USA > Louisiana > History of Louisiana, from its first discovery and settlement to the present time > Part 3
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13
U
52
HISTORY OF LOUISIANA.
anew. But, though France was not sufficiently . powerful permanently to push her settlements thus far, the mouth of the Rio del Norte continued to be considered as the western limit of Louisiana on the Gulf of Mexico, and the English geogra- phers allowed the claim.
Though the excursions made in the vicinity of Fort St. Louis gave abundant evidence of the beauty of the country and the fertility of the soil, La Salle was far from being contented with his situation, and resolved to coast along the shore with canoes for the purpose of finding the Mississippi. The arms and canoes of the Indians at Matagorda bore a striking resemblance to those he had seen on that river, and this induced -' him to believe that he could not be far from it. Still he was unable to obtain the smallest infor- mation from these savages, who were extremely shy and unfriendly. He spent four months in vainly seeking for this mighty river, and return- ed to his companions. In April he traversed the wilderness towards New-Mexico, in hopes of discovering mines. Among the Cenis he found wild horses, and abundant supplies of maize and beans, but nowhere any traces of the precious metals; the only wealth of the country consisted in its exuberant fertility. .
.
-- -
-
-
53
LA SALLE STARTS FOR CANADA.
Meanwhile Tonti, by virtue of an understanding between himself and La Salle, had left his post on the Illinois, and descended the Mississippi, to meet him on his arrival. He remained there for some months, seeking for him along the coasts of the gulf, until finally, despairing of success, he returned to Fort Crèvecœur; a few of his com- panions deserting him on the way, and remaining behind on the Arkansas.
1687 .- The situation of La Salle had become extremely critical. From a sulky indifference, the savages had proceeded to acts of open hos- tility. The colony was threatened with famine, and its usual consequence, rebellion. Every ex- pedition had diminished their numbers, until at last they were reduced to thirty-seven men. From among these La Salle selected sixteen, and started with the desperate resolution of finding his way to Canada, or of perishing in the attempt.
In the party there were two brothers of the name of Lancelot, the younger of whom, after two days' journey, became unable to proceed any farther, and was permitted to return to the fort. His brother wished to accompany him ; but La Salle considered it imprudent to diminish the strength of his company, even then insufficient for so dangerous a journey. He refused, there- E 2
54
HISTORY OF LOUISIANA.
fore, to let him go; and the young man return- ing alone, was murdered by the Indians. The surviving brother vowed revenge ; but he did not · find an opportunity to execute his purpose till two months after, when, with some accomplices, he first murdered a nephew of La Salle, and then, concealing themselves in a canebrake, the conspirators fired at their commander himself. He received a death-wound, and expired on the 19th of May, 1687, near the western branch of Trinity River. His murderers avoided the ven- geance of his friends by quitting the party, which, now reduced to seven men, continued their march through tribes of Indians, who treated them with kindness. They at length reached the country of the Natchitoches; and, four months after the death of La Salle, arrived at the junction of the Arkansas with the Mississippi. There they were surprised at the sight of a cross, which had been set up by those companions of Tonti who had left him there on his return. This unexpected indication encouraged them to persevere in as- cending the Mississippi, and they finally arrived safely in Canada.
The few unfortunate individuals left behind by La Salle at the Bay of St. Bernard soon fell victims to the barbarity of the Indians, with the
1
DEATH AND CHARACTER OF LA SALLE. 55
exception of five children, whose lives were spared; and these, afterward falling into the hands of the Spaniards, made known the fate of the unhappy colonists.
The death of La Salle put an end to all pres- ent prospects of colonization. It is little to the credit of France or of Louisiana that neither of them have shown the smallest mark of respect to his memory. A bust placed by order of Con- gress in the Rotunda of the Capitol, is the only memorial of a man whose enterprising genius and persevering resolution merit the highest hon- ours.
CHAPTER V.
Expedition of Iberville .- Mississippi Company .- Foundation of New-Orleans by Bienville.
