The brig Arcturus arrived on the 14th of March from Boston, with a cargo of ice. This article is very conducive to comfort in a warm climate, but it is exceedingly difficult to preserve it. Where there is water every where two feet below the surface of the earth, of course, ice-vaults are impracticable. The cargo which now arrived, was thrown into a large brick building, and it was asserted that it would keep there till winter. I examined the construction of this building. A coffer, made of strong thick planks, and some forty feet in height, is provided with a small opening under the roof. Through this opening the ice is thrown in, and again taken out for use. About the coffer there is carried a brick wall, and the vacant space between the wall and the planks of the coffer, which is about two feet, is filled up with a mixture of shavings and saw-dust, which resists the influence of the exterior warm atmosphere.
A great quantity of drift timber was floating on the river, even huge trees. Negroes were busied in small canoes in collecting it, as it serves the residents on the Levée for fire-wood. The largest part of it, however, is driven into the Gulf of Mexico, strikes the gulf stream, is again carried into the Atlantic ocean, and driven upon the shores of Iceland and Greenland, where it serves to warm the miserable inhabitants of those inhospitable countries.
On the 17th of March, I accompanied Commodore Jolly to the criminal court, before which he was cited. The cause thereof was as follows:—The year previous, a Colombian corvette had arrived at New Orleans, from which several sailors deserted. One of these sailors, an Indian, native of Maracaybo, had hired himself as a servant at a Spanish grog-shop, and came on board the Pichincha, Commodore Jolly’s brig, to visit his old comrades, and to induce several to desert. He was recognised as a deserter, and as such arrested. The Spaniard, with whom the sailor Ramirez had served, laid his complaint before the criminal court, and the commodore was cited to appear. The Spaniard had employed two lawyers, a Frenchman, named Canonge, and an old Spaniard, Rodriguez, who defended the cause of the sailor, and laboured to prove the commodore’s proceedings to be illegal. The pleading of the Frenchman was full of common place and far-fetched haranguing. Mr. Rodriguez explained his arguments more logically, though by his Spanish accent he excited great merriment among the audience. The commodore had no counsel, wherefore a Mr. Morel was assigned to him as such, who, as he had no time for preparation, requested the postponement of the cause to the following day. This request was granted.
On the next day, we again visited the criminal court. I was apprized that several Spaniards had combined, and promised five hundred dollars for the setting Ramirez at liberty. They had employed a Mr. Davezac as their third advocate. The officers, some petty officers, and one seaman, of the two brigs, were heard as witnesses. These proved in the fullest manner, that the sailor had deserted from the corvette Ourika last year. The Spaniards produced opposing witnesses. These contradicted each other so vilely in their respective declarations, that they were soon held back, so as not to be involved in a charge of perjury as false witnesses. By this opportunity I learnt, that it was considered difficult among the Spaniards here to obtain a witness for the sum of eight dollars, to say any thing in evidence that was required. And yet that is more than such a complacent witness costs in some other countries. The lawyers put such strange questions to the Colombian witnesses, and particularly to the seamen, (as for instance, in what manner was he enlisted, what was his pay, and how he was paid, how he was fed and treated?) that the judge called them to order several times. Mr. Morel conducted his defence very well, and successfully combated the arguments produced by his antagonists. He then laid down the principle, which certainly is a very just one, that the person who is on board of a vessel of war, is within the limits and jurisdiction of that government to which the vessel may belong. Upon this principle the commodore necessarily must gain his suit, and this he did in a very satisfactory manner.
After the disposal of this cause, on the 17th of March another one was taken up. A resident lawyer, named Lloyd, whose reputation stood very low, had, on the preceding day, insulted the presiding Judge Turner in the street, for which reason the judge had him taken in custody by the sheriff, and thrown into prison. The injured judge presided in his own suit, and in this manner was both judge and party. I was informed that Mr. Turner was insulted in his individual capacity, but that he decided as a judge in the name of the state of Louisiana. This explanation did not satisfy me, the distinction between person and his office, may be correct in theory, it is, however, very hardly so in practice; and on this account, the proceeding to me appeared arbitrary. It appeared unfair also to me, that the judge was not assisted by a jury. Farther, Mr. Lloyd wished to defend his own cause, he was, however, half intoxicated, and attacked the judge so grossly from time to time, that he ordered him frequently to be silent. The examination of the witnesses consumed so much time, that I was obliged to leave the court before the termination of the case. I heard afterwards that Mr. Lloyd had been adjudged, to provide two sureties for his good behaviour, during one year, each in a penalty of one thousand dollars, and since he was not able to find these securities immediately, to be remanded to prison.
