Travels Through North America, During the Years 1825 and 1826. v. 1-2

After dinner we walked in the yard, where we remarked several Guinea fowls, which are common here, a pair of Mexican pheasants, and a tame fawn. Before the house stood a number of lofty nut-trees, called peccan trees. At the foot of one, Sir Edward Packenham’s bowels are interred; his body was embalmed and sent to England. In the fields there are numbers of English buried, and a place was shown to me where forty officers alone were laid. We took leave of our friendly host at sundown, and returned to the city.

On Shrove Tuesday, all the ball-rooms in the city were opened. I went to the great masked ball in the French theatre. The price of admission was raised to two dollars for a gentleman, and one dollar for a lady. There was dancing, not only in the ball-room, but also in the theatre itself, and on this occasion, the parterre was raised to a level with the stage. The illumination of the house was very good, and presented a handsome view. Many of the ladies were in masks, and intrigued as well as they were able. I could not restrain my curiosity, and visited the quadroon ball in the theatre of St. Philippe. It however was too late when I arrived there, many of the ladies had left the ball, and the gentlemen, a motly society, were for the most part drunk. This being the case, I returned after a quarter of an hour to the principal ball. But here too, some gentlemen had dipped too deep in the glass, and several quarrels with fists and canes took place. The police is not strict enough here to prevent gentlemen from bringing canes with them to balls. The balls continue through lent, when they are but little frequented.

On the 12th of February the intelligence of the death of the Emperor Alexander was spread abroad, which had been received by the ship Mogul, yesterday arrived from Liverpool, and by London gazettes of the 24th of December. I could not believe this to be a fact, and betook myself to the office of one of the public papers. I was here given the English gazette to read, and I found, to my no small terror, the detailed account of this sorrowful event. Consternation entered into my mind, on reflecting what effect this must have produced in Weimar, and increased my troubled state of feeling!

The volunteer battalion of artillery of this place is a handsome corps, uniformed as the artillery of the old French guard. It is above one hundred men strong, and presents a very military front. This corps manœuvred about half an hour in the square before the cathedral, and then marched to the City Hall, to receive a standard. Upon the right wing of the battalion, a detachment of flying artillery was placed. The corps had done essential service on the 8th of January, 1815, in the defence of the line, and stands here in high respect.

About four miles below the city Mr. Grymes has a country-seat, or habitation. The house is entirely new, and situated on a piece of ground formerly employed as a sugar-cane field. The new plantings made in the garden, consisted of young orange-trees and magnolias. Behind the house is an artificial hill, with a temple upon it, and within the hill itself, a grotto, arranged artificially with shells. At the entrance stands a banana tree, and this, with several creeping plants, will conceal it very well in summer. I observed in the garden several singular heaps of earth, which are hollow within, and stand over a hole in the ground. They are said to be formed by a species of land-crab, for their residence. If a stone be thrown into the hole, you hear that it immediately falls into water. Generally, in this country, you cannot dig more than a foot deep in the earth, without meeting water.

It was pure curiosity that carried me a third time to the masquerade, in St. Philippe’s theatre. It was, however, no more agreeable than the one eight days previous. There were but few masks; and among the tobacco-chewing gentry, several Spanish visages slipped about, who carried sword-canes, and seemed to have no good design in carrying them. Some of these visiters were intoxicated, and there appeared a willing disposition for disturbance. The whole aspect was that of a den of ruffians. I did not remain here a half hour, and learned next day that I was judicious in going home early, as later, battles with canes and dirks had taken place. Twenty persons were more or less dangerously wounded!

It rained very frequently during the first half of the month of February; in the middle it was warm, and for a time, about the 20th, an oppressive heat prevailed, which made me quite lethargic, and operated equally unpleasantly on every one. Indeed a real sirocco blew at this time. It surprised me very much, that with such extraordinary weather, not at all uncommon here, that there should be so many handsome, healthy, and robust children. This climate, so unhealthy, and almost mortal to strangers, seems to produce no injurious effect upon the children born here.

In the vacant space, where the walls of New Orleans formerly stood, are at present the Esplanade rue des Remparts, and rue du canal. The city proper forms a parallelogram, and was once surrounded by a palisade and a ditch. At each of the four corners stood a redoubt. The last of these redoubts, which stood at the entrance of the Fauxbourg Marigny, was demolished only since the last war. It would be important for the security of the present inhabitants, to have a fortress on the bank of the river, so that in case of an insurrection of the negroes, not only the trifling garrison, but the white women and children should possess a place of refuge, which is now totally wanting. The ditch is filled up, and planted with trees; there are no buildings newly erected here, and these open spaces are the worst parts of the city.

On the night of the 22d of February, the alarm bell was sounded: a fire had broken out in the warehouse of a merchant. There was time to save every thing, even the wooden building was not consumed, but in the course of two hours the fire was extinguished.

On the same day, was celebrated the birth of the great Washington. All the vessels lying in the river were adorned with flags, and fired salutes. The volunteer legion of Louisiana was called out in full uniform, to fire volleys in honour of the day. The artillery before mentioned, which gave thirteen discharges from two pieces, distinguished themselves again by their excellent discipline. The infantry was very weak, not exceeding fifty men, with a most monstrous standard. A company of riflemen of thirty men, who had done good service on the 8th of January, 1815, appeared very singular in their costume: it consisted of a sky-blue frock and pantaloons, with white fringe and borders, and fur hoods. This legion was established in the last war, and considering itself independent of the militia, it has clothed itself after the French taste, and is officered by Frenchmen.

