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LOniSUKA. 



LOUISUKA. 



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port* of Loaiouu in 1850 wm i—SMtK*d, 8M tuuU of S50,85S 

 tona, of which 6S4 voncb of 176,969 ten* ware Amarieao, and 874 

 TOMob of 174,8M ten* won tonign; dwnd, American 498, of 

 SI 1,800 too*, aad fonign SM, of If &,IS7 too*. In tha coaatiog-tnde, 

 doriiw tho ywr oadiiig JoM SOth 18£I, than antcrad 1178 vcueli of 

 4«8,4Ts tona, and eUand 1S27 raaada of 868,178 tons. Tha total 

 Talua of the ezporU coaatwiae during tha year waa 27,288,912 dollars. 

 The total quantitiea of tha prineipaf articles exported to foreign and 

 domaatio {mrts during the yaar ending Jnne 80th 1851 were as 

 foUowa:— Oottoo, 997,458 balaa; aagar, 44,147 hogsheada and 8844 

 bairala ; mnliaam, 6S6 hogsbsads and 67,034 barrela; tobacco, 64,fi01 

 bogsbaada; con, 685,889 aada; flour, 683,418 barraU; pork, 192,787 

 barrda; bacon, 46,241 hogsheads; Isrd, 738,956 kegs; beef, 42,415 

 barrels; whiskey, 67,893 barrela. The receipts, chiefly of these 

 ■tapis exports, from the intetior by the Mississippi during the same 

 7«ar ware Talued at 106,024,083 dollars, in addition to which there is 

 a aooaidarsble traffic by Lake Pontchartrain and tha new canal. The 

 agnsMto of tha shipping owned in the state in 1850 amounted to 

 uSlOVO tons, the whole of which, except 1381 tons owned in the 

 anbJiatriet of Teche, belonged to the district of New Orleans. Of 

 the abore, 83,663 tona were registered; 160,630 tons enrolled and 

 Ueensed ; 5789 tons were of vessels under 20 tons burden ; three-fifths 

 of the tonnage, 151,613 tons were propelled by steam. Duriug the 

 year ending June 30th 1852, 1 brig, 11 aohoonors, and 4 Bteamcrs, iu 

 the aggregate 1284 tons, were built in the state. 



XNnsiofu, Tofpnt, 4ie. — Louisiana is divided into two districts ; the 

 aaatem district baring 21 parishsa, and the western district 26 

 parishes. Baton Rouge is the political capital ; but New Oblxans is 

 the commercial metropolis, and one of the chief commercial cities in 

 the United States. All the other towns are of small size ; but 

 ■ereral of tbem are places of considerable bnsinoas as shipping 

 stations, or otherwise. New Orieans is notioed in a separate article ; 

 the other more important towns are notioed below ; the population is 

 thai of I860:— 



SaUM Rouge, the capital, stands partly on elevated ground on the 

 left bank, and 245 miles above the mouth of the Mississippi, 1120 

 miles S.W. from Washington : population, 3905, of whom 2562 are 

 whitaa. The public buildings are the state house, penitentiary, county 

 hooae, United States barracks, churches, a college, schools, &o. Some 

 trade is carried on, the business part of the town lying at the foot of 

 the bluflt Two nawspupers are published here weekly. 



OarroUton, on the right bank of the Mississippi, 6 miles from New 

 Orleans, population 1470, is a place of a good deal of trade, but con- 

 tains no buildings of any note. DortaldtonvUU, the ca|>ital of Ascension 

 parish, and formerly the capital of the state, is pleaanutly situated on 

 the right bank of the Mississippi, 27 miles S.E. by 8. from Baton 

 Ronge : population, 1498. It contains a court-house, arsenal. United 

 States land-offioe, churches, a college, schools, fto. ; and carries on a 

 eon^denible trade. Lafayette [New Orlbaxb]. Nalehitocka, the 

 capital of Natchitoches parish, stands on the right bank of the Red 

 River, 146 miles N.W. from Baton Rouge, population 1261, of whom 

 474 are slaves. This is one of the oldest towns in the state, having 

 been founded by the French in 1717, and a large proportion of tlie 

 population is of French and Spanish descent It contains a court- 

 nouse. United States land-offioe, jail, churches, and schools ; possaasas 

 considerable trade, and supports a weekly newspaper. OpAnuat, the 

 capital of LandiT parish, is situated near the source of Vermilion River, 

 66 miles W. by N. from Baton Ronge : the population is not given in 

 tb* Census Return. It is the centre of a ^rtilo dintrict, and a place 

 of considerable trade; contains a court-house, United States land- 

 oSoe, four churches, schools, Franklin collage, two banks, several 

 extensive stores, and aupports a daily and a semi-weekly newspaper. 

