u-

/

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I II 111*-

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AN

î^istorical account

OF THE

BLACK EMPIRE OF HAYTI,

^(fy ■-:

m

l?KS=

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ma

-:-.5Kgi---'SS??.<§:

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_'■{ Rairur'oi-d <i^l

AN

iiôtortcal account

OF THE

BLACK EMPIRE OF HAYTI :

COMPREHENDING A VIEW OF

THE PRINCIPAL TRANSACTIONS IN THE REVOLUTION

OF

SAINT DOMINGO;

WITH

ITS ANTIENT JND MODERN STATE.

BY

MARCUS RAIXSFORD, Esq.

LATE CAPTAIN THIRD ^^EST-IJf D JA REGIMENT,

" Tros, Tyriusve, mihi nullo discrimine agetur."

VIRGIL.

" On peut dire avec vérité qu'U y a peu de traits de barbarie qui

puissent leur fies noirs) être imputés."

DE CHARMILLY.

ALBION PRESS PRINTED:

PVBLISHED BY JAMES CUNDEE, IVY-LANE, PATERNOSTER-ROW;

AND SOLD BY C. CHAPPLE, PALL MALL.

1805.

7

ADVERTISEMENT.

As all that is necessary to preface the following work
will be found in the Introduction, nothing more is in-
tended in this place than to advertise the reader of some
circumstances which could not be so well communicated
under any other head.

t

The sedentary attention so necessary to the production of
a literary work, but ill comports with the character of a sol-
dier; this, with other temporary inconveniences, and
frequent migrations during their composition, will, it
is feared, give occasion for apology in regard to some
parts of the following sheets, where an inequality of
style and occasional confusion of persons are perceptible,
which must be attributed to the want of that tranquil-
lity, the desire of the enlightened in all ages, so neces-
sary to a correct view of men and things, and which

polishes

VI

polishes, while it imparts the utmost reach of intellect
A deficiency may, perhaps, be found in the part con-
fes^dly compilation : but it may, at the same time, be
said, that to make a book nothing unnecessary is obtruded-
and the writer may truly assert, that " he sat down to
wnte, what he thought, (and saw) not to think what he
should write."

^ It IS pleasmg to contemplate the kind attentions of
those who disinterestedly communicate what informa-
tion they possess. Of these, the writer would wish to
have mentioned many, who, with a delicacy equal to
their intelligence, refused to be thanked in public: yet he
resolves, without permission, to acknowledge his obliga-
tions to Admiral Smith, whose local information, had
It not been for the distance between them, might have
conferred much more interest upon his work;-.to
John Campbell, Esq. of his Majesty's navy, whose
name will be found hereafter, and whose absence at sea
he has never ceased to regret;-to William Curtis, Esq.
of Cavendish-square, for the liberal communication of his
plans, of which he is anxious to avail himself further, in
future ;— to an American resident, at St. Domingo, of

whose

vil

whose assistance he was proud in that island: and to
another Friend to whom he is indebted for the highest
literary obligations.

The work is now committed to the indulgence of the
public "with all its imperfections on its head;" if truth
be at all elucidated — if virtue derive one more friend
from its aid, — or policy, quitting the frail basis of expe-
dience, be further grounded on justice and humanity, the
WTiter will not have recorded, in the first empire of the
world, the simple annals of Hayti, in vain.

INTRO-

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INTRODUCTION.

IT has frequently been the fate of striking events, and particular!}'-
those which have altered the condition of mankind, to be denied that
consideration by their cotemporaries, which they obtain from the
veneration of posterity. In their vortex, attention is distracted by the
effects ; and distant society recedes from the contemplation of objects
that threaten a violation of their system, or wound a favourite preju-
dice. It is thus that history, with all the advantages of calm discus-
sion, is imperfect i and philosophy enquires in vain for the unre-
corded causes of astonishing transactions.

To remedy the evil in this enlightened rera, the' disquisitions of the
observer, and the relations of the traveller occur ; but these are pe-
rused with the rapidity, with which they are necessarily made, and,
although they teach us what regards our own nature, impress no
other sense of the period described, than as relates to the fleeting ob-
jects of immediate import — furnishing, therefore, little more (if so

b much

X INTRODUCTION.

much may always be expected) than frail documents for the judgment
of the future historian.

Such is precisely the case with the subject of the following pao-es.
The rise of the Haytian empire is an event which may powerfully affect
the condition of the human race; yet it is viewed as an ordinary suc-
cession of triumphs and defeats, interrupted only by the horrors of new
and terrible inflictions, the fury of the contending elements, and de-
structive disease, more trem^endous than all.

It will scarcely be credited in another age, that philosophers heard
unm.oved, of the ascertainment of a brilliant fact, hitherto unknown,
or confined to the vague knowledge of those whose experience is not
admitted within the pale of historical truth. It will not be believed,
that enlightened Europe calmly witnessed its contrasted brilliancy
with actions which, like the opaque view of night, for a sullen hour
obscured the dazzling splendour. -

It is on ancient record,* that negroes were capable of repelling their
enemies, with vigour, in their own country ; and a writer of modern

* Leo A^RICA^•L•s says, that the negroes between Senegal and Gambia, in Africa, (the
parts from «hence slaves are, at present, supplied,) lived in the utmost innocence and simplicity,
till the armed Moors came among, and subjected them, teaching them afterwards their religion, and
the arts of life. About the fourteenth ceuturj', however, Heli Ischia, a native-negro, at the head
of his countrymen, turning their own arts against them, bravely expelled their ^Moorish conquerors.
This negro continued in power, aud acted as king, leading them to several foreign wars, and
establishing them in power OTcr a great extent of country.

6 date

INTRODUCTION.

XI

date * has assured us of the talents and virtues of these people ; but it
remained for the close of the eighteenth century to realize the scene,
from a state of abject degeneracy : — to exhibit, a horde of negroes
emancipating themselves from the vilest slavery, and at once filling the
relations of society, enacting laws, and commanding armies, in the
colonies of Europe.

The same period has witnessed a great and polished nation, not merely-
returning to the barbarism of the earliest periods, but descending to
the characters of assassins and executioners ; and, removing the boun-
daries which civilization had prescribed even to war, rendering it a wild
conflict of brutes and a midnight massacre.

To attract a serious attention to circumstances, which consti-
tute an sera in the history of human nature and of martial affairs, is
the purpose of the present disquisition ; which, it is hoped, will tend
to furnish an awful, yet practical lesson, as well as to excite and
gratify a laudable curiosit}-.

To this subject, the attention of the writer was peculiarly led, from
a long acquaintance with the West-Indies, and opportunities of
considerable observation of the colonies in that Archipelago. To
the French colony of St. Domingo, his notice was early and par-
ticularly attracted; several of his military friends were afterward

Adanson, Voyage â l'Afrique, 1 749-53.

employed

INTRODUCTION.

employed on its shores, and ultimately an accident caused a per-
sonal visit; the information resulting from Avhich, on account of
its subsequent effects, could not fail to be deeply impressed on his me-
mory.

Of IIispa?iiola, or 6"t. Dommgo, there is no particular history, in any
language, similar to those of the British colonies, so ably executed by
Sir Hans Sloane and others. The earliest accounts are incorporated
with the voyage of the great discoverer, his Spanish coadjutors, and
the legends of the missionaries. Of these the description of Colum-
bus, and that of Peter Martyr, are the most intelligent, while the
account of Las Casas is particularly interesting, and the History of
Herrera acute and correct. That of Vespucci ought scarcely to be
named, in retribution for his injury to Columbus. After the establish-
ment of the French colony, when priests from the mother-country set-
tled upon the island, they furnished accounts of the establishment, and
of the manners of its inhabitants, generally interesting and cor-
rect; the most celebrated of these are by the Fathers Du Pers,, Char-
levoix, Du Tertre, and Labat. Neither are the accounts of the
Buccaniers (the first founders of the French colony), by themselves —
nor the observations of an anonymous writer in the Histoire Générale
des Voïages,* without merit. From these sources, with the assistance
of the able compilation of the Abbe Raynal, and occasional re-
ference to the most polished of modern historians. Dr. Robertson,
the facts with which the present work commences, are drawn. —

* Paris, 1759.

For

INTRODUCTION.

Xlil

For the different light in which some incidents will appear, from
their authorities, as well as the opinions or sentiments which are occa-
sionally interspersed, the writer alone is answerable.

When the circumstances which ultimately led to the independence
of the island commenced, the first English work, exclusively, on St.
Domingo made its appearance ;* and, though in the form of a pam-
phlet, contained a correct account of facts, with no other fault than
an inflammatory style, easily imparted by such a subject at the period
it was written. Not long after, JNIr. Bryan Edwards, who had
been successful in a General History of the British Colonies in
the West-Indies, and who had intended to write a similar one of the
French colonies,-}- published a quarto volume on the subject, com-
prising all the information he could collect. This work, however,
although it contained documents of the most authentic kind, did not
increase Mr. Edwards's fame as an accurate writer ; being, in point
of fact, as well as topographically, incorrect; it provoked a volume
of equal size in answer, from a gentleman, who, for many reasons,
was well acquainted with his subject; M. de Charmilly,J the com-
missioner empowered by a number of the colonists to offer a capitu-
lation of St. Domingo to Great Britain. Though replete with errors
arising from personal interest, and local prejudices, some facts are

furnished

* An Inquiry into the Causes of the Insurrection in St. Domingo, 179~-

f Hist. Survey. Preface.

X To ]Mr. Edwards he says, (in his " Lettre en Réfutation de son Ouvrage sur St. Domingue")
" You should have acknowledged^ that all your inforniation was derived from others, during a stay of a

few

XIV

ESTRODUCTION.

furnished by both these writers which could not be obtained by any other
means. About the same time, there appeared at Paris, a work in two
small volumes, in the form of Letters, under the name of the " Baron de
Wimpffen;" which, from external evidence, appear to be a collection
of facts, arranged in an agreeable manner, on a subject occupying the
attention of the French public, at the time. Whether it were or not
a real voyage, among a variety of observations calculated to suit a
temporary purpose, there are some that deserve a much better cha-
racter. To these were added in France, a short time after, a work
containing some authentic facts in a memoir of Toussaint, and a life
of that great man, distorted for the purposes of party, by a popular
writer. Du Brocas. The Remarks of Colonel Chalmers, in Eng-
land, succeeded ; from whose experience and local opportunities much
was to be expected.* Of these, with a variety of private documents
obtained from an extensive and intelligent correspondence, the waiter

has

few weeks only, in a time of general disorder, shut up in the town of the Cape ; while the inhabi-
tants of the colony, and even the city, were divided into different parties; and that you could not
speak the French language, or very badly."

" II fallait dire—' Pendant un séjour de quelques semaines seulement que j'ai demeuré enfermé
dans la ville du Cap, aussitôt après la révolte des nègres en 1791, j'ai rassemblé dans un tems de
désordre et de troubles, les importans matériaux qui m'ont servi: — ' que vous aviez rien vu par
vous-même,'" &c.

M. de Charmilly, at the same time, views the conquest of St. Domingo by the English as very
easy—ridicules the idea of the blacks ever attaining any force, and hangs the fate of the whole of
the Antilles on the prosecution of his favorite project.

* It is amusing to see the confidence with which the subjugation of St. Domingo constantly in-
spired its advocates. Col. Chalmers, in other respects, a well-informed soldier and gentleman,
is incautious enough to have the following assertion in his preface : — " The late events in St. Do-
mingo

INTRODUCTIOX.

XT-

has availed himself, in his third and fifth chapters, in a way, he trusts,
neither injurious to their authors, nor unacceptable to the public.

Two other works have arisen out of the subject more recent than
the foregoing, which deserve to be mentioned : that of M. d'AR-
CHENHOLTz on the BuccanierSf published in Germany ; and Mr. Dal-
las's English History of the Maroons, furnished from the materials of
their superintendant, Mr. Quarrell, of Jamaica. On the former, while
it furnishes illustrations of human nature, little dependence is to be
placed in point of historical fact ; for it follows the Spanish accounts
of the people of whom it treats, and conveys an obvious calumny on
their most respectable members.* From the latter, some inferences
are to be drawn, applicable to the subject of this volume, though th©
source, enveloped in interest, and the prejudice inseparable from a fa-

mingo have been much misunderstood, or highly exaggerated : he trusts that he has clearly proved
that the temporary misfortunes sustained by France were occasioned by her impolicy, cruelly, or
other causes, totally independent of the power of her black enemies, whose strength, as stated, is
utterly inadequate to render them independent of that empire, or of any other much less formidable
power. If so, it is humiliating to hear senators gravely pronounce that France has lost St. Domingo."
The colonel adds, from Homer,—

" To few, and wonderous few, has Heaven assign'd
" A -œise, extensive, all-considering mind ! ! !"

* Of the intrepid, generous, and intelligent Morgan (among others), M, d'Archenholtz asserts,
" The horrors he committed are more dreadful than those of any of his colleagues. This monster
filled the highest posts in the {British) state, and enjoyed with perfect security that enormous wealth
which had cost the tears and blood of so many victims to his avance, without suffering the smallest
remorse to approach his hardened heart !"

vourite

INTRODUCTION.

Tourite project, is not so pure as could be wished on such an import-
ant occasion.

To the abstracts of these works may be added a variety of temporary
productions (including the foreign and English public journals), to
which proper reference has been had, with the caution necessary for
consulting such an heterogeneous mass of materials. Thus, no cor-
rect or comprehensive account, has been given in our language, of
this interesting country i even those who have enlightened the public
mind on other great occasions, falling in with the general apathy,
have forborne on this wonderful revolution.*

To supply this omission, in a small degree, the writer, on a former
occasion,-f submitted to the public his ideas in a crude and imperfect
state ; and the attention they received from some intelligent minds,
afforded sufficient proof, that the public only required to be roused
to entertain the considerations they suggested ; while the adoption
of his humble narrative in the journals of those countries:J: that

* From this censure, however, must be excepted Mr. Cobbett, (the author of the Political Re-
gister) who has iu more than this instance deserved the character he has obtained of an euhghtened
politician.

t In the winter of 1801-2.

I See " The Merchant," a respectable paper published in Rotterdam in the beginning of
lSO-2, &c. &c.

might

INTRODUCTION,

XVll

might be supposed to possess- the priority of information, evinces the
necessity of such a communication as the present.*

In it, will be found a succinct, and he trusts candid, view of the
early history of the Spanish colony, in which the impolicy of cru-
elty, and the errors of injustice, are exposed, in preference to any
national prejudice, or habit. The same ideas are continued, regarding
the French establishment ; and a reference to human nature is prefer-
red, when considering the character of those, whose actions of
terrific splendour could be tried by no other test. In regard to the
height of the French colonial prosperit}^ he has not dilated the ac-
count by so minute a view of their domestic hfe as by some might be
wished ; but, in what is necessary to give a correct idea of manners
and conduct, it is hoped no deficiency will appear. In any case
where the question of slavery interferes, considering the subject on a
broad basis, without regard to part}'-, he has shewn its general inex-
pediency^ rather than scrutinized its measures. And in tracing the
revolutionary spirit to its source, he has endeavoured to point out
moral dehnquency without any other expression of rigidit}- than that
which arose from the subject itself. In cotemporary history, that ha-
zardous, and perhaps invidious enterprize, he has rather adopted those
facts, wherever such could be found, which have already received the
common consent, than obtruded his own, in their place ; and where
the latter are of necessity introduced, they have been scrupulously

\

^ -See also « The Monthly," and other Reviews of this period.

examined

xnu

INTRODUCTION.

examined and confirmed. His own sojotirn at Cape François and Fort
Dauphin is the unaftected tale of a way-worn soldier^* experienced in
the cross-roads of hfe, equally happy in the hospitality of an Indian
cottage, or that of a magnificent empire — yet not regardless of each
exclusive excellence, nor appropriating that of the one, to the other,
or denying either. With regard to the transactions of the Black Re-
public (the appellation first given to the black government by the
author), great care has been used to obtain the medium of truth be-
tween a variety of conflicting accounts; and, for the better com-
prehending their direct intent and views, much attention has been paid
to give in the translation of their public papers, their original spirit.

Of one prominent subject of the present volume, it is painful to
speak — yet an application to the general reader is necessary, as well
as an apology to the sensibility of that sex, which the author would
be much afflicted to forego— for the representations of cruelty, which
will, he trusts, prevent such another violation of the human cha-
racter. He is also desirous to avoid the appearance of enlarging on a
subject which regards a country against whom his own is in hostilities.
Jt must, therefore, be recollected, that it was during the peace which
afforded an opportunity for the commission of crimes against human
nature, of which he complains, that he first attacked the expedition
against St. Domingo, and the immediate recourse to the assistance of
the ferocious animals, which were surpassed by the cruelty of those.

* The writer, at the time of his first publication, bad been iicetitj/-jhur years an officer in his
iMajest/s service.

5 by

lit

INTRODUCTION.

SIX

by whom they were employed. ^NJere description conveys not with so
much force as when accompanied by graphic ilhistration, those horrors
which are wished to be impressed upon the public mind. The exist-
ence of blood-hounds in the Spanish settlements in America, though
disgraceful to the nation by which it is permitted, may yet continue,
without any effect more extensive than with regard to the colonists, or
their visitants ; but the practice of, and terrible reference to, the savage
custom of a barbarous age (only employed exclusively against the worst
criminals) in a European army, is a subject of the most alarming
kind. That every public exhibition of even the forms of cruelty is pro-
ductive of dangerous effects on the human mind, cannot be denied,
and should be avoided ; what then must be the callous insensibility
produced on a soldier by circumstances such as are here delineated?
It is reducing the heroism of war to a base contrivance of death.-
This cautionary memorial records the first step ; it is for the public
only, by marking it with a general sentiment of detestation, to pre-
clude another and more dreadful, because more extensive, employ-
ment of the means. Such measures increase upon those w^ho adopt
them by insensible gradations, and once admitted, may extend even
beyond their own intentions. The modern art of war is already
removed to a sufficient distance from the magnanimity of ancient
combat. Let not the breach be rendered wider by adoptions such
as these.

f

c 2

CONTENTS.

XXI

CHAP. I.

jp A GE

A SUCCINCT historical View of the Colonies of His-
paniola and St. Domingo, from the Discover!/ of
Hayti, by Columbus, to the Height of their Pros-
perity in 1789 1 94

CHAP. II.

Origin of the Revolutionary Spirit of this Period in

St. Domingo ----- 95—108

CHAP. III.

Account of the Progress and Accomplishment of the

Independence of St. Domingo ----__ 109 — 212

CHAP. IV.

State of Manners on the Independence of the Blacks
in St. Domingo, with a Memoir of the Circum-
stances of the Author's Visit to the Island in 1799 213—238

CHAP.

xxn

CONTENTS.

PAGE

CHAP. V.

View of the Black Army, and of the War between the
Trench Republic and the indepetident Blacks of St.

Domingo

- 239—357

CHAP. VI.

On the Establishment of a Black Empire, and the pro- ,^^^,_^,^
bable Effects of the Colonial Revolution - - - - 558— 3M'

\[ m y^Vrvv.

APPENDIX.

No. I. Letter of the Abbê Grégoire to the Cittzeits oftofo^r^''''-'''^''^
in the Trench- West-Indies' ---::- - ^^-^i^ - 567

II. Trinciples of the first General Assembly of St. Do-

.lli -H.

mmgo

311

III. Dying Testimony of Ogé agmnst the InmrgenU - >:^ 383

IV. Terms of Capitulation proposed by the Inhahitmxt& &f . ^
Grande Anse, ^-c. to Major-General Williamson - - -

V. Honorable Dispatch of Chevalier De Sevré to Colo-
nel Whitlock - - - -.v*n- - - - r - - '.ft \r5

Y\. Account of M. de Char mUUf - -, - v'^^u-T-/*

VII. Documents illustrative of the Character and Mmmers

of Toussaint L'Ouverture ---

391

395
398

404

VIII. Eitract

CONTENTS. xxiii

PAGE

VIII. Eatracf from the Author s former Work - - . - 408

IX. First Colonial Regulation of the Captain-General Le

^^^^'■^ 416

X. An accou7it of the Nature and Historij of the Blood-
hounds used in the Amervcmi Calmies ---_.. 423

XI. First colonial Regulation issued during the Government

of Rochamheau ---__._ 430

XII. Documents respecting the Evacuation of St. Domingo

bij the French Army under Rochumbeau ----- 431

XIII. Declaration of the Independence of the Blacks of St.
Domingo - - ,«,,f.. ,- _ - - * 439

XIV. Proclamation for a solemn Abjimifion of the French
^«^^'o'ï .442

XV. Communication of the Intentions of the Black Govern-
ment on the Appointment of a Governor-General for Life 44?

XVI. Caution to the Spaniards ------_. .,45=5

XVII. Programa issued on the Coronation of the first Em-
peror of Haijti - - . _ ^^.

^^"^11- Statement of the Black Force at the Revolution - 459
XIX. Additional Remarks aqq

I

ERRATA.

l'a

Page S8, line 19, erase " their ;" after " clergyman/' insert who.

p. 40, 1. 16, erase " of whom I am about to speak."

p. 42, 1. 20, for " it," read Tortuga.

p. 43, 1. 18, erase " traly gaUant."

p. 83, 1. 8, for " confined," read conferred.

p. 101, 1. n, for " I. am considering this subject," read this subject it iu)w considered.

p. 107. 1. 21, begin Thus concludes.

p. 112, insert March 8, as a side-note opposite the resolution of the assembly.

p. 121, 1. 20, after " armed," insert inJirectly.

p. 139, 1. r, after society substitute the following sentence : " Mr. Edwards's account is here quoted as
the most authentic."

p. 168, 1. 7, for " disinclined," read inclinei.

1. 23^ for " the government afforded," read, the Spanish government refvsedto afford.

p. 202, 1. 16, for " became," read becoming.

1. 21, for " its possessors," read the conquerors.

p. 203, 1. 13, before " government," insert the British.

p. 245, 1. 24, erase " perhaps."

p. 265, 1. 2, for " the same month," read of January, tchen.

p 2" 6, I. last, after " sons," insert dressed in the uniform of his enemies.

p. 311, 1. 22. before " weakness," insert mental.

p. 323, 1. 17, erase " period of."

p. 324, 1. 6, for " its," read his. ^

4

*

i

f

SUCCIXCT HISTORICAL

VIEW OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAR I.

From the Period of itsDiscoxery, hy Columbus, to its highest State

of Prosperity in 1789.

XiAYTI, Hispaniola, or St. Domingo, the largest and most chap. i.
valuable of the West India Islands, is situated in the Atlantic

1492.

ocean, betAveen the island of Porto Rico on the east, and Jamaica Situation of

and Cuba on the west; a small part of the rocks and shelves " ™'°^**"

which form the Bahama islands lie at no gTeat distance to the

north ; and it is bounded on the south by the Caribbean sea,

and ultimately by the continent of South America. It lies in

the latitude of 18 deg. 20 min. north, and in 68 deg. 40 min.

west longitude fi'om Greenwich. It is in length, according to the

best accounts, more than 430 miles from east to west, and 150 in

hreadth.

B

%

• HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

This beautiful island was the sixth discovered bj^ the enter-
prising and unfortunate Columbus in his progress towards the
discover}- of a new world, of the honor of which, in the appro-
priation of a name, he was to be deprived bj- the caprice of his
contemporaries, in favor of an obscure adventurer, of no other
merit in the discovery, than that of having trodden in his steps*.
It was the nrst on which he formed a settlement, or made any
stay in his first voyage, and appears to have afterwards received
the principal marks of his consideration. To it he was directed
by the natives of Cuba, where he had previously landed, as more
rich in its mines of that fertile ore with which it was necessary^
to bribe the avarice of the Spaniards, to prolong that ardour of
discoven^ which it had cost him so much labour to excite.

Original Coluuibus first arrlvcd at Hai/fi, for so this countr\' was called

mme,Ha^L ^^^ .^^ ^atives, on the 6th day of December, 1492. He landed at

a smaU bay, which he called St. Nicholas, and then named the
Named by island Espaguola, in honor of the country by whose king he was
E°papoia, employed : from thence he sailed along the northern coast till he
Z. ''^"""^ found a more convenient harbour, which he named Conception,

and where he first had access to the inhabitants, through the

* When the prosecution of discoveries in Spain had fallen into the hands of private ad-
venturers, Alonzo de Ojeda, who had accompanied Columbus in his second voyage, was among
the first to propose an expedition under his own command. With this active and gallant
ofScer sailed Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine gentleman, apparently of no ostensible cha-
racter whatever; but having framed a fraudulent narrative of his voyage with some elegance,
which formed the first description of any part of the new world, he obtained from its circu-
lation the honor of giving name to America.

2 means

«

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

3

means of a female whom his people overtook, and prepossessed in chap. i.
their favor, by the usual means of trifling presents and gentle be- i -9-
ha^iour.

It is our wish to pursue in this place a sober naiTative of fact,
rather than to give loose to the fascinations of romantic description,
or else the -early Spanish writers have handed do^vn such accounts
of the aborigines of Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica, as would Original

, 11- inhabitants.

wan-ant the most extravagant eulogy on then- personal appearance,
manners, and ingenuity. It may, however, naturally be supposed
possessing the necessaries of life without labour, on a soil the
most fertile, and in a benignant climate, in a state of the utmost
simplicity, and consequently free from the general enemies to
beaut\', they would have personal advantages not to be expected
in their descendants under the combined evils of slavery in a
voluptuous state. Even the rigidity of histor\' has been softened
into the most pleasing descriptions of them : " They appeared,"
says Robertson *, " in the simple innocence of nature, entirely
naked, their black hair, long and uncurled, floated upon their
shoulders, or was bound in tresses around their heads. — They
had no beards, and every part of their bodies was perfectly smooth.
Their complexion was of a dusky copper colour ; their features
singular, rather than disagreeable; their aspect gentle and timid;
though not tall, they were well shaped and active." " The in-
dustry and ingenuity- of this race," says another elegant writer.

* Hi&t. of America, vol. i. 1. 2.

b2

inust

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

** must have exceeded the measure of their wants. Placed in a
medium between savage hfe, properly so called, and the refine-
ment of polished society, they were perhaps equally exempt from
the bodily distresses and sanguinary passions of the former condi-
tions, and from the artificial necessities and solicitudes of the
latter." They were unquestionably the most unoffending, gentle,
and benevolent of the human race*.

That there were some grounds for a belief in the ingenuity
ascribed to them by Peter Martyr f and others, as far as it related
to their simple agriculture, and some progress in the arts of orna-
ment as well as utility, may, perhaps, be proved by a fact of
another nature which tends to illustrate the character of this
people, while it may afford a lesson to our own times;— would
that we could not say to our own country.

When, among the numerous disasters of Columbus, he was
wrecked on the eastern coast of the island, and if he had before
impressed the natives with admiration of the superior nature of
their visitors, was now placed in a situation the best calculated to
prove their natural equality, and even to tempt by an unlucky
opportunity any inclination to their injuiy, instead of the smallest
hostility. Guacanahari, the cazique, or king of this division of
their island, of which it appeared to be governed by seven, having
been informed of his misfortune, expressed great grief for his loss.

* Hist. Jamaica, Dallae's Hist. vol. i. 23.

t De Rebus Oceanis, &c.

and

HISTaRY OF ST. DOMINGO.

and immediately sent aboard all the people in the place in many-
large canoes; they soon unloaded the ship of every thing that
was upon deck, as the king gave them great assistance : " He
himself," says Columbus, who records it, " with his brothers and
relations, took all possible care that every thing should be pro-
perly done both aboard and on shore; and from time to time he
sent some of his relations weeping, to beg of me not to be dejected,
for he would give me all that he had. I can assure your High-
nesses," he adds, " that so much care would not have been taken of
securing our effects in any part of Spain ; as all our property was
put together in one place near his palace, until the houses which
he w^anted to prepare for the custody of it were emptied; he
immediately placed a guard of armed men, who watched during
the whole night, and those on shore lamented as much as if they
had been interested in our loss*. They are supposed to have
migrated originally from the neighbouring continent, and are
ascribed by Sir Walter Raleigh to the Arrowauk tribe of Gui-
ana-f-.

Report of

them to his
monarch by
Columbus.

Thus far we have preserved the necessary sobriety in collecting Description

of the coun«

a description of the first inhabitants of St. Domingo; but when try.
we come to speak of the territory itself, this caution ceases, for, no
description that we have yet seen is adequate to the appearance,

* Letter of Columbus to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. See his Life in Churchill's
Voyages, as written by his younger son Ferdinand, an ecclesiastic, and founder of the Co-
lumbine Library at Seville; also Herrera's General History.

t Raleigh's Voyages.

even

I

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

I >\

CHAP. I. even at the present day, of a countn^ which requires all the aid of
1492. romance to imagine, much less to describe. — Of fertilits*, which it
requires but the fostering hand of man to guide to all the purposes
of life, and of a climate the most salubrious among the Antilles, and
in which longevity is general. — " In these delightful countries too,"
. - obsenes Robertson, " Xature seemed to assume another form ;

every tree and plant, and animal, was ditferent from those of the
ancient hemisphere;" — Columbus boasted of having discovered
the original seat of Paradise. — " In these delightful vales," ex-
claims the Abbé Raynal*, " all the sweets of spring are enjoyed,
without either winter or summer. There are but two seasons
in the vear, and they are equally fine. The ground always
laden with fruit, and covered with flowers, realizes the delights
and riches of poetical descriptions. AA'herever we turn our eyes,
we are enchanted with a variety of objects, coloured and reflected
by the clearest light. The air is temperate in the day time, and
the nights are constantlv cool." — " In a countrv^ of such magni-
tude," savs Edwards -f-, "diversified with plains of vast extent, and
mountains of prodigious height, is probably to be found every
species of soil which nature has assigned to all the tropical parts
of the earth. In general it is fertile in the highest degree, every
where well watered, and producing almost exerv variet}^ of vege-
table nature and beaut}' for use, for food, and luxur}% which the
lavish hand of a bountifril providence has bestowed on the richest
portion of the globe." " The possessions oï France in this noble

* East and West Indies, vol. iv. 23 1 .

t Historical Survey, chap. 19-

island,"

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

7

island," he continues, " were considered as the garden of the chap, i-
West Indies, and for beautiful scenery, richness of soil, salubritv, i^^^.
and variet\' of climate, might justly be deemed the paradise of
the new world." — " V>liat you have said," replies De Char-
milly*, animadverting on the preceding passage, " is nothing
when it is known that the extent of the French part is but one
half of that of the Spanish division, and that this is vet more
fertile than the French part, requiring only cultivators, Sec." Of
even such an account, when contemplating the various parts of
St. Domingo in -uhich we ha^'e been, with an eve well ac-
customed to tropical scenen,^, and satiated with the luxury-
natural to its soil, we could be almost inclined to say too, this is
nothing.

It is not to be wondered at, that the inhabitants should con-
sider the Spaniards, on their first inten-iew, as preternatural
beings, a circumstance, however, xery favorable to their inter-
course, and which might have been turned to more advantao-e
in a better purpose than that to which it was applied. Thev
possessed gold, which they found in the beds of the rivers, or
washed by the hea^y rains from the mountains, and which
they gladly exchanged for bells, beads, or pins. A prince, or
cazique of the country', who visited Columbus, was carried in a
sort of seat upon mens' shoulders, and derived great respect from
his attendants. He was extremely courteous, and presented the

* Lettre à M. Edwards, p. 70.

admiral

1 i I'

8

HISTOUY OF ST. DOMINGO.

coverer.

CHAP. I. admiral with many articles of curious workmanship, and received
1492. with complacency some trifles in return.

They had no idea of the imaginary value attributed by their
visitors to gold, and readily pointed out the mountains, which
yet retain their original name of Cibao, as the great repository
of the ore they so much desired.

n-f f It was at this period that Columbus lost one of his ships
the great dis- ^^yyo^gh the carclcssuess of a pilot, and experienced the tender
ness which has been already mentioned. Of another of his ves-
sels out of three, he had procured no intelligence since his arrival,
and suspected some treachery in the captain who commanded it.
The third was of course insufficient to receive the whole of his
crew, and he was desirous to return to Spain. The simplicity of
the natives, and their terror from the incursions of the people who
inhabited several islands to the south east, whom they called
Caribbeans*, and Avho were of a very opposite character to
themselves, being fierce and warlike, and devouring the flesh of
their prisoners, gave confidence to Columbus, in the proposition
of leaving a part of his crew behind, which would embrace the
two advantages of forming a settlement on the island, and enable
him to return to Spain immediately. They agreed without a

* M de Charmilly constantly confounds the character of the inoffensive a.- origines of St.
Domingo, ^vzth that of the Charaibs, or Cannibals, and of the African negroes in their pre-
sent state of slavery, and thence draws deductions, vvhkh must consequently fall to the

^■■'^"^^- murmur.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

P

murmur, and even assisted in the erection of a fort which was to chap. i.
be afterwards used as a means of their own subjection. hm.

Thirtj^-eight Spaniards were appointed to remain on the island,
under the command of Diego de Arado, a gentleman of Cordova,
to whom Columbus communicated his own powers, and every
thing requisite for their establishment ; having first endeavoured
ver}^ successfully to impress the natives in their behalf, by acts
of beneficence and exhibitions of power. He promised to revisit
them soon, and in the interim to make respectable mention of
them to their country. Columbus left the little colony on the
4 th of January 1493, and arrived in Spain in the month of iMarch
following.

1493.

Departure of
Columbus
after esta-
blishing a
colony.

The departure of Columbus had not long taken place, when,
as too often happens, the garrison he had left behind grew
impatient of restraint, and threw off" the command of their newly
appointed governor. Regardless of the prudent instructions
which had been given them, the men who composed it became
insolently indépendant, and gratified their avaricious and licen-
tious desires at the expence of the natives, making a wasteful
prey of their gold, their women, and their provisions; thus, in-
stead of supporting the estimation in which they were held,
♦exhibiting themselves as the most depraved of human beings.
At length the cazique of Cibao, whose country the Spaniards
chiefly infested, cut off" a part of the colonists, surrounded the The colony
reniainder, and destroyed their fort.

^ Columbus

destroyed.

10

1? et urn of
Columbus.

City of Isa-
bella built.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

Columbus having employed himself for six months at the court
of Spain in receiving the rewards of his distresses, and in inter-
esting it in behalf of the splendid enterprize of which he was the
author, no sooner accomplished his aim, and procured a sufficient
fleet, under the papal sanction, on the part of the Idng of Spain,
than he became impatient to revisit his colony. He accordingly
departed on his second voyage, and after touching at several
other islands towards the north west of his route, arrived at His-
paniola on the 22d of November following.

His surprize may easily be conceived to find that his colony no
longer existed; and while the Spaniards in dismay were weeping
over the fate of their countrymen, a brother of the friendly cazique
Guacanahari arrived, and related to him the account of their fate.

Instead of wasting his time by a retaliation of injuries, Co-
lumbus set about the erection of a town, of which he traced the
scite in a large plain, near a spacious bay. He obliged every
person in his suite, of whatever quality, to assist in a work
so necessary to the common safety. This City, the first which
obtained that appellation in the new world, was named Isabella,
in honor of his patroness the queen of Castile.

Columbus experienced all the difficulties attendant on an infant
colony, and a timely excursion in great pomp to the mountains
of Cibao, which they found to answer the description of the
Indians, in the possession of gold in considerable quantities, per-

haps

■•!^^«'^""^"^"w»»»"^^^*^mip

HISTORY OE ST. DOMINGO.

11

haps onh^ saved the estabhshment from final ruin. As soon as chap. i.
concord was restored by the prospect of the mines, Columbus hpi.
again purposed to leave his colon}^ for the prosecution of new
discoveries. He appointed his brother Diego, with a council of
officers, to govern in his absence; and a body of soldiers, under
the command of Don Pedro Margarita, were sent to visit the
different parts of the island, and to establish the authority of the
Spaniards. He then set sail on the 24th of April, but after an
absence of five months, during m hich time he had not been dis-
tant many leagues, and had experienced the most disastrous cir-
cumstances, he returned almost dead to the colony, where he
found a brother Bartholomew, whom he had not seen for thirteen
years, who had arrived in his absence, and whose unexpected
appearance, after sustaining distresses scarcely inferior to his own,
so much revived his spirits as to produce a speedy convalescence*.

nil

During the absence of Columbus, the soldiery under Margarita
had repeated the conduct of the first colony, while the necessities
even of abstemious Spaniards rendered them unwelcome neigh-
bours to a race who, requiring very little food to support a life
of indolence and innocence, made but proportional provisions
when any care was necessary. Maize, with a ÏQ^Y vegetables.

* Bartholomew Columbus had been dispatched by the great navigator to England, to
negociate with Henry VII. his project of discoveries, in case he should be disappointed in
Spam, as he had been in Portugal. On his voyage, the negociator fell into the liands of
pirates, who stripped him, and retained him several years a prisoner. At length, havin^r
escaped, he arrived m London, but in such poverty, that he was incapable of appearing a"
court on his mission, till, by drawing maps for sale, in the execution of which he was very
ingenious, he procured decent clothing, and a moderate subsistence.

^ 2 and

f

n

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

and very little, if any animal food, formed their only necessary
stock, and on this a body of men fortifying themselves in towns,
must have made a formidable inroad. Famine, and the success
of their former revolt, with long repeated grievance, at length
provoked other attempts to rid themselves of the burthen, and
Columbus was compelled to have recourse to arms, which he
Conflict. ith had hitherto with much solicitude avoided. The Indians were
Marïï?r:' defeated by their precipitance : instead of the mode natural to
"'''■ them, of drawing the enemy into their fortresses, they rushed

into In open plain, the Vega Real, and numbers being thrown
into consternation by the first appearance of European warfare,
the impetuosity of cavalry, (which they conceived, like the
Thessalonians, to be Centaurs,) and the fierce onset of the dogs*,
they yielded to Columbus an easy victory; and those Avho were
not taken prisoners, and reduced to servitude, resigned them-
selves entirely to despair. Such was the disparity of power, that
though near an hundred thousand Indians took the field with
missile weapons of their rude fashion, the victory was obtained
^ by two hundred foot, twenty horse, and twenty large dogs, which
formed the whole disposable force of the Spaniards.

Columbus employed several months in passing through the
island to complete its subjection, and impose a tribute on all the
natives above the age of fourteen, which was one of the first
effects of a policy adopted against his own inclination to gratify
the avarice of the Spanish court, at which he was attempted to be

* Of the mode of i.Uroducing these combatants into Spanish tactics, some account will
be found m a future chapter. undermined,

■^M^pi^liMiiVpvf*!**

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

13

undermined, and which proved afterwards, hoAvever moderately
nsed by himself, a means of tyranny and cruelty in the hands of
others. This taxation was an insurmountable infringment on
the habits of the Indians, to whom restraint on labour was an
intolerable evil. It induced an attempt at another kind of hosti-
lity, that of starving the appetites of the Spaniards, on the grati-
fication of whose voracity thej' conceived so much to depend.
They pulled up the roots, and suspended all their simple agricul-
tural operations, and retiring to inaccessible mountains, thej'' pro-
duced in themselves the effects they vainly hoped to produce in
their usurpers. Few as were their wants, they were soon totally
unsupplied, and more than a third part became victims to their
self-created famine.

Origin of the
slavery of the
natives.

1495.

(^;i{

I

It was at this time that divisions began to be created in the
island through the intrigues of the enemies of Columbus in
Spain ; they procured one Aguado, a groom of the bed-chamber,
to be sent commissioner to Hispaniola, who displayed all the
insolence of mean minds disordered by sudden elevation. To
relieve himself, and obtain an explanation with his enemies before
his monarch, Columbus returned to Spain, leaving his brother
Bartholomew as adelantado, or lieutenant-governor, and through
a misplaced trust, appointing Francis Roldan, a gentleman of
rank and character, chief justice.

Columbus
undermined,
and Aguado
sent commis-
sioner to His-
paniola.

\V?<i.

\

Though as usual experiencing difficulties in his passage, he so Coiumbus

visits Spain,

far gained over Ferdinand and Isabella, as to obtain further pro- and returns

with a llei-t
A'isionS of colonists.

14

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

1-11)8.

after disco-
vering the
American
continent.

nos.

CHAP. I. visions for his colony, in a digested plan, and on a more perma-
nent and extensive scale. Women, artificers, and husbandmen,
were joined to the new expedition, but, as all his acquisitions
received some allo}^ to these were unadvisedly added the crimi-
nals from the jails, that fatal resource for population which has
so often miscarried. It was almost t^vo years, however, before
Columbus set out on his third voyage, and several months after
before he returned to Hispaniola, having in the interim discovered
the continent of America, the crown of all his enterprises, and
of all his son-ows. He returned weary and sick, but he found
the colony in a state that admitted of no repose.

Don Diego Columbus had, at the desire of his brother, during

his absence, removed the colony to a more eligible station on

the opposite side of tlie island, where he had founded a city.

Capital of which he dedicated to S,t. Domingo, or Dominica, in honor of

St. Domingo

built. the name of his father, and which remained so long the seat oi

Spanish dominion in the new world.

1499.

Restless spirits will sometimes be found, however inconsist-
ently, in the highest stations, and political troubles arise from very
unexpected sources ; such was the case with Roldan, whose ap-
pointment was to have preserved peace and order ; and, when
Diego had reduced to subjection what remained of the island
unsubdued by his brother, this man excited rebellion among his
countrymen, and even the Indians, with such artifices, as caused
the most alarming effects, and was only quelled by the temperate,

conciliatory.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

15

conciliatory, and expedient policy of Columbus. Of the bad S^J^
consequences of this restoration of tranquilhtv, however, was the ^^''^•
re-establishment of Roldan, and a concession to the avarice of
the Spaniards, which was the first step in reducing the Indians to
actual slaver}'. Lands being allotted to the mutineers in different
parts of the island, the Indians of the district were appointed, in
lieu of their tribute, to cultivate a certain portion of ground for
the use of their new masters, from the characters of many of
whom may be easily derived the origin of numberless calamities
to that unhappy people.

Of the mutiny, the effects were by no means terminated in
appearances, the progress of discovery was stopped, and such false
representations were made by his opponents, that a knight of '^

00.

Calatravia, called Francis de Bovadillo, was sent to supersede BovadUh

appointed

Columbus, and by means kno\^^l only to courts, to send him governor.
immediately a criminal in chains to Spain. Thus closed the fif-
teenth centur}'- in St, Domingo, a period which, while it saw the
founder of an empire disgraced and -wretched, afforded a better
prospect to the colony than had hitherto appeared. Such provisions
had been made for working the mines, and cultivating the country,
as assured not only its existence, but a considerable revenue to the
monarch, who suffered Columbus to be circumvented and abused.

Bovadillo proceeded, as might be expected, to render himself
popular, by gratifying the entire inclinations of his countrymen.
He numbered all tlie remaining Indians, and dividing them into

classes,

16

1501.

OTando go-
vernor.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

classes, distributed them as property among the Spaniards, who,
disrecrardins the onlv true means of obtaining vrealth by agncuU
ture, sent them to the mines, and imposed on them such a dispro-
portioned labour as threatened their utter and speedy extinction.

To prevent this dreadful event, and preserve the shew of de-
cency to the world, on the arrival of Columbus in Spain, and his
appeal to the justice of Ferdhiand, another knight of the military
order of Alcantara, Nicholas de Ovando, was sent to replace
Bovadillo. Regulations were adopted to prevent the licentious
spirit which had arisen in the colony under liis government ; and,
to check the inordinate progress of wealth, the gold was ordered to
be all brought to a smelting-house, where one half should become
the property of the croira. Columbus remained in Spain many
months soliciting attention in vain, till his proposition of an
attempt at discoveries to the east was accepted; and he sat out
on his fourth voyage in May, 1502.

Ovando brought to St. Domingo the most respectable arma-
ment hitherto seen in the new world, consisting of thirt\^-two ships,
with two thousand five hundred settlers. On his arrival, Bovadillo,
with Roldan and his accomplices, were ordered to return to Spain.

Columbus having experienced some inconvenience from one
of his vessels, altered the course in which he steered, and bore
away for St. Domingo, with a hope of exchanging it for some
ship of Ovando's fleet; eighteen of wliich, however, he found

3 laden.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

laden, and preparing to depart for Spain. He requested permis-
sion to enter the harbour, (first acquainting Ovando with his
destination,) that he might negotiate an exchange, and avoid a
violent hurricane that he saw approacliing, and which he advised
the departing fleet also to avoid. To neither of these objects did
he obtain an acquiescence. He, however, took precautions
against the tempest, and saved himself, while nearly the whole
of the eighteen ships of his enemies were lost. In them perished
Bovadillo, Roldan, and the greater part of those who had per-
secuted Colmnbus and the Indians, wiih the whole of their ill-
gotten wealth, amounting in worth to upwards of fi.fh' thousand
pounds sterling ; a sum at that time equal to many multiplica-
tions of its value at present.

17

Columbus re-
fused admis-
sion to the
island of iiis
o^Ti disco-
Tery.

Columbus did not long remain on the inhospitable shore of
a countrs" to wliich he was refused access, bv those who owed to
him entirely its possession, but prosecuted his voyage in the
fruitless hope of discovering the Indian ocean.

In the mean time Ovando, who had received a commission
more favorable to humanity than his predecessors, relieved the
Indians from compulsory' toil, and the colonv, though retarded
by deficiency of labourers, began to advance in its approaches
to a regular society; but, alas! in no instance is the constant
variance between justice and expedience in what is called the
social state to be more regretted than in the present. The
Spaniards became incapable, without the assistance of the inha-

D bitaots,

1503.

18

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO»

CHAP. I. bitants, (which no inducement couW procure) to cultivate the

1503. soil, or to work the mines, and many of the new settlers died of
disorders incident to the climate, not yet understood, wliile
others quitted the island when deprived of their slaves. These

1504. circumstances demanded some attention, and the consequence
once more returned to the unoffending Indians.

Columbus
again visits
St. Domingo.

Columbus, persevering through misfortune, this year again paid
a visit to his favorite isle, after having been not only unsuccessful
in his attempt at farther discoveries, but a sufferer by complete
ship^vreck, and detained near twelve months in the island of
Jamaica, which he had discovered nine years before, but of
which no farther notice had been taken. Ovando appears to
have been cautious of admitting into the countrj^ under his
government, a man of such vast powers, and to whom belonged,
by the most determinate of all rules, the dominion of a world
he had found : he at length, however, furnished the means for
his escape, and received him with every public honor on his
arrival at St. Domingo.

He remained only a month upon the island ; with his usual
ill-fortune, encountering violent storms, sailed seven hundred
leagues with jury-masts on his way to Spain, where, exhausted
by his sufferings, and disgusted with the dissimulation and injus-
tice of a monarch whose reign he had immortalized, he died
fifteen months after*, aged fifty-nine years. It is useless to

On the 20th of May, 1506.

lament

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

19

lament in this place the melancholy end of a man whose me- chap, r-
mory is eternized. The recollection of it rather communicates "^4"!^
a balm to the sorrows of inferior multitudes ; and the details of
history will apply the event with advantage to the instruction of
future ages.

A few months before Columbus, died his patroness Isabella;
so that a powerful influence was withdrawn from the interests
of humanity, as they regarded the new world; and as Ovando
began to experience the ill effects of a liberal conduct, he began
also to relax in the execution of the royal edicts. He made a
new distribution of the Indians among the Spaniards, with the
difference only, that they were to be paid for their labour,
reduced the royal share of the gold to one third, and afterwards
to a fifth part; for which he obtained, (with better success than
Columbus,) the sanction of the court.

Notwithstanding the apparent mildness of the present gover-
nor, it was at this period that the rage for cruelties commenced
which have stained the page of history with more horrors than
can be conceived by those possessing even an ordinary love for
the species. No treachery was too gross, no violation of sex or
dignity too painful for this unhappy people in the hands of the
Spaniards; all regulations tendmg to mitigate the rigour of their
ser^^itude were forgotten, while their labour was increased. Fer-
dinand conferred grants of them as rewards to his courtiers,

^ 2 ,vho

1505.

Cruelty of
the Spani-
ards to the
Indians.

•■I

:%

-Kl

20

j'*\

Flourishing
state of the
colony.

1500.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

Avho farmed them out, being no longer treated or considered
but as animals of an inferior species, of no other use than
as instruments of wealth, and I could almost say, subjects of
oppression. At their expence, however, the colony increased in
ri'ches and in consequence; for with such rapidity and success
were the mines explored, that for several years the gold brought
into the royal smelting-house, amounted in value to more than
half a million sterling, (according to the present standard of
money). Sudden fortunes arose among private persons, which
tempted others to embrace the opportunity of enriching them-
selves both at the expence of health and reason; and the effect
was for a time highly advantageous to the colonists, and to the
government of the mother country. Like the progress of a
conflagration, however, the blaze was short in proportion to
its extent. The same exertions which exhausted the unhappy
Indians enriched the Spaniards, both as related to the nature of
the operations, and to the government of Ovando, who is de-
scribed to have introduced much wisdom and justice into his
jurisdiction over his countrymen, but a proportionate rigour to-
wards the original inhabitants of the country.

Ovando first gave a permanence to the laws he had established
by executing them impartially, the only means of procuring re-
gard for any establishment. He seems also to have attended to
every object of advantage to the colony, and, among others,
endeavoured to turn the attention of some of the Spaniards to

tlie

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

21

the more laudable pursuits of agriculture. Having obtained from ^^^^^^^
the Canary Islands some slips of the sugar-cane, which throve i^oe.

•^ 1 o Culture of

exceedindy, he tempted them to form plantations, and to erect sugar intro-

o J I i duced.

sugar-works, which fortunately became an important support
when the bowels of the earth were exhausted. The conduct
and success of Ovando soon apprized Ferdinand of the value of
those discoveries, he had hitherto appeared to depreciate, and
on the author of which he had conferred only disgrace and
misery; he accordingly set about forming commercial and ec-
clesiastical regulations, and at length established a system of
policy the most profound, and every way calculated to secure to
Spain the entire advantages of her colonies.

!t

While these provisions were taking place for its government, iboi.
some circuiTfistances began to make their appearance, for which,
however to be dreaded, no remedy could be found; and
therefore, notwithstanding all other advantages, immediately
threatened the dissolution of the colony. The consumption of
the natives, which was the natural consequence of the inconsi-
derate oppression of the Spaniards, (and in whom rested the
source of all their prosperity,) became so evident, as to afford
serious cause for alarm., Fatigue, to which they were unequal;
diseases, the result of an inattention to their change of habit ;
famine, the effect of preferring so long the search of wealth in
the mines to agriculture ; and self-violence, the consequence of
despair, conspired so forcibly, as to reduce their number upwards Rapid de-

of 40,000 in the space of fifteen years, there remaining but about native popu-
lation.

60,000

1

>i|

22

150".

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP^ 60,000 out of more than a million, to which the original popu-
lation amounted*.

.,■*

1508.

This diminution continued with such rapidity, as to occasion
a stagnation not only of the colonial improvements, but of the
common operations of life, which demanded immediate relief,
and Ovando in consequence adopted an expedient which was
again the source of enormities that seemed to increase in propor-
tion to the progress of their society. The description will afford
a mild example of the temper and conduct experienced by the
simple, and benevolent beings of whom, Columbus, with an in-
genuousness natural to great minds, had spoken in such exalted
terms to the Spanish court. He proposed to seduce the inha-
bitants of the Lucay Islands -f-, which had been previously dis-
covered, to Hispaniola, " under the pretence that they might be
civilized with more facility, and instructed to greater advantage
in the Christian religion, if they were united to the Spanish

f

* M. Charmilly, (Lettre à M. Edwards,) has a long, and, in some respects, sufficiently
accurate calculation, to prove tlie original diminutive population of St. Domingo, in op-
position to Mr. Edwards's general description of the massacre of a million of inhabitants.
He falls, however, as is usual with those influenced by a spirit of party, into self-contra-
dictions and inconsistency: for he alludes to a perfect knowledge of the topographical
antiquities of the country, the existence of which he has proved to be impossible ; and he
supposes his author to have believed in the instantaneous sacrifice of a million of persons
in the four chief mines of the country. General assertions are certainly distracting, and
Mr. Edwards is too frequently superficial; but in this instance he is perfectly right. It
is from Herrera, the most correct and intelligent of the Spanish historians, whom Dr.
Robertson has also adopted, that the fact in the present text is derived, and not Oviedo,
to whose amplifications M. de Charmilly ascribes the supposed error. Benzoni states the
original population at two millions.

t The same with the Bahamas.

* colony,

Natives of
the Lucayos
seduced to
supply the
deficiency of
labourers.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO. 23

colony, and placed under the immediate inspection of the mis-
sionaries settled there." Ferdinand, deceived by this artifice,
or willing to connive at an act of violence which policy repre-
sented as necessary, gave his assent to the proposal. Several
vessels were fitted out for the Lucayos, the commanders of
which informed the natives, with whose language they were now
well acquainted, that they came from a delicious country, in
which the departed ancestors of the Indians resided, by whom
they were sent to invite their descendants to resort thither to
partake of the bliss enjoyed there by happy spirits. That simple
people listened with wonder and credulity; and fond of visiting
their relations and friends in that happy region, followed the
Spaniards with eagerness. By this artifice above forty thousand
were decoyed into Hispaniola to share in the sufferings which
were the lot of the inhabitants of that island, and to mingle their
groans and tears with those of that fetched race of men*.

The ardour for discovery, which had languished during the
anxiety for the wealth of the mines, began to be renewed by an
expedition under Juan Ponce de Leon, (who commanded under
Ovando in the eastern district,) to the island of Puerto Rico, ~
which in a few years was subjected to the fate of Hispaniola.
Ovando also commissioned an officer, named Sebastian de Cuba and
Ocampo, to ascertain the insular situation of Cuba, which r^^^ored^^by

expeditions

— from St. Do-

• Hist of Amer. vol. i. p. 263. I have quoted this from Dr. Robertson, as the best and """^'"
mos moderate descnpt.on. ILs authorities are, Herrera, Dec. 1. hb. 7. c. 3.; Ov.edo,
lib. 3. C.6.; Goraara Hist. C.41.

Columbus

4

■T-c

24

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

■1

Honor and
integrity of a
court of jus-
tice.

CHAP. I. Columbus had supposed to be a part of the neighbouring con-
1508. tinent.

But though late and unexpected, by a perseverance the most
constant, a degree of justice was at length to be accorded to
Columbus in the person of his son Diego. Almost wearied out
in the courtly delay which had exhausted his father, he deter-
mined upon the bold alternative of an appeal against his monarch
to a council for Indian affairs, which he had himself established.
Unequal as the parties were, and recent as was its own existence,
the court honourably sustained its integrity, and determined on
the side of justice, even against the king : with this decision, and
the support of powerful connections, subsequently acquired by
marriage, he soon obtained (though but a partial concession of his
rights) the government of St. Domingo, and such privileges as
enabled him to amve in the island with more splendour and
magnificence than had hitherto been witnessed : Ovando was of
course recalled. That splendour, and the numerous retinue with
which it Avas supported, while it added lustre to the settlement,
effected no other change to the unhappy aborigines, than the
seal of a more determinate slavery, by a numerical division of
them among the Spaniards, according to the rank of the latter.

Diego, the
son of Colum-
bus, restored
to the govern'
■ment.

ibOO.

The destruction of the labourers proportionally decreasing the
produce of wealth to their masters, naturally excited an impa-
tience in those who had been glutted with wealth, and satiated
with dissipation. They had already began to contemplate other

^ countries,

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

countries, whose inhabitants were j^et unexhausted; thej^ had
estabhshed a pearl-fishery at the small island of Cubagua, and
lodged a small colony on the continent, at the gulf of Darien,
under the brave and enterprising, though as usual, unfortunate.
Vasco Nugnez de Balboa, when Diego Columbus made a propo-
sition to which they readily acceded. This was the establishment
of a colony in the neighbouring island of Cuba, to which an
armament immediately embarked under the command of Dieo-o
Velasquez, one of the companions of the great discoverer on his
second voyage. The only circumstance concerning this expedi-
tion, as it regards the island which is more immediately under
our consideration, besides its relief from a number of discontented
members, was the opposition of Hatuey, a cazique, or prince,
who having fled thither from St. Domingo, indignant at the
destruction of his innocent subjects, might naturally be expected
to oppose the intrusion of their destroyers into the place of his
refbge. His feeble party (for they were of the same inhostile
nature with his former subjects) were soon dispersed, himself
taken prisoner, and condemned to the flames under the barbarous
maxim, which considered him only as a slave, who had taken
arms against his master. " When Hatuey," says Dr. Robert-
son*, "was fastened to the stake, a Franciscan Friar, labourino-
to convert him, promised him immediate admittance into the
joys of Heaven, if he would embrace the Christian faith."—" Are
there any Spaniards," says he, (after some pause), " m that region
of bhss which you describe r" " Yes," replied the monk, ""but
only such as are worthy and good." " The best of them," re-

Bravery and
repartee of
Hatuey, a
cazique of
St. Domingo.

* Hist, of America, vol. i. p. 277. edit. 1 800.

joined

26

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

Î512.

CHAP. I. joined the indignant cazique, " have neither worth nor goodness;
'^'^7^^ I ^riU not go to a place, where I may meet with one of that
accursed race!"

Another expedition soon took place from St. Domingo, to assist
in the discovery of the South Sea, by the justly celebrated Balboa,
from whose incursions in the continent on which he was esta-
blished, he had sent home such quantities of gold, as tempted
a number by no means contemptible to join him. It comes not
into my promise to shed fruitless tears on the perverted fortunes
of this truly great man ; his name, consigned to unfading memo-
rials, has, I ti'ust, its use with those who possess a fertile mind
without the power to sustain its operations.— Though the passage
to the Indian ocean was not obtained, as was expected, they
reached the South Sea, and prepared the way for more important
discoveries.

1514.

In 1514, died more peaceably than he had lived, Bartholo-
mus, the uncle of the present Governor; a man of very respec-
table powers, and an unsullied character; who had occasionally
filled offices of high importance in the island, and who, it would
appear, was more closely connected with its history than his con-
temporaries have enabled us to state.

The government of Diego Columbus was neither inefficient
nor violent; neither did he want inclination or ability to render
the colony both prosperous and happy: but that justice which
had been unwillingly accorded him, on the part of the deceased

INIonarch,

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO,

]Monarch, was, as much as possible, impeded by even- political
artifice that could be employed. The meaner officers of the
government were encouraged to thwart the authority of the
governor, in a variety- of measures, and at length the power of
distributing the Repartimientos was created into an office, and
conferred upon Roderigo Albuquerque, the relation of a confi-
dential minister called Zapata. On the loss of this necessary
advantage, in addition to the embarrassment he had already
experienced, Diego resolved on returning to Spain for the pur-
pose of remonstrance : leading behind him the best administra-
tion in his power, reached his destination in safety-, but he soon
found with very small hopes of redress in th^ object of his
voyage.

querque, ap-
pointed to
the island.

In his new capacity Albuquerque discovered no other care than
to repair his own indigent circumstances, for which purpose he
first ordered a renumeration of the Indians, (now reduced to
14,000,) and then put them up to sale in different lots. This
was the only stroke wanting to complete the extinction of this
unhappy race, by a consequent separation from the habitations
to which they had been accustomed, and the imposition of addi-
tional labour for the indemnification of their purchasers.

As is too fi-equently the case T^■hen political injuries become
irreparable, those measures which, earlier adopted, would have
preserved a sacrificed people ; now sen-ed, only to excite useless
controversy and public disturbance ; the Monks, who, since the
ecclesiastical establishment of Ferdinand, had arisen to consider-

e2 al,le

i28

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

1517.

CHAP. I. able power, began to oppose their eloquence publicly to the
system on which the natives were reduced to absolute slaverj^
or rather, consigned to perish in progressive misery. They could
not be insensible to the impolicy of the measure; and, no doubt,
impressed with the inutility of a mission to a people who were
rapidly ceasing to exist, they had early remonstrated, but appear
to have been easily silenced, till the present period. Even now,
but a part of the mission, the Dominicans, stood forth to repre-
sent the mild precepts of religion j the Franciscans attached
themselves to the more popular cause ; and while they could not
unblushingly defend the Repartitnientos, palliated the principle on
the ground of expedience, so often improperly assumed in society

Las Casas
defends the
Indians.

The consequence was, an application to the king by both
parties, of which the only, circumstance of importance, was the
interference of I^as Casas, a man of romantic disposition, and
benevolent mind; whose exertions, though unsuccessful, were
neither wanting in genius or perseverance; whose character
cannot be omitted even in the compression of abridgment. It
may be previously obsei-ved, that the appeal was terminated on
the side of the Franciscans, a few regulations of their labour
only, being for decency promulgated ; Albuquerque pursuing his
violence and rapacity with impunit^^

Bartholomew de las Casas, (a Clergyman,) came hither on
the second voyage of Columbus, and who had early exerted
himself in the cause of the Indians, was not to be diverted from
his purpose; finding the rapacious governor deaf to all ex-
postulation

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

29

151'

postulation that militated against liis immediate interest, he chap. i.
embarked for Spain, to make a personal appeal to the Emperor,
and to exert that eloquence, of which he was so eminently
possessed, in their behalf. Aided by fortuitous circumstances,
he was particularly successful with the Emperor, then on
the point of death, and with Cardinal Ximenes, who became
Regent. The effect of tliis success was the appointment of three
Superintendants of the colonies, to whom were added a lawyer
of probity named Zuazo, with judicial power, and Las Casas,
with the title of Protector of the Indians. These soon arrived
in St. Domingo, and began their career by the auspicious act of
liberating all the natives who had been granted to the Spanish
courtiers, or to any person not residing in America. To avoid
the influence of party spirit, neither of those orders, who had
contended the subject were suffered to have a member among
these Superintendants ; they were composed of three jNIonks of
the order of St. Jerome, who appear to have exercised not only
abilit}% but a knowledge of the world, which is seldom to be
obtained in a cloister. The result of this mission was, as might
be expected, only negatively advantageous to the Indians, with-
out whose labour, reduced as it was, the colony could not be
hoped to exist ; the best regulations that could be formed were
adopted for the prevention of excessive rigour and of cruelty
to^vards them, while, without coercion, they ceased to work, and
were obstinate in proportion to their power.

• « *

Eas Casas still dissatisfied with any thing less than, the entire
freedom of the Aborigines, and finding no countenance in the

island.

o

0

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

CHAP. I. island, with undiminished perseverance, again returned to Spain.
151T, and found Ximenes, as he had before found Ferdinand, on the
point of death. AVith the Emperor, (Charles V.) who immedi-
ately arrived from the Low Countries, and with his Flemish
minister, he prevailed so far, as to induce the recal of the super-
intendant and his colleague Zuazo; and Roderigo de Figuerra was
appointed Chief Justice of the Island, ^vith directions to mode-
rate the sufferings of the Indians, and to prevent their threatened
extinction. Finding that this, was all that could be accomplished,
in the hurrv of imagination v^hich always marks such characters,
(not more eminently successful on some occasions, than dangerous
on othei-s,) Las Casas now proposed, in support of his favourite
scheme, to substitute, in the place of those he wished to liberate
from slaverv in their own country, the inhabitants of a distant
one, whom he appeared to consider more capable of labour, and
more patient under sorrow.

■A

The earliest advantage of the Portugueze in Africa had
arisen fi'om a tirade in slaves* but it had been abolished, and
was considered ineffectual. About fourteen years before, the
importation of a few slaves had been permitted by Ferdinand,
but not as a public concern, and in loll the number was in-
creased, without producing any effect on the population. This
plan, which had been peremptorily refused by Xhnenes, was
adopted by Charles, who granted a patent to one of his Fle-
mish favorites for an importation of the limited number of four

* For the origin of this traffic the reader is referred to a future chapter, to which it is
more closelv connected. , •,

thousand.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

31

lii"

thousand; this privilege being sold to some Genoese nnerchants, chap. i.
proved the first formation of a regular trade for supplying the
island, which has continued to increase through the whole Arclii-
pelago.

Even the farther introduction of other Slaves produced so
small a change in the Colony, that the invention of Las Casas
was directed to other substitutes; and with a more plausible
view, it occurred to him, that if Labourers could be induced
to emigrate from the Mother Country, their habits of hfe would
enable them to bear the effects of the climate under agricultu-
ral operations; and that they might, by soon becoming- opu-
lent citizens, introduce habits of industry', and a promotion of ^ir-
tue : — but, though countenanced by the ministr\", his laudable plan
was defeated by an ecclesiastic, who had long opposed him, the
Bishop of Burgos. Thus deprived, of all his hopes with regard to
his favourite Island, this extraordinary man turned his attention to
the Continent, and his schemes to the prevention of similar abuses
in tliat part of the new world, which was yet but little explored.
After many unsuccessful applications in behalf of this colony of
labourers, he at length obtained permission to form one in Cuma-
na; but with such opposition, that the number of colonists whom
he could persuade to accompany him did not exceed two hundred.
It is not within our plan to follow this unfortunate partv througli
their various distresses, occasioned bv the bewildered cruelty of
their countrymen: — prevented from arrivinq- at their destined
country bv the detestation which was every where excited against
the Spanish name, and unpopular with Spaniards as the followers

4 of

1518.

I

k

32

-i\

HISTORY OF ST, DOMINGO.

CHAP. I. of Las Casas, they became the mnocent victims of both parties;
15 IS. while their leader, driven from every asylum, shut out from all
resource, abandoned, and houseless, took refuge in the Domi-
nican convent in the city of St. Dominoo; where he soon after
assumed the habit of the order, and, as it may be readily sup-
posed, did not long survive the death of all his happiness.

The occasion of that violence which had e^erv wav met the
party of Las Casas, originated more particularly in the predacious
excursions of the Spaniards, who would seem in these piracies to
have left no means of cruelty or depredation unattempted.
When, by the extinction of the Natives, every exertion of indus-
try began to stagnate in St, Domingo, and even Slaves, were sold
at a price beyond the reach of many, they fitted out a sort of
Privateers, which, cruizing along the coast of the continent, under
the pretence of trading with the unsuspecting natives; whenever
they found an opportunity, seized upon and sold them as slaves on
their return: this conduct, however, combined all the Indians to
revenge it, and in consequence, among others, two Dominican
Missionaries were killed. This was the signal for more extensive
Expedition hostilities, and Diego Ocampo, with five ships, and three hun-

of Diego

Ocampo dred men, were dispatched to lay waste the country of Cumana,

from St.

Domingo and to transport all the inhabitants that could be procured as

against Cu- ^

mana. slavcs to St. DominQ^o.

1520. °

About this time, to add to the embarrassments of the colony^

it suffered considerably from those extraordinary swarms of ants

2 which

HISTORY OF ST. D03IIXG0.

33

^A-hich sometimes used to infest the Archipelago, and injure the chap. r.
A-egetation. After ineffectual many endeavours to destroy them, ^"TS^
the Spaniards (according to Herrera) determined on appealing to
the saints; but some time elapsed before they could fix upon
one for so singular a business; at last, hov^'ever, being relieved
from the disastrous effects of the insects, and happening to invoke
St. Saturninus at the same time, that saint acquired the merit of
a miracle.

The return of Diego Columbus to Spain appears to have been
attended ^vith some circumstances which are yet unknoMn,
for he shewed no inclination to return to the new world, till
we find him in 1523 called to Jamaica to suppress a revolt of the
Indians, in the absence of Francis de Garay, its governor, who
had embarked in an expedition against Panuco, which had, with-
out his knowledge, already submitted to the government. Amono-
the political arrangements of Ferdinand, was that which sepa-
rated from the power of Diego the island of Jamaica, attaching
it to that division of the continent, not subject to his dominion :
he, however, acted with a spirit no less creditable to his character
than on former occasions, and regained the island ; which after-
wards descended to his heirs, and, yielded the title of :Mar(]uis,
among other honors, which descended to his family. Diego Co-
lumbus died in 1525.

1523,

1525.
Deatb of

Diirgo Cq^
lunibus.

To return to tl;e domestic situation of Hispaniola, that (piick
decline. MJiich we have already described, continued to be acce-

J crated

ij-:s.

It

34

HISTORY or ST. i;OMn>GO.

132S.

City of St.
Doniiugo.

CHIP. I. lerated, bv the crueiU^ and impolicy of those, to whom no means
' were exceptionable ni the search of weaUh. In external appear-
ances, however, this decline was not perceptible, and the capital
of St. Domingo, as is the case with all falling states, still presented
an august reverse to the internal poverty of its inhabitants. In
] 528, "the citv is described by some Spanish historians, and par-
ticukrly Oviedo, who was there at that time, as " not inferior
to any m Spain, the houses mostly built of stone like those of
Barcelona, but the streets much better, behig large and plain,
crossing each other at right angles. With the sea on the right,
and the river Ozamo on the left, health and beaut>^ were united
more than in any other part of the world. Ships hea^y laden
discharged their cargoes in a manner under the house windows.
The citadel, which stood exactly m the centre, also gave security
to an extensive command. The houses were fit to receive any
nobleman of Spain with his suite, and the grandeur of Don
Diego's palace as viceroy was beyond conception, and every
way^fitting to receive the king his master. The cathedral was
of exquisite workmanship, and well endowed; the dignity of
its bishop and canons well supported. There were three mo-
nasteries, dedicated to St. Dommic, St. Francis, and St. ^^lary
de Mercedes, and an hospital founded by Michael Passamont,
the treasurer-general."

How much were it to have been wished, that such public
splendour had argued equal prosperity ; that it did not, however,
is certain, from every account; and Benzoni asserts, that towards

the

|ï

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

35

the middle of the sixteenth century, scarce one hundred and chap. i.
fifh' of the native Indians remained ahve*.

ijjO.

The dealers in slaves, however, beginning- to lessen their de-
mands, as time and competition affected their trade, the colony
might have once more recovered itself bv an attention to ao'ri-
culture ; but that cruelty which appeared to be inherent in the
breasts of these early colonists, (increased by disappointment and
pecuniary difficulties,) excited in their new servants a spirit of
insurrection that soon broke into open revolt, and which, though
unsuccessful, compelled their masters to a relaxation of their se-
verity and mordinate avarice.

The consequences produced by the smallest degree of mode-
ration, became soon perceivable in the increased cultivation,
and sugar, tobacco, cocoa, ginger, cotton, pekr\', &c. were
shipped for Spain in such quantities, as induced the best hopes of
their increase continuing ; but these flattering hopes were not to
be realized, the Spaniards remaining inactive, weak, unprotected,
and useless.

In 1586, Sir Francis Drake came before the island, and pil- i5sô.
iaged the capital with a degree of barbarity, sui-prizing in the si'r^Fiîncï
present refinement of European %varfare. The invaders held
possession of St. Domingo for a month, during the latter jmrt of

* Benzoni, Nov. Orb. HisU

f2

which

I-'

36

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

which they employed even,- means from day-break, till the heat
became intense in the forenoon, to destroy the beautiful edifices
that suiTOunded the town, but on which, from being composed
of stone, fire made no great progress, and ordinary means became
too laborious; after two hundred sailors, with as many soldiers
to protect them, had been employed for several days only to
destroy one third part of the town, and ^vere completely wearied
with the task, they condescended to accept of about 70001. ster-
ling as a ransom for the rest.

Among the severities which were practised, the following will
afford an example, which, notwithstanding its cruelty, some ^^-ili
think from the circumstances of the times, not badly imagined :
a ne^ro boy having been sent on a m.essage to the Spanish
governor with a flag of truce, was run through the body by some
straggling Si^nish officers, and only lived to complain to the
Eno-lish o-eneral ; he immediatelv ordered two friars, who ^vere
his prisoners, to be taken to the same spot, and hanged, commis-
sioning another at the same time to acquaint the Spaniards, that
until the party, who had thus murdered the general's messenger,
should be delivered into his hands, there should no day pass
without the execution of two prisoners ; on the following day the
offender was produced, and his countrymen compelled to be his
executioners.

* See the account of this expedition in Hackluifs Voyages.- Sir Anthony Shirley pur-
sued a similar conduct in Jamaica in 1595.

The

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

37

The decline of the mother countn- could not fail to weaken
the situation of her colonists, who had suffered neglect, even
from the importance of her acquisitions at home. Those who
remained, rather from a want of power to quit the island, than
any other cause, sunk into a kind of debilit}^ and sloth that
resigned them to every evil. Gradually degenerating from
the spirit and manners of their ancestors, they became httle
anxious about anv thing bevond an indukence, as deoTadins- as
fatal. Associating in common with their female slaves, they
propagated a people of almost every grade of colour, and became
entirely a mixed colony, of which, Spaniards formed in fact a
\ev\ small part. -Their mines were deserted, agriculture was
neglected, and their cattle ran Avild in the plains. Thev em-
ployed themselves, as may be expected from such an irregular
establishment, not only in an illicit foreign trade, but in piracies
against the property of their own country, of Avhich the practice
of fitting out ships clandestinely, for the purpose of procuring
slaves, (as has been already observed,) afforded them the best
opportunities, and a secret understanding vith the ships of war,
guaranteed their safety and success. Instead of an attempt to
remedy this evil, of which there were many means*, the short-
sighted policy of the Spanish court chose rather to coinplete the
dejection of the islanders, by demolishing the sea-ports which
had been illicitly employed, and compelling the inhabitants to

Degenera-
tion of the
Spanish co-
lonj-.

" Among other;., even the Flemish were refused the permission they requested to clear
the lands ol this ferule coiiiUry, and revive its splendour by the more solid pursuits of agri-
culture.

retire

1600.

il

I

ss

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

fl

V

CHAP. I. retire to the interior of the country-. History is silent, durmg a
leùo. considerable period of the existence of this miserable people,
whose actions could indeed adniit but of little variety ; ^vho are
described as " demi-savages, plunged in the extremes of sloth,
lining upon fruits and roots, in cottages without furniture, and
most of them, without clothes *."_" Their slaves had little more
to do," says Raynal, " than to swing them in their hammocks ;"
nor can a more strikmg proof be given of the wretched situation
of that country- which had supplied empires with gold, than the
necessity to which it was reduced, of adopting pieces of leather
as a circulating medium among its inhabitants f .

H520.

While the s'overnment of Spain, however, was so remiss in
reg-ard to the colony, which might be considered as the centre of
then- possessions in the new world, they were as much the reverse,
with respect to the admission of any other power into a partici-
pation of its produce, or its temtory -.—their caution extended
even to absurdité- ; and all ships were stopped who were met
beyond the tropics. Notwithstanding tliis care, during a war
Avith Spain, the English and French, had become acquaint-
ed wdtlf the Windward Islands, (whose warlike and sullen
inhabitants, the Charibs, generally repelled the Spaniards,)
equipped a small fleet to interrupt the Spanish vessels in those
seas, whose piracies Avere not interrupted by peace; in conse-

♦ The Abbé Rajiial,— Histor}- of the Trade and Settlements in the East and West la-
dies, vol. iv. p. 18.

i Edwards's History of the British West Indies, b. ii.

quence

HISTORY OF ST. D0MI^"GO.

39

1623.

quence of the jealous policy already described. A part of these chap. i.
under an enterprizing Enghshman named AVarner, and the cap-
tain of a French privateer called Desnambuc, took possession of
the island of St. Chiistopher on the same day*, and divided it
into two equal shares; the fierce inhabitants, who had been more
favorable to the enemies of the Spaniards than to themselves^
retiring from the parts on wliich they were fixed, telling them
nevertheless, with usual Indian acuteness, that "land must be
verv bad, or verv scarce with them, since thev had traversed
such a distance with so much difficulty, to seek for it amons:
savaofes."

The court of Madrid immediately alarmed, at the vicinitv of
these members of t^vo active and industrious nations, ordered
Frederic of Toledo, on his way against the Dutch in Brazil, to
attack these newly established powers wliile they were vet weak
in their new establishment ; they were soon defeated, and those
who were not either killed or taken prisoners, fled for refuse to^
the neighbouring islands. The greater part, however, returned
to their possessions as soon as the danger was over, except a
small number who remained on the little barren isle of Tortura
lying off the north-west coast of Hispaniola, and within a few
leagues of Port Paix. These, inconsiderable as thev were in
their outset, were the founders of a race which giving rise to

lc30.

* Some writers state that Mr. Warner had obtained possession two years before, and bad
sufi'tred the loss of his plautations by an horricane.

4 the

I

m

40

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. I. the French colony that is soon to become an important part of
1630. this histon^ and being hitherto but imperfectly described, de-
'. mands particular attention.

1655.

Previously, ho^^'eTe^, it is but justice to the Spanish colony to
say, that after the first surprize at seeing a large Enghsh fleet
commanded by Admiral Penn, with nine thousand land forces
under Colonel Venables, (the same ^vhich after^Yards conquered
Jamaica,) who had been dispatched by Oliver Cromwell to
obtain for England a portion of the new world, they com-
pelled the enemy to re-embark with disgrace. A want of una-
nimity was the apology made on the part of the English, who
ill brooking such a reception, determined on no alternative be-
tween victor}- and death on their next and more successful at-
tempt.

1660.

By the middle of the seventeenth century these incui'sers, of
whom I am about to speak, had receiAed some accessions from
the French colonies, which had by that time been established,
and assumed an appearance as formidable as it was singular.
They had gradually obtained notice under the appellation of
Buccaniers from their mode of curing animal food, which was
derived fi-om the savages, being slowly dried, or rather smoked,
over fires of o-reen wood, in places from thence called by the Spanish
term, Buccans, a custom yet retained by the Spaniards. As they
were for a time destitute of vrives and children, they associated
pairs, (as recorded by former historians) ; property was common,

and

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

41

sunivor inherited the residence ; theft was unkno"mi amongst chap. i.
them, though no precaution was used against it, a virtue they leoo.
borrowed from the savages. They seldom disputed, but if
any were obstinate, they decided with arms; and if any
foul appearance occurred in the combat, as a back or side
wound, the assassin was put to death. Every member of the
fraternit}' assumed a warlike name on admission into the body,
which descended to their several successors. Their dress con-
sisted of a shirt died with the blood of the animals they killed in
hunting; an apron, or trowsers, yet dirtier; a leathern girdle,
containing a short sabre, and other knives ; a sort of military
cap, and shoes, without stockings. A Buccanier was satisfied
if he could supply himself with a small gun, and a pack of
dogs, to the number of twenty or thirty. Their employment
consisted chiefly in hunting the bulls, with which the Spaniards
had furnished the neighbouring island ; which they killed chiefly
for the skins, regaling, perhaps, on a small part of the flesh,
preparing it sometimes with a seasoning of pimento, and the juice
of orange.

!• ,-

1:5'

The remainder of the indolent colonists could not, however,
bear with the idea of more active neighbours; which gave rise to
several unavailing conflicts, that ended in a determination to
destroy all the bulls by a general chase, a scheme which had
the effect of turning the attention of the Buccaniers to the

more permanent pursuits of agriculture Tobacco soon became

a profitable culture, which, with the produce of several excur-

G sions

^

I

42

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. I, sions made by the most intrepid in their cruisers, amply repaid

1660. their difficulties. However, another Spanish armament was

commissioned for their extirpation, which inspirited them to

deeds that will live to future ages— pregnant with bravery and

horror.

Possessed of an island eight leagues long and two broad, in a
fine air, and with capability of improvement, unshackled by the
prescriptions of ancient society, with a vast territory open to their
predatory incursions, and numerous channels accessible to their
maritime courage, the success of the Buccaniers maj be easily
supposed to have spread. To this lawless, yet far from unsalutary
dominion, those who sought a refuge from the tjTanny of credi-
tors, or of want, as well as enterprizing spirits without opportu-
nity for action, in their mother-country, (particularly fi'om Nor-
mandy,) had a resource, which formed a considerable acquisition
to its power. Envious of the establishment, the court of Spain
made an attempt to dislodge them, which is Avorthy of notice,
only from its wonted cruelty ; the general of the galloons exerted
his commission while the greater part were at sea, or hunting on
the large island ; he put all he foimd to death, leaving it as de-
solate as possible.

The effects of these cruelties, and the sentiments of revenge
they inspired, produced a closer combination of the Bucca-
niers ; for which purpose they agreed to sacrifice personal
independence, to social safety, and accordingly appointed a

leader,

HISTORY OF ST, DO.MIXGO.

43

leader, much in the same way, as the origin of all monarchies; chap. i.
as they were yet composed of Enghsh and French united, an leeo.
Enghshman, distinguished for his prudence and valour, named
WiLLES, was the first appointed, who appears to have excited
jealousy, by an invitation of his countrymen to the settlement,
and the use too frequently made of power, when its origin becomes
forgotten in it& advantages. A governor-general had, therefore, no
sooner been appointed over the French Avind\^ ard islands,* than
finding the opportunities probably agreeable, and being, perhaps,
privately solicited, he sent a small force fi'om St. Vincent, who,
joined by the Frenchmen on the island, suddenly ordered all the
English to withdraw from it; when supposing an order of such,
audacity supported by a much greater forc€, they immediately
agreed to evacuate the island, and never returned. They still pur-
sued the bold career in which they had embarked, and afterwards
obtained regular commissions from the English government to
act against the common enemy, though the settlements and na-
vigations of the Spaniards continued the prominent objects
of their hostility. One of them afterwards arrived at situa-
tions of honour and emolument, having received the dignity of

* This Governor, who was named De Poincy, appears to have held his appointment on
the same tenor as Willes, receiving it when the increased followers of Warner and Desuam-
buc had, in \66o, joined in a treaty independent of their respective governments, which
had regarded them with indifference. By this treaty it is pleasing to see the native Charibs
considered, Dominica and St. Vincent's being appropriated to their reception. According
to their respective rights of conquest, France obtained Guadaloupe, Martinico, Grenada,
and some less considerable acquisitions; and England was confirmed in the possession of
Barbadoes, Nevis, Antigua, Montserral, and several other islands of little value. St
Chnstopher's still belonged to both nations.— See Rai/nal's History, Vol. HI. p. 284. &c.

2 knighthood.

h

44

CHAP. I.
1660.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

knighthood, and being advanced to the liigh office of Ueutenant-
governor of Jamaica! His character, however, ^vill be given
more regularly among those of the other Buccaniers, to whom,
as original founders of the French colony in St. Domingo, this
history is more particularly directed.

Alternately losing and gaining the little island of Tortuga from
the Spaniards, the French, under a captain of their own choice and
nation, at length retained it, and obtained a firm footing on St. Do-
mingo, which rendered it, at the same time, of less importance.
Of the consequence to which they amved (a consequence which,
to this day, furnishes the West-Indies with legendary tales of their
valour and honour), an idea will be best obtained by a description
of their mode of life and warfare, and of those characters to
whom they were indebted, for many of the exploits which have
rendered them conspicuous to the admiration, if not the appro-
bation, of the present and of future ages.

