i.
1 - !.
I ' 1 if
10
Published weekly by ALLXivsHAii, at Thkek'Dollais aTfras,
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13,
iVot. 7, No. ses.
am accobst or . ' ,
"LOOtS I ANA,
Jhinqr ati abstract of Documents io. the
OTices of the Departments of State
and of the Treasure.
Ctntinutd from our la:t,
Canal of .Catanditet,
Bjhind New-Orleans is a Canal a
bout one and a half mite long, which
communicates with a crjek called the
. Bayou St. Jean, flowing into like Pon
chartrain. jit the mouth, of it about
two an! an half leagues from the city
is small Fort c died St. Jean, which
',' commands the entrance from the. lake.
By this creek the communication is
kept up through the lake and the Hi
; j goiststo theAtobille and the scttle
if mints of WeU-Floritla. Crafts draw
in; from six to eight'' feet watej can
navigate to the mauth of the creek,
but except in particular swells of the j.
lake cannot p iss the bar without be
bj lightened. '
situation, it may hereafter be rendered
of importance. . The East Pass which
is on the left hand going down the ri
ver, is divid d into twobranches about
two leagues below; viz. th? Pass a la
Lautre, and that known to mariners by
the name of the Balize, at which there
is a sm Ul block huse tnd tome huts
of th": pilots, who reside oaly here.
The first of these secondary channels
contain at present but eiqjht ' feet wa
ter ; th latter from fourteen to six
teen,, according to the seasons: ' ;The
S iuth Pass, which is directly in Jront
of the, Mississippi, has ' alwayTbeen
considered as entirely choakM op, hut
haVteft feet water. The SoatrKWesU
Pass, which is on the right,'-' irlhe
longest and narrowest of all the Passe
f Atacapat, and occupying a space of From JBalixe to the'clty vo- Mlitta jruinous. The principal front Ia ineaxit
'thirty or forty leagues,
The city of New-Orlcant, which isT4 compitniesof ICO raeneach
regularly laid out on the east kidejf
the Mississippi, in lat. 33, N. and,lon.
90, W. extends nearly a milalftbg
lunfeen of the Mississippi-
complete, ,
City Battallion of the city
companies,
streets qrosi each other at right angles,4
and are 34 French feet wide, ibe
an t a tew years a?o had eighteen teetxJ T5qmres oetween the intersections ol,
rater, and waithatby whteh the large Phe ttre
water.
ships always entered and sailed from"
tKe Mississippi. It-Has now but eight j
feet wate, and will probably remain ;
so for some tUne. In speaking.of the ;
quantity of water in the Passes, it must i
he umiijfilnod of what it on the bap of j
each Pass ; for immediately after pass- ,
irvfthe bar, which is very narrow,there '
On. the East side of the Misissippiii'are from five to ssven -fathoms at all
season.
i- t-.i . xt ri--l'
and at the head of the English bjnd 1
is a settlement known by th vn'ame of i
the Poblacion de St. Berrwtrdo or the The country on the east side of lake
Tcrre aux Bx ifs, extendi on b oth
sides of a creek ordain, whose head
isconti juom tojlh: Mississippi, and
which Hivin ;'tastwarJ, afier a course
of 13 Iji, m l lividin-r itself into'l
two branches, Wis into the sea. and
Country idstof Laltc'Pinchjf train.
the river, from the jrate of France on Artillery company, with stlper-
the southtlothaiofChapMulasabove,':,' numeraries, --v ' ,
and a little more tliap1-3d of a milej Carabineer, or privileged com
in breadth, from tlieriver to the ram-h panies of horse", 2 compahic
part ; buf it haian extensive sfiburbh -vof 70 tath complete, ,
on the unpeVjiide The hoa'?e in! Mulattbes two companies, ne-
nuui oi nc with aim iur a sij'iacc or
two backwards, are mostly of bncli,
400
500
ISO
100
I
procs i qo. . svj:
r Mixed" letion ; of the Mississinoi.!
