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PUBLIC SQUARES.
15
The writer of this sketch arrived in New Orleans on the 3d of December, 1S47, a date indellibly fixed in his mind from the fact, that on the day following, Gen. Zachary Taylor, arrived in the city, on his return from Mexico, and was received with grand military and civic honors, the procession which escorted him being one of the most imposing parades ever witnessed here.
On the evening of February 21, 1857 (Mardi Gras), the Mistick Krewe of Comus made their first appearance on the streets of New Orleans. Their brilliant pageants which have followed every year since, except 1802, 1863, 1861 aud 1865, when the fierce spirit of war stalked through the land; 1871, which was marked by threatening political troubles, and 1879 when they withheld their display, out of respect to the many mourners made by the yellow fever epidemic of the previous summer.
We have heard from the best authority, that Comus will marshal his merry krewe on the coming Mardi Gras, March 1, 1881, and present to our citizens and visitors a display which in taste and magnificence will outrival any of his former efforts.
To record the various incidents which occurred in our city during the “ Great Struggle,” or the misfortunes which followed in its wake, is not, we think, within our province. The history of those events cannot be recalled by the one side, or read by the other, with either interest or profit.
Impressively eloquent are the voiceless memories that come to us from the glorious past. The suns of New Orleans have, stood in the front of every well contested field of battle, with a courage and daring that challenged the admiration of both friends and foes, anti at the downfall of the cause they loved so well, resumed their peaceful avocations, accepting the verdict of fate, with a resignation and truth to their plighted faith, no less honorable than their record on the bloodstained field of war.
11K V the city proper was “bounded by the spacious streets, Canal, Rampart, Esplanade aud Champs Elys(§es, 1320 yards along the river and 700 wide back wauls towards the swamp,” we are told that theie were “several hirge Public Squares, one of which, the Place ol Arms, 350 feet on the Levee, by 330 in depth to Chartres street, is very iiand-*4^ some, being planted with trees, and enclosed with an iron palisade, having beaut.ful ornamental gateways of same metal. The expense ot fitting this place up amounted to $26,000.”
This was in 1823, over half a century ago, when the city’s limits were insignificant as above stated ; when the yearly revenue, from all sources, amounted to but $130,000, the population 20,000, including whites and blacks, slaves and free, and “ in the whole 8705 houses of every description.” Now, in the year of our Lord 1880, when New Orleans has a river front of nearly twelve miles, and a width of six and a half; when her revenues are counted by the million, and her population by hundreds of thousands; in speaking of our Public Squares we can say little more than was said by John Adams Paxton, fifty-seven years ago; for