Cajun Country

Now that we’re all on the bus, I’d like to tell you a little bit about what we’re going to be
seeing today. The area that we’re visiting is called Cajun Country. The Cajuns are
descended from the Acadians, French settlers who came from the Acadia region of
present-day Canada. They came in the 18 th century, during the French and Indian War,
when they were driven from Acadia by the British. They settle(d) in Southern Louisiana in
the areas around New Orleans. They brought their French culture with them. And today,
approximately a quarter of a million people in Louisiana still speak French as a result.

We’ll be driving by some sugar plantations and alligator farms, and then we’ll be stopping
at Ivory (Avery) Island. There’s a factory there that’s (that has) been producing tabasco
since 1868. Are you familiar with Tabasco? It’s one of the best-known spicy sauces in
Cajun cooking, and it’s very hot. I hope you like spicy food, because any Cajun food that
you eat on this trip is going to be spicy.

After Ivory (Avery) Island we’ll continue on to Lafayette, which is the largest city in Cajun
Country. When we arrive in Lafayette, we’re going to visit Acadian Village which is a Cajun
theme park. This theme park offers rides, exhibits, shopping and restaurants, all with a
Cajun theme. Now settle back, relax, and enjoy the ride. I’ll point out the interesting sides
(sights) as we come to them.
 Clipper Ship

Please take your seats now because I would like to begin today’s lecture. Today we will be
discussing one of the more elegant and distinct form(s) of 19th century transportation, the
Clipper Ship. Clipper Ships of the 19th century were the graceful multi-sailed ocean-going
vessels that were designed for maximum speed. They were given the name Clipper Ship
in reference to the fact that they “clipped along” at such a fast rate of speed. Clipper Ships
were constructed with a large number of sails in order to maximize their speed. They often
have (had) six to eight sails in each of the masts, and ships commonly had three and
perhaps four masts. The speed(s) that they achieve(d) were unbelievably fast for the era.
Clipper Ships could, for example, accomplish the amazing feat of traveling from New York
to San Francisco in less than a hundred days.

Clipper Ships first came into use in United States in the 1840s. They were originally
intended to make the trip from New York around the tip of South America and on to China,
in order to transport tea to the United States. Once called (gold) with (was) discovering
(discovered in) California in 1848, Clipper Ships were immediately put into use to carry
large number of gold prospectors and large amount of mining supplies from the East Coast
to California. With the success of the American Clipper Ships the British began their own
fleet of Clipper Ships to transport goods from the far reaches of the British Empire. That’s
all for today’s class, don’t forget that there’s a written assignment due on Friday.