covered with slate or tile, and many of rxwiprehenmng- Galve'ttQ wn, Baton,
i4w stones, y The remaimJer arelof. Kpufre;Pdinte Coupee, Atacapas and.
wuuijf -coverea ,wiut sruagics. iie; xycioas, yi. -
5 companies of grenadiers, J
8 io. of fusiieers, .
do. of drngoons,
Ponchartrain to Mobille, and inckidins
the whole estent between the Amen.
can liiie'i" thi MisiTsslpprahbve ; "STew"
Orleans, aftd the lakes (with the ex
ception of a tract of about 30 miles on
the Mississippi,, and as mueh square.
contiguous to tnejine, ana compre-
ttreets have a front of 30') French'.
Tett. There is in the middle of "the, !
frontof the "city a i4jj-m, facing!
which the church and town house are
built. Y,here are' from 12 to 1400'
houses in the city and suburbs." The
population may be estimated at 1C.000,
including the seamen and garrison,
it was fortified in 7$3, but the,wOrki
XveorigTrtany defective, could -not
have been defended, acd are now in
l tiins.y The po ,vder marjaiine oti
"the opposite" bank of the river. '
Thi public Wuildinis and other pub-!
lie property in Ncw-Orlealis, ire as
tollows i . - , ;.
Xwo"l-ctf""'etenWe'bricfck6re's,i
Tiom ISO to 180 feet in length, and
hbout 31 in breadth sThty are one
A gwernmcflt house, stables ard.f
4
' 2-15
tlo. lately added fromBayoiSara,
"' ' ':! - ' '
of l'CO men , '
garden, ctcupyinp a frotjt f about! Mobille tnd the country east of
220 feefon'fhe ri-vcf, in the middle cij Lake Ponchartrain, '
t.ie town, ana extcndniL' 33 icet back' ;2 companies ot hcrse and foct,
to the nest strict.
A Tiilitarv hospital. I
An ill built ccstcm ho'te r.f wood.
nwr.
lakeBarcne. This settlement con-
is of two parishes ; almost all the j bending the ' wa'ers wf Thompson,
inhabitants of which are Spaniards i' creek, Bayou S.ira and the Amet) is a
from the Canaries, Who content them-'i poor thin soil, overgrown with pi.ie,
eelvjs with raising fowls, earn, an 1 jj and contains r.o good land whatever,
KarJen-stufF for the market at New-;! unless on thi kanks of a fw small ri
. Orltans. -Thedtnds canaM'bs culti-'; vers.' It would however afo'rd abnn-
vated to any erat distance from the si dant supplies of pitch, tar, and pine ' almost in tuins, in the upjrcr.pArt cf
banks of the creek, on account of the j: lumber, and would Iced large hen's of tr.c nry, near the n
Ticinity Ufths marsh behiu-J them, but j. c.ttlei;-- ' .
thi place is susceptible of threat im-' '-,- ' . :.
provement and-' affording another- The inhltsnU tnd thtir oriy'k
communication to small craft of from
eight to ten feet draught between the ! The inhabitants of Louisiana ari
- tea tai hilhsisupsl... 1 thi:3ithe descendants f the French
, , , . e .. Maud Canadians. There are a cfniide. i
s ra';!e number of hnghth and Ameru
'At the distance of 15 l-agues be-1 tar.i in New-Orkanv Th two Ger- ;
low NTyw-Orlans, the settlements of man coast arc peopled ey the d-j
both' ban!.s of the river are of ,bdt s:endanta of s rulers frCm Germany, j
small acco tnt. Between these and and a few French mixed with them, j
the fort of Plaquemines the country 'The three succeeding ; settle mer.ti c? )
isovci-aowe l i.uhe spring and in ma- ,' to Baton Uou?e contain mostly Aca 1
ny places is inranaMe of cultivation at dians, banished fiom Neva Sco'ia by 1
companies
y-eaca, -' .- ; ''.: ,-'
Avoyelles, company of infari-
try, -. . . ..;..-.
OuchetV l J6. oT cavalry,
Natchitoches,' I da f infantry
and I of cavalry, . .