They formed themselves into small companies, from fifty to
three times that number, of whom, some appear to have pre-
ferred agricultural pursuits. As the authority thev had confer-
red on their captain did not extend to their domestic œconomy,
they were at perfect liberty as to their m.anners, or a preference
of rest or pleasure in their intervals of peace. Their armaments
were formed of boats, without any difference, but in size, in which,
they were exposed to all the inclemencies of the weather; as through
their careless dispositions, on shore they were subject to the seve-
rest

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

45

rest extremities of hunger and thirst. After the various cruelties chap. i.
exercised by the Spaniards in the attempt to extirpate them, the isdo,
sight of a ship is said to have transported them to frenzy; — no su-
periority of power affected them, they boarded as soon as possi-
ble, and the skill thev had in the manas^ement of their small ves-
sels, screened them from the fire of their enemies, while their
fusleers, who presented themselves at the fore-part of their vessels
by an excellent aim at the port-holes opposed to them, con-
founded the most experienced gunners. They seemed to have a
religious notion of humility and gratitude, for they implored the
aid of heaven to their success in any onset, and returned thanks
to the deity for every victory obtained; such was their unin-
terrupted bravery, that the Spaniards, at length, trembled at
their very approach, and surrendered immediately to those whom
they designated as devils, as much as if they had been in reality
preternatural beings. Among those whose names have come
down to us, as having particularly distinguished themselves, were
Montbar, a Frenchman; a truly gallant Welshman (already
mentioned) named Morgan; and a Dutchman, called Van Horn.
In the conduct of these men, may be seen the general character
of the Buccaniers, the proportion of this sketch not admitting
of a more enlarged insertion, wliich might otherwise be easily
selected.

Montbar was born a gentleman of Languedoc, and his con-
nection with the freebooters appears to have arisen neither from
necessity nor chance, but an early spirit of romance— such as has

determined

*

46

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

1^

CHAP. I. determined the most heroic characters. Indeed, to those who
jôdo. have seen unquaUfied descriptions of the Spaniards in the New
World, without an acquaintance witli human hfe sufficient to
discriminate, such a Quixotic idea will not excite surprize. It
is said, that wliile at college having seen these accounts, their
enormities had so strongly impressed him, that, acting in a pri-
yate play the part of a Frenchman, who quarrelled Avith a Spa-
niard, it was with difficulty the perfomier of the latter cha-
racter escaped from him with life. His imagination continuing
to be heated by day-dreams, in which he beheld the expiring
\ictims of a rage, more cruel than that of religious fanaticism,
he viewed them, as calling on him for vengeance; although
but imperfectly acquainted -v^itli the history of the Buccaniers,
he determined to join them, and accordingly procured a ship for
the expedition. On the passage they met with a Spanish vessel,
which they immediately boarded, when ^Nlontbar was the first,
sabre in hand, to fall upon the enemy ; he broke through them,
and hurrving twice from one end of the ship to the other, levelled
ever\' thing that opposed him. ^A'hen the enemy surrendered,
leaving to his companions the care of the booty, he desired
only to contemplate, with horrid pleasure, the dead bodies of
the Spaniards, which lay in heaps upon the decks, and seemed
strengthened in the cause, in which he had so romantically em-
barked. Arriving on the coast of St. Domingo, the Buccaniers,
who applied to barter provisions for brandy, pleaded, as an apo-
logy for their quality, that the Spaniards had recendy taken ad-
vantage of their absence to destroy them : " And do you not

seek

HISTORY OF ST. DO.MIXGO.

47

seek revenge r" exclaimed ^Montbar. He soon found thev were chap. i.
no more tardy in destruction than himself, and offered his ser- isoo.
vices as a leader: was accepted, and astonished the boldest
bv his bravery. He continued with them during his life ; and
their sufferings (from his courage and success) procured for him,
among the Spaniards, the appellation of The Eifenninator.

Van Horn was a native of Ostend, whose intrepidity in the
discipline of his crew, is the only peculiar trait handed down to
us. He commanded a fiigate, AA'hich was his own property. In
the heat of an engagement, he was constantly seen in every part of
the ship; and where he obsen'ed any one shrink at the sudden
report of the cannon, he instantly killed liim. He became the
idol of the brave, and liberally shared with his successhjl com-
panions, the riches so dreadfully acquired.

It is pleasing to turn from characters tenninating with the same
violence with which they set out, to one who, after having
blazed in the full strength of a meridian-sun of power, is seen
retiring' to the mild evening of domestic life.

Morgan,* the Welshman, only remains to be mentioned,
descended from respectable parents in Glamorganshire, whom he

earlv

* I wish to be acquitted of any local preference in the description of these men, or

^partiality of delineations in their characters. But notwithstanding the representation

given of Morgan (in extension of the cjilumnious old historj- of the Buccaniers) by the Abbé

Raynal

48

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO,

16Ô0.

CHAP. I. early quitted (as it was then termed) in search of his fortune.
His adventurous spirit leading him accidentally to Bristol, he
found an opportunity of embarking for the A^^est-Indies, in the
way of many others, by indenting himself for four years to serve
a planter. When released from a service executed with fidelity,
he joined the Buccaniers, and adding ability to courage, soon
shared their success and their riches. One of the exploits Avhich
first rendered him famous was the capture of Porto Bello (which
Admiral Vernon afterwards destroyed with difficulty) ; for which,
the plan of operations was so well contrived, that he took it with-
out opposition. In attacking the fort, to spare the effusion of
blood, he compelled the women and the priests, whom he had
made prisoners, to set the scaling-ladders to the walls, from an
idea, that the Spaniards would not fire at the objects of their love
and reverence. Their omnipotent power, however, was wealth, in
preference to religion or beauty ; and the humane expedient mis-
carried, to the great injury of the besieged. The conquest of Pa-
nama seems to have been attended with prodigious difficulty, both
by sea and land; but even here, he did not forget a merciful ex-
pedient—buying the fortified island of St. Catharine, which was
necessary to his progress. At Panama they found immense trea-
sures : among the dreadfril sacrifices that were made, some cir-

Raynal, he is constrained to confess, that in the midst of hostility he fell in love with a
beautiful Spaniard ; and that he did not sacrifice her to his wishes, though she attempted
his life. A breast capable of admitting a passion of this nature, under such circumstances,
could not surely be considered as the most barbarous; and of the respectability of bis sub-
sequent character, we have certainly the best account.

cumstances

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

49

cumstances less severe are recorded : vanity received a singular chap, l
punishment; and it was here that Morgan became captivated by ig^o.
a captive. The first of these circumstances occurred in a beg-
gar, Avho, entering a castle deserted by its owners, found some
rich apparel, which, in preference to every thing else, he adopted; -
the besiegers entered, and ]3ressed the grotesque noble for his
wealth, when, pointing to the rags he had just quitted, he re-
ceived the effects of his folly and pride in a death scarcely
unmerited.

Morgan, appears to have addressed the lady by whom he was
smitten, with respect and forbearance, sentiments not always to
be found, in more refined invaders, and they met Avith a con-
trary return. " ]My fortune and my liberty, which dej^ended on
others," said the indignant fair, " you have already, but my ho-
nour is my own care ;" upon which, she drew a poignard from
beneath her dress, and attempted to plunge it into his breast; for-
tunately he avoided the blow. — Agonized with passion, vet inca-
4)able of violation, with more philosophy than is often called forth
under such circumstances, it is probable that he wisely and nobl3^
tore himself from the scene of his attraction, as he suddenl}^
quitted the spot ; even before his companions could accompany
him. On the peace, which a few years after took place, between
England and Spain, he retired to Jamaica, and having purchased
a plantation, betook himself v.ith much industry to its cultivation.
He succeeded in these tranquil pursuits, and, in time, grew into
equal repute in a pacific, life to that which he had experienced

H

m

50

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. I. in war; he was called to bear a part in the government of the
1660. island in which he had become a proprietor; and, fmall}^ to
the command of Lieutenant-Governor of Jamaica, and to the
dignity of knighthood. He executed the duties of every situa-
tion in which he was placed with probity and honour; and a
%\Titer of the present daj^* who saw some of his letters in the pos-
session of a friend on the island, describes them as manifesting^
a spirit of humanitj^ justice, liberality', and piety.

It is painful to relate, that Sir Henry jMorgan, three years
before the close of his chequered and useful Ufe, was committed
to the Tower by King James H. at the instance of the Spa-
nish Emperor, where he remained till his death without trial,
and of course without conviction of any crime. Though a sa-
crifice to the same monarch, with his great predecessor Raleigh,
his life was not, however, included, and he died in peace.

To return to the commAmity of Buccaniers, although sepa-
rated from each other, the English and French still continued
to act in concert; the latter retiring, after the conflict, to St.
Dommgo, to share the spoil, and the former to Jamaica. When
any vrere maimed, the first steps, were those taken for their pro-
vision in the most honourable way ; no one secreted any share of
the booty under pain of expulsion; nor had favour any influence
in its division, which was with much judgment. Dissipation of

Bryau Edwards, Esq. M.P. F.R.S. &c.

everv

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

51

every kind succeeded their advantages, and he who was rich chap. i.
one day, resigned himself to povert}- the next. Thev continued leeo.
to increase in force, and to proportionably depress the Spaniards,
who, at length, retired into a sullen inactivity, which passi^^ely
contniued, till all other communication with their mother-coun-
try ceased, than that which could be maintained by a single ship
of no great burthen.

Nor did the Buccaniers themselves continue to prevail as they
had been accustomed. After the settlements of the French and
English in the New World became established, many were killed
and lost, and some adopted agriculture ; till, at length, France,
who had not been altogether ignorant of its progress, became
attracted by the infant colony then formed in St. Domingo, if
it could yet be so called.

1666.

The number of planters to whom only could be really accorded
the character of colonists did not exceed four hundred ; the first
care of the government then was to multiply this number, and
to form them into a more regular society ; for this purpose it
commissioned a gentleman named Bertrand D'Ogeron, who had
emigrated from Anjou about nine years before, but who had evin-
ced too much virtue and sensibility to hope for commercial suc-
cess, without a better fortune. With the best contrived plans he
had failed; but the ability and fortitude, he had shewn in adversit}^
had won him the general esteem and attachment so much, that

H 2 he

52

CHAP. I.

1665.
D'Ogeron
governor.

a

Women fir-
introduced
the colon}'.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

he was considered as the most proper person to direct, or rather
to settle the colony. ,

Of the difficulty of such an enterprize, none could doubt
but himself, depending much on his own powers, who knew no
other wish, than the good of human kind; he began by re-
conciling the idle to labour, and those who had traded with all
the world, to the monopoly of a privileged company, which had
the year before, been established for all the French settlements.
He held out allurements for new inhabitants in a country which
had suffered every species of calumny : when the maritime
determined to go in search of greater advantages, he seduced
them to stay, even by relinquishing the revenues of his post,
and procuring them commissions from Portugal to attack the
Spaniards, when they had made peace with France; to the
huntsmen he advanced money without interest to erect habita-
tions : and to the planters he united every encouragement. Nor
did he long suffer them to remain in a cheerless celibacy, which
denied an increase of population by the best and most natural of all
means, and left them without the most powerful attraction to a
;t fixed residence— that of mild, unassuming beings, who create
'° comforts unknown by any other means ; conferring interest and
felicity, while they are as ministering angels to alleviate the
sorrows, and soften the asperities of man. D'Ogeron sent for
women, and obtained an hundred from France— such as should
be the female inhabitants of an infant colony, young, heal-
thy, amiable, and enterprising. To prevent the effect of the

most

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

53

most impetuous of passions, he contrived, that while choice ,^^"^^^_S
♦was not entirely suppressed, those should first become hus- ^^°'=-
bands whose industry had rendered them equal to the pay-
ment of an adequate sum; and the others (who respected
social justice) waited anxiouslj' to be so blessed in their turn :
but they were disappointed, and the colony injured, as is too
often the case, by expedients of which their insufficiency is the
most favorable objection. The females, who afterwards made their
appearance from the mother countiy, as if all regard for the
constitutions of society, had been lost, were those for w hom de-
licacy would wish to fuid a better name than the refuse of cities ;
selected without discrimination, they were bound as to masters
for three years ; of such a connexion, we need not attempt the Foundation

ofthecolony.

description. The only circumstance worthy of record respecting
it, is the declaration of the Buccaniers, who chiefly adopted
them, on their simple man'iage. " I ask you no questions," said
he, " respecting your former life, but you are now mine ; and if
you prove false, this," putting his hand to the muzzle of his gun,
" will revenge me." The effects of the profligacy introduced at
this time were long, very long felt. In the course of four years,
however, D'Ogeron found means to increase the number of
planters in proportion to the population, so that, in 1699, they
amounted to more than 1,500, i6p9

In the following year the benign exertions of this good man,
received a check from the elation of the India Company, which
is the too frequent consequence of successful monopolies. Con-
ceiving

1C70.

54

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

1(373.

cemng themselves secure in a new and extensive trade, and not
satisfied with a moderate profit, they ventured to raise the prices
of their goods in a proportion of t^vo thirds ; the colonists, who
had not yet changed their natural inclinations to violence, had
immediate recourse to arms, and the price of tranquillity was a
free trade to France, except an allowance of five per cent, to
the company, to be paid by all ships on their arrival and de-
parture. Even this disaster afforded D'Ogeron an opportunity
for exertions of beneficence, of which only himself was capable.
He procured two ships seemingly intended for his own pro-
duce, but, in fact, for the use of the colony. Ever}- one
shipped his commodities on board these vessels at a moderate
fi-eight, and, on their return, the cargo brought from the mother-
country was exposed to public sale at prime cost. A general
credit was given without interest, and even Avithout securit}^,
this generous governor hoping to inspire them with probity and
noble sentiments by such a confidence : thus, under a jurisdic-
tion so exquisite, every public disaster served but to consoli-
date the colony ; and could not fail also to excite a regret the
most poignant, on an occasion which happened much too early ;
for the patriotic and benevolent D'Ogeron was cut off in the
midst of his parental offices in 1673, an example of every humane
and social virtue.

It was three years before the much lamented death of D'Oge-
ron, that the town of Cape François had been founded. It is
to be regretted as a consequence of religious intolerance to drive

from

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

from their country its most useful members, Gobin, a calvinist, chap, r
flew from persecution to the mild state of St. Domingo, and built ^'^
the first habitation on the cape, to which he invited others, who
immediately flocked thither as the ground became cleared.

The place held by D'Ogeron was supplied with tolerable suc-
cess by his nephew, M. Ponancey, who, although described as of
a less amiable disposition than his uncle, seems to have followed
him in his laudable plan of government. He had the honor of
completing what his great predecessor had so ablv begun, the
establishment of a colony upon a regular and firm basis, without
the promulgation of laws, or the coercion of miiitars'^ force. IMore
virtue than could be expected, from a variety of governors, was,
however, required to sustain such a government ; as licen-
tiousness, naturally increased with population, aided by the un-
fortunate introduction of females, of the character already men-
tioned, it became of course necessary to submit to ordinary
forms. Two administrators were therefore commissioned from
Martinico, who established courts of judicature for the several
districts, accountable to a superior council at Petit Goave.
These innovations were gained by a little fmesse without much
disagreement, and, but for the interference of private interest,
which will ever obtrude upon infant establishments, the colon v
might have immediately opened a mine of wealth upon its
shores.

1

Du Casse ça-
vernor.

5a

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. I.

1694.

•^

It may not be improper to remark here, as a glaring instance
of the want of power, or capacitj^ in the Spanish colony, that in
1685 it suffered the Duke of Albemarle, then governor of Ja-
maica, and Sir Wilham Phipps, to obtain considerable wealth,
by raising the wreck of a Spanish plate ship which had been
stranded off the north-east coast of their own territory twenty-
four years before, on a shoal between the north and south riff,
almost in sight of Old Cape Francois.

1688,

Negroes
adopted in
the colony.

Skins and tobacco, were hitherto, the principal articles of com-
merce from the French colony ; for the latter, in consequence
of the restrictions, they substituted indigo and cocoa ; for simi-
lar reasons the profitable culture of cotton, which had been
added, was soon abandoned. Hitherto the labours of the co-
lony had been prosecuted chiefly by the poorest of the inhabi-
tants, and a few negroes, which had been obtained by success-
ful expeditions against the Spaniards; but in the war of 1688,
several slaves being taken from the English, they began to con-
template the culture of the sugar-cane, as an additional source
of wealth, and one of the greatest importance. With this
view they continued to increase their stock of negroes, by
every means in their power, though but slowlv, till the
year 1694, Avhen, taking advantage of a combination of misfor-
tunes which had reduced Jamaica, the governor (a spirited man,
who had before desired permission to chase the Spaniards from
his own colony,) landed in that island with a force, which shewed
the anterior progress of St. Domingo to power, and increased

it

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

it more than any other e^•ent, that had hitherto occurred. What- chap, i
ever were the other motives that induced this expedition, Du leos
Casse seems to have had an eye to the principal necessities of
his colony, by including in his booty a considerable number of
negroes, perhaps not less than two thousand. The other captured
propert}^ added to the private v/ealth of some of the remaining
Buccaniers, (if those embarked in privateering, could be still so
called,) enabled them to employ these slaves, and furnish build-
ings and articles for the production of sugar. The year fol-
lowing, however, the English returned the compliment of M.
Du Casse, by attacking the now flourishing settlement of Cape
François, in conjunction with the forces of Spain, which they
took, plundered, and reduced to ashes. It was soon, however,
rebuilt on the same scite ; and from this period no difficulty or
misfortune to the colony, was sufficient to impede its gradual
progress to that eminence, which obtained for it, in another cen-
tury the appellation of the Garden of the West Indies.

The peace of Ryswick afforded the first regular cession of the
western part of the island to the French ; for the preceding trea-
ties of Aix la Chapelle and Nimeguen in 1668 and 1678 did not,
by any m.eans, conciliate the national antipathies in St. Domingo;
and even by it there were no other boundaries established to the
possessions thus ceded, than a custom, constantly submitted to
change from a variety of circumstances. By this cession the
French appear to have obtained all the ten'itory excluded, with-

I out

58

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. I. out an oblique line reaching from the then Cape Francois on
'^"^m^ the north-east coast, to Cape Rosa on the v.est, intercepting the
towns of Isabella and Jago at the one point, and those of Petit
Goave and Port Louis at the other.* Still, therefore, the scene
of constant feuds between the more antient colonists and their
neighbour, a large part of the colony towards the south, con-
tinued unoccupied, except by a few straggling inhabitants in mi-
serable huts, and it remained a desirable object with the govern-
ment to procure its settlement, in some way, at once both perma-
nent and effectual. To accomplish this end, another company
was privileged in France, which adopted the title of St. Louis,
to whom this fine and extensive country was granted as a pro-
perty for thirty years ; on condition— that it should open a con-
traband trade with the Spanish continent, and clear the ground.
The company immediately granted lands to all who chose,
with certain allowances, providing them also with slaves and
other necessaries, and everj^ thing began to wear a promismg
aspect. The colony continued to increase with so much vigour,
that, at the beginning of the next century a superior jurisdiction
became necessary in Cape François, and it was accordingly esta-
blished in 1702. The town of the Cape was, in every other
respect, the capital of the colony, though, except in time of war,
when it was removed hither. Port au Prince was the seat of the
government.

1702.

* From the demarcation on the map of Herman Moll executed in less than twenty years
after. j^

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

In proportion as the French colony rose in sj)lendor, tlie
Spanish inhabitants decrea<-ed in comfort, apparently shrinking
from the effects of an industry they could not reach ; vet, the
former was not without diilicuîties to counterbalance its advan-
tages : for in the year 1715, the death of nearly all the cocoa
trees on the colony, deprived it of a very lucrative revenue; and
shortly after, it experienced, in common with more important
states, a shock that threatened its total subversion. This flou-
rishing colony had arrived at a pitch of prosperity- and refine-
ment, sufficient to enable many of its proprietors to return with
ample fortunes to France, or retire under easy circumstances
when age required it ; but when Law's fatal scheme of finance
exploded, those whose property had been paid for in the notes,
or securities of the Mississippi company, or others, allied to them,
were left destitute, without any hopes of retribution; manv re-
turned poor to the island, from which they had departed rich,
and were compelled to ser^e those, who had formerly been their
servants, for bread. The presence of these unfortunate victims,
seemed to prolong a sensation with respect to that delusive
stroke of poiic}-, which nothing else could have occasioned; it,
however, recovered the shock; and, in its worst moments, sur-
rounded by the pleasing effects of successful industry, might look
with pity upon the opposite situation of its neighbours; if such
sentiments could be expected to prevail under a disparity of cir-
cumstances.

I 2

Effect of
Law's linarv
ciai scheme
on St. Do-
niin^o.

60

LT20.

n22.

HISTORY OF ST. COMINGO. -

■ In 1717, the Snanish colony, (whicli had in the time of Her-
rera, accordmg to his history, hichided 14,000 pure Castillans
among its inhabitants, with a proportional population in every
class,) had only 18,-410 souls of every description; and, but lor
the ecclesiastical and juridical importance of its dilapidating
capital, perhaps scarcely even a vestige v/ould have remained.
Vrithout affecting, in allusion to the.e times, either the bigotry,
vvhich must be occasionally allovred m Edwards, or the invete-
racy of Rav-nal, in favor of peculiar opinions, we may clearly
view, in this decline, the fatal consequences of intolerance and
CTuelt^r, while we can happily contemplate with redoubled plea-
sure the agreeable contrast, which a mild regimen ailbrds
through every class of created beings.

In 1720, the produce of the French colony amounted,
according to Ra^mal* to 1,-200,000 pounds weight of indigo,
1,400,000 pounds of white sugar, and 21,000,000 pounds of raw
sugar, and its increase was as rapid, as it was successful : never
satisfied, however, with ordinary- advantages, it is the very nature
of monopoly to grasp at every opportunity of increasing its ex-
clusive rights, without any regard to those which are the objects
of its privileges. In consequence of a degree of insolence, with
which, the introduction of a measure intended to confine the
trade of slaves to themselves was conducted, a violent commotion
took place in 1722, Avhich was not quelled entirely for two years.

* Settlements and Trades In the East and West Indies, vul. iv. p. 235.

during

HISTORY OF ST. DOinNGO.

during which period the buildings and ships of the company vreve
destroyed, and their commissioners disgraced. It will naturally
be supposed that a commotion which extended with the most in-
conceiyable firmness through eyen' part of the island, affected
the progress of cultiyation and commerce for some time after the
re-establishment of peace; yet, in 1734, we find a considerable
increase of plantations, in which the groT^lh of cotton, and coffee,
had been added to a great extent. This increase of opulence,
occasioned, naturally, an augmentation of the respectability- of
the E^oyernment, for in 17Ô0 we find a new establishment at Port
au Prince, the capital, which now became the residence of a
commander in chief, a superior council, and an intendant.

In the year 1754, the amount of the yarious commodities of
the colony was equal to 1,261,4691., but such was its increasing
prosperity-, that the inhabitants received fi'om the mother country,
imports to the amount of 1,777,0091. The population of pure
whites amounted to upwards of 14,000; free mulattoes nearly
4,000; and upwards of 172,000 negroes of différent descriptions.
There were 599 sugar plantations, and 3,379 of indigo. The
cocoa trees amounted to 98,946; the cotton plants to 6,300,367;
and there were near 22,000,000 of cassia trees. The proyisions
consisted of near 6,000,000 of banana trees; upwards of 1,000,000
plots of potatoes; 226,000 plots of y ami s ; and near 3,000,000
trenches of manioc. The cattle, did not exceed 63,000 horses
and mules, and 93,000 head of horned cattle *.

* Raynal, vol. iv. p. 236.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

(',-•'

IT 64.

1767.

In short, the remaining events of St. Domingo, up to the period
of the French revolution, consists of a series of successes the
most brilhant, and a display of industry and opulence the most
creditable to the French character. Even the government of
Madrid seems to have been excited, to some degree of emu-
lation about the year 1757, as a company was formed at Bar-
celona, with exclusive privileges, to attempt a re-estabiishment
in the eastern part of the island. The most, however, that
appears to have been accomplished, was the equipment of two
small vessels annuall}^ by which they received in return, a few
thousand hides, and some other trifling articles; but in 1765,
when Charles III. opened a free trade to all the Windward
Islands, they suddenly assumed quite an altered appearance;
and Hispaniola, so long depressed by the false policy of the
mother country, seem determined to attempt a renewal of her
former activity. During the five years preceding 1774, the
custom-house duties were more than doubled. It extended, how-
ever, comparatively to little more than a dying struggle. The
French still continued to increase rapidly; in 1764, they had
a force of 8,786 white men, capable of bearing arms, with
whom 1414 mulattoes were enrolled, and their slaves had in-
creased to 206,000. In 1767, they laded 347 ships for France,
besides a considerable overplus, not less than one fifth of that
number, distributed in various ways.

As if it were to temper the success of this splendid colony, a
1770. dreadfiil earthquake, happened on the third day of June, 1770,

which

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

which levelled the capital. Port au Prince, with the ground. It chap. i.
has been, however, rebuilt with additional convenience, and en- i''''0-
larged with much labour, several streets having been raised upon
the shore by means of causeways, though it does not possess, by
any means, the elegance of Cape François; many of the buildings
being composed of wood.

In 1776, a determinate cessation took place of the dreadful
feuds which had constantly occurred between the Spanish and
French inhabitants of the colonj^ by the formation of a new line
of demarcation, to separate the different partitions of the island.
This settlement, though from a strange avarice in the Spaniards
of territor}^ which they knew not how to occupy, appears to
encroach considerably on the former possessions of France, was a
most desirable concession to the latter. Nor were the conse-
quences of this agreement less favorable to the Spaniards in other
respects : for they afterwards opened a more liberal commerce
with their neighbouring colonists; whom they supplied with
every description of cattle, receiving in return through their
means all the productions of Europe, and expending with them
the monies received from Spain for the purposes of the govern-
ment.

After the conflict between Great Britain and her American
colonies, the Spanish government began to pay more regard to
its territories in that quarter, and it accordingly became furnished
with a more respectable garrison. Since that' time, the number

of

64

KISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. I. of Europeans added to it, tended also to improve its respectability
1785. as a colony.

From this period, to the commencement of revolutionary acti-
vity in 1789, when those principles which had long been con-
cealed in a smouldering flame, were about to have vent through
the world, the French establishment in St. Domingo reached a
height superior, not only to all other colonial possessions, but to
the conception of the philosopher and politician; its private lux-
ury, and its public gTandeur, astonished the traveller ; its accu-
mulation of wealth surprized the mother country; and it was
beheld with rapture by the neighbouring inhabitants of the islands
of the Antilles. Like a rich beaut\-, surrounded Avith every de-
light, the politicians of Europe, sighed for her possession ; but they
siffhed in vain ; she was reserved for the foundation of a republic
as extraordinary as it is terrible, whether it ultimately tend
only, to the ascertainment of abstract opinions, or unfold a new
and august empire to the world, where it has heretofore been
deemed impossible to exist.

It remains only to the present division of the work, to add a
brief account of the general appearance of the island, as it existed
at this date of its history; which, will then subdivide itself into
the different heads, under which it is proposed to consider the
causes, progress, and consequences of its revolution, and present
establishment.

Notwithstanding

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

V

Notwithstanding, the reduced state of that part of the island chap, r
which still continued in the possession of Spain, >vhat has been
collected of its topography, or, natural history, shall, in justice ofthe°is!and
to the ancient proprietors, commence the brief detail which
concludes the present chapter.

The Spanish division of St. Domingo is undei^stood to have Spanish divi-
sion.

comprehended, at that period, the Avhole territory within the
diversified line of demarcation, fixed upon a few years before,
which confined the French to apparently an insignificant part
of the island. Commencing with the river Du iNIassacre on Last line of

demarcatioxu

the north, it stretched in an irregular curve towards the west,
crossing all the great roads fi'om Fort Dauphin and the Cape,
passing the hills at about thirty miles distant from the coast, and
intersecting the conflux of the streams of La Trouble and Plai-
sance; when, turning shortly round the hills at Atalaj^e, it
assumes its southern direction, and crossing the stream of La
Petite Riviere at its mouth, stretches through a delightful plain
watered by the great river Artibonite: crossing this, and the river
Du Fer, and winding round a single hill, it then proceeds through
the little lake of Cul de Sac; returning to its eastward direction,
it falls in with the river â Pitres at a point nearly opposite to that
of its departure, having formed an elipsis of not less than 170
miles, the nearest point approaching within a very short distance
of the town of Gonaves, situate in the bay of that name, upon the
western coast*.

* Tills line is believed to be accurately deliueated in tlie corrected map of the island
preâxed to the present work.

K It

m

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. I.

1789.

Topography,
&c.

Spanish divi-
sion.

,«

It will be perceived, what a large proportion of this delightful
territory, remained in the possession of Spain; which, whatever
the degraded character we have been obliged to attribute to its
possessors, must have produced a very ample return for the cul-
tivation they bestowed upon it. With an extent of coast of be-
tween live and six hundred miles, in which are not less than
seven capacious bays, (with innumerable inlets,) into which twenty
large rivers, besides many nameless streams, discharge themselves;
while the interior, consisting of large fertile plains, well watered,
and protected, rather than interrupted, by the different chains of
mountains with which they are variegated; producing the most
delightful and salubrious vallies : nothing was wanting but the
moderate labour of the cultivator, and a liberal policy, to render
it the most desirable country in the world. In wanting these,
however, it sunk into a beautiful wilderness, and its sullen shores
repelled the eye which had been attracted by distant fertility. On
scites that would have received and encouraged the population of
citiesj were placed the solitary huts of fishermen; whose miserable
toils, perhaps, a melancholy monk was embittering by a thousand
painful restrictions of his poverty-stricken career on earth, and
dreadful views of eternity; the result of morbid intellects, nursed
by the wild scene around him.

City of St.
Donriingo.

The principal towns, after the ancient city of St. Domingo,

were, Monte Christi, La Vega, St. Jago, formerly that of the

Conception, Zeibo, St. Thome, Azua, and Isabella, if the latter

could deserve the appellation. The other places were merely

villages

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

67

villages of the most wretched appearance, which, instead of
^hiring society fi-om the distant provinces, seemed rather to
mark with desolation those natural meadows with Avhich they
abounded. The most important of these were St. Laurent, a
few miles north of the capital, in which were a few villas, very
inviting, fi-om the beauty of the plain in which it was situated ;
Higuey, whose advantageous situation on the river of that name,
might have procured for it much more importance; Baya,
Bayaguana, and Monte Plata, surrounded by the finest land in
the known world, and in the vicinity of forests, whose riches and
utilitj^ were unappreciated; Cotuy, near the union of the rivers
Yuna and Cotuy, about eight leagues fi'om the centre of the bay
of Samana ; St. Juan de Maguana, delightfully placed on the
banks of the Neybe, and separated by a small mountainous dis-
trict fi-om the lake of Riquille; St. Jean de Goava and Banica,
served often as points of the commerce between the two colonies,
as well as Atalaye, which stretched towards the extremity of the
angle reaching into the French division opposite the bay of
Gonave; St. Miguel, Dejabon, Venta de Cana, Sala, Jarbon,
Espani, and Amina, distributed in the course of a few leagues
from the northern coasts, though inhabited by a kind of wealthy
graziers, form a powerful contrast to the wild beautj' of the sur-
rounding country.

CHAP. I.

1789.

Topography,
&c.

Spanish divi-
sion.

Villages.

St. Dommgo, the capital, and seat of the ecclesiastical eovern- Spanish ca-
ment of the colonies, and at one time of the whole of the Spanish ^* "^ '
dominion in the new world, still continued an archiépiscopal see,

k2 to

68

tïlSTORY OF ST. DOMINGO»

CHAP. I.

1789.

Topography,

&c.

Spanish divi-
sion.

to which the bishops of the other islands were suffragans. It is
situated, as hath been before described, near the mouth of tli^
river Ozama, on the southern coast of the island, and on the
border of a fertile and delightful level of near ninety miles in
length, and thirty in breadth, significantly called Los Llanos.
The cathedral, and other public buildings, yet retained no mean
degree of importance; and, notwithstanding their dilapidating
antiquity, v/ore an elegance of appearance that was not to have
been expected. The remains of many other superb buildings of
antiquity were yet to be seen, and those of a modern date of
brick, stone, and wood, were not unworthy the capital of such a
territory. It yet contained several religious establishments, and
what is of more importance, the extent and safety of its harbour,
containing an ample depth of water, and, protected by a bar,
over which the largest vessels rode with safety, could not fail to
render it of great commercial interest. The streets were princi-
pally broad, and towards the middle of the town retained their
original rectangular neatness ; they were also clean, and enlight-
ened by three handsome squares. It yet contained an appear-
ance of great strength towards the sea, and even on the side of
the land it was guarded by a sufficient wall. Some remains yet
exist of the ancient citadel, and also of the palace of the First
Viceroy.

Monte
Christi.

The town of Monte Christi still retained a busy appearance,
and some degree of importance, from its continued traffic with
the neighbouring continent of North America, and the vicinity

of

lï.

HISTORY OF ST. DO.MINGO.

69

of some of the most flourishing plantations of the French colony, chap. i.
During the wars between England and France, while Spain was ^"^s^-
disengaged from the troubles, the Span
part, as did also the English smugglers

Topography,.

disengaged from the troubles, the Spaniards traded much to this &c.

Spanish divi-
sion.

La Vega, neither pleasing nor convenient, situated in the ex- La Vega.
tensive plain of the Viga Real, which is, in length, nearly that
of half the island,, though seldom exceeding thirt}'^ miles in
breadth, derived its chief consequence from the surromiding pas-
turage, and some excellent sugar-walks in its vicinity.

St. Jago retained a considerable air of antiquity, but no other St. Jago
recommendation ; for all the former grandeur which it would ap-
pear to have possessed is now in ruins, and it affords but an addi-
tional monument of desolation ; yet it contained a miserable mo-
naster}' of Franciscans, to whom were attached some of the fmest
lands in the neighbourhood ; but whose chief power seemed to be
employed in the rule of the slaves in the adjacent plantations, in
the care of whose religious duties thej^ frequently forgot their tem-
poral avocations.

Zeibo was a place of some business, from being the only town Zeibo.
towards the eastern coast, as St. Thomas is, again, from being
situated in the very centre of the island, among the mountains of
Cibao. Agua was also of little other importance than from being
placed in the middle of a very fine bay on the southern coast.
The first and the last of these towns, besides their desolatory
3 state,

"^^^^^^T'SH^^^^S^'H^

CHAP. I.

1789.

Topography,

&c.
Spanish divi-
sion.

St. Thomas.

HISTOKY OF ST. DOMINGO.

state, bordering on extensive swamps, were therefore unhealthy;
while St. Thome, receiving the invigorating winds, as they sweep
from the mountains on one side, and the salubrious breeze from
the plains on the other, was a situation desirable for the farmer,
or the valetudinarian, and capable of much improvement. On
the site of the first city erected in the new world, in honour of
Isabella, remain a few houses and ruins, while here and there a
solitary cross peeping from amidst the luxuriant grass, served just
to tell us — " such things were." One little stream watered its
vicinity, and a rugged road marked its few occasions to direct an
inquisitive traveller to its haunts.

Of the ecclesiastical government of the island, little shall here
suffice. Notwithstanding that conduct on the part of the clergy
which had compelled certain regulations of their conduct, and
the liberality of sentiment which began to gain ground in Spain,
the American church still retained an inordinate pow^er over
every class of the community, and an undue interference with
every object of the colony. Independent of the papal jurisdic-
tion,* and originally endowed with immense revenues from the
wealth, and afterwards the devotion of the people, they still
continued in extraordinary numbers, fattening on the very deso-
lation of the country, to whose benefit their order had not, in

* The Emperor Ferdinand having obtained from the Popes Alexander VI. and Ju-
lius II. such an exemption on the first discovery of the New World, to favour its exten-
sion.

HISTORY OF ST. D0MI>:G0. ' ^

the least, contributed* Many of the benefices were, however, ^^^^^^
now filled by the secular clergy, according to the effort of Ferdi- I'^s-

■^ ■ _ Topography,

nand VI. to remedy the vicious and abominable abuses of the &c.

J . , Spanish divi-

reo-iilars. It has been already stated to have been honoured with sion.
the seat of the archiépiscopal see; it had also all the minor dig-
nities, while the Cura^, or parish-priests, were to be found in all
the sacerdotal dignity throughout the country. The inquisition
^^'as also estabUshed in this as well as all the other American
islands.

The constitution of Hispaniola is not easily defined. The dif- Constitution.
ferent towns were under the immediate direction of a sort of local
municipality ; but their power was very weak, and much infringed
by the privileges of different bodies of the clergy. They confined
themselves chiefly, therefore, to the minor commercial regula-
tions of their own district, and even these were under the control
of a governor of the colony. The more important ends of ge-
neral justice were administered by six more respectable judges,
severally appointed, for civil and criminal jurisdiction, who
formed one of the eleven Courts of Audience distributed among
the colonies, and which are a model of the Spanish Chan-
cery. The decisions of these courts were subject to appeal

* " Though, by the ample provision which has been made for the American church,
many of its members enjoy the ease and indépendance which are favourable to the cultiva-
tion of science, the body of secular clergy has hardly, during two centuries and a half, pro-
duced one author whose works contain such useful iiiformation, or possess such a degree of
merit as to be ranked among those which attract the attention of enlightened nations."—
Robertson's Hist. Vol. IV. p. 50.

ta

CHAP. I

17S9.

Topoçraphv,

&c.

Spanish divi-
•6 ion.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO,

to the Council of the Indies in Spain, except in civil cases,
where the object of htigation did not amount, in value, to a sum
near fifteen hundred pounds. The vice-roj' of New Spain repre-
sents the head of the government. The council over-ruled every
department, civil and ecclesiastical, military and commercial, and
has always preserved its dignity ; with it originates ever\' ordi-
nance relative to the government of the colonies, ^s^hich must be
passed by the majority of a third of its members. At the head
of this council the king is always understood to preside. There
is also a commercial assembly for the purposes of an immediate
attention to all its objects which could not be affected by any
other means. The local officers immediately below the whole
of these, consist of the different commandants, and a variety' of
inferior officers of almost every description ; many of whose si-
tuations were sinecures, as valuable as the proprietors of the
island were depreciated.

Of the military force of the colony little can be said ; for, ex-
cept the garrison of St. Domingo, and a few posts established
towards the line of demarcation, the regular soldier^' distributed
throughout the island were inconsiderable ; nor could the militia,
in which all capable of bearing arms were included, be said to
produce an addition very effective. The principal ports along
the line were those of Verettes, St. Michael, and St. Raphael.

Inhabitants. The different inhabitants of the Spanish colony were designated
as follows :— The pure Spaniards, who visited America for the

purpose

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

purpose of employment, and who always enjoyed every situation
of power, were called Chapetones. They looked down with disdain
upon every other order of men.

The second class of subjects were the Creoles, or descendants
of Europeans settled in America. Though frequently deriving
their pedigree from the noblest families in Spain, and possessmg
ample fortunes, yet the abjectness of political debasement— the
enervation of indulgence in a warm chmate, had subdued their
minds, and subjected them to the vilest sloth. A\liile the Cha-
petone amassed immense wealth, the Creole remained satisfied
with his unimpaired patrimony ; a determined hatred reigning
between them.

75

CHAP. I.

1789.

Topographj,
&c.

Spanish divi-
sion.

The third was the offspring of an European with an In-
dian, or a negro: the former, called Mulattoes, the latter
Mestizos. Of these, there was a considerable number in this,
as in all the other Spanish settlements. In proportion as the
number exceeded the colonies of other nations, from the early
policy of encouraging an intermixture of the Spaniards with
the natives, and from a greater indulgence of licentious in-
tercourse. Among these there were a varietj^ of different shades
of colour, from the jet black of Africa, and the copper, or
brown hue of America, to that of the European complexion.
Those of the first and second generations, were considered not
sufficiently removed, • for distinction, from their parent race;
in the third, the colour sensibly declined; and, in the fifth

L they

74

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. I. they embraced the characteristics and privileges of Europeans.
"""ST^ The mechanic arts and active offices of society were left, by
Topo|raphy, ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^ Moleut Spaniards, to this robust and hardy
Spanish divi- ^^^^ . ^1^^ ^^çj.g j-^giy^ well-tempered, and frequently accom-
plished.

The Negroes compose the fourth rank; of this singular, and
important part of the human species, more will be found in
another department of this work. In Hispaniola, as well as
several other of the Spanish colonies, the Negroes were much
used in domestic service, and for purposes of luxury. They were
splendidly dressed, and, in many respects, rendered so subservient
to vanity, that they became themselves, more silly, vain, and im-
perious, than their masters*.

However, the distinctions between Europeans and the people
of colour were, by no means, kept up in the Spanish colonies
as in those of other nations, except with regard to ecclesiastical
establishments, to which they were not generally admitted.

Country. The Spanish coast is, in many parts, of a bold and rocky ap-

pearance, presenting high cliffs and extended promontories, and,
in others, for many leagues, beautiful in the extreme, delighting
the eye with an agreeable variety of hills, vallies, woods, and rivers.

* The Indians in those of the Spanish colonies where they yet remain, form a fifth, and
the most depressed class of inhabitants.

1 The

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

75

The generally luxurious face of the country continues the same
throughout, with very little appearance of sterility even on the de-
serted north-east coast. The richest glades, with a most delightful
foliage appear in the very bosoms of the mountains ; and nothing
can exceed the fertility of the cultivated lands, in every direction.
The vast plain of Los Llanos, stretching along the south-east
part of the island, is adapted to the growth of every tropical
production, and, (abounding with rivers,) always capable of irri-
gation, as well as the Vega Real, w^hich lies more towards the
north, and through which flows the Yuna and the Cotuy, over
a space of from fifty to an hundred miles; till meeting at a
short distance from the coast, they discharge their united streams
into the bay of Samana. On the northern coast, (by wdiich Co-
lumbus first approached the island,) is also a large tract of land
which, though consigned to vast herds of wild cattle of various
descriptions, exhibited its fertility, in the support of this object of
commerce, as well as in several grass-farms, which lay to the
northward line of demarcation. The present produce is sugar,
ginger, cocoa, tobacco, cotton, indigo, maize, and the Cassava-
root, of Avhich, what they could spare (with wood for dying,) was
received by the mother-country. But their principal article of
exportation was the hides of the horned-cattle, which ran wild in
the plains, with no other guards than the names, or the marks
of their owners : at length, they regarded the carcases also, which
being gladly received by their neighbours, they were found to
be a valuable resource. Not confining themselves to horned-

L 2 cattle.

CHAP. I.

1789.

Topography,
&c.

Spanish divi-
sion.

76

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. I. cattle, they furnished also great numbers of horses and mules,
1789. which required less trouble in their rearing, and were very accep-

Topo|rap y, ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ FrCUch Colouy.

Spanish divi-
sion.

The population, though an exact account may be deemed im-
possible, may, probably, approach to the statement of M. de
Charmilly, at 60,000; the number of whites was certainly greater
than 2000, and that of the negroes less than half the total num-
ber; the free race of mixed blood of different grades, composing
the remainder.

Trench divi
sion.

provinces.

The Spanish division of Hispaniola, affords every species of
tropical herb, and beast; as, in this respect, it is similar to the
western part of the island, they will be considered together.

The French colony of St. Domingo, comprehended the whole
of the territory westward of the line of demarcation, before de-
Divided into scribed : with fewer natural advantages, it presented such a
contrast to the inactivity of the neighbouring country, as pro-
cured for it a character almost equal to that which has been so
generally given to the whole of the island at its discovery. This
colony, of which we are able to give a more regular account, was
divided, as indeed nature appears to have directed, into the nor-
thern, western, and southern provinces. The first of these ex-
tended about forty leagues along the northern coast, from the
river Massacre to Cape St. Nicholas, and contained (including

the

Northern
province.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

77

the island of Tortuga) twenty-six parishes. The principal towns chap, r.
and harbours w^ere. Cape François, Fort Dauphin, Port Paix, I'Sa-

, .r-1 o TVT- 1 1 Topography,

and Cape fet. iNicholas, &c.

French divi-
sion.

The western province commenced at Cape St. Nicholas, and Western pro-

vincc.

occupying the whole line of roadsted forming the Bite, or vast and
general bay of Leogane, terminated at Cape Tiburon. It con-
tained fourteen parishes, in which the chief towns were, Port-au-
Prince, St. INIark, Leogane, Petit Goave, and Jeremie; with
the considerable villages of Gonaives, and Arcahaye. The best
harbours are those of Port-au-Prince and Gonaives, the others
are open and dangerous.

The southern province occupied the remaining coast from Cape Southern

province;

Tiburon to L'Ance à Pitre, (or rather the river of that name) : of
the ten parishes, there were but two chief towns, those of the
Cay es and Jacmel. Its roads and harbours are dangerous; and the
shipping off Aux Cayes are frequently obliged to take refuge in
the bay des Flamands.

The town of Cape François, in effect the capital of the co- Town of

Cape Fran-

lony, stands on a small plain, as it were, hollowed out of the s°''-
Morrie du Cap, a mountain which rises on both sides from the
bay. The Morne, which allows only a narrow passage to the
plain, is joined by the northern mountains, extending to Fort
Picolet, which is placed on the edge of the rock, and defends the
entrance to the roads ; though built, in some respects, disadvan-

2 tageously

78

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. I.

1S9T.

Topography^

&c.

French divi-
sion.

^

tageousl}' (except as regarded its commodious bay, and sometimes
experiencing an inconvenient closeness from the situation,) it liad
risen to a degree of elegance concordant to the importance of
the island, and which might cope with many European cities
of the first order and opulence. It was composed of upwards of
thirty well-formed streets, which crossed each other at right an-
gles, and were many of them elegant. The houses built of stone
and brick, were fi^equently handsome and commodious. It con-
tained also t\^'o magnificent squares, those of Notre Dame and
Clugny, ornamented with fountains; besides public shops, and
long ranges of warehouses, suited to the commercial purposes to
which this scene is dedicated. The principal public buildings
after the church, which had not been erected many years,
were the government-house, formerly a convent of Jesuits,* the
barracks, arsenal, playhouse, and prison. There were also, I
believe, two hospitals of a similar nature to our own, and two of
the establishments which Raynal calls houses of Providence.
Whether the Hôpital de la Charité (an alms or work-house), in
the road to L'Haut du Cap, at a small distance from the town,
was of this kind, I am not certain, though I believe it; they were,
however, as Raynal observed, " truly pious and divine insti-
tutions;" being for the benefit of such Europeans as might
remain in the colony destitute of resources, or who, before they
had acquired by industry, an opportunity to procure subsistence.

* His Royal Highness, tte Duke of Clarence, was entertained in this building at the
conclusion of peace in 1783.

became

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

7gt

became subject to disorders often fatal. ]Males and females were chap. i.
separately taken care of, and nourished till the}- were disposed of i"sy.
in some employment in which they could help themselves. The °^°è7.^ ^'
theatre was supplied by a respectable company of comedians, si^n"^ ^^^^'
who performed, with short intervals, all the year round, besides
other exhibitions and entertainments.

Fort Dauphin, about thirty miles from the cape, from whence Fan Dau-
phin.
there is an excellent road at a small distance from the shore, supplies

the place of an ancient town called Bayaha, which was situated
at a greater distance from the coast : it was the last town on the
eastern frontier of the French, and stands in the farthest recess of
a spacious harbour, which has only one narrow outlet. It has a
small river flowing by the village of Trou to the west, and the
shore of Manchenillo bay to the east. The fort stands on a little
peninsula to the north, and it is bounded on the south by the
same luxurious and extensive plain which enhanced the riches of
the town that has been just described. It was well fortified, and
could have held out against a considerable force for some time.
It had also a theatre well supplied, assemblies, and concerts.
Though the greater part of the produce of the plain was carried
to Cape François, Fort Dauphin had more than its share of con-
traband trade, with several advantages, derived from proximit3'
to the forlorn part of the Spanish dominion.

Port Paix stands on a worse situation than either of the pre- Port Paix,
ceding towns, from the former of which it is distant about forty

miles.

i

80

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIiNGO.

CHAP. I.

1789.

Topography,

&c.

French divi-
sion.

miles. It uas the first establishment of the Buccaniers on the
island, when, quitting the habits of freebooters, they began to
form themselves into a more peaceable society. Port Paix is
healthv, though a considerable swamp is not far distant, to the
north-east; and every exertion of Agrarian industry has been ex-
ercised to its advantage, even to the erection of several well-
planned aqueducts. Its retirement M^ell adapting it to the pur-
poses of contraband trade, to the great emolument of the Ame-
ricans, who frequented this port as well as the next, which forms
the boundary of the northern province.

Cape St. Ni-
cholas.

The town of Cape St. Nicholas is situate on the sterile spot
from which it derives its name, and which is considered the key
to the windward passage, being directly opposite to the port of
Maisi in Cuba. Its chief excellence is its harbour, which is capa-
cious, and rendered perfectly secure by the mole, or peninsula,
on the north-west, which, with the mountains on the north-east,
form a bay nearly six miles long, sheltered from every wind.
Behind, rise the mountains of the cape, which, altogether, ren-
ders it a place of a formidable appearance. It was rendered a
free port by the French in consequence of its unproductive qua-
lity, (as before mentioned,) and to allure residents, to M'hom the
French ministry allied a colony of Acadians and Germans.

Port-au-
Prince.

Port-au-Prince was the ostensible metropolis of the French
colony, and the seat of its government ; except in time of war,
when it was removed to Cape François. It must have been one

of

HISTORY OF ST. DOWINGO.

m

of the unaccountable caprices that sometimes direct the settle-
ments of towns, that could have obtained for this place, indefen-
sible at all points, the distinction it received. It was neither
healthy nor inviting, though opulent, and well built, with every
attention to convenience, but chiefly of w^ood. The water
is of a brackish and otherrvise disagreeable taste. It enjoyed,
in common with the principal towns of the other provinces, the
vicinity of a rich plain, the Cul de Sac, which contained no less
than 150 sugar plantations, with every convenience for their
advantage; while the mountains behind it, clothed with planta-
tions of coffee, reached quite to the Spanish settlements at Ri-
quille. The dreadful earthquake which happened in 1770,
occasioned the town to be much enlarged and improved. There
were many long and populous streets, but not handsome. A few
public edifices ornamented situations, not the best calculated
to receive them ; among these, the residence of the intendant,
and the theatre, were most conspicuous. There are two har-
bours formed by some islets, open to any attack. The town
extending along the sea-shore, in the centre of the western coast,
is damp, and cheerless, except from the hurry of business. It
is accessible at every point, from the land. A road, about 40
miles in length, reaches from hence to the village of Sale Trou,
situate between two small rivers, near L'Ance a Pitre, on the
southern coast.

CHAP. I.

17S9.

Topography,
&:c.

French divi-
sion

■4

The town of St. Mark, stretching along the sea-shore at the st. Mark,
bottom of the bay of that name, was rather handsomely built, of

M freestone

82

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. I.

17S0.
• Topography,

&c.
French divi-
sion.

freestone from the hills, which form a crescent behind it; the
only instance of that kind of building in the colony. It was not
large^ but possessed a good trade, and received all the crops from
the intervening country, to Cape St. Nicholas. It is within ten
miles of the mouth of the great river Artibonite, which winds its
serpentine course through the plain to which it gives name,
flowing behind it at the village of Tapion, about four leagues in
the interior. Being the only river on the plain, an artificial use
of water, by irrigation to a great extent, was necessary for its cul-
tivation, which was an impediment to its opulence in contrast to
those plains, M'hich, (as was generally the case,) were watered by
numerous streams or rivulets.

Leogane. Lcogaue stands about a mile and a half from the shore op-

posite the island, or peninsula, of Gonave, between the channel
ofGonave and the bay of St. Mark ; it is a spacious, handsome
town, surrounded with fertilitv, and in the neighbourhood of
many streams of excellent water. It is a situation capable of
defence, and in many respects preferable to Port-au-Prince. It
was here the seat of government was transferred from Goave,
previous to its settlement at the late capital.

Petit Goave. Petit Goâve, the original seat of government of the whole

French colony, was long in a very decayed state, notAvithstand-

ing its importance in the first settlement of the Buccaniei-s, and

the excellence of its harbour, still extremely good, and to which

may be attributed any advantage it yet retains.

L'Anse

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

83

, L'i\nse de Jeremie, or. La Grand Anse, is a thriving town, chap. i.
well situated, healthy, and neat. Its trade Avas forming in a i-s?-
manner that left no doubt of increasing opulence, and to it, the ^"p^^^p"^'
privateers generally brought the prizes they made, in its neigh- 2T^ ''*""

bourhood. Jeremie.

The village of Gonaves is situate on the south side of the Gonaves.
bay of that name, immediately opposite the projecting point of
the line of demarcation, so that the French colony in this part,
(nearly the centre of their territory-,) contained in breadth little
more than twenty miles. The soil is the most productive, and
the most grateful to man, of any spot in the whole of the
Antilles. Its harbour was excellent in point of safety, being
formed by a little island, which crossing the bay, left a narrow
channel, but with suificient depth of water.

Aux Cayes is completely sunk in marshy ground, without
a harbour, or salubrity to recommend it; j^et such is the fer- AuxCaj
tilitj^ Avhich even* where surrounds this town, as to have tempted
the choice of every new settler to its swampy shores, and stacr-
nant ponds. Its population was, therefore, much greater than
could have been supposed. It has also in its vicinity a variety
of bays and villages, which all tend to its prosperit}\— Many
ships have been lost here, from the insecure and dangerous
anchorage ; yet, as the Abbé Raynal has obsened, " even the - ■
caprices of industry are to be indulged by the go^emment ;" and
" trade like a plant that only flourishes in a soil of its own

^i '^ choosino-,

es.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIKGO.

U

CHAP. I.

Topography,
&c.

French divi-
sion.

La Vache.
Jaquemel.

Villages.

choosing, disdains every kind of restraint." Vache Island,
which Hes off this coast, was a celebrated resort of the free-
booters in their molestation of the Spaniards, and is yet the suc-
cessful haunt of the privateers of an enemy.

To this island, as to that of Tortuga on the opposite coast, the
colony was indebted for the foundation of a toA^Ti, which, though
small, is of some importance. Jaquemel, at the best of times,
did not contain one hundred houses, and derives no support
irom its soil, which is not fruitful, and comparatively hid among
the neighbouring hills. As Port-au-Prince is to L'Ance a Pitres,
so is Jaquemel to Le Petit Goave, being situated on the oppo-
site side of the south projection of the Bight, sometimes called
the Bight of Leogane. It is therefore a kind of store-house,
or magazine, to the colony, receiving safely during war, (which
can be done at no other place,) assistance of every kind, wliich
is easily communicated to the western side, by a road of only
twenty miles, leading to Leogane, and from thence to Port-au-
Prince.

Besides the towns, and the villages of Gonaves and Arcahaye
already mentioned, there are numerous others to which either
commerce, agriculture, beauty, or strength of situation, attached
important advantages; among these may be ranked St. Louis,
which, though poor, and containing a small number of houses,
without even water to drink, till some Jews, in return for their
safety, proposed to erect, at their own expence, an aqueduct; by
"^ ^ being

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

85

being occupied in some of the purposes of government, receiving
the men of war which appeared there, and thus protecting the
trade and wealth of Aux Caj^es, it assumed the characterestic of a
defence of the island. Baynette, about fifteen miles from Jacque-
mel, and Acul, at a less distance from x\ux Cayes, derive a simi-
lar adventitious importance, as well as Nipes and Miragoane, on
the opposite coast; while Cul de Sac, Petit Fond, and Plaisance,
ia the interior, are of a diffei^ent character. To these many more
might be added upon the northern coast, but enough hath been
said to shew the different appearance of the French colony from
that of Spain : suffice it to add, that every part teemed with
population, and smiled with industry.

French divi-
sion.

The cultivated land in the colony amounted to 2,289,480
English acres,* which was divided into 793 plantations of sugar,
3117 of coffee, 789 of cotton, 3160 of indigo, 54 of cocoa or cho-
colate, and 623 smaller settlements for raising grain, yams, and
other vegetable food.-f-

Of the differences which agitated the two colonies, happily Ecciesiasti-

cal govera»

religion did not form an object ; for, though exempt from the ment.
interference of Rome, on one part, by express concession, and,
on the other, by a light administration of ecclesiastical govern-
ment, they both acknowledged the forms of her church, and

* Or 763,923 carreaux of Freucb measurement.

i This last statement, wLicb has every mark of authenticity, is taken from Mr. Edwards,
Hist. Surv. p. 136.

entertained

■1

im:

86

CHAP. I.

Topography,
&c.

French divi-
sion.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

entertained all the appendages of her hîerarch5^ The order of
Jesuits was obtained here; that able, though insidious body,
which, separated from secular projects dnd political intrigues,
might have become benefactors to the human race. More need
not be said of the local establishments of religion in a colon}^,
whose inhabitants counted really but little upon it, and whose
writers have told us still less.* The edifices of public worship did
not, in elegance of building, detract any other, and that there
were many excellent benefices, might be collected from the man-
ner in which many of the ecclesiastics have been known to live.

Constitution. 'pj^g government of the French colony was composed of two
principal officers, a governor-general, and an intendant, or gene-
ral administrator, whose office lasted three years. They were
appointed through the marine minister, and their power w^as
unbounded ; for they, in effect, enacted laws, filled all vacant
offices, and presided ultimately over all councils, or courts of
justice. The governor had the whole naval and military force
under his command, and had the power of personal liberty
throughout the colony. He had also the power, by certain im-
pediments, to prevent arrest by any other authority, and in part
to stop the course of justice. The intendant regulated and super-
intended every department relative to the public revenue : to this
he had the occasional assistance of a court ridiculously enouah

Except the tales of some fanatics among the French missionaries, with whom many of
the slaves are described as " spiritual," though it is sufficiently known that these people,
in a state of slavery, neither comprehend, nor retain, even the forms of Christian worship.

called

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

87

French divi-
sion.

called the Colonial Assemblv, in \a liich even" superior public officer chap. r.
bore a part. A subordinate court of justice was placed at Port-au- i"S9.
Prince, for the provinces. The principal officers presided in it, with °^' &c!^ ^'
a president, twelve counsellors, and four assistant judges. In this
court, which was formerly divided between that town and Cape
Francois, were registered all the roj-al edicts, and those of the
colonial government. Much, very much of the happiness of the
colony, depended on the governor, who was generally a person
of distinction, and most frequently selected from the army or
navy. An appeal- from every decision la}^ to the King, in which
justice was insured; whatever impediments to its course might
have been found in St. Dominsro.

The chief force of the island, though certainly inadequate to Military
its defence, consisted of the militia, of which each parish raised
from one to three companies of whites, one of mulattoes, and
one of free blacks, none of which received pay; and the king's
troops upon the colonial establishment generally comprised from
two to three thousand men.

• The inhabitants were composed, as usual, of pure whites; inhabitants.
people of colour, and blacks of free condition; and negroes in a
state of slavery. The whole of the intermediate grades were
called generally mulattoes.

The character of the European planter in St. Domingo was
imperious, and voluptuous to a higher degree than in the other

islands :

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. I. islands : this character also shewed itself on everv" occasion ; he
was impatient of even the constraint of the laws, avaricious of
&c. wealth and honor, and a devotee to all the arts of indulgence.
Hospitalit}'-, was unbounded among them, and charity, at the
same time, very extensively bestowed. " 'Tis the inheritance,"
says Father le Pers,* " which they have preserved the most
entire from their ancestors ; and it would seem that this excel-
lent virtue was confined with the very air of St. Domingo.

1789.
Topography,

French dh
sion.

Many circumstances combined to render the situation of the
mulattoes much more eligible than in any other island, though
in some respects worse. They were also more numerous. The
free man of colour had the command of his own property, with-
out any restriction, both in life and death; he could bear testi-
mony even against the whites; he could marry as he pleased,
and transmit freedom to his children; and he might embrace a
liberal profession; but prejudice frequently damped his efforts,
and precipitated him below what an hostile law could have done.
The meanness of birth was never forgotten in his own land.
They were also compelled to serve in one of the brigades of horse,
furnished in all the parishes, under the appellation of the Mar-
shalsea. The numbers of this class were to be accounted for, by
several circumstances, amongst which were the superior comforts
ofthelowerorderofwhites, employed in the superintendanceof the

» "L'heritBge qu'Us ont conservé le plus entier de leurs ^^^^\ ^\J'^'''''^^%^^^^
senMe qu'on r^sp.re cette belle vertu avec 1'a.r de S. Domingue." aarkvo.s Eut. de S.

Domingue. plantations.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

89

plantations, and the engaging manners of the women of colour,
who are often elegant, if not sometimes really beautiful. The
mulattoes were frequently opulent and respected.

The next class, the enslaved negro, appears to have been
comparatively happj^, rather than otherwise; not condemned
to an unreasonable duration of labor, they were sufficiently
provided, without any anxiety for their future existence. They
had gardens which produced the necessaries of life ; pigs, poul-
try, and even horses; and were sufficiently clethed, agreeably
to the climate ; but they were considered and treated, as much
beneath, the ordinary class of human beings : yec, M. de Char-
milly, whose judgment in this particular need not to be doubted,
says, " that this race of men is naturally good; that if nature has
denied them attention, reflexion, observation, perseverance, and
all the advantages which render the whites superior to tliem, she
has done every thing for them necessary to the climate in which
they exist, not only in physical advantages, but also in those of
the heart; for she has given that sensibility for the sex which
makes them forget so many sorrows, and the most lively affection
for their children; which renders every thing supportable to
them."*

CHAP. I.

1789.

Topography,
&c.

French divi-
sion.

^ * — " Que cette race d'hommes est naturellement bonne; que si la nature lui refusé
l'attention, la réflexion, l'observation, la persévérance, & tous les avantages qui rendent les
blancs supérieurs à eux, elle a tout fait pour eux du côté du climat, des avantages physique.
& même du cœur; car elle leur a donné cette sensibilité pour les femmes qui fait ublier
tant de malheurs ! et le plus vif amour pour leurs enfans, qui leur rend tout supportable!"
—VenauU de C/iarmiHj/, Lettre à M. Bryan Edwards, SfC. p. 41.

N The

90

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIN"GO.

Topograph V.
&c.

French divi-
sion.

tu

The appearance which we have ah'eady ascribed to the
Spanish coast, may be naturally supposed to extend itself to that
of the French division, with the difference which must be created
bv a continual range of cultivation, either glistening in a tropical
sun, or winding in an umbrageous alley towards dwellings which
might be easily conceived a second paradise. The ^Nlole of Cape
St. Nicholas, which is justly considered as a key to the windward
passage, presents an appearance such as it should to the ocean,
sterile and commandmg. The south peninsula resounded with
the lano-uacje of "trade, and the northern coast with arms and
with agriculture.— Unlike their neighbours, the French colonists
caused their land to be cultivated up to the very mountain
tops, from which the cane-grounds appeared as so many thickets;
while every invention that could be adopted to their purpose was
. readily encouraged. Their roads were in general excellent,
being made and kept in repair, by the contributions of every
planter, who sent a proportionate number of his slaves to Avork
upon them, (a burthen entitled the Cori-ces.) Sometimes they
ovei-flowed in the morning, and vreredustv' again in the evening;
althouo-h eenerallv shaded on both sides by lime trees ; and the
different grounds were separated by hedges of citron trees. The
approach to the residence of a planter, was through an avenue of
both these, and the pimento and palm graced its extended pros-
pect.

Their principal rivers are the Artibonite, which flows from its
source in the centre of the island, through the plain of that name,

till

HISTORY OF ST. DO.MIXGO.

91

till it empties itself in the gulf of Gonaves; that called the Three chap. r.
Rivers, whose mouth is at Port Paix; and the Great River, or i-*=^-
La Grande Riviere, Avhich reaches the sea near Jeremie. Topography.

French divi-
sion.

To describe the productions of the French colony of St. Do-
mingo, would be enumerating those of the whole of the An-
tilles. Their principal were, however, as have been before de-
scribed, sugar, coffee, cotton, indigo, and cocoa, or chocolate.
To these mav be added a little tobacco.

In return for the useful droves of cattle for slaughter and
labour, smoked beef, bacon, skins, and the greatest part of the
money received from Spain, they supplied their neighbours with
wearing apparel, hardware, and guns-.

The population was considered at about 40,000 whites, 500,000
negro slaves, and 24,000 free people of colour; and the average
exports, as stated by M. :\Iarbois,. the intendant of the colony,
amounted to 4,705,129/. sterling.

It is not intended in this place, to satisfy the scientific views of
the naturalist in regard to St. Domingo, notwithstanding that,
with an inclination to that study, the writer had some opportu-
nities for its indulgence, which were not entirely lost, but reserved
for some future opportunitv. The amateur of this elegant re-
search will, no doubt, have recourse to the valuable histories
which have been long furnished of a neighbourip ^:island, in

n2 "HV these

-•- 'rf t^m^

92

CHAP. T.

1789.

Topography,

&c.

French divi-
sion.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

these respects so similar, as to admit of very little variation in
the subject to which I allude.

The food of the early inhabitants of St. Domingo, appears to
have comprised a similar description of vegetables to that of the
negroes at this day :— plantains, Indian wheat, millet, the cassavi
root, potatoes, and Caribbee cabbage. Their quadrupeds in-
cluded the smaller species of a lizard, yet, the delicacy of a
West India table; the Agouti Rat, of which a description are yet
found in some of the islands; and the Alco, a small short-tailed
dog, which did not bark, with others whose names have not come
down to us. Their ûsherj was more abundant, every bay and
creek furnishing an ample supply, as many of them do to the pre-
sent time. The European quadrupeds now supply the necessary
food of European colonists, with only such local additions as are
objects of delicacy, or introduced by custom; among these, may
be named the land crab, the ortolan, and a variety of wild fowl
of delicious taste and flavor. The indigenous vegetables yet
remain, including plantains, yams, a species of spinage, potatoes,
cassava, Indian wheat, and cabbage ; to these are added the
European roots, herbs, and pulse; and no want is found of
cabbage, turnips, carrots, parsnips, peas beans, artichokes, &c.
A variety of fruits ornament the luxury of the table, among
which, the melon and pine-apple, peaches and strawberries,
oranges and lemons, the cashew, apples, pears, plums, and nuts,
are plenteously combined with a variety of productions intro-
duced from different countries.

5 To

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

93

To describe the nature, properties, and mode of cultivation of chap. i.
those productions, which form the different objects of commerce, ivss.
would uselessly extend the present chapter, and the accounts °^&^^ ^*
are to be found in different works peculiarly appropriated to ^qq"*^^*^"'"
these subjects *. Sufficient is now already mentioned to acquaint

the

* Sugar, cofiee, and cotton, are rendered familiar to almost every reader. I shall, how-
ever, briefly add here a slight description of the two other staple commodities of St. Do-
mingo— cocoa and indigo.

The cocoa-tree presents less beauty than utility to its cultivator, for its branches form
so many trunks separating from each other to a distance immediately above the parent one,
and these bend with their separate branches immediately down to the earth. It seldom,
therefore, rises high. Its leaves are long, terminating in a point, and emitting an agreeable
smell. In the pistil of a flower blooming from every part, is contained an husk, in the form
of a melon, which grows ordinarily to the length of six inches, and the breadth of four or
five, composed of several small inclosures, in which the fruit, comprising a number of small
nuts, of the shape of almonds, is found. It is propagated from the seed ; is green in the early
part of its growth, and becomes yellow at maturity. AMien it assumes a deep hue, it must
be immediately gathered and dried ; two crops of equal value are annually formed. It re-
quires shade and moisture, and loves the protection of large trees at a sufficient distance,
which must be also regarded with respect to its own plants. It requires rather due care,
and a few necessary precautions, than a culture either laborious or expensive, and its returns
are of the most profitable kind. Its nutritious, and other advantageous qualities, are too
sufficiently known to require a recital, and its commercial value will be better known from
other parts of the present account.

Indigo, an article of such general domestic service, as to be used as a beautifier of the
finest part of our dress, and an important object of commerce, flourishes no where so well
as at St, Domingo. It is a shrub with a thick, spreading root, about two feet hic^h, of a
faint, but not disagreeable smell. The stem is of a dry appearance, and different shades of
colour. The leaves are of an oval form, and connected by a short pedicle. The pistil of
its small and scentless flowers changes into a pod, and discloses its seeds, of the appearance
of gunpowder. The blue is found adhering to the leaves, which, when gathered on the
branches, are thrown into a tub filled with water, and fermented : it is then made to run
into another, when it is discovered among the water, in the form of a subtile earth. The
water is then agitated by various means, and with the utmost circumspection, to combine the
ccdoured particles, which, when effected, are left to precipitate to the bottom. The liquid,

become

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. I. the reader with the country, from whose rich prospects, and
TrS^'^ cloudless sky, he is to turn to scenes of conflagration, and the

become of a thicker consistence, is drawn off into another vessel to settle, and thence drained
through sacks, from -which it is removed into chests, where it becomes drj-, and fit for sale.
It is divided into two sorts, whimsically designated the true and the bastard. The first is
finer, but the latter heavier and more profitable, and therefore more generally cultivated.
They are both liable to frequent accidents, among which the most destructive is the effect of
the caterpillar, which devours the leaves, and their produce, in a few mornings. It is quickly
ripe, and generally cut at inter\-als of sLx weeks. At the end of two years it becomes degene.
rated, and fresh plants are necessary. Moisture and shade are required considerably for this
plant, and the principal care is to deprive it of the weeds, which would otherwise immedi-
_ately choke it. It exhausts the soil considerably, and potatoes, and other similar plants, are
cultivated in its place occasionally, for the purpose of burning the leaves as manure.

■ Those who would enjoy an acute and curious dissertation on sugar, may consult the
interesting account of Dr. Moseley, in his volume of Medical Miscellanies, &c

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

95

CHAP. II.

Origi}! of the Revolutionari/ Spirit of this Period in St. Dominoo.

CHAP. II.

1 HE origin of principles is not always' to be traced to the
approximating causes of an event ; for, as in nature, so in mora- nso.
lity, the seeds of many productions lie dormant through varyhig rS°tionI-^
seasons, till the moment when an unseen inlluence calls them ^ ^^'"*'
into obvious existence : hence, to be capable of discerning the
signs of the times, is a power that hath alwavs been duly appre-
ciated, and an attention to which hath frequently changed the
fate of a countr\-, if not of mankind. Yet, it is not often that
man can be hoped to distinguish with precision, the approachino-
evil from the good, particularly in circumstances that affect, per-
haps, not only his interest, but his immediate happiness; it is thus,
therefore, that surprize is so frequently excited, at the apparent
blindness to the future with which principles and practices are so
frequently urged in society, diametrically opposite to the dictates
of nature and philosophy, and repugnant to the common expe-
rience of ages. Collateral circumstances form the 2:eneral argu-

ment

96

CHAP. II.

1789.

Origin of the
revolutiona-
fy spirit.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

ment in their favor ; and it may endure with them a Uttle while;
but truth is eternal.

If accuracy of discrimination is not always to be found in phi-
losophers, it is not to be expected in any large mixed body; and
still less so, in those who form the population of colonies, particu-
larly of the extent of that which is the subject of the present
observations. Though the greatest empires have arisen from the
overflow of cities into colonies, it cannot be contended that no
feculence mixed with the flood.

To attribute to the general number of colonists any specific
character, (where, collected fortuitously, they must necessarily
admit of the strongest marks of variety), would be ridiculous; it
is, however, certain, that among those, devoted to pursue fortune
in distant dependencies upon their native country, may be ranked
many who have no peculiar capacity, nor opportunity for employ-
ment at home; many of the higher classes without prospects,
and of the lower without character; who cannot fail to consider
their destination, as intended to supply every want; and to con-
sider those means the best, which have the most facility. To
those may, no doubt, be added many of the germs of genius, to
whom, it is to be feared, the waj-mth of a tropical sun does not
always prove more genial, than the wintry rays of their own;
and, probably, some with qualities fitted for any sphere of life, to
whom a spirit of enterprize alone might dictate the migration.
To the self-interested, the term of his own probation will always

bound

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

97

bound his considerations, and it is not the bulk of mankind who chap. ir.
can be, nor who incUne to he, legislators, much less moralists. The "^"T^
officers of government may be able and good, but their dominion nnSifnl-'
is too short to conciliate any local affection, and an expedient tem- '^' '^"'''
porization will and must always supersede even ordinary virtue.

Of the West India colonists from France, the modern writers
of that nation have afforded us no reason to think with increased
tenderness, since Raynal has imputed to them a viciousness of
conduct, beyond the apparent bounds of human actions; and De
Charmilly (one of themselves) has described those, of whom the
best conduct was to be expected, receiving appointments under the
government of the colony, as the rewards of an intriguing court to
its meanest dependants, and vilest accessaries! Their character,
as displayed on prominent occasions, during that period which is
the intent of these sheets to describe, unhappily was not often such
as to controvert the assertions made from such good authority.

The man who first contemplated the purchase of laborers by
thousands,* to be conveyed in close vessels, without the power of

' The commenccyncnt of the African slave-trade, like many other objects of importance,
seems to have taken place from a very trifling accident. In 1440, Anthony Gonsales, one of
the Portuguese navigators, in the prosecution of his discoveries, seized, and carried off some
Moors near Cape Bojador, whom prince Henry afterwards ordered him to restore. When
again exploring the coast of Africa about two years after, he executed this order, landing
them at Rio del Oro, and received from the Moors, in exchange, ten blacks, and a quantity
of gold dust. His success in this transaction tempted his couiitiymen to a repetition, till at
length they fitted out ships for the purpose, and afterwards formed settlements for the trade
in hlack slaves. Ultimately patents were granted, and the dealers in human flesh were
sanctified by a bull from the holy see.

o rest

98

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. II. rest or exercise, or nourishment proper for any situation, much
"""^^ less for a dreary voyage to a foreign land; and, who knew these
SSrona" men, although little removed from a state of nature, to be suscep-
"^ "''"''' tible of those impressions which mock the utmost refinements of
civilization, to the attainment of some of which, morality often
strives in vain ; must have been bold to conceive that they would
continue always patient of their wrongs, and resigned to compul-
sory labour, even though it should be in a state of comparative
advantage, particularly in the constant converse of annual ac-
quisitions of their countrymen, whose remembrances were not
obliterated; yet no objection would appear to have occurred to
him, and his plan proceeded till the employers of it, with a phy-
sical proportion of twelve to one against them, imagined them-
selves capable of coercing five hundred thousand of these men.
exclusive of the descendants of others, without any determined
exertion of virtue, or consideration on their own part.

Let it not be conceived that it is here intended to arraign the
conduct of the planters in general, or to view with complacency
the. revolt of servants of any description, much less to plead their
apology; I am but to state facts which are necessary to the argu-
ment intended to be produced.

The African negro is described as " frivolous, inconstant, vain,
timid, jealous, and superstitious ; yet good and generous, mthout
foresight, always guided by the impression of the moment; and
adding to these characteristics, the vices of slaves, indolence, glut-

tony>

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

99

tony, dishonesty, and falshood; vindictive also, like all weak
beings, injustice driving them to despair."* I take the whole of
this character for granted, from the experience of the ^v^ite^, and
the different opportunities which have been confided to him of judg-
ing with truth. That the dépendance of colonies, then, could have
been originally placed upon such beings, was a strange perversion
of human judgment; but that it could be expected to continue
through ages, without a superior portion of human wisdom and
virtue, (instead of a very small exercise of either,) is only attribu-
table to the blindness I have just described. The result has
proved the position ; for, from the first moment at which African
slaves were imported, the effects of all the bad qualities ascribed
to them have been frequent, in revolt, treacherj^, murder, and
suicide; nor, at the same time, have the instances been few, of
actions arising from the superior impulses, or unconquerable affec-
tion, gratitude, inviolable fidelity, or braver}^ have been experi-
enced from them by their masters and connections ; and circum-
stances are still recited that might cope with the history of the
ancient republics. No more is described than is necessary to the
present purpose; for it is not the wish of the writer to discuss the
question of the slave-trade, already too much agitated in this coun-
try, but to trace the origin of the revolutionary spirit which has
ended so fatally to the colonies of France.

CHAP. ir.

ns9.

Origin of the
revolutiona'
rv spirit.

* " ^^g^''^' inconstans, vains, timides, peureux, jalouse, bons, gt^néreux, sans pré-
voyance, superstitieux, toujours conduits par l'impression du moment: ils joignent à cela
les vices des esclaves : paresseux, gourmands, voleurs, menteurs, vindicatif, commes tous
les êtres, faibles, l'injustice les désespère." De Charmilly, Lettre, p. 41.

0 2 Regardless

100

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

CHAP. II.

1TS9.

Origin of the
revolutiona-
ry spirit.

Regardless of the frequent exercise of several minor qualities
also which must tend to render men impatient of slavery, the
labour of the islands continued to be performed by their means;
without any other foresight, than related to expedients which might
procrastinate the evil for each successive proprietor. Hence they
have been successively punished by domestic means, chased as
wild-beasts, combated like a foreign enemy, and treated ^^■ith as
inde^^endant powers ! Yet, so prone are men to consider that what
they wish the case, that scarcely a doubt was entertained of those
who had not deserted, or marooned, nor were any other than
coercive principles contemplated for those who remained; the
same routine of purchase to supply deficiencies, and of regula-
tions to secure their value, prevailed. The planter, instead of
exhibitions of virtue and power that should impress respect and
awe, appeared a feeble voluptuary, forgetting, in idle dalliance
with the female labourers of his field, the utility of moral prin-
ciples,, and the decencies of life. The effects of such examples are
incontestible, as regards private morality, without any allusion to
the offices of religion ; and it requires not to be depressed into a
community of the most abject description of slaves to discover,
that the effects of vice in undermining public virtue is the cer-
tain basis of revolt.

Thus an ignorance, in the first instance, of human nature, a
blindness to actual circumstances, and a want of individual virtue
in the colonists, gave birth to the revolutionary spirit in St.
Domingo; which, instead of being created, was only fanned into

I flame.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

flame by the occurrences which took place in the relations of
the colony, with the mother-countn', on the change of its gorem-
ment.

The support of colonies by means of such a disproportion of
African slaves, to the other population as are necessary, continually
and progressively acquired, is radically impossible, from the na-
ture of the people themselves, and the manner of obtaining them;
but if it were not, the want of powers required for their manage-
ment— of a policy sufficiently subtle and yet enlightened, for their
government, w^ould render it, permanently, impracticable ; even
with both these probabilities in their favour, that, in such a de-
praved state as that of the French colony in St. Domingo, every
other advantage would be annihilated.

101-

CHAP. U.

1789.

Origin of the
revolutiona-
ry spirit.

It is, perhaps, necessary here to anticipate an obsenation not
unlikely to be made ; therefore, be it understood, that the impos-
sibilité^ of the continued existence of slaver}' is not by any means
asserted. It is not forgotten that there was a period when, from
the happy state under which I am considering this subject, unre-
stricted by the check of civil or ecclesiastical tyranny, parents
sold their children as slaves to a foreign countr}', and inherited
others themselves, who were their captives, or m ho had been ac-
quired by other means ; but these, notwithstanding they may have

* See an account of slavery in Europe in Robertson's Charles V. vol. I. p. 272. — -^Iso
an assemblage of the different laws on this subject, in Himlingfuid's Imks <it' Mailer and Str-
•cant Considered, chap. I. p, 3(>.

been

Il

ii

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. II. been treated as inferior classes of society (as the productive power
1789. is too generally to this day), bore no mark*, by which they should
?e'Stionl^-' be considered, as distinguished by nature to be scarcely belonging
""^ '^'"** to the human species, as is the case with that of complexion.

,) li

Nor, is the writer at present opposing the practice of the slave-
trade. He is an enemy to it, only, as he is to every employment
which offers an undue power to many, not the most unlikely to
abuse it; and as a principle hostile to humanity and inefficient in
its purposes. He is aware, that the situation of colonial-slaves at
present is, in many respects, superior to that of the labourers or
the artizans of Britain. The first have not, indeed, the command
of secession, neither have the two latter the power; for if they
cease from labour, they cease fi-om its advantages. When it is
considered that the artizan must wander in search of employment,
and submit to the optional reward of those who may chuse to
employ him, after encountering distress in consequence of re-
peated refijsals ; the slave will appear more happy, though some-
times enduring corporeal punishment too severe, whose food and
residence is provided without anxiety; and who is certain of
employment, or of the same provision.

* It is recorded, but where I cannot, at present, refer, that St. Gregory observing some
beautiful EngUsh children in the slave-market at Rome, exclaimed in a Latin pun, if I may
be allowed the expression, that they were not English, but Angels, if they had but been
Christians.—" Non JngU, sed Jngeli," &c. This practice will, however, appear to have
been continued after they had the benefit of the Christian Religion. See Anderson's His-
tory of Comment, vol. I. p. 99-

Nor

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

103

Nor, would the writer be supposed to sanction the means which chap, it.
have been used to procure an abolition of the trade, which he ^ "^g.

Ill • • p 1 1 Origin of the

disapproves; much less, the emancipation or those slaves already revoiutiona-
in the colonies. Of the latter step, the humanity would be
equally problematical, with that which would dictate the libera-
tion of the poor bird long nursed in domestic comfort, to flutter
a little while in solitary freedom, a stranger to his own kind^ and
to the winds of heaven.

What has been said, has arisen from a conviction that, but for
the circumstances described, a revolutionary spirit would not
have so soon been spread throughout St. Domingo ; and to point
' out the beacon to the colonies of the British nation in the same
sea, with that which has produced an illustration of these posi-
tions, and a picture so full of terror, on this more \vill be said,
and with greater propriety, at the end of this Avork.

Flushed with opulence and dissipation, the majority of plan-
ters in St. Domingo had arrived at a state of sentiment the
most vitiated, and manners equally depraved ; while, injured by
an example so contagious, the slaves had become more disso-
lute, than those of any British island. If the master was proud,
voluptuous, and crafty, the slave w^as equally vitious, and often
riotous; the punishment of one was but the consequence of his
own excesses ; but that of the other, was often cruel and unna-
tural. The proprietor could bear no rival in his parish; and
would not bend even to the ordinances of justice. The creole-

S slaves

104

HISTORY OF ST. D0MI>:G0.

CHAP. TI.

ITSP.
Origin of the
revolutiona-
rv spirit.

slaves looked upon the newly-imported Africans with scorn, and
sustained, in their turn, that of the mulattoes, whose complexion
was browner; while all were kept at a distance from the inter-
course of the whites. Nor did the boundaries of sex, it is painful
to observe, keep their wonted distinction, from the stern impulses
that affect men. The European ladies too often participated in
the austerit^- and arrogance of their male kindred; while the jet-
black beauty, among slaves, though scarcely a native of the island,
refused all commerce with those who could not boast the same
distinction with herself.

Such was the situation of the inhabitants of St. Domingo in the
be^innino- of the vear 1789, prompt to any movement that should
create an effervescence among them, or afford the one party an
opportunity.- of opposing the other ; yet, while private feuds were
eat^er for an opportunity to burst into public clamour, the situation
of the country was such as hath been described, like the verdant
bosom of a volcano, unconscious of the flame about to burst ;
the people were cheerful, the markets plentifully stocked, the
lands loaded with production, and the colony, if " o-cericliehned
zcith debt;'* it may be admitted to be so said, flourishing every
where.

In the mean time, the gTcat kingdom, under whose care it had
expanded to its present growth, and to whose government it yet

« " la colonie qui, ayant encore beaucoup de dettes, n'avait pas besoin de payer

celles de la France." Lettre à Ed-,xards, p. 48.

looked

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

105

looked for parental care, disordered by embarrassment, and agi-
tated by conilicting- interests, began to approach to that period
which had been considered as inevitable, bv philosophers, for
more than half a century. Notwithstanding the absolute t^--
ranny which had prevailed in other respects, France, under the
feeble reign of the unhappy Louis, had been the nurse of mora-
lity- and philosophy ; and she drew nigh, not unwittin^lv, to that
pohtical mortality to which it would appear all states are subject;
for it had been sung by her poets under the walls of her own
capital, and repeated in auguries which did not err.

