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FERNANDINA

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Originally appearing in Volume V10, Page 280 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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FERNANDINA , a See also:

city, a See also:port of entry, and the See also:county-seat of See also:Nassau ccunty, See also:Florida, U.S.A., a See also:winter and summer resort, in the N.E. See also:part of the See also:state, 36 m. N.E. of See also:Jacksonville, on Amelia See also:Island (about 22 M. See also:long and from z m. to 11 m. wide), which is separated from the mainland by an See also:arm of the See also:sea, known as Amelia See also:river and See also:bay. Pop. (1900) 3245; (1905, state See also:census), 4959 (2957 negroes); (1910) 348.2. Fernandina is served by the Seaboard See also:Air See also:Line railway, and by steamship lines connecting with domestic and See also:foreign ports; its See also:harbour, which has the deepest See also:water on the E. See also:coast of Florida, opens on the N. to See also:Cumberland See also:Sound, which was improved by the Federal See also:government, beginning in 1879, reducing See also:freight rates at Fernandina by 25 to 40%. Under an See also:act of 1907 the channel of Fernandina harbour, 1300 ft. wide at the entrance and about 2 m. long, was dredged to a See also:depth of 20 to 24 ft. at mean See also:low water with a width of 400 to boo ft. The " inside " water-route between See also:Savannah, See also:Georgia and Fernandina is improved by the Federal government (1892 sqq.) and has a 7-ft. channel. The See also:principal places of See also:interest are " Amelia See also:Beach," more than 20 m. long and 200 ft. wide, connected with the city by a compact See also:shell road nearly 2 M. long and by electric line; the Amelia Island See also:light-See also:house, in the N. end of the island, established in 1836 and re-built in 188o; Fort Clinch, at the entrance to the harbour; Cumberland Island, in Georgia, N. of Amelia Island, where See also:land was granted to See also:General See also:Nathanael See also:Greene after the See also:War of See also:American See also:Independence by the state of Georgia; and See also:Dungeness, the See also:estate of the See also:Carnegie See also:family. Ocean City, on Amelia Beach, is a popular See also:pleasure resort. The principal See also:industries are the manufacture of See also:lumber, See also:cotton, See also:palmetto See also:fibres, and cigars, the See also:canning of oysters, and the See also:building and repair of railway cars. The foreign exports, chiefly lumber, railway ties, cotton, phosphate See also:rock, and See also:naval stores, were valued at $9,346,704 in 1907; and the imports in 1907 at $116,514. The harbour of Fernandina was known to the See also:early explorers of Florida, and it was here that See also:Dominic de Gourgues landed when he made his expedition against the See also:Spanish at See also:San Mateo in 1568.

An See also:

Indian See also:mission was established by Spanish priests later in the same See also:century, but it was not successful. When Georgia was founded, General See also:James See also:Oglethorpe placed a military guard on Amelia Island to prevent sudden attack upon his See also:colony by the Spanish, and the first See also:blood See also:shed in the See also:petty warfare between Georgia and Florida was the See also:murder of two unarmed members of the guard by a See also:troop of Spanish soldiers and See also:Indians in 1739. The first permanent See also:settlement was made by the Spanish in 18o8, at what is now the See also:village of Old Fernandina, about 1 m. from the city. The island was a centre for See also:smuggling during the See also:period of the See also:embargo and non-importation acts preceding the war of 1812. This was the pretext for General See also:George See also:Matthews (1738–1812) to gather a See also:band of adventurers at St See also:Mary's, Georgia, invade the island, and See also:capture Fernandina in 1812. In the following See also:year the American forces were with-See also:drawn. In 1817 Gregor See also:MacGregor, a See also:filibuster who had aided the Spanish provinces of See also:South See also:America in their revolt against See also:Spain, fitted out an expedition in See also:Baltimore and seized Fernandina, but departed soon after. Later in the same year See also:Louis Aury, another adventurer, appeared with a small force from See also:Texas, and took See also:possession of the See also:place in the name of the See also:Republic of See also:Mexico. In the following year Aury was expelled by See also:United States troops, who held Fernandina in See also:trust for Spain until Florida was finally ceded to the United States in 1821. Fernandina was first incorporated in 1859. In 1861 Fort Clinch was seized by the Confederates, and Fernandina harbour was a centre of See also:blockade See also:running in the first two years of the See also:Civil War. In 1862 the place was captured by a Federal naval force from Port Royal, South Carolina, commanded by See also:Commodore S.

F. Du See also:

Pont.

End of Article: FERNANDINA

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