Arkansas,1! d6. ofinfantry and
cavalry ' ;"..'. ',;
Illinois J inc,ea,r.ew-
U do- ofcry, abo::e
do-ofrnfantry--- ;
Provinc'a! reriment of Ger
mans and AcsdianR,frcm the -
, ItsGermaftcraastto Iberville)
10,corcp?.nie, viz. ? of
jrjvr.suhvrs, 8. of. lust-
leers,
1600'
. 100
i
. 200,
loo
nervi
r
to defend the approach froift 'the sea.
and can oppose, at most, but eight hea
vy guns. It is built at a turn in thi
river, where ship in general must an- .
chor, as the wind which bring lhen
up so far is contrary tin the next Veach
which they mostly work through; and '
they wiuld 'therefore' be expose 6
the fire of the fort. On the tpposite
bank are the ruins of a small clos ed
redonbt, called Frt Bourbon, Xisually
garrisoned by a Serjeant's command.
In fire was intended to flank that of a
fort of Plaquemines, and preretft ship
ping and craft from ascending or de
scending on that side. When a vtt
se appearli, & signal is mide on one
side, and answared on the'o'thcr..
Should she attempt to pass, without
sending a boat on shore, she Vrould bfr
immediately Hred upon'.
, lnu:jnst , . . .. , .
The Indian jtations witlim the limiffc
of Louisiana, are, as far as known, uk
follow,, and consist of the number
hereafter specified. .
On the Eastern bank of the fissi-
slppi about twenty-five leagues above
Orleans are the remains of th natioA
of Houmas or Red Men, which do not "
exceed sixty persons. T There are no
ot heir Indians settled on this liJe of
the river, cither in Louisiana or West-
Fjonda," though they-are at times lre-
iquemed by parties cf wandering; Choc
taws. ; - -
incomplete)
any time, b .-in, j a morass almost im
passable by man or beast. This small
tongue of land extends considerably
into the sea, which is visible on both
aides of the Mississippi from a ship's
mast
the English,' and their descendant. J
The gnvrrnment of Baton Rouge.'es,
peciaHy the east side, which includes
all the country between the Iberville
and the American line, is composed
portly cf Acadiins, a very few rench
r .i iv . l.'.l e -tnd of a great tusiofity of Americans, i
Cmntrrfrom the P.nc: b the SJ, , i h ' M J
rrorariaqueminesto the se is 12 , se river the; arc French and Acitliar.s. ;
r 13 leagues. The country is low, ' Of the population of the Atacapas and
awampy, chiefly cofcred with reed, Oprlnu? ., a r nnsitab!e partis A !
bavin- little or no timber, and no set- ihcrican Nachitoches, on the Bed rii j
t'.ement whatever. It may be neces- rer, contains but a few Americans, and
larr mcnt.oa ncrc, inai me wnoic the rcma'n ;er 01 uie ;nnar)itir.rt are
lower part of the country from the
E;i1ish Turn downward, is su1 jct to
vcrlliwin in hurricanes, eitlier by
the iccoilin.r of the river or rtllux f.oin
thss-aon each side; and on mors
loan ons occaion it has batn covcrc i
from the depth of t t ten fct, ac- ;
forl.n to th? descent of the r'ner,
whereby nuny lives were lost, horses
ani cat'le swept awiy and a scene of
tlciti-.vtion liid.. The list calamity
fthis kind happened in 179: but
fortunately they arc not frequent. In .
the preceding year the engineer whmj
'ip:r'meid:i the erection of the fort'(
of PJaq icnines was drowned in I.U,
house r.eir the fort, m the workmen '
nl 'anisti eratcd o dy by taking I; will appear, that the lower part pro-
KlAt .....
I. Irtll toililktci 'it in' nic !. ii
-.
Fren-hT-l!ut the- former are more nit- '
mcro H io the other settlements of j
l!nt river, vit. Avoyelles, Rapide, and !
