but the city
held its own, and the invading army was repulsed.

During the Civil War New Orleans again saw active campaigning. The
occupancy of the city by General Butler, and the stern measures he
adopted to suppress the loyalty even of the women of the town, has
formed the subject of much comment. There are many interesting stories
concerning this epoch in the city's history, which are told with many
variations to every one who sojourns for a while in the great port at
the gate of the greatest river in the world.

To-day, New Orleans is perhaps best known as the second largest cotton
mart in the world, some 2,000,000 bales of the product of the Southern
plantations being received and shipped out every year. More than
30,000,000 pounds of wool and 12,000,000 pounds of hides also pass
through the city every year, to say nothing of immense quantities of
bananas and costly transactions in sugar and lumber.

Although New Orleans is really some little distance from the ocean, the
river at this point is more than half a mile wide, and the great ships
of all nations are seen loading and unloading at its levee.

New Orleans naturally abounds in ancient landmarks and memorials. The
old Spanish Fort is one of the most interesting among these. Warfare of
the most bitter character was seen again and again at this place. The
fortifications were kept up largely to afford protection against raids
from Mexican pirates and hostile Indians, though they were often useful
against more civilized foes. It was at this port that Andrew Jackson
prepared to receive the British invaders. The magnificent use he made of
the fortifications should have given to the old place a lasting standing
and a permanent preservation. Some forty years ago, however, the fort
was purchased and turned into a kind of country resort, and more lately
it has become the home of a recreation club.

Better preserved, and a most interesting connecting link between the
past and the present, is the world-renowned French Market in New
Orleans. A story is told of a great novelist, who traveled several
thousand miles in order to find representatives of all nationalities
grouped together in one narrow space. For a work he had in contemplation
he was anxious to select for his characters men of all nationalities,
whom chance or destiny had thrown together. He spent several days in
Paris, journeyed throughout sunny Italy, got lost in some of the
labyrinths of the unexplored s