CHAPTER X.....154

St. Augustine described in rhyme--The old Spaniards--A place for stimulus of thought--Treachery of legends--Early settlers lured by tales of wealth--Historical antiquity--Astonished Seloes--Capture by Sir Francis Drake--St. Augustine, 1764--French privateers--Rory McIntosh the Don Quixote of the times--American flag raised in 1821--Freedom to worship God--St. Augustine archives--Dr. McWhir the founder of Presbyterianism in Florida--Appearance in 1834--The frost--Every thing shrouded in a kind of tradition--Fromajardis, or Garden Feast--Matanzas River--Nuns--Escribanio, or St. Mary's Convent--The ancient city sleeps all summer--The dear old folks from their Northern homes, and the young ones too--Curiosities--Crafts of all kinds--Gayety of the winter--Remarkable memory of the natives--Peaceful days--No welcome for adventurers--St. Augustine supposed to have been the residence of the Peri--Expressing an unfavorable opinion about Florida not popular here.