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A HISTORY OF LOUISIANA [1769
with the narrow views of his age, he suggested that none but Spanish ships be received in New Orleans and used for transportation. His regulations with regard to va- cant land were also very judicious: six or eight arpents in front, on the Mississippi, with a depth of forty arpents, were granted, on condition that the grantee build a levee, make a public road at least forty feet in width, and clear the front of the land to the depth of at least two arpents, -the whole within three years. Judge Martin says: " In order to secure an early compliance with the con- ditions of the grants, the grantee was declared incapable of alienating the land until the stipulated improvements were made. Grants of a square league were authorized in the districts of Attakapas, Opelousas, and Natchi- toches, where the inhabitants paid more attention to rais- ing cattle than to cultivating the soil. Where the land was less than a league in depth, the grant was of two leagues in front with a depth of half a league. But no grant of forty-two arpents in front and depth was au- thorized to be made to any person who was not the owner of one hundred head of tame horned cattle, a few horses and sheep, and two slaves. All grants were to be made in the name of the King by the governor of the province."
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O'Reilly mentioned, in one of his letters, the good qual- ities of Father Dagobert, the Capuchin, and said his stay in the colony would be useful. He said also that, in his opinion, Louisiana should be for spiritual matters under the direction of the Bishop of Cuba. He visited the set- tlements along the river, as far as Pointe Coupée, lis- tening to the complaints of the inhabitants, inquiring
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1769]
about their needs, and " succeeding," he said, " in giving a very good opinion of the government of His Majesty." He granted a surveyor to the planters, for measuring their lands and fixing boundaries. Finally, before leav- ing the province, he appointed several commandants, as follows: 5 District of Illinois, captain of infantry Don Pedro Piernas. District of Natchitoches, captain of militia Don Athanasio Mezières. Half of the German Coast, which comprised the parish of St. Charles, cap- tain of infantry Don Francisco Simard de Belille. The other half of the German Coast, which comprised the parish of St. John the Baptist, captain of militia Don Roberto Robin de Laugni. Pointe Coupée, captain of militia Don Juan Francisco Allain. Opelousas, Don Gabriel Fuselier de la Claire. Iberville Coast as far as Ascension Parish, Don Luis Tisné. Fourche of Cheti- machas, which comprised the whole parish of Ascension, captain of militia Don Luis Judice. Kabahan-nosse, which comprised the whole parish of St. James, captain of militia Don Nicolas Verret. Rapides, Don Estevan Mardefret Laisarde. St. Geneviève in the Illinois, Don Francisco Valle.
According to a census made by order of O'Reilly, the population of New Orleans in 1769 was 3190; and Judge Martin estimates that of St. Louis at 891, and of the whole province at 13,538. By St. Louis was meant the whole Illinois district.
The acts of O'Reilly in Louisiana were approved by royal orders issued on January 26 and 27, March 24, and August 23, 1770, with the sole exception that,
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A HISTORY OF LOUISIANA [1770
on March 24, 1770, it was decreed that the regulation be declared suspended and considered as not written which set forth: " " that the married woman who com- mits adultery, and her companion, be delivered to the husband for him to do with them what he pleases, pro- vided that he cannot kill the one without killing the other." This regulation caused "much disgust when it was read," although, Gayarre says, it was not made by O'Reilly, but was taken by him from the Spanish laws. The captain-general, Count O'Reilly, left Louisiana on October 29, 1770. Some of his regulations for the gov- ernment of the province were judicious; but he displayed no tact in the administration of the colony when he con- demned to death or to imprisonment the chiefs of the Revolution of 1768. Not only did he lack tact, but he acted with unpardonable duplicity and cruelty in 1769. His name has been handed down to posterity for execra- tion, and he will always be called in the history of Loui- siana, "Bloody O'Reilly."
