656 



HAZEL HAZLITT. 



to a handful, were driven into the Cape, where 

 November 30, 1803, they were forced to capitulalt 

 to a British squadron ; and thus the greater par 

 of the island was abandoned, and opposition ceasec 

 to the independence of the negroes. January 1 

 1804, the general and chiefs of the army entered into 

 a solemn compact, in the name of the people of Hayti 

 renouncing all dependence on France. At the same 

 time, they appointed Dessalines governor for life, 

 with very extensive powers. On his return, in Sep 

 (ember, from an unsuccessful expedition against the 

 city of St Domingo, which was still occupied by some 

 Spaniards and French, he assumed the purple, anc 

 the title of Jacques /., emperor of Hayti. His reign 

 was short, and, though some sagacious measures 

 were adopted for the government and improvement 

 of the people, yet his tyranny rendered him univer- 

 sally detested. He was slain by a military conspir. 

 acy in October, 1806. Christophe, his second in 

 command, immediately assumed the administration 

 of affairs, under the title of chief of the government. 

 Petion, however, another chief, appeared as a candi- 

 date for the sovereign power, and the struggle 

 between him and Christophe was long and fierce A 

 severe battle was fought January 1, 1807, in which 

 Petion was defeated. Christophe's progress to 

 supreme power was similar to that of Dessalines. In 

 1807, he was appointed chief magistrate for life, 

 with the power of naming his successor, and, in 1811, 

 he changed the title to that of king, calling himself 

 Henry I. The office was made hereditary in his 

 family. From 1810 to 1820, the part of Hayti for- 

 merly belonging to the French, was under distinct 

 and rival governments. In the north was the king- 

 dom of Christophe, and in the south a republic 

 existed, at the head of which was Petion, who pos- 

 sessed both sagacity and virtue. In 1816, he was 

 appointed president for life, and retained the office 

 until May, 1818, when he died, universally lamented 

 by his fellow citizens. Christophe (q. v.) was an 

 avaricious and cruel despot, and perished in a mili- 

 tary revolution, in October, 1820. In consequence 

 of this event, the whole colony has been united 

 under Boyer, the successor of Petion in the office of 

 president, who is said to possess many of the virtues 

 of his predecessor. That part of the island which 

 was originally settled by the Spaniards, remained in 

 their hands until December, 1821, when it followed 

 the example of the inhabitants of the north-westem 

 part, and voluntarily placed itself under the govern- 

 ment of president Boyer, who thus peaceably became 

 master of the whole island. In 1825, Boyer negotiated 

 a absurd arrangement with France, by which Charles 

 X., by royal ordinance, dated April 17, 1825, 

 acknowledged the independence of the inhabitants of 

 the French part of the island, in consideration of 

 which Boyer stipulated to pay to France 150,000,000 

 of francs, as an indemnity for the ex-colonists, in five 

 annual instalments. 



HAZEL (corylus) ; a genus of plants of the family 

 amentaceee, containing five species, all confined to the 

 northern hemisphere. They are shrubs or small 

 trees, with simple, alternate leaves. The male 

 flowers are in long, cylindrical aments or catkins 

 and the fruit, consisting of a nut, marked, at base, 

 with a large cicatrix, is enveloped in the persistent 

 calyx, which is irregularly toothed on the margin. 

 The European hazel (C. avellana). from cultivation, 

 has produced several varieties, differing in the size, 

 shape, and flavour of the nuts, which are commonly 

 known under the name of filberts, and are imported 

 to some extent. It grows in all situations, and is 

 easily cultivated, but a light and tolerably dry soil is 

 the most suitable. This plant has also gained cele- 

 brity from its twigs being believed, by the common 



people, capable of pointing to hidden treasures, when 



in (lie hiiiuls of certain persons. (See Divining Rod, 

 and lUiabdomancy.) The twigs of the witch hazel 



(Aamamelis) have been employed by impostors, in 



this country, to delude the public in a similar manner. 



The American hazel (C. American/ft very much 

 resembles the European, but is humbler in stature, and 

 the calyx is larger than the included nut. The fla 

 vour of the kernel is, by many, preferred to the filbert, 

 though we know of no attempts to improve it by cul- 

 tivation. It is common in most purls of the United 

 States of America. The C. rostrata, distinguished by 

 having the calyx prolonged beyond the fruit, in form 

 of a long beak, and very hairy, is much rarer than th 

 preceding. Both the hazel and filbert are mucl 

 esteemed, but particularly the latter, the flavour of ib 

 kernels being very delicious. They are, howevi 

 difficult of digestion, and, when eaten in large quan 

 ties, sometimes produce very unpleasant effects. Ti 

 oil which is obtained from hazel-nuts, by pressure, is 

 little inferior in flavour to that of almonds; and, 

 under the name of' nut-oil, is often preferred, by pain- 

 ters, on account of its drying more readily than any 

 other of the same quality. Chemists employ it as the 

 basis of fragrant oils artificially prepared, because it 

 easily combines with, and retains odours. This oil 

 is found serviceable in obstinate coughs. If nuts be 

 put into earthen pots and well closed, and afterwards 

 buried eighteen inches or two feet deep in the earth, 

 they may be kept sound through the winter. In 

 many parts of England, hazels are planted in coppices 

 and hedge-rows for several useful purposes, but parti- 

 cularly to be cut down, periodically, for charcoal, 

 poles, fishing-rods, &c. Being extremely tough and 

 flexible, the branches are used for making hurdles, 

 crates, and springles to fasten down thatch. They 

 are formed into spars, handles for implements of hus- 

 bandry, and, when split, are bent into hoops for casks. 

 Charcoal made from hazel is much in request for 

 forges ; and, when prepared in a particular manner, is 

 used, by painters and engravers, to draw their out- 

 'ines. The roots are used by cabinet-makers for 

 veneering ; and, in Italy, the chips of hazel are some- 

 .imes put into turbid wine for the purpose of fining it. 



HAZLITT, WILLIAM, a distinguished modern 

 critic and essayist, was a native of Shropshire. His 

 ~ather was an Unitarian minister, who came origin- 

 ally from the north of Ireland, and who, after resid- 

 ng for some time in the above-named county, at 

 another period of his life held a situation in the Uni- 

 versity of Glasgow, under the celebrated Dr Adam 

 "imith ; he likewise went over to America, where he 

 emained for nine years. He died at the age of 

 lighty. 



Mr Hazlitt was educated at the Unitarian college 



at Hackney. He began life as an artist, and thus 



btained a knowledge of art, which qualified him for 



he criticism in which he was afterwards eminent. 



Through life he seems to have entertained an intense 



ove for the fine arts. Some copies of his from pic- 



ures in the Louvre, by Titian and Raphael, have 



jeen spoken of as very spirited and beautiful. 



From some cause with which we are unacquainted, 

 Mr Hazlitt was induced to relinquish the pencil for 

 he pen : instead of painting pictures, it became his 

 elight to criticise them ; and it must be allowed 

 hat in his critical strictures, when his strong and 

 iolent prejudices stood not in the way of justice, he 

 was one of the most judicious, able, and powerful 

 writers of his time. His early education qualified 

 lim to judge with technical understanding; and his 

 ne sense of the grand and of the beautiful enabled 

 iim duly to appreciate the merits and deficiencies of 

 vorks of art, and to regulate the enthusiasm with 

 hich he contemplated their beauties. 



