358 
Sept 11, 1876. 
A NATURALIST’S TRIP TO FLORIDA. 
BY C. J. ilAYKARD. 
[continued from PAGE.S43.] 
About sunset the peculiar note of a horn is heard 
ringing through the streets, and the coach rolls in from 
Picolata loaded with tourists from the North, who re- 
pair to the overcrowded hotels and boarding-houses. So 
small are the accommodallons for strangers in the city, 
that sometimes the coach carries back passengers in the 
morning that came the night before, because they were 
unable to find a place in which to sleep. After the ar- 
rival of the stage, the people crowd around the post- 
office for a short time, then saunter about the plaza to 
listen to the band, which plays nearly every night. They 
retire early, ending the programme of the day, which, 
with the exception of church-going, is repeated month 
after month without variation. What they did for 
amusement before the advent of the military we were at 
a loss to determine. The road by wnich the stage comes 
from Picolata enters the city at the old gateway. This 
is very ancient, and forms part of the wall which once 
surrounded the place. It was built by the Spaniards 
about the year 1562, shortly after the settlement of the 
town. It is now in ruins, but two square posts, about 
fifteen feet high, surmounted by capitals, still remain. 
On the inside of each post was a covered sentry-box, the 
roof and sides of which have now fallen away'. A small 
square aperture was pierced through the mason-work as 
a look-out. The few yards of wall are only about seven 
feet high, and, together with the posts, were constructed 
of coquena rock. The gate was of wood, but has now 
entirely disappeared. Remains of the wall may be seen 
on the western side of the city, and at the southern por- 
tion a few rods are still standing. On the inside of this 
is a bank of earth thickly covered with Spanish bayonets. 
The spinous leaves of this plant must have offered a 
formidable barrier to the half naked bodies of the 
Indians, and the interior of the whole extent of the wall 
was probably planted with them. 
The old fort stands in the north-east corner of the 
city and guards the entrance to the harbor. It was 
called St. Marks, which name has been mistakenly 
changed to the more modern appellation of Fort Mari- 
on. The entrance is on the southern side, facing the 
city. Ascending a little artificial eminence, on the top 
of which are the remains of the foundation of some 
circular buildings, the visitor finds himself on a level 
with the gateway. Passing over what was once the 
moat, which entirely surrounds the structure, we stand 
before the door over which the Spanish coat of arms is 
sculptured in alto relieto. Beneath is the following in- 
scription : 
“Renando en Espana el sen’r Don Fernando sexto y 
Siendo Govo’r y, Cap’n De Es’a C’d San Aug’n De La 
Florida y Lus Prov’d El Mariscal De Campo D'n Alon- 
zo Fern’do Herdo Asi concluio este castillo el anod 
1756 Diryendo Las obras, el Capt. Ingnro Don Pe- 
dro De Brazos y Garay.” 
Translated it runs thus; 
‘‘Don Fernando the Sixth, being King of Spain and 
the Field Marshal, Don Alonzo Fernando Hereda, being 
Governor and Captain-General of this place, St. Augus- 
tine of Florida and its provinces, this fort was com- 
pleted in the year 1756. The work was directed by the 
Captain Engineer, Don Pedro de Brazos y Garay.” 
Passing onward we descended a flight of stone steps 
and entered an arched way beyond, which we found 
the open court, inclosed on all sides by the massive 
walls. These are case-mated, and doors lead to the dif- 
ferent apartments that were occupied by tne soldiers 
with their families during the time of siege. Opposite 
the entrance is the room which was formerly used as a 
chapel. One to the right was used as a kitchen, while 
to the left are the rooms used by the commander of the 
castle. Some old Spanish cannon are lying in rows on 
the ground within the enclosure. A door opening in 
the right hand wall of the entrance arch leads into the 
dungeons. The first of these was the one in which the 
renowned chief Wild Cat was confined, and above may 
be seen the window from which he made his escape. 
