Colonel Wool was obliged to go to Pensacola, in pursuance of his duty of inspection. I determined to accompany him with Mr. Huygens, as Pensacola was interesting to me as a military man. Mr. Bowdoin felt himself unwell, and was tired of travelling. He remained, therefore, in Mobile, with the intention of going to New Orleans by the first opportunity.
On the 10th of January, we left Mobile in the steam-boat Emeline. This vessel goes daily from Blakely, which lies on the left sh.o.r.e of the bay, to Mobile, and back again. The distance amounts, in a straight line, to about twelve miles; some marshy islands covered with cane and shallows, lengthen the pa.s.sage to fourteen miles. The Emeline, Captain Fowler, is the smallest steam-boat that I ever saw. She is only of thirty-two tons burthen, is built of planks, which are laid over each other without ribs, like a skiff, and the engine, a low pressure, has only eight horse-power. The boat belongs to the captain, and, with its engine, was constructed in New York. When it left that city to sail for Mobile, no insurance company would undertake to underwrite it, and Mr. Fowler was compelled to come on his individual risk. His capital embarked in it, will, nevertheless, produce a very good profit. Yet the smallest steam-boats which navigate the Florida and Alabama rivers, are insured.
Some are too old and rotten for any company to insure, especially as the navigation on these rivers is so dangerous, that the few good vessels must give one per cent. monthly, as a premium.
From the water side, Mobile, with its ships in harbour, has a pretty appearance. We had also a handsome view of Mobile Bay, in which we counted nine ships of various sizes stretching in. A number of wild ducks flew about among the islands. In two hours we crossed the bay, and landed at five o"clock in the evening at Blakely.
This place has a very good situation, on rather an elevated bank, in a grove nearly composed of live oaks, of which some are full twenty feet in circ.u.mference. A bushy kind of palm tree grows here which is called Spanish bayonet, which appears to partake of the nature of the macaw trees. Blakely was founded in the year 1816, by a Mr. Blakely, dead about five years since, and then sold to various speculators. This place was established to injure Mobile, and to draw the commerce of that place away from it. The design has, however, failed of success. Mobile is superior in capital, and Blakely has injured itself alone. Upon the sh.o.r.e stand two large wooden buildings in ruins, the smallest part of them only is rented, and used as stores. On the eminence behind these buildings are placed about twenty wooden houses, of which the largest is the only tavern, and it is really a respectable one. We took our lodging there. The houses are very neatly built, with projecting roofs and piazzas, and surrounded with gardens. Some, however, are deserted, and exhibit the decay of the place. A large wooden edifice two stories high, provided with a cupola, was originally intended for an academy; from the want of scholars, this academy has never been in operation, the building therefore is used as a place of worship, and as a court-house. The number of inhabitants cannot exceed two hundred.
During our ramble it had become dark; the moon was in her first quarter.
The air was as warm as in a fine May evening in Germany. All was pleasant and cheerful, and only our recollection that this handsome country was poisonous in summer, produced a discord with the scene. In the evening I sat and wrote in one of the rooms of the tavern with open doors and windows, and heard the sparrow chirp as if it were summer.
I had noticed very few sweet orange trees in this part of the country, and the few which I saw were small and young. As I manifested my surprise, the reason was given, that the numerous orange trees which formerly were here, had been all killed in the winter of 1821-22, by a four day"s frost.
Before we commenced our journey the next morning, I found in the earth several pieces of petrified live oak. The mineral riches of this district are not yet explored. I imagine, that a mineralogist, who should here prosecute his researches, might reap a rich harvest.