FOR several years after the death of La Salle, France, either discouraged by the ill success of this first attempt at colonization, or wholly occu- pied in war, abandoned its settlers on the Mis- sissippi entirely to their own resources. Their numbers were unequal to the laborious task of
56
. HISTORY OF LOUISIANA.
clearing and cultivating the soil; and fishing, hunting, and trading in furs became their prin- - cipal occupation. Many of them, associating with the Indians in these pursuits, became assim- ilated to them in character, and adopted their roving and unsettled habits. But the ill effects of this companionship were soon felt: game be- gan to grow scarce ; and the Indians, finding the strangers interfering with their trifling com- merce, conceived a jealousy of them which finally led to serious consequences.
1697 .- The peace of Ryswick, concluded in 1697, left France at leisure to turn her attention to her neglected subjects, who had been for the last ten years lost sight of among the wilds of Louisiana. Lemoine d'Iberville, a brave naval officer, who had distinguished himself by several daring actions during the last war, volunteered to renew the explorations commenced by La Salle on the Gulf of Mexico. Two vessels were al- lowed him; and, departing from Rochefort on the 17th of October, he first put in to St. Domingo. From thence he again set sail in the following January, and directed his course towards the Bay of Pensacola, where the Spaniards had made a small settlement. They protested against what they called an invasion of a country which they
57
VOYAGE OF IBERVILLE.
claimed as belonging to Mexico ; but, having no power to impede his operations, he successively reconnoitred the Bay of Mobile, now the seat of a considerable city, the Isle of Dauphine, the River Pascagoula, and the Bay of Biloxi, and on the 20th of March, 1698, arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi. He entered the river without any positive assurance that it was the same that had been discovered by La Salle, when a fortu- nate accident removed every doubt. A letter, written by Tonti thirteen years before, at the time he descended the Mississippi in search of La Salle, and which had been intrusted to the care of a friendly Indian, was handed to Iber- ville, and proved of incalculable service, as it gave a particular account of the discoveries of his predecessors, and described the marks by which they could be recognised.
Thus guided, Iberville passed some distance up the Mississippi, entered the outlet that bears his name, discovered Lakes Maurepas and Pont- chartrain, and, coming into the Bay of Biloxi, was so pleased with its advantages that he de- cided to establish there his first settlement. But, after building a fort, he perceived that he had chosen an injudicious location ; and, abandoning it, he selected another at Mobile, which was also
-
--------
58
HISTORY OF LOUISIANA.
deserted for the Isle of Dauphine. Barracks and .. storehouses were afterward built there, and this island was for some years the headquarters of the colony.
It does not seem to have struck Iberville that his principal establishment should have been on the largest navigable river, though he did not entirely neglect the Mississippi. He caused a fort, which he called Balize, to be erected at the mouth of the river ; and, after completing many important works, he returned to France to solicit farther assistance for his infant colony. During his absence his two brothers faithfully seconded his views. Saurolle, the eldest, took charge of the interior affairs of the colony, and Bienville, the younger, was indefatigable in endeavouring to keep up a good understanding with the sur- rounding tribes.
1699 .- As the latter was descending the Mis- sissippi, on his return from a visit to the Indians, he perceived an English vessel of war, mounting sixteen guns, at anchor in the river. A project- ing point had obliged her commander to wait for a favourable wind. Being questioned by Bien- ville, he informed him that there was another ship of the same force at the mouth of the river, and that they had been sent out by their govern-
:
59
IBERVILLE VISITED BY TONTI.
ment to discover the Mississippi, and to ascertain the practicability of establishing a colony on its banks. Inquiring of Bienville if this was not the river they were seeking, he replied that the Mis- sissippi was much farther to the west, and that the river they were now in was a dependancy of - the French colonies in Canada. The credulous commander immediately weighed anchor and departed ; and the place where this occurrence took place has ever since been called the " Eng- lish Turn."
1699 .- Iberville came back from France in December, and shortly after he received an un- expected visit. Tonti, the brave companion of La Salle, had received tidings in Illinois, where he still remained, of the new colony formed by his countrymen at the South; and, taking seven men with him, he had descended the Mississippi to assure himself of the fact. The brothers joy- fully received this new friend ; and, on his return, Iberville and Bienville accompanied him as far as the country of the Natchez. There Bienville fixed on the site of Fort Rosalie, afterward the scene of a bloody war, and there the friends parted, with promises of mutual support and as- sistance.