In the evening there was a subscription ball, in the ball-room of the French theatre. This ball was given also, on account of the festival celebrated this day. In former years, each person had subscribed ten dollars for this ball; the saloon had been decorated with Washington’s portrait, and a number of standards, and a splendid supper spread for the ladies. This year the subscription had been reduced to three dollars for a ticket, and hardly filled up at that price. It was attempted to be accounted for, by the critical juncture of commercial affairs, in which the city was placed; the true cause, however, might be traced to the incomprehensible want of attachment among the creoles to the United States. Although the city of New Orleans, and the whole state of Louisiana, has benefited extremely by its union with the United States, and daily increases; yet the creoles appear rather to wish their country should be a French colony, than annexed to the Union. From their conversations, one would conclude that they do not regard the Americans as their countrymen. This aversion certainly will lessen, as the better part of the young people acquire their scientific education in the northern states; at this moment, however, it is very powerful. Under this state of things, Mr. Davis, the manager of the French theatre, the balls, and several gaming houses, announced a masked ball, at one dollar admission, for Washington’s birth-night. The young ladies, however, to whom a subscription ball was in anticipation, and on account of it had prepared a fresh set of ornaments, to assist their toilet, felt themselves exceedingly disappointed by this arrangement; as there would be a very mixed company at the masked ball, and they would not be able to distinguish themselves by individual ornament. For this reason, their parents and relations had exerted themselves, and happily brought it to pass, that instead of a ticket ball, there should be one by subscription. In fact, this ball was very splendid, so far as the dress of the ladies contributed thereto. Moreover, no battles took place.

In the neighbourhood of the city, some Choctaw Indians hunted, and lived a wandering life. They frequently resorted to the city to sell the produce of their hunting, also canes, palmetto baskets, and many other articles. The money for these was afterwards consumed in liquor. They are of very dark colour, have coats made of woollen blankets; wear mocassins, and undressed leather leggings, necklaces of checkered glass beads, with a large shell in the form of a collar, silver rings in the nose and ears, and smooth copper rings on the wrists. The children until four years old are quite naked; only wearing mocassins, leggings, and the rings round the wrists.

In a tavern on the Levée, there was a collection of fossil bones, which had been dug out of a swamp, not far from the mouth of the Mississippi, the preceding year, and must have belonged to a colossal amphibious animal. The single piece of the spine remaining appeared to be that of a whale; a single rib however, also found, was too much curved ever to have been the rib of a whale. The largest piece of those that were dug up, appeared to be a jaw bone. Unfortunately I understand too little of these things, to be able to venture upon a description of these remarkable remains of an apparently antideluvian animal; certainly it would be worth the trouble of having them examined and described by a scientific person. Two of the bones appeared to have belonged to the legs, and from these alone, some would determine, that the animal was a crocodile. I was informed at this time – I say, with Herodotus, that I only tell now what others have told me, and perhaps some one may either believe it, or know it, – I was told that a perfect skeleton of a mammoth was collected many years ago in one of the meadows, on the banks of the Mississippi, not far from its mouth, and was conveyed to London, and that very old inhabitants had heard as a tradition from their ancestors, that this mammoth had been thrown ashore by the sea, part rotted, and in part was devoured by the buzzards.

There is no particular market day in New Orleans, as in other places, but every morning market is open for all kinds of vegetables, fruits, game, &c. This market is very well provided on Sunday, as the slaves have permission to offer for sale on this day all they desire to dispose of.

I visited Captain Harney of the first regiment of infantry, who in the year 1825, as lieutenant to General Atkinson, had accompanied the expedition to Yellow Stone river, and had brought back with him several of the curiosities of those western regions, so little known. These curiosities consisted of a variety of skins of bears, for example, of the grizzled bear, also skins of buffalo, foxes, of a white wolf, (which is a great rarity,) of a porcupine, whose quills are much shorter than those of the African species, and of wild cats. Besides these, Mr. Harney has procured pieces of Indian habiliments, coats and leggings made of deer skin. The warriors among these Indians wear the mark of their dignity – the scalps – on the leggings, those of the inferior grade on one leg, those higher, on both. The coats are made with a checkered sewing, ornamented partly with glass beads, and partly with split porcupine quills. The Indian women, who are designated by the universal name of squaw, work these ornaments very ingeniously. Mr. Harney showed me also a quiver, made of cougar’s skin with different sorts of arrows, a bow of elk’s horn, strung with tendons drawn from the elk; several tobacco pipes, with heads of serpentine stone, of which I had seen some on Lake Ontario already, hunting pouches, a head dress of eagle’s feathers for the great chief of the Crow nation, a set of the claws of the grizzled bear, which also were worn for ornament, and a tomahawk of flint with a variety of bunches of human hair: for every time a warrior has killed his enemy with his tomahawk, he fastens a bunch of his hair, with a piece of the scalp on his weapon. He farther showed me a pipe made of a sheep’s rib, adorned with glass beads, upon which the Indians blow all the time they are engaged in a fight, so as not to loose themselves in the woods; a spoon made of the horn of a wild mountain ram; various minerals, and among them petrified wood, which is found in great quantities in that western region; serpentine, and other curiosities. The coats of the squaws are trimmed with long thin strips of leather, on one of these a bunch of yellow moss and grass was tied, which the Indians regard as a sort of amulet or talisman.

