Most of the gentlemen here are far behind the ladies in elegance. They did not remain long at the ball, but hasted away to the quadroon ball, so called, where they amused themselves more, and were more at their ease. This was the reason why there were more ladies than gentlemen present at the ball, and that many were obliged to form “tapestry.” When a lady is left sitting, she is said to be “bredouille.” Two cotillions and a waltz, are danced in succession, and there is hardly an interval of two or three minutes between the dances. The music was performed by negroes and coloured people, and was pretty good. The governor was also at the ball, and introduced me to several gentlemen, among others, a Frenchman, General Garrigues de Flaugeac, who, having emigrated here from St. Domingo, had married, and given the world some very handsome daughters. Several of the French families here settled, and indeed, the most respectable, were emigrants from that island, who wait for the indemnification due to them, but without any great hopes of receiving it.
Colonel Wool inspected the two companies of the first and fourth regiments, under Major Twiggs stationed here; both together made at the most, eighty men under arms. The inspection took place before the Cathedral. I admired the good order and great propriety of these companies, as well as their uniformity of march and dressing, which I had no opportunity to observe before, in the troops of the United States. There was indeed many things to be wished for; as for example, the coats of the men did not fit, and many were too short; the grey cloth pantaloons were of different shades, and much too short; no bayonet sheaths, nor gun straps; the belt intended for the bayonet sheath over that of the cartridge box: the privates had wooden flints in their guns, and none in their cartridge boxes, also no spare flints, files, screwdrivers, nor oil flasks. From the false maxim, that the second rank, if they are shorter men, cannot fire over the front, the lesser men are ranged in the first, and the taller in the second rank through the whole army of the United States, and this produces a great eye-sore. There was some manual exercise, and manœuvres in battalion training: all good. The soldiers were mostly young, handsome and strong men, well fed and healthy looking natives of the western states; there were some Germans and Irish among them. The Irish, however, since their conduct is often in nowise commendable, are no longer admitted. Governor Johnson remained during the review, which lasted above an hour or more; there were also several members of the legislature now assembling, present. I formed an acquaintance here with General La Coste, who formerly had been engaged in the Spanish service, and at present commanded a division of the Louisiana militia. Colonel Croghan also attended the review.[II.5]
When the review was over, the governor showed me the two extensive buildings, joining the Cathedral, with arcades, as before-mentioned. One of them is devoted to the use of the several courts of justice, and the other is the City Hall. In the first, the United States court was holding its sessions, and as it was rather cold, the judge had removed himself to the fire-place, there to have the business transacted before him. The suit in controversy related to the sale of a negro. The buyer had purchased him as a slave for life; after the bargain had been concluded, and payment made, he discovered, by the declaration of his former master, the seller, that at a certain period he was to be free. I could not remain long enough in the court, to wait for the decision.
We passed then to the City Hall. In the lower story, is the guard-house of the city guard, besides a prison[II.6] for runaways, or negroes punished by order of their masters, who are here incarcerated, and employed in all servile labours for the city; they are termed negres marrons. The masters receive a daily recompense of twenty-five cents for each imprisoned negro. Near the guard-house stands a small piece of ordnance, from which the signal tattoo is fired. After this shot, no negro can tread the streets without a pass.[II.7] The upper stories of this building contains the offices and court halls of the magistrates. Part of them were ornamented very richly, as these chambers served as quarters for General La Fayette, who was here in the month of April last. Before the chambers, the whole length of the building, ran a gallery with very large windows, which being raised in summer, change the gallery into an airy balcony: an arrangement which I had remarked to exist also in the other building, where the courts of justice sat.
Hence the governor next conducted me to the old Spanish government house, in which the senators and representatives of the state of Louisiana were now assembled. The building is ancient and crazy, otherwise situated in a handsome spot on the levée, surrounded by a balcony. There is nothing more done for the repair of this building, as in a few years the legislature will be removed to Donaldsonville. The reason given for this is, that many members of the legislature are plain people, who feel embarrassed in New Orleans, and hope to be more at their ease in Donaldsonville. The office of the governor is in the yard, in a small house, where the secretary of the Spanish governor formerly had his office.