The cells beyond were discovered but a few years ago, 
and arc dark, damp and musty-smelling, being without 
windows. When the door (which had been sealed up 
by the Spaniards before the English came into posses- 
sion of the place) was opened, the outer of the two 
cells contained a few instruments of torture, and some 
human bones were found in the one beyond. The Rebel 
prisoners who were confined in this dungeon during the 
late war, attempted to escape by digging a tunnel from 
the innermost cell to the outer wall, but the loose sand 
which formed the filling above caved down, making a 
hole which was perceived on the terre plaint above, and 
thus the plot was discovered. On the left of the en- 
trance is the guard-room. In one corner excavations 
have been made for the purpose of searching for a sup- 
posed concealed passage, which is said to lead from the 
fort to the outside of the old city walls. Thus far all 
efforts to find it have proved unsuccessful. To the right 
of the archway by which we entered is a flight of stone 
steps, which lead upon the ierre plaint. This is pro- 
tected by a parapet,' in which are embrasures for one 
hundred cannon. The whole structure covers about an 
acre of ground. The walls, including the parapet, are 
about thirty feet in height, and at the four corners of 
the fort are bartizans — small covered towers used as 
look-outs or sentry boxes. The moat has been partially 
filled, and a water battery was constructed by the United 
States government in 1842. This is now protected by 
five or six rifled cannon, which are the only available 
arms that the fort possesses. Although the walls of the 
old castle are constructed of shell-rock, which was 
brought from the opposite island, y%t they have resisted 
successfully balls fired from cannon, and the marks 
made by them are to be seen on the eastern front. The 
fort is of ancient date, the foundation being laid shortly 
after the settlement of the city; yet it was not com- 
pleted until 1756, as may be seen on the inscription over 
the gate. It was constructed after a plan of Marshal de 
Vauban, and was a very efficient ■work, its strength 
having been well tested in in the past, for it has been 
attacked many times, has stood two sieges, and was 
never taken until it fell into the hands of the Federals 
during the late war. It is now, however, rapidly fall- 
ing into ruins. As we leaned over the parapet and 
looked upon the quaint houses of the quiet city, as they 
stood in the bright sunshine beneath the clear blue sky, 
"^I could not help reflecting upon the singular vicissi- 
tudes that this, the oldest city in the Union, had encoun- 
tered. 
In 1565, the blood-stained Menendez planted the cross 
and flag of Spain upon this spot, and took possession of 
the whole of North Am -rica in the name of his king, 
Philip II. In 1586, Sir Francis Drake, with a party of 
English adventurers, attacked and plundered the place, 
forcing the inhabitants to fly into the country After 
this the people enjoyed peace and prosperity for twenty- 
five years, and the settlement grew into a flourishing 
town. But the war-whoop of the fierce savage broke 
upon the ears of the startled inhabitants during the 
still hours of the night, and the greater part of the town 
was destroyed. Many of the people were slain, but the 
remainder found a place of safety in the fort. In 1-665, 
just as the city had recovered from this disaster, a party 
of English pirates attacked and completely sacked the 
place. Between 1702 and 1740 it was three times un- 
successfully attacked by the English. In 1763, the 
whole of Florida was ceded to the English. But in 1784 
the Spanish again obtained possession of the city, and 
the British flag was removed from the old fort, never to 
wave over it again. In 1819 Florida was purchased by 
the United States, and the yellow ensign of Spain, which 
had floated over the city so long, was banished forever; 
while the bright stars and stripes of the most prosperous 
of nations took its place. In 1861 this banner was torn 
down by daring rebs, and the stars and bars were raised 
in its place; but it soon fell beneath the unerring shots 
of Northern rifles, and the emblem of peace and pros 
perity was once more raised above the ancient city, 
where, let us hope, it will float forever. 
Such is the brief history of St. Augustine. No city 
beneath the sun has seen greater changes or sustained 
more reverses. Her foundation stones were baptized 
with the blood of the martyrs, and the curse of God 
seems to have rested upon her, for she has no sooner at- 
tained to a slight degree of prosperity than she has met 
with a downfall. 
Two elements strangely meet here; that of the slow- 
moving and quiet past and the bustling, noisy present. 
