THE LOU ISIANA

H ISTORICAL Q UART ERL

V ol 2 , No 1
. . . January 1 9 1
,

T h e U rsu lin es o f L o u isiana

F ray A n ton io de Sede lla , an App rec ia t ion

Jac kso n Sq ua re, N ew O rleans

T he L o s t City of L afaye t t e
H igh ways
L e gal I ns ti tu tion s of L o uis iana
R eco rds of t h e Sup erio r Co un cil of L o u isiana

Published Q uarterly by

T H E L OU ISIAN A H IST OR ICAL SOCIE T Y

CABIL DO , NE W O RL EAN S, LA .
 T H E L O U I SI A N A
H I ST O R I C A L Q U A RT ERLY
VO L 2 N O 1
.
. J a n u ary , 1 9 19 .

E ntere d to the seco n d class a

m il m atter J une 6 . 19 1 7 . at th e pos t-o ffice at N ew Orleans. L a
d
un e r Ac t 0! A ugus t 24 . 19 12 .

Subscri ptio n per a nnum . pay ab le in d

a v ance A dd ress, L o uisiana H is torical Qu
ar terly .

Ca
.

b ildo . N ew O rlea ns . L a .
 L OU I SI AN A H I ST O R I CAL SO CI E T Y
G ASPA R CU SA CH S , P
resident .

JOHN DYMON D F irst , Vice President

-
.

BU SSI E R E R OU E N , Second Vice President -

.

H EN R Y RE N SH AW Third Vioe ,
-
P resident .

W . O H A RT
.
, T reasurer .

M I SS G R ACE KI N G R ecording Secretary , .

M R S H E LO ISE H U LSE CR U ZAT Corresponding Secretary

.
, .

E xecu t ive Co m m it t ee

John Dymond Chairman ; G aspar Cusachs Bussiere R ouen H enry R enshaw

Miss G
, , , .

W
. O H art
.
, race King and Mrs eloise ulse Cruzat. H H .

E dit or H is to r ical Q uar t erly

J OH N DYMON D Cabildo N ew Orleans

, . .
 T A BL E O F C ONT E NT S
’

Vo l u m e 2 , N o 1
. . J an uary , 1919 .

Fray A ntonio de Sedella , an A ppreciation

Jackson Square , N ew Orleans

T he L
ost City of Lafayette

Highw y Old nd N
a s, a ew

T h L g l I n tit ti
e e a s u ons o f L ouisiana

R ecords o f the Superior Council o f L ouisiana

 T H E L OUISIA N A
H I ST O R I CA L Q U A RT ERLY

VO L 2 , N o 1
. . J an u ary , 1 91 9 .

TH E UR SUL I N E S OF L O U I SI AN A

L adies Gentlemen :,

You have been told in eloquent periods of the founding of N ew

Orleans, of its subsequent development, and I am to be the humble
interpreter of another intimate chapter of its history : T H E SH A RE
WOME N T OOK IN ITS E ST AB L I SH M EN T .

Can we mention the French colonial days without recalling the

UR SUL INE S who by their unfal tering courage and their steady
,

and efficient work incorporated their history into that of our fair
,

c ity .

Bienville realized that N ew Orleans would never attain his d ream

o f greatness without ed ucation and especially such an education of ,

the female yo uth as would give worthy wives and m others to the
colonists With this end in view he intrusted to the Jesuit Father de
.
, ,

B eaubois the care o f choosing these educators

,
H ow successfully .

t his m ission was accomplished by his selection of the Ursulines of

R ouen the two past centuries have demonstrated
,
.

A contract was signed by the Company of the I ndies and the

l

‘T R E A T Y O F T H E C O M PA NY O F T H E I N DI E S WIT H TH E UR SUL I NE S
T he Co mpany d
co nsi ering t hat the mos t df d
L ouisiana are the
soli oun ations o f the colo ny o f

b
es ta lish me nts which ten d
to the adv ancemen t o f the glo ry o f G od and t he edifica tion o f the m ph .
8 uc h as thos e ma e b d
y the R ev eren Capuchin athers and the R everen d es uit F
ath ers whose zea l dJ F
b
, .

and ch arit y assure s piri tual suooor to t he inha itan ts and gi ve grea t ho w fo r the conversio n o f the

savages ; wiehiii g moreo v er. by a ne w esta lish me n t as pious to sucoor t he b

oor s ic . and pro vi e, at p k d
d d d d
.

th e same t ime. for the e ucation o f y oung girls it has agree to and accepte t he ofi ers ma e b y the
M M q
,

Sis ters T ranc hepain de St A ug ustin and

arie arie A nne B oulanger e te A ngeli ue . U rs ulinee o f d S
k d
-
.

R ouen, to ta e in charge the hospital o f N ew Orleans o n the follo wing con itio ns :
“
A rticle 1 31 T he Com pany will maintain at the hos pital six nuns incl u ing the Superi or. and d
d d k
.

will allo w hy e hundre poun s gratification to each to facilita te to them the

m eans o f ma ing their
voy ag e ; the ir passage w b f
ill e ree as also t hat o f four se rvants on the s hi ps o f the Com pany
Wh h di
.

“
A rticle zud en t ey will have arrive L ouisiana the y will be put in possess io n o f t he
n
di i
.

hospital in the con t on in which it is, viz : T he house and its depe ndenoee, apparently consis ting o f a
 Quarterly
’

The L ouisiana Hzston cal

’

hall whic h may hol six ty or e ig hty d sic k d

lo g ing house where the house ee per the infi rmarians and k
b
; a
k d d dd
.

t he coo s are esta lishe and a war . which they inten e to cons truct for t he eonvalescents and which
must no w be finished
hi l d
.

“
A flu le 37d T hese six nuns will set tle in t g ing well as poss ib le unt il the C o m pan y
b id b b
s o as

d d
‘
.

e rec ts u l ings sui ta le to t he ir es ta lishme nt. which will be acco m plishe litt le by little acco r in g
t o w hat the hospital fun d s and those d es t ine d to th e fo rt i fica tions an d co ns truc t io ns o f the u il ing s b d
o f the co lony wi ll allow

dj d dd
.

eno ug h to co nstruct o the r

“
A rticle 4th A o ining the sai hos pita l will be co nc e large
b d
e space

dd d d
.

uil ings w hich may be nee e we ll to furnis h po ul tr y and a gar en fo r t he nuns

bd
as a y ar
d d
.
,

“
A rti cle 51h T he negroes. negresses. anim als , turm ture e s . c lothes and ute ns ils est ine to

dd d
. ,

s ick w ill be re mit te with

‘

t he use of the hos pital. and e ve ryt hi ng to be pro v i fo r the ca re o f the

b
e .

an invento ry to the nuns who will be res po nsi le to the Co m pany fo r sam e

k
.
,

“
T he Superi or will c hoose a Sis ter as ho use ee per w ho i n that capaci t y w ill hav e
A rticle 6111
b d b k
. . . .

in her ca re all that elo ngs to th e hospital and all tha t 18 furni s he fo r t he s u s i stence o f t he si c ; she
w ill choose two o thers to be co ntinually occ u pie i n the service o f t he sic ano the r to ta e c harg e o f th e d k k
x b d
.

sc hoo l for y oung girls and t he s i th o ne w i ll se rve as an aid to t h os e too h ea vi ly ur e ne d i n th e i r func

W d d
.

t ions and she i ll hol herself ever rea y to re place those am o ng her Si s ters w ho W 1" no t be well e no ug h
k
,

t o perform thei r tas

d d d bj b
.

“
A rticle 7th T he nuns will no t be allo we to i spose o f any fun or o ec t elo nging to t he

b d d
.

hospita l witho ut t he conse nt o f the adrmm st ra to rs o ta i ne afte r eli bera t io n i n t he ir co unc i l . whic h
W i ll be eo nvened for that purpose w henever it is d md
ee e necess ary . and whi c h
'

Wi ll m be co po s e d as fo l
l ows : O f the C om man d G eneral o f t he co lo ny . o f th e F C i rs t o u nc fllo r o f t he Supen o r Co u nc il w ho m a y
d G
er .

e ne ra l o f t he
'

be re place by ano ther co uncillo r . o t the P roc urato r C u ra t e o f N e w O r le ans o f the Su

p J b d
.

en o r o f the esui ts , o f two pro mi nen t inha itan ts w ho will be elec te by th e Supe n or C o unc i l c alli ng the
dm
.

adm inis trato rs to th e e lec t io n. W t h a i nistrato rs will be c h ang ed e ver y t wo y ea rs , tso t ha t o ne o f

th e t wo w ull rem ai n ) , an d o f m ai ntained b y t he

the phy s i c ian i ng T he Supe n o r o f the hos pital wil l K
b k
.

have a ri g h t to appea r e fo re this Co unc il w hen s he has a pro pos i t io n to m a e w i tho ut ho we ver , ha v
d
. .

ing vo ice in t he eli be ra ti on

dm k d bj
.

A m cle 81h
“
T he a i ni s trato rs w i ll ee p a s tr ic t acco un t o f t he fun and i ts use w ull be su ec t

d d
.

t o their or er s , as a lso a ll t h at m ay acc rue to it b y leg acy , o na tio n a nd fi nes . a ll o f W t h ma y no t at

any ti m e be ap pll ed to t he nuns

d d
.

“
A rn cle 9 th T he C o m pa ny w ill co nc e e to t he sai ho s p nal a t r ac t o f e i g ht ar pe n t s fro n tag e
d d
.

by t h e i n a ry e pt h . o n t he le ng th o f t he ri v er . as nea r as pos s i b le to N e w O rle a ns , t ha t a plant ati o n

d
or

m ay be fo rm ed w hic h in the co urse o f t i m e . m ay pro v i e [o r t he m ai n tenance o f t he U rs u hnes o n ac

d
, .

count o f t he sa i hos pi tal

d dd
.

A m d e 1 0m
“
T o w ho m soev er m a y be in c ha rge o f t he s ai planta t io n w rll be c o nce e b y th e
d d
.
,

C om pany 300 po un s a y e ar o nly uri ng t he fi rs t hy e y e ars

d
, , .

“
A md e I l lh A s lo ng as t he s a i plan ta tio n W l ll n o t be m c o ndi t i o n to pro v i de fo r t he m am
b d d
.

tenance and su s is t e nc e o i t he sai n uns . t heC o m pany w i ll gr a n t e ac h o ne o f t he m 600 po un s a y ea r

for a ll t hi ngs , W hI Ch w ull no i n to e ffec t fro m t he da y o f t he ir a rri v a l a t t he po r t o f e m ba rc a t io n b ut as

d d x
,

soo n as t he sa i plan ta t io n W 1 “pro uce s u tfi c n

'

e n t ly to co v e r t he i r e pe nses t hi s pe n s m n W l ll c e a se . an d

d d d
.

t he n uns W 1" i s po se o f t he re venue o f t he sa i plan ta ti o n as so le ly a f

fe c t ed to t h e i r m a i n te na nce
b
sa i

and s u s i s te nce .

A m r h 1 2 1k
“
Duri ng ea ch o f t he firs t fi ve years o f t he es ta b li s h m e n t o f t he d
sa n plan ta ti o n ,
W d d d
.

furn ishe t he m b y the C o m pa n y t he y w ull be pa i

'
e i g h t ne groes (pi ec e d l nde ) ill be fo r b y t he s ai
dd
,

U rsu lm es o n t he same te rm s an d w i th the sa m e co ndi t io ns lai o wn fo r t he i n h a b i t an t s b y t h is m e a ns

d x
.

the C o m pany w i ll ce ase pay i ng t he an nual pe ns ion o f 600 po un s to eac h n un , a t t he e pi r a tio n of ti m e

d
x j
on

k d
a gree
“
T he Supe rio r w all have an e
A rticle I 6 l h ac t o urn al ke pt of t he s ic w ho w ill e n te r t he sa i
W d
.

hospital an d o f those w ho i ll le ave i t b y ece ase o r o t her m se

d
.

“
A rti cle 1 7th A ll those s nc k fro m o r i na ry a nd no t i nc ura b le d W i ll be rec e i v e d a t t he
d
.
'
se as es

hos pital o n a no t e fro m t he ph y s m an an d u ri ng hi s a bs e nc e fro m the Su rg e o n M a yo r a n d i f t he y a r e

d b
. ,

poor , t he y W i ll be treate free o f c ha rge o n , ri ng i ng a c e r t i fic a te fro m t he i r c u ra te . Si g n ed by t he P ro

c urato r G e ne ral t hat . t he y have . no t t he m e ans of pa q .

“
A rti cle 1 8111 T he i n hab i t an ts w ho are no t m t he s a me c ase and w ho W i ll ha v e t he m s e lv e s
d b d
.

tr ans po rt e to t he hos pi ta l W 1" be o li g e to pay t he s u m fi x ed b y t he ad m i n i s t rato rs o f t he ho s pi ta l.

and t he mo ne y W i ll be rem i t ted to t he house ke pe r t b n te ed i n t he ac c o u n t

d
r
e o e e

A m t le 1 901
All pe rso ns i n t he e m plo y o f t he Co m pa ny w he n s xc k W i ll be rec e i v e pre fe rab ly
.
, ,

at t he hos pi tal. and the ra tio ns W t h the y rece i ve w ull be lo ng to the hos pi ta l . W t h W 111 be c re d i t e d fo r
s am e d uring the t i m e o f t he ir s tay

W d k d
.

A rti cle 20m

“
. It i ll likewise be acco un te to the hos pital fo r the loan o f s ic SO Idl CA S u ri ng
the i r stay here .
 T he U rsuhnes of L ouisiana
’

A rticle 2 131 d
T he a m inistrato rs will pay attention to es ta lish at the hospital a se ara te b p
d b
.

and istinc t place where t he o flice rs and the em plo y ees o f the Co mpany may hav e the m selves roug ht
t o be treated when sic and t he adm inis trato rs w il l k
eci e w hat is to be re taine eac h day on the ap d d d
d
, .

po intm ent s o f the sai oflicers and employ ees to t he pro fit o f th e

hospital
ki
.

“
A rticle 2 2nd T he N uns having the sic n care will no t allo w any o f t hem, even oo nv aleseents

k db
.

to ta e o ther aliments than those furnishe y the house .

“
A rticle 23rd T o furn ish the hos pital the mea ns d
to provi e for a part o l its
'
‘

e x penses . the Com

p b d
.

any will possi le to the house o f the sai hos pital. a trac t o f e ig ht arpen ts frontag e
concede as near as

on th e ordinary pro port ion , to form a plan tation on W t h pro uce will be cultivate and cattle raise for d d d
m
consum io n o t the house . and the revenue o f this plantatio n . o f whatsoever it consists . w ill elon g to the
’

b
sai dh ospital . b ut a special account d lm i i will be l b o pene d in the name of the sai pa tat on, n wh ic h w il e

d bi d l
e te alf i h d b h C mp
tha t is d
urn s e d di d h y t e i h any , an all its pro uc ts te t at the hos p tal w en
bl d h h C mm h i m b d
o cre so

h C m
. .

a e to o wit out t e o h
’
m
ny s c ar ty , i f ay e hel to pay to t e o pany . t e su s due to t or
h l
t e p an tation
Wh h N k if h j d p il
.

“
A rticle 2 415 d will
en t uns can convenientl y o ao , they ta e. t ey u g e pro er . g r
b d f h b
e

d h p m d wi mi d
.

oar ers on the loo t ng

i hi h S i ill h w ch t e uper or w ave rul e and t e ay ent o t e oar ll b e re tte
h d dw h h i k ill b
.

into the D
an i l h
s o f the h tary o f t e nuns. bu t none o f those c arge it t e care the s c w
d h d i fh b d
e pos o e

turne d w m a ay i fro it nor ass gne to t e e ucat on o t e oar ers

b m dq
.

“
m A
A rticle a f i ill h
s soon as the reven ues o h m i the plan tat o n w ua te to t e a n

b mb jd
. ave eco e a e

m
'

e nance and su sis tence o f h i i h

the si x nuns. t ey i increase the r nu i t e y u ge pro per. n pro
l b
ay er .

port ion o f their d f revenues . an d w m f m

passage alo ne wall be g rante to those ho t he y w i l ring

b
ree ro

F rance,b w ut they ll d ill no t be hi

a o we to recei ve as a nun any girl
h orn in t s country . without t e per .

mi i ss on and m f h S
ag ree i C i ent o t e uper or ounc l
d h ld
.

A rticle 261k
If m f h
any nun canno t stan the cli a te . o r part ic ular reaso n.
or any o t er s ou

b d F Wl
.

be o lige to h i
re tur n f to f w ll have i pass age fo r herse l and a servant. and her pens on il

mb
rance. s e ree

cease f m ro f the day i her arcat on

b m bl
o e .

“
A rticle
f fi m I any n un f m h ile. t hro ug h in it y una to per o r er tasks . she w l no
mb
eco r e

d m h i d d
.

longer b e nu e re m i a o ng t h i
e s x q
w ho w ere to be a ntaine ; howeve r. s e w ll b e e ually t re ate
d i
ur ng her li fe at the ex pense o f h p i h b i
the d
os i ta l. d n t he case t ha t t e nuns e no t y et n co n itio n to o

i
w tho ut t his help
dd d
.

“
m
A r ticle 28 ll
T he prese nt treat y w i be a C l fL ii to the o unci o u s ana to be the re
bj
resse o

d d i
.

i
reg s tere an d i n case o f co ntest atio n o t e art ic les i t
f h b C l co n tai ns . to e su ec t to ec sio n o f the o unc i

h j d m W bm
. .

to w hic u g e nt the par t ies i ll su it

M d I d mb
.

m H f
in P ari s C m h 3 f
o te l o the o f the t e 1 th day o Se pte 1726
‘
the pany n i es , o n

J M i D
a e o e r,

d d
.
.

D
'
C i D h
'
Si A rtag uette P Sai n tar
‘
gne L A b be R ag ue t o r n, iro n as tan er, es ay er.
'

m d
: , . , . .

S
‘
C oeur S m
ath e rine de B rusco ly deS i
t A an U F
pre ie re uper e ure des
h . , rsu nes de rance .

Soe ur M an e T ranc he pain de St A ug us tin Supe rieure

'
.
. .

‘
Soeur M ar ie des A ng es Bo ulange r de Ste A ngeli ue De pos itaire q
T k d
, .

( his tre at y 18 ta e n fro m t he R egiste r o f the A cco unts o f the n ies . Vo l 2 at the Depo t o f I
C M F d
.
,

t he harts and A rchiv es o f t he ar i nes A co py o f t h is t re at y in renc h was furnishe to the Lo u

q d
. . .

isiah s H is toric al Soc ie ty at its re ues t . b y the rs uline L a i e s o f N e w O rleans and it appears in V o l U
b
, .

1 1 . part 4 o f th e L oui si an a H isto rical Socie ty pu lica tio ns fo llowing t he interest ing pape r wri t te n
Jd J d
. ,

by u ge H enry R enshaw for the Socie ty mee ting . of une 12 , 1901 . T his transla tio n w as m a e fro m
t his copy .
) H H . . Cr uzal .
8 The L ouis iana Histon cal
’

Quarter!y
Ursulines v d by brevet signed by L ouis XV and on Feb
, appro e ,
2

ruary 22nd 1727 M other St A ugustin T ranchepain with eight, ,

.
, ,

d v d h d f m
’

pro fesse nun s a no ice and two pos tulants saile o n t e G zr on e ro ,

L Orient
’
.
3

2 “
Petition to the K ng i p
to a prove the treaty passe db e tween the U rsulin a and the C o m pan y

o f the I ndies
I nd j
:
“
T he Directors o f the Co m pany of the res pec t fully peti tion H i s Ma es ty to appro v e b y
b
ie
s

reve t the tr eat y that t he Si s ters M arie T ranc he pain de St A ug ustin and M arie A nne B oul an ge r d e
d d
-
.

Ste A nge li ue rsu line q U N

uns o f R o uen passe on t he 13th o f the mea n t m o n th with the sai C om pany
b d k
,

I
,

o f t he ndies fo r the est a lis hm en t o f six nuns o f their or er in N ew O rlea ns w here they wi ll ta e charg e
d d
, .

o f the hos pital o f t hat c ity and will give them selves to th e e uca tio n o f t h e yo ung gir ls accor in g t o .

th e ir ins t it ution
d b
.

“
Paris Septem er 17 1 726
Passe at . .

F
.

2 “ B re ve t o f Lo uis X V ing o f rance in favor o f the rsulines o f L o uis iana : K U

b d d
. .

“
Ou t his day the eig hteenth o f Septem er on e tho usand se ve n hun re and t wen t y six th e
b b d Mj
-
,

F
. .

K ing e in g at
. on tain leau it was represen te to H is a es ty on the par t o f th e Sis te rs M arie T ranche
.

i d S t A u u ti n an d Ma ri e A nn e B o ulan ger d e S te A ng eli u e rs ulin e uns o f R ou en th at th ey ha d q U N

d
pa n e g s -
. ,

I
.

d t t w it h th e D ire c t or s o l th e C om p an y o f th e n ie s o n th e l 3th d ay o f th e p rese nt mon th

d d
pa s se a rea y .

by w hic h the sai Sisters o r St A ug ust in and Ste Ange li ue, o n on e si e ag ree to go to L ouisiana with q
k
. .

four o ther Sis ters o f their order to ta e charge o f the hos pi ta l o f N ew O rlea ns and to em plo y them se lves
b
.

in the educ atio n o f the y oung g irls. conforma ly to t heir inst i tutiom and th e C om pany o f the ndies . I
on the o ther si e. o liga tes itse lf no t d b on ly to pr o vi d e (or the d
ne e s o f the sai d hosp ita l bu t also to th e

d
.

m aintenance and subsist enee o t the said nuns . as it is ex plained b y t he sai treat y ; the t they hope .

th roug h the b lessing o f G o d. for the ha ppy success o f their un erta ing . t he pious d k and chari ta b
le prin
ciples o f w hic h b espea k the K ing s pro tect ion ; h um ly pe ti t ioning H is M a est y .
’
b j proo f t hat th e
b b
as a

sai d underta ki ng is ag reea le to him , to appro ve their est a lis hmen t in the pro vi nce of L ouisi ana. in
de fere nce to w hich and wis hing to favor e ver y t hing that can co ntribu te to the reli e f o f t he poor. sick
and the e uca tion o f d y ou th. has d h
a pprov e t e con itions d of the treaty pass e db e t ween t he Com pany
o f the I ndies and the Ursuline Nuns on the thirt eenth o f the present month the in tention o f H is Mj a est y

b d j b b d d
.

eing t hat they shou l en o y without trou le all that has een o r m ay here a fter be g rante b y the sai
C o m m ny co nform a b ly to ag reements m d a e or to m d b
be etween the C o m pany o f the n ia and the I d
Hi M j
a e

d d d
.

sai nuns. in consideration o f whic h s t y has plac e and places them un er his protec tio n and

Mj
s a e

safe- k eeping . and as assurance o f H is will . 11is a es ty has or ered d the despatc hing of the present
B re vet. w lfic h he has deignd to sign by his o wn hand and ordered eountersig ned b y me . his Co unsellor.
Secre tar y o f State o f h is c omman s and finances . d .

S m LO U I S .

P H E L Y PE A U X .

‘N A M ES O F T H E FO U N D R ESSES n

1 M
St A ug ust in (l at Super io r) from R ouen, die N o v 1 1 1 733
o ther d
J dd
. .
. .
. .

2 Sr St o hn the E vangelist (M arguer ite Judde o f R o uen ) A ug us t 14 1 73 1

M J
. . . ie . . . .

3 q
Sr Ste Ang eli ue ( an e A nne Boulanger fro m R ouen sis ter o f th e es uit missionary of the
d J d
-
. .

I
,

llino is P ere Boulanger ) ied une 29 , 1 766 age 80 ye ars

M dd d
, . . .

4 Sr Ste ar i e (R enee Yui q uil fro m

. . annes also given as G uiq uel ) ie Oc t 24 17 , V . . . age
6 8 y ears
Md d dJ
.

5 Sr St Francis Xavier ( a eleine M ahier from H av re ) ie uly 6 , 1 728

J d mb
. . .
, . .

6 Sr St ose ph (Cecile C avelier fro m E lboeuf) ied Dece er 1 1 1 742

M d dS
. . .
, . .

7 Sr Ste T herese ( arg uerite Salaon fro m Ploermel also T alaon and Salaa m ) ie
d
. .
, , ept
5 1 733. age 32 y ea rs
M J M d
.
.

8 Sr St ic hel ( arion fro m Ploermel) , o n acc ount o f t he climate re turn e Franc e

b
. . . ea nne to
N ovem er 25 . 1 72 7
M (M i A b d
.

9 S Ste art he D m fro m H enne lay ) France

M
. r . ar e- nne a . on t. a s i s te r . re turne to with
Sr St ichel. N ov 25 1 72 7
(M i M d i b d d
. .
.
. .

10 . Sr . St Stanislas
. ar e- a ele ne H ac hard fro m H enne o nt) . die A ug ust 9 . 1 760. ag e
56 years
d
.

11 Sr A nne de St F rancois. re turne to France in 1 728

d M d d
. . .
.

12 . C lau e assy . i 29
n 17 . re turne to the ou ter w or l .
 T he U rsulines f
o L ouisiana 9

T he d that if the m issionary Sisters were not satis

contract rea
fi ed with ex isting conditions on land ing they were to be returned to ,

France at the ex pense of the Company in their ships 4

, .

T hey were under the care of the J esuit Fathers Doutreleau and
T artarin whose nam es have passed into history from their labor am ong
,

the savages ; they were also accompanied by B rother Crucy (S J , .

T he voyage was fraught with m any d angers T he ship struck .

a rock they went through several terrific storm s were twice pur sued
,

by pirates and though the vessel h ad been provi sioned for a lengthy
,

voyage they und erwent privation During one of the storm s 49 .

sheep and 50 0 chickens d ied apparently of sea sickness I n M arch ,

-
.

they stopped at the I sle of M ad eria then in all the glory of Spring , ,

and were invited by the Super ior o f the M onastery of St Clare (a .

,

Portuguese princess) to visit her nunnery but the Ursul ines declined , ,

not fancying the q uaint M oorish custom s o f the I sland ers .

A t San Dom ingo the comm and ant tried to induce them to es
‘

tablish a school ; the inhabitants sent them many presents among ,

which a b arrel of sugar weighing 300 pound s A fter the Carib bean , .

storm s had been weathered the ship was strand ed on a sand bar and -

the larger part of the cargo had to be sacrificed before it could be

set afloat I n J uly they reached L ouisiana with its dreary m orasses
.

and canebrakes and here and there a tree d raped in d ism al grey
, ,

m oss T hey sought in vain for the riches and beauty d escribed by the
.

Company of the I nd ie ; even their entrance to the river seemed to be s

fo rb idd en by imm ense accum ulations of driftwood and dead trees

with outstretched denud ed branches which barred the way T hey , , .

went through Sauvolle Pass reaching the mouth of the M ississippi on ,

the 23rd of J uly A t the B aliz e they were welcom ed by the Com
.

m and ant de Verges who ofi ered them his residence as a hom e until ,
‘

they continued on their way T hey were not unable to resum e their .

t rip up the river before the 3l st of J uly T he Superior Father .

,

D outreleau Brother Crucy and fi ve sisters came in a pirogue the

, ,

followed in a shallop with M r Massy When darkness

“ ”
o thers . .

4“ T he C om pany ag reed to d
maintain six nuns inclu ing the Superio r ; to pay their passag e and
t hat o f four servants to serve d
t hem uri ng the ir v oyage ; and moreo ver to pay the passag e o f those w ho .
fr o m whatever mo tive wo ul d w ish to re turn to F an I t was d th at o ne o f the nuns wo ul db e

d d d d
. r ce . agree

o v erseer o f the hospital. t hat she woul supervxse all tem poral nee s , and wo ul ren er account once a

m onth to M essrs the O fficers ; tha t two o thers woul db e continually in the ser vice o f the k
sic ; tha t
d
.

th ere wo ul be o ne for the schoo l fo r the an d ano ther to serve as aid and replace the o thers in
k d Wh jd
poor. case
.

o f sic k ness and to relieve th em when o v erwo r e the nuns can do so conveniently . if they u ge

b d
en

k dw k d
.

pm pe r . they ma y ta e g irl oar ers , but none o f those c harge ith the care o f th e sic will be turne
a way from this, or applie d
to the e uca tion o f th e oa r ers d b d e tc
"

k b
.

Ta en fro m
“
R elation des prem ieres U
rs ulines a la N ouvelle Orleans et de leur eta lissemen t en

cet te ville par la rev eren e d M

ere de T ranchepain Supen eure
"
. .
 The L ouisiana Histon cal Quarterly
'

10

cam e on y left their boats and slept on land taking such precau
the ,

tions as were possible against creeping and winged enemies especially ,

against the m osq uitoes which inspired the novice M ade leine H ach
, ,

ard with a dr ead of assassination

, .

T heir last stop on their ascent of the river was at the Massy
p lant ation o w ne d by ,a brother o f one o f the pos tulants (C laud e

Massy ) Mother St A ugustin T ranchepain and those who came

. .

in the pirogue reached N ew Orleans early on the 6th of A ugust

“ ”
,

but the others did not arri ve until the following day which is the ,

date generally given as that of the landing of the Ursulines in the ,

representing of which ar tists have taken a great d eal of art istic

license .

M other St A ugustin T ranchepain has left a short account of

.

their arrival in N ew Orleans :

We found few persons awaiting us on account of the early
“

hour and we set out for Fath er de Baubois house We soon saw th e ’
.

g ood Fa ther c om ing tow ard s us leanin g on his ca ne on account of , ,

his great weak ness H e appeared pale and depressed but his counte
.

ance brightened with j oy at seeing us H e m ad e us rest awhile and had .

an ex cellent b reakfast served which was o ften interrupted bv a great

'

num b er of his friend s coming to gree t us ,

T oward s ten or eleven o clock th e R everend Father led us to

’

o ur hom e I t is a house which the Com pany o f the I nd ies rents for
.

us until our monastery be built ; it is d irectly at one end o f the city

and the hospital is at the other end T herefore we will no t be ab le .

to take charge o f it until our m onastery is fi nished .

On A ugust 9 1727 the holy sacrifice o f M ass was offered for the
, ,

first time in one of the parlors o f this house T hey waited until .

October 5th o f the sam e year when the sm all tabernacle was ready ;
, ,

and o n that day R everend Father B eaubo is o ur worthy supe rior

, , , ,

deamnd, bv B ishop de St Vallzer was

'

granted a s at our .
, recognized in
”
this charge with the us ual ceremonies .

( t is
I noticea ble
Mother T ranchepain spells the Jesuit s
that
’

nam e B A U B O I S wh ilst M ad eleine H achard writes it B E A U B O I S )

“ ”
.

T his house which M other T ranchepain say s w as situated at

,

the extrem e end o f the city was in the square bound ed by C hartres , ,

R oyal B ienville and Conti

, T he transient chape l o f the J esuits .

w as a squar e d istant (I t is m arked o n a m ap o f 1 72

. 8 in pos sess io n

of M r G aspard Cusachs ) I n 1 725 they had bought Bienville s

’

. .

at the upper lim it o f N ew O rleans for which B ienv ille on

”
house , , ,

the 27th o f J une 1 730 ack nowled ged hav ing received in go ld and
“
, ,

circ ulating m o ney as stipulated in the power o f attorney o f the

,
 T he U rsulines f L ouisiana
o 11

Company of Jesus
France the sum of
, in , p o un d s o r fr an cs ,

rent agreed on by above contract and acquitted and d ischarged

.

the said R ev Father Davangour the said Com pany and all others
.
, , ,

etc . I t was in later years that the J e uits acquired the tract between s

Canal and Felicitv R oad Mad eleine H achard writes that the Com
.

p a ny p a id p ou nd s a y e ar a s r e nt fo r t his h o u se I t is s he .
,

continues d irectly at one end of the city and the house which they
,

ar e b uild ing for us is at the other end We intend to take possession

.

of our m onastery and o f the hospital only in a year perhaps later , ,

for workmen are not as com m on here as in France the more so as , ,

th ey intend to build permanentl y and entirely of bricks ; in the m ean

while they are actually constructing a sm all lod ging in our residence
which will serv e to instruct the day pupils and to house the boarders .

T he proprietor of the house furnishes the wood and we furnish the

workm en ; there are already m ore than thirty b oard ers who are per
sistent in their d emand to be received as m uch here as at the B aliz e ,

and in the environs etc ,and further on speaking of cond itions

.
,

in N ew Orleans and of G ov ernor Perier s efforts : H e has established

’ “

a well regulated police he d eclares war to v ice he expulse s th ose who

, ,

lead a scand alous life corporal punishm ent is inflic ted on girls who
,

lead a bad life trials are term inated in thr ee or four days they hang
, , ,

they b reak on the wheel for the least the ft the Council is suprem e , .

T here is no appeal they bring cases from I llinois four hund red
,

lea gues d istant : that does not prevent there being m agistrates in
those places but they appeal here
, I n 1 728 she speaks of their
.

instructing the sav age and colored gir ls and wom en from 1 p m to . .

p m
. S h.e also rela tes th at it is F a t he r d e B ea u b ois i n tention
’

t hat they tak e care of orphans through charity and that to encour ,

age them he said that he and M onsieur Pé rier would assum e the
,

charge of all the orphans Be fore leav ing France Madeleine H achard
.

h ad received the white veil o f the novice at the Convent of H enne

b on und er the nam e of Sister St Stanislas and she was the first to
, .

p r ono u n c e he r v ow s a n d rece iv e th e b la ck v e il in N e w O r le an s ,

w hich cerem ony took place on the 15th o f M arch 1729 , .

O i the Ursulines who entered B ienville s hom e in 1 727 two

’

nuns and one postulant returned to France o n the R hinoceros , ,

Novem ber 25th 1 727 One of the reasons alleged was climatic
,

cond itions Claude Massy gave up the id ea o f a religious life in

.

1 729 and m ust have remained w ith her brother s fam ily as there is
’

no m ention o f her d eparture in the Ursuline A nnals nor in the L iv re

“

de P assages in possession of the L ouisiana H istorical Society She .

has often b een called one of the servants — this is a m istake ; she was
 Quarter!y
'

12 The L ouis iana Histon cal

a la dy Choir Sister
and a I n the picture of the L and ing of the .

Ursulines the postulants do not appear .

T he Ursulines had hard ly begun their task when the Natchez m as

sacre occurred (Nov em ber 28th T hey took und er their care ,

the orphans o f the French victim s and this was the nucleus of their
5

orphanage which b esides a free school for the poor was kept up by
, ,

them until 19 12 when they rem oved to their college on State street
,
.

For a tim e the city was supposed to support twenty four orphans -
,

but only the actual num ber was paid for at the rate of p er h ead .

T hey were housed fed clothed instructed and cared for in health , , ,

and sick ness for this sum When Mother Ste Seraphune became .

Superior she estab lished a free orphanage T heir curriculum includ .

,

ing French and E nglish language lessons geography arithmetic , , ,

ca techism history writing sewing and housework never varied

, , , , ,

and this work lasted until want of accomm odations in their new Col

lege forced them to giv e it up This ordinary education was so .

thorough that several of these orphans successfully directed educa

tional institutions T his task was carried on d uring 183 years
. .

T heir care of the H ospital stipulated by the Company of the I nd ies , ,

continued until 1770 .

T he Ursulines remained in B ienville s house until 1734 T he

’
.

Convent built for them by the Com pany at a cost o f

p ou nd s or fran cs was b egun i n 1 727 ; in 1730 the corner sto n e w as

laid by Dam e Catherine L e Chibelier wife of G overnor Périer and 6

,

on July 17th 1 734 they took possession o f their new m onastery in

, ,

gr eat p om p .

Say s the Annalist : During three d ays previous to the one ap

“
‘E x cer
pt o f le tter fro m R e v P ere L e P etit S J : T he little g irls w ho m none o f th e colo nists
d b
.
, . .

u is hed to a o pt ha v e increased the interes ting group o f o rphans who m th e nuns are ri ng ing up T h e
mb d
.

m e at er o f thes e c hil ren se r v es bu t to augment their c harity and their at ten tions T hey have
b
nu

m d i
.

e en fo r n to a se para te class o f which two te ac hers have charg e T here is no t one o f th is sain tly

d d
e .

mm uni ty w ho is no t elate at having crossed the oce an . were she to do no o the r goo here t han to
k d d
co

ee p t hese c hil innocense and polite C hn s t ian e ucation to the young renc h g irls w ho F
b
ren i n gi ve a

d d
,

isked to be no e t ter raise t han t he slaves T he y lea th ese holy wom en to hone tha t they will occupy
d d d) b
.

t he new ho me es ti ne for t he m . (an d fo r W h ICh they have long sig he e fore t he end o f the

W b d
y ear
d
. .

the o rphans. o f the day pupils and

’

hen they ins talle th e re . to the ins tr uc tio n o f the oar ers . ol

ki
are

neg resses t he y will add t he c are o f t he s i c n th e hos pi tal and o f a ho use o f re fuge fo r wo men of qu es tio n

b le c harac ter ; perhaps e v e n . that in the c ourse o f ti m e. they w i ll be ble to in gi vrng

ai d eac h

b
a year a
d d d
a

re tr eat for a g reat num er o f la ies acco r i ng to the tas te w i th w hich w e have ins pire t hem
k d F diff
.

“
So many c har t i ta ble wo r woul in rance anth ee to occupy se ve ral com m uni t ies and eren t in

b b
s

sti tu tio ns B ut o f w hat is no t a grea t zea l c apa le ! T h ese v ar i o us la do no t as to m sh seven U rs uli nes

b
ors

Gd
.

grac e to sus ta i n th e m withou t infri ng ing o n t he ir re lig io us O serv ance s

’
and they ho pe w i th As
b d
o s .

for me I grea tly fear that ii t hey do no t secu re ass istance the y will suc cum
’

un e r t he weig ht o f so

m uch fatigue T hose who db e fo re b eing ac qu ai n te dW i th t he m , that t he y ca m e too soo n and in too
b W
sai

d d d
.
,

g re at num ers. have change t he ir tone and feelings itnessing the ir e ify ing con uc t and t he g reat
d d
.

ser vice: t hey ren er t he colony . t hey find that they came too late and that there co ul ne ver be to o
“
many of the same virt ue and m en t
d d d
.

‘P en er is o ften writ ten P er rier . b ut o cumen ts s igne by him rea Perier .

 T he U rsulines o f L ouis iana 13

pointe d v
for our remo al to the new con ent it raine almost inces v d
k d
santly m a ing the roa s so im practica le that we were on the point
, b
v d v
o f gi ing up the i ea o f lea ing our old resi ence for som e tim e longer d ,

dd
when su enl the sky cleare y and in spite of mu d , roa s we , ddy d ,

dd k
deci e on ta ing possession of our new hom e ere the set ting of an
o ther sun .

A ccor ingl d y
towar s 5 o cloc p m
, d our con ent
’
ells rang k . v b
a m err p eya l to a nn ou nc e o ur ec isio n mm e ia te l th ed troo ps . I d y
range d v d
them sel es on each si e of the a o e we were a o ut to lea e bd b v
fore er v . v v
G o ernor B ien ille M r Salm on intendent together with
, .
, ,

the m st o d d
istinguishe citiz ens and almost the entire population ,

ca m e to form our escort .

d
A fter the B ene iction of the Blessed Sacrement which was ,

g i v
e n tby
h e R e v F ath er P hili
.
p ( ra nc is can ) a ss is te R ev, F , d by .

F athers B eaubois and P etit S J all left the Chapel in processional

, .

d
or er ; the citizen s opening the march followe the chil ren of , d by d
our orphanage and day school and o er fort of the m ost respecta le , v y b
d y b
la ies of the cit all earing lighte tapers and singing pious h m ns
, d y .

N ex t cam e a out twent b oung g ir ls y y

ressed in white who were , d ,

followe d by v
twel e others and some little girls ressed as angels d .

“
y
T he oung la dy
who personated St rsula wore a costl ro e . U y b
and m antle and a crown glittering with
, iam on s and pearls from d d ,

v
w hich a rich eil hung in graceful fol s ; and in her han she ore a d d b
d
heart pierce with an arrow H er com panions were cla in snow white
. d -

d resses and v
eils ; and the ore palm yb
ranches em lem atic of vic b b
t ory .

L ast o f all cam e y ; the former bearing

the nuns and the clerg
lighted tapers and the latter a rich canopy und er which the Blessed
,

Sacrem ent was b orne in trium ph T he sold iers m arched on each .

side leaving a space of about four feet b etween them and t he pro

c ession T he military m usic which accom panied the singing o f pious

.

hymns contributed not a little to the beauty and impressiveness of

the ceremony .

A s soon as the procession was in sight of the Convent som e

“

k ind friend commenced to ring the bells to hail our arrival ; thus we ,

e ntered our new abod e am id st the chim ing of b ells fi fes and d rum s ,

and the singing o f hym ns o f praise and thanksgiv ing to our H eavenly

Father who had lavished so many favors on us etc , .

T he first to be called away in the home they had left was Sr St . .

Francis Mahieu who passed away July 6th 1728 T his death and the , .

d eparture of those nuns who returned to France had left but seven
frail women to meet the growing need s of the colony I n 1731 .
14 The L ouis iana H islon cal Quarterly
'

another pioneer went to her reward Sister St John the E vangelist , .

,

(M arguerite J udde ) In 1733 another of the foundr ess es Sr Ste

.
, .

Therese (M arguerite Salan) departed from this world and in N o

, , ,

vem ber o f the same year the venerab le Superior of the foundresses

died one may say in sight of the promised land

“
, ,She was suc .

ceeded by Sr St A ndré (J eanne Melotte ) from Caen who was the

. .
, ,

first Superior in the Convent on Chartres street where she ruled until ,

1739 ; she was re elected in 1745 and died in 1747-

.

From the day of the removal of the Ursulines to their m onastery ,

corner of Conde and R ue de l Ar senal the latter street became and

’

has remained La rue des Ursulines , Father de Beaubois had

obtained from the Company that the monastery and buildings in
tended for the boarders orphans and day pupils be constr ucted ,
-

apart from the hospital which was in the rear of the Conv ent T he .

first chapel was adj acent to the barracks ; the second donated by ,

Don A ndres Almonaster in 1789 extended in length and opened on ,

fi cials of the c
of olony here resounded the blare of French and Spanish
,

trum pets the wail of the exiled A cad ians the sound o f executionary
, ,

gu ns shou,ts o f victory the solemn so und s of sacrifice and the daily,

murmur of the people s prayer H ere the families of the L ouisiana

’
.

martyrs prayed with the good nuns through the fatal hour which

v
The e ent is thus recalle in the n ent A nnals : The Sieurs d Co v
N v
icolas Chau in de La freniere Jean Baptiste de oyan Pierre , N ,

C aresse Pierre , M q
ar uis and Joseph M ilhet c n em ne to eath , , o d d d
by d
O R eilly as lea ers of the re olt against Spain at the tim e of the
’

, v ,

cession o f L uisiana were shot o

ct er 25 1769 in the, ar of the O ob , , y d
b k
arrac s which forme a un ar of the n ent o f the d
rsuline
s bo d y Co v U .

b o
I t was a terri le m m ent of anguish for the nuns The et na i ns . d o to
sh ook the w do
in ws of the chapel where the relati es of the ictim s v v
k
had ta en refuge and ith whom the nuns pra e One of the w yd .

U rsulines Soeur Therese de

, ou is sai to ha e een a near relati e M y , d v b v
of one o f the v
ictim s and to the day of her eath fifty five ears , d ,
-
y
later coq , not hear the soun s of h rses h fs nor the r ll of a d o ’
oo , o
d rum without experiencing a ner ous trem ling which she c ul not v b o d
o d chapel assem bled on January 8th 1815 the women
I n the sec n , ,

of the cit whilst the battle raged at Chalmette

y I t was on that .

memorable day that the Superior of the Ursulines Francoise Victoire ,

Olivier de Vezin (Sr Ste Marie) made the promise of a solemn high
, .
,
16 T he L ouisiana Hislor ical Quarter!y
opene d her arm s to the poor exile d d
A ca ians when the rsuline U
Cony ent on Char tres and rsulines U oflered them an as lum In y .

1749 the U
rsulines recei ed as a lay sister v
arie T urpin un er th e , M , d
nam e of Sr Ste ar the . M
H er father was a French Canadian L ouis
.
,

T urpin k
eeper o f the
, K
ing s stores in llin is and was legitim ately
’
I o
d
mar rie to Dorot hea d
aughter of an llinois chief who is suppose
, I , , d
to be one o fthose who cam e to N ew Or lm s to con ole with the rench d F
after the utcher at b ort R osalie y F
(M amantouensa ) .

Father L e Petit S J narrates this isit of the llinois chiefs :

, . v I
“
A t the first news of the war with the atchez and th e azoos N Y
y
th e cam e here to weep for th e B lac R o es (missionaries ) and the k b
French and to ofi er the ser ices of their nation to M r Perri er to
, v .

v
re enge the eath of the d renchm en I was at the go ernmentF . v
house when the arri ed and y v
was charm e with their speeches I d .

Chicagon whom you saw in Paris was at the hea of the M itchi
, , d
ga m ia s a nd M a m a n to u en s a a t t h e h e a o f th e a s as ia s C h ic a go n d K k k .

k
spo e first H e sprea on the floor a carpet of eers in or ered
. d d k b d
d
with porcupine hi e and on it he lai two calumets an d difi erent d
v
sa age commo itie s accom panie d one o f the custom ar d by
prese nts y .

,
’
d
T here sai he po inting t o the calumets are two wor s which we
,
“
, d
b ring y ou ; one o f religion and th e other of peace or war as y ou will ,

d d
eci e We hw ken with respect to our comm an s for the ring
. y d , yb
us the w r of the od ing our K
ather and e en m ore to the B lac F , v k
b
R o es for the ring us th e wor yb o f G od him self who is the d
ing o f , K
K ings . We came from a great istance to emoan with you the d b
d eath of the Frenchm en and to ofi er our war riors to strike the hostil e ,

nations whom y ou will nam e You ha e but to spea When

. v k . I
p a ss e dth ro u g h ra n ce t h e in F
g p ro m ise m e h is p ro tec tK
i o n fo r t h e d
p ra ey r (m e a n in g C h ris tia n it ) an d u r g e m e n e er to lyea e it ; d v v I
shall rem em er it alwa s b y
G rant us and our Blac R o e s protec tion. k b .
’

d d y
H e then expresse e if ing sentim ents on religion which the inter
p re te r B ailla rj o n en e a or e t o e xp d v
la in t o u s in er b a d
d re n c h v y F .

“
M am antouensa spo e after him H is speech was laconic and k .

his st le ery v yd ifferent from that o f the Sa ages w ho repeat the same v
things a hundre times in the sam e iscourse : d H ere sai he are d ‘

,
’
d ,
‘

y v
two oung m en sla es and som e peltries and other trifles it is little a , ,

p re se n t ofi er I
y o u i e a is no t t.o in Mv d
uce y o u t o o fi e r a g re a t er d
one ; all that I ask is our hea rt and y
our protec tion cra e them y . I v
more than all the m erchan ise in the worl and when ask for it it is d d I
o y
s lel for pra er y .

M y sentim ents on war are the sam e as those of Chicagou

‘

j k
who has ust spo en and it woul be ain to repeat what y ou ha e so d v v
 The U rsulines f
o L ouis iana 17

recentl y heard .
’
Father L e
his account of their Petit cont inues

visit : T hey had no house but ours ur ing the thr ee wee s the d k y
rem aine d
in this cit ; the charme us their piet y
and their y d by y
d y
e if ing life y dd
H e then relates that the atten e religious ser ices
. v
d y
ail , y
signing the h m n for the K
ing after ass M
T he nuns sang the .

first verse and the I llinois sang the following verses in their language
and on the sam e tone O n their fi rst visit to the Ursuline Co nvent
.

M amantouensa perceiving a group of little girls near the nuns said :

“
I see that you are not nuns without an obj ect H e m eant says .
“
,

Father L e Petit T hat thev were not simply recluses working solely
,
“

to their own adv antage You are continued he like the B lack
“ “
.
, ,

R obes our Fathers y ou work for others

, A h! if we had up there
, .

two or three of y ou our wives and d aughters would have more sense
and would be better C hristians Well answered the Superior “ ”
.
, ,

m ake our choice I t is not for us to select said M amantouensa

“ “
y .
, ,

that is your right ; y ou k now them .

I n 1 765 the third L o uisiana born nun Charlotte de Mouy

, , ,

entered the Co nv ent where she had b een ed ucated She was the .

u
p p il o f M ad ele in e H a c ha rd th e lov ed Sr St S ta n isla s wh o ha d , . .
,

g iv en her yo ut h an d ta len t s to t he na sce n t F ren c h co lo ny and w as

spared the grief which the change to the Spanish Do m ination would

have brought her for on a calm evening in A ugust 1760 she retired
, , , ,

to her cell in her usual health and did not awaken in this world
, , .

She was but fi fty six years of age and trad ition is that she was
-
.

beautiful but who will linger on physical charm before the perfect
—

beauty of heart and mind of these devoted wom en !

I n m emory of this holy Ursuline we q uote from R elation du
Voyage des Ursulines de R ouen a la Nouvelle Orlean avec intro s,

d uction et notes par G abriel G ravier :

Madeleine H achard in religion Sr St Stanislas was one of
“
, , . . ,

t hose whom the vocation o f instructress suits best She had a k ind .

and affectionate heart a cultured m ind remark ab le instructio n

, ,

for one o f her sex and time She was pious and slightly cred ulous . ,

b ut not in the least b igoted ; having confi ded her life to Divine Keeping
she went her way sm iling lov ing and com mand ing love j ok ing at the , ,

m isadventures of the voyage shaking her ears after each d anger , ,

h appy to see L ouisiana if G od did not give her a bed in the bottom
o f the sea .

The present Superior of the rsulines of N ew rleans wr ote to U O

Mr . o y
B ism are a few ears ago that after thirt five ears teaching , , y -
y ,

Sr . St Stanislas carried e on the tom the regrets of the whole

. by d b
 18 The L ouis iana Histon cal Quarter!y
'

community and that she left a large MS . volume which the Sisters
rarely consult .

What for this am ia le girl is that

enhances our sympath y b
she went to L ouisiana as much through patriotism as thr ugh de o
votion Charlotte de
. u had een carefull and lo ingl edu Mo y b y v y
cated by
Sister St Stanislas in the Chartres street Con ent . H er v .

pa r en ts h el d
prom inent ran in de V audr euil s tim e when th e G ov k ’

ernm ent H ouse of N ew r leans was sai to h l a small c urt O

hich d od o w
d
was the cra le of elegance and refinement in this cit harlotte y C .

b
was orn in 1745 and mingled ith the eau mon e of the c lonial w b d o
cit yduring the ears etween her 18th and l y b
t irth a ; she was b d y
greatl y d
a m ir e for her beaut d
her culture and her magnificent y ,

voice ; but her soul cra e but one oon : to lay all these gifts as an vd b
offering to the cause for which the rsulines had crossed the sea U
and left refined surroun ing s to la or in the up uil ing of a French d b b d
colon y
in which there were souls to sa e and outh to e ucate She v y d .

t ook b
th e ha it in 1766 and ie in the Dauphine street A ca em on d d d y
d
J uly 25 1826 age 81 ears after six t ears in the monaster as a nun
, , y , yy y .

T he m issionar spirit was strong in France for in the ears y , y

w d
follo ing th e lan ing o f the rsulines other sisters cam e continuall U y
to the help of the foundresses afi ronting the uncertainties of a long
’
,

sea v y
o age and the har ships the knew the woul ha e to un ergo
, d y y d v d
here with the spirit which led our first m art rs to eath with a smile
, y d
on their lips .

I n 1732 three rsulines arri e one o f whom U Sr St A ndré vd , , . .

( eJann e elo t te ) ec am e M t he secon S upe rior ; i

,n b
1 734 the two de d
R amachar d sisters ; in 1736 Sr Ste R a egon e de St arc ; in . d d . M
1742 three m re am ong whom we fi nd o arguerite B igeaud de
, M
B elair (Sr Ste a eleine de
. esus ) who Md
ie in 1 792 and eanne J d d J
b
Perrine E liza eth B igeaud de B elair (Sr Ste T herese de é sus) , . J ,

who ie in 1752 d d Between 1 750 and 1755 ten sisters came to aid
.

the m issionar nuns H ere we note Sr St y g na c e .

( arguerite . . I M
Perrine de L iepure ) who was among the sixtee n nuns who went to
d U
foun the rsuline C n ent of H a ana in o v v
°N a m es of
U d M
t he nuns o f t he N e w O rle ans M o nastery w ho le ft on t he 29 t h of M ay . 1803. to foun d
a C o n ve nt
“
of t he
M e re Ste M o ni ue A nto ni a
H a v ana :
rs ul i ne o r
q (
er i n

d
ar i a P e rez R a mos ) die in 1823 (Su pe ri o r ) ; M ere St g nac e .
ied i n 181 1 ; Sr Ste R i ta (A n to n i a M an a de l Sa n t i ss i m o del
. d , I
ass i s ta nt (M arg ueri te P e rr ine du L i e pure )
C a s t i llo ) : Sr Ste So lang e (A e lai e uss uan de la C rl
. d d D M M
,

) Sr Ste A v o y e (F rancm se D uss ua n de la C ro i ) ;

an a Jose fa M i ra e l) Sr Ste A ng e le (M ar gare t
.

b x
Sr St A u s t i n (l e m ne Co llaz e ) ; Sr St i c hel (
b
’

I
. .

F e lic ne C a de r ) ; Sr Ste C laire (M a n a g n ac io de Y e ra ) ; Sr Si R a phae l ( M a ri a M i ra e l ) Sr St L o uis

M b .

de G o nz ag ue (E li za e t h B asq ue z ) ; Sr Ste rs u le (M ar i a R e le L o pe z ) ; Sr
G
ar t he ( e ne v ie ve C h e m tte ) lay Si s t e r ; Sr
. USte R ose (M ari a esus
te R os alie (M an a Bo ur ue ) , lay Si s ter ; q
, . .

J
Sanc he z ) : Sr Ste . . .

Sr St Sta nis las (A n gele L a ng e lm e ) lay Si s te r

F
. ,

“
d
ro m t he ann als o f t he U rsuli nes o f N e w O r le ans

d
Such w ere t he con i t i o ns w he n t he ne w s ca me tha t t he P re fec t w as a t t he Ba li ze
ho
.

w
ass ure
U
d
T he anx ie t y o f t he Co m m u ni t y w as i nc rease b y t he repo r ts o f t wo pe rso ns c o m i n g fro m Paris
t he M o t he r t hat o n t he arri v a l o f M o ns wu r L auss a t,
rs uli nes wou l d d
be se we and the n uns wo ul be ex pu lse d d
renc h Pre fec t . all t he pro per t y o f the
.
F
 19
'

T he U rsulznes of L ouis iana

o
T he cessi n of the colon to rance cause great consternation y F d
in a monaster yw
here most of the inmates elonge to families who b d
had witnesse or suffered the rench re olution dSix teen sisters by F v .

d dd
eci e to lea e for H a ana notwithstan ing the v
rench Prefect s v ,
d F ’

person al assurance l o that the woul recei e the same consi eration y d v d
1 ° “ On the 26t h o f M arch. di d M G
1803, the Pre fec t having kd at enty s
'
was as e A nd the
‘

b m
ne r :

d
.

Convent. w hat will eco e o f it ? onvent will re a n as it is u the sam e day m i O

’
w
’
H C
‘
e ans ere : T he

bd kd
.

t he diflere nt m un c pal o ies went to greet the Pre fect and as e

i i the sa e uestion w hic h had been m q
as ekd at M r G en t y s to which he ans ere :
' ‘
T he nuns ay be without anx ie ty they w d
ill remain as m w
w d d d h G Mj P
.
, ,

they are wi th all their possessio ns }

. H e after ar s epute t e o verno r and the a or o f the lac e
to reassure the C o mm unity
j d d
.

“
T he who le c ity re o ice on he aring this happy news O u the le vee and on the streets was hear
b
.

Our Sis ters re m ain the princ ipal citizens came to congrat ulate the
‘
with na. gr eat num
’
and a er o f

C omm unity Oh the 13t h of A pril , d

1 803, the P refect L aussat V isite the C omm um ty ; al ter the usual
dd d M d L French Government having
.

gre eting s he a o the rs Th

'

resse these consoling wo r s :

‘
to our adi es :

b b
e
een infor m d fe d h o the nee t e colony has o f y ou. o f the goo dw kd i one it b y y ou o f the pu lic es
n
j j
or

d d d
,

tee m whic h you en i h o y and wh us tly due to you, has that you will be maintaine in the
j
c 18 so ecree

poss es sio n o f all y our pro perty , and in the en oy men t o f all your rights and privileges ; YO U may be

cer tain , d
L a ies I w that ill pro tect y o u in all that epends on me: d Yo u will be t he coa dj uto rs o f th e

G dm G d
.

o vernment for t he o vern men t will uphol N o twith

’
conser vation o f goo orals and the y ou
d b
.

st and ing these assurances o f g oo will which ore the s tam p o f the greates t sincer it y , the Superior
and the A ss istant d ecl are d to th e Pre fec t thei r in tention o f go ing to H avana T h is gentlem an m ade all
b d d G db
.

possi le solic itatio ns to in uce the m to rem ain . ass ure them that eneral V ic tor woul ring the de

c ree o f t he pres er v ati on of in th e pu lic papers w hat he had

t he conven t and that he woul d anno unce b
s ta te d
But it was all in vain fo r on t he 29th o f M ay at ten o cloc at nig ht the Superio r the A ssis tan t .
'
k
d b k
.
. , ,

e le ven c ho ir sis ters and t hree lay si sters we nt out o f t he monastery b y t he ch urch oor to em ar on the

b oa t T hey we re accom panie b y R e v F H assett d

e neral (o r the the c h urc h, by M r O F arr ell
'
V G
q d G
i ca r

p
. . .
. , . ,

M ar uis de Casacalvo and M r Salce o o vernor o f L ouisiana representing the ing o f S ain, b y the K
b d d
. .
. ,

m ili tary cor ps and a grea t num er o f the mos t i sti ng uishe citizens "

d d d
.

T he fo ll o wing le t ters ten to pers ua e us th at the Spanis h nuns did no t carry away the sacre
v ase
s no r ornam en ts :
N o uve lle Orleans 1 1 G en m nal , . an 11 .

T he Colon ial P r efect of L am s m na lo M ons ieur dc Salcedo B riga dier of the Spanish A r mies ,
'

fl ooem or o L ou i s iana
f . for H " Catho lic M aj esty .

Mr f‘
ovem o r :

d d
.

“
I t has reac hed me fro m i ffe rent sources that co rpo rations o f s is te rs had the i ea t hat th ey
wo ul d be allo w e d k
to ta e away so m e o f t he ornam en ts and vases d es tine d to t he c ult and b elo ng ing

to these es ta li s h me nts b 1 do no t nee d x

to e plai n w hat you k no w as we ll as m ys e lf, t hat all pu li c b
dm d
.

pm pe r ty , ro yal o r co m m unal . is co m prize t he re t of poss ess io n of the co lo ny into o ur han s,

d ing to co nve nti o ns b e tw ee n o ur res pec t ive go vernments ; we will d e via te , o ne and t he o the r .

b
ac co r

fro m our d u ty if we to lerate that any thing be a s trac te d t he re fro m 1 am ce rta in th at it is sufli cien t
d d
.

to ha ve ca lled y our at tentio n to thi s m a tter to pre vent it i n all tha t e pe n s on y o ur autho r ity
d
.

“
1 have t he hono r to sa lute y ou with hi g h con si e ration
‘
Signed : LA USSA T
b
. .

H ere is wha t M o ther M oniq ue wr o te fro m the oat :

N
bb d dg
the di ffi culty o f ex pressm g m ys el f in
o t wi t hsta n in re nc h . i sh h o we ve
r to do j ustice o
t F I W
y our hono ra le procee ing s towards t he s i s te rs w ho W l she d to ac co m pany m e , by g un ng y o u t he tu
d
c lose recei p t. eg g i ng y ou to acc e pt i t as a tri u te fro m o ur g ra te ful he arts b
d d M b
.

“
w hic h D iv ine

bd d us also to ass ure you . m y goo

A llo w and
P rov i e nce se nt us. we wo ul nev er have co nse nte dm d d
to se parate
ear o thers , t ha t, arring t he eve nt
fro m y ou and that no t wi ths tan i ng t he
, d
o ily dis tres s we w i ll e ver re a in uni te in heart and spirit .

“
Si g ne d Sr Ste M O N I QU E R am os
M
'

d d
.
. .

We th e un ers ign e ce rti fy tha t th e o t hers Ste F e lic ite Alza St X avxer F ar o n, and
i Ste
k d W d
.
. . .

M arie O liv ie r in ly is he to g i ve us all the c lo thes in o ur use , and a part of tha t o f the com m unity .
b— d b d b
,

su c h as sh ee ts , ta le c lo ths , to w els, e tc M o reo ver t he y had the gene ros i ty to se n na o n oar a arre l

d k b k
.

as e ts o f s po ng e
'
o f hog s lar ano t he r o f o i
l four s o f rice an d coffee . cases o f w hite wine and soap,

b
sac

d Wh
. ,

cas and o ther el icac ie T hose good M others also se n t na a few o lts o f line n m
it $ t he su of 400
bf
s

w hic h we woul d no t acce pt e ore our d e parture , kno wm g that they are no t in co n d m k i tio n to a e s uch

g ifts Sig ne d Sr Ste M O N I QUE Supe rieure

IG NAC E
. . . , .

A ss mtante
"
Sr St
d bd
.
. .
,

(T ransla te and transc ri e fro m the A nnals o f the U rsulines o f N ew Or leans ) — H H . . Cruzal .
20 T he L ouisiana Historzcal
’

Quarter!y
j y the sam e privileges under France as had bee n granted
and en o
them by Spain A mong those who departed were the daughters of
.

the Count Dusuau de la Croix Nine nuns encouraged by R ev .

, .

T ho mas H assett rem ained in N ew O rleans ready to face d anger

, ,

and continue m ission trusting their fate to the Power that led
their ,

them and to the people who loved them With heroic ard or and self .

sacrifi ce these nine k which had not

nuns un ertoo d k the wor
p ro v ed li gh t f o r t we n ty fi ve T h ose w h o r em ain ed wer e : M
-
e r e S t . .

Xavier (Marie T berese Farj on) who died in 1810; Mere St A ndré , .

(Christine M ad iet ) who died in 1835 ; M ere Ste M ar ie (Franciose

Victoire Olivier de Vezin ) 1820; M ere Ste T herese (Charlotte de
M ouy ) who d ied in 1826 ; Sr Ste Scolastique (R osalie Broutin) who .

died in 1834 ; Sr St Charles (Marguerite Carriere) who died in 1817 ;

. .

Sr St A ntoine (M arthe Delatre) lay sister d ied in 1820; Sr Ste

. .
, , .

Marie Joseph (G ertrude Braud ) lay sister died in 1818; th is sister , ,

was the first A cad ian nun she was 72 years when she d ied T hese, .

Ursulines continued the board ing school the orphanage the ih , ,

struction of the colored women the care of the sick in the ho spital , ,

without outside help until the arrival of Sr St M ichel G ensoul and . .

sev en postulants on D ecem ber 31 1810 T hree of these postulants , .

d ied before taking the veil and all of them except M other St Xavier , , .
,

who d ied in 1810 gave asylum and care to those stricken in the ,

battle of J annary 8th Four of them : Mothers Ste Felicite

, ,

St A ndré Ste T berese and Ste Scholastique went from the Char tres
.
, ,

street m onastery to the D au phine street academ y .

Sr St M ichel whose arrival in 1810 b rought relief to those who

. .
,

rem ained after the ex od us of the Spanish nuns was born Francoise ,

b
“T houg h it d elo ngs to the seco n U k par t o f t he his to ry of the rs uli nes o f N e w O rlea ns in
b m
s pea

d dU
,

ing o f 1815, I m m
canno t re frain fro a e ntio n o f a is t i ng ui she rs uli ne o f o ur o wn ce nt ury who eca e

w U d
,

a pro fes d C m
rs uline o n M hris t S day , 1815 :
St Seraphine R ay he ente re th e C onv en t o ther

b
as

d d F
. .

of C
St U
har les at Pra ines , near L y o ns, and t he rsuline ha i t was given her b y C ar i nal e s c h unc l e

Mdm d d
.
.

of the m N
E pero r m
apo leo n B ona parte H is o ther a a e L ae titi a stoo as go m o t he r to t h e

d d m
, . . .

“ ”
no vice m who she arraye l n reg al fash ion fo r the occasio n and the cere m o nies w ere w i t ness e by an y

d d
is ting uishe court m d
pe rsonages dm d
T wo y ears lat er s he s s io n and at t he urge n t
a e he r pro fe of

j
an

d
. e

B ishop D m
Bo urg U
she c a to o in the rs ulines in N e w O rleans whi c h s he re ac he
J o n t he 3t d of an

b m mb
v e

W d
,

u ary , 181 7, and w here s he la o red fo r near ly si x ty - fiv e ho oes no t re her uni versal
b
y ears e er

d dd d
.

m
c harit y , the ano ny o us but ver y su s tan tial help ex t e n e uring th e c ivil war to t he nee y w ho silen t

ly d
suffere d b their pri e of d irt h M
their appealing fo r h e lp
and m
pos itio n precl u
o t her St Seraph i ng

m d d d d
, e . .

to be gi fte w ith intui tio n and th ei r i stre ss was re lie ved W i tho ut a s ti ng to the ir pn c She had
j b b
see e

d
.

us t een elec te U
Superior in 1834 when the C har les to w n conv en t o f the rs ulines was urn t b y th e
fa natics and ruthlessm mm dd
o b . an d she im $ m
ediately forwar e t he su of 300 as an ex press io n o f s y pa th y
'

m
a t th e sa m i
e ti e of
fer ng the
C m N ew O r leans onven t as a re fug e to the ho e less nuns T wo of thes e
M
.

m K
'
n uns have le ft in N e w
O prin t o f t heir tale n t , and t hes e Sis ters ,
rleans the o ther St A ugus t ine O ee fe

M b
i .

M K
'

ee le liv ed un ti l 1 888 and was a le to gi v e

’
and Siste r ari e C laire de C osta o ther St A ug usti ne O

d d
. .

a true account o f this outrag e ag ainst c ivili zatio n, perpetrat m w thi th

n li t f t h ul t ure c apit al
M
e i e i s o e c

of assach use t ts M
in th e d d
nine tee nt h cen tury k o t her St Se raphine in 1837 ed to ta e the ent ire
b
ec i

W d
. .

“
e x pense o f the orphanage m hi c h had fro i 1 729 to 182 4 een part ially suppo rte b y th e s ucces s v e
”
g overnments o f L oui siana .
 T he U rsulines o f L ouis iana 21

A gathe G ensoul ; she cam e from the rsuline n ent to P nt St U Co v o .

E sprit which house gave two m art rs among the twent hy e which
,
y y -

the F
rench R e oluti n claime v
from the rsulines Sr St o ichel, d U . . . M
though she escape the guillotine was force to lea e her religi usd , d v o
b d
ha it and pas e th rough man trials and anxieties e fore she ob
s
y b
tained permission from Pope Pius V II to come to the aid of her
, ,

o
L uisiana Sisters .

b
She ecame their Superior and li e until 1822 She recei e vd . vd
in 1818 M d
a am e D uchesne and four other la ies of th e Sacred d
d
H eart or er who came from rance to foun a h use in issouri F d o M .

A letter from a am e D uchesne to M d ere B arrat contains m an M y

interesting d
etails concerning the rsulines of the Con é street U d
monaster y
A ear efore
. other y b
ichel G ensoul s eath on ac M M ’
d ,

count of the opening through the C n ent enclosure of new streets o v

which it was feare woul interfere d
d
ith the strict o ser ance of w b v
Cloister rules it was eci e
, d dd
to esta lish another Co n ent on the b v
p la nta tio n p u r c h ase T h om as e nn e d byin 18 1 7, an d so l t o th e K dy d
nuns in 1818 y
T he sacrificed much alua le pr pert for this pur
. v b o y
po se . T h e h a d alrea y in cu rre l ss e s in dy18 11 at hi ch ti m e N ew d o w
O rleans was isite v d by
a se ere hurricane ; am ong other v isasters the d
roo f of their chapel was b
lown off G o ern r lai orne though of a . v o C b ,

d ifferent cree d
was appreciati e of their wor
, and frien l in his v k , dy
o
relati ns with them H e ex erte him self in their ehalf recom. d b ,

d
m en ing them to Congressm an Dawson who o taine from the , b d
U dnite v
States G o ernm ent an ex change of lan s in d
I t was also uring d other G ensoul s life that the Cathedral
’
M ,

b eing close A d by bb
e Du B ourg the rsulines hapel was U C
opene d
to all the Catholics of N ew rleans T he enera le A e O . v b bb
J B . lO v
i ie r th eir cha pl ain,
zea lo us l p er fo rm e th e e ccl esiastical
, y d
functions for their monaster and ex ten e succor to the cit y
for a dd y ,

time d
epri e vd
of religious rites wing to his a ance age and . O dv d
" L e tter fro m G o v C lai . b o rne to M o ther St . M arie O livier
M ay 12 , 1812 .

H oly arsl
k
ev
'

I have the ho no r to C ongr ess authorizing th e Sec re tary o f War to ma e an

e nc lose an ac t o f

x d d
.

e c hang e o f lan with the U

rs uli nes o f N ew O r lea ns T he c lauses o f thi s ac t will I ho ne res po n to th e
d b d d
.
, .

esi res o f the Co m m um ty and eco m e a v antag eo us to t he use ful i ns tit ution w hi c h y o u irec t
I d d dd d
.

“
also av ai l m yse lf M a ame o f this occ asio n to fo r war a le t ter a to the rsu line U
d b
. . re
s se

L a ies by M r D aw so n m em e r o f cong ress

d dm k d k M
.
, .

“
B e please Ma a e, to in ly prese nt m y t han s to o ther G ensoul fo r the po rt rait o f t he

p d
.

H oly F at her , Po e Pius V I I H is sac re c harac ter has m i s fo r tunes his co ur ag e and hi s resig nat io n
d x d
.
, ,

co mman res pec t and e cite t he com m isera tio n c l

'

the the t at ian wo rl

d d dW M k
.

“
My ear lit tle c hi l wrll be c har me ith the prese nts 0 1
'

o t he r G e nsoul and I t han h e r in

I rene w, H oly Sis ter the ho mag e o f m y res pec t and the ass urance o f m y fri en d s h ip

d
. .

“
Sig ne : W C C L A I BO R N E
G
. .
,

“
o verno r o f L o uis iana .
 T he L ouis iana Historzcal Quarterly
'

22

p h ys ical w ea ne ss t h e n uk
ns f ea re t o l se h im a n d r e m a in ith o u t d o w
spiritual aid other Ste . M
arie li ier and other St M
ichel O v M . M
G ensoul wrote to P pe Pius V I I o
egging perm ission in case of such , b
v
an e ent to return to rance T he Pope, n Fing how necessar . k ow y
y
the were in N ew rleans refuse O
this req uest and the , rsulines d U ,

y
alwa s su m issi e remaine b v
to continue their la or in the cause of
, d b
religion and e ucatio n d
T he letter written from Castel G b ndolfo
.
-
,

O b
cto er l 6th 1815 did not reach N ew
, , rleans until A pril 22nd O ,

1816 . I n the meanwhile the Cathe ral portals had opened to the , d
v ictorious G eneral for M gr Du Bourg had returned from R ome ith
, . w
b
the papal ulls after ha ing there , een consecrate vB ishop of the b d
O
Diocese o f N ew rleans and the anx ieties of the rsulines were ap , U
p e a se dG e ner.al J ac so n p ai a is it t o th ek C ha rt re s str ee t C od v
n e n t v
in 1815 and in 1828 he isite the thir Con ent on Dauphine street v d d v .

(I s a y t hir , co n e n t— dfor m in u te r v
ese a rc h e s ha e fa ile d to re ea l in v v
the Ursuline annals any m ention of another resi ence etween d b
v
B ien ille s house and the monastery on la rue C n e
’ “
O f the o d .

nuns who greete ac son in 1828 two li e d J k until 1890: Sr Ste vd .

G ertru e d Y
oung and Sr St ichel J ourdan ; o th had een pupils
. . M b b
d v
in the secon con ent and were interesting narrators o f th eir i i vvd
rem iniscences of the pre ious centur v y .

U
When the rsulines m o e to Dauphine street the Comm unit vd y
num ere b twent d y
nuns and two unmarrie la ies e ote to the d d dv d
v
ser ice o f the house T here were se ent . oar ing pupils for the v yb d ,

former m onastery coul not hol m ore d

T he were taught how to d . y
rea d and write E nglish and rench correctl histor g g p
eo r a h F y , y , y ,

arithm etic , all in s of nee le wor k d the principles o f m orals and d k ,

religion, eti uette q

instrumental and , ocal m usic and rawing v d .

T he A nnalist whose wor I ha e kin l , een allowe k to consult v dy b d ,

w rites of those first rsulines :

“
U
T he o ect of their am ition was bj b
not so m uch the instruction of the rich as th at of the poor and lowl y .

T his is pr oven thr oughout their annals .

T he Ursulines came in Perier s day ; he gave way to B ienville ’

,

again in fav or or necessary to q uell d isturb ance ; Vaudreuil the great ,

M arquis passed like a flashing meteor Kerlerec bore back to France

’

, ,

his burden of care and d iscontent A ubry descended to a watery

*
,

g rav e an d L
, ouisiana had passed to S p ain .

The Spanish G overnors like ghosts of prid e and glory in a , ,

living panoram a defiled before them but the unsee n hand had written ,

on the walls of tim e the doom of Spanish rule and France cam e in ,

again T he new dom ination faded like m ist be fore the rising sun
.
,

and L ouisiana was turned over to the infant R epublic which she has
 F R A Y AN T ONIO DE SE DE L L A

A h A ppr eczatzon
’ ’

by Clarence Wyatt B is hpam

O f all the remarka le characters li ing in the ear l b a s no ne is v yd y ,

more puzzling to the stu ent of histor than A ntonio de Sedella d y ,

Od
Priest o f the r er of Capuchins and for man ears Curé of the yy
Cathedral A sk the R ector of that Cathe ral his opinion of ray
. d F
A ntonio .
”
H e is a saint ! is the repl R ea hn G ilm ary Shea s y . d Jo ’

“
L ife of A rch B ishop Carrol and you will find that he oes not hesi
-
, d
tate to class this v
enerated m an among the lowest of cri minals .

R ead the few pages e oted to ra A ntonio dv ather Cham on F y by F b

in his Monograph of St L uis Cathedral o
ehol still another Opinion !
. b d
d d
R ea the correspon ence etween Cla1borne and J am es b
a is n M d o
and you will see this rem ar a le character in the light of a schem ing kb ,

adv enturous angerous man

, d who must be carefull watched , y .

F y k
inall loo at the picture in Mr Cusach s c llection and you ill
, .
’
o , w
see the face of a genuine ascetic y et withal a man who woul fight , d
to d eath for li ert not onl b y
religious but to raise to
, s y , God ’

b v
lue hea en all who are own tro en d -
dd .

b y
I s there any possi ilit of reconciling all these i erse pini ns ? dv o o
I n m y stu dy o
of the hist rical sources there are (3) matters which , I
k
think are un nown to the general rea er : d
1
( ) A h a r i ged L ife b d
o f A nt on io a L u isiana n p lished
u by o , b
O
in N ew rleans 1829 I t is written in rench and is the propert
, . F y
d
of the Presi ent o f this Societ who assures m e it is the onl c p y , y o y
in existence .

o
A translati n of an inter iew etween L afa ette s Secre
(2 ) v b y ’

y
tar L avasseur and A ntonio pu lished in 1824 a cop of which is in , b , y
the H owar L i rar d b y .

3
( ) A letter translated in f u ll from the pen o f A nto nio to ,

M onsignor William Du B ourg I t is highl interesting for it is a . y

d irect historical proo f that in spite of Shea s efam ation (and Shea , d ’

has thoroughl stu ied his y d

ituperati e a ecti es ) the Bishop v v dj v ,

d
without the sha ow o f a ou t in 1818 offere the auxiliar B ishopric d b , d y
o
o f the D i cese to A nto nio who in this er can i almost aring
, , v y dd , d
letter for any Priest to write to his B ishop refuses the honor and , ,

gives Du Bourg his reasons .

E v id ently j ealousy ran very high between the cities of St .

L ouis and N ew Orleans I t is signifi cant that Du B ourg was conse

.

crated in St L ouis and not here A ntonio s letter is written in pure

’
. .
 Fray A ntonio de Sadella 25

Castillian and bears the marks of a highly ed ucated man T o quote .

from A ntonio s life written in 1829 : T he R ev Father A ntonio

’ “
.

was the legitimate child of Pedro M areno and A na of Ar ze H e was .

born at Sedella Diocese of Malaga Kingdom of Grenada November

, , ,

18 1 748 and was baptized by the nam e of Francisco I ldefonse

, ,

Mareno H is parents were poor but respectable H e was m ade

. .

Priest by the B ishop of G uad ix in the convent of the Capuchins of

G renad a December 2 1 1771 and instituted Curé of St L ouis
, , , .

C athedral of N ew O rleans November 25 1785 T he following is in , , .

t he A rchives : F r A ntonio of Sedella Capuchin M onk of A nd a

.
, ,

lousia came to the Mission of L ouisiana in the year 1780 H e was

, .

A ux iliary Vicar 1787 ad ministrator of the charity hospital ; Philo

,

sopher Theologian Master of A rts and Morals and other advantages

, , ,

with which he is b lessed as well as landed proprietor, 1787 , He .

was also instituted Curé of the Parish o f St L ouis of N ew Orleans .

November 25 Celui qui nous enrichera de cette precieuse

,

histoire peut compter sur la veracité des notes qui suivent : elles ont
,

é té fidelm ont ex traites des pieces qui so nt ici (Page 8 A brigé Vie de .
,

Pére A ntonio ) .

We first notice him in the stem and harsh garb of an attempted

A d ministrator of the I nquisition N o country in all the world was .

so bound hand and foo t by the I nq uisition as Spain No city was m ore .

free from this heavy b urden than N ew Orleans under the French
Domination O R eilly the first Spanish Provisional G overnor
’
.
, ,

changed all this in his B ando de B ueno G ob ierno

“ ”
1769 I s it true .

that A ntonio introd uced the I nquisition ? Fr Cham bon ex onerates .

A nto nio of this crime H e says : B y a faith ful comparison of the

“
.

trad itions concerning A ntonio with the old 1 ecords of the Cathedral
A rchives which (1908) have not b een pub lished A ntonio deserves ,

neither excoriation nor ex traord inary praise Decem ber 5th he

”
.
,

was appointed head of the H oly I nq uisition : this caused him so much
anx iety and sorrow that he k ept it secret for a whole year and did no t

p lace his cred ent ials b efore M ir o T h e ch arg e o f A n to nio s in tro.

’

ducing the I nq uisition thus falls to the ground O i od d ’

( R eilly n t r uc e .

it 9 years before ) .

I n a catalogue of docum ents collected by H R emy of the H is .

t ory of L ouisiana there is this certificate which should ex cite our

St M ichael Cahier N o 1 Page 15, Nov 2nd 1777
“
interest : . . .
, .
,

Marriage de G alvez avec Felecia Maxent par A ntonio de Sedella

Grand Inquisitour de la L a Certifi cat T his d ate and title .

would be m ost important if true I have examined the Cathed ral .

A rchives and have a certified copy from the Archiv ist o f a m arriage
26 T he L ouis iana Histon cal Quarterly
'

between this lady and gentleman taking place at th is date but the ,

Celebrant was Cyrilo de Barcelona B ishop of T ricaly and not A ntonio .

Perhaps the catalogue does not correctly d escribe the document .

Th e truth is he was not here in 1777 G uy arré says that A ntonio

, .

wro te M iro that he was appointed I nquisitor in 1788 and by the

“
,

proper authority which I suppose would mean the I nq uisitor

,

G eneral The story of M iro s answer is set forth by G uy arré in d etail

’
. .

Was M iro surprised when A ntonio said he was H ead of the I nqusition ?

H e says that he was : A l leer oficio de d icho Capuchino me estremeci

”
.

Observe the d ate J une 3rd 1789 Wh y did more th an one year
, , .

elapse b etween M iro s shudd er and A nto nio s commission

” ’ “ ’
? Is
not M iro s shudder
“ ”
a piece o f cam ouflage
’
? T here is strong evi
d ence against the elem ent of surprise In the Fontalba L etters .
,

which are the property ofthe L ouisiana H istorical Society there is the ,

record o f a correspond ence b etween the Captain G overnors o f H a

vana and the G overnor o f Lo uisiana Mark the date July 21 .

, ,

1 787 Q ue
“
no seperm ita al Fray A nto nio de Sed ella V icario de esta

Provenc ia de escercer los functiones del Comm issario del santo

o ficio hasta reales or en d .

That perm issio n shall not be granted to th e ra A nt nio de F y o

Sedella , V
icar of this pro ince to exercise the uties of Comm is v , d
sioner of the H ol y
Offi ce until a R o al rder is gi en T here is a
, y o v .

a
g p o f nearl two ea r s etw y
ee n ir s ecisi y
n co ncerning A b
ntoni M o d ’
o o
and K
his report to the ing of Spain In the sam e ear that A ntonio . y
v d
was ele ate to the full authorit of the P arish iro sets forth his y , M
d ecision Why did he thin it wise or necessar to set forth at
. k , y
d b
length a eed (the anishm ent of A nt nio ) which seemed on the o
surface wise and j ustifi able
? I t was perfectl true if the n uisition y I q
d
was to be carrie on then mm igr ati n to N ew rleans woul cease I o O d
from growth 0 . N do
cum ents are at han and can say nothing d I .

B ut as a m atter of fact which no historians ha e so far explained

, v ,

3
( ) thin g s hap p e ne w h ich ca n b e p a rd
t l exp laine ocu m ents : y d by d
1
( ) yC rilo A ux ilia r,
Bis h op o f T rica li wy h o w as in a u th rit in N ew o y
O rleans was a ruptl
, b
epri ed o f his of yd
fi ce v
a R oval Or er : by d
TH E KING S D I SMI SSA L
’
.

R ev ather in Chr ist

. F Don ra Ciri lo de B arcelona of m y , F y
council B ishop A uxiliar
, o f the Di cese of H a ana ! y
T he R ev o v .

v
B ishop thereof ha ing un er ate of Decem er 22nd 179 1 repre d d b , ,

sented to me, the d

epl ra le state of religi n and o b
iscipline in the o d
pr o v
ince of L uisian a ex cit ed the co
om pa ssion o f m y ro al min y d
d d
and in uce m e to eli erate on the m ost ef d b
fi cacious m eans to remed y
 F ray A ntonio de Sedella 27
‘

it . With this in view I directed

, I ndies the Pri vy Council of the
by R oyal Order of April 23rd in the year last past 1790 to give me , , ,

their opinion whether it would be proper to separate that province ,

and Florid a from his D iocese and e s tab lish a B ishop in them and ,

having d one so in the consultation o f Oct 22nd in the sam e year I .

saw fi t to resolve that the b rief should be solicited therefor H is .

H oliness having agreed thereto and exped ited the Consistorial

decree for the dismembering of said provinces etc I have resolved ,

to relieve y ou o f your office of A ux iliary and d irect you to r et at

o nce to your Capuchin Prov ince of Catalonia I the King : By .

order o f the King San L orenze 23 Novem ber 1793

, , .

T he effect o f this order was to cause Cirilo to leave N ew Orleans

and go b ack to H avana 2
( ) A no ther m os t curio
.u s circum sta nce

was the ab rupt end ing of M iro s governm ent R ead any history
’
.

o f L ouisiana and y ou will find to your astonishm ent that no one

historian has given a satisfactory explanation of why he was ob liged

to leave L ouisiana The 3rd curious happening is that Fray A ntonio
.
,

was allowed to com e back to N ew Orleans (page 9) and res um e his old
Parish A gain I quote from the French B iography of A ntonio :
.

A lso we have him mentioned to S M in A pril 1 790 as one well

“
. .
, ,

worthy among the ecclesiastics o f this Diocese Now wishing to do .

,

him j ustice we shall declare that J uly 17 1795 this B ishopric already
, , ,

having been erected the power having come from H av ana we have
, ,

re ind ucted him into his Parish A ugust 7th o f the sam e year
-
but
, , ,

accord ing to another account Oct 22nd restoring to him all the .
,

rights of which they had d eposed him H is zeal in t he ex ercises o f .

his m inistry since this period has been unfailing H is announcing .

of Fete Days was most constant as was his catechising of the child ren

during the different seasons of the year H e has always gone with us .

in our visits to the interior and beyond the seas showing at all times ,

the same enthusiasm which j oined to a P riestly deportm ent acquits

him in public estimation and in the report of those who do not as
sociate with us I n the interests of veracity let us testify to A ntonio s
’
. ,

fi rm religious belief worthy of a K ing which the kind ness of a real ,

K ing has seen fit to give him certain that he will not abuse it and ,

that it will more than him of which we

offset those charges against

ha e alrea v spo en dy k
Signe in our palace of the cit of N ew Or
. d y
leans Oct 8th 1801 Louis B ishop of L uisiana etc , Arch Bishop
, .
, .
, , o , .

of G uatemala efore si ore b

uinter Secretar I d
”
Q o , y .

T hese char ges ! One hist rian sa s (page 177 o

iss G race ing ) , y , M K
t y
tha the clerg still rem em er a stor a ut an earl lo e and uel,b y bo y v d
bo d
his defiance and insu r inati n, and the suspicion that he was not o
 The L ouisiana Hzstorzcal Quarteriy
’ ’

28 '

onl y a free Mason Shea in his book

, but onein high stan ing d .

called and T imes

L ife makes very serious of A rch B ishop Carroll ,

complaint against A ntonio in V ol 2 pages 548 549 569 593 6 640 .

, , , ,
-
, ,

67 1 T hese I call T he A rraignm ent against A ntonio Novem ber

“ ”
.
, .

25th 1775 B ishop Cyr ilo appointed A ntonio as Parish P riest

, , He .

“
cam e here in 1 779 and Shea calls him T he scourge of religion in
, ,
”
L ouisiana .

T he following is uote from Shea : q d

T o increase his power ,

o d
A nt nio solicite an appointment as Co mm issar of the H l Offi ce y oy ,

and in conseq uence ir sent him ac to Spain in 1789

M o H e re b k .

sum e d
his functions here see ing to ingraciate himself with the , k
eo
p p le (S h
. ea g i es h is au th orvit a s G ay arr é w ho u ot es fro m y
iro , q M .

B ut M k
iro spo e o f A ntoni s remo al not his return) — o ’
A ll frien s v . d
and enem ies agree that A nt ni was a rilliant m an o o
H ow then b .
,

d “ ”
woul he solicit the ut of the n uisition d y ? But whether or no I q
o d d
A nt nio esire this oth ee is a matter that sin s int insignificance , k o
o
c m pare d
to the terri le in ictm ent which Shea b d
uotes : C dice q o
IV , C a n a a I sd
t h m o d
, e P a na m a 18 18 20: A rchi es of the Pr po ,
-
v o
ga n da : a n offi c ia l oc um en t s a in d
g th at A n to n io w a s se nt
, to S y
p ain
v k
for ha ing illed a man in a uarrel c ncerning a w m an, but escaped q o o
p un ish m en t a la iby
sh u se o f m n e v 3 t his true ? S he a elieo y
e s . I b v
it for he sa s in a note page 569 :y Catholics are often repr ached
, o
w1th the lax m orals of the Church at one point or another Yet .

k
those who ma e the charges as in this case (Cirilo ) ex tol the un ,

y o d
worth priests and c n em n those who en ea r to reform the Clerg d vo y
and ex pel unw rt h o y
men from the sanctuar y .

With utter shamelessness g oo d towriters apply the epithet

the licentious Dagob ert and Sedella living openly in concubinage ; ,

but stigm atize B ishop Cyr ilo a m an of spotless life as am bitious

“
, , ,

detested the bitter eeem y and heartles reviler of good Father

,
s

Dagobert T his crim inal charge is supposed to hav e taken place

.

in the early d ays o f A ntonio s soj ourn in N ew Orleans

’
I f he was .

for k illing a m an in 1789 then the story of the

“ ”
sent to Spain ,

I nquisition was a mere blind to cover up this disgrace Wh y should .

B ishop L ouis Penalvert de Card enas have le ft an attestation of the

g ood an d fait h fu l w ork s o f A nt o nio d ate d 17 95 ? Ov e r fo u r m o nth s

ago a req uest has b een sent to I taly to prod uce an authenticated

copy o f the I nd ictm ent of the Propagand a N 0 answer has (J annary .

,

19 19) so far been received Until I see a copy I shall refuse to be.

lieve in its existence I t was a loose age and nine tenths of the
.
,
-

p p
eo le w ere cre d it ed by th e Bi sh o p C ar d ena s w it h a stu d ied a tt em pt
 Fray A ntonio de Sedella 29

to lea d a life of shame

But here is a Priest, accused of mur er and
. d
d y
a ulter , and still perm itted to be in control of a great Parish !

U nless the d
iagnosis of his character is entirel at fault it is y ,

b
im possi le to im agine that either the B ishop woul attest to a false d
hood ,or that A ntonio nowing of such a char ge woul k rem ain uh , d
ov by
m ed its sham e !
“
A h enem hath one this ! man coul y d No d
v
li e an open life of sin and yet at his eath be m our ne d d by
d
thousan s .

y O
T he cit of N ew rleans was then not m re than fort or fi fty o y
thousan d
and the li es of its people were necessar il
, v open oo s y b k .

vd
A ll the e i ence is clean against those who ha e thro n mud at this v w
reall y k b
remar a le m an and Priest .

We now com e to that part of A ntonio s life when he had re ’

turned to N ew O
rleans but accor ing to Shea continue , to be the
, d , d
“
E cclesiastical Sc urge of L uisiana o ”
April 3rd 1803 the treat o .
, , y
d
o f Paris ce ed N ew Orleans to the nited States T he R ectorship U .

of A ntoni o
was st rm as o y
ather Cham n a mits
, T he R e s F bo d . v .

k
Patric Walsh Thom as H assett and , hn li ier who were in charge Jo O v ,

as V icar G enerals en ea red fr m time to time to force their

, d vo o
authorit y
up n A ntonio o N
otice that four important points are
.

b rought out :

A
( ) T ho m a s H a ss e tt un e l oth 18 0 3 as e e ach P r i
,e sJt in t h is , , kd
p a rt of th e c o u n tr w h et h er h e y
w is h ed to re tire to Spa in T h is is .

important to rem ember .

B
( ) P a tr ic W a ls h t k
oo fro m S e d ella t h e r ig ht to e x e rc is e ka ny
pa r t o f h is P r ie st l o fi
f c e Thyis e p iso e is isc u sse . iss r ac e d d d by M G
K ing in her most interesting ein The result was the forcing of v .

F
Walsh to restore the aculties to this Parish Priest and the election
“

d
of War ens who in tur n elec ted A nt ni rector
, , , o o .

T his matter is set forth at length in a series of papers calle d

o
D cumentos Pr cedentes de la sla de Cu a o — L egapo 142 I b . .

C
( ) T h e de fi a n ce o f A n to n i is ta en hi s en e m ies t o G o v o k by .

b y
Clai orne who sa s Shea chose to treat the matter as a uarrel
, , , q
b etween two priests (S ee le t te r a t ed. u l 1 2th 1 8 0 5 V ol 3 d J y , , .
,

L etter B ook
s of Clai rne ) T he G bo
ernor was a solutel right in his
. ov b y
p o si ti n : o
th e ci il la w h as n ov r ig h t t o in te rfe r e in E cc les ia stic al dis

p u t es B u
. t S h ea is er it te r w h en he sa v y b
s a
p g e 59 0 : T hu s y ,

bo
Clai rne lent the whole influence of his p sition to rea own the o b kd
discipline of the Catholic Church and maintain in the Cathedral of
O
N ew rleans a man wh se immoral character and neglect of ut o d y
oo o
were n t ri us and who woul in any N ew E nglan illage ha e d d v v
o
been c nsigne to aild ”
j .
30 T he L ouisiana Hzstorical
'

Quarter!y
D
( ) Not by their failure to implicate Antonio his
satisfied ,

enemies accused A ntonio of treaso n against th e United States !

J ames M adison says to Claiborne : Of the Spanish Friar A ntonio

“

de Sedella the accounts received here agree with the character you ,

have formed of him I t appears that his intrigues and his connec
.

tions have drawn on him the watchful attention of the G overnor

of that territory
”
(Vo l 3 . a
p ge A lit
.tle,later O ct l oth 1806 , .
, ,

Claiborne wrote to H enry Dearborn Secretar y of War (Vol 4 page , , .

,

On this m orning I req uested the Catholic Priest to attend

“

me at the Governm ent H ouse I mentioned to him the reports con

.

cerning his cond uct which had reached me T he priest declared his .

innocence and avowed his determination to support the Governm ent

and prom ote good order I nevertheless thought it best and proper
.

to administer to him the oath of allegiance and shall cause his con
duct to he observed T he Prie t declared the reports to have origi
.
s

nated from th e malice of his enemies T he d ivision in the Catholic .

Church has excited many malignant passions and it is not improbable

that some inj ustice has been done to this ind ividual Note that .

after this letter Claiborne m akes no more com plaints against Se

,

della.

Shea makes one last charge (Vol II page H e tells how

. .
,

in 1814 when th e B attle of N ew Orleans was raging the Vicar G eneral

,

issued a pastoral appointing pub lic prayers in the churches General .

Jackson ex pressed his high approbation of Du B ourg while the

“

wretched Sedella false to the country as he had been false to religion

, ,

and m orality had intrigued against the N ational cause

, Shea cites .

for his authority a passage in G uyarré which while saying in Clai ,

bom e s words that Sedella was sed itious does not and cannot be con
’

, ,

strued as saying that he is a traitor Claiborne m erely said that Sedella

,
.

ought to be carefully observ ed and in those troub led tim es of A aron

“ ”

B urr J am es Madison and the A m erican G overnm ent would have

, ,

have m ade short shrift of Sedella if such a charge had b een proven , .

T here is no book called T he Battle of Orleans which contains

“ ”

the passage q uoted by Shea in the H oward M em orial L ibrary

, ,

which is eq uivalent to saying that those who collect war literature ,

did not consid er it important enough to add to their collection !

Shea s language is m ore of a general ind ictm ent of character than a
’

specifi c instance and his is not the lang uage of the historian who
,

balances carefull y
his ocum entar e i ences d So the charge of y vd ,

being a traitor
”
also falls to the groun d .

A nd now we turn to (3) glim pses of A ntoni in his old age o . I

translate from a boo calle k d
L afa ette in Am erica the G eneral s y by ’
32 T he L ouisiana H zstorzcal
’ '

Quarter!y
b d d
Part (1) of his A ri ge L ife allowe d it to remain being already ,

v b
con inced that Clai orne and J am es Madison as well as Shea would ,

not crown his m em or y

with laurels :
A ntonio had been here about 23 years when the voices of new
“

busy bod ies were heard In this matter of j ustice the voice of the
-
.

p p e is always the voice ofG od A s it has been asserted many times

e o l .

our Saint ac cum ulated considerable m oney and that this was contrary

to the spirit of saintline s and R ules of the Order it is most neces

‘ ’
s

sary to stop every id ea that tend s to lessen the veneration we have

for his m em ory When those good Franciscans departed from Spain
.

with other ecclesiastics they were part icularly recommended by the

,

P ope to the B ishop of H avana who gave them a m ost favorab le ,

welcome and because of the B ull of H is H oliness released them

, ,

entirely from the observ ance o f the rules and statutes of their Ord er ,

p e rm itt in g th em to rob e as t h e S e cu la r s a nd to h av e spe c ia l d we llin g

p la c es ,a nd to d is po s e o f m o n ey s w h ich th ey ga th er ed to g e t h er j ust ,

as it seem ed best for th em A part from this release from the R ules
‘
.

o f the O rd er Fray A ntonio received the T itle of Preacher and

’

Con fessor to the King and one understand s that the Catholic Sovere
,

igns have the power of conferring with these titles the same ex em p ,

tions and privileges as have b een given by the B ishop of H avana .

You see then that Father A ntonio was plainly and doubly j ustifi ed
as to the Ob ligations of his Order ! N ow let us ex plain how he has
am as ed those m oney s and how he has used them
s
E ach fam ily .

wished to have him perform its baptism s and m arriages ( I i nte rr u p t .

this narrative to say that the A rchives have record s o f ov er

m arriages perform ed by A ntonio ) H e would giv e them the blessed .

Sacrem ent for nothing but it was a d oub le pleasure for those fam ilies
,

to present him — a paper o f sugar plum s which held one or m any

p ie ce s o f g ol d W he n
. h e re tu r ne d h o m e h e g av e th e m t o th e p o o r ,
.

H e did this in silence but in spite of all his precautions the knowl
,

d
e ge of these b
ene factions was m a e pu lic remem er that one d b . I b
o
day D ctor cam e to m y house and sai he had ust gi en to M r d j v .

M
elon p ias t re s for re a to be gi e n to t he p oo r b d r er v by o d
o
o f F ray A nt nio and that onl a short while ago he had pai y out d
alsoI k
new he sent consi era le sum s to his con ent to his d b v ,

num erous fam il and others y

While he recei e with one han he . vd d
ga ve aw a w ith y
th e o th er
”
T h is a ri ged life o f A
. nton i seem s to b d o
pro v e conclusi el v y that he had the right from the King to depart
from the R ules of his r er and that he was not a m iserOd , b ut gave
awa ynear l y
all that was gi en to him H is welling place was v . d a

hut in the rear of the Cathe ral P

( ga es 11 and A nd now d . I
 Fray A ntonio de Sedella 33

ask you to listen to a letter from A ntonio himself to Monsignor

William Du B ourg the original being in the Cathedral A rchives
,

certifi ed by the A rchivist

“ ”
and the copia The translation of the .

Spanish is as follows : N ew Orleans Jan zud 1819 Monsignor :

“
.
, .
,

God is witness of the sorrows that fills my heart because of the mo

m entous question you have thought wise to lay upon m y weak shoul
ders I am not the worthy Pries t that you say I am Neither am I
. .

p o sse ss ed o f th e r igh teo u s ness th a t sh ou ld p erv ad e t he A po sto lic

See T he inspiration born of knowledge the neam ess of the grave

.

and the terrib le j ud gm ent of J esus C hr ist appeal m ore to me than ,

the hallucination of conceitedness Without virtue or talents I

.
,

would cause the congregation to go astray instead of unifying and ,

instructing them in spiritual affairs Doubtless I would make a

.

useles s or B ad B ishop I f the faithful of the Parish adore m e as you

.

say there is no other m erit on m y part than a well m eant wish to

, , ,

aid them spiritually A ll else is because of kindness religion and

.
, ,

gentleness of these people whom I love with j ust the same affection
,

a father would giv e to his son Content in the adm inistration of this
.

Parish I hav e gone on the broad highway of my life away from my

, ,

native land always happy in the intimacy with people

, Never have .

they ceased to listen and respect me far m ore than I d eserve , Daily .

I pray for them and fatherly love for my Parishioners will accompany
,

me to the grave and end ure as long as my ashes A ll my reputation .

before G od and man would be the response to my ministry and ,

believe me Monsignor that I would be more than grateful should

, , ,

y o u do all in y o ur po w e r to h elp m e to b e a go od P arish Pr iest which ,

would be an action far better than to vest m e in Pontifi cals H eaven .

will reward you for the d istinction with which you have honored
me . R ecognizing this permit me Monsignor to offer y ou my
, , ,

g ra titu d e and th e lo v e o f a n o ld P ari sh Pr ies t w h o h as so m e ob ser v a

tion coupled with the longing for the greater glory of G od the up ,

building and peace of all the world I t is indubitable that I nquisi .

tion reform and pusishment of the clergy pertains with absolute

,

right to the B ishops and that observing the form alities of the la w
, , ,

they can even pronounce their own rem oval and temporary confine
m ent or perpetual .

I t is eq ually certain that Parish Priests can exclusively advise

and adm onish when those guilty of crime make their confession : to
,

g o b e yond these limits is unj ust : consequently if you are perfectly ,

certain of the crim es of those Priests that y ou cite in your letter ; it

is in your power after prosecution to give the corres ponding j udgm ent .

T he crim es of which you speak are most grave I t is notorious that .

34 T he L ouisiana Hzston cal
’ ’

Quarterly
criminal acts ve been committed and that you have verified the
ha
scand al . H ere is that which pertains to your tribunal ; not to your
char acter of a Father but only of a j udge Your j urisdiction is indis
.

p u ta bl e
. T h e s u b m iss io n o f th e cu lr pit t o yo ur le ga l ly pr o m ulg a ted
sentence ought to be complete But what hinders your pastoral
.

rectitude ? I addres s you with all my evangelical strength When .

y o u fi x up o n th e m in d th e o fi e nce s o f bo t h ecc les ias ti cs it is na t ural

that they should be exact in their form : Their punishment is of
interest to the reverence due the Church for the ex ample of the
religious and the restraint of the evil talk ers Monsignor make an .
,

offering to the H oly Mother in your Diocese Make a day of re .

j oic in g fo r yo u r Co n so r t co m for t e d, w ith th e p un i s hm en t o f e v il

and good . T he presence of the Prelate has m ore weight than 1000
admonitions Your virtues are props to your venerable character
. .

They will build up the thoughtful and put the froward to confusion , .

So m uch so that perhaps fem ales who have gone astray would
,

return to the sheep fold with the liking and glory of their pastor
- ?

So be it ! That with your mantle you would have the happines s of

bringing to pass what Constantine the G reat sought to do talking —
,

with his Priest I n any event pray fervently if you wish to promote
.
,

in your Church honor piety or Chr istian instruction take the

, , ,

remedy that your zeal and authority dictates — but permit me to say ,

Monsignor that I absolutely assert that m y promotion to the E pis

,

copal dignity is not the remedy for these evils I n that event other .

evils would spring to life I speak to my Father and Pastor with

.

the only desire for the greatest good and I must be cand id U se your .

j udgment You shall decide Consider in what (degree ) I may be

. .

Coadj utor .H ow shoul d I discharge the duties of m y ministry in

lower L ouisiana ?
Since the creation of the B ishop in L ouisiana I ,

have acknowledged this Parish as the Moth er and T itular .

I n the adj ustm ent of territory I have repealed no ruling of the

“
,

g ov e rn m e n t T h.e g ov er nm e nt o f th e U n ited S ta te s by p rot ec tin g

uniform ly the churches and their teachers does not concern itself ,

with their business and religious establishments A s soon as the .

H oly Father renews the right of Presentation which Spain held by ,

her Concord at with the See of R ome H is H oliness will nam e for you ,

a B ishop of L ouisiana Until that day comes have we not the

.
,

Pontifical decision which ta kes away from N ew Orleans the E piscopal

See ? H ow would it be possible to nominate a Coadj utor in the
capitol city ? I f it were to be d iscovered in your Church that a man
had been weak and well stricken in years ; had been intrusted with
the affairs of the Church universal or that the gov ernm ent had ,
 Fray A ntonio de Sedella 35

made it necessary for you to take away from the State the trust
confi ned it would be tantam ount to frame the right to nominate a
,

Coadj utor I f by residing in the capital you should nominate a

.

Coadj utor as in the remote parts of the Diocese you would have ,

substituted the E piscopal funct ions and you would have done noth

ing m ore prudent but to put the Bishop T itular in a country very
inferior and the Coadj utor in the capital is rather monstrous! T o
,

look for a Coadj utor in a person not only much older than the T itu
lar also at an age so advanced as mine is q uite orderly and what
,
—
would the faithful say at such a proceed ing Do you suppose that
?

the faithful of N ew Orleans would not re s ent it and call it a misfor

tune which would deprive them of that right and honor due the
capital which woul d hold the Chief eccle s iastic ? Such a novelty
would produce a great sensation ; it would be a dreadful crime and
at once comp la i nts would be made to R ome A ll m en would disre
.

ga rd it and es tee m their ow n interests Th ere .w oul d be a cutt ing

off from the faithful of glory honor and useful considerations
, ,
.

The E piscopal See would be forced up by the roots ; it would be very

considerable in the future disagreeab le things would happen
, I t is .

not pleasant to see the Cathedr al in St L ouis established by reducing

.

this Church to a mere Parish and it is worse to deprive that city of its
Seminary which ought to be proportionate to the best advantage
for religious education Never would I be deprived of the rights
.

which I had at first and always demanded ; that the Bishop divide
his residence in both Churches and it would not be ex traordinary
,

that som e of the faithful instructed in that unvar ing system of the
Church of R ome in the establishment of conciliar sem inaries would ,

demand readj ustment Finally : that those Senior T rustees whose

.

afi ection for me y ou know shows generosity in making a partition

, ,

to sustain with d ignity the E piscopal See A lways woul d it seem

.

rig ht to the respect and affection they confess for me ; but that they
w ould fall short of j ustice without doubt that their good trusteeship
, ,

etc would com pel them to be generous in their treatment not only
. ,

o f me but in the other m atters which m ight be revealed of as the

,

E piscopal character j ust as their own conscience woul d compel

,

them to be j ust and right to their own Church although finding ,

difliculty at first I t would seem extrem ely absurd to see a Coadj u

.

tor with an endowm ent and a T itul ar with sm all income T he .

Diocesan ought to take care of the I nferior not the other way round
, .

T his weighty thought is the burden of your letter October 1 1 181 7 , .

It is to say when I should be Suffragan But it would be necessary

.

that you should be raised to the Arch B ishopric ; all the m ore reason
 T he L ouis iana Hzston cal Quarterly
' '

36

why you should not have a Coadj utor in N ew Orleans, unless the
Metrepolitan should reside here Finally : that if I were B ishop I .

sh ould choose for m y Curate the Priest that would please m e most .

The nomination or pres entation of the Curé for such Chur ches does
not belong to the B ishop without sanction of the L egislature That .

righ t is indub itable to whom it pertains Monsignor I have spoken .

,

to you from the depth of my heart A sk m e of what I have talked .

over with you with entire confi dence I will verify it I ask God to
, . .

p o ur o ut upon yo ur soul th e oil of co n solatio n, for you r grea t glory ,

the upbuild ing of the Church and the consolation of all your Dioceses .

The least of such is your most attached quality — F A ntonio de Se . .

della .

A reason for the attitude of A ntonio as shown by his letter is

ind icated in the final question which we can d iscuss but with no ,

hope of any docum entary evidence Was this Priest a Free and .

accepted M ason ? U p to the present time (Jan 19 19) the Secretary

of L E toile Polaire has not been ab le to find ind isputab le evidence
’
.

A mong the notices for his funeral printed in The L ouisiana G azette
“ ”
,

and The Bee

”
both of date Jah z2ud 1829 appear two requests
, .
, , .

One th at M asons of all lodges should walk in the procession and

,

second a special notice that the members of L E toile P olaire should

’

take part M iss Grace King is verbal authority for G uyarré assert
.

ing a M asonic Burial was accorded A ntonio after the Church ser
vice I f he was a Mason it would explain much in his life and deal
.

ings with men otherwise obscure , I f there are docum ents hitherto .

hidden which challenge the character of A ntonio and prove him to be

all that Shea asserts then it is high time for them to be shown
, .

T his is an age that demand s documentary proof T he A bridged .

L ife of A ntonio : the interview with L afayette : the letter to Du

B ourg after the latter A ug , 1813 had written to Carroll lamenting
, .
,

the defiance of A ntonio prove him to be a most remarkable man

,

filled with the characteristics which make for true greatnes s .

I f Shea was right then the people of N ew Orleans were all

,

wrong their love and admiration for this venerable Priest were
,

misplaced A ll the newspapers in N ew Orleans omitted publication

.

Jah 22nd 1819 T he H ouse of R epresentatives resolved to attend

.
, , .

the funeral in a body ; M r Ed L ivingston in the nam e of the N ew

. .

Orlean s B ar adjourned the courts until the 23rd of Jan and delivered
’
.

an oration upon A ntonio called T he T ribute of R espect

“ ”
in the ,

course of which he said : A ntonio s charity and vir tues would have
‘ ’

entitled him to Canonization — and if his title to that d istinction

were to be tried the A dvocate of the E vil One would burn his brief
,
 F ray A ntonio de Sedella 37

and despair of showing one reason why he should not be revered as a

saint in heaven who lived the life of one on earth
”
.

All this is evidence beyond the shadow of a doub t A nd tod ay

.

90 years after his death he is honored as he never was honored

,

during his life A s the writer of the A bridged L ife says T he

.
” “

Saints are always persecuted .My Opinion is that this remarkable

man with faults germane to a positive and ex ecutive nature yet , ,

by his genuine piety and good works deserved the general admira
tion and love that he gained and held I t is 90 years almost to a day
.

since the passing from this life into L ife E ternal of Fray A ntonio

de Sedella . I would respectfully suggest that in 1929 the 100th

anniversary of A ntonio s death the L ouisiana H istorical Society
’

, ,

p p
re are a p g
ro ram and ex haustive histor y o f this m an who did m ore

Orleans , and spiritually than any other known

,

person .
 O
J A C KS N SQ U AR E

By H enry R enshaw .

On early maps of N ew Orleans are delineated the boundaries of

the Place d A rmes
’
It was used for the evolution of troops ; it served
.

also as a resort for citizens to while away their leisure .

wt t b td
T hrice i hin its limi s has een enac e a significant formalit y ,

mak k o to
ing n wn o
the pe ple a change of do
mina i n to .

A t the arriv al of O R eilly in the summer of 1769 the flag of

’

France was lowered and that of Spain was raised ; on November

3oth 1803 the fluttering sym bol of French sovereignty took the
, ,

place o f the Span ish st an d ar d ; in the following m onth the tri colo r -

of France gave way to the starry emb lem of the U nited States .

A bout the end of 1848 or the beginning of 1849 there returned

to L ouisiana from over the sea a lad y of great wealth and high
, ,

degree She had lived for a long period in France In consequence

. .

of the revolution which ushered in the second French R epublic she ,

withdrew from Paris to E ngland there to await the restoration of

tranquillity in France She soj our ned for a time in L ondon Wearied
. .

by d isappointing delay she availed of the opportunity afi orded by

,
’

her self imposed exile to visit N ew Orleans where she had property
-
,

to which she wished to give personal attention A rrived in L ouisiana .

she dwelt sometimes at N ew Orleans her native city ; at other times

,

in its vicinity .

She previously had interrupted her residence in France to view

again the scenes fam iliar to her girlhood but the visit now being dis
,

cussed was rendered memorable by the construction of b uild ings with

which she graced the city .

This lady was M icaela L eonarda Antonia Almones ter Bar oness ,

de Pontalba only daughter of A ndres Almonester y R oxas from his

,

marriage with L ouise de L aronde of this city .

A ndres Almonester was a native of A ndalusia Spain H e came , .

to N ew Orleans where succes s rewarded his enterprise H e ac .

cumm ulated riches From his abnud ant estate he gave bountifully
.

for charitable and religious purposes ; he held authority civil and

t d a Knight of the order of Char les

a e 111 . The ceremony of his t e
ception as such took place in this city on the evening of September
8, 1796 .
 T he L ouisiana Hzston cal Quarterly
’

40
’

churches d city ; whose very pious works are not only useful to
in sai
religion o to humanity
but als .

H e was a native of M ayr ena de A lcor province of A nd alusia

“
,

in Spain in the A rchbishopic of Sev ille ; he d ied on the twenty fi fth

,
-

o f A pril of last year ninety eight and tod ay the eleventh of Nov em
, , ,

ber ninety nine in the presence of the aforesaid Most I llustrious

,
-
,

Prelate and all his clergy there was given honorable sepulture with
, ,

all possible funeral pomp to the revered remains of the aforemen

tioned deceased ; which are b uried at the foot of the marble step
of the altar of the Most Blessed Virgin of the R osary of this H oly

Cathedral Church .

T here is a discrepancy between the foregoing record and the

inscription on the slab set in the floor of the Cathedral as to the day ,

on which Almonester died The date of his death as graven on the

.

stone being A pril 26 1798 , .

I n the presbyt ery of the Cathedral is a full length portrait of

A lmonaster which bears the date 1796 A statement at the bottom
, .

of this painting recites that he was the founder of the Cathedral of ,

the church of the hospital of St Charles and of the church .

,

of the convent of the Ursulines T hese manifes tly are the three .
, ,

churches mentioned in the record of his second burial .

Micaela A lmonester was born Novem ber 6 1795 She was , .

confided to the care of the Ursuline N uns for her education When .

not quite six teen year s of age she was married to Joseph Xavier
Celestin Delfau de Fontalba T he contracting parties were cousins.
,

although not of near kinship T he groom was a few years t he senior

.

of the bride be having been born J uly 6 179 1 T heir marriage was , .

solemnized October 23 1811 by F r A ntonio de Sedella

, ,The record . .

thereo f is elaborate and interesting se tting forth among other things ,

that the sponsor or protector of the marriage was the renowned

French Marshal M ichel Ney Duke of E lchingen who by procura
, , , ,

tion was represented by Bernard de M arigny y M and eville

, .

I n the year of their wedd ing the youth ful couple em barked for
F rance T here they established their residence M any years elapsed
. . .

T he marriage was an unh appy one and the d iscord between the ,

spouses resulted in a separatio n from bed and board .

H aving returned to N ew Orleans M m e de F ontalb a proceeded .

with her purpose of improving her property T his property facing .

,

the P lace d A rmes had been owned by her father who had bought
’

, ,

the ground from the city the city having acquired it by grant in 1770
,

from O R eilly acting in the name o f the King of Spain Upon this
’

, .
 j ackson Square 41

groun d Alm onaster had put up buildings of which the lower portion
was used for shops and the upper port ion was used for res idences .

B y A ct o f March 8 1836 the legislature had d ivid ed the city

, ,

into three municipalities in the first of which lay this property o f

,

Mme de Fontalba . .

I n a communication from her by her agents which on A ugust ,

28 1846 had been brought before the council of M unicipality N0

, , .

One it is se t forth that M adame de F ontalba d esiri ng to aid in the

,

em bellishm ent of her native city proposes to cause to be torn d own

the two rows of build ings fronting the P lace d A rmes from Chartres
’

and Cond e Streets to the levee and to replace these build ings by

edifices accord ing to the plan submitted to the Council but that she ,

will consent to carry out this proj ect only if seconded by the Council .

R eference is then made to certain arcades already proposed on

St Peter and St A nne streets opposite the P lace d Ar mes
’
. .
, T he .

c ommunicatio n further sets forth that M me de P ontalba s intent ion

’
.

being to cause to be constructed edifices much more im portant than

those proposed at that date the following requests are made : ,

First that the authorization for the construction of the arcades

,

be enlar ged with regard to the position of the columns supporting

the ar cades .

I n the second place that the new edifices be exempt from city
t ax ation for twenty years from the d ate of their completion .

T he Council among other resolutions bearing upon this proposal

ad opted one which d eclar ed that from the completion of the edifices
which Mme de Fontalba proposes to erect opposite the P lace d A rmes
.
’

accord ing to the plans annexed to her petition these structures shall ,

be free from the payment of city taxes for the period of twenty years ;
p rov i d ed tha t th e e n tir e fro n t o f s a id s tr uc t u r es in S t P et er an d S t . .

A nne stree ts shall be finished in all particulars accord ing to the plans
furnished .

Ou A ugust 6 1849 there was brought before the Council a letter

, ,

from Mm e de F ontalba stating that relying upon the resolution in

.
,

her behalf she had contracted with Stewart

, Co for the dem olition .

and reconstruct ion of that part o f the P lace d A rmes forming on one
’

sid e the com er of Chart res and St P eter and on the other the corner .
,

of St P eter and L evee

. .

A t the sam e session the Council claim ing that she had not com
p lie d w ith he r c o n tr a ct a nd th a t t h e
,y w e re w i th o u t au t ho rit y t o

gr a n t su c h pr iv ile g es d ec lin ed t o r
, ec og n iz e th e e x e m p t io n .

Notwithstanding the refusal of the ex em ption Mme de Fontalba , .

p er sis te d in h e r u
p p r os e an d en r ich ed t h e ci t y w ith ar chi te ct ur al
 T he L ouisiana Hzston cal Quarter!y
' '

a dornm ent . As from the chronicles of the Council her plan

appear s
as tim e sped by und erwent alteration and grew grad ually in grand eur

pr od u c ing in fi na l d ev e lop m en t the stately rows of buildings flanking

the northerly and southerly sid es of the Place d A rmes
’
.

B y the end of 1850 the structures known as the F ontalba build

,

ings were finished A h item in the Delta of January 3 185 1, refers

.
,

to their recent com pletion T hey aroused the admiration of the

.

citizens E ven in their tarnished beauty they are fair to look upon
.

and please the sight by their nob le proportions ; t heir spacious v eran

das ; and the elegance of the tendril like iron work which enclosing -
,

the b alconie s and protecting the little wind ows aligned below the

cornice d isplay s with freq uent repetition the interlaced initials of

,

the fam ilies of A ImOne s ter and F ontalba .

A bout the d ate of Mme de Pontalba s visit the Place d A rmes

’ ’
.
,

was a portion of enclosed ground provided with benches, and div ided ,

by pathways into patches overgrown with common grass Along .

the inner sid e of the iron railing which surrounded it extended a ,

a broad and shell pav ed av enue over which swayed and rustled
-

the am ple leafage of a doub le row of sycamores .

A t the centre of the Place there was a cannon the evening gun, ,

whose report was the signal for the slaves to retire from the streets .

With the progress of the night the watchman at the Cabildo ah ,

nounced the flight of time and as he proclaimed the passing of the

, ,

hours added the assurance that all was well

, .

B ut the Place d A rmes was to be given a different aspect

’
I ts .

trees were to be cut down and in their stead were to be plants and ,

flowering shrubs A gainst the sacri fice of the trees broke forth public
.
,

p ro tes t I n
. d esp it e o f ex po stu la tion the work of destruction went on .

Oh the 29th of November 1850 the last of the sycamores was felled
, .

The Place d Armes lost the sylvan beauty of its trees, but it
’

became a veritable garden of delight

“ ”
.

A t its session of Jannary 25 1851, the Council of Municipality ,

N0 One adopted a res olution which provided that thereafter the

.

P lace d A rmes was to be known as Jackson Square and that the

’

Place du Cirque or Congo Square should be designated by the name of

P lace d Armes
’
.

There had been in N ew Orleans a J ackson Square but the ar ea

thus distinguished had been ceded to the Federal G o vernment and
had been built upon for the purposes of the United States B ranch
Mint .

Mme de Fontalba left N ew Orleans in A pril, 185 1 She went

. .

northward by the M ississippi river the steamer B elle Key carrying ,

 j ackson Square 43

her awa y from her Childhood s loved home which was further eh
’

d eared to her by grateful remembrance of affection shown her by

relatives from whom she was d eparting .

By the ensuing A ugust she was again in France T hereafter .

she mad e no visit to N ew Orleans She died in Paris A pril 20 1874

.
, , .

H er husband s d eath occurred in 1878

’
.

T oward s the end of Mme de Pontalba s stay in N ew Orleans

’
.
,

there was renewal of interest in the proj ect of erecting a monument

comm em orative of the b attle of N ew O rleans For such a memorial .

the site had years before been selected and the com er stone been set .

I n January 1840 A ndrew Jackson was in N ew Orleans On the

, , .

13th of that m onth the corner stone of the m emorial of the great
victory was laid .

A procession civic and milita ry set forth from the State H ouse
, ,

and with Jackson in a barouche drawn by four horses passed along

, ,

Canal R oyal E splanade and Conde streets to the Place d Armes a

, ,
’
,

band which formed par t of the parade m aking the air gay with music .

