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HISTORY OF EUROPE, 
bounded felicity. Many | happy 
effects might have been produced 
such an event, had it been con- 
ducted with moderation and pru- 
dence : but, unhappily, two circum- 
stances existed which were sure to 
‘render it, instead of a blessing, a 
curse. The expectations and de- 
mands of each class were extrava- 
nt:—each was solicitous about 
its own. ‘The negroes wished for 
nothing less than complete eman- 
Cipation. Complete equalization 
with the whites was expected by 
the mulattves. The whites, in 
their fond visions of power and 
happiness, had formed an idea of a 
system of government which would 
have realized the former; but 
which was incompatible with co- 
lonial subordination: A_ selfish 
‘narrow-minded spirit universally 
prevailed ; no symptom of diffusive 
_ benevolence, or general philanthro- 
g Pp 
Py- 
am 
While the whites eagerly and 
atiently expected freedom and 
ependence, they were deaf to 
the demands of the mulattoes, or de- 
termined to rejectthem. The un- 
happy negro bled under the lash of 
the mulatto, who was himself im- 
patient of oppression, and importu- 
te in his calls for redress. The 
gathering for 
ars; now it hung gloomy over 
devoted islands, big with 
:—at length it burst; and the 
e of power, the rage of inno- 
vation, and the struggles of con- 
ing factions, produced a torrent 
of destruction which swept away 
every thing before it. 
_ Had the islands been each a so- 
ign state, from the circum- 
we have already mentioned, 
1 war was inevitable. But 
colonies must ever he dependent 
upon the mother country; they 
[71 
must be guided. by its, directions, 
and obedient to its decrees. Upon 
these all the events that befall them 
chiefly depend. It was)therefore in 
the powerof France to haye averted 
the. impending storm, at least to 
have mitigated its horrors. Had 
her councils been directed with po- 
licy and foresight, she might have 
saved those inestimable possessions, 
which constituted the chief source 
of her naval power, her commerce, 
and her wealth. But, unhappily, 
the spirit, which then animated 
France was ill calculated to soothe 
the discord, and to heal the divi- 
sions which were about to distract 
the colonies. 
The minds of men were filled 
with ideal schemes of government, 
built upon abstract principles; which, 
though never to be realized, they 
had determined to execute without 
regard to times or to seasons, to ef- 
fects or to consequences. A fa- 
vourite plan at this period through- 
out France, was, to abolish negro- 
slavery, andto place every inhabit- 
ant of the sugar colonies on a 
footing of equality. A society was 
established of men of these princi- 
ples who called themselves Les 
Amis des Noirs, and who laboured 
incessantly to bring about this or- 
der of things. They madespeeches, 
they published pamphlets, and did 
every thing in their power to in- 
fluence the public mind. These 
men, at the expence of all thatwas 
just and good, andsacred in France, 
at length obtained the sovereign 
dominion in that country; when 
they had it in their power to make 
experiment of their system upon 
the colonies, That system was 
ill calculated for the meridian, of 
St. Domingo, Martinique, Guada- 
loupe, St. Lucia, and, Tobago. 
[Fy 4 These 