They meet, but do not mingle, for they are diametrically 
opposed. One sees them everywhere — the gray and 
moss-covered walls of the old fort dropping slowly into 
ruins, protected by the smart, loud-speaking rifle-can- 
non; the silent city, with its quaint and ancient houses, 
fast going to decay, surrounded by the elegant, French- 
roofed mansions, which are springing up from the scrub, 
just beyond the limits of the dilapidated wall, and the 
indolent, dark-eyed, soft-spoken inhabitants, with their 
old-fashioned- ways, as they are passed by the groups of 
nicely-dressed and energetic Northern tourists, whose 
noisy laugh rings upon the ears and awakens the sound- 
ing echoes of the desolate houses. But I was never more 
struck with the unconscious opposition which the mod- 
ern class of society is constantly offering to the other, 
as when, one evening I was seated on one of the benches 
of the plaza. The full moon turned her brightest rays 
upon the scene around, lighting up the dark foliage of 
I he trees, which cast their dusky shadows across the 
white paths, and making the old Spanish monument 
which rose from the gloom beneath gleam like a shaft 
of silver. The distant balconies of the houses were just 
visible, and near by rose the gray walls of the cathedral, 
looking majestic and solemn in the pale light. 
The streets -were nearly deserted, for the people were 
attending the evening .service. The .silence was broken 
only by the voices of the native nuns, chanting their 
vespers in the language of tht ir ancestors. Soft and 
plaintive came the swelling chorus through the fragrant 
air, gently reminding me of olden times and lands be- 
yond the sea. Listening to this melody, with these 
scenes around me, I fell into a pleasant reverie. From 
this peaceful reverie I was rudely awakened by the hard 
rattle of a drum, and turned in time to see the moon- 
light gleam upon the brazen instruments of a regimen- 
tal band before the loud notes of “ Champagne 
Charlie” burst upon the air. The walks of 
the lately-deserted Plaza were filled with gaily 
dressed groups of Northern ladies, escorted by brightly- 
uniformed officers, who had gathered while I was 
listening to the music of the choir, whose sweet and 
harmonious strains were entirely drowned by this mod- 
ern outburst. As the band ceased playing, the services 
at the churches were concluded, and a file of the dark- 
robed Sisters of Mercy, with down-cast look and slow 
pace, proceed through the gay throng which opened for 
I heir passage, and then closed again behind them. I 
thought the scene which I had witnessed prophetic of 
Ihe fate of the city and of its inhabitants. As the sweet, 
solemn music of the choir, savoring so much of the past 
and its ways, was met and overcome by the louder and 
harsher sounds of the band, telling with every note, of 
modern innovation, so wUl the olden customs, which 
have so long held their sway in the place and that are so 
pleasant to contemplate, give place to the forced march 
of new manners and new usages. As the plainly-dress- 
ed, meek nuns, who have been the tj'pical representa- 
tives of the inhabitants for the last three centuries, were 
surrounded and lost in the crowd of 8tyUthl}'-dres8ed 
ladies and gentlemen, so will this race of indolent sons 
of the South be surrounded and overcome by the influx 
of the more vigorous Northmen. 
The doom of the St. Augustine of the past is sealed. 
Already the work of innovation is commenced, and be- 
fore many years have swept by a vast change will have 
taken place in this quiet city. The antique buildings 
which now give such time-honored appearance to the 
place will have been removed, and stately modern resi- 
dences and elaborate hotels will have taken their places. 
These will be filled with gay and fashionable tourists, 
who will be attracted to the place by the salubrity of the 
climate. The iron horse will daily [cross the plain, 
while the wondering inhabitants will have been driven 
away or become extinct by the fiery energy of the Yan- 
kee. Then naught will be left of the ancient city save 
its name. Such is the respect which Young America 
pays to buildings and customs upon which centuries 
have set their seal. 
DITTMAR’S POWDER AND POWDER TRIALS. 
BY J. W. LONG. 
One of the most important subjects connected with 
shooting affairs at the present time, and one claiming 
the particular and thorough attention of all sportsmen, 
is the proposed introduction of Dittmar’s new sporting 
powder as a substitute for the common black gunpow- 
der now in general use throughout the world. The 
suitableness of the article for the purpose intended, and 
the amount of danger to be apprehended from its use, 
are matters which concern most deeply not only those 
directly interested in the use of firearms, but also those 
who, while they may never have any personal dealings 
withit, may be caused indirectly to suffer through acci- 
dents from its use by others; and a more thorough com- 
prehension of its seemingly rather anomalous properties, 
and the principles and laws of its action, than just now 
appears to be possessed by any one, is necessary to all 
persons before they determine upon its use. 
This Diltmar powder is by no means the only explo- 
sive that has been expected to supersede black powder 