I n the ceremonies which took place in the ancient P lace the Catholic ,

Bishop and the clergy of the Cathedral participated A s the stone .

was placed in position J ackson per formed the function pertinent

to the occasion A ddresses were also am ong the features of the day
.

T he exercises having been concluded Jackson escorted by citi , ,

zens and troops went directly from the P lace d A rmes to the steam er
’
,

Vicksburg which at its river landing was awaiting him A s soon as the
, .

illustrious passenger was received on board the vessel began its voyage .

E arly in 1851 meetings of citizens were held with a view to the

completion of a mem orial which had been proposed many years

Mme . de F ontalba was a great adm irer of Andrew Jackson .

She is said to ha ve contributed liberally for the construction of the

monument .

I t was upon the plantation of her uncle I guacs Delino de Chal

mette that the battle of January 8, 1815 was fought .

A ct 88 of 1852 after a preamble reciting that a large number of

citizens of the State have united them selves into an association with
a view of erecting a suitable m onument to General A ndrew J ackson

and hav e by voluntary subscription raised a consid erable sum of ,

m oney for that purpose, and that the municipal authorities of N ew

Orleans have granted an appropriate site for said m onum ent in the
centre of Jackson Square and that it is em inently j ust and proper
,

that L ouisiana should as a State and in testimony of her gratitud e

, ,

contribute to a work d estined to commemorate the achiev em ents

44 T he L ouisiana H{storied Quarterly

of the her o , to whose military genius and t

pa riotic ev tion d o she

owes the trium ph which her rescued an chie f city from m pture by
inv ading foe and which illustrates the rightest page of her hist ry
, b o ,

appropriated as the c ntri uti n o f the State of L ouisiana o b o

tow ards the expense of erecting a suita le m n ument to G eneral b o
d J k
A n rew ac son to be erected in acks n S uare in the ci
, of N ew J o q ty
The A ct also carrie an appr priation of d to esi gnate o d
the site of the mem ora le b b
attle of 1815, near the City o f N ew Or
leans .

I n 1853 the design for the mem orial was adopted ; it was to be a
The o
c ntract for the making of the statue was gi en to v Clark
t
The s at ue was complete d by
Decem er l st 1855 I t is a replica b , .

of the statue at W
ashingt n D C o , . .

d v
I t was intende to un eil the monument on January 8 1856 , ,

oo
but the sch ner Southerner on which the statue was f r ar e fr m ow d d o
o b d yd
Baltim re eing ela e on the o age did not reach N ew rleans v y O
until J
anuar y
7, 1856 This retar e arri al necessitate a post
. dd v d
pon em e nt and e r uar 9 Fb
1856 w as th eref re y
selected,as th e day , o
for the unveiling .

I n the Daily P icayune of October 31 1855 is an article entitled , ,

R emoving a Corner Stone .

A fter allusion to the Co rner Stone laid J anuary 13 1840 and the , ,

box contained in the stone the article says

This stone was removed yesterd ay in the presence of the
‘

members of the A ssociation and placed in the centre of the ped estal
,

now being erected in the centre of the Sq uare This removal was .

rendered necessary from the fact that the stone was originally de

p os ite d a little to th e left o f the ex ac t ce nt re of the S q uar e Th e .

wor km en comm enced a little after daybreak yesterday morning and ,

did not reach the box until eleven o clock so firmly had it been set
’

originally .

T hey first came to a square block of granite on which was en

“

gr av ed “
8th J an uar y and b,en ea th thi s w as an o th er granite

b lock hollow in the centre which contained the copper box above
, ,

mentioned .T his was em bedded in a m ass of bricks and cement

which had become as hard as the granite itself A fter getting this .

out of t he ground the lower b lock was care fully rem oved with its

contents and reverently deposited in the centre of the ped estal and ,

the covering block placed upo n it T o show the character of the .

 J ackson Square 45

pres ent foundation for the monum ent it will be sufficient to say ,

that it took a man more than three hours to break a h ole in the mass
o f bricks and cem ent for the reception of this b lock .

The A ssociation had a box made and soldered which they

“
,

p lace d a longsid e of the one j us t m en tion ed con tainin g a copy of the ,

Civil Code the daily papers copies of all the principal records of the
, ,

A ssociation from its commencement to the present time a b rief his ,

,

tory of the life of Jack son the nam es of the Fed eral State and City
, ,

officers and the coins of 1855 particularly those pieces which were
, ,

not in existence in 1840 such as the $3 and $1 gold pieces and

,

the three cent piece The latter were all new and ob tained from the
.

M int for the purpose .

I t was not deemed necessary to have any parade on the occasion

as the com er stone had already been laid with so m uch ceremony
and solenm ity in 1840 and so none but the mem bers of the A sso
,

ciation were notified to attend Several citizens however got wind

.
, ,

o f the afi air and about a hundred were gr ouped ar ound who mani
, ,

tested m uch interest in the proceedings and som e of them appeared ,

to be particularly anxious to have the box d eposited by General J ack

son opened to see what it contained Of course this was not done
'

. ,

however nothing but the stone being removed

, T he box and its .

contents remain und isturbed in their new resting place .

A t length came on the time appointed for the unveiling T he .

day was bright with sunshine T he city took on an air of festival

. .

A n imposing par ad e gave pomp to the occasion T he thronged .

verandas of the Fontalb a buildings were as hanging gardens beau ,

tiful to behold A great concourse stirred in the Square below T he

. .

streets leading thereto were affl uents flooded with hum an life To .

neighboring housetops to cupola of Cabildo to steeple of Cathedral

, , ,

venturous persons had ascended that they might witness the grand i
ose and inspiriting spectacle .

Shortly after the hour of noon L J Sigut , the orator of the day .
,

was introd uced to the assemb ly A t the conclusion of his address

.

th e canvas which was spread over the monum ent was withdrawn
and the statue was d isclosed to the pub lic view T hen the roar of .

cannon the outbursts o f m usic the cheers of the enthusiastic m ulti

, ,

tud e blend ed in a mighty volume of sound T he patriotic tumult .

having subsided Clark M ills, the artist explained to the people the ,

id ea which guided him in fashioning the statue .

I quote his language as it appears in the press report of that day

L adies and Gentlemen : The statue before you represents one who
‘
,

with a hand ful of men proved himself the saviour of your beautiful
,
 The L ouisiana Histon cal Quarter!y
'

46

cit y G eneral Jackson is there represented as he appeared on the

.

m orning of the 8th ofJ annary forty one years ago H e has advanced
,
-
.

to the centre of the line in the act of review ; the lines have come to
p rese nt a rm s as a salu te to th eir co mm an d er wh o is acknowled ging
,

it by raising his chapeau accord ing to the military etiq uette of that
,

day . H is restive horse anticipating the next m ove attemps to dash

, ,

down the line ; the bridl e hand of the dauntless hero being tur ned
und er shows that he is restraining the horse whose open mouth and
, ,

curved neck ind icate that the animal is feeling the bit I have .

thought this explanation necessary as there are m any cri tics who
p ro fess no t to u nd ers tan d the c on ception of the artis t .

Shortly after M r M ills had finished his remar ks the ceremony

.
,

of the day came to an end .

It may be tha t the title of this paper suggests a m re compre o

hensive treatm ent than ha e gi en I v v
T he subj ect is an extensi e
. v
one . I v o d y
ha e purp se to present onl fra gm ents of the st r of a oy
o
small secti n of the cit — y
a secti n o w
hich retains the lure of eauty b
and is eightew dw w
ith eal th of histor y .
 The L ouisiana Hzstorzcal Quarterly
'

48
’

C Derbigny , Presi ent of the Senate

. d .

A B R oman
. .ern r of the State of L uisiana
, Gov o o .

y oo o
B ut the little cit s n utgre its swa ling cl thes and the w dd o
p p
e o le ere weager for s m e hig her titles fo r th eir oo
ffi cial s than what

had hither to b
een all we ; and so act passe o darch 22nd 1843, by dM ,

o o
the act of inc rp ration was am en e and pr isi n ma e for the dd ov o d
o
electi n e er v y y
two ears of six councilmen and one m a r yo .

T his act was signe by : d

C Derbigny Spea er of the H ouse of R epresentati es
.
, k v .

F G
elix arcia Presi ent of the Senate , d .

A Mo . uton, G o ern r of the State of L ouisiana v o .

y
The cit was gr ow
ing in imp rtance I n the ten ears since its o . y
o o o
inc rp rati n its offi cials had passe from a Boar and Presi ent d d d ,

bj
su ect ex cept in certain cases to the control of the Police ur of the J y
Parish to a ,Co uncil and a r ith full p wer to act M yo w o .

O ob
I n ct er 1849 the num er of chil ren of sch l age had een
, , b d oo b
d
place at 2900 of which num er 1456 were m ales and 1244 were
, b
fem ales T he census rep rt for 1850 put the t tal p pulati n of the
. o o o o
C yit of L afa ette as y
of hich a out 13 per cent was col re w b . o d .

y
While L afa ette was thus gro ing N ew rleans was expan ing w , O d
v y o
in e er directi n and so its upper lim its were soon cr ,
ing L a owd
y
fa ette T his with its resultant sim ilar interests rought a ut the
.
, , b bo
o o d o
c ns li ati n of the two cities in 1852 B y this act of c ns lidati n . o o o ,

y y
the C it of L afa ette was to ec me the ourth District of N ew 01 b o F '

dvd d
leans and to be i i e int two ar s to be no n as the l 0th
, o w d k w
and 1 1th ar s W d
B ut strange to say a lth ugh L afa ette thus
.
, o y
b ecame part of N ew rleans it still remaine O
in the parish of Jefi er d
son, for Section 8 of the A ct recites

That no contained in this act shall be construed as changing

the lines dividing e parishes of Jefferson and Orleans ; and all
o f the city of N ew Orleans added to said cit by the rovisions o f this act
sh all continue to form part of the parisn of efler son
p .
’

o o d on was signed February 23rd 1852 by

T his act of c ns li ati , ,

Jo hn EK k of the H ouse of R epresentatives

ing Spea er .
, .

J B Plauche L t G ov
. and Pres ident of the Senate
, .
-
. .

Joseph Walker G overnor of the State of L ouisiana , .

Jefi erson P arish that seem ingly held on so tenaciously to the

,

bit of territory covered by the city of L afayette has since not only ,

lost that but much larger areas by ab sorption into the Parish of
Orleans when other towns were made part of the Crescent City
, .

T hough the official life of the City of L afayette was lim ited to
but 19 years having been incorporated in 1833 and m erged in its
,
 The L ost City oL
f fy
a a ette 49

larger neighbor the City of N ew Orleans in 1852 it developed a

, , ,

rapid growth, and soon that portion to the then rear of the town

attracted the attention of som e of the well to do-merchants of N ew - -

Orleans who purchased building sites and by the erection of resi

,

dences with large gr ound s attached caused this section of N ew

Orleans long to be known as the G arden District .

A sphalted streets such as now adorn the city , were unknown

,

in those d ays but the d eterm ination to have the best that was
,

availab le caused the b uild ing of plank road s From T choupitoulas .

Street, practically the riv er front, these plank road s ex tended back
through St A ndrew , Josephine, First E ighth and N inth streets ;
.
,

other through fares were likewise planked as necessity arose P lank .

road s ar e good in their way for when first laid they suit their intended
,

u
p p r o se ad m ira b ly b ut unle s s k e
,p t in co nst ant rep a ir d ete rio rate

quickly and become rather diffi cult road s to travel A s late as the .

early par t of 1852 the residents of Pr ytania street petitioned the

Council of L afayette for a plank roadway .

I n the earlier days brick or stone side walks were few and far -

between, the ped es trian having to be satisfied with a plank walk ,

generally of two board s alongsid e each other running parallel with the
s treet and raised some few inches above the ground
, There are still .

today in some of the outlying distri cts of N ew Orleans side walks -

o f this kind and further d escri ption is perhaps unnecessary

, .

There were omnibus lines to carry the residents of L afayette to

N ew Orleans whenever shopping business or pleasure called them
, , .

O ne line was on T choupitoulas street and another on M agazine ;

later there was the A pollo (or Carondelet ) line, while Prytania street
line had Felicity R oad as its upper terminal ; on J ackson street was
a rail line running doub le decker cars drawn by tandem team while
-
,

the old steam train rend ered service on N ayades street (now called
St Charles) between Carrollton and where L ee Circle now is
. .

The foot of St M ary street was given the name of the Bulls
.

H ead for this was the cattle land ing

, T he animals were brought
.

from T exas Slaughter houses were plentiful near the river front ;
.

for then every butcher had the privilege of slaughtering on his own
p rem i ses a nd t he b ut ch ers g e n era lly res id ed in the fro n t sec ti on o f
the town T he cattle were driven through the streets and by no
.
,

means infrequently m any an ex citing chase enlivened the scene

when some ob streperous steer dashed away followed by galloping ,

horses and shouting riders I t sometimes occurred that on nearing

.
,

the place of slaughter the odor of fresh blood would madden the
st eer and it would seem impossib le to entice coax or beat him into a
, ,
50 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

o
cl ser appr ach o But in an emergency of this kind a well trained
.

bull dog proved of immediate service and springing at the head ofthe
-
,

animal would take a grip that produ ed a wonderful obedience

c , .

Dur ing the stages of high wate r in the river a flow was allowed
to pass into the gutters of the streets flushing them thoroughly , ,

and in this way a sy stem of cleansing the town was brought about .

The method was perhaps primitive but it served its purpose ,

and we who live in an age b lessed with all the wonderful improve

ments that the last 75 years have showered upon us with a most
,

liberal hand should look with kindl y eye and admit that the good
,

p p
eo le of t h ose d ay s were no t be hind the tim e
s .

T he first market established was situated on Jackson street

between R ousseau and T choupitoulas and later on others were ,

constr ucted and known as the M agazine street mar ket and the

Ninth street market I n 1851 a site for a new market had been pur
.

chased in Soraparu street which was to have been called the L afayette ,

market In the latter part of that year b ids were ask ed for the
.

constr uction of the building and two were received one calling for , ,

the other for When the Committee on Streets and

Landings reported to the Council their hmal select ion of a site for this
m ar ket they called especial attention to the many obj eetions made
,

on the outside the principal reason for sam e being that certain
“
,

p a r tie s w er e bene fi te d T hi s th e com m itt ee a

.d mitted to be a fact ,

but they asked the question if they had chosen a location elsewhere ,

would not other parties have been benefited ? This argument

seem ed unanswerable and the Committee on Streets and L and ings

was sustained .

L ike in all new towns the Fire Depar tm ent of L afayette was vol
unta ry I ts organization embraced :
.

Franklin No 1 which became after the consolidation with N ew

.
,

Orleans Franklin No 11 . .

Jefferson N o 2 known after the consolidation as Jefi erson No 22

.
, . .

Young America N o 3 which was abolished when the two cities .

,

merged .

Washington No 4 which became by the same process Chalmette

. ,

N o 23. .

L afa ette H and L ay er ook

1 which retaine the same title dd No .
, d ‘

y
T here were man fires which the gallant men of these c mpanies o
b o
had to attle with, and in s m e cases due to the scant suppl of y
availab le water they proved d isastrous but nothing seem ed to check ,

the spirit of the organization to do and d are .

The religious elem ent of the community was well provided for .
 The L ost City o L
f fy e
a a ett 51

d y d
I n the earlier a s the R e emptorist athers settle here, and th se F d o
o
of the R man C t
a holic faith prospere un er their guidance d
T he d .

by
Pres terians had their place of rship while at the c m er ofwo , o
F ty
elici and Chestnut streets was the e hodist hurch T he Mt C .

o
E pisc palians had their T rinit yC
hurch first esta lishe on P hilip , b d
street and later th ugh still
, o b
efore L afa ette had l s its i entit y ot d y ,

remo evd to the present site on J ac s n street and liseum ko

A nd Co
our Jw e ish f r ien s d w
ere als there o ith their c ngregati n The
‘
w o o
G ates of Pra ery The
. y wo
rshippe originall in a uilding a ut d y b bo
Six th and T choupitoulas and onl after the c ns li ati n on ac s n
, y o o d o J ko
str eet in their present s nagogue y .

y C y
L afa ette emeter occup ing that large s uare of groun be
, y q d
w
t een Pr ytania, liseum Co W
ashingt n and Sixth streets is a spot
, o , ,

too w ell k ow
n q
t dd d
n to re uire any ex en e o w k
escripti n ; but a al

o dd v
thr ugh its magnolia sha e a enues w t o d
ill hr ugh the rea ing of ,

o b
the names on the t m s therein d o y t o b
iscl se man of h se who had een
,

d y
the lea ing citizens of L afa ette .

o y t O
The S ciet for the R elief of Des itute oy rphan B s had its

N
hom e on ay ades Street (St C v o d b ow
harles A enue) a sh rt istance el
.

v
Pe ters A enue I v db
presum e y ou all ha e seen its so li
. uildings and
o d o o
its large gr un s and are theref re familiar with its locati n T his
, , .

o d C y y
H ome, of c urse, was outsi e of the limits of the it of L afa ette ,

but the S cieo ty o d F o b w ko

wne real estate on ult n street, et een Jac s n
and Jo sephine and
, w d w d y d d
ith this fact in min you ill rea il un erstan
o v
the reas ns gi en in the M yo a d
r s message enouncing the refusal of
’

v
the H ome to recei e a boy sent thereby y Iwthe cit ill state that it .

o
seems the H m e was alrea dy o by
caring for five rphans sent y the cit
y o o
of L afa ette but that for s me reas n the m ne
, o y o appr priations
apparentl y had ceased U d d n er. b
ate of Septem er 9th 185 1 the , ,

yo o
M a r c mmunicate to thed Co uncil .

1 deem it proper to remark that this Corporation for a number of

ears has made an appropriation to the said A sylum for
‘
estitute Orphan D
g oy s averaging about $50000 per annum in money , has exem
’
. ed their m
landed pro t ty and slaves from taxation, given them license for cart, etc .

The State as made liberal appro riations to sustain it ; and it was estab
lished for the expres s purpose 0 receiving a nd educating indi8gent male
orphans . I think that unless the institution is unable from want of m eans
to carry out the charitable intention of its founders that no indigent ,

male o1r” pban should be turned from its doors, and if so, I further suggest
L
that the Council should bring the sub ect before the next egislature j .

Wh at was the result of this protest of indignation I am unaware ,

but I have recited the incident to show that communities like in ,

dividuals have their little troubles

, .

L afayette in the last few years of its corporate life could boast
 T he L ouisiana Histon cal Quarterly
'

52

The L ouisiana Statesman was pub lished

“
of its for
new spaper,
every Wednesday and Friday It was the oflicial journal of the .

cities of L afayette and Jef ferson City I ts prorp rietor was J G Fan . . .

ning and its ed itors were J F H Claiborne and J G Fanning I ts . . . . .

ofii ce was on J ackson street near R ousseau .

There were no bank s in L afayette and the m erchants and resi ,

dents transacted their financial affairs where necessary through , ,

the banking institutions of N ew Orleans But L afayette num bered .

among its people som e v ery prosperous business estab lishments .

M illbanks granary was located in a substantial brick building

’
,

which was eventually bur ned down ; but was replaced by the first
gr ain e lev ator b uilt in N ew Orlean s The s ite w as at the foot of .

Wm y
Beat was the propriet r of perhaps the larges t sale sta les
. o b
in this secti n of the c untr o y o .

o y ko
Stafi ord s gr cer at Jac s n and R ousseau streets was a lan
’
d
k
mar in that neigh rh bo ood w
hile Phillips gr cer at ay ades (St ,
’
o y N .

ko vd
Charles ) and Jac s n ser e a large clientele in the hen rear p rti n t o o
of the cit y .

v
The ri er front in ime gre to be a us scene and much f reign t w b y o
d
tra e was shippe fr m there d o
I n th se da s the to acc tra e was . o y b o d
of gr eat imp rtance to N ew o
rleans, ri alling th at o f the c tt n O v o o
interests, and a line of es sels saile v
ith s me egr ee of regularit dw o d y
o y o
fr m the L afa ette fr nt, principall for the Bremen mar et A mong y k .

v
these essels, and c ntinuing on o
n after the c nsolidation ere dow o , w
the U hland N ew Orleans Constantia A ugust and H ermann
, , , .

y o
L afa ette had reas n also to feel pr u of its militar c mpanies o d y o .

The L afa ette y G

uar s and the Jch ers n
‘
d
uar s c nstitute the o G d o d
infantr yb
ranch There was als a compan of cavalr un er the
. o y y d
o
c mman of d C
aptain oenig who pri r to c ming to this c untr K , o o o y
b
had een a Prussian officer ; it was a ell r ille tr00p and ma e a w d d d
od y
s l ierl appearance .

w d
I t oul seem that no self respecting cit c ul be with ut its -
y o d o
o y
h use ofm ster , and L afa ette in this res pect y aste of its haunte y bo d d
o
h use that st in the s uare un eood ashingt n Sixth q bo d d by W o , ,

F o
ult n and T choupitoulas streets I n esign it resem le s m ewhat d . b d o
a castle and was a su stantial uil ing b
rem em er how as a ung b d I . b yo
o
ster, th ugh this was after the c ns li ati n w ul go i h ther o o d o I o d wt o
,

boy s in a aring spirit of ad enture to glim pse at this res r of gh sts dv ot o

and spirits A s we appr ache the place our f t steps faltere and
. o d oo d
-

o
alt gether st ppe at s m e little o d o
istance awa ; we gaze and sh u d y d d
d ere d w
for a hile and then returne to our respecti e homes full d v y
 The L ost City oL
f fy e
a a ett

satisfi ed were really heroes for such daring But the building was
we .

finally dem olished as it was fast becoming the chosen res ort of petty
,

thieves and the vicious and idle

,
.

On this sam e sq uare stood during the war with Mex ico an old
warehouse which was then used for army stores ofone kind or another .

The neighborhood one morning was aroused by the landing at Sixth

street of the S S P imhco one of the old side wheel type and the
‘

-
. . , ,

disem barkation of a body of troops who marched to the warehouse , ,

secured what was needed em barked again on the steamer and soon , ,

were steaming on out to the G ulf on the way to the land of the
Mex ican .

On June 5th 1849 Mr James H Caldwell submitted a letter to

, , . .

the Council of L afayette asking the appointment of a special com

mittee to confer with him upon the subj ect of lighting the city with
g a s
. Su ch a co mm ittee w as nam e d bu t I fa iled to fin d any r eport ,

from the committee in question Oil was used for the lighting of the .

c ity . I n September 185 1 the Council authorized the Police Com

, ,

mittee to have lamps placed in the following streets :

Oh H armony street from Magazine to N ayades ; and on Prytania
‘

street and Chestnut street from H armony to Washington street ,

making in all 10 lamps for that portion of the city included between
Magazine Nayades Washington and the upper line of the city
, , , .

Think for a m oment what the illumination must have been ,

and deem yourselves fortunate that you live in this age of incandes
cent brightness .

T he greater num ber of you know Mard i G ras only as a day of

mirth and pleasure but in the earlier times this custom of masking
,

was made the means of much rowdyism I n 1849 an ordinance was .

pa s se d fo rbidd ing a n y persons to ma k e

‘‘
a n y c har ivar i o r to appear
masked or disguised in the streets
”
.

I n 1850 is of record a ladies petition obj ecting to the crowd s

’

on the Sabbath day at Camp and St M ary declaring same a nuisance .

,

A bit in the same ear the

earlier uncil seems ha e een y Co to v b
d o
en unce d by t o w
the pe ple for mass mee ings ere hel as ing for their
, d k
resignati ns o
I n resp nse . to o oo
same a m ti n was ma e in the uncil d Co
for the resignati n of the mem ers in a o b body It
at first l e as . ook d
t o o t bo
h ugh the p lite reques of the citizens was a ut to ear fruit, but b
t ty
the ma ter apparen l was ne er f rce to a ecisi n v o d d o .

o
I n resp nse to an appeal fr m N ew o O
rleans that L afa et e y t
share some of the expense of cl sing the Sau é o v C
revasse, L afa ette y
p ut it self on re c r as refusing asod
e up n the b d o
fa ct tha it h ad ne er , t v
 The L ouisiana Hzston cal Quarter!y
' ’

54

been asked to confer with N ew Orleans in the matter ; that had N ew

Orleans so asked the work might have been done difi erently and in a
less costly way and further on the time honored principle that
.

-
, ,

taxation without representation could meet with no favor .

I n the years of which I write there were no railroad s in this

section of country ex cept the P ontchartrain road which ran and still
,

run s out E lysian Field s to Milneburg and which if I am not mistaken

,

was the second road constructed in the United States and the Car ,

rollton road of which I have already made mention in this paper .

But the far seeing men of the day were anticipating ; I find the Council
-

of L afayette authorized June 28th 185 1 a war rant for , ,as

the city s proportion of a proposed survey of a route for the N ew
’

Orleans and Jackson railroad which has now become the southern
,

end of the great I llinois Centr al line ; while a few m onths later ,

November 25th 1851 the Council voted a subscription of $200 in

, ,

favor of the Algiers and Opelousas railroad which in turn became ,

the N ew Orleans end of the Southern Pacific system .

A disposition to render the city m ore beautiful was no doubt

res ponsible for the re s olution of Decem ber zud 185 1 That the ,

P olice Committee notify the O R eilly T elegraph Co to remove the

’
.

p osts and wires from th e ban quettes to the ditch nex t to the railroa d
in N ayades street .

A bout this same time a committee was appointed to meet

similar committee from the Comm ercial Water Work s Co of the .

City of N ew Orleans with a view to extending corporate authority of

said Company into City of L afayette .

I am sorry to have to record that about the close of the year

1851 the Bank of L ouisiana seized for a claim of the school
house on Laurel and Philip streets and the house occupied by the

o
A t a c uncil mee ing in t M
arch 1852, a rep r was m a e sh
, ot d ow
b oo
ing the P u lic Sch ls to be in a flourishing c n iti n, ith the o d o w
t odd d
larges rec r e atten ance of pupils num ering and a stafi b
of 33 teachers Further, reciting the app rti nm en of
. for o o t
1851 and
,
for 1852, the h pe was expresse tha N ew o d t
O rleans wo d do q
ul y
e uall as well in the future .

o o
The f ll wing message of the a M yo
r was presented and placed

City of L
afayette, M arch 29th 1852
, .

To the H onorable Board of A ldermen

of the City of Lafay ette .

Our oflicial intercourse being about to close I m nnot let the oppor
tunity pass without ex pressing to your honorable body my sincere thanks
 H I G H WA Y P R OG R E SS I N L OUI SI ANA
By C M Kerr A ssistantH zghway E ngineer
'

. ,

and R ead before T he L ouisiana Histon cal Society

’

ore entering upon a subj ect which is of special intert to

Be f
us namely H ighway Progr ess in L ouisiana I think that a brief
“
, ,

summary of the road building activities of former times would be

apropos .U nfortunately however there are very few authentie

, ,

records of the work of our ancestors relative to this subj ect and to ,

their efforts toward s the establishm ent and improvement of method s

of comm unication .

I n the primitive state man had few wants and these were
, ,

mostly of an individual character The forest stream s and lakes .

,

supplied his food and he came to know the regions where gam e and
,

fish were most abundant E xperience soon taught him the best and
.

most direct route to his sources of supply and this led to the estab ,

lishment for himself of definite trails When man in his savage .

,

state ceased to be content with the sim ple req uirement of his lot ,

which coul d be obtained from nature in his imm ed iate neighborhood ,

and when he sought by intercourse trade and war to win profit

, ,

from his neighbors the question of transportation and lines of com

, ,

munication presented themselves more and more to his mind With

,

the gradual d awning of civiliz ation his hab itation became more and ,

broadened his field of activities which resulted in the gradual estab ,

lishm ent of more or less defi nite routes of travel These lines of com .

munication grew from m ere traces in the wilderness to paths which

adm itted of the passage of beasts of burden and these paths were in ,

turn wid ened out at a later stage in the development of the world ,

and became our first primitive roads A s time went on the progress .
,

of civilization was closely related to the desires of the human race .

T hus the foot paths became packtrails which in time developed

-
,

into roadways which were of a type in keeping with the progress of

,

their builder .

Strange as it may sound m ore than hal f of the inhabited world

,

is still in the pack train state and this condition may apply unfor
-
, ,

tunately to sections of our own country at certain tim es of the year

, , ,

at least .

With dvent of the wheeled vehicle the necessity of har

the a ,

dened traveled ways became evident The initial step towards .

 '

Hzghway P rogress in L ouisiana 57

the development of modem means of transportation appears to have

been attained in the pursuance of such rude tasks as the moving ,

by the use of rollers of large blocks of stone which were used in

, ,

the construction of the E gyptian Pyram id s The remains of a great .

causeway more than a mile in length j ust east of the Great P yramid s
, ,

o f G hizeh have been discovered

, This road is supposed to be a por
.

tion of the G reat H ighway built by King Cheops years B C , . .

for the purpose of transporting the stone used in the construction

of the Pyram ids and is the ear liest record that we have of a stone
,

surfaced roadway H erodotus tells us that

. men were em
p loy e d te n y ears to b uild t h is ro adw ay which w as con str ucted of ,

massive block s ten feet thick in places

, .

From this primitive method of transporting the material which

went into the construction of this Pyram id inventive genius next ,

developed the war chariot which was without doubt the fore run
, , ,
-

ner of the wagon and automob ile of today .

From the time of Cheops to the fall of the R oman E mpire ,

history tells us of the activities of the people of ancient times in

highway construction Ninevah and Babylon were connected by a
.

highway paved with bricks set in asphalt m ortar 400 miles long
, , .

T he conquering Persians learned the art of road building from the

B abylonians and instituted a system of military roads throughout
,

their E mpire T hey established military post service with relay

.
,

stations 18 to 25 miles apart where riders secured fresh m o unts

, .

H erodotus informs us that nothing mortal surpassed these messen

g ers in s wiftn ess w ho tr av,elle d at a sp eed of 60 to 120 m iles a day .

Strabs tells us of the great road from Babylon to Syria upon which a ,

m oderate toll was exacted T his record is probably the earliest in

.

stance of the collection of tolls .

While the ancient histories of the E gyptians Persians and ,

G reeks indicate that these nations were by no means ignorant of

road construction the Carthagenians were the first instructors to the
,

w orld in the art of road building T o Carthage must be given the

.

credit of dem onstrating the strategic and econom ic value ofimproved

r oad s
. T he ready ex change of her comm erce by land m ade her able
to withstand the terrible drains of long and bloody war s and to ,

offer opposition to the menace of R oman supremacy T he R omans .

were good pupils however and realizing the military advantage

, ,

of roads which supplied a means as it were of increasing the reach

, , ,

of their sword s they were not long in developing a comprehensiv e

,

and efficient sy stem of their own I n fact the development of their

.
,

a ctivities along this line is the first definite knowled ge that we have
 T he L ouisiana Histon cal Quarter!y
'

58

y
of s stematic r a o d building T he first of their great roads known as.
,

the A ppian Way or Queen of R oads extended from R ome to

,
‘
,

B randisium a distance of360miles I t was begun by Appine Claudius

, .

years before the birth of Christ and completed by J ulius Caesar , ,

and was the forerunner of a vast system of highways connecting the

outmost limits of the R oman E mpire L ike the Carthagenians the .

,

R omans built their roads for military purposes and the ex tent of their ,

activities is astounding E ver y conquered province was traversed

.

in all directions with connecting road s and E ngland Sicily A frica , , ,

and even A sia all bear witness of their energy

, .

T he countries of ancient E urope A sia and A frica are not the , ,

only ones however where systems of roadways were developed

, , .

T he ancient civilizations ofPeru and M ex ico had roads which history

inform s us were eq ual if not superior in some instances to the R oman
, ,

highways These road s were also l rgely of a military nature but

.

a , ,

so well did they serve as an econom i c purpose that prior to the ad , ,

vent of the white man famine was unknown m Peru Pizarro on

, .
,

first obtaining sight of the Peruvian highway from Quito to Cuzco ,

ex claimed Nothing in Christendom equals the magnificence of this

“

road across the Sierra I n the adaptation of roads to natural con

.

ditions the Peruvians were superior to the R omans for instead of

, ,

building in a straight line irrespective of obstacles imposed by na ,

ture they adapted their locations to the topography of the country

, .

With the fall of the R oman E mpire its sy stem of roads pass ed ,

into disuse and neglect During the reign of Charlemange from the
.

year 742 to the year 814 there was a slight revival but economic and
, ,

p o litic al cond itions w ere su ch as to offer little encouragem ent to the

im pulse and with the coming of feudalism comm erce and interchange
, ,

were practically abandoned R oadways came to be looked upon .

with dread and were regarded simply as outlets for the Operations of
the robber bar ons and roving marauders I n fact such roads as .
,

ex isted were torn up and destr oyed as a means of safety Such con .

ditions continued up to the time of the first Crusade in the 1 1th ,

Century This Crusade with the seven succeeding ones even though
.
, ,

they failed in their original obj ect were of immense value to E urope ,

as they promoted intercourse between the nations awakened them ,

and stim ulated comm erce and the dissemination of know ledge .

Conditions continued to improve slowly however and it was not , ,

until the time of Napoleon that the present magnificent road sy stem
of France was conceived and started
I n 1775 Pierre M arie Jeronne T resaquet an em inent French
,
- -
,

Engineer published his first great treatise on broken stone roads and
, ,
 H ighway P rogress in L ouisiana 59

he m ay well be called the father of modern road building and main

tenance .

While the records of road legislation in E ngland date back to

1285 some idea of the progress made in this country may be obtained
,

from an extract of the report of one H onorable A rthur Young after ,

a six m onths tour through out Northern E ngland in 1 770 .

I know in the whole range of language no terms suffi ciently

ex pressive to descri be this infernal road L et me seriously caution .

all travellers who may accidentally propose to travel this terrible

country to avoid it as they would the devil for a hundred to one

‘

, ,

they break their neck s or their lim bs by overthrow or breakings down .

T hey will m eet with ruts which I actually measured four feet deep
, , ,

floating with mud only from a wet summ er ; what then must it be in
winter? The only mending it receives is tum bling some loose stones
into the worst holes which serves no other purpose than jolting a
,

carriage in the m ost intolerable manner T hese are not only opinions .
,

but facts for I actually passed three carts broken down in those 18
miles of execrable memory .

E x cept for the work and eflorts of John L ondon M cA dam ‘

,

and Thomas T elford little was done by E ngland up to the year

,

1838 to remedy her highway conditions These two em inent engineers .

and road builders were contem porar ies of the great T reasaquet

and share with him the honors of being the pioneers of m od ern
highway construction From the early part of the Ninteteenth
.

Century to the present day the improvement of highways in both

,

England and France has progressed steadily and the value of the ,

superb road system of France was dem onstrated in the par t it played

in the holding in check and final defeat of the enemy of civilization

, .

Due to the conditions of the roadways of the northern countries

of Europe th e traditions of the early settlers of A merica were value
,

less as guiders in the construction of highways I f the colonists .

had come to this country during the time of the R oman supremacy ,

they would have been provided with a system of good roads at the
cost of the E mpire B ut the northern countries gave to the Am erican
.

pio nee r nothing which co st m oney T hey had to provide everything

.

for them selves and as existence in those days was a struggle with the
, ,

my steri es of the new and unknown surrounding them they had to ,

make the best of conditions The intercourse between settlements

.

was maintained by boats or by paths which were barely fi t for horse

,

men and pack animals -

With the increase in wealth and popula
.

tion however the use of vehicles increased and the original trails
, , ,

were cleared so as to admit of their passage but it was some 200 ,

 60 T he L ouisiana Historical Quarter!y
years before any considerable part of the traffic passed over ordi
nary highways .

T he first A merican road law was passed in 1632 in Virginia and ,

the first A merican road was built at J amestown a few years later .

We may j udge of the cond ition of affairs however whenwe find that, , ,

in 1625 when the B ritish Crown took over Virginia from the L ondon
,

Company the investigation revealed the fact that the Governor

,

A t the time of the rganizati n of our o o

o ernm ent, high a G v wy
to
construc i n can scarcel be sai y
ha e egun d to v b
rom the ime of . F t
the R e luti n to the beginning of the i il War, i n 1861 numer us
vo o Cv , o
toll 1 oads erew b o
uilt thr ugh ut the ifferent Statesod The did not . y
satisf y th e em ad
n ds o f th e t im e, h e er aow v
nd ere n ot as a rule
, w , ,

p rofi ta bl e A n ac
.t w as pa sse the od by
er nm G v
en in 1806 pr i ing t ov d
b d
for the uil ing of a highwa fr m the A tlantic y o the ississippi to M
v
ri er . y
For 32 ears, uring hich ime d w t was expen e dd
t
on this grea enterprise, the G v t
o ernmen str uggle to c mple e this d o t
ok o w
w r but had to disc ntinue in 1838, hen the appr priati ns cease
, o o d .

y
U p to the ear 1861 the o ernmen expen e G v t d in d
d
exten ing assistance the States to to d
war s the impr emen of ov t
y N to G v
Between the ears of 1861 and 1916 the a i nal o ernment ,

d d
ren ere aid to r a o y odb d d o At
uil ing nl in an e ucati nal sense f er .

Cv
the i il War the rapi , t dd v o d v b to
e elopmen ofthe railr a s ga e irth the
d t v ov d o d
i ea tha the importance and alue of impr e r a s had lessene d .

q d o ty
I t re uire some time for the c un r at large to d o v isc ver the gra e
err r being m a e and it was not until the a
o d , dv t b en of the icy cle
that the g ood d ovroa s m wok em ent a o
e to its full im p rtance At .

v o o w
ar ious times small appr priati ns d by U
ere m a e t the nited Sta es
Gov t t w yd v o
ernmen in the in erests of high a t d o
e el pmen , for e ucati nal

p pu r oo y
ses nl an d it w
, a s y
no t u ntiltth e eo o d
ar 19 16 ha t ser i u s c ns i er

to
a i n was gi env by N theG v ational t t
o ernm en to the sy s ematic
o o wy o y
c nstructi n of the high a s of the c untr o dThis acti n res ulte in
.

Fd od w by
the passage of the e eral R a A ct of 1916, here
o t d by G
is now appr pria e t o o
the overnmen to be spent in the c nstr ucti n
o dw y
of r a o o U d t t
a s thr ugh ut the d
nite S a e s o to
un er certain c ndi i ns
, .

v w oy od b d
I n re ie ing the hist r of r a I t
uil ing v fear hat I ha e
,

d d o d o w o
igresse fr m and neglecte s me hat the riginal theme of his t
a
p p er , b ut od dv o
ur gra ua l eo el pm d
en t fr m th e a y s of th e ea rl ie st
settlerto d by
the present tim e was affecte and influenced t the radi
to oy Wo d
i ns and hist r of the Old rl o wt
and was but a natural
, utgro h
o d o o o
of our inheritance of c n iti ns in the m ther c untries .
 '

Hzghway P rogress in L ouisiana 61

Prior to the formal transfer of L ouisiana to the United States,

on December 3oth 1803, there is little or no authentic record of the
,

development of any highway system or road building under French

or Spanish domination Conditions in this respect, were not im
.
,

p r ov e d, ho wev er , at th is tim e and the history of roa d , act ivities

during the early days following our entrance into the Union is meagre .

Before the fate of the sovereign State of L ouisiana was finally

and definitely settled, and she became an active unit in this great
nation ofours six tim es did her governm ent change
, From the French .

to Crozat in 1712 ; from Crozat to the Western Company in 1717 ;

from this Com pany to L ouis X V in 1731 ; from L ouis XV to Spain
in 1762 ; from Spain to France in 1801 and from France to the United ,

States in 1803 .

I t is a debatable question as to whether or not the general pro

gress of the country was retarded by these several changes in gov
cram ent .Without doubt the entrance of each new régime meant a
,

rad ical change of policie s which interrupted development for a

, ,

while at least, until aflairs could again resume their natural course
‘
.

As the lim its of civilization were gradually advanced , and the

hitherto unknown haunts of the I ndian were penetrated the pioneer ,

settlers naturally followed the lines of least resistance I t is a nota .

ble fact that the present State of L ouisiana has some miles of
navigable waters and every parish of the State with the ex ception
, ,

of four u m at some period of the year, be reached by water trans

, ,

portation These water weys, which formed a continuous chain of

.

rivers bayous, bays and lakes with the trails along their bank s
, , ,

and the cross country trails made by the I ndians and some of the
early explorers — De Soto in 1542, La Salle in 1684 St Denis in 1714 , .

and 1718 and a few other French and Spanish traders

,
— were the ,

main thoroughfares during the period of colonization Many of .

these trails were cut by the French and Spanish armies connecting ,

fortifim tions and trading posts Great tracts of lands were often
.

g ra nt e d by the Government at that time in control to various, ,

individuals companies and corporations under the proviso th at

, ,

they colonize and develop these holdings Owing to the fact that the .

lan d s lying adj acent to the rivers, bayous and lakes of the alluvial
sections of the State are of higher eley ation and m ore accessib le
than the land with no frontage upon these water ways the first ,

grants were made along these stream s and therefore were first ,

settled and improved, and naturally the first roadways were con

structed along their bank s For mutual protection against the at

.

tack s of the often none too friend ly I nd ian these colonists with , ,
62 The L ouisiana Hzsto
' '

ncal Quarter!y
the aid of the arm od o y , their homes with those
cut out r a s c nnect ing

of their neighbors and with the forts and trading posts

, T hese .

road s however were for the most part but crude af

, , , fairs and were , ,

scarcely an im provement over natural cond itions T ransportation .

by water was when available so much m ore d esirable and practical

, , ,

that travel by land was only indulged in when absolutely necess ar y

and unavoid able .

The records of the development of our country from the days of

De Soto to our entrance into the Union contain but few reference s ,

to any definite routes of travel by land .

We are told of one St Dennis de Juchereau who during Crozat s .

,
’

exploitation of L ouisiana made long and daring journeys from ,

Mobile to the Mexican provinces in the West The first of these .

expeditions was in 1714 when Governor Cad illac sent him to N atchi

toches (the first and oldest town in the State) where he left part ,

of his force to form a settlem ent and proceeded on into the province ,

of T ex as with orders to proceed afterward s to N ew M exico to

“
, ,

ascertain if it would be possible to estab lish in that direction internal

relations of comm erce between L ouisiana and the Mexican pro

vinces where it was hoped Crozat would hnd an outlet for his
, ,

g ood s S t. D ennis b laz e

.d hi s way on ward as h e press ed forw ard ,

and e s tablished what after ward s became known as the Spanish

T rail extending from the country east of the Mississippi river to the
,

Spanish possessions in the West .

T races of this trail from Natchitoches westward are still , ,

discernable through the pine forests of Sabine and Natchitoches

Parishes and the original location could no doubt be determined
, , ,

without much difliculty Some sections ofthis old trace are improved
.

today and the remains of old Fort J esup where Dick T aylor and his
, ,

courageous little arm y camped on their way to invade Mexico in

1847 are still in evidence

, .

I n the year 1725 accord ing to the files of the Par ish of Orleans
, ,

there is an interesting record of a c ontr oversy between the Gentilly

settlers and one Sieur R ivard who barred the road and made it ‘
,

im passable and attempted to force the settlers to construct a new

’

road at their expense T he road referred to is no doubt the present

.

road to Chef Menteur which is now about to be im proved and

,

extended to the R igolets some two centuries after the settling of ,

this country by our forefathers .

Until the country was gradually opened up and tr aveled ways ,

constructed or im proved the ever present menace of hostil e I nd ians

,

held back the ad vance of civilization Thus we learn that on the .

,
64 T he L ouisiana H zsto
’

cal
n
'

Quarterly
o y
previ usl mentioned as the Spanish T rail indications . From all ,

o v b tw
all r utes of tra el e o
een p ints on and east of the M ississippi

river (St L ouis Natchez Fort Stevens N ew Orleans) and what is

, .
, , ,

now T exas and Mexico, converged at Natchitoches from which ,

point a comm on trail or road extended into the Spanish provinces

, ,

to the west of the Sabine river While the record s show that a route .

by land existed between N ew Orleans and Natchitoches there is ,

every reason to believe that as a rule all through travel proceeded , ,

between these two points by water , and went forward by land only
after N atchitoches was reached .

y
A s the countr to the es of atchit ches ecam e gr a uall w t N o b d y
tt d
se le , the roa int ex ic ser e d o M o vd
an her and p ssi l m re ot , o by o
vt o
i al purp se Supplies were shipped fr m N ew rleans
. ater o O by w
to t v
his town of e er increasing im p rtance, and the settler tra ele o v d
t od o
his r a to and fr m his h me for the purpose of securing the meces o
sities of life hich he c ul not
, w o d
tain fr m his cru e surr un ings ob o d o d ,

d
and the Spaniar s fr m the west of the Sa ine, came o with b
k v y
pac mules hea il laden ith pelts, ried buffal t ngue and sil er w d o o v
o
fr m the M
exican mines ex change for dr y g s and to
ther mer ood o

T he man y other
o d d by Mr Darby were while no
trails rec r e .
,

doubt more or less definitely located more suitable to pack train ,

-

travel than any other method Some of these tr ails were cut out .
,

and cleared of trees to some ex tent such as the N ew Orleans H ot

, ,
-

Springs road — the western route by way of Opelousas and N atchi

,

toches a part of the Spanish trail and the eastern route by way of
, ,

Natchez and Fort M iro which is the present site of the town of ,

Monroe and the Natchez to Natchitoches road by way of Alex

— ,

andria A ll of these main roads were connected by cross trails

.
,

which were no doubt diffi cult to negotiate under the most favorable
, ,

conditions A n idea ofthe hard ships to which our forefathers were

.

subj ected in their overland pilgrimages can be ob tained by any

one who may be forced to travel the unimproved country roadways

of tod ay after a prolonged spell of wet weather
, Mr Darby in . .
,

summ ing up conditions remark s that The ord inary expenses of

,

traveling do not greatly vary in different parts of the United States , ,

in a given d istance ; but there is a great and essential diflerence in

time Where steamboats good and convenient ferries and stages
.
, , ,

are established the rate at which a traveler can adv ance is m uch
,

accelerated but his expenses are in proportion to the conveniences

,

with which he is provided ; and though he can proceed on his way

 H ighway P rogress in L ouisiana 65

with more celerity he cannot pass from place to place with much
, , ,

if any less money than by the old fashion of rid ing a good horse
, , .

E x cept by water there are no public conveniences y et estab

,

lished in the M ississippi or Mobile countries for the conveniences of ,

travelers ; they are obliged to provide them selves the means of trans
p o r ta t io n H orses
. o f a ll p ri c es a re
, c on sta n tly to b,e p ro cu re d in
N ew Orleans and N atchez A med ium price may be about eighty
.

dollars .

A stage was some years past established from N ew Orleans

‘

to Baton R ouge but discontinued from want of suffi cient encourage

, ,

m ent Most perso ns returning from N ew Orleans to the western and

.

northern States cross L ake Pontchartrain to M ad isonville and

, ,

thence by Natchez A new road is now opening from Nashville to

.

Madisonville which will obviate the necessity of passing by Natchez

, ,

and also save eighty or an hundred m iles traveling Nearly the .

whole of this road will be over high dry land The distance upon this , .

new route from N ew Orleans to Nashville will be about 480; by

, ,

N atchez it is nearly 600 miles

, .

I t is remarkable how accurate the distances given by this eminent

ex plorer are Considering the diffi culties under which he carried on
.

his investigations the results of his labors are marvelous

, .

A fter the acq uisition of L ouisiana by the United States little ,

was done by the State or Federal Government towards the improve

ment of highway conditions until recent years I n February 1811 .

an A ct of Congress provid ed that hy e (5 p er cen t o f th e ne t p ro .

ceeds of the sale of public land s in the territory of Orleans (now the

State of L ouisiana) should be applied to the construction of road s in

a manner to be prescribed by the State L egislature .

Pursuant to this A ct the territorial legislature provided on ,

A pril 1 1th 1811 that a sum not ex ceed ing

, , should be ap

p lie d f or the u
p pr ose o f e s tab lis hin g a ro ad fr om Co n co rd ia P ar ish t o

Alexandria ; the J udge of Concordia Pari sh appointing Davis B .

Morgan William Miller and Josiah Johnston as comm issioners ,

to supermtend the construction of said road A t the same tim e the . ,

legislature provided for a road from the north of R ed R iver

to A voyelles Parish ; for a road from Baton R ouge to
Opelousas ; to improve the road of the canal of L afourche to
L ake Verret ; to impr ove the road which crossed M anchac s
’

P oint ; $7 to open a road across the point of Plaquemine ; and not

exceed ing to open a road from Fort Plaquemine to P ointe
a la
- -
H ache .
66 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

The same ses sion of the legislature that made these appropria
tions also passed Acts regulating the width of the roads, the manner
of construction and re pair etc and by the A ct of March 1 2th ,
, .

1818, it was stipulated that R oads made on land s with a water

“

front on any river or bayou were declared public .

It may be of further interest to know that shortly after L ouisiana

was admitted into the Union as a State, the National Governm ent
undertook the construction of a great highway from Nashville to
some point near N ew Orleans and on February 26th 1822 the State
, , ,

L egislature passed the following preamble and A ct : Whereas the

‘
,

Government of the United States have at great expense, and labor, ,

opened and completed a road leading from Nashville, in the State of

T ennessee to the town of M adisonville, in the State of L ouisiana
,

and whereas, the keeping of the same in good and safe repair will be
of great public utility , therefore Be it enacted that it shall be the , ,

duty of all hands, living within five miles on each side of said
'

road , within the Parishes of Washington and St T ammany , and who .

are, accord ing to existing road laws of the State compelled to work ,

on public roads, to work and labor on said road through the afore

twelve (12) days in one year nor more than six (6) days at any one
,

time .
’

Quite a num ber of the early highways were built by private

corporations authorized by law and were operated as T oll R oads , .

By an A ct of February 4 1817 one A lexander Bookter was granted

, ,

the right to construct a private turnpike road from the Court H ouse
to the town of Springfield in the Parish of St H elena for a period
, .
,

of twenty (20) years ; at the end of which tim e the road was to revert ,

and become th e property of the parish Oh March 7th 1820 the .

, ,

Orleans T urnpike Company was incorporated and was given a

franchise for twenty hy e (25) years with authority to construct
-

and operate a road twenty hy e (25) feet wide through the margin
,
-

of L ake P ontchartrain to the Mississippi river T he Natchitoches .

Causeway Company received a charter from the L egislature on A pril

,

2nd 1832 to build a toll d ike over the branch of the R ed River
, , ,

called Old R iver and to operate the same for a period of twenty five
,
-

( 25 ) y ears provid e
,d the dike wa s built within eigh t hundred yar d s

of the j unction of the Old and L ittle rivers T he Orleans and

“
.

Plaquemine R oad Company incorporat ed by A ct of March 1 1

, ,

1836 was authori zed to build a highway from a point opposite the
,

city of N ew Orleans to a point on the same side of the river Opposite

E nglish T urn The Mandeville and Pearl R iver R oad Co mpan y

.
 '

Hzghway P rogress in L ouisiana 67

was chartere d by A ct of February 15th 1837 and authorized to , ,

construct a toll road from M andeville to Pool s B luff on the Pearl

’

River where the company was authorized to establish and m aintain

,

a ferry . A few of these companies t hus granted charters failed to

carry out the provisions of the A ct of I ncorporation and forfeited

their rights ; however most of the roads thus authorized were con
,

structed and operated until the expiration of the charter when they ,

rev erted to the State and became public thoroughfares .

I n March 1844 the L egislature directed the State E ngineer

, , ,

or other person or persons having charge of colored convicts to ,

employ such convicts in build ing a road from a point near Thibod eaux

ville to a convenient point on the Mississippi river in St James .

Parish and one from Crain s store on Bayou Grosse T ete to Brusle s
’ ’

landing on the Mississippi and to make any and all necessary t e

,

p a irs on t he ro ad running from Vidalia to H arrisonburg .

T his was probably the first instance in the history of L ouisiana

where convict labor was employed in the construction and repair of
p u b li c ro ad s .

Following the toll road system of highway construction and ,

the ear ly road b uilding activities of the Fed eral Government the ,

p u b li c r oa d s f
,o r m any yea rs were an d ar e n ow in many cases
, , ,

built and maintained by the local management of the smaller civil

sub divisions of the State nam ely : parishes w ards and road dis
, , ,

tricts. This haphazard method where each subdivision constructed

,

its road s in its own way with little or no regard for any par ticular
standar d s and with no definite system d esign or part icular obj ect
.

, , ,

in view and with a total lack of correlation and cooperation in the

,

work and location of roads of its adjoining neighbors resulted in ,

many miles of roads ind iscriminately laid out and built of good bad , ,

and indifferent types and designs Not only has this method of local
.

r o ad construction failed in a great many instances to provide

, ,

ben eficial results but much of the work done was only of a temporary
,

na ture requiring reconstruction year after year A lthough many .

of th e States of the U nion had come to a rea lization that such cond i
tions and m ethod s were out of date and obsolete L ouisiana did not ,

make any serious efforts towards scientifi c highway improvem ent

unt il comparatively late years .

I t was during the year 1909 that the fir st steps were taken to
war ds systematic road construction in this State T hese preliminary .

efforts to furnish State aid consisted o f an agreem ent between the

State through the Boar d of State E ngineers the Board of Control of

, ,

the State Penitentiary the United States G overnment and the

,
68 The L ouisiana H {storied Quarterly

used for road inrprovernent . A s a resul t ofthe succes s ofthis venture ,

various Parishes toward sy stematic road construction and the ad

vantages and benefi ts to be deri ved therefrom the General A ssem ,

bly of the State in the y w 1910 passed A ct 49 which cra ted the
, , ,

State H ighway Department It might be of some interes t to state

.

at present oy ed in this capacity for the reason that all the

em pl

pri soners are needed on the State Farms H owever that such labor .
,

A ct 49 of 1910,
, g e h er i to t
th an amen ment w
the Constitu d to
tion of the S ate— t
Ar icle 29 1 tnstitution of 1913 — Co
es s the H igh
, v t
t w
way Depar ment ith authori ty and po er to gi e State aid th w v , bo
o
m netary and super visor to the y
ar ious parishes t war s the
, v o d

which o to approximately
am unts annually is derived ,

from the State tax of one eighth of one mill on the dollar of assessed
-

valuation for the purpose of creating a H ighway Fund with which

,

Soon after w y
the H igh a Departm en was rganize and placed td o
upon an active b asis, it was realize d o
that, fr m an ec n mical and o o
pr a c t ica l st a n d po in t , th e c on st r uc tio n o f S t a te H ig h w a y s w i th
pu b li c m o n e y sh o u ld be u n d er ta k en in a sy ste m a t ic m ann er an d w ith
some concrete obj ect in view A ccord ingly it was proposed that
.
,

the highway fund collected each year be devoted to the construction

and maintenance of a system of main line or market highways laid ,

out upon defi nite lines with the obj ect in view of ultimately con
,

necting all the links that would be constructed from time to time ,

thereby completing this system which em bod ies some forty hy e ,

-

hundred to hy e thousand (5 000) miles of highways T his

, .

ge n er a l p la n a
,s app r ov e d a
,do p te d a n d o f
fi c ia lly p u t in t o o pe ra t io n ,

p r ov id e s for th e c o n str u ctio n o f a sy st em o fhi g h w a y s b u ilt a cc o r d i ng

to modern practices connecting each parish seat with the parish
,

seats and principal trade centers of the adj oining parishes T his .

p la n ha s b ee n fa vo r ab ly rec e iv e d by th e p a ri sh es th ro u gh o u t t h e

State and they in most instances are ex tend ing their efforts and co
, , ,

operation to the H ighway Department towards its final achievement .

 H zghway P rogress in L ouisiana 69
’

o v
This c mprehensi e plan or s stem of hig hwa s has als recei ed y y o v
o
the sancti n of the Ofl i ce of Pu lic R ads and Rural E ngineering b o
of the U d t
nite States Depar ment of A griculture 111 the matter of ex
d Fd
ten ing e eral aid to the State for go od d o
roa s c nstruction .

I n conj unction with the build ing of this system of main line
market highways the H ighway
, Depar tment recognizes the
fact that maintenance is equal in im portance to construction .

T his detail is given due consideration in the body of the law creating
t he Department under cond itions similar to constr uction work
, ,

and the Department recommend s and urges that all road s be kept
in good co nd ition and repair at all times and lend s its assistance in
having this done A ll of the parishes are giving this important
.

feature of road work due consideration .

A ccording to the best available data L ouisiana has about ,

miles of public roads of which approximately , miles

have been selected and embodied in the sy stem of State Market
H ighways .Starting out in 191 1 with miles of practically
unimproved earth roads to constr uct on a limited annual fund , ,

which could not be expended until aid was sought from the State by
the various pari shes the results so far accomplished by the H ighway
,

Department are very gratifying I ncluding the roads constructed

.

with State convicts there have been undertaken and co mpleted by

,

the H ighway Depar tment to date six hundred and seventy one
, ,
-

( 67 1 ) m iles o f highwa y o f w hich pra ctically,fifty pe r cent are meta l .

In dition to this mileage

ad already complete
is under d there
,

construction at the pres ent time 251 95 miles of road of which all
, .
,

but some miles are to be of the hard surfaced type .

A great impetus has een gi en to the high b v way movement in

t t t by
h is S a e d o Fd F
the ad iti n of e eral unds to l cal o and State Fund s ,

o
for the impr vement of our rural r a sod .

This additional means of securing money for highway im prove

m ent was inaugurated by the passage by the first ses sion of the ,

Six ty fourth Congres s of the United States of the Federal R oad

-
,

A ct of 1916 T he passage of this A ct made Federal aid in the con

.

str uct ion of highways a reality T he bill appropriates the sum of

.

for the construction of rural post roads in the several

States of the Union d uring the five years following June 3oth 1916 , ,

and for the construction of roads in National Fores ts .

For the fiscal year which ended June 3oth 1917 was , ,

appropriated and provision was made to increase t his amount by

,
 Quarterly
'

70 T he L ouisiana Histon cal

for each succeed ing year until the end of the fiscal year
June 30th, 192 1 for which year the appropriation is
,

Under the provision of the bill the State of L ouisiana will , ,

receive appropriations am ounting to $1

I n addition to this there has been placed before the Senate

,

committee a b ill setting aside fifty per cent of the net earnings from
,
.

the operation of Parcel Post Motor T rucks for highway work ,

.

T his bill has been favorably reported upon and will give to L ouisiana , ,

if finally passed in add ition to the present Federal appropriation

, ,

This money will be made available at once and pro ,

vision is made for its expenditure under certain conditions within , ,

the nex t three years 1 .

I n order to part icipate in this Federal aid a State or Parish ,

must make formal request through the State H ighway Depar tment ,

and must enter into a co operative agreement with the United

-

States G overnment for the survey construction and maintenance of ,

the d esired highway improvement upon a basis equitable to both

the State and the United States .

After a recital of past activities consideration may be given to ,

the outlook for the future Notwithstanding the adverse conditions

.

afi ecting highway constr uction from present indications the period

,

which we are now entering will be one of unprecedented activity .

With adverse conditions due to the war somewhat relieved future ,

development is largely dependent upon the ability of the State to

ex tend m onetary aid upon an attractive basis and to meet its share ,

of the cost upon more equitable terms than heretofore While the .

Department due to existing conditions has discouraged as far as

, , ,

p ossib le the,ext endin g of Stat e and Fed eral aid to highw ay construe

tion of minor importance applim tions are co ntinually being sub

,

mitted for more work than the State appropriation can well co ver .

I n order that the Department may continue to operate success fully

and at the same tim e maintain the standard of efl iciency and service
already established additional funds will have to be m ade available
, .

T his feature will no doubt receive the attention of the State L egisl
, ,

ture at the nex t session and it is to be hoped that ways and m eans
,

will be found whereby the funds at the command of the Department

will be considerably increased so that the present generation u m
,

derive the benefitsxof a comprehensive and modern system of high

ways .

l lt he t to menfi on in m addenda that thk bin has pau ed

o f inta u m d the $2 722 9 16 13
,

md c s vaila to he cpent in the next three years .

 TH E LE G AL INST I T UT IONS O F L OUI SI AN A

By H enry P lauché Dart 1 *

FR E N CH PE R I OD
I
1699- 1712 . I b er ville an d B ien ville .

I t is m y purp se o to
assem le ma eri al for a hist r of the legal b t oy
o
instituti ns of L uisiana o od
hen our l cal rec r s of the Co o
l nial
. W o
peri od a re pu t in od
r er , cat alo d
gue and in exe d d
, the st r ca oy
n b e
enlar ge d o
A s a pi neer
. I can onl y o
pr mise to b
laze the trail The .

field of study is the 18th century and the subj ect French and Spanish , ,

proc esses o f gov ern m ent O ne c ann ot be sur e h is j ud gm.e nt w ill no t

be influenced by the differences between the point of view of that
iod d hi d th f h h o olo i l d h b
“

pe r an t s an ere or e t e
, c r n g c a or er as een
adopted so that we may m o ve along in the mid st of a growing system .

attempts at v
go ernment, an v
e oluti n in o which France , Spain and the
United States had a part .

T he first peri od
1699 1712 co ers the f un ing of the c l n , -
v o d oo y
b
the eginning of things in L uisiana} T he s art was ma e i h a o t d wt
ga rr is n ofose e n m ev ty
n a n d s left e r il le in A pril , 16 boy
99 , by Ib v
o o
in a little f rt at B il xi, on the ulfC ast, now the s uthern un arG o o bo d y
of Mississippi This militar es a lishmen was comman e
. y tb t d d by
Sauvolle ensign in the rench na y , and B ien ille mi shipman
, F v v , d
sec n o d in c mman o
The ere d
r thers to . er ville th yw bo
ung Ib , bo yo
t
men, the lat er eighteen t H e was ma e a lieutenant du roi for the. d
pu r p o se a nd seem s ha e reta ine ha ran to
th r u gh allvth e mu a dt t k o '

t
to oo y
i ns o f the c l n until r zat s ime Sauvolle ie in 1702 and Co t ’
d d .

v
B ien ille t ook ov
er the comman ; there had een a e to the d b dd d
offi cial femil a y Co
mmissaire r onna eur and a Priest who managed Od t ,

the ecclesias ical si e for t dhurch and S a e co r inate in h se

, C tt od d -
t o
days .

‘Oi theN ew Orleans Bar d

? Reprinte from Southern L aw Quarterly N ov 19 18
M b
. . .
,

ili W
f
H ?w d hi i d
d d dd
11 h ve u u t th t i i l d i ti G F ti C l n o
q o co rse z
e e s o r ans n c u ng a r n, a y arr e , or er , a e. s r
King (B ienville) , and
(N a 8: C u t
.

orig inal researc h

is t
.

t.

the more i m porta nt of these

d encum ber m y wor to note all
(U
sources k but I have epen e largely on .

I sh all hereatter in icate only .

’

k p T
.

I ta e advantage o t this re rint to correct the a o ve error o f tact b

pro m y b y M u s G
race King who wro te me as fo llows :
L
“

b
his error v s caug ht
We have foun out that Sauvo le (the so
I n my Btemnlle.
d .

firs t go vcrnor of ouisiana) was not the ro ther o f I ben nlle and B ienv ille
M M d
_

ca l

m
.

i m laimng whohe was and how he was not a L e s ys m

g
73 there s a t oy ne ar tin and
'

f I a
. .

p m
m
b
urnped to a wrong

M
resu a ly fo llo we
e Le
u
d
sio n 1n tins matter

o yne family
s u p pose F o rt ie r m . u s t h av e fo llowe
Forti er. who I am sure never poem ed a co y o t the H istoire de onguei l. the
d
N o C ana ian histon an repea ts the mista e o f su osi ng Sau
th e m
p
y ou '

k L
pp
g o th
.

au thlz up n .

a a l e I oy ne
vole to
p d pp b
.

Fro m th is O inion of my learne cri tic there is no a eal I t is a solutely too well founded . .
 T he L egal I ns titutions of L ouisiana 73

Iberv ille the founder was an active officer in the French navy
, ,

and remained the overman or guardian of the colony ; he never

resided there and his official connect ion is not certain fur ther than
,

is evidenced by his paternal solicitude in its welfare H e had been .

appointed G overnor j ust before his death in 1 706 and at that tim e ,

local control was with three men : B ienville Commander in Chief , ,

A cting G overnor though there is nothing to show he was ever com

,

missioned as such N icolas de La Salle Commissaire Ordonnateur

, , ,

and de la Vente Priest in charge , T his was the usual method of .

French governm ent of a colony in its early stages It was the policy .

of the time to keep thes e men ind ependent in their several depart

ments and when they d isagreed as they often did the matter was , ,

settled in Franc e by the remedy ofrecall which was a favorite weapon , .

L ouisiana early furnished an example for in 1 707 B ienville was ,

summarily removed without a hear ing and ordered to await his

successor. T his was done on secret charges preferred by the Com

missaire and Priest Fortunately deMuy the new Commander
. , ,

died eh route and Diron D Artaguette who accompanied deMuy

,
’
,

to investigate cond itions reported the complaints to be without m erit

, .

T hereafter he was made Commissaire in L a Salle s stead Bienville

’
.

retained his othee apparently ad interim his successor Cadillac , , ,

was in fact appointed but came over only when Crozat took charge .

Under these circumstances the new Commissaire may be considered

the recognized superior official until the changes of 1712 T he rule .

of decision operated against L a Salle who returned to France but ,

de la Vente rem ained to vex and d isturb this and the succeeding
administration .

T here is nothing in our history to ind icate the early settlers of

L ouisiana were treated otherwise than the people at home I f any .

thing they enj oyed m ore ind ividual freedom but their polities ] ,

r ights under arbitrary governm ent were practically nil T heir ruler .

w as L ouis X I V who said the nation has no corporate existence ; it

‘
,

res ides entirely l n the person of th e King ; L etat c est moi

’
As
’
.

between ind ividuals propert y and status were protected by law

, ,

administered however by local rulers whose vision was that of the

, ,

army . The sum ofthe matter is that the first government ofL ouisiana
was an establishment ruled by military men who exercised the func
tions of civil governm ent and who were moreover accustomed by
,

long usage to service as j udges and managers of colonies .

N o local record s of this administration survive but this is said ,

with reservation for one may not prophesy what our papers would
,

sho w under examination .

74 T he L ouisiana Histon cal Quarter!y
'

’
1712 171 7.
-
Cr oz at s Ch ar t er

The R al ran of September 14, 1712, to

oy G t r za c ntained Co t o
o d t o w
n thing in ica ing an intenti n to confer po ers of g ernment on ov
o q k y o ow
the grantee and legislati n uic l f ll
, o
ing confirms the hist rica l
o t y o t o w
impressi n tha it was onl an pera ing c ntract ith the uties d
of g ov t t d
ernm en re aine C ow
in the r n ow v
H t t
e er, the ins rumen .

o d ot d to b
c ntaine two imp r ant eclara i ns it defined the physical ounds,
t t
and erec ed the errit roy d as b d to
escri e t oo d
in a separa e c l ny un er
‘‘

G v
the nam e of the o ernm ent of Lo uisiana, w w d d t
hich ill be epen en
on t he Gov t
ernmen of N ew F to w
rance hich it shall remain subordi
t
na e . ot t o F t dd
A nd, the pr ec i n of the law of rance was ex en e by a
pr o o t t
v isi n h a the law an d cto
us m o o
f L u iso d
iana sh ul d
be the or i
d t to
nances and e ic s of the realm and the cus m and usage of the Pre
voste and V icomte of Paris ’ .

v t
For this new en ure a Superior Co uncil was created We have .

1712, Decem ber 18 .

shall c nsis o t of M
de la e, M Ducl s Firs
. uncill rMott . o , t Co o ,

of M . de Bienville
L ieu du roi, of
, t
ther c uncill rs and
. two o o o
o
a pr cureur general who shall be selec e by Sieurs de la td .

Mo o o jo
tte and Ducl s c n intl and of Sieur Madefisse, ler y C k .

1712, Decem er 23 b .

o
I t shall c nsist of the L ieu enan eneral ofN ew rance t tG F
the I ntendent of tha t Co
untr ; the particular vern r of y Go o
o o
L uisiana ; a first c uncillor lieu enant for us ; two c uncill rs t o o
o
a pr cureur general ; a cler k .

v ow
We gi e p er the Superior to
uncil to eci e in the Co d d
t d
last resor uring three
ears c mmence fr m the first y to o o
o w
sessi n w
hich ill be hel in executi n of these presen , to
s d o t
o t o
c n rol all pr cess and cases, ei her civil or crimmal arising t ,

without any expense to them whatever .

We direct those who shall compose the Superior Council

to m eet at a certain day and hour in the place where they will
hold their meetings which place shall be the m ost convenient .

Documents. 28~31, Co neernm h i blics tions l a EM SY

g
i C alendar o t I is tory o t L Quisians -

a
. . .

4283 1-1908 T his is a copy of a MSS volume by

. . t t itle eonsisting o t the ariginl dicts tram i tt ed
to the Colony s nd preserved by the Society I t is not a oomplete collection however
. .
 T he Legal I nstitutzons f
o L ouis iana 75

T he y shall meet once a month and all j udgments which they

rend er must be pronounced orally .

T heir j udgments shall be executed as are the decrees of

our courts and of our Superior Councils They shall only ren
.

der j udgments in civil mat ters with the concurrence of three

j udges and in criminal matters with the concurrence of five
j udges .

We authorize our said Council in case of absence of their

members or for any other legitimate cause to replace them
with such other persons as they may believe the most capable
to fulfill the funct ion of j udges
”8
.

The sam e record shows that Duclos was appointed First Coun
cillor on December 24 1712 the next day after the formation of
, ,

the Council Madefisse was named clerk ofthe same and notary t he
.
—
fi rst mention we find of a notar ial appointment for L ouisiana .

Martin (H ist La 116) says the Council was composed of the

. .

Governor and Commissaire Ordonnateur with like powers to those

ex ercised by the Councils of San Domingo and Martinique H e add s .

t hat a full corps of offi cials landed in L ouisiana May 17 1713 , ,

to administer the government of the colony under the new

system . T he principal o f these were L amotte Cadillac an ,

officer who had served with d istin ction in Canad a during the

p rece d in g w a r ,w h o w as app oin ted G ov ern or ; D u cl os C om ,

missaire Ordonnateur ; L eb as Comptroller ; Dirigoin the , ,

i i d C t o o
‘

i
’
p r nc pa l ire c tor o f ro z a s c nce rns in L u s ia na a nd ,

L aloire des U rsins who was to attend to them on the M is

,

sissippi T he expenses of the King for the salaries of his

.

officers of L ouisiana were fix ed at an annual sum of ten thous

and dollars to be paid to Crozat in France .

This date May 17 1713 mar ks the beginning of purely Civil

, , ,

G overnment in L ouisiana as distinguished from the m ilitary or

,

p erson a l rule o f th e p rec ed ing p er iod .

 '

76 The L ouisiana H zstorical Quarterly

d t b
T he E ic of 1712 has een transla ed since the pu licati n t b o of
this ar icle in the Southern L aw Quarterly and is here repr uce
t od d
1 712 , Dec e m b er 1 8, Ver sailles L ett ers Pat e n t E s t ab lis h in g
.

A Su per ior Co u n c il in L o u isian a Du r in g

T h r ee Years .

23 Decem er, 1712 b .

L ouis by the Grace of God King of F rance and N avarre to all to whom
, , ,

these presents come G reeting :

t to t v
T he at en i n tha we ha e al a s gi en, to pr cure for our wy v o
subj ects all the a vantages d d
ependan up n our authori , t o
ha ing ty v
ov d b o o y od
m e us to esta lish a c lon in L uisiana in r er to increa se their
comm erce with Amerim we should there have constructed a fort
, ,

and sent thither a garrison imm ediately after th e peace of R y swick ,

but the war kindled in E urope a short time after ward s having pre
'

vented the augmenting of that Colony we did not think it necessary ,

at that time to es tab lish tribunal s as in our other Colonies ofAmerica

, .

A nd as we are informed that many of our subj ects have gone

thither to settle and erect domiciles we deem it necessary to es tablish
,

therein at present a Superior Council during a limited period of time ,

in order that we may learn if it would conduce to the good of our

service and to the ad vantage of our subj ects to increase the estab ,

For these reas ns, o on the d Council of our certain

a vice of our ,

k o d
n wle ge full p , er ow and roy al authority we have created and
,

b d
esta lishe , and create and estab lish by these presents signed with

o f theI ntendant of Justice Police and Finance in the said country ,

of the particular Governor of the said province of L ouisiana of our ,

first Councillor of our L ieutenant of our attorney general and a

, , ,

clerk .

We em power the said Superi or Council to j udge in last res ort

during the space of three years counting from the day of its first
,

session which shall be held by authority oft hes e presents all law suits

and dispute s criminal as well as civil commenced and intended

am ong our subj ects of the said province and without costs .

vene on a certa in day and hour at the place selected by them as the
most convenient at least once a m onth and that all the j udgments
,

rend ered by the sai d J udges shall be ex ecuted as are the decrees of our
 The Legal I nstitutzons of Louisiana 77
’

own courts and Superi or Councils Judgments in civ il matters to be .

rendered by thr ee of the said j udges ; in cri minal matters by not less

than five I n case of absence or legitimate prevention of attendance

.
,

we permit the j udges constituted by these presents to call in their

, ,

stead and place such persons as they think most capab le of perform

ing their function of j udges on the cond ition that the number of three
in civil cases and five in criminal be always maintained for the ren
,

dering of j udgments .

Our will is that the Governor our L ieutenant General in N ew ,

France shall pres ide at the said Council and in his absence the Inten
,

dant of J ustice Police and Finance and that the same order be ob ,

served by the particular Governor of said province of L ouisiana the ,

First Councillor the L ieutenant acting for us and the two Councillors
,

in taking their places in the sessions and presiding for one another
in case of absence .

We will nevertheless even if the Governor our L ieutenant

'
,

G eneral be present at the said Council that the I ntendant of J ustice , ,

Police and Finance shall preside at the said Council ask the opinions , ,

collect the votes and pronounce the j ud gments and that moreover

he possess the same advantages and exercises the same functions ofthe
first presidents of our Courts and in case of the I ntendant that our
,

First Councillor possess the same right although the court be pre
sided over by the Governor .

We attribute moreover to our said First Councillor the func

tions of president of the tribunal such as the affixing and removal of,

seals inventories and th e like d uties and it is our will that in the
, ,

absence of the said I ntendant and said F irst Councillor that the
, ,

oldest in point of seniority perform the functions we have attributed

to the First Councillor .

We em power our A ttorney G eneral of the said Council to fulfill

without exception all the functions of our other A ttorney G enerals
in our Courts and Councils and we enj oin upon the clerk to keep the
record of all the decisions that shall be rendered by our said Council

and of all that may be done or ordered by our said First Councillor ,

fi lling the othee of presid ing J udge and to deliver to him all the ,

necessar y records .

Whereby we command our very dear and faithful L ord Chan

cellor o f France the Sr P helypleaux Count of Pontchartrain that
, .

these pres ents be carried out that he have them read at the pres ent
,

session and registered in the record s of the Court of Chancery of

,

France that the content of the same be kept and observed according
,

to its form and tenure end ing and putting an end to whatever op
,
78 T he L ouisiana Historical Quarterly
posing tr u o ble bt
or o s acle all ordiances , declarations rulings and ,

whatever else is contrary to it which , we have abrogated and do

abrogate by thes e presents .

I n witness of which we have had our seal set to thes e presents ,

given at Versailles the eighteenth day of December in the year of

,

G race one tho usand seven hundred and twelve and of our reign the
,

seventieth .

(Signed ) L OUI S .

(Signed ) PH E L YPL E A U X .

R ead and pub lished at the present session of court held in Paris ,

the 24th December 1712 by order of Monseignueur Phelypleaux, , ,

Chevalier Count ofPontchartrain Chancellor of France Commander

, ,

of the ord ers of his M aj esty R ecorded in the records of the Court .

of France by us Councillor of the King in his Councils and officer of

the Court of Chancery of France .

(Sig ned ) OGI E R .

w v b
I t ill ha e een notice that the dict inclu es in the uncil d E d Co
t
the L ieu enant G eneral (G ernor) of N ew rance and the ov F ,

I ntendant of the same T hese ere e i entl ex officio mem ers

. w vd y -
b .

T he oflicial rec r sh s as a odow

e state tha Ducl s was app inted bov d t o o
first Councill r, but o M
artin gi es him the title, Com missaire r n v O do
h ats a t H e pro a l hel the
. b by d
u le ofl ice and in the f rmer capa do b o
cit y d j d
was the presi ing u ge and theref re the first in L uisiana , o o .

o d
I n n ne o f the e icts is there any menti n of the thee of n en ant o o I t d
o
for L uisiana, or of Co
mmissaire r nnateur , but ar in unif rml O do M t o y
uses the latter title and G ayarré the f rmer o .

The nten ant in N ew I d

rance and in the est I ndies was F W
an of fi cial of e ual ignit q d
i h the L ieutenant G eneral or y wt Gov
ernor and , bo b
th efore and aft er the creati n of Superior uncils o Co ,

these w
ere the principal of fi cials and este ith great p er It v dw ow .

o F
was the p licy of rance to i i e their uties ; general civil and dvd d ,

o o
m ilitary c ntr l was exercise the G ern r and all matters of d by ov o ,

o o
c mmerce p lice finance and ustice
, ,the nten ant, who als un j by I d o
o d
der these p wers enacte po ice ordinances and regula ions
l 4 t .

O y F
riginall I
in rance an nten ant was an offi cer charge ith d dw
v o ov o
super isi n ov
er l cal g ernment and to in uire into , c rrect and , q o
o b
ref rm a uses therein Co A mm issaire r onnateur on the ther
. Od , o
han d , dw
was one charge ith any particular ut and in este ith d y v dw
authorit y d o
to or er and perf rm the sam e When the itle nten ant . t I d
b id M d H d
‘Brissau

o
L w (C
ern
i . H is t F r Pub
. .

is tory V I I - 106
. a ont nental L egal H istory Series) N ote 1. p 477 . . Th e Ca n
r ge .
80 The Louisiana H{storical Quarterly

we owe the creation of a Council with similar po wers to the I ndies

rather than N ew France .

The Council
was a form of imperial government fam iliar to
France at home and also to E ngland and the Netherlands In the .

former it was also the usual municipal practice and it prevailed in the
A merican Colonies of the three nations where j ud icial power was
ex ercised by the G overnor or by him and the Council and som etimes
,

by the Council alone 6 .

I t seems to have first appeared in the French colonies under

R ichelieu A s early as 1627 he created the company of N ew France
. ,

ruled by a G overnor and I ntendant assisted by a council consisting

,

of the Superi or of the Jesuits and thr ee synd ics representing the

thr ee principal trading posts of the Province T his body possessed .

the j ud icial function with an appeal to the Parliam ent at R ouen ,

one of the Superior Courts of France A similar Company was cre

.

ated for the I sles of America with a government of like im port

,
.

Under Colbert in 1664 and his successors the general principle was
settled and enlarged with a view to consolidate all the American
,

Colonies under uniform system A lthough the older corporate ex

.

p er im en t had passed witho u t m uch to reco mm end it the id ea still ,

survived as shown in this farming out to Crozat and later on to the

,

Company of the West .

I t does not appear that the power o f legislating was conferred

on the s e Councils and it is not specified in our E dict of 1712 nor in
, ,

any o f the subsequent amendments They had the power and ex er

.

cisedit to make local or police regulations but the Ed icts and orders ,

emanating from France not infrequently trenched on this also .

Notwithstand ing res emblances in Councils there was a materi al

diflerence in the policy prevailing in N ew France and in the I slands
’
.

The former had been founded with feudal and proprietary views
uppermost the latter had been conquered from other nations or the
,

b uccaneers T he characterist ics of the people differed as did their

.

surround ings and there re , s ulted a freer life in the I slands and a ,

m ore liberal tendency in Government Conseq uently the Louisiana .

Colony had two somewhat antagonistic policies to assimilate ; event

ually governm ent there took on a mixture of both but with m ore ,

individual latitude to the people .

T here was one feature common to all Colonial Councils of the

t im e . T hey were specifically ord ered to ad minister j ustice in the
sam e manner in the same term s and und er the sam e laws as they were
,

n
see Cam bri d
od
Md
A meri can Co lonies in the 1 7th Century 2- 227 308 A s to its operation in N ew h
‘ . an ce
,

ge o ern H is tory V I I ; 87 et seq

.
 '

f L ouisiana
’

The L egal Instztutzons o 81

administered elsewhere for other subj ects of the King The Com .

missions of the I ntendants provided further that they should fill the
offi ce of presid ing j udge and in the deliberation of the Councils they
,

should in civil and criminal matters conform to the Custom of Par is

and the Ordonnance s and E dicts of the K ing 7 .

This being the machinery es tablished at the b irth of govern

ment in L ouisiana for the administration of j ustice therein it only ,

remains to add that the law civil and criminal ex tended to the Colony

was a body of permanent principles of law and practice set out in

the Ordonnance s of the K ings and particularly of L ouis XIV and ,

his immediate successors 8 together with the current legislation ,

represented by the E d icts of the same authority ; alongside these was

p laced th e C u s to m o f P ar is w hi ch w as su b st an ti ally a co difi ca,tio n

of the ancient law of France as understood and applied in the Capital

and domicile of the King R eferring to this period Bullard says :

.
,

I t is not a little remarkable that although successively ,

an append age ofthe m onarchies ofFrance and Spain L ouisiana ,

never knew anything like a right of primogeniture and a

p rivileg ed cla ss No p ar t o f feu d al ity

. w a s ev e r kn ow n he re ,

neither inequality in the distribution of e s tates nor fiefs nor , ,

signories nor mayorazgos

, The grants of lands were all .

allod ial and under no other condition than that of cultivation

,

and im provement within lim ited period s ; in fact essentially ,

in fee simple T he colonists brought with them as the basis of

.
,

their municipal law the Custom ofParis By the charter in favor , .

ofCrozat the laws edicts and ord inances of the realm and the
, , ,

Custom ofParis are expressly extended to L ouisiana T o this

, .

Custom which we all know was a body of written law may be

, ,

traced the origin ofmany of the peculiar institutions which still

distinguish our j urisprudence from that of all the other states
of the Union I allude especially to the m atrimonial communi
.

ty o f gains the rigid restrictions on the d isinheritance of

,

child ren and the reserve portion in fav or of forced heirs

, ,

the severe restraints upon widows and widowers in relation to ,

donations in favor of second husbands and wives by the ,

E d it des Secondes N aces ; the inalienability of dower and the ,

strict guard s by which the paraphernal rights of the wife are

secured against the ex travagance of spendthrift husband s .

The comm unity of acquets and gains between husband and

wife is altogether a creature of customary law unknown to the ,

M lia ap i J
Re erto re d (C de S urispru ence 825 olonic ec 7, 473-4 , B russels, 1
Jd S m
. .

‘W K D
. . Lar t, a . u i .
yst e L Di , p 8, N o 11 ,
. . and p 13, N o 16
. . . 1 a .
g es t
 82 T he L ouisiana Histon cal
’

Quarterly
j urisprudence of R ome and even in those provinces of France ,

formerly governed by the written law I t is said to be of G er .

man or Sax on origin and during the regime of the first two ,

races of the kings of France the share of the wife was one ,

third instea d of one half of the property acquired during

,
-
,

marriage as regulated by the existing code

”
9 .
,

I n the state of our local records it is im possib le to tell anything

of the workings of the first Superior Council on the j ud icial side — it
clearly was our first court and that is practically all we know now
, ,
.

The Colony was a petty afi air and its new rulers accomplished little
‘
,

ex cept to hold it together .

During this period B ienville was retained at first as military

comm ander and later as Comm ander G eneral of all the e s tab lish

ments on the M ississippi River and its tributaries which to an ,

extent separated him from the seat of G overnm ent the Capital ,

being peripatetic flitting along the G ulf Coast from Biloxi to Mobile
, .

I n 1716 G overnor Cad illac was recalled and replaced by De

l E pinay while H ubert became Comm issaire I ntendant as successor
’

, ,

to Duclos recalled The new officials arrived in 1717

. .

Ou September 18 1716 an E d ict was issued am ending the law

, ,

of 1712 creating the Superior Council I ts historical value j ustifies .

its reprod uction particularly as it clears up some obscure spots in our

,

histories Omitting pur ely formal parts it is as follows :

.
,

Edict September 18 1716 We have by our letters

, , .

p ate nt o f Decem ber 18 1 712 f or t he reaso ns therein sta ted , , ,

estab lished a Superior Council in our Province of L ouisiana

to ad minister j ustice to our subj ects d uring the period of three

years commencing from the day of the first session and as we
, ,

have j udged that it was conducive to the good of our service

and to the interest of said Colony to establish permanently

the said Council we have ordered and decreed that

,

the Superior Council es tablished in our said Province of

L ouisiana shall in the future perform the same functions as it
has in the past and accordingly we have created and es tab
,

lished and do by this ed ict perpetually and irrevocably estab

,

lish and create the same in co nformity to those of the others of

our Colonies .

It shall be composed of the G overnor (our L ieutenant

‘

G e neral) of N ew France of the I ntendant of Justice P olice , ,

and Finance to said country of the Particular G overnor of the ,

Jan 13 l HR t ot lm
’
fi ench s
m
m m
. ,

M Part l 15 1111l m “ o( the last

y
u h n eti c li
gd gu
.

century and
, dge o t our Supreme or a e Seeon es erli n l bid l ss
.
 The L egal Instztutions f L ouisiana 83
’

sai d Province of L ouisiana our first Councillor our L ieutenant

, ,

and two of our Councillors a Procureur G eneral and a Clerk

, ,

granting power to the said Council to j udge in the last resort

all suits and d ifferences civil as well as cri minal instituted
, ,

or to be instituted between our subj ects in said Province

, ,

and this without any costs T hey shall assemb le them selves
.

on certain d ays and hours at such place as shall be deem ed

,

by them most convenient at least once a month and all

, ,

j udgm ents rendered by said j udges shall be executed in the

same manner as the decrees of our courts and Superior Coun

cils ; provided that th e same shall be rendered by not less than

three j udges in civil m atters and prohibiting them from

j udging criminal matters except by five j udges .

Our said Council is permitted in case of absence or legiti

mate excuse of the j udges established by these presents to ,

call in their lieu and stead such persons as they shall believe

the m ost capable of performing the functions of j ud ge pro ,

vided that the requirement as to three j ud ges in civil matters

and hy e j udges in criminal matters shall always be observed

in order to give efi ect to the j udgments .

Our Governor L ieutenant G eneral in N ew France shall

preside over said Council and in his absence the I ntendant of
,

Justice Police and Finance and in the same order the partien
, ,

lar Governor of the said Province of L ouisiana the first ,

Councillor ; our L ieutenant and the two councillors shall pre

side in case of absence of the others .

Nevertheless the I ntendant ofJustice Police and Finance

, , ,

of N ew France even though the Governor L ieutenant G eneral

,

be present at the Council and presid ing over the same shall ,

assemb le the opinions receive the vote of those prese t

n
me
,

and pronounce the j udgm ent and he shall have the sa ,

advantages and perfor

m the same functions as the First
President ofour Courts ; in case ofthe absence of the intendant ,

our F1rst Councillor sh all exercise the same r ight notwith ,

stand ing it be presided over by our said Governor conferring ,

upon our said First Councillor the functions of j udge of him

‘

instance such as the fix im and breaking of seals inven

, tories , ,

and other provisional matters in the absence dfthe Intehdarit

‘

and of the Fir st Councillor the ol dest hi point of service of our

,

said Co uncillors shall perform the same function s tha t we

have conferred on the said First Co uncillor .
84 T he L ouisiana H zstorical
'

Quarterly
Our Procureur G eneral to said Council shall have power
to perform without exception all the other functions of our
, ,

other Procureurs G eneral in our Courts and Councils and the

said Clerk shall keep a register of all j udgm ents rendered by

our said Council and of all that shall be done and ordered by

our said First Councillor in his capacity as fir st j ud ge Done .

at Paris Sept 18
, .
,

od
A general r er or eclarati n of the d ing regar ing o
d Co
lonial K
No tar ies was issue d
A ug 2 1717 and ransmi e . t ,tt d to
L ouisiana ,

for obser ance v . o d

I t is new legislati n eparting from the rule ob v d
ser e ,

F d to
in rance and may be sai to be the lineal ances r of all our su es
, b
q uent legislation on the su ec of bj t No
tar ies Pu lic b
The Ed
ict .

recites that these n taries had faile o d to o o

f ll w the regulati ns for o
registr y v
and preser ation of A cts ex ecu e td b o t
ef re hem and that
y b o d
man of these had een l st or maltreate and tha c n iti ns gen t o d o ,

erallyw ere unsa isfact r t oy

and re uire q d
a rem e dy
I t is thereup n o .

ordered :
1 T hat all A cts and instrum ents heret f re or hereafter oo
ex ecu e td b
efore notar ies shall be un ge ther in the r er of bo d to od
date and y
ear placing each
, y
ear separatel in a c er or lume ov y vo
having the year upon the back .

2 That the procureur (attorney ) general shall proceed with

in three months from the promulgation hereof to ascertain whether
the notar ies have complied and are complying with this law and a ,

like d uty was laid on him for the future H e shall file with the .

Superior Council a written report showing the condition in which he

has found the A cts and whether the law is being obser ved A fine is .

p rov id e d fo r th e h ref o f
f en se a lar g er h u e
, for th e nex t an d re m ova l
from ofii ce for co ntinued contumacy .

3 The procureurs were fur ther ordered to recover all notarial

.

acts from the heirs of deceased notar ies or those who had resigned ,

o r who had been removed to m ake an inventory thereof and give

, ,

a copy of the same to the heirs The A cts to be delivered to the

.

Clerk of the Superior Council and bound b y him in the order of years
as herein before provided and without costs to the heirs
, A sim ilar .

p rov is ion w a s est ab lish ed for all n ot a ria l a cts in th e po sses s ion of a n y
p e rso n— th e s a m e to b e d ep o site d w ith th e C ler k a s C u stod ia n th ere o f ,

and copies to be supplied to the depositors without costs .

4 . For a period of five years after such deposit the fees received
by the Clerk for copies of such acts shall be divided one half to the -

“ Cl da en ar of Documen ts, 28-31 .

 The L egal Institutions f L ouisiana
o 85

Notary or the heirs the other to the Clerk and thereafter wholly to
,

the Clerk 1 1 .

I n A ugust 1717 Crozat transferred his rights with the King s

’
, ,

pe rm i ssi on to th e new C om pa n y of th e W est H is sh o rt s h ad in .

’

creased the population slightly bettered the Colony in some aspects , ,

but his exclusive privileges and monopolies had bred discontent and
besides induced an illicit trade with the Spaniards who had t e ,

fused to permit ofiicial traffi c with their colonies The venture was a .

losing one for Crozat and did not much help France When he sur .

rendered his grant Martin (123) says the sum ofhis efforts at coloni
, ,

zation counting tr oops and colonists had not swollen the p0pula
, ,

tion to more than seven hundred persons of all ages sexe s and colors , .

Crozat however had settled posts at various places on the Mis

, ,

sissippi river and elsewhere and the Canad ians had also begun to use ,

the river while other adventurers had fallen on trouble in the Spanish
,

p os se s sio n t o th e wes t the w ho le crea tin g a ro ma

,n tic ch ap ter in ou r
history which G ayarré has dul y exploited .

II I

1 717 1 732
- . T h e Co m pany of t h e West .

I n Sep em t ber , 1717, the Charter of the Company of the West

som etimes Mississippi Company Formed primarily to fund
the .

the enormous and depreciated floating debt of France to that end ,

the Crown vested in the Corporation among other assets full sovere , ,

ignity in L ouisiana The charter reserved to the Crown only a

.

trifling annual gift and the faith and homage of the Company
, .

Th e powers and rights conveyed cover many things that do not

co ncern this essay but they included the right to appoint Superior
,

Co uncils ; to name governors and the commanders of troops to ap ,

p o in t a nd re m ov e all j ud ge s s av e t h ose of th e adm iral ty

, ; to gra nt
the land in fee simple and also to erect churches and install clergy .

French subj ects removing to the Colony retained their national

character children of these or of E uropean parents
, , born here , ,

p r o fessin g t he R o ma n C a th olic re lig io n fell in the s am e cat eg ory , .

T he inhabitants were to be protected as before by the laws of France

86 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
and the t
cus om of Paris . The y were also exem pted from any tax or
imposition 1 3 .

T he N ew R egime arri e in the C lon

fi cials of the
of e ruar vd o yFb y
9, 1718 artin menti ns
. M nl three : Bien ille ith the title o o y v , w
o d G
C mman ant e neral in place of o ern r de l E pinay , recalle
-
G v o ’
d ,

Boisbriant as
’
K
ing s L ieutenant and H u ert as Direct r e neral , b o G
of the ompan C These ere proba l y
emp rar . changes in the w by t o y
old g ov
ernment but ma eriall the face of things altere
, rapi l t y d dy
d
un er the om pan s acti i C , and new legislation f y
oll we
’
uickl v ty o dq y .

b
Oh Septem er 1 1, 1719, an dict was iss ue re rganizing the E d o
v
G o ernm ent and we stri e here a cumen of first hist rical alue k do t o v .

French rule . We know

English translation and the French of no
one in our archives is not easy to consult I t is a fine example of the .

current meth od of legislation and because of its intrinsic merit and

profess ional interest it seem s ex cusab le t o transcri be it,in full ,

saving formalities and redundancies .

E dict of September 12, 1719 .

L ouis, by
King of France and of
the G race of G od,
Ns varre to all to whom these presents come greeting
, ,

By our E d ict of the month of Septem ber 1716 concern , ,

ing the establishment of a Superior Council in L ouisiana

similar to those of our other Colonies we have decreed that ,

the Council shall be composed of our Governor L ieutenant ,

General in our Country of N ew France of the I ntendant of ,

Justice Police and Finance of the same country of the

, , ,

p art icular G ov ernor of the said coun try of L ouisiana of our ,

first lieutenant Councillor for us of our two Co undllors our

, , ,

A ttorney General and a Clerk , .

Since then by our letters patent of the month of A ugust

, ,

1717 we have granted to the company of commerce which we

, ,

have established under the name of the Company of the West ,

our said country of L ouisiana in all seignorial property and

j ustice in perpetuity with the right alone to have its commerce,

during the space of twenty five years ; and by our decrees of -

Septem ber 27 we have united and incorporated our country

,

of the I llinois to the said country of L ouisiana to be enjoyed

by the said company So the said country ofL ouisiana shall .

be enjoyed accord ing to our letters patent .

“
Documents pp 43-6 1
M
uC alendar o f
'

Council .
”
B e here follow s
statment.
G ayarre, 1 -203 exec
. .

artin, 12 4, wbonl he often copies or

.

g
those
raph ras g fi
ud
e
o f theSupa io r
lang uage of the
grant authori zes m y
 T he L ouisiana H isto ncal
’

Quarterly
as they will d etermine is most convenient and proper at least ,

once a month .

T o facilitate the administration of j ustice in these foreign

p lac es an d at d ista nces from wh ere th e Sup er ior Co un cil
hold s its sessions we order that the said Company shall sug
,

ges t to us j ud g es w hom the y wish app o in te d A s t h ese j ud ges .

we order establish and appoint the head s or the par ticular

, ,

directors whom the Company have established in the said

country .A s to others they are to appoint throughout the
,

said country capable and honest men

, .

I n civil matters three j ud ges shall sit and in criminal ,

matters five j udges as j udges of the first instance The nam es .

and positions of those who form the q uorum shall be given

in the decrees and an appeal therefrom shall be to the Superior
,

I n case of appeals fr m such u gm en s in o j d t

i il cases Cv
t y
he shall b o
ec me ex ecut r o y ot t
n wi hstan ing , but not ind
p rj
e u dice s uc to
h app ea l s up n the su ccess fuo
l litiga nt gi ing v
good a nd s uffic ien t secu r it to th e l er j y
udge ow .

v ow
We gi e p er to the Superior uncil to eci e in the Co d d
o w o
last res rt , and ithout appeal, all c ntests cases, and tr u les , o b
b w bj t o
et een our su ec s and all ther pers ns in the sai c untr , o d o y
w d
hich sai mat ers shall be etermine t d d by
the C uncil at its o
regular sessi ns o .

d d d
We esire that all ecrees ren ered by Co the uncil shall
be entitled with our name sealed with the seal of our arms
,

and executed j ust as are the d ecrees o f our Courts and Su

decree in a civil matter except by the concurrence ofthree mem

bers and in criminal matters except by the concurrence of five
,

mem bers under the penalty of nullity .

I n the event of absence recusation illness or other, , ,

o
p p
r er grou nd o f ex cuse the Co uncil may d esign ate fi t a nd
capable persons to fill the functions of j udges in their place ,

and stead so that ad ministration of j ustice may not be re

,

tarded and so that decrees in civil m atters may always be

,

rend ered with the assent of three j ud ges and in criminal mat

ters with the assent of five j udges .

We ordain that the Clerk of the said Council shall enter

on his minute book each ay s procee ings and decrees
’

wherein he ll o
sha
din ea
d
ion e da on ch sess th m th ,
,

enter c ncern g y,
 '

T he L egal Instztutzons i
’

f
o L ou s iana 89

and year of the same where the Council met and the names
, ,

of the j ud ges who were present at the sessions When he .

enters j ud gm ent he must give the names of the j udges who

render the decree as well as the names and positions of the

pa r ti es to th e su it a lso th,e p re se n ce o f an y s u b s titu ted j u d ge ,

as well as the time of the return of the original j udge .

We wish that j ustice shall be administered gratuitously by

the Superior Council and we prohibit any of our j udges as ,

well as our A ttorney G eneral from receiving any sum what ,

ever from the parties either under the guise of compensation ,

costs or presents or by any pretext whatsoever under the

,

p e n a l ty o f re m o v a l fro m oth e e N e v ert hele ss . th e C ler k o f th e

Council shall be entitled to fees in j udicial matters according

to the schedule set out in the margin of his register to be fixed ,

and approved by the First Councillor .

Whenever the Superior Council is obliged to send one or

several deputies beyond the place where the Council holds its

sessions the said deputies and the Clerk shall receive a per
,

diem compensation according to the num ber of days occupied

by them in going and returning This shall be based upon a .

tax to be fix ed by the Superior Council and the Clerk and his ,

deputies shall receive this in addition to their regular tax .

T he Superior Council may appoint one or several capable

p er s o n s , as th e y see fi t t o ex e rc i
, se th e fun c t io n s o f Sh erifl to
‘

this Council if they deem it necessar y ; their salaries shall be

regulated by the Superior Council The comm ission to .

Sheriffs may also be issued by the Directors of the Company

or the head s of the Company m the Colony I f they j udge it .

necessary they shall regulate their salaries according to par ti

,

culat d istricts .

I n order to enforce these provisions we appoin t to these

p os it io n s in th e C ou ncil th e S ie u r L e M o i n e d e B ie n vill e ,

Director of the Company and Commandant General for ,

us the Sr H ubert another Director of the Company the

, . , ,

Sieurs L arsebaul t M onicault de Villardeau and le G ac also

, , ,

Directors of the Com pany the Sr de Boisbriant our first , .

,

L ieutenant the Sr De Cateaugut our second L ieutenant and

, .
, ,

the Sr Coutourier who is designated by the said Company

.
, .

We fur ther by these presents appoint the Sr de B ienville to

, , .

the first place in the Council the Sr H ubert to be our First , .

Councillor and in this quality ex ercise the functions of Presi

,

dent of the Council and to have the second place therein the
, ,
90 The L ouisiana Historieal Quarterly

Srs L arsebault M onicault de V illardeau and L e G ac to be

.
, ,

our Councillors of the Sword , which Councillors shall hav e the

Coutourier to be Clerk ofthe Council to keep an exact record of

its decrees, and of all other acts of j ustice and to deliver the
necessar y proces s and copies to the par ties .

We appoin t as torney General

At the Sieur Chartier de
B aune, who has been our Councillor of the Chatelet and

Keeper of our seal which he shall keep and use in all the
,

functions of the said Council I n his default it shall be kept . ,

by our first Councillor and by the others in succession ex

, ,

cepting that the functions of this office shall never be exercised

by our Councillors of the S word or by the C ommandan t
G eneral .

We grant to the said Company the right to revoke all these

app ointments , and to app oint others in their place , sub ectj

e dict of the month of Septem ber , 1716, shall be execute d in its

decree , w e ord and
er t hat Sr H ubert , as our first C ouncillor, .

shall execute the said ed ict together with this one , .

We order d
Srs de B ienville H ubert L arsebault
the sai .
, , ,

Monicault de Villardeau and L a G ac Directors of the said ,

Company in the Country of L ouisiana, and the other j udges

register, and inscribe on the record s of the said Council this
decree which they shall respect and obey A ll those who live or .

are found in the said country m ust recognize as the j ud ges of

d
un er the penalt y of punishment for d isobedience for which ,

they will be proceeded against according to the rigor of such ,

ordinances as it will be our pleasure to enact .

Do ne at Paris in the mo nth ofA ugust in the year ofGrace ,

1719 and of our reign the fourth

,
” .

This elaborate charter did not change the basic element of

g overn m e nt w ,hic h c on tin ue d to d eriv e its general powers from the

E dict of 1 712 and the sim ilar powers ofMartinique and San Domingo
,

to which was now added the powers exercised by the m ost favored
gov ern m en t o f th e E as t I nd ie s .

“T d f m i C l d fD m
ranslate ro copy n 6
a en ar o ocu ents, pp . 1-7
.
 The L egal Institutzons L i i 91
’

o f ou s ana

k ing feature in all our Edicts is the composition of the

A stri

court L aym en were certainly in the maj ority in the Superior Coun
.

cil which was the C ourt of last res ort and we know positively that
, ,

the j ud ges outsid e of B iloxi and N ew Orleans were not lawyers as a

rule In these last nam ed places it is possible at least one j udge had
.

professional skill .

ov o
The pr isi n regu lating appeal is er curi us T here was no v y o .

appeal from the ecrees of the Superi r d uncil 14 and as to the o Co ,

appeal to it no d o bo d
n was re uire fr m the appellant but the appellee q '
,

t
in hi s turn c ul execu e the u gment j d o d by v
gi in g b o d
n W e a ls o .

v
hnd here for the first tim e legislati e reference to the office of Sheriff ,

and that he is to be app inte o d by C

t he ourt The earlier Ed icts in .

I t F o o
dicate that the n endant ofNew rance had c ntr l ofits ecrees, a d
rather clum s y pr ov isoi n H o wv
e er this iv w
e ma y b e u n wa
.rr a nt e d , ,

th eCo uncil pr ob b y d o o
a l execute its own pr cess ; the C urts of rance F
wy o
had al a s enj oy ed the right to app int the huissier or sheriff th ugh o ,

th eK v j d o
ing filled the oflice in lucrati e uris icti ns .

v vd
We ha e no e i ence to sh ow d t
how the epartmen s of go ern v
men tw vd d
ere di i e in prac tice d bt
There can be no ou of the i isi n dv o .

b F ob vd
ecause our rench f r ears lo e the titles d o
ignities and em luments ,
‘

of ofl v y d o
ice and there is e er in ication the L uisianans uic l be
, q ky
o
came apt sch lars .

o y
I n 1720 or 172 1 the c ol n upper and l ower was d dd t
ivi e in o
nine d istricts d
The e ict is not in our recor s and here
. d I foll wo
G ayarré (1 27 y
who sa s that the Districts
-
w
ere N ew Orleans ,

o Mob
B il xi ile A libam ons
, N
atchez , Y oo N
az atchitoches Ar , , , ,

k ansas and the I o o d

llino is ; that a l cal c mm an er and a u ge was
, j d
assigne d to each
“
j
to put ustice w
ith greater ease in reach of the
,

Co o ow d o
l nists ; and that appeal was all e fr m the l er ecisi n to ow d o
the Superi ro Co uncil sitting at B ilox i d
I t is sai elsewhere that the .

I o o o bo d
llin is District had a c uncil inferi r and su r inate to the main
body o j d o
There is nothing to sh w the territorial uris icti n of these
.

d w d by
istricts , but it oul inference appear that the present state of
L ouisiana was comprise dw O N
ithin the N ew rleans and atchitoches
divisions 15 .

dv o b d
A spiritual i isi n was also esta lishe in 1723 the territor y ,

d dd d j d o
being ivi e into three istricts or uris icti ns for this purpose and ,

hm
O M y " n a V d d m r
m
23, 1724 , t e o unci o t tate at ersailles eci e that no appeal
h C l S d l a v
as atter o f
a
ri h t

h
g
w
t e petit on
i
m
o grac e an d eq uit
ithC
m m
to e anate fro
t
e
Co
n the j udg ents o f the Supen or
K
w
th
h f
h
unci l
n
ing on pet1t10
d mm d C l
ierk o the ounci l as t ere ore is
C
f
to the thro ne
e
k
T at any re view o the sa e
b
A h 11
a endar o
m
d .

.
.
d e as a atter
ta en b y lo ging
ta, 94-5 .

(M iss V all y I concur

M 1 -346) says, and that this was the final separation from N ew
u Nl one tte . e , ,

tion after the surrender c l the Co m pany s rig h ts, says L ouisiana
p artin, wri ting o f the
d d
’
F rance .

evi ence oes not sustai n thi s V iew

_ .

was still art of N ew F rance, but .

 Quarterly
'

92 The L ouisiana His to ncal

the wh le o o
L uisiana fr m the m uth of the Ri er
of o o
the llinois v to I
comp se o done of these un er the care of the Capuchins d .

I n 1 72 1 (Sept 5) a Co d
uncil of A ministration for the affairs of
.

o y o
the C mpan was rganize c mp se of the G o ernor, L ieutenant d o o d v
du roi (or L ieutenant G o ern r) the Direc or r v o
nnateur, or t O do
C omm issar y
Director the C
hief Direct r and a Sub Direct r of
, o ,
-
o
o
A cc unts to meet dail at B ilox i y w
here its mem ers were compelle , b d
to resi ed w o v
ith the ex cepti n of B ien ille , who was permitte to resi e d d
1n N ew Orleans This segregate the usiness of the
. d
mpan fr m b Co y o
b v
the usiness ofthe go ernment and cleare the Superi r ouncil of all d o C
that detail .

I n June 1722 news of L aws downfall reached L ouisiana; the

’

, ,

R egent of France appointed three comm issioners to manage the

Company s affairs here and I find nothing to show any change in the
’
,

system therefater I t was these commissioners Faget M achinet

us .
, , ,

and Ferrand who gave co nsent to the tran sfer of the Capital from
,

Bilox i and in 1722 Bienville rem oved it to N ew Orleans the site of

, ,

which he had selected in 1718; this carried with it the transfer of the
Superior Council Shortly after the rem oval Charlevoix visited
.

this wild and desert place of about one hundred huts

“ ”
but it ,

ceased to d eserve that epithet long before the Western Company

laid down its power A little later the traveler Dum ont attended the
.

sessions of the Superi or Council at N ew Orleans I n his book he says : .

I n this City there is a Council which meets genera lly

“

every T uesd ay and Saturd ay I t is composed of six coun .

cillors an A ttorney G eneral and an I ntendant who is also

, ,

Comm issaire Ordonnateur ; there is also a R egister and a

Secretar y to the Council L aw suits are settled there without .

attorneys or Counsellors and consequently without expense

on the pleadings of the parties? "

Fortier amuses himself (H istory L a 1 99 100) over this de .

- -
,

claring j t was the golden age of the City when law suits were settled
‘

without lawyers and without expense H e might have added that .

the Councillors were specially selected for their experience in such

matters and if not lawyers their general fitness made them good
sub stitutes ; they were provided by the governm ent free and it was ,

p art o f th eir fu nctio ns t o hear the prelim i n ary com plain ts of litig ants

and to assist in d raft ing their pleadings There was no code of prao .

ticelin the way ex ceptions in limine or peremptory were unk nown ;

,

the sole obj ect was to hear each party on the facts and to render

“l G ayarre 272 , 282

,

q
" M emoires H is tori ue ; F rench
.
’
s H ist. Co l L a
. Part V . 26 .
 T he L egal Institutions f
o L o uisiana 93

j ustice accordingly The procedure would be better designated as a

.

sort of arb itration a prim itive condition suited to the situation

, In .

deed the old records of the Court show much more arbitration than
litigation except that the latter nearly always followed upon the re
,

p o rt of the arb itrators I t seem s however to be accepted among the

.
, ,

history m akers that there were no lawyers at that time in L ouisiana

or for that m atter during any of the subsequent period s I am in .

clined to think this is true only in a way I t certainly could not have .

been a tempting legal held when disagreement with the local rulers ,

was apt to res ult in summ ary passage to France or the Colonies ,

but that alone would not account for the lack of lawyers A situation .

quite similar existed in the E nglish Colonies until the middle of the
18th Century The true reason I suspect is that the A ttorney or
.
, ,

Procureur G eneral was regarded as the lawyer of the people rather

than of the governm ent but whether he or the Councillors held ,

this relation their service was furnished free and a lawyer not in
, ,

G overnment employ would have had l ess than the ordinary chance
to sur vive The record s of the later years however show lawyers
.
, ,

at work in the court and the archives some day will solve this and other

b
In Decem er 172 1 a general e ic was issue applica le to
, , d t d b
o
all c lonies esta lishing a b
ual tut rship for m in rs here hed o o , w t y
po ssesse p p
r erd
t in ran o
ce and in th e y
olonies , F
or ha d a resi ence C d
y
in one and propert in the ther place This e ict is an ther speci o . d o
men of carefully reasone riginal legislati n ase do
up n the practice o b d , o
o t b
in R me, here eing no prece ent in rance n er this law a min r d F U d . o
so situate had two tutors, each in epen ent of the other a minis er d d , d t
ing the person or propert or y
th as it might happen accounting to bo ,

b
his own tri unal and in no sense ancillar y to the ther
,
18 o .

I n Decem ber; 1722, two C mm issi

Du Saunoy and Dela o oners ,

chaise were sent ov er to assist the three commissioners in adj usting

,

L aws affairs and also to inquire into and take information on the
’

conduct of all the of fi cers and administrators of the Colony and to ,

report thereon to the G overnment ; this was a pleasant attention

‘

usually aw ard ed to off cials in the whole period of French rule and
i ,

it is not altog ether unknown in this day Du Saunoy died shortly

'

after his arrival and Delachaise remained clothed with all the eu
,

thority of the j oint commission B ienville was recalled to France .

early in 1724 to answer charges brought against him re ard ing his
,
g
management of the Colony and his cousin Boisbriant was ap ,

" Cl da en ar of Documents. 67-71 .

 The L ouisiana Histon cal Quarterly
'

94

poin et d Governor ad interim On Delachaise s report Boisbriant

.
’
,

was also summoned to France three members of the Council were

,

dismissed from ofii ce the Arttoney General s resignation was de

,
’

m anded and his offi ce suppressed for the time being

, .

Before B ienville s departure and alm ost the last act under
’
,

his rule the Superior Council in Mar ch 1724 prom ulgated the
, , ,

Crown s fam ous Code Noir of L ouisiana established to meet the

’

enormous increase of negro slaves under the Western Company s

’

rule ; the whites in N ew Orleans and in some other portions of lower

,

L ouisiana had fallen to a decided minority This Code moreover .

, ,

p rov id ed for th e e x pu lsion of the J e w s f rom th e Co lony u nd er penalty

of confiscation of property and imprisomnent of the bo y and al so
d ,

forbade the exercise of any religion but the R oman Catholic 19 .

Perier succeeded B ienville in 1725 and Delachaise became ,

Comm issaire Ordonnateur or R o yal Commissary The d isgraced .

officers were ordered to appear before Per ier and Delachaise to stan d

trial for their offi cial acts a nd instructions were also issued to Perier
,

that he would be the ex ecutive officer and military commander of the

Colony but Delachaise should have official supervision of its police
,

and comm erce and exclusiv e j udicial administration ; in short the ,

two officers to subsist completely independ ent of each other and their
po we rs and f un c tio ns kept d ist inc t ly ap art Th is rig id pro .

vision arose out of the everlasting and unending dissension that had
again filled B ienville s administration and which had resulted in his
’
,

o o that power should be divided in the Colony be

.

fled the c nclusi n

tween two persons only and that each be held responsible for his
,

acts in his department .

Under this authority Delachaise apparently became the sole

law oflicer of the Colony or at any rate for the time being and it is
‘
, ,

said he d evoted himself earnestly to his j udicial d uties settling dls

p utes an d sirnplifying t he law so that there was pe ace the ree fter in
the courts and between the administrative officers of the Colony .

H is power to override constitutions and customs is illustra ted by

G ay arré in the action of the Superi or Council on a ques tion of com
munity one of the few incidents oflaw and law making noted by our
,
-

historians H e says the Custom of Paris had brought int o the Colony
.

between French irnmigrants and I ndian women and upon the

the ,

death of the husband it was usual for the wife to ret urn to her people
, .

" Cl d
a en ar o f Documents. 75-90 .
96 The Louisiana H istorical Quarterly

defendant a sum ding

hundred livres in principal
ex cee a
Defi n ng and wishing to procure for our peo
p le resi ind
g in the a
s i co un r prom d
p t ustice fortythese j ,

r easons we , do
now enact, d
ecree and ord er that there be hel d
a ch wee
e k
one or two particular au iences at such ay s and d d
hours as will be fix ed by our Superior Co uncil which shall be ,

o
ch se n and named by the sa id Council It shall have the power .

to change thes e persons and to substitute such others as it

deems prOper requiring that these two councillors shall de
,

cid e definitely and in the last resort all and sund ry civil

cases brought before them which shall not ex ceed one hun

dred livres in principal granting them all power and j uris

,

diction in such cases We ord er that when they are divided

in opinion they shall call in a third councillor or a pract itioner
to decide conjointly with them by a plurality vote We do .

not intend to ex clude the sitting in this court of the first

councillor or the other councillors according to the rank of
, ,

their appointment but they shall so sit .

“
We reaffirm all other portions of our said edicts of Sept
1716 and Augus t 1719 not co ntrary to this law
, , .

We require this ed ict to be published and promulgated

to all our faithful subj ects and ever ything herein contained
,

must be observed obeyed and followed accord ing to its tenor

, , , ,

notwithstand ing anything to the contrary in any other edicts ,

declarations decrees and orders for it is our pleasure that this

, ,

one shall be fi nal and b ind ing .

I n A ugust 1728 the Council of State promulgated an ed ict of

, ,

historical im portance regar d ing the tenure of land in L ouisiana and

also to rectify abuses which had accumulated to the inj ury of actual

set tlers. I t is too long to copy but in substance it recites that land
,

had been obtained on concessions by non residents who were holding -

it without improvement or where actually settled it was not being

,

utilized for the benefit of the Colony and besides many conflicts had
,

arisen as to the co nd ition of titles generally It was therefore ordered .

that grants mad e by the Company not in physical possession of the

grantees shoul d lapse at the end of the year 1728 that those who ,

claimed ownership of land or possession of the same should appear

'

before the Superior Council within six months from the registry of the
decree in L ouisiana there to ex hibit their titles or claims for confirma
tion and in places beyond N ew Orleans before persons to be ap
,

p o int ed by t he F irst Councillor fo r that u

p p
r o se and th at all unoc ,
 '

The L egal Instztutions f Louisiana

o 97

cupied lan ds which have not been improved or for which no title is
presented shall fall into the public d omain without need of further
p roce d ur e . Th e s am e as to la n d for w hic h title or rig hts ex ist s b ut
which has been abandoned by the owner That as to lands owned .

and with title but not properly farmed or employed for the
,

p u b lic b e ne fit t
,he own er s sho uld be req uire d to be tte r th e c o n d itio n
under penalty of a fine of two hundre livres to be recovered
d
for the use of the hospital and further neglect or refusal to result in
,

forfeiture of the land .

Further provisions were made for the reduction of grants from

Manchac to the sea to twenty arpents front by the usual depth ;
owners were fur ther required to cultivate a certain area of thes e
lands or to use it for large herds of cattle and failure was punished by ,

fines and other penalties ; alienation was prohibited unless the statute
had been observed T he Company was also authorized to levy a
.

quitrent of a sou (one cent ) on every arpent cultivated or not and ,

hy e livres (about one dollar ) on every negro for the building of ,

churche s, gle bes an d h os i

p tals 33 .

The Superior Council was ord ered to enforce this ord inance but
it was a prolonged and diflicult task and was carried over into subse
quent administrations .

T he Com pany of the West now petitioned to be allowed to

surrender its rights in L ouisiana ; in J anuary 1731 this was permitted , , ,

to take effect as of J uly 1 1731 T wo delegates were appointed by

, .

the Crown in Novem ber 1731 to proceed in L ouisiana to liquidate

, ,

and settle the accounts of the Company with the Government and
with individuals ; its creditors were ordered to present their claims
to these delegates for examination approval and payment and they , ,

were prohibited from suing in E urOpe for any debt contracted in

Concurrently debtors of the Company were permitted to
, the
use its paper money and other evidences of debt in settlem ent with
,

the liquidators but the priv ilege was restricted to a limited period
,

I n the interim other ord ers destroyed the negotiability of this paper
and prohibited its circulation This was equivalent to repud iation
.

and prec ipitated a financial crisis E ventually the Crown took over .

the Company s property at an appraisement but how the cred itors

’
,

fared we do not know .

This question of a circulating m ed ium for local operations

afflicted L ouisiana d uring the whole French per iod and it was par

M
‘ artin,G 158; C d D m
ay arre. 1-39 1-2 ; alen ar o f ocu ents, 107- 117 .
 Quarterly
'

98 The L ouisiana Histon cal

ticularly acute at this time . T here are many orders of the Council
of State and se eral e v
d voring to legislate paper into dicts , all en ea

money or to regulate its relations with the silver of Spain This was .

one of the weakest elements of the Crown s policy and was never
’

handled with statesmanship nor with proper regard to the Colony s

’

needs T here was no time when gold or silver was current and aside
.
, ,

from the various ex ped ients with paper money more or less irredeem
able copper was the only currency or m oney of L ouisiana and that
,

was not plentiful ” .

The era of the estern W

mpan was the creati e and construc Co y v
v
ti e perio of L uisiana d o
I ts lines had een set in courses that te . b
mained unchanged in material aspects for ears to c me T he y o .

y
s stem was not the est but it was the s t
e rance woul b
permit , b F d .

y
The prosperit of the time was rem em ere as a legen e en when in b d d v ,

b
fact etter times were at han The people thought as artin d . M
wor te nearl a hun red ears later : y “
d
I t cannot be enie (he says y d d
169) that while L ouisiana was part of the mini n of rance it do o F ,

v
ne er pr spered but o
uring the fourteen ears of the
, m pan sd y Co y ’

v
pri ilege .

IV
1731 1 762 -
. Cr o wn Co lo n y .

With the passing ofthe Western Company the second generation ,

of L ouisiana the native born begin to take a hand in governm ent

, , .

T he petty offices are gradually filled by men who have a pride in the
country as d istinguished from France T he new Superior C ouncil .

contained a sprinkling of these but the maj or offices are still filled ,

with Frenchmen sent over by royal comm ission , .

T here was no change in the form of government 24 save that the ,

Superior Council was reorganized in M ay 1732 to eliminate the , ,

Company s representatives T he new administration included

’
.

Perier G o vernor Salmon Commissaire L oubois and D Ar taguette

’

, , , , ,

L ieutenants du roi or L ieutenant G o vernors Benac the town M aj or , ,

of N ew Orleans Fazende B rusle B ru L afreniere Prat and R aguet

, , , , , ,

Councillors Fleauriau A ttorney G eneral and R ossart Clerk and

, , , ,

Secretary .

