lourishing condition; to show the causes of its
increase, and its immense value to those who have embarked their
fortunes in it; to those by whom its produce is consumed, and finally to
the revenue of the government. All these matters, doubtless, will be
carefully examined and considered by the public councils whose right and
duty it is to decide upon them.

We return to our history; the colony seems now to have attracted the
attention of the mother country, and liberal assistance was given to
advance its population.

"The ships landed also sixty poor girls, who were brought over
at the king's expense. They were the last succour of this kind,
which the mother country supplied. They were given in marriage
to such soldiers whose good conduct entitled them to a
discharge. Land was allotted to each couple, with a cow and
calf, a cock and five hens; a gun, axe, and hoe. During the
three first years, rations were allowed them, with a small
quantity of powder, shot, and grain for seed."

This was in 1751.

An anecdote is recorded, exhibiting at once a feature of aboriginal
justice, and the strength of parental affection in the "poor Indian."

"In a quarrel between a Choctaw and a Colapissa, the former
told the latter his countrymen were the dogs of the
French--meaning their slaves. The Colapissa, having a loaded
musket in his hands, discharged its contents at the Choctaw,
and fled to New-Orleans. The relations of the deceased came to
the Marquis de Vaudreuil to demand his surrender: he had in the
mean while gone to the German coast. The Marquis, having vainly
tried to appease them, sent orders to Renaud, the commandant
of that post, to have the murderer arrested; but he eluded the
pursuit. His father went to the Choctaws and offered himself a
willing victim: the relations of the deceased persisted in
their refusal to accept any compensation in presents. They at
last consented to allow the old man to atone, by the loss of
his own life, for the crime of his son. He stretched himself on
the trunk of an old tree, and a Choctaw severed his head from
the body, at the first stroke. This instance of paternal
affection was made the subject of a tragedy by Leblanc de
Villeneuve, an officer of the troops lately arrived from
France. This performance is the only dramatic work which the
republic