 Point Couple, on the rigbt bank of the Mississippi, 86 miles N.N.W. 

 from Raton liouge : the population, which is chiefly of French descent, 

 is not given. It contains a court-house, jail, churches, schools, Ac ; 

 is the depM for a very important planting district ; and supports a 

 daily newspaper. The levM extends along the Mississippi from this 

 place downwards. Shrereporl, the capital of Caddo parish, on the 

 rigbt bank of the Red River, 1 mile from Soda Lake, and about 200 

 imlca N.W. from Baton llonge, population 1728, of whom 695 were 

 slaves. It contains a court-house, jail, ohurchea, ftc, and is a place of 

 much business. There are several other buatoesa towns, as Alexandria 

 on the Red River, Jackson on Thompson's Creek, Iberville and St. 

 Francisville on the Misataaippi, Thibodeauxville ou the La Fourche, 

 fee. ; bat they all have a very small white popnlatioa. 



Otnrnmtnt, Jitdiealwre, <<.■;.— The fint state conatitution waa adopted 

 ia 1819, and aaperwtded by a new one in 1846. Tha present oonsti- 

 tation of Loaiabna waa adcotsd in 1862. By it tha right of voting in 

 all aUto alaetioaB b vested In every white male citicen 21 years of age, 

 who afaall hava rsaidad in the state 12 months, and in the parish in 

 wfaioh be ofEsn to vote 6 months next preoediug the election ; but 

 panmM is the army or navy, niupers, and persons interdicted or oon- 

 Tfotad of any crime punishable with hard labour, are not entitled to 

 Tota. Tba legislative body oooaiata of a Senate of 82 membaia alaetad 

 for 4 yean, on»balf bring alartad biaonially ; and a Houaa of lUpra- 

 ■antativaa of aot la« tbaa TO nor mora than 100 mamben (at pnaent 

 97), alaetad biennially. The Senate eonSnaa or rajecta the oppoiBt- 

 mania of ofioen made by tba fovamor. Tha alaottPB of Uoitaa StatM 



aaoaton ia made by a joint ballot of both honaes. Membara may 

 addreas either honae iu the English or French language. The governor 

 is elected for 4 years, but is incapable of re-alaotion for a oonsecativa 

 term. He has a veto on acts of the legislature ; but a bill beoomaa 

 law, notwitlistonding his veto, if it be again passed by a vote of two- 

 thirds of both bouses. His salary is 6000 dollars. 



Tha legislature may grant aid to companies for internal improva- 

 manta in proportion to one-fifth of thair paid-up capital ; but the total 

 amount of debt incurred in this way mnat not exceed 8,006,000 doUan ; 

 and the state shall not subscribe for the stook of any banking cor- 

 poration, nor make any loon to, nor pladge ita £uth for, any sooh 

 corporation. No law can be passed sanctioning tha suspensioD of 

 anecie payments. Lotteries, and the buying and selling of lottery- 

 tickets, are prohibited. No divorce can be granted by tha legislature. 

 No principail or second iu a duel, and no one who sends or accepts a 

 challenge, shall hold any office or enjoy tha rights of auSrage. Pro- 

 positions to alter or amend the constitution must be carried by a vote 

 of two-tbirds of all the members of each house ; the vote must than 

 be published throughout the state three months before the next 

 general election ; and then, if it be ratified by a majority of voters at 

 such election, it shall become a part of the constitution. 



