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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..58bfa9b --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #53418 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53418) diff --git a/old/53418-0.txt b/old/53418-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index cdc692d..0000000 --- a/old/53418-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4350 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of A summer on the borders of the Caribbean -sea., by J. Dennis. Harris - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: A summer on the borders of the Caribbean sea. - -Author: J. Dennis. Harris - -Release Date: October 31, 2016 [EBook #53418] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SUMMER ON THE BORDERS *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - - - - A SUMMER - ON - THE BORDERS - OF - THE CARIBBEAN SEA. - - BY J. DENNIS HARRIS. - - WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY - GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS. - - NEW YORK: - A. B. BURDICK, PUBLISHER, - No. 145 NASSAU STREET. - 1860. - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1860, by - - J. DENNIS HARRIS, - -In the clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States, - for the Southern District of New York. - - - - -ADVERTISEMENT. - - -Through the columns of leading journals in New York, St. Louis, and -other localities, we have had occasion to acknowledge the fact that the -political views which gave rise to the present volume, though -comparatively new, have generally met the approval of distinguished -statesmen and philanthropists, North and South.[A] - -The following note from the venerable Mr. Giddings indicating the -proposition, is but one of a large number which we have received from -various parts of the country:-- - -_Jefferson, Ohio, July 13, 1859._ - - MY DEAR SIR:--I am heartily in favor of Mr. Blair’s plan of - furnishing territory in Central America for the use of such of our - African brethren as wish to settle in a climate more congenial to - the colored race than any that our government possesses. - - I hope and trust you may be successful in your efforts. - -Very truly, - -J. D. HARRIS, ESQ. J. R. GIDDINGS. - - - - -The subjoined, respecting the work itself, is from Mr. William Cullen -Bryant, by whom, in addition to Mr. George W. Curtis, a portion of these -communications was reviewed:-- - -_Roslyn, Long Island, August 26, 1860._ - - DEAR SIR:--I have looked over with attention the letters you left - with me, and return them herewith. It appears to me it will be very - well to publish them. Of the Spanish part of the island of San - Domingo very little is known--much less than of the French part; - and the information you give of the country and its people is - valuable and interesting. - -I am, Sir, -Respectfully yours, -W. C. BRYANT. - - - -MR. J. D. HARRIS. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - INTRODUCTION.....vii - - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. - - LETTER I. - - From New York to Puerto de Plata--Smoothness of the Voyage--Hayti in - the Distance--The Custom-House Officers--Description of the Standing - Army--Unparalleled Scenic Beauty.....13-19 - - LETTER II. - - Want of Information--One side of a Question--The other side--Causes of - the decline of the Spanish Colony--Subsequent history.....20-30 - - LETTER III. - - Corpus Christi--The Farm of the Fugitive Slave.....31-35 - - LETTER IV. - - First Ride in the Country--Pastorisa Place.....36-41 - - LETTER V. - - Valley of the Isabella--Customs of the People--A Call for - Dinner.....42-50 - - LETTER VI. - - On the way to Porto Cabello--Antille-Americana--Immigration - Ordinance.....51-61 - - LETTER VII. - - Proposed American Settlement--A Picture of Life--Tomb of the Wesleyan - Missionary.....62-67 - - LETTER VIII. - - Summary of Dominican Staples, Exports, and Products.....68-75 - - REPUBLIC OF HAYTI - - HISTORICAL SKETCH. - - LETTER IX. - - State of Affairs previous to 1790.....76-83 - - LETTER X. - - Affairs in France--Case of the Mulattoes--Terrible Death of Ogé and - Chavine.....84-92 - - LETTER XI. - - Tragedy of the Revolution--A Chapter of Horrors (which the delicate - reader may, if he pleases, omit).....93-104 - - LETTER XII. - - Tragedy of the Revolution, continued--Rigaud succeeded by - L’Ouverture--L’Ouverture duped by Le Clerc.....105-115 - - LETTER XIII. - - The War Renewed--“Liberty or Death”--Expulsion of the French--Jean - Jacques Dessalines, First Emperor of Hayti--The Aurora of - Peace--Principal Events up to present date--Geffrard on - Education.....116-127 - - GRAND TURK’S AND CAICOS ISLANDS. - - LETTER XIV. - - An Island of Salt--Honor to the British Queen--Sir Edward Jordan, of - Jamaica--A Story in Parenthesis--The Poetry of Sailing.....128-137 - - BRITISH HONDURAS. - - LETTER XV. - - Off Ruatan--The Sailor’s Love Story--Sovereignty of the Bay - Islands--English _vs._ American View of Central American - Affairs.....138-150 - - CONCLUSIVE SUMMARY. - - LETTER XVI. - - Concise Description of the Spanish Main--Dominicana Reviewed--The - magnificent Bay of Samana--Conclusive Summary.....151-160 - - APPENDIX. - - The Anglo-African Empire--Opinions of distinguished Statesmen and - Philanthropists.....161-179 - - - - - -INTRODUCTION. - - -The free colored American, of whatever shade, sees that his destiny is -linked with slavery. Where his face is a crime he can not hope for -justice. In the country which enslaves his race he can never be an -acknowledged man. That it is his native country does not help him. The -author of this book is an American as much as James Buchanan. He is more -so: for the father of Mr. Buchanan was born in Ireland, and the father -of Mr. Harris was born in North Carolina. But the one becomes president; -the other is officially declared to have no rights which white men are -bound to respect. - -The intelligent colored man, therefore, as he ponders the unhappy -condition of his race among us, perceives that, even if slavery in the -Southern States were to be immediately abolished, his condition would be -only nominally and legally, not actually, equal to that of the whites. -The traditional habit of unquestioned mastery can not be laid aside at -will. Prejudice is not amenable to law. There is a terrible logic in the -slave system. For the proper and safe subjugation of the slave there -must be silence, ignorance, and absolute despotism. But these react upon -the master; and the difficulties and dangers of emancipation, as the -history of Jamaica shows, are found upon the side of the master and not -of the slave. The law might establish a political equality between them, -but the old feeling would survive, and would still exclaim with the San -Domingo planters when the French Assembly freed the mulattoes in 1791, -“We would rather die than share our political rights with a bastard and -degenerate race.” - -The free colored man, wishing to help himself and his race, may choose -one of several methods. If he dare to take the risk, he may try to -recover by force the rights of which force only deprives him. But his -truest friends among the dominant race will assure him that such a -course is mere suicide. In a war of races in this country his own would -be exterminated. Or he may say with Geo. T. Downing, “I feel that I am -working for the people with whom I am identified in oppression, in -securing a business name: I shall strive for my and their elevation, but -it will be by a strict and undivided attention to business.” Or he may -believe with Jefferson, “Nothing is more certainly written in the book -of fate than that these people [the colored] are to be free: nor is it -less certain that the two races equally free can not live in the same -government. Nature, habit, opinion, have drawn indissoluble lines of -distinction between them.” - -This latter opinion is shared by many intelligent public men in this -country, of whom Francis P. Blain Jr., of Missouri, Senator Doolittle, -of Wisconsin, and Senator Bingham, of Michigan, are the most -conspicuous. They believe that the emigration of free colored people, -protected by the United States, into some region of propitious climate -and beyond the taint of prejudice against color, would have the most -important practical influence upon the question of emancipation in this -country, and of the consequent restoration of the colored race to the -respect of the world. - -It is not surprising that a docile and amiable people enslaved by nearly -half the States,--legally excluded from many of the rest, and everywhere -contemned, should believe this, and turn their eyes elsewhere in the -fond faith that any land but their own is friendly. - -The author of this book is of opinion that under the protection of the -United States government a few intelligent and industrious colored -families could colonize some spot within the Gulf of Mexico or upon its -shores, and there live usefully and respected; while gradually an -accurate knowledge of the advantages of such a settlement would be -spread among their friends in the United States, and, as they developed -their capacities for labor and society, not only attract their free -brethren to follow, but enable the well-disposed slaveholders to see an -easy and simple solution of the question which so deeply perplexes them, -“What should we do with the emancipated slaves?” - -But neither Mr. Harris nor his friends, so far as I know, anticipate the -final solution of the practical problem of slavery by emigration. They -do not contemplate any vast exodus of their race; for they know how -slowly even the small results they look for must be achieved, since the -first condition is the protection of the American government. Mr. Harris -thinks that the island of Hayti or San Domingo, in its eastern or -Dominican portion, offers the most promising prospect for such an -experiment; and this little book is the record of his own travel and -observation upon that island and at other points of the Caribbean sea. -It contains a brief and interesting sketch of the insurrection of -Toussaint L’Ouverture, a story which incessantly reminds every -thoughtful man that slavery everywhere, however seemingly secure, is -only a suppressed, not an extinguished, volcano. - -I commend the book heartily as sincere and faithful, quite sure that it -will command attention not only by its intrinsic interest and merit, but -as another silent and eloquent protest against the system which, while -it deprives men of human rights, also denies them intellectual capacity. -I think we may pardon the author that he does not love the government of -his native land. But surely he and all other colored men may -congratulate themselves that the party whose principles will presently -control that government repeats the words of the Declaration of -Independence as its creed of political philosophy. - -GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS. - -NEW YORK, _September 1st, 1860_. - - - - -A SUMMER - -ON THE BORDERS OF - -THE CARIBBEAN SEA. - - - - -LETTER I. - -Dominican Republic. - - FROM NEW YORK TO PUERTO DEL PLATA--SMOOTHNESS OF THE VOYAGE--HAYTI - IN THE DISTANCE--DESCRIPTION OF THE STANDING ARMY--UNPARALLELED - SCENIC BEAUTY. - - “Is John departed, and is Lilburn gone? - Farewell to both, to Lilburn and to John.” - Hudibras. - - -It was a mild, showery morning on the 19th of May, 1860, that the brig -John Butler, on board of which we were, left her dock at New York and -anchored off the Jersey Flats. From this point we enjoyed the -pleasantest and decidedly most satisfactory view of the great commercial -city and its environs. The many white-sailed vessels and finely-painted -steamers plying in and out the North and East rivers, and between the -bright green undulating slopes of Staten and Long islands, presented a -picturesque and animated scene, quite in contrast with the dark walls -and stately steeples of the city which arose beyond. - -More delightfully refreshing nothing could have been. Altogether, the -fine air and characteristic scenes of New York bay amply repaid the -inconvenience of remaining all day in sight of the great metropolis, -without being jostled in its streets or snuffing the peculiar atmosphere -that pervades it. - -On the morning of the 20th we sailed out of the bay, passed Sandy Hook, -and were at sea. The sky was clear, and the ocean calm. Betwixt the -novelty of being at sea for the first time and the dread of that -sickness which all landsmen fear, but know to be inevitable, I was kept -in a state of moderate excitement which effectually annihilated those -sentimental sorrows which one is expected at such times to entertain. -The first vessel we met coming in was the Porto Plata, from this city, -and owned by a German firm on the corner of Broadway and Wall street, -New York. Her cargo, I have since learned, consisted principally of -mahogany and hides. - -Our mornings were passed mostly in studying the Dominican language, -which, as nearly as I can analyze it, is a compound of Spanish, French, -English, Congo, and Caribbean--but, of course, principally Spanish. The -afternoons were spent in fishing, and catching sea-weed, watching the -flying-fish, or in looking simply and silently on the ever-bounding sea, -which was in itself an infinite and unwearying source of irrepressible -delight. A comparatively quiet sameness characterized the voyage. With -bright clouds pencilling the sunset sky, a fresh breeze stiffening the -sails, and the ship gliding smoothly over the buoyant waves, the -sensations were at times exceedingly exhilarating, and even supremely -delicious. But there were no dead calms, no terrific storms. To-day was -the pale blue sky above, and the deep blue ocean rolling everywhere -around; and to-morrow the sky was equally as fine, and the same dark -heaving ocean as boundlessly sublime. Had there been a storm, if only -for description’s sake! - -But the poetry ceased. We were now in the latitude of the regular -trade-winds, with which every man is supposed to be as certainly -familiar as he is with a school-book, or the way to church. Where were -the winds? Wanting--from the south and east when they should have been -from the west, and _vice versa_. As for their reputed regularity, they -were no more regular than a sinner at prayers. Four successive days we -averaged about one mile an hour, and this was in the trade-winds! For -the honor of all concerned, however, I will say (on the point-blank oath -of our captain) that such a thing never occurred before, and, as he -expressed it, “mightn’t be again in a thousand years.” I thought of an -old man who once went travelling, and when he returned he was asked what -he had learned. He said, simply, “I was a fool before, but by travelling -I found it out.” The astounding thunderstorms you hear about in the West -Indies were all gone before we got here; so were the whirlwinds. - -After a sail of twelve days, a long, dim, bluish outline, as of a cloud -four hundred miles in length, stood out above the waves. Soon, with a -glass, could be distinguished the regularly rising tablelands and lovely -green valleys, the dark mountains standing in the background. I was at -once agitated with all the anxieties of hope and fear. We were -approaching the eventful shores of San Domingo, embracing as it does the -Dominican and Haytien republics. But however thrillingly interesting its -past history may have been, the _practical_ question was whether the -present state of affairs here would not be found unsatisfactory, and the -climate hotter and less healthy than was desirable, or whether the -luxuriant indications of opulence and ease I now beheld might not prove -to be more captivating than expected, and the climate even more -delightfully salubrious than I had dared to anticipate. I watched the -lingering sunlight, wrapping the clouds, the mountains, and the sky into -one glowing and refulgent scene, with all the enthusiasm of which my -soul was capable; but the sun went quietly down, and the supper-bell -reminded me of a fresh-caught mackerel. The sun and the land will come -again to-morrow, but the mackerel disappeared forever. - -Morning did come, and with it came the pilot (black). We entered the -“port of silver” (Puerto del Plata). The harbor is a poor one; but if -there be one thing on earth deserving the epithet “sublime,” it is the -surrounding scenery. We anchored, and there awaited the coming of the -custom-house officers. The officers came--some white, some colored--and -with them Mr. Collins, an American gentleman to whom I was addressed. He -received me liberally, invited me to stop with him, promising to show me -around the country, introduce me to the General, (black,) and do a -variety of other things decidedly un-American, but very gentlemanly -indeed. - -It was Saturday afternoon when we went ashore, and it so happened there -was to be a government proclamation. In due time the drum struck up, and -down came the standing army, looking for all the world like a parcel of -ragamuffin boys playing militia. I counted them, and I think there were -four drummers, two fifers, and two lines of soldiers--thirteen in a -line. Some were barefooted, others wore shoes; some of their guns had -bayonets, and others none. The manner in which they bore them compared -with the foregoing suggestions, and so on to the end of this ridiculous -scene. Dominicana has a government--so poets have empires. - -In passing through the streets one is compelled to observe the -non-progressive appearance of everything around him. There lie the -unturned stones, just as they were laid a century ago. The houses are -generally built one story high, with conical-shaped roofs, for no other -reason than that that is the way this generation found them. Mr. -Collins, who is a bachelor, lives in an airy two-story house, with a -charming verandah running its whole length, cool and delicious, and -surrounded by the sweetest fruit-trees outside of Eden. I found myself -perpetually exclaiming, “Oh! what beautiful, bright roses!” what this, -and what that, until I felt shamefully convicted of my own enthusiastic -ignorance. I need not repeat the traveller’s story, for the certainty -of exposure is sure. Look at a wood-cut and say that you have seen -Niagara, but don’t read Harper’s picture-books and suppose you have any -idea of Haytien floral beauty.[B] - -Of course I have not been here long enough to know whether it is a fit -place for a man to live in, or for a number to colonize, and I am well -aware, when the question of politics comes up, it turns on a very -different pivot; but by all that is magnificent, lovely, exquisite, and -delicious in its vegetable productions, I do set it down a perfect -paradise. - - - - -LETTER II. - -Dominican Republic. - - -WANT OF INFORMATION--ONE SIDE OF A QUESTION. - -There is no school-boy but remembers, when tracing the history of -Columbus on his perilous voyage across the sea in search of a new world, -how eagerly he watched each favorable indication of bird or sea-weed, -and ultimately with what rapture he greeted the joyous cry of land; nor -who, looking back through the vista of centuries past, but brings -vividly to mind the landing of Columbus, the simplicity of the natives, -the cupidity of the Spaniards, and their insatiable thirst for gold. But -further than this--further than a knowledge of a few of the most -striking outlines of the earlier history of Hayti, or Hispaniola--there -is generally known little or nothing; little of the vicissitudes and -sanguinary scenes through which the peoples of this island have passed; -nothing of the “easily attainable wealth almost in sight of our great -commercial cities;” nothing of its sanitary districts peculiarly -conducive to longevity. On the contrary, erroneous and exaggerated -notions prevail, that because it is not within a given circle of -isothermal lines it must necessarily be fit for the habitation only of -centipedes, bugbears, land-sharks and lizards. Indeed, it has been well -said there is perhaps no portion of the civilized world of which the -American people are so uninformed; and, in fact, so anomalous and -apparently contradictory to the generally received impression does -everything appear, that I almost despair of these papers being regarded -as other than humorously paradoxical. - -I am standing now on the line of 19° 45´ of north latitude, or but 20° -15´ south of the city of New York, and but 3° of longitude east, a -distance not greater, I think, than by river from St. Louis to New -Orleans, a distance frequently made by steamers within four days, and a -distance which may be travelled over on railroads in the States at the -rate of three times a week! Yet there are many persons who, were you to -speak to them concerning this portion of the American tropics, you would -find, regard it as being somewhere away on the coast of Africa, and the -voyage hither long and tediously disagreeable. It is in reality but a -small pleasure trip. - -This is one side; but the great lesson of the world’s experience is -that there are two sides to every question. - - -THE OTHER SIDE. - -On the other hand, it may well be asked, if this be the Eden of the New -World, why its flowers should be “born to blush unseen,” and its “gems -of purest ray” remain hidden in its hills; or, to speak less -classically, why the country should lie so long a comparative _terra -incognita_, producing generations of indolent men and women, excelling -only in superstition, idleness, and profound stupidity. In the “Silver -Port,” the port in which we entered, vessels get within a quarter of a -mile of land; then lighters take the cargo half the remaining distance, -and from thence ox-carts convey it to the shore, when a comparatively -small outlay of ingenuity, capital, and labor would make it a -respectable harbor. - -The men generally dress--those that dress at all--in cool white linen, -Panama hats, and light gaiter boots. They look nice; but the -red-turbaned, often bare-stockinged, loosely-dressed women are shocking. - - “Know then this truth, (enough for man to know,) - Virtue alone is happiness below.” - -Soon after we arrived, a dark, brown-skinned, and as handsome a looking -man as I ever saw, came on board as watchman. For my particular benefit, -I suppose, the captain inquired if he had a wife; to which he replied, -in broken Spanish, “Two--one is not a plenty.” - -A large portion of the cargo of the vessel in which I came consisted of -lumber for the erection of a storehouse. The same vessel will be -freighted back with timber of a superior quality. Indeed, the shores are -lined with yellow-wood and mahogany; _but it is not sawed_. A gentleman -is reported to have built a house in one of the interior towns which -would have cost in Northern Ohio about $800, at a cost of $25,000. -Inquire why this is so--why this listless inactivity prevails--and you -receive the answer, “Well, waat is the use?” or, as Tennyson has it, -“Vot’s the hods, so long as you’re ’appy.” The “apathy of despair” has -not reached here, but the apathy of stupidity is incurable. - - -CAUSES OF THE DECLINE OF THE SPANISH COLONY. - -I am aware that many persons, among them our finest writers on -“Civilization--Its Dependence on Physical Circumstances,” attribute the -cause of the island’s decline from its ancient splendor, and the -consequent supine indifference of the natives, to the effeminating -influences attending all tropical climates; and, without prejudice, I -believe such would be very greatly the case in a very large portion of -the tropical world; but it is a libel on Hayti and Dominicana. The -country is as healthy as Virginia, and, except in its excessive beauty -and fertility, resembles much the state of North Carolina. “Nobody dies -in Port-au-Platte,” they say; but I should be sorry to find it true. I -trace the cause in the country’s history, as I think the following brief -glance will show, for much of which I am indebted to W. S. Courtney, -Esq., and his essay on “The Gold Fields of St. Domingo.” We will say the -civilized history of the country began with the Spaniards in 1492. The -inhabitants, at the time of its discovery