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I lilt I-KIM II 1 ,\S 1,1 M.r AMI I II i;, All 11 IS n I.AM' I Ni\ I nsi'»\ up I 111 I^IANA. IJcprim-^,! from lli,- r:,/./i, ,iti>„.. ^^^ \U,- M,,n|.;nN I.ani.uai.k As.-.ociaIii.n oi- Amkkka, Vol. vi, No. I, i8.)i. Copyright, iSyi, liy Aiakk iMtuTtH THE ACADIANSOr LOUISIANA AND THEIR DIALECT. Everything concerning French Louisiana seems at this time to possess an interest for the jniblic ; and it has been my purpose in sonvi measure, to give an account of its language, its litera- ture, its dialects, its folklore and its inhabitants. My papers published in the Ti\insaciions of our Modkkn Lan(;uage As- sociATiON have been so kindly received that I feel encouraged to continue my labors in a field \ast and fertile but difficult to explore. The work to be done is, to a great extent, one of original research and of patient investigation, and it will require several years to present a tolerably complete tableau of pictur- esque h'rench Louisiana. I now desire to present another feature of the picture by giving a brief sketch of the Acadians and their dialect. It may not be amiss to begin this study by taking a bird's-eye view of the history of Acadia, from the setdement of the colony to the dispersion of the inhabitants. We shall then accompany Evangeline to the beautiful banks of the Ti^che and follow her canoe and that of Gabriel as they glide along its [)lacid waters, leaving scarcely a ripple on the gentle stream which the names of the unhappy lovers have rendered immortal. L' Even before the time of John Cabot the Normans, the Bretons and the Basques are said to have known Newfoundland, and the first description of the shores of our United States was made in 1524 to a French King, Francis the First, by the Florentine Verrazano. Ten years later we see the bold son of St. Malo sailing on the broad St. Lawrence, which was to be the scene of so many conflicts for the possession of its rugged shores. In 1535 Jacqut's Cartier saw the future site of Quebec and Montreal and became acquainted with the Indian tribes, the future allies of the Fi;ench in their contest with the English. New France was I For this sketch of the history of Acadia I have taken as my chief guide Pakkman's »d mnal.le '• Narratives," although I do not always share his opinions and arrive at the same conclusions. I'or a complete bibliography of the subject see 'Critical and Narr.tive History of America," edited by Justin Winsor. aeaaaiE . 4 .\F.ri:f-: forth' h'. cnsa,vm.<l. but wh.> was to establish th. Inst s..(tIc.nH.nt in tlu- •jam. of the most Chnstian Kin. ? In vain <li<l J.an Iranvnis ^\^' la K.u,ue. Sunn- cK- Roherval, in ,542. brave- ,he turo.s ..f the sk- of Demons and att<n,,.t to plan, a eolonv in Xeu iManee «" lis . 1-tated expechtion nothing remained bt.t the nam.' of lie < ^- la Demoiselle, wlu-re the stern koberval abamlone.l to the demons his nieee Marguerite to punish her for an unhallowed love. I he Marquis de la Roehc^ with his ship loa.l of eonviets was not more sureessful in 1598 than R,.berval half a cnturv l>elore. ( lumplain and de M..nts were to be the fathers of (\m- ada and Aeadia. The lormer ha<l been sent on an expedition to iie new world by the Commamler de Cliastes. and on his return oh ranee asi^ociated his fortunes with those of de Monts who Had just been made l.ieutenant (;eneral of Aeadia. " The word Acadia." .says 1^\KKM.^^•. " is said to be derived <••*'"• the Indian A<jnoddiauke^ ur Acp.oddic, meaning lu hs -led a pollock. The Bay of PassanKupiodd V ^^ eat m llork water, derives its name from the same (,rigin." ' ' ' The region desij-nated by this name comprised a large terri- tory, Nova .Vot.a, New Brunswick and Maine, but was later con- sidered to embrace the peninsula of Noxa Scotia onlv The c nnate was much milder than that of Canada, and all travellers de.scnbe the country as beautiful. The tide in the Bay of Fun- dy i.s grand, and there are excellent ports al<,ng the coast. We .leed n„i then be ;^stonishefl that Poutrinconrt.'one of .le Monts' C()mpaninns, was so pleased with th.- Port Royal that he ob tamed a grant Irom de Monts. and in ,(x.5. established a colony which, alter many vicissitudes, was destined to be celebrated in history and in romance. De Monts himself with Poutrincourt ^ Champ ainand I>ontgnu ^> had. in ,604, founded a settlement at .St.' eroKx, but th.- place was badly chosen and after a wint.-r of mis- ery the colony was translerred to Port Royal. De Monts was a Calvmist and he. had taken with him to the New World both Catholic priests and Protestant niinisters who. it cm well be iniagmed, were not on very good t.^rms. .Such were their quar- rels that the sailors buried in the same grave a priest and a min- ister • lu sec- If they would lie peaceably together." De Monts returned to I- ranee to protect his fur trade monopoly and left 1 ontgrave in command at Port Royal. He was absent many months, a.ul Pontgravc had abandoned the colony, leaving only r/i/-: .i(\i/)/.ixs ()/'■ Loi'Ts/Ax.i 5 two iTU'u ill charj^re, when l^tiitrincourt arrived with siipphes. I'ont^iiave rt'turned, ami another attempt was made to estal)H.sh Port Royal on a sohd foimdati(jn. The poet F.escarbot gives an interest! ii.i,^ account ot" the winter passed witliout \ery ,L,M-eat snf- terin,i;s, and already the colonists were bej^innin,^ to hope, wlieii in the summer ol" 1607, news was received that de Monts' char- ter had been rescinded and that the colony must lie abandoned. The settlers departed with heavy hearts, leaving the Indians lull of sorrow. The l-'rench had been humane and i'riendly to the savages. The settlement in Acadia had apparently tailed, but Poutrin- court was not discourajred. He oinained liom the KinL>- a confirmation of his g^rant, formed a partnership with the sieur Robin, and in 1610 returned to Port Royal with other setders. Unhappily, however, the year 16 ro was as fatal to Acadia as to France: the great King. Henry IV, was murdered, and soon afterward Madame la Marquise de (kurcheville obtained from Marie de Medicis a grant of all Acadia. The pious Marcjuise was associated with the Jesuits and wished to 'com crt the In- dians. Her agents and priests, especially the able and ener- getic Father Biard, did not agree with P(Hitrincourt and his son Biencourt, and discord was supreme in the colonv, when in i6t -,, a heavy blow fell on the rising settlement. Samuel Argall, already noted for having abducted Pocahontas, heard of French Port Royal, captured a f)art of the inhabitants and dispersed the others. Father Biard and Madame de Guercheville's com- mander, Saussaye, tinally reached France, and the good lady's pl.ms for saving the souls of the Indians were frustrated. Biencourt had escaped during the destruction of Port Royal and was roaming in the woods with a few followers, when Pou- trincourt arrived with supplies. At the sight of his son'a misery, the Baron lost all hope for his colony and returned to France, where, in 1615, he died a soldier's death. Biencourt, however, rebuilt Port Royal and kept the colony alive. Little progress was made, as in 1686 the whole population of Acadia was only 915- There bad been troublous times in the colony from 1613 to 1686, and several masters had ruled the country. In 1621, Sir William Alexander obtained from James I. a grant of New- Scotland and tried to establish baronetcies in Acadia. His plans were but short-li\ed, as the English surrendered the province to tl'e iMvncI, in .6.^- by lln- treaty .,f St. Cnnu^n. I.nuis XIH apix.iutcd M, cle K^uilly ( uncrnor ..I" Acadia, and the latter named as his lieutenants, Charles de la Tour and the Sieur . dAuInay. Here eomes a roniantie episode : the two lieutenants as in duty bound, quarrelled and made war upon eaeh other l-a lour went to Uoston to obtain aid against his rival, and in Hs absence .rAulnay attaeked his fort. The plaee was most bravely detenckd In- Madame de la Tour, but she was defeat.-d and died ol nxmirication. 1 1.,- husband sm.i-^h.d for son.e tinu. wah httle suceess aKainst cPAtdnay, but the latter died, and la lour settled all difficulties by marrying hi.s rival's widow a <|ucer hut not unwise proceeding. Acadia h.id become once more peaceful in 1653 by la Tour's niarna .e.xyhen (,ne year later the I-nglish t..ok po^ssession of the colony. Cromwell was ruling Knoland at that time, and he mulerstood how important it was l^r the English settlements on he At antic that Acadia should not belong to the French. By bus orders Major Robert Sedgwick, of Charlestown. and Captain John Leverett, of Boston. sul,jugated Acadia, which was kept by the K.ghsh until 1668, when by the treaty of Hreda. it was restored to the l-rench. rlr 'l^'''^ ■'']'' y^^'^ t'^^ ^'olony enjoyed peace under French rule, and the mhabitants led comparatively quiet lives, enlivened by some adventures with the Indians and the Fnglish. A very romantic character is the Haron de St. Castin, the son-in-law o'f Matakando, the niost powerful Indian chief of that region In the company of his Indian relatives the bold \^■.,,o^, waged incessant war against the English. In 1690 Frontenac was for a second time governor of New ^ ranee, and by his energy and courage he saved the colony «.om rmn He repulsed the attacks of Phips against Quebec and ot Schuyler against Montreal, carried war into the English possessions and nearly broke the power of the Iroquois He was not, however, able to save Acadia from the e.umv ' This settlement wa.s too remote from Quebec to be ertectually pro' tec ed and iell again into the hands of the English, h 690 VVilhan, Phips sailed fron. Boston with a small fl,'tand .educed the pnnaixd Acadian settlements. He obtained great booty and was well received on his return to Massachusetts, althou.-h his exMuion seems to us more like a piratical raid than legidn.ate /•///•; .