Summary

In 1725, an unnamed enslaved woman (or girl)–noted only as a pièce d’Inde–was transported by pirogue from New Orleans by her new enslaver, Sieur de Chavannes, to his plantation near the Petits Collas village upriver from the German Coast. Along the way, the woman attempted to flee captivity, jumping into the water at the sight of another pirogue, which belonged to Indigenous passers-by whom she presumably knew, perhaps from a previous attempt at marronage about one year earlier. Although de Chavannes recaptured the woman, pulling her from the water and bringing her ashore, she successfully escaped into the woods never to be heard from again. As a result, de Chavannes petitioned the Superior Council to release him from his obligation to pay his debts for the sale of the woman and claimed she must have simply been insane to have wanted to escape. The racialized and gendered language used in this document is reminiscent of “drapetomania,” a supposed mental illness created in the 19th-century by enslavers wishing to explain why enslaved people would try to seek their freedom.

Transcription
Translation
Notes

Transcription (French, diplomatic)

[feuille 1 recto] [digital 2]

A Messieurs les Presidents
Et. Conseillers du Conseil et Regis.

De Chavannes secretaire dud.^[i]t Conseil a
l’honneur de vous Representer qu’il auroit
il y a prés de trois ans achepté du S.r De Gauvrit
Cap.^[itai]ne d’infanterie une negresse piece d’inde
qu’il ne luy vendit que six cent Soixante
livres, prix que la compagnie vendoit les___
negres dans ce tem[p]s la, pour laquelle Somme
il luy donna une Lettre de change de pareille
valleur payable en france avec laquelle ledit
S^r. de Gauvrit achepta une vache et son Ecroit
du S^r. Berard pour lors chirurgien major
a la nouvelle orleans, que partoit pour france
delaquelle Lettre led.^[i]t S^r. Berard n’a point
reccû le payement sans cependant quelle
ait esté protostée, le supliant embarqua a
l’instant lad.^[i]te [page déchirée] Esclave dans une
Pirogue d’Emprunt pour lamener sur son
habitation des Petits Collas, il fut surpris

[f. 2 verso] [dig.3]

en arrivant au village des Collas de la voir
frenetique, et sans continuel sa route l’auroit
remené, et rendu au d.^[i]t S^r. de Gauvrit s’il eût
eté le maitre de sa voiture; en arrivant a son
habitation le lendemain matin les folies et
frenesies de lad.^[i]te Negresse redoublerent a
l’aspect d’une pirogue menée par des sauvages
dont elle s’effreia jusqu’au point de se
jeter dans le fleuve et se vouloir noyer
si on ne l’avoit secourüe, sans autre cause
que son alienation d’Esprit, puis qu’il y avoit
plus d’un an quelle voioit journellement des
Indiens, et aprés que l’on l’eut tirée de l’eau
et fait manger s’en alla au bout d’une heure
dans les bois, sans que l’on en ait jamais
eû aucune nouvelle depuis.

Depuis lequel temps le supliant n’a
entendu [parler] de rien, il a crû que la
Lettre de change qu’il avoit tirée sur Paris

[f. 2r] [dig.4]

êtoit acquittée, cependant depuis deux jours
le S^r. De Gauvrit luy a dit que cette lettre
n’avoit pas été payeé quoy quelle n’aye pas
esté protestée, et demande que le supliant
luy paye lad.^[i]te somme de 660++. pour lad.[i]te
negresse, mais comme il a apris que cette
negresse venoit de la Comp.[agni]e Et que led.^[i]t S.^r
de Gauvrit ne l’a pas payeé qu’il la vendu
au supliant contre les deffences du con.^el
il craint que s’il venoit a la payer que vous
ne la luy fassiés payer une seconde fois,
ce qui l’oblige d’avoir recours a vous.
Ce Consideré, Messieurs il vous plaise
permettre au supliant d’assigner devant
vous atel jour qu’il vous plaira led.^[i]t S^r.
de Gauvrit pour voir dire qu’il raportera
au supliant la permission qu’il a eû du
con.^el pour vêndre lad.^[i]te Negresse ou
la quittance du prix d’icelle pour faire
voir qu’il la payeé, aux offres que fait

