The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-14

tncme. III Is 10 sotne OF these especially chnr-
acteristic features Of his narrative that We in
vito particular attention.
.,,
Ono OF the topics on which SIR. Adams
touched hut very lightly. IL q. all. was the stnte
OF things in New Orleans and its immediate
neighhorhood ut the time, Dec. 20 1893. when
the delivery Of the province OF Lower I.ouis-
ana to the United States was formally pro-
claimed. Turning to Mr.. MacMasters pages
Tor light upon this subject We find exactly the
Information Wa desire He begins by tcllin,
us that rude census. taken in 1859. had
attributed to Lower Louisiana IL population OF
$1,000. OF which some $4,000 dwet below the
mouth OF the Arkansas. As a matter OF fact
tho boatmen who stcerrd the fiat boats. roru-
latly known as broad horns. down the Mis-is.
sippi saw no town on the western bank be-
tween New Madrid and Pointe Coures save q
cluster OF huts belonging to u few Indian ira
ders at the mouth Of the Arkansas. and
wretched hamlet called Concord. opposite
Hatchez. Up the Red River were Rapide
and Avoyellcs and Natchito.hes. which col
lectirely eontsinel some 1900 inhabitants and
hoasted great trade with Mexico Below
Iolnte Couple were three-fourtiIs Of all the
people and seven ei2hths OF all the wealth of
Louisiana The plantations. the cotton fields
the houses. became more plen titul as the trav-
e!lcr hoatcd by the sraggin:: settlements OF
Baton Rouge. Of Manchoc Parish and lServie.
below which cotton fields and sugar fields fol-
Lowell IN unbroken succession to New Orleans
To the Americans whom business or curiosity
brought to Louisiana. the land tho people.
and the city were IN unfailing source Of
interest and wonder. They filled their
letters with accounts Of the wide. yellow tor
tuous river which in some sections OF its
course rushed along for hundreds OF miles
without a tributary OF any kind: o. tho levees
that shut in the waters and kept their surface
nigh above all the n"i.hoorng country: OF
the bayous where alligators baskeI in the
sunshine: OF the strange vegetation Of the cy-
press swamps and the palme:tos o. tho
hanging moss and sloughs swarmng with
septiles: OF tho peicans. buzzarls. hcrons.
and fiddler era %: OF houses without cellars
and cemeteries where there was such thing
~ q grave which had been dug.
atr. SlacMaster goes on to tell US that the
town itself had been laid out In 1920 by the
Sieur La Blonde de Ia Tour acting under or
ders Of Bienville. and hal been planned with
all the regularity Of II military camp. Had it
not been for the crescent shape OF the river
front. the plan would have been IL parallelo.
gram. On the three land sides were low ram
parts at right angles to each other On the
river side was tho levee. From the gate Of
France on the north to the gate Of Tchoupi-
toulas on tho south the distance was mile
M"u "rec'se' III me ihiuuie OF the mile was
'"e il"ee Arhes' from me RIVER back 10 tho
iaihpa't "h'ci smut OUT the waters OF the cy-
pi1sS swhlhp eng Instance was ohe-thifu OF
i MI" ".hlh these UNITS the streets were
,s'u ou' ~ i's". Angles were each thlrty-t~o
, rfenc" iee' "iue. ana pore the names "t
.lehch princes VI inc biood. ono was Char
VIC. ., n,o.her was orleans. another Name. an
o1ieF bourbon. announcer ioalouse. sun others
were named Comic anu Cont and to these
were aoaeu IN tihe Dauphine and ST. Louis.
ID interesting % learn that between the day
wen b'eh'nie TOOK up MS headquarters ut
NO" orleans ana tho day when Claiborne re-
ceNeo inc Keys OF us gates. tho town. al
thouSh lt hau grown much. had changed but
!'ttie. me OLD iortllications had been much
improved 10 iGS. and Shiny ditch banked