by Columbus, were a -simple-minded, hospitable, and kind-hearted people, the fate -(unparalleled suffering) of whom I have no disposition to record. The -studious reader of American history will shudder at the bare -recollection of the predatory scenes and excessively inhuman and -bewildering iniquities of which they fell the victims, and which, if -perpetrated now in any part of the world, “would send a thrill of horror -to the heart of universal man.” Montgomery, I think it is, expresses -their fate touchingly, and in a nut-shell, thus: - - “Down to the dust the Carib people passed, - Like autumn foliage withering in the blast; - A whole race sunk beneath the oppressor’s rod, - And left a blank among the works of God!” - -The Spanish colonists brought with them, of course, the Spanish -language, customs, laws, and religion, which language, customs, and -religion prevail to this day. They were exceedingly prosperous through a -long series of years. They built palatial residences, cultivated sugar -and tobacco farms, erected prodigious warehouses, established assay -offices, and worked the mines on a grand but unscientific scale. The -mines are supposed to have yielded from twenty-five to thirty millions -of dollars per annum, and the exports of sugar and other productions -showed a corresponding degree of prosperity. - -In about 1630 the island began to decline. The natives had been driven -and tortured to the last degree, and the heroic Spaniards began to look -around for other countries to conquer, other people to enslave. They -discovered Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. The most glowing and captivating -accounts went forth of the incalculable wealth of those countries in -silver and gold, and multitudes abandoned their homes and haciendas and -flocked thitherwards, in the hope of realizing wealth untold. -Plantations and mines that had been producing immense revenues were -abandoned to waste and desolation, and the population of the island was -reduced one half from this one cause alone. Meanwhile, the French had -established themselves on the western part of the island, and the -present Haytien territory was ceded to France in 1773. - -The remaining Spaniards introduced African slaves to supply the place of -natives, and with this labor they were enabled to recover somewhat of -their ancient thrift. Soon after this, the revolt in the French portion -of the island occurred, and many of the Spanish slaves left the -territory to join the standard of their revolutionary brethren. Besides -this, whenever the French royalists drove the revolutionary forces back -into the mountains, and cut off their supplies, the latter entered the -Spanish territory, helped themselves to what they needed, destroyed the -haciendas, carried off cattle and crops, and if they were resisted, as -they sometimes were, they slaughtered the Spaniards as they do hogs in -Cincinnati, Ohio, set the cities on fire, and left behind a grand but -terribly universal ruin. - -The history of San Domingo was never completely written, and if it were, -would never find a reader. But stand here on these shores, with a rising -panorama of half the scenes enacted by these revolting and infuriated -slaves, and there is not a planter in the Southern United States, who, -for all the wealth Peru, Mexico, and St. Domingo could produce, would be -willing to return home and remain there over night. - -Finally, Dessalines, that extraordinary prince of cut-throats, entered -the Spanish territory, slaughtered the French, laid waste the country -for leagues, carried off the remaining slaves, and so bewildered and -astounded the Spanish residents that they gathered up what movable -wealth they could and left the country, “some for Mexico, some for Peru, -while many returned to Spain.” - -Such are the principal and to me satisfactory causes which history -assigns for the decline of the island’s thrift, which had reached an -unparalleled degree of prosperity and an unsurpassed grandeur and -magnificence, with a rapidity unrivalled in the annals of the world. - - -SUBSEQUENT HISTORY. - -For the gratification of your many readers, I will continue this -homœopathic sketch of the island’s history up to the present time. - -In 1821 the Dominican portion (which embraces about three-fifths of the -island, but having, I think, not more than one-fourth of its population) -declared itself independent of the Spanish crown, but was shortly after -subjugated by Boyer, the President of the Haytien Republic. In 1842 a -revolution in Hayti caused Boyer to flee, and Riviere assumed the -presidency. Two years after, the Dominicans overpowered Riviere, and on -the 27th of February, 1844, reëstablished their government, or rather -the present government of Dominicana. The main features of their -constitution are, that each district or canton choose electors, who meet -in preliminary electoral convention, and elect for four years the -President and other administrative officers, and a certain number of -counsellors, who constitute a congress. - -The President, Pedro Santana, is a mixed blood of Spanish and Indian -descent, and is emphatically regarded as a most estimable personage. -Baez, the former President, is said to be of mixed French and African -lineage; in short, there is no difference on account of color. - -In 1849, Solouque, the President of Hayti, contrary to the wish of many -Haytiens, undertook to conquer the Dominicans, and bring them -unwillingly under his despotic sway. He entered the territory with five -thousand men, but was met at Las Carreas, and disastrously defeated by -General Santana, “with an army of but four hundred men under his -command.” This is the truth, or history is a lie. - -For this brilliant achievement Santana received the title of “Libertador -de la Patria,” and seems to be admired, comparatively speaking, after -the manner of our “liberator” and Father of his country. (Bah!) - -But a small portion of the Haytiens, as I have before observed, -sympathized with President Solouque in his abortive attempt to carry out -the “Democratic” policy of territorial expansion. And when General -Geffrard was proclaimed President, it is said the populace demanded -pledges that he would not pursue the policy of his predecessor in this -regard. - -“It is not at all probable that any organized attempts of the Haytiens -to recover possession of the Dominican territory will ever again be -made; so that henceforth there will be no more annoyances of this sort.” -Such are the views and opinions of eminent men, who have given this -subject some attention;[C] but in the opinion of the writer, as is -generally known, the destiny of the island is union;--one in government, -wants, and interest, brought about by the introduction of the English -language, and by other peaceful and benignant means; such language, -wants, and interests to be introduced by the emigration hither of North -Americans,--some white, but principally colored. England, France, and -many other independent nations of the world, have acknowledged and -formed liberal treaties with the weak little Republic, but I hope you do -not suppose the government of the United States could be _guilty_ of -anything that looks like generosity. - -God grant that I may never die in the United States of America! - - - - -LETTER III. - -Dominican Republic. - -CORPUS CHRISTI. - - -Betwixt midnight and daylight this morning I was lying sleeping and -dreaming under the halcyon influences of the lingering land breezes, -when suddenly a harmonious sound of partly brass and partly string -instrumental music rang upon the air. It appeared just as music always -does to any one in a semi-transparent slumber--not quite awake nor yet -asleep--when, as everybody knows, it is sweet as love. One boom from the -cannon, and I stood square on my feet; and, as it is not very remarkable -here to see persons dressed in white, the next moment I was out on the -verandah. - -There went a jolly crowd, promiscuous enough, but apparently as -light-hearted and happy as mortals get to be, and which to a -slant-browed contriving Yankee is a poser. They had thus early begun to -celebrate what is called _Corpus Christi_, which, according to all fair -translation, I should think means Christ’s body. But any thing about it -after that I am entirely unable to say. It would seem to require a good -deal to understand all the Catholic ceremonies. Talk about their being -ignorant! I never expect to learn so much while I live. - -All business houses were closed for the day, and Dominican, French, -American, and other colors were flying from their respective staffs. -Altars were erected in various streets, with numerous candles burning -within, and bedecked with parti-colored flags and flowers. They were -really prettily and tastefully arranged. In short, it was an American -4th of July, except this: to each of these altars marched the throng of -people headed by the priest. The priest said prayers in “Greek.” The -people _understood_, and all knelt down in the street, men, women, and -children, but of course principally women. - - -THE FARM OF THE FUGITIVE SLAVE. - -A party of us went out to see Mr. Smith, a fugitive slave, whose energy -and well-directed enterprise had attracted some attention heretofore. He -is not so fine looking a man as I expected to see. He is under five and -a half feet in height, limps a little, and is altogether but little in -advance, to use a most contemptible Americanism, of his “kind of people” -in the States. He speaks no Spanish, and for that matter very little -English; but he has a will of his own, and a determination to do -something, which gives him an advantage over half a dozen persons who go -to school to lose their common sense. - -Mr. Smith was a slave in South Carolina; was brought by sea to Key West, -and there hired out to work for a Republican government. He and some -other of his fellow-slaves, including his wife, took sail-boat, set -sail, and after suffering almost incredibly from sea-sickness and want -of food, finally reached New Providence, which he had previously learned -to be an English colony. He proceeded to declare his intention to become -a British subject, and went to work; but wages being low, he concluded -to remove to Dominicana and go to farming. He purchased a piece of land -near the town of Porto Plata, and with the assistance of his -“help-mate,” (which in this country means a wife,) soon cleared the land -of its tropical undergrowth, and planted it in corn and potatoes. In -breaking up the ground he used a plow, a startling innovation here, but -which produced most salutary results. A neighbor of his has since bought -one. So great was the yield of Mr. Smith and his wife’s crop that in -little more than a year’s time they have a house and forty acres of land -all paid for, and a new crop worth over five hundred dollars, which will -soon be ready for market. - -This may not seem very remarkable to any one who has never seen a -sand-hill, nor yet been to Canada; but to me it is a miracle. My object -in mentioning this fact, however, is, to state that Mr. Smith also -planted a few seeds of Sea-Island cotton, the product of which has been -sent to New York and pronounced worth 14c. per pound. Now, there are -numbers of colored men recently from the Southern States skilled in, and -some who have made small fortunes by, the cultivation of cotton, at -perhaps not more than eight or nine cents per pound, when, too, it had -to be replanted every year. It produces here without replanting almost -indefinitely, but it is safe to say seven years. - -The query is this: give half a dozen such men as Smith a cotton-gin -($350), send them out here, and would they not accomplish more for the -elevation of the colored race by the successful cultivation of cotton, -in eighteen months, than all the mere talkers in as many years? - -The meanest thing I have been obliged to do, and the greatest sin I -have committed, has been the registering my name as an American citizen. -I presented myself to the United States consul (whose son and clerk, by -the way, is a mulatto). The nice correspondence of Mr. Marcy was -produced, not with any evil intent at all, but just to show what -indefinable definitions there are between colored and black and white -and negroes as American citizens. I should like to find out how a man -_knows_ he is an American citizen! There are members of Congress who can -no more tell this than they can tell who are their fathers. - -As for Mr. Corwin’s talk about enforcing the laws, he may thank Heaven -if he is not yet arrested as a fugitive slave. - - * * * * * - -Since the above was written, I understand the courts of Virginia have -decided that an Octoroon is not a negro. Now, then, if an octoroon is -not a _negro_, is an octoroon a citizen? And if an octoroon is not a -negro, is a quadroon a negro? - - - - -LETTER IV. - -Dominican Republic. - -FIRST RIDE IN THE COUNTRY--PASTORISA PLACE. - - -“A Yankee is known by the shortness of his stirrups;” so they say here, -and I do not know that the criticism is at all too severe. Except Willis -and one or two others, who of the Americans know any thing about riding? -The Dominicans are good on horseback. In fact, it is their boast that -they can ride or march further in two days than Americans want to go in -a week. On the other hand, if “Los Yankees” had this country they would -soon fix it so that a man could go over it all before the Dominicans got -breakfast. Señor Pastorisa, (of the firm of Pastorisa, Collins & Co., -formerly of St. Thomas,) who married a native, is mounted on a -cream-colored horse, (cost $300,) and wears behind him a sword in a -silver-gilt case. Every male person wears a sword of some kind, even -though it prove to be as useless as an old case-knife. It is an old, -superannuated, hundred-years-behind-the-age custom; yet in some -instances serves as their Court of Appeals. No one disturbs you, and you -are expected to be as well behaved; but if not, the difficulty is -generally settled at the sword’s point, and there it ends. How -magnanimous even is this rude mode of settling disputes when compared to -that of the one-sided, blaspheming, defrauding den of thieves called a -court of justice in the States! Coming from a land where men kill each -other without warning, instead of a sword which I would not know how to -use, I buy a pair of holsters for horseman’s pistols, throw them across -the saddle, and am ready. - -Now there may be no pistols in these holsters, of course, but what is -the difference so long as they are supposed to be there? I take it as -one of the grand lessons which the world’s history teaches, that men are -far more afraid of supposed and imaginary dangers than of those they -know to be real. The number of backsliding sinners and snake-story -witnesses are innumerable. - -We were now at the base of the St. Mark’s mountain, which rises just -back of the town of Porto Plata. The so-called road was no road at all. -There were little narrow trenches running between the rocks, fit for -pack-mules, but scarcely wide enough to allow one’s feet to pass. Up -the mountain we came _poco á poco_. While passing these rocks the sun -poured down with an intensity not previously experienced. But I had -never been an alderman, and was not fat enough to melt; indeed, it might -as well have shone on a pine knot. Ere long the sun hid behind a cloud, -the thunder muttered a little, but pretty soon, as if by way of -repentance, there came a restorative shower of tears. (Thank Heaven! the -_nigger_ question vanquished the sun.) Nothing is so calculated to make -a man vain as a mountain shower. You enjoy its ineffable sensations -yourself, while below you behold the poor valley fellows sweating in the -sun. Or it may be they are drowning wet below, and you basking in the -clear sunshine above. Either way, you are bound to rejoice and to look -with contempt on the silly ones who make themselves miserable by -regretting and whining over things that are in themselves unalterable, -and need no change. The wise repine not. - -Over the mountain and beside a stream, with limes scattered plentifully -around, we stop a moment for refreshment. Lemonade is cheap, one would -think; the limes are as free as the water. Had nature furnished the -sweetening as well, we should have had a river of lemonade. - -Here country settlements begin again, called _estancias_, which, if you -will get a blackboard and a piece of chalk, I will explain. Mark off, -say four acres of land, clear it up--let the fruit-trees stand, of -course--enclose it, but plant nothing therein. In the centre of this -piece erect a shanty. This much is called a _conuco_. Now go through the -woods, say a mile and a half, clear up four acres more and plant -tobacco. The next year or two this will be gone to weeds; you then (not -knowing the use of a plow) go another half mile, clear up another piece -and plant a new crop. The old place has gone to wreck, the new place is -in its vigor; but neither is in sight of the house. This together is -called an _estancia_, and I should have said before meant a farm, but it -does not mean a farm in English by a good deal. - -At this point we leave the “road,” and, under full gallop half the -while, take through the wood, guided by a dim path which winds over the -hills and down the dales with as careless an indiscrimination as ever -road was trodden by a prairie herd. L’Ouverture’s feats or Putnam’s -celebrated escape would do to read about, but this was reducing the -thing to practice. - -Five miles’ gallop over a level plain--thirty miles in all--and we have -reached Pastorisa Place: it is a perfect Arcadia. - -During leisure moments I shall probably look back to this day’s ride and -to these enchanting scenes as one of the “gilt letter” chapters of my -life; but at present, after a bath, the rapidity with which fried -plantains, pine-apple syrup, and scorched sweet milk will disappear, -would do a dyspeptic Northerner good to see! - -The property comes by Señora Pastorisa. She is, perhaps, -five-and-twenty. Her eyes are as bright and dark as even Lord Byron -could have wished them to be. Her complexion is that of a clear ripe -orange. The place is extensive, containing say nineteen thousand acres, -in a valley five miles wide, fenced in on either side by a spear of -mountains, with a limpid stream running through the centre. -Mocking-birds enliven every thing; parrots and paroquettes go around in -droves, screaming and squawking like a very nuisance. Back of the house -is a grove appropriated to honey-bees. They swarm on every log. (There -were certainly over one hundred swarms.) Honey is considered of but -little value anywhere in the mountains, and is often wasted in the -streams, the wax only being preserved. This comes of having pack-mules -and goat-paths instead of wagons and wagon-roads. - -Señor Pastorisa had informed me before of his desire to quit the town -and improve his farm. All he needed was men who understood farming on -the American plan. He has a plow, and intends harnessing an ox to-morrow -to try the experiment of plowing. Now, it is clear that to plow the -ground very successfully he will need at least a yoke of oxen--which he -has, all but the yoke. This I would undertake to make, though I never -did such a thing in my life, and always had a horror of an ox-yoke, -anyway; but lo! there are no tools. So Señor Pastorisa needs hands, but -with a very little _a priori_ reasoning it will be seen there are other -things needed quite as much. One is a road. There is a natural outlet to -the valley--there must be. The stream before the door makes towards the -Isabella river. The Isabella empties into the sea, of course. - -I forgot to say Señora Pastorisa is “a little tinged”--the handsomest -woman in the world. - - - - -LETTER V. - -Dominican Republic. - -VALLEY OF THE ISABELLA--CUSTOMS OF THE NATIVES--CHAPTER ON SNAKES--A -CALL FOR DINNER. - - “Know ye the land where the cypress and myrtle - Are emblems of deeds that are done in their clime; - Where the rage of the vulture, the love of the turtle, - Now melt into sorrow, now madden to crime; - Where the flowers ever blossom, the beams ever shine, - And all save the spirit of man is divine?”--BYRON. - - -There had been one or two invigorating showers previous to our ride down -the valley of the Isabella, and so there remained a great deal of -slippery clay along the narrow pathways, which paths lay usually on the -very verge of some mountain slope, embankment, or more exciting -precipice. To have come off with only one or two bones broken, I should -have been perfectly satisfied. - -We forded the river with impunity, crossed and recrossed it again, and -finally came to as level a bottom plain as wheel ever rolled on. The -valley of the Isabella is as handsome as a park. - -The river itself is not so large as Longfellow’s “Beautiful River,” but -it is much more deserving the name. Apropos, every old homestead has its -particular title, such as the “Mocking-Bird,” “Humming-Bird,” -“Crebahunda,” and a variety of others for which there is no adequate -translation. The legends attending them are frequently the most -exquisite. - -Considering, therefore, the remarkable history, exquisite legends, and -extraordinary traditions of the country, I am bound to say, should there -be sufficient emigration in this direction to produce a poet of the -Hiawatha school, I should be sorry for the laurels of Mr. Longfellow. -There are one or two parts of “Hiawatha,” however, for which I hope to -retain a relish. - -The houses and cultivation along our way are in keeping with the -_estancias_ before described. The men are comparatively neat in -appearance, find them where you will. The women are frequently -good-looking, but seldom spirited. The prevailing question seems to be, -How low in the neck can their dresses be worn? and the answer is, Very -low indeed! White Swiss is worn as dress, and when seen on a handsome -woman is like Balm of Gilead to the wounded eye. The wife does not -usually eat at the table with her husband. She sees that his baths are -ready, and at times even that his horse is fed, and at meal-times either -takes her plate on her lap or awaits the second table. This is not from -want of respect on the part of either; it is their stupid custom. Should -“los Americanos” ever run a stage-coach up this valley, and two or three -of these fellows have to climb on top for the sake of giving one lady an -inside seat, they will comprehend somewhat better for whose convenience -the world was made. - -_June 14th._--Señor Pastorisa fell ill to-day, and is now lying in a -hammock. This gives me an opportunity to extol the hammock, which is too -excellent a thing to pass unnoticed. It consists mainly of a net-work of -grass, netted something like a seine, twice the length of a person or -more, and fastened at the ends with cords sufficiently strong to hold -the weight of any one. These cords are tied to the limb of a tree or the -rafters of a house, and there you swing as happy as any baby ever rocked -in a tree-top. It is sufficiently light to be carried in saddle-bag, and -is altogether indispensable. - -The señor’s fever is also my excuse for pencilling down notes more -minutely than I otherwise should. I can, of course, give you a -description of but few things singly. The palm-tree ought to be one. -This remarkable tree grows without a limb, smooth and regular as a -barber-pole, from forty to sixty feet high. At this point it turns -suddenly green, and puts out two or three shoots. Around these grow its -berries, which are used for fattening pork. Each of these shoots -furnishes monthly a rare peel or skin, which is used for covering -houses, for packing tobacco, and for making bath-tubs, trays, and other -articles of household furniture. The body of the tree is used for -weather-boarding. It rives like a lath, the inside being pithy, somewhat -like an elder. Its leaves are twelve feet long, and bend over as -gracefully as an arch. In the centre of the top springs out a single -blade, like the staff of a parasol. This was made (one would think) for -mocking-birds to dance on. The most useful tree in the world, its -usefulness is excelled by its own beauty. - -The valley of the Isabella is a grove of palms. - - * * * * * - -One cannot but remark how preposterous are the snake stories which the -vulgar relate respecting the West Indies and tropics generally. The -world does not contain another thing so brazenly destitute of the least -common sense. In all this rambling through the woods, over the hills, -and along the streams, the most harmful thing I have seen is a -honey-bee--not even a dead garter-snake! - -While on board a vessel off the coast one day, a sailor threw overboard -a hook and line, and in the course of time caught a young shark. It was -as wicked a little thing as I ever saw, and strong as a new-born giant. -The sailor struck it over the head with a stick, when it snapped the -hook and flounced around the vessel. In short, he killed it, and -proceeded to dress it for breakfast. - -“Going to eat a shark?” I inquired. - -“Why not?” - -“Good heavens! I thought they were the worst things in the world.” - -“You eat duck,” said he; “what’s nastier than a duck? Shark’s -clean--swims in a clean sea.” - -I afterwards tasted a piece: it was coarse, and the idea that its mother -might some day eat me, made the thing disgusting; but it learned me a -lesson I shall not very soon forget. An Irishman is afraid to go to -America on account of its frogs; a Frenchman makes a dish of them. One -man eats rats, and another cats. - -Now, to suppose there were no reptiles whatever in the country, or none -peculiar to its bays and inlets, would be simply absurd; and when we -get to the coast, I should be sorry to miss seeing some lazy old -crocodile sunning in the sand. Should it have seven heads, however, I -shall very likely catch it, and send it straight to Barnum; but if not, -why, as Banks would the Union, let the snaky thing slide. - -Your “Allergater in de brake” song may do for the Southern States, with -their rhythmetical-and-stolen-from-the-African-coast slaves; but to -apply it to this country would disgrace the most idiotic “What-is-it” -ever imported. Of naturally wild quadruped animals there is not so much -as a squirrel. Birds are without number. - - * * * * * - -Stanley is himself again! One and a half hours’ ride, two fords of the -river, (rising,) and we are at the mouth of the famous Isabella. The -river is here, but the town of Isabella has passed away forever. The -delta is covered with mahogany timbers; two schooners stand out in the -distance awaiting to transport them to Europe; and with these -exceptions--and with these alone, unless it be the absence of the -Indians--were Columbus to arrive here again to-day, he would not find a -particle more of improvement than was found here over three centuries -and a half ago. A boat load of oarsmen coming down the river, the -captain leading in a song, and all hands joining in the chorus; a splash -is heard on the other side of the water, as if broken by a fish or -clumsy sea-turtle; but except these sounds a death-like stillness -pervades the entire valley. - -To get a better view, you must cross the promontory (the northernmost -point of the island) to where Columbus first landed. From thence you see -the Haytien frontier stretching away in the dim blue distance, and the -scene is enchantment. - -Over the rocks we go, led on by a Spaniard on a little bay mule, that -climbs over the cliffs with an agility creditable even for a mountain -goat. The señor’s horse falters. One misstep, and they both go to -eternity! - -We are on the beach. My zeal to commemorate the landing of Columbus by -gathering a few tiny tinted shells reconciles the señor to sit in the -sun and hold my horse for a minute; but I have no doubt he had rather -see me as expert at gathering peas or picking up potatoes. “Ah! H.,” -says he, “leave off writing books and gathering shells; get married, and -come to farming.” So I will--all but the married. - -But you will want to know what, after all, is the matter with the port. -It is shallow. Vessels of a hundred tons burthen cannot get within as -many rods of a harbor. In fact, the only question is, why a man of -Columbus’ sense ever stopped there at all. It is not worth the pen and -ink it would take to describe it. - - -CALLED AT THE FIRST HOUSE FOR DINNER. - -“Come, let the fatted calf be slain,” was complied with to the very -letter, except that in this instance it happened to be a _goat_. -Nevertheless, it was worth the return of any prodigal son. - -The largest “señorita” had a dress to make up. It was a piece of light -blue delaine, and to her, no doubt, was “superb.” She left off assisting -the old patriarch in dressing the goat, walked to the pitcher, took the -cocoanut dipper, and filled her mouth with water until her cheeks -swelled out like a porpoise’s. She then deliberately spirted it into her -hands; and this was her mode of washing! She then spreads out her -dry-goods, admires them a while, folds them up again, and lays them -aside. - -The four, and even six year old, running about the place, were as -innocent of even a shirt as any son of Adam at his coming into the -world. - -We look out into the open, slab-sided kitchen, and see old and young -sitting around on the dirt floor, enjoying a meal of fresh goat, winter -squash, and plantain stewed together. - -Our dinner is over; we bid these folks good-bye, and pronounce them the -happiest set of miserably contented mortals the sun ever shone upon. Man -needs excitement; he prays for ease. - -We return to Pastorisa Place to spend the Sabbath. Two or three days of -rest, and we start fresh again for Porto Cabello. - -So ends the week--one at least in my life for which it was worth the -trouble to have lived. - - - - -LETTER VI. - -Dominican Republic. - -ON THE WAY TO PORTO CABELLO--ANTILLE-AMERICANA--EMIGRATION ORDINANCE. - - “Here in my arms as happy you shall be, - As halcyon brooding on a winter sea.” - --DRYDEN. - - -When the saffron sunlight lingers on the fleecy edges of these mountain -clouds, there is a singular solemnity and peculiar fascination about -them which can not be likened to any thing earthly. More than any thing -else, the resemblance is that of a dark mourning-gown, lined with white -satin and trimmed with silver tassels. - -This reminds me that the sign of mourning here is somewhat novel. It is -that of a spotless white kerchief worn on the head--a thing rarely seen, -however, for the reason that people in this district rarely die except -from sheer old age. There is near us an old man (black) whose entire -grey hair and bodily appearance indicate his being at least eighty. His -father died only a year ago, and for some time before the aged sire’s -death it is said that fires had to be kindled for him to sleep by, in -order to generate sufficient heat to keep his thin, chilly blood in -circulation. His age was beyond his own knowledge. - -But the great object of life here seems to be that of eating. The first -thing in the morning after leaving your hammock, you are furnished with -a dish of aromatic coffee, strong and excellent as a beverage, and as -little like the ordinary stuff you get at hotels as pure rich cream is -like chalk and water. Bah! think of your dish-water slops, made of -parched peas, and supposed to be West India coffee! Oh! nation of -Barnums and egregious dupes! - -Where circumstances allow it, not an hour in the day passes without -something being brought in to be eaten. “This is an alligator pear--must -be eaten with salt and pepper.” Now it is honey, pine-apple, mango, -orange, banana, and even a joint of sugar-cane--anything to be eating. -You are then expected to eat as hearty a dinner as ought to satisfy a -man for a week. Ride a mile and a half and you are asked if you are not -hungry. You reply, “No, indeed.” Cross the next stream, and “Are you not -thirsty?” is asked. Say “No, indeed” again if you like, and you will be -very lucky not to hear your admirable self inelegantly compared to some -kind of a goat. - -The climate of these mountains seems to be that of perpetual spring, 88° -Fahrenheit being the warmest day we have had so far. I understand, -however, that in September the heat is much more oppressive because -there are more calms, but never so intolerable as in the changeable -latitudes. Sunstroke! You might venture the reputation of half a dozen -“speakers” (a trade which is had in the States for the picking of it up) -that such a thing as sunstroke would not be felt here until the world -has wheeled as many years backward as it has forward. - - * * * * * - -We are trotting along on the way to Porto Cabello. I have given you a -description of these valleys before, but passing a grove of -_rose-apples_ just now, (a fruit highly prized in the West Indies simply -for its flavor, the tree being much like that of a lime, and the fruit -hollow, something like a May-apple, lustrous as an orange, and flavored -precisely as a rose is perfumed,) I could but reflect that if another -Eve were to be placed in an earthly garden I should pray that it might -be somewhere among the hills of New England, for, doubtless, then she -would meet temptation with a masterly resistance; but if placed in such -a garden as might be made in this country,--with all the sins of the -world before her I fear she would be tempted over again a thousand -times. - -Stop a moment on an elevated point of a homestead called “Crebehunda;” -behold the grand valleys stretching away between the mountain chains -until lost in the green-blue sea which the glass shows in the distance. -Dodging under branches, going sometimes head-first through the eternal -verdure which, if possible, grows even more luxuriant, in this way we -ultimately reach Porto Cabello, a place which proves to be, as -previously understood, the grandest point for a port of entry on the -whole northern coast of the island. - -These old Spaniards are all the time saying to me, - -“My son, you never look pert.” - -“Perfectly happy, uncle,” I reply. - -“Look long time away--studying.” - -“Nothing, uncle--only an American.” - -“Only an American? Well, what do they different from other people?” - -“Lay out towns one day, and build them the next; own lands, and improve -them.” - -Now, this is genuine American talk; whether it will be American practice -remains to be seen. - -Porto Cabello is now used to some extent as a point of export; but the -only reason why it is not used more extensively is, that between this -and the valley there is a hill to be crossed, which could be made -respectable as a highway by six sturdy hands in as many days. The -country is ripening for immigration. Mr. James Redpath, a talented -English-American, and a most acute observer, recently traversed a -portion of the Haytien territory, and came to the conclusion that the -entire island was capable of sustaining 20,000,000 people. There is not -upon it probably one million, and of these the greater portion are in -Hayti. The Dominican territory, by far the most extensive and desirable, -does not contain much over one-fourth of a million, all told. - -I say the country is ripening for immigration. The Pike’s Peak fever -will ere long be exhausted. Then there is, probably, no more promising -field for enterprise than this in the entire new world. Most any point -could be made to flourish by the opening of good roads. With Porto -Cabello this is peculiarly so. Santiago is the principal interior town. -It is the proper place for, and was the former capital. It is situated -on the river Yaque, which courses La Vega Real, (the Royal Plains,) and -contains about 12,000 inhabitants. The trade of Porto Plata is kept -alive mainly from this source; but the mountainous road between them, -over which nothing can be transported except by piecemeal on horseback, -has been well-nigh the ruin of them both. Porto Cabello is sixteen miles -west of Porto Plata. It shuns the St. Mark’s mountain, and it is fair to -suppose that, could communication once be established between this and -Santiago, and were there the least facilities here for shipping produce, -the trade of the interior would inevitably flow in this direction. As to -the shipping interest, it was that which first turned our attention -hither; for Porto Plata being an unsafe harbor for the winter, vessels -had been known to make this port for safety. There are nine feet of -water on the shallowest bar, and this once over there are two quiet -bays, in either of which a merchantman could ride without an anchor. - -There will be an American settlement up this valley,--the nucleus where -I now stand, and this their port of entry. Such a settlement would meet -the encouragement of Señor Pastorisa, and, as I have reason to believe, -of the natives generally. They have no labor-saving machines, which is, -beyond all question, what the country most needs. Think of a community -like this getting on without a plow, a cotton-gin, a saw-mill, or -anything of the kind. It is, verily, astounding. There is, of -course--and it is certainly natural enough--a lingering prejudice -against white Americans. This may or may not be overcome; but the -natural question is, Are colored men in America competent to infuse the -spirit of enterprise which the country demands? _Let the common-sense -working-men answer._ My experience with your “leading” -would-be-white-imitating upstarts is conclusive. - -The route--and a cheap one--is from New York to Porto Plata. -Agricultural implements are admitted duty free. I send herewith an -important communication, showing the disposition of the government -towards immigration. It is easy to see that (if carried into effect) it -will mark a new epoch in the country’s history. - -But before this question is taken into the debating rooms--that is, the -pulpits--for discussion, it ought to be understood. If people read -Homer’s poetic descriptions of imaginary scenery, and come here -expecting to find them realized, they will be fully as much disappointed -as they deserve. There are times when the clouds rise slowly over the -mountain height, with a blazing sun at their backs, when the skies glow -with a splendor transcending all conception; yet it is not at all likely -they will see these mountains “go bobbing ’round,” or “nodding,” to -suit the convenience of anybody. Must mountains necessarily rest their -exalted heads against the bosom of the sky, as if holding constant -_tête-à-tête_ communion with the stars? If so, there are no mountains -here--nothing but potatoe-ridges. Nor will they be blindly dazzled by -the excessive resplendence of the sun or moon; nor will the moon make -silver out of anything upon which it may happen to shine. Moonshine is -moonshine, I suppose, the world over. American poets, however, may be -read with impunity. - - “This is the land where the citron scents the gale; - Where dwells the orange in the golden vale; - Where softer zephyrs fan the azure skies; - Where myrtles grow, and prouder laurels rise.” - - -IMMIGRATION ORDINANCE. - -The following is a translated copy of an important official paper -published in San Domingo city, June 9th, and proclaimed in Porto Plata, -June 28, 1860: - -“Antonio Abad Alfare, General of Division, Vice President of the -Republic, and entrusted with the executive power, looking at the -necessity which exists for facilitating the execution of the laws -concerning immigration, defining the manner of making effective the -measures which the government may take for their observance, the council -of Ministers having heard, has come to issue the following ordinance: - -“ART. 1. That there be constituted a Board of Immigration in each -capital of a province, and in the qualified ports of Samana and Puerto -Plata. These shall be composed of four members named by His Excellency, -among those most friendly to the progress of the country, of the -Governor of the provincial capital, or the Commandant-at-Arms in the -communes, who shall be the president of them. Their secretaries shall -also be of said commission. - -“ART. 2. These Boards shall meet at the seat of government in the -provincial capital, and in the communes of Puerto Plata and Samana, at -the Commandant-at-Arms. For their internal ordering and the more ready -fulfilment of that which is assigned them, they shall regulate that -which they have to do according to utility, first submitting it for -approval to the Minister of the Interior. - -“ART. 3. The functions of the Board are: First, to learn the easiest and -cheapest way of bringing immigrants to the country, always communicating -everything to the President through the Minister of the Interior. -Second, to employ all means leading to the result that there shall only -come as immigrants the agricultural class, or those following some -craft, profession, or useful form of labor; to get information of lands -belonging to the nation most suitable for health and fertility; to have -them prepared to furnish to farmers who may not have been able to agree -with private individuals under the terms of their contracts; to assign -them lodgings and sustenance after their arrival, during a period to be -agreed on, and to look after them with all the attention and care which -it shall be possible to display; to supply them with tools and other -articles of use which it may be decided to furnish to them, and with the -first stock of seed-corn for their sowing, taking care that everything -be of the best quality; to take care that those who agree with private -persons shall be under a contract which insures the fulfilment of that -which has been agreed with them; to attend to all things which can give -credit to this department as well within as without the Republic. - -“ART. 4. The Board shall appoint agents for the furnishing of victuals -to those who shall be needy, taking care that in every thing there be -exactness, order, and good faith. - -“ART. 5. All accounts of expenses which may actually be incurred must -be examined and approved by the Board, and submitted to the inspection -of the Minister of the Interior. - -“ART. 6. The office of member of the Board is honorary, and without pay, -and they shall perform their functions two years. Those who perform with -zeal and patriotism their trust, will be entitled to the esteem and -consideration of their fellow-citizens. - -“ART. 7. The present ordinance will be promptly executed by the -Ministers of the Interior, Police, and Agriculture. - -“Given at St. Domingo City, the capital of the Republic, the 4th day of -June, 1860, and the 17th year of independence. - -“A. ALFAU. - -“Countersigned, the Minister Secretary of State, in the departments of -justice and education, charged with those of the interior, police, and -agriculture. - -“JACINTO DE CASTRO.” - - - - -LETTER VII. - -Dominican Republic. - -PROPOSED AMERICAN SETTLEMENT--PICTURE OF LIFE--TOMB OF THE WESLEYAN -MISSIONARY. - - “Thy promises are like Adonis’ garden-- - That one day bloomed, and fruitful were the next.” - --KING HENRY VI. - - -I have scarcely time to inform you of an American settlement really -begun. It is near the sea, not far from Porto Plata, on a large -_commonality_ or tract of land embracing about twelve square miles, (not -twelve miles square,) having a water power running full length. The land -being in common is considered of the first importance, for by this means -a small outlay of capital--say one hundred dollars--secures to the -settler the grazing advantage of the whole tract, where not otherwise in -use. This idea was suggested by an eminent gentleman of St. Louis, and -has been the custom of early settlements in Spanish colonies for -centuries past. It will of course be subdivided whenever desired, each -man taking the part he had originally improved. The principal settlers -are from Massachusetts, one of whom, a Mr. Treadwell, (colored,) designs -establishing a manual-labor school. Another, a Mr. Locke, (white,) who -came out for his health, has actually secured a mill site, erected a -small shanty, and cleared from twelve to twenty acres of land, as -preparatory steps towards building a saw-mill. How happy will be the -effect of such enterprise on a non-progressive people you have probably -anticipated from what I have previously observed. - -The manual-labor school is, without question, the only mode of infusing -a tone of morality in the country, or giving a foothold to the -Protestant religion. This has been tried. About twenty years ago a -society of Wesleyan Methodists established a mission in the town of -Porto Plata. The church still lives, and is, by foreigners, -comparatively well attended; but they have not converted a single -Catholic by preaching from that day to this. The reason is, the -Catholics will not go to hear them. Yet, for the benefits of an -education, about one hundred and fifty children were sent regularly to -school, and there, by the “infidel” teachings of the Wesleyans, they -soon learned to distrust the ceremonies of their mother church. -Unfortunately, about two years since this school was discontinued, and, -having succeeded in weaning the people from positive Catholicism without -yet embracing the Protestant religion, it seems to have left them with a -general belief in every thing, which is, as I take it, the nearest point -to a belief in nothing. - -The country around Porto Plata is owned almost entirely by the Catholic -church, being leased, through the government, at reasonable rates to -such persons as desire to settle thereupon; but by establishing a school -at a distance of seven miles, as above indicated, it would be entirely -free from all such influences. An English missionary is soon to come -over from one of the neighboring islands to give the location his -personal inspection. - -The sea view is divine. Along the shallow edges the rippling waves -appear brightly green--greener than the trees--while beyond this, where -the water deepens, the hue is a pearly purple--purer purple than a -grape. In fact, the earth does not contain a comparison for the tranquil -beauty of this transparent sea. Some hours ago I thought to sketch it -for you, lest it should prove, like so many other things, too fine to -last; but so it continued hour after hour, and until the sun nestled in -its very heart. - -So much for the future settlement. It may be called “Excelsior,” but at -present I will call it “Crebahunda.” - - * * * * * - -This cool morning air nearly chills me. You take a bath and retire to -bed at night with only a thin linen sheet spread over you. In the -morning you are chilled, and resolve to sleep hereafter under more -covering; but, of course, when night comes again you do not need any -more. - -Not a morning, my dear H., do I look upon these fields of living green -but that I think of you and your daily routine of office duties. I take -a seat beneath one of these forbidden-fruit trees while the land breeze -is freighting the valley with perfume, the sun just peeping over the -hills, and the white mists, beautiful as a bridal veil, slowly rising up -the mountain green; now listening to the voice of a favorite mock-bird, -and then to the softer cooings of a mourning-dove. A strange-looking -little hummy perches on the first dead limb before me. Parrots squawk, -and a dozen blackbirds chime one chorus, while other varieties chirp and -trill. The whole scene is Elysian. Then along comes a sparrow-hawk, and -choo-ee! choo-ee! choo-ee! off they all go, helter-skelter. - -Of whom is this a picture? You are toiling away, arranging rude -manuscripts, at times almost discouraged, but still toiling on in your -close, hot rooms--and this for the good of your race. Well, Heaven grant -they may thank you for it, and save you from crying at last, “Choo-ee! -choo-ee!” But, ah!