them by France, and were about to return under the dominion of that country. We' have it in our power to state that this ru mour is wholly unfounded, and that no such intention has been entertained for a single moment by either of the rival chiefs. The last arrivals from Hayti have brought us, among other interesting documents which fully prove the determined resistance that will be made to any attempt France may meditate on their freedom and independence, a Manifesto of King Henry (Christophe) published on the 2d of October, which will not fail to astonish those who have continued to consider the Haytians as mere barbarians. The object of it is, to assert before the grand tribunal of natious, the right of Hayti to its independence; and we think that no reflecting man who reads it, can ho nestly resist the claim. The Manifesto is as fullows: "Sovereign of a nation too long oppressed, which has suffered the most cruel persecations, and which by its energy, constancy, courage, and valour, has succeeded in effect ing its liberty and independence; our only end, our unceasing anxiety, has been, to give to it a rank among civilised states, by consecrating our labours to the happiness of a good, brave, and generous people, which has entrusted to us the care of its destinies. "It is under favourable circumstances in which liberal and dignified ideas appear to predominate over those disastrous times when mankind groaned beneath the most horrible tyranny, and under which we behold the Sovereigns of Europe solely engaged at present in rendering their people happy, that we deem it our duty to raise our voice, and to justify, at the tribunal of nations, the legitimacy of our inde pendence. A simple relation of facts, a plain narra tive of the events which have produced our independence, will be sufficient to demonstrate by the most satisfactory evidence to the whole world our rights, and the justice of our cause. ***We shall not attempt to depict the de- A history of the horrors of the colonial our history, which will transmit them to poss terity. “It is our earnest wish to pass over these times of opprobriam and iniquity, and arrive at the era when general liberty was proclain ed by the agents of the French Government, and sanctioned by France herself, during several years of connection, of communica tion, and of mutual and uninterrupted correspondence between the Governments of the two countries. "We were worthy of liberty, from our fidelity and attachment to the mother country; we have proved our gratitude to her, when reduced to our own resources, inflexible to menaces, inaccessible to seduction, deaf to proposition, we braved misery, famine, and all kinds of privations, and finally triumphed over both her external and internal enemies. We were then far from fore 4 seeing, that twelve years afterwards, as a reward for so much perseverance, so many sacrifices, and so much blood, France would wish to deprive us, in the most barbarous manner, of the most precious of all possessions-liberty. Under the administration of the Go vernor-General, Toussaint Louverture, Hayti arose from its ashes, and every thing scemed to promise a happy futurity. The arrival of General Hedonville changed the appearance of things, and gave a death-blow to public tranquillity. We shall not enter into a detail of his intrigues with the Haytian General Rigaud, whom he persuaded to revolt against his legitimate chief, We shall merely notice, that before this agent departed, be disturbed every thing, by throwing amongst us the brands of discord, and it was only after the flowing of torrents of blood, that public tranquillity was re-established. Always occupied in the restoration of peace, Toussaint Louverture, by his paternal admi nistration, had recalled the reign of the laws, of morality, of piety, of learning, of industry. Agriculture and commerce flourished. system, by those who have themselves been its victims, is indeed a desideratum. It has not been sufficiently attended to, in considering the case of the Haytians, that they were put in possession of their liberty by a law of the French Legislature, solemnly passed and formally promulgated. They are, therefore, constitutionally free, and the projects of the West-Indian party to reduce them to slavery are as contrary to law, as to justice. Fortunately, however, for the Haytians, the question of their freedom does not now depend on French special plead ug. "He patronized the white colonists, par ticularly the planters; liis solicitude, nay, his preference, had been carried to such a height, that he was loudly blamed for being more attached to them than to his countrymen. This reproach was not without some foundation; for some months before the arrival of the French, he sacrificed his own nephew, Gen. Moyse, because he had not observed his orders for the protection of the colonists. This act of the Governor, and the great confidence he placed in the French Government, were the principal causes of the public reception the French experienced at Hayti. Indeed, so strong was his opufidence in that Government, that he had dismissed the greater part of the troops of the line. "Such was the situation of affairs whilst the peace of Amiens was negociating. It was scarcely concluded when a powerful ariny landed on our coast, which surprised us in a moment of perfect security, and plunged us into an abyss of misfortunes. Posterity will scarcely believe, that in a philanthropic and enlightened age, so abominable an enterprise took place. From the bosom of an enlightened nation, a swarm of barbarians went forth, to destroy and load with fetters a whole civilized and unoffend ing people. "It was not enough to use force; but, the better to insure the success of the expedition, it was necessary to use perfidious and shameful means. It was necessary to sow división ainoagst us, in order to cause a division favourable to