Chapter 42

_Of the Negroes of_ Louisiana.

SECTION I.

_Of the Choice of Negroes; of their Distemper, and the Manner of curing them._

Having finished my account of the natives of Louisiana, I shall conclude this treatise with some observations relating to the negroes; who, in the lower part of the province especially, perform all the labours of agriculture. On that account I have thought proper to give some instructions concerning them, for the benefit of those who are inclined to settle in that province.

The negroes must be governed differently from the Europeans; not because they are black, nor because they are slaves; but because they think differently from the white men.

First, they imbibe a prejudice from their infancy, that the white men buy them for no other purpose but to drink their blood; which is owing to this, that when the first negroes saw the Europeans drink claret, they imagined it was blood, as that wine is of a deep red colour; so that nothing but the actual experience of the contrary can eradicate the false opinion. But as none of those slaves who have had that experience ever return to their own country, the same prejudice continues to subsist on the coast of Guinea where we purchase them. Some {358} who are strangers to the manner of thinking that prevails among the negroes, may perhaps think that the above remark is of no consequence, in respect to those slaves who are already sold to the French. There have been instances however of bad consequences flowing from this prejudice; especially if the negroes found no old slave of their own country upon their first arrival in our colonies. Some of them have killed or drowned themselves, several of them have deserted (which they call making themselves Marons) and all this from an apprehension that the white men were going to drink their blood. When they desert they believe they can get back to their own country by going round the sea, and may live in the woods upon the fruits, which they imagine are as common every where as with them.

They are very superstitious, and are much attached to their prejudices, and little toys which they call _gris, gris_. It would be improper therefore to take them from them, or even speak of them to them; for they would believe themselves undone, if they were stripped of those trinkets. The old negroes soon make them lose conceit of them.

The first thing you ought to do when you purchase negroes, is to cause them to be examined by a skilful surgeon and an honest man, to discover if they have the venereal or any other distemper. When they are viewed, both men and women are stripped naked as the hand, and are carefully examined from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet, then between the toes and between the fingers, in the mouth, in the ears, not excepting even the parts naturally concealed, though then exposed to view. You must ask your examining surgeon if he is acquainted with the distemper of the yaws, which is the virus of Guinea, and incurable by a great many French surgeons, though very skilful in the management of European distempers. Be careful not to be deceived in this point; for your surgeon may be deceived himself; therefore attend at the examination yourself, and observe carefully over all the body of the negro, whether you can discover any parts of the skin, which though black like the rest, are however as smooth as a looking-glass, without any tumor or rising. Such spots may be easily discovered; {359} for the skin of a person who goes naked is usually all over wrinkles. Wherefore if you see such marks you must reject the negro, whether man or woman. There are always experienced surgeons at the sale of new negroes, who purchase them; and many of those surgeons have made fortunes by that means; but they generally keep their secret to themselves.

Another mortal distemper with which many negroes from Guinea are attacked, is the scurvy. It discovers itself by the gums, but sometimes it is so inveterate as to appear outwardly, in which case it is generally fatal. If any of my readers shall have the misfortune to have a negro attacked with one of those distempers, I will now teach him how to save him, by putting him in a way of being radically cured by the surgeons; for I have no inclination to fall out with those gentlemen. I learned this secret from a negro physician, who was upon the king's plantation, when I took the superintendence of it.

You must never put an iron instrument into the yaw; such an application would be certain death. In order to open the yaw, you take iron rust reduced to an impalpable powder, and passed through a fine search; you afterwards mix that powder with citron juice till it be of the consistence of an ointment, which you spread upon a linen cloth greased with hog's grease, or fresh lard without salt, for want of a better. You lay the plastier upon the yaw, and renew it evening and morning, which will open the yaw in a very short time without any incision.

The opening being once made, you take about the bulk of a goose's egg of hog's lard without salt, in which you incorporate about an ounce of good terebinthine; after which take a quantity of powdered verdigris, and soak it half a day in good vinegar, which you must then pour off gently with all the scum that floats at top. Drop a cloth all over with the verdigris that remains, and upon that apply your last ointment. All these operations are performed without the assistance of fire. The whole ointment being well mixed with a spatula, you dress the yaw with it; after that put your negro into a copious sweat, and he will be cured. Take special care that your surgeon uses no mercurial medicine, as I have seen; for that will occasion the death of the patient.

{360} The scurvy is no less to be dreaded than the yaws; nevertheless you may get the better of it, by adhering exactly to the following prescription: take some scurvy-grass, if you have any plants of it, some ground-ivy, called by some St. John's wort, water-cresses from a spring or brook, and for want of that, wild cresses; take these three herbs, or the two last, if you have no scurvy-grass; pound them, and mix them with citron-juice, to make of them a soft paste, which the patient must keep upon both his gums till they be clean, at all times but when he is eating. In the mean while he must be suffered to drink nothing but an infusion of the herbs above named. You pound two handfuls of them, roots and all, after washing off any earth that may be upon the roots or leaves; to these you join a fresh citron, cut into slices. Having pounded all together, you then steep them in an earthen pan in a pint of pure water of the measure of Paris; after that you add about the size of a walnut of powdered and purified saltpetre, and to make it a little relishing to the negro, you add some powder sugar. After the water has stood one night, you squeeze out the herbs pretty strongly. The whole is performed cold, or without fire. Such is the dose for a bottle of water Paris measure; but as the patient ought to drink two pints a day, you may make several pints at a time in the above proportion.

