Sept. 14, 1S83.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



123 



JOTTINGS BY THE WAY.* 



A Trip from Quebec to Florida in the months of 

 January and February, 1 882. 



l!Y .I. V. OUKCOItY. 



Bfij Prewdtfit, tatties ami Qmiilem 



111 response fO 'lie request of the Quebec Literary and 

 Historical Society, 1 appear Before you this evening to read 

 my jottings by the way on my recent trip to Florida, the. 

 country of perpetual summer, orange groves and flowers, 

 and a paradise for the lovei of (lie gun and rod. My stay 

 being but of a few weeks' duration, my notes arc conse- 

 quently not very extensive, and apply principally to what 

 Same under my personal observation, or to information 

 gained from those with whom 1 came i" CoTjtscf, 



1 need not occupy Votir lime with describing our journey 

 to Kew York as full-fledged Quebec winter travelers, for 

 this is easily imagined, but I .shall begin with my departure 

 from there.' Mv traveling companion was the Baron do Da 

 grange, a young French nobleman, who bud been event! 

 month-. in. Canada, enjoying its sports and wild scenery; 

 au excellent companion ana a good shut he proved himself 

 to hit, which very much added to the enjoyment of my trip. 



On the 4th of January at three o'clock ia the afternoon 

 we left Kew York on the beautiful steamship (late City, of 

 the Savannah line, She in n vessel of 2,000 Ions register 

 commanded by Captain Daggaf, an excellent seaman and a 

 courteous companion. io whom 1 commend the Southern 

 traveler. The fare from Kew York to Jacksonville by lids 

 line is $35 all found. When we left New York the 'ther- 

 mometer stood 31 aegreea above aem the sea was almost 

 smooth, and the wind favorable. We were sttll wearing 

 our Canadian winter clothing. 



On the 5th. at nine O'clock In the morninfr. the thermom- 

 eter had reached 86 degrees, the sea still smooth and the 

 i.i.i.i i nalilr. In ibe afternoon the thermometer reached 

 .16. On each sdde of the vessel ami for a long distance 

 ahead might be seen hundreds of the sportive black por- 

 poises racing and leaping oid of titer water, crossing tnd 

 paoroaging Our bows, and greatly interesting the passengers 

 on board.' That night we passed the dreaded Cape Ilatte- 

 ras. and while enjoying a beautiful moonlit, view of the sea 

 Kfc distinctly saw the light of the Hatteras lighthouse Toe 

 next day was mm b the same, with delightful clear weather, 

 and the company of the passengers vers agreeable. 



On the 7th the thermometer in the early morning stood at 

 about 63i and when we arrived at Savannah. Which was 

 at about ft o'clock, it, had reached TO, We steamed .slowly 

 up file Savannah River until we reached our wharf] which 

 we found crowded with negroes, lounging among thou- 

 saud- of sacks of guano, bales of cotton and barrels of 

 rosin. AVe noticed a great many of the large three-masted- 



gB i ii figged vessels loading pine lumber for foreign 



polls, also several large steamers and sailing ships taking in 

 cargoes of cotton, rosin, rice and other products of' the 

 count I"f . 



We dined Unit day at Ibe Pidaska, Hold ami ihen look a 

 walk through the town. Our first impression of Savannah 

 was not at all a favorable one, as the soil is sandy and the 

 buildings in the business part Of the town dingy in appear- 

 ance; but on the outskirts are some very handsome resi- 

 dences, surrounded by dower gardens and shaded with trees 

 of different Southern descriptions, 



We here got our lirst sight of a Southern street; railway, 

 whose small cars are drawn by a span of mules, the driver 

 lazily sitting upon a chair, lashing them on. He is often a 

 uegr'o, and' appears to know everybody be meets, for he 

 smiles, aud bows and grins lr. a great many on each side of 

 the road as he passes on 



Walking quietly idongi I was sooli greeted by a pleasant 



Qliebre voice and a , mile from Coueseln, ||an- Hagcns, who 

 ggpending the winter there for business purpose.-. Being 

 nearly run over by a smart horse and buggy. I v. as astonished, 

 on looking' around, to find that the driver was another former 

 Q.uebcoer. no less o personage than the renowned Jim Ward, 

 who appears to lie thriving in his new home. A little 

 further on another reminiscence of Quebec- struck my ear. 