We hired a two-horse barouche, which was to carry us to Pensacola, sixty-five miles distant from Blakely. In this, we departed about ten o"clock in the morning, well stocked with plenty of provision, which, in this country, so dest.i.tute of inns, was considered as a necessary supply. Close to Blakely we ascended a hill, which afforded us a very beautiful view of the town, the bay of Mobile, and of a valley watered by a stream, with the richest prospect of vegetation I ever beheld. The grove before us was full of magnolias of all sizes, of laurels, and an evergreen bush that was called the water oak; and among them all, the most splendid live oaks. Unfortunately this lovely country did not reach very far. Scarcely a short mile from Blakely, the good soil ceased, and the wearisome sand and long-leaved pines began once more. We advanced but thirty miles during the day; a delicious warm state of the weather, however, cheered us. At first we found several plantations which the inhabitants of Blakely, in somewhat easy circ.u.mstances, resorted to during the summer, when the yellow fever occupied that place. On some of these plantations, the dry rice, (so called from the fields which produce it lying so high that they cannot be overflowed,) is cultivated.
This rice is little inferior to the swamp rice of South Carolina, and will yield fifty bushels to the acre. I regaled myself with the melody of several birds, of which most were robins, birds of pa.s.sage, which live through the winter in these southern countries, and in the spring, approach the north, there to announce it. I saw also several cranes. To complete the illusion, that it was summer, a number of frogs lent their aid, and croaked loudly from the marshes.
We halted at noon, in a shady place, near a clear brook, and dispatched a part of our provisions, seated on a dry green turf. For the first time in my life, a shade in January was a desirable object. The night overtook us before we reached our lodgings for the night, which we intended to take up at a place called Belle Fontaine. The road was hardly discernible, for it was so little travelled, that gra.s.s grew in the tracks, and the stumps of trees were as difficult to avoid, as they were frequent. We risked oversetting more than once. To avoid such an accident, we determined to proceed on foot. We took in this way, a walk of at least six miles, in an unbroken pine forest, inhabited by bears, wolves, and even panthers. At first we had the light of the moon; about nine o"clock it went down, and we had considerable difficulty to keep the road. As the dwellings were scattering from each other, we imitated the barking of dogs, to give them an opportunity to answer in the same language. This succeeded; we heard dogs bark, moved in the direction whence the sound came, and reached about ten o"clock, the desired Belle Fontaine, a log house with two rooms, or cabins, and a cleared opening before it. A man of rather unpromising appearance, the landlord, Mr.
Pollard, admitted us, and took charge of our horses. His wife, a pale, sickly looking being, who hardly returned an answer to our questions, was obliged to rise from her bed, to prepare us a supper and sleeping-room. The whole establishment had at first, the look of a harbour for robbers, but there was well roasted venison prepared for us, on a neat table, and tolerable coffee, for which we had, luckily, brought sugar along with us. It was really comfortable, though our chamber remained open the whole night, as there was no door, and only two beds were furnished.
The 12th of January we left our quarters at seven in the morning, and travelled thirty-two miles to Pensacola. Twelve miles from Belle Fontaine brought us to a stand at the Perdido, where we breakfasted at a plantation, situated on the right bank of the river. This stream forms the boundary between Alabama and the territory of Florida, which does not yet contain inhabitants sufficient to ent.i.tle it to a reception among the states of the Union. The river is small, its banks sandy, and we crossed it in a poor ferry-boat. On the banks, as generally through the whole of that district, I saw many bushy palms, here called palmattoes. The soil on the whole, was as bad as that we saw yesterday, the growth was pine; there is fresh vegetation only about the springs.
The air grew still warmer, we saw a few b.u.t.terflies. As we approached Pensacola, the pines ceased, and we moved through dwarf oaks. The soil was a deep sand; we pa.s.sed by a marsh full of water oaks.
Pensacola, which we reached about five o"clock, lies upon a bay of the ocean. It is an ancient Spanish town, and was surrendered by Spain with all Florida, to the United States in 1821. It contains about one thousand inhabitants. We lodged ourselves in Collins"s Hotel, and went, immediately on our arrival, to walk about the town. It is the most miserable place that I have beheld since I crossed the Atlantic. Such Spaniards as possessed any property have left this place, when it was ceded to the United States, and have moved off either to New Orleans, or the island of Cuba. Only the poorest of them have remained. Since that time, the Americans settled here, have, as at Mobile, created a new population. The deepest sand covers the unpaved streets, which are broad, and regularly laid out. Only a few new houses are of brick, they are mostly of wood, and stand at a considerable distance from each other. There is not a single ship in the port. A new market-house of brick is building upon the sh.o.r.e, and not far from it stands the wooden catholic church, the outside of which appears in a forlorn condition.
