It was listened to with breathless interest and clusion received enthusiastic applause. In a ment of this, Mr. Cable gave one of his charac citals, such as have made him famous on the le form throughout the country. It was a uniqu liant example of his genius, which also evoked e plaudits. At the end of which the society adjour

APRIL MEETING.

The meeting on April 22 was made a memor the records of the Louisiana Historical Socie eighth annual meeting of the Mississippi Valley Society which was being held in our city at the our society the opportunity of entertaining the the Mississippi Valley Historical Society and by the presence in our midst of many disting torical students. The pleasant social program a the committee of the Louisiana Historical Societ ried out most successfully and evidently to the tion of our guests. The last feature of it (offic the monthly meeting of the Louisiana Society, held in honor of the visiting society.

A large and most complimentary audience as the Cabildo. All the officers of the society and r members were present. The reading of the mi dispensed with by motion. The following names by Mr. W. O. Hart were elected to membership:

Mrs. William Preston Johnston, Mrs. Thomas Mrs. Margaret Echezabal, Mrs. Ginder Abbot

ndals," instituting a most striking and original comparibetween the invasion of the Goths and Vandals in Eube and the encroachment in the seventeenth century of the glo Americans, American Goths and Vandals, they were bbed by the Spaniard, upon the Spanish dominions in merica and their eventual absorption of it.

The paper was listened to and followed with intelligent erest. It called forth no discussion, but received enthustic applause.

Miss Caroline Francis Richardson, of the Sophie Newnb College, presented in a most pleasing way a paper itled, "A Note on the Organization of the Oldest School • Girls in the Mississippi Valley," an analytical considtion of the educational work of the Ursulines brought o the Louisiana colony by Bienville.

Miss Richardson's notes, a new and original variation on old and much written up theme, were sparkling with t, genial with humor and replete with information. It s much enjoyed and applauded. Mr. McLoughlin then ntributed a scholarly dissertation on "The Black Code of uisiana," tracing legislation for slaves back to its origal sources in civilizaton, describing the various codes opted for the use of slave holding countries, dwelling parularly on the most famous one of all, the Black Code of uisiana, promulgated by Bienville, maintained by the anish authorities and practically dominant in Louisiana til the abolition of slavery in the State. At the conclusion his paper Mr. McLoughlin was prevailed upon by Mr. sachs and the insistant calls of the audience to give a ack La Faience" talk, which he did in his own inimitable anner, a performance of exquisite humor that elicited arty applause and laughter.

Transportation,' in which our old-time celeb South, General Gaines and General Maury figu in the work of securing to South and West th tion that had already become a vital problem to vital necessity to their prosperity; the auth in his pages the old picturesque and forgotte making Memphis a dockyard and shipbuilding a vote of thanks to Mr. Sioussat, the society adj GRACE KING,

"THE BLACK CODE."

Paper read by James J. McLoughlin From time immemorial, dating back to B there have been codes of laws, or regulations feriors were governed.

The ancient Egyptians, the Persians, the Romans, all the nations of antiquity who hel servants or subjeet races under them, had pre tain rules governing the status and conduct of th or slaves.

It is not my purpose here to pursue the su codes of Greece and Rome, nor to trace their h to our own time. Rather will I now treat of Code" as it existed in Louisiana, and review history of the legislation which resulted in the of that Code.

When America was discovered, Columbus ha his companions in one of his early voyages, "Apostle to the Indies," Las Casas, who came o profit and adventure in the New World.

It was the custom of the Spanish King to gra adventurers, upon conditions, large tracts of 1

ted against the great cruelties that were practiced upon Indians. His life led him into religion and he became ached to one of the monastic orders.

His inclinations to fair dealing between the natives, pled with his natural aversion to the cruelty that often racterized the Spanish rule of the natives, led him to ve the King to adopt certain rules and regulations for the elioration of their lot.

This was really the beginning of the Code of America, ich later grew into the "Black Code" of Louisiana.

t was soon discovered, however, and perhaps through s Casas' influence it was made apparent, that the Indian s not by nature a docile slave. Consequently, other labor s sought, and, encouraged by English traders, who were great leaders of the slave trade in those days, African ves began to be imported into the West Indies, where y soon replaced the less tractable American Indian.

These Africans being brought over in great numbers, rered certain regulations, certain control on the part of Government.

The colonies of France and Spain in the Indies becoming nerously populated with them, the first succinct, or I y say, legal Code for the government of the slaves in erica was enacted by Louis XIV on March 16, 1685, and s called the "Code Noir."

Like all the French Government decrees, it was very minand entered into the very details of daily life. It contain50 articles. Reflecting the strong religious influence of the , it carefully provided for the religious welfare of the ve. Its first article enjoined all the King's Officers in colonies to expel from their dominions within three

put Catone overseers or viciais to de placed or in control of, negroes.

It forbade any one, master or official, to the practice of their religion by the slaves; i observance of Sundays and holidays; .forbade work his slaves on these days in any field work labor. It went on at great length to prescribe clothing to be given to the slaves, provided fo of the aged and infirm by their masters; the ca and, in general, enjoined, under severe penalti ment of the slave by his master.

It enacted that slaves had no civil rights, b lutely in themselves and in all that they migh clusively to their masters; decreed that they ing in any civil court; that they had no civil they were as much under the control of their they were beasts of the field, subject, of o articles of the Code, which recognized their re and provided for their proper care and mainter

Much of the Code is given up to the method slaves for offences. These offences were su many heads. The most serious offence, of slave could commit was to strike his master of the master's family, and if he did so causin of the skin or effusion of blood, the slave death.

Larceny by the slave was not considered a offence, and was punished with ordinary pena

This Code became the law of the French Co diately upon its promulgation and was followe by other decrees supplementing its provisions.

For example, in 1736 King Louis issued a lating the baptism and emancipation of slaves.