USA > Louisiana > Orleans Parish > New Orleans > Creole families of New Orleans > Part 8
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spend so much money as that. He must renounce the idea.' Think- ing myself at liberty to do so, I left him at once to go and close with Fortier. And now Marigny is very much offended!
"7th October .-. . . The sickness, that seemed to be disap- pearing, is giving us new anxiety. The English who have not left the city are, of course, the victims; a second demoiselle Fuselier has just died and one of her brothers is very ill. The whole house of that poor Delery is in the most pitiable condition: four of his daughters are in danger. M. le Baron has at last given in to the solicitation of the ladies to remain on the other side of the river. I go over very often to play cards with them.
"9th October .-. . . A great crowd of us to-day were at the Macarty's. I took de Coigne with me. We are all at our ease there and we can do what we please. the Baron himself is quite different there; he takes part in all the frolics and he even appears to be amused. He seems to have left behind him, in the city, all the responsibility of his official position-to be only a man of society, and an amiable man of society.
"The ladies come even into our rooms to play their pranks on us. . . . They make a racket all night at our doors, but I am deaf to all their wild noise. They needed to get to the country. In the city so much sickness had saddened them to the point of giving them the blues. They now won't hear any talk of the epidemic on the other bank; they have prohibited all news of the kind and think only of amusing themselves. This afternoon they all went on horseback to the Laporte Crevasse with all their young men; they ran races and committed all sorts of extravagances. I am good only to listen to their talk about their wild foolishness; I am not gay enough to participate in it.
"One of the Delery young ladies died to-day. Several others of the family are in danger. Doctor St. Martial, attacked by the same fever yesterday, is in a state to cause great uneasiness. Good-night, ma bonne amie, good-night.
"19th October .- Poor St. Martial died this morning after three days of illness. Mademoiselle Macarty is distressed; he was the only physician in whom she had any confidence. Mademoiselle de Kernion is very low. There is being distributed here a little printed pamphlet that came from Spain which many people are making use of to protect themselves against illness. It is a receipt of Massdeval, a celebrated physician of Charles III. It has been used often in this
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contagion but without success. As for the Baron, he is in the hands of Ramos, * whose tisane he has been taking ever since he went over to the other side of the river. It is doing him such immense good that the Baronne has decided to take it herself. She began the treatment yesterday and Madame Rivière said to-day that if it did the Baronne good she would make use of it herself. In truth it is astonishing to see how quickly all the Baron's ailments disappeared from him. He suffered intolerable pains in his jaws and ears and had continual insomnia. From the fourth day he was relieved and, at present, he has completely recovered both sleep and appe- tite, and his pains are gone. So that Ramos is now a wonderful man, and all the ladies are praising him.
"I went yesterday to see Madame Dreux. She asked about you and our aunt. No matter how much one neglects her, she is always the same; she pardons her friends for all their faults toward her. She is made for society and I like to cultivate her. She seems to receive de Coigne with pleasure and I predict that as soon as her health is re-established there will be a marriage. Ever since he lost hope of Mdlle. E., de Coigne has turned his eyes in her direction, and I think with success. D'Aunoy thinks he should come to the point at once; however, I think that under the circumstances, no matter how de Coigne proceeds, he will make a success of it.
"We are living in a state of the greatest disquietude here and I dare not persuade myself that I have the time to arrive in Spain before the breaking out of hostilities. There is no more talk of 'the line' (line between Spain and the United States, fixed by the treaty) on one side, and on the other there is every disposition to evade the treaty.
"Mdlle. Kernion died to-day. Mme. Sognac (Soniat?) who was completely recovered, but who had nursed the Montégut child through its serious illness, has been attacked by the same illness and is in graver danger than from her first attack. In the midst of all this sickness I keep in good health. My plate is never filled with enough roast beef for my breakfast, and when I take supper at Madame Macarty's one would think it was my only meal during the day. I ate this evening for my supper a whole plateful of sorrel, taking out the hard-boiled eggs, a side-bone of turkey, some butter beans, a lot of asparagus, three heads of lettuce and Roquette in
* A Spanish physician famed in the city for his cure of yellow fever.
