TOUR IN THE UNITED STATES. 205 



Last evening I attended a quoit-club — the Saturday evening 

 amusement of the elite of Savannah. I witnessed two games, 

 and some very good throwing. It is complained of that all the 

 playing is in the hands of the older members, the juniors being 

 too lazy to join in ; so it is thought the club, which has lasted 

 for thirty years, may expire from a failure of efficient players. 

 The young men lounge on the chairs and smoke cigars, and 

 drink brandy and water — a sad falling off. 



This morning went to church and heard a sermon on the 

 duty of fasting. The subject was treated in a rational and 

 effective manner. I suppose the clergyman chose it because 

 to-day Father Mathew holds forth on teetotalism in the Roman 

 Catholic church here. I have not seen the Rev. Father. 



To the Same. 



Key West, Feb. 5, 1850. 

 If you turn to the map of Florida, you will find, stretching 

 from its extreme southern point towards the westward into the 

 Gulf of Mexico, a number of small islands, called keys — low 

 sandbanks, coral reefs, or flat limestone islets, covered with 

 mangroves, and a scanty vegetation of tropical character. Well, 

 Key West is the name of one of these islands, near the western 

 extremity of the chain, and the town of Key West is the capital 

 and only city on the island, and numbers 3000 inhabitants. 

 Now, having fixed my position on the map, let me take up the 

 thread of my story. We left Savannah the 1st inst., and a few 

 hours afterwards were steaming down the Savannah river to 

 meet the " Isabel," a fine ocean steamer, plying between 

 Charleston and Havannah, and calling at the Key on her way. 

 We got on board this larger steamer at 4 p.m., at the mouth of 

 the river, and started down the coast, which is similar in cha- 

 racter to that of Carolina, already described. At twelve o'clock 

 on Sunday night we arrived at Key West. Half an hour after 

 midnight, and in rain, I was landed, bag and baggage, on a 

 rickety wooden pier ; a pleasant plight to be sure ! I asked 

 the post-office keeper to allow me to put my trunks and very 

 bulky botanical traps in his office for the night, while I setoff to 

 look for lodging. He politely complied, and furnished me with 

 a guide to the Boarding House, for which we were just starting, 

 when a nigger-gal hailed us, inquiring, were we going to her 