CHAP. ir.

1TS9.

Origin of the
revolutiona-
ry spirit.

Of the different expedients that had been resorted to, the co-
lonies did not want information; nor did it fail in the effect which
might be expected upon ever\- class of their inhabitants. In a
new regimen the proprietors looked to some aggrandizement
either in property or consequence ; the fi-ee people of colour an-
ticipated a favourable change in their condition; and even the
slaves viewed, through the political alterations that began to
occupy the attention of those above them, something to excite
their curiosit}-, and a vigilance to gratif»^- it. Each motion of
the French court became canvassed by everj- class tliroughout
the island. When a spirit of deliberation upon subjects usually
considered above the capacities of the ^Tilgar begins to spread,
it seldom ends precisely as it begun; whatever may be the
event, it does not fail to call into notice circumstances and
opinions not easily repressed, and characters in their support
who might otherwise have preserved through life " the noiseless

P tenor

106

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. II. tenor of their way." It had its full effect in St. Domingo, already

ns9. so ripe to receive it; and when the news arrived that the States-

fevaiutionï' General of France were to be summoned (the last convulsive

vy spirit. ^^^^^ ^^ expiring monarchy), all parties resolved on making their

own interests a part of the general concern.

In opposition to the wishes of a judicious few (among whom
was the intelligent De Charmilly) and even to the prohibitions
of the government, the impetuous proprietors summoned pro-
vincial and parochial meetings, for the purpose of electing the7n-
selves to legislative functions; heated resolutions were passed;
and eighteen deputies were elected, to represent the island in the
meeting of the States-General, without any other authority than
the noise of demagogues, and their own inclinations. Twelve
were never recognized in France, and the other six were re-
ceived with difficulty. The mulattoes, who could have no share
in this self-created body, thought it naturally time to show an at-
tention to themselves ; and, accordingly, not only communicated
with numbers of their brethren then resident in the mother-
country, but augmented those powerful advocates in their behalf,
with much more effect than was produced by the self-created
body of colonial deputies. The negroes, however, more suc-
cessful than all, without either deputies or intercessors, obtain-
ed, unsolicited, the interest of such a powerful body in their
behalf, as to drown the recollection of every other object. A
society, in which were enrolled the names of several great and
good men, under the title of " The Friends of the Blacks"

(Amis

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

107

(Amis de Noirs), circulated its protests and appeals with such
vigour, that, before the negroes themselves, although eager and
alert in their enquiries, were acquainted with the importance
which thej^ had obtained in the deliberations of the mother-
country, they were the prominent subjects of conversation and
regret in half the towns of Europe. They were not, however,
tardy in acquiring this information ; and though it would be dif-
ficult to contemplate any thing in human nature so bad, as to
suppose that the highest and best of motives did not actuate
so respectable a body as that which composed this society, or the
similar establishment which had before obtained in London;
yet the unhappy eloquence with which the miseries of slavery
were depicted by them, and the forcible points of view in which
all the errors of their opponents were placed, as well as the en-
thusiasm which aiwaj-s accompanies the exertions of ardent minds,
were certainly the cause of bringing into action, on a broad
basis, that spirit of revolt which only sleeps in the enslaved Afri-
can, or his descendant, and which has produced on their side,
and on that of the white inhabitants of the colonies, such horrors
as " make ev'n the angels weep."

CHAP. IL

1789.

Origin of the
revolutiona-
ry spirit.

I conclude this account of the origin of the revolution of St.
Domingo, with observing how much better it would have been
for themselves, and perhaps for humanity, if happily discerning
the signs of the times, the planters of this delightful and flourish-
ing colony (a character which none have attempted to deny it),
by resigning an overweening fondness for dominion, and an undue

P 2 avarice

108

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. II. avarice of gain, had rather cahiied than provoked the dissentions
i'S9- of those whose interest should have bid them to agree; and by

revSionl' softening the evils of a state which is so bad in its best form, have
'■' '^""' conciliated the affections of those to whose labours, under the
present regimen, every thing productive of wealth or prospe-
rity must depend. A partial concession to those who, by com-
plexion itself, claim half a right to political existence, would
have been sufficient: with a little regard for the morals of a peo-
ple who require them the most, and a revolution in their own
minds, as far as human nature will admit. These would have pre-
served to them, now lingering in a melancholy exile, if not the
sudden victims of their impolicy, an island the boast of the new
world, and a powerful support of the old. If they had then con-
templated some more legitimate means of prosecuting the labours
of their colony, they might, however immediately unavailing,
have laid a foundation for their posterity more lasting than the
bequest of inordinate wealth, and have claimed the approbation
of society.

CHAP.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO,

109

CHAP. III.

Account of the Progress and Accomplishment of the Independence

of St. Domingo,

At the commencement of these changes in the government of
the mother country, and consequently of others in that of the co-
lonies, the governor of French St. Domingo was M. Duchilleau,
a man of no moderate powers, but who, from conciliating the
temper of the new council of France, was continued in his office.
It soon however became, in.power or consequence, but nugatory;
for, upon the first meeting of the assemblies before described,
his proclamations were disregarded, and his government insulted,
if not despised.

CHAP. HI.

1789.

M. Duchll-
leau, gover-

The states-general, at which two deputies appeared from
each of the provinces, declared themselves the National As-
sembly in May, 1789, and on the 20th of August they made
their Declaration of Rights. Between these two periods, the
public mind had been heated against the white colonists by

such

no

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHARin. such a variety of means, as to threaten their total annihila-
i"S9- tion.

The pubUcation of the Declaration of Rights did not tend to
remedy this unfavorable impression of the people against one of
their own communities; for the article that, " All men are born,
and continue, free and equal as to their rights," implied an entire
subversion of their establishments, and created a complete ferment
among the whole of the French proprietors. They conceived,
and the French government appear afterwards to have done the
same, that the effect of this declaration was to rouse the neOToes
to an assertion of those rights it was supposed to give them.
Apprehensive of disorders arising in the colony, the governor
soon received orders from his new constituents, the National As-
sembly, to call together the inhabitants for the purpose of interior
regulation. The measure had been anticipated by the ready dispo-
sition of the self-constituted legislators, and a provincial assembly
for the northern district had already met at Cape François; an
example which was soon followed by the western and southern
provinces, the former of which met at Port-au-Prince, and the
latter at Aux Cayes. For more immediate communication be-
tween the people, and to accommodate every description, paro-
chial committees were also established. These committees were
of the disposition which might be expected, and, by dividing
among themselves upon every occasion, they served only to
inform the negroes of their frivolity, and to excite them to take
advantage of their want of unanimity and power; and the princi-

l pal

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

Hi

1790.

pal determination in their proceedings was that, of the necessity of chap. nr.
a full and speed}^ colonial representation. The order of the king,
however, which was received in January 1790, tended to supersede
their deliberations, by convoking a general Colonial Assembl}^,
which was appointed to meet in the central town of Leogane. The
mode which it directed of electing the members did not satisfv
the provincial assemblies, and they substituted a plan of their
own, changing the town of Leogane to that of St. Mark, and
fixing on the 25th of March, and afterwards on the 16th of April,
for the time of meeting.

The mulattoes, not willing to be left behind in exertion, when
they perceived the opposition of the whites to every move-
ment of the government, determined to proceed a step still
farther, and accordingly arming themselves, they proceeded to
claim by force the benefit of equal privileges with the whites.
Their combination was premature, and they were soon over-
powered. Different parties were secured at Jacmel and Ar-
tibonite, to whom, on their submission, notwithstanding the
exasperation of the whites in general against them, an uncondi-
tional pardon was given. In the division of parties, too, incon-
sistent as it may appear, some of the whites, among whom were
included persons of high respectability, adopted the cause of the
people of colour, and even seconded their inclination to revolt.
Among these, an old magistrate named Ferrand de Beaudierre,
was the first to become conspicuous, for the purpose of removing
the disgrace which had attached to him in consequence of having

offered

112

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIKGO.

CHAP. HI. offered marriage to a woman of colour. He drew up a memo-
i'2û- rial in their behalf, which had not time to be jjresented to the
parochial committee, before he was seized by an enraged mob,
and put to death. The deputy procureur-general, M. Dubois,
also, whose duty demanded a different coui-se, became so infa-
tuated, as to declaim against the slavery of the negroes in their
presence; but he enjoyed a milder fate; he was only arrested
by the people, and dismissed from the colony by the governor,
who soon after followed.

Such was the confused state of the colonj^ and every one
seemed to be so bent upon harassing the metropolitan govern-
ment, that it was, with great reason, apprehended in France, that
the island was about to declare itself indépendant, or to submit
to some foreign power. The alarm became general throughout
those places which had any concern with St. Domingo, and
the National Assembly on being earnestly implored to consider
of the best means of saving so valuable a dependancy resolved,
after a serious discussion of the subject, " That it was not
the intention of the Assembly to interfere with the interior
government of the colonies, or to subject them to laws incom-
patible with their local establishments; they therefore autho-
rized the inhabitants of each colony to signif3' their own plan
of legislation and commercial arrangement, preserving only a
conformity with the principles of the mother country, and a
regard for the reciprocal interests of both." It superadded, that
no innovation was intended in any system of commerce in which

2 the

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

Uo

the colonies were already concerned. It will easily be conceived <^hap. hi.
that this conciliating resolution, so necessary, as regarded the '"^'^•
discontented white colonists, would be very differently received
by the people of colour. It excited among them a general
clamour, which extended to every part where their cause (diffused
by the means used on those occasions) was known, or even
heard of.

The period having arrived to which the General Assembly leth April.
of St. Domingo had been prorogued, it met to the number of vemo" ' ^"^
two hundred and thirteen members, at the town of St. Mark.
These consisted of two representatives from each parish, twenty-
four from the city of Cape François, sixteen from that of Port-
au-Prince, and eight from Aux Cayes. The provincial assem-
blies continued in their self-appointments notwithstanding, and
even formed committees, to act in the intervals of meeting.
The new assembly commenced its functions by reviewing the
objects of abuse in the old colonial government, and in proposing
means for their remedy, of which the political incapacities of the
mulattoes, and a révisai of the slave laws, bore a promising part.
They put the mulattoes, in point of military duty, on the same
footing with the whites, restricting the king's officers commanding
in the towns, from those oppressive acts towards them which
they had sometimes experienced; they examined into those
abuses in the courts of judicature which claimed immediate
redress ; and set about preparing a new colonial constitution.

To

114

HISTORY OF ST. DOMNGO.

CHAP. IIL To extend the divisions, which were increasing, rather than
.1790. othersvise, among the proprietors and their representatives, the
new governor-general was a man privately devoted to the old sys-
tem, who immediately combined those who had any interest in the
ancient despotism, to oppose the colonial revolution, which would
be likely to deprive them of their corrupt sources of profit. As
these included all the officers under the fiscal administration,,
tax-gatherers, appendages to the courts of ci\nl and criminal
jurisdiction, and most of those who held military commissions
under the king's authority, they formed a power, by no means
contemptible, and possessed an advantage in being all sincere
in their attachment to one cause, while a diversit}^ of opinions
swayed the newly estabhshed party. To this association was
added one, (from many of whom their country has since suffered
much,) who, with considerable talents, and an enterprising
genius, was bent upon counter-projects against every act of
the General Assembly; this was the Colonel and Chevalier
]Mauduit, who commanded, and was beloved by the regiment
of Port-au-Prince. He had returned from France, by way of
Italy, and had last parted with the Count D'Artois, to whose
fortunes he was much devoted. Thus, impressed with more than
common warmth in the cause, in which he now took such an
active part, he did not fail to strike a blow to the interests of the
colony; by insinuating himself between the Assembly and those
in whose favor they were exerting themselves, he divided them
ao-ainst each other, and to this effort Pevnier, who Avas weak and
uninformed, resigned all his power, or influence, into his hands.

6 . As

HISTORY OF ST, DOMINGO.

115

As if to meet the insidious policy of Mauduit, the divisions of ^^j^^
the new legislative bodies burst into open convulsion, by the ^'^■
conduct of the provincial assembly of the north, who endeavoured
to the utmost of their power, to counteract the provisions of the
General Assembly.

The decree which was the result of its deliberations being May 28.
completed, the plan for a new constitution was published ; which,
as if every thing was to coincide with the untoward disposition
of affairs, was so framed as to please scarce any party, and formed
the ostensible motive for the commencement of hostilities in the
party of M. Peynier. The principal articles of tliis consitution
(of which there were ten,) consisted in

I. Vesting in the " General Assembly of the French part of
St. Domingo," the entire management of the internal concerns of
the colony.

II. Preventing any act of the legislative body relative to the
internal concerns of the colony, from becoming a law, until
defmitively sanctioned by the Representatives of the People, and
confirmed by the king.

III. IV. and V. Enabling the Assembly to enact provisional
laws for their own government. Nevertheless, to keep as a
separate question the execution of those laws ; and in case of the
o-overnor-general (to whom such decrees shall be notified for the
purpose of being enforced) sending any observations on them to the
Assembly, causing them to be entered on the Journals, ordermg

Q 2 a con-

116

HISTORY OF ST, DOMINGO.

1790.

CHAP. III. a consequent revision, and ultimately deciding on its confirma-
tion, or rejection, by a majority of two thirds.

VI. Establishing a communication on all common, and com-
mercial concerns, with the National Assembly, without which,
nor until they are confirmed by the Colonial Assembly, its
decrees shall not be valid.

VII. Allowing the importation of necessary articles upon pres-
sing occasions, under the cognizance of the governor-general.

VIII. Submitting every provisional act of the Assembly to be
transmitted for the royal sanction, and suspended upon its re-
fusal.

IX. Creating a new General Assembly bienniall}'-.

X. Communicating to the King, the National Assembly, the
Colonial Governor, and the different districts and parishes, the
present decree.

To repeat that much difference of opinion existed with respect
to this descree, is what was to be expected from every circum-
stance ; and the power retained by the Assembly, was evidently
beyond what had ever been contemplated in the colonies.
The leading opinions were, however, (among those the most
capable of judging,) that it was intended to declare the island
an indépendant state, or, that it was already sold by a party
to the English. That both these reports were not entirely with-
out foundation, subsequent events will appear to have proved, for
it is confessed by M. de Charmilly, one of the members of this very

3 assembly.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

assembly, that the former proposition " was a subject of con-
sideration among a few of the inhabitants, the opulence and
prosperity of the colony having dazzled some sanguine charac-
ters,"* and, it was not three years after, before that gentleman
induced the British government to accept the submission of a part
of the proprietors of the island.

The inhabitants of the Cape, and of some of the western
parishes, did not wait for these confirmations of their opinions ;
for, immediately on the publication of the new plan of go-
vernment, they renounced all obedience to the Assembly, and
presented a memorial to the governor, requesting its dissolution.
This step could not but be agreeable to Peynier, if it was
not the effect of the exertions of his party ; and, another circum-
stance which happened, gave him the opportunity he evidently
desired, of coming to an open rupture. In consequence of an
espousal of the conduct of the governor and his party by M.
Gahsonierre, the commander of a ship of the line, called the
Leopard, then in the harbour of Port-au-Prince, the crew thought
proper to withdraw their obedience from him, and to oblige him
to quit the ship; they then gave the command to the first lieu-
tenant, and declared themselves waiting the orders of the General
Assembly. The Assembly, by no means disinclined to such an
offer, transmitted them in return a vote of thanks, and directed

* " Je conviens qu'il a été question d'indépendance parmi un petit nombre d haoïtans,
mais la richesse de la colonie, sa prospérité, avaient trompé quelques caractères ardens, &c.
~-L€ttre,p.52.

them.

118 ' HISTORY OF ST. DOIMINGO.

CHAP. III. tbem, in the name of the law and the King, to detain the ship in
l'yû. the road, there to wait till further orders. To retain this acquisition,
they permitted some of their partizans to take possession of the
powder magazine at Leogane. It has been disputed whether the
crew of M. GaHsonierre's ship had been corrupted by the party
supporting the Assembly, or actuated by the caprice which so
often influences seamen ; but as it appears that their future move-
ments were without the knowledge of the Assemblj^, it is rea-
sonable to believe, that neither the one nor the other was the
cause, but that they acted entirely by themselves, among whom
might be probably some characters of more importance, than is
conceived by those who view them merely in their ordinary erp-
ployment.

Such are the fortuitous incidents which lead to events that
decide the fate of countries.

M. Peynier now conceived himself provided with the means of
criminating the partv, whose power so much curtailed his own.
He immediately proclaimed the dissolution of the Assembly,
charging it -with projects of independency, and witli having
traitorously possessed itself of one of the king's ships by corrupt-
ing the crew; pronouncing the whole, ^^'ith their adherents,
traitors to the colony, the French nation, and the King; he
declared his intention of bringing them to condign punishment,
and to commence hostile operations against them. He had no
sooner threatened, than he attempted to put his menaces into

execution.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

119

execution. He prepared for the restoration of the ancient sys- ^^^^^
tern, and he even applied to the neighbouring island of Cuba for I'Qo.
the aid of foreign troops; and he commissioned Mauduit to arrest
the committee of the western provincial Assembly, who had
become obnoxious to him from their inclination to the measures
of his opponents, at their midnight meeting in Port-au-Prince.
Mauduit, however, found them protected by four hundred of
the national guards, (formerly the colonial militia,) and having
himself but one hundred men, he was compelled, after a short
skirmish, to retire, without effecting any thing more than the
seizure of the national colours, which he must have obtained by
some undue means, and bore off in triumph.

The General x\ssembly in return summoned the people from
every part of the colony, to arm for the protection of their repre-
sentatives, and the summons seemed to be generally obeyed with
alacrity. The western and the southern provinces were unqua-
lified in their approbation, and immediately dispatched a force of
to'o thousand men on their way to Port-au-Prince. The Pro-
vincial Assembly of the north, however, joined the party of the
governor, and detached a part of the regular troops in that
quarter, with a body of two hundred mulattoes. Thus the flames
of civil war were immediately about to be lighted, and a dreadful
conflict was expected on every side, when a circumstance oc-
curred which for the present prevented it, and gave a more
favourable turn to the public affairs than that which they had

hitherto taken.

The

120

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. nr.

1790.

August 8.

The crew of the Leopard having determined upon returning
to France^ they brought the ship into the entrance of St. Mark's
bay, to apprize the Assembly of her departure, and to wait under
sail for their dispatches to the King and the National Assembly.
The General Assembly was reduced by this time, in consequence
of sickness and secession, to less than one hundred members, and
was diminishing every day : they had found themselves at first
not sufficiently competent to the art of legislation, and their task
was becoming every day more arduous. The majority of them
were fathers of families ; and could not but perceive that a storm
was gathering, in which some, if not all of them, might be
involved. Whatever was the motive, or whether or not it had a
portion of the eccentricity which has been ascribed to it, eighty-
five members of the General Assembly came to the immediate,
and unexpected resolution, of availing themselves of this oppor-
tunity to proceed to Europe, for the purpose of deriving assistance
in their future conduct, and justifying themselves as to what had
already passed, preventing the effusion of human blood. They
took their departure, therefore, on board the Leopard, and such
was the good fortune which attended this step in the outset, that
it excited for them, for the first time, a very general admiration;
crowds followed them to the shore with tears and blessings, and
prayers were every where preferred for the success which their
forbearance was considered to deserve. The armaments were
mutually suspended. The heads of the government party viewed
the circumstance with mixed^ emotions of surprize and terror,
and M. Peynier tremblingly resumed his seat.

Thus

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO,

Thus, it ^rere to be hoped that peace would have conti- chap, hi
nued during the passage of the members to France, and until "^"ÏÏ^'
the result of their journej^ ^vere knovrn; particularly as the re^
maining part were occupied in arrangements, and in prepo^
sessing the French government against the General Assembly
on their arrival; but, no sooner was one cause of commotion
removed, than another supplied its place, of a more .hostile
complexion, and with less occasion— the rebellion of James
Ogé, a mulatto; whose mother had a coffee-plantation about October,.
thirtj^ miles from Cape François. During his residence at ^£''''^'''
Paris, for the purpose of education, he had imbibed, in addition '""
to the natural feelings of his class, all the prejudices entertained
at this.period against the white planters in the mother country.
Having become connected with the society of Amis des Noirs,
and inflated with an idea of his own capacity, he was easily
persuaded by Robespierre, and other violent members, to at-
tach himself to a conspiracy, supposed to be already ripe in
St. Domingo, and requiring only the talents of an active leader
to produce the effects desired, in behalf of the people of
colour. Armed by their means, and charged with all the
inveteracy of the party, Ogé arrived in St. Domingo about
tM'o months after the Assembly had left it, and immediately
prepared to assume an imaginary command, for which he had no
foundation. He found means to convey a quantity of arms and
ammunition to a place called Grand Riviere, about fifteen .miles
from the Cape, where bis brother had been prepared to receive
it, and, having collected about two hundred followers, exerted

R himself

122

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. III. himself every vhere in spreading disaffection ; he wrote impe-
-'"^^ riously to M. Pe.Tiier, stating the inattention uhich had been
paid to the execution of the Code Noir * demanding its enforce-
ment, and also an extension of the privileges enjoyed by the
,vhites to all persons without distinction. He took upon himself
the character of Protector of the Mulattoes, and declared his
intention, if necessary, of arming in their behalf. He established
his camp where he had deposited his stores, and appointed his
' two brothers, and another mulatto, of a ferocious^ character,
named Mark Chavane, his lieutenants. These men commenced
their unruly operations by the murder of two white men,
whom they met accidentally, and by punishing with extreme
cruelty those of their own complexion not disposed to revolt;
one who excused himself on account of a wife and six children,
they murdered, with the whole of his family. Fortunately their
reign was not long, for a body of regular troops, and the Cape
mihtia, were dispatched to invest their camp, when, with a weak
resistance, they were totally routed ; many were killed, sixty were
taken prisoners, and the chiefs escaped into the Spanish part of the
island.

This rebellion, tlrough so easily crushed, excited a consider-
able animosit^- against the people of colour, who, in their turn
as if fearing a retaliation of cruelty, took to arms, and formed
camps in different parts of the island, each of them of much

* The laws for the proteciiou

of the Blacks, instituted by Louis XIV.

greater

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

i23

greater importance than that of Ogé. The white inhabitants chap. iir.
collected themselves in force to oppose them. But Colonel "^""^^^
Mauduit, (by means not publicly communicated,) in a con-
ference, had, singly and unattended, with the mulatto leaders,
at their chief camp at Verettes, induced them to an immediate
dispersion. Various doubts existed as to the nature of the-
means, which were supposed not to be highly honourable to
M. Mauduit: certain it is, however, the mulattoes were not per-
fectly satisfied ; for their leader at Aux Cayes, Rigaud, declared
that "it was a transient and deceitful calm, and, that no peace
would be permanent until one class of people had exterminated
the other."*

The insurrection of the mulattoes was no sooner suppressed
a second time, than a fresh object of disturbance arose, more
fatal than either, and least expected. This was the arri^-al of a November
decree of the National Assembly, censuring, with great asperitv,
the conduct of the General Assembly of St. Domingo, charging
it with disaifection to France, and insubordination; annulhno-
all its acts, incapacitating its members fi-om ever ser^-ing again;
approving the conduct of the governor's party, particularly the
Northern Provincial Assembly and Colonel Mauduit; directing
a new Colonial Assembly to be formed on the principle of the
decree of March 8, and the instructions of March 28, and order- -
ing under arrest, during its pleasure, the members who had

* Edwards's St. Domingo, p. kî.
R2

quitted

Tl

124

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. II. quitted the island, and ^vho were still at Paris. It also recom-
^S^ mended an additional force, both naval and militan-, to be sent

to the colony for the better support of the authority of the

government.

On the arrival of the eighth-five members of the Colonial
Assembly at Brest (on the 13th of September), they had been
received with the utmost . respect and attention by all ranks of
people ; and the most hberal provision made for them hi every
way ; but, such had been the activity of M. Peynier, that
deputies had arrived before them fi-om the provincial assembly of
the north, who, with their agents, had so prejudiced the mind of
M. Barnave, the minister for this department, that they met at
Paris with indignities of every kind ; were dismissed from the
bar of the National Assembly with contempt, and refused even
permission to confront their enemies as they requested. On
the 16th of October the report of the committee for the colonies
on the subject was presented by U. Barnave, their president, and
the members placed under arrest.

A very general manifestation of surprize and indignation took
place on the arrival of this decree, and a very different sentiment
pervaded the public mind from that intended to be produced by
the National Assembly; in every particular :Mauduit and his re-
giment became objects of the warmest resentment. Many of
the parishes would send no other deputies to form the ne^^ Colo-
nial Assembly, because they considered those in France as their

legal

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO:

legal representatives, the annulling of whose decrees, they attri- chap, hi
buted to the revival of the ancient system of despotism. i"9i.

"Whether it Avas from intimidation at these succeeding disorders,
or from the wish of the National Assembly, does not appear;
M. Peynier, however, to the great satisfaction of the majority of
the planters, at this time resigned his office to the gentleman
next in command. General Blanchelande, a field-officer in the Bianctc-

lande gover-

French senice, who entered upon the government with pecuhar ^or.
vigour.

The first exercise of his power, and one rather unexpected,
was to demand of the Spaniards the fugitives from the rebellion
of Ogé, who were accordingly delivered up, and placed in the jail December,
of Cape François, till a commission should be issued to bring
them to trial. It was soon commenced, but lasted for a consi-
derable time, during which they were strictly examined, and, of
course, condemned.

Ogé and his lieutenant, C havane, were sentenced to be broken March.
alive upon the wheel, and left to perish. His followers, includ-
ing one of his brothers (the other not being found), to the num-
ber of twentv, were condemned to be hanged. Ogé was not a
man calculated for a leader of rebellion. His mother having
been enabled to support him in France as a gentleman, he had
cherished a delicacy of sentiment very incompatible with the

ferocity

126

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. III. ferocity of revolt; but it would appear also that he wanted per-
i'5i- sonal courage, and that fidelity to his colleagues which alone in-
spires respect in his circumstances. When he heard the judg-
ment of the court, he wept bitterly, and implored mercy in the
rtiost abject manner; proposing to purchase life by exposing the
secrets of numerous conspiracies, which he described as impend-
ing over the colony : he, however, extended it only by a reprieve
for t>^'enty-four hours, just time enough to make a brief depo-
sition of facts of the highest importance, if they had been im-
mediatel}'^ attended to ; and was then hurried to execution with a
celerity rather barbarous, and an impolicy which afterwards met
with its consequences. C havane preserved the appearance of
courage to the last, and resigned himself to his fate without a
groan.

The persons before whom the deposition of Ogé was taken,
(Ruotte and VertieiTes, members of the Northern Provincial
Assembl}^) had been appointed to examine the revolters; and
were devotees to the ancient system ; from what motive, per-
haps, may be seen afterwards, whether by the desire of the prin-
cipal officer in the colonial administration, or of the Northern
Provincial Assembly, is not minutely ascertained; but these
men suppressed entirely the information communicated by Ogé,
and reported that he had said nothing of importance, burying his
secret, if he had any, with himself That this was not the case
will appear hereafter.

The

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

The decisive spirit of the new governor did not prevent the chap. iir.
people from viewing the detention of their representatives in
France with a general dissatisfaction, and those to whom they
attributed the original cause of it, with additional dishke. Mau-
duit continued to be the object of their censure in a particu-
lar degree; they avowedly disapproved of that conduct at
St. Marc's, which the National Assembly had made a subject
of particular approbation; one act of which they availed them-
selves with reason ; this was, taking from a detachment of the
national guards, as before-mentioned, their colours, which had
never been returned. This deprivation the whole of the na-
tional guards regarded as an insult to their body, which they
would have immediately revenged, but that the veteran regi-
ment of Port-au-Prince was remarkable for its superior disci-
pline, and attachment to the commanding officer, whose bounty
was always open to them. They had long given him a parti-
cular token of their regard, in supplanting the national cockade,
by a white feather, the avowed insigne of royalty. The regi-^
ment therefore, as Avell as its colonel, became obnoxious to the
whole of the army, who were attached to the new constitution.
At this time, a reinforcement of troops from France, comprising
two battalions of the regiments of Artois and Normandy, arrived
in the frigates Le Fougueux and Le Borée, who, having com-
municated in some way with the crew of the Leopard (the
vessel which carried the Colonial Assembly to France), no
sooner landed at Port-au-Prince, than they discovered the same
animosity against the regiment of Mauduit, as was manifested
1 by

128

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

"M

1791.

CHAP^ii. by the national guards. They treated them as traitors, which,
' no doubt, the pecuharity of the white feather confirmed, and
refused all kind of intercourse with them. The conduct of
the national guards had hitherto passed unheeded, but when two
other regiments, and those arrived from the mother-country, be-
came leagued against them, it occasioned a visible effect upon
the minds of the officers and the men. They began to view
each other with distrust, and to consider the regard which they
had hitherto born to their idolized commander, as almost cri-
minal. A sullen discontent appeared on every face, and their
actions, amongst which was a contemptuous dismissal of the
white feather, augured no good intentions towards him who,
but a few weeks before, might have led them over the world.
Mauduit was not insensible of the change, or of the probability
of danger ; and he prepared for some arrangement to induce a
return of the good opinion of his troops ; before he made the ex-
periment, however, he bravely insisted on the governor remov-
ing himself and his family to Cape François, that he might not
have a chance of sharing in his own ruin if it was unavoidable,
to which M. Blanchelande (rather pitifully) consented.

Colonel Mauduit prepared, as the first effort of conciliation,
for a restitution of the colours to the national guards, the unfor-
tunate cause of the alienation of his own troops; and proposed, if
they would support him, to cany them with his own hands, at
their head to the church, in which they should be deposited. He
harangued his grenadiers to that purpose, and they promised to

support

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

support him with their hves. On the succeeding clay he put his chap. m.
proposed plan in execution, before the whole community of Port- ""^^i"!^
au-Prince. A considerable murmur took place, but means were
taken by the citizens (among whom it is said were some he
had most injured) to prevent any accident. * He had re-
placed the colours, and was turning, no doubt, to meet the
gratulations of his troops, which had so often cheered him,
when one of them commanded him aloud, to ask pardon of
the national guards, on his knees ! He started ^vith indignation at
the proposition, and intending to offer them his life, rather than
his honour, exposed to them his naked bosom. In an instant,
an hundred bayonets seemed to vie Math each other which should
Avound the deepest, and he fell, gored all over ; while scarce an
arm of the number he had so often made happy, was raised to
save him, or a voice among those so often exerted in his praise,
to bid his spirit rest.f The spectators, however unfriendly they
might have been to the deceased, were petrified with astonish-
ment and disgust. Not contented with the extinction of life,
this unmanly and treacherous number, whose conduct is, it is
hoped, unparalleled, not content with destroying his house, and

* The exertions on this occasion of the brave Beausobre were too striking to be passed
in silence. He had been struck with a shot, when protecting the Colonial Committee, in the
affair for which Maud uit was now attempting an extenuation; yet, with a generosity not
often equalled, he was among the foremost to step forward on the present occasion, and
was wounded by a sabre in defending the life of JNIauduit.

t Two officers named Galefeau and Germain, to their honour, did not desert their co-
lonel till the last moment, but their exertions were of no avail ; and the indignation of the
soldiers being at its height, there was no time for preparation.

S everv

130

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. in. even- thing belonging to him, gratified themseh-es with mu-
i"9,i- tilating the dead body of their once-loved commander; and,
by a thousand diabolical contrivances, rendering disgusting in
death a form which, through life, had been always beloved and
honoured, and sometimes respected and admired. This T^Tetched
regiment met the proper fate of all such dastardly perpetrators.
They were despised even by the soldier}' whom they meant to
oblige, compelled to lay down their arms, and sent prisoners to
France, where, in some shape or other, punishment failed not to
await them.

During these dreadful transactions, as if eager to provide
fresh fuel to light up in this unhappy island, the society of
Amis des Noirs continued to demise new projects that tho-
roughly effected that purpose. There was great reason to sup-
pose, at this time, that the general body of mulattoes were not
averse to conciliation, while there was as much cause to desire it^
on the part of the whites. The president of the colonial com-
mittee in France, (M. Barnave,) had also, after the most stre-
nuous opposition to the planters, avowed his conviction, that all
interference of the mother-country with their internal regulations
should cease. But the principal members of this society, among
whom were Grégoire, La Fayette, and Brissot, determined
otherwise, and the foundation of their plan was in making the
National Assembly the medium, in obedience to the chapter of
instructions for its proceedings, which had followed the decree
of March 8. These instructions, which consisted of eighteen ai-ti-

cles,

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

133

cles, directed " that every person of the age of twenty-five and chap. iji.
upwards, possessing property, or, having resided two years in ^"ST^
the colony, and paid taxes, should be enabled to vote in the
formation of the Colonial Assembly." This direction, repug-
nant to the very decree it was to accompany, was asserted by
those who procured it, to regard only the privilege of voting
in the Parochial Assemblies; as under the old government i't
was kno^vn that they were constituted solely of white persons,
the mulattoes had expressed no inclination to intrude them-
selves. To induce them to do so, they were apprised that
not being excepted, they were virtually included, and after
much entreaty, were persuaded to send deputies to France, to
procure an explanation from the Xational Assembly. This
was the chief point required, for it produced a public debate
on the subject, in which was also introduced the claim of the
mulattoes to all the privileges of whites. The fascinating elo- ' "
quence of the Abbé Grégoire was exerted on the subject with
-its usual vigour, and, to give additional aid, the death of Oo-é
became known at the same time, which afforded a popular
subject for the theatres. Every mode was exerted to render
the proprietors of the colonies detestable; and with such success,
that they could not, at length, ap|>ear in public with safety-.
" Perish the colonies," exclaimed Robespierre, " rather than
sacrifice our principles !"-Gregoire, Condorcet, La Fayette, and
Brissot, names which often excited admiration, all joined in the
cry. The National Assembly forgetting, at once, its fonner
acts, and the principles it had acknowledged, decreed to the May 15.

^ ^ people

132

HISTORY or Sl\ DOMINGO-.

1701.

! '-'fV

Tune.

CHAP. liL people of colour " an equal right with the Avhite proprietors,
'in the choice of representatives and to seats in the colonial
government." The colonial committee at Paris, which had
formerly opposed the General Assembly, immediately declared
itself useless; and the deputies of the colonies declined further
attendance. These decisive steps had no other effect, however,
than that of hastening the departure of three commissioners, (who
had been appointed some time previous) to St. Domingo, for
the better regulation of its affairs. The proceedings of the colo-
nial officers in the mother-country, afforded but a faint presenti-
ment of those which took place in St. Domingo on the arrival of
the fu-st information of this last decree in that island. There
then existed a variety of opposite opinions, and parties inve-
terate against each other, but it immediately consolidated them
all. They heard it with doubt, which was soon succeeded by
the fi-enzy of despair. AU the divisions of party united them-
selves against the mother-country; every violence was projected
and commenced; the preparations making for the federation
of the Uth of July were suspended; they determined to reject
the civic oath; aa embargo Avas laid on all vessels in the
harbour; and even a motion was made in the Northern Pro-
vincial Assembly, to erect the British standard in the place
of the national colours ; all subordination was done away, and
it is said, " the people of colour being threatened to be fired
upon in the streets, fled from the city, retiring to the woods
and other retreats for safetv."* At length it was determined

* " Inquiry into the Causes of the Insurrection in St. Domingo," &c. 1792.

to

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

to elect a new general Colonial Assembly, which had its first chap. hi.
meetino-, to the number of one hundred and sevents^-six mem-
bers, at Leogane, from whence they adjourned to Cape Fran- Augusts
çois, proposing to open their session at the expiration of a fort-

night.

During the whole of these transactions the governor-general,
M. Blanchelande, remained a political cypher, -without any other
power, than to give a formal assent to proceedings which he
could neither impede nor amend. He -wrote to the king's minis-
ters an account of the disturbances, and expressed his fears that
the decree would prove " the death-warrant of many thousands
of the inhabitants;" he sent a copy of his letter to the ProAincial
Assembly, with a solemn assurance, that he would suspend the
execution of the decree whenever it should come to him.

Alarmed at the various symptoms of hostility' manifested to-
wards them, the mulattoes collected in armed bodies in different
places, and fears were entertained of fresh conflicts between
them and the whites ;. but the latter were too much occupied
in the hopes entertained from the meeting of the Colonial
Assembly to notice them, and, in fact, a complete removal of
grievances was fully expected.

As little cessation had been experienced, from the occur-
rence of one disaster to another, on the expectation of pacific
measures (from the auspicious sentiments of the new assembly,)

another

134

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. ni. another misfortune arose, which, however it might have been
l'ïdu long expected, was still more unlooked-for than any other.
Witnesses of the general commotion of the colony, and per-
ceiving that, notwithstanding the attention which had been
paid by the mother-country to the people of colour, (except
inter%veaving their sufferings with the subject, for the purposes
of oratory,) nothing was proposed with regard to them; the
negroes began to consider of some melioration for themselves
among the new arrangements then taking place. As they had
unfortunately perceived that the first step in all the disputes of
their masters had consisted of outrage, so they determined to
follow those means which promised such certain success, and at
the same time, afforded objects the most grateful to people in
a state of slavery. It cannot be denied, that they may have felt
no great pleasure in contemplating an acquisition of power by
the mulattoes, who, from being, according to their own ac-
count, more conversant with their habits, and better acquainted
with their dispositions, had always been considered by the
negroes as their severest masters; it is very probable, that they
exercised the same, or greater rigor, over the negroes, than
they received themselves from the wlrites. Be this as it may,
while a perfect calm seemed to pervade every contending in-
terest, one morning before day-break a sudden and confiised
alarm spread throughout the town of the Cape, that the negro
slaves in the neighbouring parishes had revolted, were murder-
ing the whites, and setting fire to the plantations. The governor
immediately assembled all the military officers, but notliing cer-

Ô tain

Aus:'U5t 23.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

tain could be collected till dawn, when the reports were too chap, hi
sadly confirmed by the arrival of numbers, just escaped with life, i79i.
who, begging for protection in the town, communicated the par-
ticulars.

From them they found, that the negroes in a plantation
called Noé, in the parish of Acul, were the ringleaders, four-
teen of whom, after having murdered the principal managers
of the plantation, followed by the remainder, hastened to the
adjoining one, and repeated the same enormities. The slaves
of this estate immediately joined them. Their determination
seemed, that it was necessary none should escape, for they
shewed not the same discrimination they afterwards used. M.
Clements, the owner of the latter plantation received his death
from one he had regarded with much tenderness, and promoted
(for so it was considered) to be his postilion. The same oc-
curred at the largest plantation on the plain of the Cape, that
of M. Galifet, whose negroes, the whole of whom joined the
insurrection, were proverbial for receiving good treatment. Simi-
lar circumstances took place at the very time, on the estate
of M. Flaville, a few miles distant, from whence they carried
off the wife, and three daughters, of the Procureur, after mur-
dering him before their faces. Day-light convinced the as-
tonished inhabitants that the revolt was concerted, for some
parties of observation sent from the town, soon perceived
that the rising was general throughout the province, and the
flames quickly burst from all quarters. The terror of the

whole

136

HISTOEY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. III. whole community now became excessive, and the shrieks of
^"^^rSl^ women and children as the appearances of horror spread, \vildly
r-unning from door to door, inquiring then fate of each other,
produced a most distressing effect. The men armed them-
selves, and the General Assembly invested the governor with
tiie command of the National Guards, As soon as any plan
could be matured, it was determined, to send the white women
and children on board the ships in the harbour; and the ablest-
of the domestic negroes in the to^vn were also sent, under a
guard, lest they should be concerned in any treacherous connec-
tion.

The next transaction which took place was relative to a con^
siderable body of mulattoes in the town, who, although they
had not joined the previous disputes, were immediately marked
as objects of vengeance by the lower classes of white people,
and it became necessary for the Assembly to afford them protec-
tion. This circumstance became the medium of an agi-eeable
conciliation ; for, in return, all the able men among them, pro-
posed themselves to march against the rebels, leaving their Avives
and children as hostages for their fidelity. They were, therefore,
enrolled in the militia, and a mutual confidence, to a certain
degree, established itself between them.

As many seamen as could be spared from the ships were
joined to the inhabitants, and the whole formed into a miUtary
order, when M. de Touzard, an officer who had distinguished

Q liimself

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

137

himself in Xorth America, took the command of a detachment chap. m.

of mihtia and troops of the hne, and marched to attack the most "^^

powerful body of the revolters in the neighbourhood. They

were posted at the plantation of M. Latour, to the number

of 4,000 negroes, a large portion of whom were destroyed,

but their places were supplied by such increased numbers, that

M. de Touzard was compelled to retreat. The weakness of

the toAm obliged the governor to stand on the defensive, till

he could contrive means to strengthen the only position he could

command; if the negroes had proceeded to Cape François at

that time, they might have easily taken the town, .and effected

every enormity they chose.

On the river which intersected the main road from the plain at
the east end of the to\vn, over which there was a ferr}-, a battery
of cannon was raised on boats, protected by two small camps
at a short distance ; at the other principal road lying over the
Haut du Cap, a considerable body of troops, with artiller}', was
stationed, while a strong palisade and chevaux-de-frize, surrounded
the toA\m on the land side ; an embargo was laid on the shipping,
for the purpose of retreat, and retaining the assistance of the
sailors. The whole of the inhabitants, Avithout distinction, la-
boured at the fortifications.

Every method was used to communicate the information of
the insurrection, when it could be conveyed with safety, and
several camps were formed, which seemed to arrest the progress

T of

138

CHAP. III.

1791.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

of the rebellion; nevertheless, those at Grande Riviere and Don-
don were attacked by the negroes, joined by mulattoes, and
after a sharp contest, forced ^vlth great slaughter. The surviving
whites from Dondon took refuge in the Spanish territory.

The whole of the plain, of the Cape, and the district of
Grande Riviere, now in the possession of the insurgents, and
abandoned to their ravages, as were the miserable inhabitants, to
whom no assistance could be given, who, therefore, suffered every
injury, that bewildered licentiousness could devise, before a death,
in this instance merciful, but of more than common torments,
closed for them the scene.

It serves few of the purposes of history to describe the ^■a.
rious modes of torture which occurred to the savage insurgents,
or to relate accounts of the grossest violations of virgins and preg-
nant women, m the presence of their dying husbands, or pa-
rents ; much it is to be regretted, that civilized states should ever
find it necessary to render torture of any kind familiar to vulgar
minds, for thev are exhibitions that live in the memory, and steel
the heart against those affections which form the grandest boun-
dary of our nature. There is reason to fear that the perpetrators
of those horrid deeds, had been witnesses to the ridicule of
misery in others who should have evinced themselves superior to
such conduct, by the godlike attributes of mercy and benevo-
lence; the licentiousness of their intercourse with the female slaves,
could leave no impression to prevent a retaliation on the occa-

sioH

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

139

sion, with objects, too, of such superior attraction, alas! uuhaj)- chap. in.
pily for themselves.

1T91.

It is pleasing, however, to alleviate these horrors by the re-
cital of an instance of fidelit}^ and affectionate solicitude, in one
of the revolted negroes, which has been already narrated, but
which cannot be too much impressed upon the minds of the
people in every relation of society. I quote Mr. Edwards's words,
as I know of no more authentic source to which I can refer»

" Monsieur and Madam Baillen, their daughter and son-in-
law, and two white servants, residing on a mountain plantation
about thirty miles from Cape François, were apprized of the
revolt by one of their own slaves, who was himself in the con-
spiracy, but promised, if possible, to save the lives of his master
and his family. Having no immediate means of proAiding for
their escape, he conducted them into an adjacent wood ; after
which he went and joined the revolters. The following night he
found an opportunity of bringing them provisions from the rebe;!
camp. The second night he returned again with a further
supply of provisions, but declared it would be out of his power
to give them any further assistance. After this they saw nothing
of the negro for three daj^s; but at the end of- that time he came
again, and directed the family how to make their way to a river
which led to Port Margot, assuring them they would find a
canoe on a part of the river Avhich he described. They followed

T 2 hh

140

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. III. his directions ; found the canoe, and got safely into it, but were
1791. overset by the rapidity of the current, and after a narrow escape,
thought it best to return to their retreat in the mountains. The
negro, anxious for their safety, again found them out, and
directed them to a broader part of the river, where he assured
them he had provided a boat ; but said it was the last effort he
could make to save them. They went accordingly, but not
finding the boat, gave themselves up for lost, when the faithful
negro again appeared, like their guardian angel. He brought
with him pigeons, poultry, and bread • and conducted the family,,
by slow marches in the night, along the banks of the river, until
they were within sight of the wharf at Port Margot; when„
telling them they were entirely out of danger, he took his leave
for ever, and went to join the rebels. The family were in the
woods nineteen nights." *

The town of the Cape being somewhat strengthened, the
governor, with the advice of tlie Colonial Assembly, came to the
resolution of re-commencing offensive operations against the
rebels ; accordinglj^, a small force, under the command of M.
Rouvray, encamped at a place called Roucooa, in the eastern
part of the plain. A division of the negroes at the same time
took possession of the principal buildings on the estate of the
amiable M. Galifet, and mounted on the walls several pieces of
heavy artillery, which they had procured from the different har-

* Edwards's Hist. chap. vi. p. 75.

hours

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

141

bours on the coast. In this intrenchment, they began to shew chap. hi.
somewhat of regular manoeuvres; though they seldom stood i'^^'-
more than a single volley in their skirmishes, yet they were
repeated with alacrity, and with such success, that they harassed
the whites by perpetual alarms, and desolated the country.
After their first stock of ammunition was exhausted, it was
discovered they had been supplied from the king's arsenal, by
some negroes in Cape Francois; in a short time the small Ame-
rican vessels opened a brisk trade with them^ in this article, for
the sugar and rum of their masters..

In two months of the rebellion, upwards of two thousand white
persons had fallen, of all conditions and ages ; it appeared, one
thousand two hundred families were " reduced from opulence
to such a state of misery, as to depend altogether for their
clothing and sustenance on public and private charity;" one^
hundred and eighty plantations of sugar, about nine hundred of
coffee, cotton, and indigo, had been destroyed, and the buildings
consumed by fire. On the side of the rebels it was computed^
that upwards of ten thousand had perished in the different acci-
dents attendant on their honid warfare, besides several hundreds
by the execution of the law. It is to be lamented, that a reta-
liation of cruelty took place upon all rebel prisoners who were
taken, which could produce no advantage to tliose who had
already suffered, and might cause additional miseries to the
unfortunate objects who afterwards fell in the way of the enemy.
One description of punishment at the Cape, has been often^

quoted

142 HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. III. quoted from tlie gentleman who witnessed it, I cannot perfectly
i"9i- coincide with him in the oblique censure conveyed against the
unfortunate persons who expressed a degree of satisfaction at the
death of their enemies, for it is a diiBcult sentiment to repress
on such an occasion; nor, while I lament, can I deny the neces-
sity of such executions, ox such occasions; they are not in-
tended as a feast for the philosopher, but they are a gratification
to those whose services, whatever their feelings and their senti-
ments, demand and obtain from all enlightened politicians on all
occasions respect.

" Two of these unhappy men," says J\Ir. Edwards, " suffered
in this manner under the \vindow of the author's lodgings, and
in his presence, at Cape François, on Thursday the 28th of
September, 1791. They were broken on two pieces of timber
.' placed crosswise. One of them expired on receiving the third
stroke on his stomach, each of his legs and arms having been
first broken in two places ; the three first blows he bore without
a groan. The other had a harder fate. When the executioner,
after breaking his legs and arras, lifted up the instrument to give
the finishing stroke upon the breast, and which, (by putting the
criminal out of his pain,) is called le coup de grace, the mob,
with the ferociousness of cannibals, called out arrêtez, (stop,) and
compelled him to leave his work unfinished. In that condition,
the miserable wretch, with his broken limbs doubled up, was put
on a cait-wheel, which was placed horizontally, one end of the
axle-tree being driven into the earth. He seemed perfectly sen-
sible.

I' ~

ITfl

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

sible, but uttered not a groan. At the end of forty minutes, chap. in.
some English seamen, who were spectators of the tragedy, stran-
gled him in mercy. As to all the French spectators, (many of
them persons of fashion, who beheld the scene from the windows
of their upper apartments,) it grieves me to say, that they looked
on with the most perfect composure and sang-froid. Some of
the ladies, as I was told, even ridiculed, with a great deal of
unseemly mirth, the sympathy manifested by the English * at
the sufferings of the wretched criminals." -f-

HaAing mentioned the residence of Mr. Edwards at the Cape,
it may not be amiss to repeat in this place the account he gives
of the appearance of the island, to a stranger, at that time. He
had returned from Jamaica with the commissioners, who had been
sent thither, and to the different neighbouring powers, to re-
quest the assistance of troops, arms, ammunition, and provisions ;
when Admiral Affleck ordered the Blonde and the Daphne
frigates to repair to that place to overawe the insurgents.

• Will the present writer merit censure if he ventures to observe in this place, for the
honor of a sex, of whom he feels a difficulty in recording a slander, that there was not, per-
haps, one of these unhappy fair spectators who had not lost, through the means of the vic-
tims before them, a. father, a mother, brother, or sister, or some of the tenderest connexions
in human existence; and that despair, mingled with revenge, assumed the place of a sensi-
bility too exquisite for their loss. This place need not be occupied with instances in the
memory of every one, of the change effected in the best dispositions under such circum-
stances as these ; and, while he eaeerlv joins his tribute of praise to the sympathy of his
brave countrymen in this instance, he cannot forget that the inhabitants of St. Domingo^
may not always have seen them in a light equally amiable ; so that the contrast, added to
the accompanj-ing circumstances, may have excited a risibility, perhaps, convulsive. It is
necessary to view all sides of a question which affects the character ot a nation.

t Edwards's Hist. ch. vi. p. 7S.

" We

144

HISTOKV or ST. DOMINGO.

4

CHAP.Iir.

1T9L.

'•' We arrived," says he, " in the harbour of Cape François,
in the evening of the 26th of September, and the first object
which arrested our attention, as we approached, was a dreadful
scene of devastation by fire. The noble plain adjoining the
Cape was covered with ashes ; and the surrounding hills, as far
as the eye could reach, every where presented to us ruins still
smoking, and houses and plantations at that moment in flames.
It was a sight more terrible than the mind of any man, unac-
customed to such a scene, can easily conceive. — The inhabitants
of the town, being assembled on the beach, directed all their
attention towards us, and we landed amidst a crowd of specta-
tors, who, with uplifted hands and streaming eyes, gave welcome
to their deliverers, (for such they considered us, and acclamations
of vivent les Anglois resounded fi'om every quarter.

" The governor of St. Domingo, at that time, was the unfor-
tunate Blanchelande, a maredial de camp in the French service,
who has since perished on the scaffold. He did us the honor
to receive us on the quay. A committee of the Colonial As-
sembly, accompanied by the governor's onlj^ son, an aniiable
and accomplished youth, had before attended us on board the
Blonde, and we were immediately conducted to the place of their
meeting. The scene was striking and solemn. The hall was
splendidly illuminated, and all the members appeared in mourn-
ing. Chairs were placed for us witliin the bar, and the governor
having taken his seat on the right hand of the president, the
latter addressed us in an elegant and affecting oration, of wliich

6

the

HISTORY OF ST. COMINGO.

14.5

tlie following is as literal a translation as the idiom of the t\vo chap. iii.

1791.

languages will admit :

' We were not mistaken, Gentlemen, w4ien we placed our
confidence in your generosity; but we could hardly entertain a
hope, that, besides sending us succours, you would come in per-
son to give us consolation. You have quitted, without reluctance,
the peaceful enjoyments of happiness at home, to come and par-
ticipate in the misfortunes of strangers, and blend your tears with
ours. Scenes of misery (the contemplation of wdiich, to those
who are unaccustomed to misfortune, is commonly dise-ustino-)
have not suppressed ijotir feelings. You have been willing to
ascertain the full extent of our distresses, and to pour into our
wounds the salutary balm of your sensibility and compassion.

* The picture ^vhich has been drawn of our calamities, yoa
will find has fallen short of the reality. That verdure with which
our fields were lately an^ayed, is no longer visible; discoloured
by the ilames, and laid waste by the devastations of Avar, our
coasts exhibit no prospect but that of desolation. The emblem.s
^hich we wear on our persons, are the tokens of our grief for
the loss of our bretliren, who were surprized, and cruelly assassi
nated by the revolters.

' It is by the glare of the conflagrations that every way sur-
round us, that we now deliberate; we are compelled to sit armed
and watchful through the night, to keep the enemy fi'om our

u sanctuarv.

146

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. III. sanctuary. For a long time past our bosoms have been depressed
i'?i- by sorrow; they experience this clay, for the first time, the sweet
emotions of pleasure, in beholding you amongst us.

' Generous islanders ! humanity has operated powerfully on
your hearts ;— you have yielded to the first emotion of your gene-
rosity, in the l^pes of snatching us from death; for it is already
too late to save us from misery. What a contrast between your
conduct, and that of other nations! We will avail ourselves of
your benevolence ; but the days you preserve to us, will not be
.sufficient to manifest our gratitude ; our children shall keep it in
remembrance»

' Regenerated France, unapprized that such calamities might
befal us, has taken no measures to protect us against their
effects; with what admiration will she learn, that, without your
assistance, we should no longer exist as a dependency to any
nation.

* The commissioners deputed by us to the island of Jamaica,
have informed us of your exertions to serve us.— Receive the
assurance of our attachment and sensibility.

' The governor-general of this island, whose sentiments per-
fectly accord with our own, participates equally in the joy we
receive at your presence, and in our gratitude for the assistance

you have brought us.'

At

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

" At this juncture, the French colonists in St. Domingo, hoAv- chap, iir^
ever they might have been divided in poHtical sentiments on ""^ '
former occasions, seemed to be softened into perfect unanimity.
All descriptions of persons joined in one genera] cry against the
National Assembly, to whose proceedings were imputed all their
disasters. This opinion was indeed so widely disseminated, and
so d-eply rooted, as to create a very strong disposition, in ali
classes of the whites, to renounce their allegiance to the mother
countiy. The black cockade was universally substituted in place
of the tri-colored one, and very earnest wishes were avowed in
all companies, without scruple or restraint, that the British admi-
nistration would send an armament to conquer the island, or
rather to receive its voluntary surrender from tlie inhabitants.
What they wished might happen, they persuaded themselves to
believe was actually in contemplation.

" The ravages of the rebellion during the time that I re-
mained at Cape François, extended in all directions. The whole
of the plain of the Cape, with the exception of one plantation
which adjoined the town, was in ruins; as were likewise the
parish of Limonade, and most of the settlements in the moun.
tains adjacent. The parish of Limbe was every where on fire;
and, before my departure, the rebels had obtained possession of
the bay and forts at L'Acul, as well as the districts of Fort Dau-
phin, Dondon, and La Grande Riviere.

- Destruction every where marked their progress, and resist-

U2

ance

148

aiSTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. III. ance seemed to be considered by the whites, not only as una'.-aii-
"^^TJ^i^^ ing in the present conjuncture, but as hopeless in the htture. To
fill up the measure of their calamities, their Spanish neighbours
in the same island, with a spirit of bigotry and hatred Avhich is,
I believe, without an example in the world, reflised to lend any
■ assistance towards suppressing a revolt, in the issue of which,

common reason should have informed them, that their own pre-
servation was implicated equally with that of the French. They
were even accused, not only of supplying the rebels with arms
and provisions, but also of delivering up to them to be murdered,
many unhappy French planters who had fled for refage to the
Spanish territories, and receiving money from the rebels as the
price of their blood.

" The merchants and importers of European manufacturer,
apprehending every hour the destruction of the town, as much
from incendiaries within, as from the rebels without, oifered their
goods, for ready money, at half the usual prices; and applica-
tions were made to Captain Affleck, by persons of all descrip-
tions, for permission to embark in the Blonde for Jamaica. The
interiwsition of the Colonial Government obliged him to reject
their solicitations; but means were contrived to send on board
consignments of money to a great amount ; and I know that
other conveyances were found, by which effects to a considerable
value were exported both to Jamaica, and the states of North
America."*

* Edwards's St. Domingo, Preface, p. v.

From

HISTORY OF ST. DCOIIXGO.

149

From the northern province the rebelhon, rapidly spread to chap. hi.
the west; in which quarter it assumed a new appearance; for i"--
the revolters being chiefly men of colour, to whom about six hun-
dred negroes had attached themselves, it tended to confmn the
opinion and the prejudices of those who conceived the men of
colour to have been the original cause of the rebelhon. A de-
tachment sent against them from Port-au-Prince was repulsed,
and the enemv advanced to set fire to the cit}?^; when, hap-
pilv, some of the mulatto cliieii obtained its redemption, and
began to express sentiments of amity, which was attributed,
with some reason, to the tardiness of the negroes, at their
head-quarters, in joining them. Anxious to embrace any op-
portun! tv of quelling the disturbance, a planter of eminence,
M. de Jumecourt, undertook to mediate between the two par-
ties, and immecUately obtained attention. The effect of this
interference was a treaty, called the Concordat, which was de- Treaty of the

Concordat.

termined upon the 12th of September, between the insurgents of
the neisfhbourhood, and the white inhabitants of Port-au-Prince.
The principal provisions were, an amnesty for the past, and an
engagement by the whites to admit the full force of the decree
of the loth Mav. The honourable conduct of the mulattoes
in Cape François, precluded any objection in the General As-
sembly to the ratification of this agreement ; from the most ra-
tional policy, thev extended their care to those who had been
born of enslaved parents ; military companies of mulattoes were
fomied, in which men of colour, under certain regulations, were

permitted to hold commissions.

4 Thus

150

HISTORY OF ST. DO:iIÎNGO.

CHAP. III.
179JL

Eepeal of
the decree of
loth iMav.

Thus circumstances, as far as respected the mulattoes, began
to wear a promising appearance, when with that eagerness with
which we supplant the remembrance of evil, bv the prospect
of good, the return of general quiet was contemplated. But a
fresh and most tremendous blow was about to fall on tliis de-
voted colony, when least intended, by the mother country;
whose regard, in this instance, similar to that of some animals,
was not less fatal than its vengeance. This was the information,
which at this time arrived in the colony, of the repeal of the
decree of the loth of Mav, which had been the original cause
of the present disturbance, and which the white inhabitants had
just agreed to allow.

On the accounts arrn'ing in France the beginning of Septem-
ber of the dreadful consequences attendant on this fatal decree,
it excited general consternation throughout the trading districts;
the loss of the colonial commerce by a civil war between the
whites and the mulattoes, was an event to be dreaded from the
probable issue ; still they never apprehended any interference of
the negroes; so blind are we to the approach of political dan-
ger. The idea of immense losses, and all the accompanting
considerations, produced such an effect upon the merchants
principally concerned, that they, with their connections, did not
fail to press the National Assembly by everv mode of appeal
and remonstrance, for the immediate relief of the planters
from the restrictions then operating so destructively upon the
interests of the mother countiy. There is in eveiy thing a cer-
6 tain

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

151

tain satiety, resulting from attainment or enjoyment, Mliich chap. ni.
produces relaxation; in the present instance it appears to hare i'**'-
had a remarkable effect ; for, of all the ^-iolent members of the
society, " Amis des Xoirs," but few appear to have exerted
themselves on the present occasion, and that few to have been
as little attended to. In fact, the popular opinion seemed changed
to another direction, and the Constituent Assembly bein^y on
the point of dissolution, the obnoxious decree was annulled hv
the sanction of a large majority, at the moment in which i^
was becoming the medium of peace in the colony.

When it became kno^vn in the colonv none would believe,
(nor indeed was it reasonable they should,) that it had not been
brought about at the instance of the planters, and that in conse-
quence they were unsafe with such deceptive negotiators. They
had already required repeated ratifications of the Concordat,
but now every idea of amity vanished. The people of colour
charg-ed the whites with hî^rrid duplicity, and came to the deter-
mination that one party or the other must be exterminated;
accordingly, throughout the western and southern provinces,
they immediately had recourse to arms, and became masters of
Port St. Louis, but from Port-au-Prince having been lately re-
inforced, they could effect nothinçr more than a dreadful confia-
gration, which destroyed, at least, one third of the buildings.
They established themselves at La Croix des Bouquets in consi-
derable force. The contest here, assumed a more furious cha,-

racter.

152

HISTORY OF ST, DOMINGO.

racter ; the negroes in several places joined the mulattoes, and in
every action a dreadful slaughter ensued. At Cul de Sac two
thousand negroes were left dead on the field, from heing placed,
as was frequently the case, in the front of the muiattoes. If there
remained any invention in cruelty unexerted on former occa-
sions it was now practised, with re-iterated vigor, and each party
strove how they could convince the other of the fertility of their
cruelt}^ rather than of superiority of pov/er.

Arrival of
the commis-
sioners,
Eoome, Mir-
beck, and
St. Léger.

At length, about the middle of December, the three com-
missioners, who had been long before appointed at Paris, for the
civil affairs of the colony, arrived, and every one began to hope
from them a cessation of the accumulated horrors which every
where made their appearance. They were named, Mirbeck,
Roome, and St. Léger, the fonner two had been advocates m
the parliainent of Paris, and the latter (a native of Ireland) a sur-
geon by profession. They were neither of them in a situation
of life which warranted the appointment, but had arisen through
accident, in the confusion of the revolution. They were re-
ceived with every degree of submission, on the part of the go-
vernor and inhabitants, by militaiy honors, and a procession to
the cathedral.

No sooner were these men in full possession of their offices,
than, after announcing the new French constitution, and the
decree of the 22d September, (as if every step- was to be

marked

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

marked b}- some additional misfortune,) they proclaimed a gene-
ral amnesty and pardon to every description of revolters who
should lay down their arms, come in within a prescribed time,
and take the oaths. This measure lost the desired effect with
the mulattoes, from being accompanied by the repeal of the
decree in their favour; in the opinion of the whites, it justified
their enormities; and, tempted the negroes who yet remained
faithful, to join those who experienced such an indemnification.
The commissioners could not expect to obtain the confidence
of the inhabitants, as Mirbeck resigned himself to every kind of
low debauchery, while St. Léger employed himself in levying
contributions wherever he found an opportunity. The third
exerted himself with honesty to the duties prescribed to him,
but wanting ability, and acting with colleagues of the charactef
already described, could accomplish very little. The effect of these
circumstances, which rendered them contemptible (and being
without means to enforce authority), was their return to France,
separately, after a residence of three months only.

CHAP. iir.

1793.

It was, however, during the stay of the commissioners, or
immediately before their arrival, that, in consequence of a reso-
lution of the General Colonial Assembly, copies of the deposition
of Ogé, given during the twenty-four hours he was respited,
were obtained from the Register of the Council of the Cape; but
not till they had been imperiously demanded. By these it was
found, tliat, if instead of being suppressed, as beforementioned^

X the

I

154 HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. in. the evidence had been promptly and decisively acted upon, all
i~92. the horrors which had blackened the colony for the last nine
months might have been to a great degree, if not entirely pre-
vented. He asserts upon oath as follows:

The neglect-
ed dying tes-
timony of
Ggé. ■

" That in the commencement of the month of February pre-
ceding, if the rivers had not overflowed their banks, there would
have been a rising of the people of colour, who were to have
lallen upon the town of the Cape in considerable numbers; that
they were then re-united to the number of 11,000 men, from
Mirebalais, Artibonite, Limbe, Ouanaminthe, Grand Riviere, and
other parts of the colony : that, at the same time, one hundred
men of colour left the Cape for the purpose of joining this band :
that he was certain that the authors of this revolt were the Dé-
dains, free negroes of Grande Riviere, now under accusation;
Dumas and Yvon, free negroes; Bitozin, a free Spanish mulatto;
Peter Godard, and John Baptiste, his brother, free negroes; Le-
grand, and Toussaint Mazeau, free negroes; Peter Mauzi, Ginga
Lapaire, Charles Lamadieu, the Sabourins, John Peter Goudy,
Joseph Lucas, free mulattoes; and Maurice, a free negro, all under
accusation .

" That the grand movers of rebellion down the coast were,
Daguin, under accusation, rebel, of Mirebalais ;• Pinchinat and
Labastille, under accusation: that the most violent partizans of
the revolt, who had moved in large parties, were those who had
shone in the environs of St. Mark, and who were endeavouring

to

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

155

to excite it again: that there were at that moment many people chap. hi.
of colour in different quarters, who were very resolute to main- '"^^s.
tain their projects, notwithstanding the number of those who had
lost their lives by engaging timidly in the cause: that he remem-
bered at present the name of one only, the son of La Place, a free
quadron, whose sister he had seen in the prisons, and quitting
Lmibé to go and raise recruits in the quarter of Ouanaminthe ;
that these recruits, and risings of people of colour, were con-
tinued there under the countenance of Fleury and Hirondelle
Viard, deputies of the people of colour to the National Assem-
bly, the one residing at Mirebalais, and the other in the quarter
of Grand Riviere.

" That assemblies were yet held in the subterraneous pas-
sages near La Crête à Mareau, and the district of Giro-
men, in the parish of Grande Riviere; and that if he could
be conducted to these places, he would strive hard to take the
chiefs of the rebellion : that the agitation in which he found
himself under his present circumstances, did not permit him to
enter into more circumstantial details : that he would acquaint
us with the remainder when he became a little more tranquil :
that it occurred to him at the moment, that Castaing, a free
mulatto of this dependency, is not concerned in any manner in
the present affair, but that if his brother Ogé had followed the
persuasion of Castaing, he would have been brought into nuich
greater extremities."

X 2

The

150

CHAP. IH

HISTORY or ST. DOMINGO.

The commissioners for taking the deposition then stated, that
Oo-é having- heard the above read on the day after it was made,
and being again sworn, he confirmed it in every respect, adding,
" That the two Didiers, brothers, free mulattoes, whom he had

seen but that time, and that John Peter Gerard and Caton,

free mulattoes of the Cape, were employed to gain a party of the
Grande Riviere; that they kept together by the day, and dis-
persed at night."

They mention, that on being confronted with James Lucas,
who had accused him, of threatening to hang him, he said,
" it was necessary to tell them why Lucas had not insisted
upon his explaining the reason of that threat, lest it should
cost him his life : that the said Lucas had been always fore,
most in every perpetration of horror, the most active seducer
of the blacks, and promoter of massacre, and had of necessity
been restrained by him several times, on occasions which he
repeated.

" That Fleury, Périsse, and L'Hirondelle Viard, arriving in
the colony, the two former were landed at Acquin, and left at
the house of Dupont, but that L'Hirondelle Viard proceeded
to the Cape-

" That La Place, whose father was then in prison for raising
recruits at Ouanaminthe, was of the number of those who
marched from Limbe against the Cape; that to avoid suspicion,

he

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO»

157

he went to Port Margot, where he lay concealed for several chap. iii.
daj^s ; that the senior La Place had told him that he knew his i"^^.
neighbour, who was a white man, would not inform against him,
though he knew all his proceedings ; that he was sure Girardeau,
then in prison, would declare nothing, because he was too much
his friend to betray him ; and that, if he were denounced, he
should be forced to denounce many others, both in Limbe and
other quarters. ^^'■

" That he had omitted to mention, on the subject of Lucas
seducing the slaves, that Peter Maury had brought thirty slaves
to Lucas, whom Ogé and his brother sent away again, the people
of colour saying that it was a future supply ; that he had on the
same occasion a dispute with the tallest of the Didiers, whom he
wished to fight with pistols, on account of his treasons ; that he had
seen a short note written by Peter Maury to John Francis Tes-
siers, by which he signified, that he continued to collect together,
and that the negro Coquin and the widow Castaing, armed with
pistols mounted with silver, and a short sword which Maury had
furnished, watched every thing that passed, and gave an account
every \iight to Maury ; which was all that the accused could
declare at present, conjuring the commissioners to be persuaded,
that if it were possible to obtain mercy, he would willingly
expose himself to every danger, to arrest the chiefs of the rebel-
lion, and that in all circumstances he should prove his zeal and
respect for the whites *.

* See the original paper in the Appendix.

He

i:rïJ

158

CHAP. III.

1792.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

He was, however, as before stated, immediately at the close
of the confession, hurried to execution, and the whole suppres-
sed, Avithout any proceeding upon it whatever.

The matter of the deposition has been particularly given, for
this reason, it exhibits the manner of the rebellion, and the qua-
lity of its leaders, who appear to have been well acquainted with
its various manoeuvres; and if the principal persons mentioned,
particularly Pinchinat, Castaing, and Yiard, had been arrested
at that time, they would have been prevented forming their
attack of the 2oth August.— Thus does party, which, as before
described, in dividing the colony of St. Domingo, unconsciously
act against itself, and a want of political foresight ruin thé best
intentions.

January. , To add to the cffccts of the disclosure of this exti-aordinarj^
error, the talents of the black leaders began to appear in an in-
stance in the conduct of one, Jean François, whose followers
having destroyed all the provision grounds, and devoured all the
cattle on the plain, he compelled them to plant in the moun-
tainous districts provisions for their future subsistence ; thus judi-
ciously preparing for an indeterminate prolongation of the war.

In the mother country fresh changes continuing to take place,

new horrors were prepared for this unhappy colony from that

quarter. The jacobin party, and the society of Amis des Noirs,

February. Were, at this period, resuming a po^verful ascendancy, and on

the

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

159

17fl2.

the 29th of February, Garaii de Coulon proposed an abroga- chap. hi.
tion of the last decree, (of September 24,) and a general amnesty-
throughout the French colonies; the formation of new colonial
assemblies, whose opinions were to be submitted to them, and
who should particularly aid in the abolition of negro slaver\%
This inconsistent plan fell immediately to the ground; but it
gave birth to another, about two months after, which was con- April,
sidered little more beneficial to the miserable inhabitants of the
colony.

The decree of the 4th of April consisted, as related to St.
Domingo, of the following items; after an acknowledgment of
the political equality of the fi-ee negroes and people of colour
with the whites:

I. A re-election of colonial and parochial assemblies, after the
mode of the decree of the 8th ^March 1790, and the subsequent
instructions.

II. The eligibility" of free negroes and people of colour to
votes and seats in the legislature, upon certain qualifications
mentioned in the fourth article of these instructions.

III. IV. V. \ I. VIL Three civil commissioners to be named,
to enforce the decree, to dissolve the present colonial assemblies;
to take every measure for convoking the others, and establish-
ing peace and order; to determine provisionally upon all ques-
tions relating thereto, conditionally reserving an appeal to the
National Assembly; to procure correct information of the
authors of the troubles ; to send the guilty to France for ac-
cusation.

160

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

mm

CHAP. III. cusation, transmitting constantly minutes of their proceedings,
'"'rJjr^ and of the evidence they collect; to call forth the public force to
their protection, or the execution of orders.

VIII. A sufficient force of National Guards to be sent to the
colonies for the various purposes.

IX. X. The Colonial Assembly to transmit their sentiments
on all subjects to the mother country; and to send delegates
with them proportional to the population.

XI. All former decrees, not hostile to the present, to continue
in force*

D'Esparbes,
governor.

September.

Arrival of
the commis-
sioners, San-
tlionax, Pol-
verel, and
Ailhaud.

To perform its functions, three commissioners, named San-
thonax, Polverel, and Ailhaud, were appointed, (who were of the
most violent of the jacobin party,) and with them a force of eight
thousand men, under officers whose principles were well known.
M. Blanchelande was superseded by M. D'Esparbes, under the
title of commander in chief The commissioners arrived at Cape
François on the 13th of September. They found the governor
and the Colonial Assembly involved in disputes, and therefore
sent him prisoner to France, and prepared for the first article of
their decree to be carried into effect..

The arrival of these men, (from the unfavourable impres-
sions produced by their predecessors,) instead of causing
peace in the colony, which appears to be the first intention
of the new decree, produced an effect entirely opposite.
Amidst such a contrariety of enactions as had agitated them
^g fi'om

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

161

from the mother country the result of men coolly sitting down chap. hi.
to provide remedies for the worst of circumstances, at so great '^'^^^
a distance from the scene of action, and unaffected by its im-
mediate difficulties, the people were in doubt what was in-
tended by the new commission, they sent delegates from all
quarters to inquire their intentions ; some had concluded that
they were merely come to exact money, but all had an in-
different opinion of their projected operations. The commis-
sioners answered generally, and certainly with dissimulation,
that their views went no farther than to enforce the decree of
the 4th of April, in favor of the people of colour, and to settle
the future state of the colony, so as to ensure its permanence.

NotAvithstanding this declaration, the inhabitants were not
perfectly satisfied of their probity, and, when they found that
the commissioners corresponded with the mulatto chiefs in all
parts of the colony, they did not conceal their mistrust. In
consequence the commissioners immediately avowed their in-
tentions, and, strengthened by the co-operation of the people of
colour, declared themselves the protectors of the negroes, and
mulattoes, and seized the persons and effects of those who'were
most eager to oppose their measures. Many were sent to France,
among whom were the superior officers of the regiment of the
Cape.

When the white inhabitants denied the election of the new
Colonial Assembly, they instituted an intermediate commission

^ • {commission

m

HISTORY OF ST, DOMINGO.

1792.

CHAP^ii. {commission intermédiare) as a legislative council, formed of twelve
~ ~ ' persons, six of whom had been members of the last assembly,
and six mulattoes. To these they delegated a part of their
power, chiefly for financial purposes. With that promptitude for
which the reign of the jacobins in France was distinguished,
when the governor D'Esparbes claimed a share of dominion, he
was arrested, and conveyed to France as a state-prisoner: whea
four of the white members of the intermediate commission ob-
jected to a financial measure of M. Santhonax, he commended
their fi-ankness, invited them to supper; and, when they came,
they were surrounded by a detachment of military, and conveyed
on board of ship as state-prisoners. One of them was taken pri-
soner in the ship in which he was confined, and brought to
England, where Mr. Edwards saw and rendered him service.
Another of the triumvirate dissenting fi-om the union, more
timely seceded from his situation, and returned voluntarily to the
mother-country.

1793.

The affairs of France, now drawing towards an apparent crisis,
occupied the Executive Government so fully, as to leave the
two commissioners, Santhonax and Polverel, absolute masters
of the colony. They eagerly embraced every advantage of
such enormous power, which was increased by the attachment
of the military, and a considerable portion of the revolters,
whom they had found means to secure to their interest. The
same scenes which occupied the whole of France at this period,
were acted again in St. Domingo. The inhabitant^ complained

ir>

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

163

in the bitterest manner of their wrongs, but it produced no chap. hi.
other amendment, than the appointment, as governor, of IM. i^^?.
Galbaud, a respectable officer of artillerj', and a proprietor in
the colony, whom they dispatched (on the declaration of war Oaibaud,

governor.

against Great Britain and Holland), with directions to put the
colony in a proper state of defence against a foreign enemy.

Again was the arrangements of the French government re-
specting this unhappy colony, the cause of commotion and blood-
shed. When M. Galbaud arrived with his suite at the Cape,
they were received with transport by the municipality and the
inhabitants, immediately took the oaths, and entered on his go- May t,
vernment ; but w^ien the commissioners, who (at the time of his
landing) were quelling an insurrection in the western province,
found he was invested with powers independent of their authorit}^,
they immediately set about disrobing him; and the readiest way
being, by an existing decree, which prohibited any proprietor of
an estate in the colony from holding the government, they atj
tacked and defeated his claims on that score. They ordered
him to depart on board the sloop La Normande, for the pur-
pose of returning to France, and invited M. de la Salle, whom DeiaFaik,

governor.

they had previously made commandant at Port-au-Prince, to
receive the command of the colony in the name of the French
republic

The indignity thus offered to Galbaud was not tacitly re^

Y 2 ceived

1(54

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. TH. ceived by his brother, who collected from the inhabitants, the
Cape militia, and the seamen in the harbour, a strong party to
support his authority. At the expiration of seven days the two
brothers landed, at the head of a powerful party, and proceeded
in array towards the government house, where the commis-
sioners were prepared, with a greater force, to receive them ; being
defended by the people of colour, a body of regulars, and a piece
of cannon. A bloody contest ensued ; but, in consequence of the
seamen getting possession of a wine-cellar, the governor's party
were compelled to retire and take refuge in the royal arsenal,
where they remained the whole of the night. In the ensuing
morning the governor issued a proclamation, inviting all good
citizens to join him, and several skirmishes took place between
the two parties, but without any remarkable occurrence, till Gal-
baud's brother being taken prisoner by the commissioners, and
the son of Polverel by the party of Galbaud, it was proposed
bv the governor to exchange the one for the other. " My son,"
replied Polverel, " knows his duty, and is prepared to die in the
service of the republic!"

June 20.

The fatal stroke still remained to be put to the fate of St. Do-
mingo, as a colony of France. The white inhabitants had, from
the time of the arrival of the commissioners, anticipated the mea-
sure; yet with that want of discernment which had led them into
their difficulties; thereby creating a degree of stupor amongst them,
inasmuch that they had not been able to attempt any method to

divert

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

\65

1793.

divert the bloAv.*" This was the emancipation of all the slaves in chap, iil
the cohwj. When the intentions of Galbaud became known to the
commissioners, and that he was supported by so large a body
of seamen, they immediately dispatched agents to call to their
assistance the revolted negroes, with the offer of a free pardon for
the past, the plunder of the city at present, and perfect freedom
in future. The first to whom they applied among the leaders,
and those of the most conspicuous eminence amidst the blacks,
refused the invitation ; but another, named Maca^^a, formerly a
negro slave, accepted it, and on the 21st, about noon, entered
the town v^ith upwards of three thousand slaves, and begun an
indiscriminate slaughter. M. Galbaud and his adherents had,
despairing of success, on the same morning, retired to the ships,
to which the v. hole of the whites endeavoured to follow, when
their retreat being interrupted by the mulattoes, all that could
not escape were immediately murdered. This confusion and
slaughter continued through the whole of the two succeeding
days, at.the end of which they set fire to the principal buildings,
and more than half of the city was consumed. The commission-
ers themselves, astonished at the devastation they had occa-
sioned, and intimidated by the conduct of the allies they had
chosen, sought protection under the cover of a ship of the line.

" J'avoit écrit dans la colonie, des 1792, que c'était le plan confié aux commissaires _
On pouvoit employer des mesures vigoreuses pour l'empêcher, elles étoient indiquées^ écc.
Mais l'esprit de vertige qui accompagné tout a qui s'est fait pour empêcher les maux de la
revolution eut lieu dans cette circonstance, &:c." Charmilljj, Let. p. 6"5.

Nor

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. III. Nor, were the mulattoes less amazed and vexed, when they
1793. found that the exertions against the whites, which they supposed
confined to their interest only, extended to the liberation of their
own slaves, on whose labour their fortunes depended ; they now
perceived that they had been made the tools of the Amis des
Noirs, in obtaining their darhng object, the emancipation of the
whole body of negroes. There is an enthusiasm and a fa-
naticism in politics, as well as religion, equally dangerous in
both, which, with an unaccountable bigotry to their projects, must
have led the society to urge such excesses ; they could not
have originally desired the effusion of human blood only, as hatli
been asserted, however strongly they might afterwards have im-
bibed a spirit of revenge against their opponents. — Such is the spu'it
of Jacobinism, endless, and undirected by any social principle.

The eftect of the declaration of freedom to the slaves them-
selves, was such as might be naturally expected from a people of
their character and condition. A considerable part remained in
their former situation with their masters, in preference to a
change; a greater number joined the party of the commissioners,
who manumitted them; and, perhaps, the greatest number,
fearful their liberty would not be permanent, retired in sa-
vage BODIES TO THE MOUNTAINS.

During the four years, in which divisions and tumult had
reigned in St. Domingo, many emigrations took place to the
continent of North America, and to the several neighbouring

4 islands.

HISTORY OF ST, DOMINGO,

167

islands. These, of course, increased as security grew less, and chap, hi,
more particularly since the first revolt of the slaves in the 1793.
northern province. To them were now added Galbaud and
his part}', who met, as the others had done, an asylum wherever
they fled. The principal planters, however, still remained be-
hind, attached to the colony, either lingering with hopes of
returning tranquillity, or planning schemes for the independ-
ence of the island. Among them were some, conversant with
the economy of politics, more active and able than those who
had hitherto been distinguished ; who looked forward fi-om the
year 1791, to some arrangement with the crown of Great Bri-
tain, that should place the island, and its proprietors of their
description, under the government, and protection of that puis-
sant nation ; and there were a few others desirous of attaching
the colony to Spain. They all saw, in the last desperate proceed-
ing of the commissioners, nothing left to hope for firom the judg-
ment of the mother country. The latter, therefore, employed
a party to apply to the government of Spanish St. Domin-
go, who were unsuccessful. The former, Avith more judgment,
determined upon making a formal application to Great Britain
on the same subiect: for this purpose they commissioned their m. de Char-

^ 1 J J millycom-

colleascue, M. de Charmilly, a man of stronsr mental powers, and missionerto

* -^ or ^[^g British

of gi-eat activity, to communicate with the British ministr}', and government.
to bring their plans, so long in agitation, to an issue.

This gentleman, it v/ill have appeared from the preceding part
of this chapter, possessed a considerable interest in the island,

and

168

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

1793

CHAP. III. and an extensive knowledge of its concerns, which had given
him a share in several of its legislative bodies, where he
appears to have long communicated his inclination towards the
measure now confided to him.

\\M

The British ministry, hitherto deaf to any proposition of at-
.tempting the capture of St. Domingo, became rather more dis-
inclined from the occurrence of a war, which was com-
menced against the new government of France. More than
a negative consent it could scarcely be called, for the arrange-
ment was left to the option of the government of Jamaica,
and, in fact, whether any thing should be ventured in its at-
tainment. An intercourse of the most honorable nature to the
British character, had already taken place between the unhappy
colonists of St. Domingo and those of Jamaica, who raised
considerable subscriptions for their aid, and applied them in the
way best calculated for their benefit, under the friendly aus-
pices of General Williamson, the governor ; and when allured
by the professions of the governor of Spanish St. Domingo,
they thought they could succeed better there, they were for-
Avarded according to their wishes, Captain Rowley undertaking
their safe convoy. Mr. Henry Shirk}', of the House of Re-
presentatives, appears to have exerted himself in a manner Avhich
deserves the highest eulog}^ When the government afforded
them an asylum in their island, M. de Charmilly lost no time
in setting off for Jamaica, and by his representation of the
state of St. Domingo, of the disposition of the planters towards
1 the

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

169

the British nation, and the facihty of obtaining some ground chap. in.
with a very small force, he prevailed upon General Williamson n93.
to grant him the aid he required ; a force certainly inadequate to
the invasion of such an island under any circumstances.

The French commissioners, Santhonax and Polverel, ^^ho still
retained a disputable power in St. Domingo, were quickly acquaint-
ed with the intended invasion, and began to prepare for it accord-
ingly. Their force consisted of the remnant of the troops they
brought with them from France, a body of whites who continued
attached to their cause, and the slaves which had joined them,
of which power little could be judged, being dispersed through-
out .the provinces. To render themselves in a better state to
repel the invaders, they had recourse to a still more deter-
minate step, that of procuring the aid of the whole of the negro
slaves. The\%* therefore, declared by proclamation, " That
ever}^ kind of slavery was abolished, and that the negroes were
thenceforward to consider themselves, and to be considered as
free citizens -f-.

August.
Abolition of
slavery.