T he institutional history of the nex t thirt y years from the point

of v iew of this essay may be d isposed ofin a line I t was mutation in .

office with changes only in the composition such as time and the exi
S d
“M M G rs Th mm
iller-Surrey
. d
e Co F . m C m bi U erce o f La . uring the rench R egi e . olu a niversity

“M
m
tu ies , L ong ans

I
silent ; and d d
reen Co , 19 16
d
arti n. 1 70, sa ys the Co lon
w
have foun no thing to c
d
d N 5
.

b G
.

co ntinue
the vie
to be a
ex presse
e pen enc y o f
in o te 1
N ew F rance.
.
ut ay arre a
 The L ouisiana Historzcal Quarterly
'

100

territorial and state governments and long remained one of our in

stitutions In his time also temporary add itions were made to the
.

j udicial corps through the appointment of four persons called as

sessors to assist in the adm inistration of j ustice Curative laws .

were also adopted to remedy informalities in j udicial and especially

succession procedure which had created litigation ar ising chiefly in the

countr y districts where there was either no legal of fi cial or an ignorant

or incompetent one I t was provided that thereafter public acts in
.

cluding inventories could be made by any two capable residents

attended by two witnesses and registered with the Council at N ew

Orleans Mobile or the I llinois as the case might be The act here
, .

made authentic appears to be one of the oldest forms of legal instru

ments in L ouisiana and there are many of them in our Archives .

On the criminal side the Court records show many hideous penalties
, , ,
—
inflicted brand ing the galleys and worse the civil side is more
p l easi ng re ad in g an d b
, ot h su bj ects sh ou l d be trea t ed by a sy m pa

thetic hand .

There is an interesting contemporaneous account by a laym an

of the last hours of the French regime Captain Charles Pittman
.
,

an E ng lish engineer and surveyor writes in the preface of his bo ok

,

that he spent hy e years in the colony ” surveying and exploring the

,

interior parts of the country and that his acquaintance with the
‘
,

p rinc ip al inh ab itant s

”
e n ab les hi m to sp ea k with au th ority H e say s .

further
vernment of L ouisiana is composed of a Governor
The G o ,

an I ntend ant and a R oyal Council The Governor is inves ted .

with a reat deal of power which however on the side of the

g , , ,

Crown is checked by the I ntendant who has the care of the

King 3 rights and whatever relates to the revenue ; and on
’

the side of the people it is checked by the R oyal Council

whose office it partly is to see that the people ar e not oppres sed
by the one or defrauded by the other The R oyal Council .

who style them selves L e Counseil Superieur de la L ouisiane ,

consists ofthe I ntendant who is first J udge the King s A ttorney

’

, ,

six of the principal inhabitants and the R egister of the Pt o

,

vince ; and they j udge in all criminal and civil matters E very .

man has a right to plead his own cause before them either ver
bally or by written petition ; and the evidences called on by
” 9 q
'
i j D T
ves no dates but t was ust at the c lose o d A baddie s sen rioe
’
He f u errage 1 1 . uotes .

I m Ab
d k b
w m
'
Di
'
ro d ad ie s ary o r f J 6
port o A t i w
12 7 4, the de ai ls o t an interv e
b G et een the o ve a
m
ernor and Pitt an. in w hic h hg
cautione m C i
e latter concer ning his o ver ( e ta l a out the

Ib i l Ri L k m
ess on .

m w m m
Pit t an as at that O
en t in N ew k
rleans en deavoring to enlist his se rv ices fo r wor

m
o on a
m M
p dg h m
nav
as an
i O
ntc artrai J
t on to N ew rleans fro
via B ayou St
S
the
Ri
o hn
.
ississippi
. 269
ee also
o f the erv l e
t1ac. 2-
ver a es
.
 T he L egal I m utations f
o L ouis iana 101

either p t
ar y atten d the examination of the Council I n a .

o
c urt li ke this eloquence or great abilities cannot support

I t d
The n en ant is c mmissar of the o arine and J udge of y M
y
the A dmiralt ; and he eci es in a summ ar manner all dis d d y
p u t es eb
tw ee n m er c h a n ts or w h a te er el se h a s a r ela ti n v o to
d
tra e . A final reference may be ma e fr m any u gment d o j d
g v by
i e n the n te n a nIt o r u ndc il to th e P ar lia m en Co
t of
Paris .

o d
T he planter is c nsi ere as a renchman en uring his d F v t
d
life, en uring a species of anishment and un ertaking great b d
d
har ships for the benefit of his c untr for which reas n he o y , o
has great in ulgence sh wn d hene er o hurricanes earth
. W v by ,

q k o
ua es or bad seas ns the planters suffer a st p is put to the
, , o
rigor of exacting credit rs o
The few taxes which are le ie . v d
are rem itte d v
and e en a vances ma e to repair their l sses d d o
and set them f rwar o d
On the ther han there can be no
. o d
o
temptati n to the planter to run frau ulentl in de t to the d y to b
p r ej ud ice of r e nc h m F erc h a n ts a s a ll d e ts th u gh c n tr ac te d b o o
by the planters in F
rance are le ie
d w i th grea e a se T h v
e t .

p o
r ces s p p
r er l aou th e n y
t ica t e is t ra n sm itt e d d
to Am erica and
d
a mitted as proo f there and le ie on the planter s e v d
s tate of
’

v k d
whate er in it may be H owe er care is a en that whils . v , tk t
o
c mpulsor y od d k
meth s are use to ma e the planter do j ustice
o d y b
the State shall not l se the in ustr of a useful mem er of the
o y
c mm unit ; the db w y v o d to
e t is al a s le ied acc r ing the sub
dbo
stance of the e t r y
Thus one part is not sacrifiw d to the
.

o y bo b d o
,

ther the
, th su sist the cre it r is satisfied and the , ,

db d
e tor is not ruine 29 .

Pittman is here evidently referring to the adm inistration of

lower L ouisiana and especially in the last paragraph I have not .

been able to ven fy his statement regarding appeals A s previously .

noted there was no appeal from the Superior Council in the time ofthe
,

Western Company Our local records however support the view

.
, ,

that appeals were permitted in the period of Pittman s visit and the
’

p ossib ility is that it wa s a rig ht con ferred in som e order or ed ict that
is not accessible .

“
p d m
Philip Pit t an p
hical escri ptio n
n .
“

d d m M d
T he rese t state o f the E uropean Se t tle
o f that river ill us trate
i
by plans and raug hts
ents on the ississippi w th a
pp 12 13
"
g eog ra L . . . o n on. 1 770 .
 Quarter!y
'

102 T he L ouisiana Histo ncal

Oh the other hand Parkham writing , , o

of c nditi ns o in upper
L ouisiana at this same period (1764) says : 30

The military c mm an ant whose stati n was at o rt d o Fo

C hartres on the ississippi rule the ol n M with a s a , d C o y wy
bo
a s lute as that of the P asha of E g pt and u ge ci il and y , j d d v
o
criminal cases with ut right of appeal y et this power was ex ,

ercised in a patriarchal spirit and he usuall c mman ed the y o d

respect and confidence of the pe ple o .

Oh the whole record as I see it this is an overstatem ent but there , ,

is confirmation for it at the close of the Spanish period .

T he cession to Spain in 1762 closes the French period A ubry .

held over for four years until O R eilly s arrrival in 1 766 but whether
’ ’

we call this an interregnum or by any other name it certainly was ,

not under France which administered it pro tern so to speak and on

, ,

every opportunity declared the transfer irr evocable .

I n my j udgment it should be included in the Spanish peri od ,

and I shall treat it accord ingly .

The archives of the Superior Council from its organization

under the E dict of 1719 to the Spanish period 81 comprise deeds ,

mortgages marriage contracts wills inventories records of trials

, , , , ,

civil and crim inal opinions and j udgments ; in brief here lies the evi

dence of every j udicial act and of every other transaction that re

quired consent approval or execution by the Government The
, .

Clerk s notarial records and those of other notaries are mingled in the
’

, ,

hod ge podge Besides these there are innumerable documents papers

-
.
,

and data on every im aginab le subj ect .

T he Superior Council was the body of G overnment and com

bined in itself the ex ecutive legislative and j udicial depar tments , .

T he court and its sherifl the conveyance and mortgage office was
‘
,

p art o f the sy stem I t h ad also the cu stody .of n o tar ial record s o f
deceased resigned and rem oved notaries
, I ts Clerk was ex officio .
-

notary a practice that still survives

, There appears to have been no .

system of registry such as we have devised but th e law made the ,

deposit with the Council the final evidence of all such transactions
thr oughout the province .

While these archives have suffered the usual losses d uring the
long period of their seclusion enough is left to show that the legal ,

”Parkman—C o nspiracy
d 2- 252
d b bd
o f Pon tiac , .

“T hese reco r s are sto re in oxes in the custo y o f th e L o uisiana H is torical Society at t e
b d d d d d h
q d d
in ivi ual ti me and str
.

A
w
Ca ildo in N ew Orleans T hey are un led ithout or er or se uen c e, and the task o f igesting them is
was recently ma e by t he L a H ist Socie ty and sus . .

ded, but enoug h w ue o f this mine o f inform ati on See R eport o f William
’

oe Pb H
. u s La .
as dev
. .
to show
ist Soci e ty , V ol 8. pp 7-20; 19 14-19 15
. . .
.
 R E CO R DS O F T H E S PE R IO R U C O U NC I L
OF L OUI SI A NA

T he his work of preparing a card index to the j udicial

report of

reports of early colonial L ouisiana has been fully and ably writte
‘

n
by Mr William Price, the noted archivist to whom the intricate and
.
,

important task was entrusted by the Society The report of Mr . .

Price is contained in the A nnual of the Society for 19 14 15 Vol V III -

, . .

T he regular publication of the cards was begun 1n the L OUI SI AN A

H I ST O R ICAL QUA RT E RL Y Vol 1 No 1 ; the series running
, .
, .

from 1715 23 A continuation followed in Vol 1 No 3 (1723

-
. .
, .
,

after which a regrettable interruption in the publication occurred .

T he series, in orderly seq uence (Jah A pril 1725 ) is resumed in the .

-
,

p resent num be r o f the Quarterly an d it is in the program o f the

Society s work to continue the publication of the cards in recurrent

’

numbers of the QUA R T E RL Y until the entire list of cards completed

by M r Price is exhausted ; thus, putting in practical form easy of
.

access to historical students one of the Society s m ost valuable

’

sources of historical information opening also a mine of precious ,

statistical, political economical material hither to sealed to public

investigation .

G R A CE KING .

Pe t it ion of R ecovery anuar. J y

Pierre Bar ier claims b a
d
resi ue account of 165 francs fr m Durivage o .

ow d
A ction all e .

Su m m on s t o Pay Cla im January 4 1725 Sheriff Jacques V in

.
, .

cent notifies Sieur Durivage Master builder to a ppear , ,

and answer for his residue debit of 165 francs to Pierre

Barbier carpenter , .

Pe t it io n of R ecovery J annary 6 1725 J ean L aMesse (signed

.
, .

J J Lammes ) inform s the Council that he has no

“
. .

from Sherifi L aMorinniére concerning certain

’
news
actions moved nearly three months ago towar ds col ,

leeting 155 francs due L aMesse fr om sundry part ies .

H aving his passage by L a L oire he renews his plea

“
,

for proced ure so as to help himself subsist until his

,

departure .

A ction granted .

Pe t it io n of R ec overy A pril 6 1725

. R enaud Bonnaud guard
, .
,

of stores at N ew Orleans moves to collect a residue ,

debit of 100 francs from Mr Balcourt . .

A ction allowed .
 R ecords f
o the Superior Council o f L ouis iana 105

Su m m on s t o Pay Claim April 7, 1725 tice ser e . No v d on Mr .

Berard to sat1sfy e t of 397 francs to Mr db . Morisset ,

Su m m o n s t o Pay Claim A pril 7 1725 A t the instance of Mr .

, . .

M
orisset Sheriff L a Morinniére ser es n tice on six
, v o
d
esignate part ies to satisf their d
utstan ing e ts y o d db
to Co
mpan 3 reasur y t ’
y .

Su m m o n s t o Pay Claim anuar 8 1 725 A t the ins ance of . J y , . t

o
Sieur Bars n (alias De la Periére) Sherifl J ec ues
‘
q
Vincent notifies Mr Joly surgeon to appear and .
, ,

answer for the stated e its 116 fr a nee, and three db ,

llars do
I n efaul t o f appearing, fine of ten d
?
panish .

rants .

Faded .

Pe t it io n of R ec o very J annar 8, 1725 ean B ur eau su y J o b lied

hf
. .

one Duri age with ar v

tim er and m ne an b k , b o has
b een partl pa i but woy
u ld als c llect e d , o o
L et the Co
urt appoint ar itrators b .

o
A cti n gra n e td .

Su m m on s t o R evers e a T rade in Slaves J annar 8 1 725 A t . y , .

the instance of one D uBordieu, of ile Sheriff Mob ,

Vincent notifies one Plaisance to appear for gi ingv

b k
ac a negress and a little
“
k
pic aninny ”
and to k
ta e ,

k
bac his negr o .

A ri ge Ver ict
b d d d .

Faded .

Co ur t Or der Jean Bourbault vs Durivage January 10 1725

. . .
, .

Council condemns defendant in default to pay claim of

300 francs plus interes t and costs .

Dec isio n s in 1 1 Civil Su it s J anuary 10 1 725 . , .

1 Bour bault vs D urivage Claim allowed

. . . .

2 Bourb aul t os Durivage

. Case referred to Mr . . .

Fleurian .

3 . os Cabussier and L apra e

. Pr f require d . oo d .

4. o
L uis B rissar os Duri age laim sustaine d . v . C d .

h a i lot os Duran and De lan Seizur e f und d No o

g
5 .
'
. .

v l 1ci
6. q
J ec ues R oquigny vs De ille laim all wed . W . C o ,

(25 piastres) .

7. E tienne DuBordieu as Plaisance See er ict . . v d .

8 . Maldac os Desgraves M nonsuite but may l o

.
, .
, d , ok
to his e t r dbo
Costs on M . .

9 . o
R se fréres vs lairefontaine laim granted . C . C .

10 . vs laim grante
. C d .

11 . o
B arass n as J oly laim grante . . C d .

F dN
ile o 74 . .
106 The L ouisiana Historzcal
'

Quarterly
M em or ial of M r De Pauger
.
J y . anuar Complaining of
temporizing of former
“
ruinous manager Defontaine
in settling his accounts Le t him be . re uire q d to o
cl se
themd efinitel and als to turn y , o over all a
p pers in
q to
ues i n to Mr De P auger . .

No tice dul ser e ( e ruar y

vd . Fb y
P et it io n of R eco ve ry J annary
Drux freres m e to ool ov
lect 940 francs due on their at from partie s Bordier bo ,

and B lanchar d .

o
A cti n institute tice ser e on J annar 17 d . No vd y
o
f restalling B or ier s pr p se
’

p assa ge to rance d o o d F .

d
Blanchar declared seize of oat in dispute d b .

Duplicate copy
Pe t it ion fo r A u c t io n of
H o u se anuar 16, 1725 ulien Binar . J y . J d
vs C do
. a t H use and lot ha e een seize
. o and sale v b d ,

has b een twice a er ise L et auction ensue t m r dv t d . o o

G ranted otice served on Cadot
, and n .

Pet it io n t o T ran sfer Co n trac t January 17 1725 Undersigned . , .

Bordier preparing to em bar k for France by La B elomie

, ,

shows that he was not satisfi ed with his bargain in the

matter of boat bought by himself and Blanchard fr om
B reaux freres Since one Dubois has agreed to accept
.

Bordier s interest let Bordier be released A nd in the

’

, .

p rese nt em ergency seize an d sell the boat , .

Not1ce allowed on Blanchard and Dubois .

( ordier drowned ; shipwreck ofL a B ellomze )

B .

Su m m on s in Boat Su it J anuary 17 1725 Sherifl Vincent noti

‘
.
, .

hes parties B lanchard and Dubois to appear on the

morrow at 8 a m . .

Bor dier vs Du b o is a n d B lan c h ar d

. J anuary 18 1725 Council .
, .

orders Bordier and B lanchard to pay Dreux freres

876 francs residue of boat account plus costs
, , .

There follows a slurred and managled scrawl hav ,

ing reference to a corn account and other business ;

nferentially too petty for the recorder to pass it along
i
in a world of practical requirements .

Filed No 75 . .

A tt ac h m en t Pr o ceedin gs Chaperon as Daigle J annary 20 1725

. . .
, .

Sheriff Vincent seizes a quantity of ready money on

premises of one M alboroue alias Daigle The m oney is , .

claimed by Chaperon fr om proceeds of a slave sale .

Faded .

Pet it ion to R ec o ver Da m ages anuar 21, 1725 Therese . J y .

k
F ichaux see s re ress to the extent of 500 francs for d
o d
want n amage to her h use and utrage us assaul t o o o
 T he L ouisiana Histo Quarterly
'

108 ncal

hinges front lery ; kitchen of stakes covered with

,

bar k L ot 0 about 12 fathoms front by 25 deep

.
,

facing the M ississippi .

H ouse of tim ber with shingle roof .

B ienville signature , .

Filed No 79 . .

Plea of R eco very . J annary 30 1725

Undersigned Soubaigné , .

moves to collect residue amounts on two notes due

him by Mr Nolan and payable in flour or in money of
.
,

Spain ; item on two notes due by Mr R eboul in

, .

good s or in mo ney o f Spain Pr omp t action desired ; .

especiall as Mr de Nolan is about to start for Mobile . .

Pr ure allowed .

I n q u est Ordered February . A ttorney G e neral Fleurian

calls for an inquest over th e death of G
Dubourg alias Beaucoudray ; said to have died at
I sle Dauphine this matter is of ex treme couse
“

quenes L et all parties concerned be heard before

.

Mr . B rusle .

G ranted : Delachaise .

Sum m o n s t o T est ify February 1 1725 Sherifl Charles de L a

. , .
‘

Morinniére serves notice on J ean Baptiste Marlot ,

Nicolas Miragouen and Martin de Jauras G uibery , ,

to appear at 2 p m before Mr B rusle and give testi . . .

mony concerning the death of G uillaume Dubourg

alias B eaucoudray .

I n q u es t Dea t h o f Du bo urg B ea u co udray e ruar 1 1725 -

. Fb y , .

Witness J B arl t is aware that Du . M o

urg went to bo
get som e negr es o f the m pa n fr m M obo
ile toCo y o
,

Isle Dauphine and ie of an attac of ysenter, d d

in k d y ,

o
h spital of sle Dauphine a ut last of I ovember , bo N ,

or first of Decem er 1719 Similar testim n b , . o y by

N icolas M iragouen and ar tin J aure G uibery M .

F w
irst itness rep rts a sm all credit of flour thir o d
witness a cre it of 108 francs for the
, d
ecease s , d d ’

estate .

F iled N o 80 . .

P e t it io n of R e c o very . February 6 1725 Pierre L e omte mo es

, . C v
to c llec t o an acc o
unt of 125 francs fr m Mr lair o . C
A ction allowe d .

on of R ecover y January 23 1725 L a Dousseur now repre

P e t it i .
, .
,

sented by B arson de L apé riere seeks to collect 60 ,

francs from one Durant on a note overdue , .

A ction granted .
 R ecords o f the Su eri
p or Council o f L ouisiana 109

Seiz ure Sus tain ed Bonhomme os Chaperon January 23 1725

. . . .

Council orders the seized money deposited 1n the

T reasury until Bonhomme s account be paid
’
.

Costs reserv ed .

Pet it io n of R ec o very Jannary 25 1725 . Mr De Chavannes , . .

m ov es to collect 310 francs from Mr M arest de .

L atour due on a note

, .

Pet itio n for Co ll aboration in Clos in A ccoun t s J anu 27,

a
ég
.

1725 Mr De . n aine rmer manager of l

. Fo t lanc , o
grants rem ns ra es that he cann
, o t t
satisf the eman ot y d d
d
for surren er of a cer ain L a P errierre acc unt unless t o
ate in straightening out some involved factors thereof .

The longer Mr L a Perrierre delays the longer he .

,

prevents the despatch of other accounts on tlns

giv e the necessar y

a1d so o
l ng as it is wanted .

Mem orial of Mar es t Delato ur da Pin . January 27 , 1725 . Show

Su m m on s for H ear in g January 27 Sherifl Vincent notifi es

‘
.
, 1725 .

P etit ion of R ec over y . February 6 , 1725 Pierre L e omte m ves

. C o
to c llec o t an account of 125 francs fr m M lair o . C
t on allowed
Ac i .

Sum m on s t o Pay Claim February 8 1725 Sherifi Vincent to

.
, .
‘

Mr Clairefontaine to pay the bill of 125 francs owing

.
, ,

to Mr L e Comte . .

Su m m o n s t o P ay Claim February 8 1725 L aDouceur os . , . .

Durant Sherifl Vincent notifies

.
‘

a residue debit of 50francs on his note of60francs .

Su m m on s t o Pay Claim February 8 1725 R ecorder R ossardvs

.
, . .

Jean B aptiste Barre Sherifl L a Morinniere not1fi es .

‘

Barre to answer for a debit of 282 fra ncs plus mterest

‘

and costs due on sales , .

Su m m o n s to Pay Overdue No t es February 8 1725 Soubaigné .

, .

vs R eboul
. Sheriff Vincent notifies R eboul to answer
.

for two notes payable in goods or in money of Spam .

 Quarter!y
'

1 10 T he L ouisiana Histon cal

Pe t it io n of R ec o very . 9 1725 February

Jean Bap is e Mass , . t t y
o
sh ws that M r Céard is acc un a le, as agen ,
. o t b t
deb t of 6000 francs utstan ing agains essrs Kolly o d tM .

Dec isio n s in Six Civil Su it s . February 10, 1725 .

2 L a Douceur os Ant ine Durant

. . o . Claim allowed .

. I
3 gnace L aM esse os Bea .

di i e vd d .

ser e vd .

6 Durivage
. os . B uro bault . Still pending . Costs te
vd
ser e .

Filed No . 82 .

Pe t it io n for N ew M arriage Co n tr ac t e ruar 15, 1 725 Pel ier . Fb y . t

F o
de ranch mm e officer statione in llinois and mar , d I ,

rie dthere to his material a antage , rep rts hat the dv o t

o t
c n ract was
'

d estr e rats or so the res s nable oy d by , o

d o
in icati ns point, and owing to his inexperience he had
o d q
mitte to re uire uplicate copy L et the ur t ai d Co
o
.

low him a new c ntract .

Co
uncil reser es c nsen unt11 Mr Burseraut dev o t .

Bellagrade f rmerl o
llinois notar , ma es written
, y I y k
d
eclaration on fac s of the case t .

R a t s Devo ur No t ary s R ecor ds February 16 1725 Jacques

’
.
, .

Nicolas Burseraut de Belgarde sometime notary in ,

I llinois confirms the report in question ; rats being

,

abundant up there and o f a size prod igious

“ ”
H e te .

views the tenor of the contract Gnawed vestige of .

Signed : B ussreau de B ellagarde .

Filed No . 81 .

Cer t ifi ca t e on Marr iage

Co n tr ac t e ruar 16 1725 heval ier . Fb y , . C
B01sbriant certifies c ncerning the marriage con rac t e o t t
o d d by
c r e Bussereau de Bellegar e, etween of fi cer d b
F o
ranch mm e and the i w ofan officer ur on, a ut w do Bo d bo
Sept 1723 . C v
he alier Boisbriant witnessed the c ntrac ,
. o t
and remem ers tha there was a b ee of gif , t d d t
francs in favor of ranch mme Minutes c mmonl
, F o . o y
rep rt eo d to
ha e been es r e rats v Seal of d t oy d by .

C hevalier Boisbriant .
 T he L ouisiana Historzcal Quarter!y
'

112

Plea in Su it of L ib el e ruar . Fb
28 1725 The A t rne eneral y , . to yG
(F leu rie u) as s the R e eren a k
ther R aphael G ran v dF , d
V icar of Mo
nseigneur of Q ue ec to atten or else b , d ,

d elegate an ecclesiastical su s itute to bt

o
ing examinati n of witnesses on charge o f li el rought b b
against R P L usurier Dominican
. haplain of L a
.
, , C
G ironde .

Su m m o n s of Wit n esse s in L ibel Su it February 28 1725 Notice .

, .

served by Sherifi L a Morinn1ére on nine designated

pa rties to a ppea r before Councillor Brusle at 2 p m . .
,

to test1fy concerning charges brought by Monsieur De

Verteuil director of land grant of Paris Duverney
, .

T es t im on y in L ib el Su it e ruar R P R aphael, . Fb y . .

Capuchin, atten s the hearing E i ence appears to d . vd

o o
c nsist of s me shipboard tat le reference to hazar t , d
d
ous itties, and free remar s of a pers nal cas oth k o t N .

o
ing c nclusi e against the chaplain v .

T es t im ony in L ib el Su it arch M
Slight hearsa e idence
. y v
o
fr m first witness Captain Pierre Dartaguiette ; ,

o
sec nd witness R P atthias, Capuchin hear ,the . . M , d
p art ies ex change taun ts an d tha t 1s all he kn s o f the . ow
matter .

Filed No . 87 .

Pet it ion t o A tt ac h Pr o per ty . March der R ossard R ecor

ov
m es for seizure a inst Bar on D hombourg in order ,

to
satisf a e i y d bt0 about 1200 francs outstanding on ,

sales .

o d
Pr ce ure all owed and instituted .

Sh er ifi s Sale o f H ou se
’
March 3 1725 Notice served on Paulin
. , .

Cadot at instance of Julian Binard alias Laforge

,
.

Pe t itio n of R ec o very March 4 1725 R ecorder R ossard moves to

. , .

collect from one Barre Canadian 374 pound s of flour , , ,

as charged on his note of October 19 1723 , .

A ction forward .

L aforge vs Cado t
. March . Sale deferred a fortnight .

Parties t be resent or duly summ oned

g sg
.
,

l o .

L afor ge vs . Cado t . March dvertise First and sec nd a o

ments of impending sale of house and lot The house .

is about 20 feet long by 14 feet d eep having two rooms ; ,

one with fireplace R oof of palru thatch L ot 30 feet . .

,

front by 60 deep .

R e m on s tran c e Filed (Co u nterclaim ). M a r ch C harles .

Chauvin Delery warns Councillor Brusle not to t e

lease any funds attached against Baron d H ombourg
’
 R ecords o f the Super ior Council of L ouis iana 1 13

until petitioner be first paid ; his claim heing 474 francs

dute on a deal in boards Mr B elery mhab1ts Chap1 . .

toll las .

M em oran du m L u m b er A cc u n t
of arch 6 1725 Sh ing o . M , . ow
transaction b
etween B ar n d H om bourg and Mr o ’
.

Duri age W v was furnishe. ood

for B ar n s house d o ’
.

b
N et ill 276 francs , .

( nn ectCo
i n is not ex presse etwoeen thi s b1ll and db
. d
Mr Delery s claim in prece ing item )’
.

Sale of R eal E s t at e March 6 1725 Showing that Baron d H om

’
. , .

bourg Swiss captain has conveyed to Councfllor

, ,

Brusle three lots num bered 45 44 46 T erms 1575 , , , .

,

Seals Plac ed on o
Pr p er ty of L at e L an gevin arch 7, At . M
the req uest of Jean B apt1ste Berger n s le legatee, o , o
o
C uncillor B rusle seals the g s of J acques L angevin,
, ood
decease d on sam e day at the h use of one Passepar o
tout, b k
a er who is name cus dian of the seale
, d to d
p p
r o y
e rt B erge r n li es
. in llino is b ut is n ow a t o v I ,

N ew O rleans (T he eceas e h a d li.ew ise li e 111 d d k vd

I o
llin is ) Three ugouts among the assets two empt ,
. d y
one laden ith salt meat w .

ileF dN o 89 . .

o o
Peti t i n t o C llec t Bar b er s B ill arch 8 1725 Surgeo n ean
’
. M , . J
q
J ac uee DeL anchy has sha e one L afieure, anadian vd C ,
“
v
e en to the c ncurrence of sixt o
and eighteen ear s y b d
at ten sous each m a ing t gether the sum of 39 , k o
francs
”
L et the ill be legall c llecte , since L a
. b y o d
vo d d y
fieure has a i e pa ment .

o o
A cti n f rwar d .

Pet it ion in Slave Sale March 8 1725 Frere Malon tailor moves
.
, .
-
, ,

to recover full proceed s due from one L a Combe

‘

traveler on the sale of a negress by party Mesples

, ,

resident of A voyelles Frére Malon holds a note con .

cerned in the transaction and req uires valid security ; ,

or els let th e negress be sold at auction

e .

A ct1on instituted

P eti t io n of R ec o ver y Slave Su it March 8 1725 Bonhomm

, .
, .
,

Canad ian moves to collect an account of 2300 francs

,

due as he urges for the labor of five slaves during two

, ,

years and four months in the service of Captain De

G auvry .

A ction allowed .

P et it ion of R ec overy March 9 1725 Martin de Jaurrequibery

.
, .
,

former warehouse guard at B ilox i seek s to collect a ,

residued ebit of56 fr ancs from M r Berard together with .

,
114 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarter Iy

two dry g ood

s items (two ells of L im bourg and two
shir ts) plus interes and c sts t o .

Pe t i t i on for I nven t ory of L egacy March 10 1725 J B Berger .

, . . .

on sole legatee of the late J acques L ongevm asks that

, ,

the seals be removed and the goods appraised thereby ,

the loss of those perishable .

Co ur t Order t o Pay Claim arch 10, 1725 uncil c n emns

. M . Co o d
Mr Berard to satisf the se eral deman s urge
. y v d d by
Martin Jam ingny B erry .

Dec is ion s in T h r ee Civil Su it s M arch 10 . , 1725 .

2 J J DeLanchy (here gi en B lanchy ) vs Lafleur

. v .

Defendant to pay 19} francs for 28 sha es as the v ,

num er here seems b stan laim was 39 francs to d C .

for 78 sha es osts di i e v . C vd d .

3 . M
alon vs LaCombe Still pen ing . s s reserve . d . Co t d .

ileF dNo 90 . .

Bon h o m m vs De G au vr it
. . March 14, 1725 . Plaintifl n ‘
onsuited
bj
and su ect to c osts .

ileF d No 91 . .

Su m m on s t o Pay Co m pan y Arr e ars March 16 1725 A t the in .

, .

stance of Mr Morisset formerly an accountant of the

.
,

Company Sherifl La Morinniére notifies eleven

’
,

designated parties to appear and answer for their

stated arrears to the Company s treasury
’
.

o
Pet it i n t o Su e A gain s t Fal s e Wit n ess arch 1 7 1725 Jacques . M , .

de Mo t
ns er in ig g r er for M r
, L aF ré niérd o
e has ow .
,

b
een accuse d
of taking 200 p un s of indi g fr m his o d o o
e pl
m
er oyH e see s measures of re ress, t gether
. k d o
w1th ecovery of residue hire interest and c sts o
{
, .

A c ion all we o d .

Pe t it i n o of R e
c o March
18, 1725 H ts n e ge
very . l ma er, . o o , d too - -
k
“
1roned
”
the cart of Mr ran ois, resi ing at Ba ou . F c d y
St Jean, for stipulate sum of 80 francs, but has re
. d
cei ed nl
y w o y od
r s of f fence in c m pensation A cti n o o . o
dent ed .

G rante d .

Plea for Voidin g of Con tr ac t March 19 1725 Undersigned De .

, .

Morand bought or supposed that he was buy mg a lot , ,

of land 8 acres front by 60 acres deep on the Mis ,

31ssippi,from Mr Balcour B ut since Mr B alcour . . .

o vyd
c n e e the same in efecti e form and f rasmuch d v , o
as the pr pert o
is lia le to be annexe y
the Com b d to
1 16 T he L ouisiana Historical Quarterly

Dec isio n s in Civil Su i ts March 23 1725

T
en .
, .

draft until word from France .

(500 francs ) Costs .

2 . Morisset vs . Delatour . Defendant to pay claim,

132 fr ancs .

3 . Mo
risset as Denian Defen ant to pay claim , 200
. . d
francs .

4
2800 francs .

5 . Mo
risset as DeBeaum ont Defen an pay claim . . d t to .

88 francs .

6 . M
orisset vs a t Defen ant to pay claim , 852 . C do . d
M P assier Defendant to pay claim,
gg
7 set os 65
a
. . .

cs .

8 . Morisset vs . Pouyadon . Defendant to pay claim,

325 francs .

9 M
orisset vs
. Manaldé . . Defendant to pay claim,
266 francs .

10 Jassenne os Sansfacon
. . . P ostponed Costs reserved . .

ile F dN
o 93 . .

Pr oc edu r e in L ib el Su it . March
27, 1725 R P R aphael is t e . . .

quested to appoint an ecclesias ical of

fi cial and a t

Sen t e n c e of I n t erdic t arch . M G rand icar of H is V

od
L r ship of ue ec R P Raphael, CapuchinQ b , . .
,

a certain b d o
lurre c mm and in ink which would ,

d y
a s be ign re o d by
the R man uria, here lac ink o C w b k
(o r leg i le i nk b
) p
1s r escri e fo r c rres p n ence ex pec t bd o o d
ing attenti n o V v o
_

Sheriff incent ser es the n tice

.

( w
h a te e r it m av
y h a e een , i
) pn a l e bu t still div b
scerni le , b
ink, to
chaplam L usurier, efen ant in li el suit H e d d b .

is w d
arne to satisf the f reg ing req uiremen s, under
‘‘
y o o t
the penalities u
l stated d y .

(Ah inter ict i s implie de nd uesti n, in post d b yo q o

scrip to t
March
L ib e l Su it in Pr o ce ss A ttorney General Fleurian
.

kas s theCouncil to designate a civil j udge from their

body to take part in trial of L usurier R P Raphael
, . . .

de L uxembourg will act as ecclesiastical oflicial and R P . .

H yacinthe as promoter .

Co ur t Order in L ib el Su it March 27 1725 T he A ttorney General . . .

directs that L usurier be examined before the Civil

Court whilst the eccles iastical promoter takes cog
,

nizance of any facts devolving to the spiritual j urisdic

tion .
 R ecords o f the Superior Council o f L ouisiana 117

Su m m on s t o A ppear for T r ial i n L ib el Su it arch . M

Fo rmalit y
of s r ing n tice on L usurier to v o e r
a
(A ril 3) for
e
int hearing , ci il ajo
nd ecclesiasti v g m
w
de ault he ill be lia le to arrest b .

o
Pe t it i n O ld R igh t of Way arch ndersigne
. M U d
v
Li et and Soubaigné , on ehalf of G entill settlers, b y
v
urge that e er since this place has een inha ite b b d by
the sa ages and v the rench, by
there was alwa s a F y
p u b
lic roa res t re fi vd
e ea
,rs ag o o d essrs D r ea ux y by M .

freres at their expense But Mr R i ar now tries to . . v d

“
cut 06 the tra el fr m origin l roa
a v w h o
ere the G entill d , y
settlers als uilt a ridge ari woul ha e them f ll
ob b , d d v o ow
od
a new r a , with a c press run for ri ge
”
y t k b d
p etiti no
ers ch se t o u il a p a o
ss a le ri ge for thb d
em b b d
sel esv y ov
The m e to retain earlier con iti
. d
Notice served on Mr . Ri vard .

E ccles iast ic al Sen t en c e in L ib el Su it An her . March ot

ob
literate riting d w
R P R aphae1 addressed to by . .
,

Superior uncil Co
I ts imp rt appears in the A tt rney
. o o
o
G eneral s p stscript, sh ing that in
’
eference to ow .

d
R P R aphael s re uest L usurier shall be f r idden
. .
’
q , ob
by
Captain ofL a G ironde to ex ercise ecclesiastical thee o
til R P R aphael has rem
. . e his interdict L usur ov d .

bo y
ier is to sta on ship ard pen ing further rder d o .

Civil Sen t e n c e m L ibe l Su it March 31 1725

. uncil , . Co orders
Captain ofL a Gironde to k L usurier on ship board in
compliance with R P R ap ael s re uest
. .
’
q .

Filed No . 94 .

Cou r t Order 111 L ib el Su it M arch 31 1725 I n review of the pro

.
, .

ceedings h e Council enjoins Captain Jastram to keep

t ,

in the way of prisoner on shipboard there ,

ecclesiastical pn son at N ew Orleans It a .

ears that L usurier has refused to show credenti s

p
1f such he has to G rand Vicar R P R aphael on the
, . .
,

ground that L usurier is not a Capuchin and so not ,

amenable to a Capuchin Superior (despite the latter s

’

actual urisdiction at N ew Orleans) L usurier is

ositivejy debarred from all priestly functions for the
.

p
time be1ng
Vincent serves notice on Captain J astram
Sherifi .

A t tac h m en t of G oo ds March 3 1725 A t the instance of Mr

.
,

Charles Frango1s Pichot and in virtue of earlier de

. .

cisions in his fav or Sherifl J acques Vincent seizes

‘
,

funds of Baron D H ombourg to satisfy claim of 187

’

francs owing to Mr Noguet tradesman at L orient . .

1 18 T he L ouisiana Hzsto
' ’

ncal Quarter!y
T es t im o ny on Sh ipwr eck of L a Be ll o n e Apri1 2 1725 Witnesses .
, .

o
c ncur on the fact of una oida le d1saster pro a l v b , b by
cause d by
stri ing har k
ottom of san db
ars and snag s db ,

in the ri er vCapt ain sta e with wrec after long

. yd k
bo at was clear Passengers B rdier and his child were
. o
d
drowne ; also the ex hauste captain of a launch d .

o
Carg comprise Spanish t acco tar peltr d from ob , , y ,

warehouse of sle Dauphine IShip f un ere all of a . o d d

su dd
en A pril 1 1 725
, , .

ko d
Wrec ccurre in har or of sle Dauphine (p 24) b I , .

as v
essel was ma ing rea t o sail k dy
aptain of L a B ellone C ,

C
aptain of launch who was dr ne , ow d .

Boissen .

Beauchamp .

a eFdd o
alm st to ex t inct ion .

E x a m in a t io n of L u s u ri er , in L ib el Su it A pril B ring .

y
ing out the t pe of a fri olo us worlding or so his own v ,

answers d
isclose in religious ha it ,H e admits the b .

d
charge of ri iculing DeVerteuil, and ac nowle ging k d
d o d
iss lute con uct on ship ar and elsewhere bo d .

y
A ttorne G eneral or ers hearing of itnesses d w .

F dN ile o 95 . .

Dec is ion B et wee n M oran d an d Balcour t April 5 1725 D efen .

, .

dant (Balcourt ) in default and the sale in quesuon 1s ,

declared void Costs on defendant

. .

Filed No 96 . ,
 T he L ouisiana Hzston cal Quarterly
' '

120

living on the prem ises possession according to the decree ;

.

who is now ,

wherefore being at the des ignated place on the Bayou of the Adaise ,

and having inquired whether any of the neighbors would be inj ured

by this grant and having well ascertained that there was no irnpedi
,

m ent whatever and that none of the bound aries of the adj acent
,

p p
r o rie t ors in te rs ec te d or to uc he d th o se des ig na ted by P edr o D o let
in the foregoing petition for which reason no inj ury can res ult to
,

the neart neighbors by giving Pedro Dolet possession of the land

he claims in his petition with all the extent and boundaries therein
,

mentioned ; I have visited those boundaries and the land they sur ,

round , with the aforesaid witness of my assistants and the said

Pedro Dolet and taking the latter by the right hand I went with
, ,

him a num ber of paces from North to South, and afterwards from
E ast to West a nd then having let his hand go he went as he pleased
,

on the said land of the B ayou of the A daise pulled up grass made , ,

holes in th e ground planted stakes cut bushes threw dust into the
, , ,

air and on th e ground ; and perform ed several other acts or capers

as evidence of the possession which I had given him in the name of

his maj esty whom G od preserve of the said land with the extent
, , ,

and bound aries which he has dem anded, and in proof of the property
,

which he now hold s in it as sole mast er by virtue of this act of pos

session and also as a sym bol of th e right of propert y which he for
,

ever hold s on said land s of one league on each course of the compass

in the manner, place and with the boundaries expressed in his fore
,

g o in g p e t iti on w ith all u ses a nd p riv ileg es th e re u n to belo n in

g g ; an d
afterwards I have designated the aforesaid tract of land by the name
of San Pedro de las A d ais so that it may forever go by that name ;
,

and in order that said Pedro Do let m ay be forever quieted in the

p ea ce a b le en j o ym e nt o f his said la nd a g reea b le to law a nd t h at t h e ,

evidence o f his right may appear I have signed these presents with ,

the witnesses of m y assistants at San Pedro de las A d ais the day , , ,

month and year aforesaid .

J OSE CA YE T A NO de ZE PE ODA .

José L uis de la Vega .

Vicente del R io
v o
H a ing seen the foreg ing pr cess er al of possessi n gi en to o v b o v
do o o
Pe r D let, and with ut Opp sition let the riginal ocum ent be t e o , o d
dd
cor e y v
and let the part ha e such e i ence ofit as will ena le him to
, vd b
pr ov
e his righ t o f pr pert I B em a do eo y
rna n ez L ieutenan
.t of , F d ,

cavalry and comm an an of the pos t of d t

acogdoches in the presence N ,

of m y assistants did recei e and recor the saiv ee in place of a d dd d

 State P apers, Vol 4, P age 51 , N o 11 3
. . 12 1

n otary there being none and I did not seal it having no seal of offi ce
, , .

I n testimony whereo f I have signed these presents the 14th day of

January 1796
, .

BE R NA DO FE R NAN DE Z .

Witnesses : JOSE MA GUAR D IANA . .

MIG SA NCH E Z
. .

A correct copy of the original was deposited with th e public

record s in my possession T aken corrected and compared for and
.
, , ,

at the request of Don Pedro Dolet in the presence of the w itnesses

of my assistants who with me signed these presents at N agcodoch es
, ,

the 3oth day of May , 1 796 .

BE R NA DO FE R NA N DE Z .

t
A test : MIGUE L SAN CH E Z .

JOSE MA R I A GUA D IANA .

Note The Supreme Court of the United States at its October

— ,

term of 1879 in the case entitled the U S vs Perot et alias kins of

, . . .
,

Pedro Dolet confirmed to the claimants a tract of land containing

,

four sq uare leagues and award ed scrip for all the land s which had been
prev iou sly d isp osed of by the U S am oun t
.in g to.14250 86 acres .

A DE L A VI G NE . .

709 Whitney Building .

 T H E E DI T OR ’
S CH A R I

We ogize to our readers for the delay in this issue of

must apol
our Quarterly as several causes com bined have b rought it about , .

We can hard ly complain of a scarcity of material T here is no other .

State in the Federal Union whose history is so full of adventure of ,

romance o f tragedy in all their phases of incidents of d esperate

, , ,

bravery of personal sacrifice of stubborn determination of hual

, , ,

successes , as this fair State o f ours .

For our ex cuse d

we m ust plea the War the research , q
re uired to
unl c o k our hidd en treasures and th e time necessary to at convert

least so me par t of our valuable d ata into such shapes as the twen
tieth century now d emands I n beginning this our second volum e
.

we would call special attention to our opening article on T he Ursu

“

lines of L ouisiana written by that well known L ouisiana writer and

”
,

brilliant French scholar Madame H eloise H ulse Cruzat The Ursulines

, .

cam e to L ouisiana in its earliest days and h ave been a m ost impor ,

tant factor in L ouisiana s ed ucational history

’
.

Dr B ishpam s ex cellent article on Fray A ntonio de Sedella

’
.

an appreciation of that historic character better known as

“
Pére
the fam ous priest whose memory is still cherished in
”
A ntoine ,

L ouisiana will be found very interestin g and does j ustice to that

,

distinguished man whose vagaries at tim es brought to him consider

ab le criticism but the staunch old Christian that he was carried him
, ,

safely thr ough it all .

J ackson Square N ew Orleans is the center of the classic

,

ew Or leans n many cities and towns in the

“
ound of 01 N I
g r .

Federal Union are monum ents built and named in honor of Andrew
Jackson the hero of the battle of N ew Orleans January 8 1815
, , , ,

where the E nglish under Packenham were d efeated an d where the

sk ill and courage of A ndrew J ack son there displayed m ad e him

Presid ent of the U nited States som e years thereafter J udge H enr y .

R enshaw s d elightful essay on J ackson Square the old Cathedral

’
,

fronting it on the west and broad expanse of the M ississippi river

bound ing it on the east except for various freight sheds inherited
from the Carpet bag régim e of the sixt ies the Pontalba ,

buildings on the north and south sides of the square completes a ,

p ic tu re hist or ic q ua in t an d
, re m in isce nt o f th e
, d a y s t ha t a re g o ne .

L afayette s visit to N ew Orleans was in 1824 and his name was

’

gi v e n to on e o f ou r su b urb s th at h al f th e pe o ple o f o u r g re at c ity h av e

no knowled ge o f as it is lost with in the grander city that has grown

,
 HE U ISIANA

IST RICAL U A RT ERLY

Vol 2 , No 2
. . . April, 1 9 1 9 .

i
v
31 N ew Fiscal System for Lo uisiana .

T h e T reaty B etween t h e French R epu blic and t h e

U n ited States, I 803.

H is toric Mem o ir of t h e War in West Florida a

nd
L ouis iana , 1 81 44 81 5.

T reaty Between t h e U nited States and Spain Con

cern in g t h e Cession of Eas t and Wes t Flor ida .

Con cession of Ste Ca t h erine at t he N atch ez .

L e t ters of N a t haniel Gas to G a b riel L ewis .

Published Q uarterly by

T HE L OU ISIAN A HI ST ORI CAL SOCIET Y

CABIL DO, NEW ORLE ANS, LA .
 L O U I SI AN A H IST O R I CA L SO CI E T Y .

GASPAR CU SACH S P id nt , res e .

JOH N DYMON D Fi t c P , rs -
resident .

BU SSI E RE R OU E , Second Vioe

N -
P re
s ident .

HE N R Y RE NSHA W , Third V ce
i -
President .

W O HA R T T
. . u , reas rer .

M ISS G RA CE K I N G R , ecording Secretary .

M R S H E LO I SE H U L SE
. CR U ZAT . Corresponding S ecretary .

E xecu t ive Co m m it t ee

John Dymond , Cha irman ; G aspar Cusachs Buss iere R ouen, , H nyR
e r enshaw,

W
. O . Hart, Mi ss K
G race ing and Mrs eloise ulse Cruzat
. H H .

E dito r H is torical Q uar terly

JO NH DYMON D , Cabildo N ew Orleans
, .
 T A BL E O F C O N T E N T S

V ol u m e 2 , N o 2
. . A pril , 1919 .

The T reaty between the French R epublic and the U nited States

L tt
e ers of N athaniel Cox to G b
a riel L wi
e s

The Editor s
'
Chair
 130 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

a revenue standpoint .

t
I n ma ters of tax ation, there are a few m rdinal pri nciples that

sick the indigent and afflicted the educa tion of the mass es and civic
, ,

gro wt h a nd d eve lop m ent o f t h e peo ple of th e S tate Gov er nm en ts .

must neces sa rily ex ist otherwise we have anarchy and chaos

, In .

order that Go vernments may ex ist and care for the benefi eient pur
po ses for which th ey are co ns ti tu ted t he ci tiz ens m ust pro v
,id e th e

o
to be that porti n of ea ch indivi ual d ’
s t
proper y that is ta ken by the
giv ing all citizens th e pr otection and benefits to which they are en
titled H aving this idea in mind there follows as a necessary corollary
. ,

thereto that no m ore taxes should be lev ied against the people than
are absolutely neces s ary to support the Gov ernment economically

is an incenti e v waste and hence no more

to ex travagance and useles s
tax should be levied than is absolutely necess ary Whenever a State .

spends more than its revenues a deficit necessarily follows and it

, ,

must be paid either by an ex cess tax levy or an iss ue of bonds both of ,

levy and c ollect more taxes than are absolutely necess ar y you place ,

un ued burdens on the taxpayers which should never be done .

T ax Sys t em s

There are many systems and forms of taxation in vogue in the

States of the Amerim n Union Some use a classified property tax
.

a gra uated d incom e tax with a reasona ble ex em pti n o . The U . S

.

and this, together w

ith an income tax and internal v
re enue license
t
tax es, consti ute its main re enues v .

The State of L ouisiana for man ears has f ll we y y hat is o o d w

comm nl o y k ow
n n as the G eneral Pr per o ty
T ax We ha e no income . v
tax in this ! tate The general propert tax is als supplemente
. y o d by
a license tax on business tra es and occupati ns, which is like ise
d o w
gr ad u ate dac od
c r in g t o th e lu m e o f vo
u sines s ne urin g thbe do d
p rev i u o y
s ear O u r Sta
. te also ha s an inh erita n ce tax for th e be nefi t
of the sch oo d o
l fun , but it is alm st in perati e ecause the o nst i v b , Co
 A N ew F iscal System for L ouisiana 131

ov d t t
tution pr i es ha the same shall not be collecti le against the b
d o
estate of any citizen who has pai his fair shar e of tax es on his pr per
ty during his lifetime T his provision practically emascul ates the
.

article We also have a conservative license tax on the severing of

. .

timber sulphur sal t gas oil turpentine etc from the soil for the
, , , , , , .
, ,

benefit of the conservation and the general fund and there are some ,

other slight sources of revenue such as hunting licenses which are , ,

levied for the protection of game fish etc Our automob ile licenses , , .

at the present time are collected by the Secretary of State and re ,

funded to the parish from which the same were collected for good
road purposes .

The general property tax covers all classes of property ex cept

such as may hav e been ex empt by the Constitution of the State ,

and no p p ro erty can be ex empt f rom taxation otherwise than by consti

tutional amendment .

Prior to the year 1916, the asses sment of all property was sup
po s e d to b e a t ac tu a l c as h v alu e, a n d t h e a s ses sm e n t for S t at e p u r

po s e s w a s lik e w is e c om pe lled to be a do p ted fo r p a ro c hi al an d m un ici

pa l u
p p r o se s A ss e
.s sors w ere m a d e e lec ti v e in 190 8 bu t p rio r to ,

that time they were appointed by the G overnor for a term of four
years each E ach A ssessor covers an entire parish which corres
. ,

po n d s to t h e co u n ty in c o m m on la w S t at e s E x p er ien c e o f s e.v er a l
years prior to 1916 demonstrates that the A ssessors of the different
par ish es w er e no t a do pt in g a u n i for m p e rc e nt ag e in m a k in g th e ir
assessments, but each A ssessor was a law unto himself so that our ,

Pas t Co n di tio n s

It is a well recognized fact that for the past ten years prior to ,

1916 there has been very little super vision over the work of assess
,

m ents The police j ury as a Board of R eview has largely proven

.
, ,

innocuous A s a general rule the Jury has met and reviewed the
.
,

work of the A ssessors involving millions of dollars in a very few

, ,

minutes The average j ur or being on meagre pay did not feel that
. , ,

it was incumbent on him to take the time necessary to carefully ih

spect the assessm ent renditions for his parish and ward and besides ,

there existed in his breast a natural disinclination to incur the ill will -

of his neighbors and constituents by distur bing or questioning their

assessment so he let George do it and placed the responsibility
” “
, ,

on the A ssessor The result was inevitable :

. 1 ) Very little work
was done in changing or reviewing assessments ; 2) Many gross
inequalities and local inj ustices crept into our assessments ; (3) M uch
132 T he L ouisiana Histon cal Quarterly
’

pr operty o d o o
was mitte fr m the tax r ll ; (4) The assessm en s in the t
various par ishes arie v d d y
wi el in the percentage of actual value ap
plie fd
o o
r assessm ent purp ses ; (5) Pr pert o y
was far un er value d d -
.

T he State Board of E qualization was invested with but little

power and accomplished practically nothing ex cept to increase the
assessments on only a few classes of property A s a gener l proposi
.

a
tion m ost of the A ssessors held out a great deal of property i n making
,

up their abstract for the B oard of E qualization and then when that , ,

B oard ordered a raise on large classes of property the A sses sors ,

sim ply added to his roll the property which he had already held out ,

and did not change a figure on his roll from what it was be fore L ack .

of proper and adeq uate super vision over the work of the A ssessor
naturally caused many of the s e offi cials to become m ore or less in

different in discharging the full duty that devolved upon them .

T hey were not particul ar to get all of the property in the parish
listed they began to leave 06 large classes of property they very
, ,

seldom ever d iffered with the taxpayer either on his valuation or the
,

quantity of property listed unless it happened to be a non res ident

,
-
,

and the inevitable result was that the assessm ents on local property

g r ew l ess an d l ess g rad ually T his

. n a tu r ally le d to an in crea se o f th e
local tax rates in order to get money enough to support the schools ,

road s and other local enterprises .

T hese high tax rates naturally operated like a wet blanket over the
assessments which were forced d own lower and lower
, I n the .

meantim e the State tax rate had not changed at all but the demands
, ,

and actual need s o f m any of her chartitable and ed ucational insti

tutions had very materially increased The high cost of food clothes
.
, ,

shoes med icine etc

, , made this inevitable
.
, .

T he old system of assessments placed a premium on d ishonest y

and caused each tax payer to k eep his propert y 06 the roll or render it

at as low a value as possible because he knew that every other taxpayer

,

was doing the sam e thing and if he rendered a fair assessment he

would be heavily penalized for his honesty by paying much more
taxes than any of his fellow citizens -
A lso each A ssessor knew
.

that the other A ssessors were leaving propert y 011 the roll and so he
began to do the same thing for the protection of his own constitu
ents and in this way it became only a q uestion of time until our
,

tax sy stem d eveloped into a scramble between the taxpayers and the
A ssessors to see who could render the least amount of property and
g iv e it in at th e low est v alue E v ery
. in te llig en t citize n k no w s th is

statem ent to be literally true .

 T he L ouisiana Hzston cal Quarterly
' '

134

in suppose d actual value

in 1917 it was , yet
demonstrating that the property had generally been
assessed at j ust a little more than one third of its real value and the
-
,

parish perce n tages va ried from 335% to as high as 75 % of the actual

value established in each .

B usin ess vs . Pol it ical M et h o ds

o o d
The creati n of the B ar of State Afi airs ma e a
‘
n erful d wo d
change in regar d
to the renditions of proper , and it rem ty
e fr m ov d o
o o
the A ssess r the p wer of ex ercising his own will and pleasure and
gi ving his frien s dand c n stitu oen s a l w er t o
assessment and his
enemies a higher one, b
ecause all of his r had wo kbe appr e to ov d
and sanctione d by o d
the B ar of State Aflairs, hich B ar was ma e w o d d
j d
the final u ge of all matters of aluati n su ect nl v o bj
, the appeal o y to
o
of the c urts . d
T his resulte in placing assessments on a usiness b
b asis where the y p p
r eo
rl sh u ly o d v b
ha e een a ll th e tim e .

o d
T he B ar was like ise empo ere w w d to p lac e in spect rs in the o
field for the purpose o f inspecting the financial c nditi n of m an o o y
y o o
taxpa ers and f rming a c rrect and accurate aluati n of their v o
o ty w o o
pr per , as ell as c rrecting the gr ss ineq ualities ex isting et een b w
t hem It. b w
is useless to urden y ou ith the etails gi ing the figures d v
w wo d d o
hich ul em nstrate how unfair and un us the old sy stem of j t
ow
assessment had gr n o d t
We f un tha e en in the same cit mer
. v y
chantsw o
ere assessed at fr m as low as 4 % of their in ent ries to as v o
o d
high as 70% of the same We f un tha lum er on the ard was
. t b y
b d d
eing ren ere q
at 30% of its ty uanti as low as 10% ofto hat w
t y y d
was ac uall on the ar .

I b t w o tv
su mi here ith a c mpar a i e ta le of li e st c b and mer v ok
ow by
chandise as sh n t
the assessmen in 1907, 1916, 1917 and 1918,
k vo
which spea s w t
lum es ithin i self
 A N ew Ftsoul System for L ouis iana 135
'

Co m para t ive T ab l e Sh o win g I n cr ease I n L ive Sto c k,

A u t o m ob iles , M er c h an dise , E tc .

9 D 9

This but confirms the statemen previ usl ma e of the ih t o y d

t lerab le tax con iti ns ex is ing in L ouisiana
o d o t After ha ing c rrect . v o
o
ed m st of these glaring inaccuracies unfair and un us assess , j t
t v
m en s the nex t step was to gi e the people relief fr m the high tax
, o
t by
ra es d o o
a re ucti n in the am unt of millage hat c ul p ssi l be t o d o by
le ie b the State parish municipalit , le ee and school istricts,
v d y , , y v d
t t ty o d
so ha proper c ul d
be assesse at its full actual value In har .

o yw t
m n o y v o
ith his p lic , the G o ern r rec mm en e the su missi n o dd b o
o o t o
of an ther c ns ituti nal am en men (A ctd19 1 o f 19 t
18) hich was w
b ty by
su sequen l ratified the people in em er, 1918 Nov b .

St at e T axes

The State tax rate had been seven 1111113 on a 50% assessm ent ,
o f which six mills was the tax levied by the State for schools, road s

and general expenses and one mill for pensions due the Confederate
,

Veterans and their widows The State tax rate by said amendment
.

was reduced to three mills including the Confederate Veterans

,

T ax and the State G ood R oad s tax I t however, provided that the
.
,

State School T ax should be one mill, provided the separate Consti

tutional Am endment levying a State School T ax of one and one half
:
-

m ills should not be adopted , and so the lim it for State tax ation was
 136 The L ouisiana Hzstorzcal Quarterly
’ ’

made four mills in ord er to give the schools one mill for that fund .

H owever the State wide school tax of one and one half m ills was
,
-

also ratifi ed by the peo ple An enabling act was then passed in which
.

the State did not go to the full lim it of tax ation but fix ed the State ,

tax at two mills for the benefit of levees interest on the State debt ,

and all ex penses o f the G overnrhent (including the good road s tax )
, ,

the Confed erate Veterans tax of one half mill and the State wide
-

school tax of one and one half mills a total of four m ills for all pur
-
,

p o se s w ha tsoe ve r . Of cou rse y ou will u nd ersta nd tha t th e Co nfe d

et ate Veteran s tax of one half mill and State wid e school tax of one
-

and one half mills is not used by the State G overnm ent at all but
-
,

the State only collects the money and then that amount collected
for account of the current school fund is distributed regularly by the
Superintendent of Public E ducation who pro rates it to each parish
,
-

accord ing to the num ber of ed uca b le children between the ages of
six and eighteen years I n this connection it woul d not be am iss
.
,

to say that fi fty out of six ty four parishes in L ouisiana receive back
-

from the State m ore money than they pay into the State in taxes
for this purpose . L ikewise the Confederate Veterans tax is paid
out in pensions to the Veterans and widows in each parish and a ,

large maj ority of the parishes thr ough the pensions receive more than
they pay for this obj ect .

From the foregoing you can see that the State tax proper is
only two mills or twenty cents on each hundred dollar assessment
, ,

being the lowest it has ever been in the history of L ouisiana .

T his limitation ih regar d to tax rates is a salutary one and

'

p ro tec ts th e pu b lic fr om ex cess iv e a p pro priatio ns by th e G en era l

A ssembly which would necessarily compel the Board of State Aflairs
,

to adopt a higher percentage of assessment than which has

heretofore prod uced sufficient revenue to take care of the expendi
tur es . T his low rate tax has also compelled the B oar d of State
Affairs to order a 100% assessment of all propert y instead of appear
ing as a State with a high tax rate in L ouisiana and we will have an
, ,

assessment approximating with a rate of taxation of

only two m ills for strictly State purposes I might further add that it
.

is only by taking the actual v alue ofproperty that we can in a measure

bring about equalization between the taxpayers which could never
have been done as long as A ssessors were permitted to apply all
kinds of percentages of value in making assessments .
138 The L ouisiana Historical Quarterly

much valuable time of the G eneral A ssembly in holding numerous

hearings for the head s of these various institutions and departments .

T his cour se of procedure tend s to prevent log rolling on matters

“

of appropriations and places the expend itures of the State upon a

,

sound b asis This was do ne in the year 1918 for the first time and
.
,

the resul t was that the appropriation bill was completed several
weeks earlier than usual and at the close of this administration the
,

State of L ouisiana will not only be on a sound fi nancial bas is with no

defi cit to be provided for but also we will have a reasonable balance in
,

the Treasury T his is as it should be

. .

Co n clu sio n

We do not claim that the present system of taxation is perfect ,

but we do claim that it is a v ast improvement over the former meth

ods that prevailed whe rein a premium was placed on personal dis
,

honesty . We have frequently stated that the greatt way to pro

mote honesty is for each tax payer to be honest in his own rendition
and then try to help the other fellow be if he isn t T remendous
’
.

p ro gre ss h a s c er t ain ly b een m ad e in alleviating t he int oler ab le con

ditions that have heretofore prevailed although much remains yet ,

to be done I t takes a little time to work out these vital problem s

. .

T he work of the T ax A ssessor is vastly important H e should .

deal honestly and j ustly with taxpayers who come to him with their
rend itions T here should be no politics played in the matter of as
.

sessments The entire revenue of the State parish and city rests
.
,

upon the A ssessor s shoul ders and the work of his othee N o stream
’
.

can be pure unless it is so at the fountain head I f there is d ishonesty

.
,

inj ustice and favoritism at the fountain head then the sam e pollution
corrupts the entire stream of our revenue Every citizen should help .

to purify the stream at its sour ce by a fair and j ust rendition ofhis
property .

We sincerely trust that our B oard will have the cordial coopera
tion of y ou gentlemen in solving these great problem s We are sure .

that you feel a vital interest in the welfare of the State of L ouisiana ,

and we likewise believe that in a fair and j ust solution of our many

tax problem s will rest in a large measure the future happiness of the
p e op le o f ou r b e lov ed Co m m on w e al th .
 T R E A T Y B E T WE E N T H E FR ENCH REP UB L I C AN D T H E

UN I T E D ST A T E S, C ON CE R N I N G T H E CE SSI ON OF
L OUI SI AN A , SI G N E D A T PA R I S T H E
soth O F A P R I L , 1803 .

T he Presi dent of the United States of America and the first ,

Co nsul of the French R epublic in the name of the French people , ,

desiring to remove all source of misunderstanding relative to obj ects

of discussion mentioned in the second and fi ft h articles of the con
,

vention of the 8th vendemiaire an 9 (3oth of September , ,

relative to the rights claimed by the United States in virtue ofthe ,

treaty concluded at M adrid the 27th of October 1795 between his , ,

Catholic Maj esty and the said United States and willing to strengthen ,

the union and friend ship which at the time of the said convention
was happily re es tablished between the two nations have respective ,

ly named their plenipotentiaries ; to wit the President of the United -

,

States of America by and with the advice and consent of the Senate
,

o f the said States R obert R L ivingston M inister Plenipotentiary

, .
,

o f the U nited States and James Monroe M inister Plenipotentiary

, ,

and E n voy E x traordinary of the said States near the governm ent of ,

the French R epub lic ; and the First Consul in the name of the French ,

p p
eo le , th e F re nch citizen B arbe M arbois M inister of th e Pub lic ,

T reasury who aft er having respectively ex changed their full powers

, ,

have agreed to the following articles :

“
A rticle I st Wh ereas by the article the third of the treaty
.
,

concluded at the St I ldephonso the 9th Vend emiaire an 9 (l st

.
, ,

October , between the First Consul of the French R epublic

and H is Catholic M aj esty it was agreed as follows : H is Catholic
‘
,

Maj esty promises and engages on his part to retrocede to the , ,

French R epublic six months aft er the full and entire execution of the
,

conditions and stipul ations herein relative to his R oyal H ighness

the Duke of Parma the colony or province of L ouisiana with the

, ,

same ex tent that it now has in the hand s of Spain and that it had ,

when France possessed it ; and such as it should be after the treaties

subseq uently entered into between Spain and other States A nd
’
.
,

whereas in pursuance of the treaty and particularly of the third

, ,

article the French R epublic has an incontestab le title to the domain

,

and to the possession of the said territory : T he First Consul of the

French R epublic desiring to give to the United States a strong proof
,

of his friend ship doth hereby ced e to the said U nited States in the
, ,
140 The L ouisiana Historical Quarter!y

nam e of the French R epublic for ever and in full sovereignty the
, ,

said territory with all its rights and appurtenances as fully and in
, ,

the same manner as they had been acq uired by the French R epublic
in virtue of the above mentioned treaty concluded with his Catholic
-

Maj esty .

I n the cession made by the preceding article are

“
A rt 2nd . .

included the adj acent island s belonging to L ouisiana all public lots ,

and sq uar es v acant land s and all pub lic build ings fortifications
, , , ,

barracks and other edifices which are not private property The
, .

archiv es papers and documents relative to the domain and sover

, , ,

eigh ty of L ouisiana and its dependencies will be left i n the possession ,

of the commissaries of the United States and copies will be after ,

wards given in due form to the magistrates and municipal officers of

such of the said papers and documents as may be necessary to them .

A rt 3rd T he inhabitants of the ceded terri tory shall be ia

“
. .

corporated in the Union of the United States and admitted as soon as ,

p os sib le
, acco rd in g to the princ iples of the Fed eral Constitution to ,

the enjoym ent of all the rights advantages and imm unities of citi
,

zens of the U nited States ; and in the mean time they shall be main

tained and protected in the free enjoym ent of their liberty property , ,

and the religion which they profess .

A rt 4th T here shall be sent by the government of France a

“
. .

Commissary to L ouisiana to the end that he do every act necessar y

, ,

as well to receive from the of fi cers of his Catholic Maj esty the said
country and its d ependencies in the nam e of the French R epublic
, ,

if it had not been already done as to transmit it in the nam e of the

,

French to the commissary or agent of the United States .

“
A rt 5ih . I mmediately after the ratification of the present
.

treaty by the President of the United States and in case that of the ,

First Consul shall have been previously obtained the Commissary ,

of the French R epublic shall remit all the militar y posts of N ew

Orleans and other parts of the ceded terri tory to the Commissary
or Commissaries named by the President to take possession ; the troops

whether of France or Spain who may be there shall cease to occupy

,

any militar y post from the time of taking possession and shall be ,

em barked as soon as possible in the course of three m onth s after

,

the ratifi cation of this treaty .

A rt 6ih T he United States promise to ex ecute such treaties

“
. .

and art icles as may have been agreed between Spain and the tribes
and nations of I nd ians until by mutual consent of the United States
, ,

and the said tribes of nations other suitab le articles shall have been
,

agreed upon .
142 The Louisiana Historical Quarterly

parties, is in the like manner approved and will be ratified in the

,

same form and in the same time and j ointly

, , .

A rt 1 0th The pres ent treaty shall be ratified in good and due
. .

form and the ratifiee tions shall be ex changed in the space of six
,

months after the date of the signature by the M inisters Plenipo

tentiary or sooner if possible
, .

I n faith whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed

,

these articles in the French and E nglish lang uages ; declaring, never
theles s that the pre
, s ent treaty was originally agreed to in the French
language ; and have thereunto put their see ls .

Done at Paris the tenth day of Floreal in the eleventh yea r of

‘
, ,

the French R epublic, and the 3oth of A pril 1803 , .

R OB E R T R L IVINGST ON .
,

J AM ES MON R OE .

B A RB E M A RBO I S .
 I
H ST O R I CA L M E M OI R O F T H E WA R IN WE ST FL O R I DA
AN D L OUI SI ANA , 1814 1815 -

M aj or A L acafl iere L atour

By .
,

P rincipal E ngineer in the late Seventh M ilitary District U nited States ,

A rmy Written originally in French and translated from the

.

manuscript for the author by H P N ugent E sq , .

, .
,

P hiladelphia, 1 81 6

B o m b ar dm en t of For t St P h il ip, .

in Plaq u em in es Parish .

Fort
St Philip is an irregular work the body a parallelogram
.
, .

A pproaches to it are nearly impracticable, being surrounded by an

impassable morass a ditch and in addition on the east by the bayou
, ,

Mardi G ras forty hy e yard s wide I n the fort were mounted twenty
-
,
-
.

nine twenty four pounders a thirteen inch mortar an eight and

-
,
-
,

hy e and half inch howitzer and a six pounder and in the covert way
- - - -
,
-

two thirty two pounders mounted on a level with the water

-
, .

During the summer of 1814 every chort was mad e by the ,

'

g a rriso n o f Fort St Ph ilip consisting o f two.incom plete com

, panies
o f artillery to place th t post in the state of defense correspond ing
,
a
w ith its importance as the key of L ouisiana commanding the passes ,

o f the M ississippi I n October the cannon having been remounted

.
, ,

the gun carriages repaired a signal station established three m iles

-
,

below the Fort alterations made in som e of the batteries so as to

,

af ford security to the artillerists in case of an attack and add itional

work s erected to protect the rear ofthe fort and the season approach ,

ing when an attack from the enemy might be expected it was sug ,

g ested that if a battery was placed on the opposite side of th e river ,

thirty two pounders mounted in the covert way and a thirteen inch
- - -
,
-

m ortar fixed in the fort the d efense of the pass woul d then be com
,

p ete supposing the old build ings d estroyed and the requisite num
i , ,

ber of troops, and quantity of ordnance stores etc etc , to be fur , .

h ished .

In the month of November a Company of I nfantry t e e nforced ,

-

the garrison and about the last of that month the inspector general
,

descended the river to the B alize and caused a guard to be stationed ,

there .
144 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

y b ko v d F
E ar l in Decem er G en J ac s n isite the ort and or ere the
. d d ,

b y o d v d
atter on the pposite si e ofthe ri er to be imme iatel comm ence y d ,

and that the thirt y o d

t wo p un ers and thirt een inch mortar shoul
-
d -

d b
be mounte as efore mentione d .

v
T he mouth of the ri er was now m re cl sel o o yb k dd loc a e than
be fore and the guar
, d o d
stati ne b d
at the B alize near the en of the

pa sse s w as su r p ri d
se a n d k by
ta e n bo th e a ts o fdt he H eral sloo p o f
war . y dd
T he British at this time dail lan e at the B alize at which ,

pla ce a fe w o f ou r p ilo ts s till re d

m ain e oA re e n f r vd
cem ent a.rr i e -

o o o y I
at the garris n of an ther C mpan o f the 7th nfantr , and a Com y
pa n y of v o lu n te e r free m en o
o f c lo r .

bo
A ut the 15th of Decem er, Maj or b Ov o ert n of th e rifle corps

d
was place in c mman o d C Wo
aptain , y
llstonecraft of the Ar tiller , ,

o
who had charge of the P st since the month of May , eing or ered b d
O
to N ew rleans Ou the 17th , the arrival of the enem in our waters
. y
d d y d
was ascertaine , and a few a s afterwar s the fate of the gun
boat was kn ow F o
n v y
r m the 23rd e er
.
‘
d
efi ort was ma e to repel the

attac kw hich it was supp se o d wo d ul y shortl d be ma e The interior .

d b d bb b
was isencum ere of the ru ish of the arrac s hich had een k w b
torn dow d
n the main magazine was isguise and secure
. d d by ov a c er
t b w
ing of im er and earth, small magazines ere erecte , and co ers d v
d y o
ma e for the troops as a securit fr m the fragm ents of shells shoul
, d ,

a bo b d t k o w
m ar ment a e place and the garri s n ere constantl on , y
fatigue (under charge of ap ain C t W ollstonecraft who had been ,

d d b k o
or ere ac fr m N ew O bov
rleans ) for the a o
, e purp se and in ,

o t y o d ov
m unting the hirt two p un ers in the c ert way and the thir
- - -
,

t ot
een inch m r ar on the Spanish
-
b astion, until the 3rd of J annary .

b C
The 24th Decem er, aptain L agan s Compan arri e y vd ’
The Bat .

tery on the opposite si e d w d

hich was comm ence on the 15th Decem
,

d ow y y
ber progresse but sl l as man of the carpenters negr es and
, , o , ,

d dd
the superinten ent of artifi cers had ascen e the ri er on the firstv,

v
notice of the arri al of the enem y dd
T he cannon inten e for tha
. t
F w t k v
ort ere a en o er the ri er to v F y
ort St Philip as a place of securit , .

b eing useless in the then unfinished state of the wo k r s The carpen .

v b b k o
ters ha ing een sent ac fr m the 3t d until the 8th of J annary ,
w k
the or s on the new atter b yw w
ere carried on d
ith unremitte ex er
ti n and when our loo out b at returne
o , k o -
d wt o
i h the informati n on
o
that day of the appr ach of the enem y d y
but a few a s more labor ,

w q d
ere re uire o
for the c mpletion of the gun carriages and the wo k -
r
t b
i self On the 8th the gun oat N o 65 warpe int the a u, and
.
-
d o b yo .

k o
too p st so as to flank the rea r of the Fo rtv T o pre ent the nu .

b
finished attery on the opp site si e o d w ob
hich we were , liged to
146 The Louisiana H istorical Quarterly

of war, a gun
-
brig
bomb vessels they cam e to
, a schooner and two -
,

anchor range of our gun shot at a distance of 3960 yards ;

out of ,

the bom b vessels formed broadside to the fort behind the point of
-
,

land a little in advance of the men of war hoisted their colours

, , ,

and comm enced the act ion The firs t shell from the enem y fell .

short but the next burst over the interi or of the fort
, All that day .

and night the firing continued with only short intervals generally , ,

a shell ev ery two minute s No inj ury was done to the men or works .
,

as the shells from th e nature o f the soil sunk in the ground without
, , ,

bursting or burst under the ground at so gran t a depth as to pro

, ,

duce no other efi ect than a tremulous motion In the night severa l

‘
.

boats approached nea r the Fort and came so close as to allow us ,

alm ost distinctly to hear their crews conversing They tired severa l .

rounds of grape and round shot over and into the Fort The wind -
.

blowing fair up the river and in gusts during the night this approach
, ,

of the enem y was only consid ered as an efi ort to diver t our attention
‘

from their vess els which might attem pt to pass under our sm oke
, .

Their attack was therefore received in silence and our attention ,

directed to the vess els alone Finding we were not to be moved by .

this stratagem they retired and d uring the rest of the night fired a
, ,

few shells from their boats stationed on both sides of the river Oh .

the l oth the bom bardment was continued with the same vivacity
as on the former day ex cept that a cessation occurred of about two
,

hours at noon and sundown which respite was daily granted us dur ,

ing the remainder of the siege Occa sionally on these two days a .

fire was opened from the batteries of the Fort but the shot fell short , .

The third day of the bom bar dment severa l pieces of shells str uck
the flag stafi and in one instance nailed the halyard s to the mast in
-
,

another severed them in the midst of the fire ; the topmast was
lowered down and it took nearly an hour to have the flag replaced
,

on the mast T his was done by a sailor who had the courage to
.

stan d on the cross trees ex posed as a mark and though the fire from
-
, ,

the enem y was very brisk and well directed and severa l shells bur st -
,

over his head he es caped unhur t The evening of this day the enemy
, .

directed their fire with great exactness at the contract or 8 store

’

supposing it to be the main m agaz ine Several whole shells passed .

through the building and two burst in it killing one man and wound
, ,

ing another ; but as their spies had only described the magaz ine in
the state in which it was a few days before the attack comm enced ,

they were deceived ; and by making every effort to lod ge shells in th e

before mentioned building which had the appearance of the powder
-
,
 H istorical M emoir o] the War in West F lorida and L a . 147

magazine in its former state the magazine itself escaped having , ,

only been struck two or three times by fragm ents of shells .

A t four this evening the garrison opened an anim ated fire for a
quarter of an hour on the bomb vessels from all the guns that bear
on them but apparently with out any other ch eet than deranging
‘
,

their fire ; it served however to animate our men showed the quick
, ,

nes s and precision with which our guns were pointed and served ,

and gave a foretaste of what might be expected shoul d the enem y

attempt to pass up .

Oh the 12th 13th and 14th the hring continued with the usual
,

inter vals doing comparatively little inj ury ; the enem y probably
, ,

aware of the inefl iciency of their shells when discharged so as to alight

whole in the interior of the works now m uged their fuses so that , ,

the shells burst in the air over the works and scattered fragments ,

in every direction T he evening ofthe 14th a man was killed on the

.

right battery another slightly wounded a man on the centre battery

, ,

lost his leg and several of the gun carriages were materially inj ured ;
,
-

—
on the right and centre batteries the thirty two pounder in the covert,
-

way , in the angle of the Spanish bastion was struck hy e times and , ,

for upwards of an hour was rendered unserviceable Several shell s .

entered the blacksmith s shop ; one burst near the main m agazine
’
,

and another passed into the ditch through the m agazine in the cov ert
way .

T his evening we were employed in carrying into the fort all the
tim ber that we could collect and in forming covers between the ,

g u ns
, so as efi
‘
e ct ua lly to secure the m en on the b atteries from th e
fr agments of shells and to shelter them from the rain which had
, ,

fallen with little intermission from the comm encement of the

, ,

siege .T his work was finished on the evening of the 15th and it is ,

alm ost incred ible that during all this tim e though the men w ere ,

m ore exposed than before passing in and out of the Fort in parties
, ,

after materials no one was hurt , A t this time the interior of th e .

Fort was nearly a pond of water ; the tents stood many of them , ,

torn by shells but unoccupied , The sm all magazines were also .

strengthened and an additional quantity of earth thrown on them

, .

T his evening several boats arrived with amm unition fr om N ew ,

Orleans fuses for the thirteen inch mortar s etc etc T he l 6th
,
-
, .

was occupied in conveying the powder and ordnance stores fr om

about a m ile above the Fort into the magaz ine ; and the weather
being fair we were comparatively com fortable and in high spirits
, , ,

having now the means of annoying the enem y Oh the morning of .

th e 17th the fire from the enem y was not as animated as usual ; in the
148 The Louisiana Historical Quarterly

v
e ening we returne d
om our mortars with considerable
their fire fr
effect as far as we were able to j ud ge and for several hours th ey
, ,

threw shells m ore frequently than before A t night one of our shells .

struck one of their bom b vessels ; we distinctly heard the shock ,

and for near hy e m inutes the hrs from one of the ves sels was discon
tinned T he hring continued d uring th e night of the 17th ; several
.

shells were lod ged in the parapet ; one b urst passing through the

ditch into the angle of the centre bastion T his was the last shot we .

received : a little before day the enemy got und er way and at day ,

light we could perceive the sternm ost vessel descend ing the river .

From three o clock on the 9th until d aylight on the 19th the
’

bomb ardment continued with very little intermission During .

that time the enemy threw more than o ne thousand shells and ear
cases expended upward s o f sev enty tons of shells and m or e than
, ,

twenty thousand pound s of powder besides small shells and round , ,

and grape shot from their boats

-
During the whole of this bombard .

ment we lost no more than two m en one of whom was killed on the
, ,

right b attery and the oth er in the contractor s store Our wounded
’
.
,

were two men on the right and three on the centre battery one in the
, ,

store and one in the interior of the garrison

, .

T he troops were on the battery nine days hy e days without ,

cov er ; and exposed to the rain and weather which was ex tremely

cold . T hey cannot be denied praise for the unremitted exertion they
made to receive the enemy the fatigues they underwent d uring the ,

bombardm ent which was almost incessant and the patience they
, , i

ex ercised thus ex posed Perhaps the duration of the siege would

.

not have bee n so long had the fuses sent from the northward been , ,

o f a good quality ; for sev eral d ay s the mortar with which only ,

there was any probability of reaching the enemy was entirely or ,

nearly useless .

From the effects after good fuses arrived (for there were no
m aterials in the garriso n to m ake any ) it m ay perhaps be surmised
that the enem y s vessels would have found it unsafe to hav e remained
’

for so long a time in the station they occupied within range of our
shells .

From the day the attack commenced until it conclud ed we were ,

constantly em ployed in preparing grape and canister shot from bar -

lead m aking up fixed amm unition repairing gun carriages making

, ,
-
,

implem ents etc etc and we were in fact in a much better state o f
, .
, , ,

d efense and better provided when it term inated than at its com
, ,

m encement .
150 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarter1y

two barges , apparentl

for the purp se of s un ing y ithin o o d w
one and a half mile o f the f rt ; at this m ment I or ere o o d d
my ater w atter b y
un er the c mman d , of L ieutenant Cun o d
h ingham of the , a N vy
to open up n them its well irec ed , o d t
shot caused a precipi ate retreat t A t half past three cl c . o ok ’

P M the enem s b m y o bv
s els pene their fire fr m f ur o d o o
’
. . es -

-
ot
sea m r ars, two of thir teen inches, two of ten and to my ,

g re a t m or t ific ati o n fo u n h e ere iI

t h u t t he effecd t yw
ti e w o v
range of m y sh t as man o
su seq uent experimen s pr
, y b
e ; t ov d
y
the continued their fire ith little intermission uring the w d
l 0th, 1 1th 12th 13th 14th, 15th, l 6th and 17th
, , , I oc , .

casionally opene d
m y atteries on them i h great i acit , b wt vv y
p a rt ic ula r l h e n thyw
e sh ow ed a isp os itio n to yc ha ng e th eir d
p osit i n o O u . th e 1 7t h in th e e e nin g ou r h ea m r ar v , vy ot
d
was sai to be in rea iness I or ere that excellent oflicer, d . d d
C aptain W llstonecraft oo f the A rtillerists, who pre i usl , vo y
had charge of it to pen a fire which was , o ne ith great , do w
effect , as the enem from hat moment ecam e is r erey t b d od d ,

and at d y
a light on the 18th comm ence their retreat after d ,

w d
having thro n up ar s of a th usan hea w shells, esi es o d vy b d
small shells fr m h o ow
itzers, r un sh t and grape hich he o d o , w
d ischarge fr m d o bo d
ats un er c er of the night ov .

o
Our l ss in this affair has een unc mm nl small ing b o o y , ow
en irel t y
to the great pains hat was a en the ifferen t t k by d t
ofiicers to k
eep their men un er c er ; as the enem left d ov y
y
scarcel ten feet of h is garris n unt uche t o o d .

T he officers and s l iers through this od

hole affair al w ,

t d y
hough nine a s and nights un er arm s in the difi erent d
o
batteries the c nse uent fa igue and l ss of sleep ha e
, q o v t ,

d
manifeste the grea est firmness and m st zeal us armth t o o w
to be at the enem T o istinguish in i i ualsy . d dvd
uld be a wo
d t t k
elica e as as meri was c nspicu us ever t o o yw
here L ieuten .

ant C unningham of the a , who c mman ed my N vy o d

ater w
b y t
atter , wi h his ra e cre , e ince b v
the m st w v d o d
etermined

b v y
ra er and uncomm n acti i o v ty o
thr ughout ; and in fact , sir,
y
the onl thing to be regret e td
is that the enem was too y
d v
tim i to gi e us an pp rtuni of estr o o ty d oy
ing him .

I herewith encl se y ou a lis of ille and oun ed o t k d w d .

am sir er respectfull I v y , y , ,

W H OVE R T ON . .
 H istorical M emoir f
o the War in West F lorida and L a . 151

A list of killed and o ded during the bombardment of Fort

w un
St Philip
. ommencing
c on the 9th and end ing on the 18th of J an

uar y , 1815 :

Captain Wollstonecraft s A rtillery Wounded 3 —

’
.

Captain Murray s A rtillery Killed 2 wounded 1

— ’

, .

Captain Bronten s I nfantry Wounded 1

— ’

Captain Wade s I nfantry Wounded 2

— ’
.

T otal Killed 2 ; Wounded 7

, .

(Page

With his usual activity adhering to his constant practice of ,

seeing everyt hing himself as far as practicable G eneral J ackson , , ,

the second day (Dec 3 1814) after his arrival set out to visit Fort
.
, ,

St Philip in P laquem ines Parish and to exam ine what parts of the
.
, ,

river below N ew Orleans it might be exped ient to fortify Previously

, .

to his d eparture he had sent ord ers to Governor Claiborne to cause

,

all the bayous lead ing from the ocean into the interior of the country ,

to be obstructed T his measure had been ordered to be ex ecuted

.

along the whole coast from A ttakapas to Chef M enteur and M an

,
-

chac .

On visiting Fort St Philip the General ordered the demolition

.
,

o f the wood en barracks within the Fort several add itional pieces ,

o f A rtillery to be mounted on the rampart and a thirty two pound er ,

-

and a mortar in the covered way H e also ordered two batteries .

t o be constructed the one opposite the Fort on the right bank on

, ,

the site of the former Fort Bourbon and the other half a mile above ,

the Fort and on the same bank T hese batteries were to be mounted
, .

with twenty iour pounders T he latter in particul ar was in a situa

-
.
, ,

tion extremely advantageous for commanding the river and coul d ,

j oin its fire w ith that o f Fort St Philip . .

Oh his return to N ew Orleans the General ord ered me to draw ,

out the necessar y plans for those two batteries which plans being ,

drawn out and approved by him the necessary measures were taken ,

for putting into imm ed iate ex ecution General Jackson proceeded .

to visit Chef M enteur and having gone as far as the confluence of

-
,

the bay ou Sauvage and the river of Chef M enteur he ord ered th e -
,

erection of a battery at that point .

I n the evening of the 13th of December Commodore Patterson ,

received in formation that the naval forces of the enemy at anchor

at Ship I sland were increased to thirty sail of which six were ships
, ,

o f the line ; that others were every m oment arriving especially a ,

152 The L ouisiana Historical Quarterly

b
num er of light vess els , calculate d for navigating on our coast where
the passes G w
T he eneral rote on the l oth to the o ern r of the
. G v o
o d
State, and inf rme him of his return fr m isiting the p s s n o v o t dow
the river as far as Fort St Philip I n that letter he observes that
. .

the river is capable of being well defended provided suitable batteri es ,

be raised on its banks ; and that he has fixed on the points on which
they ought to be erected The General proposes to the Governor
.

to call on the patriotism of the members of the legislature to assist ,

him in the present conj uncture with all the means in their power , .

A s the works to be raised chiefly consist of earth thrown up he is of ,

the opinion that it would be best to suggest to the planters the

p p
r o r ie ty o f fu r n is h in g th e ir ga n gs o f ne gr o es to b e em p l oy ed for a
,

certain time in those works H e thinks the importance of the sub

.

j ec t wo rt hy t he im m e d ia t e a tte n t io n o f t h e le g is la tu r e w ho h e , ,

hopes will not delay a moment to fur nish means for putting the coun
,

try in a state of defence by the erection of the fortifi cations contem

,

p la te d . T he se w h en
, co m p lete d th e G en e ra l th ink
, s w ill sec ure th e ,

river against the attacks of the enem y ; but not a m oment says he , ,

is to be lost in perfecting the d efence of the M ississippi With .

vigour energy and expedition all is safe ; delay may lose all
, , , .

The General concludes by requesting the Governor to let him

know as soon as possible what the legislature is disposed to do to
, ,

assist him in erecting the fortifi cations ; he instance s as a bright ex

ample what has been done in N ew York

, In case the legislature .

should not be able to realize the expectat ions he has conceived from

their patriotism the General wishes to know it that he may make

, ,

arrangements accord ing to the means he possesses for the defence ,

of the country .

Oh the 14th of December Governor Claiborne addressed a ,

circular letter to the inhab itants o f the parishes of Plaq uemines ,

St Bernard St Charles and St John the Baptist informing them of

.
, .
, .
,

a resolution passed by the legislature requiring the G o vernor to ,

call upon the inhabitants of such parishes as he m ight think proper ,

to send all such male negroes as they could dispose of to Fort St .

Charles or to the E nglish T urn to be thence sent to the different

, ,

p o in ts t h at m ig h t b e j u d g ed p p
ro e r t o b e fo rt ifi e d th er e to wo rk o n ,

the fortifi cations T he G overnor in his circular letter makes known

. ,

to the inhabitants that the State is in danger ; that the enemy is in

,

consid erable force on our Coast ; and that his m ovements indicate a
disposition to land H e concludes by expressing his reliance on the
p a tr iot ism o f t h e in h a b it a n t s a n d h is h op es
, t h a t in th e h o ur o fp e ril ,
 T R E A T Y BE T WE E N T H E UN I T E D ST A T E S A N D SPAI N
C ON CE R N IN G T H E CE SSI ON B Y SPA I N T O T H E
UNI T E D ST AT E S O F E A ST AN D WE ST FL OR I DA
P R O CL A I M E D FE BR UA R Y 22 182 1 AN D , ,

SI G NE D B Y J A M E S M ON R O E AN D
J O HN Q UI NC Y AD A M S

By the P resident of the U nited States

A PR OCL A MAT ION

Wh ereas T rea a ty y
of A mit , Settlem en , and L im its , between t
U d A
the nite States of meri ca and his ath lic Maj es C
, was c nclu ed o ty o d
and signe db w t
et een heir Plenip tentiaries in his city on the 22udo t ,

Fb y y
day of e ruar , in the ea r of our L r one h usan eight hun red od t o d d
t
and nine een w hich T reat
, or for y w d
r , is as f llo s :
, wo d o w

T RE A T Y
Of A mity Settlement and L imits between the U nited States of A merica,
,

and H is Catholic M aj esty .

T he United States of Am erica and H is Catholic Maj esty desiring

to consolidate on a permanent basis the friendship and good corres
p dence which happily prev ails between the two Parties have de
o n ,

termined to sett le and terminate all their d ifferences and pretensions

by a T reaty which shall designate with precision the limits of their
,

respective bord ering territories in North America .

With this intention the President of the United States has

furnished with their full Powers J ohn Quincy A d am s Secretary of ,

State of the United States ; and H is Catholic M aj esty has appointed

the Most E x cellent L ord Don L uis de Onis Gonsalez L opez y Vara , , ,

L ord of the T own of R ayaces Perpetual R egidor of the Corporation

,

of the City of Salam anca Knight G rand Cross of the R oyal Ameri
,

can Ord er of I sabella the Catholic decorated with the L y s of La ,

Vendee Knight Pens10ner of the R oyal and distinguished Spanish

,

Order of Charles the Third Member of the Supreme A ssembly of the

,

said R oyal Order ; of the Council of H is Catholic M aj esty ; his Secre

tary with E x ercise of Decrees and his E nvoy E xtraord inary and
,

Minister Plenipotentiary near the United States of America .

 T reaty Concerning E ast and West F lorida 155

d
A nd the sai Plenip tentiaries after ha ing ex change their o , v d
o v
P wers ha e agreed up n and c nclu e the follo ing A r icles
, o o dd w t
A rticle 1 There shall be a firm and in i la le peace and sincere vo b
d
frien ship et een the b w
nite S ates and their Citizens and H is U d t ,

t o
Ca h lic M aj est , his Success rs and Su ects yithou ex cepti n of o bj , w t o
p e rso n s or la
p ces .

A rt 2 H is
. atholic. a est ce es to th e C nite M j y
States, in d d U
y ov
full propert and s ereignt all the territ ries which el ng to him y , o b o ,

situate d
to the east ar of the ississippi n n w d M
the name of k ow by
,

E ast and West l ri a Fo d

The adj acent slan s epen ent on sai . I d d d d
ov b o
Pr inces all pu lic l ts and sq uares acan L an s, pu lic E difices,
, , v t d b
F ortifi cations Barrac s and other B uil ings, k
hich are not pri ate d w , v
o y
pr pert , A rchi es and D cuments which relate v o
irectl to the , d y
p p
r o er t a ny
d s o er eignt of sai P r inces a rv
e inc luy e d
in this ov , dd
d
A rticle T he sai A rchi es and Documents shall be left in possessi n
. v o
o
of the C mmissaries or Ofiicers of the nite S ates, ul auth rize
, U d t d y o d
to recei e them v .

A rt 3 The Boun ar L ine et een the two C untries, West of

. . d y b w o
the M
ississippi shall egin on the G ulph of , exic b
at the mouth of M o ,

v
the Ri er Sa ine in the Sea c ntinuing b orth along the Western , o N ,

k
Ban of that Ri er to the 32d egree of L atitu e ; hence v , a L ine d d t by
N
due orth to the egree of L atitu e where it stri es the R io R oxd d , k o
of N o
achit ches or R ed Ri er then follo ing the c urse of the R io
, v , w o
o d
R xo Westwar to the egree of L ngitu e 100 West from L n n d o d , o do
o
and 23 fr m Washingt n then cr ssing the sai R ed R i er and run o , o d v ,

ning thence a L ine due by

orth to the R i er A r ansas thence , N v k ,

o w o
f llo ing the C urse of the S uthern an of the Ar kansas to its o b k
o
s urce in L atitude 42 rth and thence by that parallel of L atitu e
, . No , d
o
to the S uth Sea T he wh le eing as lai
-
own in M elishe s M ap
. o b dd ’

of the U nite d
States pu lishe at Phila elphia impro e to the , b d d , vd
J
first of anuar y
1818 B ut if the S urce of the Ar ansas Ri er shall
, . o k v
o d
be f un to fall No
rth or S uth of L atitu e 42 then the L ine shall o d ,

run from the sai S urce due S uth or d o

rth as the case may be o No , ,

d
till it m eets the sai Parallel of L atitu e 42 and thence al ng the sai d , o d
o
P arallel to the S uth Sea : all the slan s in the Sa ine and the Sai I d b d
k
R ed and Ar ansas Ri ers thr ughout the C urse thus escri e , to v , o o d bd
o U
bel ng to the nite States ; but the use of the Waters and the na i d v
gation of the Sa ine to the Sea and of the sai Ri ers R x andb , d v oo ,

k o
A r ansas thr ughout the extent of the sai Boun ar
, on their d d y ,

res pecti ev B k an s, shall be c mm n to the respecti e inha itants of o o v b

b th ati ns The T wo H igh Contracting Parties agree to ce e
o N o . d
o
and ren unce all their rights, claim s and pretensions to th e T erri
156 The L ouisiana Historical Quarterly

toriesdescri bed by the said L ine : that is to United States say — The
.

hereby ced e to H is Catholic Maj esty and renounce forever all their , ,

rights claim s and pretensions to the T erritories lying West and South
, ,

of the above d escribed L ine ; and in like manner H is Catholic , ,

Maj esty ced es to the said United States all his rights claim s and , , ,

pretensions to any T erritories E ast and North of the said L ine and , , ,

for him self his heirs and successors renounces all claim to the said
, ,

T o fix this L ine with more precision and to place the

A rt 4 . .
,

d k w
L an mar s hich shall esignate exactl the lim its of th d
ati ns, y bo N o
each of the C
o ntracting Parties shall app int a C mm issioner o o ,

and a Sur e v yo
r who shal l m eet efore the termination of one
, ear b y
o d
fr m the ate of the R atification of this T reat at achit ches on y , N o
v
the R ed Ri er and pr cee to run and mar the sai L ine from the
, o d k d
b
mouth o f the Sa ine to the R ed Ri er and from the R ed Ri er to v , v
v k
the R i er A r ansas and to ascertain the Latitu e of the Source of the
, d
d v
sai Ri er A r ansas 1n c nf rmit k to hat 13 a o o
e agree up n and
, y w bov d o
d
stipulate , and the L ine of L atitu e 42 to the S uth Sea : they d . o
k
shall ma e out plans and eep Joum als of their procee ings and the k d ,

result agree up n d o by
them shall be c nsi ere as part of this T reaty o d d ,

and shall ha e the same f rce as if it v ere inserte therein The o w d .

two G v
o ernm ents ill amica l w
agree respecting the necessary by
A d
rticles to be furnishe to th se pers ns and also as to their respective o o ,

o o d
esc rts sh ul such be eeme necessar
, d d y .

I
A rt 5 The nha itants of the ce e T errit ries shall be secured
. . b dd o
in the free ex ercise of their R eligi n ith ut any restriction and o w o , ,

all those who may d

esire to remo e to the Spanish D minions shall v o
d
be permitte to sell, or exp rt their E fi ects at any time hate er , o w v
w o b
ith ut eing su ect in either case, to uties bj , d .

A rt 6 I
T he nha itants of the T erritories hich H is Catholic
. . b w
M ja esty ce es to the nite dStates his T reat U
shall be inco r d by t y ,

p ora ted in the n i n o f the n it e StaU o

tes a s so n a s m ay b e co nsis U d , o
tent w
ith the principles of the e eral onstitution, and a mitte d Fd C d
j
to the en oy ment of al l the pri ileges, rights and immunities of th e v
C itizens of the nite States U d .

A rt 7 Th e Offi cers and T r ps of H is ath lic

. . a est in the oo C o M j y
T erritories here ce e by d d by
him to the nite States shall be ith U d w
d rawn and p ssession of the places ccupie
, o them shall be given o d by
Within six months after the ex change of the R atifications of this
y
T reat or so ner if p ssi le
, o o b
the Offi cers o f H is atholic a esty , , by C M j
to the Co o
mmissi ners or Offi cers of the nite States ul app inted U d , d y o
v
to recei e them ; and the nite States shall furnish the transpor s U d t
 The L ouisiana Hzston cal Quarterly
' '

158

The renunciation of H is Catholic a est exten s M j y d ,

1 T o all the in uries mentione in the o n ention of the 1 1th

. j d C v
of A ugust 1802 , .

2 T o the sums which H is ath lic

. a est a anced for the C o M j y dv
C
return o f aptain Pi e from the Pro incias nternas k v I .

3 T o all in uries cause

. j
the expe iti n of iran a that wasd by d o M d
fitted out and e uippe at N ew or q d Y k .

4 . T o all claim s of Spanish su ects up n the o ernm ent of bj o G v

the U nite d
States arising from unlaw ful seizures at Sea or ithin w
o
the p rts and territorial Jurisdict ion of the nite States U d .

F inall y
to al l the claim s of su ect s of H is
, atholic a est bj C M j y
upon the G ov
ernm ent of the nite States m hich the interp si U d w o
tion of H is atholic Ca est s G M j
ernm ent has ee n s licite y e f re
’
ov b o db o
d
the ate of this T reat and since the y
ate of the C n ention of 1 802
, d o v ,

or w v b
hich may ha e een ma e to the Department of oreign A ffairs d F
of H is M j
a est or to H is y
inister in the nite States
, M U d .

A nd the H igh C ntracting Parties respecti el renounce all o v y

d
claim to in em nities for any o f the recent e ents or transactions of v
v
their respecti e C mm an ers and Ofii cers in the lori as o d , F d .

U d
T he nite States will cause satisfaction to be ma e for the in d
j u ri es ,if a n y w h ic h p roc ,ess of L aw , sh a ll by
be est a lish e to h a e b d v
b een suffere d by
the Spanish Offi cers and in i i ual Spanish in , dvd
b
ha itants, by
the late perations of the A merican Arm in Flori a o y d .

A rt 1 0 T he C n ention entere into etween the two G ov

. . o v d b
ernments on the 11th of A ugust 1802 the R atifications o f hich , , w
w ere exchange d
the 2 1st Decem er 1818 is annulle b , , d .

A rt 11 . U
T he nite States ex onerating Spain from all eman s
. d , d d
in future on account of the claim s of their Citizens to hich the t e
, , w
nunciations herein contained ex ten and consi ering them entirel d , d y
cancelle d d k k
un erta e to ma e satisfaction for the sam e to an am ount
, ,

d
not ex cee ing i e Fv M o
illi ns of Dollars T o ascertain the full am ount .

v d y
and ali it of those claim s a C mm issi n to consist of three Com , o o ,

missioners C itizens of the

, nite States shall be appointe U the d , d by
Presi entd by and with the a
, ice and consent of the Senate ; hich dv w
o
C mm ission shall meet at the Cit of ashington and within the y W ,

y
space of three ears fr m the tim e o f their fi rst m eeting shall recei e,
, o , v
ex am ine and d d
eci e upon the amount and ali it of al l the claims v d y
inclu e ddw ithin the escriptions a e mentione d bov d .

d o
T he sai C mm issi ners shall ta e an oath or affi rmation, to be o k
entere d on the rec r od
of their procee ings for the faithful and dili d ,

g en t d is c ha rg e o f t heir ut ie s ; an d in ca se o f th e ea th d sic ness or d , k ,

necessar y b
a sence of any such C mm issioner, his place may be o
 Treaty Concerning E ast and West F lorida 1 59

supplie d by the appointment as aforesaid or by the President of

, ,

the United States during the recess of the Senate of another Com ,

missioner in his stead T he said Comm issioners shall be authorized

.

to hear and exam ine on oath every q uestion relative to the said claim s ,

and to receive all suitable authentic testimony concerning the sam e .

A nd the Spanish Governm ent shall furnish all such documents and
elucidations as may be in their possession for the adj ustm ent o f the ,

said claim s according to the principles of Justice the L aws ofN ations
, , ,

and the Stipulations of the T reaty between the two Parties of 27th

October 1795 ; the said Documents to be specified when demanded

, ,

at the instance of the said Commissioners .

The paym ent of such claim s as may be adm itted and adj usted
by the said Commissioners or the maj or part of them to an amount
, ,

not ex ceeding Five M illions of Dollars shall be made by the United

,

States either imm ediately at their T reasury or by the creation of

,

Stock bearing an interest ofSix per Cent per annum payable from the ,

p roce e d s o f Sa les of public land s within the T erritories hereby ced ed

to the United States or in such other manner as the Congress of the

,

United States may prescribe by L aw .

T he record s of the proceedings of the said Comm issioners to ,

ge the r w ith th e vo uche rs and d ocum ents p rod uced before them ,

relative to the claim s to be adj usted and decided upon by them shall , ,

after the close of their transactions be d eposited in the Departm ent

,

of State of the United States ; and copies of them or any part of them ,

shall be furnished to the Spanish G overnm ent if req uired at the de , ,

m and of the Spanish M inister in the United States .

A rt 1 2
. The T t eaty of L im its and N avigation of 1795 remains
.

confirmed in all and each one of its A rticles , ex cepting the 2, 3, 4, 2 1

and the secon d clause of the 22nd Article which having been altered
, ,
'

by this T reaty or having received their entire ex ecution are no

, ,

With respect to the 15th Article of the same T reaty of Friend

ship L im its and N avigation of 1795 in which it is stipulated that the
, , ,

Flag shall cover the property the T wo H igh Contracting Parties

,

agree that this shall be so understood with respect to those P owers

who recognize this principle ; but if either of the two Contracting

Parties shall be at War with a Third P arty and the other Neutral , ,

the Flag of the N eutral shall cover the property of E nem ies whose ,

Government acknowledge this principle and not of others , .

A rt 1 3. Both Contracting Parties wishing to favour their

.
,

mutual Co mm erce by afford ing in their ports every necessary

,

A ssistance to their respectiv e M erchant Vessels have agreed that , ,

160 1 he L ouisiana Historical Quarterly
the Sailors who shall desert from their Vessels in the ports ofthe other ,

shal l be arrested and delivered up at the instance of the Co nsul ,

who shall prove nevertheless that the Deserters belonged to the

,

Vessels that claim them exhibiting the document that is customary

,

in their nation : that is to say the Am eri can Co nsul in a Spanish

,

Port shall exhibit the Document know n by the name of A rticles

, ,

and the Spanish Consul in Ameri can Ports the R oll of the Vessel ,

and if the name of the Deser ter or Deserters who are claim ed shall , ,

appear in the one or the other they shall be arrested held in custody
, ,

and d elivered to the Vessel to which they shall belong .

A rt 1 4
. .T he United States hereby certify that they have not ,

received any compensation from France for the inj uries they suffered

from her Privateers Consuls and T ribunals on the Coasts and in

, , ,

the Port s of Spain for the satisfaction of which provision is mad e

,

by this T reaty ; and they will present an authentic statement of the

p rizes m a d e a
,nd o f th eir true v alu e tha t S pa in m ay ,av ail h er sel f of
the same in such m anner as she may deem j ust and proper .

A rt 1 5
. .The United States to give to H is Catholic Maj esty a ,

p roo f o f th e ir d esire to cem en t th e relatio ns o f A m it y su b sistin g be

tween the two Nations and to favour the Comm erce of the Subj ects
,

o f H is Catholic M aj esty agree that Spanish Vessels com ing lad en

,

only with productions of Spanish growth or manufactures d irect ly ,

from the Ports of Spain or of her Co lonies shall be admitted for the ,

term of twelve years to the Ports of Pensacola and St A ugustine in .

,

the Florid as without paying other or higher d uties on their cargoes

,

or of tonnage than will be paid by the Vessels of the United States .

During the said term no other Nation shall enj oy the sam e privileges
within the ced ed T erritories T he twelve years shall commence
.

three m onths after the ex change of the R atifications of this T t eaty .

A rt 1 6 T he present T reaty shall be ratified in due form by the

.

Co ntracting Parties and the R atifications shall be exchanged in Six

,

Months from this time or sooner if possible .

I n Witness whereof We the Und erwritten Plenipotentiaries ofthe

,

United States of America and of H is Catholic Maj esty have signed

, , ,

by virtue of Our Powers the Present T reaty of Amity Settlement

, ,

and L imits and have thereunto affix ed our Seals respectively

, .

Done at Washington this T wenty Second day of February

,
-
,

One T housand E ight H undred and N ineteen .

[Seal] JOH N QUINCY A DAMS

[Seal] L UI S DE ONI S
162 The Louisiana Hzstorzcal Quarterly
’

v
through them , can a ail them sel es v
d grants at any tim e or of the sai

in any manner : under which explicit d eclar ation the said 8th article
is to be be understood as ratified .

I n the faith of al l which I have commanded to d espatch these

presents signed by my hand sealed with my secret seal and coun
, ,

tersigned by the und erwritten my Secretary of Despatch of State .

G iven at M adrid the twenty fourth day of October one thousand -

eight hundred and twenty Si

( g ned.
) F E R N A N DO .

(C o un tsd ) E VA R I ST O P E RE Z DE CA ST R O .

w
A nd hereas the Senate of the nite States did on the nine U d ,

teenth day of the present month, a ise and consent to the ratifi dv
cation, on the part of these U
nite States, of the sai T reat in the d d y
ow
foll ing or s : w d
In Senate of the nite States U d
Febm ary 1 9th, 1 821 .

vd d
R esol e , two thir s of the Senators pres ent concurring therein,
-

t v
hat the Senate ha ing ex amine the treat of Amity Settlem ent d y ,

and L imits b w
et een the U d
nite States of A merica and his ath lic C o
y d dd
M aj est ma e and conclu e on the t ent sec n day of e ruary, w y -
o d Fb
d d
1819, and seen and consi ere the R atification there f, ma e his o d by
sai dC atholic M j
a est y
on the 24th day of ct er , 1820, do c nsent O ob o
dv d
to, and a ise the Presi ent of the nite States to ratif the same U”
d y .

w
And hereas in pursuance of the sai a ice and c nsent of the d dv o
Senate of the nite States U d I
ha e ratified and confir med the said v
y
T reat in the follo ing , viz :w
N
“
ow, therefore, I , J ames M o
onr e Presi ent of the nite State s , d U d
v
of A merica , ha ing seen and c nsi ere o d d
the T reat a e recite , y bov d
o
t gether with the R atification of H is atholic Ca est there f do in M j y o ,

p ur su a n ce o f the a foresai a ice and d dv

co nsen t o f the Sena te o f th e
U d
nite States by
, these Presents accept, ratif , and confirm the said
, y
y v y
T reat and e er clause and article there f as the same are herein o
before set f rth o ”
.

“
w I v
I n faith hereo f ha e cause the Seal of the nite States of d U d
Am erica to be hereto affix ed .

Gv
“
d d
i en un er my H an at the it of ashington this t ent C y W w y
secon d Fb
day of e ruary in the ear of our L r one thousan eight y od d
d d w y
hun re and t ent one and of the n epen ence of the sai States
-
, I d d d
y
the fort fi fth-
.
(Signe ) J A M ES R E d MON O
B y the Presi dent
(Signed) JOH N QUINCY A DA M S
Secretary of State .
 Treaty Concerning E ast and West Florida 163

And whereas the d

R atifications on the part of the
sai , nite U d
States and of H is atholic
, C a est M j y
ha e een t his day ul ex
, v b d y
change at d W
ashing on t by Q
John uinc A am s Secretar of State
, y d , y
of the U d
nite States, and by
G eneral Don rancisco Dionisio i es F Vv ,

Envoy d y
E x traor inar and M o
inister P lenip tentiar of H is Catholic y
M j y
a est : N ow therefore to the end that the sai
, , T reat may be d y
ob v d
ser e dw
and performe d
ith goo faith on the part of the nite U d
States I v , d
ha e cause the prem ises to be ma e pu lic and do d b , I
by j
here q b
en oin and re uire all persons earing offi ce, ci il or military, v
w U d
ithin the nite o
States and all thers, citizens or inha itants
, b
o b w
there f, or eing ithin the same faithfull to , ser e and fulfilly ob v
d v y
the sai T reaty and e er clause and article there f o .

y w o I
I n testim on here f v
ha e cause the seal of the d nite U d
States to be aflixed to these presents, and signe the sam e with my d
han d .

Done at the it of C y W
ashing on, the t en t-
sec n w ty o d
day of
Fb y
e ruar , in the y
ear of our L r one h usan eightod t o d
[S eal] hu n red dand tw en t on e, an d oyf
-
th e s o ereignt a nd v y
d d U
in epen ence of the nite States the f rt fi fth d o y -
.

JAM E S R E MON O
B y the Presi ent d
HN JO QUINCY
A DAM S
Secretary of State
 C ONCE SSI ON O F ST E CA T H E R IN E
A T T H E N A T CH E Z

(E x cerp from a letter

t ritten Mr Faucond du an ir w by . M o ,

D irector G eneral of the Colon of Ste atherine to those intere ste y C , d

in the sai colon at the d y
atchez, J uly 18th , — N
Translations’

from B oo k ofL ouisiana Concessions , by H eloise H Cruzal .

I have had the honor of writing to you at length on the acquisi

tion I m ad e of Mr H ubert s concession for the sum of 5o/m as also
’
.
, ,

the pur chase of twelve cows and two negroes from Sieur R aguet for ,

the sum of

I d your attention to the importance and neces sity of this

calle

p ur chase in view o f m y im pend ing co nd ition the scar city of provis ,

io ns and the little help there is to expect from the Co mpany and
, , ,

moreover the time I lost since my arrival here decided me to make

,

this purchase ,

T he 160 arpents of lan alrea cleared d

ul spare y ou at least dy wo d
b
fi fteen months of la or without c unting the la rers salaries foo o bo ’

, d
and m aintenance and the wear on the ustensils so that inten to , I d
secure permanentl y
all the negroes and cattle .

b
What a lessing it woul ha e een for us had the ar ges arri e d v b b vd
I d
two m onths sooner ; coul ha e hope for 1200 uarters of corn from v d q
o ur crop and though we s wed until the 4th of the current m nth,
, , o o
we cannot expect m ore than two or three hun red We will en ea or d . d v
to plant fi fteen m ore arpents of groun , esi es hich we ha e d b d w v
6o, m feet plante
/ ith to acco dw b .

I k
now not what reas n the had to isparage this country o y d
for Ifind it superior to all imagine I
left B iloxi on the 8th day d I .

o f last A pril with two b

oats nineteen persons and pr isions to go
, ov
to N ew Orleans and fr om there to com e here ; we set sail a ut ten
, ,
bo
’
o cl cok in the morning ith a fair win w
t war s n n the win ln d o , d oo d
crea sed and at two the pil t ignorant and stu
,
o
rn threw the , oat bbo , b
on a bar which w ul ,
o d
ha e not happene if he had foll we my v d o d
a dv ice Our companion not eing a le to help us passed through
. , b b ,

the channel of the B ay of St L ouis We remaine stran e until . . d dd

v
five in the e ening all our efforts to free oursel es pr ing vain T he
, v ov .

wv bv
a es rose six feet a o e us ; the y se eral times filled our at ; con v bo
v
tinuous and hea y rain and thun er ma e our l ss seem imm inent d d o .

F d “
in ing no other rec urse to get 011 this bar o
had e erything thro n , I v w
into the sea, reser ing onl a j ug of ran v and s me y
rea for our b dy o b d
 T he L ouis zana Historical Quarterly
'

166

y ou o
from Port L uis, on the necessity of sending et een A ll Saints , b w
t v
and Chris mas, a essel with a supplem ent of pro isions ha e since v . I v
sent y ou from B iloxi a statem ent of con itions
, Sieur Duchesne,
, d , by
v
but since then no essel has arri e and ha e not recei e any let vd I v vd
ters .

I f y ou not ex ert do
our self seriousl y
to put m y suggestions y
into execution it is imp ssi le for me to succee o b
otwithstanding d N .

b
the em arrassing position in which the seizure of m y flour places me ,

b b o
(not eing a le to procure any for two m nths to c me) o I w d
oul

h0pe, by o o y d o
ec n m , to put this concession in a flourishing con iti n,

if y ou woul d contribute to our success I would not be in such .

straits if L im burg and other trad ing mer chand ise were to be found .

Once more gentlemen exert yourselves with the greatest diligence

, ,

to send me the provisions and m erchand ise m entioned in the memo

rial s forwarded by you which I await with im patience , .

T he soil here is adm irably adapted to the fabrication of pottery

and earth enwar e ; if y ou em bar k m en for this work y ou must not
forget the necessary dr ugs and utensils (tools) I have no lock .

smiths ed ge tool makers nor long sawyers ; I cannot do without

,
-

them and those whom you will send m ust be ready to show their
trad e to the negroes We will not promise to clothe them it is wiser
.
,

to pay them something over the usual wages and they will take m ore
care of their clothes .

Weve a great many millers here and we can say that every
ha
thing grows well two crops a year may be raised : one of beans and
the other of corn The will thrive to perfection here as also
.
,

all fruits from France ; it only rests with you to send them I have .

eaten wild cherries prunes and peaches of which there is a profusio n

, ,

and it is easy to adapt them to the French taste .

I ndigo will grow well but I believe that two harvests (or cuttings )
,

can be made instead of three as at Cape Francois because it grows ,

taller ; a man of experience should be engaged for this culture .

T obacco thrives as well as can be desired ; silk will come and rice
as well A s to wheat it will be cultivated with success when the
.

country has b een cleared and the ground ploughed d uring three or

four years longer I intend to put up three or four ploughs in the

.

nex t four m onths and twenty in the coming twenty m onths ; to carr y
,

out m y plans I must have trad ing merchandise .

G entlem en use your best efforts to enable me to obtain a cargo

,

of negroes in the com ing year and an ord er to the captain to secure ,

as much rice as he can from the coast of G uinea and corn from Cape ,

Francois if possib le
, We will give our attention to producing pro
.
 Concession of Ste Catherine 167

visions to receive these negroes and helped by trade I will be able, ,

to feed them provid ed y ou do what I advised in which case we will

, ,

soon have the pleasur e of supplying the colony with all it need s and
to furnish it tobacco T herefore we shall hereafter need only work
.
,

m en negroes provision and merchandise to establish if not trus

, , ,

trated the finest concession that ever was mad e

, .

I sent men to take possession of the Ouachitas and I had three

huts put up All those I sent there admit that the land s are better
.

than these Dearth of provisions precludes my sending twenty or

.

thirty perso ns from here I thought this number necessary I shall

. .

d ecide on this if the Company returns the provisions and replaces

those I have bee n obliged to consum e since my arrival in B iloxi to
make up for the deficiency in the quantity and quality of those furn
ished to m y people and given to relieve the sick .

One cannot imagine anything finer than this country I d iscover , ,

daily something else to appreciate T he eyes are satisfi ed with the .

scenery the air is healthy enough and still fevers are of freq uent
, ,

occurrence though not very dangerous

, .

The Sieur de St H ilaire from what he says is in great need of

.
, ,

a wife and if it were possible to prevail upon Mad em oiselle L e L oup

, ,

his last mistress to com e to this country he would marry her imm edi
, ,

ately H e beseeches y ou to render him this service and if she accepts

.
, ,

his proposal and is in need of a hundred pistoles or so I entreat you

, ,

to count them out to her and to advise me of it .

We are in absolute need of hy e or six persons who can tame

ox en and know how to plough and a like num ber of good m owers
, ,

who will be of great help to us Kindly recommend to the captain.

o f our ship ifhe passes the Cape to secure ox en suitable to the plough
, , .

I t is of such importance to send m e provisions that I would be in

co ndition to raise more than two hundred thousand pound s of to

b acco if I were sufficiently well provided ; ten or more good clearage

,

w orkmen experienced in this culture and k nowing how to cord wood

w ould greatly strengthen our concession .

I engaged a good men who was formerly on Mr H ubert s con .

’

cession which I bought ; he knows the land and I em persuad ed that I

could do nothing wiser than to place him under me A s his experi .

e nce will help m y proj ects I promised him two thousand francs a

y ear .

G entlem en see that the vessels sent to us draw no more than

,

1 1} feet of water as they will then pass the bar and ascend to N ew
O rleans T he fact of the vessels touching at B iloxi has caused losses
.

t o al l the concessions by the long d elay to the barges T he length .

168 The L ouisiana Histon cal Quarter !y
’

of time spent in unloading and transporting is what occasions loss of

provisions and utensils .

You may be assured gentlemen that tobacco rice and silk

, , , ,

will thrive in this colony as well as in any spot on earth but remember ,

that without a great many negroes you cannot expect any profit ,

since the white laborers can bar ely feed themselves A s the winter .

here is severe it will be proper to send me wherewith to clothe them

from head to foot otherwise they will not be able to end ure the
,

climate .

When I ask for laborers it is partly to begin our work and at

the same time to teach their trade to the negroes for if we succeed ,

in training and perfecting them , they will in the course of time , ,

bring you lar ge profits ; if necessary they will be sold at four times
their cost and in case of need their labor would bring more than
,

what we gain on our culture You must not feel astonished at the
.

consid erab le sum s which mus t be advanced at the beginning of

these establishm ents You k now that you must sow before y ou reap
.
,

and those who hav e b een led to imagine that in three years they
would recover their principal have been grossly deceived as well as
those who persuad e themselves that they can support them selves
without aid from E urope at least during the first three years With
, .

out any risk I will assert that whoever does not follow this system
,

may from this moment abandon his enterprise for without this
, , ,

p rec au tion h e will alway s be in w ant .

R eflecting that the rapidly coming winter season would uh

doubtedly prevent our sending you the balinder is the first reason
which induces me to send it now .

T he second is the want of provisions under which we are now

suf fering .

T he third is that the few men I have precludes my sendin g it to

the Cape .

T he fourth that it will rea ch France in the same leng t h of time

,

it would take to go to the Cape .

The fifth that it must be promptly returned so that it may

, ,

reach here next M arch , for we will not be able to support oursel ves

later than the said month and even so we shall be compelled to eat
, ,

corn from our own crop .

The statem ents which will be handed to you will inform y ou of

the j ust indemnities which we have a right to from the Company .

T here are some obj ections made her e relative to the land which
the Company granted to each co ncession T hey say that four .

square leagues are eq ual to four leagues of ground which woul d be ,

 T he Louisiana Historieal Quarterly

cury s
’
wings are generally painted the Calumet in hand with mys , ,

tery bells strung around their bodies thus announcing their coming ,

from a distance I told them that I was not like the French chiefs
.

who comm and warriors and who come with booty to give them
p r ese n ts that I had com e solely to make the Great Spirit known to
them and that I had brought only what was necessary to that end
,

that I however would accept their calumet while awaiting the

, ,

time when a pirogue would come to me ; this was putting them off
indefinitely T hey passed the calumet over my face and retur ned to
. .

their nation to carry my answer .

T wo days later the Chiefs came to make the sam e d emand ,

saying that it was without design that they cam e to d ance the cal um et

before me Without design in I ndian parlance means that they

.
, ,

g iv e a present without expecting one in return ; I was forewarned of

all this I k new that hope of presents made they v ery assiduous in
,

their attentions and that when the I ndians give even without de
‘

sign, one must return twice as m uch or arouse ill feeling T herefore .