 I heard the voice of a woman singing, and at, once I old mv 

 friend thai I was certain T had heard that voice in Quebec. 

 We turned a corner near by. and there. SUM .as. ugh, i,e 

 eompauied, by an organ, was the large Frcnchv on " who 

 was seen last summer ill the street* Of this oily. She in- 

 formed me that she was Rrturishimi h business, notwitb- 

 standing the language of her songs was not understood by 

 the people. Here I thought 1' had done with Quebec, bill a 

 short distance further on another familiar sound greeted my 

 ear, and we came upon a man in an artillery uniform, w it'll 

 •a bright Russian helmet surmounted by bells and playing au 

 accordion, drums and triangle. This poor fellow was per- 

 spiring freely under the weight of hi.- warlike attire, and 

 astonishing the darkeys with the multiplicity pf his musical 

 performances. My companion afterwards -aw Is , 

 musicians in New Orleans, and -ays he thinks they are mak- 



Having some lime yet to span . we engaged a carriage and 

 .drove out to the beautiful cemetery al Bonaventure ,-j short 

 distance from the city. This cemetery is possessed of the 

 most tastefully arranged frees 1 have ever seen, consisting 

 principalis of the live oak, each branch of which >- draped; 

 in lontr hanging festoons, with the gray Spanish moss. 

 Tin-si trei tin perfectly regular, and almost entirely cover 

 fl&long broad, straight avenues running in different direc- 

 i'.iui theit brandies projecting across in such a manner as 

 lo ,-, -.an .I. i :'■■ V.rimr 'aicii.-s or the rafters of a church 

 nave. Tl mbstoni are plain but handsome, and sur- 



dematis aud otiicn ' 'beautiful dowering plants, manv of 

 which were in full bloom. The holly, with its red berries, 

 was also there. The tree called the live oak is mi oak w bieh 

 is al all seasons nf the veer io green leaf. From fissures in 

 ihebarkof inuny of these troeswom growing young- ferns, 

 which gave tin Irunk- a remarkable appearance 



Bur. leisure time bavin- now expired, wi proceeded to ibe 

 wharf Io take pa- ; ' ' oner .Florida for Fernan- 



das. We parted with regret from pur debghtful Old Can 

 RSii Daggat, who had kinflh introduced us to Captain 

 Cusina. of the steamer on which we were then to embark 

 for a journey of about 200 miles through the tortuous rivers, 

 or rather lagoons to our lirst landing place in Florida. We 



had n s-ltb great courtesy and politeness from everyone, 



aud had been pressed to Stay Over in Savannah for some 

 i. ad sigh seeing in tie neighborhood, but our bump 



We left Savannah at about -I o clock in the afternoon. 



I *From the manuscript) of a. pappr road before the Quehe.-- tSt^rary 

 and nistoi-i.-oi Hoeiety 



The steamer was one of those large, Hat-bottomed boats, 

 with side-wheels, propelled by separate engines, and the 

 boilers healed with pitch-pjnjC wood thrown in immense 

 lire holes bj a troop of darkly firemen. whose songs and 

 jokes were very funny indeed. On our way up the river 

 We passed a sucking dredge employed in deepening the 

 channel. This dredge is of peculiar construction, and looks 

 hi, a steamboat . il has a lotur, fifteen -inch pipe from behind 

 Which is dropped into the middle of the channel; the -real, 

 wheels of the dredge stir up the mud, and so liqttilA it thai 

 it is easily sucked up bv the pipe and poured into barges 

 alongside,' from which 'the water drains off, leaving the 

 i hick 'substance to be carried out of the channel. A passen- 

 ger Called Ibis vessel "the government .sucker," and said 

 that it sucked a great deal mpre money than anything else. 

 (We have such suckers herein Canada, but. they are two- 

 legged instead of two-wheeled.) 



