Defense statement of accused P[ierre] Carresse, New Orleans
Description
Merchant Pierre Carresse [or, Caresse], Syndic of the General Assembly of Merchants of Louisiana, was one of the men arrested by Governor O'Reilly and brought to trial on charges of insurrection. In this digressive statement he justified his participation in the rebellion of 1768 October 29 against Governor Ulloa. He based his arguments on the same premises invoked by his co-defendants: that Ulloa had never exhibited credentials to local authorities and had never taken possession of the colony. In a tone considerably milder than that of the ''Memorial of the Inhabitants and Merchants of Louisiana'' he accused Ulloa of being rude and austere, arbitrary and inflexible. He criticized the Governor for granting commercial privileges to the English, for imposing deleterious trade restrictions, and for refusing to hear citizens' complaints. In summary, Carresse said, Ulloa was a foreigner, a usurper of authority, who had attempted to upset the laws of the Louisianians, to destroy their privileges, and to threaten their liberty. Under the circumstances, the actions of the colony were not criminal. Neither were they clandestine, for Governor Aubry had been kept informed. Finally, Carresse gave his version of Ulloa's expulsion from the colony, describing it as a peaceful departure, for which the citizenry had gathered at the dock where Ulloa's ship was anchored to wish him well. [Carresse was one of the five men executed by O'Reilly on 1769 October 25.]