LOUISIANA

LOUISIANA, an independent state of North America; the inhabitants, since its cession by France, having formed a constitution, and been admitted a co-state of the Federal Union. The western boundary of this state, which threatened to become an object of serious contest between the Spanish government and that of the United States, has been at length finally settled, by the same treaty which stipulated the cession of the Floridas. The river Sabine is now fixed on as the boundary between this state and Mexico, in the centre of which is the line of division. This line, including all the islands in the river, proceeds to the thirty-second degree of latitude; from thence, quitting the river, it is continued due north to the thirty-third degree of north latitude; from thence it extends due east, crossing the Red River, till it strikes the Mississippi. That

Louisiana. river continues to be its eastern limit, till it reaches the Iberville, when the line passes through the middle of it, and of Lake Ponchartrain to the Gulf of Mexico; which bounds it on the southern side to the mouth of the river Sabine. All the islands in the Gulf of Mexico, within three leagues of the shore, are included in this state.

The boundaries thus defined are those over which the state of Louisiana, according to the decision of Congress, and the definitions of its own constitution extend, but is far from including the whole of that vast tract of country which was ceded to America. When first ceded, that portion which is now the state of Louisiana was denominated the "Territory of New Orleans;" and that portion which now is denominated the state of Missouri was called the "Territory of Louisiana;" but the rapid peopling of these vast districts has made it necessary to adopt more definite descriptions; and as the settling of the waste increases, and new states are created, the subdivisions, which will be necessary, will give birth to new names for those various districts which were once called by the general name of Louisiana.

Extent and Population. The state of Louisiana, as thus defined, extends over 49,000 square miles; and though it has rapidly increased since the union with the Federal Government, the population is much thinner than in any of the other states. By the census taken in the year 1810, the whole number of souls was only 76,556, of whom 34,660 were negro slaves, and 7585 free persons of colour.

Since that period no accurate accounts have been made up, but in the latter end of 1818, the inhabitants were estimated to be about 110,000, though, whether the white or the black race has experienced the greatest proportionate increase, is not ascertainable by any returns we have seen.

Revenue. The revenue of this, like the other states of America, is divided into two branches, that destined for the support of the local, and that for the support of the general government. The first of these is not known beyond the limits of the state, but the latter will sufficiently show the relative wealth of Louisiana, as compared with the rest of the union. During the war with England, internal taxes were levied through the states; in 1814, these in the whole produced 3,273,990 dollars, of which Louisiana furnished 33,522; and in the following year, when the whole sum was 6,369,272, the share of this state was only 59,150. The whole net revenue which was produced by the custom-houses of the United States, in 1815, was 37,656,486 dollars, of which Louisiana supplied 984,909.

Commerce and Shipping. The whole shipping of the United States employed in foreign trade, in 1815, was 854,294 tons, and that of Louisiana was 13,766 tons; the whole shipping employed in the coasting trade was 435,066 tons, of which only 2577 tons belonged to this state.

This view of the statistics of Louisiana shows most clearly that it is chiefly an agricultural country, whose inhabitants, though possessed of abundance of land, have no more capital than is barely sufficient to enable them to produce as much as they themselves consume. It will appear singular, that whilst the foreign trade has produced one thirty-seventh of

the whole of that branch of national revenue, the Louisiana. internal taxes have amounted to less than one hundredth. This is to be accounted for by observing, that the city of New Orleans, the capital of the state, is the entrepot for the foreign commerce of all the western states; and that the exportable productions of Kentucky, of Ohio, as well as of the other new formed communities, whose population amounts to nearly one million, have no other place of export. Whatever of European, of West Indian, or of Asiatic commodities, are required by the inhabitants on the banks of the Mississippi, of the Ohio, or the Missouri, must pass the custom-house of New Orleans, and pay there the duties that are imposed by the general legislature. Without this view of the commerce of Louisiana, it would appear that the sums collected by the custom-house alone, independent of the state taxes, would amount to a larger sum per head than is paid by the inhabitants of the richest country in Europe. If, from the population, the slaves are deducted, the taxable inhabitants cannot exceed 70,000; and as the general and state taxes amount to at least 1,250,000 dollars annually, each of the individuals would contribute L. 4 sterling per year for the maintenance of government, which is nearly double as much as is paid by the inhabitants of Great Britain and Ireland, four times as much as is paid in France, and six times as much as is paid in the other kingdoms of Europe.

The state of Louisiana is divided into twelve Constitution counties, for the better arrangement in the choice of and Divi- the legislature: these are, sions.

This division was made in 1812, when the constitution by which the state is governed was first framed. A majority of the convention by which the constitution was enacted was of French and Spanish extraction; but the system decreed assimilates very much to that of the other states in the union, having a governor and two assemblies, of different degrees of duration and property, all elected by those inhabitants who pay taxes. The judiciary department consists of subordinate courts, and a supreme court, with only appellate jurisdiction; the judges of which hold their office during good behaviour, and are only removable on the addresses of the legislative bodies, three-fourths of whose members must concur in the vote. All the elections, as well as the resolutions of the legislative bodies, are determined by ballot. The press is free, but the printers and publishers are accountable for what they issue. No religion is established, nor any provision made for public worship, nor is there any law to prohibit theatrical performances, or the open exercise of trades on the Lord's day. Clergymen, priests, and teachers, of whatever religious sect, are excluded from the legislative assemblies, nor are they eligible to any office of profit or trust under the state.

