Part 20 (1/2)

As the passage hence to the city is very tedious in stages, we proposed to hire a carriage, but there was none to be found; six dollars was asked for a boat; we therefore, decided to go on foot The Colonel, Mr

Huygens, Mr Egbert, Mr Chew, andwas beautiful spring weather; we passed through a shocking ht side of the bayou The woods were hanging full of the hateful Spanish moss, and a number of palmettoes were the only variety afforded The causeas very es over little ditches, which conveyed the water fro marshes into the bayou

After we had proceeded three miles in this manner, we caate, and found ourselves quite in another world Plantations, with handsos, followed in quick succession; noble live oaks, which had been trie trees, pride of China, and other tropical trees and bushes, along the road Several inns and public gardens were exhibited, for a population that willingly seeks amusement We noticed several mansion-houses, ornaalleries; so It was naturally agreeable toti civilized country We saw from afar, the white spires of the cathedral of New Orleans, also thein the Mississippi The bayou unites itself, threethither, which we passed upon a turning bridge, to strike into the city by a nearer way

This road carried us betell-builtlamps The first view of the city, as we reached, without knowing it, was really not handsome; for we came into the oldest section, which consisted only of little one-story houses, withroofs On the whole, the streets are regularly laid out, part parallel with the river, the rest perpendicular to it The ancient toas surrounded by a wall, which is destroyed, in its room there is a boulevard laid out, called Rue de Reny, and above, that of St

Mary; then begins the ant part of the city

Before we searched for lodgings, we looked about a little through the city, and went first to the Mississippi, to pay our hoe to this ”father of rivers” It is about half a hty fathoms deep; it is separated from the city by a compost of muscle shells This causeway defends it from inundations There are no wharves, they cannot be fixed, as the river would sweep the the bank, as in the Thae steam-boats, employed in the river trade In a line with the bank stood houses, which were two or three stories high, and built of brick, also ancient massive Spanish houses, known by their heavy, solid style, and mostly white We passed by a square, of which the river formed one side, opposite stood the cathedral, and on each side of it, athe bank stood the market-houses, built of brick, modelled after the Propylaea, in Athens, and divided into separate blocks We saw in these, fine pine-apples, oranges, bananas, peccan-nuts, cocoa-nuts, and vegetables of different descriptions; also several shops, in which coffee and oysters were sold The black population appeared very large; ere informed, that above one-half of the inhabitants, forty-five thousand in number, were of the darker colour The custo

We den, partner of Mr William Nott, to whose house I had letters, who had the politeness to take charge of us, and assist us in our search for lodgings We obtained tolerable quarters in the boarding house of Madame Herries, Rue de Chartres The first person I encountered in this house, was Count Vidua, hom I had becoh Canada, the western country, and down the Ohio and Mississippi

My first excursion was to visit Mr Grye, massive, and splendidly furnished house I found only Mrs Gry journey arrived here, and in fourteen days after had given birth to a fine son I found two elegantly arranged rooms prepared for me, but I did not accept this hospitable invitation After some tis As our schooner had not yet arrived, ent to meet it and found it in the canal, a mile and a half from tohere two cotton boats blocked up the way We had our baggage put into the skiff, and came with it into the basin, where the canal terovernor of the state of Louisiana, Mr Johnson, but did not find him at home After this ent to several coffee-houses, where the lower class a in Spanish, which he accouitar Mr Gry during the carnival at the French theatre The saloon in which they danced, was quite long, well planned, and adorned with large mirrors Round it were three rows of benches aed

There were few masks, only a few dominos, none in character Cotillions and waltzes were the dances perforant, but understood thatto the better class of society There were several adjoining rooms open, in which there is a supper when subscription balls are given In the ground floor of the building are rooms, in which pharo and roulette are played These places were obscure, and rese there appeared from their dress, not to be of the best description