--even worse than that--I am afraid the sparrow-hawks -will catch you! With me, the end of every thing is that of the birds--a -melancholy aggravation. I have been entranced by these morning scenes -but a passing short while, and will soon be compelled to leave them and -take a lonely ride to the coast, thence to depart for a season. I -therefore stuff my saddle-bags with oranges and cinnamon-apples, as I -think this is wiser than weeping. - - * * * * * - -An absence of precisely four weeks, and we are once again in sight of -Porto Plata. “The moon is up, and yet it is not night.” Some kind of a -holiday being at hand, men, women, and children are riding to and fro up -and down the streets on donkeys, mules, and ponies of every description. -The scene is truly picturesque. I could but remark to my friend the -Protestant exhorter, the grandeur of the evening, to which he replied, -“A man that could find fault with this climate would find fault with -Paradise.” I do not believe him, however, for whether the day and night -trips along the coast have been too much for me or not, I have certainly -got the chill-fever. - - * * * * * - -This morning, July 7th, I visited the tomb of the Wesleyan missionary to -whose labors here I have before referred. The following inscription will -furnish the data to such of your readers as are interested in the -history of such missions: - - IN MEMORY - OF THE - REV. WM. TOWER, - WHO WAS BORN AT HORNCASTLE, LINCOLNSHIRE, ENGLAND, ON - THE 12TH FEBRUARY, 1811, AND ENTERED UPON - THE MISSIONARY WORK OF EVANGELIZING - THIS ISLAND IN - 1838. - - HE LABORED ON THIS STATION FOURTEEN YEARS AND A HALF. - HE WAS BELOVED BY ALL WHO KNEW HIM; AND - DIED ON THE 25TH OF AUGUST, - 1853, - UNIVERSALLY REGRETTED. - - - - -LETTER VIII. - -Dominican Republic. - -SUMMARY OF STAPLES, EXPORTS, AND PRODUCTS. - - -“I came across a copy of Rousseau this morning,” said an American -scholar, whom we had met before; and he added, “I should not have been -more surprised had I seen it drop out of the clear sky.” - -There are but very few books in Dominicana of any kind, and no reliable -statistics. The government on the south side of the island appoints -custom-house officers on the north side, allowing them little or nothing -for their services. The consequence is, these officers pay themselves -out of the import duties, and hence few returns are accurately made. - -In the essay on the “Gold Fields of St. Domingo,”[D] to which I have -previously referred, I find the following summary of staples, exports, -and products, which, while it is but little more than the reader will -have already gathered, may serve at least to confirm what has been said: - -“The chief products of the Dominican part of the island are now -mahogany, tobacco, indigo, sugar, hides, bees-wax, cocoa-nuts, oranges, -lemons, some coffee and some fustic, satin and many other kinds of wood; -but the trade in those articles now is not very considerable. There is a -vast quantity of _mahogany_ in the territory, standing in groves on the -mountains and the plains, and scattered over the valleys and along the -rivers and streams. The best mahogany in the West Indies grows on this -island. Some of these groves and trees are truly magnificent, growing -straight and to a great height. The best is now found inland, as it has -been nearly all already stripped off the coasts and cut away from near -the mouths of the principal rivers and around the bays, where it was -more accessible and of easier and cheaper carriage to market. It has -been extensively used for building purposes by the inhabitants of the -cities, more especially by those of the interior, the lumber now used in -the coast cities being carried thither from the States, and exchanged -for mahogany and other products. It is only of late years that the best -mahogany cuts have begun to come to market, as heretofore they were -carried to Europe, where they brought a better price. - -“_Tobacco_ is now one of the principal exports. But little of it, -however, finds its way to this market. There is a large quantity of it -raised by the residents on the Spanish part of the island, particularly -about Santiago, on the Royal Plains, and in the neighborhood of -Maccrere. It is brought down in bales or ceroons on mules to Port -Platte, and shipped on board Dutch bottoms to Holland and the Germanic -states. There is also some cultivated about St. Domingo City and around -the Bay of Samana. But the cultivation and traffic in this commodity -compared with what it might be, were those fertile plains and rich -savannahs settled by an industrious and enterprising people, is scarcely -as a drop to the bucket. There are regions in the territory where -tobacco can be grown equal to the best Havana brands, and, on account of -the fecundity of the soil, with even much less labor. - -“There are still some good _sugar_ plantations in the Dominican -territory, chiefly about St. Domingo City and to the west as far as -Azua, but they are ‘few and far between.’ The best sugar is now produced -in the region about Azua and Manuel, and is of a very superior quality. -The country people cultivate and manufacture, each on his own account, -and, in his small way, pack it in ceroons and carry it down to the coast -on mules. Indeed, the term ‘cultivate’ is not appropriately used in this -connection, as the cane grows up wild and spontaneously from season to -season, and from year to year in many places, and the inhabitants have -nothing whatever to do but cut and grind it in wooden mills and boil day -after day. The writer is not informed that they use the sugar-mills in -use in other sugar-growing countries in their operations. It is easy to -conceive what a source of incalculable wealth the culture of this staple -there would become, if in the hands of a skilful and enterprising -population. - -“The trade in _hides_, compared with other products, is quite important, -which arises from the fact that a majority of the population pursue -grazing for a livelihood, and the rapidity with which stock increases -and the little care required in preserving it. Owing to the heat and -abundant oxygen which the atmosphere contains, the flesh of the beef, -unless properly salted and cured, keeps but a day or two, so that the -inhabitants are obliged to kill almost every other day. This now keeps -up and supplies the traffic. Perhaps three-fifths of the population of -the interior country and towns are now engaged in grazing. - -“Compared also with other staples, the trade in _bees-wax_ is -considerable. The island producing the greatest quantity and variety of -flowering plants, shrubs, and trees, bees exist there in incalculable -and immense swarms. The prairies of the West in June furnish no parallel -to the flowers that perpetually unfold on these mountains, plains, and -valleys. The writer has been informed by a gentleman who recently -visited Dominica [Dominicana], that so strong and rank was the odor from -the flowers in passing over the Royal Plains, that it so jaded his -olfactories as to cause his head to ache, and almost made him sick. The -swarms build in the rocks, in the trees and logs, under the branches, -and even on the ground. Those who pursue this branch of business collect -the deposits in tubs, wash out the honey in the brooks by squeezing the -combs, and afterwards melt the wax into cakes, or run it into vessels -preparatory to carrying it to market. Those engaged in this vocation are -chiefly women. The trade in this article, however, bears no proportion -to its production and abundance. They have recently begun to save some -of the honey, and a small quantity of it has found its way to this -market. The reason why it has not been hitherto saved is owing to the -great cost of vessels to collect it in, as wooden-ware of all kinds has -to be taken there from the States. - -“There are some exports of _cocoa-nuts_, _oranges_, _lemons_, _limes_, -and other fruit, all of which are both cultivated and grow wild in vast -abundance on the island, and are not excelled by any in the Antilles, or -on the Spanish main. The labor necessary to collect them, prepare them -for shipment, and carry them to the ports is not there. From this cause, -indeed, the whole Spanish end of the island languishes in sloth, and its -transcendent wealth goes year after year incontinently to waste. - -“There is some _coffee_, which grows wild in abundance through the -island and on the mountains, and is collected and shipped. After the -abandonment of the coffee plantations, the trees continued to grow thick -on them, and finally spread into the woods and on to the mountains, -where they now grow wild in great quantities. Lacking the proper -culture, its quality is not the best, but the climate and soil is -capable of producing it unexcelled by any in Porto Rico or any of the -West Indies or Brazil. The writer is informed, however, that there are a -few coffee plantations under culture about St. Domingo City. The labor -of cultivating coffee and sugar in Dominica [Dominicana], with all the -modern appliances of civilization, would be absolutely insignificant -compared with the rich returns it would bring the planter. - -“In addition to the staples and exports above-mentioned, the island -produces a vast number of other valuable commodities, among which we may -make notable mention of its lumber and different varieties of valuable -wood other than mahogany. The pitch or yellow pine grows in vast -abundance at the head of the streams and on the mountains, dark and -apparently impenetrable forests of which cover their sides and tops. -This lumber, with very little expenditure of labor and capital, could be -brought down the streams during their rises almost any month in the -year, to the principal cities. When the reader is made acquainted with -the stubborn fact that all the lumber used on the north side of the -island, except the little mahogany that is sawed there and at and about -St. Domingo City, is carried there at great cost from the States, and -sold at a price fabulous to our lumber-dealers here, he will measurably -comprehend the undeveloped resources of Dominica [Dominicana] in that -interest alone. Pine lumber sells at Port Platte for $60 per thousand -feet. It has then to be carried back to Santiago, Moco, and La Vega on -mules, where it sells for $100 per thousand, while those mountains and -the banks of their streams stand thickly clothed with it, in its -majestic and sublime abundance! There is but one saw-mill on the Spanish -end of the island near St. Domingo City, and that not now in operation. -They saw by hand a little mahogany at a cost of 80 cents a cut, ten feet -long; and when an individual wishes to build a house at Santiago, Moco, -La Vega, Cotuy, or any of the interior towns, he has to begin to collect -his lumber a year beforehand!... In consequence of this scarcity and -cost of lumber, those of smaller means build their floors of brick and -flags, and roof their houses with the same material or with the leaf of -the palm-tree. Besides the pine, there is the oak, the fustic and satin -woods, compache, and an indefinite variety of others. Some of the -hardest and most durable vegetable fibre in the world is to be found on -the island.” - -It may appear somewhat strange to the reader that mahogany should be -used for building purposes, but so it is. The art of veneering is but -little known, house furniture consisting generally of solid mahogany. - - - - -LETTER IX. - -Republic of Hayti. - -HISTORICAL SKETCH--GENERAL DESCRIPTION PREVIOUS TO 1790. - - “Think not that prodigies must rule a state-- - That great revulsions spring from something great.” - - -I have given you Dominicana as a garden of poetry and the home of -legendary song. Well, Hayti is a land of historical facts, and the field -of unparalleled glory. Consulting one day with Mr. Redpath, the talented -author of the series of letters to which I have previously referred, he -suggested the impossibility of any one forming even a comparatively -correct opinion respecting affairs in Hayti, without being guided by a -sketch of the country’s previous history. Confessedly, therefore, much -as his letters were appreciated by the readers of the _Tribune_ he had -not done the Haytiens simple justice. Since nothing could be so highly -interesting, be it mine and the _Anglo-African’s_ to undertake what the -_Tribune_ and its correspondent failed to supply. The following -compilation will be taken from Rainsford’s, St. Domingo, and Edwards’ -and Coke’s histories of the West Indies, but principally, and when not -otherwise marked, from Coke. - -There is nothing low or cowardly in the history of Hayti. -Notwithstanding their conquests on the main land, the Spaniards were -wont to regard it as the parent colony and capital of their American -possessions. The buccaneers of Tortuga, however much they may have -suffered or have been feared, can not be said to have ever been really -conquered. In fact, by whomsoever settled, the country has shown one -uninterrupted record of pride and independence. I regard this as an -honor to begin with. - -The history of Hayti begins with the buccaneers, a company of French, -English, and Germans, driven from their homes in the neighboring islands -by the haughty arrogance of the Spaniards, in 1629. These men, collected -on the shores of Tortuga, vowed mutual fidelity and protection to each -other, but eternal vengeance against their persecutors. How well they -kept their word has passed into a proverb. - -In 1665 the court of Versailles, observing a beautiful country of which -some of its subjects had taken an actual though accidental possession, -took the fugitive colony under its protection. It was not difficult for -the French government to see that the island was in value equal to an -empire, and it was therefore determined to enhance its interests with -all possible speed. The first care was to select a governor who should -be equal to the difficult task of humanizing men who had become -barbarians; which important task was committed to D’Ogerton, a gentleman -of Anjou. - -Hitherto not a single female resided in the settlement, to supply which -deficiency was the governor’s first care. With this view he sent -immediately to France, and many women of reputable character were -induced to embark. From this time the prosperity of the colony fairly -begins. - -The personal fame of D’Ogerton drew many who had suffered persecution at -home to flee for safety to an asylum which his lenient measures had -established in Hayti, among whom was one Gobin, a Calvinist, who, upon -his arrival, (1680,) erected a house on the Cape, and prevailed on -others to join him in his retreat. Time added to their numbers, and the -conveniences of the situation justified their choice. As the lands -became cleared and the value of its commodious bay became known, both -inhabitants and shipping resorted to the spot, and raised the town of -Cape François to a degree of elegance, wealth, and commercial importance -which in 1790 scarcely any city in the West Indies could presume to -rival. - -Considered in itself, the situation of the town is not to be commended. -It stands at the foot of a very high mountain which prevents the -inhabitants from enjoying the land breezes, which are not only delicious -but absolutely necessary to health. It also obstructs the rays of the -sun, causing them to be reflected in such a manner as to render the heat -at times almost insupportable. On one side of the town, however, is an -extensive plain, containing, perhaps, without any exception, some of the -finest lands in the world. The air is temperate, though the days and -nights are constantly cool. In short, it is another Eden. “Happy the -mortal who first taught the French to settle on this delicious spot.” - -The situation of Port au Prince, to which place the seat of government -has been transferred, seems to have been unfortunately selected. It is -low and marshy, and the air is impregnated with noxious vapors, -rendering it extremely unwholesome. To this day it is commonly regarded -as the graveyard of American seamen. In 1790 it had also reached an -eminent degree of prosperity, and contained 14,754 inhabitants, of whom -2,754 were white, 4,000 free people of color, and the remainder slaves. -So, also, near Port au Prince is a fertile plain called Cul de Sac. The -mountains surrounding it possess a grateful soil, and are cultivated -even to their summits. The value of such lands is at present from ten to -twenty dollars per acre. - -The town of St. Mark’s, near which the last body of colored emigrants -from America have settled, is somewhat more advantageously situated. It -lies on the northern shore of the bay, on the point of an obtuse angle -formed by the margin of the rocks and waves. Hills encircle it in the -form of a crescent, the points of which unite with the sea, and, while -they afford it shelter, leave it open to the breezes of the ocean, which -become the springs of health. - -The land which the French had brought under cultivation previous to the -revolution was devoted mostly to the cultivation of sugar, coffee, -indigo, and chocolate. It is said that Hayti alone produced as much -sugar at this time as all the British West Indies united. The prodigious -productions of little more than two million acres of land were as -follows: brown sugar, 93,773,300 lbs.; white sugar, 47,516,351 lbs.; -cotton, 7,004,274 lbs.; indigo, 758,628 lbs. But great as this product -may appear, it by no means gives the entire amount, the quantity of -tanned hides, spirits, &c., being equally immense. - -Immorality and irreligion everywhere prevailed, worse even than at -present, if we are to judge from a poem written about that time. The -West Indies would seem to be peculiarly conducive to this species of -iniquity: - - “For piety, that richest, sweetest grant, - Of purest love blest super-lunar plant, - Is here neglected for inferior good, - Torn from the roots, or blasted in the bud. - Soft indolence her downy couch displays, - And lulls her victims in inglorious ease, - While guilty passions to their foul embrace - Seduce the daughters of the swarthy race.” - -This brings us to the consideration of the all-important subject called -in America the “negro question,” but which is, nevertheless, the -immortal question of the rights of man. - -The inhabitants of Hayti consisted of 540,000 souls, and were divided -into three distinct classes--the whites, the slaves, and the mulattoes -and free blacks. The term mulatto comprehended all shades between whites -and negroes. The whites conducted themselves as if born to command, and -the blacks, awed into submission, yielded obedience to their imperious -mandates, while the mulattoes were despised by both parties. - -The freedom they enjoyed was rather nominal than real. On reaching a -state of manhood each became liable to serve in a military -establishment, the office of which was to arrest runaway slaves, protect -travellers on the public roads, and, in short, to “mount a three years’ -guard on the public tranquillity.” To complete their degradation, they -were utterly disqualified from holding any office or place of public -trust. No mulatto durst assume the surname of his father; and to prevent -the revenge which such flagrant and contemptible injustice could hardly -fail to excite, the law had enacted that if a free man of color presumed -to strike a white man, _his right arm should be cut off_. In fact, they -were not much above the condition of the free blacks in the United -States. “On comparing the situation of these two classes of men”--the -slaves and the nominally free--says Coke, “it is difficult to say which -was the most degraded. The social difference was, without doubt, very -great, but in the aggregate must have been about the same.” - -Such was the state of affairs previous to 1790. What they have been -subsequently remains to be seen. The whip of terror never yet made a -friend. It may prevent men from being avowed enemies for a while, but it -usually makes a deeper impression upon the heart than upon the skin. The -heart is nearest the seat of recollection, and will stimulate to revenge -for a long time after the wound has been inflicted, as the reader of the -following pages will abundantly attest. - - “Time the Avenger! unto thee I lift - My hands and eyes and heart, and crave of thee a gift.” - - - - -LETTER X. - -Republic of Hayti. - -AFFAIRS IN FRANCE--THE CASE OF THE MULATTOES--TERRIBLE FATE OF OGÉ AND -CHAVINE. - - -It was towards the close of the year 1788 that the revolutionary spirit -which had been fermenting among the French people from the conclusion of -the American war first manifested itself in the mother country; and -although that extraordinary event convulsed the empire in every part, in -no place was the shock so great as in Hayti. - -The mulattoes, notwithstanding their oppression and degradation, it -should have been observed, were permitted to enjoy property, including -slaves, to any amount, and many of them had actually acquired -considerable estates. By these means the most wealthy had sent their -children to France for education, just as many are now sent to Oberlin, -in which place they supported them in no small degree of grandeur. - -It happened about this time that a considerable number of these -mulattoes were in Paris, among whom was Vincent Ogé. This young man -entered into the political questions relative to the people of color, -which were then violently agitated, and became influenced with a -conflict of passions at the wrongs which he and his degraded countrymen -were apparently destined to endure. His reputed father was a white -planter, of some degree of eminence and respectability, but he had been -dead for years. Ogé was about 30 years of age; his abilities were far -from being contemptible, but they were not equal to his ambition, nor -sufficient to conduct him through that enterprise in which he soon after -engaged. Supported in Paris in a state of affluence, he found no -difficulty in associating with La Fayette, Gregorie, and Brissot, from -whom he learned the prevailing notion of equality, and into the spirit -of which he incautiously entered with all the enthusiasm and ardor -natural to the youthful mind when irritated by unmerited injuries; and -he determined to avenge his wrongs. - -Induced to believe that all the mulattoes of Hayti were actuated by the -same high-minded principle, he sacrificed his fortune, prepared for -hostilities, and sailed to join his brethren in Hayti. - -What was Ogé’s disappointment when, after evading the vigilance of the -police and secretly succeeding in reaching these shores, he found no -party prepared to receive him, or willing to take up arms in their own -defence! It probably might have been said of him also, “_His heart is -seared._” - -About two hundred were at length prevailed upon to rally around his -standard; and with this inadequate force he proceeded to declare his -intentions, and actually dispatched a note to the governor to that -effect. - -In his military arrangements his two brothers were to act under him, -with one Mark Chavine, as lieutenants. Ogé and his brothers were humane -in their dispositions, and averse to the shedding of blood; but with -Chavine the case was totally different. - -Ferocious, sanguinary, and courageous, he began his career with acts of -violence which it was impossible for Ogé to prevent. - -Finally the brothers of Ogé joined Chavine in his petty depredations. -White men were murdered as accident threw them in their way. The -mulattoes, when they could not be induced to join them, were treated -with every species of indignity; and one man in particular, who excused -himself from joining them on account of his family, was murdered, -together with his wife and six children. - -The inhabitants of Cape François, alarmed at these outrages which they -imagined to be committed by a far more formidable body of revolters than -really existed, immediately took measures for their suppression. - -A detachment of regular troops invested the mulatto camp, which, after -making an ineffectual resistance in which many were killed, was entirely -broken up. The whole troop dispersed. Ogé and his officers took refuge -in the Spanish part of the island. The principal part of their -ammunition and military stores immediately fell into the hands of the -victors. - -The triumphs of the whites over the vanquished insurgents were such that -they proceeded from victory to insult. The lower orders especially -discovered such pointed animosity against the mulattoes at large that -they became seriously alarmed for their personal safety, and many -regretted not having joined the now vanquished party. - -Urged by fatal necessity