I gave them the sam e answer I had given the deputies T hey t e .

iterated their demand inquiring if I would at least allow their young

, , ,

men to d ance the dance ofdiscovery before me (This dance is danced .

when they are sent to d iscover the enemy ) I answered that I did .

not need to be entertained but their young men could d ance before
,

m e ; that I would see their d ance with pleasure A ll the village ex . ,

cept t he women cam e the following day

, at d aybreak and the , ,

dances chanting and harangues lasted till noon T heir dances as

, .
,

y ou m ay imagine are fantastical , T he regularity with which they .

observe the cadences is as surprising as their contortions and exer

tions . I realized that I must not let them depart without giving
them a high pot (chaud iere haute) I borrowed from a French ,

man a pot simil ar to the one at the I nvalid es I gave them as much
, .

corn as they wanted and there was no confusion T wo among them .

serv ed as cook s and divid ed the shares eq ually and im partially and ,

d istributed them in like manner T he only sound heard was the .

ordinary exclmaation H o that each one pronounced as his share

‘
,

was presented to him I never saw any one eat so with little grace
.

nor with better appetite T hey returned to their village quite

.
,

satisfied but before leaving one of the chiefs spoke to me again of

,

re eiving their calum et I amused them as I had hitherto done for

c . ,

it is a consid erable expense to receive their calumet I n the beginning .

when they had to be dealt with cautionsly the directors of Mr ,

.

Law s concession and the comm and ants who received their calumet
’

g a v e th em costiy prese nt s ; th ese I ndians th ough t that I wo uld

 Concession of Ste Catherine 171

revive the old custom , but v I was able to do so I would beware

e en if ,

ofrenewing it in the fear that they might listen to religious instruction

only through interested m otives B esid es we know by experience

.
, ,

that the m ore one gives the I nd ians the less satisfaction one obtains ,

and that gratitud e is a virtue of which they hav e not the faintest

id ea .

Until now I have not found time to study their language however ,

I question them dur ing their frequent visists talon j aj ai (how

— ”
.
“

do y ou call I know enough to be understood in ord inary needs .

T here is not a Frenchman here who knows it thoroughly They have .

learned very superfi cially only what is necessary to commerce ; I

already k now as m uch as they do I foresee that it will be difficult
.

to learn it suffi ciently to talk of religion to these I nd ians I have .

reason to b eliev e that they are persuad ed that I possess their lan

u
g g pa e er fec tly w el l . O n e of th em sa id to a F ren ch m a n w h o spo ke

of m e I know he is a great spiri t he knows everything You see

“
, .
”

that they hold me in higher esteem than I deserve .

A nother m ad e a long harangue o f which I understood only the

word s I
“ ”
I N DA T A I (my father) U VG IN G U A I
, (my son) .

answered at haz ard when he questioned m e :

” “ “
ai (yes ) igalon
( t ha t is g o od ) .T h e n the sp eak er pa ss ed his ha nd ov er m y fa ce an d ,

after all these agios he d eparted apparently quite satisfied

, A nother .

cam e a few d ay s later for the sam e cerem ony A s soon as I perceived .

them I b egged a Frenchm an to repeat what he said to m e without

seeming to serve as an interprepter I was anx ious to know if I had
.

been mistaken in my answers to the other T his ind ian asked me if I .

was willing to adopt him as my son that on returning from a hunt ,

he would throw gam e at my feet WI T H OUT DE SIGN ; that I woul d

,

not as other Frenchm en ask him : Wh at are you hungry for which
“
? ”
, ,

m eans : what do y ou want me to give you for that ? T hat I would

ask him to be seated that I would feed him as m y son and that
,

when he would again come to visit me I would say , Sit there ,

m y son there is vermilion and powder

, Do you see the cunning of
.

the savage H e wishes to appear generous in giving without desgin

? “ ”

and at the sam e tim e he is unwilling to lose anyt hing

, , I responded .

to his d iscourse : I gaton the (that is very good I approve it I

“ ”
, ,

consent ) . A fter this he passed his hand over m y face as the other
had done .

H ere is another trait of their generosity : the day before yester

day I received the visit of a chief I offered him a sm oke not to have ,

done so would have been a want of politeness A few m oments later .

he brought me a spotted deer skin which he had left in the alley

172 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

o m
f y resi ence and d threw it over my shoulders T his is their way of .

p res e nting this sort of gift I asked a Frenchman to question him as

.

to what return he wanted and I bade him to do so in such manner

that he would not appear to have been prompted by m e I gave “
.

without design said he do I trade with my father? H owever a

”
, ,
“ ”
,

while afterwards he told the Frenchm an that his wife had no salt
and that his son had no powd er his idea was that the Frenchman ,

would repeat it to me T he I ndian gives nothing without return

.
,

and one m ust observe the same maxin with him otherwise one incurs ,

their contem pt .

A spotted skin is a skin painted by the I ndians in d ifferent

colors bearing image
, s of calum ets b irds and animals Deer skins, .

may serve as table covers and buflalo hides as bed covers ‘

.

T he French establishment in A rkansas would be very impor

tant if Mr L aw had retained his credit four or five years longer
. .

H is concession here was a prairi e ex tending beyond sight the entrance ,

to which from m y house is twice the d istance a gun will carry

, , .

The Company of the I ndies had conceded to Mr L aw six teen square

'

leagues which I believe am ount to 100 leagues in circum ference

, , .

H is intention was to build a city here to establish manufactures , ,

to keep on hand a great num ber of vessels and troops and to found
a d uchy H e began his work a year before his fall T he good s he
. .

then sent to this country am ounted to fifteen hundred thousand

francs Among other things there were superb equipm ent and arms
.

for two hundred cavalrymen H e had also bought three hundred

.

negroes . T he Frenchmen engaged for this concession were m en of all

kinds of trades T he directors with one hundred men went up t he
.

riv er on five boats to com e here and begin this establishment ; they

were first to raise produce in order to be able to receive those whom

they had left lower down on the river T he Chaplain died on the way .

and was interred on a b atture of the M ississippi T welve thousand .

G ermans were engaged for this concession T his was not doing .

badly for the first year ; but Mr L aw fell into disgrace T hree o f . .

four thousand Germans am ong those who had already left their
country died at L orient and others on landing in the country the
, . ,

engagem ents o f the others were contermanded ; the Com pany of th e

I ndies again took possession of the concession and abandoned it ,

shortly afterward s and everything fell into confusion .

A bout thirty Frenchm en remained here ; the hue climate and goo d
land kept them for otherwise they received no succor My arriv al
,
.

g a v e th em g reat plea sure for it led them to believ e th at t he Com pan y

of the I nd ies had not the intention of abandoning this concession a s
 L OUI SI ANA
‘

A n A ddress Delivered B efore the L oms iana Histon cal Society

' ’

by Colonel H j de la Vergne
‘

.
,

A pr il 30, 1 91 9 .

T o my heart the nam e of L ouisiana is sacre d .

o
T he c asts of L ouisiana ere w d v d by
isco ere the Spaniar s in d
the b eginning o f the XVI C y V q
L ucas as uez and Pam phile
'

entur .

N esunez were the first to land in that part of N orth A merica Vasquez ,

in 1520 and N esunez eight years later T heir stay in the new world
.

was very short and it is only in 1673 that French missionaries explored
that wild region and d isc overed the M ississippi which they d escended
to the A rk ansas rive r T hey then returned to Canada from whence
.

they had started and told of their d iscovery .

T he G overnor o f the colony of Canad a M de la Salle in 1679 , .

, ,

left imm ed iately and went down to the G ulf of M exico and too k
p osse ssion o f all that v a st te rritory on bo th sid es of th e M aj estic

R iver in the name of France and gave it the nam e of L ouisiana in

honor of L ouis XIV then King of France and of A nne of A ustria , ,

his m other which makes L ouisianne I n 1699 a colony was found ed

, .

on the B ay o f M ob ile. I t was then that the rumors spread in Franc e

that the land s of L ouisiana were fi lled with mines of gold T he .

fam ous fi nancier L aw who had contributed a great deal to that rum or
had the most attractive d escription m ad e of L ouisiana and ent iced
a few settlers to estab lish them selv es in that new country T he .

colony b ecam e the property o f the West I nd ies Com pany and m ad e

little progress ; the settlers were m ore am b itious to seek for gold ,

than to cultivate the land . I n 1731 that com pany returned to L ouis
XV the privilege of exploitation which it had received from h im .

T he comm erce of L ouisiana was d eclared free Private corporations .

were form ed and N ew Orleans which had been founded in 1 718 and
,

which ruin threatened becam e prosperous

, .

I n 1748 great controversies arose betwee n France and E ngland

ab out the O hio river . E ngland claim ed that its shores belonged t o
Virginia the French that it belonged to L ouisiana Both parties
, .

brought to bear their opinion the treaties of U trecht and A ix la -

Chapelle .T he first of those treaties conced ed to E ngland N ova ,

Scotia or A cad ia with their ancien bound aries T he second specifi ed .

that every thing should be reconstructed so as to be as before th e

 L ouis iana 175

war . T he E nglish having nowle ge that France, k

alrea in d dy
C d
possession of ana a had the in ention of c nnecting ith L ouisiana
, t o w
by a highwa did all the y c ul y o d
to pre ent the ex ecution of the pro v
j ect T he trail of that route necessitate the constructi n from
. d o
t d
dis ance to istance of f rts hich were pr ections against the attac o w ot k
I d
of the n ians and which were the consecration of the ta ing in pos k
o
sessi n of L ouisiana A s s n as ort Du uesne had een uilt in
. oo F q b b
d
1 754 E nglan claime in the nam e of the treaties the lan s upon d d
w hich was to be the route and constructe a f rt A rench offi cer d o . F
b
who had een sent to argue the matter was mur ere T hat inci ent d d . d
was the signal for the struggle which egan in 1754 and terminate in b d
1 763 by
the treat of Paris which cost y rance ana a I n 1 764 F , C d .

F rance ce e d d by a secret treat L ouisiana to Spain y

I n 1 766 ll a . U o
cam e w y od
ith ninet s l iers to ta e possession of L ouisiana in the name k
o f Spain but faile d as the population which were rench ro alists , F y ,

w oul d b
not su m it to another ing than their own K
I n 1763 the .

p peo le r s eoa nd Ulloa was force to retire to Cu a d

Charles re eric b . F d
d Ar ensbourg the patriarch of the upper coas defied the Spanish
’
t
Gov ernor and sent J oseph R oy de V
illere ith four hun re m en to w d d
O
N ew rleans The A ca ians un er . d d N y
o an the Choupitoulas un er , d
de L e r y
and the pe0p1e of N ew
’
rleans, all assem le O on the b d
p u b
lic s u a re ( a q
c son S ua re ) J k
on c to e r 29 1 768q to O b
su pp rt the , o
d
dem an of L afreniereto gi e lloa three a s time to lea e L ouisiana
, v U d y ’
v .

On the 24 of July 1769 the news reache N ew rleans that the

, d O
Spanish G eneral O R eilly had arri e with large f rces to ta e
’
vd o k
p o sse ssio n of L o uis ia na .

d
Six lea ers of the re olution were arres e and con emne to v td d d
death A mong them were illere L afreniere
. V
ar uis and o an, M q, N y .

d A rensbourg was to ha e een inclu e but was sa e

’
v b O R eilly dd vd ,
’

being in e te d b d by
g rat itu e t o on e of d A ren sbo u rg sd fa m il V iller é
’ ’
y .

w as confined on a Spanish ship l ing in the . ississippi and hen y M w

w
his ife who was a M
iss de la Chaise went out in a small oat to b
visit him his l o staine bo d
shirt was thrown to her o er the d essel s v v ’

d
si e . d
T he sol iers in the ship had assassinate him ing L ouis d . K
the XVI F o f rance as som e com pensat ion for
, illere s cruel mart r V ’
y
d d
dom or ere that his son J as ues P hillipe illere shoul be e ucate
, q V d d d
at his expense H e was a or G eneral at the attle of N ew
. M j rleans b O ,

1 815 and the secon A merican G

, d
ernor of the State of L ouisiana, ov
1 816 20 -
.

L ouisiana rem aine un er Spanish d

om inati n se eral d ears d o v y .

I n 1802 by y
the treat Saint I delphonso Spain returne L ouisiana to d
F rance which sol it the d
nite to
States for 80 milli n francs in U d o
176 The L ouisiana Historical Quarterly

1803 Since its union to our mighty republic it never ceased to pros
.

pe r
. Ou t o f the v ast t erritory of L ouisiana 1
,3 states took b irth
.

T oday the State of L ouisiana is a star which with others is dazzling

, ,

the peoples of the world .

178 The L ouisi ana Historical Quarterly

With I ndian treachery

'
'
white men s greed,
and
The swo of B ienville seldom left his hand .

H e oiled them all by ready wit or deed,

hus thwarti ng every secret, base demand .

B ut F rance reserved a blow for his true heart

'
Gainst which his sword, his brain, could take no pat t .

She gave to Spain all he had won for F rance!

H er peerless sons all saddened and surprised
, ,

R ose up like mad men from a sudden trance,

A nd dared proud Spain to take the land they pr ized .

They were the fi rst to claim in F reedom s ca use,

’

The right to live beneath their country s la ws

’
.

—
They failed but glory holds each name apart ,

Vanguard of patriotis m s grand array !

’

T heir gory graves and B ienville s broken heart,

’

A re gifts on shrine of L iberty we lay .

P recursors they , by near ten golden y ears ,

'
E re F reedom s voice aroused N ew E ngland s fears!
’

Our L and , ha! of all this U nion vast,

once
Was tossed by ings as though a ball at play
'
.

Spain held it long within her mighty grasp ,

Then tossed it back one fateful sunny day .

A while it rested in the arms of F rance,

—
A nd dreamed once mo e of B ienville and
r

H e did not know his P rovince would be sold

To those whose glory F rance had helped to win .

I t would have been an agony untold ,

The last sad drop his bitter cup within!

A h! N ow he knows that act was boon sublime
—
,

Crowning his land with F reedom for all time .

Our State is crowned by double royal name

L ouis the Great, and his proud mother A nn:
B ut learning vi rtue generous deeds we claim,
, , ,

A re noble? far than roy alty in man .

We thankrfaif 'France for B ienville s birth and story ,

'

B ut L ouisiana s heart enthrones his glory !

Today our State a Queen in Freedom s court!

’

, ,

R eviews the record of two hundred y ears

Sees there no words; nor deeds, that can be brought
To shame her children or to cause them tears,
,

While N ew Orleans on highest walls of Fame

—
A mong her noblest writes our B ienville s name] !
,
’
 L E TT E R S O F N A T H A N I EL CO X
TO G A B R I EL LEW I S

L ex ington, Dec 20th 1802

. .

D ar
e Sir
I enclose y ou Mx Bond for
. H nyM
e r assie s
’
— which is entitled to a credit
of $40 0 as indorsed on the bo nd You will also herewith receive. a post note of

$50which I reed ofMr M

assie the 15th ofJune last , the note you will see is a Counter
.

—
feit Mx Massie will no doubt recollect his having made me a payment of 105 50
N
.

cents, the time above stated, I also reed from ath R eivez at the same time $675 .

(viz in Silver 605 84 cents Bank notes 40 G old Mr Massie s Payment was
’

N
.

Sil ver 25 -50 otes 80 I have been thus particular to them. the note was not had
from R eivez . l

Should you go to Chilioothe in February as proposed you will be so good as to

endeavour to collect the bond and recieve the amt o f note from Mr assie for m e. I . M
shall be very much in want of money the first o f March next if I am disappointed ,

in receiving the am t H Mass ie s Bond I shall be obliged to sacrifice something to

’ ’
.

raise money I hope it will be perfectly in Mr Maseie s power to pay the amt but if
. .
’

it is not I would by no manner o fm a wish him to make any sacrifice to raise mon ey

as l am well oonvinoed he will oomply as soon as he ean with m y wishes .

I am Dr Sir e n end & Servant

'

G ABL L EWI S .

Should you see M

assie and he pays you any part of the money Yr receipt will be
binding on me , G L E WI S .

N ath Cox eeq

. .

N
ashville T l gth Octo 1 806 .

Dea r G abriel ,

I have wrote to such persons as busines s re uire d without dificulty. but how q
different ar e m y f lings
ee a nd w —
thoughts hen adressing you I would gladly mention
m y real feelings but language fails —Suffice it to say that the few sincere friends I
K
have left in entucky has given a gloom and malancholy pensiveness to the road
here which I expec t to continue until my arrival at N ew Orleans, what the gay scenes
o f that place will do is yet to be determined, but one stubborn truth is t hat without a

few of the inhabitants o f Kenty Orleans must be a enart to m y mind D .

H ow glad should I niw be to see Mrs Postlethwait and think in the state o f mind
.

I am now in could bld her adieu which I could not do on the evening we parted with
—
out showing a childish weakness a thmg I could not bear in the presence of the then

spectators— do my dea r fellow say what your immaganation may sagest for me and
be asured it cant go too far when relating to my lasting regard and wishes for he rself

A scene not a little affecting happened to me also at Bairdstown ; iss H of M

—
Ballitt happened there on a Visit to her brothers sick child how feeling how angelic
did she appear when her whole soul was engrossed by that sym pathisin g benevolence
of which nature has certainly given her a liberal share I spent about one hour with .

—
her alone it was an hour of pleasing malancholy which I would not ex change for a
month of that Sang froid happiness (or so ter med by the swinish multitude) eon
180 T he Louisiana Historical Quarter!y

eisfi ng of talking and laughing at nonsenee — My wm tfled busim as wen as the

M a ) wm fim my m a anfi m s wm m mh da r 0m4 bmfld m t 1 a m

happen on my an i val at Orlea ns this G irl alone will be an indueement for me once
again to retum to Kentucky -
and shmfld my expectafi ons, not be fun fined l shau.
am edly return by way of Vuginia — so that be the oonsequenee what it may ym
‘

will see in Kentucky ere long Of every intm ting movement l shall write you and
—
not ex pect yw r coming to Odeans as you mentioned H ow gladly shm ld l have
caught at the obea vafi on had l tbought yw wm speaking sinoa e ly for with the
-

m u a pital we omdd both raise a snug business might be done at N ed eans

entirely ignorant of accounts as well the common —

mercantile transaction In short
a man m ly versed in books calculated w spend houm thne and money in tmm nfi table
discoveries (to wit ha ting a town with stea m bleéching hems actera at cetera
L
. .

Dear friend I have a heavy demand on John —

ightfoot the debt now stands

—
will issue E xecutions it hangs heavy on my mind would you not ride over with my
.

brother day of sale & see

on the —
that evel y thing is oonducted pm ped y Mx Akin .

nas momised to let my brotha know when t he sale is to take place

' '
.

T he horse mat was lame when l left l e n ngton efi fl oontinues ao. that togetha
with the rain now ialling prevents my saying precisel y when l shall leave this but my
— —
must anxious wish saye tomon ow no company as yet nor do l think I would wait

K ntu ky e c .

N ew Orleans 23d N ove m 1806

L wn
.

M r G abr iel a s

My dear m ,
I haw almost run out of matter to write my friends m entucky , not hav
. K
ing seen one line hm n that q uarter sinoe l left it there is now three Ky mails due
-
.

at this oflioe and from the sample I saw of the post riders thro the wildem ees th n k
’

it not unlikely three more may be due before we get one ev zry rider was drun k —
and behind hi s engage ments swearing to the most shamefu falseh oods about tne .

waters My snort stay at

g ether w ith h e din ne r parties which I partook of so sompleatly fil ued up my time that
—
I oould not write you b ut for that l fear you never will have any j ust cause of oom
—
plaint for I ex pect to keep you about 3 fold in my debt as to letters .

My d abtiel what a country have I seen since reaching the M ssissippi

—
T erritory that ever a man who like ymi have seen this oounuy wmfld pay ZS Dollars
aa f land in th neibourhoo d of l e xingt on for tbe pm poee of m ltivating the eml
'

p e or e

is to me astomshing — The culture of Cotton th s year will be worth frmn 200 to 250
Dollars p hand as I am informed, but this is not near equal to the cultivation of the
,
182 The L ouis iana Historical Quarterly

taken up on suspicion I yet have not been molested, and hope the G overnor is
satisfied of my innocence .

H ere let me state how the I dea of

with Burr got afloat my being connected

K
first being recently from entucky where where he is raising an Ar my— and secondly
having received a large packett from art — H
Bartlet by the last mail the former
being enoug h for suspicion and the latter afording proof of guilt .

A fter finding the respectable source from which it ca me I waited on G overnor

Claiborne with this packet and exhibited its contents all of which are on private
—
b siness he at once declared himself perfectly satified I felt much relieved there
u
by , but y et see winking and blinking about that sufficiently convinces me the whole of
those who have heard the report are not so well asured o f m y innocence I cant .

think of leaving the place at this time tho a thing I much want to do as I had some
prospect o f commencing business at N atches in Jannary or February but which ,

are for the moment blasted by this disagree a ble business — You are no friend to Burr
j
and can udge the opponion I must now have o f him, after riding 10 or 1 100 mile s to
embark in a lawful and (I hope) profitable business to be co mpleatly ho uwd by this

The business I
had concluded on was a small G ro cer y store at atchez together N
with what commission business might fall into m y hands ; I expected to begin making
something and you will no doubt say it is time
' ‘
I hirty one years old and have
theretofore done nothing but to make two ends meet at the close of each year for
9 past
A s things now stand It is more than probable I shall not commence any busines s
nex t year, but go round to Virginia early in the spring and settle some little matters
r —
the e sell that unprofitable piece of land and return to this country next fall ould . C
y ou not be prepared to make the tower here with me me, you would surely do etter b
than spending your time money in entucky , for am convinced you are not K I
j Mr
—I k
en oying that place to your satisfaction, particularly if Postlethwaite has left
.

you alone now you are moping away your days wishing it night when mom
—
ing and morning when night as I am I shall continue to do now as long as I stay in
—
this plaoe I dont j
en oy oompany— I stroll to the play sometimes to the Quarter
oo n D ance and every Sund y night t
a o the Bublic Ball —
R oom stay about an hour,
return home bed to lay and think of entucky and my fri ends.
and resort to K when
the infernal traitor dont intrude on m y mind
N C
.

I hope your brother am er will not set out for this ountry until this party of
desperate adventurers are takenand gullitined or he may be also suspected o f being
one of them S
hould that be the case he would put himself into fiddlestrings
When your time and mind will permit be asured I should be much gra tified at
hearing from you
Present m y respects to Mx Postlethwaite .

G
Mx abriel L ewis
.

K ntu ky
e c .

N atches 2d February 1807

G abriel L wi
e s q
E s uire

had heard of Mr Bartlet s intention of coming to this country some time since
I ’
.

and on my arri val here had the great satisfaction of meeting with him two da ys ago .
 L etters of N athaniel Cox to Gabriel L ewis 183

I mention that my pleasure would have been much grater had he been
need not
—
the bearer of a letter from you this my dear sir you must be well apprised off
and how does it happen you did not gratify me I who am here entirely am ong strang
ers and feel such a partiallity for the people in your quarter, and read all news co ncern
ing them with the greatt I
adidity If K
my self I think were our situation
now
changed I would occasionally give you such occurrences as might be dee med amusing

or interesting

N
.

othing meterial has happened my self since I wrote you last , and o f course

I have nothing to say worth writing except that Vanpradelles has sometime since
moved into N ew Orleans and I occasionally see your particular friend M iss Owing s
there situation is I presume not very envious, I never see any of the family at the
Bales a place Miss 0 formerly was very fond ofi/ I there fore there fore conclude they
.

are rather in the background .

I
have never been able to meet with your friend L t G riffith but understand he
hea rs the same good character as when in Ky and is doing tolerably well
. .

My particular friend John N ancarrow is doing ex tremely well o f which be as

sur ed I am not a little pleased at we met in N ew Orleans on m y l st arrival— and I

communicated to him all the plans in contemplation, by his f riendly advice I have

The par ticular business of which I gave you a hint in my last from N O is not . .

finally settled, I therefore shall not for a short time draw on you ; but at present I
know nothing that will prevent it. and you may expect a draft on you for 4 or 500
D ollars, in two or three weeks after this be not alar med at it, for I presume the
draft will fall into the hands of a fr iend of us both and further I hope to send on
some funds myself and tr ust ere this m y brother has also some funds and among

us the money can surely be raised Say something clever to Mr Postlethwaite for
. .

w and present my respects to those and those only who think it worth while to
'

A dieu
My friend

N ew Orleans 13th Feby 1807

G
.

D ear b
a riel,
T he mail which conveys you this will will produce Mr H
art my draft for six
.

D
hundred ollars, but if Bank stock will sell, you will not have to pay any part as I
have wrote my brother to hand over to Mr H
ar t the evidence of six shares which I
.

ho ld in that Co for sale and to pay the draft out o f the proceeds
. A nd if you are in
q
m y debt I shall keep it back as a next egg for a subse uent immergency which I fear
will be too soon for your perfect convenience .

A G rand J ur y at Washingto n in the M

ississippi T err itory co uld find no proof
ag ainst Burr and it was contem plated to arrest him by the military but we may

co nclude he got wind o f their i ntention and has made his escape the o vernor has G
o flered a reward of 20
‘
D
00 ollars for apprehending him I am much gratified at his
.

ab sence on any ter ms as it will sufi er business to assume its its former brilliancy

t his place has suffered much by the conspiracy business of all kinds was dull no —
184 T he L ouisiana Historical Quarterly

Y ours

K ntu ky
e c .

N ew Orlea ns 27th Feby, 1807 .

I have time to say everything goes on to my most sanguine wish and expecta
tions here as to business etc etc— We shall I bope in two months be making rope to
hang the the fam lly Spanioirds of this place, which I think is at present the most
meterial use ofa walk for since the conspiracy has been afloat business of all kinds are
dull except what is aflorded by the
’
M
ilitar y— T he arrests are at an end for two or
three weeks past and the oourts am trying the w nspiram ; but 8un hke they have
so managed the business that no proofs can be obtained of their guilt .

—
has astonished e much the cause I cannot device, but heretofore have attributed
m
attri buted it to your dislike to writ ting letters I waved of course all etiquette, as you

see and have continued to write you from time to time, but from the date of this,

As this is to be in all probabil ity the last letta you will soon get from me l ought
'

to say many civil things. but the little time l have to spare before the hour of cloa ng
'

the mail wont allow it .

As usual you will present my m pect to Mr Postlethwaite and say I will surely
.

see her in 1z ot 18 m onths — to which you will know the cause

Yr obe St

K ntu ky
e c .

N ew Orleans l S June 1807

My d abriel,
You have at last bmke the ioe and it is to be hoped we shall now have a warm
,

and fi iexi dly oorrespondenoe & not that hi gidness any more ; l was convinced you
-

always read my letters with the same pleasure I read yours —

but why will you be so
selfish wont you allow your fri end any pleasure at all or have you so altered since I
left Kentucky as to feel for yourself alone — N o this is not nor never can be your wish
I know ym generous hw rt too well to suwect such a thing for a m ment ; It is shw r
laziness in you and which I had in contemnlation to make you shakeofi when I wrote
the letter you oomplain of I f malling nails has beoome yom entire a lling you are
.

excused, but I fear that even is followed, with but little diligence .

of with the M C
ississippi terri tory or his atholic Mj
a esty I f the latter on Bayou
’
—
Sarah or Thompson s Creek The Creek puts me in mind of your old friend L G rif .

—
flu it has w happm ed that when l passed that way I omfld not see him he lives
 186 The L ouisiana Histor ical Quarter!y

o f health because I did not know any thing —

but hea l th but since the
present attack
b —
egin to ex perience its real wort h I left tne City on the 18th I nstant on oard a b
small uncom fortable sc hooner, which neither had a ca in or irth, and must confess b b
it was for a sick person t he most rash undertaking I ever was guilty ofi but with —
little sufi ering reach this place on the 20th H ere I have every thing to ho pe f rom the

pur e air and delight ful water have no doubt but a few weeks will effect my cure
compleatly when I shall return to the City with fear and trembling for you know
a burnt child dreads the fire I f I know myself t he fear is not on account of dying ;
for since the pres ent attack I have wished seriously a hundred times for death in pre
ference to the situation I was in I t is for fear of the ex cruciating pain of a malady
which appears irremovable by medical aid .

I have m y dear fellow strenuously advised your coming to this country but .

not with a view of drawing you into m y present situation In short there are many
parts o f the M ississippi Co untry which must be healt hy if any reliance can be placed
,

on appearances I t lies high not too level nor too hilly

. has the advantage of hue
spring water In such a place I should wish you to settle should you ever be disposed
to visit the country there are many valuable neibourhoods in the Bato n R ouge
G
district but from the uncertaint y o f the Spanish overnment I should dislike risking
property under them y et We shall certainly some day not yet for hence possess
this small slip o fcountry country or loss the whole ex tent we now posses s the former
I hope will be the case on such an event the country would soon become the grand
,

emporium o f Wes tern Wealth such pro fits cannot be made from the Capitol em ploid

in an y other part of A merica I am ac uainted with q You have the neo t profits o f the
far mers cr0ps in so me o f my letters last winter to which I will re fer you do nt think
the m m ere speculative I deas they are drawn from absolute ex perience some w here
,
—
q
I am personally ac uainted with th e planter the num ber of hands he works and
q
the uantit y o f cotton sent to market from which an accurate ca lculation is easily
made H owever anx ious I may feel to see you settled in this country I e m done

j
on the sub ec t forever

K
.

y se r h ad d isp os ed o f a ll hi s h o rs es (5 or 6 ex cep ted ) w hen I le ft th e C it y at,

what might be tt rmed saving prices and as much the trip has so m uch byiased
him infavour of Orleans as to induce his return in twelve or eighteen months to se t
tle A nd as he says for sale Kenty and all its follies
Y
.

Porter Clay sailed for N ew o rk so mewhat indisposed about 3 weeks gone

,

p ast un d e r th e im p re ssio n th a t he w ill ha ve his f am il y in this c o un t r y du rin g th e

fall he is much pleased with the B ayou Sarah settlement if L and can b pro e

cured on moderate terms will I presum e settle there a place o f all others best cal

culated for raising cotton the neibourhood o f N atchitoches excepted .

I have not yet seen M r Danger field nor do I know where he means to settle
.
, ,

D
I hope not in the Spanish ominion unless he has left all his pass ions &c in Ken
tucky for the least provocation would be the means of sacrificing all his propert y
,

under that despotic govem ment j

I know the ob ect o f G eorge R ussell in visiting
this country— it may be from a letter of mine to him some months past past in which
I wished much for him in Orleans at that moment we were considerable hurried
with business m uch pestered from want o f a knowledge o f the French language
Should this be the cause we must retain him at all events until the next seaso n when
q
he will be e ually advantageous with the last .

j
I have ust heard of the grand Jury huding true bills against Burr Blenerhassett
for treason G od send the courts o f Justice may for once do Justice in Virginia
 L etters f
o N athaniel Cox to G abriel L ewis 187

hang them both at one end of a R ope Wilkinson at t he other let the world see

t he fun .

A dieu
in haste
N AT H . COX .

N ew Orleans 17th S pte . 1807 .

D ear G abriel ,

1 have allowed you a longer time than was necessary for you to re turn from V irginia
w ithout saying one word respecting your neglect I fear you suppose me lost to you
and ll a m q
y former ac uaintances because I am settled among the French
— a people

y ou have a disregard for Cant a person live among chose people without partaking
o f t h eir cus tom an d m ann ers— yes here particularly You may go to our E nglish
C
.

o ffee house at any or all times in the day see five A mericans or E ng lish to one
—
F renchman or Spaniard this is the onl y place ex ce pt the ball room s Where a mix .

tu re at all happens And even at the ball room the A mericans only become specta
to ry as much to to see the F rench boy s g irls d a nce as y ou w ou ld v isit a thea tre

to see the actors perform few verry few of th e A meri cans parta ke of tne F rench
Cotilions Fear no t for my principles or any change o f manner as it cant oe effected
-

u nless I particular ly wish it and voluntarily assume it .A fter a to ur of near ly six

w eeks thro West Florida and the M ississippi T erritory return here in ex tream good
’

health a slight cold gave me a shor t spell of the ague fever which the skill o f Doc t
B rown verry soo n cured .

On my return found our mutual friend Danserfield in a very critical Malignent

fe ver ; he recovered sufii cient strengt h about 2 weeks since to set out for N atches
w here all h is negroes were ; with a view of taking them to the neibourhood o f Point
—
C opee here he ex bects to purchase a farm appears as I wished a diflerent man than

w hile in K e ntucky he is determined to settle a farm and pay particular attention

in perso n to it —
if he does so he cant fail soon to better his fortune it is the opinion
o f G eorge as well as my self tho he has seen his errors and means in future to co rrect

t hem G
I found eorge also laid up but his was a very slight attack and has some time
,

since recovered We ex pect him in N ew Orleans shortly to live with us Such a

m an without his former I dleness will be of infinite service I am at an end o f all the
news intended for this letter but have a side blan q
k yet conse uently as I have beco me
a g reat con mist I
e o m ust fill it up with so m stuff or other
e —
What shall it be w hy
if I live until nex t J uly or A ugust fully intend to go round by sea to some o f the A t
—
la n tic Ports thro Virginia and so o n to entucky
’
K in both o f those states I have
m any near and dear friends I f they have no t changed I may count on spending
so m e verry pleasant day s am ont them I t really raises my spiri ts at the thought
o f such a tour :

I saw Mrs E lennerhasset at N atches he tried some liveliness and on first

. .

sig h t asked me if I thot they would hang her husband at Richmond — this volatic
spe ec h co uld not do her smiles were soon changed and and tears followed poor
un fo rtunate Woman I res pect her fee l sencibly for her present situation for her
sake I hope her husband may be innocent dont forget my power of A tty R espects
.

M rs Postlethwaite
.

N AT H COX . .
188 The Louisiana H istorical Quarterly

Mr . G b
a riel L wi
e s

I have this day drawn on you as mentioned in my last for four hundred
—
fifty dollars, with orders for my brother to take it up at maturi ty if not perfec ly
convenient for you to do so In my last I promised to advise you of the appropria
t

myself that I wish the folly to he oonfined to the smallest possible oompass — When
I see you in Kentucky if I findym the same man I may be induced to oommunicate
that with many other of my follys

K ntu ky
e c

Mr G abriel Lewis
Dear Sir
I have fro m you a letter
reeeived from cira i m
sinoe ymu marriage — and
stanoe have great hopes your fiiends who are doomed by fate to remain at—a distance
from you will be fenefitted by the change— I need not repeat to you the great pleasure
it would give me to oarry on a oou espondenee with you— you are well aware of my
'

find some prospects of a changefrom a sample above aluded too .

Sin ce you have ammerged into the matrimonial state and informed of it yourself.

I have nothing orriginal to say this bowrowing is extreamly unpleasant th ese hard
'

times when few men have any thing to spare— All I can add is that you have the most

of all your wishes in the married tate S

that your sentiments and Mr ewis s may . L ’

be in all important points cong enial and as much happiness attend you thro life as
falls to the lot of man in th is transitory world .

j
I wrote you twice lately . but the sub ect pri nci pally confined to advice relative
to a bill ofex change drawn on you in favour of Arct gan — A t that time my oppin

m all chanoe in aflairs of a lom l nature wfll I believe prevent it for a few weeks or
‘

months which must be determined by advices from entucky in a ail or two K M

Whenever such arrangements can with convenience be put into execution I shall
ca lculate largely largely on the pleasure I may receive with you ; for were even Mee
dows lick (with the horrors you have annexed to its situation) shall not hide you and
your amiable spouse from me .

T he long and short ot the story is that I shall wish to Marry N ancy I larrison
'
-

K — j
when I come to entucky provided she has no ob ection for on that score she is not
yet agreed but this infernal E mbargo has so effectually stoped our Commertial career
that the prospects once so hatter ing have become extreamly gloomy and the pro
fits arrising from the business we are now doing will not j ustify such a step — I must
 190 The Louisiana Historical Quarterly

entirely I how desirable it would be to me in eflecting

need not again repe
a t to you
‘

a close of the accounts standing open between Mr aniel G rinnan and myself I . D .

j
touched upon this sub ect in my last respec ts to you and which I know you will
attend too when a convenient oppertunity ofi ers The plan for all our future arrange
ments are laid by Doct John T owles (the administrator of our late friend Dainger
.

field) and myself the Doct was compelled by a L aw o f the T erritory to sell all the
.

property and has done so, he is now holding up the proceeds for the presenting of your
claim which he has some time since been apprised o f and will not pay over the monies

belonging to the E state until your claim is presented if that is within the limits of the
L aw, to wit in twelve months from Daingerfield s decease. after that tim e he is
’

obliged to make a settlement with the parish J udge and pay over the balance if any

L
to him or the awful heirs, and should the heirs not come forward the oney
m
go into the J udzes hands we may whistle for amount
'

he i one of the B rigines of

s
St D q
omingo and has e ually as much authority in his parish as a Spanish Command
.

ant altho now under the American G o vernm ent Be prompt once in your life let
me have it in my power to secure your claim present me to Mrs ewis . L
Yr truly
Mr G abriel ewis
. L
Weedon s L ick ’

K
entucky

forwarded by
M Bibb
.

N ew Orleans 15 Sept 1809

Mr G abriel Lewis
.
,

M y dear sir ,

This day favours me with a letter fro m oet T owles in answer to one I D
j
.

wrote him on the sub ect ofyour claim against the E state ofour late friend Daingerfield
-
ih which he appears doubtful as to the propriety o f coming under any kind for pledge
for the payment having been advised officially o f John Dai ngerfield holding a bond
against the E state for four thousand D
ollars which will more than cover the am ount,

here You will by the by be assured I shall loose no opportunity in endeavours to

.

have your claim se ttled at th e same time would advise y ou to attack the negro

woman child in Kenty by which means yo u may save the ebt for on Consultation D
with Council find some diffi culty m ay arrise to securing you here Mr art has a . H
mortgage on the negros in Ky thro him you may have the ebt secured as the mort
. D
gage is not yet annulled .

When I last wro te you was rather unwell with a slight fever o f this I am now
compleatly relieved and candidly believe I no w am in better health than I ever ex

p er ie nced since m y ac uain tan c q

e with y ou G ood health is no t all I am fatter than
co mm on — q
conse uent ly yo u may suppose we have some good things to eat Yes
o ur market is lamour for V egetables Beef good and m utton o f a superior, uality q
ih short Mr R ussell . M r Bartlet I B umphrey s
. H
m yself keep Batchelors hall
. .

like like fi ting cocks .

From this scetch o f our Country would you not like to live where you might make
so m ething and no t rem a in in h
t t
a d — d place where y ou are daily sinking not
only your interests but I greatly fear a part o f your principal is annually going with
out your being able to account for it .
 L etters f
o N athaniel Cox to Gabriel L ewis 191

I n short my dear friend I shall either deposit my bones in this country m

or ac u u
c ‘

late a sufliciency to live on the I nterest o f my property Should that sum ever be
j
within my grasp It then will be an ob ect to fix on a plan of perminent residence
and with an addition of one or two more , could they be obtained your neibourhood

(whenever it might be) would have attractions sufficient to decide me in a choise at

once from this you will suppose I count sanguinly on the fortune as above No
Dr Sir I do no such thing , but in all probility I might have done so
. I f there had
been no failures in N 0 no trays with the Cheasa peake N o E mbargo no non
. .
—
intercourse no B urr— no Wilkerson no Proclamations And in short if the usual
oommertial arrangements had been continued between the U nited States and E urope
m y calculations might in some measure been realized .

You will present me to Mrs L ewis (who I am really anxious to see). ayr B ibbs
’
M .

family and all those which you conceive my friends Mr R ussell s compliments to .
’

y ourself Lady
N AT H . COX .

Mr . G b
a riel L wi e s

care o fM j a or Bill
R ussellsville
K ntu ky
e c

N ew Orleans 1 1 N ovem 1809 .

Mr G abriel L wi e s
.

D ar
e Sir,
last was in A ugust since when none bf your favours have been received
My .

T he present serves to advise you that there will be great diffi culty in the way
of recoveri ng the amount of your claim against the E state of our old fri end Dainger
held, his brother M aj John Daingerfield having forwarded a Bo nd against the E state
.

for a m uch larger sum than the Whole will nett .

I t is therefore my oppionion that you ought not to loose an hour in securing

t he negro woman left in entucky on which Mr T homasK art has a . H
mortgage but which will all be collected here in short it is now allready in our hands ,

in good paper which will be due shortly and so safe that Mr art will no doubt H
q
.
,

r el in uish his claim in your favour— L et me insist on your attending strictly to this
afi air seven or eight hundred dollars is too much to loose for want of a little applica
,

tion to business Just turn your thoughts to the manner in which you earned that
money in trudging through the cold wet
, muddy roads at all seasons and you will
,

at once see the folly o f abandoning it no w .

I still feint horpes for your I nteres t in this Country as oet T owles
have som e D
loans greatly to our I nterest in the affair, but I really do doubt wheather we shall be
able to ef
fect anything by hanging on if we should you can easily relin uish the at q
K
,

tachment in entucky af
you here
ter we have secured .

My dear G a riel have after repeated that it would give me great pleasure to
b I
q
hear from you fre uently , and now confirm it over again have few intimate ac I
q uaintances in this place fewer o f those I call friends, conse uently look to to all
and q
K
m y old ones in entucky among which you rand first, and having so small a part
q
o f y our correspondence that I am fre uently at a stand whether in the letters I ad

dress to you I shall entirely conhue m yself to business or give y ou the feelings o f
a hea rt really attached to you for many y ears .

A s at this moment it is verry uncertain whether we ever have another personal

192 The L ouisiana H istor ical Quarterly

interview we can only keep up the appearance of a former ac uaintance by letter. q

and once a month at lea st you might devote to me me a hour or half hour which would
be suflicient to detail the little affairs relative to those who stand hig h in my Estima
tion and details about ordinary acquaintances is entirely uninteresti ng to

Please present me to Mrs . L wi

e s
and Maj r Bibb
'
s family
G L wi
. .

Mr . b
a riel e s

N ew Orlea ns 5 A pril 1817

My dear sir ,

I have received with very great pleasure your two favours by Mr H arrison .

and shall at more leisure give you a more particular answer to them at present l can
only say that your authority to draw is truly acceptable. and I shall at some early

last a day of chegrin mortification never to he forgot but find that altho compelled
to payment ‘I have yet some
stop fri ends left 8: am again engaged in commerce and
with the unfortunate experience now before hope should I again be successful make
money I may have learned how to retain it
G
.

ive my sincere respects to Mr Bibb yr children

Y
.

fri end
COX .

Mx . G b
a riel L wi
e s
194 T he L ouisiana Historical Quarterly

Co n fr on t in g of Witn esses L ibel Su it.A pril T hree .

par ties bro t o ugh f rward in suit agains t L usurier .

Some d contra icti ns o .

Filed No 98 . .

T es tim on y R evi ew ed in L ibel Su it A pril T he three .

wt
i nesses who ere c nfr nte w
ith L usurier a h ere to o o dw d
their filed statements , ( am es : Duchesne, B erar Pre N d ,

vost ) .

Filed No . 99 .

P eti t io n ofR ec overy April . De Chavannes Secre ar of . t y

o
C uncil, tells an in l e tale of his u ing a negress vo v d b y
o C
fr m aptain DeG auvrit, near l hree ear s ago, hereas yt y w
v
the endor had no right to sell her, nor had he paid for
her to the Company , wh se propert she was Petiti ner o y . o
w d
oul not run ris k
of pa ing twice ; let De G be cite y . d
to od
pr uc e his license to se11 r h is rec e ipt for p r ceed s , o o
of a draft i n the case which De C
.

ill di scharge (660 . w

francs De G has alrea
)w
. .
“
ught a cow and her in dy bo
crease
’
ith said draft eanwhile, the sla e .ent mad, M v w
b q
and su se uentl ran 01
“
y
1 to the ush, ne er to come again b v .

o
A cti n all we o d .

Dec ision s (e ecz ably scrawled )

I n Su n dry Civil Su it s
g gé
.

l l s
1 Captain J astram os DeVerteuil Out of court costs
. . .
,

divided .

2 B eM ouster os L eFresniere Plaint ifi entitled to his

‘
. . .

hire Costs on defendant

. .

3 M ichel R ossard os Paul B aret

. Plaintifi sustained . . .

Costs on P B . .

4 H otson os Francois F in default (R est of sentence a

. . .

blind slur )
M
.

o iss t os Sarozin Claim allowed (242 francs )

g r e
. . . .

7 Sale of a er
. b k y at forced aucti n o to Bellogarde .

F d
ile N o 97 . .

E xam in at io n L u su r ier
of A pril uestions re iew
. Q v vari
ous ingre ients pro
d r to scurril us uips and o q sill y
b k
ic ering i n circles a icte to such pastime d d .

ile F d No
100 . .

E cc les ias t ic al Sen t en c e A gain s t L u su r ier A pril In .

b
reputa le m k at last R P R aphaels P rom oter, B r ther . . o
y
H acinthe DeVerD un m issionar Capuchin, utters ,
.

y
j d
u gment on Chaplain L usurier foun guilt of re ellion , d y b
o
to E pisc pal J un sd1ct10n item of un ecoming c nduct , b o
v
including irre erence ; item of efecti e c mmission , d v o
item of irregularit
, y by
contra ening the inter ict v d
against him , and by v
lea ing ofi his ha it T herefore he
’
b .
 R ecords f
o the Superi or Council 195

shall observet d t in this Diocese and fast ten

the in er ic
times on successive Wed nesday s and Fridays withal
, ,

reciting the M iserere at such times ; and he shall stay

under arrest on shipboard so long as he remains in the
Diocese (oi Quebec) .

Civil Sen ten c e A gain st L u sur ier A pril 1 1 1918 A ttorney .

, .

G eneral Fleurian reviews the procedure a st defendant

and finds charge of libel borne out nse uently L
q . .

shall be censured in Council and m ak e pubhc apology ,

in Council to Mr De Verteuil and his wife and then be .

be detained eight days in the civil priso n .

C ivil Sen t e n c e A gain s t L u su rier A pril 1 1 1725 Abridged ab . , .

stract o f findings in preced ing number .

Filed N o 102 . .

A m ou d Bo nn au d vs Pau l Balc ou r t . A pril 1 1 1 725 Council .

, .

orders Balcourt to pay the given claim of 100 francs .

Notice served .

Su m m o n s of Wit n esses A pril 11 1725 A t the instance of Mr

. , . .

Char tier de B aulne Sheriff incent notifies s l iers

, V two o d ,

N icolas Onager and Jean Grimes and als arie Claude , oM

B anne w
ife of one Harse, to appear and tes if for plain
, t y
d
tifi in regar to the late Bor 1er s note for 400 francs d ’

w hich plaintifi c nsigne o

R P B eaubois, S J h se d to . . . w o
a
p p ers w er e l s t in rec ofoL a B ellone em , a fourthw k . It
w d
itness is cite : Pierre de L auvergne .

D e c ision s I n T h r ee Civil Su its A pril 1 1 1725 . , .

1 DeChavannes os De G auvrit
. Defend ant shall pay .
,

660 francs due to Company s cashier and then dis

’

charge plaintiff s account Costs d ivided

’
. .

2 A rnaud B onnaud os Paul B alcourt

. Claim allowed . .
,

(10 0 francs ) .

3 P aul B alcourt os Morand Plaintiff nonsuited in h is

. . .

opposition Costs on P B . . .

Filed N o 101 . .

T e s t im o n y onL o s t Dr aft A pril 12, 1725 R P . ic las de . . . N o

B eaubois, S J states that M r De B aulne as e him to
. . kd
carr y
a package of letters, sai to inclu e a raft of 400 d d d
francs to be forwar ed to a ame De B aulne, but d M d
t o
hen l st in the wrec of L a B ellone in har r of sle k bo I
of Dauphine, A pril 1 T hree other itnesses attest that . w
od d d
B r ier issue a raft of 400 fr ancs in prop se pa ment o d y
od w
of g o s bo
hich he ught of De B aulne in Septem er, b
1724 Draft should ha e een pa a le in P aris,
. arch v b y b M
15, 1725 .

F d No
ile 103 . .
196 The Louisiana H 1storical Quarterly

R epor t on Fir e at Ste Ca th er in e G ran t April

.

inquiry described and witnesses heard Fire started

certain m bin between long sheds, an
, ma
.

. w
d w as fanned by a
'
o
stifi s utheas tw d
in ; One theory had i t, L ouis Serel sh ot
at a cr p ow
er che o n a tree ne ad
r th e fata l ca in and pur b
chance a spark caught in straw thatch But L 8 had . . .

w dd d
a e his gun i h gr een Spanish ear wt not liable b d ,

to ignite unless hen ery dr y esi es w v

ther itnesses B d o . w ,

d ov b
isc ered ca in full of sm e ef re isi le fire u si e ok b o v b o t d .

M d a ame Dore w
ife of his ca in s enant, s arted a
, t b t t ’

k ettl e fire of chips the night ef re (and for wan of ther b o t o

vd
e i t
ence his p ints to plausi le cause )
, o D cument of b o .

interes in se eral bearings

t v .

Dec isio n I n Su it of Claim s April Pierre Picard alias.

L afra nce os L ano, ooyageur Defendant having declared

. .
,

that he guided one Morvan alias L abonte to Illinois,

“

in disregard to contrar y orders is sentenced to pay ,

in said L abonte 3 note,

’

Filed No . 104 .

Pet it ion of R eco very A pril . orporal ean Meta alias

y C J
v
L ari iere seels to c llect 16 francs payable to him o by
M da ame L acr ix on o
ehalf of one Desloriers Since
, b .

M d me r uses, let her be legall y bo d o

a ntgg
a un theret .

ra

Su m m o n s of Witnesses A pril 17 1725 A t instance of A t rne

.
, . to y
General Sheriff L aM orinniere notifies designa e
, seven td
hands ofL aB ellone to appear at 2 p m to es if c ncern . . t t y o
ing recw k .

T estim o n y on Wr eck of L aBellon e Examin

ation . A pril
of Simon B ardet second mate native of R ochefort , , ,

aged 40 answers throw no light on cause ofleak

, Water . ,

at pumping on eve of disaster smelt foul

“
.
,

Filed No 106 . .

T es t im on y on Wr ec ked L aBello n e A pril 17 1725 xam ination .

, . E
of Sim on B risart master ter, nati e of St M are eu
, v .

A am se (A nnis) age 56 upposes leak , d .

sue d ofr m stri ing tt m k bo o

nc on clearing fr m P en
e o o
o t
sac la ; hrice in the M iss1ssippi ri er uesti ns aim v . Q o
to asce r tain w
hether go s or al ua les ere a s racte od v b w bt d
y
illicitl ? No
thing to the purp se in this regard o .

F dile N o 109 . .
198 T he L ouis iana Historical Quarterly

T es t im o ny on Wrecked L aB ello nn e . April xamina E

tion of Jean Forean , nati e v of St Jean d A ngely , aged
.
’

27 , c ooper .

Corroborates general e vidence of other witnesses

Was not examine d at I sle Dauphine .

Filed No . 1 15 .

o
T es t im n y on Wrec ked
L a B ello nn e . A pril E xamina
o
ti n of Jca n G et, nati e od v of L aT remblade, age 52, d
Straightforward evidence nothing of , new signifi
cance H e was not cited at I sle Dauphine
. .

Filed No 1 16 . .

T e s t im o n y on Wr ecked
L aB ellonn e April 18 1725 E xamina . , .

o
ti n of Jean Paul Merher, nati e of arennes, aged 23, v M
sec n o d
p ot A ns ers c nsistent
il ith ther e idence
. w o w o v .

ile F d No
1 17 . .

T es t im on y on Wre c ked
L a B ellon n e A pril E xamina .

“
tion of J ean R e nau , nati e of Pagnac 1n Saint nge
”
d v o ,

age 23, third il

p t o d .

A ns ers agree mainl w ith pri r e i ence H e was yw o vd .

not ex amine at sle Dauphine d I .

F d
ile N o 1 1 2 . .

T es tim o ny on Wrecked
L a B ello nn e A pril 18, 1725 . . Examina
tion of M
ichel R aut, nati e of R chefort, v o aged 26 ,

master of ship s at
’
bo .

Was ashore at time of rec H as no kn w k . owledge of

blamewor thy inci ents ef re or after d b o .

ile F d No
113 . .

T e s t im on y on Wre cked L a B ello n n e A pril

. Examina
tion of L ouis Sangosse , nati e of Pau, v aged 25 second ,

surgeon .

knowlege of cause of lea

H as no but was the first k ,

to gi e wa v
r ning that the ship was filling Discl ses no h o t
O

ing suspi cious Was not examine at sle Dauphine . d I .

ile No 1 14
F d . .

P e t i t io n of R ecovery A pril 18 1725 B ourguign n, lac smith ,

.
, . o b k
v
m o es to collect a la r ill of 23 francs from one L i et bo b v ,

settler at G entill h m neither demands nor threats y w o

,

o f action ha e a aile v
to influence ean hile B is v d . M w .

perse cute
”
h is ow n cred by
ditors, and ould therefore w
v
ha e L summone . d .

G rante and n tice ser e d o vd .

P e t it io n of R e c o very A pril 18 1 725

.
, . ourguignon blacksmith
B , ,

see s to k collect a resi ue d debit of 22 francs from

d
e ge t ol m a er
-
o -
k .

A ction institut e d .
 R ecords of the Superior Council 199

o
P e t it i n of R ec o very 18, 1725 St
. A se ph shingler, see s
ril . . Jo , k
to rec er ov
ancs due fr m one P hili er Froge (also
83 o b t
gi v
en Fr auget an d Fro get ) atias L av iolette , on his n te o
d td
a e M ay 24 1724 less hat has een paid on acc un
, w b o t .

A cti n f r ar e o ow dd .

T e s t im o n y on Wr ecked
L aBell o n n e A pril 20 1725 x amina . , . E
to d
i n of A rnau B ernar , na i e of Bordeaux , age 30 d tv d
year s sailor, .

Q o
ues ti ns turn on course of ship after lea ing 0 v N .

y d
The stoppe at L aB alise 12 a s (he nows not why ) , d y k
d
and anchore nex t at I sle a Com te T o allast at I sle . o kb
aux Veaux in supplement allasting at L aBalise 0 to b . N
new e i ence on vd rec w k .

File d No
128 . .

T es tim on y on Wr ecked
L a B e l lo n n e A pril 20 1725 E x amina .
, .

o
ti n of A nt ine DuBois, nati e of B or eaux , age 27 v d d
se Ooor .

Answers that the stopped 15 da s at L aBalise, y y

p ar tl fory b
allast an d the n f or goo w ind d .

No
thing new on the rec w k .

d
File N o 122 . .

T es tim on y on Wr ecked
L a Bello nn e A pril 20, 1725 x amina . . E
t q
ion of J ec ues M ormiche, nati e of M 0ntagne in
“
v
”
Xaintonge, aged 37, sail r o .

y t y d bo
T he s a e a ut three wee s at L aBalise k .

Took bo
on a o b
ut 40 t ns of allast, and were als etained od
by o y w d
c ntrar dd d
in s A e three or f ur oat l a s
. o b od
b
of allast at I sle aux Veaux
F d No
.

ile 127 . .

T e st im o n y on Wr ecked L a B ello n n e A pril 20, 1725 E xamina

. .

of M ichel R ousselot, na i e of 30, tv M d

gil
l ornac, age
or .

A ns wers
generall agree i h y w t other evidence on
ship s course, nothing new on wrec
’
k .

ile F d No
124 . .

T es tim o n y on Wr ecked
L a B e l lo n n e A pril 20 1725 E xamina . , .

tion of B ernar d
Salbeston, native of B r eaux , age od d
35, sail r o .

o q o
T the uesti n why the too onl some o f the bal y k y
last at L aB alise, this w
itness answers that other ise w
y
the could not ha e cleare the pass v d
F d
.

ile N o 125 . .

T es tim on y on Wrec ked

L a Bello n n e A pril 20, 1 725 E xamina . .

o
ti n of M athwin Simar t, nati e of L a T rem la e, aged v b d
22, sailor .

y
G enerall ech es her s i ence o ot vd .

ile F d No
143 . .
200 T he L ouisiana Historical Quarterly

T estim on y on Wrec ked L aB ellonn e pril 20, 1725 . A .

tion of A nto ine Sorignet, na i e of R chefort, tv o age d 20,

ship
L aBalise fr om 9 to 22 February at .

aux Veaux , Feb 26 to Mar ch 11 .

, ,

reports customary leakage of 22 to very 24

hours Water foul B allasted seven long boats of mud
. .

at L aB alise .

T es t im ony on Wrec ke d L aBellonn e . April 20 ,

tion of Pierre T onillet, nati ve of St Augustin .

, age d 30,

Variants of detail ; bt
su s ance agr ees with prior evi

Filed No . 121 .

T estim ony on Wr ec kedL aB ellon n e April 20, 1725 . . Examina

to
i n of J ca n T rocquart , fr m neigh rho of o bo od Bordeaux
(ag e n o t sta e td
k
L ea age o 15 20inches e er 24 to v y
ge ner a lly sumlar to hat alrea gi en t dy v .

F dN
ile o 126 . .

Sale of L ot .April 20, 1725 seph arriere files recor of having

. Jo C d
o d to o
s l C uncill r B rusle a lot 10 fath ms fron o 20 o t by
d dj
eep a oining on one side the pr per
, ofMr L amar ue ; o ty . q
on the o ther, tha of the en r s r ther, J s e ues t v do b o ’
q
Carriere T erms cash, 300 francs in c pper specie
. o .

M
utilate d .

Su m m on s to T es t ify A pril 20, 1725. At .

A to
t rne eneral, Sheriff Vincen notifi es 13 sail
y G t ors of
L aB ellonne to appear for hearing at 2 p m ef re . . b o Coun
cillor Fazende .

Peti tion of R ec o ve ry 23, 1725. April

M r Chartier de Baulne . .

that they allowed him a m

of inquiry concerning the note at issue ; might it 1 m er 2
p lease them t o follow u p the m atter by authorizing his
claim of 40 0 francs against heirs (in France) of the late
late Mr B ordier . .

R eferred to Attorney General .

Su m m o n s t o T es tify A pril 23 1725 Sherifi

. , . Vincent notifies ten
designated sailors of L aBellonne to appear for hearing
before Councilllor Fazende at 2 p m . .

T e d m ony on Wrec ked L a B ello nn e A pril 23, 1725 . . Examina

tion of Pierre B lancheau, nati e of or eaux , v B d aged 27

No new data .

Filed No 133 . .
202 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
Balise and
Isle aux Veaux alamit came unf rs . C y o
w arne d so far as all ordinary mar s of securi had k ty
seeme d to prece e it d .

F dN
ile o 138 .

T es t im on y on Wr ec ked Examina
L aBe llo nn e . AIp) ril
tion of Jean B ernard native age
d 2 1 clerk of , of Calais, ,

L aB ellonne Was ashore on errand s at the time of wreck

. .

Denies that he feared to return to N O or that Captain .

Beauchamp seem ed reluctant to return to France .

Filed No 136 . .

T est im on y on Wrecked L aB ello nn e A pril E xamina .

to N
o y tv d
i n of icolas J ll , na i e of B russels, age 35, pas
senger ofw kd vrec e essel .

Not d No e o t y ‘
ood
thing c n rar to g o
manners fr m
d ow d
time of eparture f r ar d o ty
I mputes no ish nes to .

o
the Captain and c nstrued o
, k d o
n thing of t e
h in fr m
to
his ac i ns and speech o
Disclaims a mariner s c mpe .
’

tencyto w k
explain cause of k
rec o o
L i e the c mm n .

b
p u lic , d o d
he regar s it am ng higher acci ents .

F d No
ile 137 .

Co ur t Or der A pril
. A ttorney G eneral Fleurian sanctions
the request of Mr Chartier de Baulne and hold s the .
,

ordi J heirs accountable for claim in question (400

? eO
'

rancs

Dec isio n fo r Ch ar t ier de B au ln e A pril Formal enact .

ment of A ttorney G eneral s order authorizing plaintiff

’

to recover 400 francs from e s tate of the late Bord1er .

Filed N o 139 . .

L egal Disc u ss io n M arriage Co n tr ac t in Dispu t e A pril 27

. . ,

1725 C
hartier de B aulne files a statement in en e to t dd
set forth cert ain rights este d
in m arriage c ntrac be v o t
w
t een one J ean J aur e and arie de L aSawraye M T
( he .

d o b yo d
matter i s iscol red e n legi le restituti n, sa e in b o v
O

o
occasi nal spots) M d
a ame was wi ow of one B oCoen,
. d
and had no chil ren d by
first marriage but was heiress to
o
s me pr pert o y
and m aternal aunt of the wife of Thomas
, .

M d
a ame M arie ied, still chil less and Jean d aure d F
d
marr ie agai n but is now ecease Copy communi d d
O

.
,

cated to wi ow of J F at d ile (Duplica e with ad . . Mob . t

en a)d d Decision un er 25
.
294 d .

T es t im o n y on Wr e c k ed
L a Bello nn e A pril xamina . E
o
ti n of P ierre G aeret, ship 3 mate aged 27
’
T he , . y
reache dI
sle Dauphine on arch 14
“
On H l Thurs a , M , oy d y
he was ashore to see nsieur de B ien ille k Mo v .

Nonew lig ht on rec w k .

File N o 140 d . .
 R ecords o f the Superior Council 203

Co n tr ac t of Servic e an d M u tual Pr o fi t A pril 29 1725 ean .

, . J
B aptiste L efe re ( uaint aut graph v
him ) and q o by
leume A illian (A llain) , ag ree concerning a hunting tri
I
to llin is G A oill ser e J B L as hired m an bo
. . . w v . .
,

w y
a s do
ing all that is ust and reasona le ;
, hereas j b w
v
L efe re pr mises G A o
hen the return 200 francs in . . w y ,

o
c pper, 40 poun s in tal l w 50 poun s of meat, 4 ugs d o , d j
b
of ear s grease and half the pecans that he can gather
’

d uring the trip .

W
itnesse
“
lairfontaine
”
ar d by C
of G A alias , M k . .

Saint Paul Sculpture signature of J B L . .

Cour t Su m m o n s A pril 29 1725 A t the instance of Mr DeVer

. , . .

teuil Sherifi Vincent notifi es E stienne Duchesne, con

,

tractor, J ean B aptiste P rovost m pan s y boo k

k eeper, , Co ’

and Sieur B erar d

citizen to ap ear
p b o
ef re C unci ll r o o , ,

o
B rusle on the morr w for hearing in re iew of their v ,

vd od
e i ence and in r er to be c nfr nted
, o o w
ith the accuse d .

P e ti t io n o f R ec o very A pril 30 1725 Joseph Dupont has been

. , .

allowed a specified compensation by arb itrators in the

case of d am ages to his land by five cows belonging to Mr .

R oquet let the latter be sentenced to meet the claim .

A ction granted .

M em orial o f Bar o n de H o m bo u rg May 2 1725 H e sold a .

, .

house and thr ee lots for 1575 francs and received 150 ,

francs cash Councillor B rusle was authorized (by court)

.

to d eposit cas h proceeds in full with reference to satisfy

ing some seizures against the B aron ; but the latter shows
that he sold his house and lots on term s of wine brandy ,

and m erchand ise less item of 150 francs cash He , .

would have M r Brusle redeem the value in wine brandy .

,

and m erchand ise and from their proceed s m eet seizur e

claims Or else let Mr R ossard assume charge and allow
. .

sale by an auctioneer nam ed by B aron .

N o no te by court .

P e t it io n o f R e c o very M ay 2 1725 Mr DeMorand remonstrates

. , . .

that the other parties concerned Messrs B alcourt and , .

Massy are not re ponsive to the Council s decree which

, s
’

voided the sale of land by B to petitioner and pre .

,

clud ed obligation of payment A t B s request De

’
. .
,

Morand gave his note of 500 francs to Massy who t e ,

fuses to return it L et B M be summ oned . . . .

G ranted .

P e t i t io n o f R e c o very M ay 3 1725 Undersigned L evesque seeks

. , .

to collect 125 fr ancs from Mr Durivage due on a note .

, .

A ction forward .

Faded .
204 T he L ouisiana Histor ical Quarterly

P e t it io n t o R ec over I n h eri tan ce Claim May 3, 1725 T h mas . . o

Desercy recalls his ife s right to inheri t fr m the la e w ’
o t
M d a ame L aSaura e, and
y ul fain c llect hat is due wo d o w
v
from sur iving w1dow of late ( ean) aure, miciled J F do
M b
at o ile Pr ce ure all e , and sai
. o d i may be ow d d w dow
o d
summ ne two m nths hence Similar pe iti n to o t o
.

C d
omman er Dir n d A rtag uette at
’
o
ile, who au hor Mob t
d
izes the esire summ ns (M ay 28, d o .

Docum ent in uplicate d .

Pr ocedur e Sh ows M lasin g L in k May 3 1725 Memorandum .

, .

(o st en sib ly by cour t a t Mob ile) stat in

g that the widow
of deceased Faure, M arie A nne A rtus , 18 not qualified to
p ead in the suit now forward ; she must appear as
l
gu ard ia n and as join t owner o f her la te husband s prop
erty .

C opy of Marria Con trac t

e May 3, 1725 r St L uis. ul . Fo t . o ,J y
2, 17 4 Parties : ean aure, el est son of ean aure
. J F d J F
and his w
ife nati e of R yan , v
i cese of Saintes, and o , do
M d
ag elaine arianne, i M
of J ean L eCan, master w dow
ok
l c sm ith nati e of ue ec
, v Q b .

t
Pertinen passage urns on a ee of gif , a aila le t d d t v b
to vv
sur i ing heirs in efault of children d .

L egal Dis c u ss io n oi Marr ia e Co n tra c t May 4, 1725 Ah

“

. .

ela bo v w
rate re ie 0 the case b w o
et een T h mas Desercy
v w dow
and survi ing i of Jean Faure .

w dd d
Duplicate ( ith a e matter) of 0 25 N 165
, . .

No vd M d
tice ser e on a am e oeuoe F aure .

o o t
P stscript : J uly 24, 1725, sh ws that par ies are to
d
be hear again, on
“
Mo d y
n a next
”
o v
C sts reser ed . .

d d
R agge e ges .

Disc ussion of M arr iage Co n tr ac t May 4 1725 A dvocate Cadot . , .

p rese nts his view s o n cr ucial points in the cont ract her e
concerned and shows why he dif
, fers from the decis1on
of A dvocate DeB aulne in favor of Thomas deSersy .

L earned marginal revision by Chartier de B aulne He .

upholds natural equity above

Copy of document was
to widow of Jean Faure of Mobile but then at N O , ,

J uly 14 1725 , .

T om at l ower corner
y charred , and partl .

P e t it ion fo r L o an May 5 1725 Joseph A ubuchon renews a

. , .

former petition begging the Council to lend him 500

francs A pproved provided he tender his bond to
.
,

R ecorder R ossard for said sum payable to Company s

’

within one y ear Signatures : B oisbriant . ,

Delacha ise B rusle Fazende, , , P erry , Flcarian De Cha ,

vannes .
206 The L ouisiana H 1stor ical Quarterly

Peti tion of R ec overy M ay 1 1, 1725 One Bra ,

. r m an see s . d wo k , k
o b
to c llect a ill of 228 francs from Mr Durivage, eon .

tractor o
A cti n allow d
. e .

a l B dy d d
fa e .

P etition of R ec overy . May 11 , 1725 Jean Joan .

, , workman ,

moves to collect a b ill of 210 francs fr m o contractor

Durivage .

A ction allowed .

Ba l d y faded .

Pet ition to E vic t May 1 1, 1725 .ean B aptiste L anaux alias . J

o
B uche, finding it h peless to sue fur ther for his claim of o
200 francs due by v
P1erre L eComte, mo es to ha e Le v
o v d o o od
C mte e icte fr m plaintzjfls h use as he s l it and is
’

still unpai d d d
L et efen ant also pay interest and c sts
. o .

No vd
tice ser e on L eComte .

P e titio n of Or igin al R ec o very May 1 1 1725 Mr Dupuy . , . .

Flanchard denies that he gam bled with Meynar d But .

M lost 700 or 800 francs in billiards (not then unlawful )

.

to Surgeon Delorme T o relieve M at a pinch D P . .

, . .

remitted him a note of 20 00 francs and was to receive ,

200 pieces of poultry from M a part of which obligation .

is already d ischar ged L et M be held accountable for . .

the resid ue debit of poultry .

Pe ti t io n O ver Pipes May 1 1 1725 L evesque bought 3000 pipes

.
, .

of one LaBoucher at 400 fra ncs per M H e paid 400 .

francs and gave his note for 800 francs residue .

to slack retail trade only 800 ipes have been sold an ,

L evesq ue thus finds himself 3 led to meet the outstand

ing debit H e req uests a year s credit or else let L e
’
.

Boucher take back some unsold pipes at cost .

(Still 500 francs due on the note ) .

N0 note by court .

Dec is io n I n E leven Civil Su it s M ay 11 1725 .

, .

1 Boucher os L evesq ue
. B ill of 500 francs payable in
. .

six months eq ual installrnents ;

’

may take back pipes in balance .

2 St ilaire 1 s Durivage Further pending costs t e

v?d
'
. . . .

ser
3 Scrawl os Scrawl
. . .

(S uit 3 u
p pr ort s to pNo
en et
.wee n Veu e De morier e db v
and DelaM otte ) .

4 Pierre L e esq ue os Duri age

. v
laim all ed . v . C ow .

5 P er t os Duri age
. o laim allowed
. v . C .

6 Coupart os Durivage R eferre to Mr Fleurian

. . . d . .

7 . My
e nar os Dupu d
F lanchar nsuited and
. y d N No
.

accounta le for claim of D P b . .

8 St Joseph os L a Violette
. . laim all wed . . C o .
 R ecords f
o the Super ior Council 207

10 Durand vs R oquet
. . . D must substantiate his
. claim .

o
C sts res er e vd .

1 1 Cezille vs
. arin . M . Claim allowed .

ile F d No
141 . .

P e t ition of R ec overy M ay 12, 1725 Jean aptis e L efe re

. . B t v ,

C d
ana ian, claims 20 francs, lus interes and c sts, fr m t o o
Mr Des . n aines, who Fo t
enies hat he received the t '

eef h b w
ere n the claim is L et him be o b d
gg
u er
q ase .

at
Notice duly served .

Peti t ion of R ec overy May 12 1725 Mr R ssar , rec r er, calls

. , . . o d od
o C
for citati n of ouncill r Brusle and ar n De H ombourg o B o ,

w ith reference to settlemen of Mr R s claim of 1 163 t . .

’

francs against Bar n De H Proce ure is based on a o . d

seizure of the B ar n s g o
ds and s me technical m issi n
’
oo o o o
on Mr B rusle s part t
’
. ar s h lding the seizure intact ow d o .

M em oran du m of R e m o n s tr a n ce . May 13 , 1725 . U ndersigned

Manade bmits to Sheriff Vincent a
su statement of
Poupard s obligations to Manade Their transactions
’
.

included a contract of roofing whether in shingles or in ,

bark was not specifi ed ; at all events Poupard (elsewhere

, ,

Coupart ) has refused pay ment .

P e t it ion of R ecovery May 17 1725 M ichel R ossard R ecorder

.
, .
, ,

repeats the substance of his former petition to collect

1 163 francs on attached good s of Baron deH ombourg .

L et M r B rusle be declared debtor to the Baron for

.

1425 francs and then let Mr R ossard be recognized as .

rivileged cred itor to the extent of said claim 1 163

'

g
,

ancs
O

A cti on forward and notice served on parties affected .

P e t ition of R ec overy M ay 18, 1725 Oflicer T errisse deCernan

. .
,

o
c mmissi ned one Jacques o harpentier alias L e R oy to C
sell certain g o s in partnership with M r od Petit de .

“
L ivilliere as appears by annexed invoice Mr har . . C
pe nt ier now refuses to settle with petiti ner, wh o esires o d
o o
to cl se the acc unt pr m ptl , f rasm uch as he is a ut o y o bo
to start for the Yasoux .

A cti n allo e o wd .
 R EP OR T USSI ERE R O U EN CO R R E SPON DI N G
OF MR . B ,

SE CR E T A R Y O F T H E LOU I SI AN A H I ST O R I C A L
SO C I E T Y DUR I N G T H E Y E A R 19 1 8 .

T he year
1918 was mar e for the L uisiana H istorical S ciet kd o o y
by vse eral cele rati ns b o
—
January 8th Cele rati n on Jac s n S uare in c mmem ra b o ko q o o
o b t
ti n of the a tle of N ew rleans, on this date in 1815 O .

—
May 1st Presentati n to the L uisiana H istorical S cie of a o o o ty
bor nze statue of Joan of A rc, the useum of rench Art, thr ugh by M F o
od
Mr J Sanf r Saltus, its ice Presi ent
. V -
d .

Decem er 20th — b
ele rati n in c mmemorati n of the f un ing C b o o o o d
of N ew O
rleans, 1718 .

Jannary 6th T he o ntes for E cclesias ical Supremac in the C t t y

V y
alle of the ississippi, 1763 M lar ence att Bispham by C Wy .

Fb
e ruar 19th — “
y
L e Spectacle de la rue St Pierre a paper on .
,

the first theatre in N ew rleans iss ellie Warner Price O , by M N .

M
arch— a dress No d .

A pril l 6th— “
T he L st it of L afa ette Mr James A o C y y , by . .

R enshaw .

M ay l t The L uisiana nfe erate ilitar R ec r s o Co d M y od , by

G eneral A B B ooth . . .

June 18th — “
A merica in the War Mr seph Mitchell , by . Jo
Pilcher .

Nov
em er 19th b
R ea ing of Old npu lished Documents d U b ,

T he St r of G hent, b Mr
o o by oy y
“ ”
I l r E dward Pars ns ; f llowed
sh
.

Decemb C elebration comm emorative of the 200th an

er 2oth—
niversary of the founding of N ew Orleans On the musical program .

we note the following names : Mrs Christian Scher tz M iss Finette .

,

R eineke M r H enry Wehrmann Mr J oseph Delery Miss R osa

, .
, .
,

Ivens Miss L ouise Sullivan M rs A lbert G T homas Miss Bianca

, , . .
,

Cartier Mrs H R MacLeod M rs A H uard and Miss E thel Scott

, . . .
, . .
‘

M cG ehee T he I nvocation and Benediction were pronounced by

.

H is G race Most R ev John W Shaw, A rchbishop of N ew Orleans, . .

and by B ishop W P Thirkield . . .

A h address was made by H on Char les B arret , Consul General .

of France and Mr W O H art was Master of Ceremonies

“

, . Papers . . .

were read by M r D H T heard Mr U Marinoni and Mrs H eloise

. . .
, . . .

H ulse Cruzat .

T he Society during the year received the following gifts and loans
B ronze statue of Jc an of A rc from the M useum of French Art ,

of N ew York through M r J Sanford Saltus

, . .

L etter signed by A ubert Da Bayet from Mr J Sanford Saltus , . .

M ilitary Comm ission bearing the signature of Charles G ayarré.

th e great L ouisiana historian from M r A L Ducros , . . . .
2 10 T he L ouisiana Historical Quarterly

Old Fort Snelling 1819 1858 by Marcus H ansen published in ,

-
, ,

Iowa Cityy 1918 , .

R utgers College 150th anniversar y 1766 1916

’
-
, .

A nnual R eport of the Agricultural and I ndustrial

crop report for the y ar 19 16 of the L ouisiana departm ent of agri
e
cul ture and imm igration H D Wilson Commissioner . . .
, .

A elgian B
issi n to the Boers, M
E ugene Stan art o by d .

b
P u lic H ealth Bulletin Septem er alaria c ntr l, R , b . M o o by .

Derivaux and H A T ay lor . . .

U o d o
nc n iti nal Surren er and Peace presente to the S ciet d , d o y by
o
the auth r Mr W O H art

m
.
, . . .

iscellaneous No 7 19 18 R
M n the treatme t
n , the .
, . by
enem y
of the B ritish pris ners of war the firing line l n rance o F
and B
elgium .

v
British ci ilian n risoners in G erman E ast A frica A rep rt o by
g
.

v
the G o ernm ent on O e treatment the enem of the British prison by y
ers of war .

R ep rt of A B Bo th, o mm issi ner of ilitary R ec r s to the

. . o Co o M od
G v o
o ern r of the State of L ouisiana .

“
k
T he tan s by re uest and with permissi n of Col
, q o .

C D S 0 R al E ngineers
. . . . oy .

The Washingt n H i ston cal Q arterl

”u
o y .

C o
hr nicles of Old
“
M iss uri Parish R ev John R othensteiner o , . .

The M o
iss uri priest 10 0 ears ago R ev John R othensteiner, y by .

bo b d
th pu lishe umder auspi ces of n hts of lum us Co b .

I d
n iana M agazine of H ist r y o .

o v
Pr gram E le enth A nnual eeting of the ississippi alley M M V
o o o o
H ist rical A ss ciati n, fr m innesota H istorical Societ : M y
Co o v
llecti n and reser ati n of the materials of war hist ry, a o o
a
p p trio tic se r v
ice .

R ep rto No o
1 15 c ntri uti n from rest Ser ice
. H enr S , b o Fo v by y .

G ra es,v F b
orester ; Distri ution of s ft o lum er in the iniddle o wo d b
west d b
Stu ies of the lum er in ustr
. d y .

I o
E ssex nstitute H ist rical llecti ns 1918 Salem ass Co o , .
, M .

The G
eorgia H istorical Q uarter l from the eorgia H ist rical y G o
o y v G
S ciet , Sa annah , eorgia .

U v
ni ersit y o
of A riz na A gricultural and E xperiment Stati n , o .

N os 129 130 131 132 133 134 135

.
, , , , , , .

M
innes ta H ist r Bulletin St Paul o innesota oy . .
, M
F
acts a bo
ut the war N os 80, 79 78, 81 fr m Pan s ham er of , .
, o C b
Comm erce .

L omsiana State useum publ1cat1ons M .

“
B ulletins of the Alliance ran aise
”
19 18 F c , .

d
Boar of ocati nal E ucation V
os 1 3 8 o d , N .
, , .

Journal of Am erican H istor N ew or N Y y , Y k , . .

Io o
wa E c nomic H ist r fr m State H ist rical S ciet of wa oy o o o y Io .

A nnual R eport of the Am erican H ist rical A ssociati n 19 14 in o o , ,

2 vo ls G eneral n ex 1884 19 14
.
, I d -
.

U v y I
ni ersit of llin is Stu ies in the S cial Science
s , 1917 o d o .
 R eport of the Corresponding Secretary 211

Check t of B iographical Directories and General Catalogues

L is
of A men can Colleges .

From T urkish T oils Narrative of an American family s escape by ,

’

Mrs E sther Muger

. .

E nglish E dition A gricultural Calendar 19 18 1919 , ,

-
.

H istorical Society of Western Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Pa , , .

I llinois State H istorical L ibrary Springfield Ill , , .

Minnes ota H istorical Society St Paul M inn , .

, .

I n the Belgian Parlement by Count de L ichtevelde L ondon , .

T exas State H istorical A ssociation A ustin T exas , , .

University of Colorado Boulder Colo , , .

'
Pluladelphia Numismatic and A ntiquarian Society Plnladel ,

ph1a Oa,
O

ytcrian H ist orical Society Witherspoon Building Phila

g g
res , ,

delp a a.

The R ec r the ni ersit of od rth ,ar lina U v

hapel H ill , N C yNo C o C , . .

od I
Rh e slan H ist rical S ciet , Pr i ence, R I d o oy ov d . .

o
R chester H ist rical S ciet R chester, N Y o o y o , . .

o C o
S uth ar lina H ist rical S ciet harlest n, S C o o y C o , . .

o o y
State H ist rical S ciet of iss uri lum ia, M o Co b Mo , .

W ashingt n State o U v
ni ersit y, H ist rical S ciet , Sea tle, ash o o y t W .

Y ale U v
ni ersit L i rar y b y
N ew H a en, onn , v C .

oo
Wisconsin Archae l gical S ciet , a is n, Wis o y M d o .

U v y C o
ni ersit of alif rnia L i rar , B er ele Cal b y k y , .

V o o
erm nt H ist rical S ciet , ontpelier, erm nt y Mo V o .

o
Viriginia H istorical S ciet Richm n Va y , o d , .

V d o o
inelan H ist rical S ciet , inelan J y V d N ,

o o
Wisc nsin State H ist rical useum, a is n, Wis M M d o .

v
Western R eser e H istorical S ciet , le elan , hi o y C v d O o .

V y o
L ehigh alle H ist rical S ciet , A llent n, Pa o y ow .

K k
entuc y State H istorical S ciet , ran f rt Ky o y F ko , .

H istorical oo
Phil s phical S ciet , Burnet W s Par , incin o y ood k C
T rinit y College , Durham N C , .

Journal of the I llinois Catholic H istorical Society, 907 A shland

Block Chicago, I ll
, .

Popular H ist of the war from the B uffalo H istorical Society ,

Delaware Park , B alo N Y
’

. .
,

T he Zeebrugge Affair , from Goerge H Doran Company N ew .

,

York N Y . .

German Social Democracy during the war by E dwy n Bevan .

Biography of H enry R osenberg from the R osenberg Library .

The British E mpire L eague ofPeace by George Burton A dams, ,

L itt D from G P P utnam s Sons N ew York N Y

’
. . .
.
, , ,

H istory of I owa s part in the world war

’
.

N ew York H istorical Society terly B ulletin .

IoWa A uthors and their work, cm the H istorical Department of

I owa .

Daughters of the A merican R evolution Magazine Memorial ,

Co ntinental H all, Washington D C , . .

2 12 The L ouisiana Historical Quarter ly

Joseph H abersham Chapter of Daughters of the American R evo

lution 469 Peachtree St A tlanta G a
, .
, , .

G eographical R eview B roadway at 156th Street, N ew York, ,

N Y
L egal and political status ofwomen in I owa by R uth A Gallaher, , .

from State H istorical Society in I owa .

T he Sewanee R eview Sewanee T enn , , .

Wyoming H istorical Society .

L ouisiana P lanter E ditor H on J no Dy mond

, , . . .

Pennsylvania Prison Society .

I owa B iographical Series .

B ureau of A merican E thnology .

I ndustries of the state under socialism by R ome G Brown , . .

(P am p hlet ) .

J ohn Crerar L ibrary Chicago Ill , , .

I llinois State H istorical L ibrary Springfield I llinois , , .

Chicago H istorical Society Dearborn Ontario Sts Chicago , .

, ,

o
A merican H ist rical A ss ciati n Smiths nian nstituti n Wash o o , o I o ,

ington D C
, . .

A merican A nti uarian Societ q rcester ass y Wo , ,M .

A merican J ewish H ist rical S ciet N ew r Y o o y , Yo k N , .

o
A Inerican Cath lic H istorical Societ 715 Spruce St Philadel y , . ,

phia, O O
a .

F k o
A merican ol L re Societ , am ri ge ass y C b d M , .

k
A r ansas H istorical A ssociation a etteville A r ansas F y , , k .

d y
A ca em of Pacifi c Coast ni ersit of Calif rnia Ber ele , U v y o , k y ,

o o y
E nhal H istorical S ciet B uffal N Y
‘
o
yI
.
, , .

b U v
Colum ia ni ersit Y k y
ibrary N ew or Cit N Y .
, , . .

b d o y
Cam ri ge H istorical S ciet 59 T emple P lace st n,Bo o M
ass , , .

o o y
Connecticut H ist rical S ciet H artf r , o d Co
nn , .

vy o
California H istorical Sur e C mm ission Ber ele , Cal k y , .

od d bo
E ugenic R ec r Office Col Spring , H ar r L ong slan , I d N
, Y , .

Filson Clu L ouis ille Ky b, v , .

y yv
G enealogical Societ of P enns l ania Phila elphia Pa d , , .

y v o
H istorical Societ of Pennsy l ania 1300 L cust St Philadel , .

Dh O
OO OO
a .

o y
H istorical S ciet of Western Penns lvania Pitts urgh Pa y , b , .

H istorical S ciet of N ew o y
ex ico Santa Fe N ew M eidco M , , .

y
H istorical Societ of E ast and West B at n R uge, aton R uge o o B o ,

L ouisiana .

H ar ar v dU v
ni ersit L i rar am ri ge y ass b y C , b d ,M .

I
owa State H istorical Depart m ent Des ines o a , Mo , I w .

Ib v
er ille H istorical S ciet o ile Ala o y M b
, , .

I
owa State H ist rical Societ o
owa Cit wa y I , y Io , .

I d
n iana ni ersit U v
B loomington I ndy , , .

J ournal of A merican H ist r , 37 West 39th St N ew r ity , oy Yo k C

Kansas State H istorical Society , T pe o ka Kansas , .
2 14 o
T he L uisiana H istorical Quarterly

South Carolina H istorical Society Charleston S C , , .

Yale University L ibrary N ew H aven Conn , ,

Nevada H istorical Society .

University of I llinois .

Paris Chamber of Commerce (Pamphlets ) ,

L ouisiana H istorical Society Quarterly Vol 1 Nos 3 and 4 , .

, . .

L ouisiana H istorical Society Proceedings R eports 19 17 Vol X , . .

B y purchase : T he A m erican I ndian as Slave H older and Se

cm ionist .

A dm in is tra t ive Wo rk
Notices sent to announce meetings .

L etters in answer to information demanded , and letters written

’
for Soa ety s

L is t of O ffi cer s of t h e L o u isiana H ist orical So c ie ty

(19 1 9)
H on . G
aspar Cusachs P resident
H on John D m n
. y o d . F irst Vice -
P resident
H on Bussiere R uen
. o Second Vice -
P resident

Mrs . o
H el ise H ulse Cruzat Corresponding Secretary

L ist of A pplican t s E lec t ed t o M e m b ersh ip in 19 1 8

January Mrs J B Gessner 309 Camp Street

— . .
, .

Miss Annie F Kennedy 2715 St Claude Street .

, . .

R ev Peter Scotti 2317 Burgundy Street

.
, .

February Mr J ohn E M athes, 305 Camp Street

— . . .

Mr W J Formento 735 E splanade A venue

. . , .

Mr Socrates Drew 3501 Carondelet Street

.
, .

Mrs Socrates Drew 3501 Carondelet Street

.
, .

Mr George de L ucas 8217 Spruce Street

. , .

March Mr E mile Caboche 1300 N M1r0 Street

— .
, . .

Prof L ionel Durel 2037 Ursulines Street

.
, .

Mr H enr y S H amm ett 1002 H ibernia B uilding

. .
, .

Mr Oscar Schreiber 1009 H ibern ia B uilding

.
, .

A pril Mr E L Gladney 2000 Pahner A venue

— . . .
, .

M rs T A lexander 853 Cotton Street Shreveport La

. .
, , , .

Mrs A B A very 254 Stoner A venue Shreveport L a

. . .
, , , .

Mr A L H opkins Box 31 Jena La

. . .
, , , .

M r L J Follett 1314 Webster Street

. .
, .

Mr O E N eidringhaus St L ouis Chamber of Commerce,

. . .
, .

St L ouis Mo .
, .

Mr L Ducros H ibernia Building

. .
, .

M iss Jeanne Gueydan 1231 Washington A venue (now ,

Newcomb College)
 R eport of the Corresponding Secretary 2 15

—
May Mr L . . W Kurten . Canal Street . 733 .

H on Val J Stentz First City Court

. , .

Mr F R Richardson I nterstate Building

. . .
, .

Mr I saac S H eller 413 Whitney B uilding

. .
, .

J C Ansel 50 Mor n Boulevar d

Dr William Scheppergfi fi A udubon Building
.
, .

. .

Mr E ugene H G utman 5 1 1 1 Dryades Street

. .
, .

Miss Cecile Wogan 1739 Marengo Street , .

Mrs A S Urban 3541 Carondelet Street

. . .
, .

Mrs G R Westfeldt 2340

'

. . a Street .
, .

Mrs Frank H Waddill 2003 rsulines A venue

. .
, .

Mrs Simon A braham 1512 Seventh Street

.
, .

Mr C C Sandoz A udubon Building

. . .
, .

Mr E ugene Stanley 1009 H iberinia Buil

.
,

Mr Charles Boudousquie 1343 Kerlerec Street

.
, .

Mrs A C Bell 5332 Coliseum Street

. . .
, .

—
June Dr . Oscar Dowling N ew Court H ouse , .

M Feingold 4206 St .
, .

Miss Jeanne H ote 1449 N R ampart Street , .

R es ign at io n s

R ev P M Wy nhoven
. . retna L a .
, G , .

Mr E 0
. il 72 19 E lm Street
. . W d , .

Mr and Mrs W 0 ham ers

. . . . C b .

R ev . G
irault de la Corynais .

d w
Mr A n re H uchman, 517 H ennen Buil ing
. . B d .

P 8 B utler
. . .

Mrs R D uglas, 7825 E lm Street

. . o .

o
Mrs Th mas L leason 1231 ashingt n Street
. G , W o .

Mrs J G H arn son, 3541 ar n elet Street

. . C o d .

Mr L e ering
. re v
nterstate B uil ing Moo I , d .

R ev U S Slac C lum ia,

. . iss . k o b , M .

M rs . M
ar ie M ioton, Prytania Stree t .

Prof W R D s n, at n R uge
. . . od o B o o .

ow d
M r H ar E ggleston, T itle
. uarantee B uil ing G d .

Dr . Jo o
seph H lt 2 120Prytania S reet , t .

M rs W H . K
ram er, Fanklin, L a
. . .

Mr Paul E
. M
ortimer . .

Dec eased
Mr A C Bell 5332 Coliseum Street
. . .
, .

Mrs W J Behan 1207 Jackson A venue

. .
, .

M r Charles Boudousquie 1343 Kerlerec Street

.
, .

Mr William Kem an Dart Canal B ank B uilding

. , .

Mr E J Fortier Colum bia University N ew York

. .
, , , N
Judge A D L and N 0 Court H ouse. .
, . .

Mr A lfred F L ivaudais 304 Camp Street

. .
, .

Mr John Marshall State H ouse B aton R ouge L a

.
, , , .

Mrs E C T L ongm ire 1520 St Mary St N O

. . .
, . .
2 16 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarter!y

Mr P S Morris 8011 Jeannette St N 0

. . .
, .
, . .

Mr J A lphonse Prudhomme B ermuda L a

.
, , .

M E Dunlap Perrin B uilding

. .
, .

Mr E mile H oehn 2407 B ayou R oad

.
, .

o o o
The L uisiana H ist rical S ciet h l s its meetings in the Cay od
hildo o c rner of Chartres and St Peter Streets
, I ts. r is ne in . wo k do
b d
this uil ing and there are st re rare o d
s curren re iews book cu , t v do ,

t F
m en s relating to the rench Spanish and A merican D minations
, o
o b d
in L uisiana ; there are ex hi ite flags sta ues p rtraits, arms im , t , o ,

p lem en ts , painting s of hist ric characo

ters m inia u res and ari u s
, t v o
obj ects which bel nge
o d to oo the c l nial perio and hich emon d w d
v o o
strate the ci ilizati n and cust m s of the time .

I n cl sing this rep rt I cann t help but expres s the wish and the
o o o
o w
h0pe that the State of L uisiana ill m a e pr per appr priations to k o o
b
ena le the S ciet o y do
to v y the er necessar w r of classif ing y ok y ,

d v v b do
in exing and sa ing the alua le cuments hich the S ciet holds w o y
d d
as custo ian un er its charter .

B U SSI ERE R OUEN ,

Corresponding Secretary for the y ear 1 91 8 .

2 18 The L ouis ianb H ist
orical Quarterly

After a vote of thanks to Mr Bispham the routine of business was resumed

.

and the election of ofl

'
icers due at this date, was at once entered upon The resident . P
S
declaring that the ociety was prepared to receive nominations Mr ymond , . D
nominated Mr Cusachs for resident of the ociety
. P Mr John ymond was nomi S . . D
nated for First Vice- resident ; Mr Wm
. Pernan K
art. for Second Vioe President
. . D

to the account of the S ociety

C
.

T he reading of the orre sponding Secretary s voluminous the ac

’
report on
tivities of the Society during the past yw was dispensed witb . Miss G race King

letters, b the Bienville portr aits from Mrs Allen of Montreal and of Mr J
a out .

C
. ,
,

opes Diboll about the eight old ship cannons on the site of the old St Mary s
“
.
’

mar ket
”
which he suggests should be placed in Jackson
, uare Sq
L Can d
.

etter forwarded by Mr Delery acdonald of ontreal, M M a a. to the S ecre

L
.

tary of the ouisiana H istorical ociety in reply to an inquiry S b

a out the authentici

115 King St e t E a t r e s , N ov 13th . .

I G
promised erome H olling feldt to write to you today, and explain to you a out b
the portraits in our possession They were lett to us by my randfather, fifth Baron G
L C
.

de ongueuil harles Josef, third Baron. his wife

and consisted of
de Bienville,
K atrine Fleury d E schambault
'
the Baronne arie Charles Josef emoine who M L ,

G
,

D
married avid Alexander rant, and her son the fifth Baron, my grandfather .

When my cousin the present Baron was last in this country , he was given the
original painting ofthe third Baron and his wife, so that the one we now have is a copy

I t is ot a young man in his armor and is not well painted; there is no name
'

only .

on the back but I am writing to my oounsin and will ask him if the name is on the

original I have promised Baron H ollingfeldt that he may take the picture to ontreal
. M
with him and you can then decide if you think it worth copying .

The portrait of the fifth Baron is, of 00urse, in the dress of fifty years ago ; it was
done by an I talian artist, and as Baron H olling feldt will tell you, is a very fine paint
ing Our portrait of Bienville diflers slightly from the engraving you sent, the face
.

being longer and narrower It is said to have been done in Paris and has always
N
.

been believed to be the original portrait I suppose you know that Mrs eilson .

j N
.

née de L anadiere has a copy as well as the de Beau eu Dr eilson has a book pub . .

lished in France which has an engraving of both Bienville and I berville therefore
there ought to be a painting o f I ber ville in existence We carefully compared the .

engraving with our portrait of Bienville and they were alike in every particular .

U nfortunately the book is now in Q uebec so we could not show it to your ar tist
, I .

was sorry as l should have liked him to see er ville We wrote the publishers but
C
.

could no t get a satisfactory reply as to how they had got the engraving The heva
L
.

lier de ongueuil was father to the Madame de Beau eu of his day, but I wonder j
how they came into possession of the second Baron de ongueuil which ought to have L
belonged to the de o ngueuil L .

Do you know the family tradition runs that the family portraits were stored
L
in a garret in the de er y house in Quebec while the family were moving either to
 R eport of the R ecording Secretary 2 19

M ontreal or King t n and th

s o at a young
pen de L ery destroyed some of them with a

knife ; in which case perhaps if you were to search the de ery garrets you might L
come across the portraits of the first and second Barons, abandoned in disgust Cer .

tain it is that the three old ones in our possession had not been kindly used .

The pres ent Baron is you know childless and perhaps you might induce him to
N
lea ve his portraits to the ational allery but I don t think my sister, Mrs A rklay G ,
’
.

Fergusson to whom Bienville now belongs, would be induced to part with our com
,

mon ancestor (that is the engraving ) We can only make out the following inscri p .

G ouverneur L t de . L
o uisiana .

Capt .

M ort en
“
I should
have put Capt . on the second line ; it looks almost as if the word in
Some say the age is 89 but I think 69
“
the fourth line were R ouen . .

GE R T R U DE AL LE N .

Anniston Alabama , , D b
ecem er 7, 1917
Miss Grace King ,

N ew Orleans, La
L
.

Dear Madame : — ast spring I wrote your Society about the eig ht old ship
cannon that have been planted for many years, I suppose on the site of the Old

N
,

St . M
ary s market on T choupitoulas St between
’
orth and outh iamond Streets . S D .

A s this lom tion is an obscure one and as these old cannon doubtless have a history it ,

oomured to me to suggest that their reoord be investigated and that the guns be plaw d
in some public location where they would doubtless be ob ects of considerable public j
S
A s Jackson q uare is becoming more and more a civic center I further suggested
'

the appropriateness of putting the old guns there T his could be done with very little .

My letter, b
a ove referr ed to, met, as far as I know, with no action and I there
fore bring the matter up again .

A native and a life long resident of N ew Orleans I , am, naturally interested in

such matters as this .

J COPES D I BOLL .

The following persons were then elected members of the Soc e : ev e er i ty R Pt .

Scotti, De oto S H
otel ; Mrs R obert Parker , 2302 Pry tania stree r ar t; M Stu t 0 .

L G
. .

andry 616 Maison Blanche Building ; Mrs J B

, essner, 309 Camp street ; M iss
K
. .

A nnie F ennedy 2725 St Claude ; Mr R S Cocks, 701 E xposition Boulevard ;

C C
.
, . . . .

M rs L S ohen, 3575 anal street

. . .

S j
.

T he ociety then ad ourned .

M E ET IN G 01? FE BR U AR Y , 19 1 8

The monthly meeting o f the istorica l Society was held on T uesday evening, H
F ebruar y 19th, with a good attendance of members ofl i cers and visiting strangers , .

T he minutes of the previous meeting were read by the Secretary and approved .
220 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
T he following were elected members of the ociety : Mr and M rs ocrates S . S
D
.

rew 2925 Co liseum street ; Mr G eo de Cuccas, 82 19 Spruce stree t

, . . .

. . . H
Mr W O ar t made a short addres s on the recently adopted city official flag,
ex plaining the symbolism of its coloring and de
s ign presenting one to the Society
on behalf o f Mrs J H Bonneval who had made it for the purpose
. . .

Mrs Molinary .
, one of the committee who the flag , made a few remarks
selected
ex plaining the reaso n of the choice o f the committee out of 389 m odels offered .

The paper of the evening ,

de la rue St ierre, was entitled
“
The Spectacle . P
contributed by M iss N ellie Ward Price, a recent member of the ociety T he sub S .

j ect a most interes ting one, was full of charm and was trea ted with great literary
,

a l ability
as well as historic T hroug h many misleading publications she had worked
.
,

her way to som e new and authentic data and established the fact that the first theatre
“
of which there is any record in N ew Orleans was The pectacle de la rue St ierre,
”
S . P
in which operatic and other theatrical per formances were given from 1793 to 1811 .

Although the theatre stood in St eter street between R oyal and Bourbon the exact . P ,

location could not be determined A careful search through all notarial archives .

available, failed to establish the certainty o f the site usually credited to the theatre .

M Piss rice at the end of her paper gave the cheering promise that she intended to
pursue her inves tigations until she had clea red up all uncertainty on the sub ect j .

The vote of thanks proposed by Mr ymond for one of the most char ming . D
and interesting papers ever read before the ociety , was given ; and the paper was S
recommended to be printed in the publications of the Society

j
.

The meeting then ad ourned .

ME ET I N G O F A P R I L , 1 91 8

T he regular monthly meeting of the L

ouisiana Hi t i
s or calSociety was held in
the Cabildo T uesday evening A pril 17th
on The res , . P id ent officers and a good
,

attendance of members were present

P
.

T he minutes of the previous meeting having been read and approved the red
dent ex plained that the omission of the March meeting was a conse uence of untore q
seen and regrettable circumstances ; first the grave illne
ss in the family o f the lecturer ,
K
,

Mr err which prevented his keeping his engagement M r Pilcher, who had also
.
, . .

promised a paper was likewise absent , having been ordered away to Fort Jackson
,

with his company of the Coast A rtiller y .

T he Secretary read a letter fr om Mr T homas M Owen irector of the epart . . , D D

H
ment o f Archives and istory of A labam a, highly praising the Quarterly iss ue of th e
L ouisiana H S
istorical ociety and ex pressing his hope that it would continue its good
work in the field of history The letter was received with great pleasure and satis.

faction and on motion it was ordered incorporated in the record of the Society
, , .

T he following new m embers were unanimously elected : John E M ather, W J . .

Formento Mrs T Alexander, Mrs A B A very , Raoul Villere, L ionel Durel, E mile
, . . . .

H H H
.

Caboche enry ammett Oscar Schrareicher, A L

, opkins, N eidrengbaus
, . . ,

G eo . D
even, M D
ucros E L G ladney L J Follett
H C
. . . .
, , .

Mr W O art,. hairman of the committee to draft resolutions on the death

. .

o f M r C har les T
. S
oniat Du Fossat read the following which was listened to with
.
, ,

profound attention and evoked many expres sions of affection and regret for the loss
222 T he L ouisiana H istorical Qua rterly

except that Mr . S
broug ht for ward, almost at the last minute an A ct of Con
oniat .

gress which showed that on the date mentioned negroes were privileged to vote in
-

L ouisiana and thereupon the date was put back to 1867

G C
.

H ad the original date remained the ob ect of the

“
j
randfather lause, which
was pracfi cany to nulhfy the m gro vote would have failed .

Mr Soniat was a ma nber of the L01nsiana Bar the L01nsiana Bar Assodatiw
. ,

and of the Cormnercial L aw l e ague of Amu im and thmmh as a ls wyer he did not
'

engage h w ntested m knowledge of the law made him mobably the most m m
sum fifl and best informed N otary Public in the City I Iis notarial acta oi many .
-

volumes oonsfi tute a hbrary arm ng tha nselves and most oi them enthe ly m his
o wn handwriting are a tribute to his wonderful industr y and application Mr
L
, . .

S oniat was an authority on land titles in ouisiana, not only of the present but of the

p ast .Several times h e contrlbu ted v aluable pap a s to the reo ords o f the Sod ety

In civil hfe he was noted in athletios the drama and the arts and was a citisen
that gave honor and credit to his City and State H e had traveled largely in E m ope .
'

and as a oonversationalist he had few equals .

In his death, this Society feels that it has lost one of its most valuable memhers
and one who oontfi buted in m sman degree to the prominent posifi on the Society

oem piee among similar a ganizations in the U nited States this day .

S
In his death, the tate has lost one who ever had its best interest to the fore
front in his mind and to his family : H is brother , nephews and neiw s, his death
leaves a void which time only m n dm ipate but which m n never be filled
’

May this tribute to his memory be spread upon our minutes and a oopy thereof

be tum ished to the press of the City of N ew Orleans .

R espectfully submitted,

N ew Orleans, A pril 16th, 19 18 .

D
Mr ymond supplemented them with a moving and elo uent tri bute to the hig h
. q
social and intellectual qualities of his f riend and fellow member .

H S
Mr art then gave the ociety a most pleasant surprise in making the announce
.

S
ment that the ociety was soon to be made the recipient of a present of rare historical
and artistic value T his was a replica of the Statue of Joan of A rc ere cted on River
.

side Drive of N ew Y
ork by the Museum ofFrench Art of N ew ork This handsom e Y
L
, .

donation to the o uisiana H S

istorical ociety was made at the suggestion of M r .

J Sanford Saltus Vice President of the N ew ork Society who in a recent visit to
~
Y
L
. ,

N ew Orlea ns had become interested in the work of the ouisiana istorical ociet y H S .

Mr Saltus who was present kindly responded to the desire of the members to hear
.

from him personally and added in an informal way a few words about the stat ue
and its author a woman o f note in the artistic world Miss A nna Vaughn
, yatt ,, H
whose desig n had been accepted unanimously by the committee over all other com
p e tito rs c
,h arge d with the selection ofa sculptor for so notable a work The ped esta l, .

he added was con posed o f stone recovered from the prison in which Joan of A rc
,

had been confined when in recent y ears the prison was demolished
, .

I t was suggested and ado pted by the Society that the pres entation o f the statue
should take place on A pril 3oth in the Cabildo and that the ocm sion should be made

the ocm sion o f a suitable patriotic and historica l ceremo ny Mr ymond in response . . D
 R eport of the R ecording Secretary 223

q
to this spoke with elo uence and fervor of the exalted fig ure in history known as
Joan o f Arc, the most exalted woman fig ure in all the history of the world, and pointed
to the significa nce o f having a statue of the immortal Maid of old Orleans enshrined

in N ew Orleans, closing with an eulogium of women in the present war as a par t of the
influence of Joan of Arc s legacy to women in the defense of Rig ht and Co untr y
’
.

The paper of the evening was contributed by Mr James A R enshaw I t was

L
. . .

Mr Renshaw had with meticulous care

“
entitled The ost City of L afayette . .

tra ced the official history of this offspring of the days of prosperity and progress
o f N ew Orleans and his work was in line with the best endeavors and ideals o f the

H S
istorical ociety , which are to trace out and hold fast to such episodes in the past
life of the city which, as the author said, were becoming hidden facts or at best were
now known to but few Mr R enshaw was thanked in a resolution for his
. .

most interesting paper and received many compliments from individual members .

Mr T P Thompson, who was present, aptly called attention to the part that
L C
. . .

afayette had played in the celebrated Myra lark G aines ease, her claim overlap
ping the choicest part of this beautiful suburb, and he recalled al so the interesting
L
fact that afayette had originally been included m the grant of land made by the U S
G L
. .

in gratitude to eneral afayette But be, with more discernment than his donors .

waived his rig ht later to posses sions that would have constituted him the sovereign lord
o f N ew Orle a ns and ex changed the grant for a lom tion 1n the country .

Mr de la Vergne, who followed Mr R enshaw, presented a paper of great origi

. .

nality and a complete novelty in the annals of the Society

”
H is sub ect was N apo
“
. j
leon Bonaparte H e treated it with a spirit of pure admiration of and unswerving
.

devotion to his hero, and he read the paper with a fire and enthusiasm that was
comm unicated to his audience

j
.

A t its conclusion the Society ad ourned .

ME E T IN G OF MA Y , 19 1 8

T he L ouisiana Hi t meeting on the evening of

s orica l S ociety held its regular

T ues day May l t at the Cabildo

, There was a small attendance of members
, . .

T he President was in the chair A fter the reading o f the minutes of the previous .

m eeting the following were elected members of the Society : Messrs Char les Bou
G
.

dusq uié E ugene Stanley C C Sandoz E ugene H

, utman Wm Scheppegrell , .
,

K
. .
, .
,

, . H
J C Ansell I saac S eller F R Richardson L W urtin Judge Val J Stentz ,
.
, . .
, . .
,

S
M rs A C Bell imon A braham Frank Waddill G R Westfeldt, A 8 U rban Miss ‘

C
. . . .
, , , . . .
,

ecile Wogan M iss Jeanne C uedan

, .

On motion of Mr H
art unanimously endorsed by the entire audience Mr J , .

Y
.
,

Sanford Saltus of N ew ork was made honorary member of the Society .

An appeal from the R ed Cross for a donation was referred to the E x ecutive

Through Mr James A R enshaw the Society received an interesting historical

. .
,

document ; the appointment ofM W E ntzinner as 1st L ieutenant o f the first company
L
. .

o f the 39th R egiment o f the ouisiana militia The commission which bore the date .
,

o f October 4th, 1849 was signed by G ov I saac Johnson and Secretary o f State
, .

A s he had an engagement to speak at a R ed Cross meeting later, Mr W O . . .

H art begged to be allowed the first place on the program for the evening H e read .

a very interesting sketch o f Stephen G irard, the noted philanthropist and an old ,

time lover of N ew Orleans T he sketch drawn from the latest and most authoritative
.

H
,

sources, was listened to with attention and was warmly applauded Mr art, despite . .
224 The L ouis1ana H istorical Quarterly

his protest that thanks to a member ot the Society tor a paper was not in order,
nevertheless received a vote of thanks .

G eneral Booth, who was to give the next paper, not being able to be present
and the h iend designated to read the paper in his plaoe beim tardy, there was an
'

intermiss ion in the program which the Secretary essayed to fill by rsa ding a paper
,

that had been sent to her an intere sting reminiscenoe by a lady fi om the nort h who
,

in the eighteen fifties had passed several months as tsa cher in the family ofa l n uisiana
C reole on the celebrated Valcour Aime plantation .

The reading was stopped when G eneral Booth s representative made his ap
’

pearance But a violent discussion was opened by G en Behan seconded by Dr

L
. . , .

emonnier , on the propriety of reading a paper whose ob ect, as the opposition j

S
claimed, was to involve the ociety in an expresdon of political sympathy and cre a te

influence in favor of the maintenance o f G en Booth s oflioe of Commissioner of

’

L L
.

M ilitary R ecords, which was at the time being acted upon by the oum ana egis
lature The paper a voluminous manuscri pt, was entitled
.
,
“
o uisiana onfederate L C
R ecords Mr Cusachs with firmness, ended the discussion by deciding that the
. . ,

paper should be read as a good historical document This was done, however, only .

partially, and the paper was laid on the resident s table by the reader for futtue P ’

,
'

consideration o f the Society .

S
The ociety then ad ourned j .

M E E T IN G O F J U N E , 1 918

The L ouisiana Hi t
Society held its usual monthly meeting on the evening
s orical

of J une 18th in the Cabildo The attendance was slim A fter the reading of the
. .

minutes Mrs M Finegold and Dr Oscar owling were elected members of the
. . . D
Society .

A fter a preliminary ex planation by Mr W O art, the resident sugge s ted . . . H P

that his purpose be put in the form of a resolution which was adopted to the efi ect :
L
That the ouisiana H istorim l Society endorse the bill before the egislature to erect L
a monument at Vicksburg to the memory of the ouisiana soldiers killed there during L
th C ivil
e W ar ouisiana it w . L
as reca lled by Mr art, had forty one commands at
,
-
. H
Vicksburg, a larger number than any other Southern State hence the commission ,

representing the Sta te was given the first choice of a site for the erection of its mo nu

ment ; the site selected was a prominent one as well as the handsomest one .

H
Mr art also stated that G irard College of Philadelphia is planning to present
G
.

the Society with a bust of Stephen irard in memory of his residence in N ew Orleans .

Mr Joseph M itchell Pilcher of A voyelles Parish a member ofthe Coast Artillery ,

.
,

gave the paper of the evening entitled America and the War
“
It was a timely
j
.
,

sub ect and was presented in an interest ing way The President made due acknowl .

edgement for it, and on motion the Society ordered its publication in their records .

The Society owing to the heat, ad ourned promptly

, j .

ME E T IN G OF OC TO B E R , 191 8

Owing to the prevalence of the influenza in the city the H istorim l Society omitted
its regular meeting at this date .

ME E T I N G O F N OVE M B E R , 1 91 8

The ouisiana L H
istorical Society held its regular meeting T uesday evening
N
,

ovember 19th, in the Ca bildo A ll the officers were present but the attendance .
226 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

A lthoug h she had accomplished the allotted span of life set by the psalmist, she
‘

had proved so willing a servitor in so many ways beneficial to others ; had fur nished
such a measure o f good work pressed down and running over that it would seem more
,

than the allotted span had been granted to her by rovidence P .

In charity in patriotism in citizenship as our newspapers have wortt

, , , and

duly chronicled she was not only a leader but a laborer in the forefront of public
,

activities .

She had lived through the heart straining period of Civil War and reconstruction
and had trod unflinchingly the heated ploug hshare test with her fellow patriots ; but
instead o f breaking her heart thereby was inspired and made strong to pursue the
ideals of her land and to carry on the only work that still remained to be done for the
country the work to which all brave women of her time felt consecrated ; that o fkeep
,

ing alive the memory of the Cause for which men had died and women had sufiered .

It is by this work that she will be herself remembered among na. as we hope in the
endless f uture .

H a l Society while standing deferentially aside from the special

ere in the Historic ,

mission of historical students she nevertheless contributed most generously of her

,

abilities in the sphere she had modestly assumed as her part in our work ; that of the
Society s practical life as we may call it A s we remember, none among us res ponded
'

q
.

more promptly to the m il for volunteers when the organization and proper e uip
ment were needed for the great ceremonial functions in celebration of great histor ia n
events, entrusted to the ociety by S
tate and City authori ties S
Indefatigable in at .

tending committee meeting s and in them ever cheer fully alert to smooth away the
friction unavoidable in such gatherings ; ever most efficient in making the path m y
for the progress of programs too often of more stupendous proportions than our
limited mea ns of performance warranted; pouring out without stint for our benefi t
the rich stores gathered in her long ex peri ence and that most precious fruit of worldl y
wisdom : common sense enlisting her fr iends in our behalf and securi ng the valuable
cooperation o f her Alma M ater in many a f unction that otherwise would have been
—
lustreless ih truth it is hard to enumerate the various forms of her bounteous and
hearty good will .

In this hall we shall look sadly over the place where in the past we seldom , ,

failed to meet her bright responsive face with its kindly smile o f cheery encourage
ment and we shall listen in vain for the low earnest m usica l voice we re member so
, , ,

well that was never raised save in the cause of peace and gentle courtes y ; we shall
in a word miss a pleasant and ineffable influence in m emory of which we can offer
only our insuf fi cient meed of gratitude and praise
K G
.

G R ACE IN ,

M RS BE N JAM I N OR Y
LL M H L L N
.
,

M R S WI IA C A R E S COL E C A I BOR E
. .

The report was unanimously adopted by the Society .

R E SO L U T I O N
‘

A do pt ed by th e L o u is ian a H is t or ical So cie ty at t h e Mee tin g

of N ovem ber 19t h , 1918

I n the death o fWilliam K m an De art, the L

l Society has sufi ered ouisiana Hi t s o ric
a

a serious loss H e brought to his duties as an offi cer of this Society the same direct
.

ness of purpose and the same abounding energy and the same taste for scholarship
and history which characterized and crowned his professional life uring the limited . D
 R eport of the R ecording Secretary 227

T hey bined the trial of many important causes a ceaseless attention to the numer
com ,

ous details of a busy professional career much labor in the teaching of constitutional
,

law at one of our great universities, and the preparation of a scientific and exhaustive
L
digest of ouisiane decisions H e was genuinely interested in the purposes and work
.

of this A ssociation, devoted much time to its meeting s. and, at the time of his death ,

was engaged upon the preparation of critical essays and book reviews for the benefit
of the m embership I ndeed, in this Association, as well as in his profesmonal life,
’

he was ever engaged in useful endeavor, always creating, and always looking ahead
and planning for the f uture By his untimely death, his professional brethren are
.

deprived of his skilled cooperation and scholarly achievements ; his family lose a
most dutiful son and an affectionate husband and father ; and the members of this
A ssociation mourn a devoted member, an active and earnes t lea der, and a true and

DE L VA ILLE H T E AR H D Chairman .

L N
.
,

CH AS F C A I BOR E
. . .

A J ET E R
. P S .

R eport read by H on John ymond of the reception given by the D M y and

a or

L City Hall
.

C ity Officials to the visiting delegation of the French Foreign egion at the ,

O ctober 27 19 18:

T o the Members of the L ouisiana H istorical Society :

Gentlemen — T here visited N ew Orleans, as you all know from the public news
p apers on October 27 19 18, a delegation of the French Foreign egion and same L
C
,

were received by the Mayor and ity Official s at the C ity all As soon as it was H .

known that this ceremony was to take place at the City all, I , as Vice President H -

S
o f the ociety , organized a Committee, with the Mayor o f N ew Orleans, a member

o f the Society , as chairman, to present to the egion the Flag of o uisiana ; the time L L
P
was so short and as the resident could not be reached, I took it upon myself to ap
point a co mmittee consisting of the following members of the ociety : S
L
,

D
Martin Behrman, John ymond, A ndre afargue, W McL Fayssoux J M
G
. .

H H
, .

winn, W O ar t 1 D Moore
. . enr y R enshaw, A G Ricks, Dr J G R oussel,
, . .
, . . . .

B P Sullivan, J F C Waldo and T D Wharton

L L
. . . . . . .

After the committee in charge of the iberty oan for the promotion of which
L
the egionaires visited N ew Orlea ns, had presented to the Captain thereof a Flag
o f the U nited States and a Flag o f the C ity of N ew Orleans, I , as representing the

L ouisiana H S
istorical ociety, turned over a large and handsome Flag of L ouisana
made for the occasion by Mrs J R Bonneval, to Mr Andre L afargue, a member
C
. . .

of the q
ommittee, and re uested him to make the presentation, which he did in a

bea utiful speech first in French, and closing with an E nglish peroration in the follow

Ca ptain Chastenet de Gery G lorious L egionaires

—
I t is fit proper now that you have een presented by our gallant Mayor
and b
with the hags of the U nited States and of the City of N ew Orleans, that you should
L “
be given the colors o f ouisiana T his flag will complete the trinity of colors under
.

which we of N ew Orleans live and die, and the custody of which we entrust to you
on this solem n occasion . The L
H istorim l Society the faithful guardian
ouisiana ,

of our traditions and proud memories, has done me the great honor of asking me to

present you w ith this the emblem o f our Sta te of ouisiana, one of the fairest daug h L
228 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

ters of France. Its field of blue is indicative ofhope terrestrial and celestial We are
.

“
true blue in this State and we want to assure you that from the beginning of the
"

present war, though enjoined to remain officially neutral. we have been with France
in her hours o t sorrow as well as in her hours of triumph L ouisiana has always
.

had a hlial devotion to the old mother country See how this design on our flag
.

j “ “
for ustice and liberty , we look with Cm fidenoe to the day when Justioe shall
,

p revail throughout the world

.

The flag was received by the Ca ptain of the Ie gion in an appropriate address
and he stated that same would be taken to Paris and placed in the permanent heud
L
quarters of the egion at the H otel des Invalides .
 230 The L ouisiana H istorical Q uarterly

Our readers will find imm ediately following this the treaty be
tween the United States and Spain, concerning the ces sion of Florida,
which was signed at Washington on February 22 1819 by John , ,

Quincy A dam s on behalf of the United States and by L uis de Onis

on behalf of the King of Spain .

The Story of the Concession of St Catharine at the Natchez . ,

translated by Mme H eloise H Cruzat, the able corresponding

. .

whose field of work lay up in central L ouisiana, west of the present

city of N atchez; T hat he was hopeful of great success commercially ,

as well as religious, is indicated by the closing line of one of his letters,

in which he says that if at this moment he had 500 negroes he would

A s Col de la
. Vergne and others have discussed the origin of the
opinion we are led to cite the Opinion of one of our distinguished
,

members of some twenty five years ago now deceased Prof John
-
, , .

R Ficklen concerning the naming of L ouisiana It is copied from a

.
, .

newspaper scrap book loaned to as by Miss Grace King and reads

as follows :

T h e O rigin of t h e Nam e of L ou is ian a

E ditor N ew Orleans P icayune: Some interesting sketches of

L ouisiana H istory have appeared in your paper from the pen of Mr .

Charles Patton Dimitry Few men in the State are more capable
.

of doing this work than Mr Dimitry a nd his ar ticles will be widely

.
,

read
The obj ect of this communication is to comm ent on the views
advanced by Mr Dimitry in regard to the origin of the name L ou
.

I n las t Mo y
nda s issue of the P icayune, Mr D imi r
’
sta es . ty t
t o o
hat the old Pr vince of L uisiana was christene not by L aSalle , d
y
as is generall suppose , but d by
the fam ous ather L uis H ennepin, F o
t
and tha the name was gi en v by
H ennepin in h n r of L uis XI V o o o
and of A nne of A ustria, the m other of ha m narch t t o .

t
For the first of hese statemen s Mr Dimitr evidentl t . y
o to y
O

up n L ePage du Pratz , who in his H is r of L ouisiana tells us

’

t k
tha H ennepin was ta en pris ner uring a war et een anada o d b w C
I d '
d
and the n ians and was carrie to the c un r of the llin is hile o ty I o W .
 231
’
The E ditor s Chair

here he enjoyed a certain amount of liberty and explored the M issis

sippi, but did not succeed in reaching its mouth Nevertheless he
.

took possession of the country in th e name of L ouis XIV and gave

to it the name of L ouisiana The information that he gave of L ouis
.

iana was not long in bearing fruit M De L a Salle undertook to

. .

traverse these unknown lands to the sea .

Mr Dimitry very properly supplements this statement of Du

.

Pratz by declaring that H ennepin was taken prisoner in 1680, with

two companions, while employed on an exped ition that L asalle
himself had fitted out to explore the upper M ississippi, and Mr .

Dimitry tells us that it was at this time that H ennepin took posses
sion of the country and nam ed it L ouisiana .