Near the church are the ruins of an old English barrack, which was burnt about four years ago; its two wings were covered by two block houses of logs, which are standing, one of which serves for a custom-house. About the town several block houses have stood, which formerly afforded a good protection against the Seminole Indians, the original inhabitants of this section of country.
In the evening of this day, and on the next morning we received visits from several officers, from Colonel Clinch, commandant of the 4th regiment of infantry, who was posted here with Major Wright and others.
Captain Campbell of the Marine Corps, who had the command of the new navy-yard, that was to be established here: some supplies had arrived, and were put in store at Fort Barrancas. As we wished to see this fort, the gentlemen were so polite as to accommodate us with their boats.
I went with Colonel Wool in Captain Campbell"s boat. We had a favourable wind, and spreading two sails we reached fort Barrancas, nine miles by sea from Pensacola, in an hour. On the way we saw a flock of sixteen pelicans. On account of the point of land stretching into the bay, we had to make a circuit; it was called Tartar point, and the new navy-yard is to be upon it. It is thought that it will be commenced in two months.
The country about Pensacola and the sh.o.r.es of the bay are the most disagreeable that can be conceived of; nothing but sand heaps dazzling-white like snow. In the bay lies a level island, St. Rosa, with a growth of dwarf oaks. On it had been erected a fort, which was blown up by the English, when they occupied Pensacola in the year 1814, to support the Creek Indians then at war with the United States, and were compelled to evacuate it by General Jackson. The English blew up also a part of Fort Barrancas at the same time, but the Spaniards have reinstated it, although on a smaller scale; thus it remains at present.
The cannon are of bra.s.s, English and Spanish. Among the latter I observed two very fine twenty-four pounders, cast in Seville. Nothing can be more unhandy than the Spanish gun-carriages, they have wheels, which at the outside measure four feet in diameter.
In the gorge of the works, there is a large bomb-proof casemate, and in the yard a furnace for red-hot shot. The whole of the work is built of sand, therefore the wall outside, and the parapet inside, are covered with upright planks, and the cheeks of the embrazures in the same manner. The Spanish cannon, also mounted on the clumsiest carriages, are placed in battery. The fort was temporarily given up to the marines, who employed the casemates and block houses for magazines, till the requisite preparations could be made in the navy-yard. At that period, the fort will be dismantled, and in its place a respectable fortress will be erected to defend this important point.
It is of the highest consequence to the United States, to have an extensive maritime and military position on the Mexican gulf, on account of the increasing power of the new South American Republics.
Nevertheless, Pensacola can only be of secondary ability to fill such a station, since the sand bank lying in the mouth of the bay, has only twenty-two feet upon it at high water; and necessarily, is too shallow for ships of the line, or even American frigates of the first cla.s.s.
Besides, upon the whole coast of the Gulf of Mexico, there is but one single bay, (and this is situated southward of La Vera Cruz,) in which armed ships of the line can pa.s.s in and out. The pieces of ordnance placed upon the walls, as well as some forty lying upon the beach, half covered with sand, of old Spanish and English cannon, are, as is said, perfectly unserviceable.
Outside of the fort, about two hundred paces distant from it, along the sea-coast, stands a light house built of brick, about eighty feet high, in which twenty lamps in divisions of five, constantly turn upon an axis in a horizontal movement during the night. They are set in motion by clock-work, and were prepared in Roxbury, near Boston. I saw the model in the patent office at Washington. The lamps are all furnished with plated reflectors, and are fed with spermaceti oil. The land about the fort is for the most part sandy, and produces only pines naturally, these however have been rooted out, and dwarf oaks and palmettoes have since sprouted out.