In these two distempers the patients must be supported with good nourishment, and made to sweat copiously. It would be a mistake to think that they ought to be kept to a spare diet; you must give them nourishing food, but a little at a time. A negro can no more than any other person support remedies upon bad food, and still less upon a spare diet; but the quantity must be proportioned to the state of the patient, and the nature of the distemper. Besides, good food makes the best part of the remedy to those who in common are but poorly fed. The negro who taught me these two remedies, observing the great care I took of both the negro men and negro women, taught me likewise the cure of all the distempers to which the women are subject; for the negro women are as liable to diseases as the white women.

{361}

SECTION II.

_Of the Manner of governing the Negroes._

When a negro man or woman comes home to you, it is proper to caress them, to give them something good to eat, with a glass of brandy; it is best to dress them the same day, to give them something to sleep on, and a covering. I suppose the others have been treated in the same manner; for those marks of humanity flatter them, and attach them to their masters. If they are fatigued or weakened by a journey, or by any distempers, make them work little; but keep them always busy as long as they are able to do any thing, never suffering them to be idle, but when they are at their meals. Take care of them when they are sick, and give attention both to their remedies and their food, which last ought then to be more nourishing than what they usually subsist upon. It is your interest so to do, both for their preservation, and to attach them more closely to you; for though many Frenchmen say that negroes are ungrateful, I have experienced that it is very easy to render them much attached to you by good treatment, and by doing them justice, as I shall mention afterwards.

If a negro woman lies-in, cause her to be taken care of in every thing that her condition makes necessary, and let your wife, if you have one, not disdain to take the immediate care of her herself, or at least have an eye over her.

A Christian ought to take care that the children be baptised and instructed, since they have an immortal soul. The mother ought then to receive half a ration more than usual, and a quart of milk a day, to assist her to nurse her child.

Prudence requires that your negroes be lodged at a proper distance, to prevent them from being troublesome or offensive; but at the same time near enough for your conveniently observing what passes among them. When I say that they ought not to be placed so near your habitation as to be offensive, I mean by that the smell which is natural to some nations of negroes, such as the Congos, the Angolas, the Aradas, and others. On this account it is proper to have in their camp a bathing place formed by thick planks, buried in the earth about a foot or a {362} foot and a half at most, and never more water in it than about that depth, for fear lest the children should drown themselves in it; it ought likewise to have an edge, that the little children may not have access to it, and there ought to be a pond without the camp to supply it with water and keep fish. The negro camp ought to be inclosed all round with palisades, and to have a door to shut with a lock and key. The huts ought to be detached from each other, for fear of fire, and to be built in direct lines, both for the sake of neatness, and in order to know easily the hut of each negro. But that you may be as little incommoded as possible with their natural smell, you must have the precaution to place the negro camp to the north or north-east of your house, as the winds that blow from these quarters are not so warm as the others, and it is only when the negroes are warm that they send forth a disagreeable smell.

The negroes that have the worst smell are those that are the least black; and what I have said of their bad smell, ought to warn you to keep always on the windward side of them when you visit them at their work; never to suffer them to come near your children, who, exclusive of the bad smell, can learn nothing good from them, either as to morals, education, or language.

From what I have said, I conclude that a French father and his wife are great enemies to their posterity when they give their children such nurses. For the milk being the purest blood of the woman, one must be a step-mother indeed to give her child to a negro nurse in such a country as Louisiana, where the mother has all conveniences of being served, of accommodating and carrying their children, who by that means may be always under their eyes. The mother then has nothing else to do but to give the breast to her child.

I have no inclination to employ my pen in censuring the over-delicacy and selfishness of the women, who thus sacrifice their children; it may, without further illustration, be easily perceived how much society is interested in this affair. I shall only say, that for any kind of service whatever about the house, I would advise no other kind of negroes, either young or old, but Senegals, called among themselves Diolaufs, because of all {363} the negroes I have known, these have the purest blood; they have more fidelity and a better understanding than the rest, and are consequently fitter for learning a trade, or for menial services. It is true they are not so strong as the others for the labours of the field, and for bearing the great heats.

The Senegals however are the blackest, and I never saw any who had a bad smell. They are very grateful; and when one knows how to attach them to him, they have been found to sacrifice their own life to save that of their master. They are good commanders over other negroes, both on account of their fidelity and gratitude, and because they seem to be born for commanding. As they are high-minded, they may be easily encouraged to learn a trade, or to serve in the house, by the distinction they will thereby acquire over the other negroes, and the neatness of dress which that condition will entitle them to.

