THE SANFORD


GRANT.


Interlaken on nearly all sides, and there is one connected
chain upon which a boat-ride of at least twenty miles can-
be enjoyed. The scenery of these lakes is exquisite, and
one is constantly tempted to exclaim, What a lovely place
that is, on that knoll, for a home!" A good hotel here,-
would be sure to attract many visitors, and there is a proba-
bilit that such a one will be erected soon.
- Ian dhe county-seat, is an old place, typical of the
South, a genuine native community of the kind that the
traveler finds in all sections of the State, almost always
located in a beautiful, bountiful region, where Nature has
done everything to aid and please, and where man seems
indisposed to do anything. The boom that has enlivened
every other spot in Orange County seems to have left Or-
lando comparatively untouched ; yet there is no other local-
ity that offers greater attractions, for the soil is exception-
ally fertile and productive, plenty of timber is convenient,
and the surrounding country, studded with little lakes, is
remarkably pleasing. A court-house and a jail are among
the most conspicuous features of the place, but neither these/
nor the residences are kept in that trim and neat condition
that in Florida, as elsewhere, marks the presence of the


North
midst
count
tion fr


ern settler. The hotel is charmingly located in the
of an orange-grove; and the entire region, on ac-
of its elevation, perhaps, enjoys a remarkable exemp-
om mosquitoes, sand-flies, and the other insect-pests.


The "Orange County Reporter" is published here by an
energetic Western man, and is one of the best local papers
in the State.
 For the present, the South Florida Railroad ends at Or-
lando, but this is only temporary, and preparations are be-
ing made for its extension southwest. Its ultimate destina-
tion is Charlotte Harbor, on the Gulf-coast; of which a de-
4siption is given in a previous chapter. Several branch
lines are also projected, and the one to Lake Tohopeka-