On the 28th of February, in the forenoon, I went with Mr. Huygens to pay General Villaret a visit at his country-house. A pretty strong west wind moderated the great heat outside of the city; within it, the thermometer of Fahrenheit had stood at eighty-one degrees in the shade. Most of the fruit trees were in blossom. Every where we saw fresh green and bloom; all was fresh and lively. In a sugar-cane field, there were oats a foot and a half high, cut as green fodder. The general and his son were occupied in managing the labours of the field. We went with them to walk in the garden. The soil is very fruitful, that, however, is the most so, which is reclaimed from the swamp of the Mississippi, or the Bayou. In this soil, nevertheless the germ of a real land plague, the coco, as it is called, shows itself, the same which was made use of on the continent of Europe, as a substitute for coffee, during the existence of the vexatious continental system. This knotty growth is principally found in the mud; and one lump or knot of it multiplies itself so extremely quick, that it kills all the plants growing near it, and covers the whole field, in which it has taken root. It is very difficult to extirpate, since the smallest knot, that remains in the earth, serves for the root of a new plant, and several hundred new knots. The legislature of Louisiana, has offered a considerable reward to whoever shall succeed in the discovery of an efficient remedy against this pest of the soil. No one has yet obtained the desired object.

The general explained to me, the manner in which the sugar-cane fields were managed. Parallel furrows are made through them at intervals of three feet. In these furrows, the cane is laid lengthwise, and covered with earth. Some planters lay two cane joints together, others content themselves with but one. The end of the successive piece of cane, is so placed, that it lies about six inches above the end of the first. From each joint of the cane, there shoot up new sprouts, and form new stalks. In St. Domingo, there is another method of arranging the cane field. The field is digged in square holes, placed checkerwise at the distance of three feet apart, in which four pieces of cane are laid in the square, and then covered up. This method is judged the best.

The tragedy of Marie Stuart by Le Brun from Schiller, and a vaudeville, la Demoiselle et la Dame, were produced at the theatre, to which I went. The first piece was announced at the request of several American families, of course there were numbers of ladies of that nation in the boxes. The tragedy of Le Brun is changed very little from that by Schiller; it is only curtailed, and two parts, those of Shrewsbury and Mellvil, are thrown into one. Many scenes in it, particularly the meeting of the two queens, is translated almost word for word. Madam Clozel undertook the part of Marie Stuart, and supported it from beginning to end in a masterly style; but she was not properly supported. Nevertheless, the piece met with great approbation. Unluckily, however, the machinery was not in order. At the close of the piece, when Leicester falls in the greatest distraction into the arms of an officer of the guard, the curtain could not be lowered, and several minutes elapsed, before poor Leicester could leave his painful attitude. On this account the audience made known their displeasure by hissing, which marred very much the effect produced by the piece.

A representation of Hamlet, in the French theatre was uncommonly well attended. The Colombian Commodore Jolly, who had brought a brig of his nation into New Orleans, appeared in uniform, and drew the attention of the public upon himself, partly by his dress, and partly by his huge dress hat, with a white feather. The next morning I made acquaintance with the commodore, and with his two officers, of whom one is a Colombian, and the other an Englishman by birth. The commodore had also taken up his quarters with Madam Herries; he is a Frenchman, fifty-six years of age, of which he has passed forty in the West Indies. I carried him and the two officers to visit Governor Johnson, and also Bishop Dubourg. The latter appeared very much flattered by this visit. On going away, the Englishman kissed the Bishop’s hand. He, the bishop, expressed his surprise at receiving this testimony of respect from a protestant; to which the officer replied, that this reverence was paid to the episcopal ring. Mr. Dubourg, indeed, wore a costly amethyst on his finger, as a representation of the fisher’s ring.

For some days back the weather had become oppressively warm, like the heat of summer. Several persons who were not accustomed to this degree of heat, found themselves unwell; it, however, agreed with me. After a while considerable showers of rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning took place. The consequence of this was, in one way, that the mud became excessively deep in the streets, but on the other hand, the river began to rise, which occasioned great joy in the city. Numbers of steam-boats, and flat-boats were looked for, with provisions from the western states, as they began to grow scarce and dear.

An acquaintance very dear to me, and of which I shall always preserve a grateful remembrance, was that which I made with Baron Marigny, a creole by birth, and one of the most distinguished inhabitants of the state. One of the suburbs of New Orleans was laid out by his father, and bears his name; at the entrance of it, he lives in a mansion-house, erected with taste and splendour. Never shall I forget the happy days, which I passed in the circle of his amiable family. During the troubles of the French revolution, the then duke of Orleans, found a refuge and active assistance with M. Marigny. After some time, this gentleman made a voyage to France, and was well received by the duke. I saw at his house, a coffee-set of French china, which he had received from him as a present. The cups contained the well executed portraits of the duke, the dutchess, and their nine children, and upon the larger pieces were views of the palais royal, and of the castle and park in Neuilly. The Baron Marigny, also had in his possession a very fine portrait of the duke, painted by Augustin, in Paris; likewise an engraving, representing him, as he supported himself during his exile in Switzerland, by giving lessons in the mathematics.