The inhabitants of St. Domingo, at this period, might be
be considered under the following classes :—

» It was signed only by Polverel, who was alone at Port-au-Prince, from whence it was
issued. Santhonax was in the northern province.

t It has been asserted that they were still to exercise the same labour, but in the condi-
tion of annual servants. Those acquainted with the proclamation, recollect no such ex-
ceptions, which would, in fact, have rendered the abolition a nullity.

z 1. The

170

CHAP. III.

1-03.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

1. The principal, and most intelligent of the planters, who
desiring tranquillity^ and the renovation of their property, (which
they could not expect from the distracted state of France,) looked
to the protection of a powerful nation, and perhaps most to that
of England.

2dly. The remainder of the white planters, who had become
republicans, and chose rather to support the commissioners as
the representatives of the republic, probably from principle,
than to adopt any other country, and to sacrifice their immediate
interest to their allegiance :-the impartiality of history demands
that this class should not receive any harsher description.

Sdly. A number of those persons, to be found in all countries,
particularly when under embarrassed circumstances, who, having
nothing to lose, and frequently Avithout principle, are ripe for
enterprize; many of whom, by stratagem, or other means, had
obtained the property of absent planters, availing themselves of
the state of the colony, to their own aggrandizement. The
mulattoes I consider as partaking of each of these characters :
and,

4thly. The emancipated slaves, the most important body of
the whole, in whom were comprised almost every description of
character. Some of them had already exhibited talents of a
superior nature, both in civil and militar}^ government, among
the revolters; others had proved themselves equal to many of

the

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

171

the higher purposes of hfe, and they Avere possessed at least of chap. hi.
eminent physical power. 1793.

If we might pause for a moment, to consider the propriety,
or impropriety of the accession of the British government to the
proposition of M. de Charmilh^ we might lavish censure on
those who could, with such small hopes of success, enter into
a plan of such extent, with so little information on its nature,
and such small means for its execution ; but we will leave it for
the partizan, with every local or supposed advantage of judging,
to condemn those without ; and who, in the complex dominion
of a country with many dependencies, and with as many jarring
interests to reconcile, must be sometimes hurried into arrange-
ments which may not prove ultimately successful, notwith-
standing their discrimination. -Sometimes, too, ambition may
be supposed to intrude; nor will the brave and intelligent De
Charmilly complain of having also attributed to him, in no slight
degree,

" Tlie glorious fault of angels and of gods!"

That those who had determined on adopting the British govern-
ment, were prepared to sustain their engagements, there is no
doubt, but they formed one class only of the numerous remains
of a vast population; while the remainder had the strongest
motives for opposition— interest, partj^ and relief from slavery.
If, even the two former ideas could have been overcome, every

Z 2 colonist,

|-.2 HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. in. colonist, or other individuals acquainted %vith colonial affairs
"■"IJXr^ might have known, from the example of the hlack Charribes
of ^St. Vincent, or the INlaroons.in Jam.aica, that the last ^as
not to be easily subdued.* Retaining all the advantages they
had derived, m many instances, from the partiality of favorable
masters, and particularly in the experience of the different con-
troversies, and conflicts that had taken place, they had become,
what is impossible, without an intercourse with them to con-
ceive; an unique people.

It was hoped, however, that interest might assimilate the
whole of the whites; that the hostility of the people of colour
might be nearly exhausted; and that the negroes were not so far
alienated from their duty, as never to be expected to return ;
still much was left, with great reason, to the bravery and ability
of those who were to conduct the enterprize.

Under such circumstances, an armament was formed at Ja-
maica, composed of the 13th regiment of foot, seven companies
of the 49th regiment, and a detachment of artillery-, under Cap-
aid ComL- tain Smith, furnishing about 870 rank and file. With the first
division of these, consisting of about 679 rank and file, Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Whitlockef arrived at Jeremie on the 19th of

British inya-
sion of St.
Domingo,
under Lieut
Colonel
Whitlocke

* See Dallas's History of the ^laroons, also EdNvards's British West Indies,
t Now Major-General Whitlocke.

September,

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

lO

it:îj.

Jeremie and
Cape St.
Nicholas
surrendered.

September, and took possession of the town and harbour on the chap, iir
followhig morning. Agents from ]M. de Chamiilly had already-
arranged every point, the troops therefore disembarked without
the smallest opposition. British colours were hoisted on the forts,
with royal salutes, and the inhabitants immediatelv swore alle-
giance to the king of Great Britain. Commodore Ford having
at that time the command on the Jamaica station, accompanied in
the Europa man of war, the transport of the troops, and assisted
in the necessarv formalities of receiving the submission of the
place. The Mole of Cape St. Xicholas, (the Gibraltar, or
key of the Antilles,) immediately followed. To it, on the next
day, according to the pre-arrange ment, the commodore directed
his course, and, on the 22nd, landing the marines onh', took pos-
session of the fortress and harbour. This port was soon after
supplied by the grenadier com.pany of the 13th regiment, to which
was added the second division of the armament, comprising
five companies, of forty men each. The town of St. Nicholas,
however, did not capitulate, for its inhabitants were hostile to
the British, and immediately joined the republican armv.

The great extent of important coast thus coming into the
possession of the English, excited the most sanguine prospects,
and determined all parties in the prosecution of an enterprize
which promised such brilliant success. We shall quit the
exertions of the commissioners, v,ho were at present employed
in defensive operations about the capital, Avhile their new allies,
the slaves, were forming a separate interest in the interior,
1 to

174

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

ciLiP. III. to follow the new possessors of the south-east and north-west
""^S^ districts of the colony in their united movements with the brave

colonists, by whom they appear to have been cordially and

respectably joined.

The neio-hbouring port to Jeremie, first attracted the atten-
tion of Colonel Whitlocke, who was instructed, that it would
be of importance to the security of Le Grand Anse. He
therefore sailed for Tiburon with his whole force, and arrived
in the bay on the 4th day of October; a planter, named :\Iorin
Duval, ^vas to proceed by land with five hundred colonial
troops, and to form a junction at an appointed spot; but, unfor-
tunately, a piece of cannon compelled Colonel Wliitlocke to
disembark three miles distant, and the wind intercepted the
signal of Duval, w-ho in consequence wandered about the whole
of the dav, in imminent danger, with a faithful and intelligent
negro called John Vina, whose men formed a part of the five
hundred. At the same time, a reinforcement of cavalr}^ from
Aux Cayes joining the enemy. Colonel "Whitlocke was obliged
to return, with a loss of twenty men, without effecting his pur-
pose.

Meet a small
check.

A small check is sufficient to turn the tide of joy when it is
flill set in, consequently this defeat was magnified in the opinion
of those, who had before only to step into possession of wealthy
towns, and with well-filled magazines. It had the effect of
disheartening the troops; to whom GeneralWilhamson sent as

encouragement^

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

175

encouragement, till reinforcements, which were expected from chap. iir.
England, should amve, the remaining part of the 49th regiment, - -•
the 20th regiment, and the 1st battahon of the Rovals. This
addition not only served to chear the drooping spirits of the
soldier}-, but to increase the confidence in the planters, as to the
intention of Great Britain follovring up the enterprize ; accord-
ingly, the parishes of Jean Rabell, St. :\Iarc, Arcahaye, and
Boucassin, became attached to the territory of Great Britain.
From this period until the middle of Januaiy, no farther advance irsi.
was made ; when the colonists, who had established a port at Irois,
a few miles distant from Tiburon, in order to overawe that place,
having, for security, erected a fort in the centre of a marsh,
which considerably affected their health ; thev became impatient
to re-attempt that port, and the Privy Council of Le Grand
Anse eagerly solicited Colonel Whitlocke for the purpose. On
the 21st of January, therefore, the commodore received the troops
on board at Jeremie ; and on the 2d of February, in the evening,
they arrived off Cape Tiburon. The commodore stood out to sea,
and Capt. Rowley, a brave and sensible officer, had the manage-
ment of the attack; while Lieutenant-Colonel Spencer,* no way capture of
inferior in any quality, commanded the troops, which consisted
partly of colonists, and a detachment of the British armv. The
enemy appeared in considerable force, but the fire of the ships
cleared the beach ; they came for^vard again, and directed their
musquetry at the boats ; when the troops landing, and forming

Now Major-General Spencer.

instantlv

176

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

»i

1794.,

CHAP. III. instantly, with the gallant Colonel Spencer at their head, en-
tirely dispirited the defenders. Their line was routed with con-
derable slaughter, and one hundred and fifty surrendered prisoners
of war. In this, as in the former instance, they found the maga-
zine well stored with ammunition. The loss, on the part of the
victors, was extremely small.

By this victory the whole of the bay, or bight of Leogane, be-
came under the command of the British squadron; and nothing
was wanting but an additional armament, which was constantly
expected, to secure Port-au-Prince, the capital of the colony, to
which every one looked with an anxious eye.

In the interim, however, it was conceived expedient to obtain
the possession of the ancient town of Port-Paix, an important post
on the northern side of the island; and Colonel Whitlocke was
induced to attempt procuring its surrender by the offer of a sum
of money to the general who commanded in it. This was M.
Laveaux, a man of broken fortune, though of a good family,
w4io had been long in the service, and had a troop of dragoons
before the revolution. Whether Colonel Whitlocke formed his
calculation alone upon this circumstance, or, as hath been
mentioned, his orders were improperly executed, cannot, at pre-
sent, be determined; but, it is certain, that General Laveaux
possessed considerable confidence from the republican army, and
that he did not abuse it. The offer was made in a letter sent
with a flag, and 5000/. the sum stipulated. He silently read the

letter

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

n^

./ t

letter, and asked the officer, upon his honour, if he knew its chap. hi.
contents; upon being answered in the negative, he told him, "^^^
that, if he had known them, he should have fmmediately been
hung on a gibbet. He then read the letter aloud to those around
him, and returned the following answer:-—

" You have endeavoured to dishonour me in the eyes of my
troops, by supposing me so vile, flagitious, and base, as to be
capable of betraying my trust for a bribe : this is an affront, for
which you owe me personal satisfaction, and I demand it, in the
name of honour. Wherefore, previous to any general action, I
offer you single combat until one of us fall; leaving to you the
choice of arms, either on foot, or horseback. Your situation as
my enemy, on the part of your country, did not give you a right
to offer me a personal insult; and, as a private person, I ask
satisfaction for an injury done me by an individual."*

Of the character of Gen. Laveaux, a midst the conflicts of party,
in which he was situated, it is difficult to judge. But he certainly
possessed talents ; and, if there were no other cause for this proposi:
tion than his circumstances, the misfortunes of a brave man should
be respected. The situation and character of Col. Whitlocke,
however, demanded an attention to every expedient object.f

Answer of
the republi-
can General
Laveaux, to
a compro-
mise for his
post.

its^e™' TD " "''''/"" '''""'^' "'° ^^ not contradicted by De Charm.lly, though
Its terms diiTer from anoLher copy in the possession of the author.

t Though the impartiality we wish to preserve on all occasions demands that the pre-
cedmg acts should be Luly stated, we w.sh to offer a sincere tr.bute of respect to the
conduct of Major-General WhUlocke, as an officer of undoubted bravery, honour, and
talents of the highest order.

2 A The

178

CHAP. ILL

1794.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

The fortress of .L'Acul, in the vicinit)- of Leogane, was next
invested, and earned on the 19th of Februan-, but with the loss
of two vakiable officers. At four in the morning, the flank-com-
panies, a detacliment of the royal artillery, and of the 13th re-
giment, with some colonial troops, two five half-inch howitzers,
and two four-pounders, marched from Leogane, under the com-
mand of Colonel ^Vhitlocke ; while two hundred colonial troops,
and a few British artillery, under the orders of the Baron de
Montalembert, which were previously embarked, were to land
and attack the fort from the sea at an hour appointed. Colonel
Whitlocke moved forward on the great road, and took post just
Avithout cannon-shot; while Capt. Vincent, with the light infan-
try of the 49th, and about 80 colonial troops, Avere dispatched
by a higher road to combine their effects with those of INIontalem-
bert, in favour of the main body. But, unforUmately, from the
intoxication of the captain of one of the transports, notwithstand-
ing the ability and propriety of the other, the King, :\Iontalem-
bert could not be landed, and all the ser^-ice they could
perform, was that of diverting the attention of 200 negroes
and mulattoes, who were kept on the beach to receive them.
The enemy cannonaded from seven till eleven, when Colonel
Whitlocke ordered Captain Smith, with the howitzers and
cannon, to advance, and fire upon the fort, supported by the
light-infantr\- of the royal, and i3th regiments, under the com-
mand of Lieutenant-Colonel Spencer. On the discovery of a
failure on the sea-side, it was determined to storm the fort, and
Colonel Spencer, with the grenadiers of the 49th, and light-
infantry- of the 13th, proceeded to join Captain Vincent on the

2 3Iountain-

HISTORY OF ST, DOMINGO.

179

ISIountain-Road. Between four and five the tAvo columns pro- chap. hi.

ceeded, and the main-body immediately received a heaAy fire of ^'si.

cannon and musquetry. It was ordered to advance and gain the

fort, which it executed ^vith the utmost rapidity-, and with more

effect than could haA'e been expected, by so small a part}'.

After obtaining possession of the fort, considerable damage was

sustained from the explosion of one of the buildings, which had

been filled with combustibles bv the commander, on findina: he

could no longer defend it. It was fired by a ne?ro recentlv from

the coast of Africa, who is supposed not to have known what he

did, or, the use of powder; he set fire to an artiller}'-waggon on

the spot, and perished, with thirteen privates of the besiegers

and two officers, Capt, Morshead, of the 20th grenadiers, who

had been previously wounded in the body, and Lieutenant

Caulfield, of the 62d. They were buried with military honours,

attended by the British garrison. Lieutenant M'Kerras, of the

engineers, and Captain Hutchinson, of the royals, though both

wounded in the attack, continued on duty till the fort was

carried. Lieutenant Tilnin, of the 20th grenadiers, was Avound-

ed, but recovered.

Thus the first sharp action that was fought, ended successfijlly;
but the same was not the case with the second, which occurred
immediately after, though of less importance. This expedition
was intended to punish the treachery* of the German inhabitants
of Bombarde, before described. It was composed chiefly of English de-
marines from the different ships, who were performing the gar- bïde!^°"

2 a2

nson-

180 HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. JIT. rison-diity of ' the oMole ^vith the regular troops, under the
1794. orders of Lieutenant-Colonel Spencer, and Lieutenant-Colonel
Markham; t^yo Frenchmen accompanied them, M. Deneux,
the major of artiller}', and Lieutenant-Colonel Charmiily, -who
was necessary every where, not only on account of the great
responsibility under which he lay to all parties, but fi-om the
general want of knowledge, in the language of the country by
the commanders.

The detachment set off at nine o'clock at night, and arrived at
the redoubt about three in the morning, having marched fifteen
miles in the woods and mountains. It was defended by loO
German soldiers, intrenched, with three pieces of cannon. They
were relieving guard at the moment, when the troops were
discovered, and the alarm-gun fired. Colonel Markham,
with half the detachment, attacked the redoubt in flank, while
the remainder approached the gate. The enemy suffered
them to arrive within half-gun shot, when having challenged
three times, calling—" Qui vive r Colonel Spencer answered,
" England !" and immediately the assailants received a fire, per-
fectly well directed, and kept up with so much order and brisk-
ness, that the enterprize was obliged to be immediately aban-
doned. Several of the officers advanced as far as the ditch, sup-
ported by some grenadiers, but not being sufficiently numer-
ous; all retired in confusion. M. De Charmiily (who recounts
the affair) was at the side of the ditch, ten feet from the entrench-
ments, which served as a rampart, and was wounded by several
I musquet-

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

181

musquet-sliot : one ball struck the plate of his belt, and another chap. hi.
the barrel of a brass-pistol in his pocket, either of which must ^"9*
have killed him. There were sixteen men killed, and tAventj'^-
six taken prisoners ; the remainder retreated without any further
misfortune than the hardships experienced by a small part}% which
I shall describe from the authority of the officer just mentioned;*
the retreat being very precipitate, there was no signal to indi-
cate it, so that many of the people strayed from the main body.

A young and brave officer. Lieutenant Garstin, of the first re-
giment of royal English infantry, who was "\\ith his detachment,
found, at day-break, that he had strayed from the road with eight
men belonging to his company. All his endeavours to find it
led him farther from it; when, towards the middle of the
ÛSLJ, he fell in with a German patrole, consisting of six men,
who desired him to surrender. He answered by threatening to
fire upon them if they attacked him. Seeing him so determined,
they contented themselves with following, while he continued
to stray still farther from his intended point. They acquainted
him with it, and again pressed his surrender, which was as con-
stantly refused. The Germans, fatigued with following him
over the dry and sandy plains, on the approach of night retired ;
they continued to wander, fainting with hunger, thirst, and

Singular dis'
tress of Gar-
stiii and his
men.

* ]\I. De Charmilly, though extremely and often justly severe with Mr. Edwards in the
errors which crept into his Historical Survey, is, occasionally, rather incorrect himself ia
his descriptions : an instance of which, it is apprehended, occurs in the affair of Lieut.
Garstin, as it also did in a transport which he calls the King Grey.

fatigue ;

I8i> , HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. III.' fatigue ; at the end of two da3^s and a night, during which time
"""^îiâl^ two of the number died of want and weariness, having found
nothing but the fruit of Indian fig-trees and aloes, they ar-
rived, by a fortunate chance, at the landing place of the
Platform, a republican port, which had been destroyed three
weeks before by Captain Rowley. Here they found an old
abandoned fishing-boat, in which they embarked without pro-
visions, fresh water, or a sail, with very bad oars. They arrived
on the morning of the third day at the entrance of the bay of
the Mole St. Nicholas, from whence the fishermen brought them
into the town.

During this retreat from the enemy in one quarter, they
were giving a repulse in another of considerable importance.
One of the lieutenants of Rigaud, with 1500 men of different
colours, had prepared to attack the important post of L'Acul
de Leogane; on the day preceding the intended attack, they
were intercepted by 400 men, (only 150 of whom were of the
British legion, and the remainder of the militia of Leogane,)
under the command of the Baron de Montalembert, who
completely routed them, and took a piece of cannon. They
charged Avith fixed bayonets, and upwards of 300 of the enemy
lay dead upon the field.

The same success occurred in the attack which was made by
the mulatto officer Rigaud, of Aux Cayes, on the fort of Tibu-
ron, the possession of which had cost so dear. His force consisted

of

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

183

of 2000 men, chiefly revolted negroes, with two pieces of cannon, chap. hi.

four-pounders. Thej^ surrounded the fort about three in the I's^-

morning, and it was defended with much spirit till a quarter

before nine, notwithstanding the great battery being entirely

dismounted, and a number of men killed and wounded by the

explosion of a quantity of gunpowder, when the besieged (a party

of whom, under the command of Jean Kina, had before made

a sortie on one side,) quitting the fort, routed the assailants with

great slaughter, 170 of their number being left dead on the

field. The pleasure of the victory, was damped, when it was

found that out of the small number of British that were in the

fort, 28 had fallen, besides 100 of the colonial troops. This

aifair, notwithstanding, was one which conferred equal honor

on all the forces, and the Chevalier de Sevré, in his dispatch

on the occasion to Colonel Whitlocke, paj^s a tribute to the May.

small garrison, which so distinguished itself on the occasion.

Still, during these occasional successes, the general spirit of
the colony began to droop, on perceiving, that during a pe-
riod of eight months, not the smallest re-inforcement had
arrived from Great Britain, nor was it only in fears, that this
despondency and diffidence began to shew themselves, for a
parish which, a few months before, had voluntarily adopted the
protection of England, (that of Jean Rabell,) compelled the
officers of the garrison to deliver up their post to Laveaux;
and it was much feared, that many others would follow their
example. This defection was less felt, as between four and

five

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

^^^^^;^ five thousand persons had returned to the plantations from their
^'^^' different asyhims.

At this moment, so temporarily inauspicious, when the British
interests seemed devoted to contempt, on the 19th of May, the
Belliqueux, the Irresistible, and the Fly sloop, cast anchor in the
harbour of Cape St. Nicholas, with the 22d, 23d, and 4ist regi-
ments of infantry, under the command of Brigadier-General
Whyte. All spirits were now resumed, thv^ despondency which
overwhelmed the colony disappeared, and all seemed, as from
a general impulse, to expect the reduction of the capital of Port-
au-Prince, and a considerable share of wealth from the cap-
ture.

These troops were detached by General Sir Charles Grey
from Guadaloupe, after the reduction of the French Windward
Islands, where they had experienced a severe campaign, and
where their services were yet wanted. Great evils were ascribed
to the circumstance of withdrawing them — the loss of the island
they left, and the occasion of the largest and most expensive
armament that ever sailed from England to the West Indies,
with other misfortunes.*

Commodore Ford had, for a considerable time, blockaded
the harbour of Port-au-Prince, to the great discouragement of the

* Colonel Chalmers's Remarks on the late War in St. Domingo, p. 2 1 .

commissioners ;

HISTORY OF ST. DO.MINGO.

commissioners; on the arrival of this re.inforcement, ahhough
inferior to what had been hoped, it was considered best that the
expectation of the inhabitants should not be disappointed. Gene-
neral ^Vhyte, therefore, having landed his sick at St. Nicholas,
received in their place 160 of the garrison, and proceeded to the
relidez^-ous, in the road of Arcahaye, on the 23d of IMaj^, to
concert the enterprize with the Commodore, and receive "such
of the colonial troops as were to co-operate. On the 30th they
sailed again, and arrived off Port-au-Prince in the evening. Not-
withstanding the operations, in a warlike view, may not be of the
first importance, it should be mentioned that the squadron com-
prized four ships of the line, the Europa, the Belliqueux, the Ir-
resistible, and the Sceptre, three frigates, and four or five smaller
vessels, the whole under the command of Commodore Ford.
The British land-forces, under the orders of General Whyte,
consisted of 1,465 rank and file, fit for duty, to whom were added
2,000 colonial troops. It is proper to remark, that at this period
the French inhabitants composing the latter corps, likewise
chiefly supplied the Mole, St. Marc, Leogane, Jeremie, the
camps Des Rivaux and Du Centre, and Tiburon, (on which place
an attack was projected, by the mulatto chief Rigaud, from Aux
Cayes.)

185

Expeditioa
against the
capital of
the island.

The necessary preparations being made, the next morning
a flag was sent, demanding the surrender of the town, which!
not being admitted, it was determined to cannonade the fortress

2^' of

186

HÎSTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CAP. .u of Bizotton, which defended the great carriage road leadmg from
"■"^^ Leooane to Port-au-Prince, which protected one part of the Bay,
and In which were 500 men, eight pieces of heavy artillery, and
two mortars. The fort was dismantled on the side next the sea
in the course of the day, (May 31,) by two Une of battle ships
and a frigate, bnt on the land side remaining perfect, an assault
became necessary. Colonel Spencer, with 300 British, and 500
colonial troops, were accordingly landed in the evening, w.thm a
mile of the fort, and night soon approached, accompanied by the
horrors of a most tremendous thunder-storm, and deluge of ram.
A council of war was held, consisting of the Commander, the
Baron de Montalembert, Colonel de Charmilly, and the brave
Captain M'Kerras of the engineers; when it was suggested by
- Colonel de Charmilly, who was best acquainted with the nature
of the countr>', to attack with fixed bayonets, as the torrents
from the elements would render the cannon and musquetry m
the fort useless, and drown the sound of the approaching assail-
ants Captain Daniel, of the 41st regiment, led the advanced
guard, of only sixty men, and executed the plan with such vigor
and judgment, that entering a breach, and bearing down all
before them, (except those who begged and obtained mercy,) the
fort was carried directly, to the astonishment even of the brave
Colonel Spencer. Captain Daniel was severely wounded, and
F-MBiLon his second in command. Captain Wallace, died on the glacis,
as he had lived, full of bravery and honor.

It

HISTORY OF ST, DOMINGO.

187

It is a subject of deep regret to the writer, from the nature chap. in.
of this work, not to be able to adorn his pages with the account i"9!
of numerous actions which, could he have transmitted to poste-
rity, would immortalize many whose names and heroism the va-
rious chances of w ar frequently consign to oblivion. It is sometimes
necessary that the historian should select his characters with a view
to dramatic effect, yet a place on the roll of fame should not be
denied to any; as that is often considered the noblest reward for
a life of perseverance and sorrow ; and the most honorable incen-
tive to future services of danger and national glory.

The capture of Bizotton determined the fate of Port-au-Prince.
The party remained in the fort till joined by the main body of
the army from L'Arcahaye, which, one part by land, and the
other by sea, made its approach on the side next the rich plain
of Cul de Sac. On the 4th of June they arrived within three
miles of the town, and, at ten in the morning, the detachment of
Colonel Spencer marched to occupy a post on the heights behind
the capital. When they had advanced about half way they
were met by a mulatto woman, who acquainted them, to their
surprize, with its evacuation. Colonel de Charmilly, with fifty
of the colonial cavalry, were dispatched to ascertain the fact
which they found as she had stated ; and they immediately took Capture of
possession of the fort of the Gate of Leogane. About half an PrulT
hour after, a cry was heard from a cellar in a very concealed
situation, and upon the door being broke open, a negro was dis-

2^2 covered.

188

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

1794,

CHAP. III. covered, surrounded by barrels of gunpowder. The unhappy
wretch had been placed there, according to the opinion of ^M. de
Charmilly, the preceding night, to blow them up at a certain
time, but his match being extinguished, his own life, as well as
that of those who surrounded him, were thus spared by mere
accident.

The fort De L'Hôpital was the next to be taken possession
of, which was accomplished in the same manner, but with the
appearances of imminent danger they escaped with ther lives ;
for here the commissioners had planned their principal blow to
destroy the new masters of the place, which had been defeated
by the rain just mentioned. A train of powder was found reach-
ing from the magazine, (where several of the barrels had their
bottoms knocked out, and the powder strewed about the floor,)
to the thickets behind the fort ; the whole, fortunately, was wet,
and by precaution every accident was prevented.

Fort Robin, in which were between two and three hundred
men, who had refused to fly with the commissioners, readily
surrendered to INI. de Charmilly. The Baron de INIontalembert
was sent to take possession of Fort St. Joseph, which commanded
the gate of the town leading to the Cul de Sac, and a detach-
ment of troops from Leogane went to the Fort de St. Claire.
Thus, in a few hours, the English were in full possession of Port-
au-Prince. The commodore, who had entered the road, took

possession

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

189

possession of Fort de I'lslet, and sent in a British flag, which chap. hi.
De Charmilty hoisted at Port Robin, with sensations that are ^94.
easier to be felt than described. " I considered," says he, " this
happy event as a recompense accorded me by Fate for all my
labours, and all my troubles in the salvation of St. Domingo."
At six o'clock General Whvte arrived.

Such was the capture of this important capital, whose charac-
ter and wealth had tempted every person employed in the intended
conquest of the island. Within the compass of its lines were
one hundred and thirty one pieces of cannon regularly mounted
in batteries. In the harbour were twent3^-two vessels laden with
sugar, indigo, and coffee, of which thirteen were from three to
five hundred tons burthen, besides seven thousand tons of ship-
ping in ballast, in value amounting to 400,000 1. A booty much
more considerable was conveyed away by the commissioners, who
loaded two hundred mules with their riches, and carried awav
near two thousand persons in their train. Having previously
arranged their affairs, and finding the people of colour, (of whose
aid, they had only intended to avail themselves temporarilv,)
possessed of the whole natural strength of the island, under the
mulatto îligaud, and a negro named Toussaint L'Ouverture,
they soon after quitted the colony, consigning immense wealth
both to America and France, leaving General Laveaux in the
character of commander in chief; and returned to France, where
they received from the government presiding at that time a sanc-
tion of their proceedings. Polverel soon after died, the victim

4 . of

Return of
the French
commis-
sioners, San-
thonux and
Polverel, to
France.

IQO ' HISTORY OF ST, DOMINGO,

CHAP. III. of a life of dissipation, but Santhonax lived to pay the colony a
1794. triumphal visit.

Much controversy has existed on the idea of some private
arrangement having taken place between them and the com-
modore, with whom several flags of truce passed durmg the
three days in which the detachment from the army was kept
inactive/ How this was, has never been explained, but from
the situation of the road from Port-au-Prince to Jacmel, it is
i clear, that their retreat might have been interrupted, and, ac

cording to some, the fate of the colony determined. Immedi-
ately after Port-au-Prince came into the possession of the British,
more than three thousand armed inhabitants assembled in the
• town, ready to undertake any enterprize for the further reduc

tion of the colony. Unfortunately, no use was made of the
present advantages, but what they afforded in profit; thus an
opportunity was lost, which, as is often the case, never occurred
again.

The capture of Port-au-Prince, so much desired, seems to
have formed the height of British power in St. Domi.go.
" From that period the affairs of its possessions," says an old
Enghsh officer employed on the spot,* " beg>m to declme m
proportion, as it were, to the vast accumulation of expence; and

* Colonel Chambers, inspector-gen
p. 41.

3

r-general of colonial troop, in St. Domingo. " RemarW

all

* J

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

191

all -was languor, disease, or peculation!" As soon as the general chap. nr.
satisfaction gave way to the necessarj'^ considerations for defence, i"^*-
the soldiery were compelled to assist in raising intrenchments on
the side of the town next the mountains by day, and to perfonn
military dutv at ni gut, thereby suffering the effects, alternateh',
oi the sun and the dew. Many of these men had been six
months oa ship-board, and the season was unfavorable to them.
At this unfortunate juncture, arrived the Experiment frigate,
with the remainder of the troops ordered from the Windward
Islands, under the command of the Honourable Lieutenant-
Colonel Lennox,* consisting of eight flank companies belonging
to the 22d, 23d, 25th, and 41st regiments. Xow commenced
in St. Domingo the ravages of that contagion, which, with a
power more terrible than ordinary death itself, has bereft so
manv families of their hopes, and cut off the flower of a promising
army, without the gratification of an honorable conflict.

ommence-

ment of the

iw tever

It has been a melancholy object of dispute, whether or not
the yellow fever had been generated, or even made its appear- c
ance in St. Domingo, previous to the arrival of the Experiment ^elu)
at Port-au-Prince. That sickness, and perhaps fevers incidental mingo.
to all the colonies, had before been experienced by our troops,
is certain, none of whom had gone directly from Europe, and
might have been expected to be accustomed to the climate ; yet
it is to be remembered, that many of them had occasionally been

* Now General Leuaox.

kept

192

HISTORY OF ST. DOjMINGO.

CHAP. III. kept long in the transports, that they had been sometimes posted
""^I^C^ on the burning sands of the Mole, and at others seated in
marshes, v. hich the colonists themselves could not long endure ;
and what was little better than either of these, they had oppor-
tunities of indulgence, which required more prudence to with-
stand, than could be expected from soldiers under their circum-
stances. They had been already harassed by new modes of
warfare with the blacks, who, particularly those under Toussaint,
a negro general of uncommon ability in the interior, had been
trained with singular care. From the sickness arising from the
• former causes, the colonial troops were entirely free, in conse-
quence of their different habits.

This pestilence is described as having been brought first to
Grenada by the Hankey, from Bulam in Africa, where she
had staid so long, crowded with passengers who could not be
accommodated on shore for some time, as to contract a disease
sui generis, similar to the jail distemper. The greater part died,
and two only of the ship's company arrived at Grenada. The
circumstances that follow, are scarcely to be conceived by those
who do not know the numerous instances that occur, to prove
the necessity of an establishment of a Board of Health iii all
the British colonies. The clothes and bedding of the deceased
• victims, were sold bij auction, distributed among a variety of per-
sons, and the contagion with which they were infected, conse-
quently spread, not only throughout that island, but the other

Antilles, and a considerable part of the continent.

It

HISTORY OF ST, DOMINGO.

193

It is unnecessary to enter into a description of this distressing chap. in.
malad}^ in a medical view, as sufficient accounts of its nature and ^^""^^wT^
treatment may be found in the works of several medical writers
of the present day.— Forty officers, and six hundred rank and file, Jmi^.
fell victims to the fever within two months after the surrender of
Port-au-Prince.

It is impossible for the best of generals to distinguish, and to
avail themselves of every opportunity; but it is unfortunate, that
so many troops should have been suffered to collect in the capi-
tal, thus increasing the means of disease, when they might have
served with utility elsewhere. The same omission can now be
perceived on the part of the navy, which suffered the southern
coast to be open to communication with Curaçoa and the con-
tinent, from whence supplies of stores of all kinds were constantly
received by the enemy, unregarded by a single ship. With common
precaution even of this kind, the commissioners could not have
escaped with the immense wealth with which they loaded them-
selves from the colony, nor could innumerable privateers have
been equipped, which, for, a time, intercepted every vessel in
our trade that passed through the Windward passage.

At this period the indefatigable De Charmilly, who was the August.
soul of the British enterprize at St. Domingo, was again com-
missioned by his drooping countrymen to return to Europe, for
the purpose of soliciting additional aid, to complete the business
thus far advanced.

2 c General

194

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. III.

1794,

September.

Brigadier-
General
Homeck,
commander.

General Whyte resigned the command in St. Domingo, on
account of ill health, and was succeeded by Brigadier-General
Horneck, a man qualified to ensure success in a situation of
difficulty. Only fi% men followed General Horneck from Ja-
maica, and no reinforcement was received to enable them to
make anv movement for several months after ; he had, therefore,
to remain on the defensive for that time, and to preserve the
territory already gained, from the defection which was beginning
to appear.

The first success which encouraged the revolters, who were
chiefly mulattoes, under Rigaud, to farther exertions and attain-
ments, was the seizure of Leogane, where they put to death all
the French planters who fell in their way. This was followed
in the beginning of September, by a perfidious violation of the
neutrality which had been entered into by the men of colour in
the town of St. Marc. Lieutenant-Colonel Brisbane, a valuable
young officer, who held that rank from the French legion of St.
Marc, being a captain in the 49th regiment, had been pursuing,
with only eighty British in addition to the colonial troops under
his command, the most rapid successes in the neighbourhood,
and had induced a large number of the rebels to submit uncon-
To^vn of St. ditionally. In the pursuit of these successes, the town was left
by'mentf" without troops, which affordcd an irresistible temptation; they
"s'aed"'' accordingly seized upon it, putting to death, as before, all who
fell in their way. The garrison took refuge in a fort on the sea-
shore, from whence they were relieved by the arrival of a fri-

5 §^t^

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

\93

gate from the Mole of Cape St. Nicholas. Colonel Brisbane chap. hi.
returned, and, at the expence of all the advantages he had n94.
obtained on the plain, regained the town, making upwards of
three hundred of the insurgents prisoners. It had the effect,
however, of inspiriting the whole of the people of colour, and of
exciting them to greater excesses. Rigaud, who commanded in
the south, made apparent arrangements for an attack upon the
capital, by investing Fort Bizotton with three columns of his
troops, consisting of two thousand men. They began their at-
tack at 3 o'clock in the morning of the 5th of December, and
were defeated with great slaughter. Captain Grant, who com-
manded, and Lieutenants C lunes * and Hamilton, though wounded
severely in the commencement of the attack, continued at their
posts, and earned an honorable fame, of which GeneralWilliam-
son bore a handsome testimony.

Not discouraged by this repulse, Rigaud immediately prepared
for a more formidable attack in another quarter, the recapture
of Tiburon. His intentions were kno^m, but, as in the escape
of the commissioners, it again happened, that not a ship could
be spared to intercept his armament, then lying oif Aux Cayes.
It sailed on the 23d of December, consisting of a brig of six-
teen guns, and three schooners of fourteen guns each. His mill-
tary force was composed of three thousand men, of different
colours and descriptions, and. the attack commenced on Christ-

* Now Lieutenant-Colonel Clunes.

2 c 2

mas

196

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. HI. mas dav. The garrison contained only four hundred and eighty
"^^T;^ men, the majority of whom were colonists, and the rest British
convalescents; it held out four days, till three hundred of that
number had fallen. The survivors, with Lieutenant Bradford of
the 23d regiment, who commanded under the Chevalier de
Sevré, commandant of the district, fought their way, with asto-
nishing bravery, for five miles through the enemy, till they
reached Irois. An unfortunate officer. Lieutenant Baskerville,
who was from some circumstance left behind, perished by his
own hands, as is supposed, to prevent a dishonourable death, or
falling into those of the enemy. It is unpleasing to withhold
approbation from an act which evinces the most determined
bravery, yet it is to be lamented, that he did not find some
other means more compatible with the institutes of society, and
on which history could dwell with more pleasure.

Tiburon, Leogane, Jean Rabell, La Petite Riviere, and L'Ar-
tibonite, were in possession of the people of colour and the
negroes ; and the latter retaining the whole of the northern
province, except the Mole and Fort Dauphin, were increasing
in power and indépendance throughout the colony. The Bri-
tish army, on the contrary, was weakened every day, and the
colonists viewed with anxiety and distrust, the delay which took
place in the furnishing additional forces. They required them
in a body capable of some grand operation, which might
complete the conquest of the colony, and suppress -the de-
signs of the people of colour; a hope which nothing but
, the

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIKGO,

197

the lingering fondness of these unhappy proprietors for their
delightful possessions, could have retained to this period. The
entire power having been confided to the British commander,
the whole of the French colonists submitted themselves to him,
as passive agents ; but, fi^om the neglect which they experienced,
owing to the ample employment of the British government at
home, the}^ were still desirous of resuming some share of authoritv.
There will always be found dissatisfied persons under all circum-
stances, and dissolute characters ever ready to fall in with their
designs, for the sake of the treachery itself. Thus, while Colonel
Brisbane, who was admired for his bravery, ability, and personal
qualities, was quelling the disturbance of the mulattoes, whom he
had particularly favored, and restoring tranquillity to the whites
under his protection, a party of the latter were conspiring against
his valuable life, vrhich even war and disease had spared. They
were, however, detected and their purpose defeated. But a
more extensive conspiracy was soon after discovered at Port-
au-Prince, where it was intended, by a similar part}^ to seize
the garrison, and put the English to death. Twenty of the
conspirators Avere seized, and tried by a council of war, com-
posed of the principal commanders, among whom were five
French field officers; they were found guilty, and adjudged to
death. Fifteen of the number were accordingly shot on the
1 8th of Februarj^

1795.
January.

Conîpiracy
against the
English at
Port-au-
Prince disco-
vered .

Febr

Shortly after this narrow escape, however, the amiable Co- Death of

„ . . , -p, Colonel Bris-

lonel Brisbane fell, while out on a reconnoitring party. By bane.

IIS

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. Ill, his death the British affairs in St. Domingo lost one of the most
1795. able, indefatigable, and generous of their advocates. He ac-
quired the affections of every one, and of those who were
anxious to deprive him of hfe he was the decided friend, inso-
much, that his constant intercourse with the mulattoes excited
a degree of disapprobation in the whites: they, nevertheless,
confided in his courage, and were never disappointed. He
died universally lamented.

The commencement of this eventful year was clouded by the
death of Lieutenant-Colonel Markham, who, to use the lan-
guage of the orders issued by General Horneck, " lived uni-
versally respected and beloved, and died, leaving a bright ex-
ample of military, social, and private virtue." He fell in the
attack of an out-post, the enemy having again determined on
besieging Fort Bizotton. Victory, however, crowned his fall,
and his life was revenged upon six hundred of the enemy, who
were slain on the spot. Their colours, and five pieces of cannon,
were also taken.

About the latter end of April a reinforcement arrived, con-
sisting of the 81st and 96th, and a few of the 82d regiments,
which, upon landing, met the fate of so many of their predeces-
sors, and could not but consider their destination as so many
graves open for their reception.

In the month of May, 1 795, when the colony had become, in

the

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

199

the estimation of the British government, a splendid object of chap. hi.
enterprize, General Williamson, the governor of Jamaica, to I'^^s.
whom it had been ostensibly confided, arrived at Port-au-Prince, rai sir Adam

. , , „ „ Williamson,

having been appomted commander-in-chief of all the British pos- k. b. Com-

mander-in-

sessions with the honour of the Order of the Bath. chief.

The first exertions of the new commandant were directed to
strengthen his position at Port-au-Prince, and to establish and
strengthen a cordon from a village called Thomaseau, and from
Grande Bois, at the extremity of the Cul de Sac, to Saint Mark,
across a ridge of mountains, which divide the plain of L'Arca-
haye from that of Artibonite, besides a chain of posts extending
from thence to the Cape of Tiburon. For this purpose it be-
came necessary to enlarge the plan, which had already taken
place, of embodying corps of negroes ; and many slaves were pur-
chased for the purpose from the French planters and others,
and placed under the command of officers who had been in
the service of the old government, or of planters most likely
to ensure their utility by proper attention. Of these, the corps
of De Source, De Pyster, De Grass, La Serre, D'Alsun,
and Cocherel were the most respectable; but they were, with
many other of the arrangements that now took place, extremely
expensive, and not always efficient.

In the month of August arrived the 82d regiment, completing August,
the quantum of the reinforcement, (a small part of which was

received

' «

200

HISTORY OF ST, DOMINGO,

CHAP. nr. received in April). It was nine hundred and eighty men strong
1795. on landing, of which number three hundred and fifty only re-
mained alive in six weeks.

With troops thus arriving in divisions, and distressed with dis-
ease, where a combined body was required to form a decisive
X power, little could be done; and General Williamson, already
^embarrassed by the most difficult circumstances, was but ill pre-
pared for those circumstances so dispiriting as the present ; neither
did his beneficence and complacency, qualities so amiable in pri-
vate life, contribute to his assistance on the occasion. He was
open to imposition from designing persons, and was led to coun-
tenance a system of expenee fatal to the British interest; he
Major-Gene- was shortly succccded in. command by Major-General Forbes.

jral Forbes

This spirited and active officer commenced his career by an
attentive review of the different posts, and an augmentation
of the forces by every means that presented ; he strengthened
the cordons already established, and secured the frontiers of
Miraballais and Banica, to preserve a communication with Spa-
nish Saint Domingo, for procuring cattle, and other purposes.
The garrison of Banica, consisting, as usual, of a few British
troops, colonials, and some Spaniards in British pay, he placed
under the command of an officer of considerable merit. Sir Wil-
liam Cockburn, who was directed to keep in view the free access
to the plain of Cape François, which it commanded.

Towards

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

201

Towards the close of this year, m consequence of the intrigues chap. in.
of a negro-general, whose character will form a prominent fea-

179J

ture in this history, the Spanish government ceded its interest in Spanish St.

- • 11 1 111 1 Domingo

a colony, it could no longer hold, to the representatives of the ceded to
French republic.

In May, 1796, after a disastrous passage, about 7000 troops,
under the command of Brigadier-General HoAve, who had sailed
from Cork near seven months before, arrived at the Mole of Saint
Nicholas, where, as if to complete the destruction the elements
had left unfinished, they were obliged to remain some weeks on
board the transports. The same number of men, at anj^ for-
mer period, would have changed the whole affairs of the colony;
but they were too far gone; the}^ with the troops already at
the disposal of General Forbes, (to use the language of an old
experienced officer,) " were not such as those commanded by
General Wolfe."* Among the effects of this insufficiency may be
remembered the following disastrous circumstances.

1795.

The town of Leogane having been left in an unprotected Leoganc lost
state by the British troops, the republicans immediately enclosed Jhh.^
it with a palisaded ditch, and began to strengthen the harbour,
AA'hich General Forbes conceiving necessary to prevent, deter-
mined on attacking the enemy with a considerable force. Ad-

Col. Chalmers's Remarks, p. é-t.

2d

mirai

202

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. III. mirai Parker, after disembarking the troops, attacked the fort at
1796. the entrance of the creek, but was obUged to abandon it with
loss. General Forbes carried no artillery with him, intending,
by the advice of his engineer. Major M'Kerras, to take it without
regular approaches. A few light pieces of cannon were placed
to cover those ^vho filled up the ditch, by which means the
besiegers were to cross to the assault. The impolicy, however,
of despising an enem,y, v^as soon, as it is always, evinced. The
besieged perceiving the contemptible consideration in which they
were held, from the church-tower directed a twenty-four pounder
against the assailants, with such effect, as enabled them to cross
the ditch, and take their cannon, while they were glad in the
opportunity afforded, by the weakness of their opponents, to
re-embark without further injury.

Bombarde Bombardc, which had been so unsuccessfully attempted to be

evacuated by surprizcd before, became particularly necessary to the garrison
the English. ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^j^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ppj^ ^^ vegetables, &c. A strong

body of troops were sent to attack it, but many of them died
on the road from the difficulties of the march, undertaken in the
middle of the day. The fort was, however, immediately sur-
rendered by capitulation; and soon after evacuated by its pos-
sessors.

Encouraged by these circumstances, Rigaud became confident
of his prowess, and attacked Major-General Bowyer at Irois. He

Q was

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

203

was repelled, at the expence of near an hundred men killed chap. iir.
and wounded; among the latter of whom was the general ^96.
himself.

In short, so languid hecame the progress of the British anns,
that the republicans commenced operations in every quarter round
the capital; besides, compelling General Forbes to fortify the
mountain called Grenier, and to occupy all the surrounding
heights, they employed some months in the erection of batteries,
and on the fortification of two posts at St. Laurent and Le Bou-
tilliere, witliiu four miles of Port-au-Prince, without the smallest
. molestation from the English.

Affairs becoming desperate, with misfortune and expence
incurring daily, government determined on sending General Sim-
coe to endeavour to recover the British character; and, if
experience and skill were all that were wanting, little doubt
could have been entertained of success. He arrived at St. Nicho-
las Mole in the beginning of March 1797, and immediately pro-
ceeded through the British possessions to discover the evil, before
the application of remedies with which he was well acquainted.
But, alas! no ordinary remedies were applicable to the desperate
circumstances with which he had to encounter; for, instructed in
the science of government, and the relations of empires, by the
inconsistency of one power, and improved in the art of war by the
impolicy of others, the Blacks had arrived at a degree of per-

2 D 2 fection.

1797.

March.

General
Simcoe
commander
in chief.

204

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

ITS';

CHAPEL fection in both, that, notwithstanding the inveteracy of preju-
chce, compelled itself to be accredited by its effects. An acknow-
ledgment of this fact, incontestibly took place the same month,
in which the command of the English army was confided to
the wisdom and activity of General Simcoe, by the appoint-
ment of Toussaint L'Ouverture, the celebrated negro officer,
by the French government, to be general in chief of the armies
in St. Domingo.

Toussaint
L'Ouverture
appointed
general in
chief by the
French.

General Simcoe felt the effect of the powerful situation of his
opponent, to whom this nomination was but an honorary sanction
of the command he had long possessed. He commenced seve-
ral economical arrangements, which, even if his cause was
hopeless, could not fail to render it a desirable service. He
compelled a surrender of all private leases obtained of the vacated
property of French absentees, to the public use ; and he reformed
the colonial corps, from the number 42 to 14, placing on a tem-
porary half-pay, the officers necessarily withdrawn, and rendering
more eligible the situation of those, who w^ere the fittest for
service : yet, with any other person than General Simcoe, these
arrangements must have been of short duration, for Toussaint
adopted every mode to harass him, and turn the war in his own
favor, by every stratagem that could be devised. He menaced
the important frontier post of Mireballais, Mhich had been
erected with stone at considerable expence : the commandant
immediately evacuated it, and retired to Port-au-Prince, leaving

b the

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

205

the rich plain of the Cul de Sac open to the enemy, thereby chap. ill.
impeding the communication of the English with Banica and
Spanish St, Domingo.

1TS7

With somewhat of spirit, and better success, the batteries
which had insulted the capital were carried ; they required, how-
ever, a body of two thousand blacks, besides a reserve of British
troops, and some artiller}^, and cost the life of a brave officer
of colour, as he Avas leading the charge at St. Laurent, Major
Pouchet. An attempt to cut off the retreat of Toussaint to
Gonave, failed, from a variety of incidents.

While these operations employed the vicinity of the capital,
Rigaud was as active in his quarter. With one thousand two
hundred men he attacked the post at Irois, and gave the first
notice of his approach, by his fire on the fort. The post
was composed of a battalion of black troops under Colonel de
Grasse, a company of British under Lieutenant Talbot, and
twent)'^ black artillery under M. de Brueil. Fortunately, the
artilleiy of Rigaud was interrupted by Captain Rickets of the
IMagicienne frigate, which caused him to retire precipitately. Rigand's

. attempt at

To increase the eclat of this repulse, another immediately fol- irois defeat

" ed.

lowed, of Toussaint, from the town of St. Marc : it was a repulse,
nevertheless, dearly bought.

Wearied with the kind of warfare in which he was thus una- August.
vailingly engaged, General Simcoe returned to England in Au-
gust,

206

IIISTOHY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. III.

1797.

Major-Gc-

iieralWliyte
comniaid'cr
in chief.

General

Maitland
commander
in chief.

gust, to procure a force, sufficient to pursue a career of glorj»",
or to abandon a scene, furnishing at best but negative honors.
Tlie same causes which had before operated with respect to
this ill-fated colon}^, yet continued. — The ministry of Great
Britain were emploj'ed in the complicated affairs of Europe
too much, to give more attention to St. Domingo, and General
Why te supplied the place of General Simcoe*, with no addi-
tional means of success. Before the end of the same year, this
gentleman was superseded by Major General Ts'esbit, who did
not live to arrive at a command of which, he would have had
no occasion to boast f . His place was supplied bj'^ his second in
command, the Honourable Brigadier-General Maitland, to whom
little remained, but to perform the humiliations of his country,
with the grace which that country demanded, and which no one
could have better executed, in all that appertained to the gen-
tleman. He arrived in April, 1798, at Port-au-Prince, and com-
menced strenuously an attention to circumstances, with which
he was well acquainted, from his service under General Simcoe,
by Mdiom he had been appointed to several difficult commands.

* The writer cannot omit in this place paying bis tribute of respect to this excellent and
gallant officer. If all the abilities of the general, the suavity of the gentleman, and the vi-
gorous powers of a manly understanding may be expected to unite in one person, it is in
Lieutenant-General Simcoe. When commanding the Queen's Rangers, in the American
war, he distinguished himself on every occasion, and in a variety of important battles
crowned himself and his corps with the highest military glory.

t By the death of General Nesbit, (whose memory deserves his grateful recollection) the
writer lost a very sincere friend in many respects, though he cannot regret the appointment
of bis Brigade jNIajor, with which he was to have been honoured by him on this expedition.

By

HISTORY OF ST. ÈOMINGO.

207

ITDS,

By the orders of General Nesbit, the British property in St. chap. hi.
Domingo ceased to be valued at more than the annual sum
of 300,0001., which General Maitland soon found inadequate to
the purpose of their maintenance, as the colonial revenues had
decreased to 100,0001. The evacuation of the capital and
its dependencies, was therefore the first step that occupied his May.
attention, and his arrangements were as honorable to his sensi-
bility, as the ])roudest victory could have been to his courage.
— After every consideration for their peculiar circumstances, he
effected a truce for a month, and stipulated for the protection
in person and property of all the adherents of Great Britain. He
then witiidrew with the remainder of his force to Jeremie, which
he had formerly commanded.

With his concentrated force at this point, he acquiesced in the
wishes of Admiral Parker, to reduce Tiburon, for the purpose of
its retention, with the Mole, the object so much desired for the
security of the AVindward passage : but the tide was now turned, August.
the troops could not disembark for tempestuous weather, and other
causes ; and even the brave De Source, who marched across the
peninsula to meet him, lingered on his way.

The Mole at length only remained, to which General Mait- The Engiisii

I 1 • J r 1 n 1 possessions

land retired, tor the purpose of his last negotiation with the surrendered.
triumphant black General, Toussaint. The possessions of the
English were here given up, as well as their colonial black troops,
and some commercial stipulations being entered into, which re-
cognized

fî08

HISTORY OF ST. DOMI^:GO.

CHAP. III. cognized the island as a neutral power, England resigned all her
^^^s- pretensions to St. Domingo for ever!

Such was the end of this disastrous enterprize, which had for
five years fed the hopes and vanity of the British empire,
to which had been latterly sacrificed many valuable lives,
and an extravagant portion of the public money. That it was
undertaken with too little consideration, must be always ac-
knowledged: for, if the British ministry only meant, by finding
employment for the French commissioners in St. Domingo, to
prevent the seat of war from being carried to Jamaica, they
might have effected this purpose, without entering upon so
large a field, or sacrificing the lives and interests of a number of
brave and unfortunate colonists; and if the conquest of the island
was sincerely intended, the means furnished were contempti-
ble, in comparison even with the exertions of the inhabitants.
It is, however, probable, that no force which could have been
furnished, would have been sufficient to cope with the power
of the revolted negroes, and if the British colonies in the Antilles
have been saved by these means, it is only to be lamented that
their salvation cost so dear, in proportion to their advantages to
the countiy.

Having recounted the progress and termination of the British
affairs, it is necessary to recur to the circumstances of those who
were left in sole and uninterrupted power in St. Domingo. It will
be recollected, that the first consequence of the appearance of the

English,

m

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

i209

iTys.

English, was the entire aboHtion of negro slavery b}^ the French chap. [\.
commissioners, who therefore recognized all who enlisted under
their standard, as free citizens, and perfected them in the know-
ledge of arms: likewise, that immediately after the first onset of
the insurrection in the plain of the Cape, the negro, Jean François,
who was then principal in command, had evinced a foresight which
exhibited the determined intentions of his followers, in employing
the time of those who were unoccupied, with the women and
children, in the cares of agriculture, for their future preservation.
To this general was soon added several others, not inferior in
ability, of whom the most conspicuous were Biassou, Boukmant,
and Toussaint; but, although the last of those who declared
himself, the latter soon eclipsed all the others by his conduct in
a regular warfare. While Spain yet ranked among the coalesced
powers who avowed the restoration of royalty in France, the
first and last of the black chiefs had arrived at such considera-
tion from their aclmowledged merit, as to be presented (perhaps
as an inducement to declare on the side of royalty, to Avhich
they appeared to lean, as the enemies of the commissioners,
whose invitation they had not accepted) with the rank of general
in the Spanish army, and the ancient military order of that
country.

The departure of the French commissioners in 1794, and the
conclusion of peace between France and Spain, which ceded
its territory to the republic, a year after, had |,laced Toussaint
in almost absolute power: (for his colleague preferred retiring on

2 E his

;210

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. III. his rank to Cadiz); the hrare, but cruel Rigaud, afterwards
np3. fled from the island; and every occurrence had contributed to
his ao-?randizement ; till the whole was sanctioned, in 1797, by
the executive power of the French government in their
commission as the general in chief of the armies, and of the
Avhole island of St. Domingo. This consequence was now en-
larged in his acknowledgment as a neutral power by the most
important of all his enemies.

Such was briefly the progress of Toussaint, which was marked
by many circumstances that reflected the highestvcredit on his
character, and gave dignity to his dominion. He had through-
out been the moderator of all the different factions in the island,
and was every way fitted for its legislator, as well as its chief.
He was, indeed, one of those characters wdio invite the prin-
ciple of an elective monarch^^ but which are too rarely found
to advise its universal adoption. His character will be more
fully given in the ensuing part of this work; it is at present
sufficient to say, that, although he detested the conduct of the
French commissioners, he protected their office from indignity,
and shielded them from vengeance; he relieved the planters
from the intolerable tyranny of the commissioners ; he saved
the French armv from punishment too often not greater than
their guilt; and would not permit the increased cruelty of reta-
liation on the British forces, for the conduct of allies, which
even the colonists regretted to adopt. He saved the life of
General Laveaux, who acknowledged the fact with gratitude;

1 and

éfk

J^^

and his intercourse with general Maitland was of the nohlest chap. iii.
kind. Notwithstanding these exertions, in which he had to
combat with the natural prejudices of many of his followers,
he preserved their confidence in his integrity, and their obedience
to his wishes, and was hailed, with great justice, by common
consent, as the perfector of the independence of St. Domingo,

CHAP.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

21^

CHAP. IV.

State of Manners on the Estahlishment of Independence, Sfc. in St.
Domingo, zvith a Memoir of the Circumstances of the Author's
Visit to the Island.

1799.

State of

ion.

1 HE white population of St. Domingo, now still farther de- chap. i\
creased by the emigrations which followed the evacuation of
the English, . presented but a dismal semblance of the flourish- popuiat
ing French colony ; added to which, many of the whites who Makers,
were encouraged to remain, now spread through the eastern
districts with a spirit of wild speculation, and became more
solitary, when they might have been expected to associate with
stronger ties than ever. Of the Spaniards, widely scattered, in
their most tranquil state, many had emigrated, but more had
been sent from the island, on the surrender of the Spanish ter-
ritory to Toussaint. Although the defection of the whites was
striking in the towns where they had been most numerous,
that of the blacks was increased in a proportion so large, as to
astonish those who had witnessed their losses, and the decrease
.S which

214

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. Ill,

1TP9.

Black repub-
lic.

Manners,
&c.

which was remarked after the first insurrections of the negroes.
This is accounted for in a satisfactory manner, by the greater
degree of comforts experienced by the females, and the decrease
of general labor* Although, for some time, the change of go-
vernment appeared to tinge with a melancholy hue, the parts
of the island formerly in the possession of the English, yet the
rude happiness of those who had now become its possessors,
soon suppressed every other effect; and, notwithstanding the
despotic rule of martial law, circumstances in general began to
wear a promising appearance.

At this period the narrator of their history became posses-
sed of an opportunity of judging of the state and power of the
people, who form the subject of his present disquisition ; and his
personal observations during his detention among them, ^nll
supply the information s.pbmitted in the present chapter,

A violent hurricane having dismasted the little bark,f in
which he was proceeding from Jamaica to join his regiment at
Martinique, (having been before accommodated in the cabin of
his friend. Admiral Smith, + as far as the Mole St. Nicholas,) it
was driven under the walls of Cape François, and in that state
compelled to wait the relief of the brigands, an appellation which

* Malouet, Mémoires sur les Colonies.

t The Maria, Danish schooner, commanded by James Frazer.
X The liberal reception which the military always met with on board the Hanibal, is too
well known to require any compliment on the present occasion,

the

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

215

the superior policy that already appeared in this extraordinarj^
repubhc, had not yet obliterated from its members. To avoid
the suspicion in Avhich, notwithstandino- the recent treaty, the
English yet continued to be viewed, and to prevent the proba-
bility of injury to his companions, the writer was induced to
assume the character of an American, which was easy to be
effected, as the vessel was ultimately bound to that continent.
The crew were permitted to land after certain ceremonies, and
the first object which excited their attention, was no less than
"the hero of this novel empire. Toussaint was conversing with
two privates of his forces on the batteries, and when he saw
the Europeans approaching, immediately walked towards them,
and, addressing them in French, inquired the news, from whence
they came, and their destmation. One sçrved as respondent for
the whole, who spoke in such terms as his character demanded,
and the General civilly took his leave.

CHAP. HI.

1799.

Black repub-
lic.

Manners,
&c.

The number of Americans at this port could not fail to attract
particular notice, and every attention seemed to be paid to the
accommodation of their commerce, and a striking degree of in-
terest in every occurrence that concerned them. Even the
women seemed to renew a fondness long repressed for the whites,
in favor of the meanest of the American sailors. The present
writer, however, requiring some rest after his recent voyage,
hastened, on receiving his directions to the purpose, to the Hotel
de la Republique, the principal house, usually resorted to by Ame-
ricans, an edifice of rather elegant appearance; and on his wa}^,

except

\-M

216

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO,

CHAP. i\. except the preponderancy of the black complexion, perceivejd
i"''^^- but littie difference from an European city. On entering the

Black If pub- . i • i • i i i i

lie. house, however, he immediatelj'- perceived that the usual su-

anner,, bordiuatious of socicty were entirely disregarded, and that
he was to v.itness, for the first time, a real system of equa-
litv.

^■c

Here were officers and privates, the colonel and the drummer,
at the same table indiscriminately ; and the writer had been
scarcely seated at a repast in the first room to which he was
conducted, when a fat negro, to initiate him in the general
system, helped himself frequently from his dish, and took occa-
sion to season his character b}^ large draughts of the wine,
accompanied with the address of " Mon Américain." The
appearance of the house, and its accommodations, were not much
inferior to a London coffee-house, and on particular occasions
exhibited a superior degree of elegance, Toussaint not unfi-e-
quently dined here himself, but he did not sit at the head of the
table, from the idea, (as was asserted,) that the hours of refection
and relaxation should not be damped by the affected forms of
the old regimen, and that no man should assume a real supe-
riority in any other place than the field. He was in the evenings
at the billiard-table, v/here the writer conversed and played with
him several times; and he could not help, on some occasions,
when a want of etiquette disturbed him for a moment, congratu-
lating himself, that if he experienced not the refinement of Eu-
ropean intercourse, he saw no room for insincerit}-: and that if

deUcate

HISTORY OF ST. DOxMINGO.

217

delicate converse did not always present itself, he was free from chap. iv.
the affectation of sentiment.

In traversing the once superb city of the Cape, though present-
ing a tolerable appearance from the shore, desolation ev^ery
where presented itself On the site where elegant luxury had
exhausted its powers to delight the voluptuary, all was magni-
ficent ruin ! and to mark the contrast stronger, of the wrecks
were composed temporary houses for the American merchants,
and petty shops inhabited by the natives. Several spacious
streets towards the centre, displayed the walls of superb edifices of
five and six stories, with gilded balconies, of which the beautiful
structure exhibited the devastation that had occurred, with ad-
ditional horror. Nor was this all, for in different parts of these
ruins the sad remains of the former possessors were visibly
mingled with the crumbling walls :

" Tliere — heedless of the dead,

Tlie shelter-seeking peasant rears his shed.
And wonders man could want the larger pile."

1799.

Black repub-
lic.

Manners,
&c.

Having been informed of a review which was to take place
on the plain of the Cape, the writer availed himself of the oppor-
tunity, accompanied by some Americans, and a few of his own
countr^-men who resided there under that denomination. Of
the grandeur of the scene he had not the smallest conception.
Two thousand officers were in the field, carrying arms, from
the general to the ensign, yet with the utmost attention to rank;

2 F without

213

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO,

■CTiAr. i\. ■without the smallest symptom of the insubordination that existed
»"99- in the leisure of the hotel. Each general officer had a demi-
mac repu - ^^ .^^^^^ ^vhich \vent through the manual exercise with a degree
Manners, ^^ gxpertncss seldom witnessed, and performed equally well seve-
ral manœuvres applicable to their method of fighting. At a whistle
a whole brigade ran three or four hundred yards, then separating,
threw themselves flat on the ground, changing to their backs or
sides, keeping up a strong fire the whole of the time, till they
were recalled; they then formed again, in an instant, into their
wonted regularity. This single manoeuvre was executed with such
facility and precision, as totally to prevent cavalry fi'om charging
them in bushy and hilly countries. Such complete subordina-
tion, such promptitude and dexterity, prevailed the whole time, as
would have astonished any European soldier who had the smallest
idea of their previous situation.

The pleasing sensations inspired by the ability manifested in
this review, were checked by the additional monuments of human
ferocity which presented themselves on his return to the city ;
the conflagration of which, and of the surrounding plantations,
was still in the memory of several Americans, who described
the effect, as awfully grand beyond conception.

In one of the squares in the north-west quarter was placed
an edifice that made some amends for the desolation appearing
in its vicinity, from the elegance of its execution. It was an
ascent to a canopy, or dome, of which the architecture was not

perfectly

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

219

perfectly regular, beneath which M^ere two seats, and above them chap. iv.
an inscription, that eminently exhibited the tolerance of Tous- "^"ST^
saint. There were two centinels to guard it, who, being asked f;'''''^'''"
if any one might ascend the steps, answered in the affirmative. &,'""'^^'
but with a strict prohibition against touching the cap of liberty,
which crowned it. It was a tribute of respect to the memory of
Santhonax and Polverel, the French commissioners, and had
been erected by some of their advocates at a time when their
largesses obtained for them what they would not otherwise have
enjoyed, a transitory popularity. An extract from a speech of
one of them formed part of the inscription, in French, and which *
countenanced the opinion, that the abolition of slavery was a
primary object of their mission. It was. to the following effect:

" My Friends,

We came to make you free.

Frenchmen give Liberty to the World.

You are free.

Guard your Freedom.

Vive la Liberté.

Vive Robespiene.

Vive la Republique.

The remainder of the inscription consisted of a selection from
the proclamation for abolishing slavery. The prevailing opinion
of these men, notwithstanding they had been execrated for their
conduct, was favorable to their talents, and to their spirit.

Though impressed with the necessity of caution, it would have
required much more sang-froid than was possessed by the ob-

2 F 9

"^ ^ •^ server,

:220

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

Black repub
lie.

MaHners,
&c.

CHAP. IV. server, to resist the numerous impulses of mingling with a people
'"'TS!*^ whose conduct presented the most generous hospitality, and
objects of the most interesting contemplation. He obtained ac-
cess to the houses of most whose intercourse could flirnish either
information or pleasure ; nor did he reject the negro hut at other
times, though certainly of less attraction.

As in all states of human society, particularly in the vortex
of a revolution, which effected so complete a change, the able
and the cunning had elevated themselves above those who were
of the same rank of life. Negroes, recollected in the lowest state
of slaver}% including Africans, filled situations of trust and re-
sponsibility ; they were, likewise, in many instances, occupied by
those who had been in superior circumstances under the old
regimen, free negroes, and mulattoes.

The superior order had attained a sumptuousness of life, with
all the enjoyments which dignity could obtain, or rank confer.—
The interior of their houses was, in many instances, fhrnished
with a luxe beyond that of the most voluptuous European,
while no want of trans-atlantic elegance appeared; nor, amidst
a general fondness for shew, was the chasteness of true taste
always neglected. Their etiquette extended to a degree of re-
finement scarcely to be conceived; and the service of their do-
mestics, among whom were, from what cause was not ascertained,
some mulattoes, was performed with more celerity than in many
instances in Europe. A conscious ease, and certain gaieté du
^ cœur.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

cceur, presided over ever\^ repast. Conversation had free scope,
except as related to their own former circumstances, but vhen
the defence of their country was the subject, every eye filled
with fire, and ever\^ tongue shouted— Victory ! The names of
some, who had seceded from the black army were, the only
objects that seemed to excite detestation. In many instances
the writer has heard reasoning, and witnessed mamiers of acute-
ness and elegance, the relation of which would appear incre-
dible, from those who were remembered in a state of senitude,
or whose parents were in situations of abject penury; while
sallies of wit, not frequently surpassed, have enlivened many an
hour. It would ill become him, notwithstanding the tide of
prejudice, which has always penaded his assertions, to suppose
his readers capable of gratification from the chit-chat of a St.
Domingo table ; and it would be equally unjust to employ the
opportunities afforded him by unguarded kindness, in the ac-
cumulation of fleeting anecdotes, arising from domestic privacy;
he therefore contents himself with stating, that the enjoyments of
life were to be found in a high degree in the capital of St. Do-
mingo, and that their alloy did not exceed, nor perhaps always
equal, that of ancient European cities.

CHAP. TV

1799.

Black repub-
lic.

Manners,
&c.

The men were in general sensible and polite, often dignified
and impressive; the women frequently elegant and engaging.
The intercourse of the sexes was on the most rational footing,
and the different degrees of colour which remained, had lost

most

Manners,
Sec.

.HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. i^'. most of that natural hostility which formerly existed. Several
1799. Americans had intermarried with ladles of colour very advan-

Bluck repub-

tageously, and to appearance happily. 1 hey were, generally, very
agreeable women, and felt no inequality in their difference of
complexion or nation. Like Sappho, thej^ could plead, (in many
instances, in jyoint of wit, sprightliness, and pathos, little inferior
to the Lesbian muse, though without her powers of song)

" Brown though I am, an Ethiopian dame

Inspir'd young Perseus with a generous flame;
Turtles and doves of different hues unite.
And glossy black is pair'd with shining white."

The drama, that source of rational dehght, always so pre-
valent in St. Domingo, existed, in more strength and propriety
than it had done before ; and that licentiousness which appears
inseparable to it in a higher state, was actually restrained.
The representations were chiefly comedies en vaudeville, and a
sort of pantomime ; — sometimes serious representations, allusive
to local circumstances, and sometimes merely humourous bur-
lesques The conduct of the whole was highly creditable to

the talents of the performers, some of whom yet remained from
the French school, who, although driven to seek a livelihood
under such doubtful auspices, might have shone with equal lustre
to their more fortunate contemporaries on an European stage.
The black performers, who preponderated in number, were not
behind in talents ; the writer saw a play of Moliere's performed

3 with

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

223

wth an. accuracy that would not have disgraced the first the-
atre in Europe.— Even painting, from some recent specimens,
appeared to be encouraged, and cultiAated as an accomphshment,
in a slight degree. A young lady of colour, of the name of La
Roche, presented a large company, of which the writer was one,
in the course of a few minutes, with their likenesses, very accu-
rately cut in profile.— Music, also, though it must be confessed,
not such as to vie with the harmony of the spheres, was every
where prevalent to an excess, and the practice of most kinds in
use, though stringed instruments were preferred. — Yet, with an
ardent sensibility that appeared in many instances, and which
could not fail to be cultivated under present circumstances, the
rich blacks suffered the greater part of the capital to lie in ruins;
they a))peared to shrink from re-instating it, as if in rebuildino-
their former residences, they should create new masters.

CHAP. IV.

lTy9.

Black repub-
lic.

Manners,
&c.

The situation of those who still remained in humble privacy,
and who fonned the great bulk of the people, Avas indeed very
greatly changed. Their condition, agreeably to their capacities
of enjoyment, approached nearer happiness than many others
which are considered its ultimatum. Crimes were by no means
frequent, and those rather attributable to accident than vice.
They were perfectly at liberty as regarded themselves, and were
more ready to perform tlieir social duties, than tlie state Avas
urgent in requiring them. Those qualities conspicuous in the
negroes under their worst circumstances, their regard for all the
relations of life, and tendernesses to each other, seemed expanded

with

224

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. IV. with their freedom, and many of the httle prejudices that had
existed wore away. Those amusements, which were formerly

1799.

Manners,
&c.

Black repub- ^^pp^^^^^^^ ^ad uow free scopc, but they restrained themselves
from public annoyance with more regularity than could have
been effected by the strictest police.

The menage of the labourer in the town and its vicinity, was
improved in a proportion equal to his condition. A rough, yet
neat couch, supplied the place of the wretched bedding of a
former period, and the visitor was not unprovided for, though
it is lamentable to state, that in several instances the fiirniture
of the cottage was beholden to the public commotions, and in
one instance, painfully risible, a beautiful fire-screen, the dextrous
workmanship of some fair sufferer, concealed a dog then roasting
from some of their fellows, who considered it opprobrious to be
mangeurs des chiens.*

In one instance, the writer was introduced by a brigandf of
peculiar intelligence, with whom he had frequent conferences, on

* Let it not excite wonder that the blacks, deriving their origin from some peculiar
parts of Africa, are remarkably fond of the flesh of this animal, (of .-hich an account may
be seen at large, I believe, in Du Tertre,) for it has been often found an excellent substitute
for other food at sea, and has been used with success by convalescents. See Cook sPoi^ages.^
I quote the incident from memory.

t In the recollection of my stay at Cape François, I use the term neg,-o and brigand,
(both derogatory of the ruling power of St. Domingo,) not as by any mean, appropriate to
the people they describe at present, but as the means of distinguishing them to the Euro-
pean, who cannot so easily assimilate himself with their present condition.

of

HISTORY OF ST. DOMLNGO.

225

the military tactics of the black army) to the cottage of a black
laborer, of whom an account may not be uninteresting. He
had a family of thirteen children ; eight of them by one wo-
man, and the remainder by two others; the former only lived
with him in the same cottage, with his mother, who was aged
and infirm; the other two, separately, at a small distance. This
man was an epitome of legislature, and his family a well regu-
lated kingdom in miniature. His cottage consisted of three ir-
regular apartments, the first of which was his refectory, where,
as often as possible, and always on jours de fêtes, his subjects
assembled, including on those occasions his three wives. The
furniture of this apartment was entirely of his own making,
even to the smallest utensil, and with an ingenuity beyond what
might be expected from perfect leisure ; notwithstanding the arti-
ficer, during the process, had been obliged to attend his labor
in the fields, and was a considerable time in arms. On a neat
shelf, appropriated peculiarly to their use, lay a mass book,
and a mutilated volume of Volney's Travels, some parts of which
he understood more than his visitor. Every thing convenience
required was to be found on a small scale, and the whole so
compact, and clean, with such an air of properté throughout
as was absolutely attractive. His own bed-room was furnished
with an improved bedstead, supported by trussels, with a mat-
tress and be-iding of equal quality with the other furniture, but
that of his children and mother surpassed the whole. One bed-
stead contained them, yet separated the male from the female,

2 G "the

CHAP. IV.

1799.

Black repub-
lic.

Manners,
&c.

228

HISTORY OF ST. DOÎ.IINGO.

CHAP.jv. on original principles.-Every individual employed a portion of
'his time in labor, and received an allotted part of the produce for

1799.

Black repub- j^.^ ^^^^^^^ ^j^-^^ ^jj ^^^^ ^^e field, from a sense of duty to them-

Manners, ^^^^^^^ ^ perfect Combination appeared in their conduct, and

every action came directly from the heart. More than sixty

thousand men were frequently exercised together on the plain of

the Cape, in excellent discipline, whose united determination

against an invading enemy, would be victory or death. Little

coercion was necessary, and punishment was chiefly inflicted by

a sense of shame produced by slight confinement, or the like.

Labor was so much abridged, that no want of leisure was felt;

■ ^ it would be a great gratification to the feeling heart, to see the

peasant in other countries with a regulated toil similar to that

of the laborer in St. Domingo.

Such is a general sketch of the state of society, as it api^eared
in the capital of St. Domingo, which spread internally as far as
its effects could be expected to reach.-There was no possibility
of acquiring correct accounts of the plans of government, which
had been submitted to Toussaint, much less of the forms he was
disposed to adopt. A regular municipal establishment existed,
and martial government, dispensed every where in all its vi-
gour, rendered civil jurisdiction of little avail.

The writer observed, with pleasure, the delay in repairing the
vessel, which afforded him an opportunity of examining objects

which

É!

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

229

which might never return. For several weeks he continued to ^^^^^^
amuse himself with observations on the manners of the people, ^^ Jjs^- ^^^
which he had no idea at that time of preserving beyond the Hc.
information and amusement of his own friends, and by sketch- &c.
ing draughts of the principal posts that were accessible. He
enjoyed the habits of a metropolis, and, except the anxiety
which would obtrude on account of the delay from his duty, par-
ticipated in the general happiness.

When the time arrived for the departure of the vessel, at an
unexpected moment ; such is the human heart, he lingered on
a spot which he would have before avoided at the hazard of
his life. The ship had been repaired— all was ready—and bid-
ding farewel to new connections which had just began to engage
him, he returned on board with the agreeable hopes of a speedy-
arrival at St. Thomas's : but —

" Heaven from all creatures hides the book of fate !"

After beating about upon the coast for three days, in the most
perilous circumstances, the unfortunate vessel sprung a leak,
when they were compelled to put into Fort Dauphin, or, accord-
ing to the revolutionary nomenclature. Fort Egalité.

In this situation the master of the vessel and the writer appre-
hended no danger or impropriety in going on shore. Hoisting
therefore Danish colours, they came to anchor under a small fort,
when in less than half an hour the latter was arrested after landing

l'y

•m

I

230

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

1799.

Black repub-
lic.

Manners,
&c.

CHAP. III. by four blacks, and a mulatto officer of great ferocitj^ They re-
turned with him on board, and placed him under the care of two
black centinels. These informed him, in answer to his anxious
inquiries, that he was suspected of being a spy, that he would
be tried on the morrow, and of course be condemned. Such
was the complacent idea attached to the trial of a stranger, who
was afterwards to defend the character of their chief.

Apprehensions of different kinds now crowded his imagination :
he did not know whether suspicions might not have occun-ed
at Cape François; and the commandant of the district have
been prepared for his arrival. He was aware, that, in a few
instances, he had ventured farther than he should have done.
' He had also been allowed access to many of the principal peo-
ple, and he knew not what might have taken place after his
departure. He Avas, however, left unmolested, and, except
his freedom, without any other deprivation; a circumstance
of the most fortunate kind, as it afforded him an opportu-
nity of destroying his baggage and papers, including a variety
of documents, which must have been dangerous in the highest
degree.* These he disposed of, by putting them out of the
cabin- window in the middle of the night, with a weight attached

* Besides his military appointments, they included correct views of Fort Ficcolet and
other works, and several plans, which he hoped to have had the honour of presenting to
the Duke of York; his Royal Highness having condescended to regard, with attention,
other attempts which he had the honour of presenting to him.

sufficient

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

231

sufficient to sink them. Having succeeded in this affair, and chap. iir.
the proceedings of the ensuing day continuing to occupy his at- I'^Q.
tciition, his situation became most unpleasant. The silence of the Uc!"^ '''^"^'
night, interrupted by the murmurs of the ocean, the clamours of the &c!'''''"'
guard, and the distant sounds from the shore, produced the strong-
est melancholy ; while confused surmises of the determination of
the morrow, and a contemplation of the shame, rather than the
terror of an ignominious death, revolving in his mind, deprived
him of the possibility of rest, and totally unfitted him for the
slightest preparation.

Early in the morning he was taken on shore, and examined
by a black general, named Muro, the commanding officer of
the district. He could not help thinking that his appearance au-
gured well, for he bore the principal mythological characteristic
of Justice. He Avas totally blind of one eye, and appeared to see
but little through the other. He, however, relieved the prisoner
from the apprehension of any charge existing previous to the mo-
ment; for he began his examination by insisting, that he was
not an American, but an English spy, reconnoitering the
coast; and closed it by acquainting him, that a court-martial,
already summoned, would assemble on the morrow, and his
trial would be prompt and decisive. He was then conducted to
a dark prison, (which wanted none of the usual concomitants of
such a place,) and treated with the utmost indignity. There was
no bed ; nor had he any other provision than some coarse, dry
fish, which he could not eat— a treatment he was afterwards in-
formed

232

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

m^
^

CHAP. III. formed was used to prisoners during the space between appre-
""S^ hension and trial, to prevent any opportunity for the contriv- /
nf '''■ ance of evasion. At the hour often he was brought before
fr''" a regular military court, composed of twelve black general offi-
cers, the etiquette of which astonished him. General Chnsto-
phé, a relative of Toussaint, being in a neighbouring district,
presided, and Muro sat on his right-hand. They interrogated
him with the utmost discrimination and aeuteness, appearing
perfectly conversant with the nature of the business. But, for
the commandant already named, not a look nor an attitude
escaped him-and he darted his eye, in which both seemed to
have centered an uncommon degree of fire, over every part of
the prisoner, the form of whose very head-dress, he insisted, was
not en Américain!

He was put on his defence in equal form, but all he could
urge had not the smallest effect, as he had no passports nor
any American papers to exhibit. Notwithstanding every ap-
pearance to the contrary, they had had some decisive testimony
- of imprudent liberty on the island; and, after several hours de-

liberation, he was condemned to suffer death as quick as possi-
ble The master of the vessel behaved with dignity of cha-
racter, and the utmost solicitude. He protested against the
judgment, but without effect; and the prisoner was remanded
till the sentence should be transmitted to the General-en-Chef,
for his approval.

He

5;

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO*!

'•^"■v

: He was then remanded to ai different kind of prison, which,
though Httle superior in point of accommodation, had the advan-
tage of air, and the communication of the human species, though
only by stealth. It was the remains of a dilapidated building,
the part of which appropriated to the prisoner, was secured with
strong iron-bars, in a fashion then very prevalent : he had also
the incumbrance of a chain from the right arm to the left foot.
For fourteen days he lay in the agony of suspense between life
and death, with every evening the cruel intimation, that he would
certainly be hanged on the next mornino-.

CHAP. IV.

1799.

Black repub-
lic.

Manners,
&c.

Even in this situation he could not resist the opportunity which
his prison, or rather cage, afforded him, of observing the sur-
rounding scene, which Avas more delightflil than even fancy could
picture. It was situated in tlie midst of a rich vallev, throu^^h
which a stream from the neighbouring hill meandered in romantic
form. A church was nearly hid in the vale, and the rising ground
was fortified in eveiy direction. Over the whole the most ex-
quisite foliage exhibited its dBarming fruits, with all the richness
of a tropic region. Beneath the spreading cocoa, and the taller
yam, he was nightly amused with the cheerful dance, the negroes
assembling when they quitted labour, without any seemino-
appointment, but as a natural habit; sometimes they had, on
jours de fetts, or holidays, a particular entertainment of activity,
the piincipal part of which was the Calenda, or " dance of love."
On these occasions they were dressed with peculiar care : those
who had been recently employed in anns retaining some part of

2 H their

234

HISTORY OF ST. DO>nNGO.

CHAP. IV. their unifonn, and the females bedecked with various jewels:
' they had also a refection. The animation displayed by both
sexes in the dance was astonishing, which consisting entirely of
amatory history, was equal to many ballets winch are performed
on the French or Italian stage, while the dancers might have
been called, without any derehction from theCytherean goddess,
though not exactly comporting vdth her in complexion,

. " fair Venus' train."

1799.
Black repub
lie.

Manners,
&c.

The hauteur ^^ith which they passed the prison of " the white
man taken" was astonishing ; yet some seemed willing to pity
and relieve, but it arose rather from ostentation than mercy.
One circumstance, however, occurred that remains deeply
impressed in his bosom, and relieves his mind while recording
it, which would have done honor to the most dignified of a dit-
ferent complexion.

After lying two nights on a couch, formed of dried sugar-
canes, with a very slender supply of food, the prisoner had re-
signed himself to the vacuity- of despafr; he was stretched out in
silent agonv, when, as the night closed in, and the mirthful troops
had progre^ively retired, a gentle female voice, with the tenderest
accents, aroused his attention. How long the benign object had
been there, he could not ascertain; but, when he looked up, and
beheld her, his feelings were indescribable : she was a fine figure,
rather tall, and slender, with a face most beautiful, and a form
of the fmest symmetry, improved by the melancholy air which

the

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

^35

*- the scene had given her. She was dressed in a superior style,
and possessed all the elegance of European manners, improved
by the most expressive carriage. She held a basket, containing
the most dehcate food, with the finest fruits : she entreated him
to receive them silently, and to destroy any remnants, as a dis-
covery would be fatal to her, and prejudicial to himself He
was about to reply with the ardour of gratitude, when, in an
' instant, she was gone ! On the following evening, she returned,
and endeavoured to comfort him with the most obliging expres-
sions; and, by evincing extreme anxiety on his behalf, once more
hght up the illusion of hope in his breast, which he had aban-
doned, with all human prospects, for ever. The next evening
she repeated her visit, and condescended to favor him with more
extensive communication. Still not a word occurred to disclose
her name, or situation: once, indeed, she made some distant
allusions to the English, which led him to imagine, she had been
impressed with gratitude towards the country bv some oblio-a-
tion. Whatever her name, or whatever her circumstances, if this
slight memorial should live to reach that delightful isle, in which,
as an angelic representation of mercy, she may yet stay the hand
of the destroyer, it will bear to her the sincere effusions of a
grateful heart, which, though bruised by those of a fairer skin,
can never discharge its sense of duty.*

The

CHAP. ly.

17J9.

Black repub-
lic.

Mannen,
&c.