I have mentioned General Jackson above, and surmised that he had driven the English out of Pensacola. I add to this remark the following: the Seminoles, as it is a.s.serted, manifestly stirred up by the English, without the least provocation, commenced a war against the United States, in the year 1818. General Jackson defeated them, and directed the two Englishmen, Arbuthnot and Ambrister, who had sold weapons and ammunition to the Indians, as well as stimulated them to war against the United States, to be hanged. After this, he attacked Pensacola and the Barrancas, where the Indians were sheltered and protected by the Spanish authorities. The town of Pensacola was poorly fortified and soon mastered. General Jackson then opened a cannonade of two pieces of artillery on Fort Barrancas. The Spanish governor hid himself under the steps of the coast battery, and surrendered the fort, since by the agreeing statement of two captains, the garrison refused to fight, (consisting of three companies of the Spanish regiment of Louisiana,) because they had not received their pay for some time. "Audacibus fortuna juvat!"
On the 14th of January I took a walk in front of the town to view the former fortifications of this place. These works owe their foundation to the English. England, indeed avowedly possessed this country, West Florida, from 1763 to 1783; at the treaty of Versailles, it was fully given up to Spain, after it had been conquered by Don Galvez, then governor of Louisiana, who afterwards was Viceroy of Mexico. The best defence of Pensacola consists in the marshes which surround it. Beyond the marshes lie undistinguishable sand hillocks, which were occupied by forts. A thousand paces in front of the town, to the left of the road leading to Mobile, lies a fort.
The form of this fort, I made out from the remains grown over with bushes. Behind it was open, and there are still the ruins of a bomb-proof powder magazine, built of brick, which the English blew up in 1814. It appeared partly covered with timber. A thousand paces farther to the left, are the ruins of another somewhat larger fort, upon another small eminence so disposed as to command the interior of the first. It appears to have been calculated for from four to five hundred men, while the first could only shelter two hundred. The ramparts of both are composed merely of sand, and the high bushes of various species, which flourish to a remarkable degree on the ruins, exhibit the productive force of the climate. The soil around the forts, also consisting of sand only, yields palmettoes and dwarf oaks. I had remarked the same soil upon the land side of Fort Barrancas, and besides cactus, some of which grew in a screw-like form through the bricks, many of them in the driest sand. In 1782, a handful of Waldeckers, then in English pay, defended these works against fifteen thousand Spaniards, and in the absence of an English engineer, the captain there, and the present Lieutenant-General Heldring, of the Netherlands, discharged that duty.
Colonel Walton, secretary of state of Florida, who had just returned in a vessel from Talaha.s.se, told me so much of the beautiful situation, and delicious country about that town, only laid out within a year, as well as of the interior of Florida, with its rising and falling springs and lakes, the discharge of which no one was acquainted with, that I was sorry I could not visit that place, to which the fourth regiment had marked out a road. Thirty miles from Talaha.s.se, Prince Achille Murat, in company with the former colonel, now Mr. Gadsden, purchased much land, on which he will cultivate maize, cotton and sugar. M. Murat must be a young man of great spirit. It is, however, charged against him, that he has addicted himself to a low familiar behaviour, in which he appears to wish to excel; that he chews tobacco constantly, &c.
I paid a visit to the catholic clergyman of this place, Abbe Mainhout, a native of Waerschot, in East Flanders. The Abbe came in 1817, with the bishop of Louisiana, Mr. Dubourg, as a missionary to the United States.
This excellent man does very little credit to the climate, he is now just recovering from a severe fit of sickness. He is universally esteemed and loved on account of his exemplary conduct and learning: and as he is the only clergyman in the place, the inhabitants of whatever persuasion they may be, resort to his church. He was pleased with my visit, particularly, as I brought him news from his native land.