The city of New Orleans, the capital, contains between 25,000 and 30,000 inhabitants, more than half New Or- leans.

Louisiana. of whom are negroes, or people of colour. It has vastly increased since the cession to the United States, and its growth of population is rapidly advancing. It stands on the eastern bank of the Mississippi, about 110 miles from the sea, and is in 30° north latitude. Though it is unfortified, yet it is capable of presenting formidable obstacles to the progress of an invading enemy; and it is most favourably situated for the enjoyment of commerce. Being built on a narrow isthmus, bounded on one side by the river, and on the other by impassable morasses, it is difficult to be approached. The mouth of the river is defended by an almost impregnable fort; and higher up, where the river describes nearly a circle, called Detour des Anglois, two strong castles are constructed on the opposite banks, which can effectually impede the progress of a hostile fleet. The direct passage by water to the city is through several channels, which the waters of the Mississippi have forced through the land at its mouth. The most considerable of these is obstructed by a sand-bank, over which no vessel can pass with safety that draws more than seventeen feet of water; and though, when this bar is passed, the depth of water is sufficient for the largest ships, yet it is so encumbered with the huge logs constantly carried down by the stream as to be a navigation of considerable peril. The danger is increased by the number of trees, of the heavier kinds of wood, that are sunk to the bottom of the river, which render the anchorage everywhere insecure, and in consequence of which the vessels that are detained waiting for a favourable wind prefer being moored by cables, attached to the trees on the shore, to trusting their security to anchors on the ground. Besides this passage through the mouths of the Mississippi, the city of New Orleans has a communication with the ocean, by the Lakes Borgne and Pontchartrain. A natural canal, called the Bayou de St John, extends from the morasses within two miles of the city, to the latter of those lakes, but it is only navigable for vessels drawing less than six feet water. It is, however, through this channel, that a communication is maintained between New Orleans and the northern parts of West Florida. The only other towns yet known as such in Louisiana are Natchioches, with about 600 inhabitants, on the Red River; Natchez, on the east bank of the Mississippi, in latitude 31°, 33', with 2500 inhabitants; and Washington, about six miles to the east, with 1000 inhabitants.

Mississippi. The Mississippi usually overflows its banks for about one hundred and fifty miles above New Orleans. The floods commonly begin in April, when the meltings of the ice from the Missouri make their appearance. The increase continues till the end of June, when the waters gradually subside; and, in August, the stream is confined to the ordinary channels. Artificial embankments have been constructed, and are vigilantly watched during the increase of the river; but, in spite of all efforts, the force of the stream sometimes opens a passage for it, and the country becomes inundated to a very considerable extent. It is remarked by those well acquainted with the peculiarities of this river, that whenever an inundation takes place, as it generally covers a tract of country from one of the sinuities of the river to

another, the quantity of mud which is deposited raises the surface of the land several feet, so that it is less liable to be overflowed in succeeding years, and the deposit becomes the most fertile of soils. The right banks of this stupendous river are higher than the left, and the land on the western side is least subject to extensive inundations, but it is also the least fruitful.

The country to the westward of the Mississippi, Face of the Country. between that river and the Colorado, or Red River, and to the westward of that last stream, is intersected with numerous lesser rivers, which in some parts form extensive lakes. In the valley through which the Red River runs is the best land in the state. Tobacco and indigo are cultivated there with great success, and the cotton grown is of the best quality of any produced within the United States. The principal settlements, for they are undeserving the name of towns, are Natchioches, Bayou-Rapid, Bayou-Boeuf, Bayou-Robert, and Atchafalaya. Opelousas, separated from Attakapas by a natural canal, which connects the rivers Teche and Vermillion, enjoys a good but very tenacious soil, on which cotton is cultivated with success, and some sugar is raised. Maize is grown for the inhabitants, and vast herds of cattle are bred on the extensive natural meadows. The number of the cattle belonging to some individual proprietors is very great; several mark annually from one to two thousand calves.

The settlers of La Fourche are usually that class Agriculture. denominated by the French petits habitants, small proprietors who occupy their own lands; but there are some extensive plantations belonging to richer individuals, to whom the smaller cultivators are giving place, and are removing to new and unexhausted soils. Sugar plantations, which can only be established advantageously by capitalists, have of late increased considerably. The settlers between La Fourche and the canal are principally of Spanish origin, and speak but little French. They are a more indolent and less enterprising race than the French Creoles; are careless about the conveniences of life, and their dwellings display a much greater appearance of poverty than is exhibited by their French and English neighbours. That part of Louisiana called the Coast, or more properly the German Coast, between Pointe Coupee and La Fourche, is the most pleasant and most flourishing portion of the state. For near 100 miles on the banks of the river plantations are to be seen, with only short intervals between them. These present to view some beautiful woods of evergreen oak, of laurels, firs, pines, and prodigious weeping-willows, and are intermixed with extensive groves of orange-trees. In descending the river, the smaller proprietors and the white inhabitants gradually diminish in number, so that near the capital the traveller sees ten negroes for one white man, and remarks that the appearance of the country more resembles the islands in the West Indies, than the other parts of the United States. The dwellings in this district are generally wooden frame work of one story, but tolerably furnished with conveniences; and the sugar-houses, at distant intervals, are distinguishable by the columns of thick smoke which continually issue from them.