When a settler wants to make a fortune, and manage his plantation with oeconomy, he ought to prefer his interest to his pleasure, and only take the last by snatches. He ought to be the first up and the last a-bed, that he may have an eye over every thing that passes in his plantation. It is certainly his interest that his negroes labour a good deal: but it ought to be an equal and moderate labour, for violent and continual labours would soon exhaust and ruin them; whereas by keeping them always moderately employed, they neither exhaust their strength nor ruin their constitution. By this they are kept in good health, and labour longer, and with more good will: besides it must be allowed that the day is long enough for an assiduous labourer to deserve the repose of the evening.

To accustom them to labour in this manner I observed the following method: I took care to provide one piece of work for them before another was done, and I informed their commander or driver in their presence, that they might not lose time, some in coming to ask what they were to do, and others in waiting for an answer. Besides I went several times a day to view them, by roads which they did not expect, pretending to be going a hunting or coming from it. If I observed them idle, I reprimanded them, and if when they saw me coming, they wrought too hard, I told them that they fatigued themselves, {364} and that they could not continue at such hard labour during the whole day, without being harassed, which I did not want.

When I surprised them singing at their work, and perceived that they had discovered me, I said to them chearfully, Courage, my boys, I love to see you merry at your work; but do not sing so loud, that you may not fatigue yourselves, and at night you shall have a cup of Tafia (or rum) to give you strength and spirits. One cannot believe the effect such a discourse would have upon their spirits, which was easily discernible from the chearfulness upon their countenances, and their ardour at work.

If it be necessary not to pass over any essential fault in the negroes, it is no less necessary never to punish them but when they have deserved it, after a serious enquiry and examination supported by an absolute certainty, unless you happen to catch them in the fact. But when you are fully convinced of the crime, by no means pardon them upon any assurances or protestations of theirs, or upon the solicitations of others; but punish them in proportion to the fault they have done, yet always with humanity, that they may themselves be brought to confess that they have deserved the punishment they have received. A Christian is unworthy of that name when he punishes with cruelty, as is done to my knowledge in a certain colony, to such a degree that they entertain their guests with such spectacles, which have more of barbarity than humanity in them. When a negro comes from being whipped, cause the sore parts to be washed with vinegar mixed with salt, Jamaica pepper, which grows in the garden, and even a little gun-powder.

As we know from experience that most men of a low extraction, and without education, are subject to thieving in their necessities, it is not at all surprising to see negroes thieves, when they are in want of every thing, as I have seen many badly fed, badly cloathed, and having nothing to lie upon but the ground. I shall make but one reflection. If they are slaves, it is also true that they are men, and capable of becoming Christians: besides, it is your intention to draw advantage from them, is it not therefore reasonable to take all the care of {365} them that you can? We see all those who understand the government of horses give an extraordinary attention to them, whether they be intended for the saddle or the draught. In the cold season they are well covered and kept in warm stables. In the summer they have a cloth thrown over them, to keep them from the dust, and at all times good litter to lie upon. Every morning their dung is carried away, and they are well curried and combed. If you ask those masters, why they bestow so much pains upon beasts? they will tell you, that, to make a horse serviceable to you, you must take a good deal of care of him, and that it is for the interest of the person to whom a horse belongs, so to do. After this example, can one hope for labour from negroes, who very often are in want of necessaries? Can one expect fidelity from a man, who is denied what he stands most in need of? When one sees a negro, who labours hard and with much assiduity, it is common to say to him, by way of encouragement, that they are well pleased with him, and that he is a good negro. But when any of them, who understand our language, are so complimented, they very properly reply, _Masser, when negre be much fed, negre work much; when negre has good masser, negre be good._

If I advise the planters to take great care of their negroes, I at the same time shew them that their interest is connected in that with their humanity. But I do no less advise them always to distrust them, without seeming to fear them, because it is as dangerous to shew a concealed enemy that you fear him, as to do him an injury.

Therefore make it your constant custom to shut your doors securely, and not to suffer any negro to sleep in the house with you, and have it in their power to open your door. Visit your negroes from time to time, at night and on days and hours when they least expect you, in order to keep them always in fear of being found absent from their huts. Endeavour to assign each of them a wife, to keep clear of debauchery and its bad consequences. It is necessary that the negroes have wives, and you ought to know that nothing attaches them so much to a plantation as children. But above all do not suffer any of them to abandon his wife, when he has once made choice of one {366} in your presence. Prohibit all fighting under pain of the lash, otherwise the women will often raise squabbles among the men.

Do not suffer your negroes to carry their children to the field with them, when they begin to walk, as they only spoil the plants and take off the mothers from their work. If you have a few negro children, it is better to employ an old negro woman to keep them in the camp, with whom the mothers may leave something for their children to eat. This you will find to be the most profitable way. Above all do not suffer the mothers ever to carry them to the edge of the water, where there is too much to be feared.