On the 11th of March, in a small company of ladies and gentlemen, I saw a cosmorama, which was set up here. It is known generally, to be a sort of prospect, given by being in a dark room, and beholding various objects, through glasses of different magnifying powers. This cosmorama contained ten views of different places, which are changed every week. Some views of East Indian antiquities, and remarkable buildings, were well displayed, as also, a representation of a hall in the former prisons of the Inquisition at Goa, not so good; and a couple of views in Japan and Macao, in China. The examination of all the objects, detained us until evening. We then accompanied the ladies home, they lived in a country-house, a mile below the Fauxbourg Marigny, on the Levée. It was eight o’clock as we descended the Levée; the evening was clear, with star-light; the bustle in the harbour had ceased; we only remarked on board of some ships the sailors collected on the deck, under an illuminated awning, where the captain held evening divine service. Precisely at eight o’clock, the retreat-gun fired at the City Hall, which is the signal for the negroes to return home, immediately after, the two Colombian brigs fired, the drums and bugles sounded the retreat, while the barracks of the infantry did the same. All this, added to the lighted ships, and the solitary gleams from the opposite side of the river, made an impression upon me, which I cannot venture to describe. The wretched miry way, in which we nearly stuck fast, was almost forgotten. One of the gentlemen accompanying us, had the politeness to send me home in his chaise. This was a pleasant attention to me, for there are drunken sailors, and fellows of the lower class, (which are called here, as in Mexico, Guichinangos,) in great numbers here, and as these creatures have a strong propensity to street-robbing and stabbing, it is not very prudent to be alone on a dark evening, upon this deserted road.

In an excursion to the country-house of Mr. David Urquhart, I observed the great injury done by the coco, before alluded to, in his garden; it covered both the walks and beds, from which daily industry will not root it out. In the vegetable garden, I found most kinds of those used in Europe, the peas were as large on the 13th of March, as they are in Flanders on the beginning of June; we ate of green peas full three weeks ago. The melons are first deposited in beds of manure, to force them for earlier use, and when they begin to sprout, are planted afresh in the field. The soil is so rich, that it does not require manure. I noticed several fruit trees of various kinds, but was informed, that the fruit produced by them, on account of the intense heat of summer, would not be of good quality.

The brig Arcturus arrived on the 14th of March from Boston, with a cargo of ice. This article is very conducive to comfort in a warm climate, but it is exceedingly difficult to preserve it. Where there is water every where two feet below the surface of the earth, of course, ice-vaults are impracticable. The cargo which now arrived, was thrown into a large brick building, and it was asserted that it would keep there till winter. I examined the construction of this building. A coffer, made of strong thick planks, and some forty feet in height, is provided with a small opening under the roof. Through this opening the ice is thrown in, and again taken out for use. About the coffer there is carried a brick wall, and the vacant space between the wall and the planks of the coffer, which is about two feet, is filled up with a mixture of shavings and saw-dust, which resists the influence of the exterior warm atmosphere.

A great quantity of drift timber was floating on the river, even huge trees. Negroes were busied in small canoes in collecting it, as it serves the residents on the Levée for fire-wood. The largest part of it, however, is driven into the Gulf of Mexico, strikes the gulf stream, is again carried into the Atlantic ocean, and driven upon the shores of Iceland and Greenland, where it serves to warm the miserable inhabitants of those inhospitable countries.

On the 17th of March, I accompanied Commodore Jolly to the criminal court, before which he was cited. The cause thereof was as follows: – The year previous, a Colombian corvette had arrived at New Orleans, from which several sailors deserted. One of these sailors, an Indian, native of Maracaybo, had hired himself as a servant at a Spanish grog-shop, and came on board the Pichincha, Commodore Jolly’s brig, to visit his old comrades, and to induce several to desert. He was recognised as a deserter, and as such arrested. The Spaniard, with whom the sailor Ramirez had served, laid his complaint before the criminal court, and the commodore was cited to appear. The Spaniard had employed two lawyers, a Frenchman, named Canonge, and an old Spaniard, Rodriguez, who defended the cause of the sailor, and laboured to prove the commodore’s proceedings to be illegal. The pleading of the Frenchman was full of common place and far-fetched haranguing. Mr. Rodriguez explained his arguments more logically, though by his Spanish accent he excited great merriment among the audience. The commodore had no counsel, wherefore a Mr. Morel was assigned to him as such, who, as he had no time for preparation, requested the postponement of the cause to the following day. This request was granted.

