46 



at this important post ; the object of 

 which was lo eflcct an amicable 

 arrangement in favour of the French 

 re]ml)lic. But Christopiie was too 

 much of a soldier and a patriot to 

 yield so readily, and he despised with 

 becomins; dignity the treacherous pro- 

 Tiiiscs of the French general. This ne- 

 j^otiation haviu;; proved thus ineffec- 

 tual, Lc Clerc issued a proclamation, 

 which was couched in tlie most plausi- 

 ble terms, being intended to delude the 

 jiegrocs into a belief tliat the design of 

 the French government was altogether 

 friendly, and that no violence would be 

 employed, but in the event of the re- 

 jection of the proffered fraternity. By 

 this mnnifcstoToussaintand Christopiie 

 •were put out of the protection of the 

 law, and every citizen was ordered to 

 treat tiiem as rebels to the French re- 

 public. But this was regarded with 

 the utmost delcstation, and received 

 as a signal for war, which soon raged 

 with great violence. Le Clerc ob- 

 served, with sonic apprehension, the 

 great strength and bravery of the ne- 

 groes, and used (;very possible artifice 

 to procure tlie defection of the black 

 troops. In this he was but too suc- 

 cessful. Three of the negro generals. 

 La Plume, Dumesuils, anil jSIaurepas,* 

 went over with their forces lo the 

 enemy ; and their desertion w as fol- 

 lowed by great advantages to the 

 French, for it evcnhially led to a ne- 

 gotiation between Christopiie and Le 

 Clerc, in which the former procured in 



* We have, more than once in ihc course 

 of this article, had occasion to auvert to 

 the fiendish cruelty of tlic Frcncli towards 

 the natives of Kayti. The following ex- 

 tract, translated from a work of one of 

 their own writers, jitiords a sad specimen 

 of tins quality, mingled also wi h the most 

 atrncions perfidy :— " Maurepas, a man of 

 mild and gentle manners, rsteenied by his 

 fellow- citizens for his integrity, had been 

 one of the first to join the Frer.cli, and had 

 rendered them tlie most signal services ; 

 yet this man was s\ulJenly carried off to 

 Port de Paix, and put on-Loard the admi- 

 ral's vessel, then at anchor, in the roads, 

 where, after liiniU'ig' liim lo the muin-mast, 

 they, in dcnsi'in, with vails, such as arc used 

 in shiii-birildiiif;, fix(d tiro old epavLttis nn 

 his shvvlders, wiit an nld »encraVs hal mi his 

 head. In that fiiihifid cMlition these cun- 

 nibals, ufter hnvin'i ghiHed their savage 

 mirth, jirtcipilalcd hitn, with his wife and 

 children, into the. siu/' — Lacriiix's Mimoins 

 jiinir se)v\r (I t' Histoive de la Rcctilutiun de 

 Saint Duntiiigr,. 



Life of Toussaint L'Ouvertiire, [Feb. 1, 



behalf of himself, his colleague Dcs*a- 

 lines, and the governor-general, a ge- 

 neral amnesty for all their troops, and 

 the presetvatiou of t!ie respective 

 ranks of all the black officers. This 

 unwise and dangerous proceeding 

 took place witliout the sanctum, and, 

 we are inclined lo think, without even 

 the knowledge of Toussaint ; and its 

 consequences may lie easily antiei-: 

 paled. A peace was concluded, by 

 which the sovereignty of France over 

 the island of St. Domingo was acknow- 

 ledged by all the constituted authori- 

 ties. By this transaction Toussaint 

 foundhimself deserted by all his gene-. 

 rals, with the exce[)1ion of the brave 

 but ferocious Dessalines, who, from the 

 very commencement of this second 

 war, engaged heart and hand in the 

 defence of his country, and despised 

 most heartily the delusive professions 

 of the French. 



A circumslance, however, occurred, 

 previous to this negotiation, which is 

 very intimately connected with our 

 subject, as it j>owerfully displays the 

 patriotic virtues of Toussaint L'Onver- 

 ture. After the lirst cessation of hosti- 

 lities with France, 'loussaint sent his 

 two elder sons to that country to be 

 educated, not having the means of 

 procuring at St. Domingo that instruc- 

 tion for iiis children which he deemed 

 necessary for their station. Bona- 

 paf te, with that consummate policy for 

 which he was so remarkable, deter- 

 mined, on the breaking out of the 

 second llaytian war, to make these 

 youths Die means of securing the co- 

 operation of their father, or at least of 

 prevenling his active hostility, pro- 

 vided, however, bis other measures 

 were unsuccessful. He sent them, 

 therefore, with Le Clerc, directing 

 that officer lo use them as best suited 

 his purpose ; and, that his scheme 

 should not i'ail, they were accompanied 

 by their tutor, Coisnon, a being, whose 

 deeds and conscience were perfectly 

 at the disposal oi' the French cabinel. 

 Lc Clerc, fniding that Toussaint 

 w ould listen to no proposals, prepared 

 to execute the directions of his em- 

 ployers ; and, from the smoking ruins 

 of Cape li'rancois, Coisnon was dis- 

 patched with the two youths, and with 

 a letter from Bonaparte to Toussaint. 

 He was strictly enjoined to let his pu- 

 ))ils see, and even embrace, their pa- 

 rents, but by no means (o pxrmitthem 

 to remain, unless Toussaint would pro- 

 mise 