many resorted to arms, so that several camps -were formed in different parts of the colony far more formidable than -that of Ogé. At this time RIGAUD, the mulatto general, makes his -appearance, declaring that no peace would be permanent “until one class -of people had exterminated the other.” - -In the midst of these commotions which presaged an approaching tempest, -PEYNIER, the governor, resigned his office in favor of general -Blanchelande. The first step of the latter was directed towards the -unfortunate Ogé. The demand made on the Spanish governor for his arrest -was peremptory and decisive. Twenty of Ogés followers, including one of -his brothers, were speedily hung; but a severer fate awaited Ogé and -Chavine. They were condemned to be broken alive, and were actually left -to perish in that terrible condition on the wheel. - -Chavine, the hardy lieutenant, met his destiny with that undaunted -firmness which had marked his life. He bore the extremity of his torture -with an invincible resolution, without betraying the least symptom of -fear, and without uttering a groan at his excruciating sufferings. - -With Ogé the case was widely different. When sentence was passed upon -him his fortitude abandoned him altogether. He wept; he solicited mercy -in terms of the most abject humility; but in the end he was hurried to -execution, and left to expire in the most horrid agonies. - -Previous to this the National Assembly in France, which had originally -declared “That all men are born free, and continue free and equal as to -their rights,” had to contradict this in order to pacify the planters, -and to declare it was not their intention to interfere with the local -institutions of the colonies. - -It so happened, however, that with this decree they also transmitted to -the governor a chapter of instructions, one of the articles of which -expressed this sentiment: “That every person of the age of twenty-five -and upwards, possessing property or having resided two years in the -colony and paid taxes, should be permitted to vote in the formation of -the colonial assembly.” It was like the Dred Scott decision of the -United States, for the question immediately arose whether the term -“every person” included the mulattoes. - -It was just at this time that intelligence of the tragical death of Ogé, -who had been previously well known in Paris, reached that city. The -public mind was instantly inflamed against the planters almost to -madness, and for some time those in the city were unable to appear in -public, either to apologize for their brethren or defend themselves. To -keep alive that resentment which had been awakened, a tragedy was -founded on the dying agonies of Ogé, and the theatres of Paris conveyed -the tidings of his exit to all classes of people. - -Brissot and Gregorie, two well-known reformers, availing themselves of -this auspicious moment, brought the case of the mulattoes before the -National Assembly. - -This was early in May, 1791. The eloquence displayed by Gregorie on this -occasion was most marvellous, enforced by such facts as a state of -slavery and degradation rarely fails to produce, and the whole finished -by an affecting recital of the death of Ogé. - -Amid the ardor with which he pleaded the cause of the mulattoes, a few -persons attempted to stem the torrent by predicting the ruin of the -colonies. “_Perish the colonies_,” exclaimed Robespierre in reply, -“rather than sacrifice one iota of our principles.” The sentiment was -reiterated amid the applauses of an enthusiastic Senate, and the -National Assembly, on the 15th day of May, decreed that the people of -color born of free parents should thenceforth have all the rights of -French citizens; that they should have votes in the choice of -representatives, and be eligible to seats both in the parochial and -colonial assemblies. - -The colonial representatives no sooner heard that these decisive steps -were taken than they declared their office useless, and resolved to -decline any further attempts to preserve the colonies. - -The colonists who resided in the mother country heard the decree with -indignation and amazement. But in the island, as soon as it became -known, the planters sunk into a state of torpor, and appeared for a -moment as if petrified into statues. All local feuds between the whites -were immediately suspended, and all animosities swallowed up by what -appeared to them an evil of unparalleled magnitude. The civic oath was -treated with contempt; tumult succeeded subordination; proposals were -made to hoist the British colors; and resolutions crowded on resolutions -to renounce at once all connection with a country that had placed the -rights of the mulattoes on an equal footing with their own. - -The mulattoes, who became criminal from their color, were obliged to -flee in every direction. Their homes afforded them no protection. They -were threatened with shooting in the street; and thus menaced by -destruction, they began to arm in every direction. - -The governor beheld this commotion with palsied solicitude. He foresaw -the evils that must burst upon the colony, without having it in his -power to apply either a preventive or a remedy. - -But a far more awful mine, surcharged with combustibles, and destined to -appall all parties, was at that moment on the very eve of an explosion. - - - - -LETTER XI. - -Republic of Hayti. - -A CHAPTER OF HORRORS (WHICH THE DELICATE READER MAY, IF HE CHOOSES, -OMIT). - - “Out breaks at once the far-resounding cry-- - The standard of revolt is raised on high.” - - -Among the various transactions which had taken place, both in the island -and in France, little or no attention had been paid to the condition of -the slaves. It is true an abolition society had been early established -in Paris, called the “Friends of the Blacks,” (_Amis des noirs_). Their -sufferings had also been used to give energy to a harangue, or to -enforce the necessity of general reformation, but their situation was -passed over by the legislative assemblies as a subject that admitted of -no redress. - -These, sensible of their condition, numbers, and powers, resolved, amid -the general confusion, to assert their freedom and legislate for -themselves. They had learned from the contentions of both their white -and colored masters that violence was necessary to prosperity. Such -measures they adopted; and no sooner adopted than they were carried into -effect. - -It was early on the morning of August 23, 1791, that a confused report -began to circulate through the capital that the negroes were not only in -a state of insurrection, but that they were consuming with fire what the -sword had spared. A report so serious could not fail to spread the -greatest alarm. It was credited by the timid, despised by the fearless, -but was deeply interesting to all. Pretty soon the arrival of a few -half-breathless fugitives confirmed the melancholy news; they had just -escaped from the scene of desolation and carnage, and hastened to the -town to beg protection and to communicate the fatal particulars. From -these white fugitives (the scale had turned) it was learned that the -insurrection was begun by the slaves on a plantation not more than nine -miles from Cape François. - -There, it appeared, in the dead of night, they had assembled together -and massacred every branch of their master’s family that fell in their -way. From thence they proceeded to the next plantation, where they acted -in the same manner, and augmented their number with the slaves whom the -murder of their master had apparently liberated. And so on they went, -from plantation to plantation, recruiting their forces in proportion to -the murders they committed, and extending their desolations as their -numbers increased. - -From the plantation of M. Flaville they carried off the wife and three -daughters, and three daughters of the attorney, after murdering him -before their faces. In many cases the white women were rescued from -death with the most horrid intentions, and were actually compelled to -suffer violation _on the mangled bodies of their dead husbands, friends, -or brothers, to whom they had been clinging for protection_. - -The return of daylight, for which those who had escaped the sword -anxiously waited, to show them the full extent of their danger, was -anticipated by the flames that now began to kindle in every direction. -This was the work of but a single half night. The shrieks of the -inhabitants and the spreading of the conflagration, occasionally -intercepted by columns of smoke which had begun to ascend, formed the -mournful spectacle which appeared through a vast extent of country when -the day began to dawn. - -It was now obvious that the insurrection was general and that the -measures of the revolted slaves had been skilfully preconcerted, on -which account the revolt became more dangerous. The blacks on the -plantation of M. Gallifet had been treated with such remarkable -tenderness that their happiness became proverbial. These, it was -presumed, would retain their fidelity. So M. Odelac, the agent of the -plantation, and member of the General Assembly, determined to visit them -at the head of a few soldiers, and to lead them against the insurgents. -When he got there he found they had not only raised the ensign of -rebellion, but had actually erected for their standard THE BODY OF A -WHITE INFANT, _which they had impaled on a stake_. So much for happy -negroes and contented slaves! Retreat was impossible. M. Odelac himself -was soon surrounded and murdered without mercy, his companions sharing -the same fate--all except two or three, who escaped by instant flight -only to add their tale to the list of woes. - -The governor proceeded immediately to put the towns in a proper state of -defence; and all the inhabitants were, without distinction, called upon -to labor at the fortifications. Messengers were despatched to all the -remotest places, both by sea and land, to which any communication was -open, to apprise the people of their danger, and to give them timely -notice to prepare for the defence. Through the promptitude with which -the whites acted, a chain of posts was instantly established and several -camps were formed. - -But the revolt was now found to be even greater than imagined. The -slaves, as if impelled by one common instinct, seemed to catch the -contagion without any visible communication. Danger became every day -more and more imminent, so much so that an embargo was laid on all the -shipping, to secure the inhabitants a retreat in case of the last -extremity. Among the different camps which had been formed by the whites -were one at Grande Riviere and another at Dondon. Both of these were -attacked by a body of negroes and mulattoes, and a long and bloody -contest ensued. In the end the whites were routed and compelled to take -refuge in the Spanish dominions. Throughout the succeeding night carnage -and conflagration went hand in hand, the latter of which became more -terrible from the glare which it cast on the surrounding darkness. -Nothing remained to counteract the ravages of the insurgents but the -shrieks and tears of the suffering fugitives, and these were usually -permitted to plead in vain. - -The instances of barbarity which followed are too horrible for -description; nor should we be induced to transcribe any portion of them, -were it not that many persons regard such statements as mere assertions -unless accompanied by a record of the unhappy facts. The recital of a -few, however, will set all doubts forever at rest. - -“They seized,” says Edwards, “a Mr. Blenan, an officer of the police, -and, having nailed him alive to one of the gates of his plantation, -chopped off his limbs one by one with an axe.” - -“A poor man named Robert, a carpenter, by endeavoring to conceal himself -from the notice of the rebels, was discovered in his hiding-place, and -the negroes declared that he _should die in the way of his occupation_; -accordingly they laid him between two boards, and deliberately sawed him -asunder.” - -“All the white and even the mulatto children whose fathers had not -joined in the revolt were murdered without exception, frequently before -their eyes, or while clinging to the bosoms of their mothers. Young -women of all ranks were first violated by whole troops of barbarians, -and then, generally, put to death. Some of them, indeed, were reserved -for the gratification of the lust of the leaders, and others had their -eyes scooped out with a knife.” - -“In the parish of Timbe, at a place called the Great Ravine, a -venerable planter, the father of two beautiful young ladies, was tied -down by the savage ringleader of a band, who ravished the eldest -daughter in his presence, and delivered over the youngest to one of his -followers. Their passions being satisfied, they slaughtered both the -father and the daughters.” - -“M. Cardineau, a planter of Grande Riviere, had two natural sons by a -black woman. He had manumitted them in their infancy, and treated them -with great tenderness. They both joined the revolt; and when their -father endeavored to divert them from their purpose by soothing language -and pecuniary offers, they took his money, and then stabbed him to the -heart.” - -Amid the worst of these scenes Mr. Edwards records that solitary and -affecting instance wherein a _soft-hearted_ slave saved the lives of his -master and family by sending them adrift on the river by moonlight.[E] -This is generally admitted to have been the _Washington_ of Hayti, -Toussaint L’Ouverture. - -At this time, also, the mulatto chiefs, actuated by different motives, -not only refused to adopt such horrid measures, but particularly -declared their only intention in taking up arms was to support the -decree of the 15th of May, which had acknowledged their rights, of which -the whites had been endeavoring to deprive them, and proposed to lay -down their arms provided the whites acknowledged them as equals. - -The white inhabitants gladly availed themselves of an overture which, -though it pressed hard on their ambition, afforded a prospect for -deliverance from impending danger. A truce immediately took place, which -they denominated a _concordat_. An act of oblivion was passed on both -sides over all that had passed, the whites admitting in all its force -the decree giving equality to the mulattoes. The sentence passed upon -Ogé and the execution of it the _concordat_ declared to be infamous, and -to be “held in everlasting execration.” So much for Ogé. - -Both parties now appeared to be equally satisfied, and a mutual -confidence took place. Nothing remained but to induce the mulattoes to -join the whites in the reduction of the negroes, now in a most -formidable state of insurrection. To this the mulattoes consented. New -troops were introduced from France. The whites were elated, and perfect -tranquillity stood for a moment on the very tiptoe of anticipation. - -But the great lesson of the revolution was speedily to be learned. The -hurricane of terror which was yet to overcome them was at that moment on -the Atlantic, and hastening with fatal impetuosity towards these -uncertain shores. - - -UNION. - -It was early in the month of September that intelligence reached France -of the reception which the decree of the 15th of May had met with in -Hayti. The tumult and horrid massacres which we have noticed were -represented in their most affecting colors. Consequences more dreadful -were still anticipated. The resolution of the whites never to allow the -operation of the ill-fated decree was represented as immovable; and -serious apprehensions were entertained for the loss of the colony. - -The mercantile towns grew alarmed for the safety of their capitals, and -petitions and remonstrances were poured in upon the National Assembly -from every interested quarter for the repeal of that decree which they -plainly foresaw must involve the colony in all the horrors of civil war, -and increase those heaps of ashes which had already deformed its once -beautiful plains. - -The National Assembly, now on the eve of dissolution, listened with -astonishment to the effects of a decree which, by acknowledging the -rights of the mulattoes, it was expected would cover them with glory. -The tide of popular opinion had begun to ebb; the members of the -Assembly fluctuated in indecision; the friends of the planters seized -each favorable moment to press their point, and actually procured a -repeal of the decree at the same moment that it had become a medium of -peace in Hayti. - -At length the news reached these unhappy shores. The infatuated whites -resolved to support the repeal, which would leave the mulattoes at their -mercy. A sullen silence prevailed among the latter, interrupted at first -by occasional murmurings and execrations, and finally exploding in a -frenzy which produced the most diabolical excesses yet on record. - -Rigaud’s original motto was again revived, and each party seemed to aim -at the extermination of the other. The mulattoes made a desperate -attempt to capture Port au Prince, but the European troops lately -arrived defeated them with considerable loss. They nevertheless set fire -to the city, which lighted up a conflagration in which more than a third -part of it was reduced to ashes. - -Driven from Port au Prince, by the light of those flames which they had -kindled, the mulattoes established themselves at La Croix Bouquets in -considerable force, in which port they maintained themselves with more -than equal address. At last, finding themselves and the revolted slaves -engaged in a common cause, they contrived to unite their forces, and -with this view drew to their body the swarms that resided in Cul de Sac. -Augmented with these undisciplined myriads they risked a general -engagement, in which two thousand blacks were left dead on the field; -about fifty mulattoes were killed, and some taken prisoners. The loss of -the whites was carefully concealed, but is supposed to have been equally -as destructive. - -The furious whites seized a mulatto chief whom they had taken prisoner, -and, to their everlasting infamy, upon him they determined to wreak -their vengeance. They placed him in a cart, driving large spike nails -through his feet into the boards on which they rested to prevent his -escape, and to show their dexterity in torture. In this miserable -condition he was conducted through the streets, and exposed to the -insults of those who mocked his sufferings. He was then liberated from -this partial crucifixion to suffer a new mode of torment. His bones -were then broken in pieces, and finally he was cast alive into the fire, -where he expired. So much for the whites. - -The mulattoes, irritated to madness at the inhumanity with which one of -their leaders had been treated, only awaited an opportunity to avenge -his wrongs. Unfortunately, an opportunity soon occurred. In the -neighborhood of Jerimie, M. Sejourne and his wife were seized. The lady -was materially _enciente_. Her husband was first murdered before her -eyes. They then ripped open her body, took out the infant and _gave it -to the hogs_; after which they cut off her husband’s head and entombed -it in her bowels. “Such were the first displays of vengeance and -retaliation, and such were the scenes that closed the year 1791.” - - “A law there is of ancient fame, - By nature’s self in every land implanted, - _Lex Talionis_ is its latin name; - But if an English term be wanted, - Give our next neighbor but a pat, - He’ll give you back as good and tell you--_tit for tat_!” - - - - -LETTER XII. - -Republic of Hayti. - -TRAGEDY OF THE REVOLUTION CONTINUED--RIGAUD SUCCEEDED BY -TOUSSAINT--TOUSSAINT DUPED BY LE CLERC. - - -We omit, as unnecessary to the thread of this narrative, the contentions -between the French and English, in consequence of the British invasion, -from 1792 to 1798; during which time Rigaud was succeeded by Toussaint -L’Ouverture, whose superior military genius had won for him the -appointment of Commander-in-Chief of the native forces. - -But there is yet another “lesson of the hour” to be gleaned from the -history of this marvellous revolution. Treachery led to the fall of -Toussaint. - -On the 1st day of July, 1801, a Declaration of Independence was made by -Toussaint, in the name of the people. - -The ancient proprietors of plantations, who in the former insurrections -had been compelled to quit the island and seek an asylum in France, soon -found in this act of independence a confirmation of their former -suspicions. They saw that all their valuable possessions must be -inevitably lost, and that forever, unless government could be prevailed -on to send an armed force to crush at once a revolt which had become so -formidable as to assume independence. - -The complicated interests of commerce were instantly alarmed and -awakened to action; powerful parties were formed; a horde of venal -writers started immediately into notice; a change was wrought in the -public sentiment as by the power of magic; and negro emancipation was -treated in just the same manner that negro slavery had been treated -before. Such was the fickleness of the French at that time, and such is -the inconstancy of the human mind in ours. - -Bonaparte, aiming himself at uncontrolled dominion, found it necessary -to bribe all parties with gratifying promises to induce them to favor -his views, and to enable him to introduce such changes in the form of -government as he desired. - -The transitory peace which had taken place in Europe produced at this -time a band of desperate adventurers, who, destitute of employment, were -ready for any enterprise that could afford them an opportunity to -distinguish themselves. Accordingly an expedition of 26,000 men was -fitted out, at the head of which was placed General le Clerc;[F] and -such was the confidence of its success, that he was accompanied by his -wife, (sister to Napoleon,) and her younger brother Jerome Bonaparte. - -But it was not to the fleet and army that Napoleon trusted exclusively -for success. A number of plotting emissaries had been secretly -dispatched to tamper with the unsuspecting blacks, to sow the seeds of -discord between parties, and to shake their confidence in Toussaint. -Even Toussaint’s children had been prepared, by the deceitful caresses -of the First Consul, to assist, by their representation of his conduct -towards them, in the seduction of their father. - -Le Clerc with his detachment of the French squadron, appeared off Cape -François on the 5th day of January, 1802. General Christophe, who, -during the absence of Toussaint, held the command, on perceiving the -approach of the French fleet, immediately dispatched one of his officers -to inform the commander of the squadron of Toussaint’s absence, and to -assure him he could not permit any troops to land until he had heard -from the General-in-Chief. “That in case the direction of the -expedition should persist in the disembarkation of his forces without -permission, he should consider the white inhabitants in his district as -hostages for his conduct, and, in consequence of any attack, the place -attacked would be immediately consigned to the flames.” - -The inhabitants, trembling for their personal safety and the fall of the -city, sent a deputation to assure Le Clerc that what had been threatened -by Christophe would actually be realized should he persist in his -attempt to land his forces. - -Le Clerc, regardless of this destiny, and intent upon the gratification -of his own ambition, proceeded to put on shore his troops, flattering -himself with being able to gain the heights of the Cape before the -blacks should have time to light up their threatened conflagration. - -Christophe instantly perceived this movement, and, steady to his -purpose, ordered his soldiers to defend themselves in their respective -posts to the last extremity, and to sink if possible the ships of the -assailants; but that when their own positions were no longer tenable, to -remove whatever valuables could be preserved, reduce every thing besides -to ashes, and retire. - -Le Clerc did not reach the heights of the Cape until evening, and then -only to behold the flames which Christophe had kindled, and which filled -even the French soldiers with horror. They beheld with unavailing -anguish the stately city in a blaze, the glare of which gilded the -ceiling of heaven with a dismal light. Their expectation of a booty -vanished in an instant, and the only reward which awaited them, they -plainly perceived, was a heap of ashes or a bed of fire. - -It was during these scenes of devastation on the shores that Toussaint -was engaged in rendering the interior as formidable as possible; after -the accomplishing of which he returned towards the ruins of the capital -to discover if possible the real intentions of the French respecting the -island, and to learn if any amicable proposition was to be made, which -should secure to the inhabitants that freedom for which they had taken -up arms. - -In this moment of suspended rapine, Le Clerc resolved to try what effect -a letter addressed personally to Toussaint by Napoleon would have upon -the black commander, who was yet unapprised of its existence, or of the -arrival of his sons from France. A courier was immediately dispatched -with the former, and with intelligence that the latter were with their -mother on his plantation, called Ennerry. - -The wife and children of Toussaint, ignorant of the part they were to -play, entertained, as the author of their happiness, Coison, the -preceptor of their children, who was at that moment plotting their -destruction. - -Toussaint, animated with the feelings of an affectionate parent, -hastened, on the receipt of the letter and intelligence of the arrival -of his children, to fold them in his warm embrace. He reached the -plantation the ensuing night. When his arrival was announced, the mother -shrieked, and instantly became insensible from a delirium of joy. The -children ran to meet their father, and sunk without utterance into his -open arms. When the first burst of joy was over, and the hero turned to -caress him to whom he immediately owed the delight he had experienced, -Coison began his attack. He recapitulated the letters of Bonaparte and -Le Clerc; he invited him to accede to them, and represented the -advantages resulting from his submission in such glowing colors as could -hardly fail to awaken some suspicions. He perfidiously declared that the -armament was not designed to abridge the liberty of the blacks, and -concluded with observing that, unless the proposed conditions were -immediately acceded to his orders were to return the children to the -Cape. - -Toussaint retired for a few moments from the presence of his wife and -children, to weigh the import of their common supplication. His awakened -reason instantly discovered the snare which had been laid to entrap him, -and he therefore indignantly replied: “Take back my children, if it must -be so; I will be faithful to my brethren and my God!”