CHAPTER Y.

JACKSONVILLE,   FERNAXDIISrA,   AND   ST.   AUGUSTINE.

Jacksonville, the commercial metropolis and social
center of the State, is likely to be the first point at which
the visitor to Florida will make anything of a stay—the
place where he will get his first impressions of the "Land
of Flowers." It is a handsome and prosperous-looking city,
covering a good deal of ground, and, particularly during
the winter season, when all the hotels are thrown open to
the thronging guests, it presents an animated and pictu¬
resque appearance that is quite exceptional at the South.
The streets are remarkably wide, and are nearly all shaded
by long row^s of mammoth live-oaks, forming arcades of
embowering green in winter as well as in summer. Good
sidewalks of brick or planks contribute greatly to the
comfort of pedestrians, but the streets themselves are too
sandy for rapid or pleasant driving, and are " heavy " for
all vehicles.

Bay Street is the principal business thoroughfare, and
runs parallel to and one block distant from the river. For
a distance of about a mile it is lined on both sides with
stores, offices, and other mercantile buildings, including
several of the leading hotels. The Astor Building, at the
corner of Bay and Ilogan Streets, is the finest in the city,
and in it, besides several stores and a number of offices,
is the United States Signal-Service station. Horse-cars,
connecting the railroad-depots, run along Bay Street, up