OUVERTURE. 
119 
fay, “ becaufe I prefume you underftand Latin ?”—"No, 
general.”—“ How ! wiffi to beamagiftrate without know- 
fug Latin !” and then he would pour forth fuch a tor¬ 
rent of Latin words which he had got by heart out of his 
Pfalter, that the black candidate retired with the fatis- 
faftion of believing that he might have obtained his ob- 
je<a had he underftood the language, and the conviction 
that the general was a portentous fcholar. 
Such was the man to whom the ifland was indebted for 
its profperity ; which however was, unfortunately, not of 
long continuance. No fooner was the peace of Amiens de¬ 
finitively fettled, than Bonaparte, urged on the one hand by 
the expelled planters, and on the other by mercantile^pecu¬ 
lators, and probably more ftrongly than either by his own 
ambition, which could not fuffer a rival, though the At¬ 
lantic rolled between them, determined on the recovery 
of the colony, the reinftatement of the former proprietors, 
and the fubjugation of the emancipated (laves. On the 
arrival in the bay of Samana of the French fleet, having 
on-board twenty-five thoufand men, the flower of the 
French army, under the command of general Leclerc, the 
brother-in-law of Bonaparte, Touflaint haftened to the 
fpot to reconnoitre its movements. Having never before 
feen fo numerous a fleet, “ We (hall all perilh,” faid he to 
his officers5 “all France is come to St. Domingo.The 
divifion under Rochambeau having effected a landing at 
Fort Dauphin, the negroes, who had affembled in crowds 
to behold the ftrange fight, were charged with the bayonet, 
and numbers of them killed on the fpot; but the main 
body of the fleet and army, on preparing to land at Cape 
Francis, received a meffage from general Chriftophe, 
prohibitory of any difembarkation of troops without the 
orders of his commander-in-chief. Leclerc, on this, fent 
a letter to Chrillophe, with mingled expreffions of conci¬ 
liation and menace, to which Chriftophe replied, with 
great firmnefs and moderation, that he was refponfible 
for his conduft only to the governor and commander- 
in-chief, Touflaint l’Ouverture; that, if he attempted 
to carry his threats into execution, he (hould know 
how to refift as became a general officer; and that 
he accounted thofe troops which he threatened to land 
as fo many pieces of card, which the flighted breath 
of wind would diffipate. Leclerc had fent on-(liore 
printed copies of a proclamation drawn up by Bona¬ 
parte,. in which the fame infidious mixture of cajoling 
and threatening was ufed to feduce or intimidate the 
blacks. “ Inhabitants of St. Domingo,” it commenced, 
“ whatever be your origin or your colour, you are all 
French ; you are all free, and all equal, before God, and 
before the republic-.” and it concluded, “Rally round 
the captain-general; he brings you peace and plenty. 
Whoever (hall dare to feparate himfelf from him, will be 
a traitor to his country, and the indignation of the re¬ 
public will devour him as the fire devours your dried 
canes.” 
This menace, backed by fuch an overwhelming force, 
{hook the allegiance of the white inhabitants to Touf- 
faint. Chriftophe jperceived the difaffe&ion, and, know¬ 
ing the town not to be defenfible, fet fire to it in feveral 
places, retreating in good order, and carrying oft' with 
him above two thoufand of the whites as hoftages, not 
one of whom was injured in the confufion and maffacres 
which followed. This fpirited meafure, and the adlive 
preparations making by Touflaint in the interior, induced 
Leclerc to make trial of a fcheme, which, if reforted to 
previous to the commencement of hoftilities, might have 
been fuccefsful. He had brought out with him the two 
fons of Touflaint, whom the father was to be permitted 
to fee, in the hope that, through them, he might be pre¬ 
vailed upon to acquiefce in the wiflies of the firft conful. 
From thefmoking ruins of Cape Frangois, Coifnon, their 
tutor, was difpatched with his pupils to Touffaint’s 
country refidence. The interview was aftefting; and the 
artful pedagogue employed all his eloquence to prevail 
on Touflaint to relinquifli the chief command, and be¬ 
come the lieutenant-general of Leclerc ; but it was too 
late. Touflaint had made his arrangements to oppofe the 
French army; and, after an interview of two hours, left 
his two fons, to decide between their father and their 
adopted country. 