For the better subsistence of your negroes, you ought every week to give them a small quantity of salt and of herbs of your garden, to give a better relish to their Couscou, which is a dish made of the meal of rice or maiz soaked in broth.

If you have any old negro, or one in weak health, employ him in fishing both for yourself and your negroes. His labour will be well worth his subsistence.

It is moreover for your own interest to give your negroes a small piece of waste ground to improve at the end of your own, and to engage them to cultivate it for their own profit, that they may be able to dress a little better, by selling the produce of it, which you ought to buy from them upon fair and just terms. It were better that they should employ themselves in cultivating that field on Sundays, when they are not Christians, than do worse. In a word, nothing is more to be dreaded than to see the negroes assemble together on Sundays, since, under pretence of Calinda or the dance, they sometimes get together to the number of three or four hundred, and make a kind of Sabbath, which it is always prudent to avoid; for it is in those tumultuous meetings that they sell what they have stolen to one another, and commit many crimes. In these likewise they plot their rebellions.

To conclude, one may, by attention and humanity, easily manage negroes; and, as an inducement, one has the satisfaction to draw great advantage from their labours.

[THE END]

INDEX

Index

Abeikas Indians--293 Acacia Tree--222 Achechy--237 Adaies Indians--9; Post of, 54 Agriculture, Indian--341 Aiaouez Indians--59, 62; 63; 66; 305 Alaron, Martin de--9, 10 Algonquins--93 Alder--226 Alibamous Indians--293 Alibamous River--135 Alligator-- slave girl kills, 19; author kills large one, 22; description of, 253-255 Amite River--113 Ants--272; 273 Aplaches Indians--293 Apples, wild--212 Aquelou-Pissas Indians--18; 297 Arkansas-- German colonists there, 29; 88 Arkansas Indians-- mate with Canadians, 4; 57; 303 Arkansas River-- reached by Tonti, 4; 112; 113; 153-154 Armed-fish--276-277 Ascension Bay--114; 139 Ash--226 Aspen--226 Assinais Indians--5-9 Attakapas Indians-- cannibals, 302 Avoyelles Indians--149; home of, 302-303 Ayac Shrub--226

Balers, Marquis of--9 Barataria--145 Barbel, description of--274 Barley--203 Baton Rouge--52; named after a cypress tree, 217 Bay of St. Bernard--3 Bay of St. Esprit--2 Bay of St. Louis--16; 17; 114; lands around, 138 Bayou Choupic--17; 18 Bayou Goula--141 Bayou-Ogoulas Indians--52; 302 Bayou St. John--17; 18; 49; 52 Beans-- cultivation in La., 204 Bears--132; 133; description of, 245-249; feast of, 324 Beavers-- description of, 127-131 Bec-croche--261 Bees--271 Bienville-- becomes Gov. Gen. of La., 10-11; founds New Orleans, 15; breeds hogs, 16; 28; 38; defeats Natchez Indians, 39; 42; 49; 71; 87; 88; 92; 93; war against Chicasaws, 94-95; 109; returns to La., 186 Biloxi--11; 16; not suitable for settlement, 28; distress of German colonists, 29; country back of, 30; 47; settlement destroyed, 137. Birch Tree--231 Bishop (Bird)--270 Blackbirds--268 Black River--113; land around it, 148; lands along, 151-154 Bon Homme--195 Bois-Briant--58 Bonita Fish--12 Bourgrnont, Commander de-- voyage to Missouri and Kansas, 59-68; his journal, 69; 160; 305 Bows-- how made, 340 Buffalo--64; hunt by author, 122; 132; 134; 146; 147; 152; hunt in New Mexico, 155; hides and tallow, 155-156; 162, 178; description of, 240; Indian hunt, 240; feast of, 324 Burgo-Breaker (fish)--275 Burial customs--333-337 Butterflies--271 Buzzard-- deseciption of, 258

