 | The South-west |  |
Note A—Page 73.
The following Statistical Tables, exhibiting Louisiana in a
variety of comparative views, have been compiled principally from
the elaborate tables of that valuable periodical—the American
Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge—for the year 1835.
LOUISIANA.
| Latitude of New-Orleans, | 29° 57′ 45″ North. |
| Longitude in degrees, | 90 60 49 West. |
| h. m. s. | |
| Longitude in time, | 6 0 27.3 |
| Distance from Washington, 1203 miles. |
| Relative size of Louisiana, 5. | Extent in square miles, 45,220. |
NUMBER OF INHABITANTS TO A SQUARE MILE.
| In 1810. | In 1820. | In 1830. |
| 1.6 | 3.2 | 4.4 |
RELATIVE POPULATION.
| In 1810. | In 1820. | In 1830. | ||||||
| Free | Slave | Total | Free | Slave | Total | Free | Slave | Total |
| 18 | 8 | 17 | 19 | 8 | 17 | 21 | 8 | 19 |
RATE OF INCREASE OF FREE AND SLAVE POPULATION.
| From 1800 to 1810. | From 1810 to 1820. | From 1820 to 1830. | ||||||
| Free | Slave | Total | Free | Slave | Total | Free | Slave | Total |
| p. ct. | ||||||||
| 373 | 2193.7 | 636 | 25.8 | 58.7 | 40.6 |
POPULATION OF LOUISIANA IN 1810.
| Free | Slaves | No. of free to 1 slave | Total |
| 41,896 | 34,660 | 1.20 | 76,556 |
In 1820.
| 84,343 | 69,064 | 1.22 | 153,407 |
In 1830.
| 106,151 | 109,588 | .96 | 215,739 |
VALUE OF IMPORTS IN THE YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1833.
| In American vessels | In foreign vessels | Total |
| $6,658,916 | $2,931,589 | $9,590,505 |
VALUE OF EXPORTS IN THE SAME YEAR.
| Domestic Produce | Foreign Produce | Total of Domestic and Foreign Produce |
| $16,133,457 | $2,807,916 | $18,941,373 |
Tonnage, 1st January, 1834—61,171 Tons.
GOVERNMENT.
| Salary. | |
| Edward D. White, Governor (elect); Jan. 1835 to Jan. 1839, |
$7,500 |
| George Eustis, Secretary of State, | 2,500 |
| F. Gardere, Treasurer; 4 per cent. on all moneys received. | |
| Louis Bringier, Surveyor General, | 800 |
| Claudius Crozet, Civil Engineer, | 5,000 |
| F. Gaiennie, Adjutant and Inspector General, | 2,000 |
| E. Mazureau, Attorney General, | 2,000 |
Senate, 17 members, elected for two years. C. Derbigny, President.
House of Representatives, 50 members, elected for two years. A.
Labranche, Speaker.
JUDICIARY.
Judges of the Supreme Court.—George Matthews, Francis
X. Martin, and Henry A. Bullard. Salary of each, $5,000.
Judge of the Criminal Court of the City of New-Orleans.—John
F. Canonge.
Judges of the District Courts.—Salary of each $2,000.
| Charles Watts, | 1st district. |
| Benjamin Winchester | 2d do. |
| Charles Bushnell, | 3d do. |
| R. N. Ogden, | 4th do. |
| Seth Lewis, | 5th do. |
| J. H. Johnson, | 6th do. |
| J. H. Overton, | 7th do. |
| Clark Woodruff, | 8th do. |
The Supreme Court sits in the city of New-Orleans, for the
Eastern district of the state during the months of November, December,
January, February, March, April, May June, and July;
and for the Northern district, at Opelousas and Attakapas, during
the months of August, September, and October; and at Baton Rouge,
commencing the 1st Monday in August. The district courts, with
the exception of the courts in the first district, hold, in each parish,
two sessions during the year, to try causes originally instituted before
them, and appeals from the parish courts. The parish courts
hold their regular sessions in each parish on the first Monday in
each month. The courts in the first district, composed of the district,
the whole year, excepting the months of July, August, September,
and October, in which they hold special courts when necessary.
BANKS.
