opposite shore; the whole extent of which, for nearly a mile, is lined with boats, intended either for this market or that of New-Orleans.

"From the best information I could obtain, this city contains nearly three hundred houses, and about three thousand inhabitants, including all colours. There are several extensive mercantile houses established here, and one at least which imports goods directly from England. There are two printing-offices, and consequently two newspapers, which are published weekly The buildings in general are neat, yet I found none within the town that can be considered as elegant. The principal hotels are upon a genteel establishment, yet not in a style corresponding to the general character of the place for luxury: but to a Mississippi sailor, who like an alligator may be said to have lived in mud while upon the river, they afford no trifling luxury.

"The streets of Natchez are not paved, nor have they even the convenience of a paved side walk; consequently in wet weather it must be disagreeable walking. As the city, however, is situated on the summit of the hills, (which have a striking resemblance to the Walnut Hills already described) the water from rains passes off very readily, and a bright sun in a few hours absorbs the remaining moisture."

"From the eminence on which the city stands, which is about one hundred feet above the present level, of the river, you have a very pleasing prospect of the river both above and below; but in front your vision is lost in tracing the immense forests which cover the low grounds, extending in one uniform horizontal line before you. One evening, as I was enjoying the cool refreshing breeze from this charming situation, I was agreeably surprised with the sight of a fleet of eleven Kentucky boats, which just came in sight, and were making for the landing. This is situated in a bend of the river, where the projecting point above causes a very extensive eddy along the shore below, and makes it very convenient for a landing-place, The current of the river is so strong, that the boatmen always make a proper allowance for the drift of the vessel while making in for the shore. But here the eddy setting up with nearly equal velocity, carried the most of them far above the town, where they had to take the channel once more, before they could effect a landing at the Levee. The next thing that afforded us amusement, was a long raft of boards and shingles, which was intended for this place. The owners expected its arrival, and were on the Levee to see it landed in safety, but it was soon discovered that it would not be able to reach even the eddy. They accordingly mustered all the ropes and boats which could be readily collected, and while those on the raft sent their boats and ropes ashore, these went off with theirs; but the power of the raft was so great, and the current so strong, that the ropes all snapped like threads; nor were they able to make a landing be. fore they had drifted five miles below the city.

"I had the curiosity the next morning to count the number of boats then lying along the Levee, and found they amounted to eighty-three, all loaded with the produce of the upper country as far as the 42d degree of north latitude."

The city of New-Orleans, which, from its situation and future prospects has become an object of so much interest, is thus described:

"The city of New-Orleans, which lies in lat. 29. 57. N. and long. 89. 55. W. is situated on an island of the same name, on the east or left side of the Mississippi as you descend. It is regularly laid out, the streets cross each other at right angles, and are generally about forty feet in breadth. The houses of the principal streets nearest the river, are built of brick covered with slate, tile, or fire-proof composition., The back part of the town is chiefly built of wood. The middle of the streets are all in their natural state, unpaved, but the side walks are laid either with brick or flat stone, which renders walking through the city tolerably pleasant, except when you have occasion to cross the streets in wet weather.

"The city contains at present nearly eleven hundred houses, and its population is said to amount to twelve thousand souls. Its extent along the river, from the gate of Chapitoulan on the north to that of France on the south, is nearly one mile in length. It is about half a mile in breadth from the river to the margin of the swamps in the rear. The 'gates on the north,' and the gates on the south,' may probably impose upon your ear, and convey an idea of this being a walled city; yet nothing can be further from the truth; for whatever these gates might formerly have been, there is nothing to be seen of them at present.

"In the centre of the town is the site of the great cathedral church and town-house; and in front a square, now inclosed and covered with grass, which was originally intended for a parade. A little below this, on the Levee, is the market-house, which however is only used for selling meat and fish. The whole Levee, for nearly a quarter of a mile above the market, is occupied as a public place for selling articles of every description. Vegetables of almost every kind are here sold in the greatest plenty and perfection; but the fish and meat are very poor. The poultry which is brought from the upper country, and the oysters from the Lakes, are both very tolerable.