Next day, we made new acquaintances, and renewed some old ones

I reive up o to that country as not a subject of such states as had recognized the new government There were too many obstacles in my way, and therefore I determined to wait in New Orleans for the mild season, and then to ascend the Mississippi The result was an extensive acquaintance, a succession of visits, a certain confor to in a city No day passed over this winter which did not produce so, each day however, was nearly the sa parties, plays, masquerades, and other amusements followed close on each other, and were interrupted only by the little circumstances which accompany life in this hemisphere, as well as in the other

The cathedral in New Orleans is built in a dull and heavy style of architecture externally, with a gable on which a tower and two lateral cupolas are erected The facade is so confused, that I cannot pretend to describe it Within, the church rese is of wood, the pillars which support it, and divide the nave into three aisles, are heavy, made of wood, covered with plaster: as well as the walls, they are constructed without taste The three altars are distinguished by no rely wax ireat altar is a throne for the bishop On Sundays and holy-days, this cathedral is visited by the beau monde; except on these occasions, I found that most of the worshi+ppers consisted only of blacks, and coloured people, the chief part of theuarded against in a peculiar way In Holland piles are driven in along the water for this purpose, and held together by wattling After the dam is raised up, there are palisades of the sas of the palether, and their fan-like leaves for down

There are only two streets paved in the city; but all have brick side-walks The paving stones are brought as ballast by the shi+ps froh Several side-walks are also laid with broad flag stones In the carriage way of the streets there is a prodigious quantity of e to pass; the walkers ish to go from one side to the other, have a severe inconvenience before theression, to find some stones that are placed in the abyss, for the benefit of juh, run a risk of sticking fast

Sunday is not observed with the puritanic strictness in New Orleans, that it is in the north The shops are open, and there is singing and guitar-playing in the streets In New York, or Philadelphia, such proceedings would be regarded as outrageously indecent On a Sunday ent for the first time, to the French theatre, in which a play was perforht, was the tragedy of Regulus, and two vaudevilles The dramatic corps was merely tolerable, such as those of the small French provincial towns,[II-3]

where they never presuhest class ”Regulus” was murdered; Mr Marchand and Madame Clozel, whose husband performed the couished thee, but well ornamented; below is the pit and parquet, a row of boxes each for four persons, and before them a balcony The boxes are not divided by walls, but only separated by a low partition, so that the ladies can exhibit themselves conveniently Over the first row of boxes is a second, to which the free colored people resort, who are not admitted to any other part of the theatre, and above this row is the gallery, in which slaves o, with the permission of their entlemen who do not wish to sit in a box, stand, or walk about, where they can see over the boxes The theatre was less attended, than we had supposed it would be; and it was said, that the great shock felt in the commercial world, on account of the bankruptcy of three of the uished houses, in consequence of unfortunate speculations in cotton, and the failures in Liverpool, was the cause of this desertion

[Footnote II-3: [This is the sahly, that one ht almost suppose them equal to the artists of the _Theatre Francais_, if, unfortunately, one visit to the theatre, did not coarrison consists of two coiments This has been here since the last insurrection of the negroes, and has been continued, to overawe them In case of a serious alarm, this would prove but of little service! and what security is there against such an alarm? In Chartres street, where elt, there were two establishs, to wit: shops in which negroes were purchased and sold These unfortunate beings, of both sexes, stood or sat the whole day, in these shops, or in front of them, to exhibit the, and the barbarity and indifference, produced by the custom in whitethe slave traders, a Hollander frousted ar and sinister countenance iroes in the most brutal manner; he was, however, severely beaten by these s, driven to despair[II-4a]]