Caouquias Indians--301 Caouitas Indians--293 Caddo Indians--151; 303 Cadillac, de la Motte-- arrives in La., 5; 6; 8; 9; death of, 10; his mine, 163 Calendar of Natchez--319 Calumet (Pipe of Peace)--35; feathers for, 258 Campeachy wood--183 Canadians-- early voyagers to La., 4; at Dauphin Island, 16; at Mobile, 46; 58; 59; get salt, 157; Route to La., 161-163 Candlemas Islands--138 Cannes Brulee's--52 Canoe-- how made, 69 Cantharadies--272 Canzas (see Kansas) Cape Anthony--13 Cape Francois--11-13; 182 Capuchins--51 Caranco--22 Cardinal--269 Carolina-- population, IX; 47 Carp--17; 146; 274 Carrion-Crow--258 Carthaginians-- practised scalping, 283 Caskaquias (see Kaskasia) Cassine Shrub--228 Castin Bayou--113 Castine Mine--133 Catamounts--134; 144 Caterpillars--271 Catfish-- description of, 274 Cat Island--16; 138 Cedar Trees--215; 225 Celoron, Capt. de--93; 94 Chacchi-Oumas Indians--300 Chactaw Indians (see Choctaws) Chaineau, M.--278 Chameleons--257 Champmelin, Commander-- captures Pensacola XXIV; 104; 105 Chandeleur Islands--13 Chaouachas Indians--140; 301 Chaouanous River--162 Charleville, M. de--109; 110 Charlevoix--I; III; IV; XXV; XXVI; 24; 30 Chateauguier--101 Chatkas Indians--295; language, 297 Chatots Indians--294 Cherokees--293 Cherokee River--162 Chestnut Trees--214 Chicasaw Cliffs--133 Chicasaw Indians--46; murder French, 56-57; war with, 87-90; make peace, 94; country of, 137; destructive wars, 291; language, 297; destroy other tribes, 303-304; fierce and arrogant, 332. Chitimachas Indians--18; war with, 71; 300; home of, 302 Choctaws--46; 80; 84; 85; 113 Chopart, de--73; his death, 82 Choupic--276 Choupichoul (buck wheat)-156-157 Clerac (Gascony)-27 Climate-- of Gulf Coast, III; VIII; severe weather, 36; at Mobile, 46; of the Miss. Valley, 57; of La., 107-108 Clothing of Indians--344-346 Cochineal--183 Cockle-Island--17, 138 Codfish--14 Cola-Pissas--18 Colbert--3 Coligni, Admiral de--2 Conchac Indians--293 Copper Mines--30, 145 Corbijeau--266 Cormorant, 259 Coroas Indians--300 Cooking, Indian--342 Corn-- description of, 164-165; importance of.185; its cultivation in La., 202; feast of, 321-322; 347 Cotton--145; 158; how cultivated, 174-175; for export, 181 Cotton Tree--222 Coxe-- account of Carolina, VI; XIII; 47 Cranes--22; 126; description of, 261 Crayfish--277 Creeper, bearded--232 Crocodile--253-255 Crows--268 Crozat-- La. ceded to, 5; full store-houses, 8; transfers to West India Co., 10; 107 Cuba--13 Cushaws-- cultivation in La., 206 Cypress Tree--IV; at Baton Rouge, 52; 216; 217

d'Artaguette--28; 52; 88; 92 Dauphin Isle--13; 15; 45; 46; 49; 101; 103 d'Avion--23 Deer--64; white, 124; 132; 134; 144; 152; hunt, 242-244; feast of, 319 Deer Oil--249 DeLaet--2 De Lisle--279 de Meuse-- grant, 54 de Soto--2 de Ville, Father--26 Diodorus Siculus-- his description of lands west of Africa, 281-282 Diseases-- fatal to Indians--291; of Negroes, 359-360 Dove--266 Dragon flies--272 Draught (Bird)--263 Ducks--126; description of, 259-261 du Crenet--84 du Haye--198 Dumont (Historian)--I; V; VII; XXV; 46; 56; 66; 113; 135; historical memoirs, 187; 225 Du Pratz--1eaves La., 187 du Tiffenet--88; 89 du Vernai, Paris--52

Eagles--257 Eels--277 Egret--261 Elder Tree--231

Elephant-- skeletons found in Ohio--290 Elk--64, 132, 134, 144 Elm--226 English-- extent of American possessions, XIV; shipping, XVII; at English Turn, 47-51; on the Yazoo, 56; 57; on the Miss. River, 140; tobacco trade, 199 English Turn (Reach)--47; 51; why its name, 139-140 Epidemic--13 Episingles Indians--93 Esquine--181, 233 Eye Inflammation-- treatment for, 43 Exports-- from La. to Islands, 182

Falcon--258 Feast of War--352-353 Feasts of Indians--320-322 Ferns-- Maiden hair, 234-235 Fig Trees--210-211 Filberts--213 Fire, how made--340 Fireflies--272 Fish-- plentiful in La., 274 Five Nations--294 Flamingo--22; 126; description of, 261 Flat root--235 Flaucourt, Loire de, 24 Flax--145 Fleury, Cardinal--187 Flies--271 Florida-- French settle there, 2; Spanish attack them, 2; French later attack Spanish, 2 Flowers--239 Flying Fish--12 Food of Indians--348-350 Fool-- description of, 263 Forant, M. de--85 Fort Assumption--57; 93; 95 Fort Balise--47; 48; 116; 118; where built, 139 Fort Carolin (Fla.)--2 Fort Chartres--58 Fort Crevecoeur--3 Fort Louis--46; 294 Fort Mobile--88; 92 Fort Orleans--59; 61; 62; 69; 160 Fort Rosalie--23-24; 33; 34; 35 Fort St. Francis--92; 95 Fort St. John Baptist--6; 7; 9; 10 Fort St. Louis--136 Fox Indians-- home of, 301 Foxes--251 French-- shipping, XVII; in Fla., 2, 18; at Natchez, 32-33; bad influence, 41; massacre at Natchez, 82-83; commerce with La., 177-182 Frigate (Bird)--263 Frogs--253 Fur trade--178

