Arkansas intelligencer., 1849-08-04
Extracts from Lewis Letters |
The City of New Orleans.

In I1iI the French government issued char
ter to The Western Company" granting the
monopoly of the trade of Louisiana for twenty-five
years. Bienvilie was chosen Governor and the
following year he selected the site of New Orleans
ninety two miles from the rivers mouth. and en-
poyed htiy men in clearing the ground and erect
ing the necessary buildings. The next year the
town was overhowed and abandoned. Three years
afterward II was reoccupied and in 1923 the place
contained population Of two hundred.
The transfer to Spain in 1893 was thought very
much to retard its prosperity. The misfortune
was partly remedied by the opening of the Mis-
sIsslPpI 10 the States, thirty years after, and
entirely by transfer of Louisiana to France, and
Immediately afterward 10 the United States in
1898. In 1910 the population "a, $50; and
in 1910, lO2,l9l. The census lust taken shows
decrease since 1910, but is thought to be very
incorrect. So much for statistics.
The New Orleans levee is of wood. is two hun
dred feet wide. the whole length of the city, and
IS certainly one of the best in the United States.
The wharves for five miles are crowded with YES
sells from every foreign and domestic port-steam-
boats and fatboats almost immune rable. The le-
wee proper is occupied by steam vessels. Above
and below the wooden levee the wharf is built in
piers, at which sail vessels arranged according
to their size soops, schooners, brgs, barques and
ships. with the most perfect regularity. The sail
vessels lie from two to five deep, those outside
loading and unloading, by means of ways con-
siructed over those between them and the shore.
Three thousand dEays are said to be employed in
the removal of merchandise of every description,
and from every cline, with which the landing is
crowded.
During the year 1884, only sixty years since,
an American vessel, having eighty bales of cotton
on board was seized at Liverpool on the plea that
so large an amount of cotton could not have been
produced in the United States. The shipment in
1888 amounted to fourteen bales in 1855 to six
IN 1857 to one hundred and nine 1888 to three
hundred and eighty nine 1889 to eigh: hundred
and forty-two. Fifty years ago, an old Carolina
farmer, having gathered his crop of five acres
was so alarmed the yield of fifteen bales, that
he exclaimed, g Well, well. have done with cot.
ton; here is enough TO make stockings for all the
people in America The cotton crop of the
United States for 1914 was 2,30O,GOO bales.
The cultivation Of the sugar cane commenced
in this country in about the middle of the last
century. At that time, the Jesuits of ST. Domingo
sent some of the plants present to the JesuiIs
of Louisiana, accompanied by negroes well &C.
quanted with lis cultivation, and with the process
for manufacturing it into sugar. The experiment
was made on part of the ground now occupied
by this city These Jesuits owned about one third
of the city, but when expelled in 1863 by Clement
XIII. from the dominions of France, Spain. and
Naples. their property was confscated. 1t is es-
tmated TO be worth, al this time, 100000 oi
dollars.