On the next day, we again visited the criminal court. I was apprized that several Spaniards had combined, and promised five hundred dollars for the setting Ramirez at liberty. They had employed a Mr. Davezac as their third advocate. The officers, some petty officers, and one seaman, of the two brigs, were heard as witnesses. These proved in the fullest manner, that the sailor had deserted from the corvette Ourika last year. The Spaniards produced opposing witnesses. These contradicted each other so vilely in their respective declarations, that they were soon held back, so as not to be involved in a charge of perjury as false witnesses. By this opportunity I learnt, that it was considered difficult among the Spaniards here to obtain a witness for the sum of eight dollars, to say any thing in evidence that was required. And yet that is more than such a complacent witness costs in some other countries. The lawyers put such strange questions to the Colombian witnesses, and particularly to the seamen, (as for instance, in what manner was he enlisted, what was his pay, and how he was paid, how he was fed and treated?) that the judge called them to order several times. Mr. Morel conducted his defence very well, and successfully combated the arguments produced by his antagonists. He then laid down the principle, which certainly is a very just one, that the person who is on board of a vessel of war, is within the limits and jurisdiction of that government to which the vessel may belong. Upon this principle the commodore necessarily must gain his suit, and this he did in a very satisfactory manner.

After the disposal of this cause, on the 17th of March another one was taken up. A resident lawyer, named Lloyd, whose reputation stood very low, had, on the preceding day, insulted the presiding Judge Turner in the street, for which reason the judge had him taken in custody by the sheriff, and thrown into prison. The injured judge presided in his own suit, and in this manner was both judge and party. I was informed that Mr. Turner was insulted in his individual capacity, but that he decided as a judge in the name of the state of Louisiana. This explanation did not satisfy me, the distinction between person and his office, may be correct in theory, it is, however, very hardly so in practice; and on this account, the proceeding to me appeared arbitrary. It appeared unfair also to me, that the judge was not assisted by a jury. Farther, Mr. Lloyd wished to defend his own cause, he was, however, half intoxicated, and attacked the judge so grossly from time to time, that he ordered him frequently to be silent. The examination of the witnesses consumed so much time, that I was obliged to leave the court before the termination of the case. I heard afterwards that Mr. Lloyd had been adjudged, to provide two sureties for his good behaviour, during one year, each in a penalty of one thousand dollars, and since he was not able to find these securities immediately, to be remanded to prison.

On the same day, Mr. Bowdoin left us, and embarked on board the steam-boat George Washington, bound to Louisville: afterwards to return to New York. I accompanied him on board of the boat, and had an opportunity of observing her most excellent accommodations. The part devoted to lodging passengers, is built like a house in a boat. The lower deck, or deck on which the engine is placed, is occupied by what are called deck-passengers, those who pay a lower price, – there are cot frames suspended for them, but if there should be too many, the last comers must of course sleep on the deck. Above this, is the principal cabin, the passage in which to Louisville costs fifty dollars. Here is a handsome saloon lighted from above, in the centre and on each side are enclosed state-rooms, each with two births, one over the other. Behind this is the ladies cabin, which can be so joined to it by the opening of two folding doors, that both apartments may be thrown into one at pleasure. Around this principal deck, runs a broad and lofty gallery, for the convenience of travellers. Above the cabin, is the deck also covered with a roof, where cotton, other articles, and deck-passengers find accommodation. For such as smoke tobacco, there is a separate apartment provided, in which they enjoy this acquired habit, without incommoding the other passengers, or the ladies thereby. For the use of travellers, there is likewise a library provided on board. The elevated position of the cabin is very agreeable, because one is not annoyed by the engine; moreover in case a boiler should burst, he is exposed to less danger, as the explosion can only direct a fatal force along the lower deck. There were a pretty large number of passengers on board; the vessel sailed about half after four o’clock, P. M. and presented a majestic appearance in her progress.

On the 19th of March, at nine o’clock, I went with Mr. Huygens, and a Mr. Authur Andry, to his brother Michael Andry’s habitation, about eleven miles distant from the city below, situated on the right bank of the Mississippi. The road carried us over the field of battle, and past the habitation of General Villaret: about two miles farther on, we stopped at the habitation of Jumonville, left the carriage and embarked in one of Mr. Andry’s ferry-boats, sent over for us, manned by seven negroes, and crossed the river. There was much drift wood collected on the left bank, through which we worked our way with difficulty. Then we had also both wind and current against us, and had to keep guard against the floating trunks of trees. We spent three quarters of an hour in this passage. We landed at a large field of clover, belonging to Mr. Andry, and through the garden reached his large and handsome mansion-house, two stories high, with a piazza and very broad gallery, which is defended from the heat of the sun by large curtains extended from pillar to pillar. Here Mr. Andry received us.

Not long after our arrival, we went to the sugar-mills, behind the mansion-house, near the negro-quarter. The mill, in which the cylinders lie horizontally, is set in motion by a steam-engine of twelve horse-power, made in Liverpool by Faucett. The juice from the cane flows into the boiling-house, in which there are ten kettles. Mr. Andry directs himself all the operations, and while the mill is at work resides in a small room not far from the engine. He has the reputation of being very severe to his negroes. Whether this imputation be just or not, I could not decide, but twelve years ago an insurrection of the slaves broke out at his habitation, in which one of his brothers was murdered, and his father received three severe wounds with an axe. The garden here was not well kept. Scientific gardeners are very difficult to be procured here. Some years before two ships arrived with German emigrants, who were sold to defray the price of their passage. There were several gardeners among them. These men very soon extricated themselves from their dependent situation, and part of them established themselves; but the rest fell a sacrifice to the noxious climate. As the term of their service was limited to a few years, their masters did not give themselves much trouble to reclaim the runaways. Mr. Andry’s garden was surrounded by a thick hedge of orange trees, and contained many magnolias, orange trees, myrtles, jasmines, &c. We returned to the left bank about eleven o’clock at night, and our carriage conveyed us through the beautiful, mild moonlight, back to New Orleans in an hour.

