The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-11-23

We have thought that some attention to our
own STAFF and its affairs might not be unbecoming
a -nawsraDer published in New Orleans. We
know that it is much easier to deal in generaties
than 20 descend TO partieuars-a far more plea
SAINT operation to settle the state Of the nation, to
speculate upon and regulate the course Of events
in revolutionary Europe, than to record with accu-
racy the daily occurrences of a neighborhood, or
describe the street in which we live. But it may
well be questioned whether these vague general
tiles, put forth without any very remarkable know
ledge, are any great use or even amusement TO the
reader. The process too much resembles the phi
anthropic efforts of those benevolent individuals
who daily pass unheeded every form of human
wretehedness, misery, degradation and vice at
their own doors, while they send millions abroad to
publish the gospel among savages, or weep huge
tears of sympathy over the sufferings Of the fat
and laughing negro on an American plantation.
We confess with sorrow that we have not been
without sin in this matter ourselves, but we have
not sinned wilingly-the offence must be attributed
to our determination to keep aloof from party
politics-and we were well aware that we could,
during the excitement of the election, write Of
nothing that really concerned the interests of the
people at large without laying ourselves open to
misapprehension or misrepresentation. However
good, wise, just or polite thing might be, some
wiseacre would have found in it a violation of our
neutrality. Mr.. Brown could have seen as plain
as the nose on his face that we intended secret
dig at the wings, or Mr.. Smith would have had no
doubt that it was aimed as a blow at the demo-
Gratis Thankful we are that such nonsense can
not always last; that men will occasionally return
to reason, and examine subjects for themselves,
with something like unprejudiced understandings.
Believing that the reign of common sense has some
chance of being restored we shall take advantage
of the earliest evidences Of its advent to discuss
carefully and freely many questions Of Importance
to our people as citizens Of Louisiana, and mem
bers of the slave-holding and agricultural portion
of our country We shall endeayor 10 make our
readers acquainted with the land in which they
live, with all which concerns it, its past history,
present condition, and the elements of greatness
or decay which exist to modify its future destiny
We know that the task, thus voluntarily imposed,
will make our labors very arduous; but we hope il
may also make them useful.
We intended to begin our work by an accurate
description of the physical characteristics of our
own State but this we will have to delay for a
few days. for the want offull materials. II is true
we have many accurate and excellent maps, but
they show only the general shape of the whole
with the course of the rivers and bayous, the
extent of the lakes and swamps, and the lines Of
plantations, townships and sections; this is moi
generally accompanied by geological description
Of the earth, and botanical survey of its produc-
tons. Such geological and botanical surveys have
been made with great care and at considerable
expense to the State; but at the time the results
were reported, the Legislature was seized with an
uncommon fit of economy, and refused to have
them printed and after diligent search we have
been unable to find even the manuscripts in the
archives of the State. We shall endeavor, how
ever to supply in an imperfect manner the loss SC
far as it can be done from our own observations and
the information collected from others. In tie
mean time, there are things which we have some
knowledge of that may be of interest, and first
of The Population of the State-this by the
census taken in 1917, amounted to 427,7 persons
of which there were white males 1O5, 39l, females
81 ,O39; free colored males 1890, females 1892
male slaves los, 400, females 1O2, Os3 The distri
button of this population among the different
parishes was as follows: