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Show ·' ·~' 9D EMIGRANT'S GUIDE. person and estate, to the fulfilment of the present contract, subjecting myself in all things to the jurisdiction of this gennal intendancy . In testimony of which I sign it at New Orh ~ ans. the 16th o.f June, 1797. . B.ARON DE BASTROP. New Orlert.ns, June 16, 1797. I approve this contract in the name of his rnajeity, with the intervention of Senor Gilbert Leonard, principal contractor of tbe army i1~ these provinces, ti>r its, validity ~ Two certified copies are to be di rected to the secretary, Juan Ventura Morales. \Vith my interver~o tion, Gilbert Leonard. Copy of the original, which remains in mr, keeping, and which I certif)', and is taken out to Lc passed to th,e secn~ tary of this general intendancy. ' New Orleans., ut supra. GILBERT LEONARDo Whereas, the intendant, from the want of funds, has soliciteJ tlw suspension of the last remittance of fa mil its, until the decision of bi::i m~jesty, there ought to lH:! no pre,iutlice occasioned to you, by the 1as1 paragraph of my decree, which expresses, that if within three years the mt.~jor part of the establishment which shall not have been made good, suGh families as may first present themselves shall be lo· cated within the twelve leagues .Jistinct from the settlement which you have comme1~ced; and this shall only have dlect two years after the course of the contract shall have {!gain commenced to be executed, qnd the determination of hii majesty shall have bet!n made known to you. Y ?u. will always remain persuaJed, that on my part J will ob~.erve rehgwu~ly the en~agements I have contracted ; a principle wbwh has CtJnst<lntly distinguished the Spanish nation. God pre~ iierve you many years. New Orleans, J uue J.S, 1797. . The BARON DE CARONDELET. ro BarOT,& de Ba::~trop. Baron Bastrop attempt~d to carry ~nto e1Tect t~Je stipulations of l1i~ eng.agement, but the Sparllsh government failina in tlle performance of therr sharre of the c~mtract~ .the whole project was ultimately abau· dooed.. fhe marquJ~ of Mars~)~ Rouge died, not ever carrying into· ope:-atr~n any part ot tlw condrtwns upon which his grant was maJe, but. havmg procured ,the as~ent of the king of Spain~ ~~1 e patent was tac1tl,r con.firmed. 'J ~wugh the approbation of the kmg of Spain was not g•ven '? favour of Bastrop's ~lairn, yet there are many very fa· ".oura ble Circumstances unJer which the claimants now rest their tttle to _th.e proper.ty. On~ of the most powerful arguments in aid of the valtd1ty of tlus gran~ 1s, t~at the !egal representative of the first grantee has always contlllued 1~ posse~sion of tLe property from the <!ate of the grant. There cannot be much douLt but that the clail'u· ants to t~e lanJ as granted to Bastrop has as fair and equitable a title to the so1l a~ ~hat of any other landed property in the state of Louisi~ .. na_. Respectmg that of Maison Rouge there is no doubt. ' I • '• • I : S • EMIGRANT'S GUIDE. 99 ·The superficies of the grant of Bastrop are very various in quality; be side the Ou<lchitta and Bayou Siard, which bounds the grant on the west, it is traverseJ by the Barthelemy, Bon Idee, Breuf and Mac;on rivers. Three prairies, each from three to four miles long and two broad, diver. ify the surface. Prairie de Bute on the ri ~ ht bank of Barthelemy, Jefferson, and Mer Rouge, between the Breuf and Barthelemy rivers. Though taken in all its extent, Baslmp's grant cannot be considered a fertile body of land, yet in the forementioned prairies and on the margin of the streams, considerable extent of good soil exists. The settlements already made in the grant are not inconsiderable. The seat of justice for the parish ofOuachitta is in Prairie Mer Rouge. The banks of Barthelemy are settled to considerable extent. Pr~irie Jefferson is also inhabited and cultivated. Scattering farms are to be lound over aH parts of' the grant. .Much of tbe best land, however, remains stil~ vacant. The interval between the streams is generally pine forest, flat, · ~md in many places marshy. On the streams the timber is composed of IJlack oak, white oak, red oak, ash, linden, ~weet gum, elm, d"g .. wood, and other trees usually found on rich laAd. Cotton and tobacco are the staples, particularly the former. The land and climate are favourable to its culture. Maize, potatoes, legumes, and most garden vegetables, grow abundantly. Of iruit trees wbich have been cultivated, the most plentiful are figs and peaches, which are of excellent quality. Of vine fruits, ~melons, pumpions, cucumbers, and squashes, are those mo~t culti· ,.a tee!. Jt has been observeJ, that small grain would grow, and in all prolJability, produce abundantly on Ouachitta; and the reason why those gram ina will not be c.ultivated extensively, has been exhibited. The following list contains the most valuable forest tree~, found not only on the land included in ~astrop's grant, but in the. adjacent country. Celtis crassifolia, Carasus virg1niana, Cupressus disticha. Diospiros virginiana, Fagus sylvestris, Fraxinus tomentosa, Gleditsia triacanthos, J uglans a mara, J uglans laciniosa, Juglans nigra, Lau ru~ sassafras, Magnolia grandiflor~, Nyssa aquatica, ~ yssa sy lvatica, Pinus rigida, ~opulus anQI)lara ~ ... Hackberry, W ilJ cherry, Cypress, Per3imon, Beach, Ash, Honey locust~ Bitter-nut hickory, Thick shell bark hickolf'; Black walnut, Sassafras, I~arge laurd, Tupeloo, Black gum, Pitch pipe, ~otton wwtt, |