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salad, some quince preserves, fritters, sponge cake and three rolls, and I still had some appetite. Every day it is the same. I think it is the Quiquina in bark which I have received, and I chew every day, that gives me this appetite.
"October 6th .- We went this morning to the mass and intern- ment of the poor Abbé (brother of the Baron de Carondelet); his brother is inconsolable; and truly, this worthy ecclesiastic merits the grief of all who knew him. He died with all the tranquility and resignation of a man who has nothing to reproach himself with. Poor little Angelito (the son of Baron de Carondelet) is still very ill; his fever has not yet abated.
"October 7th .- Angelito is somewhat better; there seems a little hope for him. Montégut's son, who was in the greatest danger, is entirely recovered. Our Bishop leaves to-morrow for his diocesan visit to the Attakapas, Opelousas and Natchitoches. On his return, he is to go to Pensacola. Good-night, dear one whom I love alone, and of whom seven years of happiness have so well taught me the value!
"October 8th .- The son of the Baron de Carondelet goes from bad to worse; the only hope is in his youth. My heart bleeds when I think of the condition of this unhappy father! My God! if it should happen that my son should be exposed to a similar danger, satisfy Thyself with the sacrifice of my life and save his! The state of this father and mother is deplorable. Still crushed by the blow that took from them the Abbé, in whom they had found a brother, a friend and a tender mentor for their only son, they have now to tremble for the life of this only child.
"October 9th .- Little Angelito is entirely out of danger. Mon amie, it is impossible, being a father, not to be interested in the condition of this unhappy family. I saw the Baron this evening; he is not yet himself; he doubts sometimes that it is really true that his son has been given back to him. The death of his brother struck him so hard that he could not believe that his son would recover. His fever was of the same character as that of the Abbé. Philipa has recovered. Madame Rivière was of the greatest assist- ance to them; she never left the bedside of Angelito, and she alone had the courage to make him take the remedies.
"October 10th .- I passed the greater part of the evening at the Governor's house; the ladies received me, and I was not surprised to find them consoled; the almost certain idea that they would lose Angelito, once banished, they felt a joy which was indeed
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a paliative of the grief at having lost the Abbé. I saw the child, he could not be better.
"13th October .- The sickness is diminishing a little under the fresh North wind that has been blowing for two days; nevertheless, there are two or three deaths every day. The sickness is particularly fatal to unmarried women. Mdlle. Nancy, that English woman who lived with Madame Oquon will not, they say, live through the day. The Baron de Stephnelt, the German who brought a letter of exchange to me, died after two days. The city is nearly deserted; my stores that were all taken are abandoned; there are only the two on the levee that are retained. More than one hundred and fifty English have died in the epidemic and more than three hundred have gone away to the country or elsewhere. Clark was so frightened when his last clerk came to give in his account that he would only speak to him from a distance. Three clerks died in his own house; the fright has given him a little fever. His physicians are more afraid of this imagination than of the sickness. But with it all, mon amie, I am well and have a good appetite, and I am too busy with my longing to get to you to give the sickness a chance to get hold of me.
"The Baron has completely recovered his health. He left the Macarty plantation yesterday; his wife, who continued taking the tisane of Ramos, finishes with it to-day. She will go on with the Sarsaparilla for several days yet; she used to have her glass of it brought into the card parties by her husband, who would exhort her to take it. Madame Rivière preaches the same thing to her husband but he rejects the proposition, and this prevents her from taking it. You can imagine the fun all this causes, but I find no amusement in it; it bores me. I am doing everything possible to shorten my time here but I am continually thwarted. My works are going along with inconceivable slowness. Almost all the masons and English carpenters are dead; the few that are left are run after by everybody and they are paid a price beyond all reason. But in spite of that do not think that I shall be a day later in getting to you than planned. The sale of my houses is made and I will leave the contracts to my agent.
"17th October .- Every day, mon amie, I have had to announce to you the sickness of some one; now I can make up by telling you of their recovery, for almost all are getting well. The epidemic does not give us any more uneasiness. Marigny was attacked yesterday,
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and the physicians say he is in danger, but I believe it is only to give him importance. I saw him yesterday and he was up, although he did have fits of vomiting.
