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A lively report of travels in early nineteenth-century Texas and Louisiana and a fascinating account of the discovery, exploration, and settlement of those areas is presented in the work of this ebullient young French dramatist and journalist who traveled to Louisiana in 1837 and to Texas in 1839.
FrÉdÉric Gaillardet, an alert and talented writer of the romantic school, was lured away for a decade from a successful career in Paris to satisfy his wanderlust and to seek inspiration on the American frontier. During that time he visited the American Southwest, and he talked with many personages there-men like Sam Houston, Mirabeau B. Lamar, and Achille Murat. His character sketches of these men add zest to the book, as do the facets of Gaillardet's own personality and life displayed in these pages.
Gaillardet's reports of his travels were published in various French-language newspapers of the time; a few were incorporated into the author's posthumous memoirs. His opinions, as recorded in his writings, exerted undeniable influence in the French decision to recognize Texas; one of his theses was that the Republic of Texas might become a curb, rather than a stepping stone, to an expanding United States. Despite Gaillardet's historical importance, however, none of these chapters has ever appeared before in English translation.
This collection was gathered from several sources: the Journal des DÉbats, the Constitutionnel, the Courrier des États-Unis, and Gaillardet's memoirs, entitled L'Aristocratie en AmÉrique.
The latter chapters concentrate on the career of a prominent Louisiana lawyer, politician, and diplomat, Pierre SoulÉ, whose much maligned name Gaillardet repeatedly and stoutly defended. A less favorable treatment of SoulÉ, contained in Fanny CalderÓn de la Barca's AttachÉ in Madrid, is reprinted in the appendix to aid the reader in judging the accuracy of Gaillardet's analysis of this arresting figure.
Copious footnotes to clarify the text have been added by the translator. His introduction presents a biographical sketch of Gaillardet, together with a careful analysis of the book, which has been translated lucidly and vividly.
Contents
Introduction
1. Urging French Recognition of Texas
2. Invasions of the Anglo-American Race into Texas
3. Moving toward Revolution
4. From the Alamo to San Jacinto
5. Happenings in the New Republic
6. A Future for the French in Texas
7. The Beginnings of Louisiana
8. Iberville, Bienville, and PÉrier
9. Members of the New Orleans Bar
10. French Memories of Texas: Champ d'Asile
11. The Story of Pierre SoulÉ
Appendix: Concerning Pierre SoulÉ in Madrid
Bibliography
Index
