New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-07-30
The Envlronu or New orleans.
NUMBER KINETY-sIx-

times the negro quarters or baracoons, that IS
to say, large buildings, in which would be
confined the Africans brought from the coast
of Senegal and Gambia direct, or from the
West India Islands, under French and Spanish
domination. We conclude from this absence
of any such remains, and also from never hay |
ing heard any traditional mention made Of
such institutions, that none ever existed
under the colonial rule in our metropolis.
Ever since the first establishment of BienYiile
in 1920, upon the shores of the Mississippi, a
number of African labor hands were introduced
into the colony under the auspices of the gov
ernment, sometimes by the royal authorities
themselves, sometimes by legalized associa-
tions and even often by private mercantile
concerns in the French maritime towns, at
the time that this African transport trade was
carried on by all civilized nations as a useful
and most legitimate branch Of commerce.
When we come to reflect upon this subject we
must not blame our ancestors for trading
then in what, in our days has been denoni-
mated a trade in human flesh, for in those
times mems views were considerably different
from our present ideas. 1t that time
serfdom was nearly in all civilized and
Christian countries the normal condition
of the laboring agricultural classes and hence
it was not considered any great cruelty or
hardship, to employ, under similar conditions,
the strong muscular native of African vilds,
| in countries under a tropical or semi tropical
cline. Had not the greed of speculation and
the cruel treatment towards those UntutOred
children, torn from their native forests, rem
dered the transportation of this people from
one hemisphere to another odious in the eyes
of modern civilization, we could see no harm
in their being even introduced at this present
day, into our Southern States for the cultiya-
ton Of our staple products, Just as the white
immigration in the northern and western
States, has contributed to their rapid settle
ment and Development But the sentiment 0.
mankind having once been aroused against tht
condition of serfdom, in which the Africans
were held in the Southern States, the emanci
patton has taken place, certainly more sud
denly than was expected, but not less foresee1
by our Southern statesmen who well knew,
that over long or short, this event wRs sure t,
take place. under the all-preyailing sentimen
of modern society aye, it was at bes
but question of time, and SO the solu
ton has come rather more precipitately THAI
expected. But let us return to our historica
"reminiscences with regard to the gradual in
PRODUCTION of African labor forces in the lowe
delta of Louisiana We find ii stated that
great number were received under the asso
citation formed in 1714, under Crozat, AM
which colonial undertaking was continued
even after the fall of Law, by number o
commercial firms and others, up to the yea
1874, when the colony again passed into tn
hands of the royal administration. Fror
that time, we have already stated as ou
opinion, the French government itself did lii
tie more than merely salaryi its administrative
personnel, and left the commercial, fpancit
and agricultural enterprises much to the ind
vidual or collective efforts of mercantile frml
thinking the colony sufficiently advanced
Q stability and forces to sustain itself withor
much governmental aid or assistance. Undo
this system up to the time of transfer
Spain, in 1868, annually numbers of blacl
were landed on the coast of the MISSISSIPPI
and in the city of New Orleans who can
mostly from the French West India Islands
St Domingo, Martinique, Guadaloupe, ct
These African labor hands consisted primo
pally of two nations-the Congo and Il
Jaloffs.
Both these negro tribes have distinct
facial traits, and can easily be traced back
this day in what remains of their descender
in the New Orleans colored populate
maugre all the multiplex admixtmes n
crossings with other tribes and races. Ho
ever we shall not enter upon any details
that respect but continue our narrative W:
regard to the continued introduction of t
negro race, until the country passed into t
he hands of the North American people. In II
"a then, after the short interregnum from 1853
the time of the final arrival of OReilly in II
during which time all business had been mt
or less suspended on account of the unc
tainty of the governmental action, wesay til
that notwithstanding the arrival of many h
dreds of white labor hands from the island
the Spanish kingdom, the Islenos, and e.
the Acadians from Canada and Illinois, anr
Der of blacks were received from the Il
colony of Cuba, which had been placed un
the same governmental administration v
Re Louisiana, and hence the black populat
continued to increase, almost in an equal r
with that of the white race, although Il
latter were necessarily formed then f
several distinct nationRlities, and
not yet had time to produce native 81
or home population, who might be compr
under the generic name Of Louisianians. In
last number we mentioned the severe edit
Governor Miro in 1855, against the luxur
dresses of the then colored females. No
som can well be perceived that this class of the
NAL population may at one time have bee
r. on very great influence and Importance.
? need but go back to the constitution of 500
in general at that epoch. Those country
o,, Pile that had formed settlements along
river coasts the Germans and Acadians,
wives of their own nationalities, so the Isl
and other Spanish immigrants who had COZ
families to our shores. But the mostintiue
class of the then colony, the administr
personnel. the military people, the merch
adventuyers generally, who congregated
city, and who, for the most time contemE
"a onl,, O +aprnraTy abode in Louisiana, Y