Tuesday, May 3, 1836

Fair and warm.  On my return from Wilkins' last evening, I learnt that steamboat Teche had gone up the river, and would be down tomorrow morning.  Could not sell my horses.  At breakfast had potatoes as large as turkey eggs, of this spring's growth.  Here is a Mr. Stone, a handsome young man from New Jersey; came out to settle his father's estate -- on his return North.  Has a wife and child eighteen months old, and yet the wife looks like a girl of fifteen years.  Guyon's bill, $6.25; washing, 50 cents.  Left New Iberia at 10 o'clock.  It is a neat place of about twenty-four families.  Very little trade.  Mrs. Guyon keeps a very neat house.  A few miles from New Iberia, stopt at the house of Baron Bayard, a French Creole, and sold him my sorrel horse for $65.  A few miles further on stopt at the sugar house of Dr. Solonge, and examined the operations.  They were boiling the molasses that had been left in the bottoms of cisterns; six boilers.  The first is called Grand; the second, Propre, and the last one Batterie.  Syrop de Batterie is the molasses taken from the batterie before it is boiled enough to granulate.  It is a large establishment, fine house; arrangements seem to be superior.  Overseer told me the crops of the last two years did not exceed 320 hogsheads.  He expected to make more this year than in the last two years.  Passed the splendid estate of Major Fusillier, a rich old French creole.  His house is surrounded by beautiful hedges and groves of orange trees, and his fences are ornamented with more than 300 fine catalpas.  Passed the estate of Withrop Hardin, the son of old Lyman Hardin, of Natchez.  Fine place.  Also the beautiful plantation of a Mons'r Preyeaur.  Arrived at Franklin at sunset.  Stopt at the Mansion House, kept by James A. Anderson; good house.

Wednesday, May 4, 1836

At Franklin.  I wished to go over to Thibedeauville and see Alex'r Lawson, but was told it would be impracticable -- the waters were high, and no ferry boats.  I wished to see the father and other relations of Mr. D. Carlin, who live