Colonel Clinch sent us his carriage, to carry us to the quarters, where Colonel Wool was to hold his inspection. Since the English barracks have been burnt, the troops have been stationed out of town in preference, from apprehension of the yellow fever. There is a large wooden barracks built in a healthy situation, on an eminence two miles from town on the road to the Barrancas, for the troops. These barracks in the phrase of this service are called cantonments, this one, after the colonel, is named cantonment Clinch. It consists of ten log-houses built in a row, under one roof. Each house is for a company, and contains two rooms.
Before this long range of barracks, is a large parade, with a flag staff. Opposite to this are the officers quarters. The officers of each company have a house, which stands opposite to the barrack of their own soldiers. Behind the long building for the men, is the range of kitchens; behind this is the guard house and prisoners room, and still farther back in the woods, the etcetera. On the right wing is the colonel"s house, placed in a garden surrounded by a palisade. The house is built of wood, two stories high, and furnished with a piazza below, and a gallery above. Upon the left wing, stands a similar building appointed for the residence of the lieutenant colonel and major; at present, however, arranged as an hospital, as the first officer commands in Tampa Bay, and the major in Fort Mitchel. The cantonment has its front towards the bay; at the foot of the eminence on which it stands, is a bayou, and the appearance is really handsome. The colonel has only two officers and about twenty men, with the regimental surgeon, so that the inspection was soon completed.
After dinner we returned to the town, and pa.s.sed the evening in a very pleasant party at Mr. Walton"s, which was given from politeness to me.
I found here several Creole ladies of the place, who spoke bad French, but looked very well, and were dressed with taste. Conversation was our only amus.e.m.e.nt, but this was animated and well supported.
On the 15th of January we left Pensacola, at eight o"clock in the morning, to return to Mobile by the same way we came. We encountered a skunk, something larger than a cat, with a thick, hairy, and erect tail.
This creature cannot run with agility, and we could easily have caught it. We, however, suffered it to go quietly to its hole, as it scatters its effluvium when disturbed, and if the least piece of clothing be touched by it, it must be thrown away entirely, as there is no method of freeing it from the detestable smell. If a dog is sprinkled by it he become almost sick, whines, and throws himself about for some time on the earth. We pa.s.sed also two wolf-traps, resembling our rat-traps, but of course constructed on a larger scale.
We made a short stay at the house on Perdido river. We met with a planter from the banks of the Alabama, who had come here to take back one of his negroes, whom he had hired before to the mistress of this house and ferry. He had treated the poor creature with such barbarity, that the negro not far from the house had threatened him with the knife, and had ran back. The man had put us across the river, but as soon as he saw his master, he ran away quickly, and was no more to be seen. The gentleman asked us to a.s.sist him in arresting and detaining his negro, but we unanimously rejected his proposal with disgust. Some days before, the negro had pleased me much by his lively and agreeable disposition, while his master and tormentor appeared to me, in every respect, highly the reverse.
About five o"clock in the afternoon we reached the same log-house in which we had pa.s.sed the night, near Belle Fontaine. As it was still daylight, I went immediately in search of the spring to which this place owes its name; I found, however, only a marsh with several springs, about which, except the vegetation, there was nothing attractive. The landlord was not at home, and the whole domestic management rested on the poor pale wife, who had five children to take care of, and expected a sixth soon. She had for an a.s.sistant a single little negro wench, who was soon sent away, so the poor woman had every thing to provide; yet she set before us an excellent supper.
Towards morning, I was roused out of my uneasy slumbers by a powerful uproar. It was caused by cranes that flew over the house. At eight o"clock in the morning we left Belle Fontaine and travelled back to Blakely, where we arrived before five o"clock in the evening, and took possession of our former quarters. Through the whole pa.s.sage back, not the least thing occurred worthy of remark. A good road could be made at little expense between Blakely and Pensacola, at least the numerous large trees, which after violent storms have fallen transversely over the road and shut it up, might be cleared away. One is obliged often to make a considerable circuit on account of these trees.