1706 .- It was not long before Louisiana had
£
60
HISTORY OF LOUISIANA.
to lament the loss of some of her best and bra- vest settlers. The search for gold and precious stones proved fatal to several of the adventurers who engaged in it. During the absence of Iber- ville, his second brother, Saurolle, fell a vic- tim to the prevailing fever, which made dread- ful havoc in the little colony, and reduced its . numbers to one hundred and fifty-five. Soon after his return, Iberville himself was attacked, barely escaping with his life ; but his constitution was shattered ; and though he so far recovered his · strength as to be able to lend his assistance to the French arms in 1706, the effort was followed by a severe illness, of which he died at the Ha- vana. He had commenced his career as a vol- unteer in the midnight attack upon Schenecta- da, in which he was chiefly remembered for an act of clemency. Rising afterward to the high- est distinction in the French navy, and acknowl- edged to be the bravest and most skilful officer in that service, Canada was justly proud of such a son. After the peace of Ryswick his indefat- igable spirit led him to seek a commission for completing the undertaking commenced by the unfortunate La Salle, and permanently establish- ing the French power on the banks of the Mis- sissippi.
-
61
STATE OF THE COLONY.
At his death Louisiana was little more than a wilderness. The colonists had unwisely directed nearly all their attention to a vain search for mines of gold, or to the trade in furs, instead of occupying themselves with cultivating a soil whose fertility would have richly repaid their labour. Their scanty numbers, instead of being engaged in the profitable toils of husbandry, were widely scattered on distant journeys of dis- covery, or among the Indian tribes in quest of furs. Of the lands that were occupied, Biloxi was a barren sand; the soil of Isle Dauphine was poor; and at the fort on the Delta of the Mississippi, the young Bienville and his few sol- diers were completely isolated, at the mercy of the floods of the river, and obliged to dispute the possession of the country with moschetoes, frogs, snakes, and alligators, which seemed per- petually to remind them of their folly, and to warn them to seek for a home in some more fa- vourable situation.
But Bienville was in all respects worthy to be the brother of Iberville; fitted to accomplish what he had not been permitted to finish, and to win for himself an honourable name in the annals of Louisiana.
1712 .- But the colony was still doomed to
F
62
HISTORY OF LOUISIANA.
struggle with misfortune. The mother country was again plunged into war, and could no longer afford them any assistance. At this juncture, Antoine de Crozat, who had amassed an enor- mous fortune in the East India trade, purchased a grant of the entire country, with the exclusive right of commerce for sixteen years, the govern- ment retaining only the prerogative of sovereignty. The speculation, however, did not succeed ; and Crozat, after ruining himself and injuring the colo- ny, in 1717 surrendered all his privileges.
But the failure of Crozat did not discourage other adventurers. A number of these having united, and formed what was called the Missis- sippi Company, they obtained from government a charter, to continue for twenty-seven years, granting them a complete monopoly of the trade, and of mines ; an exclusive right to cede lands, ports, and islands ; exemption from duties ; the power to appoint judges; the prerogative of making peace or war ; and, in short, all the rights of sovereignty, except the bare nominal title. But their greatest expectations were from the mines ; and on the strength of a former traveller, named Nicolas Perrot, having discovered a mine of copper in the valley of the River St. Peter's, the directors of the company assigned to the soil
.
63
FORMATION OF MISSISSIPPI COMPANY.
of Louisiana all kinds of treasures. The copper was metamorphosed into silver and gold ; and in the mud of the Mississippi diamonds and pearls were to be found. The secret agent of the com- pany was the notorious Law, who, not finding in Europe a theatre sufficiently wide for his financial operations, had extended them to the banks of the Mississippi.
To form a capital for the company, its shares were sold at 500 livres each ; and such was the speculating mania of the times, that in a short time more than 100 millions were realized. This state of affairs, though it ruined a multitude of individuals, turned to the advantage of the colony. Great landholders came out, bringing with them numerous labourers, mechanics, &c .; extensive clearings were made, and agriculture and com- merce flourished.
1717 .- The company had engaged to trans- port to Louisiana 6000 white persons and 8000. blacks during the continuance of its charter. In 171S it sent over 800 of the former. The Isle of Dauphine having been ravaged by the English in 1710, and its ports being filled up with the sand driven into it by a hurricane in 1717, the stores were transported to the Bay of Biloxi, which again became the principal seat of the
64
HISTORY OF LOUISIANA.
colony. But the reasons which had determined Iberville to abandon this latter station soon be- came apparent. The wretched colonists, crowded together on a barren shore, could find means neither to live on it nor to leave it. Great num- bers sunk under famine and disease ; and the sur- vivers were indebted to the Indians for being enabled to make their escape, and to disperse themselves through the neighbouring country.
