Year: 1877

Our expectations were fully realized
concerning our journey from Charleston
to Savannah, for truly it was the hard
est days travel we have had, as we had
to ride from eight in the morning until
four in the evening in wretchedly old,
discarded Southern car. But oh, such
warm, balmy air greeted us that it
| rested even such tired travellers as we
were then, and made this beautiful
Southern city, the only one in which in
childhood 1 had wandered, as lovely as
in memory 1 had pictured it. Little
parks intersecting nearly all the streets,
trees covered with foliage, and flowers
blooming in every garden and filling
the air with such fragrance that truly it
seemed like 'fairy land" Just within
the city limits is large and very beau
tiful park, and with its magnificent old
trees, exquisite fountains, and superb
bushes bending beneath their weight of
pink and white japonicas, is truly a
lovely place in which to "while away
many an hour"


Friday we drove to Bonaventure, the
cemetery, and the glorious old oaks,
covered with hanging moss, is really
strange and wonderful sight. This
moss, so wierd, so curious, is said to be
entirely an air plant, no connecting
link being found that attaches it to the
tree from which it hangs The broad
avenues were lined each side with inn
mense trees, aud the branches meeting
above formed overhead perfect arch
way, through which we drove. The
place is left almost in its natural rough
ness, but little spent upon it of north
ern gold, and its beauties would be en-
hanced an hundred-fold.


''The Hermitage" the name of what
was once slave plantation, has long
avenue leading to the house, bordered
with oaks, forming, as they do in the
cemetery, perfect arch, and the pend
ant moss festooning the branches, hangs
so low as to be easily plucked from the
carriage windows. Oershadowed by
the enormous trees were the small quar-
ters once occupied by the negroes, but
now disappearing beneath the touch of
decays etfacing fingers" They are
little, square buildings, built of brick,
aat-roofed, and containing apparently
but one room, once painted white, and
with chimneys built on the outside.
The planters house had been very
very handsome, only one story, but
imposing. We were politely shown
through the house, presented with some
flowers, and had most kindly answered
our many questions concerning the
days when slavery held dominion DER
the land"


| Flocking to this city is a Western
party of some five hundred persons;
some with the intent of ''spying out the
land" and by the sudden arrival of so
many strangers the hotels are crowded
to overlooking. Still the cooking is
none the worse from such an increase of
| hungry mortals; it was as bad as could
be before. Not thing upon the table
reminded US that we were in the 'sunny
South"


'Tis dreary Sunday; all our lovely
weather has disappeared. Such a change
has come over the scene that we feel as
if in our dreams we had been transported
back to our barren winter from which
we had fled. A storm, such as has not
been felt here in the month of Decem-
Der, is dashing in all its fury over this
beautiful city. Great fires are burning
in all of our rooms, and bales of cotton
have been in great requisiLiOn, for every
crack and crevice has to be stuffed, for
the wind seems determined to penetrate
each nook and corner. When out
breasting the storm, heavy ulsters and
seal-skiu sacques can hardly keep away
the cold.


We are very anxious to journey on,
and expect within few days to be on
our way to Florida, where we fervently
hope to have a little more than a
glimpse of warm weather.


THE EXCESSIVE USE OF MEDICINE