In the early morning of Aug. 7, 1727, exactly five months from the day they had left Rouen, France, the Ursulines reached
the port city of New Orleans, mosquito bitten and weather-beaten, but happy to arrive in their new home. One young nun wrote
home and gave the following first impression: “Upon seeing New Orleans for the first time, I can only say it looks like
a large cesspool.”
Source: Buddy Stall at
http://clarionherald.org/20010816/stall.htm