652 



TOWER OF LONDON. 



general intelligence and education, his prudence, j 

 activity, and address, not less than his bravery, that 

 lie immediately attained a complete ascendency over 

 all the black chieftains. Thus it happened that, in 

 June, 1794, when the British, under general Whyte, 

 captured Port au Prince from the French commis- 

 sioners Santhonax and Polverel, the latter, on re- 

 tiring into the country, found the whole island in 

 the |x>ssession of Rigaud, at the head of the niulat- 

 toes, and Toussaint-Louvcrture, with his negroes. 

 They contended with various success against the 

 British, until 1797, when Toussaint received from 

 the French government a commission of general-in- 

 chief of the armies of St Domingo, and, as such, 

 signed the convention with general Maitland for 

 the evacuation of the island by the British. From 

 1798 until 1801, the island continued peaceable and 

 tranquil under the government of Toussaint, who 

 adopted and enforced the most judicious measures 

 for healing the wounds of bis country, and restoring 

 its commercial and agricultural prosperity. His 

 efforts would have been attended with much suc- 

 cess, but for the ill-judged expedition which Bona- 

 parte sent against the island, under the command of 

 Le Clerc. This expedition, fruitless as it was in 

 respect of its general object, proved fatal to Tous- 

 saint, solely in consequence of the sincerity and 

 good faith which marked his character. Toussaint 

 was noted for private virtues ; among the rest, warm 

 affection for his family. Le Clerc brought out from 

 France Toussaint's two sons, with their preceptor, 

 Coisnon, whose orders were to carry his pupils to 

 Toussaint, and make use of them to work on the 

 tenderness of the negro chief, and induce him to 

 abandon his countrymen. If he yielded, he was to 

 be made second in command to Le Clerc ; if he re- 

 fused, his children were to be reserved as hostages 

 of his fidelity to the French. Notwithstanding the 

 greatness of the sacrifice demanded of him, Tous- 

 saint remained faithful to his brethren. We pass 

 over the details of the war, which, at length, ended 

 in a treaty of peace concluded by the black chief 

 Toussaint, Dessalines and Christophe, against their 

 better judgment, but in consequence of the effect 

 of Le Clerc's professions upon their simple fol- 

 lowers, who were induced to lay down their arms. 

 Toussaint retired to his plantation, relying upon the 

 solemn assurances of Le Clerc, that his person and 

 property should be held sacred. But, notwith- 

 standing these assurances, he was treacherously 

 seized in the night, hurried on board a ship of war, 

 and transported to Brest. He was conducted, first 

 to close prison in Chateaux de Joux, and from thence 

 to Besan9on, where he was plunged into a cold, 

 wet, subterranean prison, which soon proved fatal 

 to a constitution used only to the warm skies and 

 free air of the West Indies. He languished through 

 the winter of 18021803 ; and his death, which 

 happened in April, 1803, raised a cry of indignation 

 against, the government which had chosen this das- 

 tardly method of destroying one of the best and 

 bravest men of the negro race See Malo, Histoire 

 de Haiti, published 1825, p. 181225; also the ar- 

 ticle Hayti. 



TOWER OF LONDON. This ancient edifice 

 is situated on the north bank of the Thames, at the 

 extremity of the city. The antiquity of the build- 

 ing has been a subject of much inquiry ; but the 

 present fortress is generally believed to have been 

 built by William I., and garrisoned with Normans, 

 to secure the allegiance of his subjects ; although it 

 a. 1 rears, that the Romans had a fort on this spot. 



The Tower is governed by the constable of the 

 Tower, who, at coronations and other state cere- 

 monies, has the custody of the regalia. The prin- 

 cipal entrance on the west consists of two gates on 

 the outside of the ditch, a stone bridge over it, 

 and a gate within it. The keys are kept during 

 the day at the warder's hall, but deposited every 

 night at the governor's house. The Tower is 

 separated from the Thames by a platform, and 

 by part of the ditch. The ditch, of consider- 

 able width and depth, proceeds northwards on i ach 

 side of the fortress, nearly in a parallel line, and 

 meets in a semicircle; the dope is faced with 

 brick, and the great wall of the Tower has 

 been frequently repaired with that material. Can- 

 non are planted at intervals round the line, and 

 command every avenue leading to Tower hill. The 

 space enclosed by the walls measures twelve acres 

 five roods, and the circumference on the outside of 

 the ditch is 3156 feet. On the south side of the 

 Tower is an arch called the traitor's gate, through 

 which state-prisoners were formerly brought from 

 the river. Near the traitor's gate is the bloody-tower, 

 in which it is supposed the two young princes, Ed- 

 ward V. and his brother, were smothered by order 

 of Richard III. In the south-east angle of the en- 

 closure were the royal apartments ; for the Tower 

 was a palace for nearly 500 years, and only ceased 

 to be so on the accession of queen Elizabeth. The 

 principal buildings within the walls are the church, 

 the white tower, the ordnance office, the old mint, 

 the record office, the jewel office, the horse armoury, 

 the grand storehouse, in which is the small ar- 

 moury, the lion's tower, containing the menagerie, 

 and the Beauchamp tower. The church called St 

 Peter in Vinculis, is remarkable as the depository 

 of the headless bodies of numerous illustrious per- 

 sonages who suffered either in the Tower or on the 

 hill; amongst these are Fisher, Anna Boleyn, 

 Thomas Cromwell, Catharine Howard, the duke of 

 Somerset, and the duke of Monmouth (1685). The 

 white tower, a large, square, irregular building, 

 erected in 1070, consists of three stories. On the 

 first story are the sea armoury, consisting of muskets 

 for the sea-service, and other warlike implements 

 of every description, and the volunteer armoury, for 

 30,000 men. Within the white tower is the an- 

 cient chapel of St John, originally used by the 

 English monarchs, which now forms a part of the 

 record office. South of the white tower is the 

 modelling room, in which are models of Gibraltar 

 and other places ; but no strangers are admitted. 

 The parade near the white tower is much frequented 

 as a promenade. The office of the keeper of the 

 records contains the rolls from the time of king 

 John to the beginning of the reign of Richard III. 

 Those since that period are kept at the Rolls chapel, 

 Chancery lane. The price of a search is 10s. 6d., 

 for which you may pursue one subject a year. The 

 jewel office is a strong stone room, in which are 

 kept the crown jewels, or regalia. The imperial 

 crown, and the other emblems of royalty, such as 

 the golden orb, the golden sceptre and its cross, the 

 sceptre with the dove, St Edward's staff, state salt- 

 cellar, curtana or sword of mercy, golden spurs, 

 armilla or bracelets, ampulla or golden eagle, and 

 the golden spoon, also the silver font used at the 

 baptism of the royal family, the state crown worn 

 by his majesty in parliament, and a large collection 

 of ancient plate, are kept here. The horse armoury 

 is a brick building, east of the white tower, adorned 

 \\ith suits of armour of almost every description; 