The productions of the state of Louisiana capable of furnishing the materials of commerce, are so similar to those of the West India Islands, that, like them, the future growth of the state must depend on the increase of the negro population. As the slave trade is prohibited in the United States, as well as in the English, French, and Dutch settlements, the natural increase of the blacks is the only dependence on which the agriculture can rely; and whilst the inequality of the sexes continues, such increase cannot take place. Sugar cannot be made in Louisiana cheaper than in the settlements on the coast of Guiana, nor so cheap as in the viceregalies of Mexico and New Granada, or in the extensive dominions of Brazil. It is not, therefore, very probable, that Louisiana, notwithstanding the sanguine speculations of the North Americans, will be able to contend on equal terms in the markets of Europe, with the numerous competitors they will have to encounter. The climate, though it admits of the growth of wheat, and the other grains of Europe, at the most northern parts, yet does not produce it with that uniform increase which is experienced in Kentucky, and the newly erected States of Illinois and Missouri; and as the transit by steam-boats to New Orleans is very easy, the corn wanted for the consumption of Louisiana can be drawn cheaper and better from these districts, than it can be cultivated at home. Maize and rice are raised with facility, sufficient for the domestic consumption, and furnish the principal aliment to the negro slaves.

The basis of the population is French. The inhabitants speak that language, though very corruptly; and in spite of the absence of intercourse with European France during the lapse of three generations, they still retain the quickness, the cheerfulness, and a portion of the politeness of the country from whence they sprang. There are, however, considerable mixtures of Spaniards and Germans amalgamated with the French families, and the whole formed a race, who, with little to stimulate exertion, with very imperfect means of instruction, and with no attention awakened to political investigation, were very ill prepared to receive the republican regimen of the United States. Their religion was the Roman Catholic, to the fasts, and festivals, and ceremonies of which, at least, they were rigidly attached, and the neglect of which, among the Anglo-Americans, made their incorporation with them very tardy and reluctant. At the present day, even according to the accounts of the citizens of the United States, they are murmuring against the government, and indulging sorrow at the change. Much difficulty has arisen from the claims on the land made by the Commissioners on the part of the Federal Government. Under the government of Spain the land was of small value, extensive grants were easily obtained, and as the titles were not likely to be disputed, the evidences of those titles were not very carefully preserved. The commissioners appointed by the States to ascertain those rights are generally accused of great want of liberality, and of discovering a leaning against the claimants. The harvest to the American lawyers, from these disputed titles, has drawn to Louisiana many members of that profession; and as the common law

of England, as adopted in the United States, is not easily reconciled to the laws of Spain, which before regulated property in Louisiana, few decisions are made without much delay, great expence, and the bitter complaints of the ancient proprietors, who had been accustomed to a more simple and speedy mode of administering justice. The trial by jury, valuable as it is to a people whose customs and manners have been formed by it, is not easily introduced to any practical advantage among those who are unaccustomed to it; and the inhabitants of Louisiana neither comprehend its importance or utility, seeing it, as they do, administered by judges who are equally strangers to their language and local customs.

The number of the Aborigines bordering on Louisiana, though much diminished, is still considerable. About thirty-five years ago, the ravages of the smallpox extended to some very distant tribes, and produced an enormous degree of mortality, but since that period they are stated to have been again on the increase. The conduct of the government of the United States towards these uncivilized people has been almost uniformly cruel and unjust, according to the testimony of their most decided panegyrists. The transactions with the Osage Indians may be taken as a specimen of this conduct, and we have the authority of Mr Brackenridge for the narrative. "A purchase was made a few years ago by Governor Lewis, of the greater part of the country claimed by these people (the Osages), reserving to them the privilege of hunting on it. Great dissatisfaction has been excited among them in consequence of the purchase, which they allege not to have been fairly made. In fact, this is not a matter easily effected with strict correctness, and it is doubtful if any of our extensive Indian purchases were conducted in the fairest manner. A desire of doing something meritorious may have induced our agents to go too far in procuring the consent of the chiefs of the nation, and perhaps of chiefs created by themselves for the express purpose. This purchase was sanctioned by the Government of the United States, but the money stipulated to be paid to the Indians was not paid to them. At the end of two years they were informed that the payment was soon to be made. Upon this thirty or forty of the Indian chiefs repaired to the American Governor, and in council remonstrated against the purchase, declaring it to have been unfair. The principal speaker, with much natural eloquence, stated, 'That he was much surprised to hear of this purchase, which had been forgotten by his nation, and, he supposed, had also been forgotten by his great father (the President). The sale was made by those who had no authority, and his great father not having complied with his part of the bargain, by delaying two years the payment, and not performing the other parts of the treaty, his nation ought not to be held to their part of it, even if fairly entered into. But,' said he, 'the Osage nation has no right to sell its country, much less have a few chiefs, who have taken it on themselves to do so: our country belongs to our posterity as well as to ourselves; it is not absolutely ours, we receive it only for our lifetimes, and then to transmit it to our descendants. Our great father is

Louisiana. good and just, will he permit his children to sell the bones of their fathers, to sell the inheritance of their children? No, keep your goods, and let us keep our lands. The American Governor coolly told the Indians that the President did not compel them to sell their lands, but when they sold them, the bargain must be kept; that payment had been unavoidably delayed; that part of the purchase was ready, which, if they chose, they might accept, if not, it was of no consequence, the land would still be considered as purchased, and their resistance would have no other effect than that of displeasing the President. Finding that opposition was useless, they finally promised to use their influence to induce their nation to accept. Mr Brackenbridge reluctantly confesses that these purchases are not less unjust than the French and Spanish mode of taking the land without saying any thing about it, and then keeping these people quiet by presents, more pleasing to them than if given as the payment of a debt, for which an equivalent had been previously received.