* I have ever conceived this adventure as highly iUustrative of the character of the .,ex
conveyed m the eulogium of Lediard, which contains sentiments I have always delighted to
repeat.-" I have," says he, «' always remarked, that women, in all countries, are ci^il,

^ *^ 2 obliain?.

236

■HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. VI. The faithful commander of the vessel, fi-om whose mishap this
1799. dreadful circumstance arose, never long quitted the spot, and fre-
Bkckrepub- ^^^^^^^j^^ ventured to whisper consolation, though with the greatest
Manners, ^^j^g^j. ^^ himsclf ; for it appeared a political method to expose
the victims of justice, none being knowingly permitted to ap-
proach them. Whatever he heard, however, to relieve the dread-
ful suspense of his friend, the taciturnity of the jailor tended to
contradict, as little could be obtained of information from him,
except his assuring him every night, that he would be certainly
hanged on the morrow. . ' '•

■'However, on the morn of the fifteenth day, when he had ven-
tured to disengage himself of a part of his dress, for the jxirpose
. of a temporary relief from the weight of his chains, the answer of
- Toussaint arrived, bringing, instead of (as was folly expected)
the confinnation of the sentence, an order froîii that truly great
man for his release, and to be suffered to proceed on his voyage,
with this prohibition, eonve3^ed with much shrewtlness, but the
.greatest mao-nanimit^^ " That he must never return to this island
without proper passjwrts!" ' " _' "

: obliging, tender, and humane; that they are ever mclmed to be gay and cheerful, timorous
aud°modest; and, that they do not feesitate, like men, to perform a kind, or generous auc-
tion. Not haughty nor arrogant, not supercilious, they are full of courtesy, and fond of
society— more liable in general to err than man, bat m general, also, more virtuous, and
performmg more good actions than he. To a woman, whether civilized or savage, I never
addressed myself u> the language of decency and friendship, without receiving a decent and
friendly answer. Witb man it has often -been otbcrwise." ;.|, ^,

With many opportunities of judging in various countiics, and .in various situations,
1 warmly subscribe to this just enconuuro.-- - ' ^

: u s: 2 he

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO,

237

To describe his feelings on such an unexpected reverse, would chap. iv.
be difficult and useless. Restored to himself once more, he did 1799.
not long remain on a part of the island where his sufferings would lic.
have tended to efface the agreeable impressions received at Cape &c!°°^'^^''
François. Once he tried to trace the haunts of his benevolent
incognita, but in vain. She was impervious. He again bade
adieu to this interesting soil, and at length reached his long-
desired destination, the island of Martinique.*

* It is necessary to add, that on his arrival he met with the usual kindness and
urbanity of the commander in chief, General Cuyler, who ordered him a remuneration for
the loss of his baggage, and to whom he is mdebted. for many polite attentions since. He
has been also informed, that he. was honored with a congratulatory letter from his Royal
Highness the Duke of York, which, from some unaccountable accident, he did not re-
ceive.

CHAP.

View of the Black Army, and the War hetzceen the Trench Republic
and the Independent Blacks of St. Domingo.

J. HE close of the eighteenth century, a period marked by
the grandest operations and the most gigantic projects, presented
to the world, a new and organised empire, where it was not
cyily supposed to be impossible to exist, but, where even its
existence was denied, although it was known by those connected
with that quarter of the globe to have taken place, and under
the most flourishing auspices. The beneficent and able black,
Toussaint L'Ouverture, devoid of the extraneous policy of the
governors of ancient states, no sooner found himself at ease from
the complicated warfare with which, from the first moment of
his gOA'ernment he had been surrounded, than he evinced equal
talents for the arts of peace, with those which he had invariably
displayed in the field ; and that mercy which had ever accom-
panied him in victory, now transfused itself in a mild and
humane policy in the legislature. His first care was to establish,
5 on

240

HISTOEY OF ST. DOMINGO.

ill

'I'

^^^B 1

CHAP. V. on a firm foundation, the ordinances of religion, according to the
isoo. existing constitutions of society, to watch over the morals, and
«xcite the industry of those who had committed themselves to
his charg^e.

The effects of these exertions were quickly evident throughout
his dominion. Such was the progress of agriculture from this
period, that the succeeding crop produced (notwithstanding the
various impediments, in addition to the ravages of near a ten years
war) full one third of the quantity of sugar and coffee, which
had ever been produced at its most prosperous }>eriod. The
increase of population was such, as to astonish the planters resi-
dent in the mother countiy, who could not conceive the possibility
of preventing that falling off, in the riiimbers of the negroes,
which formed their absolute necessity for supplying them by the
slave-trade. Health, became prevalent throughout the countr5%
with its attendant, cheerfulness, that exhilarator of labor.

■Having inb'oduced in a prominent light the suqDrising cha-
racter, to whose talents and energies, the inhabitants of this re-
generated island were indebted for their then existing adA'antage^
it becomes necessary to present the reader Avith û view of the
circumstances which accompanied a life so important in the his-
tory of 9t. Domingo.

Life and ToussAiNT L'OuYERT u'r'e was bom a slavc in the year 1745,

ToSmt" on the estate of the Count de Noé, at a small distance from Cape

L'Ouverture. -^

1 rançois.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

241

François, in the northern province of St, Domingo, a spot since chap. \
remarkable as the very source of revolution,* and site of a
camp, (that of Breda,) from whence its native general has issued
mandates more powerful than those of any monarch on the
earth.

1800.
MS. account.

Mhile tending his master's flocks, the genius of Toussaint
began to expand itself, by an attention towards objects beyond
the reach of his comprehension ; and without any other oppor-
tunity- than was equally possessed by those around him, who
remained nearly in impenetrable ignorance, he learnt to read,
WTite, and use figures. Encouraged by the progress he rapidly
made in these arts, and fired with the prospect of higher attain-
ments, he employed himself assiduously in the further cultivation
of liis talents. His acquirements, as is oftentimes the case, under
such circumstances, excited the admiration of his fellow .slaves,
and fortunately attracted the attention of the attorney, or mana-
ger of the estate, IVI. Baj'ou de Libertas. This gentleman, with
a discrimination honorable to his judgment, withdrew Toussaint
from the labor of the fields, to his o^^ii house, and began the
amelioration of his fortune, by appointing him his postilion, an
enviable situation among slaves, for its profit, and comparative
respectability.

This instance of patronage by M. Bayou, impressed itself strong-
ly on the susceptible mind of Toussaint. True genius and ele-

' See Chap. III. of t his work.

2i

rated

• 1

^42

Ilk.

vHMl'

IHl

m

Oral tradi-
tion.

HISTORY OF ST. DOxAllNGO;

CHAP. V. vated sentiments are inseparable ; the recollection of tlie most
isoo. trivial action, kindly bestowed in obscurity, or under the pressure
of adverse circumstances, warms the heart of sensibility, even in
the hour of popular favor, more than the proudest honors. This
truth was exemplified by the subsequent gratitude of Toussaint
towards his master. He continued to deserve and receive pro-
motion, progressively, to offices of considerable confidence.

. Among other traits fondly preserved in St. Domingo of the
conduct of Toussaint during the early period of his life, are
his remarkable benevolence towards the brute creation, and an
unconquerable patience. Of the former, many instances are
related which evince a mind endued wdth every good quality.
He knew how to avail himself so well of the sagacity of the
horse, as to perform w-onders with that animal, without those
cruel methods used to extort from them the docility exhibited
in Europe; he w^as frequently seen musing amongst the dif-
ferent cattle, seeming to hold a species of dumb converse, w hich
they evidently understood, and produced in them undoubted
marks of attention. They knew and manifested their acquaint-
ance, whenever he appeared ; and he has been frequently seen
attending with the anxiety of a nurse any accident which had
befallen them ; the only instance in w hich he could be roused
to irritation, was when a slave had revenged the punishment he
received fi'om his owner upon his harmless and unoffending cattle.
Proverbial became his patience, insomuch that it was a favorite
amusement of the young and inconsiderate upon the same estate,
4 -^ • ^o

IITSTORY OF ST. DOMINGO. :^4:'î

to endeavour to provoke him by wanton tricks and affected ma- chap, v':
lignity. But so perfectly he had regulated his temper, that he mo.
constantly answered with a meek smile, and accounted for their
conduct by such means, as would render it strictly pardonable.
To the law^ of self-preservation, or the misfortune of not knowing
the delight of philanthropy, he would attribute an act of brutal
selfishness; while he imputed to a momentary misapprehension,-
an inclination to rude and malicious controversy. Thus was his
passive disposition never in the smallest degree affected, being
ready on all occasions to conciliate and to bear, in circumstances
whether frivolous or of the highest importance.

At the age of twenty-five Toussaint attached himself to a MS.accounf.
female of similar character to his own, and their union cemented
by marriage, which does not appear to have been violated, con-
ferred respectability on their offspring. Still he continued a
slave; nor did the goodness of jM. Bayou, although it extended
to render him as happy as the state of servitude would admit,
ever contemplate the manumission of one who was to become a
benefactor to him and his famil}^ Such is the effect of ancient
prejudice, in obscuring, the highest excellence of our nature; he
-who would perform godlike actions without hesitation, from any
other cause, shrinks from a breach of etiquette, or a violation of
custom!

In the comforts of a situation possessing a degree of opulence,
Toussaint found leisure to extend the advantages of his early

2 I 2. acquisitions,

CHAP. V.

1800.

Mémoires du

General

Toussaint.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

acquisitions, and by the acquaintance of some priests, who pos-
sessed Kttle more of the character than the name, acquired the
knowledge of new sources of information, and a reUsh for books
of a superior order than first attracted his attention ; the author
of whom he became the most speedily enamoured, was the
Abbé Raynal, on whose history and speculations in philosophy
and politics he was intent for weeks together, and never quitted,
but with an intention to return, with renewed and additional
pleasure. A French translation of Epictetus for a time confined
him to its doctrines, which he often quoted ; but he soon sought
higher food for his capacious mind, and found in a portion of the
ancient historians, the summit of his wishes. He was there seen
studiously consulting the opinion of those who teach the conduct
of empires, or the management of war; yet, he neglected not
those who aim to harmonize the mind, and teach man him-
self; the only difference in his habits imbibing these treasures
created, w^as, an external polish, which imparted an uncommon
grace to his manners.*

The following books were conspicuous in the library of Toussaint, a list of which was
handed to the author in consequence of his inquiries respecting the progress of his mind ;
Scriptores de re INIilitari.

Cœsar's Commentaries, French translation, by De Crisse.
Des Claison's History of Alexander and Caesar.
D'Orleans' History of Revolutions in England and Spain.
INIarshal Saxe's Military Reveries.

Guischard's Military Memoirs of the Greeks and Romans.
Herodotus, History of the Wars of the Persians against the Greeks.
Le Beau's Memoirs of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belle's Lettres.
Lloyd's Military and Political Memoirs; the Works of the English Socrates, Plutarch,
Cornelius Nepos, &c. &c. &c.

,5 -, Thus

^k..k.iJÉiy*Bb>J^_ ,

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

245

Thus proceeded this illustrious man : like the simple acorn, chap. v.
first promiscuously scattered by the winds, in its slow but beau- isoo-
teous progress to the gigantic oak, spreading its foliage with
august grandeur, above the minor growth of the forest, defend-
ing the humble shrub, and braving the fury of contending ele-
ments.

Continuing on the estate on which he was born, when the
deliberations preceding the actual rebellion of the slaves, were
taking place upon the plantation of Noè, the opinion of him
who was always regarded with esteem and admiration was soli-
cited. His sanction was of importance, as he had a number of
slaves under his command, and a general influence over his
fellow negroes. Among the leaders of this terrible revolt were
several of his friends, who he had deemed worthy to make his
associates for mutual intelligence; yet, from whatever cause is
not ascertained, he forbore in the first instance to join in the
contest of liberty. It is probable that his manly heart revolted
from cruelties attendant on the first burst of revenge in slaves
about to retaliate their wrongs and sufferings on their owners.
He saw that the innocent would suffer with the guilty; and that
the effects of revolution regarded future, more than present jus-
tice. When the cloud charged with electric fluid becomes too
ponderous, it selects not the brooding murderer on the barren
heath, but bursts, perhaps, indiscriminately, in wasteful ven-
geance, o'er innocent flocks reposing in verdant fields.

There

246

CHAP. V.

ISOO.

HISTORY OF ST. rOMINGO.

There were ties which connected Toussaint more strondv
than the consideration of temporary circumstances. These ^vere,
gratitude for the benefits received from his master, and gene-
rosity to those who vrere about to fall,— not merely beneath
the stroke of the assassin, for that relief from their sufferings was
not to be allowed to all, but likewise the change of situations
of luxury and splendour, to an exile of danger, contempt, and
povert}^, with all the miseries such a reverse can accumulate.

Toussaint jjrepared for the emigration of M. Ba^-ou de Liber-
tas, as if he had onh^ removed for his pleasure, to the Ameri-
can continent. He found means to embark produce that should
form a useful provision for the future ; procured his escape with
his family, and contrived every plan for his convenience : nor
did his care end here, for after M. Bayou's establishment in safety
at Baltimore, in Maryland, he availed himself of every opportu-
nity to supply any conceived deficiency, and, as he rose in cir-
cumstances, to render those of his protégée more qualified to
his situation, and equal to that warm remembrance of the ser-
vices he owed him, Mhich would never expire.

Having provided for the safety of his master in the first in-
stance, Toussaint no longer resisted the temptations to join the
army of his country, which had (at this period) assumed a regu-
lar form.* He attached himself to the corps, under the command

* It is pleasing to reflect, that Toussaint was not the only instance of a similar conduct
to the present. It occurred, with many variations, in numerous cases j an eminent instance
of which will be found in the third chapter of this work.

of

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

247

of a courageous black chief, named Biassou, and was appointed chap. v.
next in command to him. Though possessed of striking abiUties,

1800.

the disposition of this general rendered him unfit for the situa- Vk de Tous-

1-111111- 1 11 saint, &c.

tion which he held; his cruelty caused him to be deprived of a
power which he abused. No one was found equally calculated,
to supply his place, with the new officer, Toussaint; therefore,
quitting for ever a subordinate situation, he was appointed to the
command of a division.

If during this early period of his life, the black general had
shone conspicuously, through every disadvantage, M'ith the
brightest talents and the milder virtues, he now rose superior to
all around him, with the qualities and rank of an exalted chief.
Every part of his conduct was marked by judgment and bene-
volence. By the blacks, who had raised him to the dignity he
enjoyed, he was beloved with enthusiasm ; and, by the public
characters of other nations, with whom he had occasion to
communicate, he was regarded with every mark of respect and
esteem. General Laveaux called him " the negro, the Sparac-
tacus, foretold by Ravnal, whose destiny it was to avenge the
wrongs committed on his race :" and the Spanish IMarquis d'Her-
mona declared, in the hyperbole of admiration, that " if the
Supreme had descended on earth, he could not inhabit a heart
more apparently good, than that of Toussaint L'Ouverture."

His powers of invention in the art of war, and domestic
government, the wonder of those who surrounded, or opposed

him,

HISTORY OF ST, DOMINGO.

him, had not previously an opportunity for exhibition as at
the period to which we have arrived in this history. Em-
barrassed by a variety of contending factions among the
blacks, and by enemies of different nations and characters, he
was too much occupied in evading the blows constantly medi-
tated in different quarters, to find leisure for the display of that
wisdom and magnanimity which he so eminentlj^ exercised. Ne-
vertheless, a variety of incidents are recorded in the fleeting me-
morials of the day to corroborate the excellence of his character,
and still more are impressed on the memory of all who have
visited the scene of his government. Notwithstanding the
absoluteness of military jurisdiction, which existed with extra
power, no punishment ever took place without the anxious en-
deavours of the General-in-Chief to avoid it, exerted in every
way that could be devised. No object was too mean for his
remonstrance, or advice; nor any crime too great to be sub-
jected to the rules he had prescribed to himself The punish-
ment of the idle or immoral laborer was, being withdrawn from
agriculture, and condemned to a military service dangerous or
severe. In cases of treason he was peculiarly singular in his
ideas, and the following incident will afford a specimen : —

Shortly after General Maitland arrived upon the island, four
Frenchmen were retaken who had deserted the black chief with
aggravated treachery. Every one expected a ^•indictive punish-
ment, and of course a cruel death. Leaving them, however, in
suspence as to their fate, he ordered them to be produced in

church

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

249

church on the following Sabbath, and, while that part of the chap. y.
sen-ice was pronouncing Avhich respects mutual forgiveness, he """ST^
went with them to the front of the altar, ^vhere, impressing them
with the flagitiousness of their conduct, he ordered them to be
discharged without farther punishment.

It probably may be expected that something should be men- Character
tionedof the general character of Toussaint ; and, if there was
any object predominant m the wishes of the writer during his
sojourn at the Cape, it was-to ascertain the traits of pecuharity
in that individual,-to judge of the views, and of the motives
that actuated him. The result of his obser^-ations was in every
respect favorable to this truly great man. Casual acts of justice
and benignity may mark the reign of anarchy itself, and com-
placency sometimes smooth the brow of the most brutal t^Tant;
but when the man, possessed for a considerable period, of un-
limited power, (of whose good actions no venal journalist was the
herald, but, to transcribe his errors a thousand competitors were
ready) has never been charged with its abuse; but, on the con-
trary, has preserved one line of conduct, founded by sound sense
and acute discernment on the most honorable basis, leaning only
to actions of magnanimity and goodness; he has passed the
strongest test to which he can be submitted; who, with the
frailties of human nature, and without the adventitious aids of
those bom to rule, held one of the highest situations m so-
ciety.

!2 K

His

HISTOEY OF ST. DOMINGO.

Hig government does Bot appear to have been sullied by the
influence of any ruling passion; if a thirst of power had prompted
him alone, he would have soon ceased to be a leader of insur-
gents: had avarice swaved him, he, like many others, could have
retired early in the contest, with immense riches, to the neigh-
bouring continent; or had a sanguinary revenge occupied his
mmd, he would not so often have offered those pathetic appeals
to the understanding, which were the sport of his colleagues,
on crimes which the governors of nations long civilized would
have sentenced to torture ! His principles, when becoming an
actor in the revolution of his countrj^ were as pure and legiti-
mate, as those which actuated the great founders of liberty in any
former age or clime.

Such was the character of Toussaint L'Ouverture, as regarded
his office of Commander in Chief, and Governor of the island
of St. Domingo. In his relations towards other countries, he
appears to have excited admiration for his justice, and the com--
tesy of every enlightened state : the charges of his most inveterate
enemies never extended to a fact that can diminish the well-
earned eulogies he has obtained. His rules of conduct were the
emanations of a mind capacious and well informed; and but for
the exertions of his talents, or those of some chief equally able,
indefatigable, and sincere, the country, now bloom^ing with cul-
ture, and advancing in true civilization, might have been a ruined
state, sacrificed to theconflicts of disappointed ambition, revenge,
and the whole train of evils which a multiplicity of factions could
. create.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

251

create. That there should be found partizans of each of these chap. v.
factions in the then divided state of France, to complain of every isoo.
arrangement formed by this astonishing individual, is to be ex-
pected, rather than wondered at; and to these motives alone,
there is no reason to doubt, may be ascribed all the calumnies
which have been vented against him.

In his private life, Toussaint lost none of the excellence of
that character which is conspicuous in his public actions. With
much sensibility, he supported an even temper in domestic pri-
vacy; and in contra-distinction to the general custom of other
great men, might be considered equally an hero in the closet as
the field. To his wife, a sensible and affectionate woman, he
behaved with the most endearing tenderness and consideration,
and to his children imparted all the warmth of paternal affec-
tion; j-et he had no overweening fondness to conceal their faults
from his notice, even the smallest want of proper attention to an
inferior, was censured Avith severit}^ proportionate to the differ-
ence of their condition. If thc}'^ obtained not knowledge from
the transitory nature of human circumstances, so necessary to
check the pride of birth or situation, almost alwaj^s manifest in
children reared in affluence, it was not the fault of a father whose
life v.as conspicuous for humility of disposition, and a diffidence
of his powers, proportionable to the elevation of his rank, or the
accumulation of his honors. As his children grew to an age capable
of that education Avhich his individual acquirements instructed

2 K 2 him

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP, V. him as necessarj^ to the sphere of hfe in which they were to move,
isoo. Toussaint procured for them the best tutors he could obtain, and
afterwards sent them to France under their care, for the advan-
tages of higher instruction.— His leisure, which was not great,
was occupied in reheving those who suffered in any way un-
deservedly; nor did he, as is often the case in the world, weigh
guilt by incapacity or distinction. The weak of every descrip-
tion were his peculiar care; the strong in intellect, the mighty
in war, or the amiable in domestic life, shared alike his es-
teem,

r

In person, Toussaint was of a manly form, above the middle
stature, with a countenance bold and striking, yet full of the
most prepossessing suavity— terrible to an enemy, but inviting
to the objects of his friendship or his love. His manners and
' his deportment were elegant when occasion required, but easy
and familiar in common ;— when an inferior addressed him, he
bent with the most obliging assiduity, and adapted himself pre-
cisely, without seeming condescension, to their peculiar circum-
stances. He received in public a general and voluntary respect,
which he was anxious to return, or rather to prevent, by the
most pleasing civilities. His uniform was a kind of blue jacket,
with a large red cape falling over the shoulders ; red cuffs, with
eight rows of lace on the arms, and a pair of large gold epau-
lettes thrown back; scarlet waistcoat and pantaloons, with half
boots; round hat, with a red feather, and a national cockade;

these,

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

25a

these, with an extreme large sAvord, formed his equipment.— He chap. v.
was an astonishing horseman, and travelled with inconceivable isoo.
^apidit}^

Thus are given tlie rough outlines of the character of Tous-
saint; for the shades it will be necessary to consider what
foibles could have existence with the virtues described. It is
not intended to sully the present account by the absurdity of
attempting to hold him up as a perfect character; but thus
much is certain, that if he had any peculiar vices, he had the
address to conceal them from the most scrutinous and industrious
observer.

Toussaint, surrounded by men of letters and science, whom
various circumstances had brought from the mother country
found little difficulty in the formation of a temporary constitu-
tion, of which justice and equality (of right only, not of property)
should be the basis. Among those from whom he received
important assistance was the Citizen Pascal, a descendant of
the celebrated writer of that name, who inherited the talents
of his ancestor. He had been sent to Cape François bv the
Executive Directory, in the fourth year of the revolution, as
secretary to the agents of the republic; when he married the
daughter of a mulatto in office, named Raymond, and acquired
by the connection a considerable property. He attached him-
self earJy to Toussaint, with the Abbé Molière, and an Italian/

ecclesiastic,

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. ecclesiastic, of considerable talents, named Marinit, who were
1800. always about his person.*

Having settled the grand object of his care, particularly as
regarded the safety of the white inhabitants, he next devoted
himself to the regulation and increase of his army, on a scale
fitting the importance of the country under his care. At the
time of his treaty with General Maitland, his force in the nor-
thern province amounted to something less than 40,000 men,
but they were soon increased to nearly double that number,
and at this time exceeded all conception.f As they were neces-
sarily divided in the different provinces, he prepared for a journey
round the island for the purpose of reviewing them, and appoint-
ing the districts, as well as settling the officers to command them,
with greater success and accuracy than could be ddne at a dis-
tance. Vast quantities of ordnance and stores of different kinds
were accumulated at different posts, which would be more useful
when distributed. He was desirous of becoming kno^\ii to a

* Filling every public office with men of talents and letters in France, (as they confessedly
do,) it was scarcely possible to appoint any but persons of ability to the foreign depart-
ments; which accounts for the easy acquisition of such persons, to the liberal Toussaint.

t Colonel Chalmers, in his " Remarks on the late War in St. Domingo," supposes certain
muster-rolls, which he describes to have been in the possession of Toussaint's adjutant-
general at the .Mole, stating the force (ui that quarter) at 35,000 men, to contain the whole
effective force of the island, and even then ridicules the idea of its being so strong ! It
causes an involuntary smile to see such opinions seriously delivered, or to observe the
mutual censures of General Maitland and Toussaint, for not continuing a war of annihi-
lation, by Colonel Chalmers on one side, and Stephen Mentor, the black seceder, on the
other. „.

great

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

255

great number of brare men who were attached to his army, chap. v.
many of whom had received a mihtary education in the mother

1800.

country, and could be placed in situations of responsibility ; hc.
others, too, required local appointments, for the purpose of re- 'J^^'^^'"''
siding in situations with which they were acquainted ; and it was
the wish and policy of Toussaint, to know and gratify them all.
— The animation of his presence was also necessary to troops, (in
some few instances, perhaps, languid,) who were ambitious of
being seen by their General in Chief, whose very name acted
Avith electric force on all. In the capital of the Spanish part of
the island, another reason proved the necessity of a visit from the
General in Chief Notwithstanding the cession of the Spanish
colony to France in 1795, and that it had been taken possession
of by the generals Paul L'Ouverture, (the brother of Toussaint,)
and D'Hebecour, who had garrisoned the different posts, a force
still remained in the city of St. Domingo, under Don Joachim
■Garcia, insubordinate to the present government; Toussaint,
therefore, with that promptitude for which he was remarkable,
though not without due consideration, set out upon this important
tour.

The reception the General met with in every town and Tour of

Toussaint

villaere through which he passed, and at every port he visited, L'Ouverture

° ® _ ^ _ -^ ^ through the

was such as to have gratified the vanity of the proudest potentate, isiaud.
All orders, civil or military, vied with each other in their modes
of respect, while the women and children lined the road sides, to
bless the pacificator of their country. On every face was depicted

content

HISTORY OV ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V- content and health, and in every place appeared universal satis-
ÏSOO. faction. Every means were used to declare the general pleasure
with which he was viewed. Garlands, and fantastic wreaths>
were woven by those who could do no more. Superb decorations
covered the houses of proprietors, and triumphal arches graced
his entry to every town. The military, in their proudest array,
were anxious to obtain approbation by a soldier-like appearance,
and a variety of plans were formed bj^ the maritime people to
testify their accordance with the public respect. Innumerable
instances might be mentioned which would assume the air of
romance, of the singular testimonies which occurred to honor
him, and do justice to his character.

In one place, a respectable negro, of the age of ninety-nine,
seated on a wicker chair, presented to him ten sons, the children
of one wife, employed in agriculture, but ready to devote them-
selves to the service of their country whenever it should be
necessary. Three sisters hung over their father, as if fearfng
to lose the protection of their brothers. All produced certifi-
cates of propriety and industry from their employers, and their
neighbours, a part of whom surrounded them. Toussaint leaped
from his horse, and knelt at the feet of the old man. " Respectable
age," said he, " it is to such members as you, that your country
is this day indebted for peace and freedom !" As he arose, an
aid-de-camp directed his attention to a solitary jouth, who stood
at a short distance, unnoticed. " Who is that," exclaimed the
General, " apparently miserable on such a day :" He was in-
1 formed

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

formed it was one who had disgraced the family now presented
to him, in many instances, and had lately encouraged his sister
in vice. At this moment an interesting female rushed from the
crowd, holding an infant in her arms, with the appearance of
extreme anguish, exclaiming, " It is for me. General, that the
poor Antony is calumniated."— Her tears interrupted her.—" I
could not part with my child, though rejected by his father, and
denied even permission to labor in the same plantation with my
family, because I quitted it, and nearly starving, engaged myself
to another less desirable — My affectionate brother lent me all
the aid his own labors could spare, and when I was to remove,
solicited an addition from my other brothers and sisters. He was

refused, and he" " He robbed them, perhaps, to supply you,"

interrupted the General; "thereby violating his duty to his family,
his country, and himself;— this is wrong ;— there was something,
likewise, erroneous in withholding your child from the protec-
tion it would have received ; j^et," turning to the old man who
had claimed his approbation, " we must not, father, reject the
unfortunate; it is not sufficient to be just, we must also be mer-
ciful, recollecting how much need we all have for mercy. Sully,
not, therefore, the happiness you enjoj^ with the recollection
of one individual less happy by your means, much more your
son, (leading him towards the old man,) or your daughter,
(doing the same). The impressive manner of the General
(though the transaction lasted but a few minutes) drew tears
from the whole ; the family instantly caressed their brother and

2 L sister.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. sister, and Toussaint, re-mounting his horse, was quickly out of
1800. sight.

He never stoped to court the attention of the multitude, but
having returned the civilities which every where crowded uport
him, galloped on, leaving his aides, or Avhoever accompanied
him, frequently out of sight. Innumerable acts of discriminative
goodness are related of him during this route, and the day, where-
ever he was, was a day of peace and pleasure.

The effects of this tour were very evident, by the uniform refor-
mation in every part of the island. The municipal governments
were brought into one general system, and a chain of communi-
cation established. The different brigades were rendered more
effectiA'e by the better arrangement of the troops composing
them, and armed posts were established throughout the island,
well supplied with the ordnance his enemies had left behind.
In fact, every part was put in a situation to withstand the
utmost force of an enemy, however powerful, and to dispute
with them ever}'" inch of ground. Nor, during an attention to
the internal safety of the country- in a military view, were its
maritime interests forgotten, exerj commercial encouragement
was offered to the neighbouring islands and the continent; the
safety of the whites was established, and their power of injuring
the state curtailed.

Toussaint

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

259

1300.

Toussaint returned to the Cape, accompanied by a numerous chap. v.
suite, in which was a selection of the principal talents of the
island. He was received with redoubled pleasure to what he
had previously- experienced on returning to the capital, from the
length of his absence, and the reports of his conduct, which had
preceded him from even.- quarter. Neither was this fame con-
fined to the boundaries of St. Domingo ; it ran through Europe,
and in France his name was frequently pronounced in the Senate
with the eulog}- of polished eloquence.

It being necessary- that the constitution, which in effect now

isoi.

existed, should be pubhshed, for the assurance of its permanent Declaration
execution, and the proper understanding of the different inhabit- ence. ^^^° "
ants and relations of the island, it was proclaimed on the 1st of
July 1801. At the head of the ceremony appeared the General
m Chief, and the code was promulgated in the name " of the
people"

The intercourse between France and St. Domingo, which had
been decreasing for some time previous to the proclamation, now
ceased altogether, except by private correspondence, which was
considerably checked. Still the late proprietors resident in or
near the French metropolis, languished for the recover}- of their
former importance, and every account of the flourishinc' state of
their beloved colony, awakened each lingering wish to new, but
vain hopes of a restoration. They even imagined, in every ame-
lioration of the island, an additional chance of succeeding to their

2 L 2

desires.

260

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO;

CHAP. V, desires, till they had schemed plans of operation, and imagined
ISO). means of execution, which themselves only could have devised or
understood. These were constantly obtruded on the French
government, who were too much employed in the complicated
politics of Europe to admit them into their views, and all that they
obtained was the promises with which they were bribed, as the
price, of forbearance from anti-revolutionaiy projects at home.

But a time was approaching when accident produced in a
moment what the labor of years could not effect, and obtained
for these misguided persons, the interference their restless spirits
desired. The government of France, having assumed a novel
and original form under the influence of a victorious dictator, for
whose firm establishment it required an interval of peace; and
the politics of that country, w4iich was the remaining enemy of
the republic, and the only nation in Europe capable of contending
with her, suggesting a similar measure, the two countries, after
communicating with political sincerity, came to the determination
of à cessation of hostilities, and the preliminaries were accordingly
executed. Thus the naval power of France, which for nine years
had not sailed from her ports with impunitj^ from the terror of the
British flag throughout the globe, was at liberty to perform all its
crippled state would permit, and to improve that state Mith every
possible advantage.*

This

* It is pamful (and dangerous) to hear tbe prevalence of an opmion,«veîi from those who
should be better informed, that the creation of a French navy is impossible, and that it is not

an

^1 *■ Mil

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

261

1801.

This \vas but a part of the circumstances arising from the peace chap. v.
of Europe favorable to the expatriated colonists of St. Domingo.
The labors of Bonaparte, First Consul of the Republic, hitherto
limited in exertions of military prowess, whose rapidit}^ and
eifect gave no opportunity for objection or scrutiny, were now
to be submitted to the test of cool examination. That personal
courage which had conquered a great part of the continent of
Europe, subverted foreign states, and removed a divided senate
at home, would not avail in the convictions of philosophy, or the
conciliation of jarring interests in a state of peace. It became,
therefore, necessar}^ to obtain a powerful influence in the cabinet
as well as in the field, and to assure to himself other interests
than those of humanit}^

At this period the party who had constantly beset the existino-
mmistr}% did not neglect a single opportunity of redoubling their
appeals to the present government, or of availing themselves of
every circumstance, to attach to their cause a more powerful
weight than it then possessed. They held out, in temptations of
the most florid description, the advantages daily lost to com-
merce ; and those who had till now been occupied in fitting out
numbers of privateers, began to think of an advantageous em-
ployment of their capital; others, whom the war had confined to
France, contemplated with pleasure trans-atlantic views, and the

an object of contemplation in the present ruler of France. That it is both the one and the
other IS most certain, and ihe writer «ill be less prophetic thaaiie has been, if a very few
years do not exhibit a confirmation.

enterprising

/

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

enterprizing regarded the troubles in St. Domingo, as an inviting
opportunitv of distinguishing themselves. In fact, ever}^ descrip-
tion of people became interested in the recovery of the colony,
forgetting ^\hat had passed in regard to the abolition of slavery'
in the same metropolis ; it became a popular cause, was introduced
into the assemblies, and the ladies became partizans, headed by
the favorite sister of the Fii-st Consul, the lady of General Le
Clerc. The mania spread into England -with the beauties of
the Consular court, and that nation, where the ministry and
people had blindly desired the abolition, at the expence of a
portion of their empire of commerce, and the ruin of a large
body of colonists, still more blindly joined in the popular wish
of returning to slavery, those who were completely emanci-

Bonaparté viewed the growing spirit with silence, and, it may
be, not without some regard to the character the victorious Black
had obtained in the mother country. A variety of circumstances
contributed to convince him of the necessity of some attention
(in the first instance) to the powerful requests which poured in
from every quarter ; the instance, also, of a power bidding him
defiance in a country which had not, by any regular process,
become separated from that government over which he was
called to preside, was repugnant to his feelings in the rank in
Avhich he was elevated. ^ladame Le Clerc, partaking in the
ambition ascribed to her brother, urged the measure of reducing
the island, to procure for her husband and herself something
2 more

1

ptt'^ J^J . — — -

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

263

more than was to be derived from basking in the beams of chap. v.

the First Consul; and the appointment of General Le Clerc
to a splendid conquest, was confining the dignity of it to the
family. When the inclination of Bonaparte was understood to
be favorable to the prospects of the colonists, means were
found to interest the most powerful merchants in their behalf,
and urged by those, on whose aid (in the present stage of his
government) he was aware much was to depend, this pene-
trating man, without any other information than that derived
through so partial a medium, consented to an expedition that
was to become an eternal blot upon a career, if not often
just or humane, at least always able, and frequently magnifi-
cent

isoi.

As, to devise and execute were the same thing with the First
Consul, this baneftil expedition was no sooner determined on,
than after forming a plan for the government of the colonies, and
submitting to the British government the circumstances of its
destination, to prevent the alarm which it must naturally create.
Its preparation was commenced, to add another shade to the
darkened side of human nature.

At the head of the expedition was placed General Le Expetiitio
Clerc, and such was the confidence of its success, that he t^Ju^"^
was accompanied by his lady, and her younger brother. Je- ffnfngo.'
rome Bonaparte. General Rochambeau, who had been a pro-
prietor, assisted with his advice the commander in chief, aiTd

also

/

CHAP. V.

HISTORY OF ST. DOmNGO.

also commanded a division. To them were added Generals
Kerversan and Boudet, with a force of tAventy thousand men.
The two sons of Toussaint L'Ouverture who had been educated
in France, were sent as hostages for the reception of the French
army by theh father, under the care of the tutors who had ac-
companied them. Admiral Villaret (who was in the service of the
regal government of France) commanded the fleet, under whom
were Rear- Admiral Latouche, and Captain Magon. The fleet
consisted of some of the best ships of the line, and a propor-
tionable number of frigates, transports, &c. The prevalent sen-
timent seemed to be, that after the first attack, a compromise
would be effected with Toussaint and the different chiefs, which
would enable the French force to establish itself throughout the
island, and complete the subjugation of the armed blacks.*

In the month of December the expedition sailed, amidst the
acclamations of all, who were either interested in its success, or

* The absurdity of this idea, wben the state of St. Domingo at the time is considered, and
the accumulated strength which the General in Chief had acquired from the defeat of every
enemy as well as the experience which the different contentions had atîorded him, is a sut-
ficient proof of the inconsideration with which Bonaparte was hurried into this .11-contrived
and ruinous measure. The wnter did not omit any means, both with those m power
and otherwise, to co^^-ince them of the futility of the scheme, and to caution the British
goveniment against the temptation afforded to Admiral Villaret, to turn i"-°--;° ^ J^^
Legible de^mation. But such was the pre-determined state oi the public m nd. that Ins
:piuions and his cautions were alike disregarded. Both have, however, ^een fu% corrobo
rated • and if the "feeble and divided:' blacks had not given a better account of the French
expedition, worse effects of such an inatteution might have been experienced As a curiosity,
w. en compared with the French General's dispatches, the antic.pation o his ate. as pub-
lished at the MiUtar,- Library in London lu the beginning of 1S02, will be found in the

Appendi.x to this work. ^ imagined

1

ner^r

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

265

imagined themselves so ; and arrived in the bay of Samana, on chap. v.

the eastern coast of the island, on the 28th of the same month. iso?.

When General Kerversan was dispatched with a division to

the city of St. Domingo ; Rear-Admiral Latouche was ordered

to carry the troops under the command of General Boudet to

Port-au-Prince ; and Captain ]Magon to land a division under

General Rochambeau in Mancenillo Bay, on the northern coast.

These divisions were directed so as to surprize different points of

the island at the same period; General Le Clerc proceeded, ^vith

the remainder of the troops, to the attack of the Black capital,

the city of Cape François, where he arri^^ed on the oth day.

Two frigates and a cutter being sent to reconnoitre the entrance

of the road and adjacent posts, were hred on fi'om Fort Pic-

colet.

In the mean time, the secret operations of the Consular cabi-
net had not been neglected ; a few civic officers among the
blacks, and several whites in that part of the country, intended
to be first attacked, were prepared, as far as they could, to
assist the designs of the invading army. The vigilance, ho^ACver,
of Toussaint had been exerted, and to every part of the island
where invasion was expected, or the smallest signs of defection
appeared, he had applied every means in his power to prevent
their approach towards the interior. He had many faithful
adherents distributed through the posts of danger and honor,
whose confidence in him nothing could alter. Although cau-

2 -M tions

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

tious of admittino- ahv sanouinarv law in his government, he had
proved to every officer under his command the impartiahty
by which he was guided, in the sacrifice of his own nephew.
General Moyse, Avhen a charge of injustice had been proved
against him. By attending to the prosecution of the necessary
measures for the internal defence of the island. General Tous-
saint was away from Cape François at the time the expedition
arrived.

General Christophe, who was left in command, on perceiving
the approach of the French fleet, sent the port captain, an expe-
rienced black officer, named Sangos, to acquaint the commander
of th€ expedition with the absence of the General in Chief; and

that it was necessar}' to wait the return of a courier he had
dispatched to him, previous to any steps for the disembarkation
of a military force ; on a refusal of which he should consider
the white people in his district as hostages for the conduct of the
French ; and that the consequence of attack upon any place
would be its immediate conilas^ration."

Upon this intimation. General Le Clerc conceived it expedient
to dissemble avrhile, till the eflPects of his interest, strength, and
success (in which was included the mayor of the city) should be
known, and accordingly began to administer the palliatives with
which he had been furnished from France. He wrote a mild letter
to General Christophe, stating the benign intentions of the Fii-st

Consul

1

CHAP. ^•

1302.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO,

Consul and himself towards the island, and inviting him to return
to his duty as a French citizen, with the most specious promises.
He enclosed copies of the proclamations brought with liim,
and a private letter from General Bonaparte to the General
in Chief, Toussahit. In this letter the Black General receives
ample indemnity for all that is passed, and the most encouraging
promises for the future. " We have conceived for you esteem,"
says the ruler of France, " and we wish to recognize and proclaim ■
the great services you have rendered to the French people : if
their colours fly on St. Domingo, it is to you, and your brave
blacks, that we owe it. Called by your talents and the force
of circumstances to the chief command, you have closed the
civil war, put a stop to the persecutions of ferocious men,
and restored to honor the religion and worship of God, from
whom all things come." Also, " The situation in which you
were placed, surrounded by enemies, and without the mother
country- being able to succour or sustain you, has rendered legi-
timate the articles of that constitution, ^vhich otherwise wouH
not be so,"* This dispatch was borne by a naval officer, named
Le Brun, who received in return a repetition in effect, but more
strongly expressed of the intimation recei^-ed bv Sanso*^

A deputation from the town, headed by the mavor, went 7

on board the fleet, who represented, with visible terror, that.

^67

See Moniteur, (the official journal of France,) March 21, 1802.-Dispatch of Le Clerc.

2 M 2 " oi

/

25^" ,HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

V. " on the first signal of a debarkation, the city and adjoining
estates would be set on fire, and the white people put to the
sword; and entreated General Le Clerc to take their unhappy-
circumstances into consideration." He received this deputation
wkh the greatest complacency, and sent them back with a
commission to read the proclamation of the First Consul in the
town, and to declare his good intentions towards the inhabitants;
Ceesar Telemache, the mayor, MfiUed their wishes in the most
open manner. The result was the same as before ; notwithstand-
ing the daring conduct of the chief municipal officer and others,
and the satisfaction of some whites, (who had been protected and
encouraged by the blacks,) at the prospect of the recapture of the
colony.

General Le Clerc, conceiving his friends to be sufficiently ripe
and numerous for his reception, and impatient to open his splen-
did career, arranged his plan for landing the troops at a point of
land called Du Limbe, a few miles to the westward, from whence
he conceived he might be able to gain the height of the Cape
before the negroes executed their threatened purpose, or at least,
land with less injury than he should be able to do, in the face of
a well fortified capital. Admiral Villaret was ordered to attack
the town by sea at the same time, which, with the descent of
Rochambeau at Fort Dauphin, would form a powerful diversion
in their favor. The whole was executed with the utmost diffir
culty, the blacks acting up to their orders, which were, " To de-
j fend

1

PttftU^fc^.

■ m^

HISTORY OF ST. POMINGOij

269

fend themselves against the French to the last extremity ; if pos- chap. v.
sible, to sink their vessels; and when a position could not be iSQ?.
maintained, to set fu'p to every thing in their retreat."* In
tlie evening, when Le Clerc came within sight of Cape Fran-
çois, the cit}'' was entirely in flames. The troops halted with
dismay to behold a scene so dreadful, the effects of which they
could not arrest, and the squadron beheld it in awful horror
from the water. The next morning they approached the ruins,
when every remaining habitation was deserted, and the fields
lying in waste. The emissaries of the French rallied around
their Chief, among whom was Caesar Telemaque, who was im-
mediately reinstated in the mayoralty. General Flumbert, who
had landed a body of twelve hundred men, and reduced a fort
to facilitate the entry of Le Clerc, had employed his men in
extinguishing the fire, and saving the city fi-om total destruc-
tion.

Two detachments were immediately dispatched to occupy Port
Paix and the Mole, who contrived, from the means which had
been used before the landing of the troops, to enlist (according
to their own account) upwards of a thousand black soldiers.
They, and several of the municipal officers, were attracted
by the proclamations plenteously dispersed, which were as fol-
low: /

* Moniteur, March 22.

Paris,

HISTORY- OF ST. DOMINGO.

" Palais, AW 8, 1801.

" IXH-\BITAXTS OF St. DoMINGO,

Whatever j^our origin or your color, you are all French ; j'ou
are all equal, and all free, before Ood, and before the Republic.

France, like St. Domingo, has been a prey to factions, torn
by intestine commotions, and foreign wars. But all has changed;
all nations have embraced the French, and have 5\vorn to them
peace and amity; the French people have embraced each other,
and have sworn to be all friends and brothers. Come also, em-
hrace the French, and rejoice to see again your European friends
and brothers.

" The government sends you the Captain-Geneml Le Clerc:
he has brought sufficient force for protecting you against youT
enemies; and against the enemies of the Republic. If it be said
to you their forces are destined to ravish fi-om you your libeity;
answer, the Republic will not suffer it to be taken from us.

" Rally round the Captain-General; he brings you abundance
and peace. Rally all of you around him. ^^ hoever shall dare
to separate himself from the Captain-General, will be a traitor to
his country, and the indignation of the country will devour him
as the fire devours your dried canes.
Done at Paris, &c,

(Signed) " The First Consul, Bonaparte.

The Secretary of State, H. B. Maret."

In

HISTORY OF ST. EOMINGO,

^271

In the mean time, Toussaint, who had been long preparing for
the event, had carefully examined the interior, and was ap-
proaching the scene of devastation. Notwithstanding the hostile
form in which the French araiament had approached his seat of
government, he was anxious to find, from their conduct, if he had
to expect an amicable proposition, or am- intention to support
with integrity the relation in which he stood to his countrymen.
Well acquainted with the political state of Europe, he could not
conceive that the man, who had confessedly (however advan-
tageous to his country) usurped a dictatorial power in France,
could contemplate the reduction of one who had been called to
equal power by the most legitimate of all authority, the Aoice
of the people. He knew, that presenting a vast extent of coast.
It would be impossible to prevent a debarkation at one point or
the other, therefore had pre-determined to suffer the French ta
land, if they insisted upon it, after a slight annoyance from the
forts, or adjacent posts; iDut, that previous to their landing, every
preparation should be made for securing the property of the inha-
bitants of the metropolis, or any other town, which should then
be set on fire, thus preventing them from taking that rest which,
after the voyage, they ivould naturally require, and impede their
penetration into the interior. These operations had been carefully
performed, and with so much attention to the whites in particular,
that many of them returned to their houses, in full possession of
their property after the capital was in possession of the French.
Toussaint, satisfied with the state in which he found every

preparation

/

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP.v. preparation for defence in the interior, determined to wait
''"S^ the event of the future motions of the French commander in
chief. '

The letter which the First Consul had written to Toussaint
remaining undelivered, the scheme, which a reliance on the feel-
ings of Toussaint had dictated, was not yet executed. Advices
had been received from the other divisions, that they had with
difficulty made good their landing, but all remained, as well as
Le Clerc, upon the coast, without any attempt to penetrate into
the interior. It was determined, as Toussaint's approach was
announced, to try the effect of the artifice which had been
prepared.

Accordingly Coisnon, the tutor of the sons of Toussaint, a
confidential agent in this expedition, w^as commissioned to con-
duct, an interview between the General and his children, who
had been prepared by the caresses of the First Consul, and the
enjoyment of every indulgence, to seduce their parent to an
acquiescence wdth the measures of the Captain-General Le
Clerc. Toussaint possessed a plantation called Ennery, about
ten leagues fi'om the Cape, w^here he was returning, which was
fixed upon as the scene of the intended interview. Thither they
repaired, but Toussaint had not returned ; they, however, met
such a reception as might be expected from a tender and affec-
tionate mother to her darling children, so long absent, and to

him

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

273

1S02.

him who appeared in the character of their restorer. Coisnon chap. v.
availed himself of the pressing invitation of this good and hos-
pitable woman to wait the return of her husband, that he might
ingratiate himself upon the softness of her nature sufficiently to
T^dn her over as an advocate to his cause. In the mean time,
a courier was dispatched to Toussaint, who was to bear the
pleasing invitation of his children, and the letter of the First
Consul. This was as follows :

" To Citizen Toussaint L'Ouverture, General in Chief of the Arnnj Letter of

of St. Dominoo. Bonaparte to

•^ Toussaint.

^' Citizen-General,
" Peace with England and all the powers of Europe, which
places the Republic in the first degree of greatness and power,
enables at the same time the government to direct its attention
to St. Domingo. We send thither Citizen Le Clerc, our brother-
in-law, in quality of Captain-General, as first magistrate of the
colony. He is accompanied with the necessary forces, to make
the sovereignty of the French people respected. It is under
these circumstances that we are disposed to hope that you will
prove to us, and to all France, the sincerity of the sentiments
you have constantly expressed in the different letters you have
written to us. We have conceived for you esteem, and we wish /
to recognize and proclaim the great services you have rendered
to the French people. If their colours fly on St. Domingo, it is
to you, and your brave blacks, that we oAve it. Called by yoiT

^ N taleiits.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO,

talents, and the force of circumstances, to the chief command,
you have conchided the civil war, put a stop to the persecutions
of some ferocious men, and restored the honor the religion and
the worship of God, from whom all things come.

The situation in which you were placed, surrounded on all

sides by enemies, and without the mother country being able to

, succour or sustain you, has rendered legitimate the articles of

that constitution which otherwise could not be so. But, now that

circumstances are so happily changed, you will be the first to

render homage to the sovereignty of the nation, which reckons

you among the number of its most illustrious citizens, by the

services you have rendered to it, and by the talents and the force

of character with which nature has endowed you. A contrary

conduct would be irreconcileable with the idea we have conceived

of you. It would deprive you of your numerous claims to the

o-ratitude and the good offices of the Republic, and would dig

under your feet a precipice which, while it swallowed you up,

.would contribute to the misery of those brave blacks, whose

courage we love, and whom we should be sorry to punish for

rebellion.

We have made kno\\Ti to your children, and to their pre-
ceptor, the sentiments by which we are animated. We send
them back to you. Assist with your counsel, your influence, and
your talents, the Captain-General. W^hat can you desire ?— the
feeedom of the blacks? You know that in all the countries we

have

1

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

275

1S02.

have been in ; we have given it to the people who had it not. chap. v.
Do you desire consideration, honor, fortune? It is not after the
sendees vou have rendered, the services vou can still render,
and with the personal estimation we have for you, that you ought
to be doubtful with respect to your consideration, your fortune,
and the honors that await vou.

" Make kno^vn to the people of St. Domingo, that the soli-
citude which France has always evinced for their happiness, has
often been rendered impotent by the imperious circumstances of
war; that if men came from the Continent to nourish factions,
they were the produce of those factions which destroyed the
country; that in future peace, and the power of government,
ensure their prosperity and freedom. Tell them, that if liberty
be to them the first of wants, they cannot enjoy it but with the
title of French citizens, and that every act contrary to the interests
of the country, the obedience they owe to the government, and
the Captain-General, who is the delegate of it, would be a crime
against the national sovereignty which would eclipse their ser-
vices, and render St. Domingo the theatre of a cruel Wcir, in
which fathers and children would massacre each other.

" And you. General, recollect, that if you are the first of your
colour that attamed such great powder, and distinguished himself
hy his braver}^ and his militar}' talents, you are also before God
and us the principal person responsible for their conduct.

2n2

f\{

276

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

" If there be disaffected persons, \Tbo say to the individuals
that have borne a principal part in the troubles of St. Domingo,
that we are coming to ascertain what they have done during the
times of anarclw, assure them that we shall take cognizance of
their conduct only in this last circumstance, and that we shall not
recur to the past, but to fnid out the traits that may have distin-
guished them in the war carried on against the Spanish and
English, who have been our enemies.

" Rely without reserve on our esteem, and conduct yourself as
one of the principal citizens of the greatest nation in the world

ought to do»

" The First Consul, Bonaparte.'

On the receipt of these dispatches, Toussaint set out on his
return home, which he reached the next night. In the mter-
vening day, Coisnon apphed his powers of elocution on the wife
of Toussaint Avith ardour equal to the baseness of his design.
Like the serpent at the ear of the general mother, he whispered
«very delusion that crafty knowledge could devise, to tempt the
unsuspecting woman, whose caution was enveloped in the de-
light of enfolding her children, (who were much improved by the
advantages of European habits and mamiers,) to use her soft
influence with her husband. Inspired by the news that his
Interview of children were at their paternal home, Toussaint arrived with
vith his more than common rapidity. The mother shrieked, and became
insensible when he approached ; his sons ran to meet him ; and

(with

Su ««■' & te^ -_ V .

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

277

(with eyes glistening with the emotions of the father) he clasped chap. \.
them without utterance to his arms. isos.

Of a scene equal to the highest effort of the drama, nan-a-
tion can give no semblance, without using the language of pas-
sion so dangerous to truth. Enough, how^ever, is learned from
the self-condemning account of the tutor,* to prove, that it was
of the most affecting nature. This wretch, with a heart cold
as the cell in which he was bred, view ed the emotions of this
interesting family, only to take advantage of their situation.
When the first hurst of joy and affection M'ere over, and the
hero turned to caress him, to whom he immediately owed the
delight he had experienced, Coisnon began his attack. " I saw
them shed tears," says he, " and, wishing to take advantage of a
period which I conceived to be favorable, I stopped him at the
moment when he stretched out his arms to me;" then recapi-
tulated the letters of Bonaparte and Le Clerc, and invited him
to accede to them. He painted the intentions of France towards
the island in the most fascinating language ; described the ad-
vantages of resuming its relation with the mother country, and
declared, with the utmost solemnity, that it was not the intention
to interfere with the libert\^ of the blacks; concluding with a
wound that struck to the heart of Toussaint, — his orders to retuni
with his charge to the Cape immediately, if he did not consent.
The wife of Toussaint, recovered from the convulsive jov with

* Report of Coisnon to the French ministry.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

V- which she was seized, commenced soUcitations of a milder kind,
and, notwithstanding the check, by a frown, from that face which
had always beamed with tenderness upon her, continued to urge
the advantages with which she was impressed. The uncon-
scious children described the happiness in which they had been
nurtured, and the hero seemed to hesitate in opposing solicita-
tions so tender, when the well practised tutor again assailed him,
but becoming less cautious, hinted at his immediate junction with
the Captain-General. Toussaint, now confirmed in his suspicions,
instantly retired from the view of his wife and children, and
when Coisnon expected, with infernal pleasure, his fraudulent
victory, gave him this dignified determination. " Take back my
children, if it must be so, I will be faithful to my brethren and
my God!" The characters of father and hero could not agree in
this trying situation. Toussaint did not risk another sight of
his children, but in less than two hours from the moment of his
arrival, departed again for the camp, from whence he returned
a formal answer to the letter of General Le Clerc. This cir-
cumstance appears to have developed in a clearer view the in-
tentions of the invaders, and is an explanation of the marked
hostility in the onset, although professed to be only intended, to
re-establish the colonial relation of the island to France. The
answer was conveyed by Granville, the tutor of the younger
sons of Toussaint, a Frenchman ; and a correspondence was con-
tinued with the same demands on the one part, and an evasion
of satisfactory explanation on the other.

At

Bgt&LVJ

.^. - ^M .-^.

1802.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

At length, finding the surrender of Toussaint not to be accom- chap. v.
plished by artifice, and wearied with the situation to which he
was conhned, instead of the pleasures of a court. General Le
Clerc became impatient, and on the arrival of Admiral Gan-
tbeaume with a supply of two thousand three hundred men, with
the prospect of an additional reinforcement under Admiral Linois,
in a moment of irritation, on the 1 7th of February, issued a pro-
clamation which seemed designed to hold the French army to
contempt, and to resign all claim to that ability or design which
at least marks their compositions of this kind.

" I come," says he, " to restore prosperity and abundance ! Second

proclama-

Everv one must see what an insensible monster he is!" (Tous- tionofthe

Captain-
saint.) " I promise liberty to the people of this island. I shall General

Le Clerc.

make them rejoice ! and I shall respect their persons and property.
I order as follows :

" Art. I. The General Toussaint and the General Christophe,
are put out of the protection of the law. All citizens are ordered
to pursue them, and to treat them as the enemies of the French
Republic.

"II. From the day on which the French army shall occupy a
position, all officers, whether civil or military, who shall obey
other ordei-s than those of the generals of the army which I com-
mand, shall be treated as rebels.

III. ^Y

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

Ill, The cultivators, who, seduced into error, and deceived by
the perfidious insinuations of the rebel general, may have taken
arms, shall be regarded as children who have strayed, and shall
be sent to their plantations, provided they do not seek to excite
insurrection.

" IV. The soldiers of the demi-brigade who shall abandon the
army of Toussaint, shall be received into the French anny.

(Signed, &c.) " Le Clerc.

DUGUA."

The proclamation was followed by a commencement of the
war at all quarters, and tiie exercise of everj»^ artifice that could
be practised to procure defection in the black camp. The
clergy were successfully employed to communicate with those
of their own order to that effect ; thus, those who should have
mediated in the cause of peace, by undermining the ver}" power
which protected them, promoted a civil war of accumulated
horrors.

The war was prosecuted by the Captain-General with all
the vigor such haughty and hyperbolical expressions would im-
ply, but the pride which dictates high-sounding proclamations,
does not always furnish the means of executing them, and
in the present instance they arose more from the disappointed
ambition of Le Clerc, than froni the power he possessed in the

island.

Toussaint,

1

BBte^

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

281

iso:.

If Toussaint had hitherto suspended his opinion respecting the chap. v.
intention of the French government, he now had no room for
doubt. It is not, however, to be wondei'ed at, that he should
so long have forborne to ■'.•iew them in the glaring light in which
they presented themselves. That any experienced general, or
minister, should be found so weak as to depend solelv on the
opinion and accounts of those who were so deeply interested in
the event of a successful expedition against St. Domingo, at once
vague, partial, and insufficient, was scarcely to be credited; and
Le Clerc's conduct, since his arrival, had been paradoxical
throughout. He brought a force professedly to support the
existing constitution of the island, and renew the relation be-
tween it and the mother countrv, which had been resigned by
the incapacity of the latter; — yet, presenting a hostile force,
insists on eveiy post being surrendered to him, and desires the
immediate submission of the General in Chief, whose conduct
had never been questioned. He brings with him the beloved
sons of the General, as an earnest of the good intentions of the
French government towards him, but scarcely allows him time
to embrace them, when they are torn from him and their dis-
tracted mother with the most torpid apathy. He says, he comes
to restore " peace and abundance" in a country already peaceful
and abundant, by putting its inhabitants to the sword, and destroy-
ing its territory ! The force he brought with him, when divided
into the different detachments around the vast extent of coast, /
was insufficient, and the re-inforcements too trifling to effect any

2 O enterprize

/

J 802.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP^',^ enterprize of importance, and without any provision being
made till they had obtained it from the invaded country, in-
asmuch that the admiral was compelled to dispatch a frigate to
Jamaica, to solicit aid of every description by the most artful
finesse.*

Toussaint soon saw that, notwithstanding every deficiency^
the mask which had been loosely worn, was entirely thrown
aside, and that he had to confide in the pre-dispositions of his
own forces, more than the sincerity or benevolence of the French.
He therefore made preparation for a conflict, more terrible in
proportion to its extent, than any he had yet sustained from
the numerous enemies with whom he had had to cope. Consi-
dering the distant points as sufliciently provided, and expecting
the great blow to be struck in the northern province, in which
the French head-quarters were situate, he repaired thither with
a select camp, to oppose himself to the Captain-General. His

* In a letter to the English admiral commanding there, dated February 15. " The
disposition," he says, " of the cabinet of St. James's, and the known loyalty of your nation,
Sir, permit me to hope that the ports of Jamaica will furnish us (should circumstances de-
mand it, and should you be abundantly supplied) with provision and ammunition. One of
the ministers of his Britannic Majesty has said, that the peace just concluded was not an
ordinary peace, but a sincere reconciliation of two of the greatest nations in the world. If
it depends on me, Sir, this happy prognostic will certainly be verified, at least I am pleased
to imagine, that our pacific communications will be worthy of two nations, to whom war
has only multiplied the reciprocal reasons which they bad to esteem each other ; and to
give you authentic proofs of our confidence, I lay before you a faithful statement of our
forces in the ports of St. Dommgo."—Villar€t's Letter to Admiral Duckworth.

attention

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

2S3

attention was still directed to every quarter, and his capacious chap. v.
mind revolved every object connected with his command. Ex- 1802.
pert as the whole of the black troops were, those surrounding
the person of Toussaint were uncommonly so, being disciplined
with inconceivable correctness.

Though formed into regular divisions, the soldiers of the one
were trained to the duties of the other, and all understood the
management of artillery with the greatest accuracy Their chief
dexterit)^, however, was in the use of the bayonet. With that
dreadful weapon, fixed on musquets of extraordinary length in
their hands, neither cavalry nor artillery could subdue infantiy,
although of unequal proportion; but when they were attacked
in their defiles, no power could overcome them. Infinitely
more skilful than the Maroons of Jamaica in their cock-pits,*
though not more favored by nature, they found means to place
whole lines in ambush, continuing sometimes from one post
to another, and sometimes stretching from their camps, in the
form of a horse-shoe. With these lines artillery was not used,
to prevent their being burthened, or the chance of loss; but
the suiTOunding heights of every camp were well fortified, /

according to the experience and judgment of different Euro-
pean engineers, with ordnance of the best kind, in proper direc-
tions. The protection afforded by these out-works, encouraged
the blacks to every exertion of skill or courage; while the

* See Dallas's Hist. vol. ii.

2 o 2

alerttTCss

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. alertness constantly displayed embarrassed the enemy, who, fre-
18G2. quently irritated, or worn out with fatigue, flew in disorder
to the attack, or retreated with difficulty. Sometimes a regular
battle or skirmish ensued, to seduce the enemy to a confidence
in their own superiority, when in a moment reinforcements arose
from an ambush in the vicinity, and turned the fortune of the
day. If black troops, in the pay of the enemy ,^ were dispatched
to reconnoitre when an ambush was probable, and were dis-
covered, not a man returned, from the hatred which their perfidy
had inspired; nor could an officer venture without the lines with
impunity.

With a body of tried grenadiers, and such troops as have
beea- described, Toussaint waited the approach of the French
with patient calmness at the camp of Breda; from whence
he occasionally made rapid excursions to those points about
which he was most anxious, on the north and north-west parts of
the island.

On the 17th of February, General Le Clerc commenced his
campaign, by forcing a few villages, and forming some posts;
and soon after removed his head-quarters to the village of Gros-
Morne, an the bank of the Three Rivers, about twenty miles south-
west from the Cape. From the success he had experienced in
the comprornises alreadjr made with the minor black generals,
he had given his whole army directions to negotiate, wherever
it could be done with safety, for the surrender of the different

4 commands.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

285

commands, and his success was greater than could possibly have chap, v,
been expected; it is, nevertheless, to be recollected, that every isos.
one viewed the present period as the commencement of a long
war; and with those of inferior discrimination, the proclamations
and verbal declarations of the French army presented the most
grateful prospects ; among which the officers regarded the con-
firmation of their power, independent of their black superiors, in
the first degree.

- The whole of the troops landed in this province, having re-
ceived orders to form a junction, the division under General
Desfourneaux advanced to the Limbe; another under General
Hardy marched to the Grand Boucamp and the Mornets^, and
that commanded by General Rochambeau proceeded against La
Tannerie, and the wood of L'Ance. A small corps, composed
of the garrisons of the Cape and Fort Dauphin, advanced
against St. Luzanne, Le Fren, and Volliere. These divisions
had, according to their own account, " to sustain several actions,
rendered very painful by the situation of the ground, and by
the movements of the blacks, Avho concealed themselves m the
impenetrable forests which bordered the vallies, and who had a
secure retreat in the fastnesses." They, however, obtained a
transitory possession of the position which they had been ordered
to occupy.

On the 18th, the divisions of Desfbumeaux, Hardy, and^
Rochambeau, encamped near Plais&iïee^ at Dondon, and Sf^

Raphael,

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

Raphael, where, after having halted some time, they advanced
on the blacks with impetuositj'-. " It is," observed Le Clerc
in his dispatches,* " absolutely necessary to see the country, in
order to be enabled to form a competent idea of the difficulties
which it presented at every step. I have never seen in the Alps
■ any obstacles equal to those with which it abounds."

On the 19th, Desfourneaux's division took possession of Plai-
sance without resistance. That canton was commanded by a
mulatto called Jean Pierre Dumesnel, with whom the career of
compromise commenced. He joined the French general, Des-
fourneaux, with two hundred cavalry, and three hundred infantry,
and of course reversed the orders of Toussaint, and preserved the
place. '

General Hardy's division, before it arrived at Marmelade,
made itself master of the Morne at Borspen by similar means,
with the party which surrounded it. General Christophe being
betrayed, evacuated the place with twelve hundred regular troops
in good order. General Rochambeau took up his position at St.
Michael, where he found little resistance, his right column carry-
ing an entrenched post, Mare-a-la-Roche, defended by four hun-
dred men and artillery, with the bayonet.

The French General perceiving Toussaint's design was to

Moniteur,— Dispatch of Le Clerc to the Minister of Marine, dated February 26.

defend

•-* ' ^^

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

287

defend the canton of Ennery and the Gonaives, mustered as much chap. x.
force as he could towards that point. He detached General 1S02.
Debelle Avith a division to Port Paix, and he had orders to
attack General Maurepas near the Gonaives, who had two
thousand regular troops, and two thousand cultivators under his
command, in an entrenched post, within two leagues of Port
Paix, and in the defdes of Les Trois Rivières. He was Aery
desirous to disperse that corps w-hich had repulsed General Hum-
bert, and ordered General Boudet to advance towards La Petite
Riviere, for the purpose of cutting off the retreat off" the enemy's
corps, on wdiose defeat near the Gonaives he placed great reliance.
Toussaint, however, prevented the execution of this moAement
by a skilful separation of one part of the force from the other.

On the 20th of Februar}^, General Debelle marched to attack
General Maurepas, but a torrent of rain falling, prevented the
columns arriving in time to flank the black division, and thereby
turn their position. The columns Avhich attacked them in front
Avere so much exhausted by fatigue, that they Avere unable to
carry it ; and those destined to turn them being attacked in every
point by the black forces, were compelled to retreat with difficulty
and considerable loss.

General Boudet's division, in setting out from Port-au-Prince,

marched against La Croix des Bouquets, Avhich was set fire to

by the blacks on his approach; and General Dessalines, Avho

commanded in that quarter, instead of retreating, made a feint

5

HISTORY OF ST. BOMIiSGO.

CHAP. V. by marching over the mountains, and there taking a rapid turn

1802. to Leogane, which he fired in the face of a frigate dispatched

by the French admiral for its protection. These difficulties

increased the offers and the deception of the French, and in

^ consequence, a powerful black general. La Plume, submitted to

General Boudet, with the whole of his district.

On the 22d, the division of Desfourneaux advanced ^^nthin two
' smiles of Plaisance, then deserted by La Plume, notwithstanding
the attempt of Christophe, with the force which remained, to
resist it, in which they had a severe skirmish ; he, howeA'er, cut
off a part of their force, and retreated to Bayannai. The brigade
of General Salm, after performing a very fatiguing march on the
22d, continued during the Avhole of the night, and at day-break
oji the 2od, arrived at the position Christophe had left to join the
grand black army, where they were rewarded hj the remains of
a considerable booty, it having been a depot of the blacks.

- On the 23d, Rochambeau's division took a position at the
head of the Ravine-a-Couleuvre, having the Coupe-au-Linde on
his left, and the fastnesses where Christophe was entrenched on
the right. The divisions of Desfourneaux and Hardy took a
position before Enner}''.

On the 24th, Desfourneaux advancing, at the Coupe-&-
Pintade met the enemy. It was supported by Desplanque's
division, and tliat of General Hardy. General Desfourneaux

attacked

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO,

289

attacked a black out-post, which he pursued to Gon aires, and chap. v.
from thence to the River Ester. Salm's brigade, belonging to iso:.
Hardy's division, took a position at Pateau, before La Coupe-a-
Pintade.

On the same day, Rochambeau's division entered the Ravine- Bank of
a-CouleuATe, where General Toussaint, with his guard, forming I"coïuv?ê.
a corps of fifteen hundred grenadiers drawn from different demi-
brigades, and about twelve hundred other chosen troops, with
the addition of four hundred dragoons, waited to receive them
in person. The Ravine-a-Couleuvre is extremely well protected,
being flanked by loft}-- mountains covered with wood ; in advan-
tageous places were posted more than tvvo thousand cultivators.
They formed a considerable number of abattis, which obstructed
the passage, and occupied the entrenched positions which com-
manded the Ravines. From the advantages of the defection
and a knowledge of the country, General Rochambeau executed
his movement ^ith a rapidity similar to that of the enemy he
was encountering, and attacked their entrenchments, A battle
ensued, in which. Le Clerc acknowledges, " man was opposed to
man, and the troops of Toussaint fought well." It was an affair
desening an accurate description in the military annals of
the time. The ability and braver}^ of the French troops were
called forth, and every manoeuvre of the black tactics was dis-
played. On a bloody field, at the close of the day, victory
^^majned doubtful, and each party were more anxious with

2 P regard

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. regard to their future moyements, than the honor of superiority
so dearly bought. Toussaint retired to the banks of La Petit
Riviere, and Le Clerc to Gonaives. General jNIaurepas conti-
nued in considerable power in the western province, and repelled
the attacks of Generals Debelle and Boudet, until they Avere
reinforced by two divisions, those of Desfourneaux and Rocham-
beau, dispatched by the French General to support and collect
their scattered forces.

On the 27th, General Boudet was master of St. Marc, but
Maurepas, by his positions, still retaining the command of the
province. Le Clerc summoned all the force he could collect, and
putting himself at their head, prepared to march against that
general. He ordered General Hardy to advance to Gros
Morne with five companies of grenadiers, and eight hundred
men belonging to his division. To this corps he added a com-
pany of his own guards, consisting of two hundred men, and on
the night of the 27th took a position at two miles distance. The
divisions of Desfourneaux and Debelle were in motion to join,
when the experiment of compromise presenting a more pleasing
aspect than the doubtful issue of a battle, Maurepas submitted
to General Debelle, on the conditions of the promise of Gene-
ral Le Clerc, to continue their rank to such officers as surren-
dered.

These important points effected, leisure was obtained to con,

sider

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

sider the best means of attacking the Black General in Chief,
against whom the great body of the French array could now be
directed, with the addition of the black officers who had been
induced to join it with their troops. General Le Clerc, in conse-
quence of these acquisitions, with the advantages which they gave
him, and the consternation with which the inhabitants beheld the
defection of their countrymen, began to view his situation with
ease, and to indulge more extensive prospects. In this mood, for
the first time during the campaign, he sat down to communicate
with the Minister of IMarine, and to beg the confirmation of the
First Consul of what he had done. It was a campaign which
had aheady cost a profusion of blood and raonev, and which,
nothing but the treachery of La Plume, Dumesnils, and ?.Iaure-
pas, with the powerful forces under their command, and in the
favorable positions they occupied, could have been prolonged for
an hour. General Le Clerc viewing affairs in another light,
more congenial to his own wishes, considered himself at this
moment, (though occupying but a few leagues of country with
his whole army, and constantly in sight of the coast,) " master
of the colony !" " The army of St. Domingo," says he, " in the
course of five days have routed the chief of their enemies, ob-
tained possession of a considerable quantity of their baggage, and
a portion of their artillery. Desertion is fi-equent in the rebel
camp. Clervaux, La Plume, INIaurepas, and many other black
chiefs, and men of color, have submitted. The plantations oK
the south are entirely preserved, the whole of the Spanish part

2 P 2 of

HISTORY OF ST. BOMIXGO.

CHAP. V. of the island has surrendered;" when his army had not visited
1802. the French plantations of the south, his troops still remained
inactive on the Spanish coast of the island, and Clervaux had
only agreed, through the bishop of Yago, to surrender.

Such was the progress of the French arms in St. Domingo,
and such the opinion entertained by their general of the suc-
cesses that had been obtained. The precedmg account will be
found corroborated by the dispatches of the Captain-General,
in which he mentions the whole of the temtory he had obtained,
which was on the sea-coast, viz. Mancinello Bay, Le Limbe,
Port Paix, Gonaives, St. Marc, Port-au-Prince, and Leogane.
Notwithstanding the debarkations at nearly the same time at
St. Domingo, Port-au-Prince, Cape François, and Fort Dauphin,
and that the interior had never been attempted, they had not
been able to form a junction till it was accomplished by the ac-
quisition of the defectors from the black army, or to force Tous-
' . saint from their very centre. It has already been observed, that
the maxim of the Black General in Chief, was to suffer them to
harass themselves by forced marches, and to obtain positions
untenable, or unavailing. More than this, it appears from their
own accounts, they had not effected ; while Toussaint and his
forces changed their situation or position as often as they chose,
never being overtaken in their retreat, or surprized on a march,
but frequently falling on the enemy by an unexpected road,
and routing them with the utmost dismay. A variety of these

manœu^Tes

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

293

manouvres were continually practised, but the blacks not fight" chap, v
ing for the panegyric of Europeans, they are unnoticed and for- isoc,
gotten, except by their countrymen, and those who suffered from
them.

The circumstance of three Generals high in esteem, with a
considerable force, going over to the enemy, and joining their
local knowledge and peculiar tactics against their own cause,
within a few days from each other, and at a distance, is unpre-
cedented, and must have operated with the Commander in Chief
more than the shock of an unexpected and powerful army. In
fact, such was the effect of gold and promises, of extension of
command in the French army, that for a time Toussaint was
uncertain, when he ordered a division to marclv whether it was
not about to join the enemy; while he was preparing against those
with whom treaties had been formed previous to the invasion ;
others, on whom he most depended for the attack or repelling
of the enemy, and to whom their country looked with confi-
dence, were turning their swords against him. General La Plume,
among the first to set the example of abetting the French, was
one of whom Toussaint entertained the highest opinion, and
entrusted with an extensive district. Fie seemed at a loss how
to render his injuries sufficiently striking, and in consequence
receives the eulogium of Le Clerc. One of the first acts of this
ungrateful man, was the exposure of a letter, in which himself is
mentioned with favour, and which was a principal cause, with his
disobedience of Toussaint's orders, of the violence of his praise.

1 It

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. It was addressed to the commandant of the district of Jeremie,

1805. General Domage, and dated from the black head-quarters, at

that time at St. Marc, for Toussaint's communication was

constantly kept up with every part of the island to which the

French had obtained access.

" My dear General,

Feb. 9, 1802.

Letter and

Toussaint to "I scnd to you my aid-de-camp Chaney, who is the bearer of

the black

general the prcscut dispatch, and who will communicate to you my sen-

Domasce.

timents.

" The whites have resolved to destroy our liberty, and have
therefore brought a force commensurate to their intentions. The
Cape, after a proper resistance, has fallen into their hands, but
the enemy found only a town and plain in ashes ; the forts were
blown up, and all was burnt.

The town of Port Républicain (Port-au-Prince) has been
given up to them by the traitor. General of Brigade, Agé, as
well as Fort Bizotton, which suiTcndered without an effort, in
consequence of the cowardice and treachery of the Chief of
Battalion, Bardet, an old officer of the south ; but the General
of Division, Dessalines, maintains at this moment a line at
La Croix des Bouquets, and all our other places are on the
defensive.

" As

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

295

" As Jeremie is rendered very strong bj^ its natural advantages, chap, v
you \^-ill maintain yourself in it, and defend yourself with the isos.
courage which I know you possess. Distrust the whites,— they
will betray you if they can ; their desire, evidently manifested, is
the restoration of slavery.

" I therefore give you a carte-blanche for your conduct. AH
which you shall do will be well done. Raise the cultivators in
mass, and convince them of this truth,— that they must place no
confidence in those artful agents who may have secretly received
the proclamations of the white men from France, and would
circulate them clandestinely, in order to seduce the friends of
libertj\

" I have ordered the General of Brigade, La Plume, to bum
the town of Cayes, and every other town and plain in the district,
should they be unable to resist the enemy's force ; thus all the
troops in the different garrisons, and all the cultivators, will be
enabled to reinforce you at Jeremie. You will entertain a per-
fect good understanding with General La Plume, in order to
execute with ease what may be necessaiy. You will employ
in the planting of provisions all the women occupied in cultiva-
tion.

" Endeavour as much as possible to acquaint us with your
situation.

I relv

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO, .

CHAP. V. ■" I rely entirely upon you, and leave you completely at liberty,
1S02- to perform every thing which may be requisite to free us from
the horrid yoke with which we are threatened.

I wish you good health.

(Signed)

" Toussaint L'Ouverture,

A true copy,

(Signed) " The General of Brigade commanding
the Department of the South,

" La Plume.'

Toussaint, confident in his resources, expected the completion
of his wishes, by seeing his enemies, notwithstanding the aid
they had received, exhaust themselves. He knew also that th«
recreant heart which sold its honor, and every sentiment that
should be cherished, for the fleeting promise of a sanguine
enemy, would be easily regained when time should change the
hands in which the power that tempted it was placed; and
he had some reason to doubt, whether the defection of those who
had abandoned him did not arise from other motives than those
which were apparent.

The public feeling in France, on receiving the distorted in-
telligence which the dispatches of Le Clerc conveyed, grew

more

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.'

297

more and more against the blacks .-—those who had been their chap. v.
most strenuous fi'iends became their most active enemies; and, ^soT^
exclusive of the common prostitutions of the press, to which
party gives birth on all occasions,* books were published at Paris,
avowedly for the purpose of exposing the errors of Negrophilism,
or the love of the blacks. In England it was similar, and the
voice of discretion, or discrimination, was drowned by the gene-
ral clamour.

Admiral Duckworth, after receiving the frigate La Cornelie,
which was expressly dispatched to him by Le Clerc, with every
mark of respect, and loading her captain, Villemandrin, anfl his
lieutenant with honors, wrote home for instructions relative to
supplying the French troops with stores and provisions, as with-
out he could not comply with the request of the French com-
mander. The Spanish governor at the Havannah exerted him-
-self in every way for their accommodation, by furnishing both
money and clotliing, of ^vhich the army was in great want. The
following sentiments respecting tlie black army, as they form a
correct delineation of the public opinion, are quoted from Admi-
ral Duckworth's letter, in answer to the French Commander in
Chief:

" The meanness of traducing characters, and, indeed, all vitiations of truth, which are
permuted, and considered expedient in the policy of states, is one of the most prominent
errors m Bnt.sh legislation, and one which, for the honor of the country, and the credit of
Its consistency, ,t is wished were remedied. Its efiects are of the worst kind, as relates to
the government and the governed, the relations between both, and every other country
v?ith whom they hold a correspondence.

2 Q « Jt;

Prosecution
of the cam-
paigtt.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

" It is with a painful sentiment I have learned the hostile
reception of your excellency, and that direct violation of all the
duties of colonies towards their mother country. I perfectly
agree with you on the consequences of such conduct, and I really
think it interests all the powers of Europe. But, with a force so
considerable as you have, the revolt cannot be of long duration;
and the devastation committed by the rebels can only produce a
temporary evil."

Havino' conveved :\Iadame Le Clerc by sea to Port-au-Prince,
and established his head-quarters there, after making every ar-
rangement in his power of his newly acquired force, the Captain-
General re-commenced the campaign with fresh energy. Port-
au-Prince was the most desirable residence they had yet obtained,
not having been injured in the least, from the ease with which it
was taken possession of by Boudet; but the next town in the
south, Leogane, was destroyed by Dessahnes, and every place
that was likely to aid a passage to that quarter. Desfourneaux was
left at Plaisance to protect the north, while Hardy, Rochambeau,
Boudet, and Debelle, proceeded to the Spanish border of the
western district. La Crete a Pierrot, a post rather advantageously
situated, between St. :>Iarc and Port-au-Prince, which had been a
depot of the blacks, and lately their apparent head-quarters, was
the first object of the French; whe-eby they committed an error
frequent in military tactics, where a necessary position is lost
through the desire of booty. The Black General perceived this
error, for, after appearing to guard anxiously a celebrated point,

and

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

isJOO

and finding means, first to comev awav e^■e^v thino- desirable, he chap. \
then evacuated it, leaving to the self-nominated victorious army, isbs,
an empt\^ arsenal, empty coffers, and frequently unsheltered quar-
ters.*—Such was the case with La Crete a Pierrot, and in the
defence of which, and the operations that immediately followed,
the blacks covered themselves with glorj^ and their enemies with
infamv.

The main body of the French army was put in motion The siege of
against this fortress ; and its defence, planned by the General pJrro^ *" "" -
in Chief, was committed to General Dessalines. Whether it
was from the weakness of General Le Clerc, or the enthusiasm
of his troops at the expectation of booty at this sieo-e, is un-
known ; but, if the vengeance of disappointed personal ambition,
and an accumulation of every bad passion, had been infused in
the breasts of the soldiers, it could not have beea more cruelly
displayed than in the affair of Crete a Pierrot. The scythed
car of the ancient Briton, or the poisoned javelin of the savao-e
Indian, are instruments of humanity, compared with the fatal
bayonet as used by the French on this day; nor, could the
desperation of the blacks in their first struggle for emancipation,
exceed their bitter vengeance, of which the verj^ recital stains the
page of history.

* A General cannot be too much on his guard how he gratifies the best soldiers under
his command in this way. To brave and exhausted troops, rest and comfort, when they
can be afforded with safety, is a due consideration; but a desire of booty in a dangerous
and doubtful warfare, is like sleep in the frigid zone, always tempting, ytt frequency de-

structive.

2 Q2

In

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

In the beginning of March, the divisions of Hardy, Rocham-
beau, Boudet, and Debelle, marched against different posts in
the vicinity of* their grand object, with the hope of j)reventing
the retreat of an enemy of whose reduction they considered
themselves certain. Rochambeau first attacked a village called
Cahows, from whose few inoffensive inhabitants he met no
opposition; but General Hardy, with a considerable force,
surrounded six hundred blacks in the Coupe de L'Inde, Avho
bravely attempted to cut their way to Trianon, they were all
taken, and murdered on the spot ; and a Chief of Battalion,
Henin, with a part of the same force, attacked the position Tri-
anon, and carried it with the bayonet. Enraged by such un-
exampled warfare. Dessalines made a sortie from the fort, and
advancing as far as La Petit Riviere, met General Debelle on
his march to Verettes, ^^ hom, supposing a part of the cruel per-
petrators, he drove before him to La Crete a Pierrot ; but, so far
from attempting a retaliation, he left them to the mercy of war,
and retiring into the fort, discharged a volley of grape shot
among them, by which Debelle and a considerable number
were wounded. The commandant of artiller}^-, Pambour, took
the command of the division, and Debelle fell back into the
rear.

General Boudet now passed the Artibonité, for the purpose of
blockading Crete a Pierrot, but had scarcely come within sight
of the glacis, when he received a wound which compelled him to
return, and his men were thrown into disorder. General Dugua

advancing

HISTORY OF ST. DO?,IIXGO.

301

advancing with a battalion of the IQth hght trooj^s, and the 74th chap, v,
regiment of the hne, to form the blockade, was also dangerously iso-?-.
wounded, and his party completely routed. To revenge this. Le
Clerc, who had a narrow escape, a shot having hit the center of
his sash, and carried part of it away, hastened a part of his artil-
lery^ from Port-au-Prince, and Rochambeau spread fire and sword
through every village in his wrj. General Salines, likewise, with
a large body, contrived to surround a small camp of the blacks,
and put every man to the sword.

On the 2M of March, Rochambeau attempted to erect a bat-
tery of seven pieces of heavy artillery on a rising ground, but in
vain, the fire of a redoubt bearing upon him, swept away the
whole of his men. He therefore marched to attack the redoubt,
but found it so secured by a projection of logwood, that it was
impossible to be carried. In the mean time, every thing being
prepared for evacuating the fort. Dessalines, with a part of his
force, sallied forth in the night, and falling in with Desplanques,
who commanded General Hardy's advanced guard, a skirmish
ensued, which, nevertheless, did not prevent his departure. The
absence of Dessalines inspired the besiegers with new hopes,
and for the three successive days they bombarded the fort with
great activity, frequently setting fire to it. On the evening of
the last day, the commander of the black forces remaining at La
Crete, made a vigorous sally, and forced the French lines; a
small part only accomplished this measure, and passed the Arti-

bonité;

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. bonite ; the remainder were surrounded, and immediately put to
the sword.