In a magazine belonging to the state, there are still several articles which belonged to the former navy-yard, and which, hereafter, are to be sent to Pensacola. Among these, I remarked brass and iron cannon of various calibres, and from different countries, English, Spanish, and French. There were some ancient ones among the French, with beautiful ornaments and inscriptions. On one was, “ultima ratio regum;” on others, the darling “liberté, egalité.” These pieces were found in the trifling fortifications that formerly surrounded the city, when the United States took possession of Louisiana, in 1803.
During the last of January, it rained uncommonly hard and steady. The streets became bottomless: holes formed in them, where carriages and carts were in constant peril of upsetting. At first it was cold; while the rain continued, there followed such an oppressive heat, that it was feared an earthquake was about to take place: it thundered and lightened also very heavily.
At the masked balls, each paid a dollar for admission. As I visited it for the second time, I observed, however, many present by free tickets, and I was told that the company was very much mixed. The unmasked ladies belonging to good society, sat in the recesses of the windows, which were higher than the saloon, and furnished with galleries. There were some masks in character, but none worthy of remark. Two quarrels took place, which commenced in the ball-room with blows, and terminated in the vestibule, with pocket-pistols and kicking, without any interruption from the police.
On the same evening, what was called a quadroon ball took place. A quadroon is the child of a mestize mother and a white father, as a mestize is the child of a mulatto mother and a white father. The quadroons are almost entirely white: from their skin no one would detect their origin; nay many of them have as fair a complexion as many of the haughty creole females. Such of them as frequent these balls are free. Formerly they were known by their black hair and eyes, but at present there are completely fair quadroon males and females. Still, however, the strongest prejudice reigns against them on account of their black blood, and the white ladies maintain, or affect to maintain, the most violent aversion towards them. Marriage between the white and coloured population is forbidden by the law of the state. As the quadroons on their part regard the negroes and mulattoes with contempt, and will not mix with them, so nothing remains for them but to be the friends, as it is termed, of the white men. The female quadroon looks upon such an engagement as a matrimonial contract, though it goes no farther than a formal contract by which the “friend” engages to pay the father or mother of the quadroon a specified sum. The quadroons both assume the name of their friends, and as I am assured preserve this engagement with as much fidelity as ladies espoused at the altar. Several of these girls have inherited property from their fathers or friends, and possess handsome fortunes. Notwithstanding this, their situation is always very humiliating. They cannot drive through the streets in a carriage, and their “friends” are forced to bring them in their own conveyances after dark to the ball: they dare not sit in the presence of white ladies, and cannot enter their apartments without especial permission. The whites have the privilege to procure these unfortunate creatures a whipping like that inflicted on slaves, upon an accusation, proved by two witnesses. Several of these females have enjoyed the benefits of as careful an education as most of the whites; they conduct themselves ordinarily with more propriety and decorum, and confer more happiness on their “friends,” than many of the white ladies to their married lords. Still, the white ladies constantly speak with the greatest contempt, and even with animosity, of these unhappy and oppressed beings. The strongest language of high nobility in the monarchies of the old world, cannot be more haughty, overweening or contemptuous towards their fellow creatures, than the expressions of the creole females with regard to the quadroons, in one of the much vaunted states of the free Union. In fact, such comparison strikes the mind of a thinking being very singularly! Many wealthy fathers, on account of the existing prejudices send daughters of this description to France, where these girls with a good education and property, find no difficulty in forming a legitimate establishment. At the quadroon ball, only coloured ladies are admitted, the men of that caste, be it understood, are shut out by the white gentlemen. To take away all semblance of vulgarity, the price of admission is fixed at two dollars, so that only persons of the better class can appear there.
As a stranger in my situation should see every thing, to acquire a knowledge of the habits, customs, opinions and prejudices of the people he is among, therefore I accepted the offer of some gentlemen who proposed to carry me to this quadroon ball. And I must avow I found it much more decent than the masked ball. The coloured ladies were under the eyes of their mothers, they were well and gracefully dressed, and conducted themselves with much propriety and modesty. Cotillions and waltzes were danced, and several of the ladies performed elegantly. I did not remain long there that I might not utterly destroy my standing in New Orleans, but returned to the masked ball and took great care not to disclose to the white ladies where I had been. I could not however refrain from making comparisons, which in no wise redounded to the advantage of the white assembly. As soon as I entered I found a state of formality.[II.8]