84 | 
tinico, at the end of 1792, was, 
if possible, still more deplorable 
than that of St. Domingo. At the 
same time when Santhonax and his 
compeers were sent to the last, a 
commissioner of the same stamp re- 
paired to each of the former. They 
rivalled Santhonax in tyranny and 
extortions. The inhabitants rebell- 
ed; they calledin thenegroesto their 
assistance; all was confusion and 
horror. In short, it may be well 
said that, when our account closes, 
the inhabitants of the French West 
India islands were certainly the 
most miserable portion of the hu- 
man race. 
Nor were the calamities that 
overwhelmed the French colonies 
excited solely by the unavoidable 
course of events, but, in some mea- 
sure, invited by a great portion of 
the inhabitants themselves, and even 
purchased by money. It is certain, 
beyond all doubt, that Brissot, Con- 
dorcet, and other chiefs among the 
Amis de Noirs, received from the 
mulattoes large sums of money. 
From the correspondence between 
the mulattoesandthe Amis de Noirs, 
discovered to the French ministry 
by the mistress of Raymond, agent 
of the mulattoes at Paris, it appear- 
ed that instructions and plans were 
sent by the party just mentioned to 
St. Domingo, in the years 1790 
and 1791, for the purpose of exe- 
cuting, conducting, and supporting. 
the insurrection of the negroes; 
with copies of prints, pamphlets, 
and handbills, to be distributed in 
the colonies. Among the same 
papers was found a parcel, contain- 
ing a plan and register of a contri- 
bution to be raised upon the mulat- 
toes of St. Domingo; the sum total 
of which amounted to above 
7,000,000 of livres. To these pa- 
pers was joined a memorial, respect- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1792. 
ing the manner in which the mo- 
ney was to be employed. Great 
part of it was to be sent to Paris to 
reward the past, and purchase new 
services of several members of the 
Assembly and of the Jacobin clubs, 
to pay lawyers, writers of pamph- 
lets, and journalists, to defray the 
expence of printing placards, &c. 
Another parcel contained a great 
number of originalletters, addressed 
to Raymond by his correspondents 
of St. Domingo, and notes of his 
answers. One of the letters an- 
nounced, that nearly a million had 
been sent to Paris, ** en attendant 
mieux.’? And it appeared, by one 
of his letters, that Brissot had been 
intrusted with the sum of 300,000 
livres, Condorcet with 150,000, the 
Abbé Gregoire 80,000, and Petion 
60,000:—but Robespierre would 
accept of no money, either for the 
purpose of distribution or gratifica- 
tion, although he served the cause 
with equal zeal. 
When the laws of the Constituent 
Assembly granting liberty to the 
negroes, were transmitted to the co- 
lonies, some of the governors and 
officers, attached to the ancient go- © 
vernment, refused to comply with 
the orders they had received, and 
resigned their places. 
cessors in office, appointed by the 
King, were then of respectability, 
but being ignorant of the manners, 
customs, and regulations of the 
islands, were incompetent to the ar- 
duous task of managing and restrain- 
ing negroes intoxicated with ideas 
of liberty ; which they confounded 
with a total loss of insubordination 
to all authority. Matterswere every 
where involved in greater and great- 
er confusion, misery, and horror 
till the conquest of Martinico by the 
English, and the manly conduct of 
the French government of Guada- 
loupe, 
Their suc-- 