The whole of the trade with the Indian tribes may, communibus annis, furnish peltry to the amount of 150,000 dollars; it is divided between the British traders of Canada and the traders of America, and is the cause of more jealousy between the two nations, than the whole, if undivided, would justify. It is worthy of remark, that these Indian tribes have names, which seem either to have been recently given to them, or perhaps known to the white race rather than to themselves. The names are altogether different from those by which they were distinguished when the first Europeans traversed the country. Monsieur de la Sale, and the survivors of his unfortunate expedition, who penetrated from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada, in the years 1685, 1686, 1687, and 1688, and visited most of these tribes whose names they registered, have mentioned scarcely a single nation by the name it now bears; neither can the same or similar names be found in the writings of the other early French travellers, Le Clerc, Torty, and Hennepin. The manners of these Indians seem to be but little changed by their intercourse with the white race, and though fire arms have been very generally diffused among them, they have made no other alteration in their mode of carrying on war with each other, beyond that of substituting muskets in the place of bows and arrows.

Climate The climate of Louisiana partakes, in an excessive degree, of those great variations which seem to characterize the whole of North America. The extremes of heat and cold are greater than in the same latitude within the Atlantic states. At New Orleans, the different degrees of cold experienced in two succeeding winters, is frequently greater than is felt in the old continent in a difference of latitude of six or eight degrees. The 30th degree seems, however, to be the boundary of snow in this country, which is a perfect level. In ordinary winters, the ponds and stagnant waters to that limit are rarely frozen, though frost in a slight degree is experienced almost every year at New Orleans. A little to the north of the 30th degree, on lands scarcely more elevated, snow frequently falls, and at Opelousas, in

Louisiana. the year 1807, it continued on the ground more than a week, though it is only in latitude 30° 32', being on the banks of the river in which the fall of water does not exceed one foot in a mile; its elevation, allowing for the sinuities of the stream, cannot be more than sixty or seventy feet above New Orleans, where, at the same time, the clouds discharged their waters in the form of rain. In the upper part of Louisiana, the winters are more severe than in the same latitudes in the Atlantic states. The thermometer, even in latitude 38°, is often for weeks together from 12° to 15° below zero. The heat of summer is equally excessive, the thermometer frequently from June to August remaining almost stationary, during some hours of each day, as high as 96°. The sudden changes, from the extremes of heat to those of cold, are so rapid, that in a few days from 78 above to 10 below 0, have been remarked as the variations in the thermometer. The north-western part of Louisiana, as it approaches nearer to the rocky mountains, suffers the most severely by the cold of winter. From these excessive variations of climate, combined with the miasmata exhaled from the marshy delta, which extends from the bounds of Florida to the limits of Mexico, the whole of this state may be considered as very unhealthy. Diseases of the intermittent kind everywhere prevail, and in New Orleans, a bilious fever, highly inflammatory, is, if not constantly, yet periodically experienced.

Although the exportable commodities of Louisiana are but of small amount when compared with the great extent of country, and the numerous people that have no other maritime outlet; yet it is naturally capable of furnishing productions of various kinds, which will contribute to the comfort of its inhabitants, and might be made the means of beneficial commerce. Sugar, cotton, and rice, have already been noticed among its productions. Indigo has been cultivated and manufactured, but cannot compete with what is now brought from Bengal and from Guatimala, to the markets of Europe; so that there is no ground to calculate on a great increase. Tobacco seems to be an indigenous plant, as the use of it generally prevailed among the natives when the first Europeans visited the country. What is produced has, when cured, a peculiar flavour which has not been yet relished by those who either smoke, chew, or take snuff. In the capricious rule of fancy, it may however at some time prevail, and if so, will be of vast consequence to the country, as it can be grown with comparatively little expence. Very little wine is yet made in this state; not enough for the consumption of the capital, though most of the planters provide it for their own families. The indigenous grapes are much improved by cultivation, especially two species which are not found in any other part of the United States; the Vitis aestivalis and the Vitis riparia, the latter of which is a very fine grape. On the borders of the savannahs a grape is found resembling that of Burgundy. A wine made from it, if exposed to the sun in summer, and to the cold in winter, becomes much improved, and is not liable to turn sour. Fruits of various kinds abound. The mulberry grows spontaneously, and

Louisiana. from experiments made upon a small scale, it is clearly ascertained that silk-worms might be easily reared, if the high price of labour did not operate as an impediment. Hemp and flax are found wild, of great length, and of tenacious fibre, but little or no attention has been paid to the cultivation of those plants. Hops also are very abundant in a wild state, but have scarcely received any attention. Plums grow in vast quantities, and some of most exquisite flavour. Among other species, one known by the natives as the prairie plum (Prunus chickasa), literally covers tracts of ground of many acres in extent, and produces fruit so abundantly as to bend the trees down to the ground with their weight. The persimmon, or, as the French call it, the placinier, is abundant; it somewhat resembles our medlar, but its taste is sweet, and more delicate. When quite ripe, the natives squeeze the fruit over a fine sieve, to separate the pulp from the kernels and skin. The pulp, which is a kind of paste or pap, is then dried in ovens, or in the sun, and is formed into cakes a foot in length, about half a foot broad, and half an inch thick.