■i(\u)/.ivs (}/■• Lor/sf.ix.i. "m Ac:idi;i was iijijaiii restored to the f-reiirh in 1697 by the treaty of Ryswick, and when l-'rontenar died in 169S Louis XIV was still master of all New France. Kronteiiac is a niost intcre-stin^ and heroic character; he was proud and stern, but at the same tinu' most l)rave. skilKul and shrewd. His nanu- and that of Montcalm arc the greatest in the history of N( w France. Nearly one hundred years had passed since tie .Monts had landed in Acadia, and the unfctrtmiate colony had been thrown about like a shuttlecock from the I'lench to the lji>.;l!sh and from the Fn^lish to the French. In the bej^dnninij of the ei,i,diteenth century three expeditions sailed from Moston to con- ([uer Acadia. The hrst two were not successful, but the third commanded by Governor Nicholson and compo.sed of thirty-six \pssels, took Port Royal and subilued the country. The whole number of inhabitants in 1710 was twenty-five hundred. Three years later, by the treaty of Utrecht, Acadia was foiinally ceded to Kn^land, and hVance. in order to compen.sate for the loss of Port Royal, called l>y the I'ai.i^lish Annajiolis, had to Iniild on Cape Breton the celebr<ted fortress of I.ouisbourg. The Aca- dians had fought bravely for their imlependence, and it was only after a .qalUmt resistance that Subercase had surrendered Port Royal. The Fn^lish imposed their ilominatiou upon Acadiaby torce, and it is not surprisinj^ thai the inhabitants refu.^ed to be- come Kn}4lishmei^ and did all in their power t(j remain faithful to their king, their religion and their language ! L'abbe C.\sr.RAiN in his charming book, ' I'n Pelerinage au Pays d'Evangeline,' has given a beautiful de.scription of Acadia and calls attention to the poetical and expressive names of some parts of the country : Heaubassin, Peausejour, le Port Royal, la (irand-Pree, names characteristic of the simple and peaceful disposition of a people who, if left to themselves, would ha\e been satisfietl with praying to their Ciod and attending to theii numerous children. In 1S85 l'abbe C.\S(;r.\in visited all Acadia and manifests his delight on seeing a land of (juiet and happi ness. a land of which a great part has again become French. What a contrast between the Acadia of our days and th.it of 1755! The descendants of the e.xiles have prospered once nu)re in the land of their ancestors, but their pre.sent state of content- ment does not make us forget the misery of the past. The field that was once the scene of a blootlv battle mav now be covered .u ('/ r ho h' r 1 1: K> with Krt'<'n turf aiul v;trir«:,t<-(| flowrr.s. I,„t still th.Me will lH-<<.rt' iis tlu' liuvs <.|- tlu' (Iv.ni. aiui we shall I "I tlu« cannon. I.a ( -.rand-i'iY,- and Hcanl risi- loar th( tlunui I r an attractive sioht. U\\ the nam • •I a (Ircac Ifnl tr <s recall t< iincdy )a.ssin may present •»nr mintis the s.-ene <l Th By the treaty of I'trecht it had I ians mi^dit withdraw to the I-'renel is no doubt that the l-'.iij^lish ^('('W stipulated that the A Ca- ere p«»wer to prevent the emij^ration to ('apt.- \\ and. as they were not harsi latter preferred to rcnV Tl: possessions if they chose governors did all in theii pe J^reton or to Canada. 1. as a rule, to tlu »in in the c<»untry of th inhabitants, tht ey refu.sed. however, for a lonjj time, to take the oati eir ancestors. inj.; that thcv would 1 ot aile en a part of the met IS with the tacit if not expressed uiuh rstand .yiance to the I-ai^dish sovereign, and wh took the oath, it w tht of Canada tried to keej) the inhal never be compelled to b(! ■Vench. That the priests in Ai adia and ;ir arms against even the ( io\crnor King;, in spite of their beiuj- I-ai^lish subjects, th able doubt. VV what .creat rivahv th e can hardly blame this fecjini-, i( ere was at the time bet Jitants laithful to the French ere is no reason- W(.> consider and the I'Vench in Anjerica, and also th ween the Kni^lish the everywhere prevalent. The pri.-st it a <luty on their part to try to harm the Kn-lish I althou^rh wc may not approve the .act of som" duplicity of some of the French atrents, we d conduct any excuse for the cruelty of the ICn-disl e spirit of intolerance s must haxe considered H.retics, and some of them nor the o not find in their Seeiii'^f how disaffected tlu' Acad ters, the Marquis (jf Cornwall Hal if ians were with their new mas- :ix IS. in 17.49. laid the foundations of IS a protection aK^.inst Fouisboury. A number of the ony at the instij-alion of inhabitants had escaped from the col rabb6 FeFoutre, says PARKMAN.and had I'rench settlements. Their lot gone to the adjoining were not able to provide for tl was .1 sad one, as the l-'rencl th eceivc them as T^i.^lish subjects. It ■ ey should make a kind of guerill lem and the l^nylish would onh IS not astonishing,'- that I war with their Indi a.i>ainst the Knylish and that they should atten an allies c(juntrymcn against the the Kni^lish were in great peril in the midst of secretly hostile to them, but ipt to excite their conquerors. It must In' admitted that men openly or no necessity of war can justify tht easuics taken to rid Knglish Nova Scotia of her French A low relate briefly tlu' terrible event which h J ians. Let us n made the word Acadia sadly celebrated ;is I III .\C.\I>I.\\S or I.OVJS! \\A. In 1755 till- (lOMTitur (»t' Aciulia was Clvirlis l/iwiriici', ii ii.iiiir tIfStiiK-'d to (ibtiiin an inii'iu iablc notoriety. 1 Ic I'cm)I\ cd hi < \|icl till- I'riMich from tin posts wliich they still lii'ld in tlic rolonv, A lorcf of lii^litcrn hundifd men roinniaiHicd l)\ ( nl • mt 1 Moiikton stntid iVom i\t\v ICnj^land .uul (aptiiritl toil llc'ausC'jonr, which th(' cowardly an<l \i1c commandant, Vcrjuor. >inT< n(Urc<i at the tir^t att:uk. ( )n the ))1ams of Ahraliani he A\as also to l)c the (irst to yield lo W'ollc and to canse the defeat and di'atii ol" ihi' brave Montcalm, t!i<' t ill ot' nnel)e( , .md ,lhc h)ss ol Canada. Alter thi. capture ot iU'.msejdin , lort (lasi)eiean sinreiulered also, and there was no lonj^t-r any ohstrtcle to j)r(;\('nt Lawrence 1 The ( lovernor ditcrmined to remove tiom Irom act omplishiiK; a desii^n which he nnist have been ( herisl ins,'; lor some time the |)ro\ince all the I*'rench Acadi.ms. lb- recpiired I'lom the inh.ibitams an oath ot un(]iialitii(l allei;iance, and on their rel'iisal lit' resolved to i)roceed to extreme nu'asnves. I'akkm.W savs that " The Acadi.ms, ihouj^li callini; tliemselves neutrals, were an enemy encamped in the heart ot" the jjroviiice," and adds; ■■These are the reasons vv hich explain and palliate a nu'asureton hiU'rih autl aidi^-crimiiiate to l)e wliolh iustiiied." It is impossible to jiistitv the measure in any wav : ieai^ ot .m < ilemy does not justily his murdi-r, and the ixpulsion ol the Acadiaiis was ihe canse of untold misiry both |)hysical .and moral and ot the;, death ot' a number ot ni( n, women and chil- dren. It the harsh removal ot the Acadi.ms is iustifiable S< I IS Bonaparte's massacri' ot' the prisoners ot latfa. lie couhl not l)rovid<' for them as prisoners, aiul il he ickased them they would immediatelv attark him ayain. iciv cnior ll I. Liwrence was so nuich the more int;\cusable <ause tile oiilv Acad ue ians that l;,ivc him anv cause ot anxiotv were those of Ikaiisejoiir, and thev' had beiMi defeated. Thi' inhabi lants of the Basin of Mines and of Annapolis wire |)eacelnl, prosperous and contented, and althou,yh thev mijLjht have sided with thi- briMU'li in .m inv.ision ot the province, they never vould have tjiouyht of rev; ItiinL^ ai^ainsl the Knylish. They were an iiL^norant and simple people, but lal)orious, chaste and reliyioiis. Their chief defect sei'iiis to h.ive been an inordinate love tor liti- gation, a trait whic-h thev inheriled from their Norman ancestors.' lO ALCIF. FORTir.R, Lawrence tocik away llie ,!l;uiis of many of the inh.i!.i«:ant.s hv an unworthy siratcs^cni, and then ':c ordered the ruthless work to he done. Monkton seizeil the men of He.jusejour, and Win- ^low, Handfif'Ul and Muniyihd the same at hi ( irand-Pree, a' Annapoh;; and at I'ort h^Iwarch Let us pietnre the scene at la Grand -Lree. Winslow issued :i proclamation calling upon all the men to meet him at the \illaoe church on Sunday. There ^le was at the appointed liour with his two Iiundred and ninety men fully armed to meet the intended \ ictim^. hOur hundred and eii^hteen men answered the call and assemltled in the church. What was their consternation or hearinji; that they were pr!soiu-rs, that all their pro])erty was confiscated, and that the\ were to Ix' torn fron) their lioni'-s with their families. \o resistance was possi- ble as the men v;ere unarmed. They were put tor safe keeping on board tovu' .diips, and on the 8th of October the men, women and children were embarked. Thi-^ was ii'jt^rand dcra)i_iri'iiieiU of which their descenriants, says Tabbe C.\S(".kai\, speak to this day. Winilow cctmpleted his work in December and shipped 2510 p:'rsons. Murray, Monckton and Ilandtield were eq>;alK- successful .ind ukjix than bcxx) persons wc re violently <'.\pelled h'om the colony. A tew inanaLji'd lo escape, ait!ioui;h they were tracked like wild beasts. In order to compel them to surrtMider, the dwellings and even the churclus were burnt and tlie enjps were destroyed. The fugitives suffered frightfull)- and many women a.. d children died of misery. In this scene of persecu- tion we are glad -^o see the Lmmvc otTicer Hoishebert defeat a party e! F.nglish who wire burning a church at Peticodiac. (.'nha{)pily, as alrea-ly stated, no resistance could be made, and the unfortunates were huddled together like sheep on board th- trans])orts, to be scattered about all along the Atlantic coast among a hostile people speaking a language unkiKnvn to them and having a creed di:terent from their own. Who canimagiMC tne feelings of these; men and women when the ships started on the fatal journey ,ind they threw a last glance at their once beautiful country, now made " desolate and bare!" How many ties of kindred and of love were rndi-ly torn asunder! The families were rot alwa\son the same ship, and the fathva' and mother were s(.