The South-West Volume I Part 12

The villages of Plaquemine and Donaldsonville, the latter formerly the seat of government, are pleasant, quiet, and rural. The latter is distinguished by a dilapidated state-house, which lifts itself above the humbler dwellings around it, and adds much to the importance and beauty of the town in the eye of the traveller as he sails past. But the streets of the village are solitary; and closed stores and deserted taverns add to their loneliness. Between New-Orleans and Baton Rouge, a distance of one hundred and seventeen miles, the few villages upon the river all partake, more or less, of this humble and dilapidated character. Baton Rouge is now in sight, a few miles above. As we approach it the character of the scene changes. Hills once more relieve the eye, so long wearied with gazing upon a flat yet beautiful country.

These are the first hills that gladden the sight of the traveller as he ascends the river. They are to the northerner like oases in a desert.

How vividly and how agreeably does the sight of their green slopes, and graceful undulations, conjure up the loved and heart-cherished scenes of home!

We are now nearly opposite the town, which is pleasantly situated upon the declivity of the hill, retreating over its brow and spreading out on a plain in the rear, where the private dwellings are placed, shaded and half embowered in the rich foliage of that loveliest of all shade-trees, "the pride of China." The stores and other places of business are upon the front street, which runs parallel with the river. The site of the town is about forty feet above the highest flood, and rises by an easy and gentle swell from the water. The barracks, a short distance from the village, are handsome and commodious, constructed around a pentagonal area--four n.o.ble buildings forming four sides, while the fifth is open, fronting upon the river. The buildings are brick, with lofty colonnades and double galleries running along the whole front. The columns are yellow-stuccoed, striking the eye with a more pleasing effect, than the red glare of brick. The view of these n.o.ble structures from the river, as we pa.s.sed, was very fine. From the esplanade there is an extensive and commanding prospect of the inland country--the extended sh.o.r.es, stretching out north and south, dotted with elegant villas, and richly enamelled by their high state of cultivation. The officers are gentlemanly men, and form a valuable acquisition to the society of the neighbourhood. This station must be to them an agreeable sinecure. The town, from the hasty survey which I was enabled to make of it, must be a delightful residence. It is neat and well built; the French and Spanish style of architecture prevails. The view of the town from the deck of the steamer is highly beautiful. The rich, green swells rising gradually from the water--its pleasant streets, bordered with the umbrageous China tree--its colonnaded dwellings--its mingled town and rural scenery, and its pleasant suburbs, give it an air of quiet and novel beauty, such as one loves to gaze upon in old landscapes which the imagination fills with ideal images of its own.

The scenery now partakes of another character. The rich plantations, waving with green and golden crops of cane, are succeeded here and there by a cotton plantation, but more generally by untrodden forests, hanging over the banks, which are now for a hundred miles of one uniform character and height--being about twenty feet above the highest floods.

Now and then a "squatter's" hut, instead of relieving, adds to the wild and dreary character of the scene. This cla.s.s of men with their families, are usually in a most wretched and squalid condition. As they live exposed to the fatal, poisonous miasma of the swamp, their complexions are cadaverous, and their persons wasted by disease. They sell wood to the steamboats for a means of subsistence--seldom cultivating what little cleared land there may be around them. There are exceptions to this, however. Many become eventually purchasers of the tracts on which they are settled, and lay foundations for fine estates and future independence.

Loftus's height, a striking eminence crowned by Fort Adams, appears in the distance. It is a cl.u.s.ter of cliffs and hills nearly two hundred feet in height. The old fort can just be discerned with a gla.s.s, surmounting a natural platform, half way up the side of the most prominent hill. The works present the appearance of a few green mounds, and though defaced by time, still bear evidence of having been a military post. The position is highly commanding and romantic. The scenery around would be termed striking, even in Maine, that romantic land of rocks, and cliffs, and mountains. A small village is at the base of the hills, containing a few stores. Cotton is exported hence, and steamers are now at the landing taking it in.

