324 



LOUISIANA. 



and justice is promptly administered. The insalubrity of the city has always been well known. 

 The endemics of the summer, sweep off strangers by hundreds, and the chance of surviving a 

 season is sometimes considered as only 1 in 3. Notwithstanding this, it has rapidly increased 

 in population, commerce, wealth, and general prosperity. Population, 80,000. 



There is no o'her large town in Louisiana. Donaldsonville ^ on the west bank of the Mis 

 sissippi, 90 miles above New Orleans, was at one time the seat of government. Baton Rouge, 

 on the east side, 50 miles further up, stands on the last of the blufis that are seen in descend- 

 ing the river. It is a pretty village, with houses in the P^rench and Spanish style, and a 

 handsome range of barracks for the United States troops. Population, 1,500. 8t. Francis- 

 ville, on the same side, 20 miles above, stands also upon a bluff'. It is about the size of Baton 

 Rouge, and has a considerable trade in cotton. On the opposite shore, is Pointe Coupee^ a 

 village inhabited mostly by French. Here is the upper commencement of the great levee. 

 Port Hudson is a thriving village below the Pointe. 



Mexandria^ on Red River, 100 miles from the Mississippi, by the windings of the stream, 

 is a pleasant village in the centre of a rich cotton district, and ships large quantities of that arti- 

 cle by steamboats and river craft. Population, 1,500. Jfatchiloches, 80 miles above, is the 

 frontier town of the United States toward the Texian territories, and is usually termed the 

 "jumping off" place" by the traders, adventurers, and fugitives in that quarter. It was settled 

 before New Orleans, and is more than a century old. The population is, like its history, an 

 odd mixture of Indian, Spanish, French, and American. It has been under the rule of all 

 these powers, and has had its war dances, fandangoes, French balls, and backwoodsmen's fro- 

 lics. It is still a place of much gayety. The trade with Texas centres here ; and it transmits 

 to that country manufactured goods, spirits, and tobacco ; and receives silver bullion, horses, 

 and mules. Many fugitives from justice and lawless characters resort hither ; yet the town has 

 much respectable society, and newspapers in French and English are published in the place. 

 Population, 3,000. 



A few miles west of Natchitoches, are the remains of the ancient town of Mayes, founded by 

 the Spaniards, and exhibiting the most complete specimen of an old Spanish town, that is to be 

 found in the country. It consists of houses 100 years old, and a little old church, decorated 

 with coarse paintings. The inhabitants are Spanish. It is about 25 miles from the Texian 

 frontier. J[Iadisonville, near the northern shore of Lake Pontchartrain, stands on a healthy spot, 

 and is a summer residence for the people of New Orleans. Opelousas and St. Martinsville, west 

 of the Mississippi, are thriving settlements, surrounded by a fertile and well cultivated district. 



5. Agriculture. Sugar and cotton are the staples of the country. The sugar-cane is raised 

 chiefly on that tract of the river alluvion called the coast, and upon the shores of the gulf and some 

 of the bayous. It is planted in cuttings, or slips, and is cultivated nearly in the same way as 

 maize. The rov/s are 6 feet apart. The soil should be of the richest quality, and a foot in 

 depth. There are 4 varieties of cane ; the African, Otaheitan, West Indian, and Riband 

 cane. The last is a new variety, and its stalk is marked with parallel stripes. It ripens some 

 weeks earlier than the other kinds, and will flourish further north. After the cane is cut, it lies a 

 few days to ferment, and is then passed through iron rollers, which press out the juice ; this is 

 evaporated by boiling, and the sugar crystalizes. An acre vi'ell cultivated, will yield 1,200 

 pounds of sugar. This State produces annually 90,000 hogsheads, of 1,000 pounds each. The 

 capital invested in sugar estates, exceeds 50,000,000 dollars.* 



* The followino- particulars respecting the cultivation of 

 sugar, are extracted from a report of the Agricultural So- 

 ciety of Baton Rouge, September, 18211 : 



" The gross product of one hand, on a well-regulated su- 

 gar estate, is put down at the cultivation of 5 acres, produc- 

 ing 5,000 pounds of sugar, and 125 gallons of molasses; the 

 former valued on the spot at 5^ cents per pound, and the lat- 

 ter, at 18 cents per gallon, together, $297-50. The annual 

 expense of each hand, including wages paid, horses, mules, 

 and oxen, physicians bills, itc , is $1(15. An estate with 

 80 negroes, annually costs $ 8,330. The items are as fol- 

 lows : salt, meat, and spirits, $ 830 ; clothing of all sorts, 

 $1,200; medical attendance, and medicines, ,$400 ; Indi- 

 an corn, $1,000; overseer's and sugar-maker's salary, 

 $1,000; taxes, $300; annual loss on a capital of $ 50,000 

 in negroes, at 24 per cent, $1,2.50; horses and oxen, 

 $1,500; repairs of boilers, $550; do. of ploughs, carts, 

 &c $300. Total, $8,330. Fifteen acres are required 

 iSr "icb haod, 5 for oultivation in cane, 5 in falhrw or reet. 



and .5 in woodland. The annual consumption of wood, on 

 an estate of 80 negroes, is 800 cords. Two crops of cane 

 are generally made in succession on the same land, one of 

 plant-cane, the other of ratoon ; it then lies fallow 2 

 years, or is planted in corn or peas. One hand will tend 

 5 acres, besides cutting his proportion of wood, and plough- 

 ing 24 acres of fallow ground. 



" The capital vested in 1 ,200 acres of land, with its stock 

 of slaves, horses, mules, and working oxen, is estimated 

 at 147,200 dollars. One third, or 400 acres, being culti- 

 vated in cane, yields 400,000 pounds, at 5j cents ; and 

 10,000 gallons of molasses, at 18 cents; together, 23,800 

 dollars. Deduct annual expenses as before, 8,330 dollars, 

 leaving an apparent profit of 15,470 dollars, or 10 3-7 per 

 cent interest on the investment."' In a report made the 

 following year, however, it appears the Society were mis- 

 led by the abundant and extraordinary crop of 1827, and 

 they give it as their opinion, that the rate of income ii not 

 more than 6 per cent. 