Let us now turn to H ennepin s own statement of the case I n

’
.

his Description of L ouisiana, which was published in Par is in

‘

1683 and which is the only trustworthy work that he ever published
he says : They wrote me this year (1682) from N ew France that
‘

Sieur de la Salle seeing that I had made peace with the nations on
,

the north and west , descended last year with his force and our rocol
lects as far as the m outh of the Colbert, or M ississippi and to the ,

sea . I t is believed that he is on his way to France to give the court

an ample knowledge of all L ouisiana which we may call the Delight
,

and Earthly Paradise of America

’
.

Nowhere in this document does H ennepin claim that he took

p os se ss io n o f th e c oun tr y and g av e it th e na m e of L ou is ia na bu t in ,

the ded ication to the King, he says, Sire I never should have
“
,

ventured to take the liberty of of fering to your maj esty the relation
of a new discovery which Sieur de la Salle, my com panions and my self
have j ust made southwest of N ew France had it not been undertaken ,

by your orders . We have given the name of

L ouisiana to this discovery , being persuaded that your maJ sty
e
would not disapprove that a part of the earth watered by a river
more than 800 leagues in length etc should henceforth be known
, .

under the august nam e of L ouis that it may thereby have som e show
,

of right to aspire to the honor of your protection and h0pe for the ,

advantage of belonging to y ou .

It is noteworthy that H ennepin, who was the m ost boast ful of

men, does not claim that he gave the nam e H e begins in the first .

pe rs o n sin gu lar , a nd aft er m entio n i ng L a Sa lle an d hi s c om pan io ns ,

he adds : We have given the name of L ouisiana, etc Notice also

“ ”
.
,

that he says the country was nam ed in honor of L ouis him self and ,

does not mention A nne of Austria the mother of the King who
, ,

had died seventeen years before .

232 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarter!y

The o
str nges h wever t oh ection,
j o
the claim that H ennepin , to
v td
in en e the name L uisiana is o
be f un in Margry s Docum ents,to o d ’

Vo lum e 2 H ere we find a grant ma e

. L aSalle ran is
, d by to F co
Dauphin, of an islan in L a e n ari T hisd cument bears the
k O t o . do
d ate of J une 10 1679 at leas eigh m n hs
, t
efore H ennepin ever
, t o t b
saw the c untr o y
he is suppose to ha e name d
and in it L aSalle v d ,

uses these r s wo d
De ur de nostre re ur du a jo
e
y g q u e n u s to vo o
o
all ns faire p ur la o d
esc nverte de la L ouisianne
“
o
This, say s .

t
Margry , is the first ime so far as I n , tha the name L uisiana
“
, k ow t o
d d t
is applie to the lan s ha L aSalle 18 g ing to expl re
”
t o o .

U y d
ntil M r Dimitr a vances s me e i ence tha L ouisiana was
. o vd t
d y o o
name par tl in h n r of nne of us ria, the present A
ri er akes A t w t t
the li er b ty t
of maintaining tha it was name solel in h nor of L ouis d y o
X IV ore
. M ov
er, it appears fr m the cumen ci ed tha LaSalle, o do t t t
and not H ennepin, was the first use the name L uisiana to o .

H R I KL N JO N FC E
. .

T ulane ni ersi y U v t .

The Bussiere R ouen and of Miss Grace King

repor s of t Mr . ,

the corresponding and record ing secretaries of the H istorical Society

for 1918 are given but are preceded by one of the most interesting
,

documents that has thus far come into our hands being letters of ,

Nathaniel Cox of Kentucky to Mr Gabriel Lewis Genera l Wash .

,

ington s nephew then resident in L exington Kentucky The letters

’

, , .

cover the period from 1806 to 1809 and give very realistic pictures
ofthe life in those days along the M ississippi River and in N ew Orleans .

Nathaniel Cox was the great grandfather of the late Mrs T G Rich . . .

ardson the widow of that eminent N ew Olreans surgeon Dr T obias

, , .

G R ichardson who was one ofour most conspicuous men a generation

.
,

ago Mrs R ichardson gave the letters to Miss Grace King who
. .
,

loaned them to us .
 T H E L OUISIAN A
H IS TO R I C A L Q U A R TE RL Y
V on 2 , N o 3
. . J uly , 1919

E ntered d
to the secon class mail matter J 6. 19 17. at the
une p ost -o fi ue at N ew Orleans. L a
d
un er Ac t 01 A ugus t 24 19 12
, .

Subscri ption per annum. paya ble in advance A dd ress. Louisiana H i to rical Quar terly .

bd
. s

Ca il o. N ew Orlea ns, L a .
 L O U I SI A N A H I ST O R I CA L SOCIE T Y
G ASPAR CU SACH S, P resident .

JOH N DYM ON D First Vice President

,
-
.

BU SSIE R E R OU E N Second Vioe President

,
-
.

HENR Y RE N SHAW T hi d c P , r resident .

W O HA R T T
. . u , reas rer .

M ISS G RA CE K I N G R di g S , ecor n ecretary .

MR S . H E LO I SE H U LSE CR U ZAT , Corresponding Secretary .

E x ec u tive Co m m it t ee

John Dy m ond, Cha irman ; G aspar Cusachs, Bussiere R ouen, H

enry R enshaw
W . O . Hart , Miss G race King and Mrs elo ise ulse Cruzat
. H H .

E dit or H is toric al Q u ar t erly

JO NH DYMON D , Cabildo, N ew Orleans .
 T H E L OUISIAN A
H ISTO RI CA L Q U A R TE RL Y

VO L 2 , N O 3
. . J u ly , 1 9 1 9 .

NEW OR L E AN S , A T R EA S R E H O U SE U
F O R H ST I OR IAN S

R ead before the L ouis iana H istorical Society '

by Clarence Wyatt B ispham .

Documents ! Documents !
T heir isc ery ith stric e iting d ov w t d ,

their perusal by
an eager rl wo d
that up to their pu lication has b
remaine d
in ignorance of their exis ence ha e change man times t v d y
j d
and oft the u gment of m an in ! D cuments not sim pl k d o of l cal , y o
o v
but nati nal e ents ! Documents sur e e not merel in the ligh of vyd y t
y es te r a d y
s h a
’

pp e ning s b ut ith th e,a e luw s redd d t

o f t he p ers pe ct i e v
of 50 100 200
. , ears — y
sur e e , and s u ie vydnot t d d w
ith the pre u ice j d
o f sightseers and actors of the e ents escri e v d bd w
ith not the least ,

d esire to pro e a case v by

the appe al to certain facts and to lea e v
unstu ie d d all that oul w dd
amage heir contentions but t cuments , do
collecte d and stu ie d d by
the careful s u ent who t d
ishes simpl to w y
k now the truth the w
hole truth and nothing but the truth! D cu
, o
v d
m ents of e ents that change the estin of nations that affect nati ns y , o
and custom s and characters y et un rn ! T hat is the bo eman ma e d d d
b y the stu dy
of H istor y .

w
A nd here shall the be foun ? y d
I n E urope there are man such y
r eposit ries o— w
here in America
,
? At nce we ans er our own o w
q u es ti n ao
n d answ er th at su ch a sea rc h c an b e re w ar e a p r fou n d d by o d
s tudy of N ew O
rleans past and present , I t is safe to say that e en
. v
d v
i n the min of the a erage historian (and, alas there are but few) ,

there is pr foun o d
unconsciousness hat such a sta emen is at allt t t
t rue . O
N ew rleans is l e up n ook d o by
the utsi e w rl as the cit o d o d y
238 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quartarly

care forgot q
I ts uaintness and custom s of an age long ago now ,

fast sinking in o bli ion are the m ar s that linger in the m in s of

t o v , k d
v
tra elers here I t is safe to say that e en its own people are pro
. v
foundly ignorant and careless that in this cit here the are content yw y
d d b
to well can be trace countless eginnings of happenings that shoo k
w
the hole wo d W
rl ! ithin the limits of this paper let m e tell of a few
of these events .

L et me prophesy that to the man or woman searching for Docu

m ents to exploit the H istory of the City that is the connecting link
between North and South A merica a vein will be uncovered that ,

will am ply repay hard lab or A nd why L ook at the geographical .

?

p os itio n o f t his city I t is th e nat u r al g a t ew .ay b e tw ee n t he E as t

and West and North to South and Central A merica and the West
I ndies H ere after French domination ceased in Quebec and Canada
.
, ,

cam e those thousand s into L ouisiana H ere in this North A merica .

, ,

Spain for a brief y et wonderful forty years impressed herself upon

, ,

the people governm ent language law and all that goes with it
, , ,
.

H ere France beloved in the hear ts of m any thousand s still reigns

, ,

m orally if not legally Pro found ly patriotic to the allegiance L ouis

.
,

iana owes tod ay to the United States governm ent y et this city has ,

seen fi ve nations raise their fl ags p r o fo u n d ly an d u n cha n ge ab ly ,

distinct the one from the other ; has in her bosom sur vivals of all
,

hy e waiting for history to ex ploit and reveal them

, A nd so to th e .

stud ent of courage and determ ination unmind ful o f risk s and even ,

p e rh a p p
s o litic al h an d ic a ps N e w O rle a n s sile n tly b ut tr uly str
,e tch es

uncover m e — here in dusty tom es an d

“
out her arm s and ex claim s :

m anuscripts will y ou find that which will repay patient investiga

tion .

B ut I hear a remonstrance ! Why has been done be

not all this
fore ? T he question is hard to answer . I t is true that N ew Orleans
has had has G ayarré and u ge C artin I t is true that N ew Or
. J d M .

leans has M
iss G race ing but it is also true that the painfull smallK , y
b
num er of present day in estigators will tell y ou that a surprising l v y
b
large num er of new and unex plore su ects are constantl coming d bj y
to the surface and that those who ha e thus far , ritten ha e een v w v b
k
but pioneers stri ing out for them sel es in the ast field o f the un
, v v
known and more than one confesses that the complete H istor
, of y
L ouisiana has y et to be written ! I t is true that the L ouisiana H is
torical Soc iet has one a m ira le wor y d
but it is also true that a d b k
g reat part is still to be o ne N ot o nl are D oc u m en ts to be found a t . y d
T he Ca il o but in the H owar b d em orial L i rar for R esearch d M b y .

d
H ere is an i eal place for the stu ent with its L i rarian M r William d b , .
240 The L ouis iana H istorical Quarterly

F
Being rench it has little s m path y y with things Spanish or American .

Still the stu ent shoul th r ughl

, d d oo y digest it I t is thoroughly up .

to date .

o d
I t is true that the H war L i rar of R es earch has a great mass b y
of m aterial but it is also true that much of it remains still to be
,

o d dy y dy o t
‘

ex pl ite I t is also sa l true that man of those who stu

. c n ent

them selves with a mastery of published history content to leave the ,

research for original documents with others Since all this is beyond .

even possible controversy let it now be our task to plunge in medias

,

r es and show to an unbelieving and incred ulous people the truth of all

that has been asserted and point out some avenues where research
could be m ad e where results would be val uab le A nd first let us study .

the subj ects relating to this old city H enry G Castellanos has written . .

a series o f articles called G olden T imes in which he trea ts of

” “

H istoric B uild ings ; N ew Orleans as it was ; E arly Rise and Progress :

a Valuable historical data ; Political and social conditions

b T im es of Governor Claiborne ;
c T he old French B arrack s ;
d Masonic A ssociations etc Filled they are with sidelights
, .
,

which would ind uce ex haustive study of French and Spanish political
and social cond itions : how they fared in their transplanted state

and what has been their result and influence upon N orth A m erica
tod ay .

e A complete study of the influence and genesis of old Creole

songs and a study into the meaning of the word Creole the origin
“
, ,

and lives of prominent Creoles who as Chas G ay arré says are

‘
, the , .
,

Knickerbockers of L ouisiana
f T he N ew Orleans Stage and how many who were first seen
and recognized here b ecam e great through the stage world -
.

A nd now to say som ething of old Documents :

a T he L aw has an und isc overed mine of wealth in more than
.

608 boxes of wood containing m anuscripts of the L ouisiana H istorical

Society which treat of French and Spanish civil procedure in this
,

city .

b T he real H istory of the French Superior Council and the

.
,

Spanish Cabildo are here waiting for the student of H istory to make
,

an exhaustive study of them .

c A nd the surgeon is also remembered

. Under the title of .

An H istoric M emorabile I hnd in an old notebook a paper written

,

in Spanish by the A ttorney G eneral dated January 24 1800 con , ,

cerning the health of the city read before the M ed ical Society 1896 .
 N ew Orleans , a Treasure H ouse for H istorians 241

d .T he L uisiana P urchase 1803 ma e N ewo rleans par t of d O

the Unite States d .

e . d d
H un r e s of letters are still une ite relating to the time d d
w o
hen L uisiana egan to be A merican bThe are important as an . y
integral part of the un erstan ing etween a countr then reall d d b y y
o
f reign and the nite States U d .

f . v
A h exhausti e account of the relation of ap leon to N ew N o
O rleans ; has it e er een un erst o 7 v b
ith ut ou t papers are d od . W o d b
here which might unc er the real facts ov .

g Th e
. let ers et een C asa al o and P ert b w
e A n on io P litical C v t . o
in tone .

h T he M iro letters never translated from the Spanish

. .

1 . Fontalba letters to his wife in French .

j . T u rning to 180 3 we no te that alth oug h the let

, ter book s o f
William Claiborne first American G overnor have been published, , ,

they merely Open to the stud ent many questions that have not been
exploited and research would uncover Spanish and French political
,

matters that would form history of which the Political Student is

totally ignorant .

k T hen no real history has ever y et been written of A aron

.
,

B urr and his conspiracy against the United States gocvernment ,

which would omit research work at the Cab ildo .

1 A gain the world is in doub t of the true position of G en

.
, .

Wilkinson was he Patriot or T raitor? I n his relations with T ennes

,

see and K entucky and his deep k nowled ge of Spain is it true or ,

false that he tried to separate these territories with L ouisiana from

the N ew A merican government ? I believe the answer is to be found
here.

m A nd then, in the war b etween the States, we have N ew Or

.

leans in the throes of the Carpet baggers head ed by the notorious -

,

B en Butler
. .

I t is pro foundly true that even tod ay the North does not know
the truth concerning this m an so hated and so j ustly despised .

n The North has forgotten that events in L ouisiana 1860 1865

.
-

were carefully dictated to N ew Orleans prints from a federal view

p oin t .

0 T he A rchives of the Cathed ral of St L ouis contain a m ine of

. .

wealth .

p Th ey have forgotten that documents from the Southern

.

v iew point were burned at Baton R ouge

-
T he impar tial stud ent does .

not realize that perhaps the only way to cover this period is to try
to go am ong the few eye witnesses and listen to their information!
242 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
T hese are the m erest hints concerning m aterial that coul be expan ed d d
and v y
er g r eatl en l ayrg e thi n tha t d I
e. en this sm all k
lis t m a k es v
goo d the c la im that N ew rlean s a nd L o u O
isia na ha e m a te ri al for a v
new view as relate d U d
to a H istor of the nite y d
States that woul
take m any years to uncover write and ind ex ! A ll that is nec essary
,

is a good work ing knowled ge ofSpanish as well as ofFrench and I talian .

Such a k nowled ge ofSpanish might be the m eans to ind uce E ducators

(w ho insist that the G erm an is still one o f the languages as a req uisit e

d o oo y
for the egree of D ctor o f Phil s ph and D ctor of Di init ) to o v y
d
c hange their min s ! A nd e on by d
this language necessit is the criti y
b
c al a ilit y to treatdo cuments in the way L anglois and Seignobos

ask them to be treated I t is today a fact beyond controversy that

.

the ab lest and best of our Southern H istorians do not y et know with
absolute certainty what is here and what is lack ing B ut research .

by the Carnegie Funds m ade in Spanish Ft ench I talian and Cana , ,

d ian Archives is from time to time showing the missing links in mat
ters barely referred to by any of the Southern H istorians A nd now .

I give a list of papers held in the Cabildo

Su b j ec t s Su gges t ed an d Origin al Papers in Po ss es s io n

of t h e L o u is ian a H is t or ic a l Soc iet y

y
T he E arl L etters of Bien ille v .

M S S of Bernar L a H arpe
. . . d .

Pauger the fir st Sur e or of N ew rleans

, vy O .

y v
J c urne s of B ien ille resulting fi nally in the isco er and d v y
b d
the uil ing of N ew rleans O .

Od
T he r inances of O R eilly
’
.

V
35 olumes of T he r inances of N ew rleans Od O .

y J
T he earl life of ohn L afitte in De B ow s R e iew 1840
’
v ,

1860 .

y
H istor of the first P arishes of L ouisiana .

H istory of St ar — . M y
San Domingo — o rship Vo doo Wo .

y W
H istor of est Feliciana P ar ish .

M S 8 concerning B en am in B utler
. . . j .

y N
H istor of ewspapers H ere is one of the est collecti ns
. b o
o f newspapers in the United States .

5f
brary of L ouisiana H istori cal So
a

Selection of m aterial in L i ciety :

13
( ) d
E it du R oy Donne a Versailles au m ois de J uin 1 723
.

porta nt con fi rm at ion des priv ile ges accord es concess ion s
,

et alienation faites a la Com pagnie des I ndes .

244 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
Southern Star L a T ribune de la Nouvelle
,
-
Orléans and
m any others .

Spanish MSS M ississippi Valley , 1765 1808

.
-
.

( Manuscript) :
French MSS Mississippi Valley 1679 1769
.
,
-
.

L a H arpe M S J ournal 1698 1 724

. .
,
-
.

R ecueil de relations letters M emoires 1673 1735 , ,

-
.

L ouisiane E venem ents de 1803

. .

L ouisiane Concessions
. .

L ouisiane Correspond ence G enerale 1678 1 769

.
,
-
.

L ouisiane Passages 1718 1724

.
,
-
.

R ecensements 1706 1741 ,

-
.

o
L uisiane E tat Ci il 1720 1 734
. v ,
-
.

R enseignements sur i ers qui etaient passes dv a la L ou

151ane .

Depots des fortifications des Colonies

I nventaires des plans memoires relatifs ala L ouisiane .

(not manuscript ) .

L e Pere H ennepin u elle ec u erte . No v d o v .

Joutel Journal hist ri ue de L a Salle o q .

L e Pere L eClercq E ta lissem ents de la foi ans la . b d

N v
ou elle rance F .

No d
tes and ocum ents hist ri ues de la L uisiane (manu o q o
script ) .

b o o
Pu licati n ofA rticles in T he L ouisiana H ist rical Quaterly ,

O y o d d o
N ew rleans L a John D m n E it r
, .
, .

1 No 1 January 8 1917 :
,
— . ,

Western Boundary of L ouisiana .

D iario de G alvez .

Diary of Bernardo de Galvez M ay 1 781 , , .

A bstracts by M r Price A rchivist .

, .

T he Choctaw of St T ammany . .

R eport of the T exas B oundar y .

Original Contributions of L ouisiana to Medical Science .

L ouisiana Families .

N ew Orleans T erritory M emorialists to Congress 1804 , .

A b stracts from Old Papers .

H istorical Data in Congressional L ibrary .

A nnual R eport of A merican H istorical A ssociation .

Some R are H istorical Data .

 N ew Orleans , a Treasure H ouse for H istorians 245

Volume 1 No 2 September 1917

,
— .
,

L afayette s Visit to N ew Orleans

’
.

L a Floride et l A ncienne L ouisiane

’
.

General James Wilkinson .

Volume 1 No 3 J anuary 1918

,
— .
,

B i Centennial of the Found ing of N ew Orleans

-
.

Consul General of France : H is A ddress .

Bi Centennial Celebration in France

-
.

Notes on the L ife and Services of B ienville .

N ew Orleans und er B ienville .

Sid elights on L ouisiana H istory .

Contest for E cclesiastical Suprem acy in the Val ley of the

M ississippi .

E arly E pisod es in L ouisiana H istory .

First Offi cial Flag in the City of N ew Orleans .

R aising the A merican Flag in J ackson Square J an 8 19 18 , .

, .

L e Spectacle de la R ue St Pierre . .

A bstracts from old H istoric Papers .

Volume 1 No, .
—
4 A pril 19 18 , .

Joan of A rc the ai of rleans

, M d O .

Statuette of J oan of A rc and its presentati n o .

O
Old rleans reets N ew rleans G O .

G eneral B eauregar ef re the Ci il War db o v .

G eneral B eauregar and G eneral B lanchard d

G eneral Collot s R econn itering and Arrest
’
o .

War of 1812 : Some l ri a E pis es Fo d od .

d o
A missi n of L ouisiana int the ni n o U o .

O
N ew rleans .

W K
hen nightho od F ow
was in l er .

Volume 2 No l J anuary 1919

,
— .
, .

T he Ursulines of L ouisiana .

Frey Antonio de Sedella : A h A ppreciation .

Jackson Sq uare N ew Orleans , .

T he L ost City of L afayette .

H ighways .

L egal I nstitutions of L ouisiana .

R ecord s of the Superior Council of L ouisiana .

I n the renaissance of historical interest certain to ta e place, k

a fter thisw dorl war here is the opp rtunit for the enthusiast to
-
, o y
w in a place in this American T emple of ame A nd the setting of F .
246 T he L ouis iana H istor ical Quarterly
such designs and the atmosphere for such study is here in this city
with its flavor of old time places and out of the way cour ts and chiefly
in T he Cab ildo towering above all else as the place of national
,

interest !
While the I ndependence
H all of Phil a elphia ill alwa s ta e d w y k
first place in the heart of A m ericans for that Declaration signed in
y b
1 776 let us al wa s rem em er that the Ca il o in 1803 saw the trans
, b d
F U
fer from rance to the nited States of a territ r a hundre times oy d
v
m ore ast than the countr ccupied yo by
the 13 original States for ,

the L ouisiana Purchase was a part of the great isi n which ga e v o v

od b d o b
unt l wealth and oun less p ssi ilities to the great nati n ex tending o
o
fr m A tlan tic to Pacific oceans A s the seat of the G . ernm ent ov by
F o
rance of this imm ense region fr m 1 720 to 1769 ; the seat of the

g o vernm e nt S pain frby

om 1 76 9 to 1803 ; the scene o f the cessio n of
o
the L uisiana Pur chase in 1803 to A merica we claim as the righ t of ,

T he Ca il b do
al though , nl o y b
uilt in 1795 a place secon in the , d
hearts of the people of these nite U d
States ! Show me any o ther
b d v I d d b
uil ing sa e n epen ence H al l that has a etter right to the claim !
d ov
I t has y et to be isc ered !
T his fact al one ex plains the scarcely suppressed enthusiasm
which dominates many articles written concerning L ouisiana and
her history .

Do you rem em ber the word s of our late Presid ent M cKinley ,

as he stood here at the 200th Centennial ? L et us quote from his

speech I have great honor in standing on this historic ground to
,
“

receive the greetings of my countrym en and to recall the fact that ,

here nearly a hundred years ago the great transaction took place
, ,

that d edicated a larger area than the 13 original States to liber ty

and union forever .

L et the student once becom e accustomed to read and inv esti

ga te an d br eat he thi s C ab ild o ai r th a t silen tly in spires him to wor k in
L ouisiana and it is safe to say that if such surround ings do not beget
enthusiasm for his work nothing else will !

H ave we not then a trem end ous duty toward s the H istorical
Student of these United States ?

Why should not the large minded men of N ew Orleans endow a

p ro fesso rs hip fo r t he ex pr e ss u
p p r o se o f ex plo iting the stu dy of th e

H istory of L ouisiana Why should not a systematic eflort be ma de

? ‘

to fi nd out and ind ex the trem end ous num ber of documents th is
L ouisiana H istorical Society has in its alcov es and box es ? Why
should not a great num ber of scientific m en and wom en be attra ct ed
 T H E E M BL E M A T C B R D O F L I I OUI SI AN A

By Stanley Clisby A rthur .

o d
I n 1803 ccurre the L ouisiana Purchase In arch of the . M
foll ow y o
ing ear T h mas J efferson appr ed an act of C ngress pro ov o
d v
y i ing for the go ernm ent of the
“
territ r of rleans
”
for such oy O ,

k o b
was L ouisiana n wn efore it ac uire the ignit of Stateh od q d d y o .

v ow
B y this act the legislati e p er was in este in a g ernor and v d ov
d
thirteen fit and iscreet citizens of the new territor these men to y ,

o d
be app inte annuall y by the President of the United States
T he first legislative body or council as it was termed at that
,

time convened in N ew Orleans dur ing Decemb er of that year but

,

it was not until the 19th of A pril 1805 that an act was passed pro ,

viding for a pub lic seal read ing to better authenticate the acts o f
,

the governm ent of the territory of Orleans there shall be a public ,

seal thereo f w ith such d ev ice an d inscription as the Governor shall

,

determine on an impression whereof shall be affixed to al l offi cial

,

acts ex ecuted und er his signature ex cept the laws of the T erritory
,
.

Governor William C C Claiborne evide ntly decided that this

. .

new part of the United States should have on its seal that em blem
which the national governm ent had already adopted the eagle for
— ,

on the State d ocuments of that period it appeared .

Seal of t h e T err i t or y of Or lean s .

T he first seal of L ouisiana was an eagle Why ds .

? Our few recor

on this subj ect give us no light Yet perhaps there were very good
.

reasons for Claib orne ad opting the eagle for the new territory s
’

d evice as the reproduction of a very interesting old map has shown .

I t is a v iew of this city from the plantation M arigny drawn by ,

B oqueta de Woessera I t w ill be recognized that the bird there

.

fly ing over the Crescent curv e of the river is an eagle bearing in its
b ill a ribbon carrying the phrase Under my wings every thing pros
p e rs
. T here fore it no w, see m s prob ab le that this d evice was in
favor at that time and possib ly swayed the first A merican governor
in his choice in selecting a d evice for the first seal .

T he eagle seal rem ained in force and effec t for som e years until
L ouisiana was adm itted to Statehood b eing the 18th State T he
,
.

constitution of the State of L ouisiana ad opted in 1812 prov ided in , ,

 T he E mblematic B ird of L ouisiana 249

Section 5 : The governor of this State shall mak e use of his private
seal until a State seal shall be procured Did this mean that Clai .

borne had a private seal a seal for his personal use that was deemed
—

superior to the seal that had authenticated the State papers of the

T erritory of Orleans ? Documentary evidence is lacking at least I ,

have been unable to unearth any as to the why and wherefore of a ,

change in the device on the seal but a change did come and this brings

us to the topic of the evening — the pelican .

I t isinteresting fact that et een the ate of the adm ission

an b w d
o f L ouisiana int the o U
nion in A pril of 1813 until D ecem er 23rd , b
o f that y
ear the State was with ut a seal ex cept that which the
, o
o
g vernor m ight be incline to choose d
When Mr H enr L avrot . . y . F
d v
eli ered his interesting lecture on T he State Seal
”
efore this b
bo y o d
d in 1901, he p inte out the fact that he had in his p ssession o
a commission ate d d
J une 28 1813 and the seal showed what was , ,

vd
e i entl y
a pelican a o e its nest , in b v
hich were a out a ozen w b d
nestlings and aroun
, the esign d
ere the w r s
“
d
ustice ni n w od J , U o
and Confidence
”
and pen ant in the
, d
esign was a pair of scales d .

T his was the first State seal .

T he bird b eing a pelican al though a close

was interprete d as ,

inspection of the line d rawing would ind icate that it is m ore like an
eagle especially if the head and b eak are to be tak en into consider
,

ation .

T he fact that this seal was officially use in J une and y et the d
act perm itting him to select such a seal was not passe until Decem d
d d
ber woul in icate that the go ern r had alrea
, chosen his seal or , v o dy
what m ay be m re to the point he use o “ ”
his private seal m en , d
t ioned in the act and later a opte no other
, d d .

A t any rate this seal rem aine the seal of L ouisiana from 1813 d
until 1864 — y
51 ears elapsing efore any go ernor saw fi t to ha e a b v v
d
new die m a e and a new seal cast I t is the original pelican seal and .

k
m ar s the first appearance of our ueer old fri en on any seal T he q d .

d w
ra ing saw I do
es not ex actl repro uce the seal itself y
eing in fact d , b
but the ex act fac sim ile of a esign foun on m an printe com
-
d d y d
o
missi ns issue from the d
ernor s office as will be note Gov the re
’
d by
pro d uction State paper in its entirety
of a .

T he line d rawing or wood cut does not faithfully reprod uce

, ,

the seal proper as it appears on the aged d ocuments treasured in

the Cab ild o but is used for the sake of clarity A photographic .

reprod uction of the clearest im pression of the State seal will be found

in the State M useum T his was affi xed to a comm ission issued dur
.
250 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
ing Governor Villere s ’
term and there are 16 little pelicans in the
nest .

N ow we are face to face ith an interesting rnithol gical w o o

q uestion b d
I s the ir now presente on its nest
. d
er 16 a ies reall ov b b y
a pelican ? v
Did we ha e nature fa ers in th se a s or ere raughts k o d y w d
men m erel inferi r artists y ? o
A u u n m ight ha e thr wn some d bo v o
bj
light on the su ect but a careful search thr ugh the chapters e ote o dv d
to the pelicans in his Ornithological B iographies fails to isclose e en d v
o
a m enti n of the fact that the infant State of L ouisiana had a opted d
the pelican and that the seal was grace ith its li eness dw k .

v
H owe er much we may m a e light of it it was un u tedl k do b , y
o
meant to be the c unterfeit of a pelican for Mr a rot testified th at F v .

o o o y
he had in his p sses si n a c p of the N ashville E x aminer of ct ber O o
23rd 1813 (two m nths efore the act ust al lu ed
, , o b j
had een d to b
p a ss e ) he d w
r ein a pa ra a
g p
r h tol t hat
“
th e n ew S tate d
of L uisia na o
o
had ch sen a pelican for its seal ecause it had the reputati n of b o
t earing its b
reast to fee its ung N ow you ha e d yo th the bir v bo.
’
d
and the ra iti n ! t d o “ ”
Yet the private seal of G ern r lai rne ov o C bo
b d
was eing use to authenticate the State papers .

L ouisiana jo
ined the onfederac and the legislat rs marche C y o d
b d
out of the cham er un er a flag th at had em laz ne up n it a single b o d o
red star and the fi gure of a pelican in the tra iti nal attitu e of d o d
d y o
fee ing its oung fr m its reast but the State seal on the b cuments
, do
t
of hat perio d
remained unchanged fr m lai rne s riginal die o C bo ’
o .

I n 1864 hen
, w Gov
ernor A llen set up the executi e m ansion at v
v o
Shre ep rt a new die was cast and a new seal appeare on the
, d
State papers of that moment us peri o od .

U qn uestiona l the m ther by

ir is a pelican this time o T he b d .

od
w r ing on the seal is the same the scales are the re and so are the ,

stars but on the A llen seal we ha e but 15 stars while lai rne s v C bo ’

o riginal had 18 Then too and this is imp rtant the hea of the
.
, o , d
d
a ult pelican turns to the left .

b b
A s to a ies in the nest there are a nestfull tha is a certaint , t y
and o f the im pressi ns hat I ha e examine n ne of them ha e ee n
o t v d o v b
clear enough to ma e the c unt sure k o .

N ow c mes o M
icheal H ahn first R epubhcan g ern r in the , ov o
earl y reconstructi n a s o d y
E vi entl not satisfied ith Mr A llen s
. d y w .
’

ef v
forts in impro ing on Clai orne s riginal es ign he change the b ’
o d d
seal but k
ept the pelican While ern r H ahn clung to the tra
. Gov o
d ition han e own dd d
the first g by
ernor he again re erse the ov v d
d b d
hea of th e parent ir so that it turne to the right as in th e origi d ,

w
nal seal allo ed but 4 a ies in the nest place the
, b b “
r s State of , d wo d
252 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

o
I n the fr ntispiece of the rep rt of Secretar of State John T o y .

M ichel appeared the State seal, but while the language of the statute
,

sai d d
that the pelican s hea sh ul be turne to the left the hea
’
o d d d
y
wrongl tur ns to the right I n m atters of this in it is the
. ect s k d obj ’

right or left that is d

esignate d
and not the o ser er s Then too b v ’
.
, ,

the H eard pelican o mithologically speaking is a composite

, , I t has .

the body of a goose the neck of a swan and the b ill of a heron
,
.

L et us consid er j ust how a pelican should look in life in this

attitud e . T here is a photogra ph of one of the pelicans in the A udu
bon Park Flying Cage in the attitud e of picking his breast I t took .

months of waiting for the tim e the place and the pelican b efore I ,

succeed ed in securing th is po se Of cour se I was materially aided by

.

a friend ly coo tie and this is the nearest I have com e to photograph
,

ing a pelican in the act of tearing its breast to feed its young .

I feel that the seal now used by the Department of Conservation

com es nearer b eing the actual likeness of a pelican in the trad itional ,

attitud e with th e head turned to the left and with the word ing
, ,

p ro v id e d for in th e le g isl at iv e a ct Y ou will note the correct ah

.

sence of the word or fi gure — the act does not call for it
“
and .

N ow we have considered the seal from its first design to th e

p r es en t o n e. W h y is th e p e lic a n in the act o f te arin g its b re a st to

feed its young ? We know that it is a m ost abundant b ird al ong the
vast L ouisiana coast I t attracted the attention of the early writers
. .

L e Page Du Pratz writing in 1758 calls the pelican the Grand gosier
, ,

and prints its portrait derives

“ “
T he Grand gosier
. say s du Pratz
-
, ,

h is name from his big head large b ill and especially his big pocket
, ,

without feathers or down that hangs from his neck H e fills this
, .

p oc k et w it h fi sh t ha t h e a fter w a rd s em p ties to fe ed his y oun g T h e .

sailors kill them along the sea shores where they are always to be

found so as to get this pouch in which they place a cannonball and

suspend it so as to shape it into a bag in which they place the ir

tobacco .

Captain B ossu writing in the early days says the pelican is

, ,

called the grand gosier in L ouisiana by the inhab itants because o f

-

its big pouch and further that the grease from the bird w as used to
,

thicken ind igo paste .

T he presence of this b ird in such num bers d oub tless suggested

to the mind s of the religious Catholics the place the pelican has
in ecclesiastic history T he pelica n occupies an important place
.

in the old testam ent but as far as I have been ab le to ascertain

, ,

is not m entioned in the new I n the eleventh chapter of L eviticus

.

is contained the d irections for regulating the food of the I sraelites

 T he E mblematic B ird of L ouisiana 253

so as to keep them from defilement contact ith any s rt of ea by w o d d

w y
flesh hich the were not permitte to eat O i the ir s nineteen d . b d
were prohi ited b by
nam e and the pelican is am ong that num er — as b
o , b d by
is als the bat which is not a ir the way , .

While the pelican in its ad ult stage is a bird without a voice it ,

is very strange to fi nd the sweet singer Dav id comparing his groans

“
and lam entations in the 102nd P salm to the cries of a pelican in
the wil erness d .

T he pelican has a secure place in s m olism and the ritings y b w

b b
o taina le to a d y
contain references to the pelican and show that this

b d k w
ir was well no n to the ancients as certain cru e li enesses of it d k
v b d y
ha e een foun in m an ancient ritings T he w r pelican c meswo d o .

from the G reek pelekan or pelekinos or the L atin pelecanus and there ,

are about 13 separate species found in all temperate portions of the

world .North A merican has but two kinds the white pelican that , ,

is wholly a northern breed er ; and the brown pelican that is a resi ,

dent of the southern A tlantic and G ulf States and of the California
c oast .

Being so widely d istributed a bird of size and of peculiar, ,

habits it is no wond er that the bird easily ob tained a place in trad i

t ion and sym bolism T hr oughout the world
“
. T he pelican in its
p ie ty
, a s th e h er ald s ca ll t h is sym bo l is to be fou n d W h
,e th er ov er .

the entrance to an E nglish cathedral such as the carving over the

p p
er end ic ul ar o f so ut h p o r ch S A ust el
,l .Cor nw all E ng o r in
, th e , .
,

stained glass wind ows of B ourges cathedral where it is to be seen ,

wi th other types of the R esurrection viz the lion raising its whelps ; , .
,

J onah delivered from the whale and E lij ah restoring life to the ,

widow s son of Sar epta T he sym bolism of the pelican seem s to be

’
.

c losely connected not only with Christ s pas ion but with the Chris
’
s

t ian resur rection as well .

A h insert in the pulpit at A l ing on ent , E nglan d t , K d , contains

a k b d “
v
remar a le woo car ing of the pelican in its piet y .

Canon Cheyne in referring to the pelican as the em blem of th e

a toning work of Christ in the E ncy clopedia B iblica writes that the
, ,

c ommon fab le ab out the pelican giving its life for its young ones

com es originally from E gypt and t he B estiaries say that the pelicans
,

ar e fond of their young but when the latter grow old er they begin
, ,

to strike their parents in the face T his enrages the parents who .
,

kill the young in anger but at last one of them comes in remorse
,

and sm ites its breast with its beak so that the b lood may flow and

raise the young to life again .

254 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

y
I t hardl seems necessar to state here that there is no foun y
d ation for the v
enera le legen b
of the m ther pelican fee ing herd o d
young w
ith lo b od
from her own reast hich has gi en this ir b w v b d
such an important place in ecclesiastical histor and a tra ition in y d
L ouisiana that is belie e v d by
som e e en to this day as being a fact v .

d y o
T his is the legen generall rec unte as t pify ing the great lo e d y v
of the m other for her yo
ung but in my researches for its of ancient
, b
o
l re anent this strange old ir that graces our State sealb d ha e , I v
b d d
stum le on a cur ious legen that ante ates the one usuall hear d y d .

, o
E pithanius B ish p of Constantia wrote in his P hy siologus in ,

b d
1588 that the femal e ir in cherishing her oung w un s th em with
, y o d
ov
l ing by d
piercing their si es with her ea and the die A fter b k y .

d y
three a s the m ale pelican com es to the nest and fi nds his little ones
d d
ea and his heart is pained H e smites his own si e ith his ill
. d w b
and as he stan s o er the d ea v d d
nest lings the loo tric les from his b d k
self inflicted cuts int
-
o
the open woun s of his ea little nes and d d d o
y d
the are ma e to li e again v
I n this pious act of re i ing his off
. vv
springs was foun d
the comm on su ect for the fiftee nth centur bj y
b
em lematic b k
oo s and thus the pelican became the s m olism of
, y b
y
self sacrifi ce the t pe o f Christian re empti n and of E ucharistic
, d o
do ctrine .

A ntedating by y
300 ears the e ice of the pelican on the State d v
o d
seal of L uisiana is the a option of this e ice for one of the colleges d v
of the U v
ni ersit of x fory O d
for B ishop Fox in 15 12 a opte the
, , , d d
d esign of the father pelican ma ing his oung ali e again for the k y v
then new college of C rpus Christi o .

v
We will now lea e the pelicans of the past and tra ition for d
the pelicans of the present and realit T here are two species of y .

p e lica n s na ti e t o Lv u isiana— the o ro n pelica n a resi en t ir b w , d b d

and a b d
ree er al ong our c asts and the o
hite pelican a inter
, w , w
v o b d o
isit r but not ree ing in L uisiana T heref re it seems to m e that . o
we sh ul o dd bo
esignate the r wn pelican as the State Bir as it is foun d
, d
o
along our sh res at al l times of the ear and as we ha e a p te th e y , v do d
d esign of a pelican w y
ith its oung for our State seal we sh ul to be , o d ,

o
c nsistent select the species of pelican that actuall raises its
,
ung y yo
w ithin the confines of the State .

W hile it is true that a few m em ers of the great white pelimn b

flocks that come to this State uring the winter m nths remain here
. d o
d b d
uring the summer or ree ing season it is ne ertheless an a solute , v b
fact that the w b d
hite ir s that spen the summ er ith us not d w do
b d
ree , as the w
hite pelicans that ha e com e un er m y ser ations v d ob v
d uring the past hy e or six ears y do
not ha e the characteristic reed v b
256 The L ouisiana H 1stor ical Quarterly
m ust then effectually explod e the off heard theory that our pelican -

has three young and no more .

While m ore than three eggs are laid and more than three young
are hatched m y inv estigations led m e to believe that on an average
,

our b rown pelican raises to m aturity but two young as from d iffer ,

ent causes there is quite som e m ortality am ong the young of th is

bird Young pelicans when they are hatched come from the egg
.

ab solutely naked in a week or ten d ay s a fuzzy down m akes its

,

appearance and by the tim e they are a m onth old they resem ble

nothing m ore than little woolly lam b s While the ad ult pelican is .

ab so lutely voiceless this does not hold as to the vocal accom plish
,

ments of the young ones for the rack et baby pelicans can
mak e when they clamor for their fish food can be b est described as
deafening T he young ones are great hulking babies and like m ost
.

young ones bird or human are hungry all the time and to feed the
, , ,

appallingly capacious pouches that they are continual ly Opening

and d isplaying the emptiness thereo f the parent b ir d s are k ept ,

busy from sun up to sundown and the care and attention shown ,

these hungry little ones by the old bird s is worthy of emulation by

p ar en ts b i
,rd or h u m an .

T he b rown pelican in the air is a most graceful bird A strong .

fly er and a wonderful d iver for the brown pelican gets its food by mak
,

ing an ab rupt plunge from a great height into the water sometimes ,

g oin g belo w th e su r fac e whil e th e white pe li

,can swim s on the surfa ce

and scoops its food without going beneath the water or plunging .

Our State b ird is a m ost am iable member of our v ast avian race .

I t harm s no one and should m ake no enem ies although two years ,

ago an effort was m ad e on the part o f the fi shermen in F lorida T ex as ,

and som e parts of L ouisiana to ex terminate these bird s on the ground

that they annually d estroyed many thousand tons of fish useful to

m an as food When this m ovem ent was under way to so interest
.

the U 8 Food A dm inistration that it would pronounce rules th at

. .

would perm it their ex term ination the Departm ent of Conservat ion ,

cam e to the d efence of our em b lematic b ird and sent out an ex pe d i

tion along the L ouisiana coast to investigate its food hab its T his .

ex ped ition I had the privilege o f head ing and as the result of our

fi nding we ab solutely ascertained that the pelican s food was ov er

’

97% m enhad en a fi sh that is not used by m an as food and the other

, ,

3% o f its d iet was m ad e up of silversides anoth er fish that is no t ,

used by m an as food therefore our State B ird has a 100% rec ord
, ,

becau e of the hundred s of stom achs secured in not one did we hnd
s

a single food fi sh .
 The E mblematic B ird of L ouisiana 257

d
L ouisiana has a opted for her insignia on the State seal a ir b d
v y
that is plus in e er particular ; true in appearance the pelican is
y d w
ungainl when on the lan ; when s imming it l ses this awo kw d
ar

b d
ness ; and when in the air it is a ir of exceptional grace, and to see
b y
a num er of pelicans fl ing ov
er our w d
aters len s a fi tting a
, do
rn

o
ment to our characteristic L uisiana coast line and waters .

I b k
espea a w r odof praise and adm iration for our State B ir d
v yo dv
from e er ne T he pelican s e otion to its little one is not ex cee
.
’
d
cd by the d evotion of any other b ird I t is ab solutely harmless to
.

ward man in every respect T he pelican is charged with being ugly

.

homely awkward q uite true yet A braham L incoln was not the
— — ,

hand som est pres id ent of these United States .

 CE L E BR A T ION OF T H E F O U N DIN G OF N EW O R L E AN S

A ddress by H on Charles B arret, Consul General of F rance Delivered in

.
,

F rench B efore the L ou isiana H istorical Society in the Cabildo

, , ,

December 20 1 91 8 Translation by , ,

M iss Grace K ing .

y a deux cents ans la Nouvelle O rléans consistait encore

II ,
-

en quelques cahutes de branchages entourant une cabane couverte

de feuilles de lataniers Dans ses plus beaux reves B ienville le .

, ,

fondateur n imagina certes j amais 1a brillante reunion de cc soir

’

, ,

tenue a la gloire de sa ville aujourd hui bicentenair e et d evenue a

’

, ,

travers les plus tragiques pé ripé ties une agg lomeration de quatre ,

cent m ille habitants d ont on ne compte plus les irnposants edifices

,

a i les maisons tour a tour riches et pim pantes ; uh port 011 aux navir es ,

de l E urope viennent se méler non seulement ceux des deux Amériques

’

, ,

mais aussi ceux de l A sie le sé j our d une des sociétés les plus policées
’ ’
°

du m onde amoureuse d art passionnée de musique friande de lit

, , ,

elegance rafiinée et l ex quise urbanité de ses

i
’
térature, et q u , par son
“
maniet es a mérité cette épithéte de gran e am e eh gran e tenue
”
d d d
q u e p ,ur elleo a su tr u er a ec
, ta nt d e o nh eur d ex o v
prss sion un , v b ’

de ses plus élicat s cri ains d é v .

“
T antas mohs erat R omanam Condere gentem s interrompa it
’ ’

V irgile chantant les tri ulati ns d E née et l on est tent de ré pé ter :

, b o ’
,
’
é
tantae m lis erat o toutes les f is u n s arré te de lire l épique
. o q o ’ ’ ’

o
récit que f rme l histoire de cette elle et n
’
le cité Des lo e ut b ob . db ,

o d b o d o
c est la f rmi a le in n ati n q ui les premiers ooups de hache et de
’

p i cohe nn e s rdo
is q ue d emporter , ans les eaux trou les du
’
issis d b M
v b
sippi la pau re ca ane et les m iséra les cahutes a peine édifiée s b .

E t les assauts du fleuve se renouvelérent Puis ce s nt les uragans . o o ,

o
nos cy cl nes d auj ourd hui q ui man uent de
’ ’
truire la ille encore , q dé v
au ber esan et en arrachent la m eilleure partie uan les elements . Q d
o v
f nt tre e les h mmes s en mé lent o
L es ndiens les Sauvages
’
. I , ,

com e on isait alors d

éci ent de se dé ban a sser des ran ais et
, d d F c
c est le m assacre
’
rganisé par les o
atchez aflreuse tuerie qui fi t
‘
N ,

trem ler la b ouvelle N -

O
rléans si elle l épargna et qui a elle seul e ,
’

, , ,

inspira toute une é p pée a Chateau rian o

P lus tar le feu succede b d . d
a l eau
’
A peine les
. do o
ul ureux sou enirs de l é tablissem ent de la v ’

do o —
minati n espagn le c mm encent ils a s apaiser un imm enseo o ’

,
260 T he L ouisiana H istor ical Quarterly
dont le o v
s u enir nous ré o v volte encore du m ins montré a ec l élo
, a
’

q uence pé
q u
re
emse
pt
ul
oi
erela o d q d mort p sse e, a uelle profon eur
vont s enr aciner les sentiments qu a touj ours et partout inspiré la
’ ’

France a ses suj ets sous nimporte quelle latitude com e an importe
,
’

quelle époque aux homm es de toutes les races rouges noirs 011
, , ,

j aunes; aussi bien que de toutes les croyances fétichistes mahométans , , ,

bouddhistes car ce ne sont pas les colons francais seulement qui

,

s opposé rent au changem ent de d omination L es Peaux R ouges

’
-
.
,

eux aussi, s en montrérent m écontents et entrérent en lutte les uns

’

av ec les Anglais a qui une petite partie de la colonie fut en mem e

, ,

temps céd ée les autres avec les E spagnols qui eu regurent la totalité
, .

L a potence la croix les supplices furent le partage de beaucoup

, ,

d entre eux
’
.

U ne autre cession i heureusement

’

q u n é v o u
q e , aucun
anglant souvenir dev ait d onner lieu sur la P lace d A rm es a une
’
,

cérémonie sem blab le quand le pavillon é toilé do , s E tats Unis succéda -

au pavillon tricolore de la France que N apoleon venait de couvrir ,

d une gloire immortelle Par la suite se déroula une pompe triom

’
.

p h ale q ui d ev ait res ter sa n s é ga le p e nd an t p l u s d un s ié cle A u sortir

’
.

de cette bataille fameuse 011 la victoire lui fut donnée autant par
l habile et vaillant concours des Créoles que par les inspirations de
’

son génie J ack son vainqueur du meilleur eleve de Wellingt on

, , ,

p ass a it a l e nd ro it m
’
em e se d re sse au j ou rd h ui sa st atu e po ur
’

aller prendre part a un T e Deum d actions de gra Couronné de ’

ces .

laurier marchant sur les fleurs dont on faisait un tapis sous ses pas
, ,

il franchit la porte de l E glise entre deux vivantes al légories : la

'
’

L ib ert é et la J ustice .

L a L iberté et la J ustice ! Nous v enons de les fé ter a notre tour .

E xactem ent cent trois ans aprés dans un magnifi que déploiement ,

d apparat religieux m ilitaire et civil nous avons entendu 11 y a

’

, , ,

trois semaines l unique T e D eum q ui d epuis lors ait fait retentir les
’

, , ,

vofi tes de la C athédr ale ls T e D eum que nous avons chanté po ur ,

célé brer la V ictoire des A lliés contre la coalition allemande la revanche ,

du Droit contre la Force L a Nouvelle Orléans qui a si grandem ent .

-

p art ic ipé a la g uerr e e t c o nt ri b u é a la

, v ict o ir e de s a pe in e de son , ,

ar gent et de son sang — comb ien de ses fi ls en effet

, sont morts , ,

héroiquem ent am champ d honneur e n champions de la j ustice sur

’

, ,

cette terre de France tant aim ée q u ils mont sans doute connue
’ ’
,

qu au moment meme d y reposer 1a Nouvelle Orléans vibrante de

’
? — ’
-
,

légitim e herte et pé né trée d une j oie profonde mélant ses souvenirs

’

d il y a cent ans a ém otions d auj our d hui la Nouvelle Orléans vint

’ ’ ’
-
,

en foule rem ercier le Seigneur d avoir rend u la paix au mond e eh y

’

faisant triompher la cause du droit et de la liberté des peuples Et .

 Celebration f
o the Fmending f
o N ew Orleans 261

ici admir ons les desseins secrets de la Providence P ar une grandiose .

inspiration 11 av ait été convenu que la cérémonie aurait lieu en plein

,

air dans ce merv eilleux parc d A udubon les vastes espaces eussent
’
, ,

p e rm is at ou t u n e
p pu le assem b le de ch ant er les loua nge s d u Seig n eu r .

M ais los chétives prévisions de la raison humaine ayant fait craindr e

l inclémence du temps il fut décidé que cette solennité serait cé lébrée
’

e n la Cathédrale St L ouis Or j amais jour plus radieux apré s une

. .
, ,

serie de pluies et de rafales qui sé v issaient encore a l instant du lever

’

du soleil ne vint illum iner la joie des homm es Cc fut comm e uh

, .

signe divin que le ve ritable coeur de la Nouvelle Orléans bat touj ours -

sur cet emplacement désigné par l illustre B ienville pour en é tre le

’

centre, 1a 011 ses pulsations recueillies et magnifi ées par la nef du ,

Saint E difice m ontent vers les cieux avec l encens de ses hymnes et
’

le son de ses cloches .

A ussi puisq ue vous m avez fait l honneur de me donner la parole

’ ’

en cc palais historique sur les lieu x mem es 01) naq uit et v é cut votre
,

ville bien aimée elle vit encore et que son am e hab ite toujours
, ,

qu il me soit permis de rendre au sein de votre docte société préposée

’
, ,

a la garde de ses annales nu solennel hommage 1 1a fidé lité de son

°

attachement envers le pays q ui lui d onna le jour il y a deux cents ans .

Certes la L ouisiane au nom poétique et doux la Nouvelle Orléans

, ,
-

avec ses syllabes harrnonieusement sonores de tout temps étaient ,

ch éres a la France M ais les marques de predilection qu elle eu a ’

.

recues eu cours de cette guerre, la plus terrib le que le m ond e ait

connue et celle qui a sem é le plus de d ésastres de rav ages de devas , ,

tations de dé solations et d abominations sur son territoire et parmi

’

sa population ont encore avivé les sentiments qu elle leur porte

’
.
,

C omm e le disait il y a quelques jours a peinej le President de la R é

,

p u b liq ue a l illu str e Wood ’

r ow W ilso n en d es m ots q ui s ad r essen t ,
’

a I A mérique mais qui s appliquent si ex actement a la Nouvelle

’ ’

Orléans Meme avant que l Amérique ne se fut décidée a entrer

“ ’

dans la lutte elle avait témoigné aux blesses et aux orphelins de

,

France une sollicitude et une générosité dont le souvenir restera

toujours vivant dans nos coeurs L es largesses de votre Croix .

R ouge les innom brables dons de vos concitoyens les admirab les
, ,

initiatives des femmes américaines devancérent v otre action militaire

e t naval e et montrérent au m onde de que] coté allaient vos sym pa

01) vont les sympathies de la L ouisiane et de la Nouvelle

”
thies .

Orléans j en suis chaque jour le témion sensible et reconnaissant

’
.

L es touchantes preuves d amour qu elles ont prod iguées 51 mon

’ ’

douleureux pays resté m eurtri de sa v ictoire m em e eu s ingéniant

’

a lui venir en aide avec un infatigab le d évouement une activité de ,

262 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
o t t o
t us les instan s, une a tention c nstamment en é veil ont resserré
,

davantage encore et ind issolublement noué les liens d une affection

’
,

d un coté maternelle et de l autre filiale dont cent cinquante ans de

’ ’

separation n avaient pas réussi a refroidir l ardente tendresse Et

’ ’
.

c est pourquoi vous pouvez me croire et is sais que j e me m ay ance

’ ’
,

pa s q
, uand j e vo us dis q u e toute la F rance vous crie eh m eme t emps
q ue moi
,

V I VE LA NOU VE LL E O RL E ANS
-
.
264 T he L ouisiana H istorical uarterly Q
as y ou know we owe our being tonight in this hall T he Cabildo was .

built shortly afterwards by the pious Don A hnonester whose ashes ,

repose nearby in the St L ouis Cathedral . .

L ike the river fire repeated its assaults year after year ! But
,

without dwelling longer on the many afflictions that were still to

strik e N ew Orleans : the calamities of the war of Secession the ,

yellow fever and the cholera those frightful epidemics whose periodic
,

death dealing visitations so often transformed the city into a ghastly

-

Cham el let us pass on and since I have mentioned the Cabildo

—
, ,

where we are assembled this sober and almost severe looking edifice
,

upon which Spain has left the impress of her haughty gr av ity let us ,

p a ss on an d c om e to the great events witnessed by the P lace d Armes

’

out there under the Cab ild o wind ows — to those memorable episodes ,

that glisten upo n the woo f of your history lik e so m any bright stitches
in the sombre background of a tapestry And first of all that .
,

p r oce ss io n of th e U rsu line s w en d ing th e ir wa y sev en y ea rs a fte r ,

their arrival in the colony to the convent that had been built for
,

them in the neighborhood of the Cathedral where they were to abide ,

for nearly a century be fore going to the more spacious roof that was
,

to shelter them for near ly another century and whence they have
rem ov ed recently to install themselves in the superb establishment

of tod ay where their scholars hnd a home indeed luxurious

, I s it .

not in truth a capital event in your history the coming to the city ,

of these holy nuns to whom still tod ay so m any of your young , ,

g ir ls a re in d eb t ed for th eir rea ring in t he pures t Fre n ch t ra d itio n s

and for their attaining that perfection of bearing and language ,

that elegant gait and grace of m anner that so markedly ,

distinguish the women of this favored city .

Now we come to the substitution ofthe red and yellow flag ofthe
Spanish monarchy to the white lilied banner of the K ings of France
, .

A las the rod that for the first time crowned the staff erected as a
, , ,

sy m bol ofsovereignty in the Place d A rm es was to recall for too long a

’

tim e the blood shed by the cour ageous patriots who paid with their lives
for their fer vent and unswerveable love to their country We are “
.
,

wrote these noble victim s resolved with a firmness not to be shaken to

,
“
,

maintain at the risk ofour life and fortune the sweet the inviolate the , ,

precious and incontestable title ofFrench c1tizen with which we wish to ,

live and die L et us salute the worthy descendants ofthese heroes who
”
.

so m od estly bear that great name and who living am ong us in our every ,

day life k eep ever present in our hearts the history of b eautiful and
sweet L ouisiana T he Cession
.
— the cause of this terri ble tragedy
,

the m emory of which still ex cites the heart to rev olt — at least proved ,
 265
’
Translation o f Consul G eneral B arret s A ddress

with the commanding eloquence that only the dead possess to what ,

depths are rooted the sentiments that France always and everywhere
inspires in the heart of her subj ects be they of whatever race : red , ,

black or yellow as well as of whatever creed : fetichists M ahomedans

, , ,

B uddhists For it was not only the French colonists of L ouisiana

.

who opposed the change of domination T he R ed Skins themselves .

also showed their discontent and entered into strife some against the ,

E nglish to whom a small portion of the colony was coded at that

same time ; some against the Spaniard s who received the whole of it .

T he gallows the stake death penalties of all kind s beca me the por
, ,

tion o f many of them Another cession that happily worked no

.

bloody memory was the occasion of another similar ceremony

—
when the starry banner of the United States succeeded to the tricolor
o f France in the freshness of the imm ortal glory with which N apo
, ,

leon had crowned it A cerem ony which unfolded a triumphal

.

p o m p o f circum stances be yo nd com pare w h ose g lory w as to last ,

for more than a century Coming from that famous battle where
.

victory was won as much by the gallant and skillful cooperation

of the Creoles as by the inspiration of his genius J ackson conq ueror
, , ,

of the best pupil of Wellington crossed the very spot where now is ,

raised his statue to take part in the T e Deum of thank sgiving for his

success . Crowned with laurel walking on flowers spread like a ,

carpet beneath his feet he crossed the threshold of the church and
,

entered its portals where stood two living allegories : L iberty and
J ustice .

y
L ibert and J ustice ! We ha e but ust come from cele rating v j b
them in our turn ex actl one hundre and three ears afterwar s
, y d y d
d y
in a magnifi cent ispla of religious, m ilitar and ci il arra T hree y v y .

k
w ee s ago the sam e T e Deum that then res un e un er the arches o dd d
o f the Cathedral was chante d
to cele rate the ictory of the A llies b v
ov er the G erm an oalition N ew C rleans who contri uted so
. O , b
y
largel to the war of her wor of her m one and of her l
, k
— how
, y b ood ,

y
m an of her sons in truth ied heroicall on the field of honor,
, , d y
j
ch ampions of ustice on that well el e s il of rance that the b ov d o F y
d b v k
ou tless ne er new until the ere lai to rest in it — yw
N ew rleans d , O
b t
vi ra ing w
ith legit im ate pri e and thrilling d
ith profoun j oy , w d
mingling her memories ofa hun re ear s wi h her em otions of t d dy
a t , od y ,

O
— N ew rleans cam e in throngs to than G od for ha in restored
g k v
p ea ce to t he w orl an d d
for granting the trium ph to the cause of the
b y
R ight and the L i ert of the Peoples A nd here let us pause to ad .

d
m ire the secret esigns of Pr i ence ov d .
266 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

With grandiose inspiration it had been decided that the cere

mony should take place in that wonderful A udubon Park whose
vast spaces would have allowed the whole population to join together
in singing the praise of God But alas for the puny foresight ofhuman
.
,

reason ,
— shrinking before the fear of the inclemency of the weather

the first program was revok ed and a new one adopted to celebrate
the solemn occasion in the Cathedral of St L ouis Well never . .
,

after a long continuance of rain and storm d awned a more rad iant

day to shine upon the gladnes s of men I t seemed a divine token

.
.

that the true heart of N ew Orleans beats still there in the place which
the illustrious B ienville selected to be the life centre of the city ,

there where its heart beats throb together to be m agnified in the

-

aisles of the H oly E difi ce and to m ount to H eaven with the incense

of its hym ns and the sound of its bells .

A nd since y ou have honored m e by asking m e to speak here in

this historical build ing ou the very spot where y our well beloved -

city was born where she still liv es and where her soul will always
_

dwell ; may it be perm itted me in the bosom of your learned Society

, ,

ded icated to the guardianship of its archives to render my solemn ,

hom age to the fidelity of its attachm ent to the land that gave it birth
two hundred years ago .Surely L ouisiana so sweetly and poetically
,

nam ed and N ew Orleans sy llab led so harmoniously and sonorously

, ,

— surely they have at all tim es been dear to France B ut the proofs .

of affection received from y ou in the course of this war the most ,

terrible that the world has ever known ; which has spread more
disaster ruins devastations and desolations upon her territory
, ,

and am ong her population hav e req uickened the sentiments toward s
,

y ou o f t he M ot h er C ou nt ry A s w as
. said a few d ay s ag o by th e

Presid ent of our R epublic to the illustrious Wood row Wilson in

word s add ressed to A m erica but ex actly applicable to N ew Or leans :
,

E ven before A merica decid ed to enter the conflict she had shown
“

to the wound ed and to the Orphans of France a solicitud e and gen

erosity the rem em brance of which will ev er liv e in our hearts The .

bounteous benefactions of your R ed Cross the innum erable gift s ,

of your fellow citizens the adm irab le enterprises of the A merican

,

wom en which preced ed your m ilitary and naval cooperation demon

strated to the world to w hich sid e went y our sym pathies Where ”
.

g oes th e sy m pa th y o f L ou is iana a nd N ew O rlea n s I a m day by day ,

the m oved and grateful witness T he touching proofs of love tha t

.

they hav e giv en so prodigally to m y sufi ering left country b leed ing
‘

even from its v ictory their genius in fi nding way s to com e to her
,

aid with an ind efatigab le d evotion a nev er ceasing activity and a

,
 H ST I O R I CA L DA T A O F SPANI SH F O R T

By j osephH De Grange

Spanish Fort was buil t in 1770 by Bar on de Carondelet who was ,

in charge of these Spanish possessio ns .

It bore Fort San Juan and was so known by the

the nam e of
United States G overnment when it took possession and appeared
on the various plans in their possession and in their archives as Fort

San Juan T he name of Spanish Fort was given to it in later years

.

because it was built by the Spanish G overnor A copy of the plan .

referred to is am ong the record s of the L ouisiana H istorical Society .

B aron de Carondelet was G overnor of the province from 1792

to 1797 .

T he fort was garriso ne in 1793 T he fort was create on this d . d

b
site because of its eing an expose point and a efense to the arter , d d y
y
—B a ou St J ohn — which ran t war s the cit
.
, o d y .

T he people at that tim e were not frien l to the Spanish G ern dy ov

o b
m ent so the f rt was uilt for the pr tecti n of the Spaniar s fr m o o d o
d
the insi e as well as fr m the n ians — o
which accounts for its pres ent I d ,

o
c nstruction .

T he fort co ere a frontage of 120 and a v d ’

depth of a dj oining
a piec e o f lan which w as originy
all gr ante d L avergne in d to Jean
1771 by the Spanish crown under G overnor U nzaga .

B ayou St J ohn was always of value as an entry to N ew Orleans

.

and as a m eans of co nnecting the lake with the M ississippi river .

I n 1699 Ib er ville then located at B ilox i was informed of a

, , ,

bayou that was an I ndian route to the river and his guide piloted
him in a pirogue to an I ndian port age at its head waters which is
now what is k nown as E splanad e street Carond elet Canal was .

built afterwards from that point to its present terminus at R am

part street .

T he G o ernm ent of the nite v

States still c ntr ls Ba u U d o o yo
St J ohn
. .

T he C
hoctaws, the B iloxis Bogue Chittos and Chinchubas , ,

d d
m a e long hazar ous trips across L a e Pontchartrain in irch ar k
, k b b
canoes T he Choctaws were renowned hunters and their haunt was
.

T erre aux Boeuf, where the buffalo were in abundance two hundred
years ago .
 H istorical Data o S
f panish F or t 269

From o
this p rtage, now E splana e street , was a path a orn d wyw
from the v I d
tra el of n ians from Ba ou St J ohn, who, ourne ing y . j y
ov erlan d , carrie their can es d
er B a u R a to R am part stree , o ov yo od t
thence thr ough H ospital street to the highlands on the Mississippi
r1y er .

yo o t b
B a u St J ohn was the r u e of traffi c etween
. Mob o
ile, B il x i
and the M v
ississippi ri er .

v o b I d —
T he ari us tri es of n ians, the T choupitoulas, C hocta w
and Natchee I d
n ians — w wo
ere k
nt to ma e an annual visit to N ew
Orleans on N ew Y o
ear s day to exchange c mplim ents with the G ov
vernor and cit y o v
auth rities and to recei e presents stipulated by
treaty .

B ayou St J ohn was the seventeenth landing that Bienville

'
.

m ade after leaving Ship I sland in 1717 .

T he Duke of Sax e Weimar in T ravels in North A merica in

“

1825 stated that he visited Bayou St John on the 2 1st of Jannar y . .

A t that time there was a hotel called Pontchartrain H otel at the

Fort .

T he N avigation Canal from B ayou St J ohn to its present .

terminus was built in 1796 .

Vessels of heavier draught hailing from E urope came into L ake

P ontchartrain anchoring at deep water then estimated to be six teen ,

feet and transferred their cargoes to the G abare

“ ”
— which were
, ,

transported up B ayou St J ohn to the then Customhouse in G rand .

R oute St J ohn . .

F
ort St J ohn was strengthene
. the Spaniar s ur ing the d by d d
d
h ol ing of West lori a F
the British in 1776 d by .

d d b
I t assum e consi era le importance in the War of 1812 when the
d v
U nite States G o ernm ent garrisone it to pre ent an attac at that d v k
p o in t tby
h e B ri tis h .

I n 1814 M j
a or Plauche s Battalion com pose of white and
’

, d
p ar t l oyf f re e m e n o f c o lor garriso n e or t S t J o h n S
( p
, a ni sh r t dF
) .
, Fo .

T he garrison was reinforce a olunteer compan d by v

of light art il y
y d
l er un er the comm an of L ieutenant agner d W .

I n 1803 the fort passe to the nite d

States un er the treat U d d y
o f cession as a m ilitar y
reser ation and in 1823 H ar e v
E l ins too vy k k
p o s se ss io n o f o r t S t J o F
hn p u r ch ase th
. r ou g h sp ec ia lby
a c t o f C o n

g r es s .H e c on st ru c te B a ou S t J oh n d
H ote l I t syu s e q u en.t l . b y
p a sse in tdo th e h a n s o f J oh n S li e ll d
an d th e n in to t h e ha n sd o f th e d
C anal Street Cit Par and L a e R ailroa
, y kompan , and in 1877 k dC y
w as s old to Moses Schwartz who in , , 1878 operated the
, o
pr pert y
successfull y as an amusement park .
270 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

b t
I n 1883 a theatre was uil near the f rt uring the zenith of o d
Spanish Fo
rt s gl r
’
oy
as a summ er res rt A n ta le pera c mpany o . o b o o
occupied it for se eral seas ns v o
T his thea re was emolished a ut
. t d bo
o y
f urteen ears ago I n 1881 scar O
il lectured there in the casino,
. W d
o
and the casin and theatre w
ere urne to the gr un in 1906 b d
o d .

R estaurants fam ous for their cuisine were es tablished by vari

, ,

ous caterers of note at Spanish Fort and all notab le s visiting the City

were entertained there — such as William M ak epeace T hackeray

, ,

G eneral G rant G eneral Barrios who attempted the consolidation of

, ,

all South A m erica — and many others

, .

I n 1896 the E ast L ouisiana R ailroad built a long wharf and

trestle bridge for connecting with the steamer that used to go across
to St T amm any and operated a steamer called the Cape Charles
.
“
,
”

which plied between Spanish Fort and the resorts bordering on the
north shores of L ake Pontchartrain T his boat was burned in 1896
. .

The Spanish Fort property has been operated by the N ew Or

leans R ailway and L ight Company since 1909 They have spent a .

g re a t d ea l o f m o n ey in m a k in g a ne w an d m a gn ifi ce nt res ort em b el ,

lishing the place erecting new structures filling up the waste lands
, ,

and making it a place for the people to have all the benefits of the
seashore and breathe the ozone without leaving the city at a very

reasonable rate of transportation the company now offering a ser ,

vice uneq ualled to reach this point .

The first torpedo boat ever built was constructed at Spanish

Fort on the borders of Bayou St John and this boat owing to its .
,

heavy weight was sunk in the canal

, I t was made by Captain .

H unley and two Confederate soldiers between 1861 and 1862 It .

was never used — for in a test it sunk at the m outh of Bayou St

, , , .

John three sailors losing their lives in trying the boat These same
, .

p a rt ies er ec ted a n o th er t orp e do bo at a t C h arle sto n So uth C ar olin a , ,

which after making a couple of successful attacks against the Fed

eral gunboats sank one day and the whole crew about twenty
'
,
— — , ,

never appear ed again on the sur face The one at Spanish Fort .

ev entually was given to the Sold iers H om e where it now rests in

’

p e a ce . I t is a pr ot o ty p e o f t he tor pe do boa t H u nl ey whi ch san k th e

Federal battleship H ousatonic in Charleston H arbor in 1864 .

The four cypress trees near the Fort right to the westward
—

mark the resting place of four Spanish officers R omance has alway s .

centered around those trees and the grave under them and informa

tion of interest on this subj ect is found in the L egend of the Grave
“

at Spanish Fort by Jos H De Grange however those large trees

, . .
— , ,
 O
C N CE R NING I
H R AM P OWE R S
UE O F WA SH ING T ON
’
ST A T

MA DE F O R T H E ST A T E O F L OUI SI ANA B E FO RE
T H E C IV I L WA R A N D DE ST R OY E D B Y F I RE

IN N E W O R L E ANS DUR I N G T H E LOU I S

I ANA ST A T E FA I R IN 1872 .

T he H onorable Charles Gayarré, Secretary of State

f or the State of L ouisiana .

H onorable Sir:
“
I
ha e ust v j written to his E xcellency G overnor Walker to say , ,

that the statue of Washington ord ered for the State of L ouisiana is
now in hand and that the m od el will be done by the time I can
,

receive an answer to m v letter and I have said that the b lock ofmarble
,

for it a v ery pure piece 13 purchased and is in my studio

, , I have .

add ed that no time will be lost unnecessar ily nor will any pains be ,

spared by m e in executing the work which I expect to hav e completed

,

within the nex t ensuing year I am sorry that so much time has
.

p a ssed b ef or e comm en cin g th e statu e b ut there hav e bee

,n reasons

for this d elay which would require some space to enumerate .

“
I have never drawn from any part of the appropriation because ,

I have not deem ed it proper to do so until I could assure the G overnor

,

that it had been comm enced and was in a consid erab le degree ad
,

vanced
— I have now written to say that I have drawn for three
.
,

thousand d ollars in favor o f Syd ney B rooks E sq of N ew , .

York trusting that this sum will be granted to enable me to complete

,

the work w ithout interruption .

I am representing Washingt on in the citizen s dress of his tim e

“ ’

s tand ing six fee t hy e inches high larger than life in ord er that the
, ,

statue m a hav e the appearance of life size in the place where it is to

y

stand alone and on its ped estal in a large room H e seem s as m ed itating .
,

hold ing the farewell add ress in one hand while he leans with his ,

right arm upon a colum n com po sed of rod s bound together at the ,

foot of which I have placed two emb lem s of husbandry the sick le ,

and the pr u ning hook T hese hav e a light and graceful appearance
.
,

and they signify ev en m ore than does the plough a very clum sy ,

em b lem in sculpture .

I suppose Washington to have been greatest when by his ow n , ,

v oluntary act he did all he could to make him sel f least

,
.
 Concerning H im m P owers Statue of
’
Was hington 273

fr m pu lic life to
H is retirm ent mes ic pursuits was the o b do t
crowning gl r of oy
ashington and W
ha e preferre to represent , I v d
him as a citizen but still me itating the elfare of his countr
, and d w y ,

d I v
in oing this, ha e not l s sight of the simple ignit ofhis pers nal ot d y o
appearance .

“
When the model is quite done I , shall sen d you a daguerreotype
o f it , if a good be made here one can .

am er Igra t efuv y
l o f th e in m ann er in w hic h t his r er was k d od
gi v
en t o m e a s ell as for, th e in ulgewnc e hi ch ha s ee n sh n m e ; d w b ow
no one has w
ritten to com plain of m y ela d y .

“
Be assured in sir, that these c nsi erati ns
, k d ill not be
. o d o w
o w
forg tten hile engage upon the r d
not e en after it shall ha e wo k v , v
b een finished .

d
I am , ear sir, ery sincerel and most respectfull v y y ,

ur obed t Ser v t
’
Yo ’

H RA POWE R S I M .

Fol rence, J une 8th 1852 , .

Baton R ouge , J uly 13 1852 , .

I have the honor at the Governor s request ’

, to a ddress y ou this
comm unication :
“
On the l 6th of arch 1848 an act was passe M
the L egisla , , d by
‘
ture authorizing the G o ernor T o pro i e for pr curing a Statue v vd o
of G eorge Washington a copy of hich act I herewith transm it to
,
’
w
y ou T his
. act esigna te H ir am P ow ers as th e s d
culptor to b e d
emplo e y d by
the G o ernor and appropriate a sum of v to , d
bj —
m eet the o ect which was contem plated O h Powers repl that he .
’
y
d
woul ex ecute the Statue for sum oted the L egislature resolu v by ,

tions of which I also sen y ou a copy were passed on the 20th of d ,

b
Decem er of the sam e ear in relation to the sam e su ect I n irtue y , bj . v
o f sai d
act and R esolutions a final contract was m a e with M r d .

P owers for a Statue of Washington which is to be eli ere him , d v d by

at N ew rleans for O which sum was appropriate in 1850 d ,

and put at the d o

isp sal of the o ernor ; but it was forgotten to be G v
wd
rene e in 1852 accor ing to the re uirem ents of the , d
onstitution q C .

I recei e ester a a letter from Mr Si ne Broo s of N ew

vdy d y . d y k
Y kor informing m e that he has in his possession a draft rawn
, d by
M r Powers on the State of L ouisiana for
.
, and sa ing :
‘
y I
retain the raft not d
nowing but that the G , k
ernment of L ouisiana ov
o
m ight prefer s m e other m e of pa ment than that of eing rawn od y b d
274 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

o
up n .
9
I
have also received a letter from Mr P owers informing me .

that he had drawn such a draft .

T he B ank over which y ou preside has already come to the as

‘

sistance of the State more than once and should it not co ntinue to
,

do so on this occasion the State would be protected for a trifling

,

sum due on a regular and b ind ing contract and her credit might be ,

seriously impaired abroad I n order to save her from such a dis

gra ce p,art icular ly at a tim e w hen sh e may be in w ant of foreign
fund s to carry on the vast internal improvements which her citizens
are d isposed to und ertake the Governor is prepared to assum e the
,

responsibility of borrowing from the L ouisiana State B ank the ,

aforesaid sum on his bond payab le at the nex t session of the L egisla
ture which will probab ly take place in J annary or February 1853
, , .

Should the B ank be d isposed to loan the sum to the State the Go vernor
desires the Bank to make the necessary arrangm ents to pay in N ew
York the draft held by Mr Sidney Brooks . .

H oping for an answer as soon as convenient, I remain ,

Sir R espect fully , ,

Your obed t Serv t ’ ’

Signed : CH ARL ES G A YA R RE ,

Samuel 1 Peters, E sq . . Secretary of State

, .

Presdt of the L a Sta te Bank

. .
,

N ew Orleans L a , .

L OUI SI A NA ST A T E B AN K
N ew Orleans, July 17, 1852 .

I have had the honor v your communication of the to recei e

13th inst in which y ou by req uest of H is E x ce llency the Go vernor

.
, ,

pr opo se th at th e L oui siana State B ank pay a draft on the State

drawn by H iram Powers for three thousands dollars said draft being ,

on account of a statue of George Washing ton and which has been ,

ordered by authority of the Governor acting under legislative enact ,

ments which it was forgotten d uring the last ses sion of the L egisla
,

ture to renew .

H is E xcellency proposes that this am ount be advanced by this

B ank to the State on his bond payable at the nex t session of the
, ,

L egislature — T O these propositions I am authorized to inform you

.
,

that this B ank acced es .

B e pleased to transmit to the B ank the Bond bearing interest

at the rate of six per cent per annum from date ; on its receipt the
.
,
 A SKE T CH O F G E NE R A L G . T . BE A UR E G A R D

By his son, R T B eauregard

. . .

February , 1 900 .

o v
A t the graci us in itation of the istinguishe Secretar of the d d y
o to
L uisiana H is rical S ciet su mi o y I
herein an imperfect s etch
, b t k
t
of my fa her, G
eneral G T B eauregar , attempting to presen
. . d t
him in the blend ingof his militar y business soc and dome s tic , ,

character T hese shad es however al though blended were subordi

.
, , ,

nate to his m ilitary traits which were the first prov oked or evoked
by circum stances .

Mil it ary Side .

A s it is perhaps ell nown w k

a few in the State, the eneral to G ,

in his boy ood

h ot o
and at a tim e when m s of the s ns of the L ouisiana
,

F w y F
Creole amilies ere sent to E urope and especiall to rance, for an
F d t Y k
E uropean or rench e ucation was sen to N ew or for an A meri ,

can ed ucation by his father

, Jacques T outant Beauregard who , ,

hav ing grown up und er the ward ship of the eminent lawyer E dward ,

L ivingston had been ed ucated in Providence R I

, I mbued thor , . .

oughly with the progressiveness of the A merican spirit and de s irous ,

of im pressing the sam e upon his child ren be selected N ew York ,

and not E ur ope as the cradle of their ed ucation and bringing up .

A fter completing his school training in N ew York the General ,

entered West P oint where he graduated the second in his class and
, ,

und er the privilege then ex tend ed to the grad uates of his rank he .

selected the engineer branch of the service .

I ntensely m ilitary in his taste he did not and never belonged ,

to that class of sold iers d escri bed by G ibbon whose Justice humani , .

ty or political wisdom are qualities of so little acquaintance in them

'

selves as not to be appreciated in others

,
T he whole course of his .

life proved that he possessed in an em inent degree the first two , ,

qualities and that although he respected and admired the achieve

,

m ents of others and was ever ready to give them full credit yet he ,

repelled with ind ignation the encroachments of others upon his

rights and at times when silence ceased to be a vir tue and acquies
,

cense in these encroachments an ad mission , .

My earliest recollection of my father is when he left L ouisiana

for the Mexican war I remem ber his disappearing figure and rapid
.
 A Sketch of G eneral G T B eauregard. . 277

oot
f dw
steps o n the staircase of our old St L uis street house and my . o
o
m ther s tears, standing ith her hen
’
w
chil ren at the hea of t two d , d
t
the s air case -
.

T hen th se blan spaces of time hich ta e place in life and

o k w k
w hich are a cl se o d book v
to in estigation su enl cease , and m y dd y d
o
continu us remem rance of my father b
ates fr m after the exican d o M
w d M jo
War hen he fir st un er a r Barnar (after ar s G eneral B arn
, , d w d
o d t
'

ard) and then al ne, had charge of the coast efense of our Sta e, 1

and afterwar s of the actual N ew d rleans us mhouse, hen less O C to t

than two thir s c mplete -
d o d .

During this perio and up to the War e ween the S ates d bt t ,

M aj or B eauregar was — d to
us, and such was his general repute
t
taci urn, lac nic of speech e o
i of en husiasm and in en , d vo d
nl in t t to y
the discharge of his uties d
T hese two last traits he preser e . vd
o
thr ugh life d k
H e isli ed long in e argum ents hich did not en
. w dd w t d
o tv o
to a p si i e conclusi n and he oul often end the iscussi n , w dan d o by
expressi n which o “
Cut the or ian not G d k
Perhaps on this account outsi e ofhis arm frien s and of th se ,d y d o
v k w
in ci il life who ne him intima el he had not man frien s but t y , y d ,

d v b y
his a ministrati e a ilit and his tact for organization ere generall w y
k ow
n n w
A nd hen N ew
. O K ow N
rleans, in the n othing a s was -
d y ,

o v d by
c n ulse o v d d
facti ns his ci il frien s appeale to him, accept to
o o to
the n minati n M y
the ty
a orali ty
of the ci o L cal his r has . to y
odd
rec r e d to
his failure to be electe this the highest of municipal ,

ofl ices t
H e was not a poli ician
. d k q bb
H e isli ed ui les ; isli e . d kd
d vo w y
e i us v , too d
a s and ne er , in his life tim e s pe to la ing false , y
d to d y o
foun a i ns to lea others falsel to the realizati n of an end in
v w F
ie . o v t o
alse m ti es to crea e false impressi ns he treate ith , d w
o t t b b w
c n emp as eing elo man liness and self respect -
.

y tt d d o
I n militar ma ers un er his irecti n, he t ook n thing for o
t
gran ed y
So incredulous was he of onl one means of success that
.
,

y d d d
man wer e a opte at the sam e time When uring the war rum ors .

and news dew fast and thic k w and ere comm unicated to him his ,

requirement was tha t o

the auth r of each shoul d w rite hem out t
and sign them d o d
T he sam e metho was foll we with the accusers
.

bo
of r ther officers charged w o o d ty
ith m issi n of u or commission of

y
militar offenses .

t y wo k
H e was incessan l at r t w
The wri er was ith him uring . d
o
s me of the phases of the war in V irginia at Charles n and at , to
Co d
rinth ; y
uring his sta dq
at hea uar ters the G eneral s day and ,
’

night work do d by
was sel m interrupte t
recrea ion A fter a part of .

b kv
the day on horse ac d
isiting the tr00ps issuing or ers or rec if ing , t y
278 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

the lines, his quarters was followed by immediate office

retur n to
work During the night and to save the trouble of a lighted candle
.
,

his writing of notes in the dark was heard and the following morning ,

these notes were referred to for the d ay s work

’
.

From his success during the war he was often styled the lucky , ,

G eneral . L ong after the war however what he had achieved was , ,

seen d ifferently more clearly as time passed and now it seems

, , ,

settled that others had a lead ing if not a predominant share in what ,

he accomplished .

When o d
the S uthern flag was furle and the woun ed, maime d d
and po ertv ystric en k d d
efen ers of the State returned to their fire
-

sid es they found ruin and desolation at ev ery hand :

, Society dis
organized ; fam ilies ext inct or on the verge of d issolution ; business

p ar al yz ed o r in th e h an d s o f a priv il eg ed few ; an d ou r o ld co rp or at e

institutions rickety and ready to tum ble to pieces I n fact all the .

avenues to existence were apparently closed .

The subj ect of this sketch condemned to forced inaction and to ,

await the unknown results the victor had prepared for the van

q u ish e d, th o u g ht th at w hil e t he fa ct s w ere fr esh in hi s m in d he w o uld

begin the historical outline of the great drama in which he had been
one of the lead ing actors .

T his after m uch labor and time consum ed in collecting and

,

verifying the docum entary proof of events finally culminated in the ,

B ook entitled M ilitary Operations of G eneral Beauregard by

“
,

A lfred R oman B ut the volum e did not please or it may be satisfy

.
, ,

the j ud gm ent of all P erhaps as the writer likes to fancy in accord

.
, ,

ance with the saying of the French writer Man is all ice for truth “
,

and all fire for I gnis Fatuns

‘ ’
.

Much time as is stated was taken for verifi cation of documents

, , ,

because among other reasons the exigencies of daily existence being

, ,

p ar am o un t th ey ,re q uire d imm ed ia t e an d o fte n a b so r b in g ,

at ten

tion .

T he G eneral had by kind friend s been tendered the superin

, ,

tendency — afterward s the presid ency

,
— o f the old J ack son R ailroad ,

Company (now a part of the I llinois Central System ) which was

, ,

then tum bling from senility and use Under his management in a . ,

few years and after the negotiation of bond s in E ur0pe to rebuild

the road it soon assum ed a prosperous status and soon became a
,

focus for schem ers T hen he took in hand the old steam Carrolton
.
,

R ailroad and converting it to the then m uch appreciated m ule car -

.
280 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

quoted Napoleon s saying Nature had fashioned him to withstand

’

the arrows of adversity

”
.

A n armor to blunt these arrows were the social amenities which

surrounded him nearly everywhere T he deference extended to him .

even in the far north and especially in N ew York was particularly

agreeab le to him and brought o ut of his nature the latent d eference

and regard he had for his fellow m en despite a contrary even inim ical , ,

pas t ; so it is believ ed th at there are now few sur v iv ers— o i either

sex — who knew him in his civil life and who were thr own in with ,

him in friendly intercourse who would detract from this statement , .

I n his domestic his impressi e personal it was

life , although v y
v
e er present his gentle and solicitous c ncern for the welfare and
, o
plea su re o f all ar oun him e en to in duirin g into th e
, tri iv
al etails q v d
of dail y
life woul dd b
ou tless ha e gi en rise to surprise in a stranger
, v v .

d b dd
A h a m irer of u ing talent he c ntri uted on se eral occasions , o b , v
and out of his personal m eans, to its culture and e elopm ent dv .

A lthough a great rea er of newspapers and magaz ines he d ,

dv d
e ote m ost his time to the rea ing of m ilitar o s and corres d y b ok
o dd
p n e on these matters ith se eral of the rench w
enerals one v F G ,

d
of whom now hol s an im p rtant position in the rench armo F y .

d
H is a m iration for the great French captain had fam iliarized
w d
him ith the etails of his cam paigns and his m ention in the home
circle of the nam es of some of the inferior officers of apoleo n in N
such and such b
attles or at such a siege was no matter of surprise .

F d
rom his rea ings and from reflection he com piled the pam phlet

of the A rt of War, a copy of which the writer ta es m uch pleasure k

in presenting to the H istorical S ciet A t hom e oft o ial and o y .
, j v
v
responsi e to a o e or to
“
j k
ns mots howe er bad the bo ere he , v yw ,

d
woul add his attic salt .

d
A great frien of the H on M r G ayarré he while in full health . .
, ,

d
and un er the impression that the istinguished historian was a ut d bo
y
to pass awa calle on him for a last farewell d T he interview was .

solem n and af , fecting but the G eneral passed a a

, first lea ing wy , v
vv
M r G ay arré to sur i e him some ears A lso a great frien of Judge
. y . d
d d
B erm u ez he calle on him during his last illness T hat istinguished
, . d
jurist in the m ost affectionate and impressi e wor s greete him as
, v d , d
follows :
“
Yo u see G eneral a m an awaiting eath T he writer was
, d .

present .

A nd now the G eneral has passe oh the stage of life I t m ay be d “

.

par d oned if the filial hope he expresse , that one day his patri tic d o
 A Sketch of General 6 T B eauregard
. . 281

devotion to, and his incessant work for, the L ost Cause may
again shine fresh with the lustre they once possessed and which

R . T . BEA UR E GAR D .
 WO ME N O F T H E SI XT I E S

By Florence Cooney Tompkins .

My earliest recollections are connected with steamboats flat ,

boats cotton bagging and bale rope for I was born in the midst of
, ,

the hum of the spindles r un by the slaves at my father s home

’
, ,

making bagging and bale rope with which to wrap the cotton bales ,

on the M ississippi River The carrying of the material up and down

.

the river was done in dat boats on which were accomm odations for
,

the owners who found their principal market at N ew Orleans The

, .

lure of the river brought us to the Crescent City where the market ,

for good s promised a rich reward .

T hings went well for a year or two until the fateful year of 1860 ,

d awned with four candidates for the Presidency of the United States .

Bell and E verett were the favorites in N ew Orleans Party feeling .

ran high — companies were form ed to support candid ates am ong which

st ood out boldly the Minute Men of T o my childish m ind

“

they seemed ahnost like god s as they marched with swinging step ,

high spirits and illuminated helmets to the stra ins of martial music .

Alas! for the Minute M en of Their glory was short lived

“
,

for when came dashing over the wires L incoln is elected ! Abe
‘
,

L incoln ! the hearts of the Southern men and women grew chill
’

,
—
with dread for well they knew that war grim visaged war sat — , ,

enthro ned at his inauguration in the Capitol at Washingt on One .

by one after that event the Southern States seceded ; many men who
refused to vote for secession went with their State for the doctrine ,

of State R ights was the fund amental principle on w hich was founded

these United States ofours This was the undying principle for which
.

they fought the rights of the States the right of local self govern
, ,
-

ment .

I n supp ort of tt v ty t
this principle of S a e So ereign , regimen after
t d d o o t
regimen flocked to the Stan ar and so n was set up the g vernmen
of the
“
Co d t t t
nfe era e S a es of A merica
”
w b ov d d t
ith our el e Presi en ,
Jeflerson Davis The fam ous Washington Artillery the Crescent
‘
.
,

R egim ent Charley Dreux s Company and the L ouisiana T igers

’

, ,

are names which engraved themselves in my youthful mind — never

to be forgotten names in Southern H istory T he famous Crescent .

R egiment of N ew Orleans held two of my brothers who marched

284 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

Orleans after the war , became a leading la wyer , churchman and

citiz en .

T he nex t vital question was the educa tion of the d

chil ren of

O
N ew rleans . In our own case Mr
E C Pay ne engage a u r
. . . d t to
and we atten e sch dd oo b
l in his eautiful home on irst and onstance F C
Streets but childlike we faile to
, dour uty , do ere d
ithdra n, and w w w
p la ce d du n er va p ri a t e tu t r at hoom e S till a w a. r a lt h u ghw y d o ,

w d b v d o o
fore arne , we rought up n ursel es the rea alternati e of g ing d v o
to the Y k
“
oo
an ee Sch ls .

U o p n h e ar in g oo
f m y m th b d o
er s un a lt e ra l
’
e ec isi n , o n e o f t he
d o t
lea ing S u hern wo C ty d b
m en of the i , who afterwar s ecam e princi
p a l o f t h e H igoo
h S c h I wo d t
l, sa i d u l
, dra h o d
e r m y c hil r en s h u l n o t
k w
no
‘
o b
B fr m a ull s f
’
oot
.
’
dt
than to sen Y oo
hem to a ankee sch l!
”

w o t t d o
But ith a f resigh ga here fr m experience the m ther replied o , ,

I o
‘
o
f resee great disaster for our S uthern pe ple o Wt y i h no mone , .

v
sla es free d o ,h mes confi scated,w o
hat is left but educati n ? N o,
o
alth ugh it b k rea d
my heart and the chil ren s I see no alternative :
’

,
’
y o
tis the onl inheritance left for S uthern wo men, and my girls must
d
and shall be e ucated . v o t Mo d y
So, on one ne er to be forg t en -
n a
- -

o
m rning w , d to
ith tears streaming own our cheeks, and hum ilia i n in
v y
e er w d
line of our faces we ere place in charge of one of the princi
,

p a ls o f a by b
ne ar pu lic s ch oo l .

W ise mother of mine ! W yo ise in o

ur day and generati n ! Shall
I v e er cease to than k y o u fo r t w
he fi rm n e ss hi ch le d y o u , in d efi a n ce

b o d o y d k o y
of pu lic opini n un er the c ntumel of frien s loo ing nl to the
, ,

yo d t d d
future of ur chil ren to place hem un er the gui ance and tuition
of a highl y d w
e ucated ky
oman from B roo l n H ig h School U d n er .

strict d w
iscipline, b o o d y
ith am iti n ar use and rightl directe d we ,

dy d d d
forged rapi l ahea and lai the foun ation for that pr fessi n o o
w d b
which after ar s ecame our life wor k .

o o y
I n the exercise of that pr fessi n man hum iliations fell to os
o q y
who had then entered up n the ini uitous da s of reconstructi n o ,

wd
which follo e the fall of the S uthern o C d onfe eracy Al l honor .

b w b
to the no le omen of the war etween the States, to the faithful
ness and e d vo ood
tion of all g o
women of the S uth who in the stress
of cruel war and in the , b d y o d y
itter a s of rec nstruction ispla ed a ,

d d vo o
herioc fortitu e and self sacrificing e ti n that ha e ne er
-
v v b een

surpasse d . d d d v y
We must in ee hol in the er highest h n r and o o
v b
re erence those no le women who st ood by our men of the Sixties,

d o
ministere to their su i erings c m forted them 1n their hours of espair
l
‘
, d
and st ood by d
them in the agonies of eath M y an of them have.

p a s d
se t o th w d
e ir re a r b u oy
t t
, h e m em v d d
r o f th eir lo in g e e s r ise s as

a grateful incense to high hea en v .

 Women of the Sixties 285

I n the a s of rec ns ructi n saw a negr Pinchbec presi e

d y o t o I o , k , d
ov er the legislati e o of the S v b dy
ereign Sta te of L uisiana ov o . I
saw a negr Br wn bec me presi ent of the Sch l B ar of our
o , o o d oo o d
cit y o y
A negr , Corbm , was ma e secretar of the School B ar and
. d o d
delicatel reare y refined d wo O
men of N ew rleans must nee s secure
, d
his signature to their uchers vo
ef re the b o
c ul y o d
draw their meagre ,

a
p y .egroNpo lice er e the c ust iw
an s of pu od
lic peace, b
negr roust o
a bo
uts sat si e d by d
si e in our street cars w d y
ith the aint women of
the S u hlan o t d o d b o d
T hese and ther unen ura le c n itions ere hom e
. w
t d od y
wi h a patience and fortitu e that t a seem incredi le, but hen b w
o o o j y
the S uthern pe ple ar se in their ma est and in the pri e of race d
d o
refuse l nger to su mit to these utrages b o w w t
hen the hi e league in ,

b td ow w
Septem er, 1874 asser e its p er hen law and r er ere enf rce
, od w o d ,

by the men who re the gra wo y t

hen and not till then did a S uthern o ,

man feel that his home was his castle and his wo
men safe from the

“
B ut today , today! I am an heir
A nd proud to say it so,
Of one who marched away
Back in the Sixties, with the men
The brave, true men who wore the gray .

A nd now from the women of the six ties and the

passing ar W
between the States we come to the daughters and the grand
’

daugh ters of those women of the sixties who today are the women ,

o f the World War and the war between the nations of the earth
” “ ”
, .

M en and women fig hting for the sam e great principles, the right of
the lesser nations of the world and the people thereo f the rights of ,

local self government the rights of H umanity and the rights of de

-
, ,

m ocracy to make the world safe for mankind United now this great .
,

p p
e o le m ay say
“
T h ere is n o North a
,nd there is no South ! One lan d
u nd er God at last
”
, .

L ooking with prophetic eye into the future I see rosy vista s of ,

serenest beauty and most profound repose A nd as I look I see .

,

t hose serried rank s of men martyrs to the great cause of L iberty , ,

a s on they go host after host shouting with mighty voice until in

, , ,

o ne grand diapason the song of tr ium ph reach es the great white ,

t hrone of G od himself Jchovab has tri um phed H is people are

“
.
,

free !
”
Glory to G od in the H ighest ! Peace on E arth good will ,
”
t o men!
An d we in the valleys below look ing up through eyes with tears ,

m ade dim acclaim aloud with grateful voice

, T hanks be to G od ,

who giveth us the Victory !

”
 H ST I O R I CAL NOT E S ON T H E CO M ME R CE
-

A N D A G R I CUL T UR E O F L OUI SI A N A

1720 1766 -

By Charles Gayarré .

T he Opening of the ear 1720 was signalize y a pr clama i n d by o to

of a rem ar a le nature, issuek b d
thr ugh ut the c l n o o the n ia o o y by I d
C om pan y o
T hat pr clamation inf rmed the inha itants of L uisiana
. o b o
t y
that he might ob
tain from the s res of the
,
to
mpan at ile Co y Mob ,

I d
Dauphine slan and P ensacola all the merchandise and pr visi ns o o
necessar y
to their ants C w
I n case the olonists sh ul ma e it a
. o d k
d o o
con ition of their purchase that pr visi ns and merchandise sh uld o
d v d O
be eli ere at N ew rleans, the y w to ere p a y in a di i n a p re m iu m d to
of 5 % at N Y oo
atchez , 10% at the az , 13% and 50 % a t th e is s ur i M o
I o
and llin is settlements ob
I t was made . liga r on the l nists to y Co o
d O
to sen to N ew rleans, to I d Ship slan and to o ile the pr uce of M b od
b w
their la or C ,y
hich the ompan engaged to p chase at the f ll
u r ing o ow
p rices : k silod, acc r iq
n g toy o
th e ua lit , fr m 7 i to 10 li r es (t he re n ch v F
v
li re was wo t bo r h a t
ut 20 A merican cen s, and it must be ept in k
d t o w v
m in that 20 cen s at that ep ch ere equi al ent to 60 or 80 at leas t
t b
of the present ime) ; to acco, first q ty ual i , at 25 li res the hun re v d d
po dun s ; r icv
e 20 li re s ,w t
sup e rfi ne h ea flour , 1 5 li re s ; r y e, 10 li res ; v v
b y
arle d
and oats 90 cents ; k , o
eer s ins, fr m 15 20 cen s per s in to t k
d d o d t
if resse and with ut the hea and ail, 30 cents ; hi es, 8 cen s the d t

b
I n Septem er 172 1 it was ecree that the merchan ise of the
, , d d d
I d
n ia Com pan sh ul y o d
be sol at N ew rleans, B iloxi and d ile O Mob
at 50% profi t on their original c st in rance ; at atchez and az oo F N Y o
and at the A libam ons on acc unt , as it was expres s ed o
o o
of the c mpetiti n arising from the pr ximit of the B ritish settle o y
ments Oh the 27th ofthe same m n h it was etermine that negr es
. o t d d o
shoul d
on an a erage, be s l
, v od
to the inha itants for 600 li res or b v ,

$120 for hich heir n tes ere

, w t o w
be furnishe on hree ears to d t y
d y b
cre it and pa a le in e ual installments, either in t q
acc , or in ob o
rice accor ing to agreement
, d When two erms ecam e due, if the
. t b
p ur ch a ser c u l o d
not pay on the thir of th e a mo un , th e negr oe s d t
w ere s l od t b o
af er due pu licati n and full n tice to the pu lic of the o b
288 The L ouis iana H istorical Quarterly

to the Spaniar ds at Pensacola . The c olony is on the eve of being

Ou the 31st October 1741 the Council of State in France
of , ,

p r or o gu ed to te n y e ars th e or d in an ce o f t he 3o t h of Se ptem b er 1 732 , ,

which exempted from duties the imports into and the exports fro m
L ouisiana . I t was a step in the right path which un fortunately , , ,

was not of frequent occurrence .

A fragrant shrub called the A nemiche by the I nd ians had

, ,

attracted the attention of the Government I t was the wax tree or .

candle berry (Myrica certifera)

-
The candles made of it were at ,

that tim e in general use among the colonists

, The French Govern .

ment thought it possible to make of the wax an obj ect of trade and
required information on the subj ect which was given in very inter ,

esting reports made by B ienville Salm on the botanist Alexandre , ,

and others It resulted from those investigations that cultivation

.

of this shurb might be productive and that on the average one pound , ,

of wax could be ex tracted out of eight pound s of berries .

Ou the 8th of A ugust 1744 the Governor Marquis of Vaudreuil

, , , ,

gr a n te d t o D e r uiss a
s u th e e x clusive rig ht of trading in all the c01mtry
watered by the Missouri and the stret falling into that river .

This privilege was to begin on the l st of January 1745 and to con , ,

tinne until the 20th of May 1 750 H is reasons for so doing were
, .

rather singular In rendering an account of what he had done De

.
,

Vaudreuil said to his Government in a despatch of the 6th of Decem

ber 1744 that one of his reasons for granting to Dem isseau the
, ,

m onopoly of trade in the I llinois District was to deprive the colonists ,

in that region of all means of carrying on any kind of comm erce with
the I ndians and thus to force them to cultivate the soil
, H e added : .

I t would be proper to prohibit the intr oduction of negroes into that

‘

p a r t o f t he co u n try in ,o rd e r to cor rec t the in do len t h ab its of the

colonists and to oblige them to work them selves Moreover negroes .

would be more productive in the lower part of the Colony I t would .

not beexpedient to allow negroes to be taken up to the I llinois ex cept ,

when the inhabitants should be weaned from their life of wandering

and plunder and when
, having assumed sedentary hab its they
, ,

should at least be occupied in causing their negroes to cultivate the

land s .

Oh the 2ud of January 1744 the M inister Maurepas who was

, , ,

at the head of the government in France framed some instructions ,

relative to the commerce of the colony and addressed them to the

Marquis de Vaudreuil and the Intedant Michel de la R ouvilliere , .

L et it be y our special care he said to prev ent any contraband

“ ” “
, ,
 H istorical N otes on the Commerce and A griculture of L a .

trade whatever between L ouisiana and the English Colonies ; and it

requires the m ore care and attention on your part from the fact that

the Eng lish smugglers have for some time pas t found their way in the
colony . I have even been informed that ships have been fitted out
in L ouisiana for Carolina Should there not be an end put to this
.

state of things the taste for this fraudulent trad e would strike deep
,

roots int o the colony T he will of the King is that you should strictly
.

p ro h ib it all tra d in g be tw ee n L o uis ian a a nd th e E nglish You m ust .

not under any pretext receive in the colony any of their ships and ,

those that attempt to penetrate into any of her ports must be con
fiscated I n a word y ou must neither tolerate nor allow to go with
.
,

out punishment any kind of trade with the E ng lish and H is M aj esty
, ,

would admit of no excuse on your part This applies also to trading .

with the Dutch ”

.

It is evident that such a policy was not calculated to relieve

the distresses nor to promote the commercial prosperity of a colony
,

which had been represented by its own officers as being in a state

of chronic star vation from the beginning of its estab lishment .

Oh the 22nd of Septem ber 1752 the I ntendant Commissary , , ,

Michel de la R ouvilliere made a favorable report on the state of

agriculture in L ouisiana : T he cultivation of the wax tree he said
“
, ,

has succeeded admirably Mr Dubreuil alone has made six thous

“
. .

and pound s of wax Others have obtained as handsome results in

.

p p
r o o rt io n to th e ir forc e s ; so m e w e nt to t he se a sh ore wh ere the w ax ,

tree grows wild in ord er to use it in its natural state

, It is the only .

luminary used here by the inhabitants and it is exported to other ,

p a r ts o f A m e rica a n d t o F ra nce W e sta n d in n ee

. d of tillers of th e

g r ou n d an d n e gr oe s T h
. e colony prospers rapidly from its own im
p u l se
, a n d req uires only gentle stimul ation I n the last three years .

forty five brick houses were erected in N ew Orleans and several

-
,

hue new plantations were established .

If the G overnm ent acted with shortsighted illiberality with

regar d to commerce it seemed to show more favor to the agricultural
,

interest ; and in ord er to give more ex tension to the production of

wax from the candle berry tree it authorized the M arduis de Vau
-
,

dreuil to purchase the whole crop of this kind of wax for the account
of the King at the rate of ten to twelve livres a pound
, .

Oh the 6th of M ay 1766 Ulloa who had taken informal pos

, , ,

session of L ouisiana issued ,with the concurrence of the French

,

Governor A ubry still retaining command a decree permitting by a

, , ,

special favor a d irect commerce between the French Colonies and

,

L ouisiana from which on the fulfillment of certain formalities cattle

, .
290 T he L ouis iana H istorical Quarterly

and grain might be ex ported provid ed it should be in Spanish ves

,

sels from Caraccas . T o prevent smuggling and other fraud s there ,

was to be a port designated in every one of those provinces where ,

two French Commissioners were to reside and be authorized to pur

chase the articles allowed to be exported .T here was a d uty of 5%
on all ex ports . From L ouisiana lumber rice corn and other pro
, ,

ductions of the soil were permitted to be exported .

On the 6th and 7th of Septem ber of the same year 1766 a score , ,

of sold iers with fix ed b ayonets and preced ed by a dr um w hose low

beating attracted the attention of the inhabitants of N ew Orleans ,

p a ra d ed th rou gh th e s tree ts
, a nd p roclaim ed by
, the o rd er of the
French G overnor A ubry an ordinance which had been dictated by
,

the Spanish Governor Ulloa in conformity with instructions which

,

the latter had received from Spain . It contained comm ercial rela
tions and among others the following : French ships had lea ve to
“
, ,

bring from Martinique and Santo Domingo wine flour and other , , ,

supplies provided they carried back in return the lum ber and other
,

p rod u ct io ns o f t h e co lony Passports were to be given to French

.

ships exporting from the kingdom ofFrance the merchandise and other

supplies necessar y to L ouisiana ; but whereas said the ordinance

”
, ,

these permissions hav e been granted only with the view to benefit
“

the inhabitants of the colony and whereas the merchants have asked
,

for their good s and particularly for their wines an ex traordinary

, ,

p ri ce
, a n d h av e re fuse d to rec eiv e in pa y m ent any other currency
than dollars which pretension is very prej ud icial to the inhabitants
, ,

we have decreed that all captains coming from Santo Domingo as ,

well as from France and provided with a passport from the Secretary
,

of State of H is Catholic M aj esty (for otherwise they would not be

,

admitted in the colony ) shall be bound on their arri val to present

,

themselves to Mr de Ulloa with their bills of lading and passports

.
,

and are prohibited from discharging any portion of their good s with ,

out beforehand ob taining his permission in writing at the bottom of

their passports or bills of lad ing ; and the agents for tho s e good s are

also ordered to present them selves be fore Mr de U lloa and to fur .

,

nish him with a note ind icating the price at which they intend to
sell their good s which shall be examined by impartial and intelli
,

g en t p er so ns re s idi n g i n th e colo ny and should the price d emanded

be ex cessive the owners of the good s shall not be allowed to sell
,

them here and shall be ob liged to go to another market T he mer .

chants shall be bound to receive the currency of the country in pay

ment for their good s and to take one third of their return cargo in
-

lum ber and other prod uctions for the country .

 N ew Orleans , La June 30 1899 , .

M r President L adies and Gentlemen

.
,

of the o
torical Society
L uisiana H is .

I n the year 1804 there was published in this city a paper called
Telegraphe or as the head ing reads :
“ ”
the ,

N o 64 Same i
J
.

21 uillet 1ao4
d .
T E L E G RA PH E Ier Vol 4 .

Ah
Txh nmid
er or .

Commercial A dvertiser N ew Orleans P rice Current .

b
P u lie Par Beleurger R enar d . R ue Bour bon N o . 199

A s you note, t his paper was printed in French and English,

the ed itors evidently being most familiar with the French .

This num ber is of particular interest in that it contains, in

French, the first fourth of July oration delivered in L ouisiana and ,

on the Opposite page a translation of same into Eng lish .

T he French speech is pub lished under the following caption

D I SCOURS .

P rononcé par M Dorbigny lo 4 Juillet 1 804 oingt neuoieme année de

, , ,
-

l I ndependence des E tats U nis d A mér ique

’ ’
.

and the E nglish translation follows the following note

T o the Editor of the Telegraphe .

Sir : H aving obtained from a person of talent a translation of

the speech which I delivered on the 4th of July I have the honor to
, ,

enclose it to y ou req uesting y ou to publish it

,
.

Si
( g ned ) : P D E RB I GNY . .

t o y o d
B elieving his S ciet sh ul be in p ssessi n of a c p of this o o o y
speech, I ta e the li erk of encl sing b ty
er atim c pies of o th the v b o bo
F t
rench and the E nglish and tr ust hat y ou will ha e them filed with v
yo ur A rchi es v .

urs er rul , Yo v yt y
H F B LD . A WIN .
 Copy of the T elegraphe 293

DI SCOUR S .

P rononcé par M Derbigny le 4 Juillet 1 804, oingt neuoiéme année de

, ,
-

l I ndependence des E tats U nis d A mérique

’ ’
.

Mes Concitoyens : Voici lo moment solennel 011 la premiere

reunion do s L ouisianais pour célébrer l indépendence do s E tats Unis
’
-

s ecrit dans les annales du m onde en caracte

'
res inefi acables ; les
’

siecle s s écouleront, les generations se succéd eront , les revolutions

’

p h y siq u es et p olit iq ues ch ang ero n t la fa ce d e n otr e glo b e av an t q ue ,

la mémoire de cette j ournée fameuse souffre la m oindre altération .

I l semble en efi et, Que l histoire des nations h offt e rien de plus éton
‘ ’ ’
,

nant que cc choc d évenemens dont la L ouisiane vient d éprouver

’ ’

la comm otion, et qu un coup du fort a si heureusement terminé

’
.

C ss t au milieu d un tourbillon d intrigues et d intéré ts qui s entre

’ ’ ’ ’ ’

choq uaient ; c est au moment 00 de puissans souverains se d isputaient ,

’

notre suj ection que la main invisible qui, dans le secret de sa sagesse,
, ,

din ge les destinées des mortals a fait cesser tout acoup nos alarmes,
’

,
- -

et nous aconduits au sein de la paix et de l indépendence

’
.

Mais avant de contempler la perspective du bonheur qui s ouvre ’

aujourd hui devant nous, j etons ensemble un coup d oeil retrograde

’ ’

vers le tem ps 012 1 le deny s maj estueux dont nous habitons les bord s ,

roulait ses eaux d ans le silence do s deserts ; alors que le genie entre

p r en a nt d es E ur op éens n os an c é tr es le s fi t a bor d er p ou r la prem iere

fois sur les cotes incultes et sauvages de cet imm ense pays, et con
sid érons l intéressant contraste que pré sente la L ouisiane aux d iverses
’

époques de son existence et la série d événemens qui l a faite arri ver

,
’ ’

a un état de prospérité qui lui promet encore de plus hautes des

Nous voyons d abord les malheureux colons transplanté s les

.

p r em ie rs du sein d e l E u rOp e sur

’
cc s ol n o u v ea u, y lan gu ir privés des

p lu s u r gentes n é cessi té s de la vie , et pé rir v icti m es dos intem p éries

du climat et de tous les maux qu une m auvaise administration avait

’

attirés sur eux Detournant les yeux de cette scene afiiigeante, nous
.

les reposons sur un spectacle consolant U ne nouvelle peuplade, .

malgré les désastres qui avaient anéan ti la prem iere, est transportée
sur cette terre inhospitaliers ; mais l expérience do s m alheurs passes
’

a fait connaitre les m oyens de les eviter ; elle arrive preparée a

comb attre l insalubrité du climat et du sol et a vaincre tous les
’
,

obstacles E nfin la L ouisiane s établit : le fieuve qui l arrose voit

’ ’
.
,

t om ber sous la hache de l industrie les antiques forets qui couvraient

’

ses bords et la scene de la N ature change L es progrés de l agricul

’
.
,
294 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

ture furent d abord lents et difliciles

’
I l fallut élever dos dignes
.

p o ur co n te n ir les e au x d e cc fl eu ve imm e n s e et m et tre um t en u e ,a

leurs dé bordemens destructeurs ; dessecher des m arais le soleil
n avait j amais pénétré au risq ue des exhalaisons pestilentielles que
’
,

les dé fr ichemens y dé veloppaient ; il fallut pour ainsi d ire con , ,

quérir ces terres que les élémens disputaient aux homm es L activité .
’

et la persé verenca des hab itans de la L ouisiane surm onterent toutes

ces diflicultés ; et la richesse du sol les recom pensa de leurs travaux

‘

et de leurs fatigues E n un mot cette contrée était devenue dej a

.
,

une colonie intéressante lorsq ue le genie turbulent de la politique la

‘

fit abandonner par la France pour la livrer aune Puissance etrangere .

Cet événnem ent memorable qui arracha les L ouisianais aleurs

ancé tres et les fit changer de m aitre pour la premiere fois rappelle
, ,

des souvenirs tr0p douloureux pour que nous y arré tions nos regards .

Passons donc rapidement sur ces mom ens de consternation publique ,

et reposons 1a vue sur des temm plus heureux .

L es effets de cette secousse politique avaient été funestes a

L e temps et les bienfaits du nouveau Souverain
’
l agriculture .

finirent par les calm er et la colonie reprit l effort vers 1a prospérité

’
.
,

Pendant plus de trente années qui se sont écoulées sous la domina

tion de l E spagne notre pays constamment favorisé par lo Monarque,
’

, ,

a em on population eu agriculture et en industrie autant qu a pu

’

, , ,

le permettre l influence repress ive d un gouvernem ent absolu

’ ’
.

E nfin comme si ls sort de la L ouisiane cut été de servir d example

’

de l instabilite do s choses humaines, la meme patrie qui nous avait

’

rej etés de son sein, parut avoir retrouvé pour nous son ancien attache

m ent , et réussit a négocier avec l E spagne la rétrocession de notre

’

p a y s . M alg ré n ot re rec o nn a iss an c e pou r le s bo n tés d u P ri n ce q ui

nous avait ad0ptés nous retrions avec joie sous les étendarts de nos
,

ancétres lorsqu une nouvelle revolution plus inattendue plus sou

’

, ,

daine plus frappante vint changer une seconds fois notre sort et
'

, , ,

nous faire sub ir une doub le métamorphose .

I ci, M es Concitoyens, arré tons nous um moment , pour contem

p ler av ec r e s pec t la m ar ch e ét on n an te d es é v é ne m e ns J o u ets .

p e n d an t lon g te m p s d e la for tu n e d e la p o lit iq ue , so u m is to u r a to ur

a plusieurs Puissances passifs spectateurs des négociations 011 Pm

,

disposait en maitres de notre patrie et de nous memes pouvions -

,

nous croire que nous touchions au ten ue de notre servitude ? I l est

arriv e pourtant cc moment décisif et inespéré! reunis desormais 1
cc sol heureux et privilégié qui prospere a l om bre d un Gouverne
’ ’

ment libre, nous voyons s ouvrir devant nous une carriere de bonheur
’

dont nous n apercevons pas lo terrne

’
.
296 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

R épublicain ? Senton nous se deve10pper en nos coeur s ces sentimens

-

de fraternité politique qui doit unir les membres d un meme corps et

’
,

prod uire cette harmonie si nécessaire a la félicité commune? L ou

isianais de toutes classes, mes concitoyens mes Freres ah ! songez , ,

s sommes tous enfans nes ou adoptifs d une meme patrie!

’

q u e n o u , ,

Songez que nos interes ts sont les memes que le meme esprit doit ,

nous anim er que l union la plus intime doit faire de nous un seul et
’
,

meme tout ! Songez que c est de cette meme union que depend lo bon
’

heur et la prospérité de la grande famille dont chacun de nous fait par

tie ! Songez surtout que c est par cette union cet accord , cette unani
’

mité que nous pourrons parvenir a rapprocher ls moment de notre

emancipation politique, reculé contre notre attente, a la verite, mais

non sans doute d une maniere irrevocable

’
.

S il en est parmi nous que l habitude de la dépend ance tienne

’ ’

encore le front b aissé , s il en ait qui n ay ent encore pu secou er les

’ ’

p r éj u g és et la c o n t ra in t e d e le u r a n c ie n é t a t qu il s s o rt e n t d, e ce tte
’

avilissante apathie! Qu ils soient hommes ! il o i t itoy !

’ ’

Q u s s en c en s

A utrefois nous dumes plier sous l empire des hommes auj ourd hui
’ ’
,

nous vivons sous l empire des lois A ujourd hui nous, sommes
’ ’
.

régénérés ; auj ourd hui nous sommes rend us a notre dignité primi
’

tive . E ntrons donc mes concitoyens, dans le sanctuaire de la liberté,

,

et ouvrons cette Charte respectable ou sont consignés les dr oits ,

q u e n o u s a vo n s a c q u is e n d e v e n a nt m e m b res d e la R é p u b li q u e d es
E tats Unis-
.

A la vue de cc monum ent de la sagesse humaine ou l homme lit

’

son fort écrit par la main de la raison et d icté par la j ustice a la ,

vue de ces lois sacrées a l om bre desquelles repose 1a sureté publique

’

et ind ividuelle de ce rempart formid ab le que l oppression no peut

’

franchit un saint respect me saisit et m éléve l am e J e me vois au

’ ’

, .

milieu d une vaste socié té d hommes sans qu aucun puisse attenter a

’ ’ ’

m a liberté m accabler du poid s de sa supé riorité 01) m humilier par

’ ’

, ,

ses déd ains . Je vois autour de moi 1a douce égalité me sourire ,

l active ind ustrie circuler sans entraves, l ordre et la paix régner

’ ’

p a r t o u t so u s le s y e u x d e la v ig ila n c e p a t r io t iq u e J e n e vo is p o in t
. le

p a la is d e T h e m is s o u ill é p ar la c o rr u p t io n n i l in fa m e a v ,a ri c e y ’

vendre l inj ustice au poids do For M a dignité d homme n est point

’
.
’ ’

degrades par l humiliante nécessité d obéir ades ordres dictes souvent

’ ’

p a r l
’
in e p ti e q u,e lq u ef o is pa r lo ca p r ice r a r e m en t p a r l i m p a r ti alit é
’
.

L a loi seule a des d roits a m a soumiss10n et a mon obéiss ance ; en

respectant religieusem ent les devoirs qu elle impose atous les citoyens,
’

j e s u is m a it re d a g i
’
r au g ré d e m a vo lo n t é ; q u e ls q u e s o ie n t m es

p roj e t s , m es és p é ra n ce s , m o
s e n t re p r ise s , m es t ra v au x j p
e u is alle r ,
 Copy of the Telegraphe 297

o
dr it au but q ue j e m e pr p se sans a ir a c nsulter lo bon plaisir , o o , vo o
0121 rassasier 1a c upi ité d aucun t ran su alterne d ’
Poin d entraves y b . t ’

p o i n t d o ppr
’
ess ion p in t de fav ou
, rs , p oo
int d e x c lu sio n s, p in t de
’
o
p r i v
il ege s p int, de di o
st in ct ion s ga lité u s tic e , ha r m o nic ran é , j , t
q uillité ; telle est O mes ncit
, Co
ens telle est l ex istence de l h mm e oy ,
’ ’
o
b d
li re ans les E tats nis et telle, sans -
U u e sera bientot la notre
, do t , .

Si des inconvéniens insé par a les de la crise p li i ue que nous éprou b o tq

vo ns nous causent une soufi rance momentanée ; si erriere l horiz n
,
‘
d ’
o
charg é o
de nuages n us ne o ns pas enc re l astre de la li ert v yo o ’
b é
é clairer nu ciel serin, n en tirons pas nu augure
’
fa ra le ; esp r ns dé vo b éo
o
au c ntraire de la sagesse et de la ustice des legislateurs de n6tre j
v
nou elle patrie que bientot ils com ler nt nos eux en n us inc r b o vo , o o
p or a n t ans d
l U nion et n
’
ou s ad m ett a n, a la j ou i ssa n ce d es ro i s t d t ,

des im m unités et des a antages des i o ens des E tats nis v -

Ct y U .

d
E u atten ant cet heureux m m ent, nous aurons p ur pro ecteur o o t
d
et pour gui e cc philos phe qui fait l ornem ent de son siécle ; cet o ’

homm e célébre autan par son profon sa ir que par ses ertus t d vo v
vq
ci i ues ; qui placé au rang des Potentats c nser ve dans cette stati n o o
v d
éle ée la m o este simplicité du cito en et n us nne a tous l exam y , o do ’

v
ple du rai patriotisme ; il eillera sur nous c mme nu pére cet homme v o ,

b ienfaisant qui consacre sa vie et son ra ail au nheur de ses t v bo

o
c mpatr i es ; et ot uan n us q d o
udr ns aller us u e lui nulle bar vo o j q ’

b
riére nul o stacle ne s y opp se
, o
A ccessi le a out ls mon e (hum i
’
. b t d
t
lian contraste p ur l orgeuil des R ois !) o ’
I l n a d autres gar es,
’ ’
d
d autres Satellites que ls coeur de ses
’
ncit ens Puisse cet Co oy .

v
homm e ertueux a qui nous e ons le , nheur dv etre ren us a n tre bo d ’
d o
d v
ignité primiti e ache er son u rage en nous inspirant, par son
, v o v
ex emple, nu attachement in iola le aux principes de la li ert v b ci ile b é v ,

o
et un saint respect p ur les lois qui n us en assurent la uissance o jo .

T o the Ed t
i or of the Telegraphe
Sir : H a ing v ob d
taine from a pers n of talent a tr anslati n of o o
th e speech which eli ere
, Id v d
on the 4th of J uly ha e the honour , I ~
v
to enclose it to y ou, re uesting y ou to pu lish itq b .

S
( gi n ed ) : P D E R G IBN Y . .

