ACCOUNT OF BOOKS. 



759 



sion of liis country, require all his 

 time in the field, he casts a pro- 

 vident eye on the well-being of 

 those he heads as elective presi- 

 dent : and though his code of 

 laws does hira credit, yet the civil 

 administration is extremely relax- 

 ed, and the tenure of property very 

 insecure. The Mole of St. Nicho- 

 las has been the chief seat of con- 

 test, and very frequently the 

 scene of personal bravery on both 

 sides. His revenues come princi- 

 pally from the rents of confis- 

 cated French estates and houses, 

 import and export duties, local 

 taxes, &c. By means of a general 

 requisition of all above fourteen 

 years of age, he musters about 

 9,000 men, of whom the regu- 

 lars have a good appearance, 

 and his population has been in- 

 creased by collecting the people 

 of colour who lately left St. Do- 

 mingo, though most prefer the 

 present quiet security of the Spa- 

 niards. Nearly all males are 

 forced to join the army, and the 

 women are left to gather the 

 crops, two thirds of which go to 

 the profit of the farmer, after re- 

 imbursing the hire of assistants ; 

 the remaining third to the govern- 

 ment, whose officers strictly at- 

 tend to its collection. He has a 

 small fleetof lightvessels, but they 

 seldom meet the foe. The French 

 governors of St. Domingo made 

 repeated overtures to him, which 

 he had the good policy and pru- 

 dence to disregard ; but in case of 

 ill success in that implacable en- 

 mity which exists between the 

 contending chiefs of colour, his 

 territory may yet become the seat 

 of intrigue, either by reviving the 

 embers of civil discord, or im- 

 proving the moments of defeat ; 



nay, are not these plans and mea- 

 sures already anticipated ? or else 

 is there no foundation for the 

 following authenticated report ? 



" General Rigaud has been sent 

 by Buonaparte to St. Domingo, 

 with a view of establishing a 

 footing or interest in the island, 

 either by rendering one or other 

 of the rival chiefs dependent on 

 him, by proffers of assistance, or 

 by creating a third party in oppo- 

 sition to both. Rigaud had ar- 

 rived at Port au Prince in April, 

 and had opened a negociation with 

 Petion." 



" Christophe, who is in posses- 

 sion of the N. side, at the head of 

 the black colour, is nearly the re- 

 verse in character to Petion, and 

 perhaps better fitted to sway over 

 that class of people he is called to 

 command. More the self-raised 

 despot, than the elected chief of his 

 sable myrmidons, they tremble at 

 his active coercion, and his army 

 thus possesses the advantages of 

 superior discipline, though his 

 talents are much beneath those of 

 his rival. Many of his acts would 

 not bear the scrutiny of philoso- 

 phic justice, but where terror is 

 equally to be the lever of action, 

 his character is the best suited. 

 His population is the largest, and 

 his troops amount to about 10,000 

 men. His fleet is also the most 

 numerous, and consists of two 

 corvettes, nine brigs, and a fewr 

 schooners, the force of which he 

 is now attempting to augment 

 from North America ; but though 

 it posseses the exterior of organi- 

 zation, and is under the command 

 of a whiteadmiral, it seldom leaves 

 the harbours, and requires no 

 naval chronicle to record its feats. 

 The empress, relict of Dessalines, 