We were frequently detained on our journey, for some 

 minutes at; a time, by sudden togs which would as suddenly 

 lift, allowing us to proceed n few miles and then come oil 

 again. The' sharp bends in the river necessitated the execu- 

 tion of extraordinary manoeuvres to gel around them. The 

 bow of the steamer would be run on the bank, and then she 

 would wiggle around till she turned as far as possible; then 

 going ahead a little, soon taking the bank again for the same 

 purpose. "Hook her up." the captain would sing out to the 

 pilol, which means "full speed." and off she would go again 

 fill we would come to auolhcr bend, when the same 

 manoeuvring would be repealed. A good deal of the journey 

 was made, tirsl by the starboard wheel, then the port one, 

 el working against the other; but it was 



The 



Where 

 rocky ; 



-el and i 



There 



- shapt 



:ach side of the 



/the tide, is simply a bed of 

 i oysters, and 1 know two 'coons who cat 



any of t bet 



St'h, in the morning, we saw many flocks of what 



I raft duck, which are our common bluebills; we 



hundreds of yellow-leg plover, curlew, oyster- 



, and ncebirds. " the -latter is our singing bird, the 



as the gougleu. When the 



they lose- their handsome 



pretty much the color of 



upon the wild rice and get 



much sought after for mak- 



3 large and small heron, or 



i, and the "Teat scavenger, 



norant aocT water turkev. 



bobolink, called by the Oauao 

 bobolink's return to the Soul 

 Northern plumage, and assum 

 our little sparrows. Thev fee 

 very fat, consequently thoyar 

 ing game pies, We also saw t 

 white egret, the large blue hej 

 the bustard, the common <n 



which, 1 believe, is the Mexiea nx\ ru. specimens of 



which 1 preserved lato- on, 



The thermometer, this day. ranged from sixty-five to 

 sixty-eight; it was exceedingly pleasant. The country, to 



our'righl. perfectly level, and 'to our left, the low, flat ex- 

 tent of marshes, through w hich could be seen the open sea, 

 loi.kinelile a -reatlake. 



At+1' M. on Hie Sth. we arrived at Fernandina. We 

 had Die pleasure of meeting here, a St, Hyaeinthe French 

 Canadian, a brother of the Hon, Mr. 3lcrciei l , who litis been 

 residing in the South for a number of years, and is con- 

 nected wilh the line of steamers on one of which we had 



v reaching Fernandina we had 



at the eastern extremity 



I'pon it stands Dunjeun 



to me f rot 

 w hole tra 

 lirought 



a an 



( 'umberland 

 ..a" Georgia. 



esse, a laree house built of eoquina. 

 This was once the home of (Jen- 

 nie! Green, of American Revolution fame. In a 



burying ground near by, is the tomb of the cele 

 erica n eavalrv officer of "the light horse. Harry Lee. 

 leneral Robert F. Lee. who took such an active 



late civil Strjfe between the ixorthand South, and 

 lemorable raid into Pennsylvania — ever memorable 

 . lh. la.-f that I was in Philadelphia, in 1 8(1:1 when 

 is of wounded and dying Northern soldiers were 

 a from, the battlefield of Of tiysburgh. Their 

 1 Bufferings can never he forgotten by one who 



by the Bp 



wdiich 1 1 



it .5 F. M., with the the 

 seated in the cars which shi 

 villein an hour ami a half. All 

 for abcut l:c.lf ar hour when w 

 the smell of burning g: 



intering place. It was founded 

 has a 

 here to spot 



Id 



ncl has a very interesting history. 

 speak of. 



enl 



id • 



3fO 



id that til- 



al about 78, we were 



landed us in .Tackson- 



■II on our journey 



nearly choked by 



topped 



wheel pacKmg had taken fin 

 al off and replaced, ami we 



tin 



-a lei I 



ewerc toppedagain till they were cooled off. and 

 lubricants put in. This same thing occurred four 

 on our journey, which made it rather unpleasant, bill 



ed variety to our previous delighl I id mode of travel- 



,ur car we saw the lirsl beaunl'vl ,,, i,,|- „,,, j ii-1 wo had 



deliealo yellow linge of her complexion, and 

 k hue surrounding the nails on her tapering 

 oiiqieniou was an ordinary uegTO -aomi.-oi — 



rat kson\ 'die at 8 P, Al and drove to the Carl- 

 pge hotel near the river side, \\ hick is kepi by 

 a-oprietoi's who also have a hotel on the sea 

 which they open in summer, closing the 

 mtil winter, when they return again, thus en- 



ontheiu! 

