7

11

Feb. 3d- Winter morning- attend church at Thidedouxville-
to Bishop keeps and pays a man $300 to preach to his negroes. In
the afternoon negroes assemble in the hall are catechised.

Feb. 4th Sew in the morning until 2o'c then dress. Mrs.
Guion calls in the afternoon- extremely cold- this is not a fine
house nor sumptuously furnished, comfort and convenience seem to
be the object instead of pomp and show. Mrs. Polk appropriates
to her use a bed chamber, bath room, nursery, children's play
room and living room. She has a faithful negro nurse whose care
she abandons her babes entirely. Only when she has a fancy to
caress them does she see them- eight children and she can not
lay to their charge the loss of a single night's rest. In another
department, she is equally fortunate, having a housekeeper who
gives out, regulates and is everything ought to be.

Feb. 5th I. H. very sick all night- gives him syrup of rhubbarb
and laudanum- arrange my trunk- all walk up to the sugar house-
handsome building 190 feet long- Biship first show us the manner of
carrying up the cane then the engine, which is not painted for
preservation, the way in which the juices are pressed out, and
outlet for the pressed cane, where it is carted off, then the
vats and railroads into which the juice runs from there into the
immense boilers-process of dripping, skimming etc. thence to the
ware room-700 hogshead of sugar of five hundred barrels of mo-
lasses- vats below to receive the molasses which drips from the sugar.

Feb. 6th. After breakfast drive to Thibedeaux- surprised at
the quality of goods kept in so small a village. Excellent French
work- obtained the address of a book store in New Orleans- Victoire