76) 
and contumelies to which he and his 
brethren in the West Indies were 
exposed ; and where he was shewn 
the monstrous absurdity of that pre- 
judice which estimates the merit of 
aman from the colour of his skin. 
By hearing these discourses, his 
mind became inflamed to frantic 
madness ; and he was prevailed up- 
on to undertake the command of 
an expedition to rescue his brethren 
from oppression and slavery. 
Being furnished with money and 
letters of credit, Ogé embarked for 
America in July 1790 ; where he 
purchased arms and ammunition, 
which he found means to get con- 
veyed to St. Domingo. But what 
was his disappointment upon his 
arrival ! He had been led to believe 
from the assurances of his friends 
in France, that the coloured people 
would instantly flock tohis standard. 
With all his efforts in the space of 
several weeks, he could scarcely 
muster 200 raw inexperienced 
youths; andeven of these he had but 
an imperfect command. Notwith- 
standing his utmost exertions, they 
committed the most atrocious enor- 
mities. All of their own order who 
would not join them, they inhu- 
manly murdered. One man, as an 
apology for his conduct, pointed to 
a wife and six helpless children. 
Wife, children, and husband, they 
involved in one common massacre. 
The event was as might have 
been expected. He was soon met 
by a superior force, and his little 
army completely destroyed. He 
himself, with a few of his followers, 
contrived to make his escape into 
the Spanish part of the island. Here 
he foand only a temporary asylum. 
He was soon delivered up by the 
Spaniards, brought to Cape Fran- 
cois, tried, condemned, and broke 
upon the wheel. But though the 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1792. 
expedition had this unfortunate is- 
sue, its consequences were import- 
ant and lasting. It was the means 
of sowing irreconcileable hatred be- 
twixt the mulattoes and the whites. . 
We must now recur to what was 
in 
going on in the mean time 
France. Here every thing ran 
counter to the 
planters. 
parties : 
They were hateful to all 
to moderate men from these, . 
from their treatment of the people 
of colour; tothe violent democrats 
and Jacobins, from the slavery of 
their negroes. 
Accordingly, the deputies from 
St. Domingo met with a very un~_ 
gracious reception upon their arri- | 
They were scarces — 
ly admitted to a hearing by the 
National Assembly : ci their conduct — 
alii in France. 
was censured in terms of the great- 
est asperity ; all their decrees were 
reversed, and their persons put un-~ 
The National Con- | 
der an arrest. 
vention accused the planters of dis- 
affection to the mother country, 
and of impatience of constitutional — 
subordination and good govern=— 
ment: it requested the King to- 
give orders for forming a new com 
Tonial assembly, and to send out a- 
strong military force to maintain 
the royal authority in St. Dente 
No language can describe val 
ferment which was there excite 
on hearing of this decree, or’ the 
amazement and consternation 0 
the whites. 
tyrannical sentence was never dic- 
tated by Louis XIV. They consi- 
dered this as a re-establishment 0 
the ancient system; and looked 
upon themselves as devoted to de- 
struction between the mulattoes ot 
the one hand, and Mauduit and hi 
followers on the other, 
con=- 
interests of the” 
to the royalists, from their — 
visionary schemes of government; _ 
and — 
A more arbitrary and 
As he was. 
ZT 
