THE GULF COAST OF FLORIDA. 173 



width of one to two hundred yards and becomes exceeding 

 crooked. 



The first object of interest after leaving Jacksonville is at 

 Mandarin, twelve miles above, where we were favored with a 

 view of Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's winter residence. Her 

 house is surrounded by a beautiful orange grove and she is 

 willing to present every northern visitor to Mandarin with an 

 orange, if the visitor happens to have a dime about his clothes. 



Two miles farther up, Orange Park is situated. A large 

 amount of money has been expended here by the owners of 

 the tract of land on which the town is situated, in improving 

 and beautifying it, and as a result a most beautiful picture is 

 presented to the eye of the visitor. Hibernia, Magnolia, 

 Green Cove Springs and Picolata are passed in succession. 

 They are all pleasant little villages, but offer very little of real 

 interest beyond their abundant and prolific orange groves. 

 Next comes Palatka, which we reach about dark and where 

 the steamer very wisely stops over night in order to allow the 

 tourists to make the entire trip by daylight. 



This is an old town. It was an important military post 

 during the Seminole war. It has eleven hundred inhabitants 

 and is a very handsome town. Game is abundant in this 

 vicinity. Deer are killed within five miles of Palatka all 

 through the winter, and turkeys are found by going a few miles 

 farther. Quail are abundant and alligators are numerous in 

 the river and adjacent lakes and bayous. 



On the morning of the iyth the " Pastime" turned back 

 down the river and we took the " Georgea " for the completion 

 of the trip. At seven o'clock A.M. we were under way. Capt. 

 Schoonmaker, master of the " Georgea," informed us that we 

 would find plenty of game from this point up, so we brought 

 out our guns Dr. W. his shot-gun and I my rifle. We took 

 up our positions on the quarter-deck ready for business. 



