THE I^^SIDK KOUTE. 23 



and the mainland. As time was of little consequence to us, we 

 concluded to take the latter. 



The people of the north, during the late war, were made ac- 

 quainted with the fact that the Southern Atlantic States have 

 their sea coast protected by a long succession of islands, between 

 which and the main land steamers of light draft can safely pass 

 along their whole extent, as far south as the mouth of the St. 

 John's in Florida. Bacteries, torpedoes, shoals and tortuous 

 and intricate channels protected this portion of the southern 

 seaboard, so that our navy found it impossible to destroy or 

 seriously cripple confederate communication by water along this 

 portion of the coast. One needs to go through these inside chan- 

 nels to fairly comprehend them. "VVe think of the Connecticut 

 coast shielded by Long Island, but along a portion of the coast 

 of Georgia, instead of a Sound thirty miles wide, we have narrow 

 and winding water-ways more like Mill river at the base of East 

 Rock. We took the side-wheel steamer ''City of Bridgeton " at 

 Savannah for Jacksonville in Florida — a boat that brousfht to 

 mind the steamers of the New York and New Haven line " long, 

 long ago." It has since been modernized and very greatly im- 

 proved, so much so that we recognized this year very little of the 

 old boat except its name, and even that gloried in a sort of new 

 birth. 



Following the doublings and sharp curves of the inside route, 

 as we neared the river St. John's the colored man at the 

 wheel required and exercised constant vigilance and the greatest 

 care. Much local knowledge and great practical skill were 

 brought into constant requisition, and only once was the bow 

 of the boat run into the soft bank. The shores of the sedgy 

 marshes were white with extensive beds of oyster shells, while 

 countless beds of small oysters were everywhere to be seen as the 

 tide receded. Occasionally we passed islands rich with tropical 



