Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-08-23
HISTORY OF THE GULF COAST.


cred at Bay st. Louis on the Fourth
of July, by Hon. j. f. H. Claiborne:
On a bleak day in January, some
hundred and seyenty-fiye years ago,
a startling vision presented itself, as
the fog rolled away, and the sun
beams gilded the water. 1t was
the fleet of D'Ibervill-at anchor in
Ship Island harbor, which he had
safely entered without pilot or
chart-an evidence Of its capacities
which should not be overlooked.
He had been sent from France to
explore the Mississippi river and
colonize Louisiana. Placing his
people on the island, and leaving
his ships, he proceeded in his boats
to search for the mouth of the
river; assembled to the outlet of
Manchac (since called Iberville) ;
thence descended it to a river which
he named Amite; through the lakes,
which he named Mauepas and Pont-
chartrain to this place, which he
styled Bay st. Louis. He soon
after transferred his colonists to the
bay Of Biloxi, and erected fort on
| the northeast shore, manned with
twelve pieces of cannon. In De
cember Of the same year, 1899, he
placed few families here with a
sergeant and fifteen men, in a small
| fort, near where the Toulme man.
sion Judge Olhndler's) now stands
| And he then sailed from this point
to select a site for fort on the
Mississippi. In the meantime large
grants Of land on that river, and
along this coast, were made by the
French government, on the condi
ton of colonization, The bay o
st. Louis was given to Madame dc
Mezieres, and the bay Of Pascagouli
to Madame de Ohaumont. The
former lady does not seem to have
improved her concession, but tht
latter, more enterprising, dispatched
a ship, which arrived in January
1921, with three hundred eolopists
From these, and from the Acadiani
expelled by the English from Now
Scotia, and from a few Greek ant
} Minorcan families imported int
Florida by the English in 1907
most of the Creole population OF
this coast is descended.
In 1701 Bienville, who becam,
Governor, was ordered to leave
small garrison at Biloxi and trans
fer his headquarters to Mobile.
in Fly Louisiana had passed
into the hands Of company o
French spectators, at the head o
which was the lannon's John Law
The company directed headqqarter
+. to be re-established at Biloxi, and
b. fort, seorchouse and balwacks wer
erected on the western shore an,
Q thenceforth the post was known \
" New Biloxi, or fort st. Louis. Th
It sagacious Bienville had recon
IS mended the present site of Ne1
Z Orleans as for preferable to Biloxi
S and Hubert, a capitalist from S
a Malo, recommended Fort Roeali
b | (Natchea), and sailed for Franc
a with that object in view, but die
+ soon after his arrival. Thus, i
J. 1920, Biloxi was the capital Of Lot
islqna. The first negroes wei
:. brought in by a ship from the coai
of Africa and some two hundre
Germans arrived. The first coinag
:. was introduced. 1t was Of copper
20 dated 1921, and specimens hay
s. often been found in this vicinity
u The first priests that appeared o
70 this coast we're Fathers Montega
and Havion, who had left Canad
It. some years before, and had bee
jnstructing numerous savage tflbt
: in the faith Of Christ. FathC
Davion had erected chapel I
T,lwhat is now known as Fort Adam
! on the Mississippi, but which VIZ
then called La Roche a Dayion.
In 1922, Laws company hayin
!. fallen to pieces-no supplies can
from France-little attention ha
been paid here to the cultivation
, the soil, and great distress preyaile'
IT The troops were distributed
snnnll ,nosis annnc the mdians