1823.J 



and licentious manners of the females, 

 and would suffer no lady to come to 

 his court with her neck uncovered. 

 He once threw his handkercliief over 

 the bosom of a young; girl, observing, 

 in an augry lone, that "Modesty 

 should be the portion of her sex." His 

 maxim was, tiiat « omen should always 

 appear in public as if they were going 

 to church.* 



Under such kindly auspices the 

 most perfect order and regularity 

 were preserved amongst all ranks, the 

 moral duties were stricily enforced, 

 and the decencies of civilized life se- 

 dulously studied. Religion, too, which 

 had been terribly neglected during 

 the war, was re-established among the 

 people ; the churches were re-opened, 

 and public worship restored according 

 to the rites of the Honiish communion. 

 Dramatic entertainir.ents, — consisting 

 chiefly of comedy and pantomime, — 

 were also revived, and the black per- 

 formers displayed considerable hh- 

 tiionic talent. Some attention was 

 paid to painting, and the fine arts 

 generally, white music was universally 

 practised. In the rebuilding of Cape 

 Francois, considerable taste and even 

 elegance were evinced. In s'nort, tiic 

 members of this new republic made 

 such rapid progress towards refine- 

 ment, tliat (as a writer, who visited 

 the island about this time, informs us,) 

 the men were in general sensible and 

 polite, often dignified and impressive ; 

 that many of the women v/ere elegant 

 and engaging; tliat the intercourse of 

 the sexes was on the most rational 

 footing ; and that the different shades 

 of colour had lost most of their former 

 hostility. Many Americans had mar- 

 ried Mulatto ladies, who never ap- 

 peared to feel the least inferiority 

 from their difference of complexion 

 or nation. 



But the attention of the Governor- 

 genera! was not exclusively devoted 

 to these points : a considerable portion 

 of it was directed to the regulation 

 and increase of his army ; and, bj- his 

 admirable management, a force origi- 

 nally consisting of 40,000 was nearly 

 doubled in liltie more than two years. 

 But it was not mer(.'ly the augmenta- 

 tion of the forces which became a mat- 

 ter of importance to 'I'oussaint ; his 

 abilities wore directed more jiarticu- 

 larly towards the management of this 



• Quarterly Review, No. '12, p. ■113. 



the Hayllan Patriot, 45 



immense multitude ; and, so excellent 

 a tactician was he, that his troops were 

 renowned as well for their admirable 

 discipline, as for the promptitude and 

 dexterity with which tiiey executed 

 their several manoeuvres. 



But this h.ippy tranquillity was soon 

 to be exchai::^ed for anotiier season of 

 bidodshed and slaughter. No sooner 

 was tlie peace of Amiens definitively 

 settled, than Bonapai te, — whose mag- 

 nificent ambition soared over the wa- 

 ters of the broad Atlantic, — deter- 

 mined on the recovery of the colony, 

 the re-instatemcnt of the former pro- 

 prietors, and the subjugation of the 

 enmneipated slaves. Experience has 

 taught us how promptly the purposes 

 of this terrible man « ere carried into 

 execution, and how powerful were the 

 means used for tlieir completion. Oil 

 the present occasion he did not relax 

 in his accustomed measures, but 

 threatened St. Domingo with calami- 

 ties as tremendously severe as any 

 which had visited that aHlicted island. 

 Twenty-five thousand men were dis- 

 patched under General Le C'lerc, 

 (Bonaparte's brother-in-law,) who was 

 assisted by several of the most able 

 ofiicers which France cnuld produce 

 for such a service. To participate in 

 the expected triumph, Madame Le 

 Clerc accompanied her husband, as 

 did aiso iier y(iungcr brother, Jerome 

 Bonaparte. 



It was during this unhappy contest 

 that the military talents of Toussaint 

 L'Ouverture were displayed in the 

 most astonishing manner; but our 

 limits will not permit us to enter into 

 any of the details of this unfortuHate 

 war. We must, however, of necessity 

 advert to certain circumstances con- 

 nected with it, and this we will do as 

 concisely as our subject will permit. 

 Bonajjarte was well aware of the con- 

 summate abilities and unshrinking 

 virtue of tiie Governor-general, and 

 he consequently knew that his opera- 

 tions were directed against no ordi- 

 nary individual. He was also well 

 acquainted with tiie great strength 

 and discipline of the Haytian army, 

 and his political experience taught 

 him that something more than common 

 measures were necessaiy to effect his 

 purpose. Mo sooner, therefore, had 

 the French squadron anchored before 

 Cape Fran^;ois, than Le Clerc entered 

 into a correspondence with the black 

 general, Christophc, who commanded 



at 