Thus ended the siege and blockade, which had cost the
French army much, by the loss of some of her best generals
and finest troops, but in nothing so much as in the exercise of
a ferocious spirit unknown among civilized people. Besides
the cruelties in cold blood which have been recited, and which
were exultingly acknowledged in the dispatches of General Le
Clerc, were numerous acts of private barbarity, the recital of
which could answer no good purpose, while the blacks, in this
instance, are not charged, even by their enemies, with the com-
mission of any of these enormities. Nor did they avail themselves
on the present occasion of those advantages which remain to
be found in the fastnesses of the mountains. The fortress which
they occupied had been regularly built by the English during
their possession of this part of the island, and the defence of it
was truly English. The remembrance of this affair will long be
found on the banks of the Artibonité, to the disgrace of the one
partv, and the praise of the other.

Buoyed by what he conceived success, the Captain-General
of the French extended his views, and prepared for the domi-
nion to which he had always looked. He published an order
in direct violation of his own proclamations, directing proprie-
tors, or their attornies, to resume their ancient authority over
1 the

SÙÈS'J^J^'. —

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

303

the negroes.* He treated with rigor and insolence, on the chap. y.
smallest difference of opinion, the inhabitants Avho surrounded isû2.
him, and with indignity the Americans who constantly traded to
the coast, compelling them to sell their cargoes of flour, and
other provisions, for bills on France, which was but the prelude
to farther enormities. To prevent the circulation of facts, he
established an official gazette at Port-au-Prince, whose bulletins
solely were to be regarded.

Toussaint L'Ouverture was employed in a care superior to
that of contemplating his self-sufficiency. He had noticed the
neglected situation in which the northern province was left,
by withdrawing the Avhole of the French force to the recent
siege, and he resolved to avail himself of it. Therefore, Vvhile
General Le Clerc was revelling in the reputation of the French
arms in the west, and dispatching General Rochambeau to sack
Les Gonaives, Avhich at one time had been the black head-
quarters, Toussaint effected a junction with Christophe in the
mountains, and poured down an accumulated force on the plain
of the Cape. Reaching Plaisance by a mountain-road, he routed
the forces of General Desfourneaux; passed on \vithout moles-
tation through Dondon and Marmelade, raising the cultivators
in his way, and halted within a mile and a half of the citv of
Cape François. An universal consternation followed. Dispatches
were sent, requiring the aid of the victorious generals, and Le

* Journal de Peltier, 1802, p. 521.

Clerc

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. bonite ; the remainder were surrounded, and immediately put to
i8^^=^' the sword.

Thus ended the siege and blockade, which had cost the
French army much, by the loss of some of her best generals
and finest troops, but in nothing so much as in the exercise of
a ferocious spirit unknown among ciyilized people. Besides
the cruelties in cold blood which have been recited, and which
were exultingly acknowledged in the dispatches of General Le
Clerc, were numerous acts of private barbarity, the recital of
which could answer no good purpose, while the blacks, in this
instance, are not charged, even by their enemies, with the com-
mission of any of these enormities. Nor did they avail themselves
on the present occasion of those advantages which remain to
be found in the fastnesses of the mountains. The fortress which
thev occupied had been regularly built by the English during
their possession of this part of the island, and the defence of it
was truly English. The remembrance of this affair will long be
found on the banks of the Artibonité, to the disgrace of the one
party, and the praise of the other.

Buoyed by what he conceived success, the Captain-General
of the French extended his views, and prepared for the domi-
nion to which he had always looked. He published an order
in direct violation of his own proclamations, directing proprie-
tors, or their attornies, to resume their ancient authority over
1 the

1

iaftfl^j»A^v ; r:^::^:^ ;::.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

303

the negroes.* He treated with rigor and insolence, on the chap, x
smallest difference of opinion, the inhabitants who surrounded isos.
him, and with indignity the Americans who constant!}^ traded to
the coast, compelùng them to sell their cargoes of flour, and
other provisions, for bills on France, which was but the prelude
to farther enormities. To prevent the circulation of facts, he
established an official gazette at Port-au-Prince, whose bulletins
solely were to be regarded.

Toussaint L'Ouverture was employed in a care superior to
that of contemplating his self-sufficiency. He had noticed the
neglected situation in which the northern province w^as left,
by withdrawing the whole of the French force to the recent
siege, and he resolved to avail himself of it. Therefore, Vvhile
General Le Clerc was revelling in the reputation of the French
arms in the west, and dispatching General Rochambeau to sack
Les Gonaives, Avhich at one time had been the black head-
quarters, Toussaint effected a junction with Christophe in the
mountains, and poured down an accumulated force on the plain
of the Cape. Reaching Plaisance by a mountain-road, he routed
the forces of General Desfourneaux; passed on without moles-
tation through Dondon and Marmelade, raising the cultivators
in his way, and halted within a mile and a half of the city of
Cape François. An universal consternation followed. Dispatches
were sent, requiring the aid of the victorious generals, and Le

* Journal de Peltier, 1802, p. 521.

Clerc

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

Clerc himself left his infant honors, taking a hast}' passage by
sea to the Cape. From the concourse of people in and about
the city, a dreadful contagion began to shew itself. General
Bojer, endeavoured to oppose this astonishing chief, with his
whole force, including the marines and sailors from the fleet,
and was quickly driven back, under the very hospital ; when the
blacks laid the whole plain of the Cape in ruins, in defiance of
the Captain-General, commanding in the town, and of Generals
Hardy and Rochambeau, who arrived bj'- forced marches, they
then retired to the mountains of Hincha.*

While these untoward circumstances Mere interrupting the feli-
city which General Le Clerc promised himself in his new quar-
ters, another difficulty occurred M'here it was least expected.
Among other objects destined for political use in the invasion
of St. Domingo, was Rigaud, the mulatto-general, the ancient
opponent of Toussaint, whose presence, it was suggested by
some of his friends, might attach his former party to the French
arms, but which Le Clerc considered an expedient too dan-
gerous to risque. Rigaud, who expected an immediate restora-

* At the time these transactions were taking place, Bonaparte addressed the French
people in a message to the Legislative Body, thus: " At St. Domingo great calamities have
taken place, and great cg.lamities are to be repaired ; but the revolt is daily confined to nar-
rower bounds. Toussaint, without fortresses, without money, without an army, is now no
more than a robber wandermg from desert to desert, with a few vagabonds like himself,
whom our intrepid clearers are in pursuit of, and who will be soon overtaken and de-
stroyed." Moniteur, May 7.— Such was the blindness with which this wonderful man had
been influenced, and such is political consistency. —

2

tion

1

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIKGO,

305

tion of his property and command, finding himself continued chap. v.
in concealment, at a distance from his native province, be- isoT^
gan to contemplate means of re-instating himself. No sooner,
therefore, was the Captain-General called to the Cape, than -
he attempted a correspondence with General La Plume, on
the subject of a visit to his friends, who immediately com-
municated his letter to Le Clerc. Enraged at what he
conceived perfidy at so critical a moment, he immediately
ordered the unfortunate chief, with his family, to be sent on
board a frigate, and conveyed to France, as one whose principles
could not " contribute to the re-establishment of the colony
of St. Domingo." This was a circumstance, however, dis-
agreeable to many powerful persons, and Le Clerc, with a
facility which has marked the political transactions of Europe
in the beginning of the nineteenth centurj^ adds, that Rigaud
had " sent emissaries into the south to stop cultivation, and alarm
the peaceable citizens with terrors."* The officer whose duty

it

* Gazette du Port-au-Priiice,-Letter of the Captaiu-General to General Dugua Chief
of the StatFat Port-au-Prince. The letter of Rigaud, also given in this journal, contains
6ome pathetic appeals, which are interesting, as coming from the hand of fallen power :—

" Persecuted" says he, « these ten years ; driven away from my property for the last two
years; taken prisoner by the English and other allies of my enemies, I have persevered in
the same principles I had before. The French government doing justice to my conduct and
fidelity, gave me an employment in the French army, and my first steps were bent towards
the incendiary and murdering rebels of the northern part, whose example you were wise
enough not to imitate. You are not ignorant of the deep wounds made on humanity, and
destruction of my unhappy countrymen ; I can only mourn their lot ; the evil is irremedi-
able; but for the sake of those who are yet living, for one who would not sink under the

2 R

weight

306

I-IISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. it was to perform the present order, (Dugua,) had the sensihihty
"■^TS^ to soUcit Admiral Villaret to escort the wrecks of fallen great-

ness.

The only means which remained to withstand the shock the
French had sustained, were, an extension of the number and
powers of the emissaries, who had been constantly kept in em-
ployment, to seduce the unconscious cultivators, and had proved
successful in the districts to which they had access. Le Clerc
saw his error in the premature attempt to re-establish the ancient
regimen by his order at Port-au-Prince, which had evidently
inclined even the defective to return to the confidence of their
brethren, and strengthened in their determination those who held
out, being at least three-fourths of the population of the island. To
remedy this ill-judged action he adopted another, which, although
too often countenanced in the complicated politics of magnificent
states, was an instance of the most degrading meanness. This was

«eight of misfortune, would you not tliink it conformable to justice, and even your duty, to
give orders, without having recourse to superior authority, that every thmg of which we
have been deprived should be given up to us. I confine myself at present, to request you to
cause my sister, or M. Deronseray, my attorney, to be put again into the possession of my
cattle, and that of my brothers ; our lands and houses, and their produce, from the time we
have been deprived of it.*

" When the banditti are destroyed in the northern part, I will bend my course towards
the south, where I was born, where I have lived, and commanded with glory ! I hope to find
there none but brothers and friends, &c.

" A. RiGAUD.

* The nature of this request is explained by the order of Le Clerc (in the amplitude of his power) at Port-
au.Prince,-that the ancient proprietors, or their attotnies, should resume their estates.

^ a pro-

a proclamation in which the freedom of the blacks is assured, chap. v.
hut that assurance is rendered a perfect nullitj-, hy the ar- 1802.
rangement of the sentence in which it is conveyed. As an
example of the manner in which the French expedition against
the blacks was conducted, the instrument is given in its formal
state : —

"Liberty. Equality.

" In the Name of the French Government,

A PROCLAMATION.

The General in Chief to the Inhabitants of St. Domingo: '

" Citizens,
" The time is arrived when order will succeed that chaos
which has been the natural consequence of the opposition
made by the rebellious to the landing of the army at St. Do-
mingo.

" The rapid operations and progress of the army, and the
necessity of providing for its subsistence and establishment, have,
hitherto, prevented my attending to the defmitive organization of
the colony. I could not have any fixed or certain ideas of a
countr}^ with which I was totally unacquainted, and consequently
couid not, without mature deliberation, form an opinion of a
people who have been, for ten years, a prey to revolutions.

308

HISTORY OF ST. D03IIXG0.

CHAP. V
1S02.

^

" The basis of the provisionary organization which I shall
give to the colonj^ but which shall not be definitive till

APPROVED OF BY THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT, is Llhevtlj and Equa-
liUj to all the inhahitant^ of St. Domingo, zoithout regard to coloui\
This organization comprises:

" 1st. The administration of justice.

" :2nd. The interior administration of the colony, combined with
those measures which its interior and exterior defence require.

" 3d. The imposition of duties, the means of raising them, and
their application.

" 4th. The regulations and ordinances relative to agriculture.

" 5th. The regulations and ordinances relative to commerce.

" 6th. The administration of the national domains, the means of
making them most beneficial to the state, so as to be less bur-
thensome to agriculture and commerce.

" As it is of infinite interest to you. Citizens, that every insti-
tution should, in an equal degree, protect agriculture and com-
merce, I have not detennined upon this important work, without
having first recourse to, and consulted with, the most distinguished
and enlightened citizens of the colony.

" In consequence, I have given orders to the generals of the
south and west divisions, to select for each of these departments
seven citizens, proprietors and merchants, {without regard to

colour,)

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

.309

colour,) T\-ho, with eight more, which I shall myself choose for chap. \.
the department of^e Xorth, are to assemble at the Cape in the i^^oe.
course of the present month, to impart their observations to me
on the plans I shall then submit to their consideration,

" It is not a deliberative assembly I establish. I am sufficiently
acquainted with the evils which meetings of this nature have
brought upon the colony to have that idea. The citizens who
are thus chosen being honest and enlightened men, to them will I
communicate my views; they will make their observations upon
them, and will be able to impress on the minds of their fellow
citizens the liberal ideas with which the government is animated,

" Let those, then, who are thus to be called together, consider
this appointment as a flattering proof of my consideration for
them. Let them consider that for want of their counsels and
advice, I might pursue measures disastrous to the colonv, Avhich
would ultimately fall upon themselves. Let them consider this,
and they will find no difficulty in leaving, for some time, their
private avocations.

" Done at the Head-quarters of the Cape, 5th Floreal, year 1(>
of the French Republic.

(Signed) " The General in Chief,

Le Clepx.

A true copy,

(Signed) " The Deputy Adjutant-General, D'Aoust."

Never

1^

^10

'I

V

HISTORY OF 'ST. DOMINGO.

Never was so much art and weakness displa^^ed at one time
in any public officer as in this instance of Le Clerc, whose
mind must have been capable of the most abject baseness, and
reduced to the most contemptible alternatives.* The proclama-
tion, however, had its desired effect, and vast defections fi'om the
followers of Toussaint, even those in his last expedition, was the
immediate consequence.

. In the beginning of April arrived the two squadrons long
expected, from Havre and Flushing, and increased the puny
advantages on which General Le Clerc prided himself If his
conduct assumed the air of determination before his late alarm,
it had now no bounds, and with all the spirit of jacobinism which
his brother-in-law had boasted to abolish, considered every measure
expedient that would destroy his opponents, or confirm his power.
If a body of suspicious negroes were discovered, an open grave
awaited them, to the brink of which they Avere led unconscious,
and either slaughtered, or precipitated aiive into the dreadful
chasm, as suited the convenience of those to whom the charge
w;as intrubted. If a person connected A^ith the expedition, whose
advice had been originally courted, began to discover un-pkilo-
sophic views in the Captain-General, and to venture opinions

i|i

* What a noble contrast is afforded to this effort of dirty chicane, by the conduct of
General Walpoie in Jamaica, who, scorning an act that might appear to inveigle men
who had held British troops at defiance, and entered into regular treaties, refused the hono-
rary reward of his gallantry and benevolence from the country he had served, because he
did not conceive his engagements with them perfectly fulfilled. See his Letter in the /Ippen-
div to Dallas's History. -

upon

1^^

HISTORY OF ST. DO.MIXGO.

311

upon the state of affairs, a vessel was ready in an adjacent port chap. v.
to convey away the disapproving object. The terror of the 1S02.
present regimen seemed to produce for the time a more powerful
effect, than all the successes of the French arms, or the defections
of the black chiefs.

Several bold pushes had been made by Toussaint, consider-
ing the dangers to which he was exposed, by the loss of his
bravest commanders, and consequently their different plans of
operation. Notwithstanding the success of his last expedition,
his followers began to view forced marches with less patience
than they were wont, and the situation of their opponents with
proportionate envy. Toussaint continued resolute, with innu-
merable advantages, contemplating nothing but the prosecution
of the war; though arguments more prevailing had been in-
troduced to the ear of Christophe, his relation, and Toussaint
was condemned to experience the pangs of Csesar, and ex-
claim,

" Aie you too turned against me ?"

Christophe perceived the consequences of the disaffection Compromise
excited among the black troops, although its effects had been black chiefs.
confined to, comparatively, a small part of the island. He
observed the weakness of Le Clerc, and was thereby led to think
his present proclamation sincere; it is not in the nature of a
brave man to suspect the quibbling arts of inferior authority.
He had been frequently tempted, as well as the other black

generals.

HISTORY OF .ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. generals, and at length corresponded on the subject of making
peace, the terms of his compromise being, a general amnesty
for his troops, and the preservation of his own rank, and that
of all the other officers; and extending the same terms to his
colleague Dessalines, and the General in Chief. Thus the
situation of the blacks became no worse by the truce, should it
extend no farther, while the artifices of the French would cease
to have their effect. To such terms it was hard for the proud
commandant to submit, and, it might have been perceived,
they could not be permanent. But Le Clerc, who considered
only his own aggrandizement, thought a peace on any terms
enabled him to claim the praise of restoring the colony to
''France; and with regard to the means, as he had practised a
fraud in his proclamation in St. Domingo, so he could deceive
the mother country, by his statement of the surrender. Thus,
wading on through the same weakness, meanness, and infamj'',
the preliminaries were arranged with General Christophe, which
afforded a temporary peace to this unhappy country. Public hos-
tilities ceased about the 1st of May.

The arrangement completed with Christophe, the General in
Chief was induced to commence a correspondence, which ended
in a pacific invitation, and acceptance thereof) to Cape François.
At his former capital he behaved with a dignity, and at the same
time a gentleness, that won all hearts towards him, and obtained a
general respect. With Le Clerc it was otherwise ;— if tlie difficul-
ties with Christophe were great, they were much more so with him
1 who

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

5Î3

who had governed the island through a long and arduous period, chap, v:
and Toussaint returned, to his camp without concluding a treaty; ''T^^
though he desired no more than what Christophe had obtained!
with a dignified retirement-the wish of the greatest men of all
countries and ages.

The brave Dessalines alone remained without joining in the
treaty of peace. He saw an unnatural amity projected, and he
knew there were yet armies ready for the field, when called
in defence of their freedom; yet he would not thwart the
wish of his brethren, and therefore coincided in the acts of the
General in Chief; as such he must be acquitted of suffering
any imposition by the professions of the French general, for he
believed none of them, and is not responsible for any sincerit}^
by his accordance with the peace, when he knew the blacks
would not regard the dereliction of their leaders.

Le Clerc did not long contend the matter with Toussaint,
—a few skirmishes took place, of slight importance, when the
Captain-General, impatient for sovereignty, granted his Welshes.
" You, General, and 3 our troops," says he, " will be employed
and treated like the rest of my army. With regard to yourself,
i/ou desire repose, and you deserve it; after a man has sustained
for several years the government of St. Domingo, I apprehend
he needs repose. I leave you at liberty to retire to which
of your estates you please. I rely so.much on the attachment

2 s

you

314

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

• I

\

May 8.

YOU bear the colony of St. Domingo, as to believe you will
employ what moments of leisure you may have, during your
retreat, in communicating to me your ideas respecting the means
proper to be taken, to cause agriculture and commerce again
to flourish. As soon, as a list and statement of the tioops under
General Dessalines are transmitted to me, I will communicate
my instructions as to the positions they are to take."*

Toussaint, with his famih% retired to a plantation of his o^vn
name, L'Ouverture, at Gonaives, on the western coast; the
brave and faithful Dessalines continued near them, at the town
of St. Marc, with an intelligent and agreeable society'. Never
was a more interesting retreat, than that of these two great men,
resigning honors, command, and the fascinations of absolute
power, for the peace of their country. They were reverenced
^dth increased affection by the people, and Europeans could
not forbear viewing them with wonder. With the despicable
jealousy of the Captain-General such an admiration was dan-
gerous, and it did not escape his attention.

To avoid the dreadful effects of the fever at the Cape, Ashich
now spread its ravages with uncommon violence, the Captain-
General made an excursion to the little island of Tortuga, having
previously dispatched his aid-du-camp to France, with an account

Gazette du Cape.

of

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO;

513

of the surrender of the blacks. In this dispatch he describes chap. v.
them as begging their hves, and surrendering at discretion, as 1802.
being hunted down, and made prisoners in their different resi-
dences, notwithstanding that his letter to Toussaint, in direct
contradiction, was published in Paris at the same moment.* For
the convenience of issuing his numerous contradictory edicts, he
at this time estabhshed a Gazette, under the title of The Official
Gazette of St. Domingo, after their publication in which, they
were to be equally in force, as if promulgated in the most for-
mal manner. To this gazette, every account of military or go-
vernment transactions was confined, those at Port Républicain
and other places being restricted to commercial purposes. >

At Tortuga Le Clerc exercised the new power he had ac-
quired with his usual want of discrimination, and what was
scarcely credible, even from so weak a governor, he again violated
the very proclamation which he had issued with so barefaced a
quibble, without waiting for its effect or consequences, by direct-
mg the blacks who were on several plantations to be set com-
pulsorily to work, under the dominion of their ancient masters.
To Toussaint, (whom no compromise could deprive of the power
of attending to the calls of humanity, in those Avho continued
under his care,) several bodies made their appeal, and others
respectfully acquainted him with their resolutions, not to suffer a
violation of the rights which had cost them so dear. On this

• See tbe Appendix.

2 s2

subject.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. subject, therefore, he addressed a letter to an official agent, named
Fontaine, at the Cape, on the 27th of Ma}- .

. " It is said," he writes, " that General Le Clerc is in an ill
state of health at Tortuga, of this you will inform me. If you
see the General in Chief, be sure to tell him that the cultivators
are no longer disposed to obey me, for the planters zvish to set
them to work at Hericourt, which they certainly ought not to
do.

" I have to ask you whether any one near the person of the

General in Chief can be gained to procure the release of D -,

who would be very useful to me, from his influence at La Nou-
velle, and elsewhere.

Acquaint Gengembre that he should not quit the Borgne,
where the cultivators must not be set to work."

- Whether Fontaine courted the favor of Le Clerc, by commu-
nicating this letter immediately, or that it fell into his hands by
means of that system of espionage in which his mean and sus-
picious mind delighted, is uncertain; or whether he had not pre-
determined the violation of his personal treaty with Toussaint
as well as his guarantee of freedom to the blacks, which is most
probable. Be this as it may, within a few days after the depar-
ture of this letter, and before the expiration of the fu'st month
of his retirement, in the dead of the night, the Creole frigate,

escorted

HISTORY OF ST. DOMIxXGO.

317

escorted by the Hero, a 74 gun ship from Cape François, stood
in close to the shore of Gonaives, Avhen suddenly landing several
boats with troops, they surrounded the tranquil dwelling of Tous-
saint, where his innocent family lay wrapped in sleep, unconscious
of their awaiting fate. To Brunet, chief of brigade, and Ferrari,
an aid-du-camp of Le Clerc, was confided this treacherous task,
Avhich they performed so as to deserve the commendations of
their master.* They entered the chamber of the hero with a
file of grenadiers, and demanded his immediate surrender. Great
as he had always been, he was now surprised for the first time,
by a band of authorised assassins, whom armies had never been
able to perplex, Toussaint declared himself indifferent as to his
own fate, but remonstrated with regard to his family. " I shall
not resist the power you have obtained over me," said he, " but,
my wife is feeble, and my children can do no harm. Suffer them,
then, to remain at home." Reasoning of this kind suited neither
their policy nor their minds, the guard was increased, and before
the vicinage became alarmed, they were on board the vessel,
and under sail. Two brave leaders, who were roused, instantly
attacked the banditti, but their bravery was useless, they were
soon seized, and afterwards shot.

CHAP. V.

ISO'?.

Seizure and
exile of
Toussaint.

As soon as Toussaint was sent away, the emissaries of the
Captain-General, under the direction of Rochambeau, who
commanded at St. Marc, set about discovering the connexions.

2

* Gazette de St, Domingue.

and

."^la

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V.

1S02.

and even acquaintance of tile unfortunate general, as if to root the
very remembrance of him from the colony : but that rested on a
firmer basis, the justice and gratitude of the country, and was so
deeply engraven on the hearts of its inhabitants, that it could
only be expelled with their lives. The brave Dessalines was for
the present politically spared, but above an hundred of those who
contributed to form the enlightened society of Toussaint, or who
were distinguished for knowledge or benevolence, were seized
and sent on board diiferent vessels in the harbour, and were
never more heard of; in all probability, as the same mode of exe-
cution was afterwards openly had recourse to, they wQre immedi-
ately slaughtered, or thrown into the sea.

The astonishment which this flagrant act of the French go-
vernment occasioned, was such as to paralyse the minds of the
whole people. A dread calm succeeded. The Captain-General
again boasted to the deluded Bonaparte of enormities which
alone were sufficient to subject his government to the execration
of posterity. As if designed to hold up the transactions of this
island to ridicule, tlie dispatches continued to display the most
glaring falsehoods, and contradictory accounts; in the one al-
luded to he declares, that joy had been produced at the Cape
by the departure of Toussaint. If that sentiment did obtain
public declaration, when the town Avas a common pest-house,
and the French army were hourly dwindling away, it was more
probable to arise from the death of the sanguinar}^ General
Hardy, the second in command, who died on the 2d of June,

universally

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

319

universally^ detested for his total want of those quahties in which chap. v.

a true soldier delights.

1S02.

The dispatch, as relates to the circumstances it describes, is
a document too striking- and important to be omitted. It is. as
follows: —

" Head-quarters at the Cape, June II.
" I informed you in one of my last dispatches of the pardon
I had been induced to grant General Toussaint. This ambi-
tious man, from the moment of his pardon, did not cease to
plot in secret. Though he surrendered, it was because Generals
Christophe and Dessalines intimated to him, that they clearly
saw he had deceived them, and that they were determined to
continue the war no longer ; so finding himself deserted by them,
he endeavoured to form an insurrection among the working
negroes, and to raise them in a mass. The accounts which I
received from all quarters, and from General Dessalines himself,
with respect to the line of conduct which he held since his sub-
mission, left no room for doubt upon the subject. I intercepted
letters which he had written to one Fontaine, who was agent at
the Cape. These afforded an unanswerable proof that he was
engaged in a conspiracy, and that he was anxious to regain his
former influence in the colony. He waited only for the result of
disease among the troops^

" Under these circumstances it would be improper to give him

6 time

320

CHAP. V.

1S02,

HISTORY OF ST. DOjNnNGO.

time to mature his criminal designs. I ordered him to be ap-
prehended,— a difficult task; but it succeeded from the excellent
dispositions made by the General of Division Brunet, who was
entrusted with its execution, and the zeal and ardour of Citizen
Ferrari, a chief of squadron, and my aid-du-camp.

** I have sent to France, with all his family, this so deeply per-
fidious man, who, with so much hypocrisy, has done us so much
mischief The government will determine how it should dispose
of him,

" The apprehension of General Toussaint occasioned some dis-
turbances. Two leaders of the insurgents are already in custodv,
and I have ordered them to be shot. About an hundred of his
confidential partizans ha^•e been secured, some of whom are sent
on board La Muiron frigate, which is under orders for the Medi-
terranean, and the rest are distributed among the different ships
of the squadron.

" I am daily occupied in settling the affairs of the colony,
with the least possible inconvenience, but the excessive heat,
and the diseases which attack us, render it a task extremely
painful. I am impatient for the approach of the month of Sep-
tember, when the season will restore us activity.

" The departure of Toussaint has produced general jo}' at the
Cape.

"The

jnSTORY OF ST; DOMINGO.

521

« The commissar}^ of justice, Mont Peson, is dead. The co- chap. v.
lonial prefect, Benezech, is breathing his last. The adjutant- isos.
commandant, Dampier, is dead ; he was a young officer of great ,
promise. I have the honor to salute vou,

(Signed) « Le Clepx'."

Having rid himself of Toussaint, and assumed the title of
General in Chief, in addition to that of Gaptain-General, with
which he came to the island, Le Clerc affected to undertake the
organization of a new government for the colony, a labor in
which many great men had been unsuccessful. In doing this,
however, he did not risque his character, as they had done, by
speculative attempts in legislation, for he decreed the continu-
ance of every establishment as he found it in the hands of the
exiled General, except as related to the customs, and even in
these he admitted the regulations in favor of the English, which
occasioned a strong remonstrance from the commercial interest
at Paris.

Le Clerc,
General in
Chief and
Captain-Ge
neral^.

On the 22d of June the decree was published, " in the name
of the General in Chief Captain-General." INlartial law conti-
nued in force, with certain modifications. Military commandants
had the power over certain districts, with the assistance of the
municipality; and each commune provided for the expences of
its government, while the whole held a general understanding
with each other.*

See the Appendix.
2 T

The

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO*

The object at this time requiring the most ardent and strict
attention, was the health of the troops, which had suffered to
such a degree, that in many instances where, (in consequence of
their necessary dispersion throughout the colony,) small num-
bers were left at a post, sufficient scarcely remained to attend
the sick and bury the dead, instead of performing military duty,
while the rigorous service was necessarily obliged to be imposed
upon the others, particularly in the south, and towards the Spa-
nish division, where large parties of blacks, never brought into
action, continued in arms, and ridiculed the idea of submission.
General Le Clerc preserved in his endeavours to infuse terror by
the most absolute measures, and to implore the First Consul for
reinforcements. Thus, if it could be considered as ended, con-
cluded the first campaign of the army of St. Domingo,

, In the mean time, the injured Black General in Chief ap-
proached rapidly to the site of exile. During the voyage he
was not permitted to see his family, and a guard Avas placed at
the door of his cabin. On the 11th of June the ship arrived at
Brest, and on the deck only this great man was permitted to take
the last view of his innocent and respectable family. Their
agonizing separation will be long remembered by the seamen
who witnessed it, notwithstanding the means taken to impress
an unfavorable opinion of the blacks, and render them insensi-
ble to the emotions of humanity ; nature broke throuah the
boundaries which had been thus infernally created, and ex-
pressed their sense of the fraudulent delusion so strenuously, that

1 ' it

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO. M.;

it was conceived necessaiy to hurrjr off their august prisoner. He chap\'
was conveyed in a close carriage, under a strong escort of cavalry ""ST^
to the Castle of Joux in Normandy, far from the knowled..e of
h,s fame or fate, with a single attendant, who was also confined
and prevented from any other communication; and who, after- '

wards, weary of captivity, procured his own release under the pre-
tence of betraying his master, and disclosing hidden treasures in his
native island. From Joux he was removed to Besançon, and
treated as the worst of criminals._He who had been the be-
nefactor of white people in a count.7 where their enormities had -
provoked hatred, whose power was never stained by malevolence
and who was greater in his fall, than his enemies in their as-
sumed power, was kept in a damp and cheerless prison, „-ithout
the comfort of a single friend, without trial or even examina-
tion; a proof of his exalted innocence, and a perpetual memo-
rial of the political error of the Conqueror of Italy,, which will
throw a gloom over his apotheosis, and cast a slur on a period of
government otherwise not destitute of virtues.

The wife and family of Toussaint remained in strict charge
at Brest for two months, fi-om whence they were removed to
Bayonne, in the same province with their unhappy relative
where they long continued unnoticed, and in ignorance of his
fate.*

.uch<:ircur.stances must have been, the account is doubttl "^ "'"" ""'"'

2 t2

Th

IS

FIISTOUy OF ST. BOMmCO.

This prison may be considered the sepulture of Toussaint.
France forgot awhile the habits of a civilized nation, to entomb
one she should have graced with a i^iblic triumph; and Eng-
land, insteadof making a common cause to annihilate a nation of
heroes, and depress the human intellect when rising to its level,
should have guarded from violation the rights of humanity in its
person. It has been the lot of him whose feeble hand attempts
a tribute of gratitude, respect, and justice to his character, to
regret the ill-requited life of the discoverer of the new world,
and the unpropitious efforts of the enlightened and benignant
D'Ogeron, to view the untimely death of many brave and ex-
alted characters in the fluctuation of events in the different at-
tempts to obtain possession of an island w^hose fate is as conspi-
cuous as the most celebrated ancient state; but in no one instance
does the mind linger with such keen sensations as on the unhappy
fortune of the great, the good, the pious and benevolent Tous-
saint L'Ouverture.*

• The death of Toussamt is silently noticed in the Paris journals of April 27, 1S03, and
briefly alluded to in the London papers of the t?d of May following. In one of the most
respectable of them is a paragraph nearly in these terms, whose briefness well characterizes'
an event which could only have been dwelt upon with shame : •

« Toussaint L'Ouverture is dead. He died, according to letters fromBesanfon, in prisony
a, few days ago. The fate of this man has been singularly unfortunate, and his treatment
most cruel. He died, we believe, without a friend to close his eyes. We have never heard
that his wife and children, though they were brought over from St. Domingo with him,
have ever been permitted to see him during his imprisonment."— Times, May 2, 1803.

Suspicions ha-ve been hinted of this event being accelerated by poison. The author, how-
ever, of an -eloquent little popular work, states a circumsti^ice from good authority, which
would supersede the necessity for this means: " The floor of the dungeon," (in which
Toussaint was confined,) he says, " was actually covered with ^s■a.XeT:'—Bm^apaytt in the
West Indies, &c.

Q Notwithstanding

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO. Si.

Notvrithstaading the disastrous state of the colony, General chap, y,
Le Clerc seemed unwilling to depreciate his government, by ad- "isos.
mitting that at the end of several months he had not accom-
plished what he had declared was effected in the first five days.
The healthful season so much desired by him had long arrived,
and the contagion had not otherwise decreased, than by the
number of its victims, which every day grew less. He was
himself scarcely convalescent ; the best officers of his staff had
fallen, and those who arrived being unacquainted with the
country, and task to which they were condemned, sunk into
despondency, and followed their predecessors to eternit}^ ! In
the beginning of October, he commissioned an aid-du-camp
to the Consular court for instructions and advice,^ and for
once his dispatches wore the semblance of truth; they were
in consequence carefully concealed from the public knowledge,
but bad news finds its way through a thousand avenues, when
the good is most anxiously sought for in vain.

It was therefore soon known that Christophe had rejoined the
black forces with Dessalines, who could never be considered as
defected. They began, by affecting in their different characters
of commandant of negroes in tlie northern district, and su peri n-
tendant-general of negroes, to retreat from those who were hostile,
taking care always to leave behind them considerable quanti-
ties of ammunition and stores. A number of new generals,
likewise, had arisen in arms, firom the interior of the island, who
began to make excursions from the mountains. Among these

was

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. was a powerful chief of negroes, of the Congo tribe, called
1802. Sans Souci, who, after committing considerable depredations,
could never be discovered. Charles Bellair, with his Ama-
zonian wife, also made a powerful diversion for a while, till
they were both taken, and died under the most inconceivable
tortures. Clervaux, whose submission of the eastern part of the
island had been formerly boasted without grounds, now de-
clared openly his contumacy ; and IMaurepas, Avho had surren-
dered, was detected in a conspiracy, and put to death. Nor
were the defections from the French army confined to the blacks,

, - or to inferior officers among the whites; General Dugua, the

chief of the French staff, disgusted with the horrors attendant on
the war and more particularly, with the horrid punishment of
Bellair and his wife, whom he had tried, was discovered in
making arrangements to quit the French army, and took the
resolution of destroying himself.

The government at this period (if in the insubordinate state in
which every thing appeared, any government could be considered
to exist) assumed a complexion more sanguinary and terrible than
can be conceived among civilized people, and formed a new aera
in martial law. In attempting to disarm the black troops which
had been incorporated with the French, the necessity whereof
was discovered too late, the most barbarous methods were prac-
tised, ship-loads were collected, and suffocated in the holds. In
one instance, six hundred being surrounded, and attempting a
resistance, were massacred on the spot; and such slaughters

daily

1

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

daily took place in the vicinity of Cape François, that the air chap, v
became tainted by the putrefaction of the bodies. At the same i^oe.
time the French troops being driven from the field, and obliged
to fortify themselves in the chief towns, contagion spread every
where, and the distress became dreadfully general. In their ex-
tremit}^ to aid and fill up the measure of their enormities, the
use of blood-hounds was resorted to, that dreadful expedient, the
temporary adoption of which in a neighbouring colony, had
already excited the disgust of the powers of Europe.*

Fort Dauphin, Port Paix, and several other favourite esta-
blishments, were by the middle of October completely lost to the
French ; and it became known to the seamen who visited the

* In tbis allusion to the circumstance of theintroduction of blood-hounds to an English
colony, the author has no other aim than to add his testimony (who was an eye wit-
ness) to the rectitude of the governor of Jamaica in regard to their use. Though a snc-
cessful, yet it was a dangerous experiment, and one which will, it is hoped, never be again
tried by British soldiers ; but with the control of such men as Lord Balcarras, °and
General Walpole, the rights of humanity can no more be violated than the highest point of
military honor or discipline. The writer was witness to an anxiety with regard to any
employment of the dogs in the noble governor, which must confer eternal honor on his feel-
ings as a gentleman and as a soldier, while the sentiments of General Walpole on the occa-
sion are equally honourable. Strange as it may appear to those who had an opportunity
ofknowing the fact, the public mind (with a jealousy of national character most laudable
and dignified) has never been satisfied that the Maroons were not really hunted down, and
destroyed by blood-hounds; it is therefore most solemnly declared in this place,' that
no farther use was made of them than being marched in the'rear of the army tD inspire ter-
ror in the blacks, as has been mentioned in an account furnished to his respectable historian
by Mr. Quarrel, although the writer is not certain that the care taken by Lord Balcarras to
prevent it, was perfectly consonant to the inclinations of that gentleman. Some accidents,
and perhaps more than those stated by Mr. Dallas, did occur, but they were never let
loose, indiscriminately, bj' a British general, for the inhuman purposes for which they are
bred.

Bight

^

528

CHAP. V,

isu-

■I I

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

Bight of Leogane, that after a considerable number of blacks had
been hunted down in the neighbourhood of Port Républicain,
the}^ were hurried on board of the ships at anchor in the baj-,
and crowded into their holds ; that under cover of the night
this dishonored navy put to sea, and first either burning brim-
stone in the hold, or extinguishing sense by suffocation, or nei-
ther, the miserable cargoes were discharged into the sea in such
quantities, that at length the tide (as if the mighty Arbiter of
all, meant to hold their shame before them) brought the
corpses into the bay, and rolled them on the very beach. Hu-
man nature recoils at the description, yet the scene is not ended, —
under the dark concealment of night, the tender wife, the aged
parent, and even the rougher comrade in arms, stealing by the
watchful suspicion of their masters, were seen wandering on the
sea-shore, to identify each victim as the wave produced him.

Death of
the General
in Chief,
Le Clerc.

Towards the end of October, an event occurred which, how-
ever expected, produced an extraordinan,'^ effect. The General
in Chief, whose health had been long impaired, and who had
tried every means for its restoration, suddenly became worse,
the air of the city had avowedly become mephitic, and Tortuga
no longer remained as a retreat for him, being in flill possession
of the blacks. On the night of the 1st of November, after he
had communicated his wishes as to the future goA^ernment of the
colony, died Victor Emanuel Le Clerc, having been only eleven

months General in Chief and Captain-General of the colony of

St. Domingo.

On

On the morning of xVovember 2, the following proclamation chap, v
was issued by the principal municipal officer of the colony:

The Colonial Prefect, to the Army, and the Inhabitants of

St. Dojningo :

" Citizens, Soldiers,

The night which has passed has been a mournful night for

" The General in Chief, Le Clerc, your Captain-General, is
no more.— He has fallen ; an irresistible malady has borne him
from you.

" Having scarcely attained the meridian of life, he was already
a conqueror in battle and vigorous in council,— at once a hero
and a sage.

Possessing dignity without pride, generosity without osten-
tation;— his heart was just; — your sorrows and his were per-
petually the same.

" Soldiers, although the brother of Bonaparte is no more— he
will live in your hearts. The brigands, whose terror he was, will
rejoice in his death;— you will punish their dete>ted joy.

" The General of Division, Rochambeau, is about to succeed
General Le Clerc. He has already delivered the South and

2u West

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. West from the brigands who ravaged them. He is the choice of
1802. the government, and of the General whom you lament.

" Under his standard you will continue to conquer, and your
hearts alone can inform you what loss you have sustained,

" Inhabitants of St. Domingo, rally with confidence around
the new Chief who is given to you.— You have long known him,
—you have often blessed the success of his arms. You will have
to applaud new triumphs. Forget not. Soldiers and Inhabitants,
that union constitutes force ; and that the only mode of honoring
a man whom you loved, and who loved you, is to conduct your-
' selves as if he were still in the midst of you.

" The French government watches over you : it will never

abandon you.

" The Colonial Prefect, D'Aure."

This communication, had it been intended to appease the
manes of Le Clerc, could not have been more conformable to his
ideas, or more replete with ostentation and falsehood. The
body was immediately examined on account of his disease,
then embalmed, and placed on board the Swiftsure man of
war ; Madam Le Clerc, who had no inclination to remain on
an island, where, instead of a promised paradise, she had suf-
fered the most painful deprivations, went on board in a few
days. Admiral Latouche, chief in command of the naval force
in St. Domingo, undertaking to escort her home, accompanied
by the Chief of Brigade, Netherwood, first aid-du-camp of the

departed

HISTORY OF ST. DOMLXGO.

departed general. His sabre and hat were placed, with much chap. v.
formalitv", ujx)n the bier on board, all the officers attending on isos.
the occasion.

He appears to have been anxious, that the directions which he
thought necessary for the future government of the island,
should be put in force, and they were, as far as convenient
with some persons, obeyed. As soon as the obsequies of the
departed General were performed, it became necessary for some
one to prepare for the repelling the blacks, who had advanced
with vociferous joy to the very town of Cape François.
General Rochambeau, who was appointed Chief in command, Eochambeau
was at Port-au-Prince, and could not be expected to arrive
in sufficient time, though General Watrin had set out to suc-
ceed him in the west and south; General Clausel, command-
ing in the north, therefore, with the remains of a dispirited army,
proceeded against them, but to little effect.

chief in com-
mand.

A young general, of the name of Bo\^er, who had commanded
in the Gens d'iV.rmerie, having been appointed Chief of the Staff
in the place of Dugua, was entrusted with the execution of every
order, and in consequence thought it necessary to address to the
French colonial minister some account of the transactions of
the French army in St. Domingo from the period of the arrest of
Toussaint L'Ouverture. In this dispatch, amidst a variety of
matter, such as had been the custom to transmit to France,
Bover confesses the dreadful situation in which the colony then

2 v 2 stood.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

stood. Speaking of the first attempts after the departure of
Toussaint, he says, " The heat became excessive, it was impos-
sible to make any movement; — the lowest mornes presented
obstacles to us proportionate to the inconvenience of the season.
The brigands increased in numbers. Our hospitals were crowded
with sick, and disease daily made new ravages." He then
mentions insurrections at Marmalade, Dondon, and Moustique,
when not only those posts, but the whole plain of the Cape,
covered by the black forces, from whom, they might temporarily
obtain possession of a small place which they afterwards were
obliged to relinquish.

He acknowledges the prosecution of the war against the lead-
ers, which had been begun by Le Clerc, in the course of which
Domage, the friend of Toussaint, who had hitherto successfully
repelled every attempt upon the south, fell into the hands of Gene-
ral Desbureaux. Loaded with the charge of an intimate con-
nection with his exiled chief, it was not sufficient to send him

on board the squadron," * as the end of his co-patriots was
termed ; he was reserved for the extremity of torture that civilized
barbarians could inflict.

The arrival of the new Commander in Chief at head-quar-
ters, effected little change in the situation of affairs, though
much was expected, from his superior knowledge of the Island,

HISTORY or ST. DOMINGO.

333

and character of the blacks; but this knowledge could not chap. v.
effect a change in the elements, or render a power daily weak- iso?.
ening equal to that which acquired strength from a continuation
of the war. He appeared anxious to , direct it to points differ-
ent from that to which it w^as ordinarily carried ; accordingly
an action of considerable ^dolence took place on the parched
plains of St. Nicholas Mole, in w^hich the French appear to have
made a feeble stand. They continued to fight during the night,
and to precipitate each other into the sea. The end, however,
was, as it must always be. in a like situation, that any advantage
the whites obtained was soon relinquished. General Clausel
was more successful before Fort Dauphin, which, after with-
standing for some time the united attack by sea and land, sur-
rendered to him. Before this capture. Port Républicain and
Les Cayes were the only towns, besides the capital, in the pos-
session of the French.

The first public act of Rochambeau, as Captain-General of
the Island, was that of calling to account the young Chief
of the Staff, who appears to have been an élève of Le Clerc,
and raised to that dignity more from the General's fondness,
than his ability. He was young and spirited, and the faults
with which he was charged, appear to have arisen more from
errors ascribable to that period of life, than from a decided
cupidity. His suspension was announced by an arrêté, thus :

Arrête

i^

334

PISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V.

1 S02.

"ARRETE OF THE GENERAL I>T CHIEF.

December 8.
" The General in Chief orders the deposition of the Chief of
Brigade, Boyer, Ex-commander of the first legion of Gens d'Ar-
merie. He shall be detained in prison at the Cape till his
accompts are given in, when he shall be sent to France.

(Signed)

" ROCHAMBEAU."*

Shortly after, the General in Chief renewed the decree of Le
Clerc, so obnoxious in France, permitting foreign importation
into the colony, extending it to all descriptions of wares and
merchandize, but increasing the duty upon them to twenty per

* This young General, with more good fortune than was ordinarily met with under
the present regimen, was afterwards embarked for France, but war having recommenced,
was taken, and brought to England. ^Vith the greatest impetuosity he inveighed against
his treatment! — But when he found that he was to be deprived of a sum of money, the
fruits, probably, of defalcation in his official career, he lost all patience. Notwithstanding
eveiy thing of personal property had been returned to him, as well as the other prisoners,
he complained with great virulence to his government, " that the English had robbed him !"
He was, notwithstanding, granted his liberty on parole at Tiverton, in Devonshire, wheie
his conduct was frequently ludicrous in the extreme ; and the letters he wrote lo liis govern-
ment occasioned many false constructions in the French papers. Notwithstanding this dis-
agreeable circumstance, his favorable exterior, youth, and vivacity, obtained for him parti-
cular notice. On one occasion, the prisoners, having procured musical instruments, and
formed a concert on a Sunday, the English peasanti-y conceiving it derogatory to their reli-
gion, insisted on its suppression, and the jNIagistrates were obliged to interfere. With
great gallantry the Frenchmen hoped that, though compelled to relinquish their music,
the church of England would not deny them the pleasure of drinking a few bottles of excel-
lent wine, then in their possession, with the ^J agis irates : the latter declined; but were
surprized at hearing nothing of Boyer all the time.-— He was busily employed in a comer
drawing a caricature of the whole party !

2 cent:

cent ; * with this arrêté ended the most eventful year ever chap. v.
experienced in St. Domingo. The French troops appeared to 1802.
proceed with the season in which they landed, — to rise with
the progress of the year,— and to fall, with their General, at
the approach of winter. Before the month of December, not
ten months after their arrival, near fort}'' thousand French
troops are supposed to have been sacrificed, and a considerable
number, (though by no means proportionate,) of the blacks.
Troops still continued to be sent from the ports of Havre and
Cherbourg, but each reinforcement was less effective than the
preceding, and the conscripts at length consisted only of raw
youths, Poles, Piedmontese, and Flemings. Veteran soldiers
considered the army of St. Domingo as the by-word of con-
tempt, and the once popular cause of the subjugation of that
splendid colony became no more heard of, or if mentioned, it
was only with soitow, or to be treated with derision.

The commencement of the vear 1803 was marked by a sullen
cessation of arms, more dreadful than active war, as it gave place
to secret cruelties, more extensive because less glaring. General
Rochambeau was called, by the fortune of war, to a command
for which, notwithstanding the local and physical experience
which has been allowed to him, he was by no means com-
petent, and to which, no talents, perhaps, would have been
adequate. In the outset of the expedition he had borne a

* See the Appendix.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V- subordinate rank, considering his stake as a proprietor, and
1S03. it was only to the death of his superiors that he owed his present
appointment. He evinced no desire to change the sj^stem (if so
it could be called) on which the war proceeded, nor did he ex-
hibit sufficient ability to produce an amendment. On the 4th of
March, without any other communication of importance, the
French colonial minister received from the new Captain-Gene-
ral an intimation, that on the arrival of four thousand more
troops which were expected, offensive operations might he com-
menced.

The blacks, on the contrary, during the whole of this awful
cessation, were daily strengthened from every quarter, under
Dessalines, who was unanimously appointed General in Chief)
who resolved vigorously to push the war to a termination. With
this view they collected a considerable force upon the plain of the
Cape, which being observed by Rochambeau, he found it neces-
sary to withdraw his troops from every other point, and both
armies became unawares in a state of preparation for a general
battle. This was not what either party designed ; Dessalines,
therefore, restrained his impetuous blacks, and the French forces
were combined to strengthen Cape François. Several skir-
mishes having taken place in the vicinity of Acul, it was at
length determined by Rochambeau to venture an action, for which
he had many dispositions in his favor. The troops selected on either
side, for the affair were admirably posted on two neighbouring

morîies,

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO,

mornes* the first movement was inauspicious to the French, by
the capture of a considerable body marching to strengthen one
of the wings who were surrounded and driven into the black
camp. Rochambeau began the attack with impetuosity, and the
blacks for a short time gave way, but on his endeavouring to
push the advantage, they repulsed him with loss, when the day
closed. In penetrating the black line the French had secured a
number of prisoners, and on them they determined to wreak
the vengeance of which they were disappointed in the battle.
Whether this determination arose fi^om an idea that the part of
the French wing which had been cut off were already absolutely
sacrificed, or from the mistaken policy of extermination, cannot
here be determined, but the unhappy victims were, without the
smallest consideration for their own men who were prisoners in
the black camp, immediately put to death. As they were not
carefully exterminated, many were left in a mutilated state during
the whole of the night, whose moans and shrieks were heard at a
distance around the spot sufficiently loud to excite a sensation of
hoiTor throughout the country. The black commander, wh?n
acquainted with the case although the maxim of the benevolent
Toussaint, not to retaliate, had been hitherto followed up, could
no longer forbear; he instantly caused a number of gibbets to be
formed, selected the officers whom he had taken, and supplying

337

CHAP. V.

1S03.

Retaliation
ot thecruelty
of the French
by the black
army.

* This French provincial term, which Las become a cant phrase in the public conversation
*u the war in St. Domingo, the writer conceives applies to heights divided by different
mounts, separated by delightful vailles, with which the island abounds.

9 V

the

iî

338

CIÎAP. V.

1803.

iiiï-toî.:y or st. bomîngo.

tlie deficiency with privates, had them tied up in every direction
by break of day, in sight of the French camp, who dared not to
interfere. The blacks then sallied down with the most astonishing
vigor and regularity, raised the very camp, threw the whole Une
in disorder, and drove the French army close to the walls of Cape
François. Such was the retaliation produced by this sanguinary
measure; a retaliation, the justice of which, however it is la-
mented, cannot be called in question.

During the latter months, the fluctuating politics of Europe,
which had never failed to produce some change to this unhappy
island, again took a turn, and the peace, which was not inaptly
termed in the British senate a " peace of experiment," had been
concluded. In the middle of the ensuing Maj^, war was recom-
menced between Great Britain and France, when each power
directing its attention to those objects of the enemy which were
most vulnerable, the former rationally looked towards the force
in St. Domingo.

By the time the news airived with the different commanders
on the station, Rochambeau had permanently fixed his head-
quarters at the Cape, and Dessalines had so completely lined the
countr}' about the city, that the French boundaries were confined
to two miles around the Cape. As their power became weaker,
an unnatural ferocity was increased, and apparently a desire to
render the white complexion detestable throughout the Antil-
les; for no means, however extraneous, were left unattempted

1 to

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

359

to annoy the enemy. Not content with the use of a consider- chap. v.
able number of blood-hounds, (some of which they had procured isoa.
from the Spanish part of the island, but most from that of Cuba,) ïolnd^^"°^'
which they sent in pursuit of small reconnoitring parties that
occasionally ventured within their lines ; when they were taken
(the pen shrinks from the task of describing it) they were thrown
to those animals, less brutal than their barbarous owners, to be '
devoured alive ! All the arts, which invention worse than savage
could devise in the people, who continued to inspirit these ani-
mals with a ferocity not often known, was employed, to render
them more terrific to the blacks, and more effective in the war.
Such is the deterioration of the human mind, under a pressure of
circumstances.

Dessalines, notwithstanding frequent losses, attended with
the most horrid circumstances, sufficient in the relation to
freeze the blood of the reader, continued the blockade, and
found opportunities to decrease in the French the means of ope-
ration, both offensive and defensive. As soon as an EnoH^h
squadron was perceived on the coast in July, he, in conjunction
with Christophe, sent a flag of truce Avith a proposition to act
in concert against the French, and, in case of agreement, to
request some assistance of stores.— It is probable, that at the
same time an account of the atrocities of the French accom-
panied this request, for shortly after a squadron, under the com-
mand of a Commodore, blockaded Cape François in the ensuing
month, when Rochambeau began to sound the Commodore

2x2

upon

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

upon terms for a surrender of the French troops. About this
time, so unsafe appeared the French interest, that Jerome Bona-
parte, the brother of the First Consul, who had remained hitherto,
(with what utihty is not known,) left the island, and arrived at
Baltimore, on the American continent, a young man more fond
of fashionable distinction than of war, and more fitting for the
agremcns of life than its arduous occupations.*

The French affairs continued to depreciate, varying only by
the increase of difficulty; attended with the same disgraceful
employment of the most cruel actions, till Rochambeau actually
relinquished every other merit or aim, than that of keeping pos-
session of the city of the Cape, and fortifying it by every means
that human art could devise or effect. In a dispatch on the 29th
of October, he observes, " There is still some merit in defending
a ravaged colony against a civil war on one side, and a foreign
enemy on the other."

Such was the situation to which were reduced the conductors
of an expedition, which had flattered the French people to the
hi o best pitch,— had interested the powers of Europe,— and fed
the vanity of every general whom interest could procure to be
appointed to its service.— The victorious blacks, however, conti-

* Among other traits of character in this young man was, that he anxiously, and per-
haps surreptitiously, obtained the London curricle of an English merchant on the island,
which he used with an extravagant peculiarity in the city to which he had removed, while
the executors of its owner were instituting legal proceedings to recover its value.

numg

1

HISTORY OF ST. DOMTaGO.

54 i

Ruing to pour in reinforcements upon the j)lain of the Cape, chap, v
Dessahnes resolved to attack the cit}', and took-measures accord- iso;}.
\ng\y. A powerful body descended from the Morne du Cap,
and having passed the outer hnes, and several of the block-
hoiises, a sharp conflict ensued, and they then prepared to take
the city by storm in thirty-six hours. The blacks being irresist-
ible ; and before it would be too late, reasonably expecting that
every one would be put to the sword, Rochambeau offered arti-
cles of capitulation, which, to the honor of the Black General, by
foregoing the desire of revenge for the conduct of the French, he
accepted, granting them ten days to evacuate the city, (and in
so doing the island, leaving every thing in its existing condition,)
in their own ships, with the honors of war, all their private pro-
perty, and leaving their sick to the care of the blacks;* an
■instance of forbearance and magnanimity, of which there are not
many examples in the annals of ancient or modern history.

Though the British squadron under Commodore Loring, v>'hich
were still stationed off Cape François, did not enter into any
definitive alliance in consequence of the application of the
blacks, they continued to render their cause an incalculable
service, by preventing the arrival of reinforcements or supplies
of any kind. Having been informed of the mode by which
provisions were obtained from the Spanish part of the island,
through the Curacol passage, leading to the eastern entrance of

See the Appendix,

the

342

CHAP. V

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

the harbour of Cape François, a frigate was placed so as to inter-
cept them, by which thirty small vessels, several laden with bul-
locks, were captured in a short time.* Thus, deprived of supply
by sea, and shut from an intercourse with the land. General
Rochambeau became reduced to the situation he so forcibly de-
scribed on a subsequent occasion. " Pressed" said he, " almost
to death by absolute famine, and after w^aiting for a considerable
time, wretchedly appeasing the desperate calls of hunger by
feeding on our horses, mules, asses, and even dogs, we had no
way to escape the poignards of the enraged negroes, but by
trusting our fate to the sea." -f

The same day on which he had treated with General
Dessalines, and after he had exchanged hostages, Rochambeau
thought proper to send to the English commodore a militarjr
and a naval officer, with proposals to treat for the evacuation of
the Cape, with a dissimulation disgraceful to the meanest com-
mander. These were General Boyé and Captain Barné. They
proposed that General Rochambeau and his guards, comprizing
about five hundred men, should be conveyed to France in two
vessels, the Surveillant and Cerf, without being considered as
prisoners of war. To this proposition, which nothing but the
liberality they had so recently experienced could give rise, Com-

* London Gazette, Feb. 7, 1804-,

t "On which," he scurrilously adds, " we were taken by the Englisli pirates." See
affidavit of Jugvstus Stcnson, taken at Ashbourne, in Derbyshire, on the '27 th of February, 1 804,
at which time Rochambeau was prisoner thereon his parole of honor.

modore

modore Loring returned his refusa], and at the same time sent chap. v.
Captain Moss, of the Désirée, with absolute terms. These were, isos.
—a general surrender,— that the French officers and troops in
health should go to Jamaica, and the sick to France and Ame-
rica, security being given for the vessels which conveyed them,
prohibiting at the same time the white inhabitants of the Cape
from going to Jamaica.

To this communication General Rochambeau returned the fol-
lowing answer : —

" The General in Chief of the Army of St. Domingo to Cotn-

modore Loring, Sj-c. Sj-c.

- " Sir,

I have received the letter which you have done me the honor
to address to me. As your propositions are inadmissible, I must
beg of you to consider the preceding letter as not having been
received.

" I have the honor to be, &c.

" D. Rochambeau."

The French general flattered himself with finding an opportu-
nity to make his escape from the Cape, and consequently forbore
any farther communication with, and still concealing from the,
English the capitulation into which he had entered with Dessa-
lines, but they were too vigilant for his purpose.

344

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

On the 2nd of December, Captain Loring summoned the
General of Brigade, Xoailles, who maintained unmolested a spe-
cies of solitary command at the iNIole, to surrender, who, while
equivocating as to the mode of his capitulation, embarked with
his garrison in the night on board six vessels, five of which fell
into the hands of the commander of the La Pique, the sixth
escaping, with General Xoailles on board.

Port-au-Prince having been evacuated at dift'erent periods,
was under the command of the General of Division, Petion, a
black officer of experience and ability, who had been regularly
educated at the Military School in France; St. Domingo thus
became again in the full possession of the native army. The
force which had arrived with the first body of troops, and sta-
tioned at the Spanish capital under General Kerversan, had re-
mained without the power of interfering in the war, and con-
tented itself with the parade of communication between the
French and Spanish inhabitants, and with tlie island of Cuba,
between whom they found sufficient employment, in those petty
political intrigues that are always better avoided, as regard both
the character and advantage of the countries using them.

Immediately on the cessation of hostilities, which promised
to be more permanent than any former one, the General in
Chief, with the two Generals between whom the jurisdiction
of the island was become divided, Christophe and Clervaux, be-
gan to consider of the proclamation of indépendance, and those

measures

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

34-5

measures which were necessary for the public tranquilhtr. In a ch.p ^-
proclamation on Xovember ^9, by the three officers, from head- ^^
quarters, in the Xame of the Black People and Men of Colour
they declared the " General Freedom," and invited the return
of those proprietors who fled during the conflict, without havmg
become obnoxious by any cruelty- of disposition towards their
ser^-ants, or inclination to the continuance of slavery; at the
same time, avowing, that to those of a contmr.^ temper, no
protection would be promised; and that as to soldi;rv employed
m any future expedition, mercy was not to be expecied. They
declared their disapprobation of; and palliated the cruelties
which were the unavoidable consequence of civil dissentions in
all countries, and proposed that a new regimen, founded on the
basis of justice, should prevail m St. Domingo.* In the execu-
tion of these propositions, and m preparations for the pacific state
of the Island, to which they now looked, closed the year 1805
It will scarcely be believed, that to this gratifying occupation of ^
restormg order, in the place of distraction, perpetual caution was
rendered necessary, by some infatuated people who remained- at
the Cape, still devoted to the hope of replacing the old constitua
tion, and the principle of slavery.

Hearing no more from General Rochambeau, although ac-
quan«ed, bj- DessaHnes, with the oap.tulation. and perceivin»
no movement, the English commodore addressed that general

* See the Appendix.
2 Y

as

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. as the term had nearly expired, expressive of his hopes that no
"""TJS!^ retraction would take place, and requesting pilots, to conduct a

part of the squadron into the harbour, to take possession of the

shipping. He received the following answer :

" Liberty or Death!

Head-Quarters, Nov. 27.

- The Commander in Chief of the Native Army to Commodore

Loring, SfC. Sj-c.

" Sir,
" I acknowledge the receipt of your letter, and you may be
assured that my dispositions towards you, and against General
Rochambeau, are invariable. I shall take possession of the Cape
to-morrow morning, at the head of my army. It is a matter of
great regret to me, that I cannot send you the pilots which you
require. I presume that you will not have occasion for them, as
I shall compel the French vessels to quit the road, and you will
do with them, what you shall think proper.

" I have the honor to be, &c. &c.

" Dessalines."

On the 30th, the Colours of the blacks were flying at the dif-
ferent forts, which induced Commodore Loring to send Captain
Bligh to the Black General, to enquire the circumstances which
occasioned the change, when, on entering the harbour, he met

J Captain

Il

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

347

Captain Barré, who entreated him to go on board the Siirveil- chap. v.
lante, and enter into some capitulation with the French, that they iso3,
might be placed under the protection of the English, the blacks
having threatened to sink the vessels with red-hot shot, in conse-
quence of the terms of the capitulation not being complied with
in point of time. This he agreed to, and articles being drawn,
in which the English continuing the liberality they had already
experienced from the Blacks, agreed to their sailing out under
French colours, and firing their broadsides previous to surrender;
Captain Bligh went to acquaint the Black General with the cap-
ture, and to request his desistance from firing, till a wind should
be fair for their departure, which was then directly contrary; his
acquiescence was obtained with much difficulty.

The force being taken possession of by Commodore Loring,
comprizing eight thousand men, with the shipping, consisting
of three frigates, and seventeen merchantmen, were conveyed
to Jamaica, from whence Admiral Duckworth immediately dis-
patched General Rochambeau, and the officers particularly in his
confidence, to England.*

With the new year, a new name and a new constitution was
given to St, Domingo. Desirous of obliterating every mark

1S04.
TJie island
resumes its
ancient name
of Hayti,

• The words of that officer are, " I send a vessel of war to England, with General Ro-
chambeau, and those officers who are said to have participated in his cruelties at the Cape."
— London Gazette, Feb. 7; Letter of Sir J. T. Duckworth. They arrived at Portsmouth ou
the 3d of February, and were afterwards sent on their parole into the interior. See the
Appendix.

2 Y 2 of

348

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. of its recent state, the chiefs who had effected its freedom de-
1804. termined upon resuming, with its pristine simplicity of govern-
ment, its ancient name. Aware of the faihngs of his too credu-
lous countrymen, and knowing that nothing but the firmest con-
sohdation of their whole force, could presence the advantages they
had gained, he appointed the first day of the year for a solemn
pledge of hatred to the French government, and an abjuration
of all ideas of conquest and aggrandizement. The terms of this
declaration of union are dreadfol, they were acceded to by the
people with the enthusiasm he desired, and proclaimed tlirough-
out Havti.

" It is not enough," says he, " to have expelled from your
country the barbarians who have for two ages stained it with
blood. It is not enough to have curbed the factions which, suc-
ceeding one another by turns, sported with a phantom of liberty
which France exposed to their eyes. It is become necessar}^ by
a last act of national authorit}^ to ensure for ever the empire of
liberty in the country which has given us birth."*

The truth of this declaration soon became exemplified by the
intrigues of some of the unhappy persons who still retained their
propert\^ in the Island, and who, aotwithstanding the effervescence
of the public mind, which was apparent in every occurrence,
could not desist from plans of aggrandizement and assumption of

* See the Appendix.

power

mSTORY OF ST. DOMIXGO.

349

po^ver ; some, were so imprudent, as to retain the dogs which chap. ^'
had created such a fatal hatred. Even experience was not suf- iso^-
ficient to cause them to remain quiet, and those whom the strict-
est caution could hardly he expected to preserv-e fi'om infuriated
revenge, adopted the least. The blacks in their turn, indiscri-
minately perhaps, viewed in event^ Frenchman a tyrant; thus,
mutuall}' repulsive, amit}' could not be expected.

One of the hrst civil acts of the black governor reflects con-
siderable honor upon the consideration by which it must have
been actuated. It arose from the following circumstances. In
the early emigrations, different wealthy proprietors had taken
with them for the purposes of pomp, a number of their domestic
negroes; aftenvards, when they ceased to receive remittances
from their estates, and were unable to support a retmue, they
abandoned them under various pretexts ; others had voluntarily
emigrated, during the sway of different factions, and thereby
fallen into distress ; while both were without the means of re-
turning to their own country. The following proclamation was
published, which, as it could have birth in no political view,
but was a pure emanation of humanity, is an act worthy the
imitation of older states.

'* Liberty

history of st. domingo.

" Liberty or Death!

" Government of Hayti.

" Head-Quarters, Jan. 14.
" \st Year of the Independence of Hayti.

The Governor-General considering that a great number of
Native Blacks, and Men of Colour, are suffering in the United
States of America, for want of the means of returning.

Decrees,

" That there shall be allowed to the Captains of American
Vessels the sum of Forty Dollars for each Individual they may
restore to this Country. He orders that this Decree shall be
printed, published, and posted up, and that a copy thereof be
immediately forwarded to the Congress of the United States.

*' By the Governor-General,
' " Dessalines."

During the period, in which he was occupied in these pleas-
ing cares, his attention was called to others of a troublesome
nature. A number of persons yet remaining in the different
towns of the island, who had been the tools of every faction, and
whose inclinations, and interests had always led them to foment
discontent, and sow the seeds of rebellion. To root out these
emissaries was necessary to the public peace, and if the expulsion
had gone no farther, without sanguinary measures, it would pro-
bably have been better for all parties.

The

The official notice which then presented itself, was the puhli- chap, v,
cation of an extract, drawn from the reports of the proceedings 1804.
of the Government on that subject. It was as follows :

** Extract from the Secret Deliberations of the Government of the

Island of Hayti,

" Liberty ! Independence ! or Death !

" The Governor-General considering that there still remains in
the Island of Haj^ti, Individuals who have contributed, either by
their guilty writings, or by their sanguinary accusations, to the
drowning, suffocating, assassinating, hanging, and shooting, of
more than sixty thousand of our brethren, under the inhuman
government of Le Clerc and Rochambeau, considering that every
man who has dishonored human nature,. by prostituting himself
with enthusiasm to the vile offices of informers and executioners,
ought to be classed with assassins, and delivered up without re-
morse to the sword of justice, decrees as follows: —

1. Eveiy Commandant of a Division shall cause to be arrested
within their respective commands those persons who are, or shall
be known to have taken an active part in the different massacres
and assassinations ordered by Le Clerc or Rochambeau, &c.

2. Before proceeding to the arrest of an individual, (as it of-
ten happens that many are innocent, who, nevertheless, may be
strongly suspected,) we order each Commander to make all ne-
cessary

352

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V, cessary inquiries for producing proofs, and above all, not to con-
1801. found with true and faithful reports those denunciations too fre-
quently suggested by hatred or env}^

" 3. The names and surnames of persons executed, shall be
inscribed and sent to the General in Chief, who will make them
' public. This measure is adopted in order to inform the Nations

of the World, that although we grant an asylum and protection
to those who act candidly and friendly towards us, nothing shall
ever turn our vengeance from those murderers who have Re-
lighted to bathe themselves in the blood of the innocent children
of Hayti.

" 4. Any Chief, who, in contempt of the orders, and unalter-
able will of the government, shall sacrifice to his ambition, to his
hatred, or to any other passion, any person whose guilt shall not
have been previously well ascertained and proved, shall undergo
the same punishment which he shall have thus inflicted ; and the
property of every such unjust ofiicer shall be confiscated, one
half to the government, and the other half to the relations of the
innocent victim, if any there may be in the island at the time of
his death,

(Signed) « Dessalines.

" A true copy, B. Aime, Secretary.

" Done at Head-quarters, Feb. 22."

2 To

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGQ.

353

To enable the General in Chief to prosecute with that vigor
and decision, which the complection of the times required, the
different functions of the legislature, it was determined by the de-
liberative meeting which had assembled throughout the month
of April, to invest Dessalines with the Government for life,
which was accordingly done in the beginning of May, with the
power of making peace and war, and nominating his successor.
It is thus, that the advantageous principle of a monarchy, in
an extensive population arises, self-evident, without the contends
ing interests which afterwards surround it, aad the factitious prin-
ciples by which it is" obscured.

CHAP. V.

1804.

Dessalines
Goveinor
General for
life.

During this period, the French Government commissioned
the Governor of Guadaloupe to treat as pirates all neutral ves-
sels going to Hayti, which had been executed with a rigor as ridi-
culous as unjust. The division stationed in the city of St. Do- a small

, . „ French force

mmgo, to whom remtorcements were reported would be sent, remains in

, . the city of

havmg never been called mto action, except a few skirmishes on St. Domin-

. . J , . gp, favored

their debarkation, had suftered less than any otlier division on by distance

. . and the trea-

the island : the Spaniards, also, apparently glad of an opportu- cbery of the

Spaniards»

nity tor treachery, had supported and rendered them famihar to
the country, nevertheless they were still confined to the Capital,
without the power of advancing, or annoying the new Govern-
ment, any other way than by their continuance in any shape
upon the island. Kerversan, who commanded the division on
the arrival of the expedition, had long since fallen, and the

2 z present

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V, present commander was Freron, a man of some talents, but
i804. little principle.

Dissatisfied with the Spaniards for their treachery, desirous of
removing the French, and impressed with the necessity of pre-
paring for the worst, although nothing hostile was then appa-
rent. Dessalines determined on proceeding round the island, to
examine every post or station, and observe the effect of the regu-
lations he had established, many of which required to be en-
forced. Ever vigilant. Dessalines was never known to make a
false movement, or to be surprised * on his post, except by trea-
chery, and of this he had now too much experience to suffer any-
flagrant imposition.

Previous to his departure, however, it became necessary to
address the people, to explain his intended journey, conciliate all
parties, and render them firm in the support of his government,
in proportion to his exertions in their behalf The proclamation
issued on this occasion (April 28) is a specimen of this kind of
composition, and is a positive refutation of those who, in op-
position to reason and notoriety, describe the inhabitants of

* The writer cannot resist this opportunity of observing, that it were well if this prin-
ciple of conduct were always equally acted on in regular armies. It is regretted, that
some instances have occurred, in which any infliction under death is too mild a punishment.
It should be the maxim of every soldier never to be .surprised, and of a general never to ad-
mit of such a declaration. Though not sanguinary, he views tlie effects of such cases in so
criminal a light, that he could perform the office of executioner himself to an officer sutTer-

Hayti

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

355

Hayti as being in a " savage state." It burns with all the fire chap. v.
of martial oratory, while breathing that bewitching eloquence i804.
which ent^vines and captivates the heart. *

On the 8th of May he dispersed throughout the Spanish part
of the island a cautionary proclamation, advising them to desist
from countenancing the French soldiery, and the vain hopes of
opposing him which they manifested ; and on the 1 dth he set
out from Cape François, proceeding by the Mole, to Port Paix
and Gonaives, where he halted for a little time at his favorite
town and head-quarters. From this time, and during the months
of June and July, he employed himself in examining the western
and southern provinces, repairing the injuries of war, and setthng
the distractions of their government. " The Aurora of peace"
(to use their own expressions) " now began to aflbrd the glimpse
of a less stormy time," and the community to wear a natural ap-
pearance ; notwithstanding the melancholy scenes of retributive
devastation which occasionally unfolded themselves. •

An event was brought about during his stay, which, while
it savours of aggrandizement in the Ghiet^ who had already
been elevated to the highest place in the public confidence,
served to combine the people more closely, and to present a
more dignified character to their enemies. This was his elevation
to the Imperial Dignity in a manner, and on terms not inferior

* See the Appendix.

2 z 2

to

356

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. V. to those which have raised other heroes, in times when heroism
1S04. was the popular care.

Dessalines.

Hayti erect- Whether the -design originated from the similar event which

€d into an

empireunder jjad taken placc in France, or had birth in the magnificent ideas

Jean Jaques

which arise in a state bursting from the clouds of adversity into
glory, is not determined ; that it had an exalted basis is certain,
and it w^as conducted in a manner comportable wath the simpli-
city of the earliest institutions, and the refmed elegance of mo-
dern courts.

General Dessalines having formally agreed to accept the
dignity of Emperor, a meeting of the constituted authorities took
place on the 8th of September at Port-au-Prince, to arrange the
time and manner in which the will of the people should be ex-
ecuted; when that day month w^as fixed upon for the corona-
tion, and a Programa* issued, of the different forms and ceremo-
nies with which it should be attended.

A procession was formed representing the different functi-
ons of the state, depicted so as to shew how they affected its
interest, thereby producing a grand and impressive picture,
highly descriptive of the manners and principles of the people.
In this procession. Education took the lead, as the first and most
prominent local good; the Arts next, as little inferior; and Agri-

,See the Appendix.

culture

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

a — ^

culture the third, as partaking of the first class, and at the head chap. v.
of the second; Foreign and National Commerce succeeded; iso*.
then Justice and Legislation; followed by the Officers of Health ;
and last of all the Military.

A superb amphitheatre was erected on a martial plain ; when
Jean Jaques Dessalines was declared Emperor of Hayti, amid
the thunder of cannon, which was re-echoed as an acknowledge-
ment by the INIarine of other nations, in the harbour. The
Church sanctified the event by a solemn Te Deum, and the day
concluded by public rejoicings, apparently the most sincere
that ever greeted a similar occasion.

CHAP.

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

359

CHAP. VL

On the Estahlishnent of a Black Empire, and the prohahle Effects

of this Colonial Revolution.

Such, then, with the close of the year 1804, was the end of
this eventful revolution, in which the Imperial dignity was the re-
ward for the courage and experience of the Chief, who, profiting
by the misfortunes of his brave and good predecessor, had more
successfully combated his enemies, — those enemies who were weak
enough to consider it possible, nay, easy to reduce to slavery a
powerful body of men who had for some few years enjoyed a
state of the most perfect freedom ; nor can it be asserted that
his title is in any way inferior to that of the extraordinary man
whose laurels have been sullied in the attempt to subdue him.

CHAP. VI.

1804.

Probable
effects of the
colonial re-
volution.

The recurrence to the earliest state of the new world for the
name and character of the government, with the advantage of
more than three hundred years experience, is an idea which
could not originate in mean or untutored minds; nor is such

the

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. VI.

1804.

Probable
effects of the
colonial re-
volution.

the character of any of the present rulers of Hayti. With respect
to the future poHcy they may chuse to adopt, time alone can
determine. Should they adhere to the basis on which they have
founded their proceedings, and remain unmolested by European
powers, they may arrive at the most enviable state of grandeur
and felicity ; but should any evil spirits obtain a footing amongst
them, and interrupt the harmony which may otherwise be main-
tained, by occasioning factions to arise from old contentions, or
new divisions, the frequent consequence of overgrown wealth or
dominion, they will in all probability fulfil the prediction of Ed-
wards, by becoming " savages in the midst of society, without
peace, security, agriculture, or property."

But, in either case, their reduction to their former situation is
■ impossible; and though Europe waste her armies, and exhaust
her navies in the endeavour, the blacks of St. Domingo will be
unsubdued ; and if they cannot repel the invasion of a reiterated
and extended force, they will cut them off, as hath been already
observed, with a scythe more keen and rapid than that of time.
Every year and every day has been, and will still continue, to be
pregnant with experience to them, and no power on earth will
be able to reduce them, while their population will continue to
increase in a vast proportion. The writer has reiterated these
sentiments for several years, and through a period in which their
confirmation appeared more than doubtful ; his opinions were
disinterested, and unmingled with any prejudice, either local, poli-
tical, or pecuniary, and every event has tended to strengthen them.

6 Should

TîiSTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

361

Should it ever happen in the course of time, that any of the chap. vi.
various means dispensed by providence' to check the exuberance ^TSI!^-
of population should fall on Hayti, either in the form of conta- TiSc^Ôfthe
gion, or by a multiplication of the various diseases, to which the '-0^1'""
African race are subject, in the degeneration of slavery; and that
a white population should by that time be formed, capable of
taking advantage of such a calamity; then, but not till then,
should the neighbouring continent of America be in a state to co-
lonize, or the policy of European governments desire the attain-
ment of the most splendid colony of the Antilles, an opportunity
might possibly be' afforded.— Whether it would be rational on the
score of justice, or humanity to do so, is a subject not to be argued
at present. Those who undertake the project, if ever it should
be undertaken, will be capable of defending it with plausibility.

But to this part of the subject the public attention is rarely
directed; the danger of a community of manumitted slaves in
the American Archipelago, is their chief objection to the new
Empire of Hayti. With those who form their opinion on er-
roneous principles, fears of this kind may arise, as the unreflect-
ing clown startles at his shadow on the moonlight sward.
Whether Hayti exist or not, as an independent island, if the
black population of the other colonies of the Antilles continue
to increase as it has done during the last fifty years, and to over-
balance that of the whites, no power but that of the exer-
cise of humanity, can preserve them to their present possessors.
The practise of this power, happily, is prevalent at present, and

r

â A

It

m

3Q2

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. VI. it is hoped, and expected, that profiting by the past, it will be
^^ always co-equal with the increased w^ealth of the proprietors, and
SStfthe their capability of being liberal; but if it does not originate with
voluuoi'" themselves, that the smallest danger can arise to the colonies, from
the Empire of Hayti, may be positively denied. The negroes,
though sufficiently warlike and vindictive, when roused by re-
• venge, court quiet, and are ardent in all the relations of life,
w^hen kindly treated by superiors. They would then with ex-
treme difficulty, if at all, be persuaded to quit a situation of com-
parative ease, to join strangers in a bloody conllict. Besides, the
inhabitants of Hayti could derive no advantage from such a
union. They are not to be compared with the 31aroons, or the
Charaibes, as they possess a territory with an organised govern-
ment, and sufficient resources of their own, all which they must
lose in proportion to the success of any project of ambition.
Neither have they, nor do they want the maritime power so ab-
solutely necessary for an attack on the other islands; and many
other difficulties occur to prevent such a scheme.

Yet, as many events beyond the utmost stretch of foresight
•happen in the course of time, it is incumbent upon those in par-
ticular, whose local interest is concerned, to take due care to pre-
vent the miseries which they appear prematurely to dread ; for
"extra precaution is not so great an evil, as a deficiency of neces-
sary care; to the Proprietors of the British colonies in particular
it is recommended, to tbink an inducement to some degree
of devotion among their slaves an object of importance, with a
1 careful

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

363

careful diffusion of morality. la the former, the more peculiar chap, vl
mysteries need not be included, nor in the latter that rigid sys- i804.
tem, which denies even the innocent gaieties of humble life, effect's of the
The personal care, too, of negroes, should be an object of more voiution.'^^'
attention, than it is on certain occasions, with a view to preserve
that health which is of so much value to their proprietors, as
well as the comfort, necessary to render them satisfied with their
condition. These attentions, including the care of pregnant fe-
males, added to those humane and salutary laws which already
preclude excessive punishment, or labor, will always produce
the most desirable effects, and be more certain than all the in-
flictions, that coercive measures can devise to prevent a spirit of
deliberation (the first revolutionary system) among slaves.

And finally, if, it should appear from the concessions, which
are already granted that the slaves in the colonies may be ele-
vated from the consideration of being a species below, even to
the lowest class of human societj^ the complaints w^hich have
formerly arisen, will soon have no grounds for existence ; and
those philanthropic minds which have been led, from the glo-
rious principle of protecting " him that had none to help him,"
to countenance an enthusiasm, which has been of the most fatal
tendency, will, no doubt, exert their beneficent offices in increas-
ing the good effects, of what may have been already done. But
this principle must alwaj-s be preserved inviolable, (whether it
militate or not against the policy of retaining distant colonies will
not be argued,)— that no deliberative body should prescribe for the

3 A 2 infernal

■y «••:■>
^v^*^^^^

64

HISTORY OF ST. DOMINGO.

CHAP. VI. internal politij of a country at a distance, such as precludes an
intimate and constant knowledge of its concerns.

1804.

Probable
effects of the
colonial re-
Tolution.

The Enquiry into the Rise of the Black Empire of Hani,
thus concludes for the present. It is hoped a remarkable and
correct picture will be found of a Revolution, which ranks among
the most remarkable and important transactions of the day. It is,
at least, untinctured with prejudice of any kind, unless that spirit
can be so called, which inclines towards truth and humanity.

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX.

No. I.

(Referred to in Page 131. — " The fascinating eloquence of the

Abbé Grégoire," &c.)

Among the other Public Efforts of the Society of Amis de Noirs,
was the following Letter of the Able Grégoire, Bishop of the
Department of Loire and Cher, Deputy of the National Assem-
bly, to the Citizens of Color in the French West Indies, concern"
ing the Decree of the \5th May, 1791, which produced an im-
mediate and striking Effects

Friends,

You were Men;— you «re now Citizens. Reinstated in the No. i. '
fuhiess of your rights, you will in future participate of the sove- Enthusiastic

address to

reignty of the people. The decree which the National Assembly the people of

color, ex-
has just published respecting you, is not a favour ; for a favour citing them

to délibéra-
is a privilege, and a privilege to one class of people is an injury *i°"' a"^

to all the rest. — They are words which no longer disgrace the insurrection.

laws of the French.

In securing to you the exercise of your political rights, we

have acquitted ourselves of a debt : — not to have paid it, would

have been a crime on our part, and a disgrace to the constitution.

The legislators of a free nation certainly could not do less for you

than our ancient despots have done.

It

^68

APPENDIX.

No. I.

Letter of the
Abbé Gré-
goire.

It is now above a century that Louis XlVth solemnl}^ acknow-
ledged and proclaimed your rights ; but of this sacred inheritance
you have been defrauded by pride and avarice, which have gra-
dually increased your burthens, and embittered your existence.

The regeneration of the French empire opened your hearts to
hope, whose cheering influence has alleviated the weight of your
miseries ; miseries of which the people of Europe had no idea.
While the white planters resident amongst us were loud in their
complaints against ministerial tyranny, they took especial care to
be silent as to their ozvn. Not a hint was suggested concerning
the complaints of the unhappy people of mixed blood; who,
notwithstanding, are their own children. It is we^ who, at the
distance of two thousand leagues from you, have been constrained
to protect these children against the neglect, the contempt, the
unnatural cruelty of their fathers !

But it is in vain that they have endeavoured to suppress the
justice of your claims. Your groans, notwithstanding the extent
of the ocean which separates us, have reached the hearts of the
European Frenchmen ; for they have hearts.

God Almighty comprehends all men in the circle of his mer-
His love makes no distinction between them, but what

cies.

arises from the different degrees of their virtues. Can laws then,
which ought to be an emanation of eternal justice, encourage so
culpable a partiality ? Can that government, whose duty it is
to protect alike all the members of the same great family, be
the mother of one branch, and the step-mother only of the
others ?

- 4 No,

APPENDIX.

No, Gentlemen :— you could not esccape the solicitude of the
National Assembly. In unfolding to the eyes of the universe the
great charter of nature, your titles were traced. An attempt had
indeed been made to expunge them; but, happily, they are
written in characters as indelible as the sacred image of the
Deity, which is graven on your countenances.

