AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 21 



broad Saint John's and other streams are favorable for crops, and espe- 

 cially for vegetables and fruit. Add to this the commercial facilities 

 of river navigation, outward to sea and interior, the railroads con- 

 necting north, west, and south with the great through lines, and Duval 

 County offers the very best advantages for general Southern crops, and 

 particularly for large and small fruit growing and market gardening, 

 which is rapidly extending. The light lands respond quickly to fertili- 

 zers, and marl, shells, and muck are found within easy distance. 



Jacksonville, the county seat, isjn the center of the county, and is the 

 largest and most thriving city in East Florida, and in the very near 

 future may rank in commercial importance with Savannah and Charles- 

 ton. It is healthy, has many fine hotels, a complete system of water 

 supply; thorough sewerage, rigid sanitary and police regulations, and 

 is every way progressive. The Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile 

 Railroad, the Savannah and Florida, and the Fernandina Railroads in- 

 tersect the Saint John's River at this point, and the Jacksonville, Saint 

 Augustine and Halifax River Railway is in process of construction. 

 Arrangements have also been made for building a railroad from this 

 city to Key West, touching at Palatka, Titusville, Tampa, and Punta 

 Rassa. Steamers ply to Savannah and Charleston, connecting at those 

 points with steamers to the principal Northern ports. Lines of schoon- 

 ers run regularly to New York. 



ESCAMBIA COUNTY. 



This county forms the west end of the State. Bounded north and 

 west by Alabama, east by Santa Rosa County, and south by Gulf of 

 Mexico. Perdido Bay and River separate it from Alabama on the west, 

 Escainbia River and Bay from Santa Rosa County on the east. That 

 portion of the county bordering the Gulf is level, with a light soil, cov- 

 ered with pine ; where this has been cut off, oak, hickory, bay, mag- 

 nolia, and other hard woods have succeeded. The northern part, being 

 over two-thirds, is uneven and hilly, and clay subsoil is near the sur- 

 face, occasionally cropping out. The area of the county is about 600 

 square miles. 



Pensacola is the county seat, and one of the most beautifully located 

 and important cities in the State. Pensacola Bay has no equal in the 

 Southern States, and in capacity, depth of water, and safety is not 

 excelled by any Northern port. There is a large and well-equipped 

 United States navy-yard, dry-dock, and coal-depot, as also Fort Bar- 

 rancas, Fort Pickens, and the old Fort McRae. The recent extension 

 of railroads to Pensacola, connecting it with the great through lines 

 west, north, and east, will make it a great shipping port for products 

 of field, mines, and manufactures. Escambia River is navigable for 

 steamboats for twenty-five miles, antl the Perdido for same distance. 

 A railroad connects Perdido Bay with Pensacola Bay. 