[f. 2v] [dig.5]

le supliant d’acquitter lad.^[i]te lettre de
change, et luy permettre d’arrete icelle
entre les mains de ceux qui en sont
porteurs ^++sauf a prendre d’au.^re conclusions
et vous feras bien.

a la N.^[ouve]lle orleans ce 10 Avril 1725
[Signé:] De Chavannes

Permis d’assigner au premier
jour ala N.^[ouve]lle Orleans le 20.^e
avril 1725,

[Signé:] fazende

Translation (English, modern)

[page #1] [digital 2]

To the Gentlemen Presidents And Councilors of the Council and King

De Chavannes, Secretary of the said Council, has the honor of representing to you that he had, nearly three years ago [now], purchased from Sr. de Gauvrit, Infantry Captain, a négresse, pièce d’Inde, whom he [de Gauvrit] sold to him [de Chavannes] for only six-hundred and sixty livres, [the] price at which the company sold the nègres at that time,¹ for which amount he gave him a Bill of Exchange of equal value [that is] payable in France, with which the aforementioned Sr. de Gauvrit purchased a cow and its calf from Sr. Berard, [who was] at the time the chief surgeon of New Orleans [and] who was leaving for France. Of which [amount of] the Bill [for the cows] the aforementioned Sr. Berard has not received payment yet [but], [even] without [the promissory note] having been vacated, the supplicant [de Chavannes] loaded at that moment the said [page torn] slave into a borrowed pirogue to bring her to his plantation at the Petits Collas [an Acolapissa village on the Mississippi River]. He was surprised,

[p. #2] [dig.3]

upon arriving at the village of the Collas,² to see her frantic, and without [having needed to] continue his journey he would have taken her back, and given her [back] to the said Sr. de Gauvrit, if [only] he had been the master of the vehicle [pirogue]. Upon his arrival at his plantation the following morning, the madness and frenzies of the said négresse redoubled at the sight of [another] pirogue manned by some sauvages, at which point she took fright, throwing herself into the river and wanting to drown herself–[which she would have done] if she had not been rescued–without any other reason than her losing her mind. [By] then, it had been over a year since she had seen the Indiens daily, and after she had been pulled out of the water and made to eat, within an hour she went away into the woods, without anyone having any news of her since.

Since which time the supplicant has heard of nothing, [thus] he believed that the Bill of Exchange that he had sent to Paris

[p. #3] [dig.4]

had been forgiven. However, since two days [ago], Sr. de Gauvrit told him that this Bill had not been paid, [and] it had not been vacated, and [he] asks that the supplicant pay him the said sum of 660 livres for the said négresse. But as he [de Chavannes] learned this négresse came from the Company [of the Indies], and that the said Sr. de Gauvrit had not paid for her at the time that he had sold her to the supplicant, contrary to the prohibitions of Council. He [the supplicant] fears that if he pays you might make him pay a second time, which would force him to take recourse with you. With this being considered, Messieurs, if you would please permit the supplicant to summon before you, on whichever day should please you, the said Sr. de Gauvrit, so that he may report to the supplicant the permission that he had from the Council to sell the said négresse, or [provide] the receipt for the price of her to prove that he had paid it, [and] proffer to

[p. #4] [dig.5]

the supplicant to discharge the said Bill of Exchange, and permit him to stop [the transfer] [of funds] into hands of those who are [the Bill’s] bearers, barring other conclusions [of which] you would be well to make.

At New Orleans, [on] this [day], 10th April 1725

[Signed:] [Jean Baptiste] de Chavannes

Permission to summon [de Gauvrit] to appear on the first day [possible]. At New Orleans, the 20th April 1725.

[Signed:] [Jacques] Fazende

Notes