SAVANNAH RIVER. 21 



enshrouded banks to fields of perennial green, so forcibly sym- 

 bolizes man's passage over the river of death, that the author 

 sometimes more than half believed that he had indeed made the 

 journey to that mystic realm between which and earth the travel 

 is all one way. 



We approached the bar off the mouth of the Savannah river 

 in the morning twilight of January 21st, passing quite a number 

 of ships at anchor in the offing. From prudential reasons our 

 captain so timed the steamship's progress that we crossed the 

 bar at high tide. As Ave entered the river, we turned to waft 

 upon the mild and gentle air a silent but heartfelt blessing to 

 old ocean for having treated us so well during our voyage, and 

 we inwardly hoped tliat notliing in the future would occur to 

 make us like each other less. 



The color of the waters of the Savannah river closely resembles 

 that of a New Haven mud-puddle, and after leaving our New 

 York steamer and its excellent Croton Avater, it Avas a constant 

 study Avith us how not to drink it, there being but a small and 

 inadequate supply of condensed Avater on our next steamer. We 

 approached the city betAveen Ioav sedgy meadows, some of Avhich 

 are utilized for the cultivation of rice. Forts, Avith their large 

 guns still in sight, and low mud batteries, remain to keep alive 

 the memory of the recent "unpleasantness," while new saw-mills, 

 large lumber yards, spacious warehouses, bales of cotton, barrels 

 of resin and turpentine, tAvcnty-five or thirty first-class ships 

 and three-masted schooners moored to Avharves — all a mile beloAv 

 the city and near the eastern terminus of a branch of the Gulf 

 railroad, told of northern capital and enterprise, of the healing 

 and healthy influences of peace, and of a groAving feeling of 

 fraternity between those so recently engaged in a life and death 

 struggle for the mastery in the dreadful ordeal of battle on sea 

 and land. Everything was so quiet and peaceful, it was hard to 