Gar fish-- description of, 276-277 Gaillard--61-63; 65 Games-- Indian, 347 Geese-- wild, 127; 259 Gentilly--52 Germans-- in La., 29 Gold--145; plentiful in Mexico, 150 Gourges, Dominque de--2; 8 Grapes--208-209 Grass Point--17 Great Sun--40; 42-43 burial, 333-336 Green flies--272 Grigas Indians--298 Guenot--34 Gulf of Mexico Coast--1; northern boundary, 13; description of land bordering, 135-137 Gypsum--124

Habitations of Indians--341 Hakluyt (Fla.)--2 Halcyon-- description of, 263-264 Hatchet-bill--262 Havana--102 Hawks--258 Hedge-hog--253 Hennepin, Father--3 Herons--126; 261 Hemp-- cultivation, 180; 238 Hickory Trees--213 Horn Island--16 Hornbean Trees--226 Hops--177; 234 Howard, John--58 Hubert-- planter, 20; 22; 24; 25 Hubert, Mme.--136; 167 Humming Bird--270 Hurons--93 Hurricane--30; 31; 32 Huts-- how made, 341

Iapy, Commander--104 Iberville-- made Gov. Gen. of La., 4; his death, 5; 8; 10 Iberville River--113 Illinois-- visited by Hennepin and LaSalle, 3; hurricane, 30; 57; 58; 88; 162; 163 Illinois Indians--66; home of, 300-301 Illinois River--110 Indians-- travel, 60-61; how to fight, 99-100; origin of, 279; descended from Europeans, 281 Indigo-- cultivation and processing, 168-171; for export, 181; Dumont's method of making, 191-193 Iron--145 Iroquois--93; destructive wars of, 291 Ivy-- ground, 237

Jamaica--13 Jesuits--51; 58

Kappas Indians--304 Kansas Indians--59; 60; 61; 62; 66; 68; 69; 305 Kansas River--63; 64; 110; description of, 159 Kayemans--13 Kaskasia--58 Kaskasia Indians--301 King-fisher-- description of, 263

la Chaise, Director Gen.--44; 45 Lake Borgne--17; 138 Lake Erie--111; 161 Lake Maurepas--17; 113

Lake Pontchartrain--17 Lake St. Louis--17; 46; 49; 52; 113; 135 Lafourche (the Fork)--141 Language of Natchez--311 LaSalle-- travels from Canada to the Gulf, 3; is killed on second trip, 4; 116 Lavert--273 Laudonviere, René de--2 Laurel Trees--217 Laval, Father--XXIII; XXV Lavigne, Sieur--18 Law, John--29 Lead--132; 145; 158; 163 LeBlanc-- grant, 56; 88 LeSueur--83 LeSueur, Bayou--116 Levans--29 Liart Trees--226 Lime Trees--226 Linarez, Duke of--7-9 Lion's Mouth (flower) 239 Lizards--257 Locust Tree--222 Longevity of Indians--329 L'Orient--29 Loubois, Lieut. de--83; 84 Louis XIV--3; 5; 107 Louisiana-- poor colonization, XXVI; named after Louis XIV, 3; names, 15; boundary of, 107; description of soil, 117-118; a fine country, 185; fertility of, 197 Luchereau, M. de--4

Magnolia Trees--218-219 Magpie--268 Maize--163-165; 202-203 Manchac River--111; 114 Mangrove--223 Maple Trees--220 Marameg Mine--158 Marameg River--58 Margat River--57; 93 Marriage customs--326-328 Massacre Island-- Now Dauphin Isle, 13; how it was named, 14 Massacre of French at Natchez--73; 82 Medicines--44; 45; 181; 215 Medicine, Indian--26; 27; 43; 44 Mehane--22 Mexicans-- descent from Chinese or Japanese, 284 Mexico--6; 7; 10; home of ancient Natchez tribe, 279; natives kill themselves, 291 Mezieres, Marquis de--52 Miami River--111; 161; 162; 163 Michigamias Indians--304 Mines in Illinois--163; in La., 195-196 Miragouine, Sieur--103 Mississippi River-- lands of lower basin, VI; VII; commands continent, IX; navigation of, XI-XII; mouths of, XIII; reached by Hennepin, 3; 15; 18; 24; hurricane, 30; 47; 48; 49; 51; inhabitants along, 52; 53; 55; 58; 59; 63; 107; As names, 109; attempts to find source, 109; mouths of, 114-115; the passes, 117; 133; soil at mouth, 138-139; on east bank, 141-142; lands west of, 145; 161; 162; 163; voyage to source by Indian, 289-290 Mississippi Scheme--II; 58 Missionary--23 Missouri Indians--59; 60; 66; home of, 304-305 Missouri River-- navigation of, XII; 60; 63; 69; 110; description of, 159