;0;acheta. At Arkansn the? are'inc- i
lv French; snd at NeMr-Malnd, A
(inecmi. At least 3-sths, -if pot a
jrreit-r pr:;vor'.i jo of, a!l the settlers
on the h.u'iinh i le oltl e Nf istsiippij
in the Illinois countrT, are likewise
sjpposri to be .Xmeri.-ans. Below
1 N:w-Orlf ars te population is altoge
ther French, and the descendant of
Frenchmen.
Xc.V-Orlf'U,
T,9 rrcurr'nt to the mp shd cs'-
mining the position of IWisiana, it
On the West side of the Mlssisicr
are the remains cf the vTaunics et-
.J.9J.dJPi?ruiiT!tPomte Coupee oii
'persons. , ', ,' .
j Jn the Atatapa, - ' ,'
On the lower rmrta of the BaVr.A
' 50 jTecheat aboutclcvenbrtwelve Ieaputi
- ,"m tne sea, are two villnjes of Chili-.
, i . - .taachas, consisting of. about one hun-
The sjrae jfcntleman alluded to.dred aouls.
ipsfe iS, makes the numhera therm- The Ataeanas. nmrterlr n," raJlerl.
4.. " !. .. 1 L . .. . t 'I'.. . . ... . I . . -r , - V
" i x(i-,ns;e carracx :u i:ie i.iwer. io amount to :u,jw m-: witnin dispersed thronp-tiout the district, ar.d
part of the rity, lV'ntit; o i the r.vcr.j Ahe'same limits to which his estimate jchiefly on the Bayou, cr creek Cif Ver
X calcsjarti'l to lea re 12 or UiJ ran-. of the uonulation apt)lie.s. lie distn- !millon. about che hnndrer! onU.
A large let "adpinins tho kintr;sl,b';tes them in the feevcra! scUjexc.V.fi'l . Wahdertrs of the tribe of Bilexli
.res, with a fc shrds la C It serves . follow; . 4 . . 'and Choctawt on' Uttou Crocodile-
a park ier avtilSfrr- 7 jf "Thc i'.trd' of "KcU .fir. !- .rb emptiet into Ibe Tcche," about'
A priM!.tv.?!i- at-h 'i':,e teaus wirh the opposite margin
sf.d the adiai ent etik-ments,
.,5. The west rnari.i from
Maoc.hac,includinpl'oir.te Con
pec, and extendinjr to the Bed
Itiver,
tacapas, alotip the coast
scnsr.;y io., ni!1e '-iv'tu! ren's,
and th.- lonnv.o:i af out the torn. j
A public s:ln)!! for the rudiment
cf the Sp mish l.ifisjuage. . J
A Cathr di al ihur h unfinished, and
some h-iM'e-i b.I.' jyinj; to it. j
A cha-i'U'.'.; htt.tiut, with lomeli'Wcea the Dvlta of the Mia
hort-rs btlor'tinto it, and a revenue', s'sr.ippi and-lhc river Sabine,
cf I "OO u-.Ha'-s unninUv, endowed bj'1! 4- Ouj..loUsas,
an indiviiiaa! I'kteh ilci taned. ij 5. Kcd Hirer, including Ba-
l eersnr.l de Cariidclct hssbrcri 'W B-euf. Avoyrllei, Kapide,
already described. r'i NU'-itotbes,
ft. O-Jirhiia,
.7. Cr-..
8. Arkaeia, (
. New-Madiidandlts view
nity, ,
lc Illinois anl Missouri,
H. The settlements oH the
5,000
liitv souls.
'I: the Ofthutsi tj the v. w. tf Ateecpas
Tw ii vinajres cf Alibimas in the ceni
trc of the district near the church, coni
o' t:e a ;:d cersus,
.irun, ir-iu''i.r Peoa
So. J, of i
coh and the .batches, s ma-fe n 173.',
toe whoi nanher of hr sbitsnts a-!
tso-jnted to 3a.561, of wbic? 14,it3"ea,t side of the Mississirpi.
were f.et wh.es, 1.30S free people cf from the American line to the
colour, and t,5 4 $ slaves. , j l Iberville, and seme other let-
The statement No. .1, from the la-jtlcrrttnts,
test documents, Btakesthe nhole num
ber 43.375 the free whites, 21.34ii
the free people of coluur, ,7C9
rcf i;i on an elevated spot io th: fort, 1
on 'Vicj there were notwithstanding,!
