1893.] the Haytian Patriot 



mise entire acquiescence in the wishes 

 of the first consul. Coisnon arrived in 

 safety with his charge at Ennercy, hut 

 tlie g-overnor-gencral was tibscnt at a 

 distant part of tlie island. A courier, 

 however, was immediately dispateiied 

 to acquaint him of the arrival of his 

 children, accompanied by a messenger 

 from France, with offers of the most 

 advantageous nature ; and his speedy 

 return was tlie consequence. "'J'lie 

 two sons," says an elegiint wiiter, 

 " ran to meet their father ; and he, 

 with emotions too big for utterance, 

 clasped them silently in his arms. Few, 

 it is to be hoped, arc the partakers of 

 our common nature, wlio, on witness- 

 ing the embraces and tears of parental 

 and filial sensibility, cotdd have pro- 

 ceeded, at least witliout powerful re- 



47 

 mate the articles of that coii&litutioii, 

 which otherwise couid not be so. Hiit, now 

 that circumstances arc so liappily changed, 

 you will be tlse first to render homage to 

 tlie sovereignty of the nation, whicii rec- 

 kons you among the number of its most 

 illustrious citizeiii*, by the services you 

 have rendered to it, and by the talents and 

 the force of character with wliieh nature 

 has endowed you. A contrary conduct 

 would be incconcileable with ilie idea w(^ 

 have conceived of yon. It would deprive 

 you of your nnmorons elainis to the grati- 

 tude and the good ollices 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 siiould be sorry to punish for rebellion. 

 After Toussaint had read this letter, 

 his sons addressed him ; and, with all 



lentings of heart, to execute the com-, the artless eloquence of youth, endea- 



inission witli which Coisnon was 

 charged. But this cold-blooded emis- 

 sary of France beheld the scene with 

 a barbarous apathy, worthy of the 

 cause in whicii lie was employed. 

 When the first burst of paternal feeling 

 was over, Toussaint stretched out his 

 arms to him whom he regarded with 

 complacency as the tutor of his eliil- 

 dren, and their conductor to the roof 

 and embraces of their parents. This 

 was the moment which Coisnon 

 thought most favourable to the per- 

 petration of his infamous design. 

 The father and the two sons," says 

 he, " threw tiiemselves into each 

 other's arms. 1 saw them shed tears ; 

 and, wishing to take advantage of a 

 period w hich I conceived to be favour- 

 able, / stopped him at the moment when 

 lie stretched out his arms to me !" 



Retiring from the embrace of 

 Toussaint, Coisnon assailed him in a 

 formal speech of some length, and then 

 presentcil Bonaparte's letter in the 

 following terms : 



We have conceived esteem for you, and 

 we wish to recognize and proclaim the 

 great services you have rendered to the 

 French people. If their colours Hy 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 terminated 

 the civil war, ])ut a stop to the persecu- 

 tions of some ferocious men, and restored 

 to honor the religion and the worship of 

 God, from whom all things come. The 

 situation in which you were placed, sur- 

 rounded on all sides by euemirs, and with- 

 out the mother-country being able to huc- 

 tour or sus^in you, has jendercd Icgiti- 

 3 



vourcd to win him to a purpose of the 

 true nature and probable conse- 

 quences of which they could have no 

 suspicion. To their persuasions were 

 added the tears and entreaties of their 

 distressed mother; and the affection of 

 the father was about to yield to these 

 overpowering solicitations, when the 

 loftier principles of the patriot came to 

 his aid ; and, with an exertion almost 

 superhuman, he gently disengaged 

 himself from the embraces of his wife 

 and children, took the tutor into ano- 

 ther apartment, and delivered to him 

 this emphatic and dignified decision: 

 — " Take back my children, since it 

 must be so. I will be faithful to my 

 brethren and my God;" and, retiring 

 into an adjoining apartment, endea- 

 voured to calm the agitation of his 

 mind before he rejoined his family. 



Finding all his eloquence unavailing, 

 Coisnon left l^nncrcy with his pupils,* 

 having previously prevailed upon 

 Toussaint to answer the letter of the 

 first consul. An answer was accord- 

 ingly returned, replete with honest 

 and manly sentiments, but not likely 

 to prove very conciliating. It showed, 

 however, that the virtue of Toussaint 

 was invulnerable, and that the object 

 which the French had in view was to 

 be attained by other means than the 

 corruption of the governor-general. 



* The sons returned to General Le 

 Clerc, and v^crc never heard of more. 

 This, however, has been denied by Lacroix, 

 who says that the mother succeeded in 

 detaining them, and that one of them was 

 afterwards entrusted with the couuuand of 

 a body of insurgents. 



Findin" 