 in Maim 

 la house i: 



On the Vith, having let 



ol'theFoniiS'i:.\]-,i>SrnK 

 nmnd plume of -Al Fn 

 very kindly recci\ ed at 

 which we found surroi 

 full bloom. Dr. Ixenwoi 

 practiced in England, 

 ladled Slates before h 



.er and appeal 

 i ers „f introdu 

 M to Dr. Ken w 



pro 



__ beautiful home in Jacksonville, 



inded by shady trees and flowers in 



rthv is an Eudish phvaician wdio hud 



Australia, and some ' portions of the 



,rihe came to Florida, where he was m- 



n account of the wonderi'ul health giving 



i of the climate, winch thoroughly cured his deli- 



, who was suffering from weak lungs, and who is 

 now a capital illustration of ibe Curative powers, of Florida's 

 .'dim.-.tc. ' Mrs !<cnwerlhv is the daughter of a British Ad- 

 miral, whose name 1 do not remember. 



The Dol-101- leave us much valuable information regarding 

 the shooting aud fishing of ,the country, and as the change 

 of climate was fast telling favorably upon me, 1 felt all the 

 ardor of the sportsman springing up within me. and was 

 I eager for the cha.se. 



The thermometer this day was 79 iu the shade, and I can 



assure you that, dressed as I was, 1 felt it. I had the pleasure 

 of finding my old friend, Romeo H. Stevens, of Montreal, 

 who had arrived a day or two before me. He was dressed in 

 a white flannel summer suit, and being a portly gentleman of 

 my own style we compared notes, which resulted in my visit- 

 ing the shops for the purpose of procuring the lightest of 

 underclothing. Fortunately I had with me my thinnest 

 summer suit of serge, and in this 1 spent my time in Florida, 

 never requiring anything warmer. Hut it 'is not well to be 

 altogether without some fall or spring clothing as the coun- 

 try i's occasionally subject to what they call a "norther," when 

 the thermometer drops down to about 80, especially in the 

 neighborhoods of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and even a 

 long distance up the River St. John, and when young plants 

 and fruit are nipped; but such changes are of short duration 

 and the weather soon assumes its usual warmth, 



Jacksonville is situated on the left bank of the St. John, al 

 a point where that noble river makes a, sharp bend to the east. 

 The city presents a very attractive appearance from I he 

 water, and its higher points command a pleasing outlook 

 upon the stream and low-lands along the opposite shore. It 

 is favorably situated for commerce, and does an extensive 

 trade in lumber. Nearly all the railroad and steamer lines 

 of the State center at Jacksonville, whence enormous quan- 

 tities of fruit and vegetables are shipped to foreign ports. 

 The city is lighted by ga-. i- po-essrd of an excellent sys- 

 tem of water works from artesian wells, and is thoroughly 

 drained, has several public schools, 8 circulating library and 

 f.-ee reading room. Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Methodist 

 and Oatll0liccliurch.es, banks, public halls, newspapers and 

 telegraphic connections with all points. The population is 

 about 16.000 souls. The rate of growth is very* rapid, and 

 the city is destined to be one of the great industrial centers 

 Of the United Slates. It is noted as a resort for invalids. 

 especially those suffering from pulmonary complaints. 



Florida was discovered by Sebastian 'Cabol, who sailed 

 under the British flag, in 1497, and wdio also discovered 

 Newfoundland. In 1583 TSaverez took formal possession of 

 it for Spain. The first settlement was made al the mouth of 

 the St. John Kivcr, by a Frenchman named Ribault, in 

 1562. Then came a colony of Huguenots, in 1664, who 

 settled eighteen miles from the entrance of the St. John 

 Kivcr, on'f he south side, and called their settlement Caro- 

 line, which was totally destroyed by I he Spaniards in 1565. 

