University of Virginia Library

4. IV.

An old French exile, M. Beranger, to whom one of
his letters was addressed, could not call on the Baron
Championet, but sent his son, a gay young Creole, to
welcome him to New Orleans. They dined together,
were soon fast friends. Over their wine, they began
to converse, as young men will do, of beautiful women.
The baron related his inkling of adventure in the Cathedral,
and ended with declaring himself irrevocably
in love, and hinted at matrimony.

His friend heard him through with composure, and
when he had ended, gave way to uncontrollable laughter.
The baron looked both surprised and offended,
when young Beranger, composing his features, said:

“Dark eyes, arched brows like satin, olive complexion,
slightly tainted with the rose, and a veil
thrown over her head.”

“You repeat my words, monsieur,” said the baron,
coldly.

“A veil only you are sure?”

“A black lace veil, that dropped to her feet. A becoming
mode, and one I wish to see take the place of
the unsightly bonnet with which the European women
choose to disfigure their heads.”

“You have fallen in love with a quadroon, Championet.”

“If `quadroon' be American for angel, by the mass!
you say truly!”

“Ha, ha, ha! Pardon me, my dear baron! I see I
must initiate you, or you will be getting into more of
these Cathedral adventures with dark-eyed devotees
veiled to the feet. First let us fill a bumper to your
olive-browned divinity.”

The toast was drunk with mock sentiment by the
one, and with genuine gallantry by the other.

“Now, my dear baron,” began the gay Creole,[1]
“you must know that there is among us a class of
citizens called quadroons. They are one-fourth part
African blood.”

“Saint Marie! You do not mean to say that—”

“Peace, my dear Championet. I will explain this
thing, so that you will thank me for the Mahomedan
paradise my words shall unfold to you. The descent
and blood of a quadroon is as follows: The offspring
of a white man and a pure negress, is what we call a
mulatto, or mulatress, according to the sex. The offspring
of the mulatto and pure white is a mustizoe,
pronounced mustife, and in this class I have seen blue
eyes and light hair, albeit the complexion might have
been somewhat objectionable. The offspring of the
mestizoe and a pure white, is termed a quadroon, or
quatreune, being four parts white, with one part (the
blood of the original African progenitor) black. By
these four removes the African blood has become
nearly extinct, and the quadroon shares the characteristic
traits common to the European race. The fifth
and sixth removes are also called quadroons; indeed
the term is applied so long as there remains the least
trace of the slavish blood. By the sixth generation,
however, it entirely disappears. I know some beautiful
quadroons in the fifth descent, who, save a certain
indescribable expression in the centre of the pupils of
their fine eyes, have the appearance of lovely Italian
women.”

“This singular expression,” interrupted the baron,
“struck me in the eyes of this superb creature.—What
it was I could not tell, but it had a strange effect upon
me.”

“It is the mark of the quadroon even to the sixth

generation, when all other signs of her African descent
are lost. I have tried to analyze it, but like the
peculiar and undefinable expression that stamps the
Jewish physiognomy, it defies all explanation or analysis.
We often speak of the fine eye of a spirited
woman, as having a little devil in it. In the eye of
the quadroon there lurks the devil, but it is a wicked
one. I do not mean in the playful sense of the term,
but in its worst. Yet they show none of it in their dispositions.
They are warm hearted and full of passion,
and fire, but it is difficult to rouse them to anger. They
are, on the contrary, universally affectionate, good-natured,
and remarkable for a child-like simplicity of
manners, in which much of their fascination lies.
These quadroons of both sexes present, perhaps, the
finest specimens of the human race. The young men
are perfect Apollos. The females—but you have seen
one of them, and can judge for yourself. Notwithstanding
all this, such is the prejudice where Africans
are held as slaves, against admitting any of the blood
of this degraded race to an equality with ourselves,
that, however accomplished they may be, they are not
only interdicted from society, but the law against the
intermarriages of the white with the blacks, extends
equally to these. Many of them are the daughters
of gentleman of fortune, who lavish money on them,
rear them in the lap of luxury, and sometimes send
them to Paris to be educated. Abroad, some of them
have married rank and wealth. Last summer I met,
driving on the Prater of Vienna, the Countess—,
whom I knew as a quadroon in this city, till her thirteenth
year, when her father sent her to Paris, where
she completed her education, and as his legitimate
daughter married the Count—present husband.
She is called the most handsome woman in Austria.

“Prohibited from society here, and debarred marriage,
(for reared and educated as they are, of course
they will not marry the young quadroons, who are

lower in the social circles than even themselves, whose
own equivocal elevation is owing to causes easily to be
divined,) their maternal education consists in adorning
their persons; and, by their still lovely mothers they
are taught to regard beauty of person and the arts of
blandishment, as the highest qualifications of their
sex, and to look forward to the station of a mistress
with the same hopes, fears and sensations that a virtuously
educated maiden contemplates that of wife.
In fact, to their perverted minds, illicit love is divested
of guilt, and is connected neither with shame nor
moral degradation.”

