Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-02-25
THE SUNNY SOUTH.
New ORLEANS. Feb. is, 1886.

Thought would be little more desirable on &C
count of it looking out on Lafayette square,
therefore gave in it only few hastily written
items connected with our journey here, and that
mainly of personal character, intended simply
70 LET our friends at home know how we got
along and when we arrived.
Since then, have looked around little and
find many things as familiar as though it had
been but few weeks since last here There is
marked difference in the appearance of some
things, however. The trees, shrubs and grass
that this time last year were so beautifully
green, we're SO injured by the cold snap of a
month ago, when the mercury went down to 150
of zero, that they still look scared and yell
low. The orange trees with which many of the
Yards are dotted, are very much injured The
oranges remaining on them are all black, and
the leaves have been so frozen that they have
fallen of, and it will take some time yet to de-
not entirely killed.
The grass is now beginning to start up anew
and soon nature will clothe the parks again
There are not so many strangers in the city
at present as there were this time last year.
The hotels are not crowded, and vacant rooms
in private boarding houses are abundant. First
class rooms and good accommodations in the
most desirable lOcstions still maintain good
prices, but somewhat reduced from last year.
The Hotel Royal formerly called st. Louis
Hotel), which is on Royal street (Frenchtown)
and which is the finest hotel in the city, We
visited on yesterday; looked through its splen-
did parlors; were shown its large and msgnif-
ceEt circular dining rooms, located in the Gen.
ter of the building, having domed ceiling fifty
feet in height, and we're rather surprised to find
evidences Of so few guests for such large and
finely appointed house. Perhaps the price, 81
10 $40 per day, according to rooms, may have
had something TO do with the want of patron
age. This is the hotel which was leased in
1874 by the Kellogg government, ,-and shortly
after the adjournment of the legislature of that
year, took possession of it and formally declar-
ed it to be the state house. The events which
followed the establishment of the executive
office in the building, will be remembered by
all readers of the history of those troublous
times connected with the kellogg and AcEnery
governments of the state of Louisiana.
In 1876 the hotel was again brought before
the nation, for it was in it that the returning
board" met and compiled the returns of the
presidential election of that year-the returns
on which the electoral commission passed, and
which led to the seating of R. B. Hayes as the
chief officer of the United States.
The city was founded in I7IS, by Bienville,
the governor from the French settlement at
Biloxi, Mississippi, who sailed over with his
followers from that place, landed at the Span
;ah fort or, lslra 70 hodu of colt
water having tidal connection with the gulf 4,
four miles ON straight line due north from the
city-fAally moved over to the river shore and
started settlement in the locality of French
Market. He gave the settlement the name of
New Orleans, in honor of the reigning family
of France. Hence, l take it, the proper pro-
nounciation of the Orleans part of the name
puts the accent on the first syllable instead Of
on the second, as is usually pronounced.
The natural surface Of the city is very near a
level, with drainage from the river back to
the swamps and canals in the rear, and from
thence to the lake.
The Mississippi enters the corporate limits
of the city from the west, then turns sharply to
the south; thence east; thence north; thence
east again; thence gradually to the south form
ing crescent, from which the city received
many years since, its popular designation OF
Crescent City,, and finally leaves the city in q
southeastern course.
Canal street the boulevard of New Orleans,
is a wide and beautiful thoroughfare, running
directly back from the river in a northwesterly
direction, nearly dividing the city-especially
dividing the old or FrenchtoWn, which is the
lower, from the new or American portion, up
per. Streets running from or to Canal street
change their names on crossing, with few ex-
ceptions. For example: st. Charles street on
the upper side ION which the st. Charles Hotel
is located) on crossing Canal street to lower
side, changes to Royal, on which the Hotel
Royale is located.
These things are mentioned that the reader
may understand better the locality OF places
and the import of names that may be mention
ed hereafter.
New Orleans, alone of American cities, has
preserved all the romance OF its earlier days in
the title ef its streets, aud with simple direc-
tory, one can recall the entire history of the
French and Spanish dominion. Having changed
its ownership no less than five times; having
passed under so many masters; having witness
ed such vicissitudes of fortune, it has a history
full of incident and romance, and this it tells
to some extent, in its street nomenclature
Thus the rue des Ursulines street, named in
honor OF the Ursuline nuns, who erected their
convent here century and half ago. The
rue des QUARTERS, Barracks St., and the rue
de L'Hospital, Hospital ST., are titles given to
unnamed streets, because the government bar
racks and hospital were erected on them. Sim
ilarly the rue de la Douane or Custom-hou
st. received its title, not from the massive
granite custom-house, but frem the old wooden
bnilding, devoted to the same purpose, erected
by the Spaniards century and quarter before
The boundary streets of the city, which marked
the line of the old wall, all bear military titles
referring to the old Notifications. Esplanadc
St., now the finest avenue in Frenchtown, was
where the troops drilled; Rampant, rue des
Ramparts, marks, like the bouleyards of Paris
the destroyed walls; while Canal st. was the
old fosse or canal which surrounded the city,
and which was continued as drainage canal to
the lake, and filled up not many years ago.
tour through any of these streets will bring be-
fore one sights TO be found nowhere else in
the world.
Chartres st. is very picturesque indeed; to
walk along this street and look up and down
at the oddly furnished galleries; halt and peer
into doorwsys, even slyly penetrating yard
or so into some long, dark tunnel entrances in
search of the paved court>yards, with arched
piazzas or pOrticos, gives one very good
idea of the peculiarities and quaintness of the
French part of the city.
The inhabitants of the grain houses are
very kind; they will see at once you are
strangers by the way you peer around with
curious admiration; they will smile prettily
upon you and indicate by motion that you
are welcome TO look your fill
In most of these court-yards you will find
plants ID large pots, pomegranate trees, flower
ing shrubs; sometimes you will ace battered
bronze statue, or marble figure gone as gray
as an old Creole dsrky that smiles to you from
the banquette; and you will see great many
earthen water-jars, the ones in which the
''forty thieves" were hid on memorable oc
casion, but which must have been transported
into Frenchtown and numerously duplicated
These huge jars add much to the relief of the
soggy court>yards.
There are great many old land marks still
standing in Frenchtown; for instance, "a Royal
street, stands Gen. Jackson's town headquar>
ters, occupied by him in 1915, during his vig>
orous defence of the city which eliminated
l. e