This bread is very nutritious, will keep good a long time, but being of a very astringent quality, cannot safely be eaten in large quantities. The papaw trees are found in abundance, and loaded with fruit to a most excessive degree; the bark is highly acrid, but the pulp is both pleasant to the taste and very wholesome. Orange and citron trees were long ago introduced from the island of St Domingo, and produce as good fruit as in their native soils; but the rind of the orange being very thick, it is better calculated for preserving, which is performed to a very considerable extent. Peach and fig trees were early introduced from Carolina. The peaches are of the kind called Albergers, grow as large as the fist, and yield a juice from which both wine and brandy are made. The peach stones are planted in February, and without any farther trouble the trees yield, at least, two hundred peaches the third year, and double that number the six or seven following years, when they cease to bear, and then decay. As new trees are so easily raised, the loss of the old ones causes no regret. The figs are of two kinds, blue and white; they grow to a large size, and are of a good flavour. Wild apples, pears, and cherries, are found, but they are observed to run more to wood, and to produce less fruit than in colder climates. The olive trees grow to a large size, and are sometimes thirty feet from the ground before their branches shoot out; though they are thus more beautiful than the olive trees of the south of Europe, they bear less fruit, and no oil is yet made from them, only the fruit is gathered to be eaten green. Walnut trees, hickory nuts, filberts, and chesnuts, are found in many parts of the country, and with a little attention the fruit of them might be easily increased.

Trees. The forest trees most common in Louisiana are white and red cedars, the durable nature of whose wood has induced the settlers to use it generally in building their houses. The cypress is still more durable, and grows to a very large size, so that canoes are frequently made from a single tree, which will carry sixteen or eighteen tons. The bark of the large trees of this species is very valuable as a covering

for the houses of the poorer people. The magnolia, the maple, from which sugar is made, the cotton wood tree, the locust, the holm oak, four kinds of live oak, the elm, the ash, and the beech, are abundantly spread over the country. On the sandy soils near the coast, there are extensive tracts covered with pines, which are used, but not to a great extent, for the purpose of extracting turpentine, tar, and pitch, which may become valuable articles of commerce as the population increases. The myrtle tree, affording wax, is one of the most valuable of the forest trees of Louisiana. It resembles the laurel in appearance, but grows to a much larger size, and its leaves of the same form are of a deeper green. Its fruit grows in bunches, on a stalk about two inches in length. A small pod, containing a kernel within a nut, is covered with the wax, which is separated by the simple process of pouring boiling water upon it, when the wax floats on the top of it. The wax is of two kinds, one a yellowish white, the other a dark green. It may be bleached in six or eight days, is harder than bees-wax, and therefore better fitted for the warm climates, where, in the Catholic churches, it is much used for the large tapers that decorate the altars. When the Spaniards held Louisiana, considerable quantities of this wax were exported to the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola.

As the mineral productions of Louisiana have hitherto been but slightly examined, we must receive with much hesitation the report of their riches. sanguine speculators in every unexplored country anticipate the discovery of gold and silver mines, and the slightest reports of indications of these metals are readily converted into convictions of their existence. It is very probable that in the district to the north-west of this state such mines may be found, but it is not probable, whilst human labour is so dear, that they can be worked to any profit. Copper, zinc, iron, sal-gem, and coal, have been sufficiently ascertained to exist, but none of them are worked. The only mineral actually produced is lead. The most considerable mines are worked by the two Indian tribes the Saukees and the Foxes, in a very imperfect mode; but in some years they have produced from 250 to 300 tons of lead. These Indians are ill provided with the proper implements, using generally the common hoe, with which they clear away the soil for a few feet, when the ore is found resembling the state of stones in a quarry. It is smelted in the rudest manner, being laid on piles of wood which are kindled, and the lead, as it is melted, runs into various forms. It is then suffered to cool, and in that state sold to the American traders, who make it into pigs by using the proper moulds for that purpose. The principal district for the production of lead is, however, to the north of the boundary of this state, on the banks of the Mississippi, and within the newly created state of that name. In 1814, those mines employed about 350 persons, and yielded between 700 and 800 tons of lead, so that they are worked to very little advantage, when labour is so high as in the United States.

Among the wild animals of Louisiana, the bears are very numerous in the winter season, when they come from the north in a very lean state, as they do