Mobile-- barren lands, XX; 9; 11; birth place of La., 15; 45; 49; 89; native of land, 135-136; fertility of animals and women, 136 Mobile Bay--114 Mobile Indians--294 Mobile River-- Canadians settle on, 4-5; 46; 135 Moingona River--110 Moncacht-apé, old wise man of Yazoo tribe-- his voyages, 285-290 Montplaisir, M. de--27 Montreal--59 Mosquitoes-- description of, 272-273; how Indians fight, 333 Mulberry Trees--145; 158; for silk growing, 167-168; 212; feast of, 321 Muscadine Grapes--209 Mushroom--231 Myrtle Wax-tree--220

Narvaez--1 Natchez-- goodness of the country, 20-21; commandment, 27-28; terrible storm, 30-32; settlement at, 38-39; 55-56 Natchez Indians-- DuPratz arrives among, 23-27; first war with French, 32-36; second war, 38-39; 55; 69; council of war, 76-77; 84; destroyed by French, 86-87; 153; grow grain, 156; origin of, 279-280; 297; home of, 298; power of, 299; description of social habits-- birth and rearing children, 306-311; language, government, religion, 311-320 Natchitoches-- French settle, 5; St. Denis at, 6; Spanish settle near, 8; 54; quality of land, 148; silver there, 195 Natchitoches Indians--112; home of, 303 Negroes-- revolt, 71; choice of for slaves, 357; how to handle, 361; odors of, 362 Nesunez, Pamphilo--1 New Orleans--V; health good, IX; settlement of, 11; founded, 15; 17; 18; 22; physicians and surgeons of, 26; 30; 45; 46; forts below, 48; description of, 49-52; harbor of, 52; 58; 71; climate, 108; 136; nature of soil, 141; distance from Canada, 162 New Mexico--6; 54; 55; 112; nature of land, 147; hunting there, 155 Niagara Falls--286 Nightingale--269 Nobility-- Natchez, 328 North America-- extent of, XV; its products, XVI

Oak Trees--IV; V; 223-225 Oats--203 Ohio River-- navigation of, XII; 58; 111; 161; 162; 163; skeleton of elephants found, 290 Ochre--23 Olivarez, Friar--9 Olive Trees--213 Orange Trees--212 Opelousas Indians--302 Opossum (wood-rat)--251 Orignaux--162 Osage Indians--59-60; 66; 304; 305 Osage River--159 Othouez Indians--59; 60; 61; 62; 66; 305 Otters--253 Otter Indians--287-288 Ouachas Indians--140 Ouchitas Indains-- former home of, 303 Ouachita River--113 Oumas Indians--52; 80; home of, 297 Ouse-Ogoulas Indians--300 Owls--268 Oysters-- in La., 277; on trees in St. Domingo, 278

Paducah Indians--59; 61; 62; 63; 65; Customs and manners, 66-68 destructive wars of, 291; 305 Paillou, Major General-- at N. O., 15; 18; 39 Parroquets--266 Palmetto--231 Panimahas Indians--59; 63; 66; 305 Panis Indians--305 Partridges--144; 265 Paseagoulas River--114; 136 Pasca-Ogoulas Indians--15; 46; 295 Patassa (fish)--276 Pawpaws--158; 210 Peach Trees--210-211 Pearl River--114 Pelican-- description of, 259 Pensacola-- description of, XXIII; 2; Spanish settle, 8; captured by French, 100-105 Perdido River--104; 116; 135 Perrier-- Gov. of La., 71; 73; 83; 85; defeats Natchez Indians, 86-87; 153; leaves La., 186 Perrier de Salvert--72; 86 Persimmons--209 Peru-- natives killed themselves, 291 Petits Ecores--52; 53 Pheasant--264 Phoenicians-- ancestors of Natchez Indians, 283 Phenomenon-- alarming, 30; at Natchez, 36-38; extraordinary, 70 Pigeons-- description of, 266-267 Pike--276 Pilchard--14; description of, 276 Pimiteouis Indians--301 Pin--IV; for tar, 193-194; 217 Pipe of Peace--59; 60; 63; 65; 258 Pitch-- how to make, 194 Plaquemine Bayou--114 Plums--210 Pointe Coupeé--52; 53; 54 Pole Cat--252 Pope (Bird)--269 Poplar--222 Porcupine--253 Port de Paix--13 Puerto Rico--11 Potatoes (sweet)-- cultivation in La., 204-205 Pottery-- how made, 342 Provencals-- in La., 29 Prud'homme Cliffs--93 Prud'homme River--57 Pumpkins--206

Quail--266 Quebec--3; 111

Rabbits--251 Raimond, Diego--6; 10 Rattle snake-- cure for bite, 237; description of, 255 Rattle-snake herb--235-237 Red fish--14 Red River--54; 55; 112; nature of land, 148; 151 Red Shoe, Prince of Chactaws--95 Religion of Natchez--312 Rice-- how grown, 165; how eaten, 166; in La., 204-205 Richebourg, Captain--101; 102 Ring-skate (fish)--276 Rio del Norte--6 Rochelle-- author leaves, 11; returns to, 187 Rye-- in Illinois, 162; 203

