Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 4).djvu/349

 the plain, filled up the fourth side. I walked through the village—it is a right French one—almost every other house being a petty shop for the sale of bread, tobacco, pumpkins and taffia (or bad rum) distilled at the sugar plantations a little lower down the river. It is matter of astonishment how so many shops of the same kind find customers. I observed two tolerably well assorted stores, one kept by a Frenchman, the other by Mr. Egan, an Irishman, to whom I carried an introductory letter from Mr. O'Connor, which ensured me a friendly and hospitable welcome.

I breakfasted with him, and then went to view the fort on the plain above the north end of the town. It is a regular square with four small bastions at the angles. The ramparts are composed of earth thrown up out of a small dry ditch or fosse which surrounds it, and are crowned by a stoccade of pickets. A few small guns mounted, point to the different approaches, and also command the river, but it is a work of very little strength, and not capable of much defence against a prepared enemy.

I returned to my friend Egan's, who accompanied me to the house of Don Gilbert Leonard, the contador (or collector) to whom I had letters of introduction. The affectation of importance which this gentleman attached to his offer of accompanying me to government house, as soon as his excellency the governour should be visible, was matter of amusement to me, who had been accustomed to see less ceremony observed in introductions to men of infinitely greater importance. He excused himself from asking me to dine with him, as he said his family were all indisposed, but any other time that I should be in Baton Rouge, he hoped to have that pleasure. He promised {313} to call on me about eleven o'clock at Mr. Egan's, as soon as he had made himself up for a visit to the governour, and he