152 
LETTERS FROM THE SOUTH.——NO. 7 
latter is now above the roofs of the houses in Fer¬ 
rara. He suggests as a remedy for the constantly 
increasing elevation, additional outlets from the 
stream to the Mediterranean, by artificial excava¬ 
tions at remote distances from their mouths. How 
far even this would tend to remedy the evil, may 
justly be considered, at best, as only problematical. 
Philosophical speculation or even experience may 
busy itself as to the future; but the vast elements 
of this mighty stream (the largest on the globe), the 
rolli«g flood and the solid elements which it holds 
in suspension,* governed by laws over which man 
can have no control, will probably for ever defy 
any successful interference from his puny efforts. 
One is constantly reminded of the isolated position 
of this city and the surrounding country, and al¬ 
though with an immeasurably larger range, it is yet 
almost as completely invested by water as Venice, 
the queen of the Adriatic. A single road leading 
past the city on the banks of the river, is the only 
one admitting egress from it, and even this is little 
used. Almost the entire travelling and business is 
by water-craft. There is a pleasant drive of a few 
miles in the suburbs, on the shell road and Metarie 
ridge, but all else is confined to the ordinary streets. 
Two canals, whose surface is from 6 to 36 inches 
below the general level, and one railroad lead from 
the city to lake Ponchartrain, about 6 miles. The 
former are inlets for quite a little fleet of schooners 
and other small craft, that coast along the lakes and 
Gulf, and are principally engaged in bringing lumber, 
fuel, and market supplies. One railroad extends to 
Carrolton, a pleasant village 6 miles above, and still 
another, the Mexican Gulf, runs eastwardly to lake 
Borgne. Most of the Mobile and some other boats 
make their landing in lake Ponchartrain, near the 
outlets of the Canals, where from the gradually re¬ 
ceding shore, the land and water are with difficulty 
brought together by an interminable projection of 
wharf on one side, and an equally extended excava¬ 
tion on the other. 
The centre wharf, which is over half a mile in 
length by 500 to 600 feet wide, is occupied exclu¬ 
sively for the river steamboats, from 40 to 60 of 
which are constantly moored there, receiving or 
delivering freight and passengers. First above 
these, lie the flat boats in compact acres; then the 
small gulf or coasting schooners; and still further 
above, a long line of ships and Atlantic vessels, a 
few small craft, picayune wherries, market sail¬ 
boats, &c., flank the steamboats below, which are 
succeeded by the largest class of vessels as far as 
the eye can reach. Near the centre, these lie three 
or four deep and at touching distance ; but gradually 
become less compact as the wings expand, till four 
or five miles of wharf are occupied with the floating 
craft which have been called hither at the beck of 
this young commercial giant. 
The city proper is divided into three municipalities. 
The first occupies the centre and comprises the an¬ 
cient city; above it is the second, and below, the 
third. Above the second lie Lafayette, Freeport, 
* Col. Girault asserts, that a point on the west side of the 
Mississippi, above Natchez, had been extended one-fourth of a 
mile in 30 years. Within about the same period, one-tenth of 
a mile in width, has been deposited opposite the steamboat 
landing at New Orleans 
Bouligny, and Carrolton, all destined hereafter to be 
embraced in the extending area of the metropolis. 
Each municipality has its own aldermen, recorder, 
and other local officers, and levies and expends its 
own taxes; but all are combined under a federal 
head, for the exercise of more general powers, the 
appointment of a police, &c. The creation of 
distinct and separate legislative and executive pow¬ 
ers was effected in 1836, to enable its citizens of the 
second, who are mostly from the northern and mid¬ 
dle states, to carry out their schemes for improve¬ 
ment^ which were frustrated by the more stationary 
views of the original occupants. Within twenty 
years, and after the first was densely populated and 
substantially built up, most of the second munici¬ 
pality was a cane-brake and marsh. Now it has by 
far the finest buildings in the city. Within it are 
the St. Charles, the Verandah, and several other ho¬ 
tels ; nearly all the protestant churches ; numerous 
good public schools ; the greater part of the cotton 
presses; the gas and water works, &c., &c.; 
and much the largest proportion of the wholesale 
trade, together with the steamboat and vessel agen¬ 
cies ; there also are conducted the sugar and grain 
transactions, and the banking operations.* 
The modern brick buildings, both stores and 
dwellings, are similar to those of northern cities, 
except that there are neither cellars nor basements; 
and there is scarcely a house of two or more sto¬ 
ries, without balconies on one or more sides of the 
second and sometimes third floors. More than one- 
half the dwellings are of one story, with high, 
peaked roofs, dormar windows, and far projecting 
roofs, the latter frequently supported on slender pil¬ 
lars, and enclosing a porch with light railing or lat¬ 
tice-work. They have a decidedly foreign aspect; 
and with the trailing ivy, the Cherokee rose, or other 
runners which sometimes clamber over them 30 feet 
from the ground, the better class of these cottages 
have an appearance that equally gratifies the taste 
and the recquirements of a sultry clime. 
There are no extensive ornamental grounds in 
this vicinity ; but much attention has been bestowed 
on many of the smaller enclosures, which some¬ 
times embrace an entire square. A general style 
consists in a hedge of the green-leaved orange, 20 
feet in height, covered till December with its golden 
fruits, or if the sour orange be used, the fruit is 
perpetually on the trees. The crape myrtle is some¬ 
times substituted for the orange, and is somewhat 
taller and more bushy. The myrtle is generally in¬ 
terlaced with the Cherokee rose; and not unfre- 
quently, the latter is the exclusive substitute for 
each of the others. Within, are the magnolia, the 
arbor vitae, or other evergreens of the fir-tribe ; the 
banana and spiked palmetto ; the luxuriant tea and 
other roses, and numerous varieties of the floral 
* An error has been recently detected in the census of this 
place, as taken for 1840. It then stood in round numbers, at 
102,000, of which the 2d municipality furnished a little over 
20,600 and the 1st and 3d about 78,000. Now the 2d has about 
43,000 and both the others 52,000 ! The former has nearly 
doubled, while the two latter have apparently lost one-third 
each, and that, too, while they have been supposed to be on 
the increase. Some of the worthy schepens and burgomasters 
can only account for this loss, from the fact that, in the former 
census, the returns were paid for at so much a head, and that 
more citizens were hunted up under this improved system. 
But the result, however explained, shows conclusively tha 
rapid growth of this portion of the city 
