382 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



ham, menaced New Orleans, the constitution of 

 Louisiana was temporarily and arbitrarily suspended 

 by General Jackson, commanding the American 

 forces in the south, with a view to greater unity in 

 the defensive operations. This suspension excited 

 great indignation amongst the Louisianians, who 

 viewed it as a direct attack upon their liber- 

 ties, unjustified by circumstances. Meetings were 

 called, and the general's conduct was made the sub- 

 ject of vehement censure. When the news of the 

 peace between England and the United States, con- 

 cluded in Europe before the fight of New Orleans 

 took place, arrived, judicial proceedings were insti- 

 tuted against Jackson; he was found guilty of a 

 violation of the Habeas Corpus Act, and condemned 

 to a fine of two thousand dollars. This fine the 

 Louisianian Creoles were anxious to pay for him; 

 but he preferred paying it himself, and did so with a 

 good grace, thereby augmenting the popularity he 

 had acquired by his victories over the Creek Indians, 

 and by the still more important repulse of Paken- 

 ham's ill-planned and worse-fated expedition. 



Captain Percy, a young officer of regulars, brought 

 the announcement of the suspension of the Louisi- 

 anian constitution to a town on the Mississippi, then 

 the headquarters of the militia, who, at the moment 

 of his arrival, were assembled on parade. The 

 general commanding read the despatch with grave 

 dissatisfaction, and communicated its contents to his 



