54 Ethel Lee Howie 



number of the deputies which should be admitted from San Do- 

 mingo we must consider alone, or at least principally, the popu- 

 lation of the colony. It is of three kinds ; 35,000 or 36,000 whites, 

 6,000 or 7,000 free negroes and about 340,000 negro slaves." He 

 was surprised to learn that the free negroes were not admitted 

 to the elections, but that they were counted in the population to 

 increase the number of deputies. He then tried to prove that these 

 so called free men were not really free but were excluded from 

 rights which belonged to free men such as social functions and 

 pubHc employment. He therefore concluded that in regard to 

 population whites alone should fix the number of deputies. ^*^ 



That riches, commerce, industry and remoteness of the island 

 made a larger 'deputation necessary was argued by the Marquis de 

 Sillery, Choiseul, Due de Praslin, Marquis Gouy d'Arsy and Garat, 

 the younger, while Mirabeau spoke again against taking them as a 

 basis for representation. The Marquis de Sillery made use of a 

 map to show that San Domingo was " susceptible of great improve- 

 ment and that much territory was yet uncultivated."'^^ Mirabeau 

 again took the floor and attempted to meet the arguments which 

 had been advanced by Sillery. The riches of the colony were con- 

 siderable, but so were the riches of the mother country. Repre- 

 sentation of the colony was very important, for the home land as 

 well. " Why then is it necessary to adopt for San Domingo a law 

 more favorable than that which rules the deputies in all the bail- 

 liages? On every side the provinces will cry out against such a 



288 Courrier de Provence, I, i6th letter, 5-21 ; Point du jour, I, 100, men- 

 tions Garat as a speaker, but does not give the substance of his speech; 

 Assemblee nationale, I, 333 ; Duquesnoy, Journal, I, 160. 



This speech was heard with disfavor. The president, Duquesnoy tells 

 us, said long speeches were unnecessary and that it was impossible to keep 

 order in an assembly which was tired out. Mirabeau says that the dis- 

 course, excellent in every respect, was poorly listened to, partly because 

 the orator had a poor voice and partly because the meetings of the bureaus 

 and the general assembly were held too close together and it was physically 

 impossible to hold the attention on the debate. The Assemblee nationale 

 reports the president as saying that all had a right to speak, but that the 

 speeches should be shortened because an assembly which was worn out 

 could not be attentive. 



^^^ Assemblee nationale, I, 326. 