>p.ir,>ted from their children, ;uui many ['Aangeiines never m<-t their ('.al)riels. Tlu' order of expulsion was harsh and rrncl and. it ua.s executed with tittle regard for the most sacred feelings of the human heart. THE ACAPIANS OF LOUISIANA. II We shall not follow the Acadians in their wanderings. Let us only sta':e that their lot in tlie {'".nulish colonies was generally a liard one Very few remained where they had been transported. Many r turned to their countr>' after incredible sufferings, to be again e pelled in 1762; some went to France, where they formed a settle- 'ont at Helle Isle ; some went to the Antilles, and some at last U)\\m\ a true horn • in hospitable Louisiana. At the peace of 1763 a number of Acadians returned toNcua .Scotia, and their descendants together with those oi the inhabitants who had escap d from the persecution number now, according to Tabb^ Cascr.mx, more than [30,000 souls. This fecundity is won- derful, and if we consider the tenacity of those people, their attachment to their families, to their country, io their religion, we may indeed say with the warm hearted Canadian abb6 : " The Acadians are as astonishing for their virtues as for their misfortunes." We now close this brief sketch of the ancestors, alid proceed to a sUuly <>{ their descendants li\ ing in Louisiana. IL Mr. Gayarrk in his ' History of Louisiana,' says: " Between the ist of January and the 13th of ^[ay, 1765, about 650 Acadians had arrived at New Orleans, and Irom tiiat town had been sent to form settlements m Attakapas and Opelou.sas under the command of Andry." Many others of the unfortunate eriiles came to Louisiana, some from the Antilles, but the greater part, in rude boats built by themselves, floated down the streams flowing into the Miss- issippi and reached New Orleans, where they expected to find the white baimer of France. Two years before, however, the mfamous treaty of Paris ha'd been signed, and Louisiana now belonged to Spain. The Sp.miards had not yet taken possession ol the colony, and the French (officials received most kindly the unhai)[)y strangers. There they were on the levee of New Orleans with the'r wives and children, helpless, destitute, pos- sessing only a few articles of wearing apparel, they who a few years beti^re were pro.sperous farmers with comfortable homes and fertile fields. But at last thf'ir journey was ended and they were again to find a home and lands much more fertile than those which they had left. yVbout fifty miles above New Orleans, the Acadians gave their name to one of the parishes of Louisi- 12 .11. cm: f\')h'r/'j:fx'- aiM.aml tin- AcacK.in ooast, iuav railed St. jainos. was u\w. (.<" tlu- lii-bt sctlU'uuT.ts made by the exiles. Later tlu-v spread all alonii. the Mississippi River and the adjiMiiing hayoiis, ar.d tlieir de- scendants are to be found in every parish ui lower L<juisiana. They turai an important ami useful part of <>ur population, althoui^h many of them are as simple and ij^noraiu as their an- cestors of 1755. They are. however, .ucnerally honest and laboiioiis, deepiv relii^ious and very nuieh ifLichcd to the idiom (,; tlieir fidiers. Many ro.se lo the hii;he.sl pe.sition in tlie State and we lui\ e anu)n.4 us to-day elegant ladies ap.d cultivated gen tlemen belonging to the Acadian race. They are proud of their aiiccst(>rs, ;i!itl jusllv so, because if the latter were p<'asants, th(\v were, at the same time, mart>rs to their religious and jjatriotic feeliui^s. If there ever was ;,ay prejudice against the Acadians among the descendants of the early colonists, it existed only among narrow-minded people and was not maniiesl. Having dionght of the Acadians and their dialect as an inter esting subject to study, 1 deterinined to piy a \ is.t to the .•\ttakapas country niadi' classic by the genius of L( )N(.l r.l.i.ow. In the beginning of last September 1 left New Orleans at 7.30 a. m. by the Southern Pacific Railroad and arrixed at St. Mary's Parish after a journey of five hours. Along the route the train passed ihnaigh iields o<'tall sugar cane, yellow cnrri and golden rice. Every now and then we crossed a bayou, or a marsh or a forest. Shortly after le.iving the city we reach(.-d " liayou des Allemands" named for the ( lerman settlers who had been sent to America bv the famous John Law. In tin middle of the bayou is an islanil covered with trees and briers, on which is a hut which serves as a hunting lodge for the sportsmen, whose; canoes for duck shooting are to be seen ev(,'r\ where. Tribes grow to the <dge df the w.iter of all our bavons am. render the smallest stream picturesque. After passing another beautiful stream, Bayou Boeuf, we see a tew of the Indian niountls whicli are so interesting ti> the archae- ologist and the ethnologist, and at Morgan City, we cross the wide and turl);d Atchafalaya, the rival of the Mississippi, and which tlireatens, if not curbed by artificial means, t(> divert the waters of the great river Irom its present channel. A tew miles alt 'r passing Morgan City I leave the tr.iin and > am soon on a plantation situated on both sides of the Teche. 7V//-; .IC.IDLINS OF /.OUISIANA. 13 ;(> '>m After dinner I take my little nephews witli me and we i;() to the Havon. There is in front of the house a drawbridge which is opened every time a boat or raft passes. We sit on the bridge and I look on the waters Howini^ beneath and 1 can hardly see the direction of the current. A few months before the Hayou liad been a torrent overflo\vin.t>- its left bank. St. Mary's Parish is one of the most prosperous in Louisiana and everywhere there are central su};ar lactories witii the most mod(;rn appliances, the p<.werful mills, or the diffusion process, and through this busy scene of pro.tjress llow tln' tranquil waters of the Teche, its banks covered with moss ui'own live oaks. Here is the same spectacle which the poet has so admirably described. It is civili;:ation now, but side by side with the prime\al forest. Under the stalely oaks the children run and play while 1 lie upon the j^ra^s and iiuHlitate. My thouohts return to the past and 1 ima.yine what nuisv have been the feeliiij^s of the Acadians when they saw for the first time in 17G5 the beautiful Attakapas country. Not far from the plantation where I visited, is a villa,ye called Charenton. It is Init a hamlet, but it possesses a church and a coiuent of nuns. The i.;ood sisters of St. Joseph have estab- lished a school for j^irls which docs great good to the neigbor- liood. The mother superior, a very agreeable and intelligent ladv, is a descendant of the Acadians. Very near the \ illage is a .settlement of Indiar.s. I observed them wath curiosity, as they are the sole remnant of the Attakapas tribe, the fierce man- eaters. Some of the sipiaws are handsome, and the men have the real Indian type, although I am told that the ttibe is rapidly disappearing and mingling with the negroes. The women make very pretty reed cane baskets, ([uite different in design from those which the Choctaws sell at the h'rench market in New (,)r- h-.ms ; the men cultivate a little patch of ground and sell fish and gauie. (Jne hundretl years ago the Indians were numerous on the Terhe; they seem to have melted aw;iy without being inole>ted. 'l"he mere ronlact of civilization was suiftcicnt to cause them to vanish. It seems to have l>een an inevitable des- tiny and we may say in tlu words ot \'l( TDK in'OO: '• La chose siinpleiniiit (l\lk--nKMite ariiva (.'online la unit sv fail luistine le jour s'cn va." Two miles from Ciiarenton is th<; Grand Lac which 1 desired very much to see, so one morning at day break 1 started in a I' J4 .//. ( 7:7:' FOA' T/I-A' li,t,'lu l>u<;,yv with tho ohU'st of Tiilanc I'nivcTsitv. '11 my nc'pliews. ;i Sophomore of the lake ; we had to i>ass t \cw IS 111 realit\ no route lead IIU t(» or sever.il miles through a forest the hank ol the Teche and it gave me great pleasure to see bayou where it appeared most wild. After a ride of two 1 on tl le we left the shore of the 'Feci lours le and turning toward tlie interior we soon arrived at the lake. 1 felt delighted at the sight : bel stretehed the blue waters, which a light 1 late g;entlv, -.md in the d .schooners whieh seemed to be the wings of ore us )reeze causeil to undu- istance eould be seen the sails of two marine l)ii (is sk niin;^; ihc surface of th im- e wa\es. All around tin- lake is a fore.st and on the trees we could see the cardinal bird with his scarkt robe, th(> jay bird with his silver and blue jacket, the black bird with his golden eiiaulels, and what pleased me most, numberl ess mocking birds, th ose ii^bnirable songsters, which tl>e impudi-nt hnglish sparrow is rapidly driving away from ouy Southern at id. Being- so near the Atehufalaya, th.; Craiui I.ac is liable to overflow- and, la.st spring, its waters inundated a large e.\tent of c<nmtry. A levee made .n great part with shells has been erected by the o\v»ner of the plant ition iinmediati'ly adjoiningf the lake, and as there are large oak trees on the bank, the placc is a favorite result in summer for pleasure .seekers. While we were cro.ssing a little bayou by means of a tree which the wind had thrown down and wWu-h s.-rvr.,! is a suspended britige, we > us as the saw an o Id Iiulian on the other side, lie appeared t( spirit oi the 'ake summoned to protect it from the pale face, already, our imagination was taking its flight toward fairv wh anfl and en we were suddenly brought back to reality by the voice of :1 man who was speaking to us in Knglish. \everdid i,\\y n:Uional idiom appear to me more prosaic than in the mouth of us (lesc tl and t eiulant of the Attakapas. We hastened to leave 1 inn nunc uriied our eyes again towards the lake. Here my reverted to .mother scene and events long past presented them- selves to me. In the \ ear 1.S62, after the fall of New Orleans, our plantation, being on the Mississippi, fift the city, my father thought that it would 1 his family out of the reach (jf the invadi to St. .Mary's parish where th te :t the Attakapas country. .After a le ty-seven miles from e more prudent to put ug army and he sent us ere was a Coiifedi-rate army to pro- w months, however, the 7///; ./r. //>/./. v.v (;•• /.