"22d October .- Lafon arrived a few days ago. He had left his family all well but he found that his eldest son, a charming child of nine, had died two days before his arrival. Despau, whom you met on the plantation, arrived yesterday from Pointe Coupée, and he found that his little daughter of eleven had died after two or three days of illness.
"24th October .- More bad news for your poor friend! A vessel that came in yesterday reported meeting an English frigate which announced that Spain had declared war on England. If that is Bo, my courage will give out! And I learned from the Baronne yes- terday, under the seal of the greatest secrecy, that the Baron had the strongest reasons for believing that in three or four months the King of Spain would publish a cedula to accord freedom to all slaves in his dominion. If that should happen in so short a space of time we will find ourselves absolutely ruined, for all our creditors are slave-owners who under the circumstances will pay no one, and the greater number of them will go into bankruptcy. . ·
"25th October .- Marigny has at last found a way to get something out of me at a vile price! But his manner of doing it gave me pleas- ure, because I very much love his son Bernard, who is my godchild. The child came to beg me to sell him Antoine, my little Mulatto of nine, but very large for his age and very robust. He told me that it was for himself and that he did not have much money. I answered that with his godfather he would always have enough and that he could take Antoine and give me any price he thought proper. 'I will see about it,' he said. Yesterday I went down below to breakfast with them. After talking a long time with his father, Bernard came to me, saying, holding his head down, 'I have thought of what you said, godfather, and I thank you. I will gladly take Antoine but I have only one hundred and sixty dollars.' 'That's all right, my friend, send and get him. Did I not tell you to make the price yourself that suited you and it would be mine? You can send and take him whenever you wish.' He thanked me. His father was present during the conversation without coming into it the least in the world. Now I have only Julien left, whom I do not wish to sell unless his godfather (another slave) buys him to give him his liberty; and Charles, whom I will set free; Pelagie, Madeleine, and Augustin,
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whom I will not sell for less than their value, in which case I will hire out Pelagie and Madeleine and put Augustin at Tremoulet's (the hotel keeper) to learn how to cook. . . . And then, if slavery is abolished, I shall not suffer any considerable loss.
"28th October .- I slept last night at Macarty's, where the ladies were waiting to renew their tricks."
He describes how the clothes of all the gentlemen were stolen during the night so that when they arose in the morning they could find nothing to put on; trousers, shoes, coats-all had been taken. Fortunately, the ladies had all gone away, taking even the children with them. They had locked all the doors of the places where clothing was kept, and had taken even the oars of the skiffs. The gentlemen had to breakfast in their shirts after searching in vain from garret to cellar to find someone to help them. Finally, they decided to cross the river to their homes and get clothing there. The sans culottes excited much laughter when they arrived in the city.
"I arrived home at eleven o'clock. Mon amie, will we never be through with sickness? I found de Coigne there with a little fever which has never left him since yesterday. I think it comes only from a slight cold, but I have my fears, for a month past there are no fevers that are not dangerous. Good-night, I leave you to go back to him and arrange so that he will not need anything during the night. Good-night.
"29th October, 8 o'clock at night .- You know the sensibility of your husband! Judge then what my heart is suffering! I have just closed the eyes of my unfortunate friend, de Coigne. He expired at half-past seven o'clock, perfectly conscious to the last moment. Good-night, I leave you to go to d'Aunoy, who has been helping me with him without interruption.
"30th October .- I cannot yet convince myself of the death of poor de Coigne, although I saw him expire. After rather a restless night he found himself better yesterday morning; his pulse was weak but he was without fever. I sent for Davo, but I could not get him until I went for him myself. During my short absence he had changed completely. Davo found him in danger. At one o'clock I called in Montégut who was of the same opinion. They prescribed the remedy of Massdeval and told me if he did not get better he must put his affairs in order. At three o'clock he had an oppression on his chest and a difficulty in speaking. Father Louis then came to
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administer the last sacraments. He still showed his gay, pleasant temper, and his quickness to seize a chance to make a witticism. He was always smiling when speaking to me, but showed no sensi- tiveness about his condition or regret at leaving his friends.