two of three Letof wa'er. llicsehur-ric.m--s
have generally been felt in the
month of Au .ruvt. Their rcatet fuT
ryMnts aViut twelve hovr. They
coMinti'x in the south-cast, veer a-
l.-.tit W all point i of the compass, are i
kit mo.t ictmi? i tow( ana seldom
extenl mo'e than a few leagues above
New Orle ans. In their whole course
they are marked with ruin and dcsola.
ti-.ti. t'ii :d tlut of I7J3, there had
l;'rnonef:H from the year 1710.
(."r.-.ne ILmthl of tht JIjiijii'.
AWt r't,;ht kioei lclo I'lique
V'mes.lhe Misniilppidivldtl lttlfmto
t! rrc chantu!, which are railed the
l'i'ti.f tV rivrr,vix.the Kat, South,
a t 1 HttithAVest Tastes. Th-clrcmirK
: f,-.m !i e (to mx lcs;nirs to the sea.
Th, ;.v ? bM-rrco is a marth with lit
!." v" no .lsahvr on it i lut fuia m
and the ilau 1,03-5.
iQ'Y sistine of one hnndrtd person.
jl t'onchates dispersed through th
I countiT as far West as the river Sai
SiO binaa and its neighbourhood, tbcut
7 30 three hundred and fifty persons.
On the Hirer Hjvet
10C0 At Aso) tiles, nineteen Icapmri fmtii
30O the MiM'sippi, is a village of the Bii
40 lor.i nation, and another on tthe lak
150 !f the, Avoj tllc, the whole about sixi
ityou!. . . , , .
350 1 At the Bspide tweny-six Ichrucs
lOoiJ from the Misiisipni is a sillatre uf
jCbbctawii of one hundred aotili, and
another cf Biloxis, abouk two loaiea
.from it, of aWut one hundred more t
About eight or nine ieitni'ea hiz!ier
400 tip the Red Biver it I vil!af;e of ahonT
fifty aouls. All these are occasionally
10,30 tmpinyrd by U.
. T I ! - M Ik. .
,thee statements inrlude the cftUntry ' . Atqtit eighty leaeurt above NVt
in all probability been formed hy the
cdiment brought dovn by the cur.
relit and deposited on the flat toast.
There it therefore on the cast sljie but
a very narro slip tlon the bank of
the river, T om the tea to the Iberville.
The land is Mot ftnerally susceptible
of cultivation taore than a mile in depth
from the river, the rot la low and
wampy to the lakes on the aea, but
in central abounds with cypress tim
ber! which Is tawed by mills, which ate
worked by artificial streams from the
M','Uipji, in the time of frthes.
They cmerally run five momhi In the
year.
Whst has been tali on the t jU
cju-lly applies to the west lide of tho
river. The soil and iUiatifn arc r.f ar
ly the time. After leavhj the bnk
of the river, llert is an irr-urns
swjmf, intersected hy crttVt nt
kcs,txur.dir j; to tbc k'gb Ur.di vf
ujniyprcuanie mat ineyciore, cnisi oinuiiictnstructelre. the Wc&tsiJe of the Mmiiippi, on the
neiKhtwrititr district of idoubtt, with a covered wav. tliade OuUheta and Red Bivers. at far Writ
it in the amc proportion' ;and ditch. The whole ia rointr fast to at Nachitochct. tnd the I elc nation
jecaTi nd it it supposed they would would have emiprwted arrrt't the Mit-
A pmicilaf ttatement rcspect'nj: jbeyond the river S-bine, noreirnall chitochetbn the Bed Biver it the rva.