On the following morning at ten o"clock, we embarked once more on board the steam-boat Emeline, and in very fine, though cold weather, reached Mobile at twelve o"clock. We found Mr. Bowdoin confined to his bed, with the gout in both legs. We immediately betook ourselves to the harbour.
During our absence, the packet schooner Emblem, Captain Vincent, from New Orleans, had arrived here, and designed returning to that city. The captain had heard of us, and remained some time to take us along. His vessel stood in very high repute, as well for her sailing, as on account of accommodation and cleanliness. We agreed for the pa.s.sage at fifteen dollars for each person. The vessel would have sailed exactly on this day, but as the captain had understood that we were desirous of seeing the new fort on Mobile point, which was built thirty miles from Mobile, he was so polite as to postpone his voyage till the next morning, to allow us to see the fort by daylight.
Of course, we had some time on our hands. We took a walk in the woods situated behind the town, which is composed of pines, and some evergreen bushes. It is also the great burial-ground, which is thickly filled up by the agency of the yellow fever, and the sickly climate. Several Choctaw Indians bivouacked here, like gypsies; the men lay drunk upon the earth, and their miserable women were obliged to carry the bundles of wood to town for sale.
To my great astonishment, I learned that there were gambling-houses even here, kept by Frenchmen, and that each in the city paid a yearly tax of one thousand dollars for a license. I was told that respectable merchants were in the habit of going there to have an eye over their clerks, and also to observe what mechanics, or other small tradesmen, played here, to stop giving credit to such as haunted the resorts of these gentry. I was taken to two of these gambling-houses, which are united with coffee-houses, to see how they were conducted. In one of them were two roulette tables, in two separate rooms, in the other, which was smaller, one roulette and one pharo table. There was betted here silver and paper, but not more than twenty dollars bank notes, and most of them did not bet more than a dollar a time. A couple of young fellows lost all that they had, and behaved very indecently when they were stripped of their money. Several of the better sort appeared to be country people, who had brought their corn and cotton to market, and only played off their profits. At one of the tables sat some common sailors, half drunk. We found rather low company collected in both houses, and our curiosity was soon satisfied. It is to be hoped, that the legislature of Alabama will prohibit such houses. They are, on the whole, very good places for recruiting the army and navy!
CHAPTER XIX.
_Journey to New Orleans, and Residence in that City._
On the 18th of January, we embarked in the schooner Emblem, whose cabin was proportioned to her tonnage, (which was but fifty tons,) but comfortably high, and well ornamented. The sides were of mahogany and maple; on each side were two state-rooms, with two births each; the back part of the cabin, being something higher than the forward part, contained a birth on each side. Of these, the starboard was occupied by Mr. Bowdoin, the other by myself.
The sh.o.r.es of Mobile Bay, which is very wide, are low and overgrown with wood, before us lay a long island, called Isle Dauphine, by the unfortunate Delasalle, who discovered it. Mobile point lies to the left, where, after sunset, we beheld the light in the light-house. There stood on this point in the late war a small fort, called Fort Bowyer, which the present Lieutenant-Colonel, then Major Lawrence, gallantly defended, with a garrison of one hundred and thirty men, against eight hundred disembarked English sailors and Seminole Indians, under Major Nichols.
The a.s.sailants were defeated, after their ordnance was dismounted, with considerable loss, and the English corvette Hermes, which covered the attack, was blown up by the well-directed fire of the fort. In February, 1815, this brave officer found himself obliged to yield to superior force, and to capitulate to Admiral c.o.c.kburn, who was on his return from the unsuccessful expedition to New Orleans. This was the last act of hostility that occurred during that war. Fort Bowyer is since demolished, and in its stead a more extensive fortress is erecting, which we would willingly have inspected, had the wind been more favourable, and brought us there earlier. We steered between Mobile Point and Dauphin Island, so as to reach the Mexican gulf, and turning then to the right, southward of the Sandy Islands, which laid along the coast, sailed towards Lake Borgne. Scarcely were we at sea, when a strong wind rose from the west, which blew directly against us. We struggled nearly the whole night to beat to windward, but in vain. The wind changed to a gale, with rain, thunder, and lightning. The main-topmast was carried away, and fell on deck. The mate was injured by the helm striking him in the side, and was for a time unfit for duty. On account of the great bustle on deck, the pa.s.sengers could hardly close an eye all night. The motion of the vessel was violent, on account of her small size. A falling block broke out several of the panes in the sky-light of the cabin, so that the rain was admitted, and the furniture was tossed about by the rolling.
