New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-04-02
The Environs Of New Sriehhs'
NUMBER THIRTY-5IX.


.nder the French colonial administration that 49,
he Fort St. Charles, standing at the lower i'mlts
# the original oblong square Of the city, and Il
rontng the river; then the soldiers barracks or t
military quarters, two and three squares higher up,
ollowed by the Ursulines Chapel an4 Convent +
nst below the French fish, game and vegetable s
markets EWs now must make mention OF the
ancient public stores or royal magazines, fronting
the levee, oh both sides of Dumaine street, near
the French butcher market, and extending inwards il
almost the whole length Of the square towards t
Condo street. These public magazines had been G
erected originally perhaps of wooden materials,
for we find them laid down upon an ancient plot OF
the town as early as the year IT'S but IN 1910
they were Of the most massive brick masonry,
very substantially built, and heptin perfect ssa'e
of repair. At this latter period they served the {
United States government as a naval depot, IN
which were guarded or kept the ordnance and ,
naval stores for the equipment of the small navy .
and revenue vessels which it was judged appro-
pirate to keep in our harbor. Right in front Oh
these public stores, and within an enclosure Dor
dering on the river, was the United States navy
ward proper, at which public vessels lying along
side the levee would have their station. The
locality had been, no doubt destined for the same
as well as Spain, on account of its great conve.
nence in every respect, being in the vicinity of all
the public establishments, and the general center
of yictualine BY the nearness of the provision
markets.
The nayv ward was afterwards abandoned by |
the Uniteb States government, and the site ceded
to the city corporation, for the general use OF
sbpping and navigation and in this locality might
he seen for number Of years those small sailing
craft called the river progue which would traffic
| between the river plantations and the New or-
leans markets. What may have been the cause or
causes of the great decrease of this river naviga
tim by the small sailing craft we cannot divine,
unless it be that the planters upon the ricn plahta
tons had taken q sort of suspicion against the
owners or payigators of these same vessels, on &C
count Of the illicit traffic which they would carry
on with the then slave plantation hands IN splrltu-
| ons lionors and other articles of contrabano
AGAINST an exchange of plantation products, corn,
fowls etc.. often no doubt. procured by the piack
folks All the expense Of their masters and owners.
These nayjeators had, however, to take ont
J reon1ar license, and might have been prevented
from ptrsung an illegal trade, and hence it IS pos
sble that by this there are but few OF these
+ river craft navigating our stream at the present
S day. That part of the city harbor WouAo De
DESIGNATED by the appeilation of the Picayune ter
+ On account of the dimnutve size of these covered
|, progues, which were generally manned by ltahans
;, or some other Mediterranean foreign crews, ant
l. SAILING M and down the coast, as well as int
= Pavo1 Jafourche and some other naVlgapi
| stream. :.
a. HOY never, their sailing or navigation course Oil
in not extend much further than the Point Coupe
re settlements which to them was the ultima thuie
it, their marine explorations. With respect to IN
ne nublic magazines on both sides OF Dumaln
.'s .treet-they were kept for some time
> nubI}c storehouses for the government,
ed thourh the United States navy ARISEN
.ct and ordnance stores had been transferred TO u
in pensacola harbor after the acquisition OF florl'
he in 1920 and when finally confiag thas III
lea broken out in the same buildings, had destroy
we the greater part of them, the administration q
ist- posed of the vacant lots by public auction
ion which private individuals erected the present sto
nd? and dwelling houses. If we mistake not, we LID
in alrh adv mentioned in former numbers, that II
not the site of the present butcher or meal mari
Tor- (the French one upon the levee towards the +
han St. Charles and suburHM arignyA the border OF
Y it river was planted with several rows OF the VIII
use and other trees, which ourished fora consdera
period, but were afterwards eXtermnated by
tier continual tear and which an increasing r
pro- ond commerce would exercise upon them. Am
rom one of the causes of their eXtermnanon' was
ents htchinc of dray horses or mules TO these tf'
ten and they oud invariably gnaw of the rlnd or
uth Of the trunks so also the riding horses attac
ines to the stems of these plants, would operate
uoh same destruction 5000
Along this walk, which had been pleasa
ice: levelled out with small pebbles and gravel
fsng whole of the New Orleans people would take
and AFTERNOON and evening promenades; and part
,hr]v in the hot summer nights, there was
who tnnal throng of people enjoying the fresh
dred breeze and the often fine moonshine light feie
from the ripping Mississippi stream. "here
It's it stand the Red Stores for number OF years
! the nave seen assembled in q private sort OF
rmed dence, but which was frequented by hall the
eding numerous families taking all manner Oh
HON, creams and other refreshments, which some
Vol or other. neople could be able to manufac
IS un- although we had then no ice houses, or ice
d be- tho Nortbern States. There was, however
h by means of the deep wells in which water IN
tain dry pots was lowered down and kept Tor
which time, way to procure the coolest sort OF "
which or beverage that one could desire. In the SUI
deem of 1876, the public promenades along the
nence ware much freuuented, for there was the
smand such incumbrance as at present; the 9
strike of the river shipping was then quite dimin
and hence left ample space for all other us
essing the wide and vacant border of the river.
ur ser thence the walks extended to the public SOU
which Place d'Armes, now Jackson square, then pl
with several rows of splendid shade trees
le dan seats and benches here and there French II
mpetI and French society was at that time universe
st, but tile Americans were more or less ldentlhed
satisfy Cradle families and American society or fa
so to speak, were not then in existence.
} exaAt 1t follows from this that all the manner
y make customs conformed to thei European style
gloss when we consider that at that tcular ep
number of French refugees had just arrived
t these Europe, seeking an asylum in the former
Then COLONY. from the disastrous turn which thing
world taken in the old country to all the partlzans
else, as imperial regime, it is easily conceived I'll
, let the whole tone of the Orleans society was
so the much more European than American or OF
; world growth. This was so much the case that
e which foreigners, not to speak of people OF the
rom the States but those particularly who have SUI
1T trhth Europe from the French imperial regime
halance we'll conform in the first instance, to this
dly. Ronapartism, as it were. To cite but one IL
.oRAN. there were no other performances 6
the then theatrical representations, whic
u,,o INV French comDanY of con