1718 .- Bienville felt the necessity of forming an establishment, which, from its local advanta- ges, might become the future metropolis of the country ; and in seeking for such a spot, not too far removed from the shore, and in a situation to command the resources of that extensive region, he fixed on the site now occupied by the city of New-Orleans.
The plan of the future city embraced the pres- . ent Parish of Orleans, and was laid out in imita- tion of Rochefort. The original town, now call- ed the old city, is in the form of a parallelogram, of which the longer sides are 1320 yards, and the shorter 700. The houses were built of wood; the streets were narrow, not exceeding forty feet in width, and one of them still bears the name of Bienville. The city stands on the left bank of the river, at a distance of 90 miles from its mouth
65
ADVANTAGES OF NEW-ORLEANS.
in a direct line, and 105 miles following the course of the stream. It was impracticable to place it nearer the gulf, as the long slip of land through which the river flows for the last hun- dred miles is little else than a marsh. Even in its present site the town is surrounded by swamps ; and the country being lower than the surface of the river during times of flood, it has been found necessary to raise high embankments, called levees, to protect it from inundation. This barrier does not always prove sufficient; and breaks, or, as the French call them, crevasses, often occur, when the water, rushing in, and con- tinually widening the passage, spreads destruc- . tion all around. But if Bienville made an un- fortunate selection as it regards health and com- fort, it must be admitted that a better site could not have been chosen for a great commercial emporium. The command of the Mississippi, with its numerous navigable tributaries, the easy access from the sea, and the facility of securing it against hostile invasion, are advantages which must render it eventually one of the most impor- tant, and, perhaps, the largest of all the cities of America.
1719 .- Alberoni, the restless minister of Spain, having, in opposition to the interests of both F 2
1
66
HISTORY OF LOUISIANA.
countries, involved his nation in a war with France, De Sevigny arrived in Louisiana in Feb- ruary of this year, with orders to take possession of the settlement and Bay of Pensacola. This bay received the name of Anchusa in the time of De Soto; and subsequently it was called Mary, and St. Mary of Galves. In 1696, Don Andrés Arriola had built upon its shores a fort, a church, and a few houses, in a situation unfavourable for commerce, agriculture, or productive labour of any kind.
-
Bienville and his colonists rejoiced at an op- portunity to show their devotion to France; and all the troops the young settlement could spare . were withdrawn from the forts and garrisons to join the expedition, part of them proceeding by land to unite in the attack on Pensacola.
Matamoro, the commander of the place, after a feeble resistance of five hours, surrendered ; and by this conquest the French hoped to extend their power along the shores of the gulf, from the Rio del Norte to the Atlantic, But, having generously sent their prisoners to the Havana on parole, the treacherous governor of that post did not scruple to violate the courtesies of war, and, in contempt of a written capitulation, he impris- oned the commander, took possession of the two
----
CAPTURE AND RECAPTURE OF PENSACOLA. 67
French vessels, and sent them with a Spanish force to recover Pensacola. Its small garrison was unable to make any serious opposition, and, forty days after its capture, it was again taken by its original possessors. The Spaniards then made an attempt on the Isle Dauphine and Mo- bile, but without success. Bienville having been re-enforced by three ships of the line, under command of the brave Champmeslin, again be- sieged Pensacola. It was defended by Mata- moro, the same officer who had so easily yielded it before, and who did not manifest any greater resolution on the present occasion : he submitted, indeed, without firing a single cannon. The only resistance the French encountered was from the Spanish fleet under Don Alfonso, brother-in- law of the governor of Havana, who, after an obstinate engagement, was compelled to surren- der, and deliver up his sword to Champmeslin, which the latter returned with the courtesy due to a gallant enemy. Matamoro, however, he treated in a very different manner ; and remark- ing to him that he had disgraced the brave na- tion to which he belonged, he ordered one of his sailors to receive his sword. Thus Pensacola changed masters three times in the space of five months; but it was not destined permanently to
68
HISTORY OF LOUISIANA.
remain a French possession, being restored to Spain at the close of the war in 1721.
