74] 
wisdom. The pleasing prospect was 
opened of tranquillity and happi- 
ness being speedily restored by the 
enactment of just and equitable 
laws. 
Many abuses were rectified in the 
administration of justice; which 
made it equally open to a man, 
whatever was the colour of his 
skin. The mulattoes were relieved 
from all the oppressions and griev- 
ances under which they had for- 
merly groaned; and, though not 
placed absolutely on a level with 
the whites, yet this melioration in 
their lot was declared to be only 
the earnest of future favours. 
These conciliatory measures had 
the desired effect. upon the people 
of colour. They now began to lay 
aside all thoughts of violent pro- 
ceedings, and to hope for redress 
only from the operation of law. 
But unhappily there existed in 
the island a set of men to whose in- 
terest this coalition was prejudicial. 
These were men who had held 
commissions and offices under the old 
government, and to whose wishes 
nothing could be more opposite 
than the success of the Assembly in 
establishing good order throughout 
the colony on the permanent foun- 
dation of liberty. In this case, 
those officers, tax-gatherers,. com- 
missaries, and judges, whohad lived 
by violence and corruption, and 
fattened upon the spoils of in- 
nocence, would have seen their 
power and their riches annihilated 
for ever. At the headof these was 
M. Mauduit, colonel of the regi- 
ment of Port au Prince; a man of 
great talents and insinuating man- 
ners, devoted to the ancient system, 
though of fairer reputation than 
most, of those with whom he acted 
in concert. He now strained every 
nerve to detach the mulattoes from 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1792. 
the alliance of the whites... He de 
clared himself their protector, and 
insinuated that they might expectte 
he supported by the government of 
France. He told them that the 
planters were insincere; and thatif 
they would join themselves to him, - 
every demand should be granted, 
By these arts, he soon succeeded in 
sowing discord between. the two 
parties. The mulattoes. became 
jealous and distrustful of the whites, 
and wholly devoted to his inte> 
rest. ; 
The conduct of the planters 
themselves, at this juncture, was 
impolitic and weak in the extreme, 
Instead of behaving with unanimity 
and moderation, they split among 
themselves, and gave their enemies 
just ground to complain of their ame 
bition and extravagance, The pros 
vincial assembly in the north did 
every thing in its power to coun- 
teract the measures of the general 
assembly at St. Mare’s, on the 28th 
of May. It passed the famous de- 
cree containing the new constituti- 
on, which gave the finishing stroketo 
the ruin of the cause of the whites. 
Many of the articles of that decree 
are altogether subversive of colonial 
subordination,and affordedan ample 
handle for the ruin of its operation, 
No sooner was it promulgated 
than the governor Peynier, Mau- 
duit, and others of that faction, 
‘boldly asserted that the assembly, 
imitating the conduct of the Ame- 
ricans, aimed at shaking off the 
authority of France, and establish- 
ing complete independence. The 
improbability of this story prevent>— 
ed its credit. They then invented | 
areport, and industriously propa- 
gated it, that the colony had been 
sold to the English; and that the 
assembly hadreceived forty millions - 
of livres as the reward of their 
treachery. 
