eIec,
ric nights, with fne band playing, al
unite 10 give eoe an impression tina. lie bs
reached fairy land at last. II must b
seen to be appreciated. recall ii ~
beautiful dream.
We are having fine trip, thoronsbi
enjoying Il, snd zee 30 many strange an
novel sights that We should like to spes
Of but space fotbids. We shall rese
Chattanooga sometime before April 18sa.