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\ 
934 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1803. 
It is! extremely difficult te re- 
eoncile the powerful and effectual 
co-operation of Great Britain. with 
the revolted French negroes; to the 
repeated declarations of the English 
government but the year before,— 
that no force which France could 
send to St. Domingo, or keep there, 
would be half so dangerous to. our 
West Indian colonies and the inter- 
ests of Great Britain,as the existence 
of a black independent em or 
tepublick. Governed, however, less 
by principles than by events, it was 
contented to abandon all theory, 
and contribute to the establishment 
of a power, which they had so 
much decried ; forthe sake of making 
a temporary impression on France, 
where she was most vulnerable— 
In consequence of those vigorous 
measures both by sea and land, the - 
French garrisons were soon reduced 
to the most deplorable distress,— 
On the land-side, the Blacks were 
masters of the field, who not only 
cut off provisions, but hourly 
threatened them with assault.— 
‘Towards the sea, reinforcements 
and supplies were intercepted by 
the British eruisers, while the most 
terrible of all enemies, the pesti- 
lence, continued its ravages, and 
‘hot only diminished their numbers, 
but paralyzed the spirit and strength 
of the survivors, Notwithstanding 
this dreadful complication of un- 
fortunate circumstances, they still 
made an obstinate» defence. The 
Cape Town, which Rochambeau 
now made his head quarters, and 
where he had collected the prin- 
cipal strength of the French army, 
-made a long and powerful resist- 
ance, The English cruisers found 
it impossible tu block up: the har- 
bour so completely but that. sup- 
plies of, provisions. were: frequen tly. 
thrown, in by coasting , vessels.— 
The other posts where the French 
were weaker, fell either before, the 
attack of. the negroes, or im, conse- 
quence of the blockade. Port au 
Paix was the first strong town 
which fell into the hands of. the 
insurgents :—the French garrison, 
consisting, of 500 men, became 
their. prisoners... In ,the, other 
parts of the island, Port au Prince, 
Leogane, and St, Mark, fell suc- 
cessively hefore the besieging arnry, 
under the black general Dessalines. 
The English cruisers, however, in 
every practicable case, humanely 
made it a point of carrying off their 
garrisons, to save them from the 
revengeful fury of the blacks. 
General Rochambeau was now 
obliged to confine his operations 
to the defence of the Cape :—he 
wished to escape to the city of 
St. Domingo, in the Spanish part 
of Hispaniola, but every route was 
completely occupied by the negro 
troops, who were masters of all, the 
interior of the country. The En- 
glish blockading squadron, finding 
that frequent supplies of provisions 
were carried to the cape, from Fort 
Dauphin, made a very spirited at- 
tack on that post, in consequence 
of which the garrison eyacuated it 
and retired within Cape ‘Town. 
This being now the only spot: in 
possession of the French, the entire 
army of the insurgents, command- 
ed by general Dessalines, regularly 
and completely invested it and 
daily menaced giving the assault; 
all the out-posts successively _ fell 
into their hands, -and even, Fort 
Picolet was carried by them in a 
yery gallant manner. 
Under those . circumstances, .all 
retreat 