O'Reilly was succeeded as captain-general of Loui- siana by Buccarelly, captain-general of Cuba; and Don Luis de Unzaga y Ameraga, the governor, administered the affairs of the colony with such mildness and good judgment that the Louisianians became somewhat rec- . onciled to the Spanish domination. Unzaga did not en- force rigidly the unwise commercial regulations of Spain, but allowed the planters to buy many goods from the British traders, who had floating warehouses and stores at Manchac, Baton Rouge, and Natchez. By Ulloa's orders, dated September 6, 1766, the trade of Louisiana
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1770]
had been restricted to six Spanish ports-Seville, Alicante, Carthagena, Malaga, Barcelona, and Corunna. No trade was permitted with any of the Spanish colonies in Amer- ica, and vessels to and from Louisiana were forbidden to stop at any port, except in case of distress, and they had then to pay heavy charges. In 1768 the commerce of Louisiana was exempted from duty on exports and imports, but a duty of four per cent. was imposed on the exportation of specie and produce from the colony. It was a great hardship to prohibit exports from Louisiana to all parts of the world except to six Spanish towns, as the indigo from Louisiana was inferior in quality to that from Guatemala, Caracas, and other Spanish prov- inces, and furs and peltries could not well be sold in so warm a climate, and the expense of transportation of lumber to a distant country was great. It is true that two vessels from France were finally admitted every year into the colony; but, nevertheless, Louisiana would never have been developed had the Spanish regulations been rigidly enforced. The British traders furnished the people with goods and slaves, and took in exchange whatever the inhabitants could give. The latter also had ample credit with the traders. Unzaga's leniency in enforcing the commercial regulations caused him to be regarded with some suspicion by a few merchants, who attributed the indulgence shown to British traders to in- terested motives. But this was surely not the case with regard to the honorable and enlightened Don Luis de Unzaga.
In 1772 the Marquis de la Torre became captain-gen-
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A HISTORY OF LOUISIANA [1772
eral of Cuba and of Louisiana, and the same year the greater part of the troops that had arrived with O'Reilly in 1769 left the colony and went to Havana. Colonel . Estecheria assumed command of the Regiment of Louisi- ana which Colonel Unzaga had commanded in his ab- sence.
In the summer of 1772 a terrible hurricane desolated the country. It was not felt in New Orleans, but at the Balize and all along the coast, at Mobile especially, the ef- fects were terrible. " The most singular effect of this hur- ricane," says Martin, "was the production of a second growth of leaves and fruit on the mulberry trees. This hardy tree budded, foliated, blossomed, and bore fruit within four weeks after the storm." There was such intense cold in the winter of 1772 that the orange-trees perished, as in 1748 and 1768.
At the time of the French domination, the Capuchins and the Jesuits had had contentions for the spiritual ad- ministration of the province of Louisiana. After the expulsion of the Jesuits from the colony, Father Hilaire de Geneveaux, Superior of the Capuchins, remained un- disputed vicar-general; but in 1766 he was expelled by the Superior Council,-apparently as a disturber of the public peace, in reality because he was not in favor of the insurrection against Spain. He was succeeded as Superior of the Capuchins by Father Dagobert, whose name has become famous in the history of Louisiana. He was exceedingly good and simple. The manuscripts in the custody of the Louisiana Historical Society contain a complete account of Father Dagobert's troubles.
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FATHER DAGOBERT
1772]
· After Louisiana had been ceded to Spain, Father Gé- neveaux returned to New Orleans. He appears to have been a man of ability and of merit, and the governor speaks of him very favorably in his letters. In July, 1772, Father Cirilo de Barcelona arrived in New Or- leans with Fathers Francisco, Angel, Luis, and Aleman. They were Spanish Capuchins, and Father Cirilo was charged with a mission by the Bishop of Cuba, Don San- tiago Jose de Echevarria, whose diocese included Louisi- ana. The Spanish Capuchin was to make an investiga- tion into the affairs of the church and the state of religion in the colony. In his first letter to the bishop he says he was admirably received in New Orleans by the peo- ple and by the governor. Very soon, however, he began his investigations, and the results, in his opinion, were far from favorable to Father Dagobert and the French Capuchins. Father Geneveaux became the ally of Fa- ther Cirilo in his warfare against poor Father Dagobert, and the latter might have fared badly had not Governor Unzaga come to his rescue. The governor wrote to the bishop as follows:7 " He is a pacific man, much liked by the people and by those placed under his jurisdiction.
. . . All these friars are excellent men, and set a good. example; but among them are some who are well in- formed, and others scarcely instructed as to the duties of their sacred calling; all, however, labor zealously to the best of their abilities and knowledge, and they are familiar with the great poverty and destitution of their parishioners. Among them, Father Dagobert obtained the esteem of Count O'Reilly and the good will of all
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[1773
A HISTORY. OF LOUISIANA
the Spaniards, by his kindness and the prudence of his deportment. He is beloved by the people, and, on the grounds that I have stated, I consider him entitled to the favor of your Grace." The governor recommends that the French Capuchins retain their employment and Father Dagobert remain vicar-general for one year, until a Spanish Capuchin shall be prepared to succeed him. "Father Dagobert," he says, "will always be glad to officiate, because singing in church is with him a passion."
