STATE PAPERS. 



175 



condition (hat you shall first deliver 

 the town and forts of Port de Paix 

 and its dependencies into the pos- 

 session of the British government ; 

 which being complied with, the 

 OiHcers and soldiers serving under 

 yourcemmand shall enjoy the same 

 favours as have been granted U) 

 those of the mole, leavin/ it to the 

 bounty of his majesty to grant to 

 yourself the rank he shall judge you 

 proper. I farther add, that as a 

 reward for the confidence wliich I 

 demand of you in the name of the 

 government which I serve, the sum 

 of fivethousandcrowns f^cu.'!j Tour- 

 nois, sha'.l be paid to you in person, 

 or deposited inthe bnnk of England, 

 payable to your order, on your de- 

 livering the town of Port de Paix, 

 with the forts, artillery, ammunition, 

 provisions, &.c. &c. without any 

 damage or devastation hiving been 

 co'Timittedon them, into the hands 

 of tiie officor whom I will appoint 

 to receive them, as al?o the ^hipsof 

 war which may be in the same port. 

 I shall be at Leogane ne.xt Wed- 

 nesday, where any flag oftnice )ou 

 shall please to send me, shall he re- 

 ceived and respected. 



1 have the honour to send you 

 inclosed, the extract of an English 

 gazette, which has been sent to all 

 the English commanding officers. 



I have the honour to be, sir. 

 Your Very humble and very 

 obedient sTvant, 



Whitlock. 



ASSWER OF I, AVAU X. 



Et'tcniic Lavaux, governor gen . per 

 interim of the French Letuard 

 inlands, to col. iVkitlock^cuviman- 

 dar-in-chitj oj the Briii^'u tioops. 



Port de Paix, Feb. Ip, 2d year 

 o/' the French republic. 



T HE probity,thedelicacy which 

 reign in ihe breastof a French 

 republican, must ever have given 

 you full assurance, that we would 

 respect your flag of truce. French 

 generosity docs not fluctuate with 

 events. As amongst u.s no person 

 iti distinguished as a superior, wc all 

 doing tiie duty of a soldier, I look- 

 ed upou your letter to me as ad- 

 dressed to the first soldier of the 

 army, and as I conceal nothing 

 from my comrades, it was opened 

 and read pubiidy. We are ani- 

 mated by one and the same spirit 

 of defence. Without enlarging on. 

 our situation, 1 can assure you, that 

 we have learned to bear all the fa- 

 tigues that are incident to warfare, 

 and that, when iriaiters come to a 

 decision, we shall behave like the 

 truesokliers, and would punish them 

 if they behaved otherwise. 



Impressed with these sentiments, 

 all the foices with which we are 

 threatenedcannotshakeour courage. 

 Lii<e the ihrce hundred Lacedemo- 

 nians who iiil died at their post, 

 after having slain a part of their 

 enemies, we will defend our station 

 to the last, and sell our lives as 

 deariy as we can. If ever we are 

 in your power, you will take us in 

 ai ms, and then you will treat us as 

 prlsoi.cisof war. 



Ihesc our sentiments areinspired 

 by an ardent desirt of meriiingvour 

 esteem ; v%e shall then be adniircd 

 by onr country and praised by you. 

 What would you say, what would 

 you think, if I ])roposrd to you to 

 surrcndei tome; if you being much 

 inferior in number, 1 imposed on 

 you the hard condiiion of disho- 

 nour ? You would ans-.vcr, 1 must 