"About six o'clock when he was given the remedy he had to take every hour, 'good,' said he, 'give it to me. I must die according to rule.' At the same time he said to d'Aunoy and to me, 'Each one in his turn.' At two o'clock he wanted to go into the salon, and he sat by the fire there for more than an hour. From there he went into his room. He complained, touching his nose, that he had lost the sense of touch. 'I do not feel any longer what I touch; see how our poor machine goes to pieces.' When Father Louis told him that the King of Kings was coming to pay him a visit, 'Oh, it is you who are bringing him!' And so on to the end in the same tone.
"He took everything that was given him to the last, when he asked me to send for a little box of papers he had left with Clark. He said he wanted them. I sent. A moment later he asked if they had come, adding that he wished they were there. He was very fond of Zenon Trudeau and of his mother, but he did not even mention them, and showed no sign of feeling about his own fate or about his friends. At seven o'clock he asked to go into the salon again. We did not wish him to do so but he persisted. We supported him to the door, when he was taken with convulsions in the arms, legs and face. We had to carry him back to his bed. The convul- sions that were caused by his weakness ceased when he lay down. He continued to talk to us, though with difficulty, until half past seven.
"He died after a struggle of a minute. About three o'clock spots of gangrene began to be seen and after his death he became covered with them. After giving my orders for everything to be done, I left him to the care of Jeannette, Pelagie, Polidore and Charles. He was buried this morning at nine o'clock. We could not find anyone to carry him to the church or cemetery. Banique, Polidore and Charles had to do it.
"I understand nothing about this fatal sickness; it is a kind of pestilential fever. You know well, mon amie, my love for you dictates to me all the precautions useful in such a case. I always had camphor on me and plenty of vinegar. We have used two demi- johns of vinegar sprinkling the rooms. I had some quatre voleurs ('four thieves vinegar,' an old Creole preventive against contagion)
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to use on myself, and my good cousin Mannette provided me with a little sachet of camphor (to wear). The servants were all sprinkled with vinegar. I chewed constantly the quinine that I received from Cadiz. Ma bonne amie, I did it all for your sake for I was too affected to think of myself.
"De Coigne's sickness was the same as that of the Abbé de Carondelet and of many others, but none were carried away so rapidly by it. I shall sleep again to-night at my aunt d'Aunoy's. I have had all the rooms aired and everything that de Coigne used put outside immediately after his death. I sent his keys to the Baron begging him not to have any judicial expenses; telling him that de Coigne had arrived here unprovided, and that all he had had been given him by d'Aunoy and me. We wanted all they saved to send to his mother in Bordeaux. I do not know what the Baron will do. All of his effects sold would bring very little. The most solid thing de Coigne left was one hundred and fifty dollars that I gave him, which would be very useful to his mother, but which the auditor would eat up very quickly if we let him. Good-night, my dear, I have need of rest. I passed last night in a state of agitation that prevented my closing my eyes. I embrace you with my whole heart, and my good aunt and Tintin.
"31st October .- I could only sadden you with my reflections, mon amie, and so I will restrict myself to writing you only a few lines. I am inconceivable sad and I have no one near me in whom I can find consolation. I loved de Coigne; he merited all the senti- ment I had for him and I have had the misfortune to lose him just when I had learned to know him and was certain of making him my friend. I lost him without having had the time to render to him the care that was due him and without ever being able to hope that we could save him. . . . The day has been passed in whitewashing my house with lime.
"A man named Viard, a Garde du Corps' émigré, a handsome man of thirty-five, well-to-do, a friend of de Coigne who came here six months ago, and whom I saw very often, has died also of the same disease, but after five days. And that clerk of Tricou's who had the quarrel with Theodore died this morning. We congratulate ourselves from time to time that the epidemic is over, but it always comes back worse than ever.
"1st November .- I am this evening at Macarty's. I crossed the river at nightfall to sleep there after finishing my business in the
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city. I think the precaution very useless, for my poor friend did not live long enough to leave the germ of his malady in my house. To-morrow I shall sleep at the d'Aunoy's, for in spite of your aunt's welcome I perceive that her fear is so great that my presence makes her uneasy for her family. She takes the greatest precautions. She never crosses to the other side of the river and never allows a servant who has done so to come near her. Nevertheless it seems that the sickness is diminishing and the physicians assure us that there is very little in the city. I know of only one case at present-Mlle. de Blanc, the sister of Madame du Forest, who is in great danger. I shall not come back here; your aunt is so sad, she adds to my melancholy.
