The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-05-31
The R,,;za Once More.

Dear Crescent-When the larccal etymon ascnbed by
Senator Dix TO the settlement of BaZe Honduras Bay,
met eye, felt tempted to send few researches
gathered the meaning of the word connected with the
entrance OF the Mississippi But ca bono "a query which,
with the OF years. has become portion of all my
judgemen-arose in mind and abstaned from the in
tended task
Well did the Greeks define etymoogies to be alazona
turadeceitiu witnesses of the meaning of words but
less Mr. Dix had studied deceive himself he certainly
could not have fallen upon deceptive origin of the
word Balize Had the freebooter's name to which it is
Traced, been Wallace, instead OF Willis assumed.
easy TO understand that with the natural tendency u
sion OF the letter into B. which characterizes corrupt
pronunciation of the Spanish the unway might have readily
made mistake
But any familiar with the structure of the Spanish
Language and the controlling influence of Celtic and Moor
sh aprates, the word would have assumed the shape of
Quilts or Gnatace and not Balize Hence the present
day out of twenty Spanard nineteen would pronounce the
name OF Washington Gudsngton and of Worth just the
Anglo pronounced it in the ninth century Gueorh
which is the true original of the name.
Yet it seems that correspondent the authority of
Lord Veruam thinks that the meaning of the word may be
accounted for by his Lordshlps statement Save and
cep the questionable connection between gbbeted bodies
pirates and the of 5aiises there is the
some approach the real state Of the STILL that is
vague and unsatisfactory.
Ducange in his Glossary of the Middle Agesa treasury
of forgotten knowledge enlarged by the patient additions OF
the learned congregation of St Maugyes the only true
and account of the word under the heads Baistd
and Balsn gium "BaLisiG " says he, Spites aut tns-
SUt, scOpu0rum ndicie, dQuR tundO defIe -bases
stakes sticks planted at the bottom of the water to
point out the breakers reefs.
In the Supplement to Ducange, by Dom Carpenter, a
Benedictine of ST. Maur, find the following definition
Baiisdgi prGstat0, tri6utn, Quod ndeclts
rmgo Balses, que ad drigendas Mares IN portnbus
POM solent e1igtur balisage the payment toll,
acted for the marks known as batses which wont
to be put down as guides to vessels into port.
He then quotes from the Cons uetudo JMarS, the follow
ing text of maritime law lie maisre est tenn a METRE
Balls, quHS apiergent plain, les naDtgaantS M
agent d0mmaige the master held to put down baSes
that should plainly be order that damage to nav
cation may thereo Carpenter adds that the word
balls, which here in the plural number but medieval
corruption of the Latin word paiuS, nOmnatve plural pa
stakes poles.
Roqueos Etymooges of the French Language, ancient
and modern, tracing the word to the derivave,
equally clear the subject and although not sustained by
the authorities adduced by Carpenter less conclusive
the true of JaLise which he defines to be
Narqae, pieu mat aeoe, tOnneau, indiquer les
6cueas les endroits dangereun bdteaur dams
uiere, auI 66tments les c6es bae, mark stake,
tall mast cask point shoals and dangerous places
to crafts in rivers and to ships the coast
To close this list of authorities, obvious to the true
meaning of balise would make last reference to
old Spanish Dictionary Vtiza qualquer pato que pone
baise stake. whatever up mark shoals and
sand banks for the guidance of navigatoB
From the above definitions and authorities the reader
settlement of Baze the name which it now enjoys. A.