page_0001

MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Volume II

1865
Friday --Oct. -- 27th -- After breakfast Dr Branch,
Dr Feay -- Jas. Evans, and I and Fletcher started on a
walk of observation -- to see the country. We went first
through Judge Gates' plantation -- in his orange grove we
ate as many sweet oranges as we could -- went over his
large sugar house, which has large banana trees growing all
about it-; we went through the cane plantations, where the
cane grows to prodigious size-; through rich hommocks, where
Dr Feay was in ecstasies at the new floral beauties he saw
on every side -- there were multitudes of air plants, most
of them out of his reach-; that filled him with delight --
By the time we got back, he was loaded with specimens -- We
went through by Hans Wyatt's place on to Captain Fresca's,
whence we returned through the plantations to the house --

After dinner Judge Gates returned -- Dr Branch and
Jim and I went down to the place and bluff, where Led with
house formerly stood, and was burnt down-; there remain the
stumps of about 100 old orange & lemon trees the soil is
better than it is about Judge Gates' -- an orange grove would
do well there -- We all went up afterwards -- Judge Gates
with us -- to the old Braden house-, at the south of Braden's
creck-; met Hans Wyatt there -- I bargained with him for the
lot on the river bank, which I visited in the morning -- He