When Leclerc found that Touflaint was inexorable, he 
iffued a proclamation, declaring the generals Touflaint 
and Chriftophe to be put out of the protection of the law, 
and ordering every citizen to purfue and treat them as 
rebels to the French republic. The war now raged with 
great violence; and every artifice was praClifed by Leclerc 
to procure the defection of the black troops, in which he 
was but too fuccefsful. The black generals La Plume 
and Maurepas went over with their forces to the French : 
and what was their recompenfe ? “ Maurepas, a man of 
mild and gentle manners, and highly efteemed for his in¬ 
tegrity, was fuddenly carried off to Port de Paix, and put 
on-board the admiral’s veffel, then at anchor in the roads, 
where, after binding him to the main-maft, they, in de- 
rifion, with nails fuch as are ufed in (hip-building, fixed 
two old epaulettes on his (houlders, and an old general’s 
hat on his head. In that frightful condition, thefe can¬ 
nibals, after having glutted their favage mirth, precipi¬ 
tated him, with his wife and children, into the fea. 
Such was the fate of this virtuous and unfortunate fol- 
dier!” 
Touflaint, however, had under his immediate com¬ 
mand a well-difciplined army; and Deffalines, one of the 
mod courageous, enterprifing, and (kilful, of all the ne¬ 
gro generals, held the ftrong fortrefs of Crete-pierrot, 
which had been built by the Engliffi. The French army 
laid fiege to this place, which, after a brave defence, was 
evacuated by Deffalines, who carried off every thing that 
was valuable, leaving a fmall detachment to follow him 
in the morning. Intoxicated with the fuccefsful iffue of 
the fiege, the French committed all manner of cruelties 
on the unfortunate negroes who fell into their hands; 
and Leclerc, with equal bafenefs and folly, publicly re- 
ftored to the proprietors of eftates all their ancient autho¬ 
rity. The confequence was fuch as might have been 
forefeen ; all the blacks who had adhered to the French 
now deferted them, and again took up arms. Leclerc 
perceived his error, and had once more recourfe to the 
delufion of proclaiming “ liberty and equality to all the 
^inhabitants of St. Domingo, without regard to colour;” 
with the refervation, however, of the approval of the 
French government. The negroes, tired of the war, again 
deferted their leaders ; and at length Chriftophe negoci- 
ated in behalf of himfelf, his colleague Deffalines, and 
Touflaint the general-in-chief, a full amnefty for all 
their troops, and the prefervation of the refpe&ive ranks 
of all the black officers. Leclerc was too happy to grant 
thefe conditions; and a peace was accordingly concluded, 
by which the fovereignty of France over the ifland of St. 
Domingo was acknowledged by all the conftituted au¬ 
thorities. 
Touflaint had liberty to retire to any of his eftates 
which he might pleafe to make choice of. He feledted 
that called by his own name, l’Ouverture, fituated at 
Gonaives; there, in the bofom of his family, he entered 
upon the enjoyment of that repofe of which he had fo 
long been deprived. The fecret injiruftions , however, of 
Bonaparte, were now to be obeyed ; and Leclerc loft no 
time in putting into execution an a£r, which has entailed 
everlafting difgrace on his memory. In the dead of night, 
a (hip of the line and a frigate anchored near Gonaives, 
and landed a body of troops ; they furrounded the houfe 
of Touflaint, when Brunet, a brigadier-general, entered 
the chamber where he flept, with a file of grenadiers, or¬ 
dered him to furrender without refiftance, and hurried 
him and his whole family on-board the Hero, of 74 guns, 
which proceeded immediately with them to France. Two 
negro chiefs of the neighbourhood, who attempted to 
refcue him, were taken, and Leclerc ordered them to be 
(hot. He then caufed about one hundred of the confiden¬ 
tial 
