The Port Gibson herald, and correspondent., 1851-04-11

I
/ ing. when they reached Bayou Goula, articles
leit there by the latter in 1852, and also etter
leit by DE Ionti for La Sale, in 1855. Having
visited the mouth of Red River and Manchac,
I0ervlle returned to Ship Island, and erected
fort at the bay of Biloxi, about eighty miles
east OF New Orleans. He then embarked for
France, leaving the fort in command of his
brother, Bienville. In December, 699, Iberville
returned from France, and built fort soon af.
terWards ON the banks OF the Mississippi River.
In 100, DE Tonti, having descended the Mis-
slsslpp river, arrived at lberville's fort with a
party Of Canadian French. from the Illinois.
lberville availed himself of De Tonti's experts
enee and knowledge of the country, to ascend
The river and explore its banks, form alliances,
&c. tie accordingly detailed party, with De
l'onti and Bienvile, to ascend IN barges and ca
noes. They ascended as high up as the Match
ez country, four hundred miles above the French
tort. Here he selected site Tor tort, which,
however, was not erected till sixteen years af-
terwarGs, and called it Rosalie A settlement
was also made in 1903 on the Yazoo river.
which was called ST. Peters.t
In l704, lberville died at Havana, leaving
the colonists dependent for subsistence on hun.
ting and fishing, and the precarious bounty of
the Indians. They did not resort for some years
to agriculture, and it may well be supposed how
difficult it was to induce men accustomed to
this idle but seductive life, to exchange it for
agriculture or other regular labor. In l7l3,
they cultivated small gardens at Biloxi
In l7l6, Bienville built fort at Natchez,-
the site which lbervilIe had selected and called
Rosale, sixteen years beforehand LETT in it a
garrison o. eighteen men, under NJ Pallaux.
The colonies, thus established grew but slow.
ly. New-Oreans having been soon afterwards
founded, and the coast above that city being ex-
ceedingy fertile, numerous emigrants were at
tracted thither, and in 1928, rice, tobacco and
indigo had been produced and exported in con.
siderable quantities.
Unfortunately, at this time, reciprocal ill-wil
had grown up between the frontier settlements
and the neighboring Indians. The consequence
was, conspiracy Of several tribes for the pur>
pose OF exterminating the whites. The Natchez
despatched runners TO the various towns and
settlements of the Indians, who distributed quiv.
ers, full of reeds, each of which contained the
same number Il was agreed, that after a GER
tain moon, a reed should be drawn, every Gay,
from each quiver, and that the day when the last
reed was drawn, should be that of the intended
massacre. 1t is said that an Indian girl, anx>
!ous to prevent the destruction of the whites, anu
especially to save the life of one of them, se-
cretly drew several reeds from the culver which
the Natchez tribe possessed. with the view of
thus defeating the union OF the different tribes
on the same day, without which, it was believed
by her, that no single tribe would make the at,
Tack
But her stratagem only preclpitated the catas-
trophe. On the appointed day. the Natchez,
thinking that their allies had faltered, resolved
TO execute alone the original design contempla-
ted by ALL Accordingly while the whites (though
forewarned) were in their houses or fields, dis |
persed and engaged in their various pursuits the |
Indians entered the settlement, and, under the |
pretence OF trading for provisions and ammu-
milton tor great hunt, obtained access to their /
and dwellings, and in an evil |
honr fell upon them, and massacred them in de-
tail. Every white man in the settlement was
except carpenter and tailor both |
of whom were spared by the Indians, with the
view, on their part, of building houses and ma
king garments for themselves, and also with the
exception OF two soldiers, who, having been alb,
sent on that day. hunting, were on their way
back to the fort, but perceiving The smoke and
lanes issuing from the houses, and hearing the
yells OF the savages, instantly fled, and by vari-
ous means found their way to New Orleans,
where they announced the terrible calamity
which had beiallen the garrison at Fort Rosalie
The women and slaves were preserved as
prisoners. The Governor, Chapart, - who,
hough frequently admonished of his danger be-
ore this massacre, had turned deaf ear TO the
advice of bis counsellors, and being OF an auda-
;ious and reckless character, had even threat
,ned every one with punishment who should
any similar intelligence the
irst 10 pay the forfeit Of his iemerily At the
'ame time, the little colony at st. Peters, on the
Kazoo river, and the one at Sicily Island. and
bird, near the town of Monroe, shared the same
disastrous fate.5 For, although The neighboring
rbes had been prevented by the stralagem of
he Natchez girl from uniting in the massacre
t Fort Rosae. they yet proceeded. on the day
which, hut for the precipitancy of the Natchez
ribe, would have been the time for general CO.
peraion, to massacre al! the whites within their
each.
Thus, in the year 1928, in one day, were
wept away every vestige Of civilization BY the
indians, within the limits which now constitute
he boundaries Of the state Of Mississippi Not
sss than two hundred persons, who had encoun.
cred and survived all the perils and hardships
f emigration and sickly climate. perished, in
n hour, beneath the scalping- knife of the saw
ge
The Indians, inflated with success, and glut-
ed with spoil, abandoned themselves, over the
objected bones of their victims, to the most in
emperafe orgies; but in the midst of their pro-
onged carousing, Lesueur, having obtained the
i'd oil six hundred Choctaw warriors, on the
'ombigbee, advanced suddenly upon them, and
pnk sixty scalps, and rescued fifty women and
hildren, and the carpenter and tailor before
mentioned, from captivity, besides one hundred
The site Of st. Psters is now owned by ].
! Payne, Esq, .,of New Orleans, being part OF
lis plantation.
The immediate cause Of this massacre was
he wrestling from the Indians, BY the Governor,
f fertile tract Of land, about six miles below
latchez, for the purpose of besiowing It on
whose venerable descendant
ow resides on it, and is nearly. so years of age.
/ have taken the foregoing narrative from
loneite's History of the Valley Of the Mississippi
n Holmes Annals of America, vol l.p 545, A.
D. 1929, / find the following account Of the
Satchez massacre:
sThe Natehez, an Indian nation, formed a
Ieneral conspiracy to massacre the French COLI
nsts Of Louisiana" Louisiana then compre-
ended Natchez9 "M. de Chepar, who COM
post at Natchez had been embreiled
With the natives, but they 50 far dissembed as
n a c,tn tho hpiaf that tho Eronch ttad no ailias