(>r/s/.ix.L 15 l'"cderals spr-'iul over tlu; country ;uk1 it was thou_y;ht adxisable ihat we should return home-. My hrollier, ai;e(l se\enti'en, «.:nlisteil as a Confederate s()ldierin the Trans-NIiss'ssippi depart- ment, and my fallu'r started w'.tli tlie younger chilchi-n on the return jonrnev. We emljarked in two larL;e skill's, with twcj Indians in each one as oarsmen, and we went down the Teehe. The tri|) was most pheasant to me as we jxissed throu;:;li num- berless Ijayous. stopjjiiiL; at ni^ht at the houses of t'riends, an<l takini^' our meals durint; the day under the shade of some lar;^^e tree. 1 ha\'e no recollection of the route, which ended only at the mouth of Ikiyou l'la(|uemin(.s, in Il)er\illc I'ar'sh, where there were carriages to take us home, but although only six vears old at the time, I shall ne\ cr foryet the anxiety of my fjthcr, when on enterin,^ the (irand Lac, the boomintj of a can- non was hearfl. It was thout;ht to be a l'\'deral yun-boat and our Indians were ordered to row most dilijuently. Twenty-eit^ht vears had passe<l since I had crossed the (irand Lac as a \\iv,\- tive. but yet on that September morning of i8c;o I thoui^ht I heard still the \()ice of our devoted father encouni^ini^ his little children with his tender words of love. While in .*^t. Mary I had occasion toxisit a nuiuber of planters who received uic \cry kindly and who did .ill in their power to help me in mv work. They introduced me to some Acadians and communicated to me a few characteristic expressions of the Acadian lan,<!iua!^e. 1 was, ho\ve\er, anxious to .see St. Martins- \ ille, ami after promisinj^- to return to .St. .Mary, I took the train and went to the oldest town on the Teche. It was with real pleasure that 1 started on my journey ; I IkkI never gone to that part of Louisiana before ant! exerythini; was new to me. I passed on mv w.iy Jeanerette and Xev. Il)eria in Iberia Parish. They are both thriving towns, die latter espicialjy. on ac coimt of its proximity to the celel»rated salt mines on Axtry's Island. It has a handsome (^itholii- church, an eleyant [lublic hij^h school and some beantifil ])ri\ate .residences, 'i'he following- extract from |udfe Mak tin's 'History ol Louisiana " t^ixes a very i>c)od idea of the s^eoiL^raphy of the Teche country: " The Teche has its so'arce in the j)rairie' ', the up|)er j)artof the settlements of Opelonsas, ,ui(l dnrini^ tlie season ot' hii^h water, (lows jjartiall)' into the (.\>urtal>leau. As it enters the settlements of Attakapas, it receives trom the rij^ht side !)avou Luselier, which bayou Honrbeux connects with Vermilion river. 1 6 \LCI':E I'ORTIh'.R A littl f IIRHC tli;iii twenty miles laithcr, it passes bclori- the tow i t)!' St. Martinsv il an (1 n aches, titteen miles after, the spot on wliich the Spiaianis. soon atter the <X'S.<ion, made a \am attempt to establish a city, to wh'eli the name of New Iberianvas destinech twenty miles from the mouth of th<; Teche, is the town ol h'ranklin." I may add here ihat the Teche becomes a noble- river shortly before niin^linc; its watt rs with those of tln' rapid Atchaialaya. From leanerette to New Iberia the fields presented '_ same beautiful crops of cane, rice and C(M-n which I had .seeii p'onij; the rtnite from New Orl'-ans, but after passin^^ New Iberiu, cotton bes^ins to be seen, and 1 noticed in one patch of i;rou. i the curi- ous fact of our four i^reat staples ji^rowin^ s'de Iiyside, cane, cotton, rice and corn. Such is the wonderful tertility i)t cuir .soil. St. Martinsville (\.i~)ci< not lie on the Southern Pacific Railroad and it is only latc-lv that it has been connected with the main line bv a branch leading to the Tcche. This may account for the stagnation of business in t}ie town, which before the war was very prosperous. 1 had letters of introduction to .several dis- tiniruished gentlemen, but I saw on arriving in that Creole town that a Creole needed no crede.itials to bt" wc^ll-received. 1 foimd myself among friends, I may say. among relations, as all the per- sons I met knew my family .md 1 knew theirs. I'"rench is essen- tially the language of the inhabitants and it is well spoken by the educated class. The latter speak English also, but the lower class speak the Acadian French niixeil with the 'Creole patois and a little English. In the interior settlements i au larirf) little or no English at all is sp)ken, and at Breaux Bridge, in St. Mar- tin Parish, and in the adjoining parish iA l.atayette, French is taught together with English in the public schools. Although we desire to see every child in Louisiana speak English we wish every one to speak French also, and T was very glad to see hinv the people of St. Martin are attached to their French. Among thtrsewho have done the most to encourage the study of French in his parish is Mr. Im-;i.ix X'oouhies, a descendant on his mother's side, of an old Acadian family. He has e.stablished a dramatic society for which he has written several charming comedies, and although he writes elegant brench he is perfectly familiar with the Acadian dialect. I am deeply indebted to^him tin- the interest he took in my work and the hi:lp he kindly gave me. I I TIIF. ACADIASS OF LOriSi.lXA. 17 Th t-ru IS but one hoti-1 in Si. M;»rtinsvillf ; it is a lar^c house th a wide ^alkry an \vi as ni :1 massive hrick cokimns. Everythin.q: is antL'-bclluin davs ; no rc^istfr awai the ts the names of the >^uests, and tlie owmu ■r see ns to have imphcit e.)nti(lence in the honesty of his boarders. As the criminal court was in session tlie members of the jury were taking tlieir <linner at the hotel when 1 arrived. There beinj^ no phu.e at the table for me I was ^nven mfortaWe rockin;^' chair .md 1 sat in the tlinai- room durinj> As several of them were Acadians I a CO the til. of the jurors. I'stenec'' very attentivelv to their conversation and took notes while tlie'^ were si)L'akin'4-. All of them spoke French, but the infllueirje .f English on their French was sometimes apparent. One of them spcakini,^ of an imi)ortant rri others express mma 1 case said to the vous serez tons lockes f locked up ) ce soir. Another, to his contempt of the argument of a lawyer, said : (;a, (;"a 1 fion ave moue, that d )es n,)t produce much effect \\ me, and h;s friend rejilied : il aur.i U!i bou boat (pronounced cette affaire. Althou>rh 1 was very huno;ry 11 a pas o[ran( bou(c) encore avec I was sorry to see the jurors leave the table to go to the cou rt house to be lockH. After dinner 1 took a walk over the town and never liave I seen a more ni so few bar-rooms. ni e of antyefoi-i, as depu lict and orderly place m\(\ one where there arc The life in that old Creole town reminded denicttul W, me nianv tnues b\- my ai^ed friends. There was not nuich animation in business, l)ut order iled evcrvuhere and the peojile were uni- and decency preva fonnlv .iffible and politt ■^l»ei \t th e evenmu \erv '/leasai ith kith mv host, his wife and his ^rai Imother. con\ersing with the old ladv abou ttl le past. I awoke very early the lie window ol niv room 1 saw a •neath, its walei the distance, a prairie abovt' wh <t morniny;, and on opening; the j.rettv sioht : the bayon was just •s i;rei'ii with water jilants and rushes and in ich was rising resplendent a heard at the door, and aiiswerinij;- ui) of real Creole A kn ock wa^ Se[)tember sun. it I found a litde m'!.;ro <;irl briiiviint; me a cup A\^c. bff. At a short distance from the hotel is the rhureh, on the e-reen the statue of the last < urate, halht r Jan belo\ed b\- his parishioners. 'I'he re which stands who diet! an oetot>enariau present priest, Father I-ani;! ois, IS a I) otauist of >'|-eat merit who i8 ALCkE FOR riF.R obiit 16 (.jiisdeni iiiensis f. jean fraiivi'i'- I has made important clisc(>v(M-U'S in tiu' flora of Lonij^ana. He is a corrfspondiu;^ nK'inl>er of I'AiIk'Ucc (.uuisiiinais, and I deter mined to pay him a visit, lie received me very kindly and showed me his admiral)le botanical eollections. 1 asked his l)ermission to look over the chure.h rejrister, and on ttuninj;- to the year 1765 ' saw the reeord of the first child Ix^-n of Acadian parents in St. Martin, prol)al)ly the hrst horn in Louisiana. I j;ivc here the exact copy, with the orij^inal spellinj; and pnneuia tion as per certified copy kindly made f.ir me by Tabbe Lang- lois : " l.aii mille Sept cent soixantc ciiiii U- oiize may je pij' capiuiii Missioiiaire aposloliciiie ciir^^ de la n<-'"« nccadie s()vi'^si.i;iit'. av Itaptise avee !fs les ceremonies ortliiiairts do h-^iilisf niir'-ruiTite amu' iu''e la vcillt' (If IfKilimr Mariage d'oIivit-T tliitiaudaut et de niaj^dflaiiK- Uroussaid ses pere et mere It'parrain a est^- Rlmu' iralian, el hi Mai- raine Marie tliil)audaiit (pii ont ilt'clar^- w sa\ oir siii;MLi fir ce recpiis selon I'orddnnance aux altakapas ks juiirs ct an (pie dessiis (siyn^) f. jean t'rancois e. cure; Masse Anoyii " OHn :er Thil)audaut. the father of the little j.;irl born in 1765. was a descendant of the celebrated meunier Thibaudaux, seig- neur dc Chipody in Acadia in Poutrincourt's time. The family is exceedingly numerous in Louisiana and they have given their name to one of oui towns on Bayou Lafourche. One oi thi' Thibodanx was President of the Senate in 1.S24 and was acting (iovernor for a few weeks, after the resignation of (lovernor Robertson. The Broussards, the family of Olivier Thibodaut's wife, are also \ery numerous in the State, Thibodaux. Brous sard. Landry, L.eblanc and Bourgeois are the largest fan'iilies in Louisiana of Acadian descent. In the register of St. Martin church 1 saw also the name of a distinguished Louisianian, a professor in the Oratorian order in France and curate of St. Martin for many years. Ktienni, ViKi. translated in beautiful Latin verse, the twenty-four books of Fenf.LOn's ' Telemaque.' Louisiana may well be proud of a writer of whom FL\k rHEi.FMV, the authf)r of the ' Nemesis,' has said : " \ifl. tpii de K^nelon \irgilisa la prose." There being such vast prairies in the Attakapas the Acadian settlers compared them with the wide expanse (vfthc Ocean and THU .ic.in/.i.vs OF /.()('/sr.ix.i. 19 iipplit'd to thorn many nautical ti-rnis. 'TIk y say <r/A'r d?( /n'ffc, or iiictlrc <) /a voile when tlu.y start to cross the prairi«', and an island is, in thuir lan|t,aiajt;c, a pieix- of w<ioilod jiiroiind in the prairie. 