In the American theatre, “Der Freischutz” was presented under the title of the “Black Huntsman of Bohemia.” This drama, so universally known and admired, and which has followed me even in America like an evil genius, (since detached pieces of it were sung and played in almost all companies,) I had never yet witnessed. Determined not to remain longer in the rear of the age, I therefore went to the theatre. The orchestra was very weak and badly filled, hardly any of the performers could sing; I was told that the handsomest pieces of music are either abridged or entirely omitted. The decorations, nevertheless, were tolerably good, I found the boxes and galleries thronged. In the pit there were but few spectators, and these consisted of sailors and countrymen from Kentucky, who made themselves quite at ease on the benches, and cracked nuts during the finest pieces of music; a custom I have noticed in all English theatres, and from which my tobacco-chewing neighbours in the boxes did not refrain. The theatre is newly erected, and is arranged not untastefully. It contains, besides the pit and parquet, three rows of galleries as the French theatre; the boxes are only divided by low balustrades, so that you look out as if from a balcony; the second gallery is destined for the reception of coloured spectators, among whom I saw not a single female, and in the upper gallery the mob and women of the town sit. The saloon is lit with gas, and has a very tasteful girandole. I remained but for a short time.

One witnesses almost daily examples of the degrading treatment which the poor negroes experience. I should say nothing of it, but one particular scene, which roused my indignation in the highest manner, on the 22d of March, I cannot suffer to pass in silence. There was a young Virginian female slave in our boarding-house, employed as a chamber maid, a cleanly, attentive, quiet, and very regular individual. A Frenchman residing in the house, called, in the morning early, for water to wash. As the water was not instantly brought to him, he went down the steps, and encountered this poor girl, who just then had some other occupation in hand. He struck her immediately with the fist, in the face, so that the blood ran from her forehead. The poor creature, roused by this unmerited abuse, put herself on her defence, and caught the Frenchman by the throat. He screamed for help, but no one would interfere. The fellow then ran to his room, gathered his things together, and designed to leave the house. But when our landlady, Madam Herries, was informed of this, in order to satisfy the wretch, she disgraced herself by having twenty-six lashes inflicted upon the poor girl with a cow-hide, and refined upon her cruelty so much, that she forced the sweetheart of the girl, a young negro slave, who waited in the house, to count off the lashes upon her.[46 - This Frenchman, a merchant’s clerk from Montpelier, was not satisfied with this: he went to the police, lodged a complaint against the girl, had her arrested by two constables, and whipped again by them in his presence. I regret that I did not take a note of this miscreant’s name, in order that I might give his disgraceful conduct its merited publicity.]

The river was progressively on the rise: the level of the water already higher than the land. It still brought down great quantities of drift timber with it. It was said, that about three days before, an uncommonly long and thick rattlesnake had been caught upon a tree that had been fished out. It was killed by a stroke of an axe, and had eighteen rattles on its tail. From this it was concluded that extraordinary inundations had taken place in the upper countries.

In order to pay my farewell visit to Mr. and Madam Andry, I crossed the Mississippi river in a little boat, and it occupied me full three-quarters of an hour to gain the right bank. It required a quarter of an hour alone to pass through the drift wood, which had collected on the shore. We were compelled, nevertheless, to direct our course parallel with the bank, for if we had attained the main current, it would have swept us down with great force. In addition to this, we experienced a real equinoctial tempest, so that the passage was far from being comfortable. I hired a horse upon the opposite bank, and rode in less than an hour to Mr. Andry’s habitation, ten miles distance. The horses here are trained to a small gallop or canter, which is upon the whole not fatiguing, and carries you speedily. The storm had driven off in a thunder-squall, I felt but the beginning of it, and reached the habitation just at the right time. I galloped back again about five o’clock in the evening, under a beautiful clear sky. The road ran partly on the levée, partly along side of it. The land is chiefly cane-fields. I came past three considerable sugar plantations, from which canals were made in the cypress woods behind the fields, and thence to the Lake Barataria. These canals are intended principally for the carriage of wood. The young sprouts of the sugar cane made their appearance above ground, and the negroes were employed in weeding it. The passage over the river was shorter this evening than in the morning, it lasted an half hour.

Dr. Herman showed me, at my farewell visit to him, besides his library, the claws and head of an alligator, which he had shot on the lake Barataria. The teeth of this reptile are indeed very long, but they do not appear to be fixed firmly in, but are hollow, and seem as if the animal changed them periodically; for in the cavities of several teeth, which had appeared to leave no roots, you see young teeth pushing forth. Below the under jaw, the alligator has two little glands, which have a strong odour of musk. The Doctor has dried these glands, and hung them up in that state for several years, yet still they impart a strong musky smell. The alligator perhaps may avail himself of this substance to benumb the fish which come within his reach, and then swallow them.[47 - [Nonsense.] – Trans.]

