Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-03-25
New Orleans Sixty Years Ago,

Their houses are generally built of wood and
boarded very plain in the inside, and made very
open, that there may be a free circulation of air
consequently they avoid all the inconvenience
and expense Of paper, carpets, fires, curtains,
and hangings of diffrent kinds The bed rooms
are fitted up in the SAME plain style, and are
furnished with nothing but hard stuiEla bed,
raised very much in the middle, and covered
with clean white sheet; and over the whole
there is a large gauze net (called bar) which
is intended as a defense against the mosquitoes
and serves tolerably well to keep off these tor
menting creatures. On this sheet, spread upon
the bed and under the net, you lie down with
out any covering, and if it besummer time, with
the doors and windows open, so intolerablc is
the heat of the climate. During several days
when was there, the thermometer was at III
degrees in the shade. The dress of the inhab-
itants is also correspondent to the furniture Of
the houses; being clothed in the lightest man
ner possible, and every one in a manner which
pleases him best, there is not, in these new
countries, that strange propensity to ridiculc
every one who deviates from the forms which a
more established society may have prescribed to
itself; but every one, in this respect, 4" doeth
that which is right in their own eyes,. Some
will wear the short linen Jacket Of the Ameri-
cans Others, the long flowing gown or the
cloak of the Spaniards some the open trowsers
and naked collar others, the more modern
dress of tight pantaloons and large crayat
some, with the white or black chip hat; others,
with the beaver and feathers, after the manner
of the Spaniards; and so in respect to all other
minuti@ of dress. There is but one printing
press in this place, and that is made use of by
the Government only. The Spanish Govern
ment is too jealous to suffer the inhabitants to
have the free exercise of it; for, however strange
it may appear, yet it is absolutely true thatyou
cannot even stick a paper against the wall
(either to recover anything for sale) without
its having che signature of the the governor Oh
his secretary attached to it; and on all those
little bills which are stuck up at the corners o
the streets you see the word " Permitted" writ
ten by the governor or hisagent.
As to the diversions of the place they consis
principally in billiards, of which theEa are seye
raj tables in town. This practice presume
they have adopted from the Americans, who
in the southern part Of that continent follow
that amusement very much. They have play
house, which is rather small. 1t consists of on
row of boxes only, with an ampitheatre in tn
middle, which is raised above the pit, and owe
the whole there is gallery. The plays ar
performed in French, and they have tolerabl
set of actors. The inhabitants are also musica
but this lies chiefly among the French. Th
gentlemen of the place often perform in the or
chcstra at the theatre in fact, there is no othe
music there but such as they obtain in this vol
untary way.
New Orleans may contain about thousan
houses. 1t is one hundred miles from the sea
down the Mississippi; but across the countr
by land 1t is not more than seven leagues. Ow
ing to the rapidity of the current, vessels ar
long time in coming up here. There is a for
called Balize, at the mouth of the river; bnt
am informed that it furnishes no defence to il
The tide asconds but very little way up the cha
mel of the Mississippi, owing to the rapidity {
its current The banks of this river are we
settled for few miles below the city, but afte
that there are no plantations ofany consequence