244 On the Acclimation of Tropical Exotics in Florida. 



rity in Tropical Florida, they will both be spread over the 

 whole peninsula." 



And finally, as to a direct and pleasant route of commu- 

 nication with this interesting section of our country, delicious 

 in climate, promising in its resources of tropical produce, 

 when fairly and skilfully opened, I have to say that, while 

 nature has barred the rivers and harbors of the East Coast, 

 on which the climate of tropical winter ranges highest, she 

 has cut a natural channel via the St. John's and Indian Riv- 

 ers, for a great inland thoroughfare, beautified with the va- 

 ried transitions of a semi-tropical to a tropical vegetation — 

 traceable along the whole line. Enterprise, on the St. John's, 

 is the present depot of steam navigation. The line, contin- 

 ued a short distance above this point to the head waters of 

 the St. John's, will touch a point but seven miles distant from 

 the shores of the Indian River, which is navigable for steam 

 to the mouth and up the waters of the St. Lucie Sound and 

 River to within a short distance of the eastern shores of the 

 great lake Okachober. This is a route continuous to Savan- 

 nah and the city of Charleston, and is relieved of the perils 

 and inconvenience of a sea voyage. 



Thus nature has provided a way for steam communica- 

 tion, by the most pleasant route, into a most delicious cli- 

 mate for human health and tropical growth ; and all it wants 

 is a little capital and enterprise to open this way to the influx 

 of invalid travel from the north, and tropical export from the 

 south. Yours, truly, R. K. Sewall. 



We are highly gratified in being able to communicate this 

 interesting correspondence through our Magazine. We have 

 ever felt a deep interest in the subject of the acclimation of 

 tropical plants in the southern states, and have been firm in 

 the belief that, at no very remote period, a larger part of the 

 valuable fruits and plants of the West Indies and South 

 America, as well as of the East Indies, would be found nat- 

 urahzed in Tropical Florida, and, eventually, many of the 

 more hardy ones as far north as Virginia. 



It was from this great interest in so important a subject 

 that we occupied several pages of a previous volume of our 

 Magazine, (VI., 1840,) in publishing the interesting commu- 



