THE ATLANTIC


COAST


OF FLORIDA.


very tortuous
shore-lines ar
A low belt of
pierced by a
rates this sys
and generally


one hun
of sand
tion the
north.
thirty-s
and Ea
seat of
possess
business!
section
One th


; beautiful islands dot its surface, and the
e covered with verdure to the water's edge.
sand about seven hundred yards in width,
narrow canal, known as the Haulover, sepa-
tem from Indian River, whose coralline bed
well-defined shore-line extends a distance of


idred and twenty miles to the south, a narrow fringe
protecting it from the ocean, the only communica-
irewith being at Indian River Inlet, latitude 27 30'
At the respective distances of ten, twenty-one, and
ix miles from the Haulover, Titusville, Rock Ledge,
u Gallie are located; the first-named, the county-
Brevard County, being the most prominent. It
es a good hotel, and is the general headquarters for
s on the river. Rock Ledge is the center of a large
of country devoted to the cultivation of the orange.
ousand acres of land in this vicinity will, when set


in trees, give an output of over three hundred thousand
boxes per annum. Merritt's Island, extending from the
head of the river to a point opposite Eau Gallie, is noted
for its valuable lands, tropical fruits, and rich yield from
the sugar-cane. The St. Sebastian River partially drains
the northern portion of the Halpatiokee Flats, and is the
most prominent of several streams joining the lagoon north
of Indian River Narrows, which are due to a number of isl-
ands contracting the channel at this point. Fort Capron,
fifty-six miles south of Eau Gallie, and opposite Indian
River Inlet, is the site of a military post, established in
1849. Meteorological observations, extending over a series
of years, show an equable temperature, with comparative
dryness, mild and salubrious climate, and absolute immuni-
ty from epidemic disease. An abundance of fruit, vegeta-
bles, game, fish, oysters, etc., would certainly commend this
as a site for a commodious hotel. Twenty-five miles south
the St. Lucie River, which is the principal outlet for the
drainage of a vast territory lying east of Lake Okechobee,
is confluent with the Indian River; it has a wide and deep
channel branching off into a north and south prong, and in
constructing a drainage canal from Lake Okechobee to the
forks of the St. Lucie, opposite the mouth of the latter, it
will be necessary to open an inlet connecting Indian River
with the ocean. The inlet at Gilbert's Bar, just south, has