their objects. They neglected nothing to attain this execrable end. The chiefs of different colours, who were in France, even the sons of the Governor, Toussaint Louverture, were brought over in the expedition--even they were deceived, like us, by that masterpiece of perfidy, the Proclamation of the First Consul, in which he said You are all equal and free before Gol and the Republic. This was his declaration, while the instructions given to General Leclerc positively enjoined the imposition of slavery. It was not enough to take men as witnesses of his perjury, but the Deity must also be insulted by horrible blasphemy... it was merely because the hostile ranner in 19 which they were summoned to surrender had obliged them to consult only their duty. their honour, and the circumstances in which... they were placed." [To prove these asser¬ tions, reference is made to some official docu. ments which are annexed to the Manifesto.... "After a resistance of some months, the Governor yielded to the pressing entreaties and to the formal protestations of General Leclerc, that perfect liberty should be main~~tained, and that France would never destroy her noblest work. On this basis, the peace was negociated with the French, and Governor Toussaint, having laid down his anthor a rity, quietly retired to the retreat he badchosen.. "The greater part of the people, deceived by these fallacious promises, and long ac customed to consider themselves French, sphmitted without resistances The Governor so little expected to have an enely to up pose, that he had not even given any orders to his generals in case of an attack. On the appearance of the French squadron in the east of the island, if any generals did resist "The French had scarcely extended their dominion over the whole island, more bycunning and persuasion than by force of arms, when they began to put in sexecu tion their horrible system of slavery and destruction. The better to accomplish theirs plans, a correspondence was fabricated by% Machiavelie and mercenary scribes designs. were attributed to Toussaint which he had Deves thought of. While quietly reposing in his habitation of Pongandin, under the protection of solemn treaties, he was loaded with chains, conveyed to France with his family in a vessel called the Hero and n'r Europe knows how he terminated his unhap*> py career, amidst the tortures and horrors of the dungeon of Chateau de Joux, în FrancheCompte. Such was the recompetise reserved. for his attachment to France, and for the eminent services which he had rendered her and the colonists. "From this moment the signal for attests was given throughout the island. All those who had displayed strength of mind, or su- ́ perior talents, at the period when we claim=" ed the rights of man, were the first seized upon. Even the traitors who liad aided the French armies by guiding their vans guards, and pointing out their fellow-citizeni to their vengeance, were not spared. At first it was attempted to sell them infor reign colonies; but this not having suecsed. ed, the French resolved to carry them is France, where oppressive labour, the galleys, fetters, and dungeons awaited them. Thea the Colonists, whose member had progres sively increased, thinking their empire al ready established, ceased to dissemblé, openly declared that slavery was re-established, and acted conformably with their declaration. These shameless men desired, that those should again submit to the yoke of slavery, who had distinguished thens selves and been useful to their country both in civil and military capacities that virtuous and honourable magistrates; that warriors covered with wounds, whose blood bad been spilled in the cause of France and of liberty, should be degraded by again becoming slaves! to engage the French cabinets ima news enf "Nevertheless, the greater, part of then? people began to take up arms; to preserves e life and liberty. This first movement alart:TR "Thas these Colonists, who had but just obtained possession of their estates, whose empire was held together by a thread, already: decided which should be the first victims of their vengeance. Then arrived the infamous decree of Buonaparte, which confirmed the re-establishment of our slavery and, the better to insult oar misery, he employed to wards us the same system of delusion which he usually made use of towards the people of Europe. This decree was brought by a traitor called. Hercule, a black officer, who was the creature of Buonaparte. The proud. and liberticide faction of the Colonists and scilers of human flesh, which, since the Re-ed the French, and appeared serious enough?” volution, has annoyed every succeeding to General Leclerc, to require the convocagovernment of France with plans, projects, tion of an Extraordinary Assembly of the and atrocious and extravagant memorials, Colonists, in order to adopt measures. They tending to our destruction-this faction, tor- best adapted to restore a better state of e ruented by the recollection of the despotism affairs; but these Colonists, far from relaxe which it exercised in Hayti, agitated by a ing their atrocious principles in consequétice? crowd of contending passions, employed all of, imperious circumstances, unanimously possible means to seize again on the prey answered in these words- No slavery, no which had escaped from it, Under the reign colony, ! of the Constituent Assembly, it supported independence; under that of the Jacobins, sided with the Terrorists; when Buonaparte governed, it was violently Buonapartist; and ia shert, it put on the mask of all parties to render them favourable. It was thus that it persuaded Buonaparte to undertake the anjust, expedition against Hayti. It was the same faction which, after persuading him into that measure, furnished him with pecuniary, resources, by subscription lists, which were opened at this period. It was, this faction, in a