 In 1669 De GougUCB, a Frenchman" revenged this massacre 

 by killing the entire Spanish garrison quartered at Fort 

 Caroline. The Spaniaids founded a colony at St. Augustine, 

 in 1505. which is said to be the first permanent town in North 

 Amw-ica. Manv relics authenticating this fact still exist. In 

 If.st the Spanish authority expended as far as Georgia on the 

 north and the Alississippi on the west. In 1586 Drake, the 

 English filibuster, plundered St. Augustine, and Seminole 

 hi 1 mm- also pillaged it in 1611. Pirates, said to be English, 

 sacked il in liiOo'. Pensacola was afterward settled by the 

 Spaniards m 166P. In 1703 St. Augustine successfully re- 

 sisted an attack, and in 17-10 was captured by Col. Oglethorpe. 

 of Georgia, then a British possession. In 1763 Florida was 

 ceded by Spain to Great Britain, who only kept possession 

 of it for one year, when they gave it. back to Spain iu 1764. 



During the English occupation, the population of the en- 

 tire State was only 600 whites. In 1812 the United States 

 captured Florida from Hie Spaniards, aud one yesr after 

 gave it back to them. In 1818 the Spanish port at Pensa- 

 cola was occupied by P.ritish soldiers, and General Jackson 

 captured it fca the United States. In 1810 Spain sold aud 

 ceded Florida to the United States,, and it remained a por- 

 tion of it- territory until 1,849, when it was admitted as a 

 State of the I'nion. Iu 1861 it seceded and espoused the. 

 Confederate cause, but was speedily captured ny the North- 



You can now understand why, for over three centuries, this 

 country remained in an unsettled state. It certainly does 

 not appear to have been very highly valued bv either Spain, 

 England or the United States, for oven When given by Spain 

 to Great B-itian or the United States it was, in lioth in- 

 stances, returned about a year afterward, I suppose because 

 it was not considered worth keeping. However, since it has 

 been admitted as a State, and particularly since the war be- 

 tween the North and South, energetic Northerners have been 

 flocking into the country, and with true Yankee instinct 

 have discovered and are fast developing its dormant re- 

 sources. Even English capital, which has done so much to 

 build rail roads in other portions of America, is now being 

 largely employed there for the same purpose. 



Florida is liie furthermost south of all the United States, 

 and a great portion of it is a. peninsula, projecting between 

 the .Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Its peculiar 

 position, with its ocean aud gulf surroundings, makes it un- 

 like any other country in the same latitude and longitude; 

 there being no mountains or even hills of any size, the winds 

 or the Atlantic sweep over il by day from cast to west, and 

 at night a gentle, cool breeze from the Gulf passes over the 

 laud in an opposite direction. One can only realize the. de- 

 lights of the climate by a visit to the country and a sojourn 

 there of a few weeks. ' I was informed that' Florida i's no- 

 wheri more I ban 500 feet above the. level of the sea, and 

 this rise is almost imperceptible as it is so gentle, and ex- 

 tends over such a great distance. There are lakes in every 

 direction varying from one to fifty miles iu length. 



Speaking from my own experience, as to the heat, I must 

 say that wldle out shooting, when walking, especially in the 

 middle of the day, I frequently felt very hot. but on turn- 

 ing completely round in another direction, 1 invariably fell 

 a cool refreshing breath of air, as there is always more or 

 less breeze which purities and vivifies the atmosphere. The 

 average temperature in winter is about sixty degrees Fahren- 

 heit, and in summer seldom over ninety. No case of sun- 

 stroke lias ever been known to occur, n'or, it is alleged, has a 

 dog ever gone mad in Florida. 



flow delightful lids climate appeared lo me, when sitting 

 upon a shaded verandah, lightly clad, with a Quebec news- 

 paper in one hand, and a delicious orange in the other, the 

 paper speaking of (he thermometer being away down below 

 zero, and snow ever so many foot deep. The contrast was a 

 una H v never to be forgotten by a Quebeeer who enjoyed it, 

 in the" latter part of January. How I did pity you poor 

 ami' al-. 



Some people have ehilN and fever during the summer, es- 

 pecially in localities honk-ring on swamps and creeks, but, 

 they pretend lino are no worse- than in the Western States, 

 nevertheless, Florida affords many places said to be per- 

 fectly five from miasma, but they are all found upon tbi 

 numerous sea-islands, and along the Atlantic and Gulf 

 coasts, or in the naturally well-drained pine lands of the in- 

 terior. 



Pine lands largely predominate, of fair producing quality, 