Already had the National Assembly, in the instructions which
it prepared for the government of the colonies, on the 28th of
March, 1790, comprized both the whites and people of color
under one common denomination. Your enemies, in asserting
the contrary, have published a forgery. It is incontestibly true,
that when I demanded you should be expressly named, a great
number of members, among whom were several planters, eagerly
exclaimed, that you were already comprehended under general
words contained in those instructions. M. Barnave himself, upon
my repeated instances to him on that head, has at length ac-
knowledged, before the whole Assembly, that this was the fact.
It now appears how much reason I had to apprehend that a false
construction would be put upon our decree !

New oppressions on the part of your masters, and new miseries
on yours, until at length the cup of affliction is filled even to the
brim, have but too well justified my apprehensions. The letters
which I have received from you upon this head, have forced
tears from my eyes. Posterity will learn, with astonishment and
indignation, that a cause like yours, the justice of which is so
evident, was made the subject of debate for no less than five
days successively. Alas! when humanity is obliged to strueo-le

^ ^ so

369

No. r.

Letter of the
Ahhé Gré-
goire.

570

APPENDIX.

Abbé Gre
soire.

Ko. r. so long against vanity and prejudice, its triumph is dearly ob-

Letterofthe taincd 1

It is a long- time that the society of Ami des Noirs have em-
ployed themselves in finding out the means to soften your lot, as
well as that of the slaves. It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to do
good Nvith entire impunity. The meritorious zeal of this society
has drawn upon them much obloquy. Despicable writers have
lanced their poisonous shafts at them, and impudent libels have
never ceased to repeat objections and calumnies, which have been
an hundred times answered and refuted. How often have we
been accused of being sold to the English, and of being paid by
them for sending you inflammatory writings and arms? You
know, my friends, the weakness and wickedness of these charges.
We have incessantly recommended to you attachment to your
country, resignation, and patience, while waiting the return of
justice. Nothing has been able to cool our zeal, or that of your
brethren of mixed blood who are at Paris. M. Raimond, in par-
ticular, has devoted himself most heroically to your defence.
With what transport would you have seen this distinguished
. citizen, at the bar of the National Assemblj', of which he ought
to be a member, laying before it the affecting picture of your
miseries, and strenuously claiming your rights ! If that Assembly
had sacrificed them, it would have tarnished its glory. It was
its duty to decree with justice, to explain itself clearly, and cause
its laws to be executed with firmness:— it has done so; and if,
(which God forbid !) some event, hidden in the womb of fiitu-
Tity, should tear our colonies fi-om us, would it not be better to

have

APPENDIX. 37 J

have a loss to deplore, than an injustice to reproach ourselves No. i.
with ? T^T'^CT'

Letter of the

Citizens ! raise once more your humihated countenances, and fo^e. ^'^
to the dignit}- of men, associate the courage and nobleness of a
free people. The 15th of May, the day in which you recovered
your rights, ought to be ever memorable to you and to your
children. This epoch will periodically awaken in you sentiments
of gratitude towards the Supreme Being; and may your accents
ascend to the vault of Heaven ! At length you have a country.
Hereafter you will see nothing above you but the law; while the
opportunity of concurring in the framing of it, will assure to you
that indefeasible right of all mankind, — the right of obeying
yourselves only.

You have a country : and it will no longer be a land of exile,
where you meet none but tyrants on the one hand, and compa-
nions in misfortune on the other; the former distributing, and the
latter receiving, contempt and outrage. The groans of your af-
flictions were punished as the clamours of rebellion ; and, situated
between the uplifted poignard and certain death, those unhappy
countries were often moistened with your tears, and sometimes
stained with vour blood.

You have a country- and happiness will shine on the seat of
your nativity. You will now enjoy in peace the fruits of the
fields which you have cultivated without compulsion. Then will
be filled up that interval, which, placing at an immense distance
from each other the children of the same father, has suppressed
the voice of nature, and broke the bands of fi'aternity asunder.

5b2 Then

I

i

572

No. I.

Letter of the
Abbé Gre-

APPEXDIX,

Then will the chaste enjoyments of conjugal union take place of
of those vile sallies of debauchery, b}' which the majesty of moral
sentiment has been insulted. By what strange perversion of
reason can it be deemed disgraceful in a white man to marry a
black or mulatto woman, when it is not thought dishonourable in
him to be connected w^ith her in the most licentious familiarity !

The less real worth a man possesses, the more he seeks to avail
himself of the appearances of virtue. What can be more absurd
than to make the merit of a person consist in different shades of
the skin, or in a complexion more or less sallow ? The man who
thinks at all must sometimes blush at being a man, when he sees
his fellow-creatures blinded by such ridiculous prejudices; but as,
unfortunately, pride is one of those failings we most unwillingly
part with, the empire of prejudice is the most difficult to subvert:
man appears to be unable to arrive at truth, until he has ex-
hausted his strength in travelling through the different paths of

error.

This prejudice against the mulattoes and negroes has, hoW'
ever, no existence in our eastern colonies. Nothing can be more
affecting than the eulogium made on the people of color by the
inhabitants in that part of the world, in the instructions to those
they have appointed their deputies to the National Assembly.
The members of the Academy of Sciences pride themselves in
reckoning a mulatto of the Isle of France in the number of their
correspondents. Among ourselves, a worthy negro is a superior
officer of the district of St. Hypolite, in the department of Gard.
We do not conceive that a difference of color can be the founda-
tion

APPENDIX.

373

tion of different rights among members of the same pohtical Xo. r.
society : it is, therefore, we fmd no such despicable pride among Letter of the
our brave National Guards, who offer themselves to embark for goirï
the West Indies, to insure the execution of our decrees. Per-
fectly concurring in the laudable sentiments manifested by the
inhabitants of Bourdeaux, they acknowledge with hem, that the
decree respecting the people of color, framed under the auspices
of prudence and wisdom, is an homage rendered to reason and
justice. While the deputies from the colonies have endeavoured
to calumniate your intentions, and those of the mercantile part of
the nation, the conduct of those deputies is perfectly contradic-
tory. Ardently soliciting their ovra admission among us at Ver-
sailles; swearing with us in the Tennis Court not to separate from
us until the constitution should be estabhshed, and then declaring
when the decree of the 15th of May was passed, that they could
no longer continue to sit with us ! This desertion is a desertion
of their principles, and a breach of their solemn oaths. -

All those white inhabitants of the colonies who are worthv the
name of Frenchmen, have hastened to abjure such ridiculous
prejudices, and have promised to regard you in future as brothers
and friends. With what delightful sensations do we cite the
words of the citizens of Jacmel. " We swear to obev, %vithout
reserve, the decrees of the National Assembly respecting our
present and future constitution, and even such of them as may
substantially change it!" The citizens of Port-au-Prince tell the
National Assembly the same thing, in different words:—" Con-
descend, gentlemen," say the\% " to receive the oath which the

municipality

APPENDIX.

municipality has taken to you, in the name of the commons of
Letter of the Poit-au-Prtnce, punctually to obey and execute all your decrees.

Abbé Gre- „ , . ,

and never to swerve from them m any respect whatever."

Thus has philosophy' enlarged its horizon in the new world,
and soon will absurd prejudices have no other supporters than a
few inferior tj'rants, who wish to perpetuate in America the reign
of that despotism which has been abolished in France.

What would these men have said, if the people of color had
endeavoured to deprive the whites of their political advantages ?
With what energy would they not have exclaimed at such an
oppression ! Inflamed into madness at finding that your rights
have been pointed out to you, their irritated pride may perhaps
lead them to make every eftbrt to render our decrees ineffectual.
They will probably endeavour to raise such disturbances, as, by
-^^Testing the colonies from the mother-country, will enable them
to defi-aud their creditors of their just debts. They have inces-
santly alarmed us with the threat that St. Domingo will be lost,
if justice be rendered to you. In this assertion we have found
nothing but falsehood : we please ourselves in the belief that our
decree will draw the bands still closer which unite \"ou to the
mother country. Your patriotism, your interest, and 5'our affec-
tions, will concur in inducing you to confine j^our commercial
connections to France only; and the reciprocal tributes of industry
will establish between her and her colonies a constant interchange
of riches and good offices. If you act unfaithfully towards France,
you will be the basest and most abandoned of the human race.
But no, generous citizens, you will not become ti'aitors to your

country ;

APPENDIX.

375

country; you shudder at the idea. Rallied, with all other good ^^^No^^
Frenchmen, around the standard of liberty, you will still defend Letfer of the

Abbé Gre-

our glorious constitution. The day shall arrive when the repre- goire.
sentatives of the people of color will cross the ocean to take their
seats with us. The day shall arrive among you when the sun
will shine on none but freemen ; when the rays of light shall no
longer fall on the fetters of slavery. It is true, the National
Assembly has not yet raised the condition of the enslaved negroes
to a level with your situation; because suddenly granting the
rights to those who are ignorant of the duties of citizens, might,
perhaps, have been a fatal present to them : but forget not, that
they, like yourselves, are born to fi-eedom and perfect equality.
It is in the irresistible course of things that all nations, whose
liberty has been invaded, shall recover that precious portion of
their indefeasible inheritance !

You are accused of treating your slaves much worse than the
whites: but, alas! so various have been the detractions with
which you have been aspersed, that it would be weakness in us
to credit the charge. If, however, there be any foundation for
what has been advanced on this head, so conduct yourselves in ,
future as to prove it will be a shameful calumny hereafter.

Your oppressors have heretofore endeavoured to hide from
their slaves the lights of Christianity; because the religion of
mildness, equality, and libert}^ suits not with such blood-thirsty
men. May your conduct be the reverse of theirs. Universal
love is the language of the gospel; your pastors will make it
heard among you. Open your hearts to receive this divine
4 system

APPENDIX.

system of morality. We have mitigated your misfortunes ; alle-
Letterof the viate, on jOMX part, those of the unhappy victims of avarice, who

Abbé Grc-

moisten your fields with their sweat, and often with their tears.
Let the existence of your slaves be no longer their torment;
but by your kind treatment of them expiate the crimes of Eu-
rope !

By leading them on progressively to liberty, you will fulfil a
duty ; you will prepare for yourselves the most comfortable re-
flections; you will do honor to humanity, and ensure the prospe-
rity of the colonies. Such will be your conduct towards your
brethren, the negroes; but what ought it to be towards your
fathers, the whites? Doubtless you will be permitted to shed
tears over the ashes of Ferrand de Baicdiere, and the unfortunate
Ogé, assassinated under the forms of law, and dying on the
wheel for having wished to be free ! But may he among you
perish, who shall dare to entertain an idea of revenge against
your persecutors ! They are already delivered over to the stings
of their own consciences, and covered with eternal infamy. The
abhorrence in which they are held by the present race of man-
kind, only precedes the execration of posterity. Bur)^ then, in
eternal oblivion every sentiment of hatred, and taste the delicious
pleasure of conferring benefits on your oppressors. Repress even
too marked expressions of your joy, which, in causing them to
reflect on their own injustice towards you, will make their re-
morse still more poignant.

Strictly obedient to the laws, teach your children to respect
them. By a careful education, instruct them in all the duties of

3 morality;

APPENDIX.

morality; so shall you prepare for the succeeding generation
virtuous citizens, honorable men, enlightened patriots, and de-
fenders of their country!

How will their hearts be affected when, conducting them to
your shores, you direct their looks towards France, telling them,
" beyond those seas is your parent country; it is from thence we
have received justice, protection, happiness, and liberty. There
dwell our fellow citizens, our brethren, and our fi-iends ; to whom
we have sworn an eternal friendship. Heirs of our sentiments
and of our affections, may your hearts and your lips repeat our
oaths! Live to love them; and, if necessary, die to defend
them!" -

577

No. I.

Letter of the
Abbé Gré-
goire,

(Signed)

Grégoire.

Paris, Sth June, 1791.

No. II.

(Refen-ed to, and its Substance explained, p. 113.)

Principes de la Première Assemblée Générale de St. Domingue.

Un principe d'où sont émanés tous les travaux de l'Assemblée ^^ jj

de la Colonie fut généralement adopté par tous ses membres, fjl'g"^';^'" "'^

c'est que les colonies ne doivent intéresser la métropole, qu'en f^^^^l^^ f^

proportion des avantages qu'elles lui procurent. Cette considéra- JubTiB b*

tion dût acquérir, dans l'esprit de tous les colons, un caractère de """^ °^ '''

3 c

légalité

members ia
Paris.

iT^frtfvHr

No. II.

Principles of
the First
General
Assembly.

APPENDIX.

légalité à tous les moj^ens qui pouvoient assurer la prospérité de
la colonie, et augmenter ses rapports avec la mère patrie.

Il auroit été sans doute à souhaiter, et il seroit bein plus en-
core, qu'une même loi pût convenir à touts les climats, à toute
espèce de mœurs, à toutes les populations ; mais malheureusement
les hommes ne sont pas les mêmes par tout ; telle loi qui convient
dans un endroit, seroit nuisible dans un autre.

L'Assemblée Générale envisagea donc la constitution de St.
Domingue, sous trois rapports, toujours dirigés d'après son intérêt
de rester unie a la métropole, et d'après la révolution de l'em-
pire.

1 . Comme faisant partie intégrante de l'empire François,

2. Comme obligée de concourir par ses productions à la pros-

péritée de l'état.

3. Comme assujettie par la dissemblance de son climat de
ces mœurs et de sa population, à des besoins particuliers et dif-
ferens de ceux de la métropole.

Division de la Constitution de St- Domingue.

Ces divers rapports diviser la constitution convenable à St.
Domingue,

En lois générales ; ■

En lois communes ;
Et en loix particulières.

Loix Générales.

Le lois générales de l'empire, celles qui intéressent tous les
I François,

APPENDIX.

379

François, clans quelque coin de la terre qu'ils soient placés, flirent No. ii.
considérées comme obligatoires pour les colonies, sans aucun ex- ^^Z^^f
amen, sans aucune restriction. lî"^ ^^'^^^

Cjeneral

Ces lois sont : la forme du gouvernment, le sort de la couronne, ^''""'''^"
la reconnoisance du monarque, les déclarations de guen-e, les
traités de paix, l'organization générale de la police, et de la jus-
tice, &c. &c. L'intérêt des colonies se trouvant à cet égard con-
fondu avec celui de toute la nation, l'Assemblée Nationale a seule
le droit de décréter ces loix.

Loi.v Communes.

Les loix communes sont celles qui ont rapport aux rélàtiones
de la métropole avec les colonies ; c'est un contrat par lequel la
France s'oblig ede protéger et défendre les colonies contre les puis-
sances étrangères, de l'ambition desquelles elles devient droient
l'objet. Cette protection ne devant ni ne pouvant être gratuite,
les colonies doivent, en dédommager l'état par les avantages du
commerce. Delà, le regime prohibitif dans les fers duquel la
destinée les a condamnés à rester toujours; et quel que soit le
degré de liberté dont jouisse la nation, les colonies seront toujours
esclaves du commerce. C'est une position politique absolument
inhérent a leur position physiques, elles n'en laissent pas échapper
le moindre murmure; elles savent bien que leur qualité de Fran-
çois ne leur donne pas de droit sur les deniers de l'état ; elles
consentent donc à ne recevoir que de la France tous les objets de
consommation que ses manufactures et son sol jieuvent fournir ;
elles sousen^nt encore à l'obligation de n'enivrer leurs désirs

3 c 2 qu'en

APPENDIX.

qu'en France. Ce qu'elles demandent, ce qu'on ne peut leur
réfuser, c'est qu'en consacrent ces conventions fondamentales, les
abus que le regime prohibitif entraîne après lui soint détruits.

Loix FarticuUères ou Regime Intérieur.

Les loix particulières sont celles qui n'intéressent que les colo-
nies. De grands motifs ont porté la colonie de St. Domingue à
s'en réserver la formation: 1. il est bien reconnu que les loix de
St. Domingue ne peuvent être faites ailleurs que dans son sein :
cette vérité fondamentale a échappé à son ennemi le plus cruel.
M. la Luzerne, dans son mémoire présenté a l'Assemblée Na-
tionale, le 27 Octobre 1789, (No. 2.) disoit que les colonies n'ont
jamais pu être régies par les mêmes loix que le royaume, et qu'il
a fallu toujours conférer le pouvoir a deux administrateurs de faire
les loix locales, parce qu'il est une infinité d'infinités de conve-
nances qu'on ne peut connoître que sur les lieux.

Ce que l'Assemblée Générale s'est réserv^ée n'est donc que la
portion du pouvoir législatif qui résidoit, contre le droit des hommes,
dans les mains de deux satrapes, que la colonie n'intéresse que
par les richesses qu'ils en retirent pendant leurs administration.

2. Il est contraire, aux principes constitutionnels, que celui qui
fait la loi n'y soit point assujetti.

Tous les hommes ont le droit de concourir à la formation de
la loi à laquelle ils sont assujettis; mais nul ne peut concourir a
la formation de celle qui ne l'assujettit pas.

Ce principe, seul exige de la liberté individuelle, seul garant
de la bienfaisance de la loi, qui n'a pas permis aux colons de St.

Dominsue

APPENDIX.

381

DoîTiingue de douter que l'Assemblée Nationale, dispensatrice des
bienfaits régénérateurs, n'approuvât cette disposition qui assure la
propérité de St. Domingue.

En effet, il ne peut pas en être des loix locales des sections
éloignées de l'empire, comme des loix qui n'intéressent que la
France.

La loi décrétée pour le royaume est la même pour tous les
cantons. L'universalité des députés de l'Assemblée Nationale
sont intéressée à en examiner scrupuleusement tous les rapports, a
en considérer tous les avantages et tous les inconveniences. De
sorte que l'intérêt que tous ont â ce que la loi, du vice de laquelle
ils seroient eux mêmes les victimes, ne soit que le fruit d'une
longue méditation, et de reflexions longuement et soigneusement
discutées, en assure la sagesse.

Le loix particulières de St. Domingue n'assujettissant que les
habitans qui y resident ou qui y ont leur fortunes, n'intéressent
dans l'Assemblée Nationales que les douze députés des colo-
nies.

3. Une des conditions essentielles, à la bonté de la loi, est que
celui qui la fait, connoisse par faitements les rapports qu'elle doit
avoir avec la constitution, nul ne peut connoitre les particularités
locales que celui qui est sur les lieux, parce que ces mêmes par-
ticularités changent et varient; et il faut que la loi soit faite,
d'après ces variations.

4. Il est bien constant que les liens de la société sont les pou-
voirs établis pour en faire exécuter les conditions.

Le bonheur de toute constitution dépend absolument d'une

action

No. II.

Principles of
the First
General
Assemblv. •

382

APPENDIX,

No. II.

Principles
tlie First
General
Assembly.

action égale dans ces différans pouvoirs ; c'est cette égalité seule
of qui en maintient l'équilibre.

Il faux nécessairement qu'il existe à St. Domingue un pouvoir
executif; car le malheur des sociétés veut que la raison n'aille
jamais en politique quà côté de la force. Si ce pouvoir n'est
balancé par aucun autre, il fmira par tout envahir, et par substituer
l'oppression aux bienfaits de la régénération à laquelle la révolu-
tion actuelle donne à tous les François le droit de prétendre. Il
ne peuvent donc être contenu dans ces bornes que par une masse
proportionnée de pouvoir législatif, dont il ayent à redouter la
surveillance.

5. Les principes de l'Assemblée Nationale s'opposent à ce
qu'elle décrète Ja constitution particulière de St. Domingue.
•Celle de la France a pour base la hberté, l'égalité; celle de St.
Domingue repose malheureusement sur la servitude, et une dis-
tinction de classes, d'où dejDcnd la conservation de cette superbe
colonie. Tous les raisonnements possibles échouèrent contre cette
vérité.

Ces différentes observations, bien analysées dans l'Assemblée
Générale, la rassurèrent sur la crainte qu'elle avoit de ne point se
trouver d'accord avec les principes de l'Assemblée Nationale, et
de prêter à la calomnie le prétexte d'inculper ses intentions.

Les differens membres de l'Assemblée Générale etoint bien
éloignés de prévoir que l'heureuse révolution qui à porté la joie
et la enthousiasme dans le cœurs de tous les François, finiroit par
porter à St. Domingue la deuil et la desolation, Qu'im}X)rte à
la France, quelque soit notre régime domestique, pourvu qu'il

tende

APPENDIX.

OOO

tend a faire le bien de la colonie ? Pourvu que nous soj'ons assu- No. u.
jettis aux loix générales de l'empire? Pourvu que nous respec- Principles of
tions les rapports commerciaux ? Pourvu que nous regardions la General

• / • 1 • 1 T-i Assembly,

sujétion de ne traiter qu'avec la 1^ rance, comme un juste dédom-
magement de la protection et des secours qu'elle nous accorde?
Pourvu que nous exécutions les décret de l'Assemblée Nationale^
en tout ce qui n'est point contraires aux localités.

Il importe à la France que nous soyons heureux, que nous con-
somions les denrées et les marchandises qu'elle peut nous four-
nir, et que nous lui envoj^ons en échange beaucoup de sucre, de
caffé, d'indigo, de coton, de cacao, &c. &c. Enfin, il lui importe
que la constitutione de St. Domingue soit telle, qu'elle unisse
pour jamais cette colonie à la métropole, et qu'elle concoure, par
ces richesses, a la prospérité de l'état.

D'après ces reflexions, simples et vraies, l'Assemblée Général©
de St. Domingue posa ses bases constitutionnelles dans son décret -
du 28 Mai (No. S.)

No. III,

(Referred to in Page 157, where also the Substance is translated.) xo. iii.

Declaration

Testament de Mort dVgê. conspirator,

which if

Extrait des Minutes du Conseil Supérieur du Cap, l'an mil TgiZ7:
sept cent quatre-vingt-onze le neuf Mars, nous, Antoine Etienne 'ntîectioï

-P, in its rise,

Kuotte,

APPENDIX.

Riiotte, Conseiller du Roi, doyen au Conseil Supérieur du Cap,
et Maria François Pourcheresse de Vertieres, aussi Conseiller du
Roi au Conseil Supérieur du Cap, commissaires nommés par la
cour, à l'effet de faire exéc\iter l'arrêt de ladite cour, du 5 du
présent mois, portant condamnation de mort contre le nommé
Jacques Ogé, dit Jacquot, quarteron libre ; lequel, étant en la
chambre criminelle, et après lecture faite du dit arrêt, en ce qui
le concerne, a dit et déclaré, pour la décharge de sa conscience,
serment préalablement par lui prêté, la main levée devant nous,
de dire vérité.

Que dans le commencement du mois de Février dernier, si les
rivières n'avoient pas été débordées, il devoit se faire un at-
troupement de gens de couleur, qui dévoient entraîner avec eux
les atelier, et dévoient venir fondre sur la ville du Cap en nombre
ti-es considérable ; qu'ils étoient même déjà réunis au nombre de
onze mille hommes ; que la débordement des rivières est le seul
obstacle qui les a empêchés de se réunir; cette quantité d'hommes
de couleur étant composée de ceux du Mirebalais, de l'Artibo-
nité, du Limbe, d'Ouanaminthe, de la Grand Rivière, et gêné-
ralement de toute la colonie. Qu' à cette époque, il était sorti
du Cap cent hommes de couleur pour se joindre à cette troupe.
Que l'accusé est assuré que les auteurs de cette révolte sont les
Dédains, nègres libres de la Grand Riviere, accuses au procès ;
Dumas, n. 1.; Yvon, n. l; Bitozin, m. 1. Espagnol; Pierre Ge-
dard et Jean Baptiste, son frère, n. 1. de la Grand Riviere; Le-
grand Mazeau et Toussaint Mazeau, n. 1. ; Pierre Mauzi, m. 1. ;
Ginga Lapaire, Charles Lamadieu, les Sabourins, Jean Pierre
^ Goudy,

APPENDIX.

385

Goudy, Joseph Lucas, mulâtres libres; Maurice, n. 1.; tous ac- No. iir.
cusés au procès. r, ,, .

1 Uge s evi-

Que le grands moteurs, au bas de la côte, sont les nommés aglTn'tthe
Daguin, accusé au procès; Rebel, demeurant au Mirabelais; ''""'^"^^''''•
Pinchinat, accusé au procès; et que l'accusé, iei présent croit
devoir nous déclarer être un des plus ardens partisans de la ré-
volte, qui a mu en grande partie celle qui a éclaté dans les envi-
rons de St. Marc, et qui cherche à en excité une nouvelle ; qu'il
y a dans ce moment plusieurs gens de couleur, dans différens
quartiers, bien résolus à tenir à leurs projets, malgré que ceux
qui tremperont dans la révolte perdroient la vie ; que l'accuse,
ici présent, ne peut pas se ressouvenir du nom de tous; mais qu'il
se rappelle que le fils de Laplace, q. L; dont lui accusé a vu la
sœur dans les prisons, a quitté le Limbe pour aller faire des
récrues, et ces soulvemens de gens de couleur sont soutenus ici
par la presence des nommés Fleury et l'Hirondelle Viard, députés
des gens de couleur auprès de l'Assemblée Nationale; que lui
accusé, ici present, ignore si les députés se tiennent chez eux;
qu'il croit que le nommé Fleury se tient au Mirabalis, et le nommé
l'Hirondelle Viard, dans le quartier de la Grand Rivière.

Qui lui accusé, ici present, declare que l'insurrection des ré-
voltés existe dans les souterrains qui se trouvant entre la Crête à
Marcan et le canton du Giromon, paroisse de la Grande Rivière;'
qu'en conséquence, si lui accusé pouvoit être conduit sur les heux,
il se feroit fort de prendre les chefs des révoltés ; que l'agitation
dans laquelle il se trouve, relativement à sa position actuelle, ne
lui permet pas de nous donner des détails plus circonstanciés;

3 D qu'il

386

APPENDIX.

i (M

No. III.

Ogé's evi-
dt;nce
against the
couspirators.

i

qu'il nous le donnera par la suite, lorsqu'il sera un peu plus tran-
quil; qu'il lui vient en ce moment à l'esprit que le nommé Cas-
taing, mulâtre libre de cette dépendance; ne se trove compris en
aucune manière dans l'affaire actuelle; mais que lui accusé, nous
assure que si son frère Ogé, eût suivi l'impulsion dudit Castaing,
il se seroit porté à de bien plus grandes extrémités; qui est tout
ce qu'il nous a dit pouvoir nous déclarer dans ce moment, dont
lui nous avons donné acte, qu'il a signé avec nous et le greffier.

Signé à la minute, J. Oge, Ruotie, Pourcheresse de Ver-
TiERES, et Landais, greffier.

Extrait des Minutes du Greffe du Conseil Supérieur du Cap,
l'an mil sept cent quatre-vingt-onze, le dix Mars, trois heures de
relevée, en la chambre criminelle, nous, Antoine Etienne Ruotte,
Conseiller du Roi, doyen du Conseil Supérieur du Cap, et Maria
François Joseph de Vertieres, aussi Conseiller du Roi, audit Con-
seil Supérieur du Cap, commissaires nommés par la cour, suivant
arrêt de ce jour, rendu sur les conclusions du procureur général
du roi de ladite cour, à l'effet de procéder au recolement de la
déclaration faite par le nommé Jacques Ogê, q. 1.; lequel, après
serment par lui fait, la main levée devant nous de dire la vérité,
et après lui avoir fait lecture, par la greffier, de la declaration dii
jour d'hier, l'avons interpellé de nous déclarer si ladite déclara-
tion contient vérité, s'il veut n'y rien ajouter, n'y diminuer, et s'il
y persiste. ,

A repondu que ladite déclaration du jour d'hier, contient vérité,

qu'il persiste, et qu'ill y ajoute que les deux Didiers frères, dont

3 l'un

APPENDIX.

587

l'an plus grand que l'autre, mulâtres ou quarterons libres, ne les No. iir.
ayant vu que cette fois; Jean Pierre Gerard, m. 1. du Cap, et Ogé-sevi-
Caton, aussi du Cap, sont employés à gagner les ateliers de la agaStthe
Grande Rivière, qu'ils sont ensemble de jour, et que de nuit ils ''°'''P""'''°'''
sont dispersés.

Ajout encore que lors de sa confrontation avec Jacques Lucas
il a été dit par le dernier, que lui accusé, ici présent, l'avoit me-
nacé de le faire pendre; à quoi lui accusé, a repondu audit
Jacques Lucas, qu'il devoit savoir pourquoi que ledit Jacques
Lucas n'ayant pas insisté, lui accusé n'a pas déclaré le motif de
cette menace, pour ne pas perdre ledit Jacques Lucas ; qu'il nous
déclare les choses comme elles se sont passées ; que ledit Lucas
lui ayant dit qu'il avoit soulevé les ateliers de M. Bonancy, et de
divers autres habitans de la Grand Rivière, pour aller égorger
l'armée chez M. Cardineau ; qu'au pi-emier coup de corne, il
étoit sûr que ces ateliers s'attrouperoient et se joindroient à la
troupe des gens de couleurs ; alors lui accusé, tenant aux blancs,
fut révolté de cette barbarie, et dit au nommé Jacques Lucas,
que l'a,uteur d'un pareil projet méritoit d'être pendu ; qu'il eût à
l'instant à faire rentrer les nègres quil avoit posté dans differens
coins avec des cornes ; que lui accusé, ici present, nous déclare
qu'il a donné audit Lucas trois pomponelles de tafia, trois bou-
teilles de vin et du pain ; qu'il ignoroit l'usage que ledit Lucas
en faisoit ; que la troisième fois que ledit Lucas en vint chercher ;
lui accusé, ici présent, lui ayant demandé ce qu'il faisoit de ces
boissons et vivres ; ledit Lucas répondit que c' étoit pour les nègres
qu'il avoit dispersé de côté et d'autre; que ce qui prouve que

3 D 2 ledit

II

388

No. III.

Ogé's evi-
dence
against the
conspirators

APPENDIX.

ledit Lucas avoit le projet de soulever les nègres esclaves con-
tre les blancs, et de faire égorger ces derniers par les premiers ;
c'est la proposition qu'il fit à Vincent Ogé, frère de lui accusé, de
venir sur l'habitation de lui Jacques Lucas, pour être plus a portée
de se joindre aux nègres qu'il avoit débauché ; que si lui accusé
n'a pas révélé ces faits à sa confrontation avec ledit Jacques
Lucas, c'est qu'il n'a pas voulu le perdre ; qu'il a du moins la
satisfaction d'avoir détourné ce crime horrible et cannibale; qu'il
s'étoit réservé de révéler en justice, lors de son élargissement;
que ce même Lucas est celui qui a voulu couper la tête a deux
prisonniers blancs, et notamment au sieur Belisle, pour lui avoir
enlevé une femme; que Pierre Roubert ôta le sabre, des mains
de Jacques Lucas, et appella Vincent Ogé, fi'ère de lui accusé,
ici present, qui fit des remontrances audit Lucas ; que cependant
ces prisonniers ont déclarés en justice que c'étoit lui accusé qui
avoit eu ce dessein ; que même à la confi"ontation ils le lui ont
soutenu ; mais que le fait s'êtant passé de nuit, lesdits prisonniers
ont pris, lui accusé, pour ledit Lucas, tandis que lui accusé n'a
cessé de les combler d'honnêtetés; qu' à la confrontation, lai
accusé a cru qu'il étoit suffisant de dire que ce n'étoit pas lui, et
d'affirmer qu'il n'avoit jamais connu cette femme; mais qu' ad-
jourd'hui il se croyoit obligé, pour la décharge de sa conscience,
de nous rendre les faits tels qu'ils sont, et d'insister à jurer qu'il
ne l'a jamais connue.

Ajoute l'accusé que le nommé Fleury et Périsse? le pre-
mier, l'un des députés des gens de couleur près de l'Assem-
blée Nationale, sont arrivé en cette colonie par un bâtiment

Bordelais

APPENDIX.

389

Boidelais avec le nomme I'Herondelle Viard ; que le capitaine a
mis les deux premiers a Acquin, chez un nommé Dupont, homme
de couleur; et le nommé l'Hirondelle Viard, également député
des gens de couleur, au Cap. Ajoute encore l'accuseé, qu'il nous
avoit déclaré, le jour d'heir, que le nommé Laplace, dont le père
est ici dans les prisons, faisant des récrues à Ovanaminthe, est
du nombre de ceux qui ont marché du Limbe contre le Cap; que
pour éloigner les soupçons, il est allé au Port-Margot, où il s'est
tenu caché plusieurs jours, feignant d'avoir un fluxion ; que ledit
Laplace père a dit, a lui blanc, ne déposera pas contre lui malgré
qu'il sache toutes ses démarches ; qu'il etoit assuré que le nommé
Girardieu, détenu en prison, ne declareroit rien, parce qu'il
étoit trop son ami pour le décomTir ; qu'en suite, si'l le denon.
çoit, il seroit forcé d'en dénoncer beaucoup d'autres, tant du
Limbe que des autres quartiei^s.

Observe l'acusé que lorsqu'il nous a parlé de moj^ens employés
par Jacques Lucas pour soulever les nègres esclaves, il a omis de
nous dire que Pierre Maury avait envoyé une trentaine d'esclaves
ches Lucas ; que lui accusé, avec l'agrément d'Ogé le jeune, son
frère, les renvoya, ce qui occasionna une plainte générale, le gens
de couleur disant que c'étoit du renfort ; que lui accusé eut même
à cette occasion un rixe avec le plus grand des didiers, avec le-
quœl il manqua de se battre au pistolet pour vouloir lui soutenir
qu'étant libre et cherchant à être assimilé aux blancs, il n'étoit
pas fait pour être assimilé aux nègres esclaves ; que d'ailleurs sou-
levant les esclaves, c'étoit détruire les propriétés des blancs, et
qu'en les detruissant, ils detruisoient les leurs propres ; que dépuis

que

No. III.

Ogé's evi-
dence
against the
conspirators.-

590

APPENDIX.

No. ir.

Oge's evi-
dence
against the
conspirators.

que lui accusé étoit dans les prisons, il a vu un petit billet écrit
écrit par ledit Pierre Maury à Jean- François Tessier, par lequel
il lui marque qu'il continue à ramasser, et que le nègre nommé
Coquin, à la dame veuve Castaing aînée armé d'une paire de
de pistolet garni en argent et d'une manchette que ledit Maury
lui à donné ueille à toute ce qui se passe, et rend compte tous les
soirs audit Maury ; qui est tout ce que l'accusé, ici present, nous
declare, en nous conjurant d'être persuadés que, s'il lui étoit
possible d'obtenir misérecorde, il s'exposeroit volontiers à tous les
dangers pour faire arrêter les chefs de ces révoltes ; et que dans
toutes les circonstances, il prouvera son zèle et son respect pour
les blancs.

Lecture à lui faite de sa déclaration dans laquelle il persiste
pour contenir vérité, lui en donnons acte, quil a signé avec nous
et le greffier.

Signé à la minute J. Ogie, Ruotte, Pourcheresses de Ver-
TiEREs, et Landais, greffier.

Pour expedition collationée, signé Landais, greffier.

No. IV.

APPENDIX.

391

No. IV.

(Referring to p. 169.)

No. rs^

Terms of Capitulation proposed hy the Inhabitants of La Grande
Anse (including the Quarter at Jeremie) represented hy Mons.
de Charmilly, possessed of full Powers by a Commission from
the Council of Public Safety of the aforesaid Place, dated

' the ISth of August, 1793, and presented to His Excellency
Major-General JVilliotnson, His Majesty's Lieutenant-Governor
of Jamaica, for his Acceptance.

ART. I. That the proprietors of St. Domingo, deprived of all
recourse to their lawful sovereign, to deliver them from the
tyranny under which they now groan, implore the protection of
his Britannic Majesty, and take the oath of fidelity and alle-
giance to him, and supplicate him to take their colony under
his protection, and treat them as good and faithful subjects
till a general peace, at which period they shall be finally sub-
jected to the terms then agreed upon between his Britannic
Majesty, the Government of France, and the Allied Powers,
with respect to the sovereignty of St. Domingo. — Answer.
Granted.

Art. II. That till order and tranquillity are restored at St. Do-
mingo, the Governor appointed by his Britannic Majesty shall

have

First official
paper of the
British ex-
pedition to
St. Domingo.

392

APPENDIX.

I

have full power to regulate and direct whatever measures of
safety and police he shall judge proper. — iVnswer. Granted.

Art. III. That no one shall be molested on accoun: of any-
anterior disturbances, except those who are legally accused in
some court of justice, of having comm.itted murder, or of
having destroyed propeiity by fire, or of having instigated others
to commit those crimes. — Answer. Granted.

Art. IV. That the INIulattoes shall have all the privileges
enjoyed by that class of people in the British islands. — Answer.
Granted.

Art. V. That \f, at the conclusion of the war, the colony
remains under the sovereigntj'' of his Britannic ^Majesty, and
order be established therein ; in such case, the laws respecting
propertv, and all civil rights, which were in force in the said
colony before the revolution ia France, shall be preserved; never-
theless, until a colonial assembly can be formed, his Britannic
Majesty shall have the right of determining provisionally upon
any measures which the general good and the tranquility' of the
colony may require ; but that no assembly shall be called, until
order is established in everj'- part of the colony ; and, till that
period, his Britannic Majesty's governor shall be assisted in all
the details of administration and police by a committee of six
persons, ^A■hicll he shall have the power of choosing from among
the proprietors of the three provinces of which the colony
consists. — Answer. Granted.

Art. VI. That, in consequence of the devastations which have
taken place in the colony by insurrections, fire, and pillage, the

governor

APPENDIX.

393

governor appointed by his majesty, on taking possession of the
colony, to satisfy the demand of the inhabitants in these re-
spects, shall be authorised to grant, for the payment of debts,
a suspension of ten years, Avhich shall be computed from the
date of the surrender ; and the suspension of all interest lipon
the same shall begin from the period of the 1st of August, 1791,
and terminate at the expiration of the ten years granted for

t I/O

the payment of debts; but all sums due to minors by their
guardians, or to absent planters by those who have the manage-
ment of their property, or from one planter to another for the
transfer of property, are not to be included in the above sus-
pension.— Answer. Granted.

Art. VII. That the duties of importation and exportation
upon all European commodities shall be the same as in the

English colonies Answer. Granted. In consequence, the

tariff shall be made public and affixed, that every one may
be acquainted therewith.

Art. YIII. That the manufactures of white sugars shall
preserve the right of exporting their clayed sugars, subject to
such regulations as it may be necessar}' to make with respect to
them. — Answer. Granted. In consequence, the duties upon
white sugars shall be the same as were taken in the colony of
St. Domingo, in 1789.

Art. IX. That the catholic religion shall be preserved and
maintained, but that no other mode of evangelic worship shall
be excluded. — Answer. Granted. On condition that such
priests as have taken the oath prescribed by the persons exer-

3 E cisinsr

No. IV.

Capitulation
of the En-
glish at St.
Domingo.

394

APPENDIX.

No. IV.

Capitulation
of the En-
glish at St,
iDoniingo.

cising the powers of Government in France, shall be sent away,
and replaced by others.

Art. X. The local taxes to acquit the expences of ganisons,
and of the administration of the colony, shall be assessed in
the same manner as in 1789, except the alleviations and remit-
tances which shall be granted to the inhabitants whose property
has suffered bv fire, till iheir possessions are repaired. An
account shall be kept by the colony of all the sums advanced on
the part of Great Britain, for supplying the deficiency of the
said taxes; which deficiency, as well as all the public expences
of the colonv (except those of his majesty's naval forces, de-
stined for its protection) shall always be defrayed by the said
colony.— Answer. Granted.

Art. XL His Britannic Majesty's Governor of St. Domingo,
shall apply to the Spanish government, to obtain restitution of
the negroes and cattle sold by the Spanish territory by the
revolted slaves.— Answer. Granted.

Art. XII. The importation in American bottoms, of pro-
vision, cattle, grain, and wood, of every kind, fi:om the
United States of America, shall be allowed at St. Domingo.—
Answer. Granted. On condition that the American ships,
which shall be employed in this trade, shall have only one deck;
and this importation shall be allowed only as long as it shall
appear necessary for the re-establishment or subsistence of the
colonv, or until measures have been taken for putting it in this
respect upon the same footing as other English colonies ; and an
^xact account shall be kept of the said vessels, with the descrip-
5 tion

APPLNDIX.

tion of their cargoes, and shall be transmitted even' three
months to the Eight Honourable the Lords Commissioners of
his Majestj^'s treasury, as M'ell as to one of the principal Secre-
taries of State ; and on no account whatever shall any of the
said vessels be allowed to take in return any production of the
colony, except molasses or rum.

Art. XIII. No part of the aforesaid conditions shall be con-
sidered as a restriction to the power of the parliament of Great
Britain, to regulate and determine the political government of
the colony.— Answer. Granted.

595

No. IV.

Capitulation
of the En-
glish at St.
Domingo.

No. V.

(Referred to in Page 183.)

Copie de la Lettre de M. le Chevalier de Sevré, Commandant les
Troupes Colonailes à Tiburon, au Colonel TJ'Tiitlock, Commandant
en Chef les Troupes de sa Majesté Britannique à St. Domingue,

" Monsieur Le Gom^ERNEUR,

" Le Vaisseau, Le Capitaine Robert, qui est arrive ce matin ^.^ ^.
dans notre port (et décidé à partir cette nuit,) me fournit une ^*— "v-^^

Dispatch of

occasion sûre et prompte pour vous instruire des details de l'at- ^^- ^^ Sevré,

^ ^ intheBri-

taque qui a été faite par les brigands, sur nos postes lier, deux ^^^^ service.
heures avant le jour.

3 E 2 "A trois

S96

APPENDIX.

No. V, " A trois heures et demi, mon poste avancé placé à la Vigie,

Dispatch of a été surpris par une armée au moins de 2,000 brigands, qui
avoient avec eux deux pièces de campagne de 4 livres ; ils ont
entouré dans le même instant le fort et la ville. C'est avec peine
que j'ai pu me retirer au fort avec ma garnison, où j'ai supporté
une longue fusillade avant d'avoir été en état de riposter. Les
briaands avoients tout en leur faveur, ils voy oient le fort, et le
dominaient de toutes partes, et comme il ne faisoit pas jour nous
ne pouvoins les appercevoir. Le combat duroit depuis deux
heures, lorsque deux caissons de poudre, ont pris feu de la grande
batterie, et l'ont entièrement démontée en faisant sauter les canons
dehors du fort. Ce malheureux événement m'a tué oii blesse
vingt hommes et découragé un instant la garnison, elle s'est remise
de suite et a faite un feu violent sur l'ennemi : j'ai alors ordonné
à quelques nègres de Jean Kina, de sortir sur le chemin de la
rivière ; ils ont battu les brigands, et les ont forcé de se retirer
dans le hauteurs.

" Je sui ensuite sorti avec environ 200 hommes nègres ou
blancs; et j'ai marché du côté de la ville en divisant ma troupe
en deux collones, dont j'ai donné le commandement de l'une à
M. Philibert, moi à la tête de l'autre; j'ai monté pour les cerner
par derrière, et tacher de m'emparer de leurs pieces, mais la pre-
miere collone n'ayant pu monter assez à tems, les brigands ont
réussi a emmener leurs canons.

" Je n'ai pu faire poursuivre l'ennemi qui fugait, que jueques
sur l'habitation Gensac, tant mes hommes étaient fatigués de s'être
battu, pendant cinq heurs, sans relâche.

" J'ai

APPENDIX.

397

" J'ai eu en environ cent hommes victimes da combat, dont
trente tués sur la place, et cent blessés, parmi lesquels il en mour-
rut beaacoup; j'esàme qu'ils ont au moins ôOO hommes hors de
combat : cent cinquante ont été trouvés morts sur le champ de
battaile ; et les chemins, par lesquels ils se sont retires, sont si
couverts de sang, qu'ils doivent avoir un nombre très considérable
de blessés.

" La troupe Anglaise s'est conduite avec le courage qui la
caractérise partout: le Capitaine Hardiman est digne des plus
grands éloges; je suis désespéré que vous me l'enleviez, il est difi-
cile à remplacer par ces talens et ses vertus.

" Aussitôt après le combat, j'ai écrit à tous les commandans
dans les quartiers de la dépendance pour qu'ils m'envoyent du
secours; j'en attends à chaque moment, mais je suis bien renforcé
par la presence de la frégate V Alligator qui est arrivé ce matin.

" Je suis avec respect, &c.

(Signé) " Le Chevalier de Sevré

" Tihuron, 7 April, 1794."

No. V.

Dispatch of
M. de Sevré,

Xo. VI.

398

APPENDIX.

No. VI.

Account of
M. deChar-
milly, Com-
missioner for
the Capitu-
lation with
the British.

No. VI.

(Referring to p. 193, &c.)
" the indefatigable De Charmilli/."

THE distinguished part this gentleman acted during the
troubles in his adopted country, and the familiarity of his name to
every description of persons concerned in the arrangement be-
tween Great Britain and St. Domingo, render some account
of him, if not absolutely necessary, at least highly interesting
to the reader. We have the power more readily to gratify this in-
clination, as M. de Charmilly has himself afforded the principal
materials for the purpose, which we have translated from the
work before quoted, entitled, " Lettre à M. Edwards," &c.

" After," says he, " concluding mj'' attendance at the Univer-
sity of Paris, and travelling through a considerable part of Europe,
I arrived at St. Domingo in the beginning of the American war.
A few months residence in the colony made me acquainted with its
importance. Born with an activity hardly to be surpassed, and
favoured with a strong constitution, I became desirous to make
myself acquainted with the affairs of the island. During a resi-
dence at different times of fourteen years, in the full sense of the
word I travelled over the whole colony, having been engaged
;n some important suits, administered to several large estates,
and having business of great consequence in every part of the
island, which made me acquainted with the principal planters in its

various

APPRNDIX.

599

M. de Char-

various districts. If you join to tliat the ambition of becoming No. vr.
one of the richest of its inhabitants, you may judge if I was not, Account of
more than any other person, in the possession of opportunities of nniiy.
information respecting the resources of its different provinces,
and the advantages of its different manufactures ; besides, my
knowing personally almost all the officers of its administration,
both military and civil; wdth the generous hospitality of the
Creoles, and my independence of every tye. From all these
reasons it may be concluded, that scarcely any inhabitant of
the colony had a greater opportunity of knowing its affairs than
myself.

" Returning to France at the end of the last war, I was
grieved to see the baneful effects of those poisonous principles
which the French had imbibed in America. I also saw, with
deep concern, .the establishment of that philanthropic sect,
created first in Philadelphia, and afterwards transplanted to
Europe. I then visited England, where I remained a few
months ; from thence I went to Jamaica, where I also resided
some time.

" Since my return to St. Domingo, having re-established se-
veral plantations on my own account, I was under the necessity
of acquainting myself with every thing that related to the com-
mercial resources of the colony. I also had, in conjunction with
Mr. de Marbois, the arrangement of the affairs of one of the
most wealthy contractors of St. Domingo. A long residence at
Port-au-Prince and the Cape, enabled me also to judge of every
material occurrence that passed in the two principal cities.

"On

I

APPENDIX.

On returning to my plantation, at the moment of the revo-
Account of lution, it will not appear surprising that I was nominated a mem-
ber of the assembly of my parish, afterwards of that of the pro-
vince where I resided, and, finally, deputy of the general colo-
nial assembly.

From the publication of the Mights of Man, I foresaw, with
the most rational and v/ell-informed inhabitants, the misfortunes
that awaited the colony.

" Residing in the south part of the island, which was in a great
measure indebted to the English, and particularly the merchants
of Jamaica, for its establishment ; and being, also, from frequent
visits, perfectly acquainted Avith England, I happily turned my
vdews towards its government, to ensure the safety of St. Do-
mingo. This sentiment never abandoned me an instant from
the first moment of the troubles ; I constantly manifested it in
my parish, in my province, and in the general assembly at St.
Marc, where all my thoughts and actions were continually
directed to the means of assuring its success.

" The torrent of revolutionary ideas had too much agitated
every head, not to force the wisest people to conform to circum-
stances ; and I freely own, that I was one of those who affected
to believe in the possibility of an absurd independence ; prefer-
ing it, for the interests of the island, io the still more absurd idea,
of a sugar colony existing with the pretended rights of man.
Unfortunately, persons of the greatest influence in St. Domingo,
dazzled by the remembrance of the great commercial advantages
derived, during the American war, from their increasing trade
1 with

APPENDIX.

401

with neutral nations, hoped, and pretended that it might exist
independent, under the general protection of the European pow-
ers. My opinion was always, that such an independence could not
take place, and that it was necessary for the colony to be under
the protection of a mother country; and that it would be well
if they were under that of a great nation like England. The
diversity of opinions frustrated all my plans, and (mine being
well known) obliged me to embark, with many of the resident
proprietors, on board the Leopard, This was, with the view of
flying from two parties; one of whom saw in us opponents to
their ambition, and the other, the enemies of that anarchy which
they thought of establishing in this delightful climate. Arrived
in Europe, I soon discovered that France was lost; but still
more, surely, was St. Domingo, if a power, interested to save her
own colonies did not afford her relief.

" The melancholy intelligence of the disasters of St. Domingo,
were first brought to Europe by the Daphne, an English fri-
gate. I was the first, and only inhabitant, who came to England
to confirm that news, of which I found a proof in two hundred
letters, delivered to me by Captain Gardner, the commander of
the vessel.

" In the year 1790, I had the honour of an interview with
the ministers of his Britannic Majesty, and proposed to them the
means of retaining their colonies, by saving St. Domingo. The
facts which I communicated then, and have often since repeated,
are recorded in the memorial which I submitted to government
on the occasion. The revolutionary spirit, which had turned the

3 F heads

No. vr.

Account of
M. de Chai-
milly.

402

APPENDIX.

No. VI.

Account of
il. de Char-
milly.

heads of the French people, furnished the most just and wisest
reasons for the British ministr}" to refiase an offer ^yhich had been
expressed too late, was become by the effervescence of the co-
lon}^, and the diminution of its revenues and produce, of too
little importance to expose them to the event of a war with tlie

French.

" I returned to Paris, but very soon (in 1792) the miseries of
France and the king compelled me to seek an asylum in Eng-
land. From that time I foresaw the certainty of a war ;
continually occupied for the welfare of my countrymen, and of
the first colony in the world, I renewed my solicitations to
the British government. In concert with other inhabitants, I
never ceased labouring to prove to the ministère of Great Britain,
that, if the\^ saved not St. Domingo, the most considerable co-
lony of the A)ifilks, they would not save any of their ovru.

" The French declared war against England in February,
1793. Then, the case of those who had exerted themselves to
preserve the English and French colonies were heard; others
had evinced as much zeal as myself, and I had no advantage over
them but that of a better knowledge of the colony of St. Do-
mingo, and being enabled to say — " Behold zchof must be clone :
I will accomplish it, or perish !"

" It is for the British ministers to judge, if I was so happy as

to fulfil my promises ; they were pleased to assure me so, and

his Majesty himself deigned to testify to me, his approbation of

the zeal and devotion, with Avhich I had placed myself in his

service,"

The

APPENDIX

The unfortunate end of this gentleman's sen'ices has been al-
ready sufficiently pourtra3^ed. After wasting that strength ofwhich
he formerly so much boasted, and covering himself with fruitless
wounds, he had the mortification to see his great project fail,
and to shelter himself under the position, that it had not failed in
toto, since it had diverted the revolutionary principle from Ja-
maica. He had also the humiliation with a number of his coteni-
poraries, to see all his arguments in favor of subjugating the blacks,
refuted, and to be obliged to pass the decline of an active life, in
a species of dull and solitary exile, under the protection of thç
English government.

Notwithstanding his misconceptions M. de Charmiily has
offered some sensible aivice with regard to the island with which
he was so well acquainted, and, it may be said, merited a more
dignified fate. It was his ambition to be the legislator, and to
become the saviour of his country ; and it were to be wished
tnat he had exerted himself in a cause in which, though unsuccess-
ful, he might have enjoyed the merit of

No; vr.

Account of
M. de Char=
milly.

■" Bravely falling with a falling state !"

But, alas ! no such honors awaited him, he was doomed, even in
obscurity, to be followed by the suspicious cen^ires of his countrv-
men, for whom he was so proud to act, while he could expect
no other sentiment than contempt from those against whom he
vainly ventured his life.

3f2

No. VJI.

l»^

k

1

404

APPENDIX.

No. VII.

Letter of
Toussaint to
Admiral
Smith.

No. VII.

(Referring to Page 264),

Documents illustrative of the Character and Manners of Toussaint

L'Ouverture.

- IT is always pleasing to trace the interchanges of civility in
war between twcr great and benevolent minds; the following letter
has been selected as a specimen of Toussaint's familiar intercourse
from a variety of other papers of a similar description.

Liberty. Equality.

At Cape François, the 5th January, 7th Year of the French

Republic, one and indivisible.

Toussaint L'Ouverture, General in Chief of the Army of St.
Dojningo, to Edzcard Tijrrel Smith, Esq.* Captain of his Bri-
-_ tannicMajesty s Ship Hannibal.

Sir,

Lieutenant Stovix has performed the commission with
which you charged him. As I was at the Cape when he ar-
rived, he was conducted to me, and has brought me your letters
of the 3d and oth January, although addressed to the commandant
of this place. I perceive that you have on board sixty-four French
prisoners, which you propose to me to exchange, and which I
would not have hesitated to do instantly if I had had the same
number of prisoners here.

* Now Admiral Smith,

As

APPENDIX.

405

As my principles of humanity correspond perfectly with Na vii.
those vou manifest, I shall be obliged to you to release the Letter of

•^ " _ _ Toussaint.

French prisoners. I shall send you eight English prisoners, the
whole that are here, with the exception of one, who, having had
his thigh broken, remains at the hospital for it to be set. I will
give you letters for Port Paix and the ^lole, and I shall give the
necessary orders that you may be furnished with the prisoners that
will be coming to you ; if it should happen that they do not com-
plete the number, I promise you on my word of honor, that they
shall be at your disposal whenever the fortune of war shall place
them at my command.

In case that you should not be satisfied mth the letters I give
you for the ]Mole and Port Paix, you then can carry the French
prisoners you have made to those places where they may be
exchanged. I wait your answer to govern me.

Although the porter, the rum, and the ham which you have
had the civility to address to the Chief of this City, were not
particularly addressed to me, I cannot omit to return you my
thanks. I wish there may be any thmg here agTeeable to you,
and you shall receive it. I have given your servant permission
to make any provision for which you may have occasion,

I have the honor to be, Sir,

X Your most humble and

Obedient Servant,

Toussaint L'Ouverture.

Brief

406

APPENDIX.

No. VIÎ.

Extract
Mf.. Kei]
Journal.

rom

ly's

4

Brief Exii^act from the MS. Journal of Charles ReiUij, Esq.

Port Roi/al, Jamaica.

ON the 1 6th of November, 1798, being ready for sea. Col.
Harcourt and Capt. Re3molds came on board, and we set sail for
Port-au-Prince, in St. Domingo.

On the 24th, being in the Bight of Leogane, saw a strange
sail. In the evening came np vith her : she proved to be an
American bark from Port-au-Prince, bound to Philadelphia, with
French passengers and property, which was sent into Port Royal.
• On the 2ôth November came to anchor without gun-shot of the
fort at Port-au-Prince, and sent in a flag of truce to prepare for
a treaty with the Black General, Toussaint, then commanding
the chief part of the island ; but the boat returned with informa-
tion that he was not there. We then got under weigh, and stood
off towards Leogane. In the night we manned and armed the
boats, and sent them along shore. In the morning they returned
with a small copper-bottomed schooner, laden with coffee, and
bound to St. Jago, in Cuba, They likewise took four open boats,
one of which we sold for four hundred dollars back to a French-
man, and in the others we sent the prisoners on shore.

On the 26th came to anchor off Leogane ; sent a flag of
truce, and Avas informed the general was at x'\ux Caves. Got
under weigh, and at noon came to an anchor there, out of
gun-shot of the fort. Sent a boat on shore, and learned that
Toussaint was at Gonaives. An ofFxCer, however, came on board
in a flag of tiuce, and told the captain we might send our boat
ashore, and purchase v^hat stock we wanted. Of this kindness
1 we

APPENDIX.

407

we availed ourselves, from the extreme cheapness at wiiich v:e ^ No. vu
were supplied.

On the 27th we got under weigh, and on the 28th chased
two strange sail. B\' noon we brought one of them to, which
proved to be a government sloop from Cape François, bound to
Port-au-Prince, laden with wines and provisions of all kinds.
The schooner that had been previously taken, being manned and
armed, she was sent one cruize, commanded bv the purser, who
soon returned with a schooner, laden with provisions, that had
sailed with the same sloop. We took every body out of her ex-
cept some ladies, who were passengers, and the same evening
came to anchor in Gonaivcs Roads.

Sent a flag of truce on shore, and saw General Toussaint, who
seemed very well pleased with the proposition of a treaty for trad-
ing, to and from Jamaica, and rendering every thing agreeable.

Next day we got under weigh, and stood off and on till even-
ing, as the captain had promised to send all the prisoners on shore
when they should send a small vessel for them. In the mean
time the person who v\-as sent prize-master, having intoxicated
himself in the evening when the -hip vras running into her ancho-
rage, he bore up for Port Royal, and behaved very unmanlv
to the poor distressed ladies. He would not allow them to open
their trunks for clean clothes, nor Avould he allow them any of
two cases of wine, which the captain had left entirely for them.
The vessel came for the prisoners next morning, and they went
on shore, but the Black General was exceedniRh vexed at the
treatment the ladies had received, as they vrere the wives of offi-
cers

408

APPENDIX.

No. VIII. cers in whom he had much confidence. This circumstance had
nearlv been the cause of much mischief, and the dissolution of
the treat}", as he Avould hardly believe it was not intended by the
captain, as all the male prisonei-s were returned with the excep-
tion only of one, who had preferred to remain with one of the
ladies, who was his sister. In a short time, however, his temper
warm, but not irascible, was appeased, and all was well.

On the 14th December a brig, the iNIary, arrived from Ja-
maica, laden with provisions, and on the 6th we put the two gen-
tlemen conducting the treaty on board her, when she hoisted the
flag of truce, and we bore up for Port Royal, where we arrived
on the 8th.

Anticipation
of the fate of
the French
expedition
by the au-
llior, pub-
lished during
its projec-
tioD.

No. VIII.

(Referring to Page 264.^

El tract from the former Publication of the Author of this Work
upon the then projected Expedition of St. Domingo, describing
its Progress; and, from a Comparison zcith the subsequent Dis-
patches of the French General, demonstrative of the Verity of
those Principles upon uhich he argued against its Adoption.

UPON what foundation the projectors of the French arma-
ment rested their hopes of success (supposing them not totally ig-
norant of what was to be attempted in the reduction of St. Do-
mingo at present), other than the prowess of the First Consul, it
is not easy to conceive— the astonishing dilhculties that have been

surmounted.

APPENDIX.

409

surmounted, and prodigies that have alreadj" been achieved by
the invincible Bonaparte ! But they should have recollected, that
the improbable successes of that general were not unfrequently
attributed to the cause he supported .'—certainly the best calcu-
lated to inspire young troops with a romantic idea of chivalry,
and to carry them, unknowing, through dangers that would ap-
pal the most hardy veterans. How diflfërent is the object ^t pre-
sent: detachments from armies, that held combined Europe at
defiance, when resolved to be free, and gave peace to the con-
quered nations that no longer opposed their freedom, are em-
barked to expel their own spirit from another land ; to suppress
everj^ generous emotion they had been accustomed to feel ; and
to again fill the furrows of a smiling country with blood — the
blood of FREEMEX, WHOM THEY HAD THE3ISELVES CREATED.

" Unused to the sickening suspense of a maritime conveyance,
thej^ are painfully wafted to the seat of war in a noxious cli-
mate; they debark in a country rendered hostile by a series of
inexplicable menaces, and prepared to meet \Wth indignation
those it considers as betrayers of the cause in which thev had for-
merly bled ! — Vanished is the enthusiastic spirit of braverv, that
was wont to lead them to the fight, while other voices sound the
Song of Libert}' !

"■ Allons ! enfans de la patrie
La jour de gloire est arrive

Contre nous — de la tyrannée
L'etendart sanglant est élevée !
Entendez vous, dans la Campagne,

Xo. VIL

Anticipati-
on of the fate
of the French
expedition.

o G

Mugir

410

APPENDIX.

No. VIII.

Anticipati-
on, &c.

I

Mugir ces féroces soldats^
Que viennent dans nos bras
Egorgés vhs fils et votre Campagne !
Aux armes !" *

" The hitherto victorious troops of the repubhc, land in various
directions, beneath the heavy fire of forts well appointed; and

mounted chiefly with brass ordnance : they press forward to

what ? — not to enter towns fi-om which the enemy has fled preci-
pitately, leaving behind them every comfort necessary for an
army, requiring early rest to recruit; they enter cities, not
merely evacuated, but no longer cities ! to be mocked by the
ruins of repose, and the destruction of necessaries they re-
quired.

" Recruited from their own magazines, or the trifling aid to be
forced from a few Americans, they proceed into a country, every
foot of which, when obtained, is deprived of all that can aid
their enterprize. Troops, dispirited by novel tactics, and an en-
feebling climate, are to pass their nights in the open air, and ex-
posed to the nocturnal vapours, alone fatal to European habits,
sustained only by provisions furnished from their own stores, with
no more water than they have conveyed with them, and unable
to proceed, or to return.

* " Ye patriot band !
The day of glory comes ; against us see
The bloody standard rais'd of tyranny !
Hark. ! in your fields ferocious soldiers roar,
Your children and your country are no more !
-Close to your breasts they come — .
To arms!"—

Occasional

1'

APPENDIX.

4IV

" Occasional aids, with peculiar good fortune, earned them No. viir,
farther into the interior, to experience all those difficulties in a ' ' '

, • 1 . , , Anticipati-

more extensive degree ; with a subtraction from their numbers o^> <^c.
and their comforts, in proportion to the victories they may ob-
tain, and the difficulties they may surmount.

" On the other hand —

" A country is raised, to repel a horde of invadei-s, to whom are
attributed the intentions of despoiling the land, and enslaving its
inhabitants; a well-disciplined army in every part, intimately ac-
quainted with every quarter of the island, inured to the climate,
and habituated to the soil; trained to a long expectation of the
attack, is prepared to meet them. Hardy, and unencumbered
with stores, they sport with an harrassed enemy ; and, when the
day decides against them, lea,ving the enemy to burning towns,
and mined plantations, they recede in safety within the next line
of fortifications: were they even deprived of all adventitious aid,*
the umbrageous plantain alone affords them repose and food, or
they luxuriate in the varieties of the yam and the banana, re-
freshed by the streams, to which they readily frnd access ; they
rise unimpaired, to support the cause next their heart, and revel
in proportion as their assailants are dismayed.

" Almost impenetrably fortified up to the very mountains of
Cibao, whose inaccessible tops reach the heavens, Toussaint
recedes with ease, faster than the wasting enemy can, with pain.

* Which is impossible, while ever)- little coasting-bark from America brings a fresh sup-
ply; and an ample resource is found in every new situation.

.3 G 2

pursue

APPENDIX.

pursue him ; and in this way is he, in alliance with the very ele-
Anticipati- meuts to be pursued through a route of this description 500 miles?
I speak of the elements, for the period is fast approaching, when,
in addition to the horrors already experienced, the rains will
commence, Mdiose overwhelming torrents will require portable
towns to withstand them, where indifferent camp-equipage only
can be conveyed ; and, in this situation, if not before, I feel no
hesitation in saying, that Le Clerc, lamenting his laurels, which
have withered so untimely, will assimilate Macbeth, and exclaim,
with heart-felt regret, —

ff

There is no going hence, nor tarrying here !"

" All possible grounds of success, it is easily perceived, are
done away — unless Toussaint, during his experience of his go-
vernment, has acquired the knowledge of " expedienc}^" and
on that score is expected to sacrifice his adherents for a snug re-
tirement ! — a circumstance hardly to be looked for; or, that three
or four millions of men, who have forgotten every other restraint
than a voluntary sense of duty imposes, should easily be inclined
to return to the dominion of the cowskin ! ! !*

" The English government, in three years, employed above
twenty thousand men, and expended thirty millions of money
on St. Domingo; and its army, even then, was never able to
penetrate five miles into the country; yet the French go-

«' * The instrument of punishment, no doubt, judiciously handled, by those young men,
who perform their noviciate in the character of Overseers of the Slaves.

vernment

•.d

APPENDIX.

413

vernment proposes to exterminate the whole race of colour with- No. virr.
out the least delay. . .

" Anticipati-

" Veni vidi, via ! — then — General Le Clerc has completed his °"' '^*^-
career of extermination, and he sits down in the delightful vailles
of St. Domingo v/ithout a single rebel* to cultivate the soil ; it
must be supplied by a fresh, a continued importation of negroes,
ignorant of labour, and without any to instruct them, at an ex-
cessive waste of time and of produce, and an expence of not less
than one hundred millions at least ! .

" Whether France be adequate to colonize at this rate, I pre-
sume not to determine. Considering her at the acmé of her
present power, I shall not wonder at the attempt, nor at her
assuming all the concomitants of colonization, — corporate bodies, ^
chartered companies, and the long train of monopolies, so fatal to
the peace and the interest of nations.

*' I have now only to add a few observations on those fears,
and the promoters of them, which have obtained for the Dictator
of France, in his scheme of Tetrieving to the mongrel govern-
ment of that country the delightful island of St. Domingo, such
an apparently universal patronage with even persons of discern-
ment in this kingdom. To those intimately acquainted with the

" • To hear this term in France, at this present day, and the diminutive idea entertained
of St. Domingo, as well as the contemptible opinion affected of Toussaint, excites risibi-
lity. The two former explain themselves ; and it is sufficiently known that Toussaint is
a more extraordinary character, and at this moment possessed of more real power than the
Grand Consul! " Why may not I," says he, " hold absolute power here, as well as the
first Consul in France ?" (Original Note, J

British

414

APPENDIX.

No. vm.

Anticipate
on, &:c.

British colonies in the West Indies, these observations are not
necessary; but there are many whose interests in the islands are
by no means inconsiderable, who owe their principal information
to those eternal babblers, who, without the most distant preten-
sions to knowledge, experience, or a common portion of common
sense, fill every avenue with their alarms, and surprize every new
week with a new hypothesis.

" These have affected to view in the establishment of a Black
Republic in this extensive territory, the entire annihilation of
all our possessions, the elevation of a revolutionary hydra, that
breathes another Pandemonium of ills on the afflicted world ! till
the expedition of Bonaparte has been treated as a common cause,
and much has been anticipated that could not be expected, if it
could be wished.

" Nothing appears more evident to me, than that the system
which, without the intervention of an}^ of those accidents that
some time change the face of things, is about to obtain in St.
Domingo, is not one that will by any means lead to an extension
of territory, or the diffusion of principles. In the possession of a
vast island, such as it has been described, much would remain tq
be done at home, were they henceforward to remain in uninter-
rupted peace; the cultivation of vast tracts, the renovation of
what has been destroyed, and the arrangements of their own
interests, will indispensably preclude the interference of Tous-
saint with the government or opinion of the neighbouring
islands.

2 " Added

■'^mie-v^.:

APPENDIX.

415

*' Added to this, what person acquainted with the respecta- No. viii.
ble state of defence in which our islands are kept, can ever

, , P . Anticipati-

entertam the least tear respecting them?— Small as they com- «n, &c.
paratively are, possessed by planters of distinguished talents, de-
fended by a militia prompt on all occasions; with an army well
appointed on their shores, under the superintendance of ability
and experience at home; and a navy round their coasts, the
wonder of the world ; what restless, romantic spirit could induce
an attempt so certainly destructive in the eifort, and fruitless in
the event ?"

" * Notwithstanding it has of late years been the fashion to consider the character of a
planter as derogatory to humanity, and incapable of being blended with any of those quali-
ties that ameliorate the condition of the species, every opportunity which I have had
of judging has tended to convince me of the contrary. Nothing, indeed, can be more
cruel than to single out any description of persons for public reprobation, as may suit
the purpose of the fanatic or the partizan; and nothing is more fatal to the cause of truth,
than an implicit reliance on the vague reports of their enthusiasm, which must inevitably
preclude the possibility of acquiring correct information, or adhering to facts if produced to
their notice. — If the young and thoughtless squander the accumulations of their ances-
tors, it is certainly no evidence of general voluptuousness. If there are circumstances ex-
ceptionable in the conduct of the slave-trade, does it follow that the planter is a merciless
executioner? Certainly not,— it would be hostile to his interest, and inexpedient in his
situation. As merchants and as men, many are highly and extensively esteemed and re-
garded ; and instances of affection and regret in the slaves, in whose torture they have been
described to exult, are neither unfrequeut or unrecorded.

No, IX.

416

' No. TX.

APPENDIX.

Fiht colo-
nial regula-
tion.

No. IX.

(Referred to in Page 321.— Documents respecting the colonial
Administration of Le Clerc.)

First colonial Hegulation of the Captain-General, extracted from
the Official Gazette of St, Domingo.

ADMINISTRATION OF THE COLONY.

Head-Quarters, at the Cape, June 22, 1802.

IN the name of the French government,

The General in chief Captain-general, decrees as follows:—

In the French part of St. Domingo, the administration of
the quarters and communes is confined to military commandants
and councils of notables. The commandants to have the juris-
diction of police in their respective districts, and the chief com-
mand of the gens d'armeriè. The councils of notables to be com-
posed of proprietors or merchants, and to consist of five members,
in the towns of Port Républicain, the Cape, and Des Cayes,
and of three members in other communes. The members to be
appointed by the colonial prefect ; and every one so appointed to
be compelled to accept the office. The military commandants
are charged with the delivery (gratis) of passports for travelling in
the colony, the suppression of vagrancy, the care of the po-
lice, the maintenance of cleanliness and health, the care of citi-
^ zens

APPENDIX.

417

zens newly arrived, the police of the prisons, and the regulation No. ix.
of weights and measures, in concurrence with the council of no- Administra-
tables. Except in the case of flagrant crimes, the military com. cierc.^ ^'
mandants cannot arrest any citizen without an order from the
Commandant of the quarter. The communes to provide for their
own expences ; the sums to be regulated by a decree of the gene
ral in chief, with the advice of the colonial prefect. No military
commandant can put in requisition the labourers or the cattle of
any plantation ; the general in chief reserves that power to him-
self. The councils of notables to provide for the expences of the
communes and for the imposts adopted by the commander in
chief, with the advice of the colonial prefect. Those councils
alone to deliberate upon the communal interests; all other assem-
blies of citizens are prohibited, and shall, if attempted, be con.
sidered as seditious, and dispersed by force. The councils to cor-
respond immediately with the sub-prefects, by whom their mem-
bers may be suspended, and finally dismissed by the colonial pre-
fect. There shall be in each parish a commissary to register the-
public acts.

(Signed) Le Cleec.

COMMERCE OP ST. DOMINGO.

By another decree of the general in chief,

French merchant vessels are to be admitted only in the port§
of the Cape, Port Républicain, des Cayes and de Jacmel. Mer,
chandize, or produce of the manufactures, or soU of France, not

•3 H to

418

APPENDIX.

No. IX.

Administra-
tion of Le
Clerc.

to be subject to any duty on importation. Colonial produce, ex-
ported by French vessels, to be subject to a duty on exportation.

Foreign vessels of the burden of 70 tons, and upwards, are
permitted to enter the above four ports. French or foreign mer-
chandize imported in them to be subject to a duty on importation,
conformable to tariif. The produce of the colony exported by
them to be subject to a duty on exportation.

Every captain of a French or foreign vessel must, on his arrival
in port, before any other person on board lands, present himself
before the captain general, and the colonial prefect, at the place
of their residence, and in other ports to the general commandant,
and the chief of administration, for the purpose of giving an ac-
count of his voyage. The captain shall transmit on the same day,
to the commandant of the place, a declaration, written and
signed, containing an account of the passengers he has on board :
no passenger to disembark without the authority of the com-
mandant.

The captain must, on the day of his arrival, remit the let-
ters and packets in his charge to the director of the post at theT
port, and shall receive a discharge.

The captains of French and foreign vessels must, within a
day after their arrival, transmit to the directors of the harbours,
the bill of lading of their cargoes. All merchandize found on
board which is not included in the bill of lading, will be con-
fiscated.

Every captain of a foreign vessel must consign his cargo to
a domiciliated merchant, who shall be personally responsible for

the

APPENDIX.

419

the paj^ment of the duties on importation and exportation, and No. ix.
for the frauds which may be committed by the captains of the ^X2i^
vessels consigned to him. tionofLe

° ^-. Clerc. r

No French or foreign vessel shall be suffered to quit the ports,
but on producing to the captain of the port the certificate of the
director of the customs, stating that all the duties have been
paid.

Every French or foreign vessel which shall be found in any
of the ports, not designated in the decrees, or saihng within two
leagues of the coast, shall be taken possesion of by the guard-
vessels, and conducted into one of the designated ports, in order
that the confiscation of the vessel and cargo may be adjudged by
the captain general, on the report of the colonial prefect. The
vessel making such capture, to be entitled to one-third of the va-
lue of the vessel and cargo confiscated.

TARIFF OF CUSTOMS IN THE FRENCH PART OF ST. DOMINGO.

IMPORTATION.

French merchandize and produce in foreign vessels, 10 per
cent, on the value— INIeal, biscuits, salt, provisions, wood for car-
penters and buildings, cattle and sheep, horses, mules, poultry,
&c. ditto 6 per cent, ditto.— Foreign merchandize, ditto, 20 per
cent, ditto.

EXPORTATION.

The following are the most material articles :
Coffee in foreign vessels, 13 francs 35 cents, per quintal.
—White sugar, ditto, ditto.— Brown ditto, 6 f. 67 c. ditto.

3h2 —Cotton

420

M^PENDIX^.

No. IX. — Cotton, 30 f. ditto, — Indigo, 80 c. per lb.— Produce not enu-

Administra- mcratcd, 20 per cent, on the value. — French manufactures in

tion of Le r ^

Clerc. foreign vessels exempt irom duty.

SUBSEQUENT COMMERCIAL REGUTLATION.

(In consequence of a remonstrance of the merchants and shij>-
owners of the city of Havre, &c. presented to the First_ Consul,
Bonaparte, May 30, 1 802, against the admission of British mer-
chandize.*)

Head-Quarters at the Cape, Sept. 8, 1802.

In the Name of the French Government the Commander in
Chief) Captain General, decrees as follows : —

Art. T. After the 1st of Vendémiaire, year 11, (Sept. 23, 1802),
no other merchandize or articles of provision, except those speci-
fied in the annexed list, can be imported into the colony by
foreign ships: — none can be exported by the same ships, but
molasses, syrup, spirits, and rum ; dye woods and wood for cabi-
net makers; guiacum, coffee, and provision, or merchandize of
every kind imported by the French merchants.

II. After the same period, the duties on the merchandize and
provisions specified in the annexed list, imported into the colony

* In this remonstrance is tlie following confession : — " Thanks be to our warriors, thanks
be to your genius ; — the English have come out of the long contest with much less glory
than we have, but they have withdrawn from the struggle rich and astonishingly powerful.
All is organised among them, and it will be long, very long, before we can vie with them
in trade. We can only be saved from destruction by prohibitory regulatioos. A convaleS-
oent should not enter the lists with a mighty giant."

6

by

APPENDIX.

421

by foreign ships, shall pay at the rate of ten per cent, duty ad
valorem in the colony, according to a tariff, which the colonial
prefect shall settle every three months, from the medium prices
of the preceding three months, in the open ports of the colony.

The duties on colonial productions which, according to the
permission granted by the first article, shall be exported in foreign
vessels, shall pay, over and above, one half more thaîi those ex-
ported in French ships, according to the tariff annexed to the
decree of the 3d of Messidor last (June 22). These productions
shall pa}^ besides the war tax, established by the decree of Mes-
sidor 25 (July U).

Productions and merchandize arising from the French com-
merce, exported from the colony in foreign ships, shall pay no

duties.

III. All merchandize and products not specified in the annexed
list, imported by foreign vessels, are prohibited, reckoning from
the 1st of Vendémiaire, year 11 (September 23, 1802). The
captains of forefgn vessels which arrive in the open ports of the
colony before that period, shall be allowed to land their mer-
chandize, on lodging a declaration at the custom-house.

Those which arrive in the open ports of the colony after Ven-
démiaire 1st (September 23,) until the 15th Brumaire next (No-
vember 6) inclusive, shall be allowed to land the unprohibited
goods they have on board. In regard to those prohibited, they
shall lodge a declaration of them, and shall be bound to produce
them on their departure, under the pain of their vessels being
confiscated.

After

No. IX.

Administra-
tion of Le
Clerc.

422

APPENDIX.

No. IX. After the 15th Brumaire (November 6) vessels, whose cargoes
Administra- ^re not entirely composed of non-prohibited merchandize and
Clerc. productions, shall not be admitted into the ports of the colony.

Those not coming within the case of being admitted, which
shall procure admission by false declarations, or which, after
having been obliged to leave the said ports, shall be found effect-
ing, or trying to effect a fraudulent landing, shall be confiscated,
as well as the cargoes.

IV. Nothing in the present decree shall affect that of Messidor
5, which exempts fi-om all duties, till the 50th of Frimaire, year
1 1 (December 21, 1802); oxen and mules imported into the ports
of the Cape, Port Républicain, Des Cayes, and Jacmel.

All the dispositions of decrees relating to commerce and the
customs, not contrary to the present decree, are also maintained.

V. The colonial prefect is charged with carrying the present
decree into execution. •

(Signed) Le Clerc.

List of the merchandize and productions, the importation of

«

which by foreign ships is permitted, on paying a duty of ten per
cent, ad valorem : — beer, bricks, coals, cables, and cordage ; train
oil, spermaceti oil, pitch, tar, resin, &c. ; essence of turpentine,
oats, barley, maize, flour, rice, biscuit, salt beef, salt pork, hams,
sausages, &c. are not comprehended under this denomination;
salt butter, mantagus, cod-fish, bacaga, &c. ; salt mackarel, dried
herrings, pickled herrings, shads, cod sounds, pickled mullets,
stock-fish; live cattle, horses, mules, apes, hogs, sheep, ducks,
fowls, turkies, geese; timber for building, spars, planks, oars,

casks, &c. &c. 5

No. X.

APPENDIX.

423

No. X.

(Referred to in p. 3i27, &c.)

Some Account of the Nature and History of the Blood-Hounds
used in the American Colonies.

No. X.

Account of
the use and
history of
blood-
hounds.

ON this subject which it is anxiously desired to impress upon
the reader, the following particulars may not be unacceptable! —
Among the numerous rude inventions of barbarous ages to attain
a superiority in war, was that of the use of beasts in a variety of
ways, in conjunction with their regular armies. In Virgil
the effect of hulls sent in terrible array against an opponent is
recorded, and Moses affords a ludicrous employment oï foxes,"^
driven with firebrands towards the enemy's camp. The war-horse
and elephant are also represented as taking an active share in the
battle at all times. The introduction of dogs, however, is not
so generally used, and one which is considered as likely to
avail but in a very confined degree. The first particular
mention of their use in acting with troops, is by Herrera, the
Spanish historian, when describing the first conflict of Columbus
with the Indians in i492;f the Sleute-hound of the Scots was
in much repute as being early applied to discover the haunts oi
robbers ; and Strabo is said to describe an attack upon the Gauls

* Or Jackalls. See the curious observations on this subject in Tomlinson's Scriptural
Translations, p. 273. ' .

■\ See the former part of this work.

by

424

APPENDIX.

No, X.

hounds.

by dogs of the present description.* The character of decided
History of enmity to man, however, seems to have been preserved only in

the blood- "" r j

Spanish America, and the writer is induced from many circum-
stances to think that the quadruped which is the subject of this
account is, though of a similar species to the Irish wolf-dog breed,
a native of the South Seas.

Whether or not the dog in a savage state would devour his
master, as is asserted, shall not here be argued ; it is certain that
on the mode of rearing, and subsequent discipline for use, in
war, much has always depended, and that (to the disgrace of
human beings so employed) their education has been reduced to
such a system, as to leave little of the natural character re-
maining.

With the persons who breed and have the care of these animals
in Spanish America, the public are already sufficiently acquaint-
ed ; but there are some facts ^A^hich are not equally known, both
as respect these people, and the mode of rearing the dogs, as
particularly practised in St. Domingo, to which attention is at
present confined. The first of these subjects will be explained
by a comparison easily made; and of the latter the writer is
indebted for an accurate knowledge to an intelligent friend, who
had the care of those animals and their keepers in their trouble-
some passage from the Havannah to Jamaica, the same which

* This incident is on the authority of an obliging writer in the IMonthly Magazine, in
answer to a query on the subject on account of the present work, Strabo not being at hand
for a reference.

forms

APPENDIX.

425

forms a prominent subject of the history already given to the No. x.

public on the occasion.* t,, ,

» J he modern

Among- the remains of the Buccaniers, (which are everywhere exacTcouT-

prevalent in St. Domingo and its vicinity, in the different Trou's In'StVuc!
which retain their names, and several local expressions,) are
the costume and mode of life, in the Spanish chasseurs who

earner.

• Dallas's History of the Maroons. Mr. Quarrel (through the medium of a writer
always intelligent, and sometimes eloquent) has excited the interest of the public to the
whole of his services in relation to the expedition from Jamaica to Cuba, for the purpose of
obtaining blood-hounds and their leaders ; he has described a long round of difficulties, of

• " I\Ioving accidents by flood and field,"

all of which were overcome by the superior talents, tlie local, and even maritime skill of the
commissioner! According to this account, the minutest object in the arduous business of
the expedition was not only managed by him, during sickness or convalescence, but his bark
was directed through peculiar courses, and battles fought successfully against a superior
power, with a crew somewhat like Falstaff 's regiment. But Mr. Quarrel forgot to name
the Captain of the vessel which carried him to Cuba, and returned with the blood-hounds to
Jamaica, or the wonder would have ceased ; and this is the more singular, in a man of
letters and enterprize, like INIr. Quarrel, from the exquisite delight and extensive informa-
tion he must have received from the society of Captain Campbell ; a gentleman, with
enlarged ideas, high literary talents, the most consummate bravery, and unbounded nautical
skill, who almost prefers («nf/freJMfi«gaVcM?ni^a«cfcs,) the command of a little vessel like that
which conveyed Mr. Quarrel and his charge ! (and which is generally, or a considerable
share, his own property,) peculiarly on account of its bemg absolutely under his own direction;
and with a crew such as the commissioner very justly describes, he has performed more
intrepid actions, and visited with success, more parts of the globe than any other
officer of his age, which is happily not yet far advanced. The writer had reastm to hope
from the peu of him who has traced the steps of the injured Bruce in Abyssinia, a valuable
paper on this, as -.veil as other subjects relating to the Western Archipelago ; but this, as well
as other valuable communications intended for the public, in the possession of a mutual
friend, was neglected, when

" Old Ocean smil'd,
" And, dancing on the tide of pleasure wild,
" Brisk Fame high-bounding, blew her echoing horn."

Pursuit of Fame, a Poem.

3i

conduct

àid

APPENDIX.

No. X.

Mode of
training
blood-
liounds.