word, which caused the blood of our countrymen to flow so abun dantly which instigated the unheard-of, punishments, which we have felt, and which could have been invented only by Colonists, hardened in, and habituated to, all sorts of crimes. It is to the Colonists that France owes the loss of a numerous army, which perished on the plains and mountains of Hasti: to them is attributable that shame. ful enterprise which bas imprinted an indes 1 lible stain on the French name.. : ཟླས་། «« We are persuaded, after the cruel.ex perience we have had of the spirit which animates these Colonists and traffickers in human flesh, and their vile supporters, that they will employ all their accustomed means "As members of this Council, in vain we raised our voice to provent the courpletion of the ruin of our country-in vain we trade representations on the injustice of imposing slavery on freemen-in vain, from out know ledge of the spirit and love of liberty whicho?! animated our countrymen, we asserted than it was the only means of detachingTMTM this® country for ever from France. All was ose less. Convinced, then, that no^ Mealis "of conciliation existed, and that it was necesa sary to choose between slavery and an, fiö="{ nourable death, we gave information of the state of things to our fellow.citizens who had their eyes fixed upon us; and we all unanimously took up arrus, resufved to die? or to expel for ever the tyrants fromiroar?" soil. As to General Leclerc, who had sal-" ready announced the submission of thé: island, and had even received leiters of con-1 gratulation, on the supposed conquest'of Hayti, item the maritime towns of Franice, where the principal followers of the Slave Trade resided," ashamed of shaving held out illusory kopes, veredat not harying been able to consummate, this detestable enterprize, fearing the approuch of a terrible war, despair shortened his days, and hurried hun to his glong po 37 "Among other crimes which distinguished the administration of Leclerc, that practised against the Haytian General Maurepas will excite the indignation of any heart susceptible of pity. Maurepas, of gentle manners, honest and respected by his countrymen, who was one of the first to join the French, and who had rendered them the most signal services, was suddenly carried away to Port de Paix, and put on board the Ad. miral's ship in the road of the Cape, where, after having been fastened to the mast, two old epaulets were nailed in derision upon his shoulders, and an old general's hat put upon his head, with nails, such as are used in the building of ships. In this frightful situation, after having satiated the savage joy of those cannibals, he was precipitated with his wife and children into the waves. Such was the punishment of this virtuous and unfortunate soldier! "To the government of Leclerc succeeded that of Rochambeau. This monster, the agent of Buonaparte, was polluted by every species of crime; he spared neither sex, in fancy, nor old age; he surpassed in cruelty the most refined villains in ancient or modern times; the gibbet was raised every where, the drowning and burning machines, and all kinds of punishments were put in practice by his orders. He invented a kind of machine where victims of both sexes, heaped one upon another, were suffocated by the vapour of sulphur. In his senseless rage, he went to the expense of bringing a pack of bloodhounds from Cuba to this island; they were brought by a Frenchman named Noailles, of an illustrious family, who, during the Revolution, was the first who betrayed his hene factors; and thus was the human race given up to be devoured by these blood-hounds, which partook of all the horrible propensities of their masters. What then was our crime? What had we done to deserve such a proscription? Is this African origin, then, to be a cause of eternal opprobrium to us? Is the colour of our skin to be for ever the seal of our reprobation? "In the space of one and twenty months, daring which the French remained in our jaland, more than 16,000 of our countrymen perished by the tortures just described. The barbarities committed upon the Haytians by these modern conquerors exceeded the crimes of Pizarro, of Cortez, or Budavilla, the first devastators of the new world After all their efforts, we have effected the expulsion of these oppressors of our territory. "To secure us for ever against the return of such barbarities and unheard-of crimes, AT well as against perfidy and injustice, we resolved for ever to rid ourselves of every kind. of foreign dominion; and accordingly on the 1st of January, 1804, in a General Assembly of the Representatives of the Nation the Independence of Hayti was solemnly proclaimed; and we took an oath to die free and independent, and never submit to any foreign power. "Like other people, our first years were checquered with errors and troubles › ́like them, we partook of the vicissitudes inseparable from revolutions. On our advancement to the throne, our first care was, to raise the name and dignity of the Haytian People, convinced that good faith, frankness, and probity in all transactions, respect for property and the rights of men, could alone effect this object. Convinced that the laws constitute the happiness of men united in society, our first object was to form a code of laws conformable to our usages, our clie mate, and our manners. After a laborious attention, and with the assistance, of the Almighty, we have been enabled to put ahe finishing stroke, to this basis of our social edifice. We have constantly encouraged agriculture and commerce, which are the channels of public prosperity. Abundant harvests have been the result of the labour and efforts of our cultivators, Great quan tities of products have been carried away from our ports since we proclaimed our independence; and particularly during the years 18)2, 1813, and 1814, by foreign nations, which