414 



HAYTI. 



The increase both in imports and exports was 

 due to the rise in coffee, which enabled Hayti- 

 ans to import American goods on a more lib- 

 eral scale. From similar causes, the maritime 

 movement in the leading ports also exhibited 

 great activity, as represented by these figures, 

 showing the record of vessels entered in 1887: 



Events of 1888. On June 2, President Salo- 

 mon, then in his seventy-fifth year and with 

 failing health, apprehending a revolutionary 

 outbreak to upset his severe regime, expelled 

 Generals Manigat and L6gitime. The capital 

 had meanwhile been put under martial law, 

 but when the two alleged conspirators de- 

 parted, it was released from it on June 4. On 

 July 4 and 7, incendiary fires occurred at 

 Port-au-Prince the usual indication in Hayti 

 that a revolution is at hand causing the de- 

 struction of one fifth of the city and the loss 

 of ten lives. Two rebels who tried to set fire 

 to another quarter were summarily shot. As 

 there was considerable discontent with Gen. 

 Salomon's regime, Gen. Baibrond Canal asked 

 the aid of the North to make an end of his 

 rule. Gen. Thelemaque, commanding the De- 

 partment of the North at Cape Haytien, re- 

 sponded to his summons, and arranged a gen- 

 eral uprising there, which took place on Aug- 

 ust 5, and was quickly and willingly joined by 

 the Departments of the Northwest and Arti- 

 bonite, of which Gonai'ves and St. Marc are 

 the capitals. Salomon, seeing that resistance 

 to such an uprising was vain, abdicated and 

 left the country. Thereupon a general elec- 

 tion under the supervision of a provisional 

 government was held, and eighty-four " con- 

 stituants," or electors, were chosen. Thel6- 

 raaque, Boisrond, Legitime, and Hyppolite 

 formed a part of the supervisory provisional 

 government. When the names of the eighty- 

 four electors became known, it was evident 

 that Thelemaque would receive a majority of 

 their votes. But before they could assemble 

 at Port-au-Prince a riot occurred there on 

 September 23, on which occasion Thelemaque 

 met his death. Immediately thereafter, and 

 before even a large majority of the electors 

 could arrive at Port-au-Prince, L6gitime called 

 upon those who were present and in his inter- 

 est to declare themselves a regularly consti- 

 tuted assembly and to vest in him supreme 

 power. This was done by thirty three elect- 

 ors, little more than a third of the whole 

 number. Seizing then upon the treasury, the 

 arms at the capital, and the war-vessels in its 

 harbor, Legitime assumed a dictatorship. But 



the whole country was shocked at the sup- 

 posed murder of Gen. Thelemaque, and an- 

 other general uprising of the northern depart- 

 ments instantly took place. A central revolu- 

 tionary committee was formed by the three 

 protesting departments, and Jacmel, too, 

 raised its voice in their favor. Gen. Florvil 

 Hyppolite was named president of that com- 

 mittee. Thereupon Legitime, powerless to sub- 

 jugate his adversaries on land, initiated a 

 blockade, maintained only by two vessels, the 

 " Dessalines '* and " Toussaint 1'Ouverture," 

 running in and out of Port-au-Prince. Finally 

 he got himself into trouble with the United 

 States by capturing, on October 21, the Amer- 

 ican steamship " Haytian Republic." While 

 she was coming out of St. Marc, she was 

 seized by the cruiser "Dessalines," and taken 

 to Port-au-Prince. On November 19, the 

 Department of State at Washington received 

 official information that the prize court, on 

 November 3, had condemned the vessel. The 

 United States minister immediately protested 

 against the proceedings, alleging that the prize 

 court was illegally constituted, and appealed 

 to a higher court. He also advised the cap- 

 tain of the seized vessel to refuse to surrender 

 the craft. The United States man-of-war 

 u Boston " arrived on the same day, to support 

 the protest of the United States minister. 

 The President of the United States, in his 

 message of December 3, made the following 

 allusion to this case and another in which a 

 sailing-vessel had been seized: 



The tenure of power has been so unstable amid the 

 war of factions that has ensued since the expulsion of 

 President Salomon, that no Government constituted 

 by the will of the Haytian people has been recog- 

 nized as administering responsibly the affairs of that 

 country. Our representative has* been instructed to 

 abstain from interference between the warring fac- 

 tions, and a vessel of our navy has been sent to Hay- 

 tian waters to sustain our minister and for the protec- 

 tion of the persons and property of American citizens. 

 Due precautions have been taken to enforce our neu- 

 trality laws and prevent our territory from becoming 

 the base of military supplies for either of the warring 

 factions. Under color of a blockade, of which no rea- 

 sonable notice had been given, and which does not 

 appear to have been efficiently maintained, a seizure 

 of vessels under the American flog has been re- 

 ported, and, in consequence, measures to prevent and 

 redress any molestation of our innocent merchantmen 

 have been adopted. 



A week later, the United States war-vessels 

 "Galena" and"Yantic" were dispatched to 

 Port-au-Prince, arriving there on December 

 20, and demanding the surrender of the seized 

 steamer. The release of the latter to Eear- 

 Admiral Luce was not made under protest, 

 but Gen. L6gitime reserved the right to 

 appeal to the United States courts. It was 

 thought at Port-au-Prince that this reserva- 

 tion was made principally for the benefit of 

 his followers, who were led by him and the 

 decision of the Court of Claims to believe the 

 seizure of the vessel lawful, and that the ves- 

 sel would be held and converted into a man- 

 of-war. An indemnity was also to be claimed 



