548 FRENCH AMERICAN ISLANDS. 



sand in the space of fifteen years. The face of the island presents 

 an agreeable variety of hills, vallies, woods, and rivers; and the 

 soil is allowed to be extremely fertile, producing sugar, cotton, in- 

 digo, tobacco, maize, and cassava root. The European cattle are 

 so multiplied here, that they run wild in the woods, and, as in South 

 America, are hunted for their hides and tallow only. In the most 

 barren parts of the rocks they discovered formerly silver and gold : 

 the mines, however, are not worked now. The north-west parts, 

 which were in the possession of the French, consist of large fruitful 

 plains, which produce the articles already mentioned in vast abun- 

 dance : this indeed is the best and most fruitful part of the best and 

 most fertile island in the West Indies, and perhaps in the world. 



The population of this island was estimated, in 1788, at 27,717 

 white people; 21,808 free people of colour; and 405,528 slaves. Its 

 trade employed 580 large ships, carrying 189,679 tons, in which the 

 imports amounted to twelve millions of dollars, of which more than 

 eight millions were in manufactured goods of France, and the other 

 four millions in French produce. The Spanish ships exported, in 

 French goods or money, 1,400,000 dollars, for mules, imported by 

 them into the colony ; ninety-eight French ships, carrying 40,130 

 tons, imported 26,506 negroes, who sold for eight millions of dollars. 

 The most ancient town in this island, and in all the New World, 

 built by Europeans, is St. Domingo. It was founded by Bartholomew 

 Columbus, brother to the admiral, in 1504, who gave it that name in 

 honour of his father Dominic, and by which the whole island is named, 

 especially by the French. It is situate on a spacious harbour, and is a 

 large well built city, inhabited, like the other Spanish towns, by a 

 mixture of Europeans, Creoles, Mulattoes, Mestizos, and Negroes. 

 The French towns are, Cape Francois, the capital, which is neither 

 walled nor paled in, and is said to have only two batteries, one at the 

 entrance of the harbour, and the other before the town. Before its de- 

 struction in 1795, it contained about eight thousand inhabitants, whites, 

 people of colour, and slaves. It was the governor's residence in time of 

 war, as Port-au-Prince was in time of peace. The Mole, though in- 

 ferior to these in other respects, is the first port in the island for 

 safety in time of war, being by nature and art strongly fortified. The 

 other towns and ports of any note are, Fort Dauphin, St. Mark, Leb- 

 gane, Petit Goave, Jeremie, Les Cayes, St Louis, and Jacmel. 



Since the French revolution, in consequence of some injudicious 

 decrees of the National Assembly of France, this island has been a 

 scene of confusion and bloodshed. In the night between the 22rl and 

 23d of August, 1791, a most alarming insurrection of the negroes 

 began on the French plantations upon this island, and a scene of the 

 most horrid cruelties ensued. In a little time no less than one bun- 

 drep thousand negroes were in rebellion; and all the manufactories 

 and plantations of more than half the northern province appeared as 

 one general conflagration. The plains and the mountains were filled 

 with carnage and deluged with blood. The negroes who were slaves 

 were emancipated from their chains, and trained to arms ; which they 

 never afterwards laid down. An African by birth, who had received 

 the French name of Toussaint l'Ouverture, was afterwards invested 

 with the chief command of the negroes and mulattoes. He appears 

 to have been a man of some ability, and to have exercised his autho- 

 rity in many instances with prudence and moderation. When, bow- 

 ever, the peace of Amiens had set at liberty the French fleets, Bona- 



