Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1840-04-30

dents and advantages, its relative position
4. such that Il can command al necessary nartic
We patton IN the products and resources Of IN
II. Mississippi Valley almost as conveniently, an
I Z as securely IRON interruption by an enemy q
!. the coast as II its locality was upon the rive,
y Distant from New Orleans about sixty m;e,
i its connexion with the river through that Ill
,r is an inland water.communication nearly 10 ~
:, river bank, and whlcha fortified command O
the Islands Of this Bay wholly protects; and
by re-opening the ancient and long-establisbe,
navigation Of the bayou Manshac direct il
tescourse IS at once opened above The Island q
Orleans TO the mississippi river whichis equal
inland, and alike projected by the same for
tlications. This connexion cannot he exten
ded 10 any other sufficient harbor on Hhe Gul
OF nexlco. Any other place which can CLAIM
Prelensions worth naming, must find its inter
course wlrn the Mississippi partly by land, Of
an exposure to sea in some extent must be en-
lcountered. To furnish the essential supplie,
OF such an establishment by land would be i'm
polite, if not impracticable; and il dependan,
iorlts supplies by sea, it is manifest that. in
Time OF war, with an enemy upon the coast,
these supplies would be transmitted at such a
hazard as stale Of war might present In
view oil this subject, shall pass with slight no.
lice, and as having no material influence upon
The question, the establishment which this nov
ernment has deemed fit and proper 10 make nj
Pensacola. Its value and importance is. ner.
maps, better known to our navy commissioners
than TO the public at large But presume il
may be said, without inviting much contradic-
ZION, that this establishment can never furnish
any direct and essential protection 10 mobile
and New Orleans, where the whole commerce
OF the southwest concentrates, and our great
interests are first exposed i, will he scan
from the maps, also, that the bay of Borgne Is
me only inlet fora thousand miles of coast.
where ship otthe line can find harbor-I
And to this consideration may be added anotb-
or OF vital moment, derived from the modern
application of steam to vessels of war. which
from theease and celebrity of their movements. |,
must materially aggravae our exposed comb. |,
ion on this bay, ! cannot suppose. therefore
that any intelligent mind will doubt. ifthis bo y
IS suitably susceptible of such establishments
and naval delences, that sufficient reasons have
been urged to show the propriety of speedily
adopting such measures as shall effect the oh
jects in their fullest extent
In further proof Of the capacity and i'm.
portance Of this bay, it may be we'll TO call
the recollections Of the Senate 10 a portion
OF It's marine history and naval statistics.
few Intellectual attempts at discovery and \
conquest on the coast of Florida, were made bv {
the French in'the fifteenth century: but. exnei. 5
led from the shore by their Spanish neghbors,
whom they found there before them, no simiIar|t
on the Gulf Of mexico was attempted y
oy them Tor more than century and ahafaf b
erward. And the fact is strange and remark 4
lble, that the Spaniards, who. for so long b
lme had permanent possession of Florida on In
ne one side, and Mexico on the other, should II
ave so long failed TO discover and possess ST
Of the country including the mouth "
nd valley OIL the mississippi river, I'LL superse- 50
ed IN that discovery and possession by the te
rench, one hundred and fifty years subsequent Ii
the occupation of Florida. The French liza
rst discovered the mississippi in excursions r,
ON their colony in the north from whence &,
e enterPrising La Sale, committing himself S,
us current, arrived at its mouth on the 7th pc
April 1881 Returning to France, he from tn
ence sailed ON an expedition to enter the riy. We
iromthe sea. But, missing the object Of his to.
arch, ne coasted the shore Of Texas, made wi
hd az Demands bay, established himself tran pr
'ntly on the Colorado, and, after many fruit
IS efforts TO hnd the mouth ofthe river by wa. of
{, determined on seeking its shores by land in
q, n prosecution Of this purpose, journeyed in
rough the wilderness to the western branch Itul
the Trinity river, and was there be- an
lyed and assussnated on the 10th Of march, "a
o. tab
Twelve years afterwards, Iberville,. in exc COZ
ION OF La Sales plan ofcolonizing the Low the
sailed from France with four Gil
'sels, two Of which were thrty-gun frgates site
flvlng at Pensacola, he found that place in FIRE
session OF Spain, and passing thence, came The
= 10 Dauphin island, near the mouth Of NC, Ifrol
bay, and thence TO Hon and Ship and the
andeleur islands; and SO Terminated his yoy-lyey
10 the bay Of Borgne After brief explo- are
on OF the islands, passes. and shores, Ship Sen
nd became the place Of first settlement 10 littl
emgrants. From this island IberviIle putin d
y IN MS boats in search Of the mouth Of theA Son
'lss;lppI-succeeded on the third day out mia
ended the river to Point Coupee, and thence a le
cendlng 70 the Manshac, passed through this cert
on, the lakes Maurapas and Pontchartrain, had
way OF the Rigoettes, to the bay ofSt. Lou is cl
nd thenceto Ship island, Thus, in q few ing
IRON lifetime the silence ofths bay was Liect
/, disturbed Dy the voice and action Of civil Con
! men, was Its outlets and connections ton
alcaliy surveyed and ascertained. After soug
survey, The French colonel headquarters H
established on shorc 10 the east side Of the capa
oil Biloxi, about twelve miles from Ship IS mus
!, where a fort Of considerable strength 1.-The |
hv liz -. ~ 80 -.th ct1, FMvI.l