118 
OUVERTURE. 
which rank he was elevated by the governor Laveaux, for 
his fervices in reducing the blacks to order, and recover¬ 
ing from the Spaniards the northern parts of the ifland ; 
and for his fuccefsful oppofition to the Britilh army. In 
an infurreiStion under Villate, a mulatto, Laveaux had 
been feized and thrown into prifon at the Cape. Touf- 
faint, on hearing this, immediately appeared at the head 
of ten thoufand blacks, and releafed him from his peri¬ 
lous fituation ; for this Laveaux appointed him his lieu¬ 
tenant-governor, and declared that for the future he 
would be guided folely by his advice : “ It is this black,” 
faid he, “ this Spartacus, predidled by Raynal, who is 
deftined to avenge the outrages committed againll his 
whole race.” From this moment, the condition and the 
conduct ofthe blacks were fenfibly changed for the better, 
and the molt perfect order and difcipline eftablilhed among 
them ; and it is even admitted by Lacroix, who is not 
particularly friendly to the blacks, “ that, if St. Domin¬ 
go ftill carried the colours of France, it mull be allowed 
it was folely owing to an old negro, who feemed to bear 
a commiflion from heaven to reunite its dilacerated 
members.” 
The French continued to fend out commilfioners; but 
Toulfaint direrfed all their movements; and, on the re¬ 
turn of general Laveaux to France, the commiflioner 
Santhonax was prevailed on to nominate him commander- 
in-chief. General Rochambeau, who had been fent out 
in this capacity, finding himfelf a mere cipher, began to 
complain ; upon which Toulfaint ordered him on-board 
a corvette in the roads, and fent him home ; and nearly 
at the fame time he got rid of Santhonax, by making him 
the bearer of difpatches to the dire£lory. Aware, how¬ 
ever, that the reports of thefe perfons could not fail to 
make an unfavourable imprefiion on the French govern¬ 
ment, he fent two of his fons to be educated in France, 
to prove (as he faid) his confidence in the direftory, by 
placing his children in their power, at a moment when 
the complaints made againll him, however groundlefs, 
might render his fincerity doubtful. 
It was impolfible however for the directory to behold 
without jealoufy the rapid career of this extraordinary 
man; and general Hedouville was fent out to obferve his 
conduct and rellrain his ambition. Toulfaint, at thefirll 
interview, affe6led to complain of the burden of his com¬ 
mand ; on which the captain of the Ihip, meaningtopay 
him a compliment, obferved, how much it would flatter 
him, after having brought out general Hedouville, to 
carry back general Toulfaint l’Ouverture.” “Your Ihip, 
fir,” replied Toulfaint haltily, “ is not large enough for 
a man like me.” One of Hedouville’s Half having hinted 
to him that he ought to retire to France, and end the 
reft of his days in repofe : “That (faid he) is what I 
intend, as foon as this (pointing to a fmall Ihrub) (hall 
be large enough to conftrurf a velfel to take me there.” 
In Ihort, this general, like Rochambeau, foon found that 
Toulfaint was every thing in the colony, and himfelf no¬ 
thing ; he therefore determined at once to quit it. 
There ftill remained two men of whom it was necelfary 
to get rid, in order to infure the general tranquillity ; 
thefe were the mulatto generals Rigaud and Petion. 
Jealous of Toulfaint and of the increafing power of the 
blacks, they headed an infurrerfion of the people of co¬ 
lour againll his authority, and carried on for fome time a 
civil war ; but when Bonaparte, now become firft con- 
ful, had lent out the confirmation of Toulfaint as com¬ 
mander-in-chief, the adherents of the mulatto chiefs de- 
ferted their caufe, and the two leaders embarked for Franee. 
The mod dangerous and troublefome of his opponents, 
however, were the Englilh, whofe departure he haftened 
by his confummate (kill in diplomacy. General Mait¬ 
land, on finding the redudlion of the illand to be utterly 
hopelefs, and that one reinforcement after another, wafted 
away by fatigue, ficknefs, and defultory Ikirmilhes with 
the blacks, availed himfelf of the “bridge of gold,” 
which Toulfaint made for his little army, and figned a 
i 
treaty for the evacuation of all the pods which he held. 