; the populous n,&c. of L "fper Lou:si.',thoe whirh I'e eastwart!y of it. JJa, lion cf the" Cadorjuies, called by ab
I ana, and another con'aininjj the can-' ta trc $A6 wanting to t"ie them. j breviation Cadot ; they can raise frcri
! tus of .N'ev-0 -leans, in this year, art' tcaU'nt ' ' ! hrte 19 wr hundred warriors, art
; numbered 4 aaJ i, in the appendix. ' the friends of the whitct, and arc es.
tnrse papers cenauwy cvitott a'j iim nas a itewennm cotonti to itemed the brasest and mctt r;tner
t:.iallernQtiiVr than the reil popua- jcommand in it, indbut few trKps but of all the nations In thit vatt'eoun
tlon ofthe coi'.ntry. I ifcrn an o;TicianBaton Bocje U an HJ constructed try ; they are rapidly decreasirjr, ow
document, made in July last, and rc-j;fort, and nas about f'f'y rnrn. Indes- inj to intemperance and the number
ceived frcrg Atacapat ainee the state- ;cribin the Canal of Carondetet, tlrf annually destroyed ky the Otaet ai.l
ment. No. 2, wat fomed.it spry art jmII fort, rf St. Jrafi hat betn tnrr.. Chortaws.
that it contained t,170 white, 21" free Jtioed, hat the block hine at the J , There are, besides the foreran
people cf color, 1,15 flaset, in a!K jHaliictin its p-oper ilare. The for- at leau four to five hundred faroiliea
l,74f aotut, instead of I, tr, as there-iti' canont or New-Orleans, noticed of Ghoctaws, ' who are dispersed
in ttaira. it it r
return for the
Opeloutis,
riderratcdi
In iae of an auippi. had it net htm for the on.
a fprr.tle man ofn at rcspecubility and ,attack. Thot;H the powder niira- tioaition of the Spaniards and the In
correct inform.tson, residing at Nat- line Jt on the rppotiti; iJe of the ri- diant on that aide, who hd iui"erti
chct, raiset the number of whites in ver, there u
the island of Ne Oilcans, n the 'msde for iti
west aide, to $3,15 and the number Cave of nerd
of Uatkato 39,-2'X Hitstatcrtieiit it ! The fort 1'f Planormlaes, which Is Betrren the Bed Bier nhd the Ari
als'i tuhjomed. No. C. . a'out twilve or thirteen leaift from kans.it there are bt4 a few lrdi. ni, th
It is at all times ditTiridt to obtain the.va. it an ill constructed. ifrrfuUr rtmint of trih.'a almost eiryt. tH
the foil censut of a country, anitht' brttk work, onthe eastern ' J e f the tl it last rier it the i,a-i. n t f Or tir-,-impcdimentttreenercasedinthiifrofH
Mistitlppl, with a ditch in front of the natnc, r r,ntittinfr 'r.f al.n'ut S: J war.
Ut acattcrcd pip.lation. The actual rtier, and peuiettrd im the lowrr side tWij'thcy ire tre, )rt (refills
eminveration nity therefore fall abort by ader .rtik,floi!n, fri,n ther'.ver and well r,ipfsrd, and hc tUi
of Ue truenUmbcrt. i to the tea. It ia. horretr, imrfect- t een ati(ht4 to the I rtish, and r.
ii.J. Ir closed UMnd, tnd almost ihool t;i.ud thtir at:e in their wr vi'.ih
rfefenre there i ton mudi n linn e har- ti e Chitkasawt, wbrn tb'y bva l
There it militia ' l-ouisitnt.' irj been placed on the twirtipirytt of ayt rtsistt-J with ii.icf." Tcv
The following it th-retiirntf it, mad' the if urii. wUkh hardent daily. It live in three iii;;'fs tie !t is at If
tome umn oi iyaa vj lac uarva ot m'.:?u be laaen, pernarM, by tvalaiV, Irarpict from the .Mimm ; ;i e-i .
VaraJlUM Mfita.ut CJ VLMr. It U in g detrice Aikaniaa i Utr. 4nd tit t'.teri kit i.t
- - I I - - - - ' - -- w -' wuv m 4 m
it nd autnfjert Jeov.iti'm Sy their ap;crnici s.
ts removal to the iily.inlT .t n ,
(! . ) On the fiiur thntcs, Lfc.