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■ItttHE HAMILTON JOU it J A k (*■#■ OFFICIAL 0/1 ^*\RfctS COUNTY. VOL. XIII. OUR FLORIDA FOLKS. Stanford Tells tlie Times Where He Found Them and How THey.are cm .J>oing. I Center Hill, Fla., May 1,1885. Editor Times: Hear Sir—this pretty little village, which is t»y temporary home, has sprung up as by magic, and only -fif* teen month’s old contains thirty or forty families. It is located on the F. railroad, 16 miles from Lees burg, and is surrounded by lands ad mirably adapted for orange groves and truck-farming, and is destined to be a town of prominence in this por tion of the state. The rapid progress of this place is measurably the result of the efforts of Dr. Spicer, who is an intelligent, enterprising Christian gen tleman—the fearless champion of prohibition, Sunday school, Christi¬ anity, and education. Near by is our old Harris county friend, Major James Kimbrough, with most of his family around him. Also our young Harris friends, Augustus Whitehead, H. Pitts, M. Freeman, T. and Thomas Pitts. Those young men strove against adversity in Geor gia, and came here with strong arms, iron will and indomitable energy, de¬ termined to make a success of life, and have already made rapid strides in that direction. Com and Sea Island cotton grow finely in this part of the state; also sugar cane and potatoes, but little of either are raised. Their cribs and meat houses are in the towns. I saw in this neighborhood a stalk of cotton which measured 15 feet from the end root to the top in February, and had green bowls and cotton blooms. Corn can be raised here abundantly. Hogs grow here finely all the year with scarcely any attention. But lit¬ tle attention is paid to either or any thing else but orange groves. These MAY 19,1885. ciev people never think being silf-sustaining, Oranges, or ange, orange, is their hymn and cho¬ rus all the day long. I do fear this orange business is a huge bubble that will burst before many years, and some body will be badly hurt. Lees¬ burg is a town of about 2,000 inhab¬ itants, has several rail roads, several hotels, and three neat churches and quite a number of business houses, and one national Banks. A few miles from this place lives another Harris county friend A. P. Roberts, who came here after the unpleasantness between the states with but little means, and he and his noble sons 1 ™* forth their energies, and to-day estate could not be bought for $8 o,qoq. An example of one of my saying • “go to work, work on, and keep working” The place on which Major Dade and his brave men were massacred is i» tbe county, 7 miles from Center Hill, and from Sumterville. The telegraph line running from Ocala to Punta Rosa via between the # of usss* passes grave Dade and his men. Lake Weir, in southern part of rion county is perhaps the one in Florida. It.is about miles long and five wide with beach covered with sharp white and scarcely any vegetable matter be found in or arquiid the lake. Here I found our old friend and your former townsman, Dr. K. C. Hood. His residence, with its beau tiful lake view, splendid orange and lemon groves, with other changing surrounding, presents simply an earth ly paradise. I shall never forget the generous hospitality I received from the doctor and his intelligent and amiable wife. The neighborhood can boast of its intelligence, and religious worth. From Lake H’eir I visited St Au- NO. 20. gustine via Jacksonville and Palacka. Jacksonville is to Florida what New York is to the state of New York—a perfect thoroughfare. Palatka,which was mostly reduced to ashes last year, is now* rapidly building splendid brick edifices. This is a place of considerable business. St. Augustine, which is the oldest city in the United States, presents an antique appear ance. Fort Marion presents*all the solidity and evidences of durability as when first constructed. The sea walls, which are a mile long and are as substantial and impregnable. as when first constructed, will attract your attention. The old slave market, Catholic ca thedntl, city gates, Spanish hospital, light bouse, United States barracks the monument to Major Dade aa d pyramids to his brave soldier* are all historic, and will amply com pensate anyone fwr a visit to this city. They aie all made of coquina except the barracks and pyramid ', in the j centre of the slave market is an arte sian well, from which flows s rong sulphur water, impregnated with ai kaline salts, which is considered iiigh ly beneficial in rheumatism, skin dis* j eases, indigestion and certain varieties ot kidney diseases. The next place visited was Santord a pretty town of about 2,000 inhabi tarns. Much business done here, ami lt is done upon the “go-'long, gel a : long” principal, \ ride of four miles brought me to Hr. A. D. Bruce s, a former Harris county mao, and a brother to Dr. W. W. Bruce. The liberal hospitality I received and the pleasant, social cn~ joyment with the doctor aad his pious wife will not soon be forgotton, Dr. Bruce has very good and paying grove, and the largest Guava trees I saw La Florida, A two miles ride brought roe to Colonel A. B. Russell’*, vcjir former