Mode of
rearing the
dosLi.

conduct die blood-iiounds. The hog-skin trowsers drawn on
their hmbs \varm from the animal whan slvi wild in the w-Qods,
and the mode of preparing their food, (Z)o?/cc/:e;', a name at present
synonimous with cooking in the island,) being common to both;
and, in fact, every part of their dress, their migratory life, power
of forbearance, and savage habits in the woods, all exhibit
the ancient Buccanier in the modern Cliasseur; and the portrait
of the one when young, robust, and daring, is a very complete
resemblance of the other.

The character of these people differed somewhat in the num-
bers which joined the French army, and were increased by tyros,
when their operations became such a favorite relief in the actions
between it and that of the blacks.

A^'ith respect to the dogs, their general mode of rearing was
latterly in the following manner. From the time of their being
taken from the dam, they Avere confined in a sort of kennel, or
cao-e, where they were but sparingly fed upon small quantities of
the blood of different animals. As they approached maturitv,
their keepers procured a figure roughly formed as a negro in
wicker work, in the body of which ^vere contained the blood and
entrails of beasts. This was exhibited before an upper part of
the caçe, and the food occasionally exposed as a temptation,
which attracted the attention of the dogs to it as a source of
the food they wanted. This was repeated often, so that the ani-
mals with redoubled ferocity struggled against their confinement
while in proportion to their impatience the figure was brought
nearer, though yet out of their reach, and their food decreased,

4 till.

APPENDIX.

427

blood-
liouads.

till, at the last extremity of desperation, the keeper resigned the ^^^^^
figure, well charged with the nauseous food before described, to Mode of

trainma-

their wishes. While they gorged themselves with the dreadful
meat, he and his colleagues caressed and encouraged them. By
these means the whites ingratiated themselves so much with the
animals, as to produce an effect directly opposite to that perceiv-
able in them towards the black figure; and, when the5^were em-
ployed in the pursuit for which they were intended, afforded the.
protection so necessaiT to their employers. As soon as they were
considered initiated into their business, the young dogs were taken
out to be exercised in it, and trained with much exactness as
possible. In some instances this extended to a great length, but
in general their discipline could not permanently retain them
under the command of their leaders, the consequence is obvious.
The common use of them in the Spanish islands was in chace
of runaway negroes in the mountains, ^'^'hen once they got
scent of the object, they immediately hunted him down, unless
he could evade the pursuit bv climbing up a tree, and instantly
devoured him : if he was so fortunate as to get from their reach
into a tree, the dogs remained about it yelping in the most dread-
ful manner, till their keepers arrived. If the victim was to be
preserved for a public exhibition of cruelty, the dogs were then
muzzled, and the prisoner loaded with chains. On his neck was
placed a hoop with inverted spikes ; and hooks outward, for the
purpose of entangling him in the bushes, or elsewhere. Should
the unhappy wretch proceed faster than his wearied pur-
suers, or attempt to run from them, he was given up to

3 I £ the

428

APPENDIX,

No. X.

Accidents
arising from
blood-
hounds.

the dogs, who instant!}'' devoured him. With horrid delight the
chasseurs sometimes preserved the head to expose at their homes,
as monuments of their barbarous prowess. — Frequently on a
journey of any length these causes were, it is much feared, feigned
for the purpose of relieving the keepers of their prisoners, and the
inhuman wretch who perpetrated the act, on his oath of having
destroyed his fellow creature, received the reward of ten dollars
from the colony ! ■

If the most dreadful accidents among the blacks were ascribed,
and it is apprehended justh^ to the troops of blood-hounds in
the very spots on which they were reared, what was not to be
expected on the seat of war, amidst innumerable prejudices, and
,the powerful motive of self-preservation? when every one conceived
himself justified in contributing an act of barbarity to the common
cause, w4iile it arose, perhaps, out of his own cruel disposition.
The writer shrinks from the task of description in this place, yet
the concealment will not excite the detestation he urges against
the very idea of ever again introducing these animals under any
pretext to the assistance of an army.* But indifferently kept,

the

* The defence of his friend (certainly a most laudable motive in these degenerate,
times, notwithstanding the old proverb Amicus Plato, amicus Socrates, sed magis arnica Veri-
tas) has led the ingenious writer before alluded to (Mr. Dallas) to some arguments in favor
of blood-hounds, however cautiously introduced, not less glaringly false. Such is that, of
the use oi house-dogs. The writer need not call the attention of this gentleman (with whose
sensibility of character he is not unacquainted) to the following obvious facts in behalf Of
their mutual country. The house-dog commonly used in the united kingdom, is the barking
cur, who is not capable of a dangerous attack, and his use is only to create alarm ; and even
when a more powerful species are used, as the Newfoundland breed, they never kill or

woundj

APPENDIX. 42i

the dogs frequently broke loose in the vicinity of the Cape, and No. x.

infants were devoured in an instant from the public way! At Ferocity of

blood-
other times they proceeded to the neighbouring woods, and sur- hounds.

prizing an harmless family of laborers at their simple meal, tore
the babe from the breast of its mother, or involved the whole
party, and returned with their horrid jaws drenched in the gore
of those who were acknowledged, even in the eyes of the French
army, as innocent, and therefore permitted to furnish them with
the produce of their labor. Huts were broken into by them, and

***********
the picture becomes too dreadful for description even for the best
of purposes.

wound, except they are aggravated, of which several curious instances have recently oc-
cured ; two are in the immediate recollection of the writer; one, he believes, at an inn near
Hounslow, where a servant being detected by the faithful guard in the act of robbing the
house at night, he threw him down on the spot, and placing himself upon him, held him
there uninjured till the morning, when he delivered him into other custody. Another was,
when an housekeeper remaining in a house alone, where a quantity of plate was deposited,
borrowed for one night the dog of a neighbouring butcher to protect her, who, in the fol-
lowing morning presented her with a culprit before the side-board, in the person of a rela-
tion of her master:— the rest of the story is too invidious. If at any time an accident
occurs, (which is not frequent,) of a dog injuring any one in the smallest degree, the writer
never yet knew a master who would not immediately destroy him, and surely none desire to
see even the nightly thief lacerated and devoured, instead of his injury prevented; but li
fven the position of Mr. Dallas were just, the case would by no means apply.

No. XT.

450

No. Xî.

Commercial
regulation o*
Kocham-
fceau.

APPENDIX.

No. XL

(Referred to in Page 335.)

The Jirst colonial Regulation issued during the Government of

'Rochamheau.

ARRETE OF THE GENERAL IN CHIEF.

I. THE arrêté of the Captain-general of the 15th Fructidor,
10th year, which permits the importation of different articles of
produce in this colony in foreign bottoms, paying 10 per cent.

duty is received.

II. Foreigners may import into this colony all wares and mer-
chandize not enumerated in the above-mentioned arrêté, subject
to a duty of 20 per cent, ad valorem.

III. The colonial-prefect shall make out every six months a
tariff of the value of all the wares and merchandize imported
under the second article. The duty of 20 per cent, shall be fixed

by this tariff.

IV. The importation of goods permitted by the fifth and se-^
cond article of this arrêté shall only take place at the Cape, Port

vHepublican, and the Port of St. Domingo.

V. The present arrêté shall be in force inmiediately after its

publicatioiiv

YL The

APPENDIX.

431

VI. The colonial-prefect is charged with the execution of the ^^^^;^^^
«resent arrêté, which shall be printed, published, and posted up, Capituiatioa

1 of the French

and inserted in the Official Gazette.

ariHv.

(Signed)
December 19, 1802.

D. F. N. RocHAMBEAU, Capt, Gen.

No. XII.

(Referred to in Page 3A5.)

Documents respecting the Evacuation of St. Domingo, by the.
French Army under Rochambeau; from the London Gazette,
and other authentic Sources.

ARTICLES OF CAPITULATION BETAVEEX THE FRENCH GENERAL RO-
CHAMBEAU, ANB THE BLACK GENERAL-IN-CHIEF OF SAINT DO-
31ING0.

French and Native Army.

THIS day, the 27th Brumaire, of the 12th year, according to
the French œra, and the 19th of November, 1802, according to
the common œra, the adjutant-commandant, Duveysier, having
received full power from General Rochambeau, Commander-in-
^hief of the French army, to treat for the surrender of the Town
of the Cape, and Jean Jacques Dessalines, general of the native

Army

432

No. XII.

Capitulation
of the French
ami}.

APPENDIX.

arm}'', being also authorised to treat on the occasion, have agreed
on the following articles, viz.

I. The Town of the Cape, and the forts dependent thereon,
shall be given up in ten days, reckoning from to-morrow, the 28th
of Brumaire (Nov. 18), to the general-in-chief. Dessalines.

II. The military stores which are now in the arsenals, the
arms, and the artillery of the town and forts, shall be left in their
present condition.

III. All the ships of war, and other vessels which shall be
judged necessary by Gen. Rochambeau, for the removal of the
troops and inhabitants, and for the evacuation of the place, shall
be free to depart on the day appointed.

IV. All the officers, military or civil, and the troops compos-
ing the garrison of the Cape, shall leave the place with all the
honours of war, carrying with them their arms, and all the pri-
vate property belonging to their demi-brigades.

V. The sick and wounded who shall not be in a condition to
embark, shall be taken care of in the hospitals till their recovery;
they are specially recommended to the humanity of Gen. Des-
salines, who will cause them to be embarked for France in neutral
vessels.

VI. General Dessalines, in giving the assurance of his protec-
tion to the inhabitants who shall remain in the country, calls at
the same time upon the justice of General Rochambeau to set at
liberty all the natives of the country (whatever may be their co-
lour,) as they cannot be constrained, under any pretext of right,
to embark with the French army.

3 VII. The

iMi^^^i

WÊÊÊÊm

mm^m

SES

APPENDIX.

VII, The troops of both armies shall remain in their respective
positions, until the tenth day after the signature hereof, which is
the da}^ fixed on for the evacuation of the Cape.

VIII. The General in Chief Rochambeau will send, as a hos-
tage for the observance of the present stipulation, the Adjutant-
General Commandant, Urbain de Vaux, in exchange for whom
the General in Chief Dessalines will send an officer of the same
rank.

Two copies of this convention are hereby executed in strict
faith, at the head-quarters on the Heights of the Cape, on the
day, month, and year aforesaid.

(Signed) Duveysier.

Dessalines.

Correspondence between the Commander-in-Chief of the French
Army of St. Domingo, and Capt. Loring, of his Majesty's Ship
the Bellerophon, com7nanding a blockading force off Cape Fran-
çois.

ARMY OF ST. DOMINGO.

Head-Quarters at the Cape, 27th Brumaire, An. 12,,,
of the French Republic.

The General-in-Chief to Commodore Loring, commanding the Naval
Force of his Britannic Majesty before the Cape,

Sir,
TO prevent the effusion of blood, and to save the remains of
the army of St. Domingo, I have the honour to send you two offi-

3 K cers

434

APPENDIX.

No. xir. cers charged with instructions to enter into an arrangement
Capitulation with j'ou. The General of Brigade Boyé, &c. and the Com-

of the French t,-, -, -, -i-i ti

army. modore Barré, are ordered to transmit this letter to you. 1 have

chosen them to have the honour of treating with you.

I have the honour, &c. &c.

D. ROCHAMBEAU.

Copi/ of the Frojjositions made hy the General Hochamheau, to

evacuate Cape François.

I. THE General Rochambeau proposes to evacuate the Cape;
himself and his guards, consisting of about 4 or 500 men, to be
conveyed to France without being considered prisoners of war.
Not granted.

II. The Surveillant and Cerf to be allowed to carry him and

suite to France. Not granted.

(Signed)

John Loring.

Bellerophon, of Cape François, JSlov. 19, 180o.

Sir,

I HAVE to acquaint you, on the subject communicated to me
by General Boyé and Commodore Barré, of your desire to nego-
tiate for the surrender of Cape François to his Britannic Majesty',
that I send for the purpose, and to know your final determination,
Captain IMoss, of his Majesty's ship La Désirée, in order to
a^ree with vour wishes in so much as is consistent with the just
rights of his Britannic Majesty on that point.

I have

APPENDIX.

435

I have also to inform you my instructions confine nie to the No. xii.
French officers and troops in health being sent to Jamaica, and Capitulation

of the French

the sick to go to France or America. The transports to convey army.
them being first valued, and security given by the commander
in chief, for the due payment of the valuation by the French re-
public. The white inhabitants of the Cape will not be permitted
to go to Jamaica.

Such are the parts of my instructions, with which I am bound
to comply in any agreement for the surrender of Cape François.

I have the honour to be, &c.

(Signed)

General Rochambeau, Commander-
in-Chief, &c. &c. &c.

J. LORING.

[B.J

COLONY OF ST. DOMINGO.

Head-Quarters at the Cape, ^7th Brumaire,
in the Year 12.

the general in chief of the army of ST. DOMINGO, &C. &C. &C.

to commodore loring, &c, ^

Sir,

I HAVE received the letter which you have done me the honour

to write to me. As your propositions are inadmissible, I must

beg of you to consider the preceding letter as not having been

received.

I have the honour to be, &c.

3 K 2

D. ROCHAMBEAU.

British

436

APPENDIX.

No. Xll.

Capitulation
of theFretich
army.

British Account of the Capitulation of the French Army of St.
Domingo, in the Letter of Sir John Thomas Duckworth to Sir
Evan Nepean.

Port Royal, Dec. 18, 1803.
Sir,

HAVING, in my letter No. 3, by this conveyance stated to
you, for the information of my Lords Commissioners of the Ad-
miralty, that General Rochambeau had made proposals for capitu-
lating, which, though inadmissible, I thought soon must lead to
others more reasonable; the event has justified my opinion; but
I am sorry to say that officer, whose actions are too extraordi-
nary to account for, had, on the 19th ultimo, (previous to his pro-
posal to Captain Loring, through the General of Brigade Boyé,
and Commodore Barré) actually entered into a capitulation with
the black General Dessalines, to deliver up the Cape to him,
with all the ordnance, ammunition, and stores, on the 30th; I
conclude, flattering himself that the tremendous weather, which
our squadron was then, and had been, experiencing for three weeks,
would offer an opening for escape, but the perseverance and watch-
fulness thereof precluded him from even attempting it. On the
30th, the colours of the Blacks were displayed at the forts, which
induced Captain Loring to dispatch Captain Bligh, to know Ge-
neral Dessalines' sentiments respecting General Rochambeau and
his troops; when, on his entering the harbour he met Commo-
dore Barré, who pressed him in strong terms to go on board the
Surveillante, and enter into some capitulation, which would put

them

them under our protection, and prevent the Blacks fi-om sinking
them \A ith red hot shot, as they had threatened, and were pre-
paring to do, which Captain Bhgh comphed with, when, they has-
tily brought him a few articles they had drawn up ; which he
(after objecting to some particular parts, that they agreed should
be altered, to carry his interpretation to Jamaica) signed, and
hastened to acquaint General Dessalines, that all the ships and
vessels in port had surrendered to his Majesty's arms, and with
great difficulty he obtained the promise to desist fi'om firing, till
a wind offered for carrying them out (it then blowing hard directlj'
into the harbour; this promise he at length obtained, and the first
instant the land-breeze enabled them to sail out under French co.
lours, which, upon a shot being fired athwart them, the vessels
of war fired their broadsides, and hauled down their colours, ex-
cept the Clorinde, a large frigate of thirty-eight guns, who un-
luckily took the ground abaft, and was forced to throw most of
her guns overboard, and knocked her rudder off, when there v;as
great apprehensions for her safety ; and I am informed by the
captains of the squadron, that we must attribute the saving her
(apparently without further damage) to the uncommon exertions
and professional abilities of acting Lieutenant Willoughby, with
the boats of the Hercule, who, I trust, will be honoured with
their lordships' protection.

Captain Loring, after seeing the generality of the prizes taken
possession of, left the Theseus and Hercule to fix a temporary
rudder to the frigate, and bring the remainder with them, bear-
ing away for the Mole, and on the 2d summoned the General of

(j Brigade

1

438

APPENDIX.

Xo. XII.

Capitulation
of the French
army.

Brigade Noailles, \vho commanded there, to capitulate ; this he
declined doing, asserting that he had provisions for five months ;
and herewith I transmit a copy of his letter. The numerous
and crowded state of the prisoners on board all the prizes, and
their being without provisions, making it necessary for Captain
Loring to proceed to Jamaica, he arrived here the 5th with the
Elephant and Blanche, also the Surveillante and Vertu thirty-
eight gun frigates, and various other prizes, leaving the La Pique
to blockade the ]Mole, who anchored in this port the 8th, and ac.
quainted me that General Xoailles had evacuated the night he
refused to capitulate, bringing in with her five out of the six vessels
in which the garrison had embarked, a brig with the general on
board only escaping. I send a vessel of war to England, with
General Rochambeau and those officers Avho are said to have
participated in bis cruelties at the Cape^ I am, &c.

J. T. Dlxkworth.

î<o. XIII.

APPENDIX.

439

No. XIII.

(Referred to in Page 345.)
Declaration of the Independence of the Blacks of St. Domingo.

PSOCLAMATION OF DESSAI.INES, CHRISTOPHE, AND CLERVAUX,

CHIEFS OF ST. EÔMLNGO. -

In the Name of the Black People, and ^Nlen of Color of St.

Domingo :

THE Independence of St. Domingo is proclaimed. Restored
to our primitive dignity, v>-e have asserted our rights; we swear
never to yield them to any power on earth ; the frightful -^ eil of
prejudice is torn to pieces, be it so for ever. A'^'oe be to them
who would dare, to put together its bloody tatters.

Oh! Landholders of St. Domingo, wandering in foreign coun-
tries, by proclaiming our independence, we do not forbid you,
indiscriminately, from returning to your property; far be from us
this unjust idea. We are not ignorant that there are some among
you that have renounced their former errors, abjured the injustice
of their exhorbitant pretensions, and acknowledged the lawful-
ness of the cause for which we have been spilling our blood these
twelve years. Toward those men who do us justice, we will act
as brothers ; let them rely for ever on our esteem and friendship ;
let them return among us. The God who protects us, the God
of Freemen, bids as to stretch out towards them our conquering

5 arms.

No. xrii.

Declaration
of the Inde-
pendence of
St.Dominso.

I:

r-^

440

APPENDIX.

No. XÎ1I. arms. But as for those, Avho, intoxicated with fooHsh pride.
Declaration interested slaves of a guilt}^ pretension, are bhnded so much as to
pendence of beHevc thciTiselves the essence of human nature, and assert that

St. Domingo. i • i . i i

they are destnied bj^ lieaven to be our masters and our t3Tants,
let them never come near the land of St. Domingo : if the}^ come
hither, they will only meet wdth chains or deportation; then let
them stay w^here they are ; tormented by their w^ell-deserved
misery, and the frowns of the just men whom they have too long
mocked, let them still continue to move, unpitied and unnoticed
by all.

We have sworn not to listen with clemency tow^ards all those
Avho would dare to speak to us of slavery ; we will be inexorable,
perhaps even cruel, towards all troops who, themselves forgetting
the object for w'hich they have not ceased fighting since 1780,
should come from Europe to bring among us death and servi-
tude. Nothing is too dear, and all means are lav^^ul, to men
fiom w^hom it is wished to tear the first of all blessings. Were
they to cause rivers and torrents of blood to run; were they, in
order to maintain their liberty, to conflagrate seven eighths of the
globe, they are innocent before the tribunal of Providence, that
" never created men, to see them groaning under so harsh and
shameful a servitude.

In the various commotions that took place, some inhabitants
against whom we had not to complain, have been victims by the
cruelty of a few^ soldiers or cultivators, too much blinded by the
remembrance of their past sufferings to be able to distinguish the
good and humane land-owners from those that were unfeeling

and

APPEiNDIX.

and cruel, we lament with all feeling souls so deplorable an end,
and declare to the world, whatever may be said to the contrary
by wicked people, that the murders were committed contrary to
the wishes of our hearts. It was impossible, especially in the
crisis in which the colony was, to be able to prevent or stop
those horrors. They who are in the least acquainted with his-
tory, know that a people, w^hen assailed by civil dissentions,
though they may be the most polished on earth, give themselves
up to every species of excess, and the authority of the chiefs,
at that time not firmly supported, in a time of revolution cannot
punish all that are guilt\^ without meeting with new difficulties.
But now a-days the Aurora of peace hails us, with the glimpse
of a less stormy time; now that the calm of victory has succeeded
to the trouble of a dreadful war, every thing in St. Domingo
ought to assume a new face, and its government henceforward
be that of justice.

441

No. XIIJ.

Declaration
of the Inde-
pendence of
St. Domingo.

Done at the Head-Quarters, Fort Dauphin, November 29,
180.-3.

(Signed) Dessalines.

Christophe.
Clerveaux.
True Copy, B. Aime, Secretary.

O L

No. XIV.

I

442

No. XTV.

Proclama-
tion for the
abjuration of
the French
nation.

APPENDIX.

No. XIV.

( Referred to ia p. 348. )

Proclamation for a solemn Abjuration of the French Nation.

LIBERTY OR DEATH !— NATIVE ARMY.

THE GENERAL IN CHIEF TO THE PEOPLE OF HAYTI.

Citizens,

IT is not enough to have expelled from your country the
barbarians who have for ages stained it with blood— it is not
enough to haj-e curbed the factions which, succeeding each
other by turns, sported with a phantom of hberty which France
exposed to their eyes. It is become necessary, by a last act of
national authority, to ensure for ever the empire of liberty in the
country which has given us birth. It is necessary to deprive an
inhuman government, which has hitherto held our minds in a
state of the most humihating torpitude, of every hope of being
enabled again to enslave us. Finally, it is necessary to live in-
dependent, or die. Independence or Death ! Let these sacred
words serve to rally us-let them be signals of battle, and of

our re-union.

Citizens-Countrymen-I have assembled on this solemn

day, those courageous cliiefs, who, on the eve of receiving the

last

APPENDIX.

443

the French
nation.

last breath of expiring liberty, ha^-e lavished their blood to pre- no. xiv.
serve it. These generals, -who ha^-e conducted your struggles Prociama-
against t^Tanny, have not yet done. The French name still abj!,rariM^of
darkens our plains : ever}' thing recals the remembrance of the
cruelties of that barbarous people. Our laws, our customs, our

cities, ever}'' thing bears the characteristic of the French.

Hearken to what I say ! — the French still have a footing in our
island ! and you believe yourselves free and independent of
that republic, which has fought all nations, it is true, but
never conquered those who would be free ! AVhat ! victims for
fourteen years by credulity and forbearance ! conquered not by
French armies, but by the canting eloquence of the proclama-
tions of their agents ! AVhen shall we be wearied with brcathino-
the same air with them ? What have we in common with that
bloody-minded people r Their cruelties compared to our mode-
ration— their colour to ours — the extension of seas which sepa-
rate us— our avenging climate — all plainly tell us thev are not
our brethren ; that they never will become such ; and, if thev
find an asylum among us, they will still be the instig-ators of our
troubles and of our divisions. Citizens, men, women, young
and old, cast round your e}-es on every part of tliis island ; seek

there your wives, your husbands, your brothers, your sisters

what did I say ? seek your children — your children at the breast,
what is become of them : I shudder to tell it — the prey of
vultures. Instead of these interesting victims, the aflfi'iRhted eye
sees only their assassins— tigers still covered with their blood,
and whose ten-ifying presence reproaches you for your insen^i-

3 L 2 bilitv.

444

APPENDIX.

No. XIV.

Proclama-
tion for the
abjuration of
the French
Bation.

bility, and your guilty tardiness to avenge them— what do you
Avait for, to appease their manes? Remember that you have
wished your remains to be laid by the side of your fathers—
When you have driven out tyranny— will you descend into their
tombs, without having avenged them ? No : their bones would
repulse yours. And ye, invaluable men, intrepid Generals, who,
insensible to private sufferings, have given new life to liberty, by
lavishing your blood ; know, that you have done nothing if you
do not give to the nations a terrible, though just example, of
the vengeance that ought to be exercised by a people proud of
having recovered its liberty, and zealous of maintaining it. Let
us intimidate those, who might dare to attempt depriving us of
it again : let us begin with the French; let them shudder at ap-
proaching our shores, if not on account of the cruelties they have
committed, at least at the terrible resolution we are going to
make— To devote to death whatsoever native of France should
soil with his sacrilegious footstep, this territory of liberty.

We have dared to be free— let us continue free by ourselves,
and for ourselves ; let us imitate the growing child ; his own
strength breaks his leading-strings, which become useless and
troublesome to him in his walk. What are the people who have
fought us? what people would reap the fruits of our labours?
and'what a dishonourable absurdity, to conquer to be slaves !

Slaves-leave to the French nation this odious epithet ; they
have conquered to be no longer free-let us walk in other foot-
steps; let us imitate other nations, who. carrying their sohcitude

into friturity, and dreading to leave posterity an example of

cowardice,

APPENDIX.

445

cowardice, hav'e preferred to be exterminated, rather than be
erased from the hst of free people. Let us, at the same time,
take care, lest a spirit of proselj^tism should destroy the work — let
our neighbours breathe in peace— let them live peaceably under
the shield of those laws which they have framed for themselves ;
let us beware of becoming revolutionary fire-brands — of creating
ourselves the legislators of the Antilles — of considering as a glory
the disturbing the tranquility of the neighbouring islands; they
have not been, like the one we inhabit, drenched with the in-
nocent blood of the inhabitants— they have no vengeance to
exercise against the authority that protects them ; happy, never
to liave experienced the pestilence that has destroyed us, they
must wish well to our posterity.

Peace with our neighbours, but accursed be the French
name— eternal hatred to France : such are our principles.

Natives of Hayti— my happy destiny reserves me to be one
dav the centinel who is to guard the idol we now sacrifice to.
I have grown old fighting for you, sometimes almost alone;
and if I have been happy enough to deliver to j^ou the sa-
cred charge confided to me, recollect it is for you, at present,
to preserve it. In fighting for your liberty, I have laboured
for my own happiness : before it shall be consolidated by laws
which shall ensure individual liberty, your chiefs whom I have
assembled here, and myself, owe you this last proof of our
devotedness.

Generals, and other chiefs, unite with me for the happiness
of our country : the day is arrived— the day which will ever
perpetuate our glorv and our independence.

3 If

No. XVI.

Proclama-
tion fof the
abjuration of
the French
nation.

W^

446

No. XIV.

Proclama-
tion for the
abjuration of
tlie French
nation.

APPENDIX.

If there exist among you a lukewarm heart, let him retire,
and shudder to pronounce the oath which is to unite us. Let
us swear to the whole world, to posterity, to ourselves, to re-
nounce France for ever, and to die, rather than live under its
dominion— to fight till the last breath for the independence of
our country.

And ye, people, too long unfortunate, witness the oath we
now pronounce : recollect that it is upon your constancy and
courage I depended when I first entered the career of liberty to
fight despotism and tyranny, against which you have been strug-
gling these last fourteen years ; remember that I have sacrificed
every thing to fly to your defence — parents, children, fortune, and
am now only rich, in your liberty — that my name has be-
come a horror to all friends of slavery, or despots; and tyrants
only pronounce it, cursing the day that gave me birth ; if ever
you refuse or receive with murmuring the laws, w^hich the pro-
tecting angel that watches over your destinies, shall dictate to
me for your happiness, you will merit the fate of an ungrateful
people. But away from me this fiightful idea : You will be the
guardians of the liberty you cherish, the support of the Chief who
commands vou.

Sw^ear then to live free and independent, and to prefer death
to every thing that would lead to replace you under the yoke ;
swear then to pursue for everlasting, the traitors, and enemies of

your independence.

J. J. Dessalines.

Head-quarters, Gonaives, 1st Jan. 1804,

1st Year of Independence.

^ No. XV.

APPENDIX.

447

No. XV.

( Referred to in Page 354. )

Communication of the Intentions of the Black Government on the
Appointment of a Governor-General foi^ Life.

Liberty or Death! ,

No. XV.

Communica-
tion on the
appointment
of a gover-
nor-general
for life.

A PROCLAMATION.

Jean Jacques Dessalines, Governor-General, to the Inhabitants of

Hai/ti :

CRIMES, the most atrocious, such as were hitherto unheard
of, and would cause nature to shudder, have been perpetrated.
The measure of their cruelty overflowed. At length the hour of
vengeance has arrived, and the implacable enemies of the rights
of man have suffered the punishment due to their crimes.

My arm, raised above their heads, has too long delayed to
strike. At that signal, which the justice of God has urged, your
hands, righteously armed, has brought the axe to bear upon the
decrepit tree of slavery and prejudice. In vain had time, and
more especially the infernal politics of Europeans, defended it
with triple brass ; you have stripped it of its armour ; and have
placed it upon your heart, that you may become (like your natural
enemies,) cruel and merciless. Like an overflowing and mighty
torrent, that bears down all opposition, your vengeful fury has
5 swept

443

APPENDIX.

No. XV.

Communica-
tion on the
appointment
of a gover-
nor-general
for life.

-&.

swept away, every obstacle to its impetuous course. Perish thus!
all tyrants over innocence, all oppressors of mankind!

What then? Bent for many ages under an iron yoke, the
sport of the passions, or the injustice of men, and of the caprices
of fortune ; mutilated victims of the cupidity of white Frenchmen;
after ha^ ing fattened by our toils, these insatiate blood-suckers,
with a patience and resignation unexampled, we should again
have seen that sacrilegious horde attempt our destruction, Mdth-
out any distinction of sex or age; and we, whom they call, men
without energy, of no virtue, of no delicate sensibility, should not
we have plunged in their breast the dagger of desperation? Where
is that Hay tian so vile, Haytian so unworthy of his regeneration,
who thinks he has not fulfilled the decrees of the Eternal, by
exterminating these blood-thirsty tygers? If there be one, let
him flv; indignant nature discards him from our bosom; let him
hide his infamy far fi'om hence; the air we breathe, is not suited
to his gross organs; it is the air of liberty, pure, august, and

triumphant.

Yes, we have rendered to these true cannibals, war for war,
crime for crime, outrage for outrage ; yes, I have saved my coun-
try ; I have avenged America. The avowal I make in the face
of earth and heaven, constitutes my pride and my glory. Of
what consequence to me is the opinion which contemporary and
future generations will pronounce upon my conduct? I have per-
formed my duty; I enjoy my own approbation; for me that is
sufficient. But, what am I saying? The preservation of my un-
fortunate brothers, and the testimony of my own conscience, are

not

.-APPENDIX,

449

not my only recompence : I have seen two classes of men, bora
to cherish, assist, and succour one another — mixed in a world,
and blended together— crying for vengeance, and disputing the
honor of the first blow.

Blacks and Yellows, whom the refined duplicity of Europe
for a long time endeavoured to divide ; you, who are now con-
solidated, and make but one family; without doubt it was neces-
sary that our perfect reconciliation should be sealed with the
blood of your butchers. Similar calamities have hung over your
proscribed heads ; a similar ardor to strike your enemies has sig-
nalized you : the like fate is reserved for you, and the like interests
must therefore render you for ever one, indivisible, and insepa-
rable. Maintain that precious concord, that happy harmony,
amongst yourselves ; it is the pledge of your happiness, your sal-
vation, and your success ; it is the secret of being invincible.

It is necessary, in order to strengthen these ties, to recal to
your remembrance the catalogue of atrocities committed against
our species ; the intended massacre of the entire population of
this island, meditated in the silence and sang-froid of the cabinet ;
the execution of that abominable project to me was unblushingly
proposed, when already begun by the French, with the calmness
and serenity of a countenance accustomed to similar crimes.
Guadaloupe pillaged and destroyed ; its ruins still reeking with
the blood of the children, women, and old men put to the sword;
Pelage (himself the victim of their craftiness), after having basely
betrayed his country and his brothers ; the brave and immortal
Delgresse, blown into the air with the fort he defended, rather

3 M than

No. XV.

Communica-
tion on the
appointment
of a gover-
nor-general
for life.

•^v

U

450

APPENDIX.

No. XV.

Communica-
tion on the
appointment
of a gover-
nor-general
for life.

than accept their offered chains. Magnanimous warrior! that
noble death, far from enfeebhng our courage, serves only to rouse
within us the determination of avenging or of following thee.
Shall I again recal to your memory the plots lately fi'amed at
Jeremie ? the terrible explosion that was to be the result, not-
withstanding the generous pardon granted to these incorrigible
beings at the expulsion of the French army? The deplorable
fate of our departed brothers in Europe ? and (dread harbinger of
death) the frightful despotism exercised at Martinique ? Unfortu-
nate people of Martinique, could I but fly to your assistance, and
break your fetters! Alas! an insurmountable barrier separates
us ; yet, perhaps a spark from the same fire which enflâmes us,
will alight on your bosoms: perhaps, at the sound of this emo-
tion, suddenly awakened from your lethargy, with arms in your
hands, you will reclaim your sacred and indelible rights.

After the terrible example I have just given, sooner or later
Divine Justice will unchain on earth some mighty minds, above
the weakness of the vulgar, for the destruction and terror of the
wicked. Tremble! tyrants, usurpers, scourges of the new world!
Our daggers are sharpened, your punishment is ready ! Sixty
thousand men, equipped, inured to war, obedient to my orders,
burn to offer a new sacrifice to the manes of their assassinated
brothers. Let that nation come who may be mad or daring
enough to attack me. Already at its approach, the irritated
Genius of Hayti, arising from the bosom of the ocean, appears;
his menacing aspect throws the waves into commotion, excites
tempests, and with his mighty hand disperses, or dashes fleets in
5 pieces ;

APPENDIX.

451

pieces; to his formidable voice the laws of nature p&y obedience;
disease, plague, famine, conflagration, poison, are his constant
attendants. But why calculate on the assistance of the climate
and of the elements ? Have I forgot that I command a people
of no comm.on cast, brought up in adversity, whose haughty
daring, frowns at obstacles, and increases by dangers ? Let them
come, these homicidal cohorts ? I wait for them with a firm, and
steady eye. I abandon to them freely the shore, and the places^
where cities have existed, but woe to those who may approach
too near the mountains ! It were better for them that the sea
received them into its profound abyss, than to be devoured by
the anger of the children of Hay ti.

War, even to Death, to Tyrants!" this is my motto; "Li-
berty! Independence !" this is our rallying cry.

Generals, Officers, Soldiers, somewhat unlike him who has
preceded me, the Ex-General Toussaint L'Ouverture, I have
been faithful to the promise I made to you, when I took up arms
against tjTanny, and whilst the last spark of life remains in me I
will keep my oath. " Never again shall a colonist, or an Euro-
pean, set his foot upon this territory with the title of master or
proprietor." This resolution shall henceforward form the funda-
mental basis of our constitution.

Should other chiefs, after me, by pursuing a conduct diame-
trically opposite to mine, dig their own graves, and those of their
own species, you will have to accuse only the law of destiny,
which shall have taken me away from the happiness and welfare
of my felloAv-citizens. May my successors follow the path I shall

3 M 2 ' have

No: XV.

Communica-
tion on tlie
appointment
of a gover-
nor-general
for life.

iM

452

APPENDIX.

Ko. "KV.

Communica-
tion on the
appointment
of a gover-
nor-general
for life.

have traced for them ! It is the system best adapted for consoH-
dating their power; it is the highest homage they can render to
m}^ memor}'. ^

As it is derogatory to my character, and my dignity, to
punish the innocent for the crimes of the guilty, a handful of
whites, commendable bj- the rehgion they have ahvays professed,
and who have besides taken the oath to hve with us in the woods,
have experienced my clemency. I order that the sword respect
them, and that they be unmolested.

I recommend anew, and order all the Generals of Depart-
ments, &c. to grant succours, encouragement, and protection, to
all neutral and friendly nations, who may wish to establish com-
mercial relations in this island.

Head-Quarters at the Cape, 28th April, 1804, first year of
independence.

The Governor-General, (Signed) Dessalines.

A true Copy,

The Secretarv-General, Juste Chanlatte."

No. XVI.

- 1

APPENDIX.

â53-

No. XVI.

( Referred to in Page 355. )

No. XVI.

Cautionarv
proclamation
to the Spani-
ards against
treachery to
the Blacks.

Caution to the Spaniards,
Liberty or Death!

A PROCLAMATION.

Jean Jacques Dessalines, Go'cernor-General, to the Inhabitants of
the Spanish Part of the Island :

SCARCE had the French army been expelled, when you
hastened to acknowledge my authority ; by a fi^ee and spontaneous
movement of your heart, you ranged j^ourselves under ray subjec-
tion. More careful of the prosperity than desirous of the ruin of that
part which you inhabit, I gave to this homage a favourable re-
ception. From that moment I Irnve considered you as my chil-
dren, and ni}^ fidelity to you remains undiminished. As a proof
of my paternal solicitude, within the places which have submitted
to my power, I have proposed for Chiefs, none but men chosen
fi'om amongst yourselves. Jealous of counting you in the rank
of my friends, that I might give you all the time necessary for
recollection, and that I might assure myself of your fidelity," I
have hitherto restrained the burning ardor of my soldiers. Already
I congratulate myself on the success of my solicitude, which had
for its object, to prevent the effusion of blood ; but at this time a

fanatic

m

454

No. X^'I.

Cautionary
proclamation
to the Spani-
ards against
treachery to
the Blacks.

APPENDIX.

fanatic priest had not kindled in your breasts the rage which
predominates therein ; the incensed Frerand had not j^et instilled
into you the poison of falsehood and calumny. — Writings, origi-
nating in despair and weakness, have been circulated; and im-
mediately some amongst you, seduced by perfidious insinuations,
solicited the friendship and protection of the French; they dared
to outrage my kindness, by coalescing with my cruel enemies.
Spaniards, reflect ! On the brink of the precipice which is dug
under your feet, will that diabolical minister save you, when with
fire and sword I shall have pursued you to your last entrench-
ments?

Ah ! without doubt, his prayers, his grimaces, his relics,
would be no impediment to my career. Vain as defenceless, can
he preserve you from my just anger, after I shall have buried
him, and the collection of brigands he commands, under the ruins
of your capital ! Let them both recollect that it is before my
intrepid phalanx that all the resources and the skill of Euro-
peans have proved ineffectual ; and that into my victorious bonds
the destiny of the Captain-General, Rochambeau, has been sur-
rendered. To lure the Spaniards to their partj^, they propagate
the report, that vessels laden with troops have arrived at St.
Domingo. Why is it not the truth .? They little imagine that,
in delaying to attack them until this time, my principal object
has been to suffer them to increase the mass of our resources, and
tlie number of our victims. To spread distrust and terror, they
incessantly dwell upon the fate which the French have just
experienced ; but have I not had reason to treat them so ? The

wrongs

APPENDIX.

455

wrono-s of the French, do they appertain to Spaniards; and must
I visit on the latter the crimes which the former have conceived,
ordered, and executed on our species! They have the effrontery
to sa}^ that, reduced to seek safety in flight, I am gone to conceal
my defeat in the southern part of the island. Well, then ! now let
them learn that I am ready ; that the thunderbolt is about to fall
on their heads. Let them know, that my soldiers are impatiently
waiting for the signal to go and reconquer the boundaries which
nature and the elements have assigned to us. A few moments
more, and I shall crush the remnant of the French under the
weight of my mighty power.

Spaniards! you, to whom I address myself, solely because
I wish to save you ; you w^ho, for having been guilty of evasion ;
shall soon preserve your existence only so far as my clemency
may deign to spare you ; it is yet time ; abjure an error which
may be fatal to you, and break off all connection with my enem}^
if you wish your blood may not be confounded with his. Name
to me, without delay, that part of your territory on which my
first blow is to be struck, or inform me whether I must strike on
all points without discrimination. I give you fifteen days, from
the date of this notification, to forward your last intentions, and
to rally under my banners. You are not ignorant, that all the
roads of St. Domingo in every direction, are familiar to us; that
more than once we have seen your dispersed bands fly before us.
In a word, you know what I can do, and what I dare ; think of
your preservation.

Receive here the sacred promise which I make— not to do

any

No. xvr.

Cautionary
proclamation
to the Spani-
ards against
treachery to
the Blacks.

4.56

APPENDIX.

J^^o^^^ any tiling against your personal safety or your interest, if you
Cautionary seizo upon tliis occasion to shew vourselves worthy of beino- ad-

proclamatïon . -^ v î3

totheSpani- mittcd amougst the children of Havti,

ards against
treachery to

the Blacks. Head-Quarters at the Cape, May 8th, 1804, first year of
independence,

Tlie Governor-General, (Signed) Dessalixes.

A true Copy,

The Secretarj-.GeneraJ, Juste ChaxXLatte.

No. XVII.

( Referred to in Page 356. )

Programa issued to direct the Order of the Ceremonies on the
Coronation of Jean Jacques, the First Emperor of Haijti.

Port-au-Prince, Sept. 8.
t^cTo^a"' ^^"^^ ^^e 8th of October all the troops of the garrison, m the
pïon^ ^'" '''-^^ o^^^^' possible, will march under arms to the Champ de
Mars at two o'clock, A. ]M. precisely, and form in square batta-
lions.

A detachment of grenadiers immediately to form a line to the
house of the Commandant-General of Division.

7 At

At three o'clock the iNIembers of all the Civil and ^lilitary Xo. xvrr.
Authorities, having assembled at the Government House, will
proceed from thence to the Champ de ]Mars in the following
procession :

A Platoon of Grenadiers.

The Public Teachers,

Conducting a great Number of their Pupil;

The Deputation of the Body of Artisans,

Preceded by a Chief Artisan.

A Deputation of Agriculturists,

Preceded bj^ one of their principal Members.

A Deputation of Foreign Commerce,

Preceded by one of its Members.
A Deputation of National Commerce,
Preceded by one of its jMembers.
The jMembers of Justice, and the Ministerial Officers.
The Health Officers of the Army, attached to the Division.
The Officers of the Militar}'' Marine.
The Etat-Major of the place, connected with that of the Circuit.
The Administrators, and those in their employ.
The General commanding the Divisions,
Accompanied' by his Etat-]\Iajor.
A Platoon of Grenadiers.

Arrived at^he Champ de Mars, all the drums shall beat a
march, and the procession shall advance to an Amphitheatre
which shah be prepared for its use.

458 APPENDIX,

No. XVII. The Act announcing the nomination of the " Emperor," (Des.
salines) shall be read in a loud and intelligible voice !

x\ discharge of musketry and of cannon, which shall be repeated
by all the forts of the city, and vessels in the harbour, shall fol-
low the reading of the act.

The ceremony of the Coronation shall next take place on a
throne, elevated in the midst of the Amphitheatre, and surrounded
by all the great Officers of the Empire.

The ceremony shall be announced by a triple discharge of
cannon and musketry.

After the ceremon^v, the troops shall file oif to the church, and
form in order of battle.

The Procession, in the order abovementioned, shall also ad-
vance to the Church, where a Te Deum, in thanksgiving for this
memorable day, shall be sung.

During the Te Deum, a third discharge of cannon and musketry

shall take place.

After the Te Deum, the Procession shall return, in tlie same
order, to the house of the General of Division.

The Fete shall terminate by a grand illumination in all parts
of the city.

Done at Port-au-Prince, the 6th September, 1804, the first year
of independence,

The General of Division

(Signed) A. Petion.

6

No.

APPENDIX,

A.j(j

No. XVIIÎ.

( Referred to in Page 91, &c. )

A View of the Distribution of the Black Force in the French Colonies at the

Revolution of St. Domingo, from the Official Returns''.

Chief Placesj or Jurisdictions.

Quarter-, or Parishes.

No. of
uea;roes.

r

The Cape

Northern Part

1

Fort Dauphin

Port de Paix

The Cape and its dependencies - -
The Petite Jiise :ind Plain of the Cape
L'Aciil, hinionv.de, and St. Susan - -
--{ JSIoiin and the Great River - - - -
Doiidon and Jiamie/acle - - - - -
JJinhé and Port lAl argot -----
-Plaisance and Le BorsJie _ - _ _

ÎFort Dauphin - - - - . _ _

Ouaiiaminthe and J aViere - -
The Ferrier, Rouge, and the Trou - -

Ç Port de Paix, Little St. Louis, Jean Ra-
'l bel, 2cc. ------,.-

}

^MoLE St. Nicholas - Tlie Mole and Bombarde
Poet at Peince
Leogane - -

r Pon-au-Princej &c.

•-< Arcahai/e - - -
(. Mireba/ais - - -

Western Part ■{ St. JMakk - -

Little Goave

^Jeremie - -
The Cayes

TlBURON - -
St. Louis

Southern Part

- Leogane -_______..

_ f St. ]\Iark, the Little River, Yerettes, and\
\ Gonaives --------- j

f Little Goave, Great Goave, and Le Fond)
-< des Migres, --------- j"

t L'Anse à Vaux, and Le Petit Erou - -

- - . - Jeremie and Cape Dame Maria - - -

- - - The Cayes and Torbuk ------

- - - Cape buron and Les Coteaux - - -

- - - St. Louis, Cavaillon, and Aquin - - -

-Jacmel ----- Jacmel, Les Cayes, and Baynet

21,613

11, ice

19,876
1 S,,5.54
17,376
15,978
10,018

10,00-1

9,987

lj,476

42,848
1S,OJ.5
10,902

18,829
13,229

51 Parishes.

464.000

Eastern Part, not yet ceded to the French.

Tlie difference between the above total and that furnished in page 91, is to be accoimted
for by the erroneous statements of tlie planters to lessen the amount of the taxes, and other
causes.

460

APPENDIX.

No. XIX.

No. XIX.

ADDITIONAL REMARKS, S^c.

IT was intended to insert in this place a number of papers
with which the author has been furnished, as collateral evidence
of the sentiments which occur in his work in favor of the people
of color ; but, on re-considering the accumulation of matter on
this subject produced bj^ the discussion of the slave trade, and the
accessibility of the works of Barbot,* Bosman,f Smith, :|: &c.
which all tend to shew the capacity of the African, and the eli-
gibility of his native state, he has been led to think it less
necessary ; and shall, therefore, merely add the communication
of an ingenious friend on the subject of substituting European
laborers for African cultivators; and a quotation from an mtel-
ligent and respectable writer, § which as perfectly accords with
his o\\Ti sentiments, as it surpasses his powers of describmg

them.

" It is significantly enquired by Postlethwaite, || ' Whether
Africa will not admit of a far more extensive and profitable frade
with Great Britain than it ever yet has done ? and whether the

* Account of Africa. t Description of Guinea. X Voyage to Guinea.

§ The Reverend Joshua Larwood, R. N. H Dictionary of Trade and Commerce.

latter

APPENDIX.

461

latter might not supply their colonies and plantations with whites No. xix.
instead of blacks V .

" The first of these enquiries may be readily answered in the
affirmative ; and the latter demonstrated without difficulty. The
condition of Africa is now, only what Britain was once ; and the
slavery of its inhabitants, that which has existed in every age.
The one can be remedied by the means which ha^e constituied
the rise of all states; and the existence of the latter is inconsistent
with the present refinement of the other three quarters of the
world.*

* The author desires not to be considered as adopting this writer's sentiment?. He is,
however, of opinion with M. de Charmilly, (so often quoted in this work, and never unpro-
fitablv,) who has the following judicious ideas of negro amelioration, which have beec, he is
happy to be informed, partly acted on. " If I require (says he) the continuation of the
trade I also require that it should be conducted under more vigilant laws than exist at
present, for the advantage of the negroes, the planter, and the merchant, in short, that well
digested laws be established for regulating the tonnage of the trading ships. They should
not exceed three hundred tons, nor be less than two hundred; for if the ship be large, it
continues trading too long, and the scurvy and other diseases breed among the negroes first
acquired; and if too small, they are too ill at ease. It ought to be settled how many
negroes should be carried in each ship, according to the size, without a possibility of evading
the law. It should be prohibited to export from Africa any negro more than twenty years
old. Man at this age is yet capable of attaching himself to a new country, climate has but
little influence upon him, and he leaves in his native land few objects of attachment, com-
pared with the older negro, who leaves a wife and children.

" No negro should be embarked without first being inoculated ; several surgeons should
be attached to a ship, who should all make oath, before the sale of negroes commences in
the colony to which they may be brought, that they have not by any means driven in, or
repelled the maladies of negroes, which kill so great a number. -These measures I admit
would be more expensive, and the fitting out a trading ship would at first cost the person
equipping it a still greater sum, which would finally be borne by the planter, who would be
well indemnified; for, instead of purchasing two or three negroes, he would only purchase
one, whom he would more easily preserve, and who would work more readily, &c."

Without,

A&2

APPENDIX.

No. XIX, « Without, however, referring to humane, or even refined consi-
derations, the proposition about to be made takes its stand solelj'-
on the ground of expedience. Among the numerous reasons
assigned for a rigorous treatment of negroes, are, besides their
constant incHnation to revolt, a decided inefficiencj^, and incre-
dible expence. The high price of their first purchase, the risk of
desertion, or of death, by a variety of peculiar maladies; and if
neither occur, that their labor is not, by many degrees, equal to
that of an European. That many Europeans support the climate
with great ease, and particularly those who are abstemious, is
certain; it becomes then an obvious fact, that if a sufficient
number of laborers could be obtained from Europe for the culti-
vation of the colonies, no objection could arise to their adoption.
The purchase of the negro would be saved, and the colonies
relieved from his maladies, while the acquisition of propert\% and
the evitation of the invidious distinction of complexion, would
suppress that inclination to rebellion which the very character of
slavery inspires; while the steady toil of the European laborer,
even under every disadvantage, could not fail to equal the lax
exertion ascribed to the ne^ro.

" With regard to obtaining cultivators for her colonies from
the population of Britain, little doubt can exist when the advanced
state of this country is considered, and the various means, which,
under the appearance of inflictions, are ordered for checking the
exuberance of that population that would otherwise lend to its
own destruction ; * and surely moderate toil, even under a vertical

* See Maltbus on Population.

sun.

APPENDIX,

463

sun, with sufficient provision of every kind, would not be a greater ^No. xix.
evil than that of vagranc}', or an heart-rending despondency,
under the pressure of numerous evils; nor, even where the climate
overcame the constitution, would the infliction be more terrible
than that of war, contagion, or suicide.

" It is not intended here to recommend the introduction of
felons, a resource always insufficient, but to project the prevention
rather than the punishment of crimes. It is well known, and has
been partially confirmed by a WTiter, w hose declaration, as an
intelligent magistrate* has had much weight, that in the metro-
polis alone there constanth^ exists an incredible number of persons,
who, at a period of life when they may be considered capable of
any exertion, and many of them are prepared for that of aii
important nature, are without the possibility of obtaining any
emplovment of their talents, and often without the means of
procuring sustenance ; accessible, therefore, to the insidious ap-
proaches of vice, and the contemplated victims of a refined police,
for they are soon necessarily within the knowledge of its accurate
officers, and are at libert}^ only to exert their claim to its notice.
Would it not be a happy salvation from guilt to induce by some
liberal system these starving beings fi-om the threshold of sin,
to an honest exertion of their faculties, and a suitable provision ?
and surely if the obnoxious trade be asserted to exist principally
" to save the lives of such negroes as are taken captives in Afiican
warfare, and who would otherwise have been sacrificed;" the

Colquhoun, Police of the Metropolis.

humane

464

APPENDIX.

xo. xix.^ humane sentiment may at least be expected to extend to the
unhappy subjects of Britain, whose hves, yet equally innocent,
are becoming' less secure, and who, without some interposition of
Providence will be sacrificed to offended justice.

" The number of those who come under this description*
throughout Britain is amply sufficient to supply the colonies.
Even in London they are estimated by the writer just quoted
at, it is believed, 50,000, and may be easily conceived to extend
everj^ where to a considerable number. A timely encouragement
on a liberal and rational plan, would select from every quarter
the objects calculated for the end, and no fear could be enter-
tained in regard to qualifications for the business, — a subjection
to the whip only excepted; and those who had felt the scouro-e
of fate with severity, might if necessary sufficiently submit to a
servile obedience by gentle gradations,

" Such a class of cultivators would increase the prosperitv of
a colony by a variety of means, and insure its affection to, the
mother country; while by obtaining establishments, each fresh
importation, instead of rebellious views, would be inspired with
the most pleasing prospects, and most cheering energies for
labor.

" It may be safely determined, that by a liberal communica-
tion with its extensive coast, the continent of Africa would fur-
nish an advantageous intercourse to Britain, and that a white
population of laborers in the colonies is not only possible, but
would produce the most desirable benefits to the colonies, and
also to the mother country."

1 In

APPENDIX.

A65

In a misceUaiieous work intituled Erratics, by the gentleman Xo. xvni.
before alluded to, forming a mélange of the most exquisite com-
position, illustrative of human nature, and general history, are
the following traits of negro excellence ; communicated with
perfect freedom from bias to either side, which leaves us in doubt,
whether most to admire the subjects or tiie relator.

In the church-yard of ^'^'alton, the Erratic is attracted by an
elegant Latin memorial over the grave of two Africans, husband
and wife, whose faithful services obtained for them this honorable
distinction from Sir Patrick Blake, Bart, their master; this we
will not injure by quotation, but proceed to its consequent re-
flections,

" ^Martha," (says the sensible -v^Titer,) " plucked a few sprigs of
clover from the gra^e, placed one in her own bosom, distributed
the others to her companions, and with an eye readv to gush,
took me by the arm, kc, * * * * On our wav, however,
we could not refrain from pouring forth our ardent and merited
eulogium upon the dignified virtue and grateful affection of the
worthy Baronet who thus generously recorded the exalted quali-
ties of his exemplary adherents. Indeed, I could even now dwell
with delight upon the great credit reciprocally reflected bv these
•parties, so fortuitously and so fortunately cast within the sphere
of each other's benevolence; a mutual connexion, cemented by
such exalted humanity on one side, and on the other by such
cordial and consummate fidelity, that nothing less decisive and
fatal than the fehris vitœ filiun abrupefis could have caused to
decrease or decay. ' ■

o o

^" Sr

466

m

APPENDIX.

No. xvm. — " So captivating a memorial of candid, gentlenianl\% family,
and libefàl attachment, ought to reckon against a few West India
delinquencies, and to discourage indiscriminate crimination and
prejudice. -^

" Well, alas ! too well do you and I know (for often, too often,
M have we seen) that there have been (I will not say are) the most

flagrant violations of all human feelings, and the most atrocious
wantonness of an accursed barbarit}^ ; but, amongst the noxious
weeds which have disgraced the soil of the different colonies, and
contaminated the atmosphere of the Antilles, let us contemplate
this attractive and fragrant flower, which sheds around its balmy
perftime, and counteracts the poisonous influence of such delete-
rious productions.

" The qitem in deUciis lahuit of our epitaph is a rery just ex-
pression of the domestic and affectionate Cotto. Nor are the
C ottos of sable hue more rare, or less estimable, than their fairer
sisters of European celebrity. Tlie most animated and attractive
examples of pure and ardent love to the husbands of their hearts,
and the fathers of their ofispring, are as strikingly exhibited under
the roofs of various negro huts, as are any where displayed in the
families of the old world. In the laudable duties of wedded life,
and the maternal oftices to the precious pledges of comiubial inter-
course, the transported and enslaved matrons of Africa are not
to be surpassed by the enlightened and free females of the freest

land.

" That they possess the finer feelings of the soul in a ver}^ emi-
nent degree, and are delicately prompt to the most fascinating

propensities

m

lanm

as

.-^

#

#

-•■

#t>

r>

il

■V

INDEX.

'"*

Aborigines of Hayti, their beauty, inge-
nuity, &c. 3. First subjected to slavery,
13. Nearly exhausted, 22. Remainder di-
vided by sale among the Spaniards, 27.
Relieved by Las Casas, 29.

agriculture, commenced in Hispaniola, 35.
Its encouragement by the Blaclcs, 158.

jiguado, a courtier commissioner to Hispa-
niola, 13.

Mbuquerque, appointed to distribute the re-
partimentos, in injury of Diego Columbus ;
his conduct, 27.

Alonzo de OJeda, commander of the expedi-
tion in which Amerigo sailed, 2.

Jmerigo Vespucci, gives name to the new
world, by the popularity of his account of
it, in preference to its discoverer, 2.

America, jealousy of the Spanish government
with regard to their possessions in, S8.
Other European colonies established in, 3^.
Commerce of, with the Blacks, 141.

Jlmis des Noirs, a society established at Paris
in favour of the people of colour, their mis-
conception, 107, 121. Baneful projects,
130. InOuence the government, 131. Lose
their ascendancy, 151; Regain it, log.
Their cliarajcte.r, 1 64.

Ants, their injury in Hayti, 32. Supersti-
tion respecting, ib.

artifice, curious, to seduce the natives of the'i
Lucayos to Hispaniola 23.

Assembly, iîrst general colonial, opposed byi
the governor Peynier, 115. Their first de-
cree for a new constitution, ib. Divided
against each other, 1]6. Its early views
to independence and British protection, ib.
Arms the people in its defence, J 1 9. Trans-
port themselves from the colony to France
for instruction, 120. Hastily censured by
France, dissolved and its members disqua^
lified, 123 ; and arrested at Paris 124. Ge-.
neral dissatisfaction on. the occasion, 127'.
Declaration of its principles by a member,
383.

Assembly, second general colonial, account
of, 133. ■

Author, visits Cape Francois, 214. Assumes
the character of an American, 215. In-
terview with Toussaint, 21 6. Examina-
tion of domestic policy, 221. Departure,--
229. Visits Fort Dauphin, ib. Taken pri-
soner, 230. Examined, 23 1 . Tried by a
bli^ck court martial, 232. Condemned to
death, ib. Liberated by order of Toussaint,
236. Departure from St. Domingo, 237.-
Arrival at Martinique, ib. His anticipa^
tion of the event of the French expedition,
264.

AaxCayes, town of, described, 83,

Azutt, town of, described, 69.

%

-**

#

INDEX.

/-

B

Ealboa, Vasco Nugnez de, assisted by Diego
Columbus in the discovery of the South
Sea, q6.
Saillen, M. his family protected by a negro

servant, 139-
Battle, between Columbus and ^e Indians,
1 2 ; Touzard and the insurgejrt negroes,
137; Galbaud and the French commis-
sioners, l6-i; English and German iuhabi-
bitants of Bombarde, 180; French and
blacks at the Ravine a Couleuvre, 2S^;
La Crete à Pierrot, 2^9 ; Acul, 356 ; Cape
François, 34 1 .
Banica, village of, described, 67.
Balguana, village of, described, ib.
Baya, village of, described, ib.
Bayou de Libertas, the master and patron of
--Toussaint, 241 ^ his insensibility to the con-
' dition of -his élève, 243 ; protected and
supported by Toussaint, 246.
Beaudiere^ Ferrand de, a magistrate, killed

- for defending the Mulattoes, 112.
Beausobre, his briâvery and liberality, 129,
Bengoni, a Spanish historian, asserts the total

destruction of the natives, 35.
^ocAs, -their government under Toussaint
. L'Ouverture^ 2i 0 ; troops, a review of, 2 1-7;
manners in private life, 220 ; lower class
of, their superior comforts, 222, 225 ;
..principle of Govexnment, 228;: amuse-
ments, 222, 233 ; five hundred put to death
b < ;by the French, 337 ; retaliated by the
-^blacks, ib.\ grave of two faithful, visited

bv Mj. Larwood, 46S.
Bloodhounds, used by the Spaniards against the
Indians, 12^ by the Buccaniers, 41 ; by
tlie French . army under Le Clerc Mid Ro-
i chambeau, 327 ; devastation by, 3 3y; their
, history and use, 423.
Bvonaparte, his error in acceding to the com-
mercial interests, and sending an expedition
to regain the colony of St. Domingo, 261 ;
his proclamation to the inhabitants, 270 ;
ietter to Toussaint, 273^; his want of fore-

sight, 304; his government sullied by the war
of St. Domingo, 323.

Books, read by Toussaint, 244,

Boradillo, appointed first governor of Hispa-
niola, and his baneful expedients, 15; lost
in shipwreck, 17.

Boyer, a French general, his singular charac-
ter, 351, 732.

Brisbmie, Co\oné\, his lamented death, 197.

British Children, sold as slaves, 102; artisans
degraded, ib. ; Standard, proposed to "be
hoisted in the northern province of St. Do-
mingo, June 1791 J '32; invasion of St. Do-
mingo, 172; force withdrawn from St. Do-
mingo, 20s ; affairs, observations on, ib.

Buccaniers, their origin, 40 ; mode of life,
41 ; their establishment destroyed in their
absence by the Spaniards, 42; appoint to
govern them an Englishman named Willis,
43; English and French adventurers, sepa-
rate, ih. ; obtain commissions from the
English governnaent, ib. ; their expeditions
and prowess, ,45 ; account of three distin-
guisted members, 46 ; English and French
continue to act in concert, 50; their feroci-
ty being abated, the French settle at Port
Paix, when adopting agricultural pursuits,
attract the notice of the French govern-
ment, and found a colony, 5 f ; represented
in every respect by the Spanish chasseurs
of the présent time, 425.

Burgos, Bishop of, opposes Las Casas in his
tumane exertions, 31.

Calenda, or dance of love, accoont of, 23:3.

Campbell, Captain, înis account of the blood-
hounds, -1-25 ; injurious omission of com-
' missioner Quarrel respecting him, ib.

Cape François, founded by Gobin, a Calvinist
fugitive, 54 ; described, 77 ; after the in-
surrection of the negroes, 144; burnt, lf3;
described in 1799,' 217 ; burnt by the
blacks in I S02, 26o,

Cape

m0^

Cape St. Nkholas, described, 80.

Casas, Bartholomew de Las, distinguished by
defending the Indians, 28 ; his character,
29 ; visits Spain in their behalf, ib. ; pro-
cures the appointment of superintendants,
and himself as protector, ib, ; unsuccessful
in the application of his means, 30;^ again
visits Spain, but to little purpose, ib. : in-
troduces, as a substitute, an African slave
trade, 3 1 ; proposes a colony of labourers
from the mother countrj-, 26. ; attempts
one on the Americaji continent, ib. '^ mis-
fortunes and death, 32.

Chapatones, description of, 72.

(7/;a;-flf^er of the African negro, 98..

Charmilly, M., his improper view of the In-
dians, 8 ; error respecting the population,
22; commission to the British government,
167 ; -wounded at the attack of Bombarde,
tSI; his extacy at the capture of Port-au-
Prince, account of, 56S, obscurity, 370.

Chatane, a commander iu Ogé's rebellion,
122; death, 126.

Charles V. grants a patent for the trade in
African slaves, 31.

Chasseurs, Spanish, represent the ancient Buc-
caniers, 425.

Children, pride of birth in, necessity for
checking, 251.

Christopher, St. Island of, receives a French
and an English colony, 39.

Christophe, a black general on the court mar-
tial of the author, his defection, 313 ; only
political, 325.

Cler<!, Le, general appointed to command the
expedition against St. Domingo, 263 ; his
political falsehoods, 281 ; dislike of his
command, 286 ; critical situation, 325 ;
cruelties, 326; death, 328,

Cizil War, always smothering in St. Domingo,
64, 104..

Cocoa, natural history of, k.c. 93.

Coffee-house, at Cape François, description of,
216.

Coisnon, the tutor appointed to condoct the
two sons of Toussaint to his father,- bis
treacherous character, 27 6,
3

Colonies, efiects on, of the revolution of St,
Domingo, 359.

Colonists, character of, 96 ; advice to, 362.

Colonization, by felons and impures, bad ef-
fects of, 14, 53 ; new mode of, 463.

Colony, first establishment of, in Hayti, de-
stroyed, 9.

Columbus Christopher, discovers Hayti, 2: is
charmed with its inhabitants, 5 ; ship-
wrecked,. 8 ; returns to Spain, 9 ; again
visits the island, 1 0 ; leaves it- a second
time and returning, finds it in disorder, 12 ;
undermined in Spain, 13 ; superseded, 15;
refused admission to his own island, 17 ;
after many sufferings is received with an
affectation of dignity by Ovando the gover-
nor of H ispaniola, 18; dies in Spain, '9^

Dies-O, appointed by his brother go-
vernor of H ispaniola in his absence, 11 ;
builds St. Domingo, 13.

Bartholomac , another brother visits

the colonv, his misfortunes, 1 1 ; death,
26.
Diego, receives the vice-ro3"alty of

Hispauiola in right of his father, 24 ; cha-
racter of his government, 26; embarrass-
ed by the Spanish court, 27 ; returns to
Spain and dies, 33.

Commerce between the Spanish and French
colonies, 91.

Commissioners from France, their character,
153 ;.&uperseded by others, 16O; they retire,
189;. temple in memory of, 219.

Conspiracy against the English at Port-au-
Prince, 197.

Constitution of the French colony, S6.

Cottage, account of one near Cape François,
225.

Cotui, village of, described, 67..

Creoles, Spanish, described, 7 3 ; French, SJ-.

Ciiyler^ general, his politeness, 237,

D

Dauphin Tort, described, 79; scenery in the
vicinity of, 233.

^ Declaration^

■'4

€»

INDEX.

Declaration of Rights in France produce a
ferment in the colonies, 1 10.

Decree, first, of the National Assembly of
France with regard to its colonies, (March
8, 1-90,) 112; of the first General Colo-
nial Assemblj-, 1 1 5 ; of the National As-
sembl}', rendering all cornplesions equal,
(May 15, 1791,) J32; violent proceedings
on, ib.; repeated, 150; abrogated by tbat

5, «f April, 1792, 1j9; of the blaJk general,
Dessaliaes, for enabling blacks to return to
their country, 350.

Dessaliiies, the black general, distinguished at
Crete à Pierrot, &C.313; retires '^^•ith Tous-
saint, ol-t; revenges the violation of bis
returement by the French, 325 ; ajroointed
General in Chief of the blacks, 336 ; decisive
victory over the French, 3-il ; appointed
Governor-General for life, 353 ; crested
Emperor, 356.

Dogs, a food desirable to some negroes, ^24.
See Blood-hoiinds,

Domingo, St. See Hayti.

■Domingo, St. citj^ of, built by Diego Colmn-
bus, 13; description of, in its prosperity,

■ by Oviedo, 3-1.; pillaged by Sir Francis
Drake, 35 ; account of it in 1 7S9, 6S.

Drama in St, Domingo, account of, 222.

Dubois, procijreur-general of St. Domingo, in-
veighs against slaverv-, 1 1 2.

Sy-dckicorth, admiral, his communications with

• tbe commanders of the French expedition,
297; sends General Rochambeau to England
from Jatnaica, and tbe ofiicers who bad par-
ticipated in his cruelties, SA:7.

Dugua, a French general, disgusted at the
cruelties practised by his countrymen, 326';
death, ih.

^clesiasfics sent to Hispaniola, 2l ; become a

powerful body, 28. 'Dominicans oppose the

Repartimientos, or slavery of the Indians,

ib.; Las Casas distinguishes himself among

them, 28 ; his character, 29»
o

Ecclesiastical government, of the Spanish co-
lony, 70; of the French colony, 85.

Education of the children of the great, hint
for, 25 1 .

Emancipation of the slaves by the commis-
sioneiB, t65.

English colony established in the island of St.
Christopher, 85.

government solicited to invade St.

Domingo, 167 ; interest in St. Domingo
sincere in, and prepared for, this proposi-
tion, 171 ; expedition formed at Jamaica
for the invasion of Jiie French colony, 1/2;
success, 1S2; decline, I9O; evacuation of
St. Domingo, 207; affairs, observations on,
208; regarded with suspicion by the blacks,
21 5 ; singular sanction of, to a French expe-
dition to regain their colony, 262.

-, a fort of, deieaded by the blacks in

an English manner, 302 ; colonies, their
safety with regard to the blacks, 362.

-, attachment to, of à female of color.

advantageous to the author, 235.
Equality, practical system of at Cape Fran-
f ois, 2 J 6,

Ferdinand V. king of Arragon, and consort of
Isabella queen of Castile, the patron of Co-
lumbus, 5 ; sensible of tbe importance of
his dominions in the new world, 21 ; mean-
ness to the son of Columbus, 33.

Fever Yellow, account of its introduction in
St. Domingo, J91.

Fla-cille, M. his death by the negroes, 135.

Fort Dauphin, town of, described, 79.

François Jean a negro general, his policy, 153.

French colony established in the island of St.
Christopher, 39 ; in St. Domingo, 53; its
elevation, 64- ; colonists, their character, 97;
colony, fall of, 1 65.

expedition against the black republic,

strictures on, 26 1 ; departure of, 264; ar-
rival at St. Domingo, 266; defeat, 340;
fate of anticipated by the author, 264, 408.

JT

Gcdbaud, M. his contest with the French com-
missioners, 143.

Galmoniere loses bis ship, the Leopard, by his
politics at St. Domingo, 118.

Garstin, an English officer, singular distress of,
181.

Gatius, elevated sentiments of, 2-i 1 ; gratitude
of, for favors in obscurity, exemplified in
that of Toussaint to his master, 246.

■Goaxa, St. Jean de, village of, described, 67-

Godve Petit, town of, described, 82; first seat
of government of the French colony, ib.

Gonaixes, village of, described, S J.

Grégoire, Abbé, his eloquence in favor of the
blacks, 131 ; public letter to them, 367.

H

Hatuey, a native chief, his bravery and repar-
tee, 25.

Haijti, discovered by Columbus, named His-
■paniola, account of its original inhabitants,
concurrent account of its beauty and ferti-
ty, 1—7; gold found in it, ib.; declines under
the first Spanish government, but flourishes
exceedingly under Ovando, 20; native po-
pulation decreases, 2 1 ; supplied by impor-
tation of the inhabitants of the Lucayos,
22; furnishes expeditions to Cuba and Porto
Rico, 23; to the South Sea, 24; colony
from, established in Cuba, 25 ; peopled by
an importation of African slaves, 30 ; de-
Ecriotion of its capital in its prosperity by
Oviedo, 34; invaded by Sir Francis Drake,
35; decline of the Spanish colony, 37; con-
flicts with the Buccuaiers, 45 ; French co-
ktmy founded in the opposite end of the
island by the latter. 51; growiiig prosperity
of the French, in proportion to the decline
of the Spanish, 54 ; city cf Cape Francis
founded, 55; cession of the western part,
tlien called 5^ Domingo, from the cele-
brated Spanish capital of the island, to '.uf

new coloiusts, Isy the Spanish government,
57; eôect of Law's Mississippi scheme on the
new colony, 59; miserable decline of the
Spanish colony, 60 ; progress of the French
establishment to the height of its prosperity,
64; topography of the island in 1789, 65;
last line of demarcation between the two
colonies, ib. ; ecclesiastical government of
the^Spanish colony, 71; military force, 72;
inhabitants, ib.; French colony, account of
its provinces, 76 ; constitution, S6 ; military
force, S7; inhabitants, z5. ; productions, 92 ;
revolutionary symptoms in, Qb; general
ferment in, 1 1 0 ; mulattoes take up arms,
111; white inhabitants arm, 117; enmity
against, of the Parisian public, 131; in-
surrection of negroes in, 134; visit of En-
glish commissioners to, 144; commissioners
arri%^e from France, 152; their character,
ib. ; other commissioners arrive, 1 60 ; new
French governor refused admission, l63;'
commissioner from» to Great Britain, 107;
British expedition to, 172; arrives, 173;
its ready reception^ ib.; receives a check,
174; defeated at Bombarde, 179; rein-
forced, IS4; difficult service of, 19O; the
whole island resigned to the government gf
the blacks, 207; independence acknowledged
by Great Britain, 20S; state of manners,
&:c. in 1799. 213; black government of.
described, 239; French expedition against,
263; anticipation of its fate by the author,
264; arrival, 265; attempt %o deceive the
blacks of, 270; cruel and irregular proce-
dure of the French army in, 326; inhabitants
of, hunted by blood-hounds, 337; evacuated
by the French army, 34J; resumes its ori-
ginal name, after a lapse of three hundred
and twelve years, 347; erected into an em-
pire under Jean Jacques Dessalines, 355 ;
refined picture of the Black empire on the
coronation of Emperor, 350; remarks on
its Imperial establishment, 359-
Jli^paniola. See Hantt,

Jag»,

3-r

M

INDEX.

Jago, Si. town of, described, 69.

Jaqueniel, town of, described, 84.

Lidependtnce of St. Domingo declared by
Toussaint, 259 5 repeated by Dessaliues on
the Defeat of the French, 35 1 .

Indigo, natural history of, &c. 93.

Insurrection throughout the provinces of the
French colony, 117; of the negroes, io-t.

Isabella, queen of Castile, patroness of Colum-
bus, 13 ; dies, 18 ; the first city in the new
vorld named after her, 10 ; described, 70.

La Plume, a black general, treachery of,
293.

Laruood, Rev. Joshua, bis pathetic visit to the
grave of two faithful blacks, 465 ; sensible
observations on the virtues of the Blacks,
466.

Laxeaux, his remarkable answer, 177-

Laurent, St. village of, described, 67.

Leogane, town of, described, 85,

Leopard, crew of the, seize the ship, brought
by them to St. Mark, 123.

Letter of Bonaparte to Toussaint, 273 ; Ad-
miral Villaret to Admiral Duckworth, 282 ;
Toussaint to the black general Domage,
294 ; Rigaud to La Plume, 305 ; Toussaint
to Fontaine, 3l6; Le Clerc to Bonaparte,
on the exile of Toussaint, 3 19; Rocham-
beau to Commodore Loring, 343 ; Dessa-
lines to Commodore Loring, 346 ; the Abbé
Grégoire to the people of colour, 367;
Toussaint to Admiral Smith, 404 ; Ro-
chambeau to Commodore Loring, 433 ;
Commodore Loring to Rochambeau, 434 ;
Rochambeau to Loring, 435; the British
Admiral, Duckworth, to the secretary of
the Admiralty, 436.
Letters, men of, preference shewn to, in France,
and by Toussaint, 254.

Library of Toussaint, sketch of, 244.
Llos Llanos, plain of, described, 75,

M

Magunna, St. Juan de, village of, described,
67.

Manners, state of, in St. Domingo in l799^
214.

Mark, St. described, 81.

Markham, colonel, his death, I98.

Mauduit, colonel, supports the Governor Pey-
nier, 1 1 4 ; his violation of the National
Guard, 119; his deceitful truce with the
mulattoes, 123; liorrid death, 129; fate of
his regiment, 1 30.

Mestizoes, Spanish, described, 73.

Mind of Toussaint, its formation, 244.

Molière, relished by the blacks, 223.

Montbar, a Buccanier called the Extermina-
tor, account of, 45; his Quixotic expedi-
tion, 46.

Monte Christi, town of, described, 68.

Monte Plata, village of, described, 67.

Morgan, a Buccanier, account of, 47; his hu-
manity and skill, 48 ; bis ill-requited pas-
sion for a female captive, 49; settles in
Jamaica as a planter, becomes rich, is ap-
pointed Lieutenant-Governor, and receives
the honor of knighthood, 50; committed to
the tower of London by James IL at the
instance of Spain, ib.

Mulattoes, Spanish, described, 173; French,
89 ; of the French colony arm during the
ferment preceding the revolution, 1 11 ; their
second insurrection under Ogé, 121 ; de-
feated, 122; rising under Rigaud, appeased
by Mauduit; 123.

Music, in St. Domingo, account of, 223.

Muro, a black general, description of, 1 32.

N

Negroes, Spanish, described, 74 ; French, de-
scribed.

INDEX.

scribed, 89 ; native character, 98 ; their
disproportion to whites in the colonies un-
safe, 101; their first general insurrection,
134; vast accession of to the insurgents,
135; their horrors extenuated, 138; two
executed in a dreadful manner, 142; their
talents in war exhibited, 158; simplicity of
one recently from Africa, and ignorant of
the use of gunpowder, 1 79 } ingenious fa-
mily account of, 225 ; attempted to be re-
duced to slavery, 302.

Negrophilism, book published against, on the

annihilation of the Amis de Noirs, 207.
■jVoé, the plantation at which the general in-
surrection commenced, 135 ; birth-place of
Toussaint L' Ouverture, 240.

Northern province of the French colony de-
scribed, 78.

O

Ocampo Diego lays waste the neighbouring
continent to Hispaniola, 32.

Oge, rebellion of, 121; his character, 121,
126; neglect of his deposition, 126; death,
contents of his deposition discovered, 1 53 ;
original instrument, 377.

Ogeron d\ first governor of the French colony,
5 1 ;■ his misfortunes, virtues, and ability,
52; death, 54.

Ovando, appointed governor, his judicious ad-
ministration, l6; authorizes the greatest
cruelties, 19 ; introduces the culture of su-
gar, 21.

Oviedo, his account of the Spanish colonial
capital, 34.

Tainting, encouraged in St. Domingo, 223.

Patrons, their hesitation in approving without
the public voice, and where etiquette is
concerned, &c. 243 ; that of Toussaint
Suffered him to continue a slave to the mo-
ment he owed him his existence, 243.

Pej/nicr, governor of the French colony, his
intrigues, 1 14 : his violent measures against
the colonial assemblj-, 1 1 8 ; arms the north-
ern province in his defence, i 19; approved
by the French national assembly, 123; be-
comes unpopular, 124; resigns, 125.

Petit Go'dve, town of, described, 82.

Planters of Saint Domingo, turbulent and
discontented, 97 ; at Paris, their lingering
views of restoration, 259 ; prevail by means
of his poUtical interests, upon Buonaparte
to second their views by an expedition to
regain the colony, 263.

Polverel, his remarkable answer, l64.

Population of the Spanish colony, 76 ; of the
French colony, 9 1 .

Port-au-Prince described, 80 ; taken by the
English, 1S7 ; by the French, 292.

Port Paix, the first settlement of the Bucca-
niers in Saint Domingo, 44 ; description of,

79.
Proclamation of Buonaparte to the Blacks,

270 ; of letters to the same, 279. 307 ; of
the death of Le Clerc, 328 ; of Dessalines
the Black general in chief, 351 ; Le Clerc
for a new administration, 4 1 6 ; for a com-
mercial regulation, 420; of Rochambeau
for a commercial regulation, 430 ; Dessa-
lines on the independence of the Blacks,
439 ; abjuring the French, 442 ; on the ap-
pointment of governor for life ; Cautionary
to the Spaniards, 453.
Productions, of the Spanish colony, 75 ; of the
French colony, 9 ' •

Q

Quarrel, commissioner for procuring blood-
hounds, his disiiigenuousness, 425.

R

Reillij, Charles, his journal illustrative of the

character of Toussaint, 406;
Revolt, picture of, 445.

S P 2 Repartimientos

INDEX.

Reparthnîcntos, or division oi tbe Indians
among the Spaniards as servants, establish-
ed by Columbus, 1 5 ; reduced more oppres-
sively under Ovando, 20; Diego Columbus,
opposed by the monks, 28 ; regulated, 20.

Revolution of St. Domingo, origin of, ^5 ; pro-
gress by means of intestine divisions, 1 1 7;
accelerated by the negroes, 134; completed
by the abolition of slavery, 169.

Higaiid, the mulatto general, his successes,
J 52 ; retires from the island, 2 1 0 ; returns
with the French expedition, 304 ; his letter
to La Plume, 305; sent to France, 306.

Rockambeau, General, formerly a proprietor,
accompanies the expedition to St. Domin-
go, 263; appointed General in Chief, 332,
agrees to evacuate the island, 342; sent
prisoner to England, 347.

Roche, la, Miss, her talents, 223.

Roderigo de Figuerra appointed chief justice
of thé island, 30.

Roldan, appointed judge by Columbus, rebels
jn his absence, 14; lost in shipwreck, 17.

■Saturninus, St. invoked successfully against
ants, 33.

Sevrt, Chevaher de, his account of a victory,
395.

S/iops, tem-pora.Tj, supplying the place of ele-
gant stieets at Cape Fran^rois, 217.

Simcoe, general, appointed to remedy the des-
perate state of the British army, 203; his
great talents, ib.

Slavery, abolition of, by the commissioners,
169.

Slave trade, origin of, 97; substitute for, 46l.

Smith, Admiral, at St. Domingo, letter to, from
the black general Toussaint, 214.

Society, state of, among the people of colour,
220.

Southern proviuce of the French colony, de-
scribed, 77.

Spaniards, considered supernatural beings by
the Indians, 7; extremely depraved during

the absence of Columbus from their infant
colony in Hispaniola, 9; gain a battle
fought with the Indians, 12; their cruelty
towards the Indians, 19; render themselves
detested in every part of the new world,
32 ; excite their slaves by their cruelty to
revolt, 35 ; apply themselves to agriculture,
ié. ; relinquish it, and devote themselves to
indolence, 37; attack the French and En-
glish colonies of St. Christopher, 39; their
decline, 56; disputes with the French co-
lony, 63 ; surrender of their territory to the
blacks, 210.
Sugar, the culture of, introduced into Hispa-
niola by Ovando, 21.

Tactics, of the black ami}', 218, 283 ; of the
French, 328, 338.

Thome, St. town of, described, 68.

Tortiiga receives the fugitives of the French
and English colonies, the origin of the Buc-
caniers, and of French St. Domingo, 39.

Toussaint L'Ouverture, a negro officer left in
command of St. Domingo by the commis-
sioners, 1 >i9 ; successfully opposes General
Simcoe, 204; his talents in war, 209;
courted by Spain, ib.; sanctioned by France,
210; acknowledged as a neutral power by
Great Britain, ib. ; the moderator of every
party, 226 ; his dignified benevolence to the
author, 236 ; bis talents in peace, 239 ;
advantageous effects of his government,
240; memoirs of his life, 241; his early
character, 242 ; his library, 244 ; mode of
punishment, 248; public character, 249;
private, 251; mode of educating his chil-
dren, ib., his person, 252; his support of
men of letters, 253 ; tour of, through St.
Domingo, 255; his discriminative justice,
257; declares the independence of his go-
vernment, 259; letter to, from Bonaparte,
273 ; interview with his sons, 276 ; resigns
them in preference to his honor, ib.; his
letter to Domage, 294 ; retires from power,

314;

INDEX;

314; his letter to Fontaine, 3 1 6; seized
by order of Le Clerc, and sent to France
with his family, 26.; separated from his
family, and imprisoned in France, 323; his
deatii, 324.

Van Horn, a Buccanier, account of, 47; his

decisive character, ib.
Vega Real, plain of, described, 75.

W

Women, their humanizing effects on mankind,
52; good effects of the virtuous in an infant
colony, ib.; bad result of contrary charac-
ters, 53 — 55; of colour beautiful in St. Do-
mingo, 89; description of, 922 — 234; be-
nevolence of one of them to the author,
255; their character, ib.

j Western province of the French colony de-
i scribed, 77; progress of the insurrection to,
149.

X

Ximenes, cardinal, regent of Spain, protects
the Indians at the instance of Las Casas,
29; refuses to sanction the slave-trade, 30.

Yellow Fever, account of, 192.

Zapata, a Spanish minister, appoints his rela-
tion, Albuquerque, 27.

Zuazo, a Spanish lawj'er, commissioned with
Las Casas to protect the Indians, 29.

Zeiba, town of, described, 6g,

Directions to the Binder for placing the Plates.

The Author in Conversation, &c. ...

Map of the Island ..----

Plan of Cape François - - . . -

View of a Temple erected by the Blacks _ . .

Court-Martial of the Blacks - - . - -

Benevolence of a Female of Colour . . - -

Toussaint Louverture ....-•

Mode of exterminating the Blacks by the French

Revenge of the Blacks on the French . . - -

Devastation of the Blood-Hounds (attacking a Family in the Woods)

Fac-Simile of a Letter of Toussaint . - - -

Mode of rearing Blood-Hoimds . - - - -

To face the Title
1

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