When Louisiana was ceded to the United States, in 1803, Orleans was then entirely occupied by Creole-French and Spanish, consequently the majority of the habitations and public buildings, are in the French and Spanish style. The cathedral, which presents a handsome façade of about seventy feet, the town-hall, and courts, occupy one side of the _place d'armes,_--these, with the American theatre, the _théâtre d'Orleans,_ or French opera house, the hospital, and three or four churches, are the only public buildings in the city. The houses are all flat-roofed, and those in the back streets and fauxbourgs are seldom more than one story high; the practice of building houses in this manner was pursued in order to avoid injury from tornadoes, which occasionally visit the valley of the Mississippi; latterly they have not been of frequent occurrence, although when they do arise, they are extremely violent. The town of Urbana, in Ohio, this year (1830) has been nearly destroyed by a visitation of this nature. Pharo-banks, roulette-tables, and gambling of all kinds, are publicly permitted; but the proprietor of each establishment pays a tax of 5000 dollars per annum. The _théâtre d'Orleans_ on Sunday evenings, is generally crowded with beautiful French women. Every night during the winter season there is a _bal paré et masqué_, and occasionally "quadroon balls," which are attended by the young men of the city and their _chères amies_ quadroons, who are decidedly the finest women in the country, being well formed, and graceful in their carriage. The Louisianians are prohibited by law from marrying with quadroons, although this _caste_ is free, and many of them have been educated in France, and are highly accomplished.