On the morning of the 19th of January, we were driven back to the strait between Dauphin Island and Mobile Point, and the anchor was dropt to prevent farther drifting. I was sea-sick, but had the consolation that several pa.s.sengers shared my misfortune. The whole day continued disagreeable, cold, and cloudy. As we lay not far from Dauphin Island, several of our company went on sh.o.r.e, and brought back a few thrushes which they had shot. I was too unwell to feel any desire of visiting this inhospitable island, a mere strip of sand, bearing nothing but everlasting pines. Upon it, stands some remains of an old entrenchment and barrack. Besides the custom-house officers, only three families live on the whole island. We saw the light-house, and the houses at Mobile Point, not far from us. I wished to have gone there to see the fortification lately commenced, but it was too far to go on a rough sea in a skiff.
On the 20th of January, the wind was more favourable; it blew from the north-east, and dispersed the clouds, and we set sail. After several delays, caused by striking on sand-banks, we proceeded with a favourable wind, pa.s.sed Dauphin Island and the islands Pet.i.t Bois, Ma.s.sacre, Horn, and Ship Island.
These islands consist of high sand-hills, some of them covered with pine, and remind one strongly of the coasts of Holland and Flanders.
Behind Horn and Ma.s.sacre Islands lies a bay, which is called Pascagoula, from a river rising in the state of Mississippi, and emptying here into the sea. Ship Island is about nine miles long, and it was here that the English fleet which transported the troops sent on the expedition against New Orleans, remained during the months of December and January, 1814-15. At a considerable distance from us to the left, were some scattered islands, called Les Malheureux. Behind these were the islands De la Chandeleur, and still farther La Clef du Francmacon. Afterwards we pa.s.sed a muddy shallow, upon which, luckily, we did not stick fast, and arrived in the gulf Lac Borgne, which connects itself with Lake Ponchartrain, lying back of it, by two communications, each above a mile broad; of which one is called Chef Menteur, and the other the Rigolets.
Both are guarded by forts, the first by the fort of Chef Menteur, the other by that of the Pet.i.tes Coquilles, so called because it is built on a foundation of muscle sh.e.l.ls, and its walls are composed of a cement of the same. We took this last direction, and pa.s.sed the Rigolets in the night, with a fair wind. Night had already fallen when we reached Lake Borgne. After we had pa.s.sed the Rigolets, we arrived in Lake Ponchartrain, then turned left from the light-house of Fort St. John, which protects the entrance of the bayou of the same name, leading to New Orleans.
I awoke on the 21st of January, as we entered the bayou St. John. This water is so broad, that we could not see the northern sh.o.r.e. We remained at the entrance one hour, to give the sailors a short rest, who had worked the whole night, and whose duty it was now to tow the vessel to the city, six miles distant. This fort, which has lost its importance since the erection of Chef Menteur, and Pet.i.tes Coquilles, is abandoned, and a tavern is now building in its place. It lies about five hundred paces distant from the sea, but on account of the marshy banks cannot be thence attacked without great difficulty. The bank is covered with thick beams, to make it hold firm, which covering in this hot and damp climate perishes very quickly. The causeway which runs along the bayou, is of made earth on a foundation of timber. Behind the fort is a public house, called Ponchartrain Hotel, which is much frequented by persons from the city during summer. I recognized the darling amus.e.m.e.nts of the inhabitants, in a pharo and roulette table.