State of the banks, January 7, 1834, as given in a document laid
before Congress, June 24, 1834.
| NAME. | Capital stock paid in. |
Bills in circulation. |
Specie and specie funds. |
| Canal and Banking Company, | 3,998,200 | 951,780 | 297,451 21 |
| City Bank, | 2,000,000 | 380,670 | 335,288 88 |
| Commercial Bank, | 817,835 | 145,000 | 135,903 73 |
| Union bank of Louisiana, | 5,500,000 | 1,281,000 | 291,587 87 |
| Louisiana State Bank, | 1,248,720 | 428,470 | 546,125 34 |
| Consolidated Association Bank, |
2,500,000 | 84,300 | 61,936 43 |
| $16,064,755 | 3,271,230 | 1,568,293 46 | |
| Estimated situation of the following banks.—no returns. |
|||
| Bank of Louisiana, | 4,000,000 | ||
| Bank of Orleans, | 600,000 | ||
| Citizens' Bank of Louisiana, | 1,000,000 | 1,522,500 | 650,000 00 |
| Mechanics' and Traders' Bank, |
2,000,000 | ||
| Total, | $23,664,755 | 4,793,730 | 2,218,293 46 |
The Union Bank of Louisiana has branches at the following
places, viz. Thiboudeauville, Covington, Marshville, Vermillionville,
St. Martinsville, Plaquemine, Natchitoches, and Clinton.
Interest. “Legal interest is 5 per cent. Conventional interest,
as high as 10 per cent., is legal. Of our banks, none can charge
higher than 9 per cent., and some of them not higher than 8. But
if I lend $100, and the borrower gives me his note for $110, $120,
$130, $140, or even $150, or more, with 10 per cent. interest from
date, the law legalizes the transaction, and will not set aside any
part of the claim on the plea of usury. In fact, money is considered
here like any other article in the market, and the holder may ask
what price he pleases for it.”
INSURANCE COMPANIES.
| Merchants' Insurance Company of New-Orleans, | $1,000,000 |
| Phoenix Fire Insurance Co. of London—agent at New Orleans, |
1,000,000 |
| Louisiana State Marine and Fire Insurance Co. | $400,000 |
| Western Marine and Fire Insurance Company, | 300,000 |
| Louisiana Insurance Company, | 300,000 |
| Mississippi Marine and Fire Insurance Company, | 300,000 |
| New-Orleans Insurance Company, | 200,000 |
| Pontchartrain Rail road Company, | 250,000 |
| Orleans Navigation Company, | 200,000 |
| Barataria and Lafourche Canal Company, | 150,000 |
NEWSPAPERS.
Louisiana was originally settled by the French; in 1762, it was
ceded by France to Spain; near the end of the 18th century it was
restored to France; in 1803, it was purchased by the United States;
in 1804, the country now forming the state of Louisiana was formed
into a territorial government under the name of the Territory of
Orleans; and in 1812, it was admitted into the Union as a state.
Mr. Thomas, in his “History of Printing,” remarks “that several
printing-houses were opened at New-Orleans, and several newspapers
were immediately published there, after the country came under
the government of the United States.”
The first paper published in New-Orleans was the “Moniteur
de la Louisiana,” a French paper, and edited by M. Fontaine. This
was a government paper, issued at irregular intervals and at the discretion
of the Spanish government. It was rather a vehicle of ordinances
and public documents than a newspaper.
In the year 1803 an enterprising New-Englander named Lyons
—a son of the celebrated Mathew Lyons—who had been sent to New-Orleans
with despatches from government, on arriving there, and
ascertaining that there was no regular press in the city, applied to
General Wilkinson for patronage to establish a weekly paper.
Herein he was successful; but, except himself, there was not another
printer in New-Orleans, journeyman or “devil.”
By some means, however, he learned that there were three young
men[1]
from the only printing office in Natchez, then belonging to
the army, quartered in the city. He obtained their furlough from
General Wilkinson—and obtaining the office of the “Moniteur,”
in a few weeks issued the first number of a paper entitled the
“Union.” To this in a few weeks succeeded the “Louisiana
army of periodicals, and is the oldest paper in the state.
“The number of newspapers in the Territory of Orleans in 1810,
was 10, (two of them daily;) all in the city of New-Orleans.
The number in Louisiana in 1828, was only nine. New-Orleans
is the great centre of business and of publishing in this state. There
are now published in New-Orleans seven daily papers, and 31 altogether
in Louisiana.
SUMMARY.
The Governor of Louisiana is elected by the people. Term begins
January, 1835, and expires January 1839. Duration of the
term, four years. Salary $7,500.
Senators, 17. Term of years, four. Representatives, 50. Term
of years, two. Total—Senators and Representatives, 67. Pay per
day, $4. Electors of president and vice president are chosen by
general ticket.
Seat of government—New-Orleans. Time of holding elections—
first Monday in July. Time of meeting of the legislature—first
Monday in January.
Louisiana admitted into the Union in 1812.
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