Louisiana. not quit these regions till they are covered with snow. After remaining some time in this country, where the abundance of nourishment soon fattens them, they become very indolent, and take up their residence in some hollow tree, where, when discovered, they are easily taken by the inhabitants, who highly value the oil which they extract from them. These bears are not carnivorous, and, unless wounded by him, will not attack a man, but when they have been assailed and hurt, they have pursued the assailant and squeezed him to death, though without attempting to feed on the body. The grizzly bear is seldom seen so far south as this state, nor does the race appear to be very numerous, even in the more northern parts of the continent. It is the enemy of man, and appears to thirst for human food. It grows to an enormous size, and has the property of scenting his prey, so as to pursue a hunter for an hour after he has passed. The American travellers Lewis and Clark give the dimensions of one killed by their party, in crossing the continent. Its length was 8 feet 7½ inches, round the neck 3 feet 11 inches, round the fore-leg 1 foot 11 inches, and the length of the talons 4½ inches. This animal, when full-grown, commonly weighs from 800 to 900 pounds, and has been known to attain the weight of 1200 pounds. He does not, like other bears, climb the trees, and thus the Indian hunters find a means of escape, when pursued by him. Wolves are found in the northern and western parts of the state; they are of much smaller size than the same animal of the old continent, and are not ferocious; they more resemble the native dog of America, and differ but little, except in not barking. The buffaloes have withdrawn towards the interior, and are now rarely found in Louisiana. Deer of various kinds are abundant on the borders, and are hunted by the Indians rather for the sake of the skins than of the flesh, but the value of skins having lately declined, the hunting has consequently much diminished. The prairie dog, or squirrel, is a gregarious animal, occupying large tracts of land, which are filled with its burrows. It has a cloven lip, like the rabbit; the hair is short, and of a light grey colour. It makes a noise not unlike the barking of a small dog, and though, when first taken, it is extremely fierce, it is easily domesticated. The habitations of these animals are in elevated situations, as it wants no water, but subsists on the grass that grows near its burrows, where it passes the winter months in a sleeping state. The Gopher bears considerable resemblance to the mole, but is twice as large; its jaw has a bag, or pouch, in which it carries its food, and removes the dirt when he makes his habitation. The mounds thrown up by this little animal are frequently three or four feet in height. The camaleon is very common, as well as various other lizards, and the scorpion and tarantula are sometimes found.

The most common of the feathered tribes in the woods are the wild turkeys, which stalk about in numerous flocks, but avoid the open tracts of land. A beautiful bird, called the Prairie Hen, is seen in large flights. It comes to the barn yards, and frequently alights on the houses of the villagers. It is larger than the pheasant of the United States, though re-

sembling it in its colours; it differs, however, from it in being much more easily domesticated, nor is the flesh of so good a flavour. Another bird, which has not yet received a name, bears, in appearance, a great resemblance to the pheasant, but is nearly as large as the wild turkey, which is generally double the weight of the domestic turkey of England. Partridges and quails are met with in great abundance; and, in the autumn and winter, the lakes are covered with wild-fowl, ducks, geese, swans, cranes, widgeon, teal, and a variety of others.

The river Mississippi abounds with fish, but the lower part of it is of such great depth that they can only be caught with hook and line. The carp of this river grows to an enormous size, being seldom less than two feet, and sometimes exceeding four feet in length. The higher up the river they are caught, the more they are prized. Barbel are sometimes taken four feet long; the flesh is delicate and good, and in taste resembles the cod of the Banks of Newfoundland. The whole of the rivers abound with cray fish, and the dikes constructed to impede the inundations are frequently so perforated by them as to be exposed to destruction. The shrimps, a diminutive shell-fish, is found on those lakes which sometimes communicate with the sea, as thick as a man's little finger, and three inches in length, and is highly esteemed by epicures. The Burgo-Breaker, an excellent fish, is usually a foot or eighteen inches long, perfectly round, with scales of a gold colour. In its throat are two bones, with a surface like that of a file, with which it breaks the coats of the shell-fish on which it feeds. The Choupic, of the trout species, the Sardine, a kind of pilchard, and the Patassa, a sort of mullet, are very abundant, and much esteemed. The sea-coast abounds with all the varieties which are known in the tropical regions, especially turtles of all the different species, and oysters in great abundance.

The country of Louisiana was first visited by the Spaniards, who included it under the general denomination of Florida, in the year 1512. Ponce de Leon, who was the earliest explorer, seems not to have been informed of the magnitude or connections of the river Mississippi, first made known in France by Verazzani, a native of Italy, who visited that country in 1523. No attempt was made to settle it till 1562, when Admiral de Coligny deeming it a suitable place of refuge for the persecuted Protestants of France, equipped an expedition, under Jean de Ribaut. It proceeded only to the spot now known as Savannah, in Georgia, was prevented by the Indians from penetrating to the Mississippi, and, after great disasters and sufferings, returned to France. A second expedition, under René de Laumadere, was dispatched to the same point by Coligny, in 1564, which, after enduring hardships similar to the former, was on the point of re-embarking for Europe, when the former commander, Ribaut, made his appearance on the coast, with new recruits, and abundance of supplies. The attempt of the French to settle that country excited the jealousy of Spain, and a force was dispatched to dislodge them. The Spaniards, after taking a fort, executed all the garrison, and affixed, on the scaffold

