Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-08-16
New Orleans In sO6.-McDonogh the Mil
IiOnaire.

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The greater part Of the then existing popu-
lation was of French origin. In the city itself,
the French numbered at least three-ifths of the
inhabitants one other fifth was of Spanish
race and another Americans, among whom
were some Germans. The city numbered about
$4,000 souls, OF whom onethird were people
of color and slaves. The mercantile class was
made up of four or five French establishments,
springing from the neishborhood of Garoune,
and founded during the continuance of the
French rule; three Scotch contingencies,
one German concern, and eight or ten commits
sion houses, lately opened by young American
merchants from New York, Philadelphia and
Baltimore The traces of this class, who car
ried on the early business Of New Orleans
under the new regime, are now limited to the
sugar-planter Shepherd, who is still living and
now very wealthy, and to the still more opulent
Mr. w. M. Montgomery, formerly wholesale
grocer, and now the owner of large portion
of the northwestern section of the State, who
lives partly at New York and partly at Paris.
Shepherd, whom have just named, who was
but two and twenty when he came from Bati-
more to New Orleans, was accompanied thther
by young American from the same place,
who could not have been more than few years
older than himself The latter brought some
six or eight thousand dollars with him, and
after, for considerable time, exploring all sorts
OF uncultivated lands lying along the Missis-
sippi, made choice and purchased.
This young man was John McDonogh, who
made such constant parade of the lands he
had bought so well understood the game of
making fictitious sales to his friend Shepherd
at very high rates, and through him to others
at still higher prices, and pursued this system,
observing at the same time, great frugality at
home, so long and so skillfuly, that at length
purchasers fell into his net and made them
selves part and parcel of it. McDonogh talked
very little, and seldom mixed in general con-
versation, especially with ladies, whose socie-
ty he avoided as much as possible. When
he did open his lips, all that fell from them
was praise of certain lands he had just pur.
chased, and this theme was inexhaustible. 1t
was not in Louisiana alone that he carried
on this system, but also in neighboring States,
and he continued it for more than forty years.
he passed his spare time in looking after the
education Of some children in the neighbor-
hood of his homely residence on an estate, or,
as they call it in the south, plantation belong
ing to him. He also occupied himself with the
amateur study of medicine. McDonogh died
in October, 1851, and, upon the opening of his
will, it was discovered that at the time of his
death he owned four-ffths of all the unculti-
waited lands in the State of Louisiana, and as
many tracts of territory in other States, to the
very considerable amount of fifteen millions of
dollars. During the lapse of some thirty-four
years, saw him very frequently, the last time
in 1889, and knew but one relation of his,
brother, who was pilot and died early, if /
am Lot mistaken, Of the yellow fever. McDo.
nogh himself died without *heirs, either direct
or collateral, and has made over his whole pro-
perry to the government Of the United States,
that 1t shall expend the same in the establish
ment of public schools.
Besides this general direction, there are a
number of small requests and codocils of
very curious nature appended to his WILL One
OF the Oldest Of these is the bequest made to
Leon Gozan, in Paris. This well-known writer
some years ago published romance called the |
Medicin Pecq," which, in every point of
view, but especially by some very peculiar and |
profound physiological studies, attracted the |
greatest notice throughout France. The editor |
of the Courier des Flats Unis republished it |
in the feuilleton Of that widely circulated pa |
per, and it thus fell into the hands of Mr.. Nc |
Donogh, who read it at home and in his soil. |
tary hours, and was SO charmed with some Of
the authors observations on the world and |
men, that he made him his heir to the amount |
of ten thousand dollars. This sum was lately |
handed over to Mr.. Gozlan by Mr.. Rives, the |
late American ambassador at Paris, in check |
on the house of Albrecht & Co., in Havre.
*NoTE.-Ths is Of course an error Mr. Nc |
Donogh did leave heirs, who have contested his |