"The plan of a new custom-house has lately been marked out near the site of the old one, which is a miserable wooden building, long since abandoned to the negroes and Indians, and fast falling to decay. At the southeast end of the town the Ursuline nuns have a convent and chapel, which are liberally endowed. Few of its former inmates, however, chose to remain after the change in the government took place; but in consequence of their violent prejudices against the Americans, whom they believe to be a nation of atheists, most of them retired to the Havanna or to Vera Cruz. This city was fortified, while in possession of the Spaniards, with works on the north, east, and south sides; but these, since the cession of the country to the United States, have been considered of no importance, and suffered to go to ruin, excepting at the south end, where they have been much enlarged and improved. The barracks, which are large and spacious, are situated a little above the lower fort, and are kept in very good repair.

$

"The Levee is an embankment of earth about six feet in height, raised to prevent the riyer from overflowing the town and adjoining country, which lie below the surface of the river. This embankment commences at Fort Plaquemines, and extends to the head of the island, a distance of a hundred and thirty miles, making an excellent road about twenty feet wide, which is dry at all seasons of the year. It passes directly in front of the town along the margin of the river, and affords a very pleasant evening walk. It formerly was lined with rows of orange-trees, but from a want of proper care and attention, there is but here and there one remaining.

"The inhabitants of New-Orleans are mostly French, and members of the church of Rome, who, notwithstanding the great influx of Americans since the cession, still compose three fourths of the white population of the city. The church service in the great cathedral, (which is accompanied with a very fine organ,) is really sublime, and as a form of worship, particularly calculated to make a deep impression upon the tender minds of youth, and the fair sex in general. The Americans, although sufficiently numerous to form a respectable congregation, have no church, nor as far as I can learn, are they at all disposed to give the necessary encouragement to a presbyterian preacher, who has lately settled in the town, by way of experiment. They seem upon the whole to be satisfied that these things should remain as they are.'

6

"The chapel of the convent of the Ursuline nuns is small, but very neat within, being chiefly calculated for the accommodation of that sisterhood. Public service is performed here regularly. The nuns are separated from the audience by a partition of lattice-work, through which they may barely be distinguished. Their whole number at present does not amount to more than forty or fifty.

"A summer residence in New-Orleans must be extremely disagreeable, as even at this early season I find it intolerably hot and sultry. The evenings however are cool and pleasant, and as this city has no public gardens or promenade, the Levee after sunset-is crowded with company, who having been confined all the day to their houses, seldom miss this favourable opportunity of breathing a little fresh air.

"That unfortunate class of females, the mulattoes, who from their infancy are trained in the arts of love, are far from being considered in the same humiliating light with those white ladies to whom they are nearly allied in profession. Since custom has planted an insurmountable barrier to their ever forming an honourable connection with white men, necessity has compelled them to resort to the practice of forming temporary engagements with those whom they may fancy. Engagements of this kind are every day formed, for a month or a year, or as much longer as the parties may be pleased with each other. During any engagement of this kind it is in vain to solicit improper favours: they are generally as strictly continent as the marriage ceremony could possibly make them. When the term is expired, or the lover gone, they accept of the next best offer that may be made to them. This class of the society of this city is so generally esteemed,

that no gentleman hesitates a moment in paying his compliments to those females belonging to it, whom he may meet with in the street or elsewhere. A far greater degree of distinction prevails among this class than even among the whites. They who are so many degrees removed from the black that the connection is no longer visible in the skin, consider themselves as the best blooded;' and so down to those who are only one degree superiour to the blacks, whom they all treat with more contempt than even the whites do.

"The whites, the quarteroons or coloured people, and the blacks, have each their separate amusements. The ladies divert themselves by riding in a single horse chaise, always driving themselves, accompanied by a female companion, and a slave of the same sex. You never see a coach with ladies in the inside, but you will at the same time find an equal number of female slaves behind; no lady presuming even to cross a street or visit her next neighbour, without her favourite female slave to attend her.

