j 
His TORY! (OF) E.UR OPE: 
eommencement of his troubles, of 
the dangers to which they were al- 
ready expofed, and of the greater 
to which they were liable, through 
the proceedings of this fociety ; but 
they were grievoully difappointed 
upon receiving for anfwer, “ That 
“he was glad to hear there was 
« fuch a fociety, and that fome of 
* his fubjects had humanity enough 
“to concern tuemfelves about the 
“ face ‘of.the poor negroes.” An 
anfwer which futiiciently teitifies the 
natural tenderneis and. goodnefs 
which poflefied the heart of the fo- 
Wereign ; whatever impreffion it 
may make with refpeét to his poli- 
tical. witdom or knowledge. His 
- minifters, however, ,held very dif- 
ferent fentiments from the king up- 
on this fubjeét. Calonne had de- 
creed coniiderable bounties to en- 
‘courage and increafe the flave 
trade ;. and Neckar, the avowed 
child of fentiment, philanthropy, and 
morality, not only continued thete 
bounties, but in a treatife, abound- 
ang otherwife with precepts and fen- 
timents of the greateft humanity, 
laid it down as an incontrovertible 
axiom, ‘“ that the nation which fets 
“the example of abolithing the 
'  flave trade, will become thedupe 
** of its own generolity.” 
The exertions of the friends of 
«the negroes, whether at home or 
abroad, feemed, however, to have 
loft all confideration and even re- 
_ | membrance, as foon as an account 
‘of the revolution at home reached 
. the iflands, and that the doétrines of 
~-wniverfal hberty and equality were 
Beenlgated among the colonifts, 
The beautiful ifland of St. Do- 
_ Mingo, the fineft parts of which 
were covered with a number of the 
moft flourifhing, rich, and happy 
_ »golonies perhaps in the world, was 
[137 
‘ 
the firft, the greateft, the moft laft- 
ing, and the moit deplorable vic- 
tim to the enfuing calamities. 
Though a contempt of all govern- 
ment and fubordination foon be- 
came general among all orders and 
degrees of men, yet the troops 
feem to have been among the firft 
who afforded a praCtical example of 
the enjoyment of their new liberty. 
This was difplayed by the regimeng 
of Port au Prince, in the murder 
of their colonel, a brave and dif- 
tinguifhed officer; who, in open 
day, was flaughtered at the head of 
his regiment. Single enormities, 
however ftriking in themfelves, 
wer2 foon loft in the general glare 
of the greater which were to fuc- 
ceed. ‘The colonifts, like the peo- 
ple in France, were divided into. 
two great parties, the royalifts and 
the republicans, each of which ap- 
peared at different times to predo- 
minate ; but the prefflure of do- 
meftic troubles and dangers excited 
by the new ftate of things too im- 
mediately affected the planters, to 
admit of their yet cutting each 
others throats about the politics of 
Europe. 
For the prefent occafion drew 
forth and brought into a flate of 
great notoriety a new race of men, 
who had hitherto been little known 
or heard of, at leaft on this fide the 
Atlantic, Thefe were the mulat- 
toes, a numerous, bold, hardy, dar- 
ing, and profligate race; who being 
derived from the promiscuous inter- 
courfe between white men and ne- 
groe women, were, by a ftrange 
perverfion of language, diftinguifh- 
ed by the appellation of people of 
colour. ‘The much greater part of 
thefe were by birth in the condition 
of tree men, with refpect to perfon 
and property, but were fecluded by 
a law 
