Satonia, Mr. Penman's Jericho, Gov. Tonyn's, Captain Bissett's, Messrs. Egan's, Spalding's, Forbes', Miller's, Box's, Pot's, Gray, and Yellowley's. These are all handsome establishments.

Having, according to the best information in our possession, proceeded as far up the St. Johns as there were plantations known during the last century, it becomes necessary to take the tour of the sea coast, and carry the reader back to the beautiful view which Diego Plains afford, on the way from St. Johns to St. Augustine; in pursuing which, you meet with cabbage swamps, and much good land a small distance from these plains, at the head of the North River, where there were some settlements, that formerly produced excellent indigo. This river is navigable for small craft, and would be much improved, as continuing the inland communication by water, if a canal or ditch was cut from it to Pablo Creek, a distance of only five miles. This is an object of vast importance to travellers, as well as to the residents of the country; both would no doubt cheerfully contribute, toward effecting it; and most probably, upon a proper represention of the advantages in a national point of view, the general government would apply a fund for the purpose of completing the chain of internal communication with the southern frontier, which, in case of war, would become highly important. The settlements at present on the road, or those to be seen from the river, are not of much consequence, and offer very little for the agricultural tourist, until you meet with a large tract of low hammock, known as the Twelve-mile Swamp, running parallel with the coast about ten miles from St.

Johns, and at the distance of between three and four from the sea. This swamp is of considerable extent, and has been the subject of high estimation, which draining would render of incalculable advantage for planting cotton or the sugar cane, the soil being a vegetable mould in layers of various depths, loosely strewn upon a foundation of clay and marl.

It is common, when travelling near the sea, to hear a hollow sound, proceeding from the footsteps of the horse, which tends to confirm an opinion, in which some indulge, that there are in Florida subterraneous rivers.

A few miles from St. Johns are the remains of Fort Mossa, at which the advanced guard of General Oglethorpe's force, was surprised, by a sortie from the town, and tended much to the discomfiture of that General's projects upon the garrison, which is treated of in another part of these Sketches.

From hence a handsome view of Fort St. Marks, the convent and church, may be had as you approach, either by land or water, the old town of St. Augustine, which comes next under our notice.

St. Augustine, the capital of East Florida, is one of the most ancient towns on the continent of North America, and was discovered on the 28th of August, 1564, from whence its name is derived. Don Pedro de Valdez and Juan de St. Vicente were four days on the coast after its discovery, looking out by day, and anchoring by night, uncertain by whom it was peopled. On landing, a grand Te Deum was sung, with great solemnity. It lies in lat. 29 45 N. and long. 81 30 W.

with its north-eastern extremity open to the sea, at the distance of three miles from it.

This town, built in the Spanish manner, forms an oblong square, or parallelogram; the streets are regularly laid out; but the buildings have not been put up to conform strictly to that rule. The streets are generally so narrow as to admit with difficulty carriages to pass each other. To make up for this inconvenience, they have a terrace foundation; and being shaded, renders the walking very agreeable. The houses are built generally of a free stone peculiar to the country, which, with the aid of an outer coat of plaister, has a handsome and durable effect. They are only two stories high, of thick walls, with spacious entries, large doors, windows and balconies; and a garden lot to each, most commonly stocked with orange and fig trees, interspersed with grape-vines and flowers.

On entering this old town from the sea, the grandeur of the castle of Fort St. Mark's presents itself, and imposes a degree of respect from travellers, upon seeing a fort, forty feet high, in the modern taste of military architecture, commanding the entrance. It is of a regular quadrangular form, with four bastions, a wide ditch, a covered way, a glacis, a ravelin to defend the gate, places of arms, casemated and bomb-proof, with a water battery next to the sea.

The works are entirely of hewn stone, of a calcareous nature, and peculiar to the country, bronzed and squamated by age, and will, with some American ingenuity, be justly deemed one of the handsomest in the western hemisphere. It mounts sixty guns, of twenty-four pounds, of which sixteen

are brass, and is calculated to contain one thousand men for action; with which, and the courage such a fort should inspire, it is capable of a noble defence, having, in old times, resisted some formidable attacks. It is not liable to be shattered by balls; nor does it expose its defenders to the fatal effects of storm.

From the Fort, southwardly, are the remains of a stone wall, touching its glacis, built to prevent the encroachment of the sea; along this is a very pleasant walk, as far as the market place, which is opposite to the old government house in the centre of the town, and separated by an oblong square, called the parade; on which there is a Roman Catholic church of modern construction, and quite ornamental. In front of this there formerly stood a handsome and spacious edifice, built in modern style, by Lieut. Governor Moultrie, for a State-house, which was not completed. For want of an exterior coat of plaister, it has crumbled to pieces, leaving not a single vestige of its former splendour. The old government house, now much decayed, is occupied as a barrack for the royal artillery. It leaves the marks of a heavy pile of buildings, in the Spanish style, having balconies in front, galleries and areas on both sides, with several irregular additions, well contrived for the climate. Among these was a look-out, built by Governor Grant, on the western summit of the main building, which commanded a full view of the sea coast, and the surrounding country.

The garden attached to the government house is surrounded by a stone wall; it was formerly laid out with great taste,

and stocked with most of the exotic and indigenous plants, common to the tropics and the middle states; such as the pomegranite, plantain, pine apple, papua, olive and sugar cane; which is at once demonstrative of the fertility of the soil, and the mildness of the climate.

From the parade, environed by orange trees, the streets extended southwardly to some large stone buildings, one of which formerly was a Franciscan convent, now converted into a jail; but under the British government it was used as barracks. In addition, a very handsome range, four stories high, was constructed of wood, and of materials brought from New York, and intended for Pensacola; but was detained by Governor Grant. These barracks, at the southern extremity of the peninsula, in which the town is built, formed an elegant appendage to it, but were burnt, and now exhibit only the stacks of chimneys, of which the bricks appear as perfect as they did half a century past, notwithstanding their constant exposure to wind and weather.

In a course westward from these vestiges of royalty, are streets leading to a bridge, formerly of wood, but now of stone, crossing a small creek, running parallel with the sea, on the east side, and St. Sebastians on the west: over this are several valuable and highly improved orange groves, and several redoubts, forming the south and western lines of fortification.

Near this bridge, in the same street with the government house, is the burying ground of the protestants, where stood an episcopal church, with a handsome steeple, of which not a vestige remains.

Before the entry of some of the houses, built by the Spa