Bishop Dubourg, whom I have often visited during my residence in this place, received me one day in his library, which contains besides theological works, many books of science and belles lettres. I remarked a perfect set of the French Encyclopédie, and complimented the bishop upon it, and expressed my surprise that he should have been able to purchase this work so complete in this country. The worthy man related with a smile how he had acquired it. As he was travelling through Flanders in 1816 and 1817, in company with the Bishop Prince de Broglio, he formed an acquaintance with a gentleman and his daughter, well known for their bigotry. The latter, a great admirer of books, told him confidingly, that she experienced great scruples on account of keeping in her library the Encyclopédie, in which so many wicked things were contained in opposition to the church. She inquired of him whether she had not better throw this shocking book into the fire? He himself being a great book fancier, and having observed that the work was complete, forbid this pious proceeding, and told her that if she would commit it to his custody, he would provide against its proving prejudicial. In this manner he saved this expensive work from destruction, and thereby enriched his own library.

CHAPTER XX

Travels up the Mississippi from New Orleans to St. Louis, and to St. Charles, on the Missouri

After a stay of nine weeks, I at length left New Orleans, on the 26th of March, with the most grateful feelings towards its inhabitants, who had received me in a friendly and affectionate manner, and had made this winter so extremely agreeable to me. Never shall I forget what the families of Messrs. Grymes, Urquhart and Andry, did for my benefit, and with what cordiality and true hospitality they acted towards me. The Baron de Marigny has, however, merited the most from my hands, and since he has it in prospect to leave America, and settle himself in Europe, I trust yet once more to have it in my power to exhibit my gratitude to him otherwise than by words. The real creoles are, upon the whole, a warm-hearted generation, and the people with whom I was least pleased here, were the Americans, who are mostly brought only by the desire of accumulating wealth. The Germans in Louisiana, unhappily rank behind even the Irish. They are mostly a lazy race, not distinguished for their morality, and very different from their countrymen in Pennsylvania, who, on account of their moral and industrious characters, are universally respected, and are worthy of this high regard.

Since my landing in Boston, on the 26th July, to my reaching New Orleans, I had travelled the distance of four thousand two hundred and seventy-five English miles. I entered now upon another great journey. I designed to go from here to St. Louis, thence through the states of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio to Pittsburgh, thence through Pennsylvania by Philadelphia to New York. Here I proposed, with God’s help, to embark for Liverpool, in the month of June.

About ten o’clock in the morning, I repaired from the Levée on board the steam-boat Phoenix, bound for St. Louis, and immediately left the shore. Eight steam-boats ascended the river on the same day. Ours was the finest of this number. She was not large and had proportionately a too powerful and dangerous high pressure engine. This communicated to the vessel such a violent shock, that it was hardly possible to write. Mr. Huygens was still my travelling companion; and I found to my great satisfaction, a new and very welcome one in M. Hottinguer, the son of a banker in Paris, whom I had known in New York, and who was now desirous of viewing the western states on his return to Europe. The remaining passengers, only three in number, were inhabitants of St. Genevieve, not far from St. Louis, in the state of Missouri. The day was very beautiful; the city, as well as the extensive suburb of St. Marie, afforded a very picturesque view. What a pity that the shores are so very low. It is hard to determine where the suburb St. Marie ends, the houses gradually stand farther apart, until they are confounded with the sugar plantations, of which we observed a good many on both banks of the river, and some ornamented with very convenient dwelling houses. The banks are highly cultivated, behind the fields, however, the cypress woods are seen to commence. Towards the afternoon, something broke in the engine, and we had to lie by for repairs, about three hours. We heard music on the plantations, as the negroes were allowed to amuse themselves on this first day of the Easter holy-days. So much timber drove down the stream, that our engine was frequently stopped, to prevent the buckets of the wheels from being injured by floating trunks of trees.

Our accommodations consisted of a cabin with sixteen births; behind this were two ladies cabins, of which, as there were no ladies on board, we took possession, so that we might be located at the greatest possible distance from the engine. We met three steam-boats, and several keel and flat boats, which were laden with cotton, meal in barrels, bacon, hams, birds, &c.

We passed the whole night without receiving any damage, although we suffered some heavy blows from floating trunks of trees. The next day the dwellings were more scattered, all of them, as well as the sugar-cane fields about them, appeared in good condition. The banks on both sides we found mostly covered with wood; the cypress had ceased, and green-leaved trees, such as ash and poplar took their place. At first the shore was very low, and we could observe from the marks on the trees left by the water, that at a high stage of it the surrounding country must be overflowed. Towards midday we passed the small town of Baton Rouge, which lies upon a height, and may contain about twelve hundred inhabitants. It was the first town we had noticed. In passing, I remarked upon the eminence two brick barracks, two stories high, and good looking, which are inhabited during the summer by the garrison of New Orleans, on account of their healthy situation. Baton Rouge is one hundred and thirty-one miles distant from New Orleans, and owes its name to an ancient Indian trunk of a tree, which was so denominated by the first French settlers. We did not stop here, but made our first halt after sunset, at Bayou Sara, one hundred and sixty-three miles from New Orleans, for an hour, to take in wood for the engine. Above Baton Rouge the banks were steep, especially the left. Such solitary elevations are termed here bluffs. The islands in the Mississippi are numbered as they occur from the junction of the Ohio down. The last is No. 97, we came this day up above No. 94, and found all these intermediate islands low and covered with wood. Towards the rising of the sun, we had passed by at the mouth of the Bayou la Fourche, the little town of Donaldsonville, where as it is said, the seat of government of Louisiana will be established.[48 - [Our author has somehow been confused in his diary here: the mouth of La Fourche is generally called seventy-five miles above New Orleans, Stoddart makes it eighty-one. At any rate it is about half way between Bayou Sara or Point Coupee and the city of New Orleans; and of course the Duke must have passed Donaldsonville, which is at the junction of La Fourche with the Mississippi, in the morning of the day he passed Baton Rouge.] – Trans.] We saw three large alligators lying on the shore sunning themselves, the largest must have been from six to eight feet long. The weather was fine the whole day.