As we were pa.s.sing the place on our way up the river, a white signal was displayed from a pole held by some one standing on the sh.o.r.e. In a few moments we came abreast of the fort, and in obedience to the fluttering signal, our steamer rounded gracefully to, and put her jolly boat off for the expected pa.s.sengers. The boat had scarcely touched the bank, before the boatmen at one leap gained the baggage which lay piled upon the Levee, and tumbling it helter-skelter into the bottom of the boat, as though for life and death, called out, so as to be heard far above the deafening noise of the rushing steam as it hissed from the pipe, "Come gentlemen, come, the boat's a-waiting." The new pa.s.sengers had barely time to pa.s.s into the boat and balance themselves erect upon the thwarts, before, impelled by the nervous arms of the boatmen, she was cutting her way through the turbid waves to the steamer, which had been kept in her position against the strong current of the river, by an occasional revolution of her wheels. The instant she struck her side the boat was cleared immediately of "bag and baggage," at the "risk of the owners" truly--and the hurrying pa.s.sengers had hardly gained a footing upon the guard, before the loud, brief command, "go ahead," was heard, followed by the tinkling of the engineer's bell, the dull groaning of the ponderous, labouring engine, and the heavy dash of the water, as strongly beaten by the vast fins of this huge "river monster."

APPENDIX

NOTE A--_Page 73._

The following STATISTICAL TABLES, exhibiting Louisiana in a variety of comparative views, have been compiled princ.i.p.ally from the elaborate tables of that valuable periodical--the American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge--for the year 1835.

LOUISIANA.

----------------------------------------------------------------------- Lat.i.tude of New-Orleans, 29 57' 45" North.

Longitude in degrees, 90 60 49 West.

_h. m. s._ " in time, 6 0 27.3 Distance from Washington, 1203 miles.

-----------------------------------+---------------------------------- Relative size of Louisiana, 5. Extent in square miles, 45,220.

NUMBER OF INHABITANTS TO A SQUARE MILE.

-----------------------+-----------------------+---------------------- In 1810. In 1820. In 1830.

-----------------------+-----------------------+---------------------- 1.6 3.2 4.4 -----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------

RELATIVE POPULATION.

-----------------------+-----------------------+---------------------- In 1810. In 1820. In 1830.

-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------+-------+------- Free Slave Total Free Slave Total Free Slave Total -------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------+-------+------- 18 8 17 19 8 17 21 8 19 -------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------+-------+-------

RATE OF INCREASE OF FREE AND SLAVE POPULATION.

-----------------------+-----------------------+---------------------- From 1800 to 1810. From 1810 to 1820. From 1820 to 1830.

-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------+-------+------- Free Slave Total Free Slave Total Free Slave Total -------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------+-------+------- _p.ct._ 373 2193.7 636 25.8 58.7 40.6 -------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------+-------+-------

POPULATION OF LOUISIANA IN 1810.

-------------+--------------+---------------------------+------------- Free Slaves No. of free to 1 slave Total -------------+--------------+---------------------------+------------- 41,896 34,660 1.20 76,556 -------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------------

In 1820.

-------------+--------------+---------------------------+------------- 84,343 69,064 1.22 153,407 -------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------------

In 1830.

-------------+--------------+---------------------------+------------- 106,151 109,588 .96 215,739 -------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------------

VALUE OF IMPORTS IN THE YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1833.

-----------------------+-----------------------+---------------------- In American vessels In foreign vessels Total -----------------------+-----------------------+---------------------- $ 6,658,916 $ 2,931,589 $ 9,590,505 -----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------

VALUE OF EXPORTS IN THE SAME YEAR.

-----------------------+-----------------------+---------------------- Total of Domestic Domestic Produce Foreign Produce and Foreign Produce -----------------------+-----------------------+---------------------- $16,133,457 $2,807,916 $18,941,373 -----------------------+-----------------------+---------------------- Tonnage, 1st January, 1834--61,171 Tons.

GOVERNMENT.

_Salary._ EDWARD D. WHITE, Governor (elect); Jan. 1835 to Jan. 1839 $ 7,500 GEORGE EUSTIS, Secretary of State 2,500 F. GARDERE, Treasurer; 4 per cent. on all moneys received.

LOUIS BRINGIER, Surveyor General 800 CLAUDIUS CROZET, Civil Engineer 5,000 F. GAIENNIE, Adjutant and Inspector General 2,000 E. MAZUREAU, Attorney General 2,000

Senate, 17 members, elected for two years. C. DERBIGNY, President.

House of Representatives, 50 members, elected for two years. A.

Labranche, Speaker.

JUDICIARY.

Judges of the Supreme Court.--GEORGE MATTHEWS, FRANCIS X.

MARTIN, and HENRY A. BULLARD. Salary of each, $5,000.

Judge of the Criminal Court of the City of New-Orleans.--JOHN F.

CANONGE.

Judges of the District Courts.--Salary of each $2,000.

CHARLES WATTS, 1st district.

BENJAMIN WINCHESTER, 2d do.

CHARLES BUSHNELL, 3d do.

R. N. OGDEN, 4th do.

SETH LEWIS, 5th do.

J. H. JOHNSON, 6th do.