|
a ACADIAN REBIRTH article
Cultures
of Acadiana |
Lafayette (La) Daily Advertiser, April 27, 1999
Acadians faced hard times in first years in Louisiana
‘Their only nourishment was the rise and corn allotted to them’
by Jim Bradshaw
Nicolas Verret was commandant of the St. James post in the late 1760’s and early 1770’s, when the Acadians were settling along the Mississippi River. On June 10, 1766, he wrote to Spanish Gov. Antonio de Ulloa describing the “deplorable conditions” faced by the Acadians as they attempted to begin a new life in Louisiana.
Here are excerpts from Verret’s letter, in which he asks for a makeshift hospital for the sick Acadians, and for a better system of food distribution for them all.
The terrible state of affairs which presently prevails on the Acadian Coast (present day St. James and Ascension parishes) compels me to acquaint you with the deplorable conditions faced by these people. There are many sick among them. This situation will only worsen, since the fevers have only just appeared.
Here is an account of the wretched circumstances in which they find themselves. I have seen with my own eyes, in a hut, a sick man laid up, and a woman in labor. Their only nourishment was the rice and the corn which allotted to them by order of the king. People who have reached this state who cannot obtain broth or any relief cannot hope to recover. I am well aware of all that is given to them through the king’s generosity. However, this generosity does not suffice when the sick are involved. Left to their fate, without the necessary foods and relief that their situation requires, they are doomed to certain death. It appeaser that the large investment which their settlement has required will be irretrievably lost. To this, I would like to add tat the confined woman who was bearing a child is not receiving the proper nourishment. Unable to provide the milk her child requires, she is on the verge of losing it. The other sick people scattered along this coast fall into the same category. What help can they expect from medicines when they are deprived of nourishing foods? Reduced to a diet of grits and boiled rice, their bodies cannot regain the strength lost in fighting disease. To make matters worst, the physician, despite his many efforts, cannot properly care of the sick. He is constantly called upon to run back and forth across the district, and, consequently, hi is unable to determine the effects of the medicines that he administers. This state of affairs is most prejudicial to the patients.
I believe… that there might be a way to relieve these people without incurring too great an expense. Allow me… to set forth my thought on this matter. These ideas, however, should not prevail against my superiors’ or those of people more enlightened than I. . think it would be quite feasible to build a hut of post-in ground construction right next to the physician’s quarters. Surrounded by stakes and covered with shingles, this could constitute a hospital large enough to accommodate thirty people. The building could be divided into three areas, one to house the men, one to house the women, and a third to lodge one Acadian family, witch could perform the nursing duties in the hospital.
The king’s only expense would be the wages of the hospital’s entrusted with the nursing care. He would also have to furnish the necessary nails and iron. As for the wood and labor, they would be the responsibility of the Acadians who would ultimately benefit from it. This done, the king could decree that a few cattle be obtained from (Antoine-Bernard) Dauterive at Bayougoula. It would provide the necessary sustenance for the sick, according to their needs. Other items of lesser importance will also be needed. I myself offer to furnish all the necessary wood, which will be needed by the surgeon, and to see to it that the work is accomplished with utmost diligence.
Until now, there has been a great deal of abuse concerning the food supplies. This has been most detrimental to the Acadians. Please think of the time which is lost in travel back and forth to procure their share. Because they only receive the flour in their town, they lose ten to twelve days. Afterwards they must procure a certificate from Minister (Jacques) de la Chaise (keeper of the royal warehouse in New Orleans), which they must then bring to my brother-in-law (Louis) Judice (co-commandant at St. James). Judice takes it in exchange for another they must present… in order to obtain their food. As you can see… the spend all their time crossing the district. This is most prejudicial to them, particularly now, when they need to tend to their small crops. It also creates difficulties for the sick who are unable to go to the city to receive their share. Such are my remarks on this subject. (I suggest that0 my brother-in-law or I could be authorized, each in our own district, to purchase the necessary rice and corn (at nearby farms). We could also be authorized, for a period of three to six months, to distribute to the Acadians the certificates which would allow them to obtain their share. As for the flour, we could bring back from the city, with the help of the Acadians, 50 to 100 (160-pound barrels). This flour could be stored at Judice’s and partly at my house. We could be given scales and weights, as well as the registry sheet, indicating the delivery date and the exact share that is due each recipient.
Handling these details will mean a great deal of work for us. We are doing it, however, for the greater good of the colony. It is understood that we would be accountable for all things administered in this manner. If my few remarks can be of any help to these families or the good of the people, I shall be satisfied in knowing that I have been of some help.
At present at least one-fifth of our settlers are ill. While waiting to build the hospital, it would be most (advisable) if the king would give, starting now, one cow per week to be distributed among the sick.
This is a detailed account of the situation here. Because of its urgency, I found the necessary courage to write to you about it.