Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-07-31
ROMANCE OF LOUISIANA HISTORY.
From De BotcS Commercial Repiew of the South
and UeSt-PoL Ill., No. 6, June, ls47.


and Uest-Pol III. No. 6, June, ls47.
Poetry is the daughter of imagination, and imagination
perhaps of the highest gifts of Heaven the most rene
ethereal part of the mind because when carried to perfection
is the combined of all the finer faculties of the hu
intellect There may be sound Judgment acute percep
ton, depth of thought great powers Of conception of dsc
mnaon, of research, Of assimilation, of combination Of IDEAS
without Imagination, least without that part oft which ella
boraes and exas itself into poetry but how we conceive
the existence OF poetica Imagination highest excellence
without all the other faculties Without them what magma
ton would be imperfect diseased strue that without
imagination there may be world within the mind, but
world without light Cold it remains and suffering from the
effects partial organization, unless by mighty fiat ina
gnaon 10 breathed into the dormant mass and the sun
poetry, emerging in the heaven of the mind, ilumnes and
The several elements of which il is composed and
pletes the creation Of the intellect.
Hence the idea of all that is beautiful and great concen-
uaed in the word poetry There is grand conception Of
the mind in which that intellectual faculty which constitutes
poetry be detected What great and noble and
be poelca, and what poecal must paake in
degree other of what great and noble It's hardly pos
sbe conceive Alexander Caesar Napoleon New
ton, Lycurgus, Mahomet, Michael Angelo, Canoa,
any of those wonderful who have carried far they
could go the powers Of the human mind in the several de-
parmens which they used, without supposng them
gifted with of those faculties of the imagination which
into the composition of poecal organization. Thus every
and almost every science has its poetry and from the
unanimous of mankind this subject that it has be-
to say the poetry of music, of sculpture,
of architecture of dancing, of painting of history and
the poetry of religion meaning that which most pleasing to
the eye to the mind and ennobng to the souk We may
therefore infer from the general feeling which have aud
ed that where the spirit OF poetry does not exist there cannot
be greatness; and cam believe, be safely avered thai
try the gold Of all human actions and events of all things
and matters the touchstone OF poetry of the sures
willing to apply that criterion to Louisiana, consider
ed both physically and historically am willing that my
tive State, which but fragment Of what Louisiana former
y was should stand fall by that test and do not fear to
approach with her the seat of judgment am prepared to
show that her history full Of poetry of the highest order and
of the varied nature. have studied the subject
aore, and with such everenal enthusiasm, and may say
with such al pey, that has grown upon my heart well
upon my mind May be able to do justice to its merits
and 10 raise within you corresponding interest to that which
feel To support the assertion that the history Louisiana
is emineny poetica will be sufficient to give you short
graphical descriptions of those interesting which
ue her annals Bright gems they encircng her brows
dadem-ke and worthy of that which has sprung from
her forehead enrich the American constellation in the rma
ment Of liberty.
Three centuries have hardly elapsed since that immense
territory which extends from the Gulf of Mexico the lakes
of Canada and which subsequently known under the
of Louisiana, sumheng its cradle of wilderness
unknown any of the white TO which we belong Man
was there however, but in his primitive state claiming,
were in appearance at least different origin from
being best variety of species There the here
day domain of the red man, living in scattered tribes
that magnificent Those tribes earned their
subsistence chiefly by pursuing the inhabitants Of the earth
and Of the they sheltered themselves in miserable huts
spoke different languages observed contradictory customs and
waged fierce upon each other Whence they
knew knows with absolute certainty the present day,
and the faint gmmerngs of vague traditions have afforded
little or light penetrate into the darkness OF their mystic
rious origin Thus wide field left open TO those dreamy
speculations of which the imagination is SO fond.
Whence came the Nachez, those woshipper Of the sun
with eastern rites How is that Grecan figures and letters
are represented the eahern of Of those Indian
nations Is there any truth in the supposon that OF
those savages whose complexion appoxmates
draw their blood from that Welsh colony which said to have
found home in America many centuries since Is il posi-
bic that Phpncan Adventures the pilgrim fathers of
some of the aborignes Of Louisiana What coppecolorcd
first issued from Asia, the revered womb Of mankind
to wend its untracc way the untenanted continent OF
RIGA What anciul tales could be weaved the powerful
Choctaw the undauned Chickasaw the unconqucra-
bic Mebens There the imagination may riot in the poetry
of mysterious mgtauons of human transformations In the
poetry Of the forests of the valleys of the mountains the
lakes and rivers they fresh and glorious from the
hand Of the Creator in the poetry Of barbarc manners laws
and What heroic poems might not future Ossan de-
wise the red monarchs Of old Louisiana Would their
strange history in the hands of Tacus be interesting
that ancient barbarian tribes Of Germany described by
his immortal pen Is there in that period of their existence
which precedcs their acquaintance with the of Europe
nothing which, when placed in contrast with their future fate
appeals the imagination Of the moraist o the philosopher
and of the divine Who, without feeling his whole soul
glowing with poetca emotions could sit under yonder ggan
tic oak the growth Of thousand years. the top Of that hill
Of Shells the sepuIchre Of man, piled up by his hands, and
overlooking that placid lake where all would be repose il
for that solitary canoe, moving speck, hardly visible
in the distance did not happen to be set 10 bold relief by
being that very line where the lake meets the horizon z
ing with the last gores Of the departing Is not this the
very poetry Of andscape-of Louisianian landscape
Az aFt
of the southwestern world which comprehendd in
the limits Of Louisiana, will the geoogst himself pause
absorbed establishment at the number of centuries which
must have been necessary form the delta of the Mississippi
When he discovers successive strata Of forests lying
ahoms deep the top Of each other when he witnesses the
exhumaon Of the fossil bones of mammohs, elephants or
huge animals Of the aneduvan when he reads the HE
ogyphc records Of Natures wonderful doings left by herself
the very rocks other granite and cacaeous tablets of
this country, will he clasp his hands in ecstacy, and ex
claim, "Oh the dryness of my study has fled there is
poetry in the very foundation of this extraordinary land
Thus think that have shown that the spirit of poetrywas
moving the face Of Louisiana in her primitive ae
and still peyades her history But have dwel enough
Louisiana the dark ages of her existence Of which we
know nothing by vague traditions Of the Indians
Let approach those times where her historical records begin
to distinct shape.
On the 3ls Of May, 1889, the bay Of Santo Spiriu in
Florida presented curious spectacle Eleven vessels Of
quaint shape bearing the broad banner Of Span moored
close shore thousand Of infantry and three
hundred and fifty Of cavalry fully equipped were land
ing proud array under the command Of fernando De Soto
Of the most usrous companions Of Pzano in the con-
quest of Peru and repued Of the best ances Of SPAIN
"When he led in the van Of BATTLE powerful was his