In spite of this kind opinion of Unzaga as to the French Capuchins, Father Cirilo said very harsh things about them, calling them "monsters rather than Capu- chins." Father Dagobert, however, wrote to the bishop with great propriety and dignity, and expressed himself as willing to obey all orders of his superior. Unzaga con- firmed these assurances of Father Dagobert, " who does not knowwhat it is to complain," while "Father Cirilo does not possess one particle of prudence." The controversy was still going on in 1773, and on July 10 appears an- other letter of the governor to Bishop Echevarria, of which one sentence offended the prelate. Unzaga said: " Finally, you will think as you please on the subject, but · with regard to myself, I know how difficult it is to come to a correct appreciation of the true merits of men of. that sacred calling, when they choose to quarrel among themselves." The bishop objected strongly to such words, and the governor excused himself, saying that the expressions he had used were applicable only to the friars and to their disputes. The bishop was not satis- fied, and appealed to the captain-general of Cuba, the
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UNZAGA
1773]
Marquis de la Torre. Unzagawrote a very manly letter to this official on July 10, 1773, and on September 12, 1773, addressed a long and interesting communication to Don Julian de Arriaga, one of the ministers of Charles III. He continued to defend the French friars, criticized the · bishop sharply, and spoke as follows of the people of Louisiana: " The people here are neither vicious, nor ad- dicted to debauchery, nor opposed to our habits, although in many respects those habits disagree with their tastes. They have some of their own, as other people have, to which they are much attached, and this is very natural. Those habits are not in conflict with the primary obliga- tions of society ; they are not to be eradicated at once, but must be removed gradually and almost imperceptibly." " An enlightened prudence," he concludes, " and a good deal of toleration, are necessary here; for although this is a Spanish province, and although Count O'Reilly en- deavored to make its inhabitants forget the former dom- ination under which they had lived so long, still I can- not flatter His Majesty so much as to say that the people have ceased to be French at heart, and that in them is not to be found that spirit of independence which causes resistance to oppressive laws. But I will affirm that they are susceptible of being submissive and loyal subjects, that they entertain great veneration for their ancient laws, and that the state of felicity which they now enjoy is a guaranty to me that they are not to be suspected of being disposed to fail in their duties toward the Crown. Therefore do I endeavor to keep them in the colony, and to secure their love and services to the King, without car-
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A HISTORY OF LOUISIANA [1772
ing in the least for what I deem to be fooleries. After the blow that the colonists drew upon themselves by their late revolution, the infliction of another would be tanta- mount to utter destruction." These words of Unzaga do the greatest honor both to himself and to the people of Louisiana whom he appreciated and defended so well.
In our narrative of the French domination in Louisi- ana we referred to the arrival of the Ursuline nuns in 1727, and to the foundation of their school for girls. After this, no successful attempt to foster education in the colony appears to have been made until 1772. A despatch from Governor Mirò, dated April 1, 1788, says: 8 " Don Andres Lopez de Armesto arrived from Spain as director of the school that was ordered to be established in New Orleans; Don Pedro Aragon as teacher of syntax; Don Manuel Diaz de Lara as teacher of the rudiments of Latin; and Don Francisco de la Colina as teacher of the elementary branches; but the governor, Don Luis de Unzaga, found himself much embarrassed for the establishment of the school. Know- ing that if he did not compel the parents to send their children to the school, it would not succeed, and that such violence would never be proper, he was satisfied with ac- quainting the public with the benefit that the magnani- mous heart of His Majesty offered those subjects. But not a single student presented himself for Latin, and only a few for elementary work,-never more than thirty, and often six, ten, and fifteen, for which reason the three teachers devoted themselves solely to the teaching of the elements of Spanish." An attempt was made also to teach
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BRITISH TRADERS
1773]
that language to the girls in the colony, and four young women arrived from Havana and entered the convent of the Ursulines as nuns. In spite of these efforts, French continued to be the language of the inhabitants of Loui- siana, and Spanish was rarely used, even officially, ex- cept in New Orleans.
In 1773 Bobé Descloseaux, who had been commissaire ordonnateur in 1759, and had remained in the colony to attend to the redemption of the securities emitted by the French government, left Louisiana, with the consent of the King. He sailed for Cap Français with several French officers and several ladies; but the ship on which they were was never afterward heard from. The same fate had befallen the vessel that carried the French sol- diers who did not wish to serve Spain on the arrival of O'Reilly, and had chosen to go to Santo Domingo. The ship in which Aubry and some French soldiers had sailed for France perished in the Gironde River in 1770.