1720 .- The settlements of Natchitoches and Illinois continued to increase in spite of the Indian wars they had to encounter. Five hun- . dred negroes were about this time brought from Africa ; and more than twelve hundred individ- uals of various descriptions, including a number of women, left France to settle on the fertile banks of the Mississippi. But as the character of many of these new colonists was not such as to render them a desirable acquisition, the West- ern Company obtained from the regent an order forbidding any more convicts to be transported to Louisiana.
1721 .- So sudden and considerable an ad- dition to their numbers soon caused a scarcity of provisions, which was followed by desertions, rebellion, and scenes of riot and assassination. Supplies were daily expected from France; but when the long - looked -for ship arrived, she brought also a large accession to the population. At another time these new-comers would have been most acceptable, but now they only in- creased the general distress. Bienville, however, having despatched a vessel to St. Domingo, she soon returned with the needed provisions, and their difficulties were for the time removed.
-
DIVISION OF LOUISIANA INTO CANTONS. 69
1722 .- The bankruptcy of Law, which took place at this time, threw the colony into the greatest confusion, and occasioned wide-spread distress in France, where speculation had been carried to an extreme unknown before. Of course, the expenditures for Louisiana were in a great measure stopped, but the colony had now gained strength to struggle for itself.
Duvergier was now appointed by the compa- ny, director, intendant, president of the council, and commandant of the marine. But, instead of turning his attention to the improvement of the colony, contrary to the advice of Bienville, he only sought to extend it. La Harpe attempt- ed to form a settlement at the Bay of St. Ber- nard; but the Indians opposed it, and the plan was
abandoned. Three commissioners were soon af- ter sent out, under the appointment of the regent, viz., Faget, Ferrand, and Machinet. They di- vided Louisiana into nine cantons : New-Orleans, Biloxi, Mobile, Alibamons, Natchez, Natchito- ches, Yazoos, Arkansas, and Illinois. Each can- ton was provided with a judge, appointed by the superior council.
The commissioners reinstated Bienville in the presidency of the council, and by his advice fixed the seat of government at New-Orleans. This
70
HISTORY OF LOUISIANA.
place then contained only a few wooden cottages, a storehouse, a small chapel, and two hundred inhabitants.
An addition of a thousand negroes was this year made to the colony ; and two hundred and fifty German settlers also came over. Those of this nation who had previously occupied the lands of Law on the Arkansas, now returned to New- Orleans for the purpose of going back to their native country. Bienville induced them, how- ever,. to remain, and gave them land on the banks of the river, which are now known by the name of the German Settlements.
The commissioners fixed the price of a slave at one hundred and seventy-six dollars, payable in three years either in rice or tobacco, the rice being valued at three dollars a. barrel, and the tobacco at six and a half dollars; a barrel of wine at six dollars, and a hogshead of brandy at thirty dollars.
1723 .- This year the colony suffered greatly from a dreadful hurricane, which lasted from the 11th to the 16th of September, nearly destroying New-Orleans just as it was beginning to assume the appearance of a town. The corn and rice crops were almost ruined; but the rice being scattered about by the wind, springing up wher-
. .
71
SEASONS OF SCARCITY.
ever it fell, produced another harvest; and this singular proof of the fertility of the soil gave great encouragement to the planters. Still sea- sons of scarcity occurred; the infant colony was unable to raise enough for its support, and a com- pany of soldiers who had embarked at Biloxi for New-Orleans, fearful of famine, took possession of the vessel and sailed for Charleston. The colonists were obliged, also, to defend them- selves against the Indians, the Natchez having made an attack upon Fort Rosalie. The friend- ship of the Choctaws and Alibamons was like- wise very doubtful, and it was deemed necessa- ry to build two new forts, the one on the Tom- beckbee, the other on the Alabama.
1724 .- At this time the population of Louisi- ana amounted to five thousand. No Jews were permitted to settle in the colony.
1725 .- A singular law was this year enacted, inflicting the punishment of death on any one who should kill the cattle belonging to another, and a fine of sixty dollars on every person who should kill his own. It would seem from this that they placed a higher value on horses and oxen than on men.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.