“But the fathers? Have they no voice in this matter?”

“In this climate sixteen or seventeen years, when
their daughters are in market, (I speak plainly,) make
great changes in regard to most of these.—Death,
travel, or matrimony, gives the quadroon mother,
while yet young, to choose another protector and educate
her daughter as she pleases. When at the age I
have mentioned, the mother, who has kept her till
now in great seclusion, begins to cast about for a protector
for her. She allows her with this object in view,
to attend balls and masquerades, frequent public
walks, and go to mass, but always attended by a confidential
slave, or herself in person; while her eye is
ever watchful, and the reins of maternal vigilance are
drawn with careful hand, lest the daughter, from feeling,
should form an unprofitable liaison. It will
not be long before she attracts several admirers, and
proposals are made in due form to the quadroon mother—for
the system, as you will discover, is as regularly
organised and understood here, as that for the
buying and selling Circassian girls. In the choice of
suitors, three things are especially considered, viz: the
wealth, the respectability of the individual, and the
inclinations of the daughter. If there are possessions
on her side, that are not incompatible with the other

two considerations, her wishes decide the choice; for
it is the managing mother's desire, not only to get her
daughter well established, but established happily also.
When the suitor is fixed upon, the others are notified
that Mademoiselle is not at liberty to form engagements.
Then come the preliminary settlements, previously
agreed upon, between buyer and seller. Some
of these scenes, were it not for the moral degradation
with which they are associated, I doubt not, would be
extremely amusing. The two are closeted together
with pen, ink and paper. The mother, who has the
conditions drawn upon a piece of paper she holds in
her hand, insists on a house containing a certain number
of rooms, richly furnished, particularises each article
of their furniture, demands a certain number of
servants; bargains for a specific sum to be paid quarterly
to her daughter for pin-money, and insists that
she shall be indulged in all the expensive luxuries of
her class; many other things besides are agreed upon,
depending mostly on the taste, ambition and high
notions of the quadroon mother. In her care for
her daughter, she does not neglect her own interests,
but bargains for a present in hand for her own part,
such as an expensive shawl, a costly veil, a set of
jewels, or something of that sort. The suitor agreeing
to all this, pays a certain sum down, often so high as
two thousand dollars, and seldom less than one thousand,
and receives his unmarried but virgin bride.
From that time he openly lives with her, if unmarried,
save dining at the hotels.—If he is a married man, he
is more cautious. The quadroon mothers usually prefer
the latter class, as promising, their daughters a more
stable and permanent life, than it would be likely to
be, dependent on the roving caprice of a young bachelor.
Hundreds of young gentlemen, and I know not
how many with hymenial ties, live in this way in this
city.”

“A singular state of society.”

“Yes; and this facility of things is why we are such
a community of bachelors.”

“Are these quadroons faithful?”

“There has never been known among them a single
instance to the contrary. Indeed, their attachment in
these cases is proverbial.”

The young man balanced his wine glass on his forefinger,
and mused awhile; then abruptly speaking he
said.”

“Do you think the lovely creature I saw this morning
is one of this class?”

His countenance was so expressive of mingled doubt
and hope as he waited for a reply, that the lively creole
smiled as he answered.

“Yes. Her veil marks her, if nothing more.—Quadroons
alone wear veils. Why, I know not, unless bonnets
are prohibited to this class as well as to the slaves,
which I believe is the case, but whether by the municipal
law, or the stronger one of public opinion,
I am not prepared to say. The extraordinary beauty
of many of these women has been noised abroad, and
if common fame speaks the truth, has been the subject
of convivial conversation even with one or two
of the princes of the royal family who have been
here. Apropos, I could tell a tale here if I would.
But another time.”

“It is strange,” said the baron, thoughtfully, “that
a trait scarcely discernible, except to the initiated,
should shut them out of society.”

“The cause, if we look closely into the subject, does
not lie so much in the drop of African blood in their
veins, as the fact that they are descended, at least on
one side, from slaves. Indeed, many quadroons are
really slaves, whose maternal ancestors have been for
generations in the same family. If the mother be a
slave, say our laws, so is the offspring, no matter what
its hue may be. A prejudice so deeply founded as
that against slavish blood, will forever resist reason.

It is true the quadroons are its victims. Its tendency,
doubtless, is to preserve the purity of society, but I do
not know if its effects are not more than balanced by
the laxity of morals it originates and fosters. But a
truce to this prosing. It is now near sunset, and the
population is all out of doors to enjoy the cool of the
evening. If we walk in the direction of the dwelling
of your inamorata, we shall find her no doubt in the
verandah. I think, from your glowing description of
her, I can divine who she is. If it is Emilie, as I believe,
she is a prize worth winning and wearing.”