The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-03-04

rally explained In the frequency, ID tne
earlier DAYS, of Choctaw wives "a custom
SO prevalent la the colony at one, time
as to beget schism between Church
and State on this point-thee. parish
priest eoolly suggesting that IL man
souaw he had better remain single al
together. -, o
Tne Cajan was as prolific as his Cana
dian cousin. In 1866 some $3.50 AGA
dians arrived here in 1888 q few more
came, making altogether, perhaps,
1000, who, to-day, after the lapse OF less
than O century, number at least forty
thousand. covering the whole western
portion OF the State and extending
even to the Red and Mississippi.
Before the Acadians came, Louisiana
seemed to have. partaken OF the char
acter OF Its Partisan ancestors. Paris
is q terrible consumer OF lives. The
provinces pour yearly into 1t thousands
Of sturdy. hard. working, ambitious
men and women-only to be consumed
by this monster.
In the first few years OF Louisiana,
the decrease Of the population was
quite alarming. The census OF 1871
showed that OF the 1920 colonists who
had come over to this country and set
tied here. only 542O we're left. Louisiana
was q sieve into which emigration was
ever pouring without filling up The
country. In 1881, the white population
was still stationary, and In 174s, forty
years after the first establishment. OF
the colony, the white population
amounted to only half OF the number OF
persons who had established themselves
here.
THE SPANISH.
FRI szl. - fafn r.a
were. for che most part, brought over by
the government, fed, supported and
cared for at the governments expense,
and established in various posts
throughout the State. as the Romans
of old established their colonies in a
conquered country, to assure It's fidelity.
The colonists were from the Canary
Islands, just then suffering under o
blight, and whose inhabitants were
starving to death; and were called
by the Creoles, Islinges, q Creole
corruption Of islenos Gslanders).
The chief Spanish colonies were at
Terre- aux Bouts (St. Bernard), Galvez-
ton (Baton Rouge, Yalenzuela LA
fourche), and New Iberia Gberia).
Around all these localities some Of their
descendants still linger, but at Terre.
aux B1ufs alone do. they preserve
bH6lE luulFIuuhltbyy bHoll lbcRs ahuEAuBo
and customs In the midst OF o different
race.
Along with the Spaniards also came
quite number OF gypsies. who estab-
lished themselves in the western por-
ton Of the State, not far from Natchi-
toches, O race SO dark and swarthy that
in the eyes of the negroes they were
always regarded as some strange, free
negro race. These fingered near Natchi-
toches as late as 1910, but have since
disappeared, although their former
settlement can still be traced In the
LIQUID black eyes, the dark complexion,
the somewhat idle habits Of their de-
scendants.
The only other Spaniards In Louisi-
ana were @ few persons OF Spanish
Mexican descent on the uncertain Texas
border, the office-holders, q respecta BILE
class OF good Castilian descent, who,
living at New Orleans, intermarried
with the creole families until they lost
all Iberian peculiarities, save their
names, and some needy Galatians, the
"Dagoes " Of those days, who have
other Spanish residents, never very
numerous, left for Havana when the
banner Of CASTLE and Arragon no long
er noated over New Orleans.
Altogether, although we may owe
our laws, many OF our customs and our
superior breed OF chicken cocks to
Spain, we owe q very small portion or
our present population.
THE AMERICANS.
The Americans were the latest corners
to the State. A hundred years ago New
Orleans boosted Of just forty five persons
of American descent; and the entire
American population Of Louisiana GER
tainly did not amount to over q hun
dred. The first English colony was es-
tablished about 1891 in the Florida
parishes-the colonists being, for the
most part, persons Of English, Scotch
and Irish, rather than Of American
birth. A few years later, when Lou
isiana was coded to the United States,
there was rush OF emigrants from
Kentucky and upper Georgia and South
Carolina to the Florida parishes, where
their descendants to this day compose
almost the entire population.
Northern Louisiana was the last por-
ton Of the State settled, and Is OF al
most as recent settlement as Arkansas
or Michigan. In 1916, there were less
than three thousand people north Of
Red River, as compared with two hun
bred thousand now-an increase which,
had it been equaled throughout the
State, would give Louisiana now q
population Of ten millions. OF the
new corners, the whites were wholly OF
American descent, coming from the
States Of Mississippi, Alabama and
Georgia, while the negroes, who form
slightly more than half the population,
were furnished by Georgia, South Caro-
lima and Virginia.
THE NEGROES.
The negro population Of Louisiana
have always claimed an aristocracy Of
descent, and boasted that their hair was
less kinky, their faces less African, than
those of the less favored darkies OF other
States and climes-virtues they have. al
ways attributed to so some mythical In
dian ancestor.
The French in America, like the
Greeks of old, enslaved their captives,
and worked the vanquished Choctaws
in the indigo fields. In the first few