The prosperity of the colony was much enhanced by clandestine commerce with British traders. The planters increased their establishments, but some of them pre- ferred to buy slaves and goods from the British rather than to pay their debts. The creditors applied to Un- zaga, who protected the honest debtors and compelled those debtors to settle their obligations who were not will- ing to pay when they had the means to do so. His father- in-law was one of the latter class, and the governor made no difference between him and the other planters. He acted again with his usual wisdom when he offered a free pardon to the runaway negroes, of whom there were
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A' HISTORY OF LOUISIANA' [1774
a large number who were very troublesome. He for- bade their masters to punish them, and many of them returned to the plantations they had left.
In 1774 Louis XV died and left no regrets either in France or in Louisiana. His reign had been as shame- ful as that of Henry III, the last of the Valois. He had degraded the " profession of king " which Louis XIV had practised most diligently for more than fifty years, and he carried monarchy in France to the brink of the abyss into which it was soon to fall. By his corrupt, in- competent, and selfish administration he had lost the re- spect of his subjects, and had brought about the disas- ters of the Seven Years' War and the separation from France of Canada and Louisiana. Louis XV was suc- ceeded by his grandson Louis XVI, who was honest, but unable to stem the tide of the Revolution, of which the frightful roar could already be heard.
In 1775 the first blood was shed in the conflict between the English colonies and the mother country,-a conflict that culminated in the independence of the United States and in the establishment of one of the greatest nations that the world has ever seen. There were in New Orleans in 1775 merchants from New York, Boston, and Phila- delphia who deeply sympathized with the colonists in their struggle against Great Britain. They supplied the set- tlers of western Pennsylvania with arms and ammunition, through Colonel Gibson at Pittsburg, and with the know- ledge of the Spanish governor.
'Among the merchants, the most zealous for the cause of the English colonists was Oliver Pollock. It was he
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DEPARTURE OF UNZAGA
who had acted with such generosity in 1769 when he offered O'Reilly the whole cargo of flour of his brig, on the general's own terms, at a time when flour was so scarce that the price had risen to twenty dollars a barrel. O'Reilly accepted Pollock's offer, but paid him fifteen dollars a barrel and permitted him to trade in Louisiana as long as he wished, without paying duties.
In 1776 Don Bernardo de Galvez succeeded Este- cheria as colonel of the Regiment of Louisiana, and on July 10 of the same year Unzaga was ordered to sur- render provisionally the intendancy and government of the province to Galvez. Unzaga had been made briga- dier-general, and was appointed captain-general of Ca- racas. In his last despatches he mentioned the ineffi- ciency of the fortifications at New Orleans and in its vicin- ity; and he called attention to the fact that, in case of war, it might be injurious to the colony to be dependent on the governor and captain-general of Cuba for its military administration. Unzaga left an honored name in Loui- siana, and his mild and enlightened government soothed the bitter feelings against Spain which had existed dur- ing the administrations of Ulloa and O'Reilly. All the successors of Unzaga were men of merit, but the great- est of all was the chivalric Bernardo de Galvez.
CHAPTER II FRANCISCO BOULIGNY'S MEMOIR ON LOUISIANA IN 1776
The Bolognini or Bouligny family-The D'Auberville, D'Ayme de Noailles, and De Coulange families-Services of Francisco Bouligny-Importance of Francisco Bouligny's memoir-Exact description of the province of Loui- siana-Island of Orleans-The Mississippi-Towns and settlements in Louisiana-Lands in the rear of New Orleans-The lands from the mouth of the river to Pointe Coupee-Settlements that may be made-Facilities of transportation-Products-Forests-Crops-Peltries-Meat and tallow- Fruits, vegetables, and flowers-Mines-Manners and customs-The Creoles -The planters-The houses-Preference for country life-Three classes of people-The negro slaves-No beggars-Present commerce and decline of the colony-Commerce and progress of the English at Manchac-The Indians-Boldness of the Indians-Influence of the English over the Indians-The Indians prefer the Spaniards to the English -What is the most advantageous commerce for the state, and for the province, with re- gard to its present situation ?- Commerce at Manchac should be ruined- Advantages of protecting the province- Establishment of a general superin- tendent of the Indians and of new settlements-Settlers-Redemptioners- Schools-Service in the Battalion of Louisiana-Day laborers and hunters -Duties on peltries and furs-Plan of fortifications essential for the defense of the country-Frigate in the river-Batteries at English Turn- Forts-Walls and bastions at New Orleans-Introduction of negro slaves.