F ellow C
itizens :
o
The s lem n moment has arri e in which L uisiana first ehol s vd , o b d
o b d
her s ns assem le to cele rate the in epen ence of A merica b T his d d
v t d
e en is now recor ed in permanent characters on the annals of the

worl d A ges shall pass awa

.
ge n era tio ns sh a ll suc cee ea cy
h o,t h er , d
ph y sica l a n d p litical re o lutionos sh all ch an ge the vface of th e ea rt h ,

b o
ef re the memor y
of this im portant day shall be at all impaired .
298 The Loui siana H istorical Quarterly

oy o d d
T he hist r of nati ns in ee presents n hing m re astonishing than ot o
v
that concurrence of e ents the effects of which ha e een felt in our, , v b
ty
coun r ; but which a m st happ o yt
urn of f rtune has latel termin o y
d
ate , am i st the d vo
rtex of intrigues and clashing interests At a .

p e ri od
w h e n p w er fu l on a io n s di s p ut e to u r a lle g ian ced; h a in v is i le t t b
d
han , which in the secre recess of its is m irects the es in of t w do d d t y
d
mortals ; silence our alarms, and c n ucte us to the osom of o d d b
d d
in epen ence and peace .

b o
B ut ef re we examine that prospec of happiness hich this t w
v w
day opens to our ie ; let us ta e a retr specti e glance to the k o v
p eod
ri w h e n t h e m a e s tic ri j
er w h se sh o r ev
s w e in o
h a it ro lle its b , d
w va es through the silence of a d
esert, when the acti e genius of v
o
E ur pe led our ancestors
'

the unci ilize , to v

il and extensi e d w d v
o d
coasts of this new w rl ; let us c nsi er the interesting contrasts o d
t
which L ouisiana presen s at the difi erent peri s of her existence od ,

v
and iew tha series of e ents t v w
hich ha ing led to her present pr s v o
o
perity , pr mise a still higher estin in future d y .

b d
We at first ehol an unf rtunate an ofemigrants who change o b d d
v
their nati e soil for that on which we li e, struggling agains the
, v t
w v y
ant of e er necessar of life and falling y v
ictim s to the inclemenc
, y
of the climate and all the evils , w
hich an in u ici us a m inis ration j d o d t
bj d
had su ecte them to A erting our e es fr m this aflecting specta
. v ‘
y o
y
cle the
, rest on a m ore c nsolat r scene o oy
A new settlement not .
,

w d
ithstan ing the misfortunes which annihiliated the first is trans ,

po d t
rt e o
to hi s in h sp ita le s h re , b u tbe x p er ie o
n ce h a s m a e k n o n t h e d w
d v
metho s to pre ent a recurrence of past evils ; the come prepare y d
to encounter the insalu rit b y
of the climate and soil and to sur ,

o b
m unt the o stacles to their esta lishment A t length L uisiana is b . o
e b
s ta lishe : the d v
enera le f res s b o t w
hich co er the an s of the v b k
j
ma estic flood fall eneath the ax e of in ustr
, b d
T he curtain rises y .

and the scene of nature presents a new picture of culti ati n and v o
v
impro ements ; their pr gress at first is slow ; pre i us o any p e ra vo to o
o
ti ns of agriculture it was neces sar re y to
s train the waters of the

immense river and to fix un s bo d to

its estro ing flood d was y . It
necessar y to o
dry m rasses in which the sun had ne er penetrated v
ami pd
es t ilen tia l ex h a la ti o ns ex p an e th e la d d by
r o f c ult i a ti on bo v .

I t was necessar y to o q
c n uer th se lan s for o d
hich the elements w
conten e ddw ith man The ac i it and perse erance of the inhabi
. tv y v
o o
tants of L uisiana surm unted all th se diffi culties and the fertilit o y
of the soil rewar e dd
their angers and toil d I n a or , this c untr. w d o y
had alrea dy
becom e an interesting colon yw
hen follo ing the ictates w d
of intriguing p lic , o y F
rance a an b do d
ne it to a foreign p wer o .
300 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

of l oy
g r ; where the sur i ors recei ed those gl rious vv oun s of v o w d ,

o b
which the h nora le scars still remain and where that nati n from , o
o
wh m we are escen e she dtheir l dd
in supp rt of the same
, d b ood o
importan cause We are in a t r
. a out to parta e in the recom wo d b k
p e n se o f th e g orious toils of the imm ortal Washingt n of tha hero
l o ,
t
o o dd
wh se nam e has s un e to the confines of the glo e and h se b w o
v v
irtues will be e er the a miration of the human race d .

This is not all m y fellow citizens ; we ha e not nl ac uired v o y q

b y
li ert without a sacrifice to tain it ; but we ha e the great advan ob v
t age of finding alrea raise dy
the imp sing edifi ce of the Consti d o
tution of the nite Sta es —U d t
that edifice which the w is om o f the , d
dd
A m ericans has foun e on a s li unshaken asis We ha e only to o d , b . v
enter the sanctuar to eh l recor e y b od
, in the sacre characters dd d .

o o
th se precious th se estima le rights which we ha e ac uire
, b v q d .

b
B ut efore we approach that enera le sanctuar which con v b y ,

t b d d
O

ains the rights of m an — efore we raw near the altar of in e

,

pendence w
hich has ne er een pr fane
, vthe b
ile incense of o d by v
flattery or by b
the impure reath of servitu e, let us m a e a respectful d k
p au se an d p rep a re se lf ex a m in a tio n by -
.

A n astonishing and unexpected re lution is a ut to raise us vo bo

t
from the s ate of su ects to the igni bj d ty C
of itizenship o d
A ccust m e .

to the present to en un er the o e of ar itrar p b d d y k b y ow v

er lea ing ,

the cares of go ernm en to th se who reaped all its av t o dv antages

o
and p ssess all its prer gati e s , gui e o v d d o y by
s lel o
the will of thers
k
— we did not ta e the useless trou le of reflectin on the means b g ,

w t ov t
hich migh impr e our si uation, for all th se means were e n o b yo d
our reach .

B ut now that e er thing is a ut to change now hat the

, v y bo , t
moment approaches in which we are to be ra n from this sta e o f d w t
p o lit ica l n o t h in gn ess a nd to ta e u p o n u rse l es th e ch ar ge ok
f ou r o v
own happiness, are we now prepare to un ergo his gl rious trans d d t o
formation ? Do we feel within us the germ of that patriotic zeal ,

which ought to arm the s uls of repu licans w ? o

Do our hearts ex b
p an w d
it h th se sen tim e n s oo f po litic al fra te rn it t
hi ch c an alo n e yw
unite d
ifferent mem ers of the sam e b and pro uce tha pe r body d t
manency so necessar to their comm on happiness ? y
I b
nha itants of L uisiana of e er class o my fell w citizens v y , .
o ,

b
my rothers Ah ! remem er that we are all, birth or a ption by b do
d
chil ren of the sam e countr ; rem em er that our interests are the y b
same that the sam e spirit shoul
, anim ate and the sam e close uni n d , o
com ine us b b
R em em er that upon his union epen s the happiness,
. t d d
y t y b b
'

the prosperit of that grea famil to which we elong R em em er .

 Copy of the Telegraphe 301

above all, that this unanimit y this union and harmony alone will
,

accelerat e the period of our political emancipation hitherto it is true

p rocr a stin a ted beyond our expectations but not we trust irre , , ,

trievably lost .

I f there are any am ong us still depressed by the hab it of de

,

p e n d e n ce
, if the re ar e any who have not y et shaken off the chains of

p re j u d ice a nd the fetters of their form er state arouse from this ,

degrading apathy ! B e men ! Be citizens! H eretofore we were

obliged to bend under the dominion of man N ow we live under the .

em pire of the law ; now we are restored to the original d ignity of our

nature . L et us then my fellow citizens enter the sanctuary of free

, ,

dom and open that sacred charter in which are recorded the rights ,

which in becoming the citizens of the United States we have ac

quired .

A t the sight of this m onument of human wisdom in which man

beholds his present lot inscribed by the hand of j ustice pursuant to
the d ictates of reason ; at the sight of those sacred laws und er the
shelter of which the pub lic repose ; of that formid able barrier which

oppression cannot burst ; an holy respect per vades and elevates my

soul. I find myselfsurrounded by a vast society ofmen none ofwhom ,

can inv ade my liberty overw helm me by his superiority or hum iliate
, ,

me by his diwain Sweet eq uality smiles around me A ctive nu

. .

shaken industry exercises its faculties Order and peace reign around .

under the careful ey e of patriotic vigilance .

T he tem ple of T hem is is no longer polluted by corruption ,

nor inj ustice bat tered by avarice for the price of gold T he d ignity .

o f m y nation is not d egraded by the hum iliating necessity of obey ing

m andates d ictated often by ignorance sometimes by caprice rarely , ,

by impartiality T he laws alone have claim upon my obedience and

.

sub m ission . While I respect d iligently the duties they impose ,

w hatever may be my proj ect my hopes my labours or undertakings

, , ,

I am at liberty to directly pursue them without securing the favor or

satisfy ing the cupid ity of a subaltern tyrant No shackles no .
,

oppression no favor no ex clusions no privileges no d istinctions ;

, , , ,

instead of this equality j ustice harmony and repose

, , Such my
, .
,

fellow citizens such is the situation of the free citizens of the United
,

States and such no doubt will soon be ours , .

A lthough 1nconveniences inseparab le from the critical crisis

w e have undergone have prod uced a temporary suffering although
, ,

behind the horizon now darkened with cloud s we do not yet see the ,

star of liberty shine in a serene sky Yet we must not draw from .

these circum stances any unfavorable presage ; let us in the contrary

302 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

j w d
h0pe that the ustice and is om of the legisla rs of our new country to
d
will acce e to our ar ent ishes d w by
inc rp rating us into the U niono o ,

d
and a mitting us to all the rights imm uni ies and a , antages of t dv
citizens of the U
nite States d .

U ntil this happ y t

momen shall arri e we ha e for our protec v v
t d oo
ion and gui e that phil s pher who is the rnam en of his age that o t ,

man as much cele rate for profoun b d dk o

n wle ge as for civic virtue d .

d
Who place in the ranks of p tentates preser es in that high state
, o , v
the m od
est sim plicit of the y C
itizen and gi es an example of true v
pa tri o is t
m t o a ll H e w h
.o c n secr at es a boen efi cen t life and its la

bo urs to the happiness of his c untr will watch o y

er us ith parental ov w
care , b
accessi le to all no impediment, no , stacle pre ents our ob v
approach to his presence W
ithou any retinue
. t ithout any other , w
gu a d
r (h u m ilia ti n g c n ra s to t
h e p ri et to
o f i ng )
s th an thd e affec tik
o ns

of his fellow citizens v

M ay that irtuous man to h m we owe the
. w o
b
happiness of eing res re to the ignito d d
of our nature may he ty ,

huish his wor k by wt

inspiring us i h an in i la le attachm ent to the vo b
p ri n cip l es of c i il v b y
li ert and a n h ol a tta ch m en y
th e la s w h ich t to w
secure its en oym en j t .
304 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

at this p la ce for th e fi rst im e ha ing had to pr cee H is intenti n t v o d . o

b eing to settle with three ther c m panions on the islan of T im
, o o , d
b al iet situate, sea t ent d by
leagues to the est from the mouth
, , w y w
of the ri er as he has hear v , hilst f llo ing his pr fession dw o w o .

“
A ll of hich w
certif to ser e for conce ing this Ionation for y v d d
the sea that he may as in the past ofi er to al a s serv e the oats
,
‘
, , w y b
in misfortune on this coast and hate er else y ou may eem useful w v d
to H is M j y
a est s ser ice which fa or he hopes to o tain from
’
v our
, v b y
k d
in ness so propiti us in ai ing (we) the p r
, o d oo .

Signed :
“
BA R T H L E L E BL U C O OM W .

O
N ew rleans ul 20th 1793 , J y , .

od
R ec r ed in m y current R egister per act passe this day ef re d b o
me N ew
, rleans J annar O
the twent six th one thousan eight
, y y -
, d
d
hundre and thirt and the fi fty fourth ear of the in epen ence y -
y d d
of the U S of A merica . . .

Signe : L OU I S D CA RE d . I .

Senor G obernador G eneral :

“
Joseph and James Neris brothers neighbors and inhabitants , ,

of this province w ith due respect present them selves and say that
, ,

they d esire to form a settlem ent on it the obj ect of which is to work ,

and resid e there We have deserved that you conced e to this effect
.

a small island comm only called L ile a Cayon m easuring about

“ ”
, ,

three fourths of a league situated at the north o f the B ayou T erre

-
,

bonne surrounded by the sea Observing to Your E xcellencies that

, .

the said island is of very little im portance being entirely com posed ,

of sand and ab le to serve only as a farm for cattle and o ther anim als ,

being much in demand by those adj acent to it but adj udicated to ,

none We h0pe for this concession j ustified by the d istribution

.
,

which y ou d irect .

N ew O rleans O ctober 3rd 1787

“
, , .

d v yo
T he L an Sur e r o f his pro ince ill esta lish the petitioners t v w b
on the islan calle
“
d d
L ile a Cay ou which is referre to in the a o e d bv
b
m emorial it eing unoccupie and causing pre u ice to none
, ith d j d , w
the d o
istinct c nditions of ma ing a roa and the regular clearing k d
w dt
ithin the e ermine lim it of a ear and of forfeiting his claim it d y
one -
d is not e tablished at the expiration of this space
third of the lan s

of time the concessionist having no right to transfer same

, to be ,

extend ed and a title in form to be rem itted to prove right of whom

E ST E VA N M I RO
” “
it concerns .Signed : .
 P etition for Concession f
o I slands 305

R egi tra o en el s d R egistar de los actos which are in m y oth ee .

Fo lio 13 Fe ruar 29th 1788

. b y ,

C ARL OS T R U DE A U .

I q uainted with the signature of G overnor M iro and

am ac

know the abo ve to be genuine and have seen this order of survey
m entioned in the journal of Spanish concessions in the land oth ee .

N ew Orleans J anuary 25th 1830

“
, , .

Signed : I SA A C I P R EST ON . .

I have examined several signatures of G overnor M iro to be

found among the old papers in my possession and found the above ,

to agree with them in every respect and have seen this ord er of sur ,

v ev m entioned in the R egister of Spanish concessions in th is ofiice .

Signed : H I L A R Y E B CE NA S
“
. . .

R egister for E ast Dist of L ouisiana

“
. .

R ecorded in my current R egister per act passed this day

before m e N ew O rleans Jannary the twenty six th one thousand
, ,
-
,

eight hund red and thirty in the 54th year o f the ind ependence of
,

the United States .

Signed : L OU I S CA I RE .

The preced ing docum ents were am ong H on Pierre Soule s

’
.

p pa e rs a nd a r e h ere r ep r od uc ed w ith th e id ea th at t h e y m a y p ro v e

interesting to the mem b ers of the L ouisiana H istorical Society as

they refer to the island s south of L ouisiana which were so sorely
tried in the great d isaster of 1856 T im b alier also recalls the emin
.

ent Frenchman fro m whom it tak es its nam e Silvain Filioso sur , ,

nam ed M onsieur de T im balier from his going into b attle striking ,

tirnbales (cym bals) one against the other and by their dea fening ,

sound striking m ore terror into his savage foes than the French

g u n s
. T h e p ir at es als o le ft t he ir m a rk o n t h ese isla n d s oc ca sio n ally ,

using them as a pied a terre - -

I n 1873 there still lived on T imbalier
.

two old island ers who had served und er L afitte One was G amb ier .

who fought at the battle of N ew O rleans and who after a lapse of , ,

58 years since that m em orable day which brought him pard on for ,

p ir ac y an d th e rig ht s of a n h o n est c iti ze n dw e lt w ith p lea su re an d ,

seem ing regret on that haz ard ous past and loved to reca ll them with

the other survivor of L afi tte s band the widow of one of the pirate
’

of fi cers She d ied after G ambier

. .

I n 1856 when the terrific storm of that year swept away L ast
,

I sland T imbalier and the adj acent Caillou were battered by wind
,

and wav e but on T im balier some refugees were saved by the steam er
,
306 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

o o
L ouis iana th ugh the c rpses and rec age on its shores showed
, w k
that if it had been less eaten b by
the hurricane it had not een en b
y
tit el spared C
aillou suf
. d
fere less than any other islan ofthe gulf; it d
o
was a summ er res rt as fashiona le as L ast slan , patronize by
, b I d d
o
the rich S utherners I n that well rem em ered summer hotel and
. b ,

o
c ttages were full and at first it was supp se
, hat the isaster o d t d
wo d v
ul pro e to be as great as that at L ast slan but it pro ed a I d , v
v
ha en of safe ty o v y
for the water r se er little in the l wer parts of the o
d
islan and the higher points were entirel free from the flood y .

y
J udge H enr R enshaw on the occasi n of Mr , elix G rima 3 o . F ’

d t v
ea h ga e a full account of the first concessionist of T im al ier who b ,

v
was the ancester of se eral of our m st istinguishe cre le families o d d o .

G A SPAR CU SA CH S .
308 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

J
’
o
enf nce le scalpel dans
Quand la veritable Manonl H istoire :
’

expulsée d A ngers veut s em barquer a N an tes ; il faut écarter dé

’ ’

finitivem ent l hypothése soutenue par M M A rséne H oussaye

’
. .
,

H enry H arrisse et d ivers auteurs que l Abbé Prevost avait conté une
’

amourette de sa j eunesse L e nom de son heroine pouvait lui avoir

.

é té suggéré par son séjour dans les Pays B as -

.

L e nouveau Dictionnaire H istorique ou H istoire abrégée etc ,

p ar u n e So cié té d e G e ns de L e tt res no te a l ar ticle T ib erge : C est ,

’ “ ’

cc pieux ecclé siastiq ue qui joue uh r6le si t ouchant dans le roman

des am ours du Chevalier Des C rieux et M r A natole de M ontaiglon .

est arrive 21 la m em e conclusion .

U ne second e coincidence aurait elle pu en core faire donner par -

hasard 51 Des C rieux ls nom du capitaine du Com te de T oulouse

”
,

navire qui fit plusieurs fois lo v oyage de la L ouisiane et transports ,

notamm ent en 1 718 bon nom bre de déportés a Biloxi L i

’

( an c en .

B ilox i est connu auj ourd hui comm e O cean Spring s par les géogra
’

p b ss ) . No us n o le p en son s pa s ; m em e s il n a p as conn u M an o n le
’ ’

veritable Des G rieux a certainement entendu parler de ses aventures .

L a d écouvert dans les Archives du M inistere de la Marine et des

Colonies de plusieurs documents inéd its nous permet d identifier ’

p ou r la p re m ie re fois q ua tre a u tres per so na ge s d e M ano n L es ca u t .

L aum 6nier de L a Nouvelle Orléans é tait en réalite le missionaire

’
-

L e M aire Cure de l I le Dauphine le pseud o mari de M anon

’

, ,

ancien capitaine du régiment de Champagne portait en Am érique ,

le nom d A vril de la Varenne ; la gr and e amoureuse passait pour

’

s appeler Fr0get d ite Quantin ; enfi n le G ouverneur de la L ouisiane

’

, ,

se nomm ait L a M othe Cad illac D apres sa correspondance Cadillac

’
-
.

ne b ad inait pas avec la libertine de M anon et dé nongait sans pitié

toutes les femm es qui en l absence de leurs époux se laissaient
’

, ,

conter fieurette A vril de la Varenne naq uit a A ngers au m ois de

. ,

Novembre 1685 et recut 13 le prénom de R ené (Voila lo véritable

, , .

Chevalier Des C rieux ) .

L e navire L a Dauphine quitta Nantes le 6 M ars 1715 a desti ,

nation de B ilox i eh faisant escale a la R ochelle et aux Canaries pour

,

s approvisionner de vin
’
Malheureusement on no trouve aucune
. ,

allusion a l em barq uem ent des am oureux

’
— Manon et Des C rieux “
,
”

dans la volumineuse correspond ance de M de L usancay ordonna .

,

teut a Nantes .

L e Blond de La T our était cousin de Bienv ille ; apeine débarq ué ,

11 so maria avec une veuve malgré les rem onstr ances de Cad illac .
 L ouisiane A utrefois -
309

E m 1711 ls regiment de hampagne passa pr cisément ses

, C é
quartiers hi er a A miens d v
ille qu a choisi l A bbé Pre s pour la
’

, v ’ ’
vo t
rencontre de Des C rieux et de an on M .

Dans les colonies nou elles rares en chet etaient les eunes filles
‘
v , j ,

v
et lo gou ernem ent se vit o ligé d en expé ier par rita les roupes b ’
d vé b t
po ur satisfaire t us ce ux q ui o ulaien en fi nir a ec olo cé li at D e v t v b .

bonne heure se pose onc la uesti n de sa d

ir 011 et comment on les q o vo
recruterait et l i
furen tour a tour essa s
p us eurs y
s stem es t yé .

L oeuvre de Pre st nous ohre 11ne im age i ante de cc q u a

’ ‘
vo , vv ’

été la transportation des filles de m au aise vie a la Louisiane sous le v

y
s stem e de L aw Dans son héroine s incarnent eh quel ue sorte
.
’
q
toutes les malheureuses d
ont nous aurons a sui re la lam en a le v t b
odyssée depuis l internement a la Salpétriére et le départ pour l ex il
,
’ ’

j q
us u a u
’
m ar iag e 00 a la m or t su r le so l a m é rica in P re vost m é le la .

réalité et la fi ction d une m aniere surprenante

’
.

Parmi les douze filles de la maison de correction : Arrétée pour

débauche publique et scandaleuse Manon Porcher qui frise la ,
” “
,
"

trentaine arecu en outre le fouet et la m arq ue ala suite de plusieurs

,

vols E ntree pour la quatriéme fois a 1 H 63pital G énéral en 1717

.
’
,

cette aim able personne d un coup de rasoir a enlevé deux d oigts a

’

, ,

l ex empt qui l arr é tait A la Salpé triére elle a mis ls feu dans son
’ ’
.
,

m ire tous les j ours pour la poignarder la religieuse chargée

“
cachot , ,

des femmes et menace de mort quiconque ose l approcher avec des

” ’

j urements des imprécations des blasphem es qui hérissent toute la

, ,

nature A prés une bataille a coups de couteaux avec la Fontaine

.

et la Valy (deux autres galériennes) on a m em e (10 la m ettre quelque

, ,

tem ps aux fers parcequ elle voulait encore attraper le visage de

’ “ ”
,

ceux qui la servaient Son humeur belliqueuse s est si b ien com

’
.

m uniqué a ses compagnes qu a elles trois elles ont ex cité les autres
’

détenues a la révolte faisant tres souvent des sé ditions , elles

“ ”

m enagaient leurs surveillantes de les tuer et ont m eme dechaine uh ,

beau j our une veritable émeute nécessitant l intervention de la

”
,
’

force arm ée .

Si c est la le type la lo mod ele de l A bbé Prevost pour sa M anon

’ ’

L escaut ? T riste chose .

“
Denuées de linge bien que la plupart n en aient pas change ,
’

depuis qu elles ont quitté Paris on j uge dans quelles conditions les
’

p r iso nn ié res o u t (10 pou rsu iv re leu r pé n ib le v o y ag e a la L ou isian e .

R appelons nous l auberge de Passy les m alheureuses q ui v ien

’
-

nent de descenfre enchainées deux a d eux de leur charette ofi ertes

‘
,

eh spectacle a l avid e curiosité du public ; les eflort s de l une d elles

’ ‘ ’ ’

( p
“
eu t e tr e M-
a n on p o u r lu i ca c h er a v ec sa fi gu re la
310 The L ouisiana H istor ical Quarterly

saleté de
linge et de ses ha its
son la c mpassion qu ex cite chez b o ’

maint spectateur ls trai ement

“
ar are
”
t
n les infortunées s n b b do t ot
v ictim es .

A p r es u o
ne l ngue ra ers e on é ar ua les pau res hlles t v é p a s a la db q v ,

No v u elle -
O é
rl ans mais au B il x i,
”
( c e
,a n S p rin o
g )
s a l rs l e p s t e e t O , o o
l endroit principal de la L uisiane
’
o .

‘
L eur sexe seul fit leur recomman ati n Les seize filles (Quel ue d o .
, q
o
f is on dit do q q
uze, uel uef is on dit ua rze) , furent c n uites ans o q to o d d
o
la meme mais n et istri u es a l avenant L a derniére entre elles d b é ’
. d ’

fut tirée au sort entre eux colons H eureusement pour la L uisiane d . o

q u i1
’
11 en ta i
’

p as en u a é t
a n ta ge T ir n vs le ri e a ud vsu r c et a fi r e u x . o d
é o
tat m ral de la L uisiane ace te p ue o t é oq .

v
E m J an 1er 172 1, arri a a la L uisiane uatre ingt huit eunes v o q -
v -
j
filles honnétes do t
n le surn m emeura célébre de filles de la Cassette
,
“
o d
t
5 cause d un pe it cofi re 011 taien renferm s les presents a elle faits
’
é t é
p a r la m a Co
p gnie des n es I d .

vo
L en i des filles de la cassette eut
’
nc lieu a ant la a e que do v d t
d
lui assigne ans son H is oire de la L uisiane, le Cré le G ay arré t
“ ”
o o ,

q u i v q
a ec son man ue de criti ue ordinaire le place eh effe en 1 728 q t ,

aune ép ue 011 la oq Co
mpagnie des n es s ngeai a ien autr e ch se I d o t b o
q u a
’
f o
urnir des femmes honnétes 1 nos c l ns
”
oo .

q v
Ces uatre ingt huit j ennes filles furen les seules qui inrent
- -
t v
o
eu L uisiane c mm e elles o t
L a chute efini i e du s stems de Law . d tv y
“
v
arri a au printemos de 1 72 1 .

La he a illacMot C d
go u v em e u r d e la L u i,sia n e di t :
‘
a i o , J ’

l honneur
’
Mo
nseigneur, (il crit en ate do an ier
, é de ous d J v v
q v
informer u il est enu ici un j eune h mme de con ition, appel
’
o d é
Av ril de la Varenne, qui est d A ngers, le uel a amen ici ans la q é d
’

“ ”
flute L a Dauphine , une femm e u n dit a oir été mari e et qui
’
q o v é ,
’
t
l est peu étre encore a ant laissé tr is enfan s en rance
-
, y lle a o t F . E
d abord pris ls nom de Froget, et a presen celui de
’
uantin se t Q ,

d isant mariée au Sieur de La arenne, cc qui a é té confirmé par V

Mr R an on, irecteur de Mr r za
. j d . Co t .

Vo
ila la célébre anon L escau et le M
he alier Des G rieux t C v .

V ous etes t us sa isfaits n est cc pas ? o t a m ins q ue ous h e

,
’
-
o v
p r é f r ie z é a nM on P r ch er et l A b b é P r e o
s — a o t r e ch oix — ’
a n n vo t , v , M o
p o u r u n q o
te c ha n t
’
e
”
co mm e. l a é cr i t lex a,n r e D u m a s fi ls :
“
’
I l A d ,

t
fau q ue tu meures en pleine eauté en pleine passion T obstines tu
“
b , .
’
-

vv dv
a i re tu e iens encom ran e tes ennemis n ont pu t enlever ton
, b t ’ ’

auréole d am oureuse r gé n r e par une en re passion aucun papier

’
é éé t d ,

p o u re u xd me t e m p é ch e ra e tr e m
’
rt e a t o n he u d
re e t d
’
e or m i r to n o d
d ernier s mmeil ans o d
uel ue cypriere de la L uisiane q q o .
312 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

J ugez par jvous meme

-
ici l , e donne
a d escri ption qu en fait
’

A pres une navigation de deux m ois nous abordam os

’ “
l A bbé Prévost : ,

enfi n au rivage désiré L e pays ne nous ofi rit rien d agréable a la

‘ ’
.

m iere vue C étaient des cam pagnes stériles et inhabitées ou

’

p re .
,

l on voyait a peine quelques roseaux et quelques arbres dépouilles

’

ls v ent Nulle trace d homm es ui d animaux Cependant le

’ ’

p a r . .

Capitaine Des C rieux ? ayant fait tirer q uelques pieces de

n6 tre artillerie nous ne fumes pas longtem ps sans apercevoir une
,

troupe de citoyens de la N ouvelle Or léans q ui s approché rent de

’
-
,

nous avec de vives marques de j oie Nous h avions pas découvert ’

.

la ville elle est cache de ce c6té 1apar une petite colline N ous primes
, .

le chemin de la v ille nous ffi mes surpris de découvrir en avancant , ,

q u e c c q u on nous avait vanté j usq u alors comm e une bonne ville

’ ’

n était q u nn assem b lage de q uelques pauvres cabanes

’ ’
E lles etaient .

hab itées par cinq on six cents personnes L a maison du Gouverneur .

nous parut un peu d istingué par sa hauteur et sa situation E lle est .

défend ue par quelques ouvrages de terre autour desquels régne un ,

large fossé .

D apres l histoire le veritable Des C rieux é tait 011 lo capitaine

’ ’

du navire marchand : le Comte de T oulouse 01) A vril de L a

”
,

Varenne L e Des Crieux de l Abbé Prevost est une pure fi ction

.
“ ” ’
.

II faut le talent du conteur de l A bbé Prevost, pour faire d un récit

’ ’

d amour eun un chef d oeuvre Seulement on devra croire que

’ ’
-
.
,

comm e ecclésiast iq ue l A bbé Prevost a dit paraitre devant Dieu

’

avec uh air tout contrit .

VICT O R IN DE JAN .
 MA N ON L E SCA UT , T H E R EA L V E RSU S THE I DEA L

A M onograph Writtenfrom H istorical R esearches by M 1 Victoria Dej an . ,

P resenting the R eal M anon L escaut versus the I dealized

Character by l A bbé P révost
’
.

(T rans lation by H elois e H Cruzat)

M NON
A R E —
PO CH R I plunge the scalpel in H ist ry hen to o w
the real M o
anon, expelled fr m A ng ers, esire d
to em ar at d antes b k N .

t d y
Y ou mus definitely set asi e the h pothesis ofM A rsene H ussa e, o y .

H enry H arrisse and var ious authors that Prevost had narrated
a lov e aflair of his youth H is heroine s nam e may have been sug
‘ ’
.

g ested by his stay in the Netherlands .

The N ew H istorical Dictionary or A bridged H istory etc by a

“
.
, ,

Society of M en of L etters notes under the heading T iberge

‘ ’ ‘
, He
is the pious ecclesiastic who played so touching a r61e in the romance
of Des G rieux s L ove story and Mr A natole de M ontaiglon has
’ ’
, .

com e to the same conclusion Could another coincidence by chance

.
, ,

have been the cause of giving Des C rieux the nanie of the captain
of the Com te de T oulouse a ship that cam e several tim es to L ouis
‘ ’

iana ,
— and notably in 1718 when it transported a great many con

victs to B iloxi (O ld B
. ilo xi is no w d esign a te d as O ce an Spring s by
g eo gra phers ) W e d. o no t be li ev e it : an d eve n if the r ea l Des C rieux

did not know Manon he certainly heard of her adventures

, T he .

discovery of several unpublished documents in the Archives of the

M arines of the Colonies enable us to identify for the first time four , ,

other personifications of Manon L escaut .

The al moner of N ew Orleans was really the missionary L emaire , , ,

Curate of Dauphine I sland the pseud o husband of Manon ,

a former captain in the regim ent of Champagne bore in Am erica , ,

th e nam e of A vril de La Varenne — the great inamorata went under

,

th e name of Froget surnamed Quantin T he Governor of L ouisiana

, .

was La Mothe Cadillac .

Judging by his correspondence La Mothe Cadillac did not

“
,

dally with the libertine Manon and denounced without mercy all ,

th e married women who allowed them selves to be coaxed and whee

dled d uring their husbands absence
’
.
314 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarter!y

A ril de la Varenne was orn at A ngers in

v ovem ber 1685, b , N ,

and was christene R ené (H e was d

anon s lo er and Pre st . M ’
v vo
d
calle him Des C rieux T he ship L a Dauphine left antes on the.
‘ ’
N
sixth of M
arch 1 715 its estination
, eing B iloxi putting in o port
, d b , t
at L a R ochelle and the anar slan s for a suppl of ine There C yI d y w .

y
is, unfortunatel , no allusion to the em ar m en of the lo ers b k t v ,

M
‘
anon and Des G rieux , in the lumin us corr esp n ence of Mr
’
vo o o d .

de L usancay , nten an I
o mm issar of an es d tC -
y N t .

d
L e Blon de la T our was Bien ille s c usin ; he had no s ner v o ’
oo
dd
lan e than he marrie a wi ow, no ithstanding a illac s remon d d tw C d ’

strances I n 171 1 the R egim ent of hampagne went into

. inter C w
q t
uar ers at A miens, the to n ch sen l A bbé Pre st for the
’
w o by vo
‘

ov
meeting of the l ers, Des C rieux and anon M .

“
oo
I n the new c l nies oung girls were rare and the g ernment y ov
f ound itself un er the d
ligati n of sen ing ship loa s of them to ob o d -
d
satisfy wh se who o
ished to end celi ac Ver earl the ues i n
w b y . y y q to
o
ar se as to how and here the were to be recruite and se eralw y d v
y
s stem s ere trie w
in turn d .

'
vo ok
Pre st s w r gi es us a li ing im age of the transportation
’
v v
of these girls of the un er rl to L ouisiana under L aw s sys tem d wo d ’
.

o
H is her ine is the incarnati n of all the unfortuna es h se y ssey o t w o od
we shall f ll o ow o
fr m their c mmitm ent to the H use of orrecti n, o o C o
(1a Salpetn ere) to their eparture for ex ile to their marriage or
'

d ,

d eath on A meriean soil Pre st len s truth and fiction in an . vo b d

o o b manner
unc nsci na le .

Amongst the twelve girls from the H ouse of Correction :

‘ ‘
Ar
rested for scandalous and public debauchery M anon P orcher who , ,

borders on thirty has besides been scourged and branded after several
,

thefts H aving been comm itted to the G eneral H ospital for the
’
.

fourth time in 1717 this amiable person with one stroke of a razor
, ,

carried away two fingers from the hand o f the E x empt who arrested ,

her A t the H ouse of Correction she set fire to her cell watched
‘
.
, ,

daily the Sister responsible for the care of the women in ord er to ,

stab her and threatens with d eath whom soever dares to approach
’

her with oaths irnprecations and b lasphem ies which revolt nature
, , .

A fter a battle with knives between her L a Fontaine and La Valy , ,

(tw o o th er co nv icts ) t hey w er e co m pelle d to p,u t h er in ir on s bec a u se ,

she wanted to f o v d h
‘
catch l f h w h
’

(s a sh ) the a ce o t se o ser e er .

H er b elligerent humor was so well communicated to her companions ,

that b etween the three they ex cited the other convicts to revolt , ,

often starting sed itions in which they threatened to kill their

‘ ’

gu ard s a n d t he y
, e v en on a c e rtain d a y let loo se a re al m u tin y ‘
,
316 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarter!y

T here are the cele ra e b td M

anon L escau and the heval ier t C
Des C rieux I s his not sa isfac r ?
. t t to y nless y ou prefer U
M anon P rcher and the A o Pre st bbé vo as y ou

p lea se
‘
. a n o nM to b e s u n g r t e A lewox an d re
,
’
D u m a s fil s
‘
y o u , ,

must die 1n the fullness of our eau y b ty

in the fullness of passi n if , o ,

t v b
y ou per sis in li ing y ou ecome an encum rance ; our enem ies ha e b y v
b
not een a le to res from y ou the halo of an inam
b w t orata regenerate d
by a ten er passion ; no d ust parchm ent d y
ill change that y ou ie w d d
y
when our hour came and that y ou sleep our last sleep in s m e y o
y
c press gr ov
e o f L uisiana o .

‘
M o
an n L escaut, as a no el is consi ere a masterpiece full of
’
v , d d ,

p a ss io n p a in ,an d l e I ts a ppovr ec
.i a t i n J u le s J a ni n is ho by
a o f a t t
w riter p ssesse o d
himself of great talent but for all tha we may , t
reach but one c nclusi n — o o
that it is pure fiction You are sa iated . t
w wo d
ith the t r
‘
bj
mas erpiece which recurs on this su ect unceasing
’

v y y N v
ly again, e er where and alwa s
, v v b o els ha e ne er . een con

y
sidered as histor bov
L em oinne s criticism is much a
.
’
e J anin s
’
.

to F co
‘
vo t d bb vo
An ine ran is Pre s d E xiles, surnam e the A é Pre st
’
,

o w t y J
was one of the m st prolific ri ers of the 18th centur y ( anin sa s ,

bo
the 17th) d At
, F
rn in 1699 at H es in, d r ois rance ied in 1763 , , ,

(hi styo r ica ll y ) tJ a n in o d

sa
. s th a he le ft H l la n in 1 7 64 , b rin g ing
w b ot d to
ith him a eautiful pr estant girl who wante y by marr him all
. y o k od t d
means H e was alternatel a m n a s l ier, hen returne to re ,

bb y G
ligious life in the a e of St é v d
ermain des Pr s ; again se ere . his
k o d t to v
lin s and fled to H llan , then wen o d li e in L n on, and finally
b k
cam e F ac w to rance,d b
here he resume the ecclesiastical ha it
in 1734 .

“
E er v yw
here he was in the pay ofthe pu lishers T wards the b . o
o q d
cl se of his life he ac uire od t a m es com petency H e had re ired . t
to St F . C y
irmin near hantill t k A h a tac of appoplexy struc him
. k
d w C
o n in the forest of y o d
hantill ; the surge n calle to his help pro
nounced him d d b ea to y
and vo
egan an au ps Pre st was still in life .

d b o y
and ma e a terri le utcr o but the first incisi n in his heart had
,

p rvd
o e fa ta l T h er e y v
a r.e a og re a t m a n n o el s f r m hi s p e n , a m n g o
w M o
hich is
‘
t t
an n L escau v d
T he erm no el is use for feigned his
.
’

tories o
. ov v d by
H ist rical n els are truths eile untruths Pre st . vo
t d
rie oy w
his pen on H ist r but ithout success .

“
ov b d o to y
A n el is a fa le un er the f rm of his r and allusi n ex o ,

dv d
traordinary a entures and recitals estitute of any resem lance to b
b o y
truth the amusem ent of respecta le people and nl rea the d by
rich . bbé
T he A vo k M
Pre st ma es of his d anon a gran
‘

g ri s e t e , a t ’

g re ao t c u r te s an a n d o f Dv k
,es C trie u x , h er se r i n g ni gh T h e p l t of . o
 M anon L escaut the R eal rfs
, . the I deal 317

his novel is pure fiction L emoinne says that George Sand s G enevieve
’
.

was a greater grisette than M anon and that what i sill reach the
‘
,

throne of God with the heaviest cortege of maled ictions are novels .

You have changed my soul, y ou shoul d have changed my fate

‘ ’
.

M anon L escaut is an unwholesome masterpiece, a bad book full of ,

perversity .

“
Mr de Villiers says : Oi all the descriptions of N ew Orleans
.
‘

written at a distance from the Mississippi the A bbé Prevost s ap ,

’

pears to be the m ost accurate

’
.

You may j udge for yourself I here give Prevost s description :

‘ ’
,

A fter a voyage of two m onths we finally reached the shore T he

‘
.
,

c ountry did not seem agreeab le at first sight I n the sterile and unin .

h abited plains only reed s and trees denuded by the wind could be
descried from d istance to d istance No traces of man or animals
.

w ere visible .H owever the Captain (Des C rieux ) having caused ,

s om e pieces of artillery to be d ischarged it was not long b efore a ,

t roop of citizens approached with exuberant j oy We had not dis .

c overed the city ; it is hidd en on that sid e by a sm all hill

, We took , .

th e road to the city we were surprised to d iscover as we

advanced that what had been boasted of until now as a good city ,

w as but an assem blage of a few poor cabins They were occupied .

by hy e or six hundred persons T he G overnor s house seemed some

’
.

what above the rest by its height and situation I t is defend ed by .

som e earthworks around which is a large d it ch

, .

H istorically the real Des C rieux was either the captain of the
“
,

m erchant ship the Comte de Toulouse or A vril de la Varenne

‘ ’
.
, ,

T h e Des C rieux of Prevost is pure fiction I t is necessary to possess .

t he talent of the narrator the A bbé Prevost, to make a masterpiece

,

o f a love story But one m ay believe that as an ecclesiastic the A bbé

.
, ,

P revost m ust have appeared be fore God with a contrite air .

 A M O DE R N Q UA SI M O DO

Victur H ugo s Quasimod o the Dwarf described in his Notre

’

Dame de Paris, had a near d uplicate in N ew Orleans as we learn

”
,

from an old clipping from the T imes Democrat of nearly two decades
-

ago . Many of these romances are found in our cosmopolitan city ,

but few of them have their story told in such an interesting way as
is done in this instance It is given as follows :
.

T here died a few days ago in an obscure room dimly lighted, ,

across fr om the French Opera H ouse a rem arkable character — a

character as interesting as those created by the m aster romancers .

H e was one of the unhappy being s who come into the world dowered
with great gifts and hampered in the express ion of them by physical
disability Possessed of a tenor voice that would have made him
.

famous had he been gracefully formed , his stature and phy siognomy
p re ve n ted him fr om sin gi ng sa ve in a ch or u s an d e ve n
, then th e p e

culiarities o f his construction were such that he could not appear

without ex citing comment The well groomed men and the fragrant
.
-

ly attired women who saw and laughed at him in the French Opera
-

H ouse did not even know his name, nor could they distinguish in
the singing of the impersonal chorus his fine well trained voice, nor ,
-

know that the diminutive little man at whom they laughed poss ess ed
a soul that burned with the sacred fire .

A R apetto was the little man s name H e was an I talian For

’
. . .

forty years he sang in the chorus of the French Opera in N ew Orleans ,

and sometimes traveled abroad with the troupe Music was the
.

p a ssio n of his life,a n d th e ligh t and g lit ter of th e s ta g e w as as th e

hearth fire of home to him H e loved the deliw te effects of an or

.

chestra consummately trained and led by the skill and fer vor of a

master ; he delighted in the dramatic crash of the voice and the ih

strum ent and though he knew that he could never thrill an audience
,

by the hno things which he felt he was able to perform with his voice ,

rather than not sing at all he sang in the chorus

, H is last words
.

were : Oh my poor theatre ! I shall never see you again !

“

R apetto was not five feet tall L ike Quasimodo he was a dwarf,
.
,

stout and ungainly none of the grace of his mind nor the power of
,
O

his voice showing in his awkward body and limb s Ou a short neck .

was set a great head d o m inated by a nose of surpassing magnitude an ,

assertive threatening nose such as m ad e Cyrano de Bergerac fight

,

for the pleasure of fighting H ad this head been placed on a tall

.
,

well formed bo y even the nose could not have prevented recogni
d ,

tion of the genius of the singer, but nose and body combined killed
320 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

lig hts together The last year of his life he spent in his front room
al .

across from the Opera H ouse where he could look at it working , ,

there in a hopeless way am ong his plasters and his casts for he ,

missed the music and the light of the stage and he died with the ,

thought of them in his mind a poverty stricken singer and sculp

— -

T he h use o w
here R apetto li e is in T ul use street Last vd o o .

t
nigh the alle leading to it was ar yI n a rear r m sat R apetto s
”
d k . oo
w do
i w a thin , ea l king woman w k oo
T alk1ng to her was an old
,
-
.

dy
la of str ng c un enance and o o t —
lac e es an old la with , b k y dy
t
whi e hair and lac ress and a cloa b kd
in which a r se was fastene k o d .

oo b o o
T he r m was are and c m f rtless T hat day the furniture of six .

roo ms in the h use had een s l for o b — six eds and six od b
armoirs and the accom panim ents .

w do
T he i w did not ha e a picture of R apetto but the old la v , dy
vo lunteere to d ob
tain one from a neighbor A fter a few minutes she .

reappeare dw
ith the neigh r and a large cra n ra ing of a man
. bo yo d w
abo y y
ut twent five ears old ith a er large n se
-
w v y o .

M rs R apetto had acte as house eeper for the ea man A

. d k d d .

wee kb o
ef re his eath the were marrie d
st of the c n ersati n y d Mo o v
. o
was carrie on the old la d
, who sai by
that her nam e was Mrs dy d .

R W Benbury and that she was a aughter of G en C La coste

. .
, d . .
,

who in his day was a rich sugar planter and a mem er of the L egis b
lature .

I went to the St Jam es convent and the Ursulines said the .

,

old lady and I had everything I wanted ; but now I have only one
“
,

little room and I must work hard to keep m yself in that My hus
, .

band and I went all over the North together H e served in Fenner s
'
.

Battery and was spoken of as a very brave soldier .

”

She has a son but he doesn t do anything for her said the
“ ’

, ,

Oh he is all right , replie M rs Benbury simpl not , d .

, I y do
k o w
n w here he is at present did h we er try to get a pension . o v I , ,

for m y old man but the la er who t my m ne did not do any

, wy ook o y
th ing I o
was with ut a cent and as e him to help m e i h a little
. kd wt
change H e sai that he w ul c mpr mise on a
. d tle of wine ; but o d o o bot
I od
t l him that woul not drin ith a rat I d kw .

M rs R apetto sai that her hus an had ied from cancer She
. d b d d .

d
showe the visit r in the front r o
m T here were usts of M cKinley oo b . ,

G ari al i L eo X III and Ar ch ishop J ansens

b d , Ou all si es were b . d
d
evi ences of the little man who had w r e there ; but the singer okd
and the sculptor had left the place fore er v .
 R E M IN I SCE N SE S O F DA YS T H AT A R E G ON E

F rom an Old Copy of the Charleston Observer, by the Courtesy of

M iss Grace K ing .

A let ter written in the early part of the first decade of the last
century by J udge J oseph B revard of Cam den S C to his brother
, , .
,

Captain Alex Brevard owner of M t T irzah forge in L incoln county

, .
, ,

N C conveyed the information of the ex pected arrival in Charleston

. .

of a trad ing vessel freighted with African slaves A cting upon that .

intelligence and with a view of enlarging their iron industry Colonel

, ,

E phraim B revard son and partner of Captain Al ex B revard pro

, ,

ceeded to Charleston on horseback with a wagon following him , .

A t that tim e there were no railroads ; and vehicles and horses were
the only mod es of transportation Judge and Captain B revard
.

had bo th been officers in the R evolutionar y war and the iron works ,

ofL incoln county conducted by the B revard s G rah am s and Fom ey s

, , ,

were the only enterprises of that character south of the T redegar

Works in R ichmond
Upon the arrival of the ship in Charleston Colonel B revard ,

bought a wagon load of A fri can boys of varying ages and sizes and , ,

one man For some reason he purchased no females ; probably there

.

was none upon the m ark et H e paid a fictitious price for the negro
.

man who though densely ignorant and ab surd y super ttious was
,
l s ‘
,

active and sprightly H e was reputed to be a son of an A 11 zan King

"
. .

A fter the boys were decently clothed and properly fe d and the ,

wagon was loaded with the young Afri cans and a quantity of ginger
cak es and som e other provisions the start was m ade for N orth Car
,

olina T here was no mishap until the attempt was made to ford a
.

certain stream which was m uch swollen

, T he waters swept the pro .

visions from the wagon and the boys who had had a taste of the gin
,

g er b read seeing t
,heir fa v orite v iand d isappe ar l eape d as one person ,

in pursuit Several of the boys were carried by the current a hundred

.

yards or more below the crossing and the others were rescued from
-

drowning with the utmost diffi culty One when taken out was .

unconscious with a m ass of ginger cake clutched in his hand s

,
.

When they arrived and were domiciled at their future hom e

the new negroes ear ly exhibited a keen relish for young pigs which ,

they easily caught and greed ily devoured without the formality of ,
322 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

cleaning , ooking or serving ; for from their earliest recollections

c ,

nat ur e had been their cook and necessity their caterer T hey had to .

be punished repeatedly before the pigs of the plantation had any

security from molestation and flhng
k .

A t first the boys broke and destroyed the plates upon which
their m eals were served Oblong wooden trenchers were then sub
.

stituted for the plates but they continued to fight like animals over
,

the food A fter the necessar y training and corrections they progressed
.
,

suf fi ciently in table manners to eat from tin platters sop pot liquor ,
-

with bread and finally to use knife and fork

, .

T he negro man on account of his conseq uence and supposed

,

kingly blood was des ignated by the royal name of Caesar ; Cicero and
,

Pompey though younger enj oyed the same distinction ; the other
, ,

boys were given less conspicuous R oman or classic appellations .

While most of these negroes had a tendency to pilfer gaudy ar ticles ,

and take tem pting eatables the theft of v aluables was ex ceed ingly
,

rare Only one of the number as they grew to manh ood turned
.
,

out b ad ly — Scipio who was fearless defiant and possessed of a high

, ,

order of cunning H e robbed the B revard residence ofconsiderable

.

j ewelry and silverware and Maj or R obert Brevard s private office

,
’

of $600 in m oney It required months of the cleverest detective

.

work to recover any of the missing property and locate the criminal .

B eing regarded as a d angerous character he was sold and sent to a

distant State Nothing could induce him to divulge the name of the
.

accomplice declaring he would prefer d eath to betrayal

, When on .

the eve of leaving however he confi ded to the overseer that his
‘

, ,

confed erate was a white man who stood guard at the window while ,

the house was being ransacked .

A ccord ing to popular superstition White in the eyes was ,

regarded as an infallib le sign of tri ck ery in both man and bea st and ,

it bod ed no good to the possessor So after Scipio s banishm ent and

’
.

disgrace wise acres boasted that they had always predicted such an
,
-

end from his eyes

, .

Pom pey and H annibal became expert moulders and both were ,

valuable in mechanical and constructive work Pompey was full of .

g ood h um or ed w it an d was an ent

,ertain ing talker W hen the native .

dar kies j ested their A frican brothers about their comparative nudity
at the land ing in Charleston Pompey cleverly turned the laugh by ,

declaring that he was in swimming when caught H e boasted that .

he had a trunk full of good clothes at home which his captors would
not permit him to bring but that his fellow captives never did possess
,

any other garments than those worn by the m onk ey s .

324 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

were not reasonable or trustworthy H is eflort was more for efi ect .

' ’
,

and to ex cite the admiration and wonderment of his hear ers by his
incredible fictions H is pictures were nearly alway s on the marvel
.

ous and fantastic ord er One Sunday he told a crowd of eager lis
.
,

tening native negroes that once he came while in Africa to a river

, , ,

two miles wide and a mile deep ; it puzzled him to know how to cross
it ; then he placed each big toe in an imm ense egg shell and floated -

across T here was no sense in such a story and the act was im possi
.
,

ble but the shout of laughter and approval that went up from the
sim ple minded auditors completely brok e up the solemn stillness on

that Sababth observing old plantation T he native negroes regarded

-
.

one born across the sea with an awe akin to that inspired by a super

natural being and old Caesar s ex travagant tales were a sour ce of

’

intense pleasure and entertainm ent to those who had known and heard
but little beyond the scenes and enactments of a m onotonous neigh
borhood .

When I first remember Nero and Cato they were both of ad ,

vanced age and I was constantly thrown with them Nero had been .

sent to Cam den S C where he learned the trade of carpenter

, . . We .

had freq uent comm ercial transactions around the work bench He -
.

would make for me toys and cross bows ; and I in turn would surrep -
,

titiously abstract plug tobacco and an occasional dram for him from
-

the big house as he admiringly termed my father s d welling

“ ’
, .

Nero had a quick temper and could not speak E nglish ver y distinctly .

When ang ered his words could not be unders tood at all and at ,

these tim es the native negroes d eclared that he was a Guinea nigger
“

and would flee in terror from his presence H e made

”
and a ban man , .

a practice when in a rage of hurling the im plem ents of his trade at ,

their retreating forms T hey had som e reason for fear

. .

Cato was the reverse of Nero in temperament There was no .

foreign accent in his language H e was mild mannered amiable and .

, ,

kind and very religious H is duties consisted in shearing sheep

, .
,

tend ing horses and going upon im portant errand s to stores and the
towns H e had a short thick set body and large benignant features
.
-
, .

Nero was spare made coal black low ofstatue austere and forbidding
,
-
, , ,

in mann er Both had a distinctive air of almost patrician d ignity

. .

T hey were generally closely shaved and neat in appearance whether ,

working in their shirt sleeves or walking around in Sunday costume .

E ach wore small side whiskers in imitation of the E nglish style in

vogue among the prominent planters of the day They came from .

different sections of A frica and belonged to different tribes .

 R eminiscenses o D
f y
a s T hat A re G one 325

Cynthia Nero s daughter was my nurse and this circumstance

’

, , ,

recalls many pleasant childhood m emories She taught m e the lore .

of B re r R abbit and the T ar B aby long be fore it appeared from the

’

p en o f J oel C h an d ler H arr is W h ere she l earn ed t h.e sto rie s is n ot

known She loved nature and nature s creatures and talked to th e
’
. ,

domestic anim als as if they could understand and answer She .

was fond of fish ing for minnows in the brook s but few things pleased
her so m uch as taking one dinner along in a bucket and going with
children to spend the day in the mid st of the primeval forest where ,

she would seem happily to comm une with the wilderness the b ird s ,

and the trees She often took me to the spot where she said she
.

found me as a baby I t was a hollow stum p She hear d me crying

. .
,

a poor wee thing and a hawk was trying to carry m e oh I was

‘
.
,

m ad and red in the face from fighting the hawk A t every such .

r ecital sh e would sit d own and laugh imm od erately

, A s my youth .

ful philosophy could not solve the riddle of how I came there I was ,

stung by th e ridicule and awkw ardness of the situation and thought

it unk ind of her to refer to the occasion so often ; but at no other time
was she d isagreeable for she was as companionable as a child ; less
,

com b ative and m ore sym pathetic .

Caesar left a descendant who was cross grained contentious and ,

-
,

lik ed by no one H is face in repose had a striking suggestion in it of

.

nagging pain and sullen discontent ; when ex cited by d isagreeable

ev ents his coarse broad features seemed animated by confl
, icting
em otions of fierce passions and intense hatred while his voice und er ,

such circumstances had a grating m etallic hissing sound Caring , .

nothing for human companionship he had but few friend s , With .

dog and ax e he would scour the woods in season for opossum s H e

, .

loved the sport H e was also a tireless worker and on m oonlight

.
,

nights he would gather cotton alone in the fields in order to gain the
,

money prize offered for the best cotton picker on the plantation .

B etween this fellow and a certain woman a cross between ,

I ndian and negro there had long been an implacable feud , which had
,

culm inated in a conflict from which the man emerged with an ugly ,

knife scar upon his face, that marked him for life A bout the year .

1860 the woman d ied and there was a largely attended funeral
, , .

A fter the body was lowered and the grave filled the elderly man ,

p ra y ed in e x hor tat io ns th at evok ed th e w ild est w ailin g s an d la m en

tations T he emotions and sobbings of the women became infectious
.
,

and rend ered the scene inexpressib ly weird and solemn Caesar s ’
.

son stood aside from the crowd of mourners taking no part in the ,

ceremonies ,exhib iting no interest expressing no sympathy , As .

326 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

attempts to shame him into action were futile he was loudly impor ,

tuned to say some words of comm endation and forgi veness for the
deceased H e accepted the challenge and mounting the newly made
.
,

m ound like a game chicken stand ing upon the prostrate form of his
,

antagonist he said in m easur ed defiant tones that he d idn t want to

'
, , ,

speak but had been forced to — and would tell the truth ifhe was struck
,

dead for so doing H e wasn t responsible for the woman s life death
.
’ ’
, ,

or hereafter They all knew God had no use for sinful people and H e
.
,

sent them to the d evil They couldn t deny he said that the de
’
.
, ,

ceased had always been bad and wicked I t did no good to pray .

after people were dead I t grieved him to say that the d eparted
.

sister was in hell but as there was no way to get her out she had to
, ,

sufi er and burn forev er for her sins G od was good j ust and truth
‘
.
,

ful and he dared them to deny it

, .

The surprised auditors seemed spell boun d during the utter -

ance of such shocking inh um an sentiments and at the conclusion in ,

.

a threatening manner surged madly to revenge the memory of the

dead and do bodily harm to the unnatural accuser but he cursed

, ,

them and arming himself with rock s from the graveyard wall he
, ,

warned them not to follow H e then walked slowly down the road . ,

muttering aloud a life long conv iction that the world had a pick
”
-

at him and th at he was always censured for quarrels he never pro

,

Descendants of Nero and Cato are scattered abroad over a

num ber of States, and those living in and around Charlotte compare
favorab ly with the best of their race One of Nero s grand sons a
’
. ,

type of his progeny has been employed in a responsible position

, ,

by a wholesale grocery firm of Charlotte for nearly twenty years a ,

testim onial to his honesty and efficiency .

At o his vote was challenged on the ground that

a recent electi n ,

he lived in one city ward and his wife in another ; whereas the law ,

p rescrib ed that the voter s po lling place sh ould be w here

’
a vo ter s
’

wife resided H e thought it a hardship and an inj ustice ; and in

.

speak ing of the separation that had taken place between the m said
it was by mutual consent Me and her he continued agreed
” “ “
.
, , .

and there was no quarrel or hard feelings about it She acted a per .

lect lady throughout I told her I wanted to marry another woman

. .

She said she would consent if I would let her m arry the man she ,

wanted I said it was a trade and we both agreed and lived apart
. .

We have no children ; it hur ts no one ; it s nobody s business and it ’ ’

,

isn t right for people and the law to concern them selves about us
’
.
 RE CO RDS O F T H E SU PER I OR C OUN C I L

O F L OUI SI AN A . VII .

St at e m en t of
A cc o u n t M ay 18, 1725 Pierre arpentras ( har
. . C C
p tier) in account
en ih ompan of the I n ies in wt C y d
o
L uisiana .

I
nspecte and su scri ed d em ers of ouncil b b by M b C .

( Wo m
r e ate n) I mm ed 1a te c nn ec i n ith for egoing o to w
pe ti ti noi s n ot ious t o an un ini obv
tia e thir pa rt td d y .

Su m m o n s t o Sat isfy Claim M ay 19 1 725 A t the instance of .

, .

Mr De la Garde director of the land grant of Mr

.
, .

DeChaum ont Sherifi La M orinniere notifi es Dreux

,

res ent in their brewery to appear and

“ ”
freres at , ,

answer for aim s at i ssue .

Postscri pt on reverse page seems to recordthe Court s

’

decision sentencing Dreux freres to pay given amount

,

of 2000 francs maturing as defined, and residue 500 0

francs when due .

Dec is io n B e tw een De la G ar de an d Dr eux fr er es May 23 1725 . , .

Formal ruling of the matter noted in abridged postscript

with preceding num ber .

Notice communicated on June 8, 1725 .

Pe t it io n ofR ec overy May 23, 1725 Pierre am et see s to col

. . C k
o o
lect fr m Direct r De la ar e, of De Chaum nt grant, G d o
o t
an acc un of 1339 francs due for wages and item of 90 ,

francs for a m nth s

’
o bo d
ar due on acc un of Mr De la o t .

d d v
G ran e s mai ser ant
’
-
.

o ow d
Acti n f r ar .

P et i t io n Over U nfi n ish ed H ouse May 23 1725 Gedeon . , .

Frena de la Bouillonnerie tenant living at Natchez , , ,

ren a house from Sieur Faussi r at 200 francs a year

e ,

on cond ition that F should mt it i n shape for occupanc

y
as it lack s loors doors anc; windows
. ,

T enant has pa1d

O

f , .

100 francs in advance ; either let owner supply the re

uisite appurtenances within 8 days or else refund 100
g
,

A ct1on granted .

Pe t i t i o n of R ecovery 23, 1 725. May

L a France so signe ) . d
ov o
m es to c llect 46 francs due himself one lanchard, by
and alrea seize on a dye t of 50 francs due B lanchard
d db
by M da am e veuve Sausier, for a co w that was r ught bo
from Mob ile Petiti ner i s a u to s art for N aqui
. o O

bo t t
o
t ches .

o
C urt notifies B lanchar d .
 R ecords o f the Superior Council f
o L ouis iana 329

Pe t i t io n t o Waive H ear in g Ma 23, 1725 n ersi ne

g P U d d
i to o t
. . .

L eC omte as s the Shen l k m m

’

p s
po ne his a ppo t ent
with L aneau for one ee , as pet1tioner is sic in bed w k k ,

and was le b d .

dd d
A resse to Sherifi La Morinniere .

Pet it io n of R ec o very M ay 23 1725 j ean Vice German claims

.
, .
, ,

of Contract or Ives G ueret Durivage an item of 43 francs ,

and also four days of labor .

Si
( g ne d ) Ch r is tin as (p ro V ice) .

A cti on granted
O

Pr o m isso ry N o t e May 23 1725 Undersigned Durivages will pay

. , .

J en Vis the sum of 43 francs in res idue of account a , ,

month from date .

Dec isio n I n Civil Su it May 24 1725 Morant as J B Massy

. , . .

and Mr Balcourt
. Council orders plamtifi to pay
.

M assy 500 francs amount of note in dispute plus costs ;

, ,

whereas Balcourt is to release Morant in all points .

Sentence in brief under 25 3 1 1

Su m m o n s t o A n sw er I n Civil Su it May 24 1725 A t the in .

, .

stance of G edeon Frenay de la B ouillonniere Sherifi ,

Vincent notifies one Faussier j ust then on Mr R oquet s , .

’

p la nt at io n a lea g
,ue an d a h a lf fro m t ow n to a pp ea r on ,

Monday nex t at 8 a m to meet the demands in question . .

, .

Pet it io n t o Se ll H o u se M ay 24 1725 B inard alias La Forge edge

. , .
,

tool maker plans to go up and settle in I llinois there to

-
, ,

work at his trade which elds him too little at N O to

'

. .
,

ay what he owes to the mpany For working capital .

,

e would sell his house in m e B ourbon and thereby also ,

p r ev en t th e d ec ay o f th e sa m e w ere it le f t t o its el f , .

Council permits him to sell provided he deliver pro ,

coed s to the treasury for deduction for account aga1nst

R eview of B aro n d H o m b o ur g s Deb t s

’
May 24 1725’ ouncil
’
.
, . C
lor B rusle recalls the facts of sale of Baron s h use for o
1575 francs ; 150 francs pai cash resi ue su ect to d , d bj
d
sun r y attachments L et the ouncil appro e the sale . C v ,

and rectify d
eposit of 1425 in treasur together ith y , w
receipt for 150 francs .

N
otice ser e vd
on th se concerne o d .

Pe t iti on of R ec overy M ay 24, 1725 L uis

. . o Viger seeks to col
lect 50 francs, resi ue e it of his d db account with one
Beaucourt .

A ction all we o d .

Dec is io n I n su lt Moran d vs Massy an d Balcour t May 24 1725

‘

. . .
,

A bstract of same sentence noted under 2520 6

Filed N o 143 . .
330 T he L ouisiana H istor ical Quarterly

R ep ort on G e n t illy R o ad M ay 25, 1725 edientl .to r er of . Ob y od

Mr De Pauger Chief E ngineer for the ing in this
.
,
'

K
ov
Pr ince, the un ersigne L assus has exam ine the d d d
p re m ise s wh ere a ispute now pen s in regar to a pro d d d
d
pose new r a and ri ge od
H e fa ors new roa and b d . v d
b d
ri ge and recommen s tha certain bars be con em ne
, d t d d
w b
hich are lia le to be lef open to ravages of the w t ood
d
lan cattle N ew bridge is the onl serious
. stacle , but y ob
o d
th se intereste are illing to aid in c st and la r w o bo .

(Mr La ssus was C mpan Surve or)

. o y y .

T om at top .

A t t ac h m en t o f Fu n ds . May 25
Sherifi La Morinniere seizes , 1 725 .
‘

300 francs against one Caron Company s baker to cover

’

, ,

his deb t to Gilbert Dumas alias L E mpilleur Money ’

.

seized in the hand s o f A ntoine De L a H oublay e, employe

of sam e Com pany .

Notice served on Caron .

o
P e t it i n of R e co very M ay 25, 1725 ap ain deC hepare
. . C t see sto k
o
c llect his claim of 8 arrels of rice, e b ow d by one St .

Julien of annes Bruless C

and pay ble either in , kind or
at store price .

A ction all e ow d .

R agge d e ges d .

on
Pe t i t i to O ccupy M ay 25 1725 Antoine de La H oublaye has
.
, .

acquired a lantation on the M ississippi from Car on

p ,

baker but 1t appears that no real estate can be sold

,

without the Council s good Pleasure May it please the '

.

Council to approve the transfer in question so that the ,

petitioner may enjoy his acquisition .

A pproved on condition that the proceed s be consigned

to Company s treasury for paym ent of Caron s debit
’ ’
.
,

Pe t i t io n o f R e c o very May 25 1725 Officer T hierry seeks to

.
, .

collect from Sieur L archeves que th e sum of 460 francs,

“
due on a note pa a le 8 a s ef re the eparture of yb d y b o d
”
L a B ellone ; officer T hierry eing now presse for pay b d
ment as he inten s to start for M 0h1le
, d .

A ction forwar , and notice ser e on Larche d vd .

Dec is io n B e tw ee n T h ier ry an d L arc h e M ay 25 1725 L shall .

, . .

a
p y T 4 18 francs plu.s interest and costs in two specified .
,

installments .

(A page of scrawled matter precedes this decisionJ

Filed No 144 . .

Pe t it io n t o Cit e B efor e Co ur t a t N O Mobile May 28 1725 . , , .

T homas DeSercy party interested in estate of Deceased ,

Faure cannot summon the contesting widow of said

,

Fat re without authorization which he beseeches here

i
,

W1t O
G ranted at Mob ile by Diron .
332 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

Su m m on s l n E vic t io n Su it June 4, 1725 Sherifl La M orrinniere

‘
. .

notifies Pierre L a Com te to appear at 8 a m and hear . .

him self sentenced to yield free ion and inj oyment

of house in d ispute to plain L aneau alias Boucher .

Damage interest and costs on defendant

, .

Pe tit io n of overy June 5 1725 Jacques Coquillard tailor

R ec . , .
, ,

seeks to collect a bill of 182 francs and 4 sous from one

Carlton tailor , .

A ction allowed .

R agged ed ges .

Pet it io n I n R e m o n s tra n c e J une 6 1 725 J ean Caron Com

’

ys.
, . ,

baker urges that the seizure against him of 300 mx

, , ,

on M ay 25 was not in order and asks to have it ah

nulled .

H e further beseeches action of recovery against Mx

Delagoublay to whom he sold a plantation for 900
,

fra ncs and two barrels of rice L et Council accept 550

, .

from Caron and t o uire Delagoublay to pay res idue

Notice served on %elagoublaye
.

Pet itio n I n R e m o n s t ra n c e une 6 1 725 ean Caron Com pany s

. J , . J ,
’

b k
a er sh , ow
s the irregular and unla ful nature of the w
seizure a inst him hich he egs to ha e annulle w b v d
g
.
,

Al so let r L agaublay be cite in c nse uence of a

. d o q
ruling ate June 1d d
here aron may rec er surplus , w by C ov
ov
er his e d bt
of 550 francs to ompan C y .

(P ar tl up lic a in yd
g p ce ing num er )
re t d b .

Notice served on Delagoublay Partly torn . .

Pe t it io n of R eco very J une 6 1725 Jean Grenier soldier seeks

.
, .
, ,

to collect some item s d ebit from one Pigeon sometime ,

surgeon at L a B alise T o wit 101 francs ; also stated as .

-

comprisin so much dour and bacon at store price .

A ction orward.

Pe t it io n t o R ec over A f f ear ed R en t une 8, 1725 ag elaine . J . M d

Peauneau w
ife of Jean Charteau, see s to c llect from
, k o
one Dauphine and his ife 70 francs for se en m nths w v o ’

rent .Day efore ester a night b

hile Dauphine was y d y , w
awa yfor his or at Chapitoulas his w k
ife mo ed out , w v
unanri ounced, and t ith her as ell s me orr wed ook w w o b o
utensO O
s .

wd
A ction allo e .

Pe t it io n of R ec overy June 8 1725 J Poul tiquais alias u u

. , . J o
former workman with the C m pan claim s a flour b1ll o y ,

from J ean Coupart ; to wit : e ui alent alue of 221 -

q v v
unds of flour , rawn letter of ex change issue in d by d
llinois .
 R ecords f
o the Superior Council o f L ouisiana 333

Collection moved on basis of price current at the time

of transact ion less item s charged against petitioner in
,

account with Coupart .

A ction granted .

on
Pe t it i Oppo sit ion June 9 1725 Dreux freres move to op
In .
, .

e a ruling by d efault against them and in favor of

s DeL agarde director of DeC haumont grant , .

Notice served on Mr DeLa garde then at N 0 .

, . .

Pe t it io n of R ec overy June 9 1725 Denis Ferandon seeks to co]

.
, .

lect 70 fra ncs from one Vidrequin alias Couillard due on ,

his note of 25 February 1 725 .

A ction granted .

Pet it io n t o Can c el E n c u m b er ed Sale J une 10 1 725 Councillor . , .

B rusle when , buying three lots and a house from

“

Baron d H ombourg supposed it a clear transaction

’
, .

I nstead it is blocked by seizures and only contingent

, ,

ion is obtainable now L et the sale be cancelled : .

Brusle will return the key of house and what pa s

be already holds and the Baron is ex pected to t e d
cash advance of 150 francs .

No note by Court .

P ower of A tt orn ey Paris June 11, 1725 Paul Pailhoux , citizen

. . .

of Saint Chigman in L angue c (name left lan ) for do b k ,

settling es a e of his tt ecease r ther, Js cones Pailhoux d dbo

de Barbesant, s metime a r o
eneral of L ouisiana M jo G
ov
Pr ince (There f ll. s copy of an interestin c n rac
g o ow o t t
of lease, here w by
the late r0prietor ce e h1s dd
g
enta
o t
tation pposi e N O to ean H ug ot at 100 panish . .

do y y t y
llars earl ; hree ears term I n case of seri us need,
’
. o
p p
r o r ieo w d y o
t r ill e fra c dst of m e ical atten ance on d
p la n ta toi n v
sla es ) .

d d
L ease was ate at N 0 May 22, 1724 . . .

D ecisio n B e t wee n Po upar t an d M anade June 11 1725 Man . , .

ade shall pay plaintiff 192 francs in alance of their b

dispute acc untd o
T his all s e ucti n in
’
ana e s . ow d d o M d
vo
fa r for shingling hich plaintifl faile to c m plete
‘
w d o .

N
am e is gi en Coupart (pr v
a l correct) ith the re ob b y w
verse n tice oSherifi incent by V .

D ec isio n I n Su n dry Su it s June 11 1 725 .

, .

1 See No 25
.
2 37 . .

2 Pichot os H enry
. Costs on defendant warned not
. .
,

to relapse .

3 (Mutilated ) Possibly case of 25 ; store price to be

.
232

observed .

4. See 25231 Plaintifi s claim allowe

.
’
d .

5 R
. ossard and o
th ers 1 s attached B aron
'
. . Scrawled
compro mise .
334 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarter!y
6 . os Co upart. Out of c . ourt .

See 25 laim allowe C d

3
.
234 . .

See 25 Claim allow ed

330 . .

9 . See 25 337 . Claim allowed .

10 . See 2520 1 . Default , and ruling appears to fav or plain

Scra tched
tiff . .

1 1 See 25
.
319 Claim allowed . .

12 M utilated
. R eference to . an opp siti n o o Case te
ferred to Mr Fleurian
.

. .

13 Claim allowed
. .

Filed N o 145 . .

T es t im o n y I n Defam at io n Su it Natchez June 13 1725 E x .

, .

am ination of witnesses R ene Papm and E stionne E lloy

alias Charente with reference to damaging reports in
,

circulation at the e nse of M adame R ousseau They .

have heard such tatt e ; but Nicolas de la Conot sponsor ,

of the slander avows it to be false and is sentenced to

, ,

make ublic apolo to M adame R plus costs and fine .

of 20 os to the hur ch .

Burnt notch at right edge .

O pen R oad June 14 1725 I nhabitants of Gentilly

'

Pe t it io n For .
, .

move for action against Sieur R ivard of Bayou St Jean , .

,

who has barred the road and made it im passable Signed : .

L assus Soubaigne , .

Mr R i ar ul . v d d y cited .

Mo n ey Or der . J une 15 1725 , . Dumont asks the Cour t A uditor to

a
p y 50 francs to Mr . Joly (apparently for some hospital
atten ance d .
)
July 3 1725 A ttorney General approves the settle
, .

ment of Joly s account from proceeds of a certain sale

’

presum ab ly o f Dumont s good s

’
.

A ckn o wledgm en t o f De b t une 15, 1725 M erique rec r s his . J . od

b
o ligation to Mr Dufresne for 700 francs and engages .
,

to ay the sam e on eman alue recei e in f rm of d d V . vd ‘

o
a s ave and other commod1t1es .

'
Dec is io n St ill P en din g o n R o ad Su it une 15 1725 Prem ises . J , .

shall first be inspecte Court viewers E xpe ienc d by . d y

of new r a od w
ill be etermine su se uent ofl ic1al d d by b q
report .

Filed N o . 147 .

‘
Dec is io n l n Baro n d H o m bo u r g s A flair s
’
une 1 7, 1725 Let
’
. J .

contract of sale be ex ecute A wee hence Mr Brusle d . k .

shall d v
eli er 1425 francs to C m pan s cashier
a nd o y ’

the B aron shall surren er titles to M r B Opposmg d . .

d
cre itors are to pro uce their papers e fore Co uncillor d b
de la Chaise for collection on seize fun s Bar n D H
,
'
d d . o .
336 The Louisiana H istorical Quarterly

Su m m on s t o Pr oduc e Pa er s une 21 , 1725 Sheriff L a rin . J . Mo

niere notifi es r B rusle and the Bar n d H ombourg, . o ’

o
and Mr Pich t and Mr Delery , and Mr Durivage, to
.
, . .

p la ce in the han s of M r de la haise, their l d

etters and . C
o d
pers c ncerne in the seizure against Baron d H om
’

gg urg, heret by
furthering the usiness of adj usting pre b
d
ferre claims .

Pet it ion in Dugou t Su it N ew rleans, une 21 , 1725 . e eon O J . Gd

F rene y de la Bouillonnerie lent his ug ut five m nths d o o
ago toMr Dumanoir for six ee s and is put to
. w k
o v
inc n enience ela e return by d y d
H e nee s the ug ut . d d o
at N atchez and re uests that M r D be c m elle
q p to . . o d
d v t
eli er it here at h13 own e nse and to pay h rs at the
rate of one piastre a day t ate of return R eference
'

d .

tv t d
to ac i e ra e in
“
O ”
ils (pr al ear s fat ) , t acco ob y b ’
ob
and ot N t
her supplies at a chez (A ux atchez ) . N .

Notice served on Mr D . .

Su m m on s t o Pr o du ce Pa er s June 23, 1725 Sheriff Vincent .

,

notifies Baron d om bourg Swiss Captain to surrender

’

, ,

at once to Mr Brusle the titles to the three lots and

.

house at issue .

Pet ition t o R ecover Wages J w e 25, 1725 ranc is ig t, . . F o G o

o
f rmerl co y ok
to Mr Dumanoir, claims 900 francs for .

y
three ears of hire at 300 francs a ear Petiti ner is y . o
td o
lis e in the r lls of ser ice at P rt L uis, and mus t e v o o t
p o r it
n his epar m en
”
L etdMr D be c i e t t . . . td .

Court Order onG am b led Cat t le une 25, 1725 orne G en . J Att y .

eral Fleurian a dv
ises the ouncill rs tha one Sainton, C o t
credi rto to the ompan , ins ea C
of pa ing bac the y t d y k
d
sum s a vanced in ehalf of his pros erous es a lishmen b t b t
g wy o o
,

w td
has as e his g s and e en am led a a s me c ws
g ood v
to Infantry Ofiicer Peti de L ivdliers But the c ws are t . o
of imm va le proper o b
and may not be rans ty , t
erre duntil Saint n has pai the Com pan , thus te o d y
leasing the mortage securi L et the c s be restored ty . ow
to the C
ompany in a a emen of e t or else s l at , b t t db od ,

t o to
auc i n same purp se o .

No vd
tice ser e on Pe i de L ivilliers tt .

Su m m o n s t o Produce Pa er s 26 1725 Sheriff incen . June , . V t

d o y
han s a c p of r Bru s receipt Bar n d H ombourg .
’
to o ’
,

and als o
repeats n ice the Bar n in pers n, a u ot to o o bo t
d
surren ering titles of the three l ts and house in ispute o d .

Sale of Su rvivin g E fi ec t s J une 26 1725 urt aucti n of the few

.
, . Co o
articles of apparel which bel n ed to the late A rien o d
o o
Dum nt T tal pr ceeds 1 16 rancs 1 1 s us, ept in
. o , , o k
od d
R ec r er s han s to m eet eman s of la ful claimants
’
d d w .
 R ecords f
o the Superior Council o f L ouisiana 337

A t t ac h m en t of Fun ds June 27, 1725 At the instance of un

. . Co
f incen seizes, in the han s of ashier
cillor Pei ry , Sherif V t d C
Bru, the Bar n d H ombourg fun s in rder
’
o sa isf a d o to t y
p ar icula rtc laim o f 25 francs .

Court Order to P08 no H g June 27 1725

ear in . , . Ged eon
Freney de Bouillonnen e as Jean Baptiste . Faucon
Par ties a djo
urne d
to ul 10 J y .

o
P stscri pt, c O tob
er 13, 1 725, a dj ourns them once
O

again c to O tob
er 15, 1725 .

( on sui Ne ) td .

Pe t itio n ofR eco very June 28 1725 n ersigned R icard m

. es , . U d ov
o y
to c llect a ear s salar due fr m Mr Dumanoir since
’
y o .

1723; less an item of 100 francs alrea recei e on the dy vd

t o
otal am unt due, 600 francs .

A c ion grantet d .

Su m m on s t o Pay Claim une 28, 1725 A t the instance of. J .

d
Pierre Picar , Sherifi incen notifi es Mr Dumanoir V t .
. to
‘
a pear on Satur a
p hirtieth of the present m nth, at d yt o
el ght cl c o ok
of the m rning ,
’
ans er for claim in o to w

Pet it ion of R ec overy Sh ift ed Jl

u 1, 1 725 Qu eret Du ri age .
y . v
d o
empl y e one Coupart , Jomer, m a e in s and to k two w dow
roof repa1rs, and had to pay Coupart s
’
ill of 34 francs b .

P et it ion of R ec overy Jul 9, 1725 Par ies ndre Saufi e, and

. y . t A
C d
lau e H eux , c0ppersrmth, m e c llect 37 francs ov to o
o E
fr m stienne uet, due on n es Bo two ot .

A ction all e ow d .

Pet it ion of R ec overy July 9, 1725 T ro per L eBleu mo es

. col . o v to
lect 54 francs and 7 s ns fr m S1eur Saint Quaintain H e o o .

d
nee s the m ne o y
for su sistence of his ife and chil b w d
o b
his rati n not eing w pable ofn urishing three pers ns
‘
o o .

Dec ision in Seven Civil Su its . July 1 1, 1 725 .

1 See 2526
.
1 Defontaine to . ay claim .

.
'
2 Andre Sanh e and lau e C d eux os . Bouet . B pa
. ys .

3 See 25.
35 9 Defendant in . default . Must a
p y, lu
p s
o
c sts .

4. Attorney General os Petit de L ivilliers Party . . who

bought cows shall be cited before decision is pro

5 J ean Baptiste
. Massy os . B ouche Claim to be paid
. .
338 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
6 T ronquidy os Dreux freres
. laim all e ; 250 . . C ow d
francs plus 10 sous for 835 poun s of rea d b d .

7 Veuve Dar enne os

. d
auc n Dumanoir and Pellerin . F o .

Still pen ing s s reser e d . Co t vd .

ile F dN
o 15 1 . .

Pe t it ion for A ppo in t m e n t o f G u ar dian s ul 12, 1725 arie . J y . M

Therese L egran , i of Pierre Drillant m d w dow
es for , ov
o
electi n o f a guardian and surrogate guardian of her
minor children, so that the seals may be la full remo ed w y v
from proper of their ecease ty
father d d .

Su m m o n s t o A t t e n d H ear in g J uly 14 1725 A t the instance of .

, .

Francois Gegot ali as Durocher Sheriff Vincent serves , ,

another notice on Mr Dumanoir to appear on J uly 16 .

, .

Co py of R ecovery Pr o c eedin gs une 1 , 1724 , ul 16 1725, Oct . J J y , .

25, 1731 F
irst comes a power of attorne from uris
. y j
d iction of L orient grante a am e C ego, supp sing, d by M d o
herself widow of c ook d d
F rancois G ogot un er ate of J une
t
1 , 1724, to L ieutenan L ofol of ship Dromadaire, for col
lecting her hus an s salar b d
ex , C ur y N t o t
rulin g of
’
.

w d
J uly 16 1725 allo ing sai salar to Francois G ego, still
, , y
ali e v L astl notice ate Oct 25 , 1731,
. y d d to
Mr R ossar , . . d
y
attorne , on moti n of af resai o o d
L ieutenant Le fol, em
p o we re co llec d
tor for a am e veuv e G egoM d .

Blurre d .

Dec isio n s in T wo Civil Su it s ul 16 1725 . J y , .

1 . F
rancois G
igot alias DuR ocher os Mr Dum anoir . . .

Claim of 900 francs allo e less 122 francs alrea wd , dy

d
ischarge d .

2 Paul L e leu os St
. uen in b
laim allo e . . Q t . C wd .

Costs on efen ant in efault d d d .

F d
ile N o 181 . .

Defen dan t
’
s A ckn o wl edgm en t o f Pleadin g ul 17, 1725 J y . .

Demoiselle aire A nne A rt us, M i o of ean aure and wd w J F

y
usuall resi ent at d
o ile, but now at 0 , files notice M b N
of her intention to efen her cause against T homas De d d
y“
v y o d
Serc and protests against e er l ss, expense, amage
,

and interest the jo y

urne oj
and s ourn and return trip
,
”
, ,

y d v d
all which outla she woul ha e pen ing against plaintif f .

(M da am e doe s not sig b

n e ing ub
n a lewto ri te ) , .

N vd
otice ser e on T hom as De Serc y .

P e t it io n for Fr ee R igh t o f Way J uly 17 1725 Joseph Chaperon .

, .

and Paul B arre contract ors to fur nish wood to the ,

Company have had a great lot of cypress cut and a road

,

Opened over the land of one Bourbeau for hauling wood ,

to the river B now uses the road him self and inter
. .
340 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarter!y

Pe t it io n of overy July 25 1725 Saint H ilaire surgeon of Ste

R ec . , .
,

Catherine grant moves to recover some 800 francs from

,

Mr R aquet executor for late Mr Guenot t ether with

. , .
,

1 3 11 commercial papers (Mr Guenot di in March

33
172
. .
,

Action allowed .

T om at edges .

P et it io n to Pay Cash , N o t Flo ur ul 26, 1725 Mr . J y . . Faucon

Dumanoir es two ow
uarters of flour to Bompart, q execu

v w of the scarcity of flour Mr D desires to pay 120

I n ie , . .

francs cash which B refuses insisting on flour

, Let.
, .

Court sanction cash payment .

A ction allowed .

Stained .

Pet it io n of R ecovery J uly 26 1725 Francois R icard can get no

.
, .

satisfact ion from M r Dumanoir as regard s claim of 60

. 0
francs and an additional bonus L et Mr D be cited for . . .

Monday next .

Granted .

Cert ifi cat e on Con trac t . J uly 28 1725

Bourbeau, certifies ha he , . t t
was present at the bargain hich L a R iviere ma e ith w d w
Chaperon 1n the ma er of rem ving a lot of tt
d from o woo
y t
c press rac to lan ing t d
T erms, 25 pist les I te1n, ha . o . t t
o v
the xen ha e conve ed all the o d but a few pieces wo
gy
.

u lier attesteed B arre

gaéecO
t .

Pr ocedur e Over Dis ted Marr iage (lon tract July 1725
A ttorney g dot states his opinion to the eflect that he
. .

‘
O

looks for a private settlement of the contention ,

w se legal pleading will be useles s But if the contrary .

come to pass then T homas De Sercy should leave his

,

p p
a ers w ith on e o f th e Co uncil C adot im plies that if he .

appears Thomas is likely to be the loser .

Su m m on s an d O bj ec t io n t o Sam e July 28 1725 I n answer to . , .

Sheriff s notice that he shall appear on Monday next

’
,

De Sercy rotests at 1mputation of default on

his part T erm of p . caring does not mature till J uly 30 ,

d he has duly signified his intention to answer on July

gg
P rocedu r e Over Dispu t ed Marr iage Con tra c t July 28 1725 .
, .

T homas De Sercy answers the defence in regard to deed

of gift Argum ent is purely technical and constructive
. ,

assuming that the donor could not have meant what the
term s of copied contract seems to express Faure was .
 R ecords o f the Superior Council f
o L ouis iana 341

not contem l ted so it is here urge as beneficiary to d

pg
, ,

d
Wi ow de OOO 11 in pre u ice to sur i ing heirs of l o , j d vv bo d .

Le t the Co ur t re ect a am e Ar tus efence and sa dle j M d d d

o
her with c sts of her trip and other ex penses .

No
tice gi en to sai wi ow v d d .

o
P et it i n of
R eco very : Seco n d Edit io n J uly 29, 1725 C uncill r . . o o
y k
Perr see s to obtain the sum of 25 francs accruing to
him from seize fun s of B aron d H ombourg
’
d d .

A ction f r ar ow d .

(A ar ed ) w d
Mem oran du m Sale of R eal E s t at e J uly 30 1725 U ndersi ed
. .
, .

Pierre Plovus has con e e a lot c ntaining 4 acres ont vyd o

(o h th e ri er ) at the p lace calle Hvigh L and (la ha
,ute d
terre) to J de Mortierre for 600francs paya le at state
, , , b d

R em on stranc e J uly 30 1725

. Mr R aquet is surprised that , . .

Sur geon St H ilaire moves to recover so large a sum as

.

800 francs without producing requisite vouchers in writ

ing Mr R asks to be d ischarged
. . . .

A
( pp a rently he q ualifi es Sherifl
‘
Vin cent as his attorney
but thi s portion is mutilated ) .

Su m m on s of
L it igan t s ul 30, 1725 St H ilaire os R a uet . J y . . . q .

Part ies to appear efore Councillor Perr , A ugust 1 b y .

o
Pet it i n of R eco very J uly 30 1725 Captain de G auverit seeks to
. , .

collect 200 francs from one L ivet tailor , .

Notice served on L ivet at G entilly , a bout two leagues

Su m m o n s in Civil Su it A ugust 2 1725 A t the instance of Sur , .

geo n S t H ila lr e Sh erifi.V incent notifi es sundry part ies ,

0 atten hearing before Councillor Perry on A ugust

3
,

2 p md . .

(M ar gin to r n aw ay ) .

M em oran du m of
A cc un t A ugust 3 1725 o
Durivage acknowl .
, .

d
e ges having transferre to St H ilaire a ill of 276 francs d . b
for o p wo d
a a le B aron d H om bou rg ; y b by
and has gi en
’
v
his note for what else he owes to St H ilaire . .

Ba l fa ed dy d .

(A war e ) dd .

A c kn owledgm e n t an d R ec e ipt s A ugust 3 1725 Duri age .

, . v
k
ac nowle ges and confesses
”
d
his e it of 83 francs to db
St H ilaire, in alance o f wor
. one St H for D b kd by . . .

Promise to pay two months from ate d .

Successi e receipts v
Vincent M ay 14, 1726, J uly by
15, 1726 .
342 The L ouisiana H istor ical Quarter ly

T e s t im ony in Civil Su it A ugust 3, 1725 St H ilaire os R a uet ,

. . . . q
o
ex ecut r for late Mr G uen t itness 1 B M assy ; . o . W . .

k ow t
n s hat M r G hel a ut 700 or 800 francs in n tes
. . d bo o
b elonging to St H a ut two m nths
. ef re eath of
. bo o b o d
G . L ouis A uguste de la L oire n ws tha St H , in k o t . .

Nov b
em er, 1 722, c nsigne 771 francs in n tes o G d o to .

then g ing o wn to N O do for c n ersi n int ills . . o v o o b O

k “
Thin s a few were c n er e L ess direct e i ence o v td . vd by
P ierre R icart, j B Faucon, Dumanoir and R ec r er . od
M ichel R ossard .

Docum ent in duplicate , and both copies well pres erved .

Filed No 178 . .

o
P et it i n fo r J u s t A ugus 4, 1725 R ecor er R ssard
J udgm en t . t . d o
earnestl y d d
efen s the character of M r Des r sses, . bo
o
f rmer w o
areh use guar , now un er criminal pr se
c d d o
t
I n par icular, let Mr Des r sses be cre ite Wl th . bo d d
1500 francs for a certain sla e who el ngs la full to v b o w y
. . b
Mr D but has een s l to Mr Pra el I t is not the od . d .

company s olicy to rob a e

’
r ofhis own assets d bto
g o
.

F d
ile wit pr ceedings Delachaise . .

Dec ision in Su it A gain s t Mr Desbrosses A ugust 4, 1725 . . .

Council d ismisses Criminal charge and makes prov131on ,

for due settlement of account in dispute .

Slave transact ion is referred to further elucidation .

Judgment postponed in a suit os Marlot and St

“
. .

Martin ”
.

R agged ed ges .

Filed No 177 . .

Pet it io n in Dispu t ed Marria e Co n tract August 6 1725 . , .

Marie A nne Ar tu wi ow of late Jean Faure asks to be

, ,

qualified to plead as m othe r o f her three m inor children;

and let proceedings be instituted for election of guardian
and surrogate guardian .

A pproved .

Dec isio n Over Dispu t ed Marr iage Con trac t August 6 1725 . , .

T homas De Sercy nonsuited and subj ect to costs and

traveling expenses .
344 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

Conser vation Commission Some decades ago we saw a stuffed .

white Pelican on the desk of the leading hotel in Quincy I llinois , .

We inquired as to whence it cam e and the answer was that it was

captur ed there N ow we learn from M r Arthur that the whit e
. .

Pelican although migratory hatches out its young in the great nor th
ern lake country while the d ark gray Pelican hatches and rear s

its young in L ouisiana .

Co l L H De Grange s H istorical data concerning Spanish For t

’
. . .

will be found quite interesting and we think it is the first clear state
ment as to Spanish Fort its raison d etre and traditions
’
, .

R eminiscences of the women of the six ties are gracefully and

g p
ra hic ally give n by M rs T o m pk in s an d th ese R em inisce nces o f .

days that are gone tell of what was commonplace in the Carolinas
1 10 years ago Manon L E scaut in French and as translated b y
’
.
,

our estimable correspond ing secretar y M rs H H Cruzat tell th e . . .

,

story T his romance by A bbé Prevost published in 1733 is said b y

.

Saintsburg to be the first masterpiece of French literat ure that can

p p
r o er ly be called a nov e l I t w ill b e foun d in teres ting in eith er .

T he recor s of
the Superi r d
uncil o f L uisiana ac in 1725 o Co o b k
d
lea us to realize that there ere legal trou les in those a s as ell w b d y w
as now and in l ing some legal points nearl asvo v scure 200 y ears y ob
ago as now .

T he b o
found ing of N ew Orleans by our Soc iet y
cele rati n of the
occurred on December 2oth 1918 H onorable Charles Barret , , ,

consul general of France delivering an addres s in French which will ,

be found in this issue together with its translation by M iss G race

King Papers were also read by Mr Delvaille H Theard Mr U
. . . , . .

Marinoni and Mrs H H Cruzat . . . .

Statement o f the O wnership, M anagement. y the A ct o f C ong re ss

C ircu ation. e tc qi db
u re
b dq
re

Hi
. ,

o f A ug ust 24, 1912 , o f the o uisiana L stori ca l Q

uarterly , pu lishe uarterly at N ew Orleans . L a . fo r
p
.

A ril State of L
o uisiana, P arish of Orleans Before me, a N otary P u lic , in and for the State b
d dJ Dm d h h i b dl
.

and Parish afo resaill persona y appeare w di ohn y on w o, av ng e en u y sworn ao r ng to

w d p d
, ,

1Q h f ll
'

sa e oses an h h E i
s ays f L ii 11 s
t at e 19 the d tor l d i th e ou s ana uarter y . an that t e o ow ng
b f hi k wl d d b li f
, o 1

is, to the es t o nom f h w i

ge an m m f a true s tate en t o t e o ne rs h p, anage ent. etc o th e
q i d h A fA
s e e e

id h d
.
, ,

f
a oresa bi ipu l ca t on for t ew i i a te sho 2 9 12
n n the ab ove capt o n, re u re by t e ct o ug ust 4, 1
Hi i S Ed M E di M Jh Dm d
.

P bli
u L
s her .i o uis ana s tor cal B i ocie ty itor anag ers tor, us ness anaser . o n y on

2 Th Hi i l S i
. . .

N ew O L
rleans, a w Th L i i
. at the o d i ners are : k e ou s ana stor ca oc ety an n ues no st oc .

Vi P
ce - idres H R h Thi d Vi
en t ; enry id W O H
ens aw . T d B ri R oe- Pres en t ; art, reasurer an uss ere ouen.

di S h k w b dh ld
. .

C orrespo n ng ll N O l L
ec re tar y . a 3 Th of ewW d
r eans , a at t e no n on o ers. an
h d di 1 fb d m
. .

h i
o t er sec ur ty w i o l ers o m f l m
n ng or hol ng per cent or ore o to ta a ount o on s. ortg ages . or
d J h D m d Ed S b i b d b f m hi
.

h
ot er sec urities are N one d
Signe n on 1tor worn to an su scr e e or e e t

W m N
. . o y . . s
dd
n f
ay o il (S ) A
A pr , 19 19 . P bli (M
eal mmi i i f lif im )
ugustus illia s, o tary u c .
y co ss on s or et e .
 IST‘RICAL U A RT ERLY
V ol 2 , No 4
. . . October, 1 91 9

T h e A rchives of L o uisiana
L afi tte, the Pira te and Pa trio t
Fo n tal ba L e tters
F ray A n to nio de Sedalla , Part I I
T h e Fla gs f
o Lo uisiana
Creole Fo l k Songs

Publh hed Q uarterly by

T IIE L OU ISIANA H IST ORI CAL SOCIETY

-

cm oo, NE W ORLEANS, LA .
 L O U I SI ANA H I ST O R I CAL SOC I E T Y
G ASP A R CU SA CH S. President .

JOHN DYMON D First Vice President

,
-
.

BU SSIERE ROU E N Second Vioe President

,
-
.

HE N R Y RE NSHA W , T hird Vioe- P resident .

M ISS G R ACE K I N G R ecording Secretary

, .

MRS H ELO ISE H U LSE CR U ZAT Corresponding Secretar y

.
,
.

E xecu t ive Co m m it tee

John Dym ond, Chairman ; G aspar Cusachs Bussi ere R ouen

. , H
enr y R ensha w
Miss G
,

W
. O H art.
. race King and Mrs . H
H eloise ulse Cruzat .

Edi t or H ist or ical Q u ar terly

JOH N DYMOND Cabild, o, N ew Orleans .

 T A BL E O F C ONT E N T S

Volu m e 2, N o 4
. Oct ob er , 1919

Letters of Don Joseph Xavier de Fontalba

L afitte, the L ui i n Pi
o sa a rate and P atri ot

T he Flags f L ui i n
o o sa a

R ecords of the Superior Council of L

ouisiana. V III
St atement of Ownership, etc

CU T S

Baron Joseph Xavier de Fontalba

El Sr Dn Andres de Almonaster y R oxas
. .
350 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

widely advertised and very much exploited I t is an attraction .

for many tourists who may be seen any fine day book in hand or
, , ,

with some anxious and usually uninformed resident locating this or

that survival of the ancient regime of L ouisiana Societies have .

been formed to mark buildings and locations famous in history and

legend and pious hands are industri ously preserving these landm arks
, .

I ndeed to dispute the usefulness of the quarter to deny its charm

, , ,

or to fail to appreciate its atmosphere would lay one open to sus ,

p ic io n o f d isloy alt y to th is our d ea r Mo th er th e fam ous a n d d e ,

lightful City of the Crescent Far be it from me or you to intimate .

that we are not in complete harmony with this sweet spirit of devo
tion even though a good story sometimes grows out of it
, .

The last time I appeared before the R ound T able Club (several)
y e a rs ag o ) m y to p,ic w as t he D ec is io n of t he E lec tor al Co mm issio n
on the disputed presidential election of 1876 the H ayes T ilden ,
-

Controversy In the spirit which dominates these lectures that

.
,

nothing is ever finally settled until it is settled right I had under ,

taken that night to argue the appeal of history against the d ecision .

Just as I reached the climax of the argument there came into the ,

room a d istinguished visitor from Washington the reporter of the ,

decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States H e was chap .

eroned by a very active m ember of this Club who lived on R ue ,

R oyale and had a due appreciation of the atmosphere of that part

of our world The distinguished visitor sat a while am ong us lis
.
,

tened with interest for a few moments to the speaker and then was ,

carried away to fill another engagement Under this hospitable .

direction he saw nothing of course but the old city its landmarks
, , , ,

and the wonderful collection of historical record s and curios at the

b ild reat French names of our Eighteenth Centur y
C a o I T h
. e g ,

Bienville Iberville Conti the King of France the H ouse of Bourbon

, , . , ,

the Dauphin were called out to the visitor as his car rolled ov er the
,

crossings T he Spanish Cab ildo the Chiefs of that era O R eilly

’
.
, , ,

U nzaga M iro Carondelet G ayoso Casacalvo and Salcedo h0w

, , ,
— , ,

deftly all this fitted into the scene of that day and night The foreign .

menu and french cook ing of the restaurant heightened his illusion
and left him entranced with the old city the only City of N ew Orleans ,

that he saw H e had escaped for a while en route to the Club and
.

back to d inner but in the few m om ents at the lecture he had heard
, ,

discussion on a matter that occurred after his own birth not antique
y e t sc ar ce ly new It was however a mom entary rift 1n the vision
.
, ,

lSo ll d b
ca e i i h b ildi
ecause I t hi h h Sp i h m i
s t e u l b d
ng nC bi d
w c h d
t e an s un c ipa o y, the a l o, el
i
ts aesu ons .
 The A rchives of L ouisiana 351

of real old de
deep impression on him A while
times and it m a a .

aft erward s I met in Washington a m em ber of the Supreme Court

,

and he said Our reporter recently paid a flying visit to N ew Orleans

, ,

where between trains he was carried around the old city taken to ,

the Cab ildo lunched in the old quarter and told m any ancient
, , ,

quaint and interesting stories H e cam e back here enchanted (said .

the J udge ) and told us how odd it all was to have b een suddenly
'

whisked out of his T wentieth Century life into this atmosphere of

said he to the Jud ge they are catching
” “
the E ighteenth B ut .
, ,

up down there ; they are catching up They have j ust heard about the .

Election of 1876 and are very m uch excited over it ”

.

I n the interval between that lectur e and this m oment the ,

world has also caught up and it is very difficult now to touch any
topic grave or gay which does not reflect the lights and shadows
, ,

of the cataclysm through which civilization has recently passed .

When the Chairman of your Committee ex tended me a pressing ,

and I may add a flattering invitation to address you this evening I

, ,

suggested we had had so much physical and mental d isturbance

during the last five years it would be quite impossible to hold an
,

audience unless one coul d touch a key that woul d stimulate and ex alt
its recent ideals I said I doub ted the wisdom of this
” “
. That he .
,

said is exactly what we had in mind when we invited y ou G ive

“
.
,

them something to rest them H is advice was suggestive of a pillow

.

or a pile of cushions and a topic that would lul l one to the land of the
,

lotus or to dream s of sunny fishing spots ; or perhaps of an idyl in

which there would be no domestic problem s or high cost of living .

I n truth it was b etter intentioned than at first blush it might

,

have seemed A re we not all of us overwr ought ? War frightful

.
,

ness heroism sorrow have flood ed our hearts ; time will d iscount it
, , , ,

but the days of grace are afflicted by d iseases moral and physical , ,

p ub li c a nd private Th e w orld is sti

.ll upsid e down a nd wh o is not
tired of it ?
The prescription of your Chairman is rest — rest from the ,

turm oil of the years and a react ion to the undying things the things ,

that rule the soul of the scholar and prevail in the kingdom of the
mind I am not sure I can fill this prescription but I am going to
. ,

talk about som ething that has helped me to hear my individual

losses in this d isastrous period I t is far away from anything we .

have recently thought about ; indeed so far away the spirit of our ,

visitor j ust described would be shocked They have relapsed ! he ”

.
“

would cry .
352 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
My subj ect is The Archives of L ouisiana and it is my ih ,

tention within the b rief time at our d isposal to travel quickly

, ,

into a plain but not uninteresting region ; to go with y ou into the

story of the documents which concern the history o f the period of

which the old quarter was the heart of L ouisiana I have a double
.

p pu r o se I. s h all a tt ra ct att e nt io n to o u r ci v ic d u t y in a n im p or ta n t
cause and shall end eavor to stir up in y ou a d esire and a will to

rectif y a w ro ng w hil e t h ere y e t is tim e I s h al.l d isc ov er t o y ou I ,

h0pe a new source of interest in N ew Orleans and show you a way

,

to create a revenue for us ; to build up something which will attract

visitors with all that this means and at the same time ed ucate
, , ,

ourselves and yield us too a revenue that revenue which all new ,

study brings to the mind .

While the subj ect is ancient the topic is timely because we

,

have recently hear d m uch of the wanton destr uction of priceless

h istorical mem orials Monum ents and muniments of E uropean
.

history have been sacrificed to the exigency of war The lesson of

.

tho se lost things will not wholly perish because pictures copies , ,

and other evid ence still ex ists but in the case of L ouisiana our
, ,

his torical archives what is left of them have not been copied or
, ,

reprod uced .Some of these memorials are j ust as precious to man

kind as the Magna Charta or the parchment original of the Declara
tion of I nd ependence .

T he State of L ouisiana is not only a composite of the old world

and the new to an extent not paralleled in any of the other States
of the Union but the original elements have again and again gone
,

through the crucible From 1699 to 1762 it was a colony of France ;

.
,

from 1762 to 1803 a province of Spain ; from 1803 to 1812 a territory

, ,

of the United States ; from 1812 to 186 1 all the nations of the ear th ,

p o u re d t h ei r c hild r e n in to th e fer til e a n d fo r tu n e m ak i ng la n-

d ;
from 1861 to 1865 she was a member of the union of Confederate
,

States and d uring three years of that period this City and a part
, ,

of the State was ruled as conquered territory by the m ilitar y forces

of the United States I n 1868 the State passed under the rule of the
.
,

carpet bagger scalawag and negro a domination even m ore alien

, ,

than any which had ex isted und er the ancient changes of Sovereigns .

I n 1877 the L ouisianian recovered possession and has kept it to the

p re se n t tim e A. sp l e nd id h ist o ric al p a n or a m a is he r e sp re a d b e fore

us y et how little effort has been m ade to gather the record s or to

,

utilize them for the student and historian .

Out of all these changes of governm ent and intermixture of

p pe o le s g re w L ou is ia n a a s w e k n ow it ; ea c h o f t h es e c h an g es an d
354 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

duces to the study of the genius of the people delineates the manners ,

and traces the progress o f society or has a tendency to rescue the true ,

history of m en and gov ernment from the ravages of time and the
effects o f ignorance or neglect .

o
Within the limitati ns here prescribe the Archi es of L uisiana d , v o
d b
are the recor s pu lic and pri ate and the hist rical da a of e er
, v , o t v y
k d
in pertaining to the F rench and Spanish d o
om inati n a perio , d
d d
of one hun re o y
and f ur ears ; the T erritor ial E ra 1803 1812 nine ,
-
,

y ears and the perio

, d of Stateh ood 1812 19 19 o v
Our l cal archi es ,
-
.

contain papers applica le to the French and Spanish peri

b od and ,

d d o
for the T erritorial Perio almost nothing asi e fr m the printed
w
la s The Stateh
. ood pe rid
o is oo f c urse fu ll o f material , , .

W o
hen L uisiana was un er the d d o
om ini n of France ex act ,

d w k
recor s ere v y ov
ept here of e er g er nm en ta l tro b d
an sacti n esi es ,

y o d
which there were the strictl l cal recor s such as the pr cee ings o d ,

of the Superi ro Co o
uncil the transacti ns in land, the inci ents
, d
o
of litigati n the reports of officers etc
, vd
I t is belie e that much , .

of this m aterial was ta en k to F by

rance
,
v ov o
the se eral G ern rs as

v
their time of ser ice en e dd and it is charge d d d
but still ispute that
,

by
Au r the last
, F o d
rench c mm an er, carrie d ofy v b
f man alua le

d
recor s v o v q o o
We ha e h we er uite a c llecti n of the l cal rec r s
.
, o , od
of the French peri od and there is m uch not in our possessio n still
b
accessi le U d n er the Spanish ré gime the g
. ov o
ernm ent was arist ,

o
cratic autocratic and c rrupt
, b o
The Ca ildo did not p ssess or exer
.

cise the authority ob tained by its French pre ecessor the Superi r
d o ,

C ouncil od
The rec r s of that peri od do b d y vo
were un u te l olumin us,
because the Spanish ofiicial wo r te m uch and wo o r te ften E ach .

gov ernor g oing out o f ofii ce w a s wvh o e erbj dsu ec t e tq

o an ,in uiry ,

at hom e w ov d o d
hich c ere his wh le a ministrati n o Due to this it .
,

d
is sai each ofiicial carrie
, d b kw ac o o
ith him rec rds and d cuments
o y d
to f rtif his efense d o
T his woul acc unt in part, for the paucit
. y ,

v
of our local Spanish A rchi es .

o o by
L uisiana was s ld U d t
France to the nite Sta es in 1803,
and pr ov o d
isi n was ma e for transferring to us the archi es of the v
d ov
prece ing g ernment o o d
Oi c urse, it was c ntemplate Spain oul
. w d
d v F
eli er to o d
rance all the l cal recor s and the U d o
nite States w uld, ,

v
in turn recei e them from rance
, F o
But when L uisiana was de .

v d v b d v
li ere it was found th e A rchi es had een strippe lea ing literall
, y ,

y o y
o nl chips and whetst nes particularl for the Spanish perio , d .

v o d d
T he in estigati ns m a e in 1848 un er the influence of harles C
G ay arré esta lishe that France and Spain still hel in their archi es
b d d v
d w b d
local recor s hich in truth, elonge to the colon and pr ince
, y ov
 T he A rchives of L ouisiana 355

and sh ul o d ne erv
have been removed from it The search for these .

records makes one of the world s interesting stories Mr G ay arré ’

. .

was represented in Seville by Pascual de G ayangos and the latter s

’
,

letter of A ugust 31 1848 to Mr Saund ers United States M inister

, , .
,

at M ad rid was the first reliab le inform ation that the papers still
,

ex isted A s it is diffi cul t to find a printed copy of M r G ayarré s

’
. .

report I h0pe to be pardoned for reading a part of this letter

, He .

y
sa s

o
A fter s m e ela , and in or er d y gi e th e hief A r d to v C
chi er v o time to l ook
for and to ring out to me the papers if b ,

any , which relate to L uisiana, o

had the sa isfaction to hear I t
that there was a large r m full of them , that cam e fr m oo o
M adri in 1828 d I
was accor ingl installe in the sai r m ,
. d y d d oo
and all we o d
to egin my search b s n f un tha the papers . I oo o d t
w ere precisel y
in the same state as when the came fr m the y o
capital t d b d
ie in un les m st of which were not tic ete
, , o k d
and without the least r er or classifi cationod ega n, how . Ib
v
e er, m y sear ch , and am ong a mass of useless trash was luc , ky
o
en ugh to d ov
isc er, at the end of s me a s, s me un les o d y o b d
01 liasses, containing the c rresp n ence of U nzaga,
’
o a arr , o d N v o
R en n, do Mo
rales, ir M o C
aron ele , &c , who were either
, d t .

y ov
militar g ernors or ntendants of L uisiana I continued o . I
my researches and was agreea l surprise to find part of the
, by d
o
secret c rresp n ence of G en o d k oWil ins n, Dr White Col . .
, .

Dunn, and other parties, who offere to annexd K k entuc y ,

O o o w o b dy
hi , and ther States, and ere und u te l in the pay of the
ov
Spanish g ernment, as may be full pr e y ov d by their own
o o d
c rres p n ence o . I j d
T h ugh these papers, as far as can u ge,
o
are not com plete, (s me of the pu lic of b fi cers at M adrid
v d d o
ha ing neglecte to sen their c ntingent at the time) , ha e I v
o t
no hesitati n to say that much interes ing matter may be
selected o I v d ov
fr m those now ha e in han ; and more er as on ,

my return to M d d I a ri to ook o
shall not fail , l als in the ar
v o o
chi es of the war ffice, and in th se of the Suprimi do o jo C nse
I d
de n ias, I v d b w v
ha e no ou t we shall find there hate er is
w anting here .

“
So far w d
ith regar v
to the papers themsel es With .

o
regard to m y pr ceedings here I d y
eem it necessar to call ,

yo ur a tt eonti n t o th o
e fo ll win g fac ts T he Ia
p p er s as said .
,

o t b d d
bef re are in the grea est possi le isor er no attempt
, ,

v b d y
ha ing een ma e to classif them since the cam e fr my o
356 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

Madrid Most of them have no other inscription but this

.

L ouisiana Florida Occidental ; a few only have the year

,

marked on the outside in red letters and the greater part

, , ,

not to say all of them contain such heterogeneous matter

, ,

that it requires a good deal of time and considerab le patience

to ascertain their contents T he archives are open only five
.

days in the week from ten to one No transcri pts are allowed
, .

ex cept those mad e by the clerks of the establishment and ,

that accord ing to a tar ifi which is m ore than doub le the

’

p r ice u su all y pa id a t M ad r id ”
.

L ater in 1849 M r G ayangos wrote as follows :

, .

T he state of those archives I am sorry to say is as , ,

lamentably bad as any I have y et seen Great mass es of .

a
p p e rs , th ro w n c on fused ly o n l arge d e al ta b le s or co vering ,

the floors of wid e d esolate room s ; no ind ex es whatever and

, ,

the clerk s as ignorant of L ouisiana affair s as if that State had ,

never formed part of the Spanish monarchy

”
.

More than fifty years after the above was written Dr Shepherd , .
,

representing the Carnegie I nstitution made a careful resear ch in the ,

Spanish archives and his report showed our records were still
,

extant and apparently as they were when Mr G ayangos first saw

, .

them . H e found thousand s of documents lying uncared for in ah

cient build ings in Seville Mad rid and Simancas and others still t e
, ,

po sing a t H av a n a Sp e ak.in g o f th ose in Seville he sa id : ,

T he bund les of which the collection is composed

lie in confused heaps about the floor of a cellar like room -
,

where dampness dust and moths are consuming the papers

, ,

and m any of them are beyond reclaim Ou account of their .

cond ition which is a m enace to the preservation of the papers

,

in the archives should they be brought into contact with

them these Cub an docum ents are not supposed to be ao
‘ ’

cessible to the pub lic .

“
Of these bundles of papers I should say that
or relate in some way or other to the history of

Florida and L ouisiana during the latter part of the eighteenth

century and the early part o f the nineteenth H ere the .

E nglish and French originals of the Spanish translations ,

found in the regularly accessible sections of the archives ,

are assem b led in c0pious quantities ; and m ore the details ,

of the colonial administration in all its branches the local ,

358 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

story as we now und erstand it W e get fr om him b road

w it h hi .

ou t lin es a n d m u c h p et ty d et ail T he life o f th e. e

p p o le a n d the m e th ,

ods of government are only d im ly traced Notwithstanding these .

defects he is j ustly regar ded as the Father of L ouisiana H istory

,
.

Martin s writings brought vididly before us the duty of gather

’

ing and preserving our archives I n B aton R ouge a society was .

,

formed for that purpose but soon ceased to function I n 1836 in .

,

N ew Orleans the L ouisiana H istorical Society was formed with

,

Martin among the organizers and Judge H enry Bullard as President .

It w as se t g oin g wit h th e su p port o f a n en th u s ia st ic, in fluen ti al

and cultured mem bership Judge Bullard delivered the inaugural
.

address, which is one of our classics and in this he d elineated the ,

course which we have tried ever since to follow 8 I t was soon evid ent, .

however, that it was as y et too early to interest the authorities and

the people in the dr y bones of history the archives and the society ,

d gg
r a e d slo w ly in to th e lee s a nd dr e gs of fo rg o tte n thi n g s T he re .

was, however, a leaven of pub lic spiri ted soul s always working for
the good purpose, and in 1 846 the society was reorganiz ed with ,

Martin old blind and almost helpless and soon to die in the Presi
, , ,

dent s chair But he was the inspiring cause of the renewal of ct

’
.

fort and he had an executiv e comm ittee whose names are written
,

broad on our records T hey were J P Benj am in, E J Forstall,

. . .

Dr H awkes A lfred H ennen, L J anin, J L R iddell and J D B

.
, . . . .

de Bow Und er these men, a circular was prepared and sent through
.

the State This contained ten questions all of historical import,

.
,

seeking d ata and information which was need ed to begin the creation

of a system ; in short , a general search warrant for the material of

Louisiana history .

One of the members of the Society was Charles G ayarré Secre ,

tary of State of L ouisiana under G overnor Mouton H e had already .

begun the stud ies which later gave us the H istory of L ouisian a in
four volumes which will continue to be a reservoir for future his
,

to ria n s a t l e
,a s t u n til o u r ar ch iv es ar e b ro ug ht u n d er m o d ern re
search Mr G ay arré in 1847 delivered before the Society his lec
. .
, ,

ture on the R omance of H istory which is incorporated in the first ,

v o lu m e o f th e l a te r w o rk H e a lso in.flu en ced th e L eg is la t ure of

L ouisiana to appropriate mone which was used to purch ase a manu
y ,

script prepared by M r Magne 1n France from the record s of L ouisiana

.

in the M inistry of Marine T his work is a summary and in sa ne .

p la c es a c o py of th o s e rec o rd s I t wa s use d by
. M r G a y a rr é in his .

w account o fthe preliminary meeting in M ay . 1835 is rqmnted. 5 P ub La {1

c
“

t a 1 t
pfig
gfi g
. .
.
.

c
 The A rchives f
o L ouis iana 359

o y and it disappeared from our archives in the looting of the

hist r ,

same by the Foderal forces at Baton R ouge about 1862 L ater .

it was recov ered and it is now in the Cab ildo bound in one volum e , ,

called Notes et Documents Fortier used and acknowledges his

.

de bt to this work in his history of L ouisiana R ecent examination .

under the light of m odern research proves it to be still v aluable but ,

not accurate or wholly reliable About the sam e period 1847 Mr .

, .

Edmond J Forstall presented the society with a somewhat sim ilar

analysis of the original French archives prepared at his own expense
in France This has disappeared but fortunately it was reprinted
.

in French s H istorical collections of L ouisiana (Part 2

’
.
,

I n the same y ear M r G ayarré as Secretary of State with the

, .
,

assistance of an appropriation of succeed ed in ob taining in

Spain valuable transcripts of the L ouisiana record s and he used ,

these in his history of the Spanish domination The report made .

by him to the legislature on this subj ect is called by Justin Wi ndsor ,

the historian one of the State docum ents of L o uisiana

, Through .

the kind ness of M iss G race K ing I have read one of the rare copies ,

of this report ; a d uplicate of it was printed by order of Congress over

thirty years ago but it is now ex ceedingly rare T hese Spanish .

documents after many adventures and subtractions are now in the

Cabildo .

I n 1848 Senator John Perkins of L ouisiana caused another

,

compilation of the French record s to be mad e at his expense and ,

presented this to the State but I do not know whether it is still in

,

the Society s custody

’
.

It would unnecessarily burden this evening to follow up these

details and suffi cient has been said to show how seriously our fore
,

fathers pushed the matter and how deep the interest which they
awakened T his is the genesis of our archives T he men who thus
. .

l abored for us were on the right track and this was recognized by
the legislature which in 1860 incorporated the L ouisiana H istorical
,

Society and ga ve it a d om icile at B aton R ouge with an oflice in the ,

State Capitol Mr G ayarré in the meantime had been elected

. .
, ,

Pres ident and one might have prophesied under his care a nob le
,

g ath er in u
g p o f the sources of history but the Civil War came in ,

186 1 and in that clash ofarm s we had other things to do while the for ,

tunes ofwar brought ahnost irreparable d isaster upon the society B aton .

R ouge the Capital was captured by the Federal forces ; the Capitol
, ,

was bad ly inj ured by fire T he archives were scattered and they have
.

never been wholly recovered When the Capitol was burning the
.
,

record s of the Society and the archives of the State were in part
360 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

rem oved to the grounds outside where they were left to the weather ,

and the mercy of the Federal soldiers and in the general looting ,

most of the precious portions disappeared T hrough the efforts of .

Mr G ayarré a sear ch was instituted after the war and with the
.
, ,

assistance of Mr L ym an Draper of Wisconsin a small part of these

.

was found in the keeping of the widow of a Federal offi cer and re
stored to the State and they are now in the Cab ildo
, .

T he era of reconstruction was one of utter stagnation in such

matters but the society kept itself alive though alm ost m oribund
, .

One of the first steps in the rehabilitation of the State was legislative
recognition of its value An act passed by the L egislatur e in 1877
.

enlarged the provisions of the A ct of 1860 and changed its domicile

from Baton R ouge to N ew Orleans Between those dates the ar .

chives of the society had been moved from pillar to post and for a
long time thereafter were transferred ahnost as often as a cat m oves
her kittens Finally; they fell to the custody of T ulane University
.

and there remained until the Cab ildo was mad e their resting place .

Mr G ay arré continued to be President until 1888 and was suc

.

ceeded by J udge W W H owe The organization and the oflice were

. . . ,

however em pty names T hat whole period 1860 1893 is barren In

, .
-
.

1893 William Preston Johnston President of T ulane University

, , ,

rallied a few devoted scholars to his support and blew life once more

into the fragile body Professor Fortiér was made President Prof
. , .

Ficklin M iss G race King William Beer and other active and earnest
, ,

workers in history associated in the good work For a third

O

4 .

time the society was revived and apparently it has now passed the
stage of struggle and is firm ly entrenched in public appreciation .

Under the new administration great strides have been made T here .

is a good mem bership a printed record is published from tim e to

,

time in truth everything is being done that a privately supported

,

organization can do without legislative assistance When the Supreme .

Court moved from the Cabildo in 1909 that building was ded icated ,

by the State to historical purposes and later turned over by the City
of N ew O rleans to the B oard of Curators of the State Museum and ,

the society was domiciled therein 5 T he record s were brought to .

gether once more and for about ten years in this new home a stead
fast eli ort has been made by earnest men and women to keep alive
p ub lic interest in the Cab ildo an d its collections Th e M useum .

of N atural H istory created by the State operates alongsid e the

, ,

Society as a separate legal entity ; there is harmony between the two

GG raoe

'Act 79.
p . 106. 1902 —N ew 001d d
Series. Or inance N o 5305. . Jl
u y 1. 1903 .
362 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

and make our voices au dible , o d

the legislature would hear and w ul
be glad to act and furthermore would find the money necessary
, ,

to do the right thing the proper duty , These archives are the prop .

erty of the State T he officers are powerless to care for them unless
.

the legislature grants the means ; a legislative act directing the

Secretary of State to put them in order and to provide for the publi
cation would m eet every diffi culty which now oppresses us .

I t may surprise y ou to know that for seventeen years our neigh ,

bor Mississippi has had an active department of A rchives and

, ,

H istory well supported by the people and governm ent

, While we .

have been sleeping she has been gathering record s that pertain to
us and that we should have had A mass of original and crea tive
.

work has been done by her and it is recogniz ed all over the world .