We did not lie by again in the evening, but went on through the night, and still received several blows from the drift wood.

The next morning produced nothing novel; some tortoises only passed us, sailing on pieces of wood. The river made many and considerable windings. The banks are every where woody, and for the most part so low, that from the water-marks on the trees, they must be inundated at high freshes. There were several high bluffs on the left bank, of which those called Loftus Heights, appear to be the most remarkable. There is a small settlement there called Fort Adams, from a fort that formerly stood here. Scattered, but considerable plantations, are situated on the shores. The sugar plantations have ceased, and the cotton fields have taken their place. We stopped at one of these plantations to take in wood; I embraced this opportunity to land, and look round about me in the neighbourhood of the plantation. The soil appeared to be of a dark colour, and very productive. The trees were chiefly of ash and poplar, of which one was sixteen feet in circumference. Upon all the trees, wild vines branched aloft, partly from thick trunks; also many locust trees grew about here. In the garden of the plantation, there stood a large bush of the champagne rose, as it is called, which appeared very beautiful, as it was in full bloom, and diffused a delicious odour. The raising of bees was carried on at this plantation. The vegetation was as far advanced almost, as it is in Germany about June. The right bank of the stream still belongs to Louisiana, the left side however, is in Mississippi. Before we reached Fort Adams, we saw to the left of us the broad Red river, emptying itself into the Mississippi two hundred and thirty-two miles from New Orleans.

I take the liberty of inserting the following account of this river, which is given in the “Western Navigator,” a work which is published with charts of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers: “The Red river falls into the Mississippi a little to the south of the thirty-first degree of north latitude. At its mouth it is about five hundred yards wide, and its general breadth is between two hundred and fifty and three hundred yards. The main branch of this majestic stream rises in the Mexican range of mountains eastward from Santa Fé, in nearly the thirty-sixth degree of north latitude. It flows about one hundred miles in a north-eastern direction, unites itself with another broad branch coming from the north-west, makes then a great circuit towards the south-east, and follows this direction to the Mississippi for the distance of fifteen hundred miles. The country about the lower half of the Red river is pretty well examined, and found equal to the other part of Louisiana in fertility, except about fifty miles from the Mississippi, which district is exposed to annual inundations. The cotton and the tobacco raised about Natchitoches and at the Rapids, are of the best quality, and command the highest prices. Besides many small craft, the trade employs several steam-boats at Natchitoches. The bed and shores of this river consists of clear red sand, mixed with clay and gravel, the same colour is imparted to the water.”

On the morning of the 29th March we reached Natchez, and made a stop of some hours, to repair a leaky boiler. I employed this leisure in writing some letters of thanks to New Orleans. This occupied so much of my time, that I was not able to look about in Natchez. Several of our company did so, and informed me that the city was regularly and well built, and situated upon an eminence on the left bank of the river, removed a short mile back from it. Upon the bank itself, are some few streets of wooden houses, with shops for provisioning and supplying the steam-boats, which mostly make this a station. Back of these streets, rises a sand-hill, upon which the city stands, and a very laborious ascent through deep sand carries one there. Natchez is two hundred and ninety-eight miles distant from New Orleans.

At half past eight o’clock we proceeded: the banks were very low, and bluffs were to be seen only now and then on the left side. Only one solitary plantation on a hill covered with grass appeared well cultivated. It was situated upon a point called Petit gulf, where the river makes a remarkable bend, and is three hundred and forty miles from New Orleans. Besides this, we took notice of several little plantations which are exposed to inundations, and have only wretched log-houses. They are fixed there by poor people, who seek to acquire property in this unhealthy district. We stopt at two of this kind of plantations to take in wood, and I went ashore both times for exercise. At one of these places, the owner had put fire to all the trees that were not hewn down, to make the land arable, and to change the wood into cotton fields. The day passed over in the same way: our travelling party was increased by a woman from St. Louis, who had waited for us with her three children at one of the plantations. She was the wife of a mechanic in St. Louis, who also was engaged in trade, having been to Santa Fé, in Mexico, and from there had brought mules for sale to the state of Alabama. He appeared to have staid away rather too long; his wife, and her three little children, had travelled after him, but not being able to find him, she now returned home.

During the night we passed the little town of Warrenton, on the left bank of the river, three hundred and ninety-eight miles from New Orleans, and afterwards another, on an eminence on the same shore, called Walnut Hills, ten miles farther. About midday, on the 30th of March, we passed the mouth of the Yazoo.