[G] then, mounting -his horse, rode off to the camp, from which place he returned a formal -answer to Le Clerc. - -Unfortunately Le Clerc’s bribery was not so ineffectual in other -quarters. Many of Toussaint’s generals were induced to listen to the -promises of Le Clerc, and - - “To sell for gold what gold could never buy.” - -Among these was an officer named La Plume, who by his treachery threw a -large district into the hands of the French, and also revealed to them -those plans of operation with which Toussaint had entrusted him. - -Such an act on the part of La Plume, in whom Toussaint had placed -unlimited confidence, could not but cause him to distrust those who -remained attached to the common cause; and who, perceiving these -suspicions, grew lax in the obedience which they owed to his commands. - -On the 24th of February a severe battle took place between the French -troops under General Rochambeau, and those under General Toussaint, -consisting of 1,500 grenadiers, 1,200 other chosen soldiers, and 400 -dragoons. The position of the blacks was extremely well chosen, being in -a ravine fortified by nature and protected by works of art. Rochambeau, -availing himself of his local knowledge of the country, which he had -obtained from La Plume, entered the ravine with as much address as -Toussaint could have manifested, avoided the obstacles which had been -thrown in his way, and commenced an attack on the entrenchments of the -blacks. Toussaint was prepared to receive him, and a desperate battle -ensued, in which both skill and courage were alike conspicuous. The day -was extremely bloody, and the field which victory hesitated to bestow on -either party was covered with the bodies of the slain. Both parties at -the close of the day retired from the scene of action to provide rather -for their future safety than to renew a fierce contention for a mere -point of honor. - -Rochambeau hastened with the remains of his division to join the French -troops in the western province, who were unable to withstand the force -of the black General Maurepas. The troops thus collected were put in -action, and the doubtful issue of battle was expected to decide their -fortune. But Le Clerc had recourse to his usual manœuvres, and -Maurepas, seduced with the promise of retaining his rank under the -auspices of Le Clerc, submitted to the French general without a -struggle, and gave his posts into the enemy’s hands. - -Le Clerc, finding he could conquer the blacks much more readily by -winning their confidence than by swords, redoubled his efforts in this -direction. The number of his emissaries was increased; their powers were -enlarged, and they were sent forth as the missionaries of seduction to -induce the unsuspecting inhabitants to put on their chains. Success in -proportion to his professions attended their exertions. Even Christophe -was induced to believe that the late proclamations, in which Le Clerc -promised liberty to all, were sincere. And, finally, Toussaint, willing -to prevent the effusion of blood, gave way to the representations of -Christophe, who immediately entered into correspondence with Le Clerc. - -A truce was formed on the ground of an oblivion of the past, the freedom -of the men in arms, and the preservation of his own rank, that of -Toussaint and Dessalines, and all the officers in connection with them. -This proposition was made by Christophe, and agreed to by Toussaint; but -Dessalines, dreading such an unnatural compromise, submitted only under -protest. The proposals, after some hesitation on the part of Le Clerc, -were accepted. - -Hostilities ceased on the 1st of May. - -Not one month past before Le Clerc seized Toussaint, his family, and -about one hundred of his immediate associates, and placed them as -prisoners on board the vessels then lying in the harbor. Many of the -blacks were ordered to return to their labors under their ancient -masters. - -Toussaint, amazed at such an act of treachery and baseness, inquired the -cause, but could obtain no other reply than that he must instantly -depart. For himself he offered no excuse, declaring that he was ready to -accompany his abductors in obedience to his orders; but as his wife was -feeble and his children helpless, he begged earnestly that they might be -permitted to remain. His expostulations were of course urged in vain. - -Le Clerc, to rid the island for ever of a man whom he both feared and -detested, prepared, soon after the capture of Toussaint, to send him to -Europe, and with him a letter of accusation at once false, criminal, and -malicious. A letter more dishonorable never crossed the Atlantic. Upon -his arrival in France, Toussaint was immediately sent to prison in a -remote province in the interior, and entirely secluded from the society -of men. - -Shut up in melancholy silence, in a dungeon horrid, damp, and cold, his -suffering was not long. The Paris journals of April 27, 1803, say -this--no more and no less: “Toussaint died in prison.” - -As to his wife and children, they remained in close custody at Brest for -about two months after their only friend was torn from them. They were -then removed to the same province in which Toussaint had been -imprisoned, without knowing anything either of his proximity or his -fate. In this place, reduced to distress, they continued neglected and -forgotten, a sad spectacle of fallen greatness. - -Such was the fate of Toussaint L’Ouverture, the _Washington_, but not -“_the Napoleon_,” of Hayti. - - - - -LETTER XIII. - -Republic of Hayti. - - THE WAR RENEWED--“LIBERTY OR DEATH”--EXPULSION OF THE FRENCH--THE - AURORA OF PEACE--JEAN JACQUES DESSALINES, FIRST EMPEROR OF - HAYTI--PRINCIPAL EVENTS UP TO PRESENT DATE--GEFFRARD AND - EDUCATION--POSSIBLE FUTURE. - - “This is the moral of all human tales: - ’Tis but the same rehearsal of the past-- - First freedom, and then glory.” - --CHILDE HAROLD. - - -The violent and perfidious measures to which Le Clerc had resorted -produced an effect diametrically opposed to that which he intended. On -the distant mountains, particularly toward the Spanish division, -innumerable hosts of blacks had taken up their residence and assumed a -species of lawless violence. They ridiculed every idea of a surrender to -the Europeans, notwithstanding the compromise which had been made with -Toussaint and Christophe. Even among those who had submitted, the sudden -seizure of their brave leader and about one hundred of his enlightened -associates, of whose fate they could receive no satisfactory account, -but who was supposed to have been murdered by Le Clerc, produced a -spirit of indignation which was poured forth in execrations portending -an approaching storm. - -Le Clerc, seated on his painful eminence, saw in a great measure the -danger of his situation, and endeavored to counteract the impending -evil. But death at this moment was lessening the number of his troops, -and sickness disabling the survivors from performing the common duties -of their stations. - -Dessalines, whose talents and valor, recognized by his countrymen, had -caused him to be appointed to act as General-in-Chief, resolved not to -dally with his faithless foes as Toussaint had done, but to bring this -ferocious war to a speedy and decisive issue. Impressed with this -resolution, he drew a considerable force into the plain of Cape -François, with a design to attack the city. Rochambeau, perceiving his -movements, exerted himself to strengthen the fortifications of the city, -after which he determined to risk a general engagement. - -Both parties were as well prepared for the event as circumstances would -admit. The attack was begun by the French with the utmost resolution, -and from the violence of the onset the troops of Dessalines gave way for -a moment, and a considerable number fell prisoners into the hands of the -French. But the power and courage of the blacks soon returned. The -French were repulsed; and as a body of them were marching to strengthen -one of the wings of their army, they were unexpectedly surrounded by the -blacks, made prisoners of war, and driven in triumph to their camp. - -With these vicissitudes terminated the day. At night the French general, -to the disgrace of Europe, ordered the black prisoners to be put to -death. The order was executed with circumstances of peculiar barbarity. -Some perished on the spot; others were mutilated in their limbs, legs, -and vital parts, and left in that horrible condition to disturb with -their shrieks and groans the silence of the night. - -But Rochambeau had to deal with a very different man from Toussaint--a -man whose motto was, “_Never to retaliate_;” for under cover of the same -inauspicious night Dessalines deliberately selected the officers from -among his prisoners, then added a number of privates, and gibbeted them -all together in a place most exposed to the French army. - -Nor did the revenge of the black soldiers terminate even here. Burning -with indignation against the men whose conduct had stimulated them to -such inhuman deeds, they rushed down upon the French the ensuing -morning, destroyed the camp, made a terrible slaughter, and compelled -the flying fugitives to take refuge under the walls of Cape François. -From this period the French were unable to face their opponents in the -open field, and the victorious Dessalines immediately took steps to -crush them in the city. - -To add to the calamities of the French commander, the war between -England and France was again renewed during this period of his distress. -Unfortunately, however, he remained uninstructed by past experience, and -his cruelty seemed to increase with the desperation of his -circumstances. Pent up in the city, from which his forces durst not -venture in a body, he contrived to detach small parties with bloodhounds -to hunt down a few straggling negroes, who wandered through the woods -unconscious of the impending danger. These when taken were seized with -brutal triumph, and thrown to the dogs to be devoured alive. - -Amid scenes and horrors as infamous as these, Le Clerc was summoned by -the fever to appear before a higher tribunal to give an account of his -deeds of darkness. He died on the 1st of November, after having been -driven from Tortuga, his previous place of abode. Madame Le Clerc was -present at the awful scene; then, departing with the body for Europe, -bade a final farewell to a region which had promised her happiness, but -paid her with anguish and mortification. - -It was in the month of July that an English squadron, not fully apprised -of the condition of the French army, made its appearance off the cape. -This circumstance completely overwhelmed the besieged commander, who, -while the blacks were fiercely crowding upon him, was perfectly -conscious of his vulnerable condition as exposed to the British. He -therefore opened a communication with the latter to learn what terms of -capitulation he had to expect in case a proposition of that kind should -be made. The terms required by the British being dreadfully severe, -Rochambeau lost no time in strengthening the works towards the sea as -well as towards the land, having every thing to fear from both quarters. - -Meanwhile the victorious blacks continued to pour in reinforcements upon -the plains of the cape. A powerful body now descended upon the French, -and, having passed the outer lines and several blockhouses, prepared to -storm the city in thirty-six hours. - -Rochambeau, from a persuasion that all would be put to the sword, -proceeded before it was too late to offer articles of capitulation, -which, to the honor of Dessalines, by foregoing the desire of revenge, -were accepted, granting the French ten days to evacuate the city--“an -instance of forbearance and magnanimity,” says Rainsford, “of which -there are not many examples in ancient or modern history.” - -The articles of capitulation which Rochambeau had entered into were -communicated by Dessalines to the British commodore. The latter, -therefore, awaited the expiration of the appointed time to mark the -important event. When the time had elapsed, Commodore Loring, perceiving -no movement of the French towards evacuation, sent a letter to General -Dessalines to inquire if any alteration had taken place subsequent to -his last communication, and if not, to request him to send some pilots -on board to conduct his squadron into the harbor to take possession of -the French shipping. To this letter he received the following -characteristic reply:-- - - “LIBERTY OR DEATH! - -“HEAD-QUARTERS, _Nov. 27, 1803_. - - -“_The Commander-in-Chief of the Native Army to -Commodore Loring, etc., etc._: - - “SIR:--I acknowledge the receipt of your letter, and you may be - assured that my disposition toward you and against General - Rochambeau is invariable. - - “I shall take possession of the cape to-morrow morning at the head - of my army. It is a matter of great regret to me that I cannot send - you the pilots which you require. I presume that you will have no - occasion for them, as I shall compel the French vessels to quit the - road, and you will do with them what you shall think proper. - -“I have the honor to be, etc., etc., - -“DESSALINES.” - - - -Scarcely had Commodore Loring entered the harbor on the morning of the -30th, before he was met by an officer of the French troops then going in -quest of the English to request them to take possession of the ships in -the name of His Britannic Majesty. This, he observed, was the only -method left by which they could be saved from inevitable destruction, as -the black general was at that moment preparing to fire upon them with -red-hot shot, and the wind, blowing directly into the mouth of the -harbor, prevented their departure. - -The whole of the French troops and shipping, including seventeen -merchant vessels and about 8,000 soldiers and seamen, thus falling into -the hands of the British, were conveyed to England, arriving at -Portsmouth, on the 3rd of February, 1804, from whence the troops were -taken into the interior and paroled as prisoners of war. - -Thus ended this visionary expedition through which Napoleon and Le Clerc -flattered themselves and the country that the inhabitants of Hayti were -to be again reduced to slavery; and thus, by the unrelenting -determination of Dessalines, were the fearful thunderbolts of war made -to recoil on the heads of those who hurled them. - - -THE AURORA OF PEACE. - -The “Aurora of Peace” which Dessalines and his colleagues had predicted, -was now ushered in. On the 14th of May following Dessalines departed -from the cape, determined, like his unfortunate predecessor Toussaint, -to make a tour through the island, to note the manners which prevailed, -and to observe how far the regulations he had already introduced were -enforced, and what beneficial effects had resulted from their adoption. - -During this journey the people, animated by the presence of their -victorious chief, resolved to exalt him to the dignity of emperor. -Whether any intrigue had been used on this occasion by Dessalines, or -that the offer was a pure emanation of gratitude originating with the -people, it is impossible to say. This much, however, is certain, that -the proposal was accepted without any reluctance, and in due time he was -enthroned as _Jean Jacques Dessalines, the first emperor of Hayti_. This -was at Port au Prince, on the 8th of October. - -After the imposing ceremonies which necessarily attended the imperial -coronation, the people, not forgetful of Him who had guided them through -this arduous struggle in defence of those rights with which He had -originally endowed them, marched to the church, where a Te Deum was sung -to commemorate the important transactions of this memorable day. From -this place of solemnity the whole procession returned in the order in -which they came to the government house; after which a grand -illumination took place in all parts of the city, amid the roaring of -cannon and every demonstration of joy that both language and action -could possibly express. - -In tracing the narrative of this remarkable revolution, we have -purposely omitted the invasion of the British from 1793 to 1798. Suffice -it to say, that after a profuse waste of blood and treasure during five -years, Great Britain was constrained to withdraw the remnant of her -troops, acknowledge the independence of the island as a neutral power, -and relinquish forever all pretensions to Hayti. - -Such, then, is a brief outline of the principal features in the history -of this new-born empire, as recorded by Edwards, Rainsford, and Coke, -and as given me from the lips of veterans yet upon the soil. The -principal changes since are briefly these: - -The reign of the emperor Dessalines was short and turbulent, and his -designs against the mulattoes cost him his life. After the death of -Dessalines, (in 1807,) General Christophe was made chief magistrate, and -in 1811 he crowned himself King Henri I. Meanwhile the mulattoes having -cause to distrust him also, elected General Petion, a companion of -Rigaud, to preside in the south-west, which he did with great leniency -and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents, by many of whom he -is still affectionately remembered. He died in 1818. Christophe shot -himself in 1820. In 1822, Boyer, who had been elected President, united -the whole island under his government. - -And this brings the chain of events up to those mentioned in our review -of the history of the Spanish part of the island, to which the reader -can refer for a statement of the principal changes from that time to the -present. - -Under President Geffrard the country is highly prosperous, such -confidence being placed in the government that its paper currency is -preferred by the people to silver coin. - -Under Protestant influences, also, several large schools, in which -hundreds of young girls and boys are being educated, promise in due time -to present to the world a virtuous female offspring of these heroic -revolutionists, adorned by all the graces attending the use of both the -French and English languages, and a body of youths skilled at once in -commerce, and in the sciences of government, the sword, the anvil, and -the plow. - -The president desires the immigration hither of young men and ladies who -are capable of teaching French, “and also to undertake,” he says, “the -courses of our lyceums. In this case they would find employment -immediately.” - - * * * * * - -It is difficult to believe these fields of natural beauty, embellished -with all the decorations of art, have at any time presented to earth and -heaven such spectacles of horror as to cause even Europe, accustomed as -it is to blood and fire, to stand aghast, and which will serve Americans -as a finger-board of terror so long as slavery there exists. The torch -of conflagration and the sword of destruction have marched in fearful -union through the land, and covered the hills and plains with -desolation. Tyranny, scorn, and retaliating vengeance have displayed -their utmost rage, and in the end have given birth to an empire which -has not only hurled its thunderbolts on its assailants, but at this -moment bids defiance to the world. - -In the days of imperial Rome it was the custom of Cicero and his haughty -contemporaries to sneer at the wretchedness and barbarity of the -Britons, just as Americans speak of Haytiens to-day; yet when we reflect -how analogous the history of the seven-hilled city and that of the -United States promises to be, that Hayti may yet become the counterpart -of England, head-quarters of a colored American nationality, and supreme -mistress of the Caribbean sea, she can well afford to leave - - “Things of the future to fate.” - - - - -LETTER XIV. - -Grand Turk’s and Caicos Islands. - - AN ISLAND OF SALT--SIR EDWARD JORDAN, OF JAMAICA--HONOR TO THE - BRITISH QUEEN--A STORY IN PARENTHESIS--THE POETRY OF SAILING. - - “Had ancient poets known this little spot-- - Poets who formed rich Edens in their thought-- - Arcadia’s vales, Calypso’s verdant bowers, - Hesperia’s groves, and Tempo’s gayest flowers, - Had ne’er appeared so beautiful and fair - As these gay rocks and emerald islands are.” - - -It is usually no more to “dangle round” this sea than it is to cross -Lake Erie. On this particular occasion, however, I very willingly -reached these shores, for the little schooner Enterprise in which we had -ventured was not much larger than a good-sized yawl--certainly not over -six tons burthen. The waves inundated us at pleasure, wetting even the -letters in my breast coat-pocket, filling our faces at times with its -slashing foam, and drenching us thoroughly to the inmost thread. But our -schooner skimmed along like a seagull, and within thirty-two hours we -were once again on land, dry enough for all practical purposes. Nice -little schooner--the waves might as well have undertaken to drown a -fish! - - * * * * * - -There is not a natural hill on all Turk’s Island. The shores are but a -few feet above the level of the sea, and the interior is scooped out -like a basin. This basin is artificially subdivided into innumerable -troughs or ponds, into which water is admitted by canals from the sea, -whence it evaporates leaving beds of salt. This salt is then raked into -hills, so that as you approach these shores you have the extraordinary -sight of an island studded with salt-hills. - -The slight elevation of the land also permits the wind to pass -uninterruptedly over its limestone surface, which accounts for the even -temperature and perfect health of the island. The thermometer fell -to-day from 86° to 77° Fahrenheit, which is the hottest and the coldest -they have had it this summer. But, as you will readily perceive, the -absence of all barriers to the winds subjects the colony to the terrific -ravages of every ocean storm that chooses to sweep this way. At this -very moment the large and substantial mansion in which I am writing -trembles like an aspen-leaf, and I am fearful that the few cocoa-nut -trees and flower plants bending before the storm on every side will be -speedily swept away. Heaven spare the verdure!