[Footnote II-4a: The virtuous indignation of the Duke, at these horrible consequences of slavery, is such as everyfamiliarity with such scenes, ard theue in favour of their continuance and harenerally known, as it should be, that the _slave trade_ is carried on, alorously now, as ever it was, and by citizens of al Americans The slave vessels sail principally frooes on the island of Puerto Rico, and elsewhere, whither purchasers and agents resort, when such an arrival occurs Two schooners, with large cargoes, arrived in Puerto Rico in February last, and two brigs were daily expected It is said in the West Indies, that all shi+ps of war, of powers owning West India Colonies, _connive_ at the trade, which is fully supported by facts; as French, Danish, and English cruisers were in the vicinity, when the aboveoff the coast of Africa, to prevent the trade, is ridiculed by the slave dealers, with one of whom the writer of this note conversed If the Aovernment _really wished_ to put an end to this trade, it could be very effectually acco small armed vessels to intercept the slave traders near their places of landing cargoes, which are not very numerous It is also said, in the West Indies, that the Havanna traders still contrive to introduce Africans into the southern part of the United States; of the truth or falsehood of this, we know nothing The slave vessels are generally Baltis, and schooners, completely armed and very fast sailers Two of them sailed on this execrable trade in February last, from a part visited by the writer --_Trans_]

There were subscription balls given in New Orleans, to which the ers had the politeness to invite us These balls took place twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays, at the French theatre, where the ood society were admitted to these subscription balls; the first that we attended was not crowded, however, the generality of the ladies present were very pretty, and had a very genteel French air The dress was extreant, and after the latest Paris fashi+on The ladies danced, upon the whole, excellently, and did great honour to their French teachers Dancing, and some instruction in music, is almost the whole education of the feentleance They did not re at the ball, but hasted away to the quadroon ball, so called, where they amused themselves more, and were more at their ease This was the reason why there were entleed to for, she is said to be ”bredouille” Two cotillions and a waltz, are danced in succession, and there is hardly an interval of two or three roes and coloured people, and was pretty good The governor was also at the ball, and introducedothers, a Frenchrated here froiven the world sohters Several of the French families here settled, and indeed, the rants from that island, ait for the indereat hopes of receiving it

Colonel Wool inspected the two cos stationed here; both together hty men under arms The inspection took place before the Cathedral I adreat propriety of these co, which I had no opportunity to observe before, in the troops of the United States There was indeed s to be wished for; as for example, the coats of the rey cloth pantaloons were of different shades, and un straps; the belt intended for the bayonet sheath over that of the cartridge box: the privates had wooden flints in their guns, and none in their cartridge boxes, also no spare flints, files, screwdrivers, nor oil flasks From the false maxim, that the second rank, if they are shorter ed in the first, and the taller in the second rank through the whole arreat eye-sore There was soood The soldiers werenatives of the western states; there were so them The Irish, however, since their conduct is often in nowise coer ad the reviehich lasted above an hour or islature now asse, present I formed an acquaintance here with General La Coste, who fored in the Spanish service, and at present cohan also attended the review[II-5]

[Footnote II-5: Colonel CROGHAN was one of the uished officers of the American army In the last war, he defended a ainst a force eight tireater than his ohich had artillery, and drove it back After the peace, he was appointed Post Master of New Orleans, and during ain into the army, and held the post of second Inspector-General]

When the revieas over, the governor showedthe Cathedral, with arcades, as before-mentioned One of them is devoted to the use of the several courts of justice, and the other is the City Hall In the first, the United States court was holding its sessions, and as it was rather cold, the judge had removed himself to the fire-place, there to have the business transacted before hiro The buyer had purchased hiain had been concluded, and payment made, he discovered, by the declaration of his former master, the seller, that at a certain period he was to be free

I could not reh in the court, to wait for the decision

We passed then to the City Hall In the lower story, is the guard-house of the city guard, besides a prison[II-6] for runaways, or negroes punished by order of their masters, who are here incarcerated, and employed in all servile labours for the city; they are terres marrons_ The masters receive a daily recoro Near the guard-house stands a snal tattoo is fired After this shot, no negro can tread the streets without a pass[II-7] The upper stories of this building contains the offices and court halls of the istrates