FLORIDA: THE GULF COAST 163 



a place he called Clearwater Harbor. He said 

 that doubtless I could find some one there from 

 whom I could rent a house. He spoke especially 

 of a certain Dr. Powledge, who seemed, from the 

 captain's account, to be a person of importance. 

 All this occurred during our first day's sailing, and 

 as there did not seem to be anything to attract par- 

 ticular attention in the region we passed, I deter- 

 mined to go at least another day's journey toward 

 the South. That night we anchored near some 

 little islands, and were underway again early next 

 morning. 



The first day's sailing had been in the open 

 sea ; now a chain of islands, one after another, 

 resembling those on the Jersey coast, separated the 

 Gulf from spacious and sheltered bays, through 

 which we passed. These bays are entered by 

 passes and inlets similar in character to the 

 inlets of the Atlantic coast, — Barnegat, Egg 

 Harbor, and the like, — but of course smaller. 

 One of these sheets of water is known as 

 Clearwater Harbor, and on the afternoon of the 

 second day we came in sight of a dock extend- 

 ing some three hundred and fifty feet out into the 

 bay, which Captain Kanty informed me was the 

 wharf of Deacon Powledge's warehouse; for by 

 this time he was calling the proprietor indiffer- 

 ently " Deacon " or " Doctor " Powledge, as occa- 

 sion seemed to suit. Anchoring a little way out, 



