NEW-ORLEANS, the capital, and chief town of the state of Louisiana, stands upon the left bank of the Mis sissippi river, at N. lat. 30°. and west, from Washing ton City, 12°. 05'.
New-Orleans is composed of the city properly so call ed, and several Fauxbourgs, (suhurbs,) the principal of which are, St. Mary's, Annunciation, and La Course, above the city ; Marigny's, anti Broniers, below ; and Treme, and St. John's, in the rear of the city, towards Bayou St. John's.
The city itself is laid out with the streets intersecting each other at right angles. The Fauxbourgs, though in general also regular, deviate in some places. Like all other places along the banks of the Mississippi, the ground upon which New Orleans stands falls, by a gen tle declivity, from the margin of the river, until depress ed into a swamp, or overflown flat, in the rear of the town. The city, and all its Fauxbourgs, except those of Treme and St. John's, stand upon the solid border of land between the river and swamp, the medium width of which, is about 400 yards. The extreme length of New Orleans along the Mississippi is nearly three miles. The river running opposite in the form of an S. It contains a State-house, Prison, Alarket-house, Hospital, Princi pal, or Town-house. A Cathedral, or the Church of St. John's, Ursuline Convent, an Episcopalian, and a Calvinistic church, two Theatres, a Court-house, three Insurance offices, four Banks authorized by the state, a branch of that of the United States, a Custom-house, Navy Yard, Arsenal, Barracks, and one Fort, that of St. Charles, situated between the city proper and Faux bourg Marigny.
New-Orleans is situated 105 miles above the mouth of the Alississippi, 322 by water, and 156 by land, below Natchez; 1189 below St. Louis ; 991 below the mouth of Ohio, and 1935 below the city of Pittsburg.
It is ruled by a mayor and city council, elected by the freeholders.
This city is admirably situated for a commercial de pot, having equal facility of intercourse, foreign and do mestic. Its markets are excellent, particularly for garden vegetables, and for fruits, both tropical, and from the numerous settlements on the various confluents of the Mississippi. The houses and population are both
rapidly on the increase, as may be seLn by the following comparative view of its census in 1810 and 1820. At the Former period, the city and parish contained 24,552, of whom, above 17,000 were found in the city. In 1820, the number of inhabitants stood thus : New-Orleans was laid out in the spring of 1717, and named in honour of the Duke of Orleans, then Regent of Fiance, during the minority of Lewis the XIV. It remained in the hands of the French until 1769, when, together with all Louisiana, it was taken posssession of by the Spanish general, O'Reily. It was again given up by Spain to France in 1803, and on the 20th of Decem ber of that year given up to the United States, by the French colonial prefect Laussatt.
In the month of November, 1814, a British fleet and army appeared off Cat Island, and on the 16th of No vember, the United States flotilla of gun-boats were cap tured in the Pass, between the Malheureux islands and Florida shore. On the morning of the 23d December, part of the British army reached the bank of the Mis sissippi, at General Villaret's plantation, eight miles be low New-Orleans. On the evening of the same day, general Jackson attacked them in their encampment, when a sharp but indecisive engagement took place ; both armies claiming the victory. On the ensuing morn ing, the United States' army took position on Rodri guez's canal, three miles below the city, and that of the British formed its lines one mile still lower down. Par tial engagements intervened on the 28th day of Dccem• ber, ancl on the filthday of January. 1815, and on Sunday morning, January, 8th, general Pack enham quit his lines, and attacked the United States' army in its entrench ments. The former were defeated with great slaughter, with but very little loss on the part of the latter. The British lost about 2000 men, that of the Uidted States' army was only five killed and seven wounded.
On the night of the 18th, the British commenced their retreat on board their vessels, and evacuated Loui siana a few days afterwards.