1 was shown /'//c de^ Cypres while in St. Martin. It is in a prairie which is not tar Ironi the Cirand liois, an immense forest which begins in the Altakapas country and extends as lar as the Arkansas line. !n the ( ".rand Hois, near St. Martinsville, are a number of lakes of which one, lake Catahoulou, is two and a-lialf miles Xow^i, ;ind tliree-fonrths of a mile wide. It is one hundred and ten feet dei-p and is said to be beautitul. It is a LH-eit place for hunting :uul hshing- but is full of alligators and gar fish. 1 was show-n an .Acadian who, being in a canoe on a tishing excursion, was followed by a gar fish about twelve feet long. He seized an opportunity. and jumi)ed on the l)ack ot the fish which dived with liim to the bottom of the lake. On arising from the water our hero said to his terrified companions : " now, he will not return." This individual was a real type and h.is conversation was very instructive in its quaintness. St. Martins\ ille was the home of a true hero, Alcibiade De Hlanc, ex-justice of our Supreme Court. It was he who started the White League moveiiumt which was to save Louisiana from carpet-bag and negro rule. Not far from the town in Latayette Parish lived another trui' and chixalric Lo'uisianian, Alexaiulre Mouton, ex-Gt)\crnor and United States Senator, who was the son of an Acadian exile. He died lately at a very advanced age, and Louisiana could but bless the English for sending her a race that could produce such men as the ( '.ovtrnor and his son, the valiant general who fell a victor at Mansfield. The eminent men that have arisen among the Acadians in Louisiana .show what good elements there are in that race, but unfortuiHitely, they are, as a rule, lacking in ambition. They are laborious, but they appear to be satisfied, if by cultivating Uieir patch of ground with their sons, they manage to live with a little comfort. The mother and daughters attend to the house- hold duties and weave that excellent fabric called the colonnade. The greatest defect of the Acadians is the little interest they take in education ; a great many are completely illiterate. As ihe pui)lic school system progresses, education will spead grad- ually among them, and being an intelligent race they will pro- duce many men like Alexanilre Mouton. Kducation will, ol course, destroy their dialect, so that the work of studying their I ^( W^M M M- customs and lan<.'ua*'e must not be lony ' >laved. JO Oil Siiiulay. SrpU'in Ai.ci:i: i-oh'rn'R Ikt 2ist. I wfiU to (luirch when' I siu t!u- v\h<)U' popuIatuMi (> f ihc town ;ii 1(1 afU'i l>iil<lin'j a'licii t«> my iuwlv-iua<lt' IriciK • t'litlriiu'ii am iliaii cxpi )s. I lc«t St. Martinsvilli.' wIk-it I had met kind I tail- lad'K's, takiiij^; with iiu' a i;()<'«l stoik ot Aca- ■eshUMis. A tru hours later 1 was a^aiii in Si. M irv s Parish. 1 wished this tiiiK- to livi- in the prairie where 1 thou;Jit there would be a hetter ohaiire of ohserviii.i; the Aeadiaiis. The prairie is now ent'.relyeullivated arounil jianc-rette and is dotte.l e\'ervwliere w'*'^ '''" »-r>tt-i<r».< ot" the sni;iU farnu rs .uul with the com ^ th the cottages of the small farnu rs .uu fortahle houses of the larK<- planters, l-or a week I roamed eic kiiu eiioU''li ,dl o\er the country with some friends who w to take me to the places of interest and to the persons wli(» niii;lu help me in my work. liavinj- heard that every Saturday evenin- tlu're was the prairie, I reciuested on*. a ha II m )f niv friends to take me to see one We arrived at ei,>ilit o'clock, hut already tlu- ball had be-un. lu the yard were vehicles of all sorts, but three-mule carts were uiost numerous. The ball room was a l.irv;e hall with t;alleries ,dl around it. Wh.'n we entered it was crowded with persons (lancuii to the music of three fiddles. I was astonished to see that nothiiiii ^\':is as' ;ed f( )r entrance but I was told that anv white pe rson decentiv d lessee! could come m. Tl e man v^ivinji; the ntertainment deiivid his pn.lil> from the sale of relreshment^ .Vlv friend, a wealthy younjj; planter, born in the neighborhood, introduced me to many pei •.sons and 1 had a uood chance to hear the Acadian dialect, as ever\ body there Jjclou'^ed to the Acadian race. 1 asked a pleasant lookinj; man: ,S7 St elle ici ie correi •ted me by rep Ivinji \'otre 111 in Om. ni.i denioi- 'r est !a. .sons However, he did not say /f/rs messieurs lor hi; but spoke of them as ines iiar^-oiix, althou!.;h he showed me me his dame. We went tot^ether to the refreshment r w oom here were beer aiid lemonade, but I observed that the favorite linn k was black ((jlTee, wliich indeed was ( •xcellent. At midnieht 1 ; it was chick en 'jon ibo with rice, the na- supper, was servet tional Creole dish. Most of the men appeiireil uncouth and awkward, but the youn-i .^irls were really charm inj,''- 'I'bey were ele.^ant, well- dressed and e.\ceedini>ly handsome. The)- had larj>c aiul soft I'ves and beautiful black hair. Seeinj.; how well they .stonished and j-rieved to hear tiiat i)robal)ly very black looReu was a THE ACAHIASS OF /.Of/rS/.IX.l 31 fiw of tluMH could ri-ad or write. On listfiiin^^ to the conversa- tion 1 could easily see that they had no education. French w.is spoken by all, but occasionally Rniilish was heard. Alter supper my trieiul asked me if I wanted to see /<• pare iVix />t///s. I followed hiui without knowing what he meant and he took me to a room adjoining; the dancing h.dl. win re I saw a nund)er of little children thrown on a bed and sletpinti'. The mothers who accompanied their d.i\iyhters had left tlu' litde ones in ihv. />nrr aux peiits before passing' to thedanciui; room, where 1 saw them the whole evening assembled toKClher in one c(jrner of tile hall and watching over their daughters. I. c parr mix pcii/s interested me very much, but I fouiul the gand)ling room stranger still. There were about a dozen men at a table l)laying cards. One lamp suspended from the ceiling threw a dim light upon the players who appeared at first sight very wild, with their broad brimmed felt hats on Uuir heatLs and their long untrimnied sun burnt faces. There was, however, a kindly rxpression on every face, and everything was so (juii't that I saw- that the men were not professional gamblers. I saw the latter a dittle later, in a l)arn near by whire they had taken reluge. About half a dozen men, playing on a rough board by the light of two candles. I understood that these were the black sheep of the crowd and we merely cast a glance at them. ! was desirous to see the end of the ball, but having been told that the break-up would only take place at four or five o'clock ill tlu' morning, we went away at one o'clock. I was well-pleased with my evening and I admired the perfect order that reigned, consiilering that it was a public atitair and open io all who wished to come, without any entrance fee. My friend told me that when the dance was o\er the nnisicians would rise, and going out in ilie yard would hre several pistol ^^hots in the air, crying out at die same time : Ic bal est fmi. The names of the children in Acadian families arc quite as strange as the old biblical names among the early puritans, but much more harmonious. For instance, in one family the boy was called Duradon. and his hve sisters answi-red to the names of Kllige, Enyone, Meridie, Ozeina and Fronie. A father who had a musical ear called his sons, Valmir, Vahnorc, Valsin, Val- cour and Valerien, while another, with a tincture of the classics, called his boy Ueus, and his daughter Deussa. 32 t /.('/:/■ r\)i<Tn:h' All i!k' Acadiiins ai i«)!iK's never set'in [ (• yivat niKf.s aiul tli« y ami ihi ir little to 1)1' tiifd. riu'V oftin have i\ritiii« raies. ivinj; is wry clu-ap in tin- prairie ami tin- huiII farna'r.s pn' (luce (.n their lanns ahno.st everything they use. At the slcrt- they exchanj^e ey>«s aiul hens tor city j^ooils. Several fanners in the prairie still have sii^ai housi s with th.- .^Ul-fashioneil mill. lhr<-f per|)en(liiular r(.Iler^ turn. d by nml. -. horses. Tliev fwve some means, hut are so mu. h .itta.lu-<[ 1(1 ways that they will not rli,m.ue. It will m»l be lon^. r, before the younj^vr generation replaces ifie .mtiquatnl The .Aiidians are or to th e o lowevo m ill with the wonderful modern inventions. an intellimnt, i)eaeerul .md honest population ; they are he^in Iready stated, Ii.im Without education. f tl u-m, as a ninjk^ to un()ro\e, indee<l many o been di,stini;uished, but as yet l«'o maiiv an Let all I.ouisianians take to heart the eause ol edueati.m and make a cru.sade a^^iin.st ignorance in <ftn- coinitry [)arishesl liefore leaving the ptairie I look .idvantai^f of my |)ro.\imity to the (".ulf to pay a \isit to C'Ate lUaiuhe. The coa.sl ol 1 ,ouis- iana is Hat. but in the .Atlakapas country live islands or eleva tions break the monotony. Th esi- .ire ruuv;('^l -i'"' abrupt ami present some beautiful scenes. A few miles I'rom the prainc is a forest railed C>premort ; it is being cleared, and ilu- land is admirably adapted to sugar caiK. The road leading to Cote Hlanchf passes for three m ilcs through the forest and along ('y prcmort Haycjii, which is so shallow that large trees grow m it and the water merely trickles arouiul them. On leaving the w ood we enter on ,i trembling pr urie ovtr vvhicli a ro id h; IS been built, and we soon le.ich Cote Blanche. It is called an island, because on one side is the gulf .ind on the others is tlu- We ascended a bluff about one hundred teet trembling prairie. high and beheld an c-nchanting scene, in the rear was the wood which we had just left, stretching like a curtain around the prai- rie, to the right and to the left were a number of hills, one ot which was one hundred and fifty-seven feet high, covered with tall cane wa\ ing its green lances in the air, while in front ot us stood tin.' sugar house with large brick chimneys, the white house of the own^-r of the ^ ;,.:e. the small cottages of the negroes on both sides of .. v, -t''^ i-o:i<l, and a litde farther tin- blue waters of the ( lulf. . .'.j>pr(iached the edge of the blutf, and a> I louki'd at the waves tlashing against the shore and at tin Tin: .K .!