Alabama, Georgia and Florida. 171 
“The ebullition is astonishing, and continual, though its greatest 
force of fury intermits, regularly, for the space of thirty seconds of 
time: the waters appear of a lucid sea green color, in some measure 
owing to the reflection of the leaves above: the ebullition is perpen- 
dicular upwards, from a vast ragged orifice through a bed of rocks, a 
great depth below the common surface of the basin, throwing up small 
particles or pieces of white shells, which subside with the waters at 
the moment of intermission, gently settling down round about the ori- 
fice, forming a vast funnel. At those moments, when the waters rush 
upwards, the surface of the basin’ immediately..over the orifice is 
greatly swollen or raised a considerable height; and then it is impos- 
_ sible to keep the boat or any other floating vessel over the fountain; 
but the ebullition quickly subsides; yet, before the surface becomes 
quite even, the fountain vomits up the waters again, and so on per- 
petually. . The basin is generally circular, about fifty yards over; and 
the perpetual stream from it into the river is twelve or fifteen yards 
wide, and ten or twelve feet in depth; the basin and stream contin- 
ually peopled with prodigious numbers and variety of fish and other 
animals; as the alligator, and the manate or sea cow, in the winter 
- geason.”’ p. 229. 
A very ‘fimirkuble ‘Spring was described to me by Major Smith, 
‘of the U. S. Army, as existing upon the Ocklewaha river, thirty or 
forty miles from the St, John, and distant seventy miles in a line from 
St. Augustine, or one hundred and forty-five, by the way of Jack- 
sonville. The spring is forty feet deep, and three hundred wide; and 
gives rise to a rapid creek fifteen or twenty yards wide, and twenty- 
five feet deep. The waters of this fountain are described as equalling 
in transparency those above alluded to. 
The Sulphur springs upon the’St. John, in the neighborhood of 
Lake George, are distinguished for their sulphuretted impregnations. 
A thermometer plunged into these waters when the temperature of 
the air was 34°, stood at from 56° to 60°. 
Besides these’ boiling fountains, there exist many inland lakes or 
ponds, the depths of whose waters, in many instances, has not been 
ascertained, and which are regarded by the inhabitants as unfathom- 
able ; they are all equally remarkable for their transparency. Indeed 
the same feeling is produced in the minds of the inexperienced when 
sailing upon them as is described to have been felt by sailors in the 
clear waters of the northern seas—the sensation of being suspended 
in mid-air, rather than of floating upon the surface of water. 