The total public debt of the state on January 1st, 1858, waa 

 11,766,407 dollars; but of this the sum of 9,612,088 dollars waa for 

 liabilities incurred on account of property baulcs, tiie proper state debt 

 being only 2,l.'i4,319 dollars. The entire revenue for the year ending 

 December 31, 1852 (including a balance left in 1851 of 308,H86 dolUn), 

 was 1,455,455 dollon; the expenditure for the same year waa 1,100,984 

 dollars. The state-militia consists of 42,823 men, of whom 1392 are 

 commissioned offioei-s. The judicature consists of a supreme court, 

 having appellate jurisdiction, and district courts. The supreme court 

 is presided over by a chief justice having a salary of 6000 doUara, and 

 four associate justices with salaries of 5500 doUan each : these jndgaa 

 are all elected by the people for a term of ten years. There are 6 

 district courts of New Orleans each presided over by a judg^e with a 

 salary of 3500 dollars, and 18 other district courts : all the judges of 

 these and the inferior courts are also elected by the people. 



A superintendent of education is directed by the constitution to be 

 elected every two years. It ahra directs that free public schools shall 

 be established throughout the state ; and that the proceeds of the 

 lands granted for the purpose, or escheated to the state, shall be held 

 as a permanent fund, on which 6 per cent, interest shall ba paid bj 

 the state for the support of those schools. In 1850 the number ot 

 public schools was 664, having 822 teaohers and 26,046 pupils; 

 colleges and academies 143, having 864 teachers and 5828 pupils. 

 The total number of children attending school in 1850 waa returned 

 at 32,838 whites and 1219 free coloured children; total, 84,057. The 

 number of white children in the atote between the ages of 5 and 16 

 was 61,166 ; of free coloured children, 4468. The number of adults 

 in the state in 1660 who cannot read and write was 21,221 whites and 

 8889 free coloured : total, 24,610, of whom 18,339 were natives of tha 

 United States and 6271 foreigners. The principal colleges in Uie 

 state are the following : — Centenary (Methodist) College, at Jackson, 

 founded in 1839, which on January 1st 1858 hod 7 instruotora, 102 

 students, and a library of 6000 volumes ; St> Charles (Roman Catholic) 

 College, at Qrand Coteau, founded iu 1888, which had 21 instruotora, 

 108 students, and a library of 4000 volumes; Baton Rouge College, 

 founded in 1 888, which had four instructors, 45 students, and a library 

 of 300 volumes; Franklin College, at Opelousas, founded in 1839, 

 which bad 4 instruotora and 70 students ; and the University of 

 Louisiana, founded in 1849, which had 7 profeason in the department 

 of Arts, aud connected with it law and medical schools. 



Of the various religious denominations the Roman Catholics, and 

 next to them the Methodists, are the most numerous. In 1 850 the 

 Roman Catholics had 56 churches, afibrding aooommodation for 

 87,780 penons; the Methodists 125 churches, aflbrding aooommodation 

 for 83,180 penous; the Baptists 77 churches, with accommodation 

 for 16,660 persons; the Presbyterians 18 churches, with aooommodi^ 

 tion for 9610 persons; the Kpisoopolians 14 churches, with accommo- 

 dation for 5210 persons. Including nil sects then were 306 churches 

 in the state with aooommodation for 109,615 persons. The state 

 institutions for the relief of the unfortunate are — a deaf nnd dumb 

 asylum at Baton Rouge ; and the charity hospital at Mew Orleans, in 

 which, during 1852, Uiere wen admitted 18,035 patients, diaohargad 

 15,057; died 2098. Of tha patients admitted 1709 ware nativaa of 

 tha United States, 16,144 natives of foreign eountriea, and 181 of 

 unknown birth. The number of nawipapan and periodicals published 

 in the state in 1850 was 64, with an aggregate annual drouUtion of 

 12,260,824 copies. Of thasa 11 were published daily, 6 tri-weekly, 

 and 87 weekly: 18 wars literary and miscellaneous; 6 neutral and 

 independent, 83 politicsl, 1 religions, and 1 scientific. 



The Misslaiippi river was discovered by land. The Spaniards navi- 

 gated the Clulf of Mexico for two centuriee without being aware that 

 one of the largest rivera of the globe falls into it. This foot may bo 

 expUined from tha oiroumstance that a low, flat^ and dangerous coast 

 extends on both sides of its month to a great distance. The IVench, 

 after their establishment in Canada, got some information as to the 

 river about 1660, but did not diaoover ita mouth before 1699, when 

 U. da Ibarrilla founded tha fliat colony. Tlie dty of New Orleans 