have carried on a lucrative commerce with us. "Solicitous to adopt every means for reviving our internal prosperity, at all times attentively observing the events that passed in Europe during the bloody straggle aup ported there, we never for a single instant. lost sight of our military system of defence. In that attitude we expected that Buos naparte, the enemy of the world, would az tack us, either by force of arms or by per fidy, his accustomed means. We have not. forgot that after the peace of Amiens, his Toussaint and the transactions under Leclerc and Rochambeau, with those which have ap peared in the Crisis of the Sugar Colonies, the Opportunity, and the Life of Toussaint Louverture. The light which is thus thrown on the historical accuracy of these works must be gratifying to their author. Grills off enshots #1 1817 & neogran a powe u gunizlideres to jayeng boa first object was to enter on that famous expedition for our extermination. But the God of Armies, who raises and overturns thrones according to his will, did not, in his "justice, consent that this 'oppres sor of nations should accomplish his horrible design. We hope that his fall will give repose to the world,-we hope that the return of those liberal and reanimating senti ments which influence the European Pow ers, will induce them to acknowledge the independence of a people who require only the enjoyment of peace and commerce, the object of all civilised nations. "It will be in vain to attempt again, by means of force or seduction, to reduce us under a foreign dominion. The absurd maxim of deceiving men in order to govern them, is no longer dangerous to us. Taught , by experience, we have acquired the aid ..of truth, of reason, and of force. We shall no longer be the victims of credulity; we cannot forget that attempts have already been made to take away our liberty. The painful recollection of the horrible punishments which precipitated into the grave our fathers, our mothers, and children, will never be effaced from our minds, "We can never again he deceived: we know the perverseness of our enemies: wè have before our eyes the projects of those men named Malouet, Barri de Saint Ve nant, Pages, Brulley, and other Colonists. The political religion of those traffickers in humari flesh-of those counsellors of misfortanes is well known to us:-it is slavery and destruction. We are not ignorant of the criniiual plots, the shameful measures of those apostles of criminality and falsehood: they are even inore distinguished by their writings, than by the tortures they inflicted on us. We call upon all the sovereigns of the world-we call upon the brave and loyal British Nation, which was the first in its angust senate to proclaim the abolition of the infamous trade in Blacks; and which, making a noble use of the ascendancy of victory, notified its resolution to the other states with which it concluded treaties: we call upon all philanthropists, upon all men, "and" upon the whole world, and ask what speople, after twenty-five years of conflicts and after having conquered their liberty and Their independence, would consent to lay "down their arms for the purpose of again *becoming g the sport and the victims of their cruel oppressors? The last of the Haytians will yield up his last sigl sooner than re nounce his independence. "We will not do any power the injustice of supposing that it entertains the chimegical project of establishing its sway in Hayti by force of arms. The power that would undertake such an enterprize, would have to marchi for a long time over ruin aud dead bodies; and after having wasted all its means, if it could attain its object, what advantage would it derive from the loss of so much blood and treasure. It is not presumptuous to suppose that his Majesty Louis XVIII., following the impulse of that phis lanthropic spirit that reigns in his family, after the example of his unfortunate brother Louis XV1., in his political conduct towards the United States of America, will imitate that monarch in acknowledging the independence of Hayti. This would not only be an act of justice, but a reparation of the evils which we have suffered from the French Government. "It is in vain that our calumniators shall dare again to allege that we should not be considered as a people aspiring to indepen dence, and collectively employed in the means of attaining it *. This absurd assertion, îns vented by perfidy, wickedness, and the sordid interests of slave traders, déserves the profoundest contempt and indignation of men of property in all countries. This assertion has been sufficiently falsified during eleven years of independence, and its happy results. Free in point of right, and inde pendent in fact, we will never renounce these blessings; we will never consent to behold the destruction of that edifice which we have cemented with our blood, until we are buried under its ruins. "We offer to commercial powers, who shall enter into relations with us, our friendship-security to their property, and our royal protection to their peaceable subjects, who shall come to our country withi the intention of carrying on their commer cial affairs, and who shall conform to our laws and usages. "The king of a free people, a soldier by habit, we fear no war or enemy. We have already signified our determination not to interfere in any way in the internal government of our neighbours, we wish to enjoy peace and tranquillity among ourselves, and to exert the same prerogatives which other people have, of making laws for themselves, If, after the free exposition of our senti. ments, and the justice of our cause, any power should, contrary to the laws of nas tions, place a hostile foot in our territory, then, our first duty will be to repel such an act of aggression by every means in our power. We solemnly declare that we will never See Malouet's Memoirs respecting St. Domingo." |