384 



HAYTI. 



tion of the former President, Salnave, a pro- 

 visional government was formed in December, 



1869, with General Nissage Saget as President 

 pro tern. On March 19, 1870, Saget was defi- 

 nitely elected President of the republic for the 

 term of four years from May 15, 1870. The 

 ministry was composed as follows : Senator 

 Laporte, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Fi- 

 nances ; B. Lallemand, Minister of Justice, of 

 Public Worship, and Instruction ; General P. 

 Lorquet, Minister of the Interior and Agricul- 

 ture ; General Monplaisir Pierre, Minister of 

 "War and Marine. The United States Govern- 

 ment was represented by E. D. Bassett, min- 

 ister resident at Port-au-Prince. During the 

 revolution of the Cacos against Salnave, the 

 northern part of the republic had a provisional 

 government, with Saget at its head, while the 

 southern districts had a separate provisional 

 government, of which Domingue was Presi- 

 dent. Both governments prohibited the cir- 

 culation of Salnave's paper-currency, and each 

 of them emitted paper-money of its own. At 

 the beginning of 1870 the new provisional 

 government, under Saget, again emitted 100,- 

 000,000 gourdes of paper money, with the in- 

 tention of redeeming the Salnave currency. 

 Very little of the latter was offered for sale, 

 however, owing to the extremely low offers 

 made for it. In 1869, the value of one silver 

 dollar (piastre forte) had risen to 4, 000 gourdes, 

 or paper dollars. After the capture of Port- 

 au-Prince, on December 20, 1869, it fell to 

 400, and afterward to 70 gourdes, from which 

 it again recovered, in June, 1870, to 400 gourdes 

 paper-money. The currency emitted by Sal- 

 nave is now entirely worthless. The emission 

 of the "Cacos" paper-money, up to December 

 31, 1869, was as follows: 



Gourdes. 



At St. Marc 215,000,000 



At Anx Cayes 30,000,000 



Paper-money brought into circulation by the 



provisional government, in 1870 100,000.000 



Old lawful notes (Soulouque and Geffrard) .... 100,000^000 



Total 445,000,000 



Besides, there are now in circulation at least 

 80,000,000 of counterfeit money, the spurious 

 nature of which it is almost impossible to de- 

 tect. This would make a total of paper-money 

 in circulation of 525,000,000 gourdes, which, 

 at 400 gourdes for one piastre forte, would be 

 equal to 1,312,500 piastres. The public debt, 

 including indemnity fund and loan of April 1, 



1870, amounts to : 



Piastres fortes. 



The public debt, including indemnity fund and 



loan of April 1, 1870 12,980,852 



Payments due at fixed dates 4,899,770 



Loan payable in 1883 4.712,790 



Disbursements to be made this year 1,799,852 



Total 24,393,2&1 



There are no official or otherwise reliable 



reports of the commerce of the republic during 



1869 and 1870. 

 After the flight of President Salnave from 



the palace at Port-au-Prince, on December 



19, 1869, he went to Turgean and Peytonville, 



where he was joined by a strong detachment 

 of pickets. On the 20th, ho set out with all 

 his force for Limon, but, in view of the pre- 

 cautions taken by the government, he at once 

 beat a retreat and retired to Fond Verrettes. 

 On the 27th, a strong force, under General 

 Zamor, was sent to pursue Salnave. On per- 

 ceiving the enemy's approach, the ex-President 

 did his utmost to unite his men, but in vain, 

 and consequently he started for Barahona. 

 But General Benjamin had cut oif all retreat, 

 and on the 8th of January Salnave and his 

 troops tried to force a passage in the neighbor 

 hood of Anses-a-Pitre. A bloody encounter 

 took place at Cuaba between Salnave's follow- 

 ers and General Cabral's forces, in which the 

 former lost one hundred killed and numerous 

 wounded. The losses of General Cabral's men 

 are reported as three dead and twenty-two 

 wounded. The result was the capture of Sal- 

 nave and all his followers on January 10, 

 1870. The prisoners were conducted to Salina, 

 whence General Gabral informed the govern- 

 ment of the important event. Here Salnave 

 and Alfred Delva, St. Lucien Emmanuel, 

 Ulysse Jean Marie, J. Baptiste Errie, and P. 

 Paul St. Jean, were conducted to Fond Bavette 

 and delivered into the hands of the authori- 

 ties. On January 15th, the prisoners were 

 brought into Port-au-Prince, after the execu- 

 tion of nine members of Salnave's ministry 

 on the road leading to that city. They had 

 been shot, one by one, in the presence of the 

 captured President. A vast crowd lined the 

 streets through which the prisoners passed, 

 which increased to fully 8,000 people when 

 opposite the United States consulate. Consul 

 Bassett had previously taken into his house 

 the wife and children of the unfortunate Presi- 

 dent, and also a number of others, who were 

 afraid of remaining in their own houses. The 

 trial of the ex-President took place on the 

 same day ; sentence of death was passed, and 

 he was shot about six o'clock in the afternoon. 



The government of President Saget made 

 every effort to do away with the strong parti- 

 san feeling which had so long distracted the 

 people. All political prisoners were liberated, 

 and on January 30th the President issued a 

 proclamation that the rebellion was virtually 

 at an end, and that a general amnesty was ac- 

 corded to all political offenders at home and 

 abroad. 



The National Assembly met at Port-au- 

 Prince in March, and on the 19th of that 

 month confirmed Nissage Saget as President 

 for the term of four years, to expire on May 

 15, 1874. 



The government, acting in accordance with 

 the principles proclaimed by the revolution, 

 issued a decree providing for the adjustment of 

 all debts of the late administration, which had 

 been legally contracted for the usual govern- 

 ment expenses. Fifteen days were allowed to 

 present claims from the creditors residing at 

 Port-au-Prince, and thirty days to those in other 



