The North-Carolinian. [volume] (Fayetteville [N.C.]) 1839-1861, 1854-08-26
Interesting Sketches OF Rich Wen.
BY VINCENT SolrE.

. A'e" ofteHns IN 1SO6--Hc DnnonSh, the MI
'e""".'t.- ne great part OF the then existing
population was OF French origin In the CITY
itsei the French numbered at least threc-iiths of
tee hfi;bitants; one other fifth was of Spanish
race, ana another Americans, among whom were
some Germans. The city numbered abou,
i"''vo sous, OF whom one-third were people
OF color and slaves. The mercantile class was
mace up OF tour Or five French establishments,
sprnglng from the neiy hbor.ood of the Garonne
and founded during the CONT tinuance of the
French rule; three Scotch counting houses one
German concern, and eight or ten commission
houses, lately opened 10y young American mcr-
chants from New York, Philadelphia and Balti-
more. The traces of this class, who carried 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 g.
NJ. Montgomery, formerly wholesale grocer
and 10" 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 Balt-
more to New Orleans, was accompanied tlither
by young American from the same place, who
| could not have been more than Il few years
older than himself. The latter brought
six or eight thousand dollars with him, and af-
ter, for considerable time, exploring all sorts
Of uncuitivated lands lying along the Mississippi
made a choice and purchased. This young man
Was John McDonough who made such
stant parade of the lands he had bought so we'll
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, long and so
skilfuliv that at length real purchasers fell into
his net and made themselves part and parcel OF
it, McDonough talked very little, and seldom
mixed in general conversation, especially with
ladies, whose society 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 purchased, and this theme was mex
haustbe. 1t was not in Louisiana alone that
he carried on this system, but also i'll ncighbor-
ing States and he continued it for more than
forty years. He passed his spare time in look
ing after the education of children i'll the
| neighborhood of his homeiy residence all
| estate, Or as they call it in the South q planta
! ton, belonging to him. lie also occupied him
self with the amateur study of medicine. Nc
DOnouyh died in October, 1851, and upon the
opening Of his Will it discovered, that at
the time of his death he owned fourlttlls of all
the uncultrated lands in the State of Louisiana,
and as MANY tracts Of territory in other States
to the very considerable amount of fifteen mil
lions of dollars During the lapse of some thir-
ty-four years l him very frequently the
last time i'll 1889, and knew but one relation OF
his, a brother, who was pilot and died early,
Donou2h himself died without heirs, either
direct or collateral and has made over his
whole property to the cities of Baltimore
and New Orleans to be expended in the
establishment of public schools. Besides this
general direction, there are q number of codi-
ellis and be4uests of very curious nature append
ed to his will One OF the oldest of these is
the bcquest made TO Leon Gozlan in Paris.
This we'll known writer some years ago publish
ed romance called the ''Medecn du Pecq,'
which in every point of view, but especially by
some very peculiar and profound psychological
studies, attracted the greatest notice through
ont France. The editor OF the Courier des Etats
uns repu)!ishcd it in the feuileton of that wide
ly-circulated paper, and it thus fell into the
hands Of Mr. McDonough who read it at home
in his solitary hours, and charmed with
some of the authors observations on 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 Ambassadors at P,ris in check
on the house OF Albrecht Il Co., in lIavre