"2d November .- M. Boré is making fine sugar, sirop and tafia; he has that man who was staying with Mendez. It is said that he will make twelve thousand dollars (gourdes) on his crop, and for that he has only thirty-five hands.
"Piguery, a young man of fifteen, died after three days; de Gruy, who is ill, seems to be going the same way. We hear that all the ports of North America are quarantining boats that come from Louisiana. I am sleeping to-night at d'Aunoy's. Your aunt, in her care for me, puts in my room aromatic herbs, and juice of wild orange, burns sugar in it and scatters everywhere little bags of camphor. In short, she is taking all precautions imaginable to escape the scourge which is becoming milder every day. We hope that the first rain will put an end to it. For eight days we have had a heavy mist, thick but dry, to which the continuation of the deathly fevers is attributed.
"3rd November .- The aide-de-camp of the French General (Collot) has just died, regretted by all who knew him.
"4th November .- This evening 'Eugenie' was given, followed by a compliment to the King and to the Baron. Minerva and Thalia appeared to recite a piece written in a prose worthy of a cabaret. It was almost all in praise of the Baron. He was flattered in the most servile manner and in the most tasteless way for a full hour until Phelipa, who is very bright, grew impatient of the platitudes that were being served in it. Two hands were made to appear clasping each other, representing the King of Spain and the French Republic, with the epigraph : 'Let us be ever united.' Not an actor pleased me. Mme. Durosier acquitted herself very poorly in the rôle of Eugenie. The little Bohémienne took it upon herself to massacre even the
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rôle of 'Mlle. Clairette.' But the piece recalled precious memories which are now only regrets.
"4th November .- Philips has just died. He was a young Parisian that Maxent brought with him from Paris. Mlle. de la Chaise is still between life and death. Her passing away has been announced ten times and she always resurrects; but now only a miracle can save her. I am writing from home; I had it whitewashed three days ago and the odor has all passed away.
"6th November .- Champigny, who has just cut my hair, com- plained bitterly of his wife who had struck him over the arm with the tongs. He wants to leave her and proposes to come with me to serve you and your aunt as a valet. I accepted his proposition with pleasure; that is, after he has thought it over seriously.
"Although the fevers are diminishing they are still very fatal.
"8th November .- The dry North wind we are having has dis- sipated the bad atmosphere, and the fevers that were so putrid and malignant are no longer dangerous.
"10th November .- At last, mon amie, here we are in full winter! I think it is going to be a very cold and rough one. Everyone is rejoicing over the cold that has completely freed us from the fever. My work is beginning to lighten. The two houses alongside the Government House with their kitchens are under way. My terraces and those of my aunt are repaired. Her houses are rented for a term of one year, but not for as high a price as I flattered myself I would get. Nevertheless, the house on the corner of the levee will bring a rent of $178.00 a month and the one on the Place $118.00. No one will rent the store under the apartment of the bishop. That one will be a pure loss. My eleven stores are finished; five are rented; no offer at present for the six others.
"Adieu, mon amie, I am going to send this packet to the courier; there's not an instant to lose. When you receive it you, I believe, can have the sure hope of our reunion three months later. Good-bye. Take care of yourself and my good aunt and Tintin.
"PONTALBA."
Resigning his position in the Spanish Army, he left New Orleans in 1797. His friend Carondelet left a few months later in the same year for his new post of Quito. Madame de Pontalba, with her son and Madame Miro, joined her husband in Paris.
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While living there he wrote a full Memoir on Louisiana to be submitted to Napoleon. Bernard de Marigny, de Pontalba's godson, who was in Europe and presumably in Paris at the time, gives his personal coloring to the usual bare statement of the fact. He declares that Napoleon, being aware that a Louisianian of high intelligence, Joseph Delfau de Pontalba, was in Paris, thought proper to consult him as to the advantages and resources Louisiana might offer to France.
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