The negro chief then paid him a vifit, and was received 
with.military honours. After partaking of a grand en¬ 
tertainment, he was prefented by general Maitland, in 
the name of his majefty, with a fplendid fervice of plate, 
and put in pofleflion of the government-houfe, which 
had been built and furnilhed by the Englilh. General 
Maitland, previous to the difembarkation of the troops, 
returned the vifit to Toulfaint’s camp; and, fuch was his 
confidence in the integrity of his charafter, that he pro¬ 
ceeded through a confiderable extent of country full of 
armed negroes with only three attendants. Roume, the 
French commiflioner, wrote a letter to Toulfaint on this 
occafion, adviling him to feize his gueft as an a£l of duty 
to the republic: on the route, general Maitland was fe- 
cretly informed of Roume’s treachery; but, in full re¬ 
liance on the honour of Toulfaint, he determined to pro¬ 
ceed. On arriving at head-quarters, he was defired to 
wait. It was fome time before Toulfaint made his ap¬ 
pearance ; at length, however, he entered the room with 
two open letters in his hand. “ There, general,” faid 
he, “ before we talk together, read thefe ; one is a letter 
from the French commilfary—the other is my anfwer. 
I could not fee you till I had written my reply, that you 
might be fatisfied how fafe you were with me, and how 
incapable I am of bafenefs.” 
General Lacroix bears teftimony to the order and re¬ 
gularity ellablifned in the ifland among all ranks by the 
influence and example of this Angular man; the duties 
of morality and religion were ftridtly enforced, and the 
decencies of civilized life feduloufly ftudied. Ilis public 
levees were conducted with the utmoft decorum, and his 
private parties might vie with the bell-regulated focieties 
of Paris. Surrounded by the officers of his guards, all 
magnificently drelfed, and living in the utmoft profufion, 
he preferved the ftridleft fobriety: a few cakes, bananas, 
or batatas, with a glafs of water, were his ordinary food, 
He was particularly attentive to the means of reforming 
the loofe and licentious manners of the females; and 
would fuffer none of the white ladies to come to his court 
with the neck uncovered. His maxim was, that women 
fltould'always appear in public as if they were going to 
church. 
Never, fays Lacroix, was an European army fubjedled 
to a more fevere difcipline than that which was obferved 
by the troops of Toulfaint. Every officer of rank in it 
commanded with a piftol in his hand, and had the power 
of life and death over his fubalterns. He fet about re- 
Itoring the public finances with wonderful addrefs. The 
ancient proprietors of eftates had almoft wholly difap- 
peared, and frequently all trace was loft of the direct or 
collateral fuccefi'or to them. In fuch cafes he eftablilhed 
a fort of co-proprietorlhip, by which the cultivators re¬ 
ceived a certain portion of the produce, and the reft was 
appropriated to the public revenue. By this device, the 
negroes were induced to return cheerfully to the labours 
of the field, and to fubmit to regulations under the black 
officers, more fevere (fays Lacroix) than thofe of their 
ancient mailers. Under the new fyftem, the colony ad¬ 
vanced as if by enchantment towards its ancient fplen- 
dour; cultivation was extended with fuch rapidity, that 
every day made its progrefs perceptible. All appeared 
to be happy, and regarded Toulfaint as their guardian 
angel. In making a tour of the ifland, he was hailed 
by the negroes with univerfal joy: nor was he lefs a fa¬ 
vourite of the whites, whofe confidence he ftudied to 
gain, and who were always invited to his private parties. 
The general enthufiafm which he had excited was fuffi- 
cient to infpire vanity into the ftrongeft mind; and he 
had fome excufe for faying that he was the Bonaparte 
of Saint Domingo, and that the colony could not exift 
without him. It is faid that no one left his prefence 
dilfatisfied, though his requeft was not granted. Some¬ 
times a negro, or a man of colour, would alk to be ap¬ 
pointed a magiftrate or a judge : “You lhall,” he would 
