The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-08-23

lies to mark the reverential feeling, the lofty
piety with which the gallant sons of France
| acknowledged in all their actions, that King of
Kings, upon whom all men, monarchs as well
subjects, must depend.
| From Chandelier Islands, they visited
others, and finally selected point of
land forming a bay, where they made q
| settlement. This was Biloxi; named from
| the Indian tribe whom they found upon
| the shore, and "who,' according to the histo-
rian, proved as hospitable as their name was
euphonic."
We will now quote from Mr.. Gayarre's elo.
quent pages, an extract descriptive of that
search which was to end in the permanent set.
Element of colony on the Mississippi, and
from which has arisen the mighty empire along
its shores " On the 9th of February, 1899,
Iberville and Bienville departed from Biloxi in
search of the Mississippi. When they ap-
preached its mouth, they were struck with the
gloomy magnifcence of the sight. AS far as
the eye could reach, nothing was to be seen
but reeds, which rose five six feet above the
waters in which they bathed their roots. They
waved mournfully under the blast of the sharp
wind of the north, shivering in it's icy grasp as
it trembled, rolled and gambolled on the plant
surface. Multitudes of birds of strange ap-
pearance, with their elongated shapes, SO lean
that they looked like metamorphosed ghosts
clothed in plumage, screamed in the air, as if
they were scared at each other. There was
something agonizing in their shrieks, that was
in keeping with the desolation of the place.
On every side of the vessel, monsters of the
deep heayed themselves up heavily from their
native element and seemed to gaze at the in
trudarS. Down the rivar rnh1
its bed, there came a sort of low, distant thun-
der. In their progress, it was with difficulty
they could keep their bark free from those
enormous RATS of trees which the Mississippi
seemed to toss about in mad frolic. When
night began to cast darker hue, there issued
from that chaos of reeds such unnatural sounds
as wound have saddened the gayest and APP
palled the most intrepid. It was hideous in
deed-but hideousness refined into sublimity,
filling the soul with q sentiment of grandeur"
Such was the welcome to our forefathers not
two hundred years ago; and for ten days, dur
ing which they pursued their tolsome way up
the river, nothing was seen OF heard which
could make them guess at the surprising love-
illness locked up in this unbroken solitude.
Mr.. Gayarre says: Our annals constitute
rich mine, where lies in profusion the purest
ore of poetry, not to be found in scattered.
fragments; but forming an uninterrupted vein
through the whole history of Louisiana" And
certainly among the golden CLEANS Of the past
record of our State, one of the brightest is the
life of Bienville-the founder of New Orleans.
He selected the site of our fair city, and de-
voted over forty years of his manhood to it's
And yet his fate was sad-since
ae lived to see the colony he had founded, the
,hild he had cherished-pass away from the
lands of the French into those of the Spanish. |
t is said that although over eighty years of |
Lge, he kuelt before his King and plead with |
ears that the cession be not made-but in |
Tain! Is it any wonder if his proud, fond |
leart soon after ceased to beati
word in regard to the names of the places |
Iud things familiar to us since our childhood,
'ut whose origin may not be so well known,
will perhaps interest our readers. Since the
country was named in honor of King of
rance, we find its largest lakes bearing the
ames of Ministers of that Kingdom.
Lake Pontchartrain was thus called from the
rhine Minister and Chancellor of Louis XIV,
Vho, when administering the oath of office,
aid to him Sir, regret that it is not in my
ower to bestow upon you higher Office IS
roof of my esteem for your talents and of my
ratitude for your services" These were grand
words from King to one of his subjects; but
hey were we'll deserved. His integrity was
roHerbial and his enlightened administration
justice is found recorded in all the annals of
he time"
This man, renowned for everything that en- r
tiles one to be called great as we'll as good,
the pomp and glory of this world,
esigned his CHARACTERISTIC and, against the
ntreaties of the great monarch, entered re- i
gious community, and spent the remainder of
is life in prayer and meditation. Will it not l
Id an interest to the blue lake which bears
is name, to remember that his soul, like it's
aters, was most beautiful when rejecting the G
aim radiance of heaven. /
Lake Maurepas also bears the name of
hancellor of France, who died during the
sign Of Louis XVI, but who was a far differ I
ut man from the noble Pontchartrain. Though I