New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-07-02
rho Environ. Of New Orleans,
NUaBER ElatTsYfvE.

which the ancient owners or nropretors have long
since disappeared from The scene Of action but to
which variety of Interesting local "reminiscences
are attached. and Va shall follow this mode Of sur
vsv.ng onr epvirons which no doubt will meet
with or- rea7ar,s onnrobatjon. At the corner Of
Cbeytrss and st T5ahis streets which we shall de-
sir,a+e az tba lower river corner. will be seen a
: ,,ossiro ola bnilapr. some three stories birh.
bax;nc abore its rs9of a very conspicuous octagon
belviSere svrnlounted by a weather vase, indica-
tin tie shifting Of the wind between the four car
Iidinal points of the compass. This old building,
erected perhaps in the year 1893 or 1899, was the
property of Nicolas Girod, mayer of our oityin the
years of the English invasion in 1914 and 1916.
The family of the Girod consisted at that time of
three brothers, all unmarried or bachelors, as far
as our knowledge goes, two Of whom were after
wards established as planters in the country, one
upon the BAYOU Lsfourche, the other somewhere
| in the Ouachita district We. ourselves, have
/ known only Mr., Nicolas Girod, at time when he
had long already retired from active business pur-
suits that is to say, in 1880 to 1886. The Eirods
were originally from Savoy, row constituting
strnart of the French Em9ira nv its raaen+
annexation or incorporation. The inhabitants
of that mountainous country are known
ell over the globe for their industrious habits and
great economical activity. We could notuame the
exact period at which the brothers Girod arrived
III this country hut it must have been either ugder
| tie administration of Estevan Miro Spanish gov
| eynor, who assumed command of the colony in the
| year 1885, some years after the peace concluded
between the different belligerents powers who had
| taken part in the war of independence of the
United States against Great Britain or it NAV be
thGt they arrived somewhat later, under the Gd-
mtnistration Of Governor Baron ae Carondeet in
l7a2. At all events they were long before in Louis
lana, when tie country was transferred to the
government Of the Union. Ii is welltoremind our
readers that from the tine Of Miqos admiDistra
ton, who is recorded in history as a popular and
ooneiliatory statesman, New Orleans ana the lower
delta of Louisiana had considerably improved and
increased in population: for, besides further
number of Canadians and Acadians, who had left
the British possessions after the war, many French
men from the Antilles or West India islands
had come and reioiued their former country.
men in Louisiana when they found that the
Spanish colonial regime had turned out SO
mild and tolerant, altogether contrary to their
general expectation Then from the ad-
Joining Settlements in the up countryoE Natohez
station and the Florida district where q number
Of English adverturers had tried to form farming
establishments, of which the wster of these lines
saw still the subssting remains in the enTirons of
the town of P nsaeola, in 1920, we say from these
different quarters, numbers had focked to New |
Orleans after the war in 1888 and brought there
their industry and activity Among these we may
reckon the Girods, forwe have often been assured
tha' they formed one q tine most ancient and
most wealthy OF the old French eommercial5irms
under the eoloniai regime NOW Ee nave found
N tne archiFes OF LOUISIANA, $ history, shat
a aithougn IL VAe beginning OF me spanish Fule
TSe"orledns commerce vas eonnnea 10 out SIX
seaports OF spaln' VIZ Barcelona,
nla'aga' Ahcah'e' oarthagena, seVlAe and Cor
unna; ye' 'LaU IN al'ef the under inc rule OF GOV
enor MIRO tnese Eestrieuons were removed, and
InaS 't@ue was pesnlSCeu VIVA every ffench port
AZ winch spanish consul haa q residence Under
these hoerai auspices commerce took an upward
start ano tFaae peing az the same time encouraged
with the newly formed States OF the American
unlon, g number OF American houses, mostly
from fmiaaeiphia, then the most active sand com
meFelal center OF the North established themselves
lnSew oF'eans OF kept there thelrregular agencies
Our Girods were of the same stock of self made
men as the Northern Stephen GiTard, or John
Jacob AstoT-Yery successful in their enterprises,
but with an very eccentric or singular in charac