CHAPTER XI
"Well, well, well! I should think you youngsters might be ashamed tokeep that poor captain talking and telling stories so long, just foryour amusement," remarked a strange voice, coming apparently from thehalf open doorway of a nearby stateroom. "Can't you let him have alittle rest now?"
"Of course," replied Ned. "He tells splendid stories, and we like tolisten to them; but we don't want him to go on if he feels tired, forhe is our own dear, kind, good papa, whom we love ever so much."
"Huh!" returned the voice; "actions speak louder than words. So don'tcoax for any more stories now. Have a good game of romps instead."
"The rest can do that," said Ned; "but uncle doctor wouldn't be likelyto let me romp very much."
"And you think you have to obey him, do you?"
"Of course, if I want him to cure me; and I'm very sure you would thinkme a naughty boy if I didn't."
"If you didn't want to be cured?"
"No; if I didn't mind my uncle doctor."
"I thought he was your brother; he's married to your sister, isn't he?"
"Yes," laughed Ned; "and that makes him my brother; but he's mymother's own brother, and that makes him my uncle. So he's both uncleand brother, and that makes him a very near relation indeed."
"So it does, my little fellow, and you would better mind all he says,even if he is a young doctor that doesn't know quite all the olddoctors do."
"He knows a great deal," cried Ned indignantly; "lots more, I guess,than some of the other doctors that think they are very smart and knoweverything."
"Well, you needn't get mad about it," returned the voice. "I like Dr.Harold Travilla, and when I get sick I expect to send for him."
"But who are you?" asked Ned. "Why don't you come out of that stateroomand show yourself?"
"Perhaps I might if I got a polite invitation," replied the voice.
Ned was silent for a moment, first looking steadily toward the doorfrom which the voice had seemed to come, then turning a scrutinizing,questioning gaze upon Cousin Ronald.
The others in the room were all watching the two and listening as ifmuch entertained by the talk between them.
"I just know it's you, Cousin Ronald, making fun for us all," thelittle boy remarked at length; "and that's very kind in you, for fun isright good for folks, isn't it, Uncle Harold?"
"Yes, I think so," replied the doctor; "'laugh and grow fat' is an oldsaying. So I hope the fun will prove beneficial to my young patient."
"I hope so," said the captain, "and now suppose you young folks restyourselves with some sort of games."
"I think we would all better wrap up and try a little exercise upon thedeck first, and after that have some games," said Harold, and everybodypromptly followed his advice.
When they had had their exercise and played a few games, dinner wasserved. After that they again gathered in the saloon, and presently theyoung folks asked for another of the captain's interesting stories ofthe States.
"Well, my dears, about which State do you wish to hear now?" he asked.
"I believe we all want Louisiana, papa," replied his daughter Elsie."We know the story of the battle of New Orleans under GeneralJackson--that grand victory--and pretty much all that went on in thetime of the Civil War, I believe; but I don't remember that you haveever given us any of the early history of that State."
"Well, I shall try to do so now," her father said in reply, and after amoment's silent thought he began.
"Louisiana is the central Gulf State of the United States, and hasthe Gulf of Mexico for its southern boundary; the Sabine River andTexas form the western boundary, and on the east is the MississippiRiver, separating it from the State of that name, which is the northernboundary of that part of Louisiana east of the river. The part west ofthat river is bounded on the north by Arkansas.
"That part of what is now our country was not taken by the whites fromthe Indians so early as the more northern and eastern parts. Historytells us that Robert Cavalier de la Salle descended the Mississippito its mouth in April, 1682, named the country Louisiana, and tookpossession of it in the name of the King of France. In 1699 Ibervilletried to form a settlement along the lower part of the river, butsucceeded only in forming the colony of Biloxi, in what is now theState of Mississippi. In 1712, Louis XIV. of France named the regionfor himself, and granted it to a wealthy capitalist named AntonyCrozat, giving him exclusive trading rights in Louisiana for tenyears. In about half that time Crozat gave back the grant to the King,complaining that he had not been properly supported by the authorities,and had suffered such losses in trying to settle the province as almostto ruin him.
"In the same year a man named John Law got the King to give him acharter for a bank and for a Mississippi company, and to grant theprovince to them. For a time he carried out his scheme so successfullythat the stock of the bank went up to six hundred times its par value;but it finally exploded and ruined every one concerned in it.