On the same day, Mr. Bowdoin left us, and embarked on board the steam-boat George Washington, bound to Louisville: afterwards to return to New York. I accompanied him on board of the boat, and had an opportunity of observing her most excellent accommodations. The part devoted to lodging passengers, is built like a house in a boat. The lower deck, or deck on which the engine is placed, is occupied by what are called deck-passengers, those who pay a lower price,—there are cot frames suspended for them, but if there should be too many, the last comers must of course sleep on the deck. Above this, is the principal cabin, the passage in which to Louisville costs fifty dollars. Here is a handsome saloon lighted from above, in the centre and on each side are enclosed state-rooms, each with two births, one over the other. Behind this is the ladies cabin, which can be so joined to it by the opening of two folding doors, that both apartments may be thrown into one at pleasure. Around this principal deck, runs a broad and lofty gallery, for the convenience of travellers. Above the cabin, is the deck also covered with a roof, where cotton, other articles, and deck-passengers find accommodation. For such as smoke tobacco, there is a separate apartment provided, in which they enjoy this acquired habit, without incommoding the other passengers, or the ladies thereby. For the use of travellers, there is likewise a library provided on board. The elevated position of the cabin is very agreeable, because one is not annoyed by the engine; moreover in case a boiler should burst, he is exposed to less danger, as the explosion can only direct a fatal force along the lower deck. There were a pretty large number of passengers on board; the vessel sailed about half after four o’clock, P. M. and presented a majestic appearance in her progress.
On the 19th of March, at nine o’clock, I went with Mr. Huygens, and a Mr. Authur Andry, to his brother Michael Andry’s habitation, about eleven miles distant from the city below, situated on the right bank of the Mississippi. The road carried us over the field of battle, and past the habitation of General Villaret: about two miles farther on, we stopped at the habitation of Jumonville, left the carriage and embarked in one of Mr. Andry’s ferry-boats, sent over for us, manned by seven negroes, and crossed the river. There was much drift wood collected on the left bank, through which we worked our way with difficulty. Then we had also both wind and current against us, and had to keep guard against the floating trunks of trees. We spent three quarters of an hour in this passage. We landed at a large field of clover, belonging to Mr. Andry, and through the garden reached his large and handsome mansion-house, two stories high, with a piazza and very broad gallery, which is defended from the heat of the sun by large curtains extended from pillar to pillar. Here Mr. Andry received us.
Not long after our arrival, we went to the sugar-mills, behind the mansion-house, near the negro-quarter. The mill, in which the cylinders lie horizontally, is set in motion by a steam-engine of twelve horse-power, made in Liverpool by Faucett. The juice from the cane flows into the boiling-house, in which there are ten kettles. Mr. Andry directs himself all the operations, and while the mill is at work resides in a small room not far from the engine. He has the reputation of being very severe to his negroes. Whether this imputation be just or not, I could not decide, but twelve years ago an insurrection of the slaves broke out at his habitation, in which one of his brothers was murdered, and his father received three severe wounds with an axe. The garden here was not well kept. Scientific gardeners are very difficult to be procured here. Some years before two ships arrived with German emigrants, who were sold to defray the price of their passage. There were several gardeners among them. These men very soon extricated themselves from their dependent situation, and part of them established themselves; but the rest fell a sacrifice to the noxious climate. As the term of their service was limited to a few years, their masters did not give themselves much trouble to reclaim the runaways. Mr. Andry’s garden was surrounded by a thick hedge of orange trees, and contained many magnolias, orange trees, myrtles, jasmines, &c. We returned to the left bank about eleven o’clock at night, and our carriage conveyed us through the beautiful, mild moonlight, back to New Orleans in an hour.
In the American theatre, “Der Freischutz” was presented under the title of the “Black Huntsman of Bohemia.” This drama, so universally known and admired, and which has followed me even in America like an evil genius, (since detached pieces of it were sung and played in almost all companies,) I had never yet witnessed. Determined not to remain longer in the rear of the age, I therefore went to the theatre. The orchestra was very weak and badly filled, hardly any of the performers could sing; I was told that the handsomest pieces of music are either abridged or entirely omitted. The decorations, nevertheless, were tolerably good, I found the boxes and galleries thronged. In the pit there were but few spectators, and these consisted of sailors and countrymen from Kentucky, who made themselves quite at ease on the benches, and cracked nuts during the finest pieces of music; a custom I have noticed in all English theatres, and from which my tobacco-chewing neighbours in the boxes did not refrain. The theatre is newly erected, and is arranged not untastefully. It contains, besides the pit and parquet, three rows of galleries as the French theatre; the boxes are only divided by low balustrades, so that you look out as if from a balcony; the second gallery is destined for the reception of coloured spectators, among whom I saw not a single female, and in the upper gallery the mob and women of the town sit. The saloon is lit with gas, and has a very tasteful girandole. I remained but for a short time.
One witnesses almost daily examples of the degrading treatment which the poor negroes experience. I should say nothing of it, but one particular scene, which roused my indignation in the highest manner, on the 22d of March, I cannot suffer to pass in silence. There was a young Virginian female slave in our boarding-house, employed as a chamber maid, a cleanly, attentive, quiet, and very regular individual. A Frenchman residing in the house, called, in the morning early, for water to wash. As the water was not instantly brought to him, he went down the steps, and encountered this poor girl, who just then had some other occupation in hand. He struck her immediately with the fist, in the face, so that the blood ran from her forehead. The poor creature, roused by this unmerited abuse, put herself on her defence, and caught the Frenchman by the throat. He screamed for help, but no one would interfere. The fellow then ran to his room, gathered his things together, and designed to leave the house. But when our landlady, Madam Herries, was informed of this, in order to satisfy the wretch, she disgraced herself by having twenty-six lashes inflicted upon the poor girl with a cow-hide, and refined upon her cruelty so much, that she forced the sweetheart of the girl, a young negro slave, who waited in the house, to count off the lashes upon her.[II.10]