New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-05-14

The ENVIRON
FrPTY.sIN.

4 other day that work, issued
: tits onln 1880, fell into our hands, by which !
somewld that a General Allard dean Frauqois), |
. we 10 Of Saint Tropez, department Of Var, in |
/ oeicinity of Toulon, maritime seaport town in
france, was then the first minister of one of the
greatest Indian raiahs in I4ehore, the Synd pro
vinoes, and that this French general had been the
aid de camp of Marshal Bruno, who, in 1915, blew
out his brains in the city of Lyons, whilst being
assaulted in his rooms by royalist mob after the
fall Of the first empire under Napoleon the Great
Now, we shall not undertake to trace the eonnec-
ton or relationship of this General Allard with
that of the family under the same name at ne"
Orleans, but we have not the least DOUBT Ihae
the same love of adventure. the same peleofaiS OF
inclination for seeking homestead III lar away
climates, under new and uncultured ahoriglnes,
induced the ancestor Of the Alard plantation to
erect his original, prmeyal abode in the midst OF
the few untutored Indians who then inhabited the
margin of the ryulet, afterwards baptized de Ia
7fetaiyie.D We have said that the clear, lmpid
water streamlet in that locality was the first in
ducement for selecting this site as the very earliest
rural settlement; nay, there were then some other
inducements, which made, indeed, this neigh
hood even of more earlier interest to the French
colony than the erection of the town or city of
New orleans ITSELF Ever since the first entrance
Of the French adventmers into the Bayou st.
John, by which the shores of the Mississippi river
could be much more easily and much sooner
reached than by the long, roundabout way from
Dauphin Island or Biloxi to the river mouth, and
through the Chandelier Islands and its mud banks,
1t had become an object to keep open this station
at the live oak trees upon the bayou. Now, in
those primitive times, the first offer made by the
boriginies-whichis indeed, even a custom among
some nations at this present day--was that to the
distinguished strangers of selecting some bosom
companion among their fair SEX who, as the chiefs
would express themselves, might take care Of the
smoking stack or wigwams, whilst the hunters
were away after provisions So, thus the first
French settlements were made, by the help of the
Indian squaws and the earliest family associations
were established by the marital rites Of those
times among the European adventurers and the
children Of the forest. Now, 1t takes not very
romantic pen to detail how these ceremonies were
performed in the aolitudes and forest wastes of the
Bayou Metairie; it is true, had these rites taken
| Mace in nation or order of civilization such as
4 the advanced Natchez, the case might be different
there already they had their high priests or great
suns or sachens, their mobiles and prime command
ers but alas for the few poor wandering Tallaposas
that were perambulating the Indian trails from
the watery wastes upon the swamp bayops, to the
river borders at Macarty or Sauv6's points, after
either the wild turkies and woodcocks, or the cat
fish or mud cells of the Mississippi foods. For
such people, although their way Of life had for them
most inexpressble charms, still the possession of
a cow, or a goat and lamb would be the very
heightof riches, and hence an adventurer with
such membranes would be looked upon as one of
the magnates of the land. This was the humble
commencement of that most abundantly supplied
farm or Metarie establishment, where now may
be beheld tile herds and droyes Of kline and cattle
by the hundreds if not thousands. But LET US go
back to the first rural farm Of which we have
been tracing the origin. After the settlement o.
the city and the increase Of the town population
other, similar plantations were formed, and al
though for number Of years the Allard establish
ment, on account Of its priority, had consider
able advantage, still, later, the general competi
ton in this line took away much of its forme
| importance and consideration. Thus we fouut
matters in 1816s The then living possessor of TIT
! renowned Allard plantation, was highly distin
gnished gentleman his name Louis, whilst that o
his brother, younger one, we recollect as Latour
e Now, the Honorable Louis Allard ha
$ figured in the legislative councils-if W
5 mistake not, he was for a number Of years
together with the late Evariste Leblanc, Esq.
Representative Of the Bayou St, John settlement
in the city council and we have known him a.
one Of the most encouraging patrons Of our loca
artists, painters as well as musicians. In the wal
of l814-l5, under General jackson we4ind his namt
warriors, no doubt the only remains Of the former
hunting parties that had assisted the French col
onists in establishing the rural farms. His resi-
dence, of which now only the very foundation
subsist in the newlyeerected ediice upon its site
continued for number Of years the rendezvous 0
all the most patriotic and artistic illustrations
our city in those remote times, and, as we wer
informed by an old acquaintance Of ours, CON
mensal or table companion in the Allard reunion
there was always an open table kept for whateye
company might happen to drop in. These wer
the ancient usages Of hospitality from which til
owner did not want to derogate, though we hay
J no doubt that they must have become very onerou
and very burthensome in the latter part of his lifC
For our part, we know moreover, that he woul
be particularly seryiceable to those French ref
gees, mostly military characters, who had bee
prescribed from France under the first Bourbo
regime on account Of their adhesion to the Imp,
rial system under the great Napoleon. A
: such the General Lefevre Desnouettes, VIII
: afterwards persisted at sea, upon the coast
= Belgium in 1922, on his return to Europe, and I'll
brothers, Generals Allemand, one of whom died
!, Bordentown in 1928 whilst the other figured in A
! geria, under Louis Philippe, very often receive
!, the generous hospitality of the Allard plantatio
!, We, upon former occasion, have already mac
!, mention of an attempt of General Allemand
1 cultivate a sugar estate upon the Metairie Goa
about this time, and in the vicinity of the prese
race ground plains. The fact u.s. that at that tin
:, not only the United States government, who he
X assignedlarge landed donations to the French r
I. fugees upon the Tombigbee in the Territory
Alabama, for the cultivation of the vine and div
n We're aiding these parties, whom the home polic
] Of the legitimate classes were pursuing with
uureienting spirit of vengeance-for the abo'
named general, with a number of others, had be-
Is sentenced to the death penalty but we are w
le aware that the sympathies Of most of the Lou
m anians we're then in favor Of these unfortuna
u exiles of q fallen cause Hence were they Il
ID only received with open arms in our city al
" parishes but great many found active assistan
in and material aid for the forwarding OF their ent5
le prises and undertakings, be they agricultural col