ADVICE TO WOULD-BE SETTLERS IN FLORIDA.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] Sta,—Numbers of Englishmen, mostly ex-Army men of but small means and some accompanied by wife and children, have recently come to Florida with the intention of engaging in some sort of agriculture. As many of these have met with serious discouragements and losses, most of which could have been avoided, we old-time British residents have decided to try to send a word of warning to others who may be arranging th come here. We have all lived in this State for many years —have our homes and businesses here, are deeply interested in the upbuilding of our adopted country, have full faith in its possibilities, are anxious to see newcomers pf the right sort settle amongst us and thrive—but cannot sit still and see scores of young fellows lose their money and health, spoil the best part of their lives, leave the State with nothing but bad impressions, and all for the benefit of a few real estate boomers, especially when by a little care at the outset all these troubles could have been avoided. Most of the Englishmen who have conic here recently have made the fatal mistake of buying their land before coming out. Now, all land must be carefully examined by any would-be purchaser before a penny is paid, and there are many things to censider over and above the mere quality of the soil, such things as accessibility to market, health of the district, social surroundings for wife and children, quality of drinking water obtainable, nearness to doctors, schools, churches, Sic. A man can surely take the time to investigate for himself all such things as these before (eking wife and children into a new country to face new conditions. Now, let us suppose that our newcomer has personally and carefully examined his land and its surroundings and is satis- fied with the results, he must still keep his money in his pocket until some reputable lawyer has certified the validity of the title. In this connexion it would be well to keep in mind the caution to buyers of property set forth in some old building in Yorkshire, the climax of which caution is "see that thou buyest from an honest utan."—We are, Sir, hc., (Signed) W3I. MOORE A NCAS, Gso. IL P. SEDDING, WM. MACKLIN,
and others.
C to British Consulate, Jacksonville, Florida.
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