"The season for balls is already past; of course I shall have no opportunity of saying any thing respecting them, except from information. It appears, that the fashionable part of the city is divided into two parties, who have each their respective ball-rooms. That of the whites is sacred to themselves, nor can any white lady, who is known to be in the least degree tainted with the blood of Africa, ever gain admittance there. The coloured people have likewise their separate ball-room, from which all are excluded who have not some white blood in their veins. The white gentlemen of course are freely admitted, who generally prefer this assembly to their own, which it at all times surpasses both in the elegance of its decorations, and the splendour of the dress of the company.

"The amusements of the gentlemen are very much confined to billiards abroad, and cards at home, or at some appointed house; and it is said they are generally too much attached to the bottle after dinner. I must confess the few observations I was enabled to make inclines me to believe there is some truth in the report.

"This town, although not large, yet supports two French theatres, and both houses are in general crowded. The same distinction prevails at the theatre as in their assemblies. The lower boxes are appropriated to the use of the whites, and the upper to the people of colour. With respect to the performance, I found myself incompetent to make up a judgment, as my knowledge of the language was too limited to distinguish the merits of the respective performers. The theatres are open three times a week, but the fullest and most brilliant audience is always collected together on a Sunday evening. I cannot but admire the policy of such an accommodating system of religion, which, while it provides for the salvation of the soul, takes care it shall not interfere with the more important pleasure of the body.

"Our Yankees feel not a little foolish upon their first arrival in this city, where the manners and amusements are so very different from their own. Their delicacy is first offended, at finding most of the billiard tables plac

ed in the front room on the lower floor, with all the doors and windows. open for the admission of fresh air, but entirely subject to the view of every passenger in the street. Yet this is but a trifle, in comparison to the shock their piety receives on the first Sunday morning after their arrival, by finding these tables surrounded by a much larger company, and the stroke of the cue and mace resounding from one end of the city to the other.

"In the afternoon, a walk in the rear of the town will still more astonish their bewildered imaginations with the sight of twenty different dancing groups of the wretched Africans, collected together to perform their worship after the manner of their country. They have their own national musick, consisting for the most part of a long kind of narrow drum of various sizes, from two to eight feet in length, three or four of which make a band. The principal dancers or leaders are dressed in a variety of wild and savage fashions, always ornamented with a number of the tails of the smaller wild beasts, and those who appeared most horrible always attracted the largest circle of company. These amusements continue until sunset, when one or two of the city patrole show themselves with their cutlasses, and the crowds immediately disperse.

"In the evening, on their return from the scene last mentioned, they may probably be attracted by the noise of a drum, which upon inquiry, they will be told is only a mode of giving notice to the publick, that the performance at the theatre will commence in the evening!! I heard a gentleman from the eastward exclaim, on returning from a Sunday tour through the city, O where are our selectmen of Salem ?'

"In attending to the amusements of the whites, the yellows, and the blacks, I had almost forgotten to mention the reds, who may likewise be said to have their own national musick and dancing. These are a gang of poor miserable naked wretches, composed of outcasts from the Tunica, Alibama, Chittemaches, and Otacapas tribes, who reside in the vicinity of New-Orleans. From the facility with which they procure liquor they are constantly drunk, not even excepting their women and children; and they exhibit such daily scenes of riot, obscene dances, and intoxication, that they are indeed a nuisance to the city, which calls aloud for the interposition of the police.

"There is likewise an establishment in the city called the Publick Baths, which, although constructed upon a narrow scale, yet affords all the necessary conveniences for the use of the warm and cold bath. I found myself so much invigorated after a liberal use of the former, that I neglected no morning while in that city, of enjoying that pleasure.

66

Boarding in New-Orleans is not only expensive, but the accommodations at the boarding-houses are at best indifferent. The tables in general are scantily served with solid dishes, and most of these are composed of such indifferent materials, as seldom to excite any great degree of appetite; especially in those who have been accustomed to a northern table. The common charge at the first-rate French boarding-houses is forty-five dollars a month; supper and wine not included. There is not, as yet, a single