where the barbarities were perpetrated, an inscription that the victims were killed not as Frenchmen, but as heretics and enemies of God. A French officer, De Gourgues, afterwards recaptured the fort, and executed similar cruelties on the garrison, with the inscription that they were destroyed not as Spaniards, but as murderers and cut-throats. The attention of France seems to have been withheld from this colony till about the year 1672, when it was first known in Canada that the river of Foxes ran into a mighty stream, which emptied itself into the Gulf of Mexico. Little, however, was done to explore the course of the river from Canada till the voyage of La Salle, who, after descending the Mississippi, returned to France. He procured the direction of a force, which left Rochelle in 1684, reached the mouth of the Mississippi, and, after building a small fort there, fell a sacrifice to the mutinous dispositions of his own followers. No further notice seems to have been taken of this country by France till about the year 1699, when Iberville reached the river, and ascended it as high as the Natchez. The name of Louisiana was given to the country by that commander, instead of the name of Florida, which both sides of the Mississippi had before borne. The settlement and cultivation of the colony made a very languid progress from the return of Iberville in 1700 till the year 1712, when the government and a monopoly of the commerce of the country was granted to Crosat, who, finding it unaccompanied with profit, relinquished his privilege in 1717. It was thus again at the disposal of the crown, and became the foundation or rather pretext for that project of the celebrated Law which ultimately involved France in such calamities. M. Bienville was appointed governor under the company of the Indies, and selected the spot on which the city of New Orleans stands for the capital of the colony. The war from 1719 to 1721 between France and Spain was extended to this part of the globe, and various events of that warfare tended to check the progress of the settlement, and when peace was restored, the internal dissensions and the animosity of the warlike Indian tribe of the Natchez prevented a rapid increase of prosperity. As late as the year 1736 the establishments were few and inconsiderable, being confined to some settlements at New Orleans, Beloxi, and the Mobile. The war with England, which terminated in 1763, had deprived France of Canada, and Louisiana having thus become of comparatively little value, was ceded by France to the crown of Spain, which, with the greatest reluctance on the part of the inhabitants, obtained possession of it in 1765. It remained under the government of Spain till it was ceded to France by the treaty of St. Ildefonso, confirmed by that of Madrid, in 1801. As, from the war between France and us, she could not avail herself of the cession, it remained under the Spanish government till Bonaparte sold it to the United States. Commissioners from France received it from the Spaniards, and instantly delivered it over to the Anglo-Americans in 1803; a short time after which it was formed into an independent state of their union.

The war between Great Britain and the United States having given rise to a variety of predatory in-

ursions on the Atlantic side of America, which compelled the government to adopt a most watchful and expensive state of preparation, was at length directed to Louisiana. The capital, New Orleans, commanding the only channel of communication between the newly-founded and rapidly increasing communities in the western territories, was deemed by the British government a place of sufficient value to warrant the equipment of a most formidable expedition to secure its possession. It is situated on an oblong island on the left bank of the Mississippi. The approach to it was by a pass, about one thousand yards across, below the city, which was defended by the Americans, who had thrown up a hasty line of entrenchments upon it, supported by batteries, and having its flank defended by a fort on the opposite bank of the river. As the fortifications at the mouth of the river forbade the entrance of our fleet, there was no access to the American lines but by passing the army through a series of lakes in open boats. These lakes were defended by a small flotilla of Americans, which was captured or destroyed by a superior force of armed boats from our fleet, and thus a passage was opened for the army to the point to be attacked. The American forces, under General Jackson, were at first very few in number, and for the most part consisted of militia; but during the continuance of the operations, the organised inhabitants of Kentucky and of the other districts bordering on the Mississippi, gave them a numerical superiority, and in the effect of their fire demonstrated that they were equal, if not better marksmen than their assailants. With the British every thing depended on promptitude and decision, with the Americans every delay was of vast benefit. During the preparations for the grand attack the command of the British army had passed from General Keane to General Gibbs, and from him to General Sir Edward Pakenham, from which changes some delay seems to have arisen. The British troops arrived before the American lines on the 24th December 1814, after fatigues and privations of the most severe kind. A continued skirmishing was kept from that period till the 8th of January, in which the British, from their more exposed situation, suffered more severely than the Americans. The attack on the lines of the Americans was made with great vigour in front, whilst a detachment of the army was passed over the Mississippi, and captured the fort that flanked the line of defence. Owing to some confusion in the party appointed to convey the fascines and the scaling-ladders, delays occurred of which the Americans behind their entrenchments most ably availed themselves. Two British generals fell in the attack, the carnage among the troops was dreadful, and at length a retreat was ordered. The officer on whom the command had devolved, seeing but little hope from a renewed attempt, determined on abandoning the enterprise. The forces were withdrawn from the island by the same passages through the lakes by which they had reached it, and having joined the fleet on the coast, were very soon after made acquainted with the termination of the war between Great Britain and the United States. The loss to the British army was very

Louisiana
||
Louth.
great, for out of betwixt seven and eight thousand men brought into the field, not fewer than two thousand fell. The loss on the American side appears, by their accounts, to have been very inconsiderable.

See Pitkin's Statistical View of the United States. Duyckinck's Constitutions of the United States. Louisiana, par M. le Page du Pratz. Brackenridge's Views of Louisiana. James' History of the American War. Stoddart's Louisiana. (w. w.)

Situation
and Extent.
LOUTH is a maritime county in the province of Leinster, in Ireland, containing 329 English square miles, or 210,560 English acres, divided into four baronies and sixty-one parishes. It has the Irish Sea on the east, the counties of Armagh and Down on the north, Meath on the south, and Monaghan and Cavan on the west. From Carlingford bay on the north to Drogheda bay on the south, the distance is about 26 miles. Between these two points, the inland boundary describes the segment of a circle, the greatest distance of which, from the coast, is about 20 miles. Dundalk bay runs up towards the centre of the county, and diminishes its breadth one-half at the town of that name.

