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MEXICAN GULF COAST ILLUSTRATED.
17
And from out yonder grove is heard The rich notes of the mocking-bird In many a wild and wondrous lay,
But I am sad—thou art away.
’Tis midnight; with a soothing spell The far-off tones of ocean swell Soft as a mother’s cadence mild.
Low bending o’er her sleeping child.
And like an unseen sprite the breeze Is lingering ’mong the orange trees,
Breathing soft music round the spot.
But I am sad—I see thee not.
I	sink in dreams soft, sweet and clear,
Thine own loved voice is in my ear,
Around my cheek thy tresses twine,
Thine own loved hand is linked in mine,
Thine own soft lip to mine is pressed.
Thy head is pillowed on my breast,
Oh. I have all that heart holds dear,
And I am happy—thou art here.
—Biloxi, Miss., 1846.
The gifted editor long since joined "the silent majority,” but the sea-breeze, the flowers, the blue wave of the deep, the magnolia blossoms, the glorious sunsets, the" mirrored stars, the wondrous notes of the mocking bird, the far-off tones of ocean, and the whispering zephyrs, remain to gladden the heartsof those who tread in his footsteps and of all who shall follow.
During the summer months in ante helium days the chief towns on this Coast line between Pearl River and Mobile were patronized by the-, wealth and fashion of many southern cities and by wealthy cotton, sugar, and rice planters. The late Hon. J. F. H. Claiborne, Mississippi’s historian, referring to one of these resorts, says: “A rippling bay dotted with verdant isles and looming out into the deep, blue sea far as the breeze can bear the billows foam ! In the back ground stand the great pine forests of Mississippi that have braved the battle and the storm for ages and now fling their hoary shadows and distill their balsamic dews over this charming shore. A crystal river fringed with verdure winds like a thread of silver around the village, and gigantic live oaks that no elemental strife can shake, gracefully stoop to kiss the sparkling waters. The prospect and the air are exhilarating, and the invalid finds these powerful adjuvants, to the elixir of the springs.”	V-	.	/