103 PLORIDA, THE PFvOMISF.D LAN P. 



the magnificient view which met our delighted eyes as 

 we crossed the Suwanee river the old stream so inter 

 woven with recollections of the song, heard so often in 

 days gone by. As far as we could see, the hanks were 

 crowned with majestic water-oaks, whose rich dark- 

 grceii foliage was beautifully silvered over with long gray 

 moss drooping low to the water s edge. The slanting 

 sunbeams lent a golden glory to the tree-tops, and we 

 crossed the strongly flowing current, gazing in silent 

 admiration at this new loveliness displayed by ever- 

 yaricd nature. During our journey thence to Newnans- 

 yille we passed many thrifty-looking farms, but the town 

 itself seems fast going to decay. No new buildings 

 attested prosperity and progress, and in most cases, 

 the original ones were sadly in need of repair. The route 

 onward to Gainsville seemed far less monotonous. AVe 

 found it a thriving town, its main streets thronged by 

 pedestrians and vehicles, while the coming and going of 

 the railway trains imparted a sensation of nearness to, and 

 connection with, the great busy, bustling, outside world. 

 In passing from there to Orange Spring, we noticed 

 many snug little farms, most of them new, and now 

 we began to realize that we had entered the orange region 

 of Florida, as there was scarcely a house not surrounded 

 by orange trees in various stages of growth. Orange 

 Spring appears to have once been a place of some note. 

 The ruins of a large hotel mutely attest its former 

 popularity as a place of resort, while its numerous com 

 fortable dwellings, and some new stores, show there is life 

 in that region yet. Its situation is charming, crowning 

 a considerable eminence, and considering its attractions, 

 one does not wonder at its former fame. Its name is 

 probably derived in part from a large sulphur spring 