The reprinting of valuab le archives which she has undertak en at her

own expen se places her in the first rank of civilized peoples Rich .

and proud L ouisiana may well go to school at M ississippi s Capital

’
.

She would bring back ideas and the ambition to live up to them .

Our legislature only needs to be told need s only to be ass ured ,

that it has public sentiment behind it and the result will be aecom ,

p lish e d . W ha t is it w e m ust t ell the leg isla tu r e ? W hat is it y ou

must tell yourselves? B riefly it is our duty to call attention to the
,

fact that we have in the Cabildo the original charters of governm ent ,

original records of the French Superior Council thousands of papers ,

representing the H istory of L ouisiana under French and Spanish

dominion T o illustrate what we have there has been recently
.
,

exhum ed and printed three Constitutions granted by L ouis of France

in 1712 1716 and 1719 creating the Superi or Council and a form of
, , ,

gov ern m ent for L ou isia na do cu m en ts o f e q

, u al im portan ce to t h e

charters and constitutions of the English Colonies with which our

school children are familiar These docum ents have never been
.

referred to in any history ofL ouisiana Their existence was forgotten

. .

They were practically lost to mem ory and out of the service of man

C b do
There is in the a il a mass of material c eri ng the l cal ov o
o o F ov
perati n of the rench g ernment of L uisiana and all the etails o d
d ov
of life un er g ernment I n these urt and uncil rec rds
. Co Co o
w o d oy
ill be f un the hist r of the pe ple of L uisiana in heir aily o o t d
v bj dy o
li es, a su ect har l n ticed in any of our printe hist ries We d o .

w d v by
ill isco er o
the transl ati n of these cuments how our f re do o
vd d
fathers li e how laws were ma e and promulgate how righ s ere
, d , t w
o d
pr tecte and how remedies were enforce on all of which our his d ,

oy
t r is silent .
 The A rchives f
o L ouisiana 363

I llustrating briefly as I must I show you here an early Ordi

,

nance in fading ink the prod uction of the King and the Superior
, ,

Council I could show you other ordinances g overning almost every

.

detail of life all in the same fading ink and some of them signed
, ,

by the great historical personages of L ouisiana It would surprise .

y o u to know fro m. these la ws th at m an y of th e q ues t io ns wh ic h are

still alive and urgent in this countr y were aliv e and urgent in the

ear ly part of the Eighteenth Century H ere for instance is an ordi

.
, ,

nanoe to suppress the nuisance of idlers and loafers ; another to pre

vent the sale of intoxieants to sailors ; another to regulate the prsc
tice of medicine and surgery You will be pleased to know however
.
, ,

that in all this mass of legislation there is nothing said about the
lawy ers They were evidently law abiding and had not fallen across
‘

-
.

the good order and well doing of the community -

Our lamented .

fri end Fortier long a member of this Club wrote a history of L ouis
, ,

iana in which he noted this peculiarity and said it was due to the fact
that there were no lawy ers in L ouisiana in that period ; and ano ther
writer has countered by saying that if there were no lawy ers perhaps
it was due to the fact that there was no money in the community
to pay thorn But the real truth about the lawy ers in these early
.

days will be shown by these old records whenever they are trans
lated and published The lawy er was there active in the protection
o f the people and doub tless j ust as much in demand as he now is
, .

I n the Spanish period these record s will show how the Cabildo
,

operated as a method o f governm ent for the Province and the City
of N ew Orleans and as a court of law and they will explain the life ,

of the French Creole und er Spanish masters and rehabilitate those

e
p p o l e and j us tify m any thing s in their hist ory I n d ee d it is t he . ,

belief today that the opening of our local records to public use would
result in a rewriting of the history of the people of L ouisiana The .

Spanish governm ent was a mild tyranny For this reason and be .
,

cause also of the j ustice of the principles ofits laws it left an im press ,

on our race our custom s our laws and our institutions which will
, ,

never pass from us We are doing things now under forms then
.

estab lished . Our laws today reflect the laws of that period particu ,

larly in all matters concerning the family B ut in our history there .

has always been the missing link between the laws themselves and the
influence which operated in the enforcement of them T he French .

and Spanish regimes were supposed to be entirely under French and

Spanish laws but it is a fact that there grew up a body of L ouisiana

,

construction and interpretation which is tod ay our Civil L aw If .

it be true these local record s would suppl y that missing link that one ,
 364 The L uisiana H istorical Quar terly
c

thing would j ustify any appeal which we would make to the legisla
ture for recognition and protection and publication of our archives .

When the Spaniard passed the Frenchman came again For, .

twenty days only the representative of Napoleon the Colonial ,

Prefect L aussat had possession of L ouisiana awaiting the arrival

, ,

ofJefi erson s agents who had been deputized to tak e over the province
’
- .

H e was a very active Frenchman too I n the short period of his

.

offi cial tenure he abolished the Cabildo and did various other and
,

sund ry things tend ing to eliminate Spanish ideas H e was prodi .

y agressive and the voice runs out of breath in the mere eflort
‘
gio u sl ,

to follow and tell his activity H e created problems in law and in

.

go v er n m en t tha t so re ly vexed President Jeflerson and Claiborne his ‘

,

Governor and some of these problems are still in the region where
,

history studies and debates and fails to explain There are records .

here of this man and his work and in France there are volumes of
,

p p
a er s o n th e sa m e su bj ect W h y. should we leave thes e things un
noticed and forgotten?
I n the T erritorial Period after L ouisiana had passed into the
possession of the United States we could show the legislature a
,

mass of records scattered all over the State which would supply to
history some very valuab le features now indistinct and misunderstood .

We could show the slow operation of the legal and social machinery
whereby French and Spanish L ouisianians were accustomed to
democratic liberty and grew slowly into America n habits ; we could
show how they were weaned gradually from their native tongue and
love of their mother country and became adopted children and good ,

child ren of the new free comm onwealth of L ouisiana

, These are .

things whereof our books of history tell us little or nothing There .

is much in printed history conoem ing the politics of the tim es but ,

the social and domestic side is neglected T he working of the ma

.

chinery of life in the courts and in the family is recognized today as

one of the chief ingred ients of history Our records should be Opened
.

to produce this information .

I f it is true that these record s would show the local adminis

tration of Governor Claiborne in a light that never has been printed ,

that alone would be a good reason for legislative action T hose of us .

who have been ab le to spend time in these records are ab le to say

that many things concerning this administration repose in those
record s and nowhere else And it is true here as it is of the French
.

and Spanish regimes that a classification cataloguing and indexing

, ,

of the T erri torial record s would make it necessary to rewrite the

history of the T erritory and it would then be a true history indeed

,
.
366 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

y
leans, and in ever ancient ourt H use in the Parishes hich may C o w
v d
ha e escape fires and theft and the passage of ime t .

o w
You will see fr m hat has een sai that a i e field of interes b d wd t
and v
alue is at ur yo do
ors if y ou care to enter acti el into the v y
o t
occupati n of it but here is an ther feature
, hich is even more o w
y
important For ears the private recor s of our old families ha e
.
, d v
been isin egrating Death remo al the rdinar rea up hich is
d t .
, v , o yb k -
w
o
the fate of life is perating to the l ss and ispersi n of rec rd s hat o d o o t
the survi rs vo w
oul gla l d dy d o
ep sit in an historical c llec i n pr per o to o
ly safeguarded and protec e td
These rec r s are not nl fam ily od o y
o y t o
hist ries but man of hem t uch the pu lic hist ry at points and
, b o
d t
un er aspec s not else here preser e w We cann t expect hese vd . o t
t o
grea c llections of the ea and the living d d com e h ll by gift to w o y .

o d d k
We sh ul be prepare to ta e them er, when and herever we ov w
can and the State sh ul
, be e er rea o d
to v
her part in this re dy do
v d d
1 ha e etaine y ou l nger han I expecte o
hen comm enced t dw I
to w rite this essa , and y I
must cl se it repeating again and again o
the statement that you ha e wn in the a il v do
a m ass of alua le C b do v b
od
rec r s so , v
alua le that b d
ealers ih and c llectors of such material , o
wo d dy
ul gla l pay prices for it th at ul ex ceed the c st o f putting wo d o
od
them in r er and printing them might go further and say hey I . t
wo d ul pay for it such prices as oul make some of us comforta le w d b
d o
in an assure inc me O f course ifit was our usines s to sell recor s
. , b d ,

we wo d t
ul not treat hem li e ru k bbish as we now but ul l ng do wo d o ,

v
since ha e had s m e o o b dy wo k
at r to p lish up and ex hi i our ares o bt w .

d
Besi es our a il C b do o o
c llecti n of rec r s manuscrip s m aps and od t
, ,

do t
cumen s, we ha e picture vs book
s ph sical ec s o f vari us in s,
, , y obj t o k d
that illustrate alm ost e er peri v y od
o f our hist ry H ow man of you o y .

v o d yo
ha e f un ur way to that historic sp t ? Yet here er the lear ned o w v
w
and the ise meet t gether in this i e w rl o that c llecti n is wd o d o o ,

o w v
sp ken of ith re erence, regar and w n er d
n er particul arly o d Wo d
.

w d
on er that the people of L uisiana permit it to lie there unsup
, o
po drte dv
and un e elop e R ich as is thatd c llect
.i n , it c ul be m a e o o o d d
richer still A slight tithe upon the collecte taxes of L uisiana
. d o
d vo d
e te to the enlargement and exploitati n of hat collecti n woul o t o d
create a m ecca in the Cit of N ew y
rleans m ore fam us than som e of O o
the great halls and places of exhi iti n of ur pe or the E astern and b o E o
W estern cities of this nion U .

H ow m uch longer shall it be sai the State of L uisiana neglects d o

this collection and t ur ns a lin si e to her A rchi es ? Theb d d s e alua le v v b ,

dd o
ancient , splen i mem rials o f the past now crum ling int the ust b o d
 The A rchives o f L ouisiana 367

and passing by day out of the reach ofher children should receive
day
the enlightened care that you and each of y ou give your own trea

I was riding through a wayside village in L ouisiana accompanied

by a dear friend of the oldest race I called his attention to .

the : fact that we had not seen the name of any of his tribe on
the village signs My friend , he replied that is true There is
“ ” “
.
, .

no inoney in this town T here is I grieve to say no money in

“ ”
.
, ,

these records They cannot be capitalized for individual aggran

O

dizement but there 13 something better than m oney in them , charac

'

ter pride love respect, veneration these are the reward s the record s
, , , ,

hold for us The people of L ouisiana their birthright, is hidden 1n

. ,

thes e archives and some day som e son or

, daughter of L ouisiana
sho uld be ab le to lay the laurel wreath upon our conduct of tod ay, if
by ;that conduct we shall have opened this splendid history to our
t
L et us hen be up and do
ing L et us not ta e the ie of our k v w
m
.

co p atri toin the c u n tr illago

e,
“
T here isyvno m n
e here,
”
but o yt
o
on the c ntrar estir y b o v
ursel es and rall the inc m i ng legisla ure
, y o t
w
o f 1920 ith an appeal to its ut and do
it now d y do .
370 The L ouis iana H istorical Quarterly

Fra y A n ton io de Sedella - Par t I I .

Once more I venture

your attention to the doings and
to ask
wri ting of this Priest of the Cathedral of Saint L ouis My sole ex .

cuse is that entirely new evidence has been found in a series ofpapers

sent to Mr William Beer of the H oward M em orial L ibrary called

.
, ,
“
Documentos P rocedentes de la I sla de Cuba T hey cover three .

Episodes in the life of Sedella They are most important for they .
,

cover questions hitherto obscured either from ignorance of the facts ,

or from a determined policy to pass them by unnoticed and so to

cloud the evid ence .

Episode 1 has to do with (a) the letters in Spanish from Sedella

to Miro resulting in the famous arrest .

()
b Th e K in g s D ecree
’
1 794 ; (c) The form a l restitu
,tion and
reinstatem ent o f A ntonio by the B ishop of L ouisiana and the Baron

de Carondelet I n all hy e M S S never before printed

.
, . . . .

E pisode I .

P apeles —
de Cuba L egaj o 1 02 .
(52 )
(A l marg )
en R eseroado N o 3 . . .

d
Practica as ya con el
“
sigil cautela, que se m e pr e oy
vienen, y d bo
e p or m i inist eri d e m i M
sar i del Ste Ofi cio o Co o .
,

o o d
las c rresp n ientes a eriguaci nes para dar cumplimient v o o
a una R eal Od
r en la mas interesante a ambas M agestados ,

o d b
c munica a al T ri unal de la Suprema, que se me transcri e b
p or el de aC
rta gen a de n e ep en , enc arg andom a edo d d
strc ha do
mente con fecha de 9 de Diciem re del ano pr xim pasa b o o do
su mas ex act desempefi o c nf rms a la R eal V lunta , me
o o o o d
d b
sera in ispensa le para puntualim rla a on t as sus pane s od ,

o o
c m d
se me man a, recurrir a esh ra de la n che a al gun d o o ,

cuerp de o G d
uar ia, apedir alguna gente de tr pa q ue auxilien o ,

eh cas o o
necesari mis peraciones ; a este fin se ser ira V So v . .

o v o d o
dar el c rrespon iente a is secreto, al que c man e la del d
Principal o v
Pre encion u tra que ls parezca, con rden al
. o
ternativa para que me franqueen irnmediatam ente que llegue
cl caso los sold ad os que pida ; avisandome V S sin perdida de . .

tiempo del paraj e adonde comunica su orden para mi gobierno .

Dios gue a V S m a Nueva Orleans a las neuve de la

' '
. . . .

—
noche del dia 28 de A bril de 1790 Fr A ntonio de Sedella .

h
( ya un a rub rica)
Sor G obernador de la L uisiana
. .
 Fray A ntonio de Sedella, P art 2 371

The Spanish student who stud ies these M S S will see at a . . .

gla nce t hat G ay arré h as only g iv en p art o f th e sto ry Wi th t he .

request of Sedella for a body guard of soldiers w i ne another request

-
,

in case the first demand was not granted Con Order alternative
“ ”
. .

What was the alternate order ? Both Miro and Sedella must have
known We are left in ignorance Was it a political secret that
. .

even Sedella did not d are to write ? Was this a code I t is uncer
?

tain We know reference was made to another plan And it was a

. .

p lan v ery secre t Y ou rem e

.m be r M iro p aid n o att ention to thi s

note . Whereupon, in the middle of the night Sedella wrote again

and in a strain that savored of the m ood imperative .

—
P apeles de Cuba L egaj o 1 02 (53) .

“
(A l ma rg )
en R esero ado .

y
A er a las 9 de la n che, pas o
V S para q ue se é oficio a . .

sirviese dar una orden secreta alternativa al cuerpo de Guardia,

q ue te ng a a b ien a fi n de qu e m e im par ta au x ilio de tropa ,

luego que lo pida ; y com o hasta esta hora V S no me ha . .

comunicado a qual de ellos debo courri r le hago presente ,

q ue p eligr a el exito d e m i c om isio n en la ta rda n za y siendo

esta de la mayor gravedad y suma Ympor tancia al servicio

del R ey ; se servira V S comunicarme sin demora el aviso que

. .

ayer lo ped i, para proceder yo en su consecuencia a llenar mi

Dios gue a V S m a Neuva Orleans y A bril 6 de la

' '
. . . .

—
tarde de este dia 29 de 1790 Fr Antonio de Sedella (hay una .

rubri ca) .

Sor Gobernador e Yntendente Gral de la L uisiana

. .

Sedella s impatience is again stressed : You have the ur gent re

’

q ues t
“
V 8 p
. ar.a q ue si s irviesse d a r u n a Or d en secr et a alternativa
”
.

Evidently it seemed impossible to procure the soldiers Very well .

then let us proceed in secret ! T his Episode (a) has always been
,

called Sedella s attempt to practice the H oly Olh os as I nquisitor I

’
.

disagree utter ly with such views Of all the foolishly impossible .

at tempts this would take front ran k

,
T he Spanish I nquisition was
-
.

at its last gasp in 1790 I t had read the certain portents that marked
.

its sure decline and fall Every student of the policy of the Church
.

of R ome has the highest respect for her sagacity and clear sightedness -
.

R ome could never make such a mistake as to put the H oly Ofiioe
into N ew Orleans We must read between the lines A nd from a
. .

p ro lo n g ed s tu dy o f all t hr ee E pis od es I am co n vi nce d : ,

( )
a T ha t A n ton io fr om sta rt to fin ish w a s se n t o ver here chiefly
 '

372 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

as the King s Political

’
A gent (b) That the offi ce of I nqui s1tor was
.

giv en him no t to use bu t as a b lind to c over his real work for the
King and the government at Madrid I f the time ever com es when .

Spain will be willing to bare her politico religious secrets the reason
-
,

for Sedella s actions will be verified by M S S to be found perhaps

’
. . .

t
A ocepting his more than theorem , the h le si ua i n is clea red w o
t to .

M o w o
ir and Sedella ere on pposite si es of the poli ical game They d t .

were enem ies I n the

-
.
“
lin
”
ha Sedella use b d t t
ir saw his opper d M o ,

y
tunity to rid himself of his enem and he o it hen he sent Sedella to k w
C d
to a iz M o
But
. v d
ir ne er guesse how important a person was this
t w
Parish Pries and hat a huge mis a e he and irill made until tk C o
o ow
the f ll o Od
ing R yal r er had een recei ed fr m the ing himself: b v o K
—
P apeles de Cuba L egaj o 102 . .
( )
54
—
E l R ey Re eren en do v Cristo P Obispo de 13 3 Pro ‘
.

vincias de la L uisiana y Florida de mi Consejo Por R . .

Cedulas de veinte y dos de Julio del ano de mil setecientos

noventa y 11110 y diez y seis de Noviem b re del noventa y dos
, ,

tube a b ien remitir con la primera al R eyerendo Obispo de la

Diocesis de la H abana los autos y sumario que havia formado
su aux iliar D Fr Cirilo de Barcelona contra Fr Antonio
. . .

Sedella R eligioso Capuchino cura Vicari o J nez E clesiastioo , , ,

de la Parroquial de la Ciudad de Nueva Orleans con los oom

p ro v a n tes y otr a s v aria s rep rese n ta cion es d e los m ot iv os y
causas reservadas que le obligavon a ello ; encargandole entre
,

otras cosas proveyere lo que hayase mas conforme a derecho ,

sob re todos los d efectos que se lo imputaron siendo mi volun

, ,

tad se bolviss e immediatam ente a la L uisiana el referido

R eligioso a costa del G overnador de ella y del expresado ,

A ux iliar restituyendole a su destino y cargos de que fue

, ,

despoj ado contra el orden legal eu caso que no encontrase ,

algun j ustificado m otivo para no hacerlo prosediendo sobrs ,

todas los particulares que se indicaban a averiguar la verdad

po r los m ed ios m a s ver a oes y a de cu ado s a las c irc u ns ta n cia s

p rod u cie ndo a su t iem m lo q u e fu ese m a s c o rres p o nd ien t e a su

merito dandomo cuenta con la j ustificacion de sus rss ultas
,

p a ra lo qu e h uv ier e lu ga r y pr ev in ie n do
, le por la se gu n d a av er
ex tranada no repusies se al m encionado Fr Antonio Sedella en . .

los referidos cargos conforme a dro eh cumplimiento de mi R ee l

, ,

voluntad esperando lo verificase immediatemente haviendo

, ,

retirar al Comisionado D T eodoro T irso E nrriques si per .

,
374 The L ouisiana H istorical Quar ter!y

legal processes used by Miro and Ciri llo to detain Sedella should be
d ore the King
lai bef .

b
( ) T hat Sedella although legally absent from N ew Orleans
not more than two years was real] y away for four years .

(c) T hat he was detained there by the Governor of L ouisiana

and the A ux B ishop of T ricaly .

(d) T hat an ord er of the K ing so sharply cond em natory w ould

never have been made unless Sedella was A gent of the King L egajo .

102 56 is the formal Order based upon the R oyal Order from the
-

Bishop of L ouisiana .

—
P apeles de Cuba L egaj o 1 02 ( )
56 .

For cl cheio de V S Y de ayer quedo enterado de haber . . .

V S Y con la misma fecha puesto en posesion del Curato de

. . .

esta Parroquia de Sn L uis oy del Sacrario de la Catedral al

R eligioso Capuchino Fr An tonio Sedella en virtud de la R I .

Cedula de 22 de Octubre del ano pasado cuya c0pia me acom

p ana V S Y re
. s ervandose
. tener
. despues el acuerd o conven
ionte conmigo sobre cl destino del cura antecesor Fr Joachin .

Portillo a que ostare pronto ouanda a V S Y le pareciere . . . .

' '
Dios g a V S Y m a
e
. . . . .

Nueva Orleans 9 de A gosto de 1795 .

Yl hno Sor Obispo de la L uisiana

. . . .

Another formality from Carondelet

—
P apeles de Cuba L egaj o 1 02 (55) .

For RI Cedula de 22 de Octre del ano immediate que

. .

recibi eh la H av
‘
y acompana a V 5 eh copia se me ordena
. . .

entre otras cosas restituir al P Fr An to Sedella R eligioso . . .

Capuchino al Curato de esto Parroqa de San L uis oy del

Sagrario de la Catedral ; lo que he verificado en es te dia a
reserva de tener despues el acuerdo com beniente con V S . .

ere el d es tino de su antecesor F R J oaquin Portillo del propio .

orden lo que que participo a V S para su noticia

, . . .

Dios gue a V S m a Nueva Orleans y A gto 8 de 1795

' '
. . . . . .

R l Obispo de la L uisiana (hay una rubrica )

Sor Baron de Carondelet . .

No other reason , sa ev that of King s Political A gent will account

’

for this reversal .

O

T he second E pisod e consists ofthe controversy between R everend

Patrick Walsh Vicar G eneral and Sedella when the latter was
-
, ,

robbed of his T his consists of (a) a translation in part

”
facultos .
 F ray A ntonio de Sedella P art 2 , 375

from an R eligi n in L uisiana

article o o
F C Philippi in L Ob by ’
. .
,

servateur L ouisianais,
”
M ay , 1896 T he rench ri ginal ill be . F o w
f un in V lum es 1892 97 at the H o ar L i rar
o d o -
w d b y .

b
I n Septem er, 1803, a ull of P ope Pius p la ce db n sig nor VII Mo
C o o
arr ll of B altim re and Primate ofA meri ca in charge of this Di cese o .

o y o do
I n a missi n c untr , R me o d
es not istur b y o
herself greatl c ncem
d t vo y O d
ing is ances Pre i usl N ew rleans was epen ent up n ue ec
. d o Q b
od y d t o b
T a she is assigne to Bal im re She su mits to religi us changes o .

ov q y
in g ernment uite as easil as p litical changeso T he religi us o .

t o o o t
au h rities do not c nsult us any m re han the sh p eeper o k w d
oul
consult us over the sale of his g o s od o C o v v t
B ish p arr ll ne er isi ed .

oy o t
his new territ r any m re han the T itulars of ue ec had Q b do
ne .

o t td
H e c n en e himself naming, at the end of Decem er, a Vicar
by b
G eneral to administer the Di cese o o
H e ch se Fr O v C
li ier haplain . . ,

of the U rsulines to y y v y
H is r sa s er little of Fr
. O v
li ier I t is pro a b . .

t d t o ott
ble hat he was a minis rat r for a sh r ime, for nl o y two y ears

later we find Fr Walsh Vicar G d

eneral and A minis ra r
. t to B ish p
-
o .

C o b
arr ll I
eing an rishman, had u ge
, j d d b
it est to sen d to o
L uisiana
t
to represen him , a man of his own na i nalit to y
The Priests of his t .

o w d I F G
M issi n ere Spaniar s, talians, rench or erman I t is at the .

beginning of the ear 1805 that a real war ro e out e ween the
y b k bt
V icar eneral and the ure of the Cathe ral It es not speak ell
G
-
C d do w .

o
for th se who sh ul o dt k o y
hin seri usl of the ob
stacles and then of the

welfare of the future i cese do The Vicar G enet al was dissatisfied

.
-

t C é
wi h the arrangements of the ur and sought to change matters .

H e who refuse d to ob y o d b o
e r ers r ught d
own upon him self cclesias E
t im l censure Fr A nt ine t . o ook t od
no notice of hese r ers and raised
.

the flag of rev l ot v y

er high Wh y Mo
nsign r o W
alsh was not satis
.

wt o d C o dv
fied i h the c n uct of the ure we cann t i ine H is reasons ere w .

man y . y b d
There did not exist man a uses Prece ing a minis rati ns d t o .

b w
had een po erless to
reme dy
the situation F
ather W
alsh ran against .

b d
old esta lishe custom s w b b y o d
hich had een pu licl c n emne in e er d v y
civ ilize d o y
c untr , but w
hich in N ew O
rleans passe d
unn ticeo d .

Wt o k t v
i h ut see ing any fur her moti e one can un erstan d d
tha the t
Vicar G eneral was j ustifi ed in the step ta en!
-
k
b yo d d b
It is e n o
ou t that An t ine ex ercise d o b
a n ta le influence

ov er the w o
h le populati n o F ather W
alsh in no way had gaine
. d
the
confidence of the pe ple o o
A s a stranger the people t lerate him ,
. d ,

o
but did not rec gnize him as M t
as er y
R eall , he had an air of an in .

truder .Nv
e ertheless he represente d o ty
the auth ri , but authorit y
w y
far a a
- — o y
auth rit that coul d d
not un erstan d
the real state of
affairs in the Di ceseo For the g of religi n, the Vicar G eneral
ood . o -
376 The L ouisiana H istorical Quar terly

without any doubt thought that Sedella ought to be rem oved by

force from the Cathedral When one takes such a course he ought
.
,

to have strong reasons to influence him for the spiri t of the Church ,

demand s that no one should ever seek to remove a Cure from his
office against his will until he shows reasons not only grave but
, ,

canonical . Without doubt E cclesiastical authority in Ameri ca at all

times has been possessed with inexact ideas ofthe rights ofSubalterns .

She has not carefully studied the E cclesiastical laws on this subj ect .

I n fact Law reduces itself to the caprice of the man who happens to
,

be in power and certam at this tim e and in this case the L aw was
, ,

a d ead letter !
I t was also necessary to take into consideration the d ispositions
of people irritated by all manner of vex ations There was a constant .

succession of new M asters who were L ording it over them

” “
Yes .

terday French they were today Spaniard s to become French to

, ,

morrow and America ns the day after Necessarily the religious side .

followed the political and the faithful could not but show fatigue at
these j um ps Most naturally they guarded their esteem and attach
.
,

ment for the Priest whom they knew and loved and showed defiance ,

to the newcomers as the change of power was in progress R everend .

Ih trick Walsh hud ing no sympathy am ong the eople had recourse to
p
the G overnor praying him to seize Sedella by main force that his rights
,

should be recognized H e tried to persuade Claiborne that he had

.

views d angerous as well to the State as to R eligion The governor .

determined to keep a reserved neutrality before the two combatants

althoug h he showed some little embarassment at the accusations of
the Vicar G eneral
-
.

The Father An toine assembled his people and declared be

“

fore them that this Cathedral was not the property of the H oly
R oman Catholic Church as the V icar G eneral pretended but really -
,

the property of the Catholics of N ew Orleans .

I n A merica the Church separated from the State has the right
“
,

to possess itself of a charter : T o form a corporation and conduct its

afi airs under a legal title This corporation becomes one moral per
.

son having the right to possess property as any citizen C est en ‘ ’

.

verture de ce droit garanti par la Constitution des Etats Unis que L a -

Pere Walsh reclame 1a propriete de la Cathedrale

’
.

The Vicar G eneral having found neither sympathy from people

-

or governm ent ad dressed hi1nself to the Supreme Court of the T erri

tory of N ew O rleans .

Conformably to the laws of the Church the Monk ought to have

been routed out of his pretensions T he Court did not see this view
.
378 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

q o b
dia ex erce uasi en el n m re ; ist s los c ntinuos s nr j os v o o o o ,

d o
icteri s calumnias, , y
disprecios que fre uentemente reci o q b
d
de los pa res T eniantes de Cura ; a fin de conferenciar (en
v o
ist de mi contestacion) con el Sor ar ues de Casa Cal o M q . v
’
unico repres entante en el dia de la s cion E spafiola) s N
ra ob
o d
su ultima (en el dia ) f rza a resolucion ; pre scin ien de y d do
otros particulares a que se contras dicho papel content ,

andolo digo que con a1 to dolor de mi corazon veo t eynar de

, , ,

algun tiem po a esta parte la discord ia en lugar de la paz y

, ,

concordia entre los M inistros B ocos empleados en el servicio ,

de esto Santa Ygles ia Cathedral y esto (lo que se peor ) oon ,

notorio escandalo no solamente de los heles que componen

, ,

esta G rey sino tam bien de los mismos sectarios q ue nos

,

rodean a quienes (desgreciadamente ) no se ha ocultado cir

,

cumstancia alguna de los procederes moda evangelioos de mis

amados hermanos on J C ; Confieso que ha sido mi deber .

cortar de raiz estos desordenes (que por ahora omito detallar

muy a los principios ; pero 1a repugnancia que tengo (y m e as
natural) de revestirmo a cada paso de autoridad y los esper
anzas lisongeras de que todo se podria apociguar sin cam
’

p an a do s u i es tr é pi to d e j ui cio m e d ia n t e 1a ,s an a y m a d u ra

reflex ion de parte de unos y de otros son a la verdad los motivos

q ue m e h an o fu sc a do y h e ch o, d is im u la r y p as er e n s il
,e n cio
mucho mas de lo que ciertamente en conciencia deb iera .

Ahora pues que mi silencio ha sido defectuoso auque guiado

, , , ,

(b ien lo s ab e D i os ) p or la s in te nc io n e s m a s s an a s y rec t a s y ,

q ue la s d ise n sio n es e h lu g a r d e d isminuir se toman incremento

y penetran ya hasta el T emple de Dios levanto la voz y digo , , ,

q ue d e s d e a h o ra m e d ec lar o C u r a d e l
, Sa gr ario d e esta Santa

Yglesia de la N ueva Orleans y de aqui en adelante tanto ,

V R com o los demas M inistros E ccos empleados eh mi

. .

Yglesia deberan servir bax o mis ordenes e inspeccion imm edi

ata com o T eniantes de Cura L o que aviso a V R para su
. . .

inteligencia y gobierno ; quedando a mi cargo dar oportuna

mente otras d isposiciones ulteriores para cl resguard o y
descargo de V R en el manej o y responsabilidad economica
. .

q ue t ie ne A n t es .d e d ex a r la p lu m a a se gu r o a V R c on t od o . .

verdad que el partido que tomo no me es agradable como ,

V R m ism o no ignora pero al m ismo tiempo es el mas eficaz

. .

y me atrevo a decir el unico medio para restablese cer la

armonia y concordia que debe rinar entre M inistros de paz .

Como Cura universal de la G rey que me esta confiado mis ,

 F ray A ntonio de Sedella, P art 2 379

ocupaciones son m uchas verdadermente pero confio que

V R y los otros T enientes supliran mis defectos eh el desem
. .
,

pen o de m i n ue vo M inisterio ; y aseg ur o a todos q ue les m iro

com o hermanos que m e considero unicamente com o P rimus

inter pares entre ellos y que todos mis desvelos se dirigen a su

,

bien estar espiritual y temporal Prevengo a V R de comuni . . .

cacion de este oficio a los T eniente s de Cura Cantor y d ema s , ,

Ministros inferiores empleados en esto Yglesia para su futuro

gobi en ro D ios gu.ard e a V R m uc ho s a ilos N uev a O rl
.ea n s . .

6 de Marzo de 1805 Patricio Walsh E s copia de su original

. . .

Fr A ntonio de Sedella
. .

—
P apeles de Cuba L egaj o 1 42 (5) .

R I R eligioso capuchino Fr A ntonio de Sedella cura por .

,

S M del Sagrario de esta Santa Yglesia Cathedral me has

. .

hecho presente con documentos el mal tratamiento que ha ,

experientado de los tenientes de cura Fr Pedro Korin y el .

,

Presb itero Don Pedro Francisco L espinase : 1a quexa que dioa

’

V m y la ex trafia violenta y escandalosa providencia que

.
, ,

Vm tom o y resulta eh hum illacion del caracter y empleo de

.
,

dicho Padre Cura .

E n esta suposicion zeloso de que las d isposiciones del

Soberano sean respetad as como deben por sus vasallos y , ,

pa r a d ar cu en ta a la S u p eriorid ad de lo o c u rrido espero m e ,

diga Vm en contestacié n aSi 1as facultades que se apropia

.
,

dimanan de autoridad conferid a por el G ob ierno de los E stados

unidos ;y eh este caso asi la determ inacié n de V m es q uedar se 6 .

transferirse aotro parte de los D ominios de 8 M ? Pues q ue con . .

forme a la respuesta de V m d are las providencias que me .

,

pe rt en e zca n p ar a q ue cl R
, P F r A nt on io y o separad o del
. . .

empleo de cura del Sagrario verifique la formal entrega de lo

q ue e n es ta ca lid ad e sta a s u ca rg o D io s guarde a Vm . .

muchos afi os Nueva Orleans 9 de Marzo de 1805 E l Marqués

. .

de Caso Calvo Senor Don Patricio Walsh . .

—
P apeles de Cuba L egaj o N o 1 42 ( )
6 . .

E h papel de este dia, ma comunica V S q ue el R eligi s oo . .

C o o
apuchin Fr A ntoni de Sedella Cura por S M del Sagrari
. o . .

de esta Santa Yglesia Cathedral la ha hecho presente con docu ,

mentos el mal tratamiente que ha experime atado de los T enientes

de Cura Fr Pedro Koun y cl Presbitero Don Pedro Francisco
.

L espinase : L a quexa que me (iii) a mi y la estrana violenta ,

y escandalosa providencia que yo tomé y resulta eh humilla

 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
ci6n del carac er t y o
del dicho Padre cura : sh ade V S
emple . .

q u e eh e
s ta su p o sicio n ze lo so, d e q u.e la s di sp o sic io nes del
Sol: erano sean resoectadas, como deben por sus vasallos y
, ,

p a ra dar cuenta a la superioridad de lo ocurrido ss pera le ,

diga yo en contestacion si 1as facultades que me apr6pio

,

dimanam de autoridad concedidas por el G obierno de los

E stados Unidos y eh este caso si mi determinaci6n es que
darme 6 transferirme a otra parte de los Dominios de S M . .

p u e s qu e c on fo r m e m i re s p u es ta se d isp o n e V S a d ar 1as . .

p ro v id en c ia s q u e ls pe rt e n e c en p a r a q u e e l R P F r A n to n io . . .

y a se pa ra do d e l e m pl eo d e C u ra d e l Sa g ra r io v er ifi q e la
u ,

form al entrega de lo que en esta calidad esta a su cargo : Y

contestando digo que m e admiro que V S se quiera apropiar . .

facultades que no puede ui debe tener, ni por consiquiente

exercer ; V S os Comisario de L im ites, Brigadier tambico de
. .

los R eales E xtos ; pero aseguro a V S al mismo tiempo que . .

no es L egado a L atere del Sum o Pontifice, ni se halla autorizado

aex ercer acto alguno de j uri sdicion eclesiastica en mi obispado :
M i correspondencia con el Soberano os tan libre y abierta
com o la de V S y me parece que V S mismo no me puede
. . . .

coartar en esto : La facultades que tengo las excerzo legal ,

mente y no tengo cuenta que dar a V S ni a ningun otro . .

seglar (L ego) de mis operaciones ui manejo E u quanto a la .

formal entrega de lo que esta al cargo de Fr A ntonio de Sedell ,

a
dispondré se verifique oportunemente (si llega el caso) sin
interposicion de V S pues que tal mtervenc1on debiers mirarse
O

. .

estrano oiolenta y tal vez escondalosa, visto que V S no es

, . .

mas que Comisario para la Demarcacion de L imites, y que

mi Yglesia se halla situada en el centro de esta Ciudad y que
todo lo que tiene Fr A ntonio a su cargo pertenece ala misma
.

Yglesia y no al R ey Con esta fecha doy cuenta de todo lo

.

courrido en el par ticular de que se trata, al m ism o Soberano

y tambien de otras courrencias graciosas y me lisongeo que mi

representacion, 6 por mexor decir ex posicion de hechos sera ,

atend ida . Concluyo dicinedo para el futuro gob ierno de V S . .

q u e so y P r ov is or V ic ar io G en er a l y G o b er n a do r d e e
s ta
Diocesis de la L uisiana y ambas Floridas : de estas Vica rio
,

G eneral Subdelegado A post6lico Castrense y tambien de '

una de ellas (1a F lorida Occidental) Comisan o de Cruzada ; y

p r e v e n go a V S.
( co n
. re s
p et o h a b lo ) q ue m e p a rec e s er d e su
deber respetar mi caracter y ernpleo como tal Gate E clesiiwtioo
y que ls hago y haré cargo severe donde y ante quien corres ,
382 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarter!y

Calvo was clothed with authority I n L etter number 8 from Walsh .

,

to Sedella the M arquis is called Senor Co mm isario por S M Para la

’ “
.
, .

entrega de esta Prov incia Senor Commissioner for his Maj esty
.

concerning the surrender of this Province H ere th en is this Marquis .

,

who is the firm friend of Sedella I stress this point bem use all his
.

torians especially G ayarré in d ealing with the defiance of A ntonio

, ,

treat him as a law breaker a person d eterm ined as (F C Philippe

-
, . .

says) to have his own way at any cost

“ ”
.

But Sedella was not a law breaker The law quoted by M -

. .

Philippe is correct but his conclusion I quote his very words

,
—

Deduce an untimate perfectly incorrect ! T he law quoted gave

“ ”

Sedella the right to act under the Constitution of the United States
and he took adv antage probab ly acting under Casa Calvo s advice !
’

We seen then that A ntonio acte d well within the law aided by the
M arquis It will not be supposed that the Vicar G eneral 1aid down his
.
-

arms without a struggle I n a letter from him to Casa Calvo concern

.

ing Sedella he speak s in no uncertain word s L et me say distinguished

“
, ,

Sir that I am amazed that y ou seek to appropriate powers that y ou

,

cannot nor ought not to hold or ex ercise perm anently , You are a .

Commissioner of lim ited powers although Brigadier of the R oyal ,

Forces But my dear sir let me assure you that you are neither the
.
, ,

P ope s L egate nor have y ou the right to exercise one act of E cclesias
’

tical J urisdiction within the limits o f My Bishopric .

are only Commissioner to mark out certain limits and this my Chur ch , ,

and Sedella s subm ission to it pertain to the P ower of the Church

’

and not to the K ing ! L et me conclude by remind ing y ou for y our

future governm ent that I am A cting Vicar G eneral and G overnor of
,
- -

this Diocese of L ouisiana and the two F lorid as etc , .

Notice that the issue is well and closely defi ned T he whole .

question ofChurch os State or King is re opened T he Vicar G eneral

.
-
.
-

says that he alone is j ustified in d isciplining one of his own Pr iests .

T hat even the authority of the K ing is not to be tolerated .

A letter from Casa Calvo to A ntonio shows clear ly the

other side of the argum ent I t is d ated 12 March 1805. I t begins , .

without formality of any kind .

Wh enever the Priest Patrick Walsh persisting in quoting

“

authorities which is m y opinion are not legal comm and s you to take ,

the ornaments and Sacred Vessels includ ing the j ewels and other
vestments pertaining to your Offi ce as a Priest in this Church you
R everence will always answer him with your usual m oderation
r ,

.
"

R emem ber that the d ispute resolves itself into a question of owership
 Fray A ntonio de Sedalia, P art 2 383

betwee n the body of the city (cuerpo ) and the Commissioner of his
C atholic M aj esty .

A s m uch for him as myself I will quote from T itle 22 B ook 1

“ —
,

Digest of the I nd ies and I tell of the scand al and evil conseq uences
,

t hat ought to follow even if he think s th is is of small moment If .

n otwithstand ing all this he should insist and shoul d d ispossess your
R everence (L egaj o 142

(U nfortun ately the quotation does not seem to be given ) .

y ou w ill hu m b le y ourself giving after ward s a d et

,ailed acc ount of all
the circum stances that have occurred d uring my Governorship and
oversight
”
.

Note the authority with which the Marquis speaks! ”

I t is safe to say that it was the authority of the Spanish King

that induced Sedella to take the Constitution of the United States
und er its law show the people how to elect Wardens and himself
,

France Spain , and the I sland of Cuba have contributed to this

o
c ntention between Walsh and Olivier and Sedella Now (A ug 20 . .
,

1 9 19) I taly also has something to say .

A nd the Marquis de Casa Calvo is the (alleged ) author of

( )
a E x T ab ulario S C de P ropogand a F id e.Scrittorre R
. iferite
nei Congressio A merica Central dal Canada A ll I stm o di Panama
- —

(d a l 17 9-
1 al 18 17) V ol II I 16 9 fol .
-
.

L es administrateurs des B iens de l E glise paroissiale de la

’

N ouvelle Orleans a la Congregation des Fideles Catholiques .

I t is dated 1805 (tergo) A merica Settentrionale N enova Orleans .

I t is in French covering 52 typewritten pages and addressed to Cas

,

t illon President of the Board of A dministrators

, For the Congrega .

tion, Casa Calvo has collected an exhaustive account from the view
p oin t of Se della b ased on C an on L aw .

The testimony of N icolas Vidal, Doctor of Civil and E ccle

siastical L aw is of interest :

Coming now to the subj ect of the suspension of A ntoine

de Sedella I would say that all T heologians and Casuist s are
agreed no one can im pose this penalty save for a crim e of the

grav est na ture an d the P ub l

,ic w ell k now s that the Father

Sedella has not comm itted the very smallest crim e Far from .

that he is an example in religion ; an indefatigab le evangelican

,

worker ; a laborer in the Vineyard of the L ord at all hours of

”
the day or night .
384 The L ouis iana H istorical Quarterly

But the personalit of Sedella is c m pletel y ersha we o y ov do d by

the er v y lear ned discussi n of an n L aw o
A ll R man Cath lic C o . o o
p ries ts sh u l so d t dy
u thi s M S I n c on clu si n , th er.e is a
. ren ch o F
rendering of the King s Declarati n, 1794 and a M S signe o d
’
Santi , . .

ago, J oseph E e ue de , vqu a ate C b

H a ana J uly 4 1787 , d d The v , ,

ey e rests upon one sen ence that is t

uite extra r inar :
“
q
(N us) lo od y o
j o v b
ugeant c n ena le au service de eux maj estes
”
d .

o d
A man app inte to a place ith the c nsen and appr val of w o t o
b th the Kings of rance and Spain is a prett diflicult pers n to
o F y o
ispossess Thr ugh ut the hole M S the
d vd . o o r w
of al 1s much . . wo k C vo
in e i ence .

Vol 145 Fol 40 of

.
-
ngregazione Partic lari
. Co o .

W t
ritten in La in is a statement fr m Walsh to A rch ishop o b
C o
arr ll A pril 12 1805 R ea ding this carefull it is ea s to see tha
, . y y t
k ow d
Walsh had no n le ge at all c ncerning the real impor tance of o
Sedella .

o o
ov w t
The f ll wing pr es b w ha has een ritten ab ve There is in o .

o o k by
this c untry a certain m n the name of A nt ni de Sedella who o o , ,

o y d y w
f rmerl in the a s hen Spain wasdo minant on account of vari us , o
v o b w
crimes and iolati ns of pu lic law as ell as the law of his r er O d by ,

a egree of the B ish p (Cy rillo) and the aforesai King on a st rm

d o d ,o y
night was bo d b k
un in irons and sent ac in a ship to Spain e erthele s s . Nv ,

by o y
som e f rtune (som e w d ears after ar s) he was restored how
, I ,

w d C
kno not he returne and is now ure in the hief hurch of the
, , C C
o
Di cese
”
.

W
Then o o v y
alsh t uche s up n a er difficult ues ti n of E cclesias q o
tical L aw :
“
The now c n en y o t d
that this E cclesiastica l P , er (my rights ow
or facultos as
‘ ’
V
icar G eneral) not less than ci il and militar p wer
-
v y o
b
has een transferre fr m the old to the new authorit d o ”
This letter y .

vd
is e i entl yw
ritten in great u t and istress do b d .

b
A rch ishop Carroll c ul not answer the uesti ns and he sent o d q o
the letter to R ome for fur ther informati n On the margin ther e is a o .

o
n te (tergo ) :
“
R isposto 11 2 1 Settem re 1805 Scritt a Carr ll b , o o
es pedito il decredo di facolta ad enterim por la L ouisiana .

v
If e er prett su ect for e ate was ante y bj db
here is one that w d ,

w od
ill aff r much f for th ught ood o .

( c ) T o th e C a th o lics o f th e it of rle a ns : C y O
o q
T hat in c nse uence of the failure of Sedella e r ers to ob y o d ,

the Church of the U

rsulines is at this mom ent the only church where

C o
ath lics are perm itte to recei e the Sacrements : d v
17 Feb 1807 . .

Signe eandJ li ier O v

icar G eneral (I n rench) , V -
F .
386 The Louisiana H istorical Quarterly
North America H ere is no hint of any seditious act against the
.

United States Government H e was first and last a Spaniard pro

.

foundly and unchangea bly and because of his love for Spain he
,

worked to save her the little that was left here in the N ew World .

L e t t er A .

Docu m en tos Pr oc eden tes de la I sla

de C u b a
—
P apeles de Cuba L egaj o 1 81 5 .

Duplicada .

Nuova Orleans 6 de Febrero 1813 .

E x emo Seii or Capitan G eneral de la Ysla de Cub a y dos

Floridas .

Muy Senor mio : aprovecho es ta ocasion para remitir , ,

y poner entre las manos de V E un copon de oro y un om a . .

,

mento encarnado cuyas dos preciosas alaj as consagro a los

,

santos fines del actual sab io G ob ierno en la j usta d efense de ,

nuestra amada Patria ; y si alguno lleva a mal este hecho le ,

reconveno con lo que practico San A mbrosio eh quasi iguales

circunstancias Ban al car go del respetab le e Ylustrisimo

Senor Ob ispo de Car tagena victim s de la ingratitud de sus
,

bandidos diooesanos lleva igual encargo Don Pedro L emos ,

Capitan del Barco que los conduce y suponiendo y o q ue
, , ,

talvez sera mas ventajoso rifarlo 0 el venderlo en ss a capital ,

q u e e l r em itir lo s a E sp a ii a V E (sin m an
. ifes ter
. e l donante )
esta por esta autorizado para hacer lo que tenga por mas coa

veniente : 400 pesos tiene de oro el cupon y 100 que m e costo

la echura el ornam ento me costo 80 .

Dios nuestro Senor preserve el Barco y le condusca con

felicidad a ss e puert e y conserve la impor tante V ida de V E
, . .

los muchos anos que eh el dia necesita neusta nacion que dando
, ,

Siempre su aflmo servidor y Capellan .

Fr A ntonio de Sedella (R ubricado)

. .

E x cmo Senor Don Juan R uiz de A podaca .

(A l do rso ) : N u ev a O rle an s 6 d e Fe b rero d e 1813 .

E l cura Parroco F A ntonio de Sedella . .

(E n pa p el adj un to ) : 3 1 de m arz o de 18 1 3 .

A I R eberendo Pad re Fr A ntonio de Sedella . .

H e recib ido el o ficio de V R de 6 de febrero ultimo eu . .

q ue me participa haber encargado al Ylustrisimo Senor

Obispo de Cartagena nu 00pon de oro y un ornamento encar
 F ray A ntonio de Sedella, P art 2 387

d
na a que c nsagra o
V R a los fines de o iern en la usta . . G b o j
defenza de la P atria ha ien reci i y
igualrnente ichas
, b do b do d
alha as, p a j
sa do la s y
a l Sefio r Y n te nd en te de E x er cit con o
obj o
et a que pue a d d o
isp ner tengan estino segun el fin de d ,

V R se lo a is para su conocim ien

. . v o an le muchas gracias o d do
por este rasg od e pa tr io tism o eh el c ncep to de q ue lo p a rticip o o
al Supremo G obierno .

(E n otro p p
a el adj unto ) : 20 de Septiem b re 1813 .

F A ntonio de Sedella M inisto H acienda

. .

Sedella is ding to the Captain G eneral of Cuba on copen de

sen -

O ro y un ornam ento E ncarnado — a Ciborium of Gold and a R ed

’

E ucharists R obe to be sent to Spain of a m onetary value of perhaps

—
$500 They are to be spent E n la j usta defensa de nuestre amad a
“
.

P atria as a mark of resepct to the illustrious Bishop of Charthage

”

victima de la ingratitud e de sus bandid os diocesam os

“
.

I s this letter to be taken literally ? Does it mean exactly what it

say s? Or is there a hidden information?
, I incline to the last inter
p re t a ti on an d w ou l d th us end eavo r to rea d b etw ee n th e lin es : A l
‘

th ough N ew Orleans legally is a part of the United States yet Spain ,

is the Country of my love H ere are plottings going on against her

. .

I am is a position to warn you of them I will do all in m y power to .

c onserve her interests and confuse her enemies .

Whether or no you think this interpretation fanciful yet on the ,

m argin there is a note of acknowledgment from Don Juan R uiz de

,

A podoca which I also venture to interpret :

“
, E n papel adj unto 31 de ,

M arzo de 1813 T o the R ev Padre Dr A ntonio de Sedella : I have rec d

’
. . .

t he Command of V S of Feb 6 last past in which notice is given I

. . .
,

must tak e charge for the most illustrious Senor Bish op of Carthage
o f a Ciborium o f G old and R ed E ucharistic R obe that your R ever ,

ence has consecrated to the needs of the G overnment for the j ust ,

defense of our Country and likewise having received the said j ewels ,

and passed them on to the Senor I ntendant of the A rmy so that they
can re a ch their wished for destination accord ing to the desire of your
R everence that he (the Captain G eneral) may be advised of what -

has been found out and give y ou much thank s for such a stroke of
p a t rio tism in whi ch id ea the Su p rem e Go ve rn or will als o pa rt ici pate
”
.

E n otro papel adj unto Sept 2 1813 F A ntonio de Sedella

“
, .
, , .

Ministo H acienda ”
Dichas A lhaj as means that the said j ewels
.
“

had also been received perhaps wrapped up in the robe containing

,

also information of such inportance that it was se nt to the M inister

of War . So the articles nominally set down for only $500 were
388 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
reall y worth much more . A nd Sedella is gi ven the title of Minister
of A ffairs .

Only four letters appear in 1813 .

Feb 4, 1814, L ette1 E Sedella spea s ofman fa ra le indicati ns

. . k y vo b o
t o
tha seem to sh w that h stilities against Spain ha e een evi ently o v b d
pa r al y ze an d h d
at tht
e fam ous Picorn ell has een rou gh ov er to b b t
d o b
our si e ; a n ta le change for the etter in which G od and Don b
do v
R uiz de A po ca ha e ali e co operate k -
d .

L etter F —
Feb 23, 1814 to hich is a ed the
. . ss ion o f
nfe w dd Co
Picornell and his plea that the Spanish G o ern r will show him v o
y
mercy sa s that the Baratarian Pirates who are in the immediate
,

neigh orh b accommnied ood thers

, h m the ait for from by o w o y w
C arthage, intend to ta e T ampic unawares ; to plun er it and also k o d ,

to plun er d M d
ata G or a, and c ntinue their infamous practica l work o ,

over lan d
and sea until the capture T a asc Oh the margin is y b o .

w t
rit en T his c rresp n s ith Document 327 of the o o d w
inister of M
War .

L etter G Oct 17 1814 : . .

,
“
E 11 papel adj unto
1
( )0
“
I t is free l sai th a t A m er ic a n y tr 0 0 p s h da e starte out v d
o v
fr m the Ri er of M ovulla to inflict upon Pensac la the same ruinous o
treatment the g a e to M o v u y
ll a a n d cvor re s p n in g a i ces sh o,w o d dv
t
that here is an opportunit to act y .

20
( )
“
I n a le t te r fr m N ew r w e a r e o
a i se th a t G e Yo k
n eral dv d
F rancisc o b
H um ert has set out fr m the nite States for Carthage o U d
I
o f the ndies as can be seen in the A rticle L Am iode de L ois
‘
Col
’
,
’
.

O ob
5 ( ct er which G eneral seem e in
, ct er last to ha e d O ob v
star e td ofr m N ew rleans on a O
urne of 10 or 12 a s, asserting jo y d y
that he was going to N
achit ches to engage in a new R e olutionar o v y
d
E xpe ition against the interi r pr inces and to co perate with o ov , o -

T leo do and others set free the Spanish G eneral Arredendo by ”

.

3
( )0 I n a a
p p e r p u lish e c alle
“
M o n i teu r b d e la L odu is ia n e d
o
c lumns 5 6 are two inflamm atory articles
-
, this G o ernor (Clai by v
bo w ?
rne ) y
hich s m pathize ith these misera le (trait rs) and in the w b o
o o
p ini n o f th e Se na t rs are a g a in st th e S pa o
n is h o e rn m e n t G v .

“
I n such a time as this hen go w
faith is ex ile and perfidiousness od d
reigns , it ul wo d
be ell to foll w
the max im of Machievilli which ow
teaches us by
inferring the worst we arri e at the truth
”
P assing
, v .

ov er two im portant letters (H and I ) of J uly 1814 we comm ent . .

, ,

upon a letter ate d

Oct 3 1814 (L etter J d .
, ,

H ere Sedella differs fr m the ap ain eneral concerning the o C t G

godo fa ith o f D on u a n Pi co r n e ll H e sJa s in p a rt :
“
Y o u a r e
. as y
390 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
in the firm pursuasion that as soon as all North Am eri ca is free we ,

ought in two d ay s to play trum p card for the res t ! Our point is that
-

E urope shall hold no more colonies on this contincut T his ought to .

be the sine qua non of all our treaties You ought to carry pronto .

all points from Vera Cruz to T am pico for it is absolutely necessar y

that the G overnor of M exico should have an open port on the coast
so that vessels could be dispatched with all necessary arms

I n those d ays it is openly said in Washington that y ou have gone to

capture Pensacola Mr L afi tte will do me the favor to deliver this
. .

letter to you .

Signed P G U AL . .

(W ashington D C F eb 6 18 1 6 , . .
, .

B ut L afi tte did n thing of the indo ns ea k I t d

this le ter s meh w
.
, t o o
d
fell into the han s of Sedella !
A ug 5, 1816
. L et er R
. t .

“
do
M ur R eserva : The same indivudal (L afi tte) whom haye I
o
rec mm en e d d
to yo
ur E x cellenc , in the last of y ovember , 1815, N
w o
h ich pers n has comm unicate to us on diflerent occasi ns ery d o v
o
imp rtant notices, and has transferre dd
ifferent letters hich have w
b een inter cepte d
from our enemies has gi en to me and Don uan v J
Picornell a statem ent which I v
ha e recei e toda fr m the mail of vd y o
b v v
Baratari a a out na al essels hich the Pirate Ori h l s with the w od
p ar tic u la rs th at fo llo w I n a p sts crip t
“
H er ra ra is o
calle dMinister Plenip tentiar of the o y
exican C ngress M o .

o
B ut what p siti n had L afitte o ? This letter ust u ted in part j q o
d
seem s to in icate that o do
hile T le w and H errara trus e him L a td ,

vd y d v
fitte e i entl was han and glo e a truste spy emplo e d Sedella
”
y d by .

v y vd d
I t is er e i ent from rea ing the letters ritten Sedella in w by
y o y
1816 that the H istor of the C nspirac against Spain is still un rit w
ten and that this tex t use
, d by the Spanish inister of War woul M d
form an irnportant part of that histor y .

d w d d
T he rea er ill un erstan that in this paper no attem has m
b d
een m a e to translate these letters in full A ll that ha e one is to
. I v d
gi v
e a s umm ar o fyt he part S ede lla so succes sf ull pl a ed it h su ch y y w
ex cellent results .

matter of fact the Conspiracy was crushed and the Cone

As a ,

spirators cam e to grief What really was Sedella s obj ect A lettr
.
? ’

written by him Oct 22 1813 enclosing a gift of 100 pesos shows

.
, ,
“

his heart and tells why he consented to work for the Spanish G ov
ernment .
 F ray A ntonio de Sedella, P art 2 391

—
P apeles de Cuba L egaj o 1 81 5 .

P ral E x cmo Sen r o

Muy Seii or mio : el Porta r de esta rancisco Brunchi do F '

entregara a V E cien pesos fuertes, que con el ma

. . - r afiecto, yo
remito , a fin de que V E los incorpore entre los . . nati s, que de do vo
s oo
s a salgan par a s c rrer nuestra amada Pa ria tan perfidamenbe t ,

imbadida, y d
trata a con la mas innaudita cruel a irania : d dyt
p er eostr iv an d o s re 1as m a s sobli as fi r m es v a cas eho d y
q ue la
renueva y b b
esta lece su sa ia c nstituci n, de uh D i s, una Fee, o o o
un Bautism un R eyo , una R eligi n, p y emos asegurar que o od ,

las puertas del Ynfierno, no prevaleceran c ntra ella, a pesar o

de la obsecacion de los infames Philosofos de este corrompi o d
y boo
tene r s sigl en que i im s o vv o
Dios uestro Seii or guar e . N d
y p ros p er s la im p rt an te i a de oV E lvd
os m u ch s an s q u e . . o o
p u e ed y n ec esit am s u eva r lo
ean s
. 22N d eO ct u re d e 1 813 1 O b
De V E siempre afi mo ser i r
. .
‘
Capellan v do y .

Fr A nt ni de Sedella (R u rica )
. do o o b
E x cmo Senor Don J uan R uiz de A podaca Capitan General
de la Ysla de Cuba y dos Floridas .

A l dorso ) : N ueva Orleans 22 Octubre de 1813 .

Fr A ntonio de Sedella C ontestada en 1 1 de N oviem bre

.
— .

E u papel A dj unto ) : 1 1 de Noviembre de 1813 .

A Fr A ntonio de Sedella
. .

H e recib ido la carta de V R de 22 de Octubre prox imo . .

p a rti cip a n d o e l n ue v o d o na tivo q ue ha ce d e cie n p eso s pa ra

q u e se in co rp or e en tre lo s q u e de a q ui se rern ita n p ara so co rro

de la madre patria ; los que m e ha entregado el conductor en

seis onzas de oro cediendo con el mism o obj eto los dos pesos

mas que comprehenden de dicha cantidad ; lo que aviso a

V R en contestacion dandole expresivas gracias por esta
. .

nueva demostracion de su zelo patriotico ; anadiendo que el

copon de oro casulla y dem as aderentes sobre que di a V R , , . .

respuest — a con fecha de 31 de M arzo ultimo se han vend ido ,

en quatroc ientos pesos previo s hulao de facultativ os , .

E n otro papel adj unto ) : dese quenta al R eligioso : y a la

R egencia del R eyno con mas los cien pesos que a puesto en
cuenta y que como d onativo le deben entregar al Seii or cond e

de Zald ivar para que los emplee en tabaco dandole 1as mas
ex presivas gracias por todo .

H is purpose is not only political but religious T o renew and .

establish under Spain s safe constitution One L ord One Faith One
’ “
, ,
392 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
Baptism so that t v
the ga es of H ell shall not pre ail against her ; to
cause the d t oo
estruction of hose infam ous phil s phers of this oor

rupted and storm y time of the era in which we live

”

It should be noted that all these M S in E pisodes 1 an

.

. . d2 never
before printed b ear witnes s to and expand the points made 1n my first
,

a
p p er printed J anuary 19 19 o f the life and experiences of this
, ,

ex traordinar y man It is not for us to j udge but only to uncover the

.

facts .
“
While he was always waging war once as King s Ag ent ’

then as a priest in the Church then establishing in conformity to law

a new sy stem of Church G overnm ent ; then as a political secret service
agent for Spain and last as the Priest beloved of all N ew Orle a ns let ,

it be remembered that whatever he did he did well R I P

”
, . . . .

The Compiler wishes to earnes tly thank M iss G race King who ,

in his ab sence from N ew Orleans has graciously consented to read this

N ew Orleans , A ug .
, 1919.
 L etters of B aron Joseph de F ontalba 395

the aflair, they are at the

‘
o d hearing and as this trial follows
sec n ,

the usual course the j udge will d emand the papers admit the evi
, ,

dence for which eighty days are allowed and until then we shall
,

know nothing of it I shall not fall to inquire about it that I may

.

inform y ou of anything that may be of interest to you It is impossi .

ble to give you an idea of Orue s air of submission and hum iliation
’

he always seem s to be plead ing for mercy from everyone Serrano .

and several others have assured me that the B aron has him in leading

strings and is not lenient to him ; he leaves him no chance of deceiv

ing him he has made a machine of him and has reserved the right of
,

bend ing it at his will T he answer to the proceedings relative to the

.

m erchandise is expected by the first or by the second courier at latest .

Since my last letter I found out the cause of Folk s sudden removal
’
.

T he B aron had explained that Folk would not be removed before the
p r ocee d in g s ag a in s t B ell e C h a s se w er e o v e r b ut h is im p u d e n ce, to
y o u n g A co s ta ch a n g e d h is d et e rm in at io n W h en F o lk ca m
. e t o N ew
Orleans he left Mobile under the command of A costa sub lieutenant ,
-

in the regiment ; he gave over the archives which are under two keys ,

but took the precaution to hand but one to A costa and the other to
the store keeper of Mobile
-
T his officer it is said was humiliated by
.
, ,

this distrust and as soon as Folk returned to Mobile he filed a com

p la in t b e fo re th e B ar on ; th e la tt er o ffi c ia lly d e m a n d e d in for m a tio n
on A costa of M r B ouligny . T his officer was so well recommend ed
.

by his Colonel that the Baron on the spot sent for L anzos to give , ,

him the order to start imm ed iately to replace Folk I forgot to men .

tion that the officer represented to Folk that this distrust humiliated
him and inj ured his reputation and that F01k had answered that he ,

knew what he had to do I had these details from Serrano and I

.

heard that L anzos left yesterday with M r O neilly who is going to

’
.

p a ci fy th e I n d i an s w h o ha v e
, b e en a la rm e d by th e ta k in g of th eir

E nglish chief and at his having been taken to H avana they even ,

feared hostilities and M r O neilly is to assemble them and give

’

, .

them presents T here is a rum or that as a reprisal they have taken

.
, ,

d E rneville L anzos before leaving had to d efend himself agai nst

’
.
, ,

the honest Molina Bonet declared on his d eath bed before six wit
.
,

nesses and in his will that a carpet bag containing thirteen thousand

p ia st ers o f c h a r g es ag a in st v a r io u s o ffi cers b elo n g ed t o L a n z os w h o

had given it to him to recover in favor of the regimental chest .

A fter B onet s death this bag was turned over to L anzos ; Molina
’

p er s u a d e d B on et s r el
’
a t iv es th a t M r O n e i lly an d. L a n z
’
os h a d a p
i d h i m that belonged to B onet s estate H e obtained
’

p p
r 0 r a t e t s s u .

a power of attorney from the family and made a demand in court

396 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
that L anzos be interr ga e on this su ect T he B ar n sen o td bj . for o t
M olina whom he treate se erel and threatene with prison d v y d He .

assur e d
him that this m atter woul be in d q uired into and ha he t t
d
woul repent of his rascalit L anz s efore y . o b d t his power
epart ing le f

and the affair ta es its course k .

“
A hnonester no longer has the chair of the h spital the patr n o , o
age was with drawn o fr m him and ill not be his until the C urt w ill
, w o
have d him
nam e .

T he rum ors of war no longer seem probable but from the pre
“

parations going ou ; the Baron still seek s means of surround ing the
city he announced that a planter who does not wish to be nam ed is
, , ,

mak ing two thousand posts at four hits a piece ; they measure eleven
eleven feet and T omorrow a company of special guards
(m iq uelets ) leaves for N atche z with g eys and cannon The Baron
all .

requires each planter to furnish a negro to put the posts in place when

they will be ready .

T he Captain will remit to M r H errera twelve pairs of very

“
.

fine wom en s gloves such as m y A unt requested of my wife

’

, .

I shall ask Mr L ivaudais for my A unt s horse and shall get the
.
’

best price possible either with Bernoudy or with Peter the mulatto , ,

who wants it for his wife I t appears that the freighting of the
.

frigate at Cd
a iz will be super ; ish it woul not eep y ou at b I w d k
v o
H a ana any l nger than you care to rem ain there for it seems to me ,

v y
er o
imp rtant that you sh ul reach Spain o d .

“
You aspire to rest w
ith reas n after lea ing a countr in
, o , v y
w hich y ou had so little of it but the comm issi n of going to the , o
U nite d
States of A m erica to eterm ine the boun aries for Spain, d d
carries no fatigue besi es the ourne d
and such m issions ar e j
er y , v y
b
honora le and followe a settle career and d by istinguished recom d d
p en se s B
. e si es it w d
ou l b e an alm o st cer ta ind ste p t o wa r s the p lac e d
we spo e of here k d
Phila elphia is a charming cit ; such a m ission
. y
can but b
ring y ou com fort and istinction ithout any w rries and d , w o ,

y o u ca nn o t fi nd a cab al (pa n dille ) an d O ru e on o ur w ay Y o u w ill y .

b ecom e a perfect E
nglishm an and news from y ou woul reach us d
soo ner . F
rom this m om ent shall egin stu ing E nglish and y ouI b dy
coul d ask for m e as our secretar ; wouly ring y ou m y ife and y I db w
Celestin and I
assure y ou that we woul spen a pleasant ear in d d y
d y
Phila elphia and our usiness woul in no way suffer from it
, b d , I
shall put it in goo d
or er before lea ing here d T his i ea pleases v . d
me as it woul db
ring y ou our goo A unt and our sel es t gether
, d v o .

V eril y d d
it coul be realize ; but a o e all if you consent to go there
, , b v , ,

I beg you not to fail to ring m e into the part b in any capacity y ,
 398 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
Presen my ten er regar st our d
es A unt, our rue friend d to b t t
w wo
my ife r te to her ice since es er a tw
She was a le to ex change y t d y b .

w v
the t el e pairs of hite kid gl es for the w issies H errera the ov M
y y v
first were ugl the ha e recei e others the are ery fine and the
, vd y v , ,

same ship os mics them and this le ter

'
A rmesto ga e hem to Pe r t v t . do
M arin to tur n o er to the Captain v .

“
The A uditoe the A ssessor il ert H oa L ivaudais al l the
, G b o
, , , ,

bo
sisters and r thers the old aun whom saw ester a
, her aughter t I y d y , d
M iss M acarty Mrs Coussot iss
, air , M rs .Dreux arig n , , M M .
, M y
the Montreuils are grateful for our remem rance and regre ur y b t yo
b
a sence m ore and more each day and c mmissi n me e er time o, o v y
y
the m eet me to recall hem to y ou t
can say the same of Caunway , I .

who is a little etter and of man bthers hom ,nam e in pre i us yo w I vo

letters You do not m ention in
. ur last th e ate of our eparture yo d y d .

I o
supp se that it will be towar s the 23rd or 24th of A pril as the d
d
fri gate Opene her register on the 241h of arch and it will take at M
least a mon h to fill it t
H ereafter my letters will be un er en elope ,
. d v
a ddressed to H errera and irecte to a ri hen, d
shall ha e d M d d w I v
d y
hear of our eparture d .

v I
Whene er can be ofuse H errera ten er my services with the to , d
expre s sion of m y highest es eem and be please to accept the ast , d
t
surance of the rue and respectful afi ection ple ge to y ou our d d by y
best frien d .

Signe F T AL B A d ON .

N ew Orleans , A pril 12th, 1792 .

My very dear Uncle ,

T his evening I greeted Mr L onguay s arrival at the plantation

“ ’
.

with the greatest pleasure ; I made him talk of you and my A unt
d uring the the whole evening I did not expect him so soon Im , .

m ed iately after his arrival he had the cisterns hlled and has made up
his mind not to lose a mom ent H avana rum (taha) is here worth .

20 piasters a pipe T he rum has arrived on board the ship L ouis iana
.
‘

that carried tobacco to Cadiz two years ago she now comes from Cadiz , ,

from which place she brought freight to H avana to the value of six
,

thousand piasters this makes m e think that the M ississippi could

load at Cad iz for H avana and then come from H avana here with
syrups then in this place to tak e on a load of sugar and return to Cadiz

if freights bear up T o this end it is necessary to say that the ship

.

owner was born in L ouisiana Spanish possession and I am really in , , ,

that case and the captain of the L ouisiana is a naturalized citizen

, .
 L etters of B aron Joseph de F ontalba 399

This course was followed by the P rovencal in which M r L onguay .

has j ust arrived .

There is nothing new here the Baron continues to work a great

“
,

deal, he makes every one pay without mercy ; A ll of Ouatchs (Watts)

,

p rope r ty is to be sold to pay his creditors M r G ayoso still ay

p s . .

his court to his d aughter but no one believes in that marriage

, .

“
I saw Bouligny yesterday he considers that the views given ,

the court for you are m ost ad vantageous H e does not look upon .

the mission in question as an ord inary one and finds nothing more
honorable than to determine the boundaries ; he think s that you cannot
fail to j ustify the confidence the Court reposes in you ; that besides ,

the pleasure y ou will find in it y ou will reap great advantages from

,

this mission T o conclude circum stances and your health will de

.
,

cide ; you are lucky and I like to believe everything y ou will do will be
for the best .

T his letter leaves by the same courier as those I wrote during

“

the last few d ays for it leaves now and I profit of this last occasion
,

to recall how much my wife and I desire to see you and our good
Aunt and to express the tender and respectful aflection with which I
‘

hav e the honor to remain my dear Uncle , ,

“
Your very humble and very obed ient servant as well as your
best friend .

Signed FONT AL BA .

N ew Orleans , April 1 1th, 1792 .

“
My very dear Uncle ,
‘
I always receive fresh proofs of your friendship with new
ple a su re , a n d y ou r le tt er o f M ar ch 3 oth o n thi s acc o un ,t is d ou b ly ,

pr ec io us . Y o u a nd M rs d e M i
.ro a re in g oo d h e alth y ou a r e co nten t ed , ,

this is new s I d esire y ou could not repeat it too often it is news I

, ,

would like to receive every day My wife too was well satisfied with .

the good news that I brought her on leaving where

the B ar on gave me your letter .

H e had received it yesterd ay and kept it to give it to me him

“

self: it is the sur est way and if he can continue it I shall be certain to

ge t y ou r le tte rs W .h e n I w en t to l o rd re I le ft m y
‘ ’
w ife a
’
t M a d am
L aj onchere s who is at M acarty s to have her son treated H e dis
’ ’
.

located a toe getting off of his horse ; this accident which might have
p ro v ed fat al w ill ha v e n o m o re ser i ou s co n seq u en ces th a n to k ee p F av r e
in bed during a m onth A t the sam e tim e I saw M iss M acarty and
.

the two M acarty s who took the greatest interest in all I said of you .

I am sorry to inform you that there is a writ of execution against

 400 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarter!y
M acarty in favor of MM . Pecholier for piasters, the case is
before Marigny who hel db k ac the writ in or der to c me o to some
agreem ent for M acarty .

“
Y
our letter ma es m e eagerl k
wish for the arri al of the next y v
o
c urier to en joy o b
if it is p ssi le the expulsion of the illai n; t l
, , v I od
bo d y
Serrano a ut it and he ar entl wishes to itness it soon w .

“
d y
H e had the au acit to present himself to say that Baz ile ,

v
fa ore d by o dv
his protect rs, had i erte eight thousan pias ers fr m d d t o
the seizure of his pr pert o y
T hat at the time he had informe the
. d
p r o
sec ut ing att rn e w ho p ao
i n o atty
e nti dn to ir T h e cle r of cou rt o . k
d d d
was or ere to eclare the truth and he certified that he had arne w d
y
the attorne that he might witness the em argo hat he had refuse b , t d ,

t
and hat when he had retur ne to inf rm him of the seizure, the at d o
y d
torne tol him to inform the nten ant that Bazile had i erte I d dv d
eight thousan p ia sters bd
u t to g i e him this in form a tio n a s c ming v o
f k
from himsel the cler upon reflection did n thing and inf rme the o o d
t
a torney of it the nex t m orning ex cusing himself on the plea tha he t
o d y
c ul not certif to a matter gi en him as a secret v
I n the sam e peti .

k V
'

tion he com plains that Bazile was not irnprisioned li e illam il and
seems to accuse his protectors T he reas n of V illamil s impris n . o ’
o
k t
m ent m a es his imputation fall of itself Serrano ill ha e eclara . w v d
d d
tions m a e to isco er the v
that B azile according to the at ,

torne has hi y dd en .

“
Serrano h0pes by
this means to put the slan erer in efault d d .

o d b
T he preparations c ntinue here a circular was istri ute t a to , d od y
b j
each inha itant en oining him to sen d o kd
a negr to wor uring eight
d y d b b o d
a s on the five re ou ts that are eing constructed ar un y the cit
which is afterwar s d to d
be inclose y The cit militias exercise at .

v y
target practice e er Sun a d y q
T here is no uestion until now of.

setting m ine to w ork .

Fannie and Feliciane who are both well send their respects
“
, ,

to y ou and our ex cellent A unt whom T onton Celestin and I cherish ,

as we do y ourself with our whole hearts and we wish to live only to

,

prov e it to y ou .

FON T A L B A .

T onton and inten to gi e a I d v ball at the G uildive the day of

‘ ’

the arr i al ovf the cowi er ann oun cing deliverance to these in commerce
and to the honest f l s of this countr ok y whom that attorney torments .

I remitte d
the letter to orales M I shall send G ayoso s ’
.
402 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
busy The Baron is almost every morning the first on hors eback in
.

the wood s for the fascines M r Bouligny has also procur ed a saddle
. .

horse and has become a cavalier They are board ing a quantity of .

p rov isio ns w hic h

, occ as io n s w an t an d if it co ntin ue
,s o n the sam e
scale will bring misery R ice already sells at $6 and when it comes
.

every individual can ob tain but a fourth of a barrel and even that ,

he must al most fight for .

The whites go them selves to buy it and the negroes can hardly
“

g et an y th,ere for e w e fe e d o ur ser v an ts w i th b rea d for w a nt o f rice ;

lard sells for a dollar and everything increases in price in propor tion ;
indigo is exhausted and those who had bought some to m eet demands
are ab le to command eleven b its corn is worth
‘ ”
,

and the appearances are that all this will go higher still I never saw .

a country where revolutions of this k ind come o n more speedily or

m ore frequently notwithstand ing these conditions property has not
,

g o ne up pr
,o ba b ly o n a c co u nt of t he fe ar th ey feel of t he A m erica ns .

I announce the m arriage of the daughter of poor Morand who

“

will now be obliged to render her an account she is to marry H aur

— ,

d ier .

My wife is busy writing to her A unt she wishes me to tell y ou ,

that she loves you well our little Celestin is beginning to stand and
,

ev ery day gains strength and intelligence .

I do not believe that Clark will come down this year I saw his ,

nephew who could give me no information on the subj ect ; the first
year s interest is due and if he does not forestall me I shall write
’
, ,

I wish you good health and happiness that our good A unt may
share with y ou ; if for this it were sufficient to love both of y ou a great
deal you would have nothing to desire I beg you and my A unt
,
.

to accept my sentim ents of respect .

FONT A L B A .

“
N ew Orleans , A pril 26th, 1792 .

My very dear Uncle ,

I received Mr Fernandez Velasco with much pleasure he had

“
.
,

recently seen y ou and spoke a great deal of y ou and my A unt he ,

could not fail to be interesting H e remitted to me the box contain

.

ing the com b we opened it on returning from the city and Opening
, ,

it proved v ery interesting to us Celestin s little basket gave us great

’
.

p leasure all m y,A unt s kind nesses are v

’
ery preciou s to us and w e

appreciate and share those she ex tend s to T intin I did not expect .

to hnd a note from you in the box and though it bore the sam e d ate ,
404 The L ouis iana H istorical Quarterly

as the letter I had received the eve

it was ritten that night and was , w
another pleasant surprise We spent Thurs a in town for the. d y
stations and we d d
ine at Almonester s who regrets y ou fr m the
’
o
d t
ep hs of his heart he tol me fran l d
that he woul ne er find any
, ky d v
j
one to re oice in the g ood
that efalls thers as much as you he is b o ,

entirel yd d b
isguste of eing beneficent un er ur reign it was a j oy , d yo
k
to him for y ou new how to appreciate it but now he inten s to b e , d
selfish he has a an
, ne b do d
the church , he has not lai a rick on it d b
since yo d
ur eparture and he a e that efore he ta es up the
, or dd d b k w k
again he t yw v
ill ha e t ime to ren er an account to the ourt tha d C , t
d d j y
he lai it asi e to en o the patr nage of the h spital and of the o o
nuns . o od
The Bar n t l him that the ing s approbation was necessary K ’

d
he preten s that the appro al of the ing ga e to do the v r is K v wo k
sufficient b v
H e elie es that as patr n of the H spital he has a right
. o o
d
to nam e the a ministrator ; the B ar n ser e him a n tice inf rming o vd o o
him that he and the pro isor had name orales v
H e ans ere d M w d .

that without prej udice to his patronage he c ul name wh m s e er o d o ov

it suite him to name ; secon n tice ser e b the B ar n to n tify
d d o vd y o o
him that Mo
rales, for ali reaso ns had refuse v d
the nomina i n and , d to
q
that in conse uence he had nam e il ert who accepte lun aril dG b , d vo t y
o
and with ut remunerati n the post of a m inistrat r o A lm naster d o o .

answere d
that he maintaine what he had state d
ithout pre u ice d w , j d
to his patronage H e supposes that when he pr uces the in ent r y
. od v o
d
of the goo s of the H spital the o
ill ask for the remittal of the
, yw
v
re enues with which he has en owe it ; his intenti n is to answer d d o
that as the K v
ing s appro al is necessar for the patr nage he als
’
y o o
d d
eman s it for the en wm ent do .

“
I o bo
t f rce is r ught to ear to c mpel him to turn it b er he o ov ,

v d
will gi e in un er protest and eclare that he renounces the con d
tinuation of the church .

“
You see that it is not eas to en this man he sa s tha t he y b d , y
b
regrets this trou le on account of the B ar n who is an ex cellent man o ,

that he is well aware that the isagreements he has to conten against d d

come from the a dv
ice of bad fol s H e is inconsola l awaiting the k . by
outcome and is being tormente in his old age d .

“
I v y
recei ed ester a a er d y v y
courte us le ter fr m Mr H errera o t o .
,

date dFb y
e ruar k d
27th he so in as to ffer him greeting s fr m me
, o o ,

and assure him that I

shall feel flattered to be of use to him in any way

w v I
hatsoe er that expect him to call up n me with the same freed m
,
o o
d
he used towar s y ou ; he m ay feel certain that e er commissi n v y o
w ill be a new pleasure to m e shall gi e them special attenti n in , I v o
d
or er to obt
ain a rene al of this fa r; w
esi es all that a man li e vo b d k
445 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

Your
letters to a so left G yo
es er a y t d y
Bef re lea ing he saw . o v
dd y kd
my A unt s sa le on my galler and as e me to sell it to him as he
’

o d
c ul not w
ait until the aucti n f ll we o I o o dy
our instructions, elling
. t
v
him to ha e it v al cd ; he sent for it the same e ening and no d u v o bt
o w v
forgot to inf rm me hat alue was set on it When he pays for it, .

I d db
shall cre it it to the e t y ou ha e on him v .

Boulign y has your ham ssses , but one pair had been sen t to
him d uring my absence at the G erman Coast ; I found the others in
the box and sent them to him ; G ruyau had used several pieces T hat .

box it appe rs was the warehouse to which he went whenever any

,
a ,

thing was missing in his har ness Bouligny will have them repaired
.

first and then estimated The first pair sent during my absence was
.

estimated $20b y a saddler to whom Bonnavel had brought th em .

Fernandez brought us two box es which are yet on board in one ,

there is a M amey Colorad o and in the other a plant the

‘ ’
,

name of which I have forgotten and which is in good cond ition ,

I .

shall take the best care of it until Celestin knowing how to love ,

and his godm other will cultivate it him self as an attention coming
,

coming from his second Mama .

My wife is busy writing to her Aunt she would like to write ,

as fast as I do for it ex cites her j ealousy to see two letters from me

,

forwarded to y ou with but one from her ; it is not her fault she takes ,

longer to write one letter than I do to write four I have no ,

ticed that since your departure she writes faster than before and I ,

am certain that be fore six months have elapsed it will be play for her ,

one always succeeds in anything done with as m uch pleasure .

T inton is what worries her most when she writes if he grunts a ,

little she imm ed iately drops her A unt to go to him and he grunts :

as soon as he does not see his Mamma H e knows us both perfectly . ,

and does not care to be with the servants he calls Papa and M amma ,

distinctly he would call his godmother still better were she here
, .

for she would caress him more and better .

I fear that this letter will not find you in H avana I em giving .

it to A rmest o as you advised until I hear of your leaving for Cadiz

,
.

Keep in good health be very happy you and my ex cellent Aunt in

, , ,

yourselves you will find true happiness individually you ea ch have ,

all that is necessary to afford it to each other ; let my wife and self
hea r that y ou enjoy it without clouds you will thereby allievate our ,

grief at not witnessing it .

 L etters f
o B aron j oseph de F ontalba 407

Allow me to kiss my good Aunt with the tenderest respect and ,

to ofi er my good little Celestin to y ou both if he did not cherish you ,

both he would not be the son of the intimate friend who has given
himself to you .

Signed FONT AL BA .

L e tt er Fr o m Bar on J oseph Xavier de Pon talba

t o G overn or E s t evan M ir o .

May 7, 1792 .

My very dear Uncle ,

“
I send you the duplicate of the census of 1778 and 1788; the
one y ou request has not been found ; Don A ndres is und er the
,

impression that there was none made that year on account of the
expedition and as I said in my last letter the documents sent by the
, , ,

Post Commandants for the years 1789 1790 are so informal and so -

inexact that after considerable work I found a diminution of eig ht or

nine hundred souls since 1788 whilst I and Don A ndres ar e certain
,

that it has been an increase of three or fou r hundred at least so that ,

y ou m ay without risking to be in error carry the existing population

, ,

1n th e province at the time of your departure to forty five thousand -

.

I remitted to E ugene Macarty who has gone to H avana a , ,

pack et containing the separate total of men and women in the pro
vince in 1778 and in 1788 to it I added the deliberations letters and
, ,

documents relative to the dying Nunez letter ; also the general ’

index of all the letters addressed to the Captains general and to the
Court Don Andros not having found time to compile the statement
.

you require has given me the one which should remain in the Secre
tary s offi ce though he will have to make another for him
’
, T here are .

others says he which he will send you I f his occupations continue

, , .

as they are he will become insane ; he never has any leisure on feasts
nor Sundays ; he has bar ely time to swallow a morsel at his meals ,

and is often at the G overnment at mid night Mr de Carondel et . .

keeps him constantly busy and you know he is naturally lazy you ,

may guess in what state he is H e heard through R ousseau how .

,

indisposed you were against him ; I believe that I can assure y ou

that he will never be guilty of anything that may lead y ou to think
that he is one of your enemies I have always noticed that be greeted
.

with j oy all good news that comes from you ; he should have written
to you I have no ex cuse to plead on that score he always postponed
,

send ing y ou the papers y ou were expecting when he could have done
ao. H e exerted him self zealously in procuring them for me and has , ,
408 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

I dd
persua e , put himself in fault in sen ing y ou the indices in
am d
dd y
ten e for the Secretar s office E x cuse this laz iness, pit his sla er
’
y . v y ,

but never accuse his friendship for you H e is abhorred by the Cabal .

— that is a reat oint in his favor G ilbert 1 is also one of your true
g p .

friends ; he was grieved at the displeasure you evinced toward s him

when you spoke to R ousseau H e sent you on the date of A pril .
,

2oth an account of the paper money burned in certifi cates as well as

,

in bills I feel that he could have done so sooner he who is not laz y
.
, .

T he Cabal no longer seems as insolent ; little Ortega never

shows him self at the G overnment ; the chief of the band never stirs

from it but with an hum ble and confounded air plead s for mercy
, .

E very evening at five the Baron is at one of the redoub ts that are
now being constructed and he never fails to swell the group of those
,

who accompany the Baron to his home at night H e mailed m the .

p o st b e for e th e last so large a packet that it cost him fi fty p1asters

, .

T he rum or ofhis recall which spread here m ade the greatest impression
on him ; he feared that it would come by the courier which has j ust

arrived and if it is not in the nex t he will hold his head as high as
, , ,

ever and all those in comm erce will be afflicted I think that it may .

be delayed for some time yet I have reason to believe that the .

Court has asked the Baron for all the information concerning this
man for when R M T T E F P met him on the levee after having
,
2

sent him the char ge to sign he said : I have signed and it will be the ‘
3

second tim e that the Court will have news of him r m t t s f p

”
?
,

obj ected Will not H is Maj esty fi nd me too bold

.
‘
? H e is already
’ ‘

known by other papers previously sent T hese word s which escaped .

’

him are sufficient to surmise that he has had an order to furnish

information and that he has done so with j ustice and therefore we
, ,

p re su m e th at th e C ourt will t ak e full co gn iz an ce o f t his in for m atio n

before pronouncing any thing M r and M rs Serrano spent yester . . .

day at the plantation with us ; I read your letter to Serrano be fore

d inner and he told me after he had dined well that it would be im
, , ,

p os s ib le to ser v e him an yt hin g g o od a fter th is e x celle nt lectu r e .

Coradini s affair still takes its course and from day to day grows
’

m ore nasty for the bad thief I assure you that the great j urisconsult
.

does not spare him in the least and that he has fallen into good hands ; ,

he does not hurry his b lows but when he strikes he strikes hard ; , ,

he will accumulate so m any indictm ents that he will make a good

ca se . M slm f0 already speaks of the G overnment with his usual
4

lG u1lm ar d
(nephew of F ray A ntonio de Sedella) .

'
4
W
M dor
ax en t.
see m to be vinculo bu t the
the real nam e was St .
sense
M ax ent .
is charge .
4 10 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
ob d o
'

Petit has taine a writ of executi n against M acarty and the

w
latter ill not agree to the pr p siti n of pay ing 6 % interest the o o o ,

affair pr cee s o d I o
ca nn t see on what groun s Macarty can s an
. d t d .

C nwa 6 o
is eci e l y
ropsical T he had alrea d d dyd
fix ed th e . y dy
day for tapping but the Faculty afterwar s opine to issol e his d d d v
w aters with ut an operation o .

M ay 8th , 1792 .

I v
ha e this m oment arri e from the cit ; went there alone vd y I ,

ex pressl y d
to spen the e ening with the A u itor : Serrano v ine us d jo d
and we had the pleasure of spea ing well of y ou uring two h urs k d o ,

and a little of the bad thief J udge of the contrast ! H ow can one .

spea k at the sam e tim e of two Opposite things ? H as he not had th e

d
au acit y
to write to the urt that y ou Co
ere the cause of the treas w
urer s deficit and of the grief which led him to his t m ; y ou may
’
o b
o v
c ncei e what im pression m ust be pr uce the ing treasurer s od d by dy ’

letter , w
hich is now un er the m inister s e es d assure y ou that we
’
y I
.

d
congratulate oursel es that he had fram e this im p sture v We ha e d o . v
o d
all n tice that the Ca al har l7 b
e er m eets that it seem s to be dy v ,

d vd
issol e and that the lea er is a an ne — d
he goes to the re ou t b do d d b
v y
e er night but generall alone he ne er th ere spea s to the B aron
, y , v k
w do
hom he v
es not e en accost he follows him at a istance and goes , d
o t
fr m here to the G o ernment H ouse where he has the m ien of a v
w o
suppliant h m no one o ser es b v
but of what am entertaining I
y o uW ? h en y o u rece i e th is le tt er y ou w i ll v
be at C urt us ith o , b yw
v y y
e er thing and an thing else but the Pandille (Ca al ) and its lea er
‘ ’
b d ,

w v
hom y ou will ha e recalle onl when inform e of their chastise d y d
v
m ent ; you will ha e recei e naught but congratulations and ill be vd w
o ccupie d
in appearing to our best a antage y
T hat is what ur dv . yo
d
frien s thin k w hat see as a certaint
, I
You will recei e naught but y . v
b o
appro ati n and the thanks due for the ser ices y ou stea il ren ered v d y d
to the K o
ing and to th se am ong H is su ects whose irection and hap bj d
p in e s s H e h ad co nfi ded to y ou .

“
q
Serrano is uite em arrasse o er an or er fr m the ing rela b d v d o K
v
t i e to the confi scation inflicted on that Don anuel Perez H is M .

p e tit o d
i n d j
e m an s ustic e ag a i ns t th e un ust t ra nn ex ercise a gainjst y y d
him by I d
the nten ant and the A sse ss r o f L ouisiana in confi scating o
his propert y and the K
ing s r er ecrees that he be righte
,
’
od d d by
remitting to him all the pr pert se uestere and seize o y q
and that d d
he be benefi ted the insult by
Serrano elie es hat hat elonge . b v w t b d
'
C onwa (O R e i lly s ne phe w
’ ’

y ) .

’L a Pandille .
 L etters of B aron j oseph de F ontalba 411

to him sh ulo d not be returne d since it was confiscated and not se

q uestered . He writes to y ou on this subj ect and is quite puzzled in

catching the true sense of the decree ; I think he will submit it for
consultati n o .

“
P Don Joor gives him self to the devil ; he is at the store
uan5

from m orning until night ; he has to work and his laziness torments
him . Boul igny is always up in the air he has hard ly finished one
8
,

job than the Baron gives him another ; besides this he is sent to the ,

works several times a day A ll this lends an air of activity that .

resem bles a time of war and even of ex ped ition ; they have aggregated

sold iers of the regiment to the artillery which ex ercises every day , .

The Cannoneers do so as o ften ; the five redoubts will present eighty

canno ns comprising those o f the city batteries Don A ndres militia
’
.

is al so in m ovem ent ; only nine are resting T he King s order to

’
.

change our uniform arrived by the last mail I t is now : Coat .

,

B LU E ; facings collar and cuffs RE D ; G old braid on collar ; lining

, , ,

vest and pants WH I T E ; in general it pleases all the militias

, , .

“
Madam L aroche is very ill ; during a few months she inhabited
M rs V illabosa s house which had been recently painted ; this gave her
’
.

a nervous attack Owing to the condition she was in at the time her
.
,

illness increased to such a degree that she was b led twice

she was very near d eath but she is a little better though not out of
, ,

danger she is never without fever and has a cough which keeps us
,

s till anx ious about her .

“
Mr St A nne sent me one thousand carrats o f tobacco which I
. .

h ad stored in the King s warehouse ; they have never d iscarded as

’

m uch tobacco as this year M r Clark does not come down The . . .

interest for year is nevertheless due and I shall write to him on this

I
ve under my eyes your packet of thirty two pages which I
ha -

have read at least thirty two times I knewthat y ou loved us but I

-
.

did not flatter myself that y ou cared enough for us to write such kind
letters when surrounded by all sorts of am usements and that prepara
,

tions for your d eparture m ust absorb your time I no longer fear .

that M ad rid will cause y ou to forget us You m ay conceive how

‘

little that can d iminish our attachm ent to y ou T hank our kind .

A unt for all her attentions they are as many proofs of her friend ship
,

which we can never appreciate sufficiently We received all that she .

sent m y wife who said : T hat dear good A unt ; I am certain that
‘

, ,

being in the country she had all this spread before her and that
, , ,

'Don
'
Jj
uan rieto
'
T ou ours en l air
P .

.
4 12 T he L ouisiana H istor ical Quarterly
in arrangingit she felt as sad as I feel in receiving it Som e ofthe trees
, .

and som e pineapples are well preserved We found the preserves in .

round box es d elicious ; Serrano to whom we served some told us that , ,

they were box es of aniseed

’
.

9th 1792 M ay , .

Iw
ent to t wn this morning on o
usiness and hear that the b I d
o
Bar n was cal ling for m e ent imm e iatel to him ; it was for the . Iw d y
militia or w kw
hich he ma e ith me ; he had finished ith oran hat d w w M dt
of the cit y
batallion which he ma es up offour companies o ffusilleers
, k
and one of grena iers d
was full satisfied ith the manner in which
. I y w
d d
he iscour se with me he catches on to e erything ith the greates t , v w
sagacit y
he pic e to pieces e eryt hing
, kdp rese n te him a n d e en v I d v
searche d o y
for the seni rit of the officers hich he alrea kne of as , w dy w
w ell as o f their capacit y I
congratulate m self that my pr0p si . d y o
tions had een influenced nl b o y by
strict ustice and be appro e of j vd
v y
e er thing j d o
H e re ecte the f rmati n of the fourteen com panies
. o
which he will not e en sen to v d Co
urt he a pt e t he for m a ti n o f do d o
v d
the regiment and e en remitte to me the old reports of ser ice of
, v
the last re ie v w od k o
t l me to ma e thers of the new regim ent and to
,

d
inclu e all the new officers ; hen he rea : w ‘
E tat a or he sai d M j ,
’
d ,
‘
I n the staff officers there is but Fontal a lonel ; O Conor A u b Co ,
’

, dj
tant . d
H e tol me to place in the first batallion : one corp ral six
’ ‘

o ,

sappers one rum ma or

, d j
I n the secon batallion : one c rp ral six
-
. d o o ,

sappers and he a , e dd d
that for m y regiment he woul re uest eter d q v
ans as sergeant drumm er and corp ral for each compan o y d
’

, to be pai ,

by the King What natters me most is that was luc

. in his finding I ky
w k
my or satisfactor and that he ma e no change ex cept the totaly d
suppression o f the ancient form ation on fourteen companies and ,

that he generall appro e all that p r py se t o h im H evd

to l m e I o o d ‘

. d
to rem it the whole to him in or er as soon as possi le ; shall appl d , b I y
y
m self to it H e se nt m e to the Secretar s offi ce for something :
. y ’
I
d
foun the bad thief stan ing at the foot of the staircase d
was ithout , I w
a hat I d
ma e a inclination of m y hea near enough to t uch him ;
, d o
he did not raise his hat ; we again ; he loo e at m e impu entl I bo d kd d y
without answering m y politelness ; well assure that he acte thus d d
purp sel o y Ib
rusquel , turne m y ac y
to him staring at him ith d b k , w
with contem pt .

N slm made an angry and insulting scene for which the

f04

Bar on reprim anded him severely ; the surgeon R ubi owed

9 him

‘M ax ent , t he real nam e

'L ui a lave la te te .
was St . M axen t .
4 14 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

advantageous to your health if you had followed this course much

sooner .

Wh en I have completed my militia work I shall go with my

“

wife to acquit myself of your comm ission to the nuns ; Feliciane is

very well she occasionally comes out to be with us but she is satis
, ,

hed only until the hour comes for her return Fanny is to leave us ; .

her mother claim s her perem torily as she fears that the negroes here
o
may emulate th se of Sant Domingo She lea es ith M r L afi tte o . v w .
,

F
who is going to rance and is illing to ta e her un er his care w k d . I
regret that B ethemieux s to acc sh ul ha e een bad he cheate
’
b o o d v b , d
me he gaine my confi dence
, d
speaking of our in ness to him by y k d
and of his d
esire to ser e y ou ; R anna no longer prepare v
it and d I
o
c ngratulate m self that d y
had foun B ethemieux he seeming so I d ,

d esirous o f gi ing y ou satisfacti n v

I shall see information from M r o . k .

bo d
H errera a ut sen ing him som e from here to pass it on to y ou We .

j
re oice dw d
ith the A u itor and Serran to see y ou charged with B owltz l ° o
bj
it is a new su ect of intr ucti n to spea of the pro ince od o k v
I
expect to ha e new s fr m y ou nce m ore v
efore our epart o o b y d
ure for Cd
a iz after which wish c ul
, fall asleep to awake onl in I I o d y
five m onths fr m now an o
ten er and re s pectful com plim ents to
. M y d
my A unt from us we cherish her as we do y ou unt , eath and to od
p r ove it ill alw a swbe m y s eetest stu y w dy
F T AL B A ON .

T he courier presses , I have but

quarter of an hour to send my
a

letter to t wn o , and I m ust profit by it ; this is why I leave y ou hur

riedly .

“
May 10 1792 , ,

“
A t the G uil i e dv .

G dv
uil i e was a small still, not a sugar house nor refinery as it is
o o d
ften supp se to be .

May 12 , at the Plantation .

Boulign t l m e that Folk y od to n thing and

’
sl l affair am oun te d o
o
that the B ar n was not ispleased with him that d A costa had een d ,
’
b
calle d
to account and repriman e er d d v y d yy
r l ; that the Baron hav ,

d F k d y
ing hear that ol serve five ears sent M r Lanzos at Mr O N eil s , . .
’ ’

sollicitati n o k
Serrano who new of the ifference et een ol and
. d b w F k
Aoc sta thought that he had
, een relie e b vd
o f his charge o n that ac

count M
ontreuil was at the time
. Co
m m an ant at the A ppalachees d
and will be there for s m e time o d
T he thir batallion is to be recalled .

“Bo wles
V ncent F
.

" i e olc h .
 L etters o f B aron j oseph de F ontalba 4 15

here the Bar on has ma e this re uest of the

, urt A n or er has d q Co . d
o o
c m e fr m the Captain eneral to put Belle Chasse un er arr est G d ,

in the f rt o d
uring f ur m on hs and ren ering full ustice to
, o
olk ; 1 t d j F ,

as w
ell as B ulign o y t
hin that the Baron has something in reser e
, k v
F k
for ol in this ccasion o .

“
Mr . Maxent
m onth ago said at M rs L aronde s before
, a , .
’

Ser rano that he had received from H avana an anoym ous letter
, , ,

against y ou ; complaints were m ade against y ou relative to the flour

and tobacco affairs ; in ord er to escape reproach he handed it to the
B aron de Carondelet ; those folks will then never weary of weaving
clum sy lie s to hurt y ou they can not succeed but that will not pre , ,

vent their beginning anew ; it carries no inj ury and I would have left
y o u ig n or e it w it h o ut t h e o r d er y o u g av e m e t o k ee p y ou p osted on
everything I heard of y ou This man and the Contador with his .
,

cab al (now g re a tly re d

, u ce d ) are th e o n l y o n es whose malignity

dares to ex ert itself against y ou ; all the others regret y ou and a great
m any cherish you T he Provisor left Maxent s house very abruptly
’
. .

I received from R ousseau the packet containing your letters of A pril

12th 13th and 18th
, , I have partly answered them and I enjoy re
.

rea d ing those letters as one o f the greatest pleasures that can be

p ro c u red T h.e y a ssu r e m e o f yo u r fr ie n d sh ip a n d are the proof that

y o u a n d th e be s t o f au n ts th in k o f u s w h ils t w e ar e nur sing our re

gr e ts, an d th a t y ou bo t h fu rn i sh th e s u bj ec t o f ou r ten d er co nv ersa

tions we feel confident that you wish for our presence
, Our best .

friends are those whom your ab sence proves to be yours and of the ,

num ber are the A ud itor Serrano B ouligny A rmesto whom I can , , ,

vouch for also Gilbert H evia H oa especially L ivaudais T revino

,
1
, , , , ,

Alm onaster if his regret s may be held as proof all our family without ,

ex ception Daw M esd am es Fara Dreux P eytavin Fortier etc

, , , , , , .

and Cayetano does not d ese rv e to be forgotton .

“
T hese ar e those whom we see m st fre uentl and whose o q y
o
c m pan pleayses us m st eca use y ou ar e alwo a s o n th e floor ” , b y . I
must not f rget o
a am Coussot , iss M d
arie Caunway ather M M , F
F o
ranc is though we see the latter onl
, when we m eet him can y , I
gu aran tee th at he also is on e o f u r frien s ; m ost o f the o th ers yo d
o v
regret you e en som e wh m y ou had reasons not to be satisfied w ith .

I passed lightly over the Provisor s departure from Maxent s ’ ’

house an other idea led away my pen ; here is what I have been able
,

to find out about this affair ; in a matter pertaining to the d ischarge

of the Provisor s duty which escapes m y m em ory — no it comes
’

" Sur le tapis i . e . su bj ect o f convers ation .

416 The L ouisiana H istor ical Quarterly
k
bac to —
me Mrs Dej eaux hadeen calle . e fore the Pro isor to b db v
declare if she had or had not hel a ch il at the aptism al fount d d b
and if the singature on the register was hers The first time she .

answere y es— thedsecon tim e she sa i y e s an d

d then no and then d , ,

w ept when the Pro isor trie v

to impress on her the conse uences d q
of a false oath ; when she was a ut to sign her eclaration her bo d
daughter came from another apartm ent to pp os e it ; ax ent m ed o M
dled in it the Pro isor eclare that
, v
ax ent shoul d
ex plain other d M d
w ise ; from that m oment the Pro is r was recei e ery c l l at v o vd v ody
their house and when he percei e it too refuge at the Capuchins vd k
until he foun a house ; three d
a s later he rente the apartm ent d y d
w y
hich Mr G a oso occupie at Beauregar s
. d d ’
.

o clock at night At 9
’
.

T hey cam e to warn us that there was a crevasse at th e Ville

franche plantation ; I went there immed iately they were going about ,

it in the wrong way they changed the m ethod they closed the level
, ,

first and the volum e of water having d im inished it is easy to stop up

the opening in the principal levee ; I believe that it will be over d ur ing
the night .

May 14th .

T he v
was entirel stoppe the same night ; at three in
cre asse y d
o
th e m rning it was entirel er T he Baron had or ere all those y ov . d d
b od
in the neigh orh o to len a han , but we all had so m uch interest d d
in it that we had or e efore recei ing the r erw k db v od .

“
I rem itte d to the B aron by the 4th a statement of the new
regiment, duplicates
the proposals for offi cers and the accounts
of

of the staffs and the com panies regulate as th e are to be theby d y

new formation I saw today Don A ndres and G ilbert who told me
.
, ,

that the Baron was very m uch satisfied with my work that he had
spoken ofit pub licly at the (O rdre ) Sund ay saying : I shall decidedly ‘

form a regim ent at

(les A llem ans ) the G erman Coast or to speak , ,

more correctl it is alrea y

forme and did not gi e me the least
, dy d v
o b
tr u le for it is all one without my ha ing me
, d
le in it H e tol v dd d .
’
d
o
Armest that he was well satisfied with m e for fulfi lled his iews I v
and he wishe d
to surprise m e agreea l ro
p p os ing me at C urt b y by o
as Colonel of this regim ent that the other officers of the staff woul , d
com e from the outsi e that se eral officers had complaine d d , o f my v
being nam e d d b v k
as com m an ant a o e them ; (spea ing of F v a rot) , ,

one is not suited o b

to the place and two others R usseau and L e lanc , ,

could not e nter into com petition all this goes off by the borka well ,

supported with recom m end ations in m y favor it remains with y ou , ,

 I
L A F TT E , T H E L OUI SI AN A I
P R A T E AN D PA T R IOT

A Paper by H on - . Gaspar Cusachs ,

P resident of the L ouisiana H istorical Society

and R ead by him before the Society
December 20 1 91 9 , .

So many demand s are mad e on the L ouisiana H istorical Society .

for inform ation concerning the career and d eath of Lafi tte that I
have compiled this sketch from various sources and to some extent
from De B ow s R eview J am es Dunwody Brownson De Bow, who was
’
.

born in 1820 began his literary career in the Southern Quarterly

,

R eview published in Charles ton South Carolina

, H is contribu
, .

tions were generally of a historical statistical or political nature , .

H is articles on the Northern Pacific California and Oregon and on ,

the O regon Question attracted much attention and became the sub
j e c t o f d eb a te in th e F re nch C ha m b er o f D ep u ties Forst all G ayarré .
,

and Dimitr y sym pathized in De Bow s progress and public spir it

“ ” ’ O

and with these he became one of the founders o f the L ouisiana

H istorical Society and afterward s a m em ber of the N ew Orleans
, ,

Academy of Sciences H is R eview was founded about 1845 De

. .

B ow contemplated writing a history of L ouisiana and with that ,

view collected historical notes When be abandoned this idea he .

p u b lis he d thi s c ollec te d m atter th r oug h se v er al num be rs o f his R e

view which continued until the end of 1867
, T he Sketch of L afi tte
taken from the R evi ew of 1851 is the most complete ever wri tten of a
,

man who combined in his person the accomplishments of a gentle

man with the daring and barbaric instincts of the corsair Patriot .
,

p i a t e sm u gg l an d warrior there is no character to c m pare with

e
o
r , r ,

him ex cept that of R ob in H ood whom he surpassed in audacity ,

and success . The fabulous treasures accumulated by him were

squandered or were bountifully d istributed o r were hidden away ,

deep in the earth or in the sea marshes A t the j unction of the .

R igolets and Bay ou Sauvage L afi tte built a platform or wharf on

which to unload his m erchand ise and booty There it remained for
O

inspection by his purchasers .

J ean L afitte T he T error of the Gulf of Mexico was a French

“
, ,

man and was born at St M alo about the year 1781 H e was tall
.
, .
,

fi nely formed and in his pleasant m ood s was always agreeable and
,
 L afi tte the L ouisiana P irate and P atriot
, 4 19

interesting When . o v
c n ersing upon a seri us su o bj ect , he would
stand for hours with one eye shut ; at such time
s , his appearance was

From his earlies t boyhood he loved to play with old ocean s ,

’

hoary locks ; and long b efore he had reached the age of m anhood
”
,

he had made several voyages to the difi erent seaports of A frica and
E urope . With a suavity of manners and apparent gentlemanly
disposition combined with a maj estic deportment and undoubted
, ,

courage he swayed the boisterous passions of those rud e un tutored

, ,

tars o f whom he was the associate and chief H e was universally

, .

esteemed and respected by all his crew T hey wer e taught to ad mire .

his command ing m ien his firmness his courage his magnanimity
, , ,

and pro fessional skill .

Soon after attaining the age of majority unchecked in his bold ,

career with an independ ent and restless spirit his aspirations natur
, ,

ally looked forward to other avenues of am b ition than the inglorious

avocatio ns o f private life T o the chivalric spirit the ocean wave
.

offers allurements that nothing on land can equal T here is a proud .

feeling a strong temptation to tread the peopled deck of a maj estic

,

ship — to rid e as it w ere the warrior steed of the ocean triumphant

, , ,

ove r the mountain billows and the conflict of mighty elements , .

T rue there m ay be d angers the mutiny the storm the wreck

— — —

all conspire to intimid ate the inexperienced youth ; but he soon learns

to turn the imaginary d angers to delight ; and looks to the honor ,

th e fam e that awaits on such bold achievements

, T he world of .

waters lay before him and he determined to seek that more con
ge nia l l ife upo n it s b oso m w h ich ha d b ee n ,d en ied h im on la nd .

N or was it long b efore an opportunity was presented A French .

E as t I ndiam an under orders for M adras had taken her full cargo
, , ,

and o nl y awaited a favorab le wind to weigh anchor Through the .

influence of several respectable acquaintances and friend s he was ,

offered t he berth of chief mate which he accepted T he vessel pro , .

ceed ed on her voyage and nothing of consequence occurred till on

,

doub ling the Cape of Good H ope she was struck by a sq uall and , ,

suffered so m uch d am age by the shock and a fire that broke out in

the hold and other accid ents that the Captain d eemed it prudent to
, ,

p ut in a t t he M a u rit ius to rep air D urin g this p e rio d a q u

.arrel ha d
arisen be tween L afitte and the Captain of such an aggravated ,

nature that the form er whose haughty spirit never brooked control
, ,

determ ined to abandon the ship the moment she touched port ,

and refused to proceed on the voyage A s soon therefore as the .

, ,

vessel landed at the Mauritius he quited it in disgust and fro m , ,

420 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
d
this perio may be ate his illegal connecti n d d o with the ocean . H is
restless spirit had een inflam e b
the rom antic d by dy
exploits o f the har
buccaneers of the time whose names and deeds , had resounded over
every land and sea ; and he resolved to im itate if not surpass their , ,

most brilliant actions and leave a fam e to the future that would not
,

soon be forgotton .

H e did not remain long inactive Several privateers were at .

this time fitting out at the island the captaincy of one of whic h was ,

offered L afi tte and he accepted

, She was a beautiful fast sailing .

vessel and L afi tte spared no pains to m ake her the pride of the sea
, .

T hus equipped he attacked ind iscriminately the weaker vessels of

,

ev ery nation and though he accum ulated vast sum s o fgold and silver
, ,

and enriched his crew those sum s were as soon squandered in pro
,

fligacy and liberality ; and his desires increasing with success he ,

resolved without hesitation to em bark in the slave trad e While

,
-
.

at the Seychelles taking in a cargo of these miserable vic tims

,

bound for the Mauritius he was chased by an E nglish man o i war ,

- -

as far north as the eq uator ; not having sufficient provisions to carry

him to the French colony with that energy boldness and decision , ,

for which he was remarkable he immed iately put the helm about , ,

and made for the B ay o f B engal with the de s ign of replenishing his ,

stores from some E nglish vessel then in port H e had not lost sight .

of his form id ab le pur suer many d ays be fore he fell in w ith an E nglish ,

arm ed schooner with a numerous crew ; which after a sanguinary ,

conflict he captured
, H is own ship was but two hundred tons
.
,

carry ing two guns only and twenty six men nineteen of whom he -
,

transferr ed to the schooner of which he took the command and pro ,

ceeded to cruise on the coast of Be ngal H e had not cruised many .

days on this coast teem ing as it was with rich prizes before he fell
, ,

in with the P agoda an E nglish E ast I nd iam an carrying a bat

, ,

tery o f twenty six twelve pound ers and manned with one hundred
-
,

and fi fty m en H e so m anoeuvred his vessel as to ind uce the enem y

.
,

to believe him a G anges pilot ; and as soon as he had the weather

ga u g e o f th e ship h e su dd e nly ,bo a rd ed cu tla ss in ha n d a nd pu t , ,

all who resisted to the sword L afitte transferred his command to the .

captured vessel and imm ed iately m ade sail for the M auritius where
, ,

he arrived sold both prizes and purchased a strong well built ship
, , , ,

cal led in which he put twenty six guns and two

“
L a Confi ance ,
-
,

hund red and fi fty m en Shortly after (in the year . he sailed ,

in her for the coast of British I nd ia ; and while cruising off th e Sand s
H ead s fell in with the Queen E ast I ndiaman pierced for forty
“ ”
, ,

g un s, an d m ann ed w ith a cre w o f a bo ut fo u r hu ndr ed m en A ll .

422 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
more his v nati e soil, opulent and renowne d where ten years previous
,

he was scarcely known .

But he did not remain long inacti e H is restless spirit li e v .

, k
a cage d
eagle longe d
once m ore for his nati e elem ent the reeze ,
, v , b
b
the attle and the storm
, A ccor ingl be fi tted out a rigantine, . d y , b
y
mounting twent guns and a crew of one hun re and fifty men
, d d ,

d d
and m a e sail for G ua eloupe t
Oh his way hither, and am ong the .

West I ndia I slands he continued the same successful career that had
,

formerly attended his arms captured several rich prizes which be ,

d isposed of on his arrival and started for another cruise While , .

ab sent the E nglish invested G uadeloupe by sea and by land and ,

as is well known the authorities there fi nally capitulated Dur ing .

the blockad e many privateers conunissioned by the governm ent

of that island were at sea and after the capture they dared not re
, , ,

turn .L afi tte was one of these in conseq uence of which he sailed for ,

Carthagena which had but recently d eclared its independence of

,

Spain From the government of Carthagena these privateers re

.

ceived comm issions to cruise against Spanish bottom s and und er ,

the repub lican flag comm itted great havoc among the Spanish m er
chantmen trad ing in the G ulf of Mex ico N ot being permitted to .

d ispose of any of their prizes which were valuable and num erous in ,

any of t he harb ors or port s of the U nited States which were then at

p ea ce with G reat B ritain an d w ere bo u nd to preserv e t

,he neutrality
of their territory they sm uggled imm ense quantities of good s into
,

N ew Orleans through the inlets of B arataria in direct violation

, ,

of the revenue law s of the U nited States .

Under the denomination of Barataria is comprised part of the ,

coast of L ouisiana to the west of the m outh of the M ississippi

, ,

comprehend ed b etween B astien Bay on the east and the m ouths of ,

the B ayou L afour che on the west A dj acent to the sea are num erous .

lakes comm unicating with one another by several large bayous ,

with a great number of branches Barataria I sland which is formed .

by the largest of these bays of the same name is situated about ,

latitude 29 L ongitude 92
°
and is as remarkable for the
°

salub rity o f the atmosphere as for the superior quality of the shell ,

fish with which the waters abound Contiguous to the sea there is .

another island form ed by the two arm s or passes of this bay and the

sea called G rande T erre

, T his island is six miles in length and from
.
,

two to three miles in bread th running parallel with the coast The , .

western entrance is called the G rande Passe and has from nine to ,

ten feet of water through the harbor the only secur e one on the
, ,

coast (form erly frequented by the pirates) and lies about two leagues
 L afi tte, the L ouisiana P irate and P atriot 423

from the open sea H ere ami the innum era le ranch es of a us,
. d b b b yo
p a sse s , an d in ex tric a le c p res s sw ab
m p p
s ey
rso ns m a y lie con cea le , d
o
fr m the strictest scrutin y
I n 1811 L afi tte fortified the eastern and
.
,

o
wes tern p ints of this islan and esta lishe a regulard , epot H ere b d d .

b
th e prizes were rought and s l to the inha itants of the adj oining od b
d o d
istricts, who res rte to these places for the purp se of taining o ob
b ar gains in m at ters of tra e and d
ithout eing at all solicitous to w b
conceal the o bj
ect of their ourne j
N o effecti e measures ha ing y . v v
b k
een ta en to expel the pirates the continue their epre ations y d d d
upon the Spanish comm erce and sometim es entur e to attac ves v d k
sels of other nations y
The were generall regar e as pirates but
. y dd ,

b b o
it is pro a le that m st if not all of them were comm issione
, the , d by
Car thagenian g ernment ov .

o b
B ut it was im p ssi le for this state of things to continue long
w o b
ith ut eing chec e k d by
the general go ernment and particularl v , y
by the State of L ouisiana I n or er more effectuall to rea up
. d y b k
and d oy
estr b
these esta lishm ents which were ecoming ail m re , b d y o
d b by
form i a le their bo d
l ness and rec less isregar to all law or threats k d d
v
the G o ernor thought proper to stri e at the hea L afi tte soon after k d .

v
his arri al at B arataria seems to ha e lai asi e that, l ness and v d d bo d
audacit y which characterize his form er career d
H e had amasse . d
an immense q y
uantit of plun er and he was d
lige to ha e ealings
, ob d v d
w ith the merchants o f the nite U
States and the West n ies and d I d ,

collect db
e ts due him from the sale of oot he was force to be b y , d
more circum spect and cloa as much as possi le his real character
, k b .

N ve ertheless he was generall

, yk
nown to the inha itants of the cit b y
of N ew O
rleans from his imm e iate connection and his once ha ing d , v
b een a fencing master in that cit of great repute y
hich art he had , , w
d
learne in B onaparte s arm
’
y
where he had een a captain , b .

Such was the notoriet inspire d by q d y

his fre uent and aring de
p red at i o ov
ns, that the G o d
ernor d d d
ffere fi ve hun r e ollars for his

d w d
hea ; which L afi tte on hearing ans ere in retaliation by offering
, ,

o
hit ech th usandd d ov
ollars for the hea of the G v ernor T he G o ernor .
,

seeing his authority d d

set at defiance or ere y d
out a compan un er , ,

d y vd d
the comman of a captain who had form erl ser e un er L afi tte ,

and authorized him to burn and destroy all the property of the

buccaneers and to bring them to N ew Orleans for trial But the ex .

pedition proved d isastrous L afi tte sufi ered them to approach his

.

fortifications without molestation and whilst they flattered them ,

selves with a speedy destruction of the pirates they heard a sound ,

like that of a boatswain s whistle and before they could strike a

’

blow found themselves surrounded by armed men of superior force

, ,
424 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
v
and all a enues of retreat cut oh I t was on this occasion that L afitte
‘
.

showed that characteristic no leness and gener sit of his nature b o y

k j
which glitters li e a ewel in the ar ness of a thousan crim es d k d .

Instea d
of ex ecuting the m an who had come to ta e away his life k ,

and estr od all that was y

ear to him be loa e d
him with presents , dd
and suflered
‘
him to d and in safety to N ew Orleans
return unm oleste .

T his circum stance together with other concurrent events proved

, ,

conclusiv ely that the pirates were not to be taken by land and the ,

navy of the U nited States was y et too feeb le to effect anything of

conseq uence by sea and had on one occasion bee n actually repulsed
,

and was ob liged to retreat before the overwhelming forces of L afitte .

I n the early part of 1814 Comm odore P atterson of the United

States N avy received orders from Washington to disperse or destroy
,

the illicit establishm en t at B arataria A ccordingly he left N ew Or .

leans on the 1 1th of June of that year accompanied by C01 R oss

'

.
, ,

with a detachm ent of seventy one picked men from the Forty fourth - -

regiment of the United States in fantry O n the 12th he reached .

the schooner Caroline which had been stationed below in P laq ue

,

mines to accompany the exped ition Oh the 13th he formed a j unc

, .

ture with the gun boats at the B alize sailed from the South West
-
,

P ass on the evening of the 1sth and at half past eight o clock A M
’
.
, .

on the l 6th m ade the island o f B arataria

, H e discove1 ed a num ber .

of vessels in the harbor some of which d isplayed Carthagenian

,

colors A fter remaining in the offi ng several hours he d iscovered

.
,

the enem y form ing in a line of battle with six gun boats and Sea -

H orse tender mounting one six pounder and fi fteen m en and a

, ,

launch mounting one twelve pound carronade T he schooner Caroline .

was drawing too much water to cross the bar A t half past ten o clock
’
.

be perceived several smokes along the coast as signals and at the ,

sam e time a white dag hoisted on board a schooner at the fort an ,

Am erican flag at the main mast head and a Carthagenian flag at her
-
,

topping lift H e replied by a white flag at his m ain

. A t eleven .

o clock discovering that the pirates had fired two of their best schoon
’

ers he hauled d own the white flag and made the signal for battle
,

at the sam e t im e hoisting a large white flag with the motto

“
PA R ,

DON T O DE SE R T E R S A t the approach of our forces which

.
,

were d im inished by two of the gun boats gr ounding on the bar the -
,

B aratarians abandoned their vessels in the most diso rderly flight A .

launch and two b arges were sent in pursuit of them and though ,

they were closely pursued they succeed ed in making their escape ,

over the num erous bays and morasses of the adj acent district A bout .

noon however, that day Comm od ore Patterson took poss ession
, ,
426 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

him on se eral v occasions with the intention of taking their prizes ,

and e env their armed ve s sels ; but were as frequently repul sed with

loss and mortification One of these attem pts was on the 23rd of
.

June , 1813 when a B ritish sloop anchored at the entran ce of the pass
, ,

and sent out boats to endeavor to take two privateers anchore d

her
03 Cat I sland but were repulsed with considerab le loss
,
T hey . ,

however did not d espair Oh the 3rd of September 1814 an E ng

, .
, ,

lishm an oi off the harbor and after hr ng

i
-
,

on the inhab itants hoisted a flag of truce T his conduct was so i h

, .

comprehensible that L afi tte set out for the ship in a small boat to
, ,

inquire the cause When about half way between the ship and the
.

shore he saw a y awl let down from the stern of the ship and make
, ,

directly toward him Suspecting treachery his first im pulse was to

.

flw but seeing them close upon him be resolved to brave it out and
— ,

meet them T he yawl was soon alongside well m anned d isplaying

.
, ,

at her stem the B ritish ensign and at her bow a flag of truce Cap , .

k
tain L oc y er comman er of the man oi war haile them and as ed
, d - -
, d , k
bo
if L afi tte was a ar d and eing answere in the negati e ga e him a
, b d v , v
p a ck ag e with in s tru ct io ns to gu a r it w it h gr ea t ca re a nd to p rese nt d ,

it to L afi tte w
ith his own han s which he prom ise to perform d , d .