/>/! v.v or /.or/.s/.ix.i as •sun slowly si'ttinij in a rloudk-ss sky, I cxclaiini'*! ; " l.a^vrenrc, <K'strnyrr of tin- Acadian lionn-s, ytmr ciiKlty has t'aiW'd. This hcantiful country was awaitinj,' your victims. W'v h uc lirit no U;iy ot" l'"unily with its iinincnsc tid's, no rook^, n<» snow, tint \\c ha\c a land |)i<'tiucs<inc aiwl wonderfully I'crtilca laiwl whcri' men arc kw, our Louisiana is luitcr than your A<a<lia! " III. 1 am indebted in part tor the list ot'provcrlis and curious say- inv^s I shall otVci lo the 11. mi. 1'"|.;i.ix N'ooumis, of St. Martins- ville, who made the followiiii;- interestiii;^ remarks to me al)t)Ut (he .\cadian dialed ; 'i'"ach locality has itspecullar patois, thus at the u^per limit of our parish, one uses expressions which are never heard at the lower limit. The dialed in I,aloin'<'he difil'ers I'.ssentially fron> that which is in use in St. Maitm, at Axoyelles or on the Wrmil- lion Hayou." Tlif ri-marks of Mr. VOukimI'S are correct as 1 ha\e myself ol)ser\ed, and they may apply with c<pial truth to the patois in li.uice, where' ditHerences are found in the speech of the peas- ants livinji; within the same dialed hoimdaries. Local iuMuences li,i\e always inoditicd the lan^•ua^c of uneducated people, even when they belonj^ed to the. same race; political inlluences ha\e also been verv powerful, tor instance, the more or less complete .-;t ihjuyation o f the c(Mupiered by the conquerors The dif- tcrciK-e of races, however, is the greatest cause of the difl'erent <li,ilects. lust as the Latin i^ave rise to the eiylu Romance tongues, the laitsiiic f/V;/7\vas divided into ditferent dialects, ilue in threat part to X\\v ditVcrence of races in the provinces ot the north of France. in the '^ame way we may account for some of the variations in the Acadian dialect of Louisiana. Canada and Acadia were set- tled mainly by emigrants from Normaiuh', I'oitou, Aunis, Hrit- tanv and Picardy, with a few from I'aris. The dialectical peculiarities of the ancestors may still hv found, to a certain extent, amonj; the descendants, although the\- must h.wc been \ery nnich weakened by lom^- residence in America. The con- slant interniarriai;i' of peoj)le whose fathers were fn^m ditilerent l)rovinces tended certainly to er.isc the jjiculiarities ol speech, and at the tiuic of the disjiersioii of the Acadians in 1755, their 24 AI.CEE FOKin'R lancvuaue must h.ve V.n nearly unitor.n. I shoulu, thyrdorc, .rrhe at the conclusion that the <lirtVrcnces u, tlu- Acadian <l.a- i: m Louisiana are due m..re to local inllucnce. than to the ,.ro.incial peculiarities of speech of tin Xorn.an or West I. rancc Lestors. The English lan-^ua^^ l-s naturally cvrted a gieat influence en the Louisiana Acadian paioi.. and so have the Spanish and Creole p.tois. producing thus a very mtercstm^ Speech mixture. The .lialect by contact v-th torc:^n lan^na^es Ins lost sonu-what .i its simplicity observes ^r.■. \ ookhu-s, but it' has gained in originality. The iollouin, expressions, o, which some are very nuaint and p,cturesc,ue. bear out the truth of the above assertion. As 1 intend to contmue my studies ot he Acadian dialect in the dh^Tcnt localit.es, so as to be abkN by a study of the peculiarities, to arrive at a better understandm, of the whole subject, 1 shall indicate from svhat parish die dHter- ent specin\ens are taken. 1. I'yow the I\irisli of SI. Martin. •M .- tv.,,,1 rniibillr Si);uiisli fiif>i!i''. diniiniitivi' of ^-'^'^^^'V;;;;;"'i;'conne;'u'n';;mt\hLvurd i.^s proper to state 1^; the Acadians sonulimes use ex|.ressi.M.s u lucli are m reality Rood French, hut in.t in coniin..n r,s.-. I riiki' but is se doin used. . ,- - i ,, stickv mud in tlie i>rairi'.'S. , ,, , i i.-, „■,!., n,„s Irs For^/arfn's, d.nns la misere, dans 1 .nd.arr.as. be. 1 uulo r)M-<. ;i rctnotc seUUiHcnt . A'iji.r la l^'r/. V \L in dan,.r ui death. A',//,.". .- ,k.ss very .u a, r/;r/a/./<. a slap uith the h;u;k ol tlu- hand. /i/cwczir. corruption of blemir, ..xprcssive. answer for that. I 'n plcin dc .uriil>t\ a ii,reetl\ man. ha'-<() without sayni'^ a word. .,,••;.' > ; ■ r/;..T;r;,toconvers.. Wy nuuh u.e.i. S.-'Mneio, m. "Kl innt eii faseiit la . u.MTatlo," Fn.drr sun ,ar,,vnuu u. IrM .nun: on.. <;arM<nnn, Hnni Spaniel. / n /...,./^;Tm!m to he !. ared. Imuu, ,/^;r da n,:,jra/r. 1 Till-: ACAniASS OF i.nvisiANA. The Acadiaiis use the ioHowinj^ expressions ixarowed troni Vhe Creole patois : Ml))! mirdcmaugcy, tlie stoiiiaili. Man te)idi\ tlie ear. Mo)i soifL llie nose. Mo)i oi (l(ii)\ the eve. 'iiirc I liUiu •I poti-aii, to prevent a yomrj; man tVoni daiuini with a vomi'. ■irl. )■(,' /iirs- pjs taiitot. tUire must he no deiav, I'-l tiif iii;itl<'r W- st ■llU-d nimedialely. / ';/ 'cuidi, a man vvitlicjut ener>!;y, as soft as emdy. / ';/ tr/tni/i\ a vonng cock from tlie !'ai<j;. iJ^aiitr. (.'a') ion, a sta'llion. (See luiR. and .Scoth gar)-iVi and g/iffoft a a work liorse.) L-ltUn;, Hadji'uhi\ to .s|)«';.1k .1/, iDiOi/irr i\\<.- h)ud, Irom i^ur/i/r. pronounceil djeuh' m conculjinai;:t. i lu'val di\s chrDihis, a liorse wliich ambles. riri'K dc l\rih t'> die The word virer, to turn, is very connnon It heau It is nst'd in many compounds chiivs, the horns of a cow. klior, a line fellow (ironically |. rr- iiii)nflirs, the tail, vi): /oil)- pour rhii)-, /Jit"-bi\ lo llee. I'sed a^. an /'( hoc inobably from kx/. oi tU'r >i< loiuitnii' a hne dress. lla»i]Hi'y HH 7i'ii.v-tii (Oini, to jrivc a ^• d bratiui, lo mak<' him rui /\uis /r.s poii.v dr hois, samv as dd)is Ics FofdorIit\-~, lo be m distn-ss. raille)- divis /<■ gingas, to lie. ('o//pr')- /<J pca/i (-'i(7f()/n, m i'\;i'^\i<i... - /(//as, Ions spnrs. (i'"''- ''"''''i' I'roven(.ai r.ifCti. a worthUss ate. C/ia/oin, tht- raccoon. /->, \ rata hor.- 1)IK/, 'I':tvmoli;Ldsches WTirterbuc h reihiny/ii louvcttc eii dcii'\\\iAA\\ out with som<- one. corr<'spondm.i lo ) ooiprt' id pai//r. / II ^I'os dtx. ,1 rich man. Juiirr /a djnt/e douce, to play the hv|)ocrit.'. /■;/ ^rand /i)i,iiite/iiiv:iic. i tall, awkward fellow. /hir ca/iii, a doll ; as in the Crtole i^atois. Mc//ie an pare or parqiicr dcs aiiiinau X, to lake them from ih prairie and ))laee them within enclosnres. Mc//ic au corai/. is also frciincnt, from Snanish corral. 1 with litrlu hair (cheveiix <h,'il.iinl / 'lie chd/iiie. a womai / 'lie gcriiiiiu\ a fust cousin. '/'oii'irr /cs iiioii/ons, corrni>tion i)\ /oiidre ( 'rier pour la piro to call for h.l|). olu n used while playin card from tli" lanuna.iic of hunters. V /lisciii/. (,'raissci ut ca/oqui)!/c, to beat I'ciidrc so (laio/i, a gatr. probably from hrench t /ai( .Id ■n-nch I ■/oil I'loXHMU.a clclc//a. 1 cli'da, Middlr I. at. clida and c/ia. diminutive (1)11,/., •l"tvm<.>lo,i.Aisclus '/iitcar, I'rovi-iual near ami Of Celtic on!j,ni. Wiirtcrbiich.') Ii'utlicr, to call in a loud voice. Irom •I char, rieard hiiqner, picin, ue/i't I'rom iiuc/ii I coiner hiielic/, hunter's horn. N orm an houter, l'.ui;hsh hoot. (I)ii-;7., 'i'",tvmoloKist lies Worterbuch.'i Montr snr le c/aioii / liHc/ie-/es, is often hearil. 'll( !>'l I //in I a t^anu- ( •ock, from Spanish dlina. ("nc hocot/e, a sm.all wonian, fat and not eles^ant I'.tve sans reserve, to be reatb for the hsht. I e passc)- au cai/et, to brat h;!ii. 26 ALCEK FOR TIER With regard to the fondness of the Acadians for nautical terms referred to above, the following lines sent me by Mr. Voohhiks on the subject are very interesting : "Us vous diront: En s^ai^nani Ic large, vous aurez a votre gauche une He (lue vous cdtoicrcz. Vous verrez un grand bois dans le lointain— quand vous aurez navigue une bonne partie de li journC'c, vous arriverez a ce bois dans Vansc x, y, ou z. 11 y a iri une maison : vous n'aurez qu'a liHcr, et un tel viendra vous recevoir Si vous pouvez continuer, il vous pilotera dans ce bois, Hutrement vous n'aurez qu'a vircr de bord et revemr ici. 11. From the Parish of St. Mary.. J\iHse is the prairie advancing in the wood like a small bay. // a 'plon^i', he gave way (he 'dived') throiis^'h fear. Haler to^niU. Much mort conmion than tirer. Chapotn; to whittle a piece of wood ; corruption of Kng. chip. {vrtS^! mil (inTy i"''"«';i"'''K ^'^K'^t*^' *^^ '" ^^- ^''''■^'"' ''"^ syn.Miyuu.iis with pare explained above. ■ /Vtrt/^/- to weep, from ;^//(?«/<''-. I.'eujaut imalc , ,. , ,^ J/Jpw raS'/^ "H- pipe. From rroven<;al C achimbau. (Sc-e 'Mireio," xii.) , . , • • Avoir le respire eourt et le discours egare, to be dying. Fortover, to swim. ,,,..., ^ Comportemevt iVun eheval, the gait of a horse. Faire ehaudiire ensejub/c, to marry. , , , r %teharae iei, Pateharac /a to strike riglU and It-ft, prol,al,ly from patatras. Tchieadeuee, meche de fouet. ,. ■ ^ , SefiiviPer, to dress oneself well, from ad}., pi>„pa>,t. Ah! laguitiehe, Ah! \he disagreeable woman, trom gnnehen.v. Du fard, for la faree. . //'v",7*'-,-^v the harness. Another nautical term. , • , ^5/i;nt;«, a finger.sore,-prohably from fouUler, the sore being dec p ' enough to be dug inbv Grhniner la terre, to pulverise the ground. Terliboueher, to laugh. i-S/£'^t;;'iS'oru, a fight, to shrink, as the milk ou be.omiug clabber. . fhir limit 'ie a lioness, trom tiie I'-Uglisn. [."nvS to' whi,>, probably another nautical word, trom garoehou; J.a roufixe"^^^^^^. The expression, Premls ta routine a voloute. is to dismiss some one. . , , ,- i ; / .. ( -ne halleuse, a dancer, from hat, but reminds us ot old V rench hale> . ;;S::;:?-2t;;- y:-'^.--'- ^"^^- ^" soutad>re,nejr te n.onte, pre- Cela fail ^irf 'u n*=?kes one shiver, it is astonishmg. A ronimon exclamation. ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^. ^^^,^.,^^^^^^ ,,^, ^.^^j,,^,^ /',„. /,^,vv a rockinir chair. I examples uf tiie shortening ot words so ^'; m' - ■ ■' a piece c.mnion in a patois. Or are they fn.n, '"' """''• -^ '''^'^- I (, Kr. hars and bat. mors-us." Finbaiiehrr. to sit together on a bench. Qr quine, it is progressing : trom quine m a same. THE ACADIANS OF LOUISIANA. 27 . An Acadian called Charles, guing to the jf the (laii>;hter ofanother Charles, said ; /' vas /} e II la ft III' (i tocuiHe. .