Surface
and Soil.
Louth has mountainous tracts towards the north, between Dundalk and Carlingford, and on the confines of Armagh; but in other parts the surface is marked by only gentle inequalities, or hills of no great elevation. It is in general fertile, with but little waste land, and no considerable lakes; and is embellished by a number of gentlemen's seats, among which, that of Mr John Foster, on his domain of Collon, is the most magnificent. "No place in the island," says Mr Wakefield, "is more worthy of notice." The Flurry, the Lagan, the Fane, and the Dee, are the principal streams that flow through it, all of them from west to east. The Boyne, for a short distance, washes its south-eastern boundary. Limestone, marl, and slate, are the only fossil substances worked at present; the first is far from being general. Lead was formerly worked on the Lagan, near the sea-coast, and is supposed to exist in the mountains which separate this county from Armagh.

Estates and
Farms.
This district is divided into estates, worth from L. 1500 to L. 2000 per annum. Only two or three are of greater value. Farms are, in general, larger than in most other parts of Ireland; but there are still many very small; in some parishes, scarcely one above 25 acres, and in others they seldom extend to 80 acres. The average rent, in 1809, was from 30s. to 31s. the Irish acre, or about 18s. 6d. the English; but it has increased since, several considerable farms having been let within these five years at from three to five guineas the Irish acre. As the land is chiefly occupied in tillage, little attention is paid to the improvement of cattle and sheep; of the latter, though a few are kept on most farms, the number is inconsiderable. Wheat and oats are the principal corn crops, barley being very little cultivated. The other crops are potatoes, flax, and a little hemp. Clover and turnips are almost confined to the farms of proprietors. It is only on these that the general management is good; that of the common farmers being, for the most part, slovenly,

and their lands requiring heavy dressings of lime and marl to keep them productive. Yet many of the tenants are in easy circumstances, well clothed, use meat in their families, and in every thing but their houses and farm buildings are in a condition superior to that of their brethren in most other parts of Ireland. It is common to renew the leases some time before the old ones expire, so that the tenants are not often changed; but fines are frequently paid on these renewals, which carry away much of the capital that should be applied to the soil. Tithes are very seldom taken in kind; their value is ascertained about the end of harvest, and the tenants grant their notes for the amount, which, though payable in November, is in some cases not exacted till almost twelve months after.

In 1816, the wages of common labour were about 1s. a day, and from 1s. 8d. to 2s. in hay and corn harvest. Cottars had only 6½d. but they had a cabin, half an acre of land, and grass for a cow, for L. 2, 10s. It is to be regretted, that the writers of Mason's Parochial Survey, from which these rates are taken, do not also give the prices of provisions. In 1811, according to Mr Wakefield, potatoes were 3d. per stone, oatmeal 19s. 3d. per cwt. and beef 6d. and mutton 7d. per pound. Coal is used among the better sort of farmers, but the most common fuel is turf, and among some of the poorest cottars only furze. Mr Wakefield saw a number of women upon the fields, between Collon and Dundalk, gathering dry dung to serve them as fuel; and this practice, he adds, is common over all the county.

Louth carries on the linen manufacture to a considerable extent. About 2000 acres have been under flax in some years, and in one year 11,590 bushels of seed have been saved. This quantity of seed is much greater than is produced in any other county of Ireland. Dowlas, sheetings, and other fabrics, are made to a great amount, and sold at Drogheda, from whence they are sent, partly in an unfinished state, to the English markets. At Collon they make linen of various qualities, part of which is also sold unbleached. The weavers earn about 2s. or 2s. 3d. a day. Cambrics have long been manufactured at Dundalk. The cotton manufacture, also, was in a flourishing condition at Collon when Mr Wakefield wrote; 1300 looms being employed in calico weaving by two individuals in that neighbourhood, at wages nearly the same as those of the linen weavers. A stocking factory has also been established at Collon.

The towns are Drogheda, Dundalk, Carlingford, Dunleer, Ardee, and Collon. Drogheda, situated on the north bank of the Boyne, which is navigable to the town, its liberties extending into the county of Meath, is a place of considerable trade, with a population of 15,000. Large quantities of corn are shipped here for the English market, particularly for Liverpool, which lies nearly on a line with it on the opposite coast. The battle of the Boyne is commemorated by an obelisk erected on the banks of the river, at the second milestone from this town on the road to Slane. Dundalk, the shire and assize town, though its harbour is not so good as that of Drogheda, is a place of importance both for its

trade and population. At Dundalk, Edward, the brother of Robert Bruce of Scotland, was proclaimed King of Ireland, the last of its resident monarchs, if his short and precarious dignity entitle him to the name. Carlingford, situated on the bay of that name, is an inconsiderable place; its harbour being unsafe in rough weather, is little frequented by shipping except for the export of butter. Dunleer and Ardee, though parliamentary boroughs before the Union, have been many years in a state of decay. Collon, which owes much of its increase to Mr John Foster, is now a considerable village, pleasantly situated on the highly ornamented domain of that gentleman.

Louth county returns two members to Parliament, and the towns of Drogheda and Dundalk one each. Lord Roden and Mr John Foster have a commanding influence both in the county and in the borough of Dundalk. In 1790 the population was 57,750, in which, according to Mr Wakefield, the Catholics are to the Protestants as fifteen to one. Much of the personal property belongs to the former, and considerable estates are held by Lord Southwell and other Catholics. Two Catholic gentlemen are called on the grand jury. From the increase in some of the parishes, described in the Parochial Survey, it is probable that the population of this county had increased considerably, perhaps one third, since 1790.

See the general works referred to under the former Irish counties, and the articles LOUTH, DROGHEDA, and DUNDALK, in the Encyclopædia. (A.)