In the meantim e a strong inwardl current had rift e

, o th oats y d db b
near shore ~
lined with upwar s of two hun r e m en and L afi tte — d d d
finding his Opponent in his power briefly tol him
“
am he whom , d , I
y e see A ks s
.oo n a s la n e h e con uc t e th em t o hisdd
h u se, a m id d d o ,

v
the ociferations of his people em an ing their li es upon the instant d d v ,

or to send them to J ac son at N ew k

rleans to be hung as spies O , .

L afitte whose influence and ecision was greater than their indigna
, d
tion , d dd
issua e them from such rash acts and pacified th em with ,

p ro m ise s o f sp ee y re e n ge W h d
en t h e tu m ul t v
w as u elle
. h e q d ,

d k
Opene the pac age which consiste of three papers and rea o er d , d v
their contents in silence The first was a letter from Captain Percy
.
,

of his M j y
a est s sloop of war H ermes ; the secon
’
was also a letter d
N
from Colonel icols comm an er of the B ritish lan forces in l rida ;
, d d Fo
the third an inflamm atory a ress to the L ouisianians clothe in
, dd , d
florid eloq uence and patriotic sentiment calling on them to support ,

the mother c untr o y .

oo
A s s n as Captain L oc y er percei e th at Lafi tte had finished k vd
d
rea ing the pac ages k
con ectur ing f rom his silence and l
, j s th at ook
o d b
s m e ou ts hung hea on his m in vy
and nowing no tim e was to be d , k
lost and no cfi ort le ft untrie ; he regar e Lafi tte with an anxious d dd
eye and pushing up his point spo e forci l
, of th a vantage the , k by e
d ,

y
fam e the glor th at woul attend his ecision in their fav or ; and as
, , d d
 L afi tte, the L oms iana P irate and P atriot 427

a further in ucement , offere d d him the sum of thirty thousand pound s ,

to be paid as soon as he set foot at Pensacola L afitte hesitated but .

Captain L ockyer pressing his reasons endeavored at once to bring ,

his mind to a decision which when once formed he knew was irre
, ,

vocable H e further offered him the rank of Post Captain in the

.

British N avy the command of a frigate and the pardon for all past
, ,

offenses T o such a man as L afitte in whom am bition self aggran

.
, ,

dizement and fame were the predominent elements such offers

,

might seem irresistib le ; but he had greater and nobler aims in view .

H e therefore d emanded a few days for consid eration and though ,

they remonstrated against delay with all the eloquence and per
suasive language that m ight swerve his intent he abruptly left them , ,

and retired at a d istance to avoid further repetition of argument ,

which if he had considered a moment might have induced him to ,

ad opt a different course .

While absent his men rushed upon Captain L ocky er and the
,

other officer and secur ed them as prisoners

, A s soon as L afi tte was .

informed of this outrage he assembled his people by torchlight , ,

and addressing them in an eloquent m anner showed the disgrace ,

o f violating the laws of hospitality the total d isregard to the fl , ag of

truce and that by their m istak en policy they would lose forever
,

the only favorab le opportunity of discovering what were the enemy s

’

intentions against the southern detachment of the A m erican army .

A fter this harangue they were persr a i ed to let L afitte act as b e

,

j udged proper ; and on the following morning he released the prisoners ,

and apologized for their incarceration On th e 4th of Septem ber .

,

1814 L afi tte wrote to Captain L ocky er who was still cruising off
, ,

the place that he would require two weeks for consideration and
, ,

would at that time give him a defi nite answer ; but that all things ,

considered he thought he should accept his of

, fer On the sam e day .

he despatched another letter to Mr B lanque of the L ouisiana H ouse .

of R epresentatives inclosing all the papers the B ritish officer had

,

g ive n him as a
,lso a letter to G ov ern or C la ibo rn e reca pit l
u at ing ,

the offers of the enem y and showing 1n stro ng language the unpor
, , ,

tance of the hold be occupied and that it was both his desire and the ,

desire of his men to enlist in the Am erican cause provided the act , ,

of ob livion for all past oflences be granted them T hose letters and
’
.

a
p p er s w ere d eliv ered by M r B lan q ue to the G o ve rno r
. w ho imm e di ,

ately laid them before the Comm ittee of Safety and Defence over ,

which he presided T he result was that Mr R ancher L afi tte s

. .
,
’

messenger was sent back with instructions to L afitte to take no

,

final steps until the Committee could act and decid e upon his propo
428 T he L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly
sition, and th at in the meantim e he should remain un er d the pro
tection of the vernm ent go
T he two week s having elapsed Captain L ocky er again appeared ,

in the offi ng ; but L afi tte took no notice of the signals and as soon as ,

he d isappeared having received a passpport from G eneral J ackson

—
he em barked for N ew Orleans H e was taken to the Governor s
’
.

reception room and found him and G eneral J ack son there alone
, .

They both welcom ed him with cord iality and expressed their personal ,

wishes that his request should be acceded to and undertook to use ,

their influence in the Council of State to that efi ect When about to .

depart the old hero grasped his hand with emotion and as he reached
, ,

the door said Farewell I trust the next tim e we meet will be in the
—
“
, ,

ranks of the A m eri can army .

T he Com mittee of Defence was convened the papers were laid ,

before it and L afitte s proposition was accepted T he G ov ernor

,
’
. ,

hereupon issued his proclam ation inviting the Baratarians to j oin ,

the stand ard of the United States and was authorized to say that , , ,

should their conduct in the field meet with the approbation of the
Maj or G eneral that officer will unite with the G overnor in a reques t
,

to the President of the United States to extend to each and every ,

ind ividual so acting a free full pardon T hus general orders were
, , .

p la ce d in th e h a nd s o f L a fi tte w ho circu la ted th em am o

,n g his dis

p e rs ed follo w ers m os t o f w ho m,rea d ily e m b ra ced th e co nd ition s an d ,

flocked to the standard of the U nited States Lafi tte s eld er brother
’
.
,

who had previously been apprehended by the Am erican authorities ,

and thrown into prison in N ew Orleans was released and perm itted , ,

to join his companions .

The m ovem ents and operations of G eneral J ackson in d efence of

N ew Orleans are too well known to need repetition in this place
, .

From the intelligence received it was evident that the British fleet ,

would make an effort to co operate with the troops already landed -

.

T o prevent this the forts on the river were strongly fortifi ed and
, ,

hlled with brave m en to res ist an attack in that direction Maj or .

R eynold s and Captain L afi tte were ordered to put the passes of

Barataria and B ayou L afourche in the best possible state of defence ,

lest the enem y should by these entries unite with its forces on the ,

east side of the river and attack J ackson s lines on the fl ank and rear
’
.
,

This was accord ingly done Some of Lafi tte s men were retained at
’
.

Fort St Philip others were sent to the Fort of Petites Coq uilles
.
, ,

and the B ayou St John . .

A fter these arrangments had been efi ected from the 22nd of

‘
,

Decem ber to the 1st of Januar y the B ritish were actively preparing
 430 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

Keane Burning to a enge the eath of their c mman ers the

. v d o d ,

d
H ighlan ers rushe for ar d w dw
ith inext inguisha le fur T he hole b y . w
p la in wa s hl le d it h m a rc hin g ws u a r n s o f hor s e ga llo i
p gn il q do
ly , w d ,

d
while the thun er of cannon and herce rattle of m us etr ami k y , d
which now and then was hear the last of a thousan trum pets d b d
and the strains of m ar tial m usic filled the air Still the e erans of , . vt
d
the Peninsula presse oh moun ting on each other s shoul ers to gain ,
’
d
oo
a f thol d w k
in the or s where the f ught with the ferocit o f fran , y o y
tic lions, m ad ith pain, rage and es pair w Few, howe er reache d . v , d
o
this p int and th se who clam ere
, o up the entrenchments b d
ere w
b y
a onete as the d appeare y
T hree imes the enem a ance to d . ty dv d
t
the assaul , and three tim es was he dri en ac in wil isor er b k vdd d .

ok
T he sm e of attle was r lling furiousl b er the h st, and o
y ov o
d
all seem e confusi n and chaos in their ran s o The plain was alrea k dy .

encum ere b dw
ith two thousan ea and un e dd d
and the chargingwo d d ,

s q u a dron s f e ll so f a st t ha t a r am pa r t o f ea ies w a s so nd d bod

f rme o o d
aroun themd A long the whole length of the reastw r
. b
urst f rth okb o
o ne incessant sheet of flame and as fast as the hea s o f the columns , d
appeare d
the melte awa
, y d
efore their mur erous cannona e yb d d .

During the engagem ent the oice of L afi tte was hear al ng the v d o
lines encouraging his men to action H e had een statione at one
,
b . d
o
of the imp rtant em rasures un er the e ge of the b d
ississippi d ith M w ,

o q
D m ini ue, his c untr m an as secon in c mman o y d
T he rench
, o d F .

are am ong the first artillerists in the orl , and these were s me w d o
o f th e b
est of them On that mem ora le day the achie e th se
. b y vd o
b d
rilliant feats o f aring and alor worth of their former fam e v y From .

b o
their two atteries p ure a terrifi c fire which m os cd down the ranks d ,

of the enem y k
li e the har est before the sc the of the reaper I n thev y .

heat of the engagemen a portion o f the British tr ps hom e a a t , oo , wy

by tb
an irresis i le ar or , and fra ntic with rage rushe d ithin the , d w
o
outp sts f rcing a small part
,
o there to retreat y
B efore the atteries . b
o d
c ul bo t
be r ugh to ear , the enem a ance with lou shouts b y dv d d
o f tri um ph at their rief success b
I n an instant L afi tte ch arge up n . d o
them with his men utsi e the reast or , o w h i d
ch the h a d no t y be tw k , y
g a i n e d
a n d
, as h in g am odng th e is r er ed ran s, ra g e lik e a li d od
n k d o
am i d his pre y
H e cut own two of the officers in c mm an
. d ith o dw
his own arm , and his m en with the rapi it of lightning ran ishing d y , b d
their sa res b b
urst through the thinne
,
ran s of the enem who, d k y
appalle d by
the su enness and ef dd fi cacy of the m o em ent retlred in v ,

confusion and isma d y

A t places where the fiercest str uggles had
.

d
bee n ma e the ea were pile in heaps
, d d inding that ict or was d . F v y
hopeless , G
eneral L am ert o n b
hom the c mman now e l ed, , w o d d vo v
 L afi tte the L ouis iana P irate and P atriot
, 431

ga evor ers d back in great confus ion T hus closed

to retreat , and fell .

one of the m ost sanguinary battles on record T he national prid e .

was gratified not only in the preservation of the city but in the re ,

flection that its brave d efenders had met and overth rown the con
q uer ors of P eninsular E urope .

k
G eneral J ac so n; in his offi cial report to the Secretar of War y ,

did not fail to comm en the gallant expl its and chivalrous daring d o
of the ra eb v b d
an of B aratarians ; and in c nse uence Presi ent o q , d
M d a iso n after peace issued a proclamati n granting full par o n
, , o , d
o b
to all th se who had een engage in the efence of N ew rleans d d O .

L afi tte restore to respecta ilit

, d
might ha e li e to an hon b y , v vd
orable old age e s teeme and respecte
, d
all aroun him H e tra ed d by d . d
awhile in and a out N ew b
rleans but soo n O
ecame dissatisfied and , b
impatient of the restraints of civilization H is soul was as free as his .

v
nati e element and he pine once m re for the field of action
, d here o , w
his armament might ri e in watch fulness o er the w rl of waters d v o d ,

b eneath the meteor flag that doats o er e er sea and fans e er shore v v y v y .

y
A s earl as 1812 he uilt a small illage upon the site of the
, b v
p r ese nt cit o f G alv es y
ton his own house eing two storie s and well
, b
furnishe d
A ll others were one stor
. and of a plainer construction y , .

y d
The procure their uil ing materials from N ew b d rleans ith O , w
which place the yk
ept up a regular intercourse and c mmerce In o .

b d
fact Lafi tte oaste that he had ma e half of the merchants of that d
y
cit rich bo y
A ut the ear 1819 the G o ernor of G al eston a
. exica n v v , M
G eneral by
the name ofL nge ga e him a comm ission for the se eral
, o , v v
v essels which he o
wne in partnership with th se whom he hadd o
y
alwa s retaine d
in his emplo ; and G en H um ert, the sobsequent y . b
go ver n or als g a, e h im a o
com m issio nv for sm aller at s w hich he bo ,

d
had constructe with a iew of running far up the inlan ri ers I t v d v .

b vd
is elie e from this time that he ept up a regular life of ro ing k bb ,

smuggling and pirac y

though be uniform l allege that his epre
, y d d
dations w
ere comm itte alone on d
essels sailing un er the Spanish v d
flag T wo of these
. ats ha ing ro bo v
e a plantation on the M erm ento bb d
v
ri er b
elonging to an A m er ican citizen were captur e
, the oats , d by b
of the niteU d
States sch ner L y nx m ounting fi ve guns oo Lafitte , .
,

v
to propitiate the go ernm ent hung at his ar arm one of the men , y d -

engage d
in the affair and isc laim e the intimation of ha ing gi en
, d d v v
d
such or ers or sanctione , their procee ing d
Shortl after howe er d . y , v ,

the L ynx capture two of his essels disco ere in smuggling along v , d v d
our coast ; and it was now e i ent that he m ust ha e had som e vd , v
p re iovu s n ow le ge k
o f thes e ac ts adnd ha e ee n an ac com plice in , v b
the transacti n o .
432 T he L ouisiana Hzstorzcal
'

Quarterly
Nevertheless depredations with great secrecy
he carrie d on his
and in a short tim e am assed im mense sum s of m oney which were ,

carried to the w ild and uninh ab ited island s along the southern coast

of L ouisiana and d ivid ed am ong the crew , T wenty thousand .

dollars concealed in kegs was discovered a few years ago on Caillou ,

by an ind ividual named Wagner (in company With six others) who , ,

was murdered by his comrades and the treasure carried off but , ,

nothing since has ever been heard of them G old bars of great .
,

value have since been discovered among the islands of Barataria

, ,

and it is prob ab le that great treasure s m ay be elsewhere concealed .

for these pirates were all rich and L afi tte is said to have spent six ty ,

thousand d ollars in fashionab le society during a short stay at Wash ,

ington City .

A bout this time the T exas revolution burst forth and many ,

signal battles w ere fought on land and sea until the lone star o f the ,

repub lic rose in refulgent b eauty on the horiz on of nations Fore .

most in the cause o f freedom was L afitte H e commanded the .

“
J pu iter o n e o f his ow
, n c r uisers th e firs t v esse l e ver cha rt ere d by ,

the new government and by the v ery terror of his name spread , ,

p an ic an d d ism a y a m ong th e en em y H e w as r ew ar d ed for hi s gal .

lant services by b eing appointed governor of G alveston a post of ,

honor and d istinction N ot long after an A merican ship was boarded .

,

near our coast , and rifled of a large am ount of specie ; and the J p
u iter

v
ha ing v d at G alveston with a great amount of that comm odity
arri e

on board L afi tte was imm ed iately suspected and one of our m en of

, ,

war under L ieut M ad ison received orders to cruise oil the coast
t
, .
, ,

nd v igilantly watch his m anoeuvres L afi tte b ecame highly exas

a .

pe rate d at this proceed ing and add ressed a le tter to the Comm and er , ,

demanding by what authority he continued to lie before that port

of which he was gov ernor T he Comm and er m ade no reply but still .
,

continued to keep a strict look out and watch the operations of -

L afi tte who b urning with ind ig nation resolved to set his authority
, ,

at defiance .

I n the great storm of 1818 he lost m an men and four essels , y v ,

three of which were foun ere at sea and one went ashore on irginia d d , V
p oint o n the ,o p posite si e of the bay I n conse ue nce of which d
acci . q
d ent he sent L afage to N ew
, rleans to ha e uilt a new schooner O , v b
which when finished and m anne m ounte two guns as her heav d , d y
d
or nance and a crew o f fi fty m en
, A s soon as their essel was . v
launche d
L : fe ge took comm an and m a e a short cruise in which
,
~
d d ,

he capture d a v l
esse , and w as procee ing with her un er flowing d d
sheets to L afi tte ,
’
s st ation , when he was m et the nite States by U d
434 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

was seen in the darkest of the conflict The b lood now ran in torrents .

from the scuppers and dyed the waters with a cri mson stain At .

length L afi tte fell wounded desperately in two places A ball had

, .

had broken the bone of his right leg a cutlass wound had penetrated ,

his stomach The Commander of the boarders was stretched sense

.

less ou the deck close by Lafi tte and the desperate pirate, beholding
,

his victim within his grasp raised himself with diflicul ty and pain,
,

dagger in hand, to slay the unconscious man H e threw his clotted .

lock s aside and drew his hand across his b row to clear his sight of
, ,

blood and mist, and raised the glittering blade above the heart of the
dying man But his brain was dizzy , his aim unsure and the dagg er
.
,

descending pierced the thigh of his powerless foe and L afitte fell
, ,

back exhausted to the deck A gain reviving with the convulsive .

,

g ra s p o f d ea th he essay ed ag ain to p lu ng e th e d agger to the h eart

of the foe but as he held it over his b reast, the effort to strike b urst
,

asunder the slender ligam ent o f life — and L afi tte was no m ore .

Still the action raged with unabated fury : but so superior was
the force of the assailants that victory was no longer doub tful yet
‘

so desperately had they been m et that of a crew of one hundred and

six ty but six teen sur vived the conflict
, T hese were ta ken to Jamaica, .

an d at a subseq uent sitting of the Court of A dm iralty they were all ,

co nd emned to death ; ten however only were ex ecuted the remain

, , ,

ing six having been pardoned by the British government .

Thus fell L afi tte a man superior in tal ent in knowled ge of his

, ,

p r o fessio n , in courage a nd in ph
, y sic al st re ng th H is m emor y is .

j ustly cherished by the A mericans for he rendered them great ser ,

vice in the perilous field ; and there are many who believe him to be
alive at this day no authentic account of his death ever having
,

been published But the proceedings of the court and testim ony
. ,

of the witnesses place th is b eyond a doubt and however d ear his , ,

m emory may be to some we must not forget, that the road of honor
,

was open to him ; that he forsook its pleasant and peaceful cuj oym ents ;
in a word all that might endear the remembrance of man on eart h
,

to leave a career written in blood

A corsazr 3 nam e to other times,

L inked with one virtue , and a thousand crimes .

o b
The auth r of this iographical s etch of L afi tte the k , Corsair
o f the G ulf
“
assur es us in a letter that it is c mpile
, from o d various
sour ces— dvd
from in i i uals who ha e n wn and ser e un v k o vd der him
,
 L afi tte, the L ouisiana P irate and P atr iot 435

from an old num er of the b

Galveston Civilian fr m a n e to B yron s , o ot ’

Co rsair , Fo
r st s H istor y
from pu lic d cuments letters, proclama
’
, b o ,

y
tions and the m ost generall recei e accounts of his life and expl its
, vd o
b k
in the oo s of pirates .

B arataria, 4th Septem ber , 18

T o Captain L oc er : ky
‘
—
Sir T he confusion which pre aile in our camp ester a v d y d y
and this m orning and of which y ou ha e a complete no ledge, has
, v k w
pr e ven te m e ands w ering in a pr ecise m a nner to th e ect of our obj y
o
missi n ; nor e en at his time can v tgi e y ou all the satisfaction I v
d o v
that y ou esire ; h we er if y ou grant me a fortnight , oul be , I w d
entirel at yur yo d o
isp sal at the end of that time T his ela is in . d y
d b b
ispensa le to ena le me to put my affairs in r er You may od .

o
c mm unicate with me se n ing a by d
at at the eastern p int of the bo o
pa ss w h
, ere w ill b e f I
un Y ou h a o d
e insp ire m e w ith
. m re con fi v d o
dence than the admiral y
our superior officer, c ul
, ha e one him o d v d
self; with y ou alone wish to eal and from you als
, d
ill claim , oIw
d
in due time the rewar of the ser ices may ren er y ou v I d .

“
Yours , &c
Signed : J L A FI T T E .

Barataria Septem , ber 4 ,

To G ov
ernor Clai rne, bo
“
—
Sir I n the firm persuasion that the choice ma e of y ou to fill d
the offi ce of first magistrate of this State, was ictate the esteem d d by
y
of our fellow citizens and was c nferre on merit oconfi dently ad d , I
d ress y ou on an affair on which m ay d
epen the safet of this c untr y d y o .

I of fer you to restore to this State se eral citiz ens who perhaps, v ,

y y v o
in our e es ha e l st their title of I
fer you them howe er, such as
.
, v
y o u w dw
o u l is h t o fi nd th e m , rea to e x e rt th e ir u dy
tm os t effo rt s in
d efence o f the countr y
This p int o f L ouisiana which now occup
. o I y
is of great im portance in the present crisis ten er my ser vices to . I d
d efen d
it ; and the onl rewar y dI
ask is that a stop be put to the pro

scription against m e and m y a herents an act ofd li io n for all by ob v ,

b
that has een one hitherto d I
am the stra sheep wishing to return
. y
to the fol d
I f you are thoroughl ac ua inte
. y
ith the nature of myq dw
oflenco
’
s s h I
o ul app ea d
r to y o u m u ch le s s g ui l t an d st ill w rth y , o y
to discharge the uties of a goo citizend d
ha e ne er saile un er . I v v d d
any flag but that o f the repu lic of Carthagena and my b essels are , v
p er fec t l rey
g u la r in th a t r e
s pec t I f cou l ha e .r u gh t m yI la fu l d v bo w
p rize s i n t th o
e p rts o f hio
s S ta te , st
ho u l no t h a e e m pIlo e d th e d v y
436 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

illicit means that have caused me to be proscribed I decline saying .

more on the subj ect until I have the honor of your E x cellency s
’
,

answer which I am persuad ed can only be dictated by wisdom

. , .

Should you not answer favourably to my ardent d esires I declare ,

to y ou that I will instantly leave the country to avoid the imputa ,

tion of having co Operated toward s an invasion on this point which

-
,

cannot fail to take place and rest assured in the acq uittal of m y ,

I have the honor to be your E xcellency , , &c .

,

Signed : J L A FI T T E
“
. .

T h e Pr es id en t P roc lam a t io n
’
s .

Am ong the man e ils pr uce y v

the ars which wi h little od d by w , , t
o v
intermissi n ha e afflicted E urope and exten e their ra ages into
, , dd v
t
o her q b
uarters o f the glo e for a peri excee ing t ent ears, the
, od d w yy
d o o d b
ispersi n o f a c nsi era le p rti n of the inha itants of difi erent o o b
o
c untries in s rro o w
and in want has not een the least in urious to , b j
human happiness nor the least se ere trial of human irtue
, v v .

“
I t has b
een l ng ascertaine that man o f reigners , flying d y o
o d
fr m the anger of their own home, and that som e citizens f rgetful , o
of their ut d y v
ha e cc operate in forming an esta lishment on the
,
-
d b
d
islan o f B arataria near the m outh of the ri er , ississippi for the v M ,

u
p p r o se o f a cla n e stine an d a law less d
tra e ; the go er nm en t o f the d v
U nite d d
States cause the esta lishment to be r en up and de b b ok
yd
stro e ; and ha ing o taine v b
the means of esignating the oflenders d d
of e er v yd escription it onl remaine y
to answer the eman s o f j us
, d d d
tice byinflicting an exemplar punishm ent y .

“
b
B ut it has since een represente that the ofi enders ha e mani d v
fested a sincere penitence ; that the ha e a an one the prosecu y v b d d
tion of the worst cause for the support of the est and particularl b , y , ,

y
that the ha e exhi ite v b d
in the efence ofN ew rleans une uivocal
, d O q ,

traits of courage and fidelity ffen ers who ha e refuse to ec me . O d , v d b o

o
the ass ciates of the enem in the war up n the m st se ucing term s y , o o d
of invitation ; and who ha e ai e v
to repel his h stile in asion of the dd o v
y
territor of the U d
nite States can no longer be consi ered as o ects , d bj
of punishm ent but as o ,
bj
ects o f a generous forgi eness v .

“
I t has theref re, o b
ee n seen with great satisfact ion that the
, , ,

b
G eneral A ssem ly of the State of L ouisiana earnestl recomm en y d
o d
those ffen ers to the benefi t of a full par on ; an d in compliance d
w d
ith that recommen ation as well as in consi eration o f all the ther, d o
d
ex traor inary circum stances of the case I ( am es a is n) Presi , , J M d o ,
438 T he L ouisiana Historical Quarterly

ov o d
T o pr e to y ou my intenti ns towar s the welfare and har
y yo I d o d
mon of ur govermnent , sen encl se the eclarati ns cf x veral d o
p risoners, who were ta en ik
nto custo es terda ,dy y
and a c urt of y by o
q d
in uiry appointe for that purpose, were foun guilt of ro ing thed y bb
b U d b
inha itants of the nite States of a num er of sla es and specie v .

t
The gen lemen bearing this message w v
ill gi e y ou any reasona le b
o o
inf rmati n relating to this place, that may be re uire q d .

Yours &c .
,

Signed : J LA FI T T E .
 T H E FL A G S O F L OUI SI ANA

M zlledge L B onham,
'

By .
1 7 .

While it is common knowledge that several of our States such ,

as N ew York F lorida and T exas have had several flags in their

, ,

history it is not so well known that L ouisiana has had more difi erent
'
,

flags nine than any other commonwealth in the Union

— — Of .

these nine eight were (or claim ed to be) the insignia of sovereign
,

States Should we count all the various modifications of the various

.

dags for instance that of Spain the number would be legion rather
, , ,

than nine I t is the purpose of this article however merely to call

.
, ,

attention to the nine fl ags which may be called fundamental and to ,

suggest their significance in the making of the L ouisiana of today ,

as a part of the American republic .

Apparently the first flag to flutter in L ouisiana was that of

Spain which merely waved in passing when in 1541 De Soto reached
, , ,

the M ississippi in what is now eastern L ouisiana What this flag .

was and what it represents will be d iscussed presently .

L aSalle seem s to have been the god father to christen the M is

sissippi valley L ouisiane in 1679 H e was perhaps the first to dis
“ ”
.

p lay the lilies of France in the presen t State d uring his ex ploratio n ,

of 1682 A s in the case of De Soto s flag , Lasalle s sim ply waved in

’ ’
.

Pierre L eMoyne Sieur d Iberville and his brother, J ean, Sieur

’

de B ienville, established the French colony of L ouisiana when they

settle d B ilox i in 1699 Ou St Patrick s day of the same year they
’
. .

discovered and named B aton R ouge I n 1717 at N atchitoches .

,

B ienville made the first permanent settlement of

“
[ N acky
which we are sur e in the present L ouisiana , Soon Baton R ouge .
,

N ew Orleans St Martinville and other communities began to

, .

appear Until the cession of the French possession to E ngland and

.

Spain , then , the Bourbon banner of France floated over L ouisiana,

and may be taken as the fir st o f our series of nine I t was a w hite .

silk en banner, in the center of which were three gold en fieur de ly s - -

.

This was the orifiamme of N avarre hom e by H enri IV at Ivry

“
,

and becom ing the national flag when he ascend ed the French throne .
440 T he L ouisiana Historical Quarterly
What is its significance in L ouisiana s history I ts white may
’
?

be taken to stand for the purity of the Ursuline nuns the first (1 727) ,

educators in L ouisiana and its gold is indicative of the treasures

,

of field forest and stream L ilies of every variety human as well

,
—
as horti cultural — reprod uce the fl eur de ly s T oday the white sy m- -
.

bolixes L ouisiana s patriotism and the gold her generous hospita lity
’
.

A fter the treaty of Paris in 1763 at the end of the French and
, ,

I nd ian war the Bourbon flag withdrew from L ouisiana First it

, .

disappeared from Baton R ouge and vicinity known today as the — ‘

Florida parishes The little settlement there became Fort R ich

.
“

mond in the British province of Wes t Florida and E ng land s

” ’
,

scarlet superseded France s white The B ritish standard of course

’
.
, ,

consists of a red banner having in the upper inner corner the Union
“
,

J ack which is a field of blue on which are now com bined the crosses
”
,

of St George St Andrew and St Partick

. ,
— th ough in 1763 only the
.

first two appeared The red and white crosses on the blue field
.

p r od uce th e sam e com b in atio n fo un d in o ur o w n an d so m an y other

national emblems From Britain L ouisiana has drawn much o f her
.

constitutional law j ust as from R om e by way of France and Spain

, , ,

she drew her civil law The crosses of the Union J ack may be taken
.

to sy m bolize the religious liberty enj oyed in L ouisiana today .

Though N ew Orleans and L ouisiana west of the Mississippi

had been ceded to Spain in 1763 she did not take possession o f her ,

new colony until 1766 when the B ourbon lilies gav e place to the lions
,

and castles of Spain Just what was th e Spanish flag as carried by

.
,

De Soto and as brought by Don Antonio de Ulloa in 1766 ? When

Colum bus set sail in 1492 he bore the standard of Spain which was
“ ”
,

a quar tering of red and grey with a red lion of L eon ram ping on the

g re y sq u are s a nd th e y ell ow ca st le o f C astile on th e red I t is d oub t .

ful if this flag was ever displayed in L ouisiana but all its colors are ,

there in the grey of the Spanish moss the red of the pomegranate
, ,

not to m ention the d elicious redfi sh cour tbouillon of the L ouisiana

“ ”

cook s and the yellow j asm ine De Soto may have borne the royal
“
.

which was a purple flag bearing the royal coat o f arms

”
standard - -

in the center I ts color suggests the regal beauty of th e women of

.

L ouisiana as well as th e color of the water hyacinths and the sugar

,
-

m ne More familiar is the Spanish merchant flag. of yellow with

.

two red stripes near the upper and lower borders

, A s an ad miral .

o f Spain it is m ore likely that De Soto carried the naval ensign

, ,

comp sed of two band s of red separated by a broader stripe ofy el

o
low i n which appears the royal coat o f arms
, I t was one of these - -
.

red and yellow banners which becam e the flag of L ouisiana in 1766 .
442 The L ouisiana Historical Quarterly

accept it simply as the em blem of the United States and disregard

the details of its evolution What did this emblem mm
'

.
? T he
blue field was the same blue of truth shown in the Union Jack and the
tricolor ; but since it was in the flag of a young nation evidently it ,

typifi ed the hope that humanity was b asing on this ex periem ent in
democracy T hat this how has not been disappointed Al ba t of
.
,

Belgium and G eorge of E ngland join Poincare o f France today in

assuring Woodrow Wilson T hese stars mean what
.
? A constellation
of States certainly and j ust as each State is a j ewel ih the cr own of
,
-

Columbia so do the starry j ewels of domestic virtue of hospitality

, , ,

of industry , courage sobriety patriotism art ed ucation and gen

, , , ,

erosity adorn the brow ofL ouisiana N ot only the purity ofA m erica s
’
.

p pu r ose an d th e a r do r o f h er p a tr iotis m a r e de no te d by th e
s e strip es )

but they are also the ladder ofworthy deed s whereby L ouisianians as ,

citizens of both State and N ation clim b toward the goal o f progre ss .

I nd ubitab ly L ouisiana s most flourishing epochs have been those

,
’

when she has been without question b eneath the aegis of Colum bia ,

namely from 1803 to 186 1 and since 1865

, .

While G overnor Claiborne and his associates were busy organiz

,

ing the governm ent of the territory of Orleans at Baton R ouge the ,

scarlet and saflron of Spain still waved and Spanish offi cials pursued
‘
,

the even tenor of their way Don Carlos de G randpre was the
.

Governor but in 1808 he was succeeded by Don Carlos de H ault de

,

L assus and Don L ouis de G randpre became commandant of the little

fort at B aton R ouge T his stood on the sam e site previously occu
.

p ie d by Fo r t R ic h m o nd a n d b e for e t
,ha t the F re n ch for t O n a nd .

about it between 1820 and 1830 were erected the build ings of the
,

United States arsenal and garrison now part of the equipment of ,

L ouisiana State University O nce again the influence of N apoleon.

now emporer of the French — affected the history of L ouisiana .

I n 1808 he placed his b rother Joseph on the throne of Spain Soon , , .

in the Spanish colonies j un tas

“ ”
or comm ittees of the colonists , ,

loyal to the house of B ourbon undertook to carry on the colonial ,

g o v er nm en t u n t il th e re sto ra tio n o f F er d ina nd VII S u c h a co m .

mittee was organized at the Plains a few miles north of B aton

“
,

R ouge in July 1810 I n Septemb er however the Anglo A mer icans

, , .
— , ,

in the prov ince of West F lorid a held a convention and took the step
that from 1814 to 1825 the other Spanish colonies were to take .

G eneral P hilem on T hom as a veteran of the Am erican R evolu

“ ”
—

tion was sent with an army of one hundred to capture the garri
— ‘

son at B aton R ouge T his was done the gallant G randpre being
.
,

mysteriously slain and the governor captured T his date Septem ber
, .
,
 T he F lags o f L ouis iana 443

kd
23 1810 mar e the appearance of the R epu lic of est l ri a
, , b W Fo d ,

w “
hose ensign the six th in our series was the first lone star flag in
,
”
,

American histor eing a y b

lue w llen field i h a single sil er star
, b oo wt v
in the centre w
Pul ar S ip i h was s n electe go ernor of the
. k wt oo d v
b
repu lic which applie
, for annex ation to the nite d
Sta es as a U d t
o
new c mm onwealth Presi ent a is n elie e. that this regi n d M d o b vd o
b dd
had een inclu e in the L ouisiana purchase so directe G o ern r , d v o
C b d
lai orne to a minister it as part of the erritor of rleans which t y O ,

b
he egan do
ing in Decem er 1810 T wo ears later that portion b , . y ,

of the old est W

l ri a pr ince (and repu lic
‘
Fo d etween the la es, ov b ’
b k
M
the ississippi and Pearl ri ers and the present State of ississippi, v , M
d
entere the U
nion as part of the State of L uisiana ; whence the name o
“
F d
lori a parishes I n the language of a istinguishe
. escendant d dd
of some of the est W “
F
lori a re luti nists, the Stars and Stripes d vo o
replaced the ar gent star on the lue field ; the govermnent of the free b
y ov d
State pea cefull diss l e ; its tr ps is an e and its citizens en oo d b dd
o d
r lle v o
them sel es am ng the truest and staunchest of the G reat
b
R epu lic .
’

d b
B lue, eep lue like the s ies of L ouisiana was this six th banner,
, k ,

v
and sil er as the clear notes of her mocking ir s was the star te b d . No
b
how often this true lue threa appears in her histor and the sil er d y , v
or gre y
or white whether of purit , or of magn lia
, loom or of the y o b ,

o F
f gs of the ather of Waters, recurs again and again .

L ouisianians followe the flag of the nion in the War of 1812, d U

the Sem inole and ex ican wars M
ispla ing the irtues s m olize , d y v y b d
by these six anners b
Perhaps this was why the se enth and the
. v
eighth , like the six th were to be orn of war, and li e it,,estine to b k d d
be short li e vd .

Once again as in 1810 Baton R ouge was the scene of a declara

, ,

tion of ind epend ence T he convention of L ouisiana on Jannar y

.
,

26 1861 adopted the ord inance of secession and L ouisiana was

, , ,

p roc laim ed a free and ind epe nd ent State A co mm ittee wa s ord ered .

to d esign a national flag for her which was ad opted early in February , ,

and until L ouisiana entered the Confed eracy in M arch was the ,

emblem of her sovereignty The comm ittee d eclared that they

“
.

were trying in this national flag of the State of L ouisiana to

“
,

epitom ize all her prev ious flags L et us see if they succeeded T he . .

design was a stand ard of thirteen stripes of blue white and

red in that order with a field of red in the upper inner corner
, , ,

containing a single star of pale yellow It will be seen at a glance .

‘F avro t
. H enry L “
The W est Florida R evo lution. in Pubs. L a H is Soc. . .. I . Pte i. ii
. .
44 4 T he L ouisiana Histor ical Quarterly
t
tha th is flag contains the whi e and g l of the Bour on oriflamme,t od b
y o
while t he lone ell w star in the red field suggests th the c lors of bo o
Spain and the single star of est F l ri a W
Stripes of lue, white o d . b
and red remin d us of the banners of Britain and the French republic ,

while the m ystic num ber thirteen was borrowed from Old G lory .

It will soon apm r that the committee was prophetic as well as

historic in its instinct s since the flag also contains the colors o f the
,

State s oth er two flags Probably the complicated nature of this

’
.

flag sym bolizes the racial elements m L ouisiana s population A mong

’
.

the whites we find first the Creoles — pure w hites o f F re nc h or Spa n ish
,
—
descent then Anglo America ns people of G erman Dutch Portu , , ,

gu ese I ta
,lian G reek Sca nd
,inavian R uss
,ia n A rm en ia n a nd B al ka
, n ,

ex traction with many inter marriages am ong these various elem ents
, .

There are a few H indus some I ndians many Mongolians and lar ge
, ,

Soon the eighth flag appw red, relegating the seventh to the
rank of a State flag Of course the eighth was the banner o f the
.

Confederacy L ike some others it had several forms but the bes t
. , ,

known and most pOpular was the cri mson field with a blue St Andrew s .
’

cross bord ered with white and bearing thirteen white stars
,
T hese .

colors have already been interpreted suf fi ciently but the cross ,

sugge s ts the religious fervor with which L ouisiam threw hers elf

into the struggle for Southern independence I t symbolizes also .

the l cavy cross she bore during R econstruction

'
.

Early in 1862 it was superseded by the Stars and Stripes in the

,

southern part of the State and this gradually penetrated north and
,

westward until in 1865 it waved everywhere T oday there is not a .

L ouisianian who d oes not pray that the Stars and Stripes will con
tinne to float over the State as long as mankind endures
T hese eight flags were th e em blem s ofunits claiming indepen dent
sovereignty Cur ninth is th at of a sub division of a nation the
—
.
—
well known Pelican flag of the State of L ouisiana While it seems
-
.

that various flags bearing pelicans sometim es red flags sometimes

— ,

b lue had been used at difierent times by military companies and

—
other organizations and th e pelican design was sugges ted to the
,

convention o f 1861 it was not until aft er R econstruction that the

,

p rese nt b lue
, pelican flag cam e into gen eral use a nd not un til J uly ,

1, 1912 did the legislature officially and formally declare it the

State flag General John McG rath ex president of the H istorical
.
,
-

Society of E ast and West Baton R ouge is inclined to think that , ,

since no convention ever rescinded the adoption of the synoptical

”
446 T he L ouisiana Historical Quarterly

crac y , was born un der the B ritish flag ,

Beer as were Mr W1lliam
.

of the H war o
em orial L ibrar dM
and Professor W H Dalr m ple y , . . y ,

the note scientist d

an o f the est M y
lori a re olutionists were
. W F d v
y
E nglish lo alists who had fled to that pro ince uri ng the R evolu v d
tion, but who preferre A merican rule to Spanish d
With the lone“
.

star
”
flag we associa e Philem on T h m as, of course who later eu t o ,

tered the State legislature and comman e the B aton R uge m ilitia , dd o
at the attle of N ew b rleans J ohn Rhea, Pulwar S ipwith and O . k
other mem ers of this re olutionar b pa rt w ere th e a nces t o rs of v y y
y
man prominent L uisianians of to a o
T wo of the first cit council d y . y
men (1818) of Baton R ouge were eterans of this re olution v v
William William s and H ugh Crawfor d .

W
ith the Confe erate flag we naturall d
associate G enera ls y
P G T B eauregar
. .
“
Dic d
T a lor B raxton B ragg ; Duncan F
, k y , .

K d
enner presi ent of the c n ention of 1861 and a m em er o f the
, o v , b
o d
C nfe erate C ngress ; G o ern rs T 0 o oore and H enr at ins v o . . M yW k
A llen , J d
u ah P B en am in and P A R ost
. j
hile man noted . . . W y
L o uisianians first attaine prominence uring the era of the C nfe d d o d
crac y
their greatest ser ices were ren ere
, in the epoch of the v d d
Pelican flag especiall uring R ec nstruction
, yd
Am ngst them were o . o
ov
G ernor and Senator S D M cE nery G ern rs F T icholls
. .
, ov o . . N
and L A Wiltz , E D White Chief ustice o f the U nite States the
. . . .
, J d ,

author R uth M cE nery Stuart and e uca t rs li e Boy and ichol , d o k d N

son B elonging entirel to the Pelican flag perio are State Superin
. y d
d
ten ent T h m as H H arris o ern r R ufl
‘
in G P leasant D r
. scar , Gov o .
, . O
d
Dowling the won er w r ing presi ent of the State B ar ofH ealth
,
-
ok d o d ,

M iss Sophie B Wright Mrs ohn Di ert ohn M Par er Dr.

, . J b , J . k , .

d
R u olph atas M
B ish p Da is Sessums and man , o
istinguishe v , y d d
od
s l iers sail rs and m arines in the
, o orl War of whom a few o f the W d ,

t
m ore prom inen are eneral John A L eJeune C lonels F P Stu s, G .
, o . . bb
C B H .
ges S
. an e r fo od
r a rm a n ,g en d
u ua and a or 0 W dJ , O d F q M j . .

McN eese .

F
lags are of them sel es n thing : as em lem s the are signifi
, v , o b y
cant o
I t is h ped that this rief essa has shown that each of L ouis
. b y
iana s nine flags is em lematic of positi e and alua le c ntri utions
’
b v v b o b
to A m erican ci ilizati n v
L ouisiana is prou of e er one o f hero . d v y
flags B ut she wishes for no more and so far as her effort s can secure
.
,

that end the Stars and Stripes and the Pelican will a e si e
, si e w v d by d
o
fr m her capit l until tim e shall be no m ore o .
 OL D D O CUM ENT S

B eing a Group of L etters Fmm the Collection of M r Gaspar Cusacks, .

P resident of the L ouisiana H istorical Society .

L e tt er Fr o m T im o t h y P icker in g .

City of Washington , A ugust 2, 1813 .

Dear Sir
A fter the declaration of the present war against G reat B ritain
“

I received from John Smith E sq formerly Senator from Ohio a

, .
, ,

letter dated June 6 1812 at Pensacola making four requests, all of

, , ,

which as far as practicable I now answer One was to send him a

, , .

copy of a paper in the form of a d eposition drawn up by him in th e

session 1807 8 but not signed of which he allowed me to take a coDy

-
, , .

H e intended to have published it immediately after the failure of

the attempt to expel him from the Senate but his counsel d issuaded
him from it . I n February 1809 I wrote to him (then in Ohio) for
, ,

p er m iss io n t o m a k e a pu b lic u se o f it if oc cas io n o c cu rr

, ed T hi s h e .

gr a n te d in th e fu lles t ex te n t I n his letter of J une 6 last y ear he

.
, ,

inform s me that he had lost his original d eposition ; and therefore

desired a copy of my copy ; and that is the paper now inclosed under
cover to him but which I left open for your perusal ; that J efi erson s
’
,

character may becom e still further known to y ou — and also in the

expectation that it may fur nish y ou with an add itional clue to trace
the cond uct and develope the character of Jefferson Wilkinson and ,

B urr The latter is now in N ew York a miserable forlorn ; and I am

.
,

told he has received a pardon or discontinuance of the United States

p ro sec u t io n ag a in s t h im ; a n d th at B loo m fi eld b efo re h e r elinq uis hed ,

the government of N ew J ersey ord ered the like to be d one with the
,

p ro se c u t io n a g ai ns t h im in t h at Sta te for th e m ur d er o f H am ilton .

I f so I presum e his silence respecting the concerted proj ects of him

,

self J efi erson and Wilkinson was the price of forgiv eness

, , .

Mr Brown Senator from L ouisiana informs m e that you cor

.
, ,
!

res pond with J ohn Smith (whom he consid ers as I do as a m uch , ,

inj ured m an) and this is the reason I send my letter to your care ;
and I req uest y ou to seal and forward it by a safe conveyance .

I pray you to do me the favor to write to m e in T H IS P LA CE

early in the nex t sessio n of Congress which will com mence o n the
°

fi rst Mond ay in Decemb er next .

448 T he L ouisiana Historical Quarterly
The insurrection of the pe ple and the su versi n of the Spanish o b o
gov er nm en t in est lo ri aW ha e a lw F
ay s elie e d I v
to be instig ated b vd
by v U d
the E x ecuti e of the nite States ; and suppose hat the revolu I t
tion, now in progress in N ew ex ic M
is a ranch o f J efi erson s
‘
o, b ’

original plan o b
You can f rm a etter u gment fr m our intim ate
. j d o y
q
ac uaintance w
ith Spanish affairs and nowle ge of our E x ecutive k d
measures .

“
With sincere respect and esteem ,
“
am ear sir I , d ,

“
our e ien servant Y ob d t ,

Daniel lar eC k , Signe :

“
T TH P ERI G d IMO Y ICK N .

O
N ew rleans,
State of Louisiana .

NO kering T im othy Born at Salem Mase July 17

—
T E Pic , .
, , ,

1745 ; d ied there Jan 29 1829 Ah American statesman and soldier

, .
, .

in the R evolutionary War H e was postmaster general 179 1 95 ;

.
- -

secretary of war 1795 ; secretary of state 1795 1800; Fe deralist -

United States Senator from Mass 1803 1 1 ; and member of Congress .

-

from Mass 1813 17 .

-
.

Ordin an ce of U n z aga .

Don L uis de U nzaga de A mazay a, Colonel of H is Maj esty s

’

Arm ies H is I ntendant and G overnor of the Province of L ouisiana

, ,

makes known that experience having brought to his notice the differ
ent fraud s and stelliates which attend sales, ex chang e s transfers , ,

brokerage and generally all alienations of negroes real es tate and ,

land which are made and passed clandestinely and in contempt of ,

good fait h by pla in or p riv ate sc ri pt fro m w hich p roc eed anx iet y ,

of citizens reversal of their rights and confusion in the tribunals

,

which administer j ustice ; on one hand to remedy pernicious abuses ,

and on the other to place in good order and govermnent like all the

others in H is M aj esty s Dom inion :

’

Do order and ordain that no person of whatever quality or

“

cond ition may herea fter sell alienate or accept any slav es planta , ,

tions real estate shipping otherwise than by contracts passed by a

, , ,

no tary pub lic which contracts and acts of sale or alienations shall be
,

accompanied by a certificate from the record er of m ortages under ,

p enalty o f d ec lar in g n ul l a nd vo id a ll ac ts dra w n un der a ny ot h er

form by the vend or or purchaser who will have no recourse nor right ,

on the things he w ill have bought so ld or transferred nor against , ,

each other and w ill be without power to acq uire a tr ue and j ust
,
450 T he L ouisiana Historical Quarterly
L e t t e r fr o m G e n . R o b er t E L ee to G en G . . . T . Beau r egar d

L exingt on , Va .
, 3d Oct , .
’
65 .

My dear G en l ’
,

I have received your

“
letter of the l st Ulto and am very sorry
to learn that the papers of ourself and Johnston y
ost or at least are l ,

by d o
e on y ur reach I o
B ut h pe the may be rec . y overed mine cannot ,

be though some may be replaced

, Please supply all y ou can It . .

may be safer to send them by private hands if practicable or by

ex press to M r J am es G askil at Richm ond or to me at this place
'

. .

I hope both you and Johnston will write the history of your (n m
a
p gi n s E ve .ry on e s ho uld do all in hi s pow er to c oll ec t an d d iss em
inate the truth in the hope that it may find a place in history and
,

d escend to posterity I am glad to see no indication in your letter

.

of an intention to leave the countr y I think the South requires .

the aid ofher sons now more than at any period ofher history A s you .

ask m y purpose I will state that I have no th ought of abandoning

her unless compelled to do so
, .

A fter the surrender of the S A rmies in A pril the revolution in .

,

the opinions and feelings of the people seem ed so complete an d the

return of the S States into the Union of all the States so inevitab le ;
.

that it became in my opinion the duty of every citizen the Contest ,

being virtually ended to cease opposition and place himself in a, ,

p os itio n to se r v e th e C ou n tr y I th er ef ore up on th e p ro m u lg a
. ti on of
the proclamation of Pres J ohnson which indicated apparently his .
,

p olic y in r es to rin g p ea ce d et erm i ne d to c om ply wi th

, its r eq ui rem e nts ;
and on the 13th o fJ une applied to be emb raced within its provisions , .

I have not heard the result ofmy application but since then have been
'

elected to the Presidency o f Washingt on College and hav e entered ,

upon the d uties of the office in the hope of being of some benefi t to
the noble Youth o f our Country .

I need not tell you that true patriotism requires of men some ,

tim es to act exactly contrary at one peri od to that which it does

, ,

at another ; and that the m otive which im pels them in the desire to

do right is precisely the sam e, T he circum stances which govern .

th eir actions und ergo change and their Conduct must Conform to ,

the new order o f things H istory is full ofillustrations of this . Wash .

ington him self is an ex am ple at one time he fought against the ,

d dd k
F rench un er B ra oc in the ser ice of the ing of G reat B ritain;
, , v K
at another he fought with the French at r t wn un er the or ers Yo k o , d d
o f the Continental C ngress of A m erica against him o
H e has not , .
 Old Documents 451

been handled by the world with reproach for this but his course ,

has been applauded .

With sentiments of great esteem

‘

I am most truly yours “

,

Signed : R E LEE . . .

Gen l G T Beauregard
’
. .

N o t e R e la t ive t o O
b s tr u c t io n s Des ign ed b y Col G T Bean t e . . .

g a r d fo r t h e M i s s iss ipp i R iver a t F o r t J a c kso n a n d

F o r t St Ph il ip, L a in F eb y 1861
’
. . .

Shortly after my return from the superintendency of the West

Point Military A cad emy b elieving that the impend ing troubles
,

between the North and the South would end in a war I determined ,

to furnish the plans and estimates of two kind s of ob structions for

the M ississippi river at Fort J ackson ab out 75 miles below N ew ,

Orleans H aving been in charge as engineer offi cer of the defences

—
.
,

of L ouisiana for a period o f ten years— from 1850to 1860 I was well
acquainted with the defensive work s ex isting and required for the
several avenues o f approach to that M etropolis T he river being the .

most im portant one had to be guarded with the greatest care for
,
—
one arm ed steamer com ing to the city would hav e com pelled its sur

rend er or insured its d estruction I therefore recomm ended to the

.

G overnor and M ilitary Board of the State to arm Forts Jackson

and St Philip with the heaviest gun s they could procure rem oving
.
,

for that purpose the largest pieces from their land to their River
fronts and transferring temporarily to those work s the heavy
,

guns of Fort Pik e on the R igolets and o f Fort M acomb on the ,

Chef M enteur
-
I then designed the two obstructions referred to,
.

a general d escription of which I will now give ; both ob structions

were to be used together or only one of the two according to the

, ,

magnitude of the threatened attack .

T he first obstruction was to be a floating boom in two parts

“
, ,

each formed of long tim bers 12 inches square or lar ger strongly ,

bound (say four tim bers) together and each section of timbers was to
be connected with each other by strong iron chains One half of the .

boom was to be well anchored in the river from the shore say at ,

Fort Jackson inclining downward toward the m iddle of the stream

, .

T he other half was to be anchored to the opposite shore in such a ,

manner as to revolve on its shore ex tremity ; to its outer end was to

be attached a strong wire rope connected with a steam engine in a
‘

boom proo f on the Fort J ack son side

-
The engine and rope closed.
452 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarter!y
or opene d the boom as circum stances might re quire , either for the
passage of vessels or of accum ulated drift wood -
.

T he second boom consisted of a number of bar ges or hat boats

‘
-

say fiv&
-
pr0pe rly co nstructed to su p port one o r more heavy
chains or wire rope s stretched from shore to shore b etween the two ,

forts and located above the floating boom The estimate for this .

—
obstruction was about $90000 and for the other about one half of
that sum These obstruct1ons were to be illuminated at night with
.

Drum mond lights in bom b proofs on each side of the River which
,
-
, ,

was to be patroled by boats as far down stream as their safety would

Unfort unately for the fate of N ew Orleans neither of those

obstructions was constructed although I called G en l L ovell s atten ,
’ ’

tion to their vital importance when he came to confer with me at

Fair fax C/H Va in 186 1 before his depart ure to assume command
.
, ,

in L ouisiana .

I mmediately after that visit I furnished him at his request a

“

short memoir containing m y views as to the proper system of de

fence for all the approaches to the city of N ew O rleans .

A fter having acquired some ex perience in the use of torp edoes

at Char leston I recommended to the War Department a new sys
,

—
tem o f obstructions not likely to be destroyed by d rift wood for
—
the M ississippi to be used against the federal vessels navigating the
,

r1ver .

It consiste d of a number of
fan like tim er floats the tim -
b ,

bers being ell secure wt gether d o

T hese floats ere to be anchored . w
across the stream lea ing proper inter als , v
et een th em for the v b w
pass a ge o f rif t andd in da y li gh
-
t wood
o f fri e n l esse
, ls nea r t he , dyv
shore and atteries b
T o the lo er end of these floats ere attached
. w w
o
spar t rpe oes the torpedoes
-
d eing from four to six feet
, b
elow the b
surface o f the ater w
two or m re rows of these
“
fan li e floats o -
k "

were to be anchore across the ri er (at some fa ora le p int ) so as d v v b o

b k —
to rea openings with each ther i e the floats of one line were to o . .

o o
be pp site the openings of the one a e or elo it I t is e i ent bov b w . vd
that no enem s essels w ul y v
ha e are to attempt to pa
’
o dss at v d d
d
night or un er hrs in the day tim e ; y et the r ift w
, coul ha e d ood -
d v
pa ssed free l e tw een ty b
h e os
, ts w i th b ut litt le d a n g er o f ex fl
pl in g od
the torpe oes ; sh ul d o d
howe er such an occurrence ta e place the v k
expl e od d
torpedoes c ul be easil replace o d y d .

“
Such ob
struct ion lighte at night Drummond lights and
, d by
ua
g r e d d by
p a t ro l a ts c u l be r eadil e fe n bo
e fi el do do r s y d d d by w k ,

v
ha ing their guns well protecte m proofs or hea d by bo b
tra erses -
, vy v
 C R E O L E FO L K S ONG S

E milie L e Jeane .

Considering the vast popularity of the m usic known the world

over as rag time it is but natural that th ose who are interested in
“ ”
-
,

folk songs should revert to the study of A fro A merican m usic for
- -
,

rag time is but the debased oflspring of our slav e songs

-
‘
.

T his music was create and evo l e the S uthern negr es in d v d by o o

pa r icult
ar and it is a pit ,th at this m usica l har est hat lay rea y v t dy
o
for the reapers in th e S uthern States efore and ust after the Civil , b j
o
War was not m re full gathere ; for the making of f l songs
, y d ok -
,

w b
hich had een 1n more or less stea p g
r re ss am ong the plantation dy o
negr es ceaseo automa ticall
, d
hen the conditi ns of their li es y w o v
change d I
mean after li eration
.
, b .

H ere was a primiti e en ug h to

l
p p e,
eo says Sam uel Swift still v o
'
,

v
achie e natural expression in m usic of song and of the ance ; e ery d v
v
influence of their li es ten e to ma e his the ine ita le form of dd k t v b
their spontaneous em otional utterance— the inheritance of A frim n
rh ythm ic and melodic impulses their lack of education their acute , ,

sorrows and their child ish j oys their religious fer vor their natural
, , ,

sweetness of voice N o better obj ect of research and exploration by

.

trained musicians could have been asked a generation or two ago , ,

than j ust this body of folk songs -

.

Why
was this precious and now perishing possession of the
wd o w
A merican negroes allo e to h nt ish and to pass ith scarcel more y
than a superficial regard T rue the words of these quaint or j oy
.
, ,

ful or lugub rious d itties were carefully and appreciatively gathered

, .

Colonel Thomas Wentworth H igginson G eorge W Cable Lafcadio , .

,

H earn and others well qualified to do so perform ed this part of the

task but of a sc ientifi c and method ical recording of the music of
—

negro folk song there was comparatively little

-
.

A nd now it is too late ; the old South is fast passing away ; in

,

fact it has passed away and with it the integrity and unspoiled
, ,

quality of this primitive expression Sophistication has set in and .

,

instead of the naive strains in which the life of the slave s soul mani
’

tested itself in rud e word s wild melod ies and curious harmonies , , ,

(som e o f these so ngs a r e inex p ressib ly beautiful) w e now hav e rag

time or worse still j azz time a veritable j ubilee of misplaced physi
, , ,
-
,
 Creole Foth Songs 455

(2 1 energ create y , th se who sh ul kno d by o etter, for th e delecta o d wb

to o
i n of th se who elie e that n ise is music b v o .

I wish to call the attenti n of the stu ents of fol songs to the o d k -

ook E Krehbiel entitle d o Fo k

“ ”
b of H . . A fr A merican l songs ,in - -
,

which the yw
ill find the est arrangem ent and presentation of the b
mate1 ial gathere d by
G eorge Ca le L afca io H earn and others b , d .

w
T hese two writers ere among the first to fall un er the spell of the d
B kM
lac use and as far ac, as 1886 b k
had the pleasure of writing , I
o
out s m e of our Cre le m el
'

o
ies which were pub lishe with an arti od , d
w
cle by
ritten Mr Ca le for the Century M agazzne . b '

Fo k o l s ngs as you now are defined as a spontane us utterance

-
, k , o
of the people who originall sang them and are the fruit of the crea y ,

v w
ti e capacity of a hole and ingenuous pe ple ; the are not create o y d
b in i i ual artists ; in fact they are inspire so to spea
y dvd the , d , k by
,

v
collecti e soul of a people and gi e oice to their o s sorrows and v v j y , ,

o
aspirat i ns These utterances of the negro
. ith also the n ian , w I d
music form the nl y c nsi era le
, o o d b body
of s ng that has come int o o
ex istence in A merica The ( am spea ing of the negr songs of
. y I k o
o
c urse ) contain i iom s and m d
ulati ns transplante od
fr m A frica o d o ,

y
but as songs the are the pr uct of A merican institutions of the od ,

social political and geographical en ir nment within which their

, v o
creat rs o w
ere place in A merica of th e d
s s rrows an d ex periences joy o , , ,

w hich fell to their lot in A merica .

w
One ishes that at the appropriate time there had een an
, , b
Am erican useum ofM N o
ati nal H istory or a go ernment instituti n v o
v
ali e to the chances of oing oth f l d b
l re and m usic a real ser ice ok o -
v ,

for to say that these songs of hich all too few ha e been pu lishe w , v b d ,

o d ov
w ul pr e a source of much pleasure to the amateur and to the
g en era l rea er o f m dusic is to spea w i th m o era tion O i th
, e A fro k d .

o
A merican s ngs o f S uth America of the West ndies and of our o ,
-
I ,

neigh bo
ring E nglish speaking States will not speak
-
There is so I .

d
much to be sai that it c ul not enter into this short s etch o d k . My
k d y
tas to a is much simbler ; it is to m a e known to y ou some of the k
C o
re le mel od w
ies hich f rm no inconsi era le part of the fol song o d b k -

treasure of our continent .

thin I kI b
had etter now rem in you that the ualifying adj ec d q
v
ti e Creole is usuall
, applie
, to the y
escen ants of the PI ench d d d
and Spanish owners of this State ; ex tension it has been er by , v y
d
much misapplie for one has hear of Cre le horses or ca ages or
, d o , bb ,

eggs and so oh — c d znfi m tum and the re s ult of this c nfusion of m ean
' '

, o
w d
ings is that the or Cre le in certain cases is suppose to be the o , , d
q v
e ui alent of negro or as we say in L ouisiana colore , ecame , d . I b
456 T he Louisiana H is torical Quarterly

aware of this not so long ago w

hen a charming and intelligent B os
,

kd
tonian as e me if was a re le and on my answering yesI C o ,
“ ”
ex
, ,

p re ss e d
h e r as t n ish m e n to t h o d
at sh y y
u l p oss es s I g re e e s st r a ig h t ,

o v y
hair and a c mparati el fair complexi n o I d d ok a vise her to l o for .

the meaning of the w d or o d y b

Cre le in a ictionar We ster s for in ,
’

stan ce and left her as angr

, y o d v b
as I sh ul ha e een .

o
B ut let us return to our mutt ns meaning c ur C o re le songs, ,

w o od
h se w r s are almost wholl y F w o
rench ith of c ur se all the , , ,

consonants elim inate d q d

fre uent elisions, a slight a m ixture of
,

d
Spanish and a few A frican wor s here and there, resulting in a
,

k
dialect as harmonious as the T uscan though lac ing its su tle b ty ,

t o o o
The elemen al em ti ns are all there l ve pain hate sorrow — , , , ,

expre s se d w d
ith a chil ish language, in an imperfect m usical form;
and y et these songs have the charm of an unfi nished s etch k by a

gr ea t art is t w h o w
i th th e , p p
ro ero d
m e d iu m c u l pe r h a p s a tta in a h ,

solute eaut b y
but prefers to leave the interpretation of his idea to
,

the imaginati n of the beh l er

o od .

do d w t
Mrs E uar May ill sing hese songs and make known to
.

y o u S uz e tt e Z izi ,a n d A u ro re
, P ra d e re W h o w ere th e y ? S u ze tt.e ,

d
who spurne the l er who was illingov r ver w
har for her and to wo k y d
to ma e m ne k — o y
which the way is not the , by reole i e a of life;
, C d
and Z izi who plaintivel , y
sings that she has pain in her little heart ,

and that since l e has entereov d

there all happiness has tie ; and the d
d
beautiful A urore Pra ere whose l ver was willing to ra e the dis . o b v
p le a su re o f hi s p ar en ts u rore w h o .w as m uAc h t oo p re
,tt a n d ve ry y ,

y o
haught and wh se m ther was mad H ow great a tra ge
, o . to be so dy
y
sim pl expresse d b
What ecame of the ewitching creatures Suzette
. b , .

Zizi and A ur re and the mercenar o , arianne who thought of y M ,

o y o
m ne al ne and did not care what ecame of her l er ? b
Was she ov
p p
r o ye rl p u m s h e d for ein g so or ld lb w ise ? L e t u w
s h ow so y -
.

v o
The lo e s ngs are num erous and elightful N ow and then d .

there is the plaint of pain and sorrow The ance m tifs are g d . d o oo .

y
usuall consisting of two sh rt m usica l sentences repa ted over and
,
o
ov er for m onoton
, y
is an inherent characteristic of this music the ,

element of variet eing intr y buce od

in the innum era le verses in d b
v
which current e ents of the day ere etaile , and the appear ance w d d ,

b
ha its manners and ph sical peculiarities of masters
, y verseen , , o
gr ea t ig n d
i ta ri es an d co -
sla es w e re u n m e r c ifv
u ll la m p o n e d I n y o .

d o
fact these ance s ngs ere s mewhat of an e uivalent for a news
, w o q
a
p p e r .Th e w e re y
a cc m p a n ied o n su ch o p r im it i e in st r u m en ts a s v
an empt yb
arrel a gour d
filled with peas and the rattling o f bones,
, ,

the mel ody b

eing carrie d by
the singers and sustaine anotha , d by ‘
458 T he Louis iana H istorical Quarterly
II .

’
A urore P radere, c est une belle fi tIe .
( )
ter

C est Ii mo oulé, Ii m
’ ’ ’
c est a p end
r .

L i pas porte chemise dentelle ,

I i pas gagm n beaucop cervelle

'

Tout ca y é dit main mo fou ben,

,

C est Ii mo oulé c est Ii m a end m

’ ’ ’
, .

P apa dit oui M aman dit non,

, (bis)
C est Ii mo oulé, c est Ii m a end (bis ) m
’ ’ ’
.

III .

A urore P radere, c est une belle fi lle (ter)

’
.

C est Ii mo oulé c est Ii m a fri end

’ ’ ’
, .

Ya moan qui dit Ii trop j olie;

Ya moan qui dit Ii pas polie;
Tout ca y é dit, main mo fou ben,
C est Ii mo oulé, c est Ii m a prend
’ ’ ’
.

P apa dit oui, M aman dit non,

'
C est Ii mo oulé c est Ii m a prm d (bit )
’ ’
.
,

A urore Pradere

I .

A urore P radere a pretty maid! ,

She s j ust what I want and her I II have

’ ’
.

Some say that she is too pretty quite,

Some folks say she is not polite .

A ll this they say N o fool am I , .

She s what I want and her I II have

’ ’
.

II .

A urore P radere a pretty maid! ,

She s j ust what I want and her I II have

’ ’
.
,

A muslin gown she does not wear,

8he does not care for broidered hose,
’

She doesn t want pm nella shoes,

’

’
0 she s what I want and her I II have
’
.

II I .

A urore P radere maid! , a p y

rett
'
She s j ust what I want and her I ll haoe
’
.
,
'
Some do say her mother s mad ,

Some do say that she is bad;

,

A ll this they say , but no fool cm I

She s j ust what I want and her I II have
’ ’
.
 Creole Foth Songs

Cr eo l e Ca n j o

I .

U h j am , m j eune creole canj b, (s oir )

— —
B el passe bIancs dan dan Ia y o
-

L i tout te temps apé dire ,

Vini, zam ie, pour nous f ire .

N on M usieur M o pas outé rif e, main

“
, , ,

N on M usieur mo pas oulé f ire

, ,

N on Musicar mo pas oulé f ire, main

, , ,

N on M usiem mo pas oulé rife

, ,

II .

M o couri dons yougze bois voisin;

M ais Créole la prend meme chimin
,
' -
,

E t tout le temps Ii apé dire ,

Vini vini, pour nous rif e

, .

N on, M usiem , mo pas oulé ti n , m in

“ '
,

N on, M usicar mo pas oak fire main

, , ,

N on, M asim mo pas oulé tire , .

III .

M ais Ii té tant chicané main ,

P our Ii té quitté main youne fois ,

M o té bligé pour li dire ,

Oui M issie, mo owlé f ire main (bis ) ,

Oui M issié, mo oulé rif e (bis) .

IV .

Vaus aut qu apé rire moin té bas

’
- -

Si vous té conné candgzo ld

’

Qui belle facon Ii gagm n pour rife,

'

Dieu pum moin vous aunt sré dire

'
'

Om , M issie, mo oulé f ire moin (bis)

“

Oui M issie, mo oulé f ire (bis)

, .

Cr eo l e Candj io

I
One day one y oung Creole candj io
M ore fi ne than sure enough while beau ,

H e all the time making free

“
Sweetheart make merrie with me
, .

N o sir I don t want to make merrie me,

’
,

I don t want to make me me

’
.
 The L ouisiana Historical Quarterly
II .

I go take walk in wood close by ,

B ut Creole take same road and try

A ll the time, all the time, to make free
“ ”
Sweetheart! M ake mem e with me
'

N o sir I don t want to make mm ie me

’

, ,

I don t want to make merrie

’
.

III .

B ut him slide round and round this child ,

Till j ust to shake him 00a while

‘

M e I was obliged to say shoo !

If I ll make merrie with y ou?

’

0 yes! I j ust as leave make merrie, me ,

I j ust as leave make merrie, me .

IV .

You all what laugh at me so well ,

’
I wish you d knowed that Creole well ,

With all his sweet smiling tricks ,

P on my soul! You would say quick

“
0 yes ; I d j us t as leave make merrie me
’

, , ,
”
I d j ust as leave make merrie me
’

, .

Su z e t te

I .

A h! Suzette, Suzette to oeux pas t here?

A h, Suzette, chére amie, to pas l aimin main
’
.

M allé dons montagne zamie

’

M allé coupecanne chére amie,

’

M allé fait l argent, mo trésor,

’
’

P our porter donne toi .

II .

A h! Suzette, Suzette, to oeux pas chére?

A h, Suzette to pas l aimin main
’
.

M o couri dons bois, zamie,

M o toué zozo, chére amie ,

P our fé plein l argent, mo trésor?

’

P our porter donné toi .

R efrain A h, Suzette
. .
The Louis iana Historical Quarter]y

II .

Dans l ecurie y avi grand gala

’
,

M o crois cheval ld -

Mr . P révol
Té Capitaine bal ,

So cocher L ouis
Maitre cérémonie .

Dansé Calimla

B ellas passemaitres“
Qui vole bel bel -
.

Dans l annoire Mm ellc

’
.

Dansé Calinda

L i trou t cc drole ,

L i dit moin aussi

, ,

Dansé Calinda

VI .

Watchman la yé
Yé tombé dons bal
, ,

Yé fait grand dégat ,

Dons l écurié lo
’
-

De nseCalinda

VII .

Yé [fi end M aire P réoal ,

M été li en p r ison,

A pprm dé li donne bal ,

’
Volé nous l argent .

Dansé Calinda
 R ECORD S O F T H E SU PE R I O R CO U N C I L
O F L O U I SIAN A . VI I I .

A ckn owle dgm en t of De b t A ugust 7, 1725 lairf ntaine owes

. . C o
. o
M r T ess n 207 francs 3 sous and 8 farthings, and ,

pm mi ses to a
p y the sam e as soon as poss ible, M W .

Pet ition of B ecov A ugus 7 1725 Sieur de la reniere, set t . F

tler at C apitoulas, aims the sum of 157 f rancs and
als 33 da o of lab r against one Coupart , iner , aso jo
sho n w by ’
upart s n te o .

A cti n o ted .

a l B dy
ded .

Pe t it ion of R ec over y ugust 7 1725

. A , . Jean H emard , baker, ad
vanced 50 p unds of brea o d
o
G arit n tail r L et Cariton
, o.

Pe tition o f R ec over y A ugust 8, 1725 Comerey , sol ier

. . d , see sk to
collect a note ot IS francs fi om one Marin
-
.

v
ser ed on Marin, tailor .

Mem oranda Slave Sale

on A ugus 9, 1725
. t .

1 Mr T isseran
. . dw
ill see to it that a certain negro who
had eserte but was rec v ered at M bile, be de
d d o o
Mr Debrosses Payment ill be ma e at. . w d
Fo
rt L uis, o
ul 2 1, 1722 J y
Signe : Del rme . d o .

o o
2 F reg ing datum is attested c rrect
. Duval who o by
d
hol s the riginal o
A nd the same negr was ta en . o k
d
Pra el when he left for M issouris T erms, 1500 .

francs charge to Mr Pradel N 0 August 9 1725

, d . . . .
, .

Pe t it ion for A llowan ce of Du e Credi t A ugust 9, 1725 R ec r er . . od

o
R ss ar calls the d '
Co
uncillors attention to the foreg ing o
memoranda and as s cre it of 1500 francs on Mr De
, k d .

willing to sell the slav e in uestion, and in r er to cut q od

shor t the parley , Mr Delorne sim pl transferre the . y d
slav e by
high handed might
- .

C
ouncil acce es d .

d t
E ge orn oh
‘

Pet it ion t o R e co ver V

alu e of L ab or A u st 10 1725 seph .
, . Jo
C
haperon engage se en ays la
’
of a d
oke of oxen v d
o
fr m one Capassier , who furnished hree y ,
s but left t
C
haperon in the lurch as regar s the f ur a s hen d o d y w
urgentl neede y d
L et haper n pay the deficit at usual
. C o
rate of 10 francs a day .

otice N
ul serve d y d .
464 The L ouis iana H istorical Quarterly

Pe ti tion of R ec overy A ugus .seph haperon claim t Jo C

v
of one Lari iere 25 piles se en arrels of ma ze on the
i , , v b
cob and a ill for three
, b
arrels and a half of rice Piles b .

A ct i on allowed .

Dec isio n B e tween L a Fr e n ier e and Cou par t Au t 11, 1725 . .

(H ere given L a F resniere) Co m eet stated .

claim s ; 157 fra ncs and 33 days 0 labor less 10 days al , ,

Decisio n Deferred A ngust

. Delaire, purpor ing to be t
d
cre 1tor of De la R oux estate os R ecor er R ossard , . d .

j y
Plaintifl shall ustif his claim (541 fra ncs) and the mat
‘
,

w
ter ill be su itte to the A ttorne bm d
eneral yG .

Document 1n uplicate d .

Decisions in Civil Su its A ugust .

Joseph Chaperon as Cabassier Defendant shall pay . .

32 francs for four days of ox labor .

2 Ditto os Lariviere
. Claims allowed subj ect to some
.
,

adj ustm ent of rice 1tem

.

Filed No 176 . .

Peti t io n of R ec overy ugust . A

St H ilaire carpenter, .
,

unobstructed c urse for the ill of 276 francs for o b

wood pa a le B ar n D Hbom urg by
or from ei ed o ’
bo
g
, s z
d
fun s of
ow d
A ction all e and intereste parties notified , d .

Faded .

(A war ed ) d
Pe ti tio n of R ecovery A st . ac ues ouss n seeks to J q C o
o
c llect a car ebt of h nor d
66 fra ncs fr m one Jam o , , o
bon, gunner on ar the Dromadaire bo d .

A cti n grante o d .

Petit io n of R ec overy A ugust . ichel de Cuoer s ld some M o

d y
ul descn bed) real estate to oreau Seni r for 500 M , o ,

cs , and has recei e 216 fra ncs on acc unt He vd o .

wo d
ul o
fain c llect the resi ue 284 fra ncs now, em use d b
he 18 pla nnin to sail with his ife to rance w F .

Act ion lowe d .

Pe t it io n to Sell L o t an d Cab in A ugust 16, 1725 S iss Oflicer . . w

k
G oulaz as s the Council to authorize the sale of a lot
b
and ca in of his in the rear of his micile, ourbon do B
street .

G ranted dition of his leaving proceeds m

on con the
Com any s treasury on account of his deb t to sam e
’

, .

adly stained .
466 The L ouisiana Histor ical Quarterly

M om in Civil Su it s . A ugust 22, 1725 .

1 Pouydon De L a T ur
. o es . Peiache . C laim allowed .

3 Du lassis os Ceard
. . .

rumpled

Co ur t Sal e of G o od s Pos t Mor t e m A ugust A uction of .

b o
effects el nging to the late Bernard de Sem an ot L a ,
'

w kd
Bellomw ( rec e ship) A rticles chisay of clot hing ; .

o o d
t tal pr cee s 139 francs eposite ith R eoorda
, d d w
d
R ossar .

F d ile N o 173 . .

Pe t itio n of R ec overy A ugus t .ean H emard seeks to ool J

lect 80 francs from E lizabeth Sil estre due on her note v ,

pa st J une 28 w h ich mature last ul , d J y

A ction allowe d .

Pe ti tio n of R ecove ry ugust . A

ertram l ath e atias 13a B
L iberte bought of one am alias Lari iere a yoke of G y v
oxen, but was persua e to leave them (pen ing settl e dd d
ment) with Lari iere for hauling
o
fr m cypress tract )
w Co
ith
L has now
uncil s auth rit
wo od (ar woo
aud i is report ed
the same oxen to one Bour ea u
’
v
.

o y
.

,
m t
b
d
,

L et B & L be cited (B claims them in discharge of a

. . . .

de t b by
L .

No
tice ser ed on oth parties v b .

Fd
a ed .

Pe t i tion in O pposi t ion A ugust 24, 1725 .

ow
n t ithstanding the amaging a m is
si d d ons by
tm verd1et aga1nst him on Q
O 0

to the
O

and wo uld carry his u se before Natural

“
proc d ure his
j udg es .

Faded .

Dec is io n B e t wee n H e m ard an d Sllveetr e Au ust 27 1 725 De

g
. .
,

fendant in default shall pay claim 80 francs plus ih ,

te rest and costs .

T om and faded .

De laire vs . R ossar d A ugust 27 1725 A torney eneral Fleurian

. , . t G
wai es v d
ecision until a trust ee be appointe for the d
y aw t estate hen further lea in g will be m,o rwer d d .

M
eanwhile Delaire sha re it to the Com y
, s
m
’

treasur y
2039 francs as ple ged m his notes and e
—
, d '

o f ex change (un er gi en ates) d v d .

Costs on Delaire .
 R ecords f
o the Superior Council 467

Decisio n s in Civil Su it s A ngust .

1 A ttorney G eneral vs Baril Seizure found correct and

. . .

lawful (articles of contraband trade ) Seized goods .

(oliv e oil sardines candl es ) will be sold at auction

, , ,

and roceed s referred

p
2 Dela1re os R ossard
. . .

Filed No 172 . .

De laire R ossard Defen c e A n st27 1725 M R premises

g
vs . . .
, . . .

that a trus ee sh ul t o d t be appointed for y aw t

Next
he shows the flimsy basis of Delaire s claims
’

f rmless irregularit o
A ga in h as y .
,

o d
so l ng in or er to give pu lic Opinion time b
d
in regar to vanishe cash after eath ofLe R oux Lastly d d .
,

there is rea pr f ( ul dy oo d y
adduced) of Delaire s indebted
’

ness to L e R ux e s tate o .

Su m m o n s to M ee t Pr o m isso ry N o te A ugust 1725 irs . . F t

there i s adduce a copy of d
C
ashier B ru ill pay Mr H aguet 700 francs w
hich Mr .
, w .

R then receipts and pr mises to pay three months from

. o
d
ate of 26 o em er 1724 N v b , .

instance the A ttorne ofeneral. notifies y G Mr . Raguet

to appear and answer at next sessim .

Defe nc e of Bo ur bea u in Oxen Su it A ugus 29 1725 It is tr ue . t , .

that he bo
ugh t the two ox en of one amy but G ,

char ge of a db
e t after time all we by Council had ex o d
p ired re
.o er hMo v
e had ofi ered erms of accom moda t
w
tion hich J affre refuse d .

P e t ition of R ecove ry A ngust . ean Bour eau lent to J b

one Chapran oth oo b
bar and money , esi es other w d , k b d
goo s d
C ill.neither give
. sa tis faw
ction for hat be w
b w
orro ed, nor will he see to keeping his q xen from B s
’
.

L et C be cite . d .

G ranted .

P e ti tio n of R eco ver y A ugust . M r De L a L oere Flauoourt .

seeks to collect 330 fra ncs fro Mr auc n Dumancir m .

. F o .

Faded almost to obliteration .

Baron D H o m bo urg
'
Dec isio n O ver Deb t s of August 30 1725 .
, .

First the , seizure of fun s 1s eclared ali and sale d d v d ,

468 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

ratifi ed Councillor Brusle may now freely dispose of the

.

lots and house Order of privileged creitors ; Mr B rusle

. .

and R ecorder R ossard (shall be cleared of their e ,

Durivage deb tor to St H ilaire

, Chauvin . .

(Co un cillor P erry) R e

s id ue goes to R ossar d .

Cred itor Noquiez must recover on other assets of

Baron D R T he Baron mast surrender all titles in
’
.

question to Mr Brusle In default hereof privileged

. . ,

eviction they would have to refund A . ll other claimants

are foreclosed and nonsuited .

Notice Cashier Bru S 4 1725 . .

, .
(Duplicated in a
more legible supplement ) .

1P (edge torn)
.

M em oran du m Pe t it io n fo r Supplies
on A ugust 30, 1 725 Un . .

dersigned Dubuisson, partner in Duvem ey gran , s a es t t t

that on refusal of Mr De er euil to furnish needed . V t
b
s , he (Du uisson) has or ere the im por ted work
supplie d d
man to N ew rleans O .

looped margin) .

3PP (faded ) . .

M em orial of Mr De . Ver t eu il
August 30 1725 H e rings c un .
, . b o
tercharges against h se
‘
impor e rench or men t o td F ’
w k
(f uo
r are n am e in hrs comp lamt )d The ma e a temp y d t t
q
to uit the ship at the cape hen on their way ver ; , w o
and w
ere insubordinate wh11e emplo ed on the grant at y
Bayagoulas I t was c ntrar to De Verteuil s orders
. o y ’

y
that the came own to N ew rleans d O .

No
tice ser ed on the f ur vor men appear for o w k to
P etitio n for F air T rea t m en t Se tember 1, 1725 ean L e ellier,
. . J t
J acques Perl e, J acques bo1s and ean ar ie Miosacq J M
(e lse he rw
e 1 sec ) w or mMo
en o n L eBu isson grant, be k
o
l nging to Paris Duvem ey and thers usti their ac i n o j to
at the Cape on the plea of see ing some refreshm en k t
after sla ish treatment v De Verteuil The deny by . y
d o d
charge of is be ience and insu r ination and are here bo d ,

by o d r er of M r Du uiss n ither Mr De V should

. b o . E . .

maintain them aright or gi e them their ischarge , v d .

N0 note by Court .

Dec is io n in L ab or Su it September 1 1725

. Council dismisses , .

M r De Verteuil s charge of desertion at the Cape, as he

’
.

nev er presented it m season H e shall pay the workmen .

their wages every quarter less costs of retaking them at ,

the Cape which expense is to be shared by both partie

, s ;
and he shall furnish them usual victuals and drink
Costs divided
.

.
470 T he Louisiana Historical Quarterly
and the es tate pr cee o ds are with C om
to be dep0sl1ted
o$
tch to the deceased s wife and children at
’

Pe t it io n for Disc h ar ge September 6 1 725 Jean L etellier

. , .
,

J acques Perier J acques Dubois and Jeen Marie Mioseeq

, ,

r port that Mr De Verteuil will neither admit them to

e .

his house nor give them discharge nor allow them the
,

required supplies L et him file ooluntary copy of their

discharge and gl ve due satisfaction in regard to their
,

expenses They ask nothing better than to fulfill their

.

p art of th e labor agree m ent ; M r De V should do on e . .

R e m o nst ranc e Co ur t R u ling

on ber 6 1725 Cavalier .
, .

De V
erteuil irector and a d
t
, or
m
'
gr an t files v,eh e m en t opp os it io n o t he C cil s d ecree
which forces him to term ith the four wor men m ues w k q
tion . B e will pr secute them to the extent of his op o
p or tu nity fOr
“
es er tin
g
”
a t t h e a p e d
T he sa m e t ur C . o
wo kr men re uest copies of q
from fi led minutes G rante . d .

claims SO franes trom L arche for work done four months .

ago .

11t G r a n te d September . The Council authorizes

t he fw r workmen to find work where tbey will and a] ,

lows them to file De Verteuil s rem m strance in Cmn t

’ '
.

Costs divided .

P e ti tion ofR ec o very Septem er 6 1725 Jean renier soldier

. b G , ,

hol s a n te against Cariton (tailor ) dated N ovm bei

, .

d o '

13 1721 and paya le (270 fra ncs ) N 20, 172 1

, , b . .

Su m m ons t o A tt en d H eat h September 7 1725 Served on

?
.
,

H enry B uquoy by Sherifl Vincent

‘
L arche at instance . , .

Pe tit ion of R ec o very September Francois Duq uoy k of

.

Bayou St J ean complains that Mr Dreux has tried to

. .

sell a store belonging to

Ba ly fad ded .

P e ti tio n of R eco very Septem er Bertr am Jafi re alias

. b
L aL ibert s renews his petition in regard
’
the ispute to d
oxen o b
L et B ur eau produce his alleged authori t to
. y
hold the same, or else be non suited; and put costs on

A ction allowe d
 R ecords o f the Superior Council 471

Sum m on s t o R em i t September 8 1725 Sherifl L a M orinniere

.
, .
‘

notifies Mr R ag uet to appear and account for the 700

.

frauds by him receipted and overdue .

Sum m o n s t o R u d Septem er 10 1725 Sherifi incent b V

g;
.
,

notifies Raguet executor of uenot es tate , G ,

rne to y
for heirs thereof to appear in answer to the cla1m ,

urge d by
St H ilaire surgeon .
, .

Pe t it io n t o Waive Septem ber 10 1725 Mr Ra

Pay m en t t '
as
.
, . .
,

ex ecutor gr ants,a d eg ree of reason in S t s .

claim but insist s on written proof

, Vt esses present .

when money is borrowed are not 11 cognizant , ,

was it paid back or not ? For sums above 1 francs, the

law demands wri tten avouchment .

L et Mr R aguet be relw sed from mid d aill , a tbe

.

N onote by ourt C .

(Still pendmg ) .

of R ecove Septem er 10, 1725 Chauvin Delery b . .

settler at p itoulas, claim s of Mr Dru ex a resi ue sum . d

of 2 133 francs t gether o
ith 300 francs for a borrowed w

Pe titio n to Se ttl e Co nj o in t ly Septem er 10, 1 725 Ber ram . b . t

Jaflre alias L a L iberte has een sentenced to pay 39
‘
, b
fiancs for a dugw t belonging to one Perod (also w1 1tten-

P erot) But the dugout was borro wed by d uee

.

conjointl y
and therefor e let the ot her two he hel
, d
accountable .

G ranted .

De cisions in Su n dry Civil Su its . September 10, 1725 .

l Bain surgeon maj or

.
, os . Pitache Postponed . .

Scrawl .

Jah re
‘
. No report .

4 Jafi re os Perot R eturn second dugout and pay 30

. . .

francs .

5 T resar os Beaumont Defaul t Costs on defendant

. . .
,
.

6 Joseph L egarnady os
. .

7 L a L ibert e as B B keeps oxen L ar1v1ere to

0

. L . . . . .

y La L iberte .

8 .uquoy os L arche Plaintifl non suited

‘
Then. .
-
.

scrawl returns .

9 Delu ge as L a Violette Claim allowed

. . . .

Duplanchin os L arche . .

Grenier os Gariton Claim allowed . . .

1 1 Grenier os Cariton
. . .

12 Bourbault os Chappron
. Re ferred to Councillor . .

Filed N o . 170 .
472 The Louisiana Historical Quarterly

P e ti tio n fo r F u lfillm e n tSeptem ber 1 1 1725 Bussot, indigo

.
, .

lanter agreed with one Malon tailor to buy a calf from

, , ,

alon for 70 francs in cop ; today before witnesses , .

When B went after the f and was ready to pay , M

. .

refused si1nply saying that he would not sell

, L et the .

bargain hold good .

A ction allowed .

Crumpled and faded .

Dec ision in Civil Su it September L ouis Dreux cler k

. ,

of ship Dromadaire os E mond Pitache employ e of .

,

a
p y claim of 166

Decisio n s in Su n dry Civil Su it s Septem ber 12 1725 .

, .

1 Busson os M alon B nonsuited

. Costs divided
. . . . .

2 J ean Baptiste Massy os Delaire Dism issed

. . . .

3 A ttorney G eneral os H aguet Default

. . . .

4 See 25
.
356 .

5 St H ilaire os R aguet Case adj ourned

. . . . .

6 J a r os Perr ault and L a France Scrawl Costs di

g;
g
. . . .

v1 e
Edge lopped .

Filed N o 169 . .

Pet it io n t o R ecover Wages Septem er 13 1725 J een L e ellier,. b , . t

b
J acques Du ois J ac uee Perier and J ca n arie Miosseoq
, q M
o
rep rt that Mr De erteuil put them of .f ith their ac V w
count ; he has no time to atten to it but will do so in a d ,

y ear or 18 months This lea es the petiti ners destitute . v o

of m ne o y v
for ictuals and cl thing until they find o
p l moy
en t L et M r. De V settle at nce e ucting ex . . o , dd
p e nses in cudrre aC
t t he ape .

No note by Court .

(G ranted O ct , .

Petitio n o f R e overy Septem ber B alcourt observes

c .

that in 1723 be duly sold to the late Mr Delatour a

house and appurtenances at foot of Fort R osel y Natchez?
.
,

for 1200 francs and 20 barrels of corn on the cob Set .

tlement desired with Mr De Pauger administraative .

,

Notice served on Mr De Pauger . .

P e titio n for O pen R o ad September .

strates that one Chapron intercepte d

wy
high a this m rning , and threatene o d
d
if he returne that way ; “
miting against the petitioner Vo
many abusive works
”
.
474 The Louisiana Historical Quarterly

Pet it ion to Co ll ec t R en t September 24, 1725 Undersigned . .

Meynard obtained a house from Mr Petit de L ivilliers, .

and afterward s leased the same to Mr Destontaines at .

20 francs a month Mr D puts him ofi with the rent . . .

which he begs to recover .

A ction granted .

Pet ition of R ec overy Septem er 25 1725

. ean G renier, s l ier b , . J od
of this garris n
”
relates a hea o tale o f his aflairs with
,
‘
vy
one J acq ues V d
ala e who ga e him a n te of 240 francs , v o
b d
for a ill of goo s and afterwar s a secon n te, neither
, d d o
of w
hich can be c llecte L et the sec n note be exe o d o d
cuted, or else let J V pay the 240 francs . .

A ction grante d
ty o
Par l w rmeaten .

Dec isio n s in Civil Su it s Septem ber 25 1 725

. , .

1 Cavaillende os Ceard
. Plaintiff nonsuited but in . .
,

consideration of his verbal plea Council orders de

“ ”
,

fendant to pay claim of 36 francs .

2 J ean G renier as J acques Valade

. L e t the terms of . .

agreement be fulfilled Costs divided . .

(J G is also known .as B eausole il ) .

Pe t it io n an d A n sw ers in R en t Su i t Septem er 28 1 725 irs t, . b , . F

there is a cop of a nar s rec y
er suit and then M y d ’
ov y ,

follows the comm ent of Mr Desfontaines ( etaine . d d

from appearing in urt ) Co
H e did not refuse to pay rent .

y w
but simpl a aite appro al d
owner of the h use, Mr v by o .

v
Petit de L i illiers who opposed the pa ment On the , y .

d
other han , Mr Desfontaines also certifies that Ma nard
. y
d
showe him the act of sale P etit de L to M by . .

Co
mments are ate Septem er 27 and ct b er 1 d d b O o ,

1725 .

Pe tit io n of R e c o ver Septem er 28 1725 Ar m Officer Dupu b , . y y

Planchar clai ms a resi ue sum of 17 francs and 15 sous d
against a narM y d
who owe 238 francs offi cially c unted
, d , o
out ; but when D P recei e the mone , the bag pro e
. . vd y vd
17 francs and 15 so us short .

N otice serv e on e nar d My d .

Co py of L e t t er fr o m Capt a in L a m ar q u e t o Mr Br u sl e ort . . F
L ouis De B iloxi Septem er 29 1 725 W riter has t e
, b , .

ceived Mr B s letter of 25th instant

’
. . Willing to sell his .

house to M r B for 4000 francs and will con e bill of

. .
, vy
sale as soon as he can isit 0 A t present ailing Wl th v N .

a col
'
d .

Verdic t of R es t i t ut io n an d Se n t en c e in Co n fi sc a t ion P roc eed

in gs . O
cto er 1 1725 b A ttorne eneral, prosecut r,
, . yG o
as. Captain Thomas Collet De la assuere, of ship M
 R ecords of the Superior Cm cil 475

Sieux Baril ship s clerk Delinquents

and
’ ’
L E lephqnt , . .

are sentenced to pay 505 francs to Com pany s treasury

’

for miss ing lot o OZ bottlee of sherry I .

confiscated from Baril shall be cre dited

save what belonged to the cargo .

accuse d
Wn tten in dirty , pale red ink, blurred sm all scri pt .

Subj oined statement of Court ex penses of trial .

ante OOpY; one for notice to Captam other to Baril , .

Pe titio n to Co llec t Win e Bill Oct ber 2 1725 Director De Ver . o , .

teuil relates with much circumstances and precision of

details his wine deals ith one ellegar e, a er , who
, w B d bk
d
tries to epreciate the terms of se ttlement De V him . .

d
self a mits that the second lot was turning a little sourish .

I n sum he claims the rate of S francs a j ug for first lot

j
(22 ugs) and 3 francs, 10 s us a ug for the second lot
, o °

of 120 ugs j
Wine of Montferr gr th . ow
L a G ironde .

cre is gi en ; 22 ugs On basis of 16 gallons forv j .

ancre ; J ug woul contain nearl 3 uarts d y q .

otice serve N on B d .

P e titio n fo r October 3 1725 Clerk BariI re

Mod ifi ed Se n t e n c e .
, .

monstrates that it is contrary to maritime customs in

a lms to fine clerk and captain alike ; the general
all re ,

proportion being two thirds for captain one third for -

,

l Banl draws only 40 francs a m onth to Captam s

’ .
’

ca rk
.
,

L et the usual rate be observed and also make allow ,

ance for nine bottles of wine at present overcharged to

H e protests too at ex horbitant scale o f costs
” “
him .
, , ,

especiall y as stam ped a

p per is not used in the Co lony , .

N o note by Cour t .

Dec isio n in Su n dr y Su it s October 3 1725 .

, .

1 A rney G eneral os E stienne E cleared ; costs di

gg
. . .
,

v1 d
2 De Verteuil os Bellagarde
. B shall pay entire ac . . .

count at uniform rate of 3} francs a j ug, plus costs .

3 See 25
.
374 .

Filed No 166 .

P e t ition ofR eco ver y cto . O ber 4 1725 Jean Bourbeau seeks
, . to
o
c llect 38 Spanish dollars due from Mr De Nolan . .

Pet i t io n of R ecovery c er 4, 1725 J ean Coupart

. O tob . see sk to col
o
lect n te of 100 francs fr m Sieur Dreux o .

A c tion gra nte d .

476 The Louisiana Historical Quarterly

Pe t ition to Pay in Co per c ber . O to

Jea n Baptiste Mass y
fi nds hi t ol e
m m a currency dispute ith Mr Stv vd w . .

M
ar tin in sequel to a slave sale by St M to j B M
, St . . . . . .

d d
M eman s pay ment of draf m gol and sil er specie,
. t d v
w
hereas Co
mpany puts copper on same f ting L e t St oo . .

d
M be cite and re uire to accept the con ested amoun
. q d t t
(6 140 fran cs ) m
in copper specie , .

P e t i t io n ofR ec o very cto er O

R ecor er R ssar mo
. b d o d ves
for citation of Sieur St artin to pay 25 piastres due . M on
his note and r er of gi en date od v .

N
otice ser e Sheriff Dargary v d by
(P ierre) . .

T ra n sfer ofOb liga t io n October First Mr Dubordieu,

. , .

und er d ate of October ac nowle ges his in e t k d db

ness to M r De T ronquidy , for the sum of 2214 francs
. ,

val ue recei e a v d bo
ut one y ear ago and in s him self to , b d
y
repa the sam e at state term s gi ing mor gage securit d , v t y .

T ransaction ul witnesse and filedd y d .

ex t Nct O ob
er 6 1 725 Mr De T ronquidy transfers , .

the foregoing n to Mr De bo d
olan who shall succee . N , d
to all the rights pre iousl es te 1n fa or of Mr D e T v yv d v . .

L a t o u r E s t at e 8 Pr o per ty ’
cto er Ou moti n . O b o
o f M r J ose h Sulpice L e l n
. de L a T ur , one of the bo d o
v
heirs of late Che al ier De L a T ur the C urt sells estate o , o
g oods an d turn s o er th e pr c
e
e s to the heiv
r afor esai o d d .

T otal returns 1004 francs temize, list of goods, I . d

which inclu e a lot of t acc , househol dd s and
are ob o d w
cloth ing .

ile F d No 165 . .

Pe t it io n of R ec o very cto er . O b H enry (signed Nicolas

H enrie) see s to collec t k a note of 150 francs from Mr .

Duplessis f rmerl su . o y bdirector of Ste R eine grant . .

L et M r D be cite to
.
“
. d deduce his reasons .

G rante d .

Pe t it io n to A scer t a in Cir c u m s t an c e s of Will ct er 9 1725 . O ob ,

.

r J ean B aptiste auc n Dum anoir e eches the

es F o b
citation of Capuchin B rother E use e and J ean iolette b V ,

y v
to testif in arious particulars c ncerning the vali ity
.

o d
and oluntar vimpor of a y
ill attri u e to Sieur t w b td
B achere .

C urt all s summons of J V and inquiry bef re

o ow . .
, o
R P R aphael for permissi n
. . hear Br ther use e o to o E b .

Faded .
478 The L ouis iana H istorical Quarterly

lantation disposing of said proper

restraining him from
p pend ing word from France on fortune of afores aid
,

letter of ex change (N am e also giv en Forseiller ) . .

A pproved and notice served , .

M e m oran du m o n R u n aw ay I n dian Slaves October .

J oseph Sulpice L eblond de L a T our brother and heir ,

of late Chevalier L eblond de la T our reports that about ,

10 months ago a savage named P ilate belonging to ,

deceased s estate ran away with a savagee belonging

’ ‘w

to M adam e veuve Drillan and pursuit has been hitherto ,

futile I n case of recovery Chevalier de Boisbriant

.

authorizes Mr Des Bergers to sell P ilate in favor of

.

$ tate .

Filed No 161 . .

Sale of R eal E s t a t e October

. Captain Charles Claude
Dutisne files record that he has sold and conveyed to
Captain De Noyyan attorneyy for Monsieur de Bienville , ,

p p
r o r ie to r of the transferred holdings a lot at N O 1 2 , . .
,

fathoms front facing the Mississippi by 25 fathoms

” “
,

dee ; whe1 eon is built a frame house about 32 feet by 2 1

tg7 room s above and below partitions doors and
,

, ,

windows locks and hinges front gallery shingle roof

, , .

Kitchen of stakes bark roof R eference to 1dentical

,

.
,

remises and act of 30 1725 T erms 4000 J an

p
.
, ,

cs 1058 pai cash ; resi ue being cancele as balance

d d d
due by Dutisne to nsieur de B (Staine Mo . d .

Decision s in Civil Su it s . O ctober

1 St M artin
. . Ceard and Massy
vs . . A djourned Costs
. .

res er e vd . Some instructions in regar d to appertain

ing papers .

2 De Noyan
. Security
y ord ered maintained
on ri ently to sequel of letter of ex change Costs
g gg
.

m e
3 De La Bouillonnerie os Dum anoir
. Plaintiff non . .

suited Costs d iv ided

. .

Filed No 156 .

Sale of R eal E s t at e . October

Jean Baptiste Marlot con
veys to Officer Petit de L ivilliers lot No 58 with frame , ,

house 20 fee t square containing two rooms and a fire

“

p lace d h all fl oors abov e an d b

, elow ; lot fenced by
stakes T erms 2500 francs herewith receipted but
.
, , ,

buyer shall not occupy till J annary

Filed No 159 . .

De L auz e E s tat e A c co un t O ctober Mr Joseph Sulpice

. .

L eblond de la T our attorney for Demoiselle L eonarde ,

De L auz e wife of B al tazard Vaureix cit izen of L imogee

, ,

files record that he has received of Captain de Gauvry

,

,
 R ecords of the Super ior Council 1
479

executor, the sum o

balance due from f 377 francs , all
Captain de G to M adame Vaureix Mr de la T our has
. . .

formally signed the 23 hled papers in the case and copi es ,

of the same were delivered to him forthwith .

Peti tion ofR eco very ct er . O ob

ean L etellier J aoques J ,

bo
Du is, J acq ues Perrier, and Jean arie M iossecq , re M
new their M pla int th a t M r D e ert eu il fails to com . V
l
py ith tw
h e Co u n cil
’
s rulin g in th e m at er of their t
o t
u stan ing d ages w .

No
tice ser e on Mr De V vd . .

Petition of R ecover y 20 October

H auss , mas er , y t
ar tis n o
la1ms arrears of his acc unt ith Mr Ceard,
, o w .

o
direct r of Ste R eine grant esi es his pers nal ues . B d o d ,

d
he 13 entitle to a legac of 300 francs e ueathe a y , bq d by
o
fell w wor man Stordeur k
H e 13 willing to meet c un
, . o
terclaims and wes a lot of c rn to Mr Ceard
, o Peti o . .

v
tioner now li es on his own lan at P inte upee d o Co .

N
otice ser e on M r Ceard vd . .

Decision in L abor Su i t J ea n L et
.ellier J acOctober
ques ,

Dubois J aeques Perrier and Jean Marie Miossecq s

c
-

H e sha i i
, ,

Director De erteuil Defendant 1n default . .

settle as already prescribed, and within eight days .

Namely he shall pay wage account, less expenses incurred

at the Cape .

Decision s in Civil Su its October 22 1725

.
, .

1 Pierre H auss y os Ceard R eciprocal obligations to be . .

discharged Costs reserved . .

2 See 25
.
898 .

3 St M artin os Cear d
. . R aguet and J B Massy . . . .

Scrawled provisos Costs divided . .

Filed N o 157 . .

(Copy by DeChavannes )
Petition for L o an to B uy R esiden c e cto er uncil . O b Co
o
lor A nt ine Brusle learns that aptain de la ar ue C M q
w
riting from rt L uis Fo
B iloxi 29 September, ill o , , w
cede his h use in o
hartres street for 4000 francs 3000 C ,

of which he offers to treasur in pa ment of his e t to y y db

the mpan Co Mr B hopes to y rr w the sai
. 4000 . . bo o d
francs from Council I t was un erstoo ef re he left . d d b o
F
rance that resi ence uarters for d
uncill rs w ul q Co o o d
vd d
be pro i e ; but the new headq uarters ill accommo w
d
ate onl y
Mr de la haise and official r ms Mr B . C oo . . .

als o
hopes to be secure against acci ents li e fire and d d k
hurricanes A n how his house ill ser e the
. y mpan w v Co y
no less than him self, as he ill use it officiall as well as w y
pri a elv t y Co uncil is illin g to len him 4000 francs
. w d
d y
ul secure d .
480 T he L ouisiana Historical Quarterly

Pe t it ion of R ecovery cto er 24, 1725

. O b
J acques erar seeks to . B d
d
collect a resi ue account of 452 francs and a fur her t
t
i em of 100 francs, or to tal 552 francs, fr m Sieur Lassus o
ga e hv
is notey b
pa a ld
e o n d
eman .

Action granted .

Document in d uplicate .

Pe ti t ion of R ecovery October 24 1725 L ieutenant de Coustilhas

. , .

m oves to collect 168 francs from Sieur Dalby director ,

of the Cautillou grant who ofi ers only disdain by way “ "

,

N otice served on Mr Dalby . .

Duplicated; better copy torn .

P e t itio n of R ecovery cto er 29, 1725

. O b
J ulien B inar see . d ks to
t
collec 27i francs fr m one Provenche due on o r , wo k .

(B inar , ali as L aF orge,dis b k

a la c sm ith ) .

H earing appointe ford No b vem er 10, 8 a m . .

L e t t er Fr o m L ass u s t o Berar d October 30 1725 .

, . A snarling t e

proach b ec a use Ber ar d has m oved legal o

acti n of re
covery .

P e t it ion of R ecovery ct er 31, 1 725

. O ob
R enee Duran , ife of . d w
o
a sail r L aR amee who eserte at the ape, claims a d d C
resi ue d d o
ep sit of 450 francs in Spanish mone , from y
o o
one Si n, c asting pil at L a Balise ot
A fter open a o al . v w
v
of recei ing 530 francs in trust for her and after paying ,

80 francs, Sion now preten s to en the ep si , and d d y d o t

s ty
les the 80 francs a gift .

Ac i n allowe to d .

Ch ur c h an d Stat e I n spec t in g em er 1 1725 A ttorne

. Nov b , . y
G eneral Fleun an rep rts on his roun o of pu lic sur d b
veillance of ta erns uring H igh v d
ass on All Saints
’
M
b b dd
D ay ; it eing for i en to furnish rin and to pla
‘ ”
d k y
pe n ing d
i in e offi dv
ces o n Su n a s and festi a ls A t one d y v .

b
Couparts ehol a ta le sprea d b
ith cutle s of roast pig dw t
for an urgent
”
rea fast part b
S me uesti na le k y . o q o b
reparations were note elsewhere, but no wnrightd do
greach of the law .

R em o n str an c e R en ewed em er 3, 1 725 . Nov

De erteuil files b . V
new pp ositio o
n to th e oun cil s rulin g a
gains h im C ’
t ,

w d
hich he eclares to be irr egular and oi 1n the light v d
of usual pr ce ure o d
H e argues that the A ttorne. eneral yG
o
has no p wer to transcen a plea in pr cess d o
No ok vd
tice ser e on the f ur w r m en o .

Dec is io n Su s t ain ed in L abo r Su it November 5 .

, 1725 The .

Council adheres to prior decree and orders , De Ver euil t

to settle within eight days .

Court notice faded .

482 The Louisiana H istorical Quarterly

Dec is io n B e tw een Ber ard an d L ass us November 10 1725 Pro .

, .

visional settlement by compromise Costs reserved .

Pe t itio n in R ec overy November . Director Darby of ,

Cantillon grant obj ects to certain ex travagant claims ,

against M r Cantillon by Mr .Coustillas A h original . .

debit of 5 quarters of rice and 3 quarters of sweet pota

toes would swell to 500 francs or far in ex cess of tr ue ,

value, were credit items disallowed But this manifest .

inj ustice should be forestalled and in particular the ,

bear 3 grease credit merits attention Mr Cantillon lent

’
. .

eleven j ugs of bear s grease to Mr Coustillas when the

’
.

ar ticle was very scarce, and had to pay 12 francs a j ug

when buying a new su ply .

R eparation besoug t .

No note by Court .

Dec is ion s in Su n dry Su its November 10, 1725 . .

l Coustillas os Darby Defend ant to pay note of 168

. .

francs T his without prej ud ice to pleas of his own in

.

their turn .

2 B rantan os L eCom te and B rosses

. Claim of 100
. .

f rancs allowed S e iz ed good s to be sold m sett lement .

of given account .

3 B inard os Provenche A djourned

. . . .

4 5 A dj ourned
, . .

6 Berard os L assus See a less insuli erably scrawled

. . .

version under 25 416

Filed N o 154 . .

Pe t it io n in Bo u n dary Dispu t e em er Sieur . Nov b

v
Jousset ha ing settle on the land all we him d o d by
o
C uncil, is istur e d
the encroachments of his next b d by
neigh bo
r Chaperon L et C be cite , and if nee be let . . d d ,

the un arbo d y
line be officially a uste at the ex pense dj d
of w
hom i t may concern .

N
otice ser e on Chaper vd
4PP ( utilate and fa e
. M d dd .

R epor t on O ffi c ial Boo kkeep g 16, 1725 n er . November . U d

signe d
Duval descr1bed the status of account o s as bo k
k
“
ept
”
by o
C mpan s offi cers at o ile, sle Dauphine y ’
M b I ,

Old B illoxy , and N ew Orleans (P ractic a11y allus ive .

at b
est as the introduct ion 13 efi aced and a
, of the ,

d
conclu ing c mm ent loppe ofo
f But e en intact the d . v ,

w d
matter oul be but a paper s elet n, as o k
want of access to the B ook q
s in o
uesti n .

Pe t it io n o f R ec o very November . Francois Vidrequain

alzas Couzllard m ov es to collect and m vir tue of a ruling
, ,

already rend ered the sum of 367 francs from Mr Du , .

 R ecords of the Superior Council 483

manoir due y
'

, on his note of past A ugust 2 .

(Salar ac
o
c unt of one Rim rd ) .

Dec is io n s in Su n dry Su it s . Novem ber 26, 1 725 .

1 DeL aL oire (Jousset)

. os . Chaperon . Sur e ing orvy
2 Plouin os L aviolette Out of
. urt sts
. i i ed . Co . Co dvd .

3 R enee Durand as Si n Plaintiff nonsuite and sub

. . o . d
j aet to costs .

4 . St Martin
.

Filed N o 153 . .

Mem oran du m of
A c c ou n t Decem er State ent of b m bo
‘
I
what ha e rem 1tted to Mr v risset, comprising th . Mo
b
m sh alance on han and accounts e it of sun ry d db d
indi i ualsvd T ransfer of such accounts
. unsign d
e by
pa r ty to M r r isset te s in clu.e d 240Mo
0 fra ncs in . I m d
copper specie ; and sum t tal 1s gi en 3535 fra ncs o v .

R ec eipt . August 10 1724 n ersigned M orisset as recei ed of

,
h . U d v
Mr L aR enaudais the sum 3535 francs in c pper and
. o ,

w o
ill acc unt for the sam e to Mr Dalc ur . o .

Pet itio n for Du e Di sc h arge Decem er 4 1725 ormer acc unt . b , . F o

ant De L a R enaudais seeks to tain receipt onsieur ob by M
o
Dalc ur for cer ain acc unts urned in by petiti ner to t o t o
Mr M
orisse t clerk to Dalcour , who stic les on a p int
.
, k o
d
of efecti e form v
E ither let receipt be grante , or let . d
p etition er ha e rec u r se to orig in al e torsv o db .

N
otice ser e on M r D vd
anuar 8, 1726 ; and again . J y ,

d
in efault he is arne that the C urt ill procee irre
, w d o w d
spectively of Mr D . .

Pe t itio n ofR eco ve December 10 1725 H ospital Surgeon , .

Charles Jo y moves to collect a bill of 196 francs for at

tendance on M adam e veuve D rillan I n case of dispute, .

let the b ill be charged by the resid ent R oyal physician .

Notice served on Madame veuve Drillan .

Pe ti t ion t o Se ttle ac an t E s t at e V
Decem er 1 1 1725 harles . b , . C
F h o
ranc is Pic ot attorne for Paul Pailhaux , citiz en of , y
St Chignan in L angue oc and former Captain of dra
. d
oo k
ns, as s lea e to ta e an in entor of the pr pert v k v y o y
eft by
the late J acques Pailhaux de Bar bezant ro her , b t
of P aul and sometime M aJ
, j or G eneral o f L uisiana o
o
Pr vince where he wne a plantation, now tenante
, o d d
by Jean B ugot .

G rante d
’

Dec isio n Be t ween Berard an d L assu s December 15 1725 .

o d o d d
, .

Q u esti n turne on s m e furniture wh ether in clu e ,

or not, with house that was sold Court d ecid es that .

484 The L ouisiana Histor ical Quarterly

d
Berar did not mean to con e furni ure ith h use and vy t w o ,

is accor ingl d yd
ischarge herein R es t of c ntract shall d . o
be ex ecute d .

d
Costs on efen ant d .

R eal E s t at e December 18 1725 Charles Petit de L ivil

.
, .

liers offi cer of Provincial troops conveys lot No 58

, , .
,

together with a frame house 20 feet square containing ,

two rooms and a fireplaced hall L ot fenced with stakes .

T erms 1 400 francs : 500 paid cash ; residue 900 francs

,

p ay ab le in cc pper specie one year fr om date P ur chaser . ,

Mr Charles de R oger who gives mortgage securi ty

. . .

A pril 2 1726 : Mr Petit de L ivilliers receipts to

, .

Filed No . 152 .

C h urc h an d St at e Su r ve illan c e Decem er 21, 1725 A ttorney . b .

G eneral Fleurian t e rts on his r un of inspecti n dur o d o

ing H igh ass on M e feast of St Thomas H e foun a . . d
b k
rea fast in preparation at Cou s, for s me sol iers
’
o d
a bout starting for L a Balise an rdere them out No , o d .

other infractions of the law ere n te on this ccasi n w o d o o .

F in e R eco m m e n ded Decem er 22 1725 . b , . A ttorney General

Fleurian in se uel to his r un of
, q o d inspection on the
feast of St T homas as s the . uncil to fine Coupart , k Co
(after h ear ing his answer ) 50 fra ncs, and ar n h im not , w
d
to relapse , un er penalt of three months imprisonment y .

P e t it io n of R ec o very Decem er 24 1725 Clau e B eux master

. b , . d ,

coppersmith , claims a resi ue acc un of 360 francs from d o t

Mr Dum anoir for or one
. ears ago , w kd two y .

A ction allowe d .

P e t it io n t o O b tain L 24 1725 Mr R ossar , attorney

acy . May , . . d
for estate 0 late rancoise Domm ain, i w of Pierre F w do
M illon and legatee of the late A e D A rquevaux ,
,
’
bb
shows that a am e D M d
ie ef re the legac was avail . d db o y
b
a le and left thr ee minor sons J oseph age 18 Pierre, 16 , , d ,

and E stienne 15 L et a guardian be a ointed in rder o

g
.
,

to cite the executor Chaplam J uif, to e ver the legac ,

°

y .

v
A ppro ed and not1ce ser e Mr Dr
, is pro vd . . oy
po d
s e as guar ian d .

I n ven t ory of H o u se h old G oods ul 13 1725 uncill r . J y , . Co o

B rusle s report on rem ov mg the seals and valuation of
.
’

good b
s e lon gi ng to estate of ecease P ierre Dn lland d d .

T otal estimate 1696} francs , .

M e m oran du m Bo ar d A cco u n t .
of anuar 4, 1725
y tem ized J . I
list of what M r J oly furm shed duu ng three m nths that
. o
he ate at my h use, to be e ucte fr m ha he wes
”
o dd d o w t o
me at the rate of 40sous a day .
 T H E E DI T O R S C H A I R
’

With this fourth number our second volume closes and alth ough
, ,

this num b er will not reach our read ers until in the N ew e we ,

must ask them to be patient because of the difficul ties that environ
us in unraveling the m y steries of the past in which a wealth of treasure
lies but a treasure that requires much skill in unearthing it in these
, ,

T wentieth Century d ays If R ip Van Winkle had slept for fi fty

.

y ea rs in stead o f twenty and had gone to sleep in N ew O rleans fifty

years ago and was only now awakened it would be impossib le for ,

him to recogniz e his old haunts T he days of leisurely walking

.

about the streets with um brella in hand to k eep oh the sunshine

‘

or the rain the slow speed and dignified m ethod s of living that pre
,

vailed generally have given place to the rush of modern life and from
,

m orning until night one is responding in one s own household or in

’

one s counting rooms to the many telephonic calls or out on the

’

street we m ust dod ge across only at the corner street crossings

and then w ith barely enough sk ill to save our own lives and must ,

go where we want to at high speed as though we were pushed from ,

behind and irnpelled by some mysterious force of which our elders

had no knowledge T he awakening R ip Van Winkle w ould see
.

this and would not know the N ew Orleans that he left and would
, ,

wonder where he could now be We could hardly tell him that he

.

was in heaven although m ost of us who frequent the streets of N ew

,

Orleans have our Opinions well formulated in that direction but ,

still om itting the allegory life is so full of earnest har d work and
, , ,

matters have so changed in alm ost every d irection of hum an en

deavor that any awakening R ip V an Wink le fails to find him self
,

now at hom e in N ew O rleans where every man willing to work

, ,

and we m ay say ev ery woman w illing to work is so em b arrassed ,

with the plentitude of work as to find it difficult to take tim e to look

into the annals of the past and rather must look to the future and
,

hope that some angel good will help us all the time to give a more
satisfactory account of the past than our fast operating environ
ment now permits .

d
T he lea ing article in this present issue on T he A rchi es of , v
o o
L uisiana is fr m the pen of that istinguishe mem er o f our
, d d b
o y
H istorical S ciet and of the L uisiana Bar M r H enr P Dart o , . y . ,

y
who thoroughl appreciates the res urces that are Open to the his o
o
t rian in our treasure house the Ca il o here lie the recor s of
, b d w , d
 T he E ditor s Chair
’
487

day . Mr Dart s . t article shows how appreciative he is of

’
ex cellen
the re sour ces of our State and of the gradual progress that this

country has made under the domination first of the French and then
of the Spanish and then of the U nited State I I is ar ticle will be -
s
-
.

read with great interest by all those interested in the history of

L ouisiana or of the great L ouisiana T erritory that presumably

, ,

reached from the G ulf of M exico up through the M ississippi Valley

through to the confines of H ud son B ay .

Dr Clarence Wyatt B ispham gives us in this issue a second

.

article on Fray A ntonio de Sedella or Pet e A ntoine as this distin , ,

gu is h e d C ap u c hin p r ie st w a s be t te r k no w n A fi ne a nd str i k in g .

p ic tu re o f P et e A n t o in e is also gi v en .

We then reach a series of letters of Baron Joseph de Fontalba

to his wife s uncle with a portrait o f Fontalba as well as one of his
’
, ,

father in law Don A ndr es de A lmonester the man at whose expense

- -
, ,

the Cathed ral was built and who was the founder of the first real
charity hospital in this city T he noted Fontalb a B uildings facing
.

on the upper and lower end s of J ackson Sq uare N ew O rleans were , ,

erected by M ad am e Fontalb a many years ago and the A lmonester

and Fontalba fam ilies have been a part of the history of L ouisiana
almost from the found ing of N ew O rleans .

H on Gaspar Cusachs our well k nown literary and historica l

.
,

p r es id en t o f th e L ou isi an a H is to ric a l Soc iety h as p r o v id ed us in t his ,

issue with a connected account carefully secured and elaborated by ,

him , of that very curious man L afi tte the L ouisiana pirate

, ,
and

patriot .
gi eT he
n s ho w s td ata
hat L afi ttev w a s e r c a pa le of v y b
d oing goo d
and while he was generall
, c nsi ere as a pirate, he y o d d
claime d y
that he had alwa s a com m issi n from the Carthagenian o
go ve rn m en t the old p ro in c
,e o f ran a a in vno rth w es te r n S uG
th d o
A merica and that he was a pri ateer as was Paul ones in the be
, v , J
g in ni ng o f his won er fu l ca re er as a ict dri us na al ofii cer M r v o o v . .

o
Cusach s c m pilation will be rea with great in erest
’
d
those who t by
are in any m anner fam iliar with the war of 1812 and J ackson s great
’

v y v
ictor o er the British on J annar 8 1815, here the commemo y , w
rating m onum ent o f that e ent now stan s a v
ut a m ile el w the d , bo b o
c ity limits .

Quite an interesting article on T he Flags of L ouisiana is by Mr .

M illed ge Bonham Jr who although now removed from the State

, , ,

fection for it and now contributes to our knowled ge of

r etains his af

t he succession of flags that have waved over our State .

488 The L ouisiana H istorical Quarterly

From d
Presi ent Cusachs pri ate collecti n of old cuments
’
v o do
v b
se eral are pu lishe under hat title the first from T im thd Pic er t , o y k
w t b v
'

ing, hose s atus as a pu lic man is gi en in the article and the

w
letter is ritten to Daniel lar of N ew rleans and ate A ugust d d C k O
'

k
2, 1813 Daniel Clar was the father of M rs My C k
'

. ra lar G aines , .

q O d v
who was uite a character in N ew rleans in the Sixt ies, en ea oring
to secure a title to various properties that once belonged to D aniel
Clark which were then in litigation Several other interes ting
, .

articles are in that collection includ ing a letter from General R ober t
,

E L ee to G eneral G T Beauregard written in October 1865 and

. . .
, , ,

al so a mem orand um concerning obstructions designed by G eneral

,

B eauregard in Februar y 1861 as against the entrance of the Fed eral

, ,

fleet into the M ississippi river which did com e in 1862 , .

A notable contribut ion in this issue is the ar ticle on Creole Fol k

Songs by Madam e E melie L ej eune and the spec imens of the song s
that she has given Madame L ej eune has written the music for these
.

songs which we were unfortunately not ab le to utilize

, T hese .

songs are m ost interesting and valuab le historically as well as at

tractive when sung .

We then give another series of extracts from the R ecords of the

Superior Council of L ouisiana which item by item show th e ethics o f , , ,

those days and out ofwhich has grown the city ofN ew Orleans located ,

at the portage be tween the M ississippi riv er and L ake P ontch artrain ,

a city that B ienville was authorized to proceed w ith in the build

ing in 1718 which now two hund red years later has som e
, , ,

inhab itants and is one of the m ost b eautiful cities in the world an d
in com mercial activity is such that it m ight be called a second N ew
York did we not prefer to still call it by the old and much loved
,

name of N ew Orleans .

We desire to acknowled ge our obligations to Captain H L . .

B allowe in charge of the m ed ical d epartm ent at Fort St Philip

, .

during the E uropean war for having secured for us the valuable ,

historical memoir of the war in West Florida and L ouisiana in

1814 1815 by M aj or A L acarriere L atour which was wri tten in
-
.
,

French and translated by H P Nugent of Philadelphia in 1816 . .

and was found by Captain B allowe in the archives of the old For t

St P hilip Captain B allowe rescued this paper from the m ass and
. .

p u t it in s hape and re ad it be fore the L ouisiana H istorical Societ y ,

which received it with eminent satisfaction T he paper was published .

in the A pril num ber of this year being N o 2 of Vol II , . . .