1809.].. 
me some consolation; send me some one 
who will turn aside my eyes from the 
fire which consumes me. Oh God! my 
God! grant ume some peace and com- 
fort.” 
The approach of his last moments was 
dreadful and horrible in the extreme. 
While a priest was sent for, he.expired 
im dreadful agony, vomiting blood, and 
every limb distorted. ‘ Diseite Justi- 
tium moniti, et non temnere Divos.”— 
The day of his interment was a holiday. 
The negroes, who were to bury him, 
anxious to get to their dances, scarcely 
put him in the earth: his body became 
food for hogs, and birds of prey. 
Such was the end of a man who pos- 
sessed many excellent qualities—weak, 
but irascible to excess; generous with- 
out bounds; little regarding’ fortune ; 
a staunch friend, but a most implacable 
enemy. ‘he revolution was his ruin ; 
he meant to expiate his crimes in some 
sort, in the History of his Life, which, he 
began; but his notes could not be found 
after his death, 
The garrison of Cayenne consists ge- 
nerally of about five bundred regular 
troops, which, with the militia, who 
form a force of about fifteen hundred 
men, are under the command of the go- 
vernor or commissioner, who has the 
chief military, as well as civil command. 
The present commissioner is the cele- 
brated General Victor Hugues, who 
commanded at Guadaloupe during the 
revolution, and who is well known in the 
New World. A sketch of his life may 
not be unéntertaining. 
Victor Hugues, born at Marseilles, in 
France, is about the middle age and 
size, rather inelining to be lusty; his 
whole appearance is so expressive, that 
his most intimate and best friends dare 
not accost him without fear; his 
heavy ordinary countenance expresses 
the feelings of his soul; his round head is 
covered with short thick black hair, which 
stands in all directions, like the serpents 
of Eumenides; in passion, which is his 
habitual fever, his large thick lips, the 
seat of ill-humour, make you not wish 
that he should open them to speak; 
his forehead, covered with wrinkles, raises 
or lowers his heavy eye-brows upon his 
large, hollow biack eyes.—His character 
is an incomprehensible mixture of good 
and evil, Heis braye, but a lar to ex- 
cess; cruel, yet feeling; politic, incon- 
Bistent, and indiscreet; rash, but pusil- 
Janimous; despotic and cringing ; ambi- 
tious and cratty, soinetimes loyal: luis 
Account of Cayenne, in South America, Ke. 
13 
heart brings no one affection to maturity 5 
he carries every thing to an excess; al- 
though objects strike upon’ his soul hike 
lightning, yet they leave a strong marked, 
terrible impression: he recognises merit, 
even at the very moment when he ope 
presses it; he destroys a feeble enemy 5 
he respects, nay, fears, a courageous ad- 
versary, even though he triumphs over 
him: vengeance has made him many ene- 
mies; he easily foresees, and provides for, 
emergencies; ambition, avarice, the 
thirst of power, tarnish his virtues, in- 
fluence all his thoughts, and identify 
themselves with his very existence: he 
loves nothing, wishes for nothing, toils 
for nothing, but gold; he sets so high a 
value on this metal, though he already 
has abundance, that he would wish the 
very air he breathes, the nourishment he 
takes, and the friends who visit him, 
were all composed of gold: the small 
portions he has scattered at Cayenne, are 
like the acts of generosity of the Parnai, 
or of Mithridates, scatterring gold upon 
the plains of Cisica, to dazzle and re- 
tard the conqueror. These great and va= 
rying passions are sustained by an inde- 
fatigable ardour; a never-ceasing acti- 
vity; by enlightened views ; and means 
always certain, whatsoever they may be, 
_ Neither guilt nor virtue hinder him from _ 
employing both one and the other to 
serve his purpose, though he well knows 
the difference between them. Ever feare 
ful of delay, he always lays hold of the 
first favourable means which offers: he 
appears to honour atheism, which, how= 
ever, he only professes outwardly.’ 
He has a strong, sound, judgment; a 
most retentive memory; he is a good 
practical seaman ; a severe administra- 
tor ; an equitable and enlightened judge, 
when he only listens to his conscience 
and his understanding; an excellent man 
in any crisis of danger and of difficulty, 
when ne great management is required. 
Although the inhabitants of Guadaloupe 
and Rochefontain reproach him with 
abuses of power, and revolutionary ex- 
cesses, which decency and humanity 
shudder at, yet the English (and I have 
been a witness to it) give the highest cree 
dit to his tactics and his bravery. 
From acabin-boy Hugues became a 
pilot, and afterwards a baker at St. Doe 
mingo. At the first jusurrection of that 
colony he went over to France, and was 
elected a member of the Popular Society, 
and of the Revolutionary Tribunal, at 
Rochefort; got himself to be appointed 
agent to Guadaloupe ; re-teok that lang 
rom 
