75 
tremely quick, that it kills all the plants growing near it, and 
eovers the whole field, in which it has taken root. It is very dif¬ 
ficult to extirpate, since the smallest knot, that remains in the 
earth, serves for the root of a new plant, and several hundred new 
knots. The legislature of Louisiana, has offered a considerable 
reward to whoever shall succeed in the discovery of an efficient 
remedy against this pest of the soil. No one has yet obtained the 
desired object. 
The genera! explained to me, the manner in which the sugar¬ 
cane fields were managed. Parallel furrows are made through 
them at intervals of three feet. In these furrows, the cane is laid 
lengthwise, and covered with earth. Some planters lay two cane 
joints together, others content themselves with but one. The 
end of the successive piece of cane, is so placed, that it lies about 
six inches above the end of the first. From each joint of the cane, 
there shoot up new sprouts, and form new stalks. In St. Do¬ 
mingo, there is another method of arranging the cane field. The 
field is digged in square holes, placed checkerwise at the distance 
of three feet apart, in which four pieces of cane are laid in the 
square, and then covered up. This methpd is judged the best. 
The tragedy of Marie Stuart by Le Brun from Schiller, and a 
vaudeville, la Demoiselle et la Dame, were produced at the thea¬ 
tre, to which I went. The first piece was announced at the re¬ 
quest of several American families, of course there were numbers 
of ladies of that nation in the boxes. The tragedy of Le Brun 
is changed very little from that by Schiller; it is only curtailed, 
and two parts, those of Shrewsbury and Mellvil, are thrown into 
one. Many scenes in it, particularly the meeting of the two 
queens, is translated almost word for word. Madam Clozel un¬ 
dertook the part of Marie Stuart, and supported it from be¬ 
ginning to end in a masterly style ; but she was not properly 
supported. Nevertheless, the piece met with great approbation. 
Unluckily, however, the machinery was not in order. At the 
close of the piece, when Leicester falls in the greatest distraction 
into the arms of an officer of the guard, the curtain could not be 
lowered, and several minutes elapsed, before poor Leicester could 
leave his painful attitude. On this account the audience made 
known their displeasure by hissing, which marred very much the 
effect produced by the piece. 
A representation of Hamlet, in the French theatre was uncom¬ 
monly well attended. The Colombian Commodore Jolly, who 
had brought a brig of his nation into New Orleans, appeared 
in uniform, and drew the attention of the public upon himself, 
partly by his dress, and partly by his huge dress hat, with a white 
feather. The next morning I made acquaintance with the com¬ 
modore, and with his two officers, of whom one is a Colombian, 