HE arrival of O'Reilly at the Balize in July, 1769, was announced to Au- bry and the people of New Orleans by Don Francisco Bouligny. This officer has left a memoir, written in 1776, on the condition of Louisiana, which is important and interesting.1
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FRANCISCO BOULIGNY
1776]
. He was born at Alicante in 1736, of a noble family that was originally from Milan and bore the name of Bolo- gnini. In the tenth generation Francisco was in the ser- vice of Spain and was made prisoner by the French and taken to Marseilles, where he changed his name to Bou- ligny. His son Josef settled at Alicante, Spain, after the War of the Spanish Succession, and was the father of Juan, who was born at Marseilles in 1696. Juan Bou- ligny appears to have been a man of considerable in- fluence. His letters to his son Francisco are very interest- ing, and he refers to General O'Reilly as if he knew him intimately in Spain. He had five sons and six daughters. The oldest son was Joseph, who was a wealthy merchant at Alicante. The second son, Juan, was Span- ish ambassador at Constantinople, and died at Madrid in 1798, honorary councilor of state. One of the latter's sons was ambassador plenipotentiary of Spain at Stock- holm. The third son of Juan Bouligny was Francisco, the fourth and fifth sons were captains in the Spanish army. There are extant charming letters written to Francisco Bouligny of New Orleans by his father and by his four brothers-the merchant, the ambassador, and the two captains.
Francisco Bouligny came to Louisiana as aide-de-camp of General O'Reilly, in 1769. In 1770 he married Marie Louise le Sénéchal d'Auberville, daughter of Vincent Guillaume le Sénéchal d'Auberville, marine commis- sioner of Louisiana, and of Françoise Petit de Levilliers de Coulange. The following letter, written in French to Francisco Bouligny by his father, illustrates the man- ners of those times:
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A HISTORY OF LOUISIANA [1776
ALICANTE, June 12, 1770.
MY VERY DEAR SON: Your letter, which I received on May 26, without date, informs me of your marriage with Miss Louise d'Auberville, daughter of the French Intendant-General of the province, aged twenty years, well bred and of infinite merit, which I approve, wishing you all kinds of happiness and benediction in your new condition. May God have you in His holy protection for many years in good health and good union, and grant you what you may need. Give her a kiss for me, as I cannot do so personally on account of the distance. Receive the benediction of your father,
JEAN BOULIGNY.
The Sieur d'Auberville was born at Brest in 1713. His father was Louis d'Auberville, and his mother Marie d'Aimé or d'Aymé de Noailles. Among the papers of the Bouligny family are documents proving that the Sieur de Noailles d'Aimé, referred to by Gayarre in his His- tory of Louisiana as having been vanquished by the Chickasaws, was Louis d'Aimé or d'Aymé de Noailles, " Capitaine des Vaisseaux du Roy, Chevalier de l'Ordre Royal et Militaire de St. Louis," who died at Brest in 1756. He was a brother of Marie d'Aimé de Noailles, and uncle of the " Commissaire ordonnateur de la ma- rine," D'Auberville. The marriage contract of the Sieur d'Auberville and of Marie Françoise de Coulange was signed by Governor de Vaudreuil, the "Grand Mar- quis." The genealogy of the family Petit de Levilliers de Coulange goes back to the reign of Louis XI, to Etienne Petit, " grand audiencier de France." Claude de Coulange, "seigneur de Bustance en Auvergne," married Madeleine d'Aguesseau, to whose family the
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SERVICES OF BOULIGNY
1776]
great chancellor D'Aguesseau belonged. The mother of the celebrated Madame de Sévigné was Marie de Cou- lange, who was of the same family as the mother of Francisco Bouligny's wife.
In 1795 Francisco Bouligny solicited the rank of brigadier, and his services were enumerated. He entered the Spanish army in 1758 as a cadet in the infantry regiment of Zamora, and served two years; then one year and nine months in the Royal Guards. In 1762 he was sent to Havana, where he remained seven years, serving as lieutenant. On November 1, 1769, he received the rank of " Ayudante Mayor " in the Regiment of Loui- siana. He became " Coronel vivo " in 1791, and was pro- moted brigadier in 1800, the year of his death. He served with distinction in the surprise of Fort Bute and the capture of Baton Rouge in 1779, at the siege of Mo- bile in 1780, and at the siege of Pensacola in 1781. In 1784 he acted as Governor of Louisiana during the ab- sence from the province of Governor Mirò, and in 1799, " on the sudden death of Governor Gayoso de Lemos," says Gayarre, "Don Francisco Bouligny, who was the colonel of the Regiment of Louisiana, assumed the mili- tary administration of the colony, and the auditor, Don José Maria Vidal, the civil and political government."
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