PROVEMENT IN MANNERS AND CUSTOMS-LYNCH COUNTRY RIDES--NEW ORLEANS RACES-NEGRO JOCKEYS. New Orleans-December. E were very fortunate in finding some ex WE cellent apartments vacant at St. Louis Hotel, and found no difficulty in making the necessary arrangements for dieting in our own rooms, whenever we felt inclined to do so. The St. Louis' is an enormous stone-building, and contains within its walls, not only the City Exchange,' but a fine 'Rotunda-as it is respectfully called: its dome is painted in fresco, and produces rather a good effect from the distance at which it is seen. In this Rotunda, human (as well as other) auctions are daily held; the walls are ornamented by portraits of those great men by whose magnanimous exertions the boon of freedom was obtained for America; and the privilege of beholding their benevolent countenances was, doubtless, duly valued by the slaves who had the good fortune to be sold in the Rotunda. The St. Charles' Hotel' is the Astor House of New Orleans, and is much more frequented by men of business than our more quiet hotel; it is also in a more central situation, which accounts for a portion of its noise. The St. Louis' is in the French quarter of the city, and, from being on so much larger a scale than its rival, is better adapted for the reception of families. The French and Spanish merchants appear to have adopted this hotel in preference to the St. Charles; and it is seldom, at the table-d'hôte, that we hear the English language spoken. The night after our arrival, a masked ball was given in the public Assembly Rooms belonging to the St. Louis, and, as we could witness the scene of gaiety without taking any more trouble than that of walking through a private door and passage close to our apartments, we went for a short time into the gallery, which overlooks the ball-room, and were greatly amused with all we saw. The 'Pol-kat,'Cat-chouka,' and the Crack-a-vein,' (so I have seen them spelt in the west,) were danced with a vigour which I have never witnessed, except in southern climates. The orchestra was a very tolerable one, and the company ostensibly well-behaved. So many murderous and tragical scenes have been enacted at these balls, that there is now (I hear) an imperative order to search every gentle 58 DUELS IN THE SOUTH. man before he enters the room, and this is done in order to discover any hidden arms which he may have about his person. The bowie knife-though a forbidden weapon, is generally overlooked on these occasions: it is almost always concealed down the back of the coat, the end of the hilt touching the collar, and quite within the owner's reach, should he find it necessary, or expedient, to use the weapon. Lawless and murderous deeds have, however, of late years been far more rare in this part of America than they formerly were: there was a time—and that not very far remote-when, even to go to the theatre was considered an act denoting extreme rashness of character, from the number of quarrels that were picked, and assassinations that were perpetrated there: and, as to the masked balls, they were, of course, far more 'risky,' and no persons, with any proper value for their own lives, ever thought of attending them at all. Two or three days after our arrival a gentleman was shot in broad daylight at the entrance to our hotel, and the event, from peculiar circumstances, caused more excitement than such occurrences usually do in New Orleans. The individual who thus lost his life had long been a notorious character, as a confirmed bully and a first-rate shot. His adversary, with whom, as it appeared, he had had an inveterate and long-standing quarrel, had THE BOWIE KNIFE. 59 been properly warned by the duellist in the usual form that he intended to use him up' at the first convenient opportunity. This, of course, put his intended victim on his guard, and he being a somewhat nervous man, his guard was proportionately watchful. I can imagine few situations much less agreeable than that of expecting to have, at any moment, the thrust of a bowie knife in one's side, or a pistol discharged at one's head. Talk of Damocles! his situation was a pleasurable one compared to the dangers which, in the shape of bowie knives and many barrelled pistols, haunted the imagination of this unfortunate citizen at every turn and corner of the street. Being, of course, ever on the qui vive, and with one eye, at least, always fixed on the movements of his redoubtable enemy, he perceived him, one eventful day, issuing forth from the St. Louis Hotel, with his hand in his breast-coat pocket. This was quite enough for the other, who, immediately jumping at the conclusion that it was not his handkerchief but his bowie knife that he was going to draw out, determined that he would run no unnecessary risk by delay, and taking a loaded pistol from his own pocket, shot the duellist through the heart. There never was any one so little regretted. A duel of a more orthodox character took place a day or two after, between a young Englishman and an American residing in New Orleans, in which encounter the latter was killed. The quarrel (which gave rise to a great deal of discussion at the time) originated in the St. Louis ball-room, and was caused by the wilful and vindictive spirit of a young lady, who protested that the Englishman had insulted her by placing his partner above her in the dance, and that she would have satisfaction. The result of her determination was, the untimely death of her countryman, which caused the bitterest grief to his parents, whose only child he was. The laws against duelling are, in this country, extremely severe; if detected in a breach of the peace' of this nature, both principals and seconds are condemned to the forfeiture of all their most valued privileges as citizens, and are deemed guilty of felony. Another consequence attending duelling is, that should one of the parties be killed in the encounter, the survivor is held liable for his debts.* These laws are, of course, easily evaded; were *The following is a copy of the Act of Congress against duelling in America : SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, that if any person shall in the district of Columbia challenge another to fight a duel, or shall send or deliver any written or verbal message purporting or intending to be such challenge, or shall accept any such challenge or message, or |