"It had, however, accomplished the settlement of New Orleans. In 1760a war was begun between England and France, in which the formertook Canada from the latter. Then a good many Canadians emigrated toLouisiana, and settled in that part of it west of the Mississippi. In1762 France ceded her possessions in Louisiana west of the Mississippito Spain, and the country east of that river to England. New Orleanswas soon taken possession of by the Spanish authorities, who provedthemselves so cruel and oppressive that the French settlers were filledwith dismay. The Spaniards still held that province at the time ofthe American Revolution, and near the close of that war the Spanishgovernor of New Orleans captured the British garrison at Baton Rouge."
"I suppose that was hardly because he wanted to help us," laughed ElsieDinsmore.
"No," smiled the captain; "I rather think he wanted to help himself.The navigation of the Mississippi River was opened to all nationsby the treaty of 1783, but the New Orleans Spaniards completelyneutralized it by seizing all merchandise brought to that city in anybut Spanish ships. In 1800 Spain ceded Louisiana back to France, but itsuited Napoleon, then emperor of that country, to keep the transfer asecret until 1803, when he sent out Laussat as prefect of the colony,who informed the people that they were given back to France, which newsfilled them with joy.
"Jefferson was then our President, and on learning these facts, hedirected Robert Livingston, the American Minister at Paris, to insistupon the free navigation of the Mississippi, and to negotiate for theacquisition of New Orleans itself and the surrounding territory. Mr.Monroe was appointed with full powers to assist him in the negotiation.
"Bonaparte acted promptly. He saw that the English wanted Louisianaand the Mississippi River, and was determined that they should nothave them. They had twenty vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, and he sawthat they might easily take Louisiana, and to deprive them of allprospect of that, he was inclined to cede it to the United States.He (Bonaparte) speedily decided to sell to the United States notNew Orleans only, but the whole of Louisiana, and did so. On the30th of April, 1803, the treaty was signed. Our country was to pay$15,000,000 for the colony, be indemnified for some illegal captures,and the vessels of France and Spain, with their merchandise, were tobe admitted into all the ports of Louisiana free of duty for twelveyears. Bonaparte stipulated in favor of Louisiana that as soon aspossible it should be incorporated into the Union and its inhabitantsenjoy the same rights, privileges and immunities as other citizens ofthe United States; and the third article of the treaty, securing thesebenefits to them, was drawn up by Bonaparte himself and presented tothe plenipotentiaries with the request that they would make it known tothe people of Louisiana that the French regretted to part with them,and had stipulated for all the advantages they could desire; and thatin giving them up France had secured them the greatest of all; for inbecoming independent they would prosper as they never could have doneunder any European government. But he bade them, while enjoying theprivileges of liberty, ever to remember that they were French, andpreserve for their mother country the a
ffection which a common origininspires.
"This was a most important transaction, and its completion gave equalsatisfaction to both parties. Livingston said, 'I consider that fromthis day the United States takes rank with the first powers of Europe,and she is entirely escaped from the power of England;' and Bonapartesaid, 'By this cession of territory I have secured the power of theUnited States, and given to England a maritime rival who at some futuretime will humble her pride.'
"And that seems like a prophecy which came true, when one thinks ofJackson's victory on the 8th of January, 1815," remarked Grandma Elsie.
"Yes," assented the captain; "that was a signal overthrow to Britishtroops on the plains of Louisiana."
"Yes; I remember that was a great victory for our United Statestroops," said Elsie Dinsmore. "But who of our folks took possession nowthat it was bought from the French, and just when did they do it?"
"It was on the 20th of December of that same year," replied thecaptain, "that General Wilkinson and Governor Claiborne, who werejointly commissioned to take possession of the country for the UnitedStates, entered New Orleans at the head of the American troops. TheFrench governor gave up his command, and the tri-colored flag of Francegave place to the star-spangled banner."
"Oh, that was good," said Elsie Dinsmore; "and was Louisiana made aState at once, captain?"
"No," he replied; "it was erected into a Territory by Congress in1804. In 1810 the Spanish post at Baton Rouge was seized by the UnitedStates forces under General Wilkinson and the territory connected withit added to Louisiana, which in 1812 was admitted into the Union as aState."
"But, papa, was what is now the State of Louisiana all we bought fromFrance by that treaty of 1803?" asked Grace.
"No, by no means," replied the captain. "The territory purchased bythat treaty is now occupied by the States of Louisiana, Arkansas,Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon, Dakota, Colorado,Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington."
"My, what a big purchase it was!" cried Ned. "But how did France get somuch?"
"No doubt she just helped herself," laughed his sister. "The State wentout of the Union in the time of the Civil War, didn't it, papa?"
"Yes; on the 26th of January, 1861, but was readmitted into the Unionon the 25th of June, 1868."
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