Saffron--180 Sagamity--348; 349 St. Anthony's Falls--109; 110 St. Augustin, Fla.--2 St. Bernard's Bay--116 St. Catherine's Creek--33; 34; 35; 38 St. Come-- Missionary, 71 St. Croix River--110 St. Denis-- journey to Mexico, 6-11; 54; 104; popular with natives, 150 St. Domingo--4; 11; 13; oysters on trees, 277 St. Francis River--57;

lands around, 157-158; 112 St. Hilaire, Surgeon--42 St. Laurent--93; 94 St. Lawrence River--111; 161; 286 St. Louis Church--51 St. Louis River--3; 4; 8 St. Rose Isle--101; 102 St. Peter River--110 Sallee--58 Salmont, Com. Gen.--85 Salt-- in lower La., 147; spring near Natchitoches, 149; mines, 153 Salt petre--147; 180 Samba--72 Santa Fé--112 Sarde (fish)--14 Sardine--276 Sarsaparilla--233 Sassafras--181; 220 Saw Bill--261 Scalping--283 Scotland-- tobacco trade, 199 Scurvy-- how to cure--360 Sea-Lark--263 Sea Snipe--263 Ship Island--16; 28 Shrimp--277 Siam distemper--13 Silk-- growing experiments, 167-168 cultivation possible, 176; worms, 271 Silver--145; 151; 158; 163; 195 Sioux Indians--109; home of, 301-306 Skunk--252 Smallpox-- fatal to Indians, 291 Snipe--266 Spanish-- claim La., 5; 54; 55; on west of La., colony, 146; near Natchitoches, 150; how they hunt in Mexico, 155; commerce with La., 183-184; attempt to settle Missouri, 305 Starlings--268 Stag--242 Spatula-- description of, 261; 276 Spiders-- description of, 257 Squirrels--252 Stink Wood Tree--226 Strawberries--238; feast of, 320 Stung Arm--79; 80; 81 Stung Serpent--35; 40; death of, 335-336 Sturgeon--14 Sun of the Apple Village-- negotiates with the French, 73-78 Swallows--269 Swans--127; 162; 259 Sweet gum--181; 215

Tamarouas Indians--58; 162; 300; 301 Tangipahoa River--113 Tar-- how to make--193-194 Tassel--258 Tattooing--346 Tchefuncte River--113; 136 Teal--261 Temple, Indian-- description of, 333 Tensas Indians-- near Mobile, 294; language, 297; 300; former home of, 303 Tensas River-- lands along, 152 Termites--273 Thioux Indians--299 Thomez Indians--294 Thorn, Passion--229-230 Thornback (fish)--14 Tigers--134; description of, 249-250 Timber-- for shipbuilding, 179 Tobacco-- trade, XVII; plantation, 25; 145; 158; in Illinois, 163; how cultivated, 171-174; for export, 181; DuMont's description of cultivation, 187-191; advantages of La. cultivation, 197-198; British imports and exports, 199; worm, 271 Tombigbee--46; 89 Tonicas Indians--23; 27; 44; 80; 84; 85; language of, 298 Tonti, Chevalier de--3; 4 Topoussas Indians--300 Torture, Indian--354-355 Tortuga--13 Tooth-ache Tree--228 Tradewinds--12 Troniou--270 Turkeys, wild--120; 144; description of, 264; feast of, 324 Turkey Buzzard--258 Turtles--253

Ursuline Nuns--51

Vanilla--184 Vasquez de Aillon, Lucas--1 Vauban--46 Vaudreuil, Gov.--95; 96 Vinegar Tree--227 Virginia--58

Wabash River--110; 111; 161; 162; 163 Walnut Tree--158; 213 War-- with Natchez Indians, 32-36; 38-39; causes of Indian wars, 96-97; how they fight, 350; war feast, 352-353 Wasps--271 Water-hen--262 Water Melons-- how grown, 166; cultivation of in La., 206-207; feast of, 321 Wax-- from Wax Tree, 220-222 Wax Tree--176; 220-222 West India Company-- Takes over La., 10; sends colonists, 11; 18; 32; 44; gives up colony, 85 Wheat--145; in Illinois, 162; in La., 203 White Apple Village--33; 39; demanded by French, 73 Whortle-berries--212 Wild Cat--251 Wild Geese--22; 259 Wild Turkey-- description of, 264 (see turkey) Willow Tree--226 Wolves--134; 144; kill buffaloes, 156; description of, 244-245 Women-- "fruitful" in La., 185 Woodcock--266 Wood-pecker-- description of, 268-269 Wood-Rat--251 Wren--258

Yapon Shrub--228 Yaws--359 Yazoo Indians--56; kill the garrison at their Post, 83; 300 Yazoo River--56; 112 Ydalgo, Friar--5; 7; 9

End of Project Gutenberg's The History of Louisiana, by Le Page Du Pratz