The Opelousas courier., 1885-05-09
The State sof louisiana.

Gayarre, the leanred and eloquent au-
thor Of ssThe Poetry of the History OF
Louisiana Eleven vessels of quaint
shape, bearing the broad banner OF
Spain, were moored close to the shore;
one thousand men of infantry, and three
hundred and fifty men of cavalry, fully
equipped, were landed in proud array
under the command of fernando De-
Soto, one of the most illustrious COM
panions of Pizarro in the conquest OF
Peru, and reported one of the best Ian
GERS of Spain.
1t would be too long to.follow DeSoto
in his peregrinations during two years
through parts of Alabama, Mississippi
and Tennessee. Meeting with alter
nate hospitality and hostility on the
part of the Indians, he arrives at the
mouth of Red River, within the pres
lent limits of the State of Louisiana.
There he was fated to close his adven-
turous career.
One hundred and thirty years had
passed away since the apparition OF
DeSoto on the soil of Louisiana, with
out any further Attempt of the white
race to penetrate into the fair region,
| when, on the 9TH of July, 1873, a small
band of Europeans and Canadians
reached the Mississippi, which they had
come to seek from the distant city of
Quebec. That band had two leaders,
Father Marquette, a monk, and Joliet,
a msrchant.
Seven years after the expedition OF
Marquette and Joliet had rolled by,
| when Robert Cavalier de la Sale, in
the month of January, 1852, with, as
his companions, forty soldiers, three
monks and Chevalier de Tonti, was at
! the mouth of the far-famed Mississippi,
and when in the name of Louis the
Great, King of France, he took possess
sion of all the country which he had
discovered.
A few years after the death of La
Sale, which occurred in-lL66ssa9 BY the
hands of brutal cSSmpanions, within the
limits Texas, a French ship Of AZ
GINS, the Pelican, commanded by her
vile, in March, 1899, entered the Mis-
sissippi, accompanied by his brother,
Bienville, and Father Anastase, the for
mer companion of La Sale, in his ex-
petition down the river in 1852.
Sauyolle was the first Governor of
Louisiana. He died in 1901, and was
succeeded by Bienyille, the second
lGovernor.
In I7O6 the French girls brought to
the colony were indignant at being fed
on corn bread, and threatened to leave
the colony on the first opportunity.
This was called the ssp~etticoat insurrec-
tom
After an existence of min years the
population of the colony did not ex-
coed 279 persons. It's principal wealth
consisted in so COWS, 40 calves, 4 bulls,
8 oxen, 1,4OO hogs and 1000 hens.
Bienyille was appointed Governor Of
Louisiana the second time in 1918 and
founded the city Of New Orleans the
same year.
Ii 1874 the white population of New
Orleans amounted to LOO souls and
the black population to $500
On the 18th of April, 1875, Bienvllle
| wrote on the state of the colony: "One
Hundred thousand pounds of tobacco are
made at Pointe Coupee. Two women
raise silk worms for amusement and
succeed very well. The cultivation of
cotton is advancing, but the planters
experience great difficulty in cleaning
it from the seeds. Pitch and tar are
made in some abundance
| In 1743 the Marquis of Vaudreuil
was appointed Governor of Louisiana
in place of Bienville. In 1884 the Je-
suits sent some sugar cane from Hispan-
lola to the Jesuits of Louisiana, and
also some negroes who. were accustom-
ed to the cultivation of this plant. The
experiment was abortive, and though
cane continued to be cultivated sue
cessfully, it was only in 1875 that the
manufacture of sugar was successful.
On board the same ship which brought
the first cane, sixty girls were trans.
ported to Louisiana at the expense of
the King. These girls were married to
such soldiers as had distinguished them
selves for good conduct, and who, in
consideration OF their marriage, were
| discharged from service.
In 1853 Kerlerec took possession of
the Government of Louisiana. On the
Sd of November, 1862, Louisiana was
| ceded CO Spain. Ulloa, the new Span
ish Governor, arrived in New Orleans
on the 5th Of March, 1776. Ulloa at
once ordered a census of the population
Of Louisiana. The total 1862, made
up of 4 1893 men, 1,044 women, l,375
male and 1910 female children.
A conspiracy was formed against the
Spanish Government of Louisiana in
l76S, and a general instruction follow
ed, which uReilly suppressed, in 1863.
tOfReiIIyts administration, under the
| Spanish domination, continued one
year, to 1870. Unzaga's administration
| continued from I770 to 1776; Galvez's
| I777 to 1888; Miro's 1854 to 1891; Ca
Irondelet,s 1899 to 1897 Gayoso's 1877
to 1893: Cassalvo's 1899 to 1901 Sal
cedo's 1901 to 1903.
louisiana was coded to the United
States In 1903, for s50, 700, 900 francs.
Bonaparte, after the sale of Louisiana,
said: nThis accession of territory
strengthens forever the power of the
United States and / have just given to
England a maritime rival that will soon
er Or later humble her pride. The day
may come when the cession of LOUISE
ana to the United States shall render
the Americans too powerful for the
continent of Enrope.o
The area Of the State of Louisiana, as
constituted to-day is 43,O16 square
miles, 1928 square miles OF which is of
water surface, the other 40,760 consti-
tutes the land surface, including the
coast marsh.
wmrklomss u rmSca galva.