^faiortic, marriage. niarriajie o( la tnaiunw (liu, in common use lor loinbe. Tiu tbllovving expression was heard at the.honse of an Acadian Oii'a qii'alle a qtta crie /—Allc a qu'alle a elm. i'li branlcyx cradle. A ^ood word, .is tlie cradle used to hang from the ceiling of tiie room. Coutre-ceiiilurCy a ditch. M'.v ii,^ali\^, corn shucks; a ct>rrui)tion from dgars, as the shucks have somewhat the slia|H- of a cigar. Ihinitre en pC'liiH\ a fence with palings. t' — / — o- u- y- ai oi ail fit on II n f ' — </- ,/- h- J~ I- n- '/- ; — /- .1 I'HONliTICS.* pronounced generally A and a as in I>ench, but the tendency is to lay much stress ui>oii tlu- A and to make it a. The a is often changed into u, as in tiie Creole patois, fiopa, viutnan. the o is generally lost ; the !•: often becomes a: chizre for ch'ere, alle for cV/V; .\oal for .VV'^^/,- e remains ; .^ becomes ui ; inesure, becomes mmsure. remains, or has tlie sound of il. \\\poli\ lioH.pion. -the O hardly exists, cliose and lote, l)eing both jMonipunced chase and cnte. -pronounceil ;> ; une becomes r>ne. -has the sound of L in pays, luaLi. -has tile long sound in vrai (vre). -Ik'.s kept in many words tiie Norman \VR in nioi, /lliitois, lot, etc. pronounced also e : Jroid becomes yrr^/ ,• icfioidif becomes frcdir. becomes sometimes UAN : /;/«/ often pronounced mUAN. —pronounced J, p:nre. —becomes ui : /uiociu', Europe become uigene uirope. —becomes sometimes o: on cst-cc .' pronounced o est-ce? —the n of the nasal is lieard and the //;/ (jften becomes ve-N. pronounceil very often tcli : cure (tclnir^). -becomes dj : Dicu (Djeu). At end of word sounds like /as in ijuand followed by a consonant : (|uand (cpi.-mte le ferez-vous ?). always pronounced at <t\\(\ of word iwrfs. oeufs, etc. -Tiie h asjiirate liardly exists: des zliaricots, des zheros, etc. -sometimes /, Zo/e {ox Joseph. •ofti-n dropped : i va for il va ; the 1. always pronounced like y. -sonietiuies n : mani^re. -always proiK)unced in eiiiq. -very often dropiied : jjou for pour, joii {ov jour, etc.; l)y a curious transformation reeette becomes arcette./r^'wr,:' becomes perne/. ■pronounced at end of word : alors becomes alorse ; chauj, ed into r : laiil pis becomes taut i^ire. oft'-n not pronounced : piasse ior pia.lre. -prououuic'd like .v at end of word : eusse, ceuse, deusse, sisse, disse for eux, eeu.v, deux, six, di.r. -is sometimes replaced by J : J^non for Zenon. With n^marcl to the pails of spcecli ihcre is little to observe in the Acachan dialect ; there is, of course, a ^reat deal of contrac- * I'lir I'liDiiclic signs are from Passy's ' Les Sons Uii Fr-iiisain.' 28 ALCkE FORTir.h' tion, of abbreviation, as in fill, fl'ivis, c'fc Jnnvn\ et( thelanuuai^ieorall iiiif(lucaU.d ix^upK Tlu- liaison with tht- \ and / is ijcnerally incorrci fhoiitil and tlu more rare the liaison which is \ thi- l-'ri-nch, the liiatus is a t; the /beinu pronounced like Iv. like /; nn i^ryos-t-lionimc. On aixoiint ot 'luu-h more frequent in tlu: dialect than m Imost unknown in the fornur The peculiar part of the s.vn tax of the Acadian is the use ot the ]>ronoun /"/lion, J'aricns of the first pt t person sinti^ular wi th a plural v( rb and often th.it same form o Ih e Dronou ns of the third persi jn : // ,'fians, i f the verb used widi Is r lions. Instead of j\ivo)is the contr acted torin/"<w.^' is trequc nt. The neuter \(i bs such as ali<t\ pariir, soi with avoir auxiliarv i Tl u: re Ilex ive \erl)S :///, etc.. are usually conjnuated nerallv dropped tlu a\c' sje V;-, 'I'he formation of nouns from \ Mr. V(><iKHii:s calls my attc erbs is common as in 1* rench ntion to two interesting; words : I m pisf from pesfr iiUC troinpr ( unc em ID ) from se ironipcr. 1 :fer briefly here to tlupecu liarities of the dialect, as in tlu' longer \vn below the points )f interest will be fully ex- re specinuMis .^i plaiiu'd. The two lollowiniv letters are interesting not only as specimens of the dialrrt. but also with rc-ard to folklore, as the customs and UKUUKTS of the Acad.ans are described. I am nulebted nrincipallv for the subject matter to Mr. Zknon DK MokI'KLI.k. toinu'rly of I'ointe Coupee Parish, whose valuable sug-cstions with reg.ird to writing the dialect 1 alst. desire to acknowledjri-. I'KI'.MIIKK I.KTIUi;. r.ayoH Cliont^Hiu,\ Ir 3 \ovein/»r iS<,<>. Mos CMi.K Mcs^it a I'liii.Di.oocK. .lire- out ni 'ronnais et i.i ' K-s aiUies v. Mil i <mUT ..a .Is savmns - I .m ^i. • .1 as 'a 'ai.lurs attenchM dire ciae Ics pr.nners Uuhc^ns uV V • I ■ '•tion. arrives <h. Nor.l par h.- M.ssippi. Us venmns drs i.HHu's c ^^'.'-l -ns ,'-p.nT/.ll.^s tout 1. Iour du ikaue ^'V^;';."- *, 7' '' , t^. a ■^T.nul bancle avi/.ns arrett< cotc^ nous autres lis etmn. to s •s 1. Uears d des eonrmrs cU-s hois. I.a bcaiUe des chauva:4ess s Is •, ions entes; ..a fait v en a pUin dans lmix mUns .pn s avajus uaH^ vl'- o s lili;; d.s hois. Mouan j Vn o.nnaj. ,.le,n dcs Huml .s idU. qu'a du san- rhauva«e et menu- qu .Is et.ons '...-n lu.', -h ; '^;-.^rst ,;,Mri,lm.,l ..r,h-v.r.,ns.dwi,h ,„o, ,. of Ins, ,„:rs„M .,i„u. H-.d tlur.l |i.rs. 1)1. 4 Entmilu =; ' «"" ' • THE ACAPIAKS OF LOl^ISIANA. 29 U'-cfiulre (les premiers liabitants; i^ s'disioiis les seiils vrais Anit'n- cams. I'oiir lors (lone em u- fois (^'tal)lis icite tons CfS j;aillavds-la \ ions mis a Iravaillcr diir ; el pi i s'ljlioiis s a (lelV.'i^hi 7 i-t iielt'-yt' bati (IfS caliaiies ft avions (I'la U-rrt; t-l diactm dans eux aiilres a en emu ■;ert nou CU lliver dn mais. du tal ac, de Tindii ile a Venn la (-anne et ensuile le ri/ it l)ouconp pins lard ilu foton et pi ensii N'os s;rands-i)opas a\iuns en lioucon dans uinn ieniie temps, (|nand ma jianvre deiinte moman p (lis pilits. (,'a me failjon^ler me faisail der dii\:()lon pon faire la i ulonnade ; les (ils Anions tindnsv l)leus 011 .„,.-.... Alors on avail (les bien jolies lehiilolles et (les vtT-renses'o pon aller v.ais prommer rdimanche. On avail (-W- d auparavant a la cat roiitres. niesse i)ou api)rendre le caK'ilnme aver le iiarc'" on taisailsa i)remii're comnuini'.)n. tcluiri' ft i)i (|uand on elail Oh! maisc'elail eune bean r, on sentail iin'on <'tail leK're comme nne p |i)n pas teiite pou hniK t'aire enne pcjchiT;, a rieii anrail pn me A rien m'anrait fair t: vn'ei (le burd el i)rendre em ne iriauvais chemin connne les manvais 'a rnimenls. Aassib'it on tjlait assez .^lan d V )ou travai betes. Noire popa noil's donnail lonjours enne tile tanre '3 p conmiencer el an iioiit de ipiecpie lemps alle '4 avail nn veau, g- ler la lerre, on soit^nail les onr fail que chacnn dans nous mires avail un p'lit con.nuncnuiU pou nons inarier Nons anlres dans la campas;ne on se mariaU .1 t ienne. On conrtisait lis lilies et enne fois un Rar i;on av.n I ehoisi sa prt'leiidne, la noce tar( n lail pas boucoup. Ob! mais dn Djiab si on s'amr.sail I'a bien licUN (jn'a c't' hetire V eime noce on enne bal on ansai I di riLiiiilon:- ■I c elai I si tetUant (pie les violoniers memes (luiltaienl lent violon ft se mettaienl a co rcobier com me 1 es an tres. Ah! tu penx •nelleri-s va, c elail pas coin me a c'l'lieiire, lu )n. Parlez-moi anlres fois, oni presen I a n'imiiorle ((ui temps i d.insions ; n de^ ons men(;ail a fredir, mais nn samedi, i avail pas antri'S on dansait iis.pie (piand la saison coint par exemple, cpiaiid le Mardi ^6 Gras toinbail i' . dc Caiberine, '7 il fallait nn bal. Dans les urancl cbaleurs <'n avai s le lemps, on travaillait irop bouconp dnr a la cbarrne: 1 talUul -bansser et dt^cbausser rmais et 1 colon, et pi a lions (le foin (;t de paille. J'vons K^arantis na ■aboMrer la terre, reii 1( la tin de Teti'' faire des in on Mail sonvenl mal en position avec caloi|nmt( .8 1 es ( bonbonlnres. les mannson It^ soleil (jni vons i;ril1ail la lins, les bcles rouges el ics poux de bois. On avail pas me me le lemps de charter >y un pen comme ( lisait iiainainc-2" .Soco SiiAt !e soleil ('tail conche fallait jon-ler :\ bone enne b(. nne ta.se <le lait et manner nn iiei. de conche-concbe et pi aller ^ 'Hurer en bas le bere" i.on doimi: nn pen (-t se lever a la barre du jonr. y( "•^ '^ ' ■' "i •.;;', nnvilain colon ; surtout I des moments on fmnai mil!( miseres 1 .ivai (inand noire defmt popa vivait. i fallait liter raide. M.iis povre ( men 11 ('tail toniours le iiremier deboute ItJlinl, le 15on Djeii I'a i>ris, et tnonan u- je sttis apres pr()cher24 cote k; cure pon ^ irder ses pou I Kon Djeii inerci, an jour d'aujoni l.-nrs V ai domn!' tout (;a j'avais, et coini 'isl jnste (pie (;a j'ai i-d'hni tons mes pilits sont grands, ne i me resle pins arien, (;a fail pfuir eux autres ils le faisions pou mouan. 6 8 12 '3 15 16 17 l/s. 7 Ili'/'rulu-. Cliiniip : A iniriiius expression. Ti'inls. !•> I 'iimist'i. I'ircr lie liorU, oiic (if the nam (," ni'sse. 14 Kile Tlie word d'scrt must have ilcsign.i ti Pi-.t. :il expri-sions so common among tli ted the y e Atailia raines. ns. Tu /•t-Dx friiftt^i va : You may say what yii please. (>i,,tnii /.■ MarJi ihas tomh.iU un saiiirdi 1 n tarniya^l ti I ,iT,tit f<as ill' Catherine i'/iarirr, to r.nnverse. ' .a niousti<|uai It had to he done. .>o Miirrahw. mc. 8 l.a t tc. ji A dish made wit h corn meal. ■4 'I la ()';; /-inmut tin rilain colon, for oxyfil.iit : We were ni an en r>,:Ji,-r .-,«,• le currtou ^arcler .les poules : 1 shall soon die ke cure of the curate's chickens. emharrassi 1 shall ni> sitnat ht in the \'.m. cemetery $o ALCEE FORIIER J'iii pas fail avn" eiix li- partagc a MoiilKoinmt'ry. C'csl ilaiislc teiiip*. a (I'Arta i^iutlc -i? k\\\v ce tanuax lapiii la vivail. C't'lait iiii ^^aillard tpi't^tait plus ('i)i]iii!i (|U«':l)Oie; quand il allait a la cliassc aver ses. latnarad s loniMii^ il «?tait fori tomiiu! imiik' (luval il coiumeiivail tiiiijouis par t;Ti)j^iKr (aire siMiiblant t'Otit.' t*ii rt>lt>re. I iciir faisail eiiiK' loniif cachi' el (]Uiniil il lallail partaker ic iijibU-r il prt'iiait lout •■* 'ai^sait hi rt'Slaiit puii It s aiiliLS. (,"a tail (Upi ce ttinps-la iioii"^ ft mitres ons dii toiijoiirs k- p;;rlaKf a .Muntji^omimry. Ma |>liiitH* (oiinait !<alopt-r ciin'tiuflois dans I'passe. alU- pre lul rt;.stam|)i( .