Alexis Ferry Journal: Volume 4

Ferry, Alexis

In this journal, Alexis Ferry covered numerous topics such as religious bigotry and the subject of astronomy. He copied excerpts from the "Dictionnaire Philosophique" on subjects such as optical laws, the story of Noah, and the ideas of dogma and equality. There are entries about Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau and Georges Danton. "Seul" (Alone) is the title of an entry in which Ferry shares his feelings of loneliness and despair, which were perhaps influenced by his financial struggles (at the beginning of 1870). Sketches of the Fahrenheit and Celsius thermometer helped Ferry to observe the differences in gradation; the following notes describe the dry weather during the harvest, and the eventual much-needed rain. He documented the arrival of Chinese workers to Louisiana and wrote a response to a piece about this issue, asserting that the immigration of the Chinese to the South should not be opposed; "they are a inferior human race" being that, according to Ferry, at least "they are superior to the Negros." It appears as though he began planting cotton in February 1870 in order to produce more revenue for the plantation. Rain and general weather patterns were recorded for the month of June 1870. Ferry expressed his admiration for the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans; during a visit to New Orleans, he recounted what he saw and how much he liked its commerce, the churches, homes, hotels, and other structures. This journal also contains more criticism of the Catholic church. He included quotes by John S.C. Abbott about the supposed fictionality of Christianity and the seemingly insignificant existence of mankind. Ferry also quoted the works of Ernest Renan, specifically on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. There are lists of sugar-producing countries and how much sugar each produced in 1870. There is also a list of his federal, state, and parish taxes. He wrote numerous entries on the French-Prussian War (1870-1871) and had an overall unfavorable opinion of President Ulysses S. Grant. Toward the end of his journal, he copied instructions for gaining great fortune. Quills and inkwells, ships and boats, patented inventions for harvest, horses and other animals embellish the pages throughout this volume. Some entries are written in English.

1869-1871

Tulane University Digital Library

Agriculture
Religion

fre

diaries

13.625x8.75x1.125, 292 pages

https://library.tulane.edu/tusc/

Alexis Ferry journals, Manuscripts Collection 331, Louisiana Research Collection, Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118

Digital rights are held by Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana. Copyright is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws. Physical rights are held by Louisiana Research Collection, Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana

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