-"^ mais jt- niiiiiais TarrOttr (piaiul inenie jc* dois li iiiettre ciuic bridi'ii. Connneit' im- snitions lassc i'va (iuir iciu ina prfiiiit-rr lotiri;, ct je voiis pronit-ts, Miissimi, di^ voiis ocrire t'tiron- aiivant k- ji ur di- Ni al Oiidoii faireeiiiU' '^raml rt'vcilloti si vousvoulez vt'iiir. t )ii \a St- rtnoir pins tard. Jc \oiis saliie de loin. 15ai IS ( iknsiuii.i |-. I>Ki'\li:MK I.KTTRI':. liayoii Clumpiqur, le 12 \m'i'nihri\ ;S(^>. .Mrssn:r Piiii o. tUK, \'oiis int' liise/ ronimc t,a dans vot' r^'ponsi cjiie nra It-ltre vous axions tail hicn du plai^ir t-l poii je ((nuiniu' a voiis coiiter les affaires (k-s preiuic-rs Cailit-ns tpi' t'tions veiius i( ite. C'est Jus au liir et a iHusure j'dcris (|iu' ^;:\ m' rexiciu. I'our k>rs done jt- \as lout voiis dire to it c,a je i-omiais. P'ti Ijriii'^/ par i)'ti krin (;;i va (inir par faire einie iiros tas. Hieii silr y en a deschosesqiii allions vous inlerhoiiser,^'^ l)arce (]iir e'est pas un p'li nioriifaii j'avions pon coiiter. i-es Ac adieus avions et^ rhasst's i)ar les Ansjlais. C'est des lani- eiix ctxpiins ([u'elions poll ainsi dire des pirates, ils avions ijrofit*'' de leu butin aprt^-s (]iie ces niallieiueux avions parti ile leu pays, et Its eotpiins savions eninari'- de leu maisons pou eusse rester et pi ils a\ions eu d-s deserts =•> tout hieii cu'tix'd'S. i.es Aeadiens leurs y avions toujoius sjarde un p'tit <-hien .p> de k-ur eiiienne el a clKupie (*ois (pi'ils entendios diie (r'od-djm, c'est coiiinie si on leur jetait de la eendre cliaude dans le dos. \os a'e i\ aimions la <kasse. Le ;^r.iiid-popa de inoii popa ('lions ^Tand chasseur. Bon matin il eiions deboiM et apres s'avoir rineej' la dalle, i! fall.iil ijueqiie cbo^e pou bousiHer?' Testoniae. II parlail. niais bieii sur, aussi i)ien que le Hon Djeu a fait les ponim«.:s, il revenait charijt^ des^ibier: des ( anards, des elievreiiils et des ours. .-Mors il e\ itait 3.^ ties amis pou diner avec kii ; e'c'tait ties vrais ranic- i|uins,.n ties vraies bamboches. La on deeidions tjonner un bal pou aMiuser la lunesse. I n p 111 f^arvon ;\ el leva 1 all ions porte en porte t'viter tout le iiioude. On etait pas tier, on t^tait tout ej;al nousaiilres. I )'ai)ord oil t'lait boniK^le, on demaiulait |)as la restant. i>e nionde ilres a elnval, boucouj) en eliarrettes. On avail itlel.iit Ti C.hs el Ti Noir et ra vous \eiiioiis a pie ai pas caleene on liaroiitlie on iroltions sur le tliemin roinine les yjraiids cheval (|ui venions tki Keii- turky. \"la la elianelion on clianlait dans t:'tenips \A, ^r(>ute/.-bien : 1^ Very loiij; n;o : D'Anagiiette and ViiKenne.i wt-re Ijurnei! Iry the Indians. ah Le Diiif.i itKx lients : st.inipetle. 27 -A curious rendering of "petit i petit I'oi'icau fait -.on niii." 28 Slirpreiiilre. .jg A pretty ex(iression : "des di'scrts bicn iMiltiv s." V) (!n>,{,y un f tit chirn ilr leiir t/iiiitiic avoir line dent roiiire (pieK|ii'iiii, y .l/o- s iiTi'ir I'll, Ti-i Krni/ilh . y^ />i7>;f,ti/. i,^ (! iiiiiiis i/lncn. TllFi ACADTASS OF LOf'ISllXA. .^» I'RKMIKR C()l'IM.Kr.35 Depi c|iie j'ons fait connaissancc D'liii certain tfiidion, J'ons coiiroiis a i'accointanrt', J'ons pv.^r(is la raison. |e IK' coiuiais dans la nature Kicn (If plus llattLMU' (Jue I'ainiabK' creature Oui mv. tchient an Iclioeur, his, SKCOND cori'i.i-.T. .I.'antre jonr en cachette, AUe nu' tit present ci'nn becot.^fi Ah ! nui bundle en devint inu'ette Kt j'en restai ttnil sot. <.'e becot la an fond de inon aine Jmprinia le bonlieur ; \\ redoubia la ilaninie Qui me tchient an tchoeur, his, TKoisiKMK coiri.Kr. fl n'y a rien de rt;niarqnable; J'artout ini soleil. J)ans le nionde habitable On tronve tout pared. Mais alle a ma douce aniie Vn pitit air (lattem- line tidgire de fantaisie (Jui me tchient au tchoeur. his, yiicTKiKMK c<)r"ij; r. La beautt? la plus tentante I'eut me faire les yenx don.v. Ah ! je lui dirions : vous ^Hes eharmantc Mais il n'y a rien |)ou vous. Ce n'esl pas cjue sa tid^ire jenne et belle Ne soit pleine de traicheur, Mais ce n'est pas vous cju'etes la demoiselle (Jni nie tciiient an tchoeur. <^/.v. On ne s'cnibetait pas a taire de l;i politiijue connne vous aiitres .i\-ec \()s ^'lections a tons les six mois. Nous, les autreslois, le (Inuv- eineiir nontmait un connnandant 37 dans notre paroisse. II etait '•apitaine des arnu'es ^\\\ roi, et .i^rand ji,!j;e, et comme on avail pas de proces, il .ivait ]ias jjran<i chose a faire; jus fnnier sa pipi', et pi se promener le matin et se reposer raprt>s midi. <Jne(|iiet<iis le com- Hi uidant re^lait une succession et il ijardait uut^' boniu- pari pon lui ^iiissite ; il disait il etait lu'ritier nonmie par le Ciouvernenunl. ijuand y avait un maria.i;e tons nous autres on accomj>as;nait les inari^s a I'l-'.^lise et apresla (.-arenionie on revenait eixliantanl, et a la udce on tirait des coups de tisil. C"«'tait cine hal)itude, (,":i I'reuvr (lue nos aieux aimions la poudre et qu'ils n'en avions pas penr. I.en- (Icuiain de la noce chacnn reprenait si)«i ouvrat^e pou Iravailler dans !e desert. Mouan, c(ii\ime j'elais |)ili, je moptioiis a califoin'chon sur le ciieval de ch,irru( v\ mon j;rand tVere l<-h(inil>onsail '^ lis i^uides ; \A allail |)u vile coiimie ya. .^S'l'li' sKiili is iiaU'e iiiiil nr.irrfLil, iililio'j'^h tln' luetic is iiol .\i\v,iys i direct. '<i''rr. J7 ISiirii)^; ihr '-•jiaiii-h diiiiijimtii.n, jH A vcrl> furnici! fn-.iii iritirhmi. 32 AI.CliE fORTIlR Oiiaiul V aviiit im tnlcrrcim-nt iiou iiitH'S on pdilalt Ir nioit in tern siir liii liDvard i'l l)ras il( tinl rt conimt «.n tL'ml)^^ foul 1(; iiiDiulc arfoinpaj^imit It- paiivii- (f'tail fatigaiit, Ics poitciirs I'lioiisi liaii^^-^ ^1^' lymiw (a .illait I'liit il.iui tiiu'til, mais (iiiaiiil la (;aremoiiii' elioiis fiiiif on rt\ lua it r.iidf lei'itiK Iri' l\)uviaj:i-, i)arce qii'on t'oiiiiiail pas dans Cf tcnips-la. ( )li ! iumi, on l.omiiiait lias sii aivra^c. Aussitc si on (•tioiis | la ,<;ncMTf a veinii' (lu'allail a i'ecole ft jiar ens as tons riilu s ( ,_,, In niouison a\ait cU-qiini riiiaiul l)ansks liuniiiis Ic plusvicnx !;aii;on t'tait Uila itt-- oiianil il I'lail assL-zsa\ant ii nionlrail a ti)ns lis an tix-s de la laniillf. l.f stco ml t'lait charpintiir, If Uoi- SUIR' ror"vron it If tiuatiifnie ct nloaiiifr. Les lilies faisionl lacton- naiif ft rondaunt ; •♦'■ f f ainsi lout sf lais.iit sii I'lialaiatiun tail loiitfs dfs bonnes (:oulnrifnsfS.4> par On avail pas ni Kaidf 4^ Kudf ni I'.stindii ittf ■).( mais (Miand c'flait |)OU voyager ott flail pas f hariassf. On allait anx AUakap.is el aux OpeUuisas a t hfval ft Ifs If mnifs vf nions tout de nuiue coniim Its homiH" On i-amiiait dans le l>ois U- soit If u poi 1 chasser les marinii'Huns e fliarrail ins(|n'a nifnuit. un allmnait i in boii _t les ti^rfs, on faisait du calf ft oi> LfS liomnifs faisions la v;ardf et an p'tii lonr on Sf re mfUail vw routf Mai iS uu and on arrivait clif/ dfS amis on hif n des parents dans la | dfs plaisirs, dfS diners jusqira oi la Dlairif , aiors c'ftions tUs contontfrnfiils, 1 ^tait iaiinf.44 On <:nait trop ron- tfnts nous s'anuise en toiinifr cole nous antres i ari:f (jiie on flait l;iss( r, i tall.iit i)enser a travailler ffS vovagfs, l^a l.'liomnif qu fs dans le mondf . rie qn'on appreiiait bomoiip des qneq Mais tons IfS ans on I'aisioiis nfs fhosfs. I bien mstni it ('est cila (pTa boiironp roulf sa bosse tf im (:haribari45(iiron a I-'ant jf vouscon mari6 i<itf cole noiis aiiUfs. _ A i:f < tons cole, mais on a doniif a nil vie nx (lui s'avaii haribari If inondf <:''lions ve mi di fait lant du train 4" ft du lapa^f .cY-lail \\\\ tiimulli donm avail boulfverse lout le voisinaji;( Al I'ordre de fmir lont (,a, aiissite \ ors a T; if commandant a\ions chicaiif s ft If s i eii i)lusii-urs massacre a coujjs arretf net. Mais les .lamaillfs avions conlimif dans le jour; (.a fail y en a taillfs ft dufls ft plnsifiirs jeniifs liommes s avions de tisils ; v fU a deux {|ii'avions ete lues Monan if in'a iroiivf compromis comme le m'ai embarqu6 dans eiim temoin. rai-t-'li:- oblige de decamiK roj,nif el j'avions derive jusqii ville cot^ nion parraii Oiiaiui i'f lions las llauf r el navij^ m r47 a la N<,nvelle-Orlf;ins j'ai l^artl a pifd jx.u tounif-r chf/ monai. cuitf qm coulf . 1 'avions trouvt u mondf if fonna issions lout i)artout, i;a tail i'f lions pas bli"f tcluniander48 \ manf;fr ni pou coiiclifr (^~a (• est le plus joli voyage .1 a\ions la mais fail, j'ai pris deux ans pou m en revinir.' II faut j f \ 1)1 IS dis, if suis violonier de mon <:'lat, I )as mi ba s'a jamai s donne sans <; est nioi an qui i>>Uf. J'avions aiTi\f un sanifdi \ St. jacipies, y avail un bal, mais If musicie n s'a trou\ f ma ladi ofTri 49 liies sfr vices, a Lendfinain j'l'lion ..h! comme tout If mondf etioiis conunt, r^'viK'' dans tons les maisoiis. J'avions rfluquf veillf au soi riiiif bfUf .\( .ulif niu Mairinlon m 'avail tape dans Of 11 Al ors, je I'v ai dil ton t suitf ; "la belle, vniis me plait, si vous di oni on va se maner .\llf m'a repoiH U : Tai )f , (,a me w is< / le m'ai arif avec alle ft on s- a res tf cotf son pt^rf jns(.iu'a plus df de iix aii^ ai revfiiu I'ar apri^-s j'avions appris la mort a ma paiivre moman an Baiou Cboupique pour regler la succession. . Ma to>. q.umd , . i f n ma pa rt j'ai dil comme (;a, tant pire pou les amis 111 ouan, if vas rester ici te d; ms mon [lays. \'(IU j'ai quiltt'- di-rrifr s VO\l /, Mussitu ^;] This inci.lciit Is tr.ir. as writ as il..- marnaftc that followed. .;» lU,„a,uU . 50 f'« for twus, ux Je, is very timinion. THE ACAIUASS 01' I.Of'lSIANA. 33 IMiildlogiK', oil ronihril 5' est fiittrrt- on vcut lotiinins nsler; y a (iU(''(iiU' chosf comiiK' qui tlirait qui vous ainarre -' la. On (lit If Cadifti coiuiall pas i\ rieu pant- (pi'il a jyas (riiHlucatioii, umis il faiit li doniier eiiie cliosc, il ainie sou pays, sa laniilU- it st-s amis, ft si y en a tpii roUKissent tpiand un les apjirllf Aiadit-ns, uiiiuan jf vas vous iliif, Mussiiu riiilnldj^ui-, i'fu suis bitii lier. i'en- si'Z-vous pas (jUf i'avons raison ? Jf \(>us sali\f iK- loiu, 15a 1 IS ( Ikosiioiar. I hope that this l)ri<.^f sk'tch ot the Ai-adiaiis of Louisiana and c»f their dialect will be an introduction to a more complete study of the subject hereafter. AlCKI FOKTIKR. I'lM.ANli UnIVKHSITV '\V I,()IIS1A.N*. 51 Oil I'lfti fit »'•. y.i Another iiaiitii;*! term I'oi iittaike.