--the people can look out -for themselves. Generally speaking, the winds are soft as a sigh. The -gale ebbs to a gentle zephyr; the cloud passes on to Mobile, or wherever -else it is bound, leaving these islands gayer for its shower; the huge -West Indian sun, apparently magnified to six times its usual diameter, -sinks into the crimsoned sea; the heavenly twilight comes on once more, -and earth, sea, and sky are all once again tranquilly imparadised. The -effect of these transitions on the mind is imperative. The most -commonplace, matter-of-fact personage you have in America can not spend -a summer around these islands and amid these scenes without having -transitory poetic visions flash through his inmost being. But do not -think I intend to dwell any further on these Elysian things. If you have -a correspondent capable of describing them, send him along. A keen sense -of my inability to do so constrains me to desist as from an attempt to -comprehend the Infinite. - - * * * * * - -According to the theory of certain American statesmen, Turk’s Island -properly belongs to Hayti; at least, it is on the borders of the Haytien -sea, and is as much beholden to Hayti for its support as Cuba is to the -United States. As luck has it, however, Turk’s Island really belongs to -the British, and Cuba, it would seem, - - “By some o’er-hasty angel was misplaced.” - -These, then, are a group of the celebrated British West Indies, and form -a part of the governmental jurisdiction of Jamaica. It is with rare -pleasure that I mention the latter fact, (since “next to being great -one’s self it is desirable to have a true relish for greatness,”) for it -gives me an opportunity to inform you that the order of knighthood has -recently been conferred by Her Britannic Majesty on Sir Edward Jordan, -Mayor of the city of Kingston and Prime Minister of Jamaica--a degree of -dignity never before attained by a colored man, as I believe, since the -British government began. The day of the Anglo-African in America has -not yet clearly dawned, but it is dawning. A great many of the officers -here, too, are colored. How strange it seems to stand before a large, -fine-looking black or colored man, entitled Sir, Honorable, Esquire, and -the like! To save me, I cannot realize it, although I see, hear, and -shake hands with them every day. - -But the grand source of interest to you and to me is, of course, the -slaves manumitted by the magnanimity of the British government some -twenty-six years agone. It is strangely interesting to hear them tell of -parties making their escape to Hayti by sail-boats previous to the act -of emancipation, sometimes sailing swift and direct, and at others -dodging under the lee of the Caicos reefs until pursuit had been -suspended, reminding one much of our Canadian friends. The history of -the escape of slaves in our day is as full of heroism as any history in -the world. - -The neatness and cleanly appearance of the masses are actually -surprising. I say it with all due respect, but, take them all in all, -the colored people really present a better appearance than the whites. -The latter, however, for reasons which you will already have -anticipated, are of course more wealthy and intelligent--for which -reason, also, they have heretofore been entirely at the head of -political affairs. It is only recently that the blacks, who are in the -majority, began to tread on their political heels. Some of the whites do -not like to see this, but the easiest way for them is to allow -themselves to be peacefully absorbed by the colored race in these -regions, for their destiny is sealed. - -The Caicos Islands, like most of the Bahamas, are but a series of coral -reefs, more extensive in territory and less sterile than this portion -of the colony; but their principal products are about the same--salt and -shipwrecks. They are at once “the residence and the empire of danger.” -An American captain is now here selling the wreck of a cargo lately -shipped from Boston to New Orleans--(Captain Elliot, ship Nauset, total -wreck on North Caicos reef, July 7, 1860.) The population of the group -inclusive is about five thousand, principally colored, who are -remarkably industrious, if one is to judge from the rapidity with which -they load a vessel with salt; and the essentially limited resources of -the island would seem to admit of their being equally virtuous. Churches -abound, and schooling may be had at the rate of three cents per week. -Every thing is due to the English missionary societies for the healthy -tone of morality and religion which prevails in these islands, and I -must say, as I believe, chiefly to the Baptists. - -But the great characteristic and most amusing peculiarity of these -people is their inordinate attachment to the British crown. A captain of -a schooner on the coast (black, but thoroughly British) one day -overheard some reckless fellow speak disrespectfully of Queen Victoria. -About every thing he thought of or said during the rest of the voyage -was, “He insult my Queen,” repeating “He insult my Queen” over and over -again. They seem to regard Queen Victoria with about the same reverence -that the Spanish Catholics bestow upon the Virgin Mary. Nor do I blame -them for this, since, if England were crippled to-day, it would be -difficult to say what would become of the world’s humanity. It would be -like extinguishing the sun! - -Every thing is salty. You stand a chance to get some Boston ice here, -which is a _rara avis_ in this direction; but before you can get it -congealed into cream you are bound to get salt into it, it would seem. A -nice saloon, a good hotel, three churches, (English, Wesleyan, and -Baptist,) and a first class Masonic lodge--at the head of which is a -colored Esquire--together with its excessive salt propensities, are -about the best things that can be said for Grand Turk’s Island. Stay! I -forget the “Royal Standard,” a weekly journal, to the editor of which I -am under obligations, and from which I clip the following - - NOTICE. - - On the first of August, the “Friendly Society” and the “Benevolent - Union Society” of Salt Cay will march in procession from the - Society Hall, at 11 o’clock A. M., to the Baptist chapel, where a - sermon will be preached by the Rev. W. K. Rycoft on the occasion. - By order, etc., - -JOHN L. WILLIAMS. - - - -So much for the land of salt, and a farewell to its happy people, the -most that can be said of whom is that they worship Queen Victoria. - -(Let me tell you a story. In passing around these islands, we are one -day with the Spanish, next day with the English, and the third with the -French. It is sometimes diverting. I was sitting one warm afternoon -before the door of a countryhouse, having a large green sward-yard -sloping away to the road. The house was full of children, some of whom -were, or pretended to be, studying their books. Well, suddenly there -came pouring down a splendid summer shower, when, without a word, half a -dozen of these little rogues, of both sexes, dropped their books, -stripped off to the skin, and away they went sailing around the yard -like so many water nymphs! In five minutes more they were all dressed, -sitting down with their books, and looking as demure as if nothing had -happened. “So there hadn’t,” except that one plump little girl _fell -heels over head_! That is one way of taking a shower bath I never -thought of.) - -By the way, an American captain was this day looking at a number of -hands, male and female, engaged in loading a vessel with salt. The women -were employed holding the sacks, and tying them when filled. - -“That’s a smart gal,” said the Yankee captain, pointing to an ebon Venus -who was singing, dancing, and tossing the sacks around as merrily as -your city girls ever “pawed” the piano. - -A sleek-faced gentleman turned up his eyes at us, and inquired: “You lub -dis gal, Cap’en?” - -“Thunder, no!” said the astonished American; “I don’t love anybody!” -Which remark, I guess, was not very far from the truth. - -The vessel which I am now on board of is a full-rigged, finely-finished -English brig. Her sails are all set, the wind blows fresh, and she cuts -the water like a sword-fish. The captain cleared $1,400 on his trip out, -with a cargo of lumber from the States. How much will our friend Wm. -Whipper make in a year running his craft up a Canadian creek? The -tenacity with which our leading colored men embrace that short-sighted -policy which teaches them to confine their enterprises to certain -proscribed, prejudice-cursed districts, is not only extraordinary--it is -marvellous. - -The heavenly night comes on. The clouds in the sky look like ships on -fire. The rising moon trembles upon the silver-sheeted waves in the -east, while the receding sun burnishes the west, tinging the waters even -to our very spray. And thus, in this sea of glory, do we skim along. -_This_ is the “poetry of sailing.” - - “Thou glorious, shining, billowy sea, - With ecstasy I gaze on thee! - And as I gaze, thy billowy roll - Wakes the deep feelings of my soul.” - - - - -LETTER XV. - -British Honduras. - - THE ISLAND OF RUATAN--THE SAILOR’S LOVE STORY--THE SOVEREIGNTY OF - THE BAY ISLANDS--ENGLISH VS. AMERICAN VIEW OF CENTRAL AMERICAN - AFFAIRS. - - - _Off Ruatan the New “Gibralter,” Flower of the - Bay Islands, and “Key to Spanish America."_ - -It certainly takes the impatience out of one to travel very much on a -sail vessel. The dead certainty of your getting becalmed annihilates -even contrary anticipation. But instead of murmuring at the irksome roll -of this spell-bound ship, which flaps its sails as vainly as a bird with -cropped wings, I, with genuine Spartan philosophy, will make the most of -it by going visiting, that is, from the cabin to the forecastle. Here I -take a seat beside an American; (for, my dear H., nobody ever knows what -true friendship is until they have been shipwrecked, nor does any one -conceive how mutual are the sympathies of persons coming from the same -country, however remote their positions may have been, until they have -met away from home, and been surrounded by foreign influences. Strange -as it may seem, I have not met a colored American out this way but who -actually celebrates the Fourth of July.) - -Instead of complaining of this ghastly calm, as I was about to say, I -take a seat beside my friend Mr. Johnson, formerly of Plymouth, -Massachusetts, from whom I learned the following important story, -albeit, a love story. Important because it shows the correctness of that -theory which assumes this,--the infusion of Northern blood as one of the -means by which the more sluggish race of the tropics is to be quickened -and given energy, and also how these seductive southern zones induce -persons to sacrifice kindred, friends, and home, in order to live and -die under their soothing influences. - -The story is this: Some years ago he had sailed from Boston to Balize -with a cargo of ice; was taken sick, and the captain of his vessel, -having made all possible arrangements for his comfort, left him in the -hospital to recover. He did so, and was just on the eve of going over to -Jamaica to get on board a vessel in which to return home, when up -stepped an elderly man, who accosted him in English and also in Yankee, -to wit: “Guess you are from the States?” to which Mr. Johnson replied, -of course, “You, too, I suppose?” The fact is, if you could not tell an -American away from home by his looks, his salutatory phrases are as -certain as an oddfellow’s password. - -So Mr. Dickinson, the elderly gentleman, was from the States also, and -nothing would do but Mr. Johnson must accompany him to his home in -Ruatan, there to spend a few weeks for old acquaintance’ sake, and -meanwhile strengthen his health. He went; but Mr. Johnson coming from -the States had never seen so lovely an island, and certainly none so -prolific as Ruatan. He found oranges selling for one dollar per barrel, -and cocoa-nuts at a cent apiece; and that after being rowed a distance -of six miles. He found also that good milch cows could be bought for six -dollars each; and that upon one of the neighboring islands wild cattle -were to be had for the sport of catching. On Utille, another island, -also, almost in sight of Ruatan, is a settlement of whites, which, -though small, is in a very flourishing condition; both being tributary -to Ruatan. Altogether, he liked the appearance of things exceedingly. - -Mr. Johnson not being one of your lazy visitors, soon began to make -himself useful by assisting his friend Mr. Dickinson in whatever he -might have to do; and so one day, with pants rolled up to his knees, he -went over to a neighbor’s to borrow some bags. This neighbor had a -pretty niece who lived in Nicaragua, which is just over the way, and who -was now on a visit to her uncle. - -It was near dusk; his neighbor was not at home; but, with that careless -indifference which travellers in the tropics will appreciate, he walked -into the shanty, slightly nodded to some one he saw sitting in the -corner, and immediately stretched himself out in a hammock. - -The timid girl, less frightened at this rude freedom than at the bushy -whiskers of the Northerner, answered his inquiries as to when her uncle -would be in, curtsied, and left the room; but in doing so she discovered -about the trimmest ancle and the neatest pair of stockings Mr. Johnson -had ever beheld. It fixed him. He could not sleep after that without -dreaming of the pretty feet, and, of course, pretty owner. - -Mr. Johnson found business with his neighbor very often. The divinity -went over home; Mr. Johnson had business over there also; and with -genuine American grit obtained the old man’s consent, and actually -returned with his daughter. - -Soon after this Mr. Johnson received from the States the mournful -intelligence of his father’s death, and, like a dutiful son, immediately -sailed for Plymouth to see his mother and sisters. His brother, equally -anxious with his mother and friends to have him stop at home, offered -him a situation as clerk in a lawyer’s office. But, alas! those pretty -feet! They had caused him to sacrifice his home; and although -shipwrecked in the attempt, he is now back in Ruatan, with no -expectation of ever meeting his Plymouth friends again during life. “I -told them,” said he, “she was not quite so white as some of them, but -she’s a darn sight better-hearted;” which is very probably a fact. Mr. -Johnson affirmed, also, that he could not be induced to leave Ruatan for -the income of the most princely merchant in Boston; but I make -allowances for a man who has a young wife with pretty feet. - -Ruatan, as you are aware, is the principal one of the celebrated Bay -Islands, the sovereignty of which has been so long in dispute. Nor can I -settle the question as to whether the British claim is just or not; I -can only give it to you as I get it. - -In the first place you must know there is what may be called _two -Honduras_. That is, the State of Honduras, and these Bay Islands with a -portion of the Musquito coast, constituting British Honduras, of which -Balize is the capital. This will relieve a great many blunders people -have perpetually fallen into. - -When or by whom Ruatan was originally settled is now unknown. It was -discovered by the Spaniards, and was afterwards occupied as a military -post, but subsequently abandoned. Soon after the Emancipation Act took -effect in Jamaica and the other British isles, a number of these -emancipated slaves settled here, and the settlement is now multiplied to -the number of about three thousand. - -It becoming necessary for them to have a government, they sent to -Jamaica for a magistrate to act as governor, voting him a salary of -three thousand dollars, and, being British subjects, of course looked to -Great Britain for protection. And so Great Britain claims the right to -protect them; and she does protect them. - -It was off this island that the pirate Walker rendezvoused the present -summer; and from what I have said respecting the immigration hither of a -few white Americans, you will probably suppose there might be some -advantage taken of these islanders; but do not think it. Mr. William -Walker’s recent experience at Truxillo will probably induce him to -respect Ruatan. - -Nevertheless, Ruatan is measurably affected, of course, by the -prosperity of the main land, and if the future administration of the -United States government is to be as weak and vacillating as the past -has been, it is difficult to say what is to be the end of these -invasions. - -At present there is but little communication between this excellent -island and the United States. Thanks to your unjust policy, (wide-spread -infamy,) the natives can not be induced to look towards America, and so -can not see the difference between the Northern and Southern States. -This feeling has been heightened recently by the fact that a merchant, -who dealt in fruits with certain parties in New Orleans, went over there -on business. He was also a British magistrate, and took with him the -necessary papers to certify that fact. Hardly had he reached the shore -before he was arrested and taken to prison; and when he supposed to -estop their procedure by showing that he was a British magistrate, the -New Orleans constable replied: “If Queen Victoria were to come over -here, and she were black, I’d put her in jail!” - -I am asked to point out, as I go along, what could be done whereby -persons could gain a competence? Any thing in the shape of work will -gain a competence,--the trouble being, in all these countries, that a -living is too easily gained. But fruits are the principal export. Could -a vessel be run between this and Baltimore, or any other respectable -port of the United States, it would pay beyond a peradventure. It would -also furnish the means of getting here safe the fruits from wasting, for -want of occasional vessels, and also supply news; which is an -inconceivable desideratum. - -Land is offered at a shilling an acre; import duty is but two per cent., -and exports free; which, considering the English language prevails, give -it a decided advantage as a place of settlement. - -Ruatan is but thirty miles from Truxillo, Honduras, and one hundred and -twenty from Balize; and these are the only ways of getting here from New -York, at a cost of sixty dollars. For the want of such a vessel as I -have intimated, crops of oranges and limes are frequently swept into the -sea. The Pine-apples are large and of a superior quality. Walk out into -the grounds early in the morning, take a Machette and strike one open, -and nothing can give you an idea of their flavor except to imagine you -are sipping the nectar of the gods. - -In the interior of the island are cocoa-nut groves, and other marks of -improvement, such as an old fortress hid away from the sea, which -clearly prove the island to have been anciently inhabited; but, like -many other interesting objects which the historian fails to comprehend, -by whom, or when, is left entirely to the conception of the poets. - - “Gone are all the barons bold; - Gone are all the knights and squires; - Gone the abbot, stern and cold, - And the brotherhood of friars.” - - -ENGLISH _vs._ AMERICAN VIEW OF CENTRAL AMERICAN AFFAIRS. - -It is but fair to say the Hon. E. G. Squier shows very clearly the -forced nature of the English claims, and that Ruatan rightly belongs to -Honduras. But then I should think Mr. Squier, or any other American, -would blush to talk about British _proclivities to piracy_. - -The following are the views of Mr. Trollope (English) on the most -important of Central American affairs,[H] who probably also intends by -them to give Mr. S. a rap on the knuckles. - -“As I have before stated, there was, some few years since, a -considerable passenger traffic through Central America by the route of -the lake of Nicaragua. This of course was in the hands of the -Americans, and the passengers were chiefly those going and coming -between the Eastern States and California. They came down to Greytown at -the mouth of the San Juan river, in steamers from New York, and, I -believe, from various American ports, went up the San Juan river in -other steamers, with flat bottoms, prepared for those waters, across the -lake in the same way, and then by a good road over the intervening neck -of land between the lake and the Pacific. - -“Of course the Panama Railway has done much to interfere with this. In -the first place, a rival route has thus been opened; though I doubt -whether it would be a quicker route from New York to California if the -way by the lake were well organized. And then, the company possessing -the line of steamers running to Aspinwall from New York has been able to -buy off the line which would otherwise run to Greytown. - -“But this rivalship has not been the main cause of the total stoppage of -the Nicaraguan route. The filibusters came into that land and destroyed -every thing. They dropped down from California, or Realego, Leon, -Manaqua, and all the western coast of Nicaragua. Then others came from -the South-eastern States, from Mobile, and New Orleans, and swarmed up -the river San Juan, devouring every thing before them. - -“There can be no doubt that Walker’s idea, in his attempt to possess -himself of this country, was, that he should become master of the -passage across the Isthmus. He saw, as so many others have seen, the -importance of the locality in this point of view; and he probably felt -that if he could make himself lord of the soil, by his own exertions and -on his own bottom, his mother country, the United States, would not be -slow to recognize him. ‘I,’ he would have said, ‘have procured for you -the ownership of the road which is so desirable for you. Pay me by -making me your lieutenant here, and protecting me in that position.’ - -“The idea was not badly planned, but it was of course radically unjust. -It was a contemplated filching of the road. And Walker found, as all men -do find, that he could not get good tools to do bad work. He tried the -job with a very rough lot of tools; and now, though he has done much -harm to others, he has done very little good to himself. I do not think -we shall hear much more of him. - -“And among the worst injuries which he has done is this disturbance of -the lake traffic. This route has been altogether abandoned. There, in -the San Juan river, is to be seen one old steamer, with its bottom -upwards, a relic of the filibusters and their destruction. - -“All along the banks tales are told of their injustice and sufferings. -How recklessly they robbed on their journey up the country, and how they -returned to Greytown--those who did return, whose bones are not -whitening the lake shores--wounded, maimed, and miserable. - -“Along the route traders were beginning to establish themselves; men -prepared to provide the travellers with food and drink, and the boats -with fuel for their steam. An end for the present has been put to all -this. The weak governments of the country have been able to afford no -protection to these men, and, placed as they were beyond the protection -of England or the United States, they have been completely open to -attack. The filibusters for a while have destroyed the transit through -Nicaragua; and it is hardly matter of surprise that the president of -that land, the neighboring republic, should catch at any scheme which -proposes to give them back this advantage, especially when promise is -made of the additional advantage of effectual protection. - -“To us Englishmen it is a matter of indifference in whose hands the -transit may be, so long as it is free and open to the world; so long as -a difference of nationality creates no difference in the fares charged, -or in the facilities afforded. For our own purposes I have no doubt the -Panama line is the best, and will be the route we shall use. But we -should be delighted to see a second line opened. If Mr. Squier can -accomplish his line through Honduras we shall give him great honor, and -acknowledge that he has done the world a service. Meantime we shall be -very happy to see the lake transit reëstablished.” - - * * * * * - -There is no hope for the Central American States except by intervention -on the part of some government capable of protecting them. - - - - -LETTER XVI. - -Conclusive Summary. - - CONCISE DESCRIPTION OF THE SPANISH MAIN--DOMINICANA REVIEWED--THE - MAGNIFICENT BAY OF SAMANA--CONCLUSIVE SUMMARY. - - -Thus have I endeavored to seize on whatever might seem to be of -importance, and at the same time interesting to such of your readers as -desired to have some more general information respecting tropical -America. - -I am aware that I have not analyzed the soil, nor (so long as it -produced well) have I cared whether it was “composed of the _débris_ of -these limestones and lava mountains,” or “tempered by the decaying -vegetation of the centuries past.” Nor have I entered into any essay to -show how the lofty sierras of Honduras differed from those of Nicaragua, -or those of the islands from the Spanish Main. It would be easy to give -you a chapter stating that “the summits of some of them are of hard -sandstone or granite; some are covered with layers of mould of different -colors and density, sometimes mixed with stones of different degrees of -hardness, and more or less calcinable; and some of them of various -vitrifiable substances.” But I take it that the way to make a thing -useful is also to have it agreeable. Who reads, for example, Mr. Wells’ -well-written but ponderous “Travels and Explorations in Honduras”? - -Central America, by common assent, not only realizes in its geographical -position the ancient idea of the centre of the world, but is in its -physical aspect and configuration of surface an epitome of all the -countries and of all climes. “High mountain ranges, isolated peaks, -elevated table lands, and broad and fertile plains, are here grouped -together, relieved by beautiful lakes and majestic rivers; the whole -teeming with animal and vegetable life, and possessing every variety of -climate from torrid heat to the cool and bracing temperature of eternal -spring.” - -On the Atlantic slope rain falls in greater or less abundance for the -entire year; vegetation is rank, and the climate damp and -proportionately insalubrious, while the Pacific slope and the elevated -regions of the interior are comparatively dry and healthy. - -With this variety of “physical circumstances,” also, the people differ, -and have always differed, in a direct and corresponding ratio; the -inhabitants of the cool and healthy regions having at the time of the -discovery systematized forms of government and worship, while the hotter -and less salubrious coasts were occupied by a distinct family of men -unfixed in their abodes, having no social enjoyments, and living on the -natural fruits of the earth. In Central America, therefore, Dr. Smith’s -celebrated essay on “Civilization--its Independence of Physical -Circumstance,” receives a striking illustration, the damp Musquito -coasts having propagated only a rude tribe of men; while San Salvador, -for example, sustains a population highly civilized, and equal in number -to New England. - -But I have dwelt at most length on the island of Hayti, because it is a -source of greatest interest to us, and because there is perhaps no -country the intrinsic value of which is so little known; and while I can -see no objection but every thing to encourage by governmental influence -the establishment of a colony in some parts of the Central American -States, neither do I know why it might not be established in the Spanish -territory of Hayti. I have given another gentleman’s views, which are -worth more than my own, as to the vast population the country is capable -of sustaining, and have shown that especially from Porto Cabello west, -to the Bay of Samana east, no finer province could certainly be desired. -That noble bay, as I am informed, has been surveyed heretofore by a -corps of American engineers, who pronounced it the choicest point for a -naval station on the Caribbean coasts. It is also assumed, from the -rapid increase of the coral reefs in the Bahama channels, that this in -time will furnish the only safe channel for California steamers, and -even for larger vessels bound from the Northern States to New Orleans. I -have nothing to do with that, further than to state it as I have it. The -insurance companies will however appreciate this assumption, if we are -to judge from the number of wrecks which have recently occurred between -the Caicos and Florida reefs. - -Surrounding the bay of Samana are beds of coal as if on purpose to -supply such steamers; but they now lie unworked, useless, and almost -unknown. Into this bay empties the Yuna river, which takes its rise far -back in the northern and middle range of mountains, and, fed by -innumerable tributaries, winds its course towards this magnificent -harbor through the widest portion of the Royal plains. - -“In briefly describing the principal bays of Dominicana,” says Mr. -Courtney, “the first of importance is the far-famed and magnificent bay -of Samana, at the north-eastern end of the island, at the mouth of the -Yuna river. It is about fifty miles from east to west, and varying in -width from fifteen to twenty miles, and of a great depth. The entrance -to it is at the east end, and is about a mile wide, as beyond that is -shoal water, to the south side some little islands and bars appearing -above the surface. An old fort, erected long since on the high bluff on -the north side, a few miles above the mouth and before it widens out, -commands its entrance. The hills and mountains on either side of the bay -rise back from it to a great height, their sides being covered with -beautiful slopes, plateaus, and benches. The coasts are here and there -indented with minor bays and inlets, the most important of which is at -the town of Samana, about twenty-five miles up the bay on the north -side. It is a land-locked harbor and very deep, as are all the inlets. -The view of the bay from either side across to the opposite shores, -covered as it is with swarms of ducks and swans and other water fowl; -and the coasts and hills and mountains covered with flowers and verdure -and fruit, is truly beautiful and sublime, equalling, if not -surpassing, in beauty and magnificence, the Bay of Naples, and is -obviously the key to the Gulf of Mexico. - -“Here all the navies of the world could lie at anchor in safety.” - - * * * * * - -It would be useless for me to give a minute description of each -particular bay in each particular State, thus swelling these pages into -the usual ponderous three-dollar volumes which nobody buys, and so none -read. I am aware that the Bay of Fonseca, and others on the Spanish -Main, are equally deserving, if necessary, to be described. Mr. Wells -has shown this, and also that the interior districts of Honduras are as -rich in silver and gold as any region of which California can boast. I -understand, however, that parties have since been formed on the strength -of Mr. Wells’ report, and thoroughly equipped for mining operations. But -as I am informed, they were not allowed to enter the interior in -consequence of those filibustering propensities which all white -Americans are supposed to possess. - -A party organized to work the mines on a small scale in Dominicana has -lately sailed for the island. They will not be interrupted by the -present government, but the durability of that government is, I am -sorry to say, a question which may be agitated, and even settled, -_before I finish writing this book_. - -And now I have struck the key note of all I have to say. The most -beautiful countries in the world are the most lamentably ill-governed. -It makes no difference to any one having foreign protection, as to their -personal safety, whether there be revolution or not. This white -Americans and all Englishmen or anybody else have, but the free colored -people of America. They have no protection anywhere. - -Now this is a shame and a disgrace to the civilized world. But so it is, -and, as Mr. Douglas would ask, “What are you going to do about it?” - -I have no reason to doubt the sincerity of such eminent persons as have -proposed to acknowledge the independence of these governments, form -treaties therewith, and even to purchase territory and provide the means -whereby a settlement could be established. I have rather much cause to -believe the new government (that is to be) will give the subject earnest -consideration. Nothing could be more just, and, as I believe, wise or -popular. I know that such a measure would not be opposed by the people -of the tropics, for there are many who entertain progressive ideas, and -who have sympathies in common with Americans, who, the moment a -protected settlement were established, would flock thither from the -neighboring States and islands, and immediately swell the number of the -original emigrants. I say I know this, because so many have said so, -among whom could be mentioned English and American families, white and -colored. But it pains me to say, the truth is, unless this protection -could be given, or unless a sufficient number could emigrate (which they -are not able to do) to protect themselves, none of these States seem to -be in a sufficiently reliable condition to prevent such a movement from -being a matter of great risk. - -I have shown, I think, which was the object of this visit, what might be -accomplished provided the government should provide means, never so -small, towards the furtherance of such a movement. - -It is the only way by which a colony to any extent could be permanently -established, which would give tone and stability to the government -there, and turn the important commerce of the tropics in this direction. -There are now probably ten European vessels in the harbor of Spanish -America, but especially of Dominicana, where there is one belonging to -the United States, although the latter is the natural market, from which -they receive entirely their flour and salted pork. (Merchants of -Cincinnati will appreciate this.) - -I presume it would be difficult to find an American merchant in any of -the Spanish States, who had not succeeded in making a fortune by the -great advantages of trade in mahogany, dye-woods, hides, and tobacco, -almost immediately after commencing business, but who has not as -invariably lost it, in whole or in part, by the depression of currency -in consequence of the momentary revolutions. - -How grandly would both these and _those_ States “loom up in the eyes of -the world,” if, abandoning that policy which makes them the -indiscriminate oppressors of the weak, the American people should set -themselves at work through their new administration, to secure by this -means the commerce of those countries; give them peace, and forever wipe -out the stain which Walker has cast upon the very name of all who boast -themselves citizens of this republic. Such a measure would in some -degree recompense the colored race for the services they have rendered -to the government, the fruits of which they have not been permitted to -enjoy; would make this great nation less obnoxious to the weak; lay the -foundation of a future empire; and cause those lovely regions to bloom -with industry and skill as they now bloom with eternal verdure. - -END. - - - - -APPENDIX. - -(FROM THE ANGLO-AFRICAN MAGAZINE.) - -The Anglo-African Empire. - - “Do these things mean nothing? What the tender and poetic youth - dreams to-day and conjures up with inarticulate speech, is - to-morrow the vociferated result of public opinion, and the day - after is the charter of nations.”--_Phillips._ - - -The stars of the tropics are the guiding stars of the age. The sympathy -of the world is with the South, and the tendencies of things are -southward. The controlling influence of the great commercial staple of -our Southern States, the growing demand for the productions of the -tropics, the discovery of gold toward the torrid zone, and a consequent -want of labor in that direction, indicate firmly the force of these -assertions. Other causes, apparently indirect or yet apparently opposed, -such as the disappearance of slavery from Maine to Maryland, and the -rapidity with which the slaves are hurried further south, might be -cited on the one hand; and on the other the filibustering propensities -of Southern fire-eaters as the unerring and immutable laws of destiny, -guided by an all-wise and overruling Providence. “The coral zoöphite -does not know that while it builds itself a house it also creates an -island for the world;” and the master, as he pays the passage of his -slave from the more Northern slave States to New Mexico, is but the rude -agent of a superior power, urging him to more inviting fields for -enterprise, and for his higher and more responsible duties as a freeman. - -Reforms do not go backwards, nor filibustering northwards, and “nothing -is more certain than that the slaves are to be free;” but the problem as -to what position they are to sustain as freemen is but little thought -of, and, of course, less understood. It is true some suggestions have -been offered on this subject, foremost among which stands that of Mr. -Helper, as the most absurd and ridiculous. It did not occur to Mr. -Helper, when he suggested the broad idea of chartering all the vessels -lying around loose for the huddling together of the blacks after -emancipation and shipping them off to Africa,--it did not occur to him -that they were men, and might not wish to go; at least it did not occur -to him that they were _men_. So I make the suggestion for his benefit, -and for the benefit of those who may come after him, this being a -question not to be settled by arbitrary means, but by means which shall -meet the approbation of all parties concerned, nor yet forgetting that -at the head of these parties stands Him whose name is not to be -mentioned without reverence. - -Whence comes the colored people’s instinctive horror of colonization in -Africa? Colonizationists say they can not account for it, since Africa -is their fatherland. But if this were any argument, I could account for -it by the simple affirmation that it is not their fatherland. The truth -is, “Time has shown that the causes which have produced races never to -improve Africa, but to abandon it, and give their vigor and derive their -strength from other climes, is not to be reversed by the best efforts of -the best men.” Besides this, charity begins at home. Allowing that the -colonizationists, by sending a few handfuls of colored men to Africa, -may plant the germ of civilization there, that the seed may spread or -the fire may flame until the whole continent becomes illuminated with -Christian love, and her sons stand forth regenerated and redeemed from -the dark superstition that enthralled them. Then what? It is a great -deal, and a great deal more than we can hope for, and a hero is he who -will sacrifice his life in making the attempt to bring about such a -magnificent result; but in doing this very little will be accomplished -for the millions who remain, increasing, on this continent. - -Nevertheless, there is a growing disposition among colored men of -thought to abandon that policy which teaches them to cling to the skirts -of the white people for support, and to emigrate to Africa, Hayti, or -wherever else they may expect to better their condition; and it is -encouraging to know that the time is at hand when men can speak their -convictions on this subject without being made the victims of illiterate -abuse and indiscriminate denunciation, all of which is the natural -result of more general information, and which will lead to the discovery -at last of what is to be the final purpose of American slavery--the -destiny of the colored race after slavery shall be abolished. - -The history of Hayti and Jamaica, and of the American tropics generally, -indicates the propagation of the colored race, exclusive of whites or -blacks. (This is simply calling things by their right names, for which -the compiler of these facts expects to be made the most popular writer -of the age, of being highly flattered, infinitely abused, feared, -hated, and all that attends the discovery of truth generally.) -Throughout the West Indies, with the single exception of Cuba, the -whites have been unable to keep up their numbers, and in that instance -only by a recent flood of immigration on a large scale from Europe. The -colored race, on the contrary, is perfectly well adapted to this region, -and luxuriates in it; and it is only through their agency that some -small portion of the torrid zone has been brought within the circle of -civilized industry. I have said their history would prove this. - -When discovered by the Spaniards these islands were inhabited by a -colored people not unlike our Indians. Their homes were invaded; they -were reduced to a state of miserable vassalage, and the proud Caucasian -stalked about, the conquerer of every spot of earth his avarice or -cupidity desired. The natives, unable to endure the persecutions to -which they were subjected, withered and fell like the autumn leaves, and -Africa became the hunting-ground of the slave pirate for hardier and -more enduring slaves. - -Africa became their hunting-ground, and quiet villagers were startled in -the dead of night to behold their huts in flames, and to hear the -shrieks of their fellow-men and fellow-women, who were being torn away -from their native homes as victims for the slave-ship, there to suffer -all the tortures of the yoke and the branding-iron, and finally to be -landed, if at all, on the American coast, with no other prospect than -that of a life-bondage spread out before them. This state of wickedness -continued, so far as England was concerned, until its glaring outrages -challenged the attention of the British realm, and until the Parliament -of England passed an act declaring all British subjects should be -free;--“An act of legislation which, for justice and magnanimity, stands -unrivalled in the annals of the world, and which will be the glory of -England and the admiration of posterity when her proudest military and -naval achievements shall have faded from the recollection of mankind;” -an act of legislation which restored the liberties of eight hundred -thousand of our fellow-men, _and left them in possession of superior -claims and circumstances to those from which they had been originally -removed_, (because, undoubtedly, the chances of any free man are better -upon this continent than in Africa.) - -Then came a series of American slanders: “Jamaica was ruined;” “the -negro unfit for freedom;” and the downfall of prosperity and the loss of -trade were everywhere said to be inevitable. - -But the negro and his descendants are proof against slander and against -the New York Herald, which terms are soon to be synonymous. Jamaica was -not ruined: but, while these complaints were raised against her -population, 40,000 land patents, varying from ten to one hundred acres -each, were being taken up in a single year! Lands having been provided -and schools introduced, happiness began to smile, prosperity reäppeared, -and the whole country was redeemed from what had been a field of terror -to what promises to become the very garden of the Western world. - -This is said to be an axiom of political philosophy upon which it is -safe to rely: _For any people to maintain their rights, they must -constitute an essential part of the ruling element of the country in -which they live._ The whites of the tropics are but few in number. They -have heretofore sustained themselves by their superior wealth and -intelligence. But, as fast as the colored people rise in this respect, -their white rulers are pushed aside to make way for officers of their -own race. This is perfectly natural. When a colony of Norwegians come -over from Norway and settle a county in Wisconsin, do they elect a -yankee to represent them? Norwegians elect Norwegians, Germans elect -Germans, and colored men elect colored men, whenever they have the -opportunity. - -Even now a large majority of the subordinate officers of Jamaica, I -understand, are colored men. The Parliament is about equally divided, -and the Attorney-General and Emigration Agent-General are colored men; -and it is fair to assume, within a few years of the date of this paper, -there will not be a single white man throughout the West Indies -occupying a position within the gift of the people. - -A retired merchant of Philadelphia, a man of large thought and liberal -views, having an experience of fifteen or twenty years’ residence in -Hayti, in reply to certain letters asking for information and advice -respecting the subject now under consideration, published a pamphlet in -which he says: “There is a long view as well as a short view to be taken -of every great question which bears upon human progress; but we are -often unable or unwilling to take the former, until some time after a -question is settled. - -“‘Manifest destiny’ has been, for some years, a familiar and accepted -phrase in the mouths of our politicians, and each class suggests a plan -for carrying it out in accordance with its own specific interests, or -some preconceived theory. The pro-slavery adventurer may yet gain a -footing in Central America, but it will not be to establish slavery. -Slavery once abolished, has never been reëstablished in the same place, -in America, except in one instance--that of the smaller French colonies, -now again free. The vain effort to reënslave St. Domingo cost the French -forty thousand men. The free negro, that nothing else can arouse, will -fight against the replacement of the yoke which he has once thrown off; -and the number of these in Central America is sufficient to prove a -stumbling-block if not a barrier to its return. To reëstablish slavery -permanently, where it has once been abolished, is to swim against the -great moral current of the age. - -“We can acknowledge to-day that the persecution of the Puritans by Laud -and his predecessors, only intended, as it was, to produce conformity to -the Church, really produced New England. And we can now see that the -obstinacy of George the Third was as much a cause of the Declaration of -Independence, at the time it was made, as the perseverance of John -Adams,--the one being the necessary counterpart of the other, the two -together forming the entire implement which clipped the tie. Now if we -can make the above admissions in respect to these, the two greatest -settled questions of modern times, without excusing either persecution -or obstinacy in wrong, but keeping steadily in view that every man is -responsible for the motives which govern his conduct, be the result of -that conduct what it may, why should we not begin to look at this, the -third great question of the same class, still _un_settled, from the same -point of view? - -“_If, then, I were asked what was probably the final purpose of negro -slavery, I should answer--To furnish the basis of a free population for -the tropics of America._ - -“I believe that the Anglo-Americans, with the Africans, whom a part of -the former now hold in bondage, will one day unite to form this race for -the tropics, with or without combination with the races already there. -But whether the African quota of it shall be transferred thither by -convulsive or organized movements--or be gradually thinned out from -their present abode, as from a great nursery, by directed but -spontaneous transition--or retire, by degrees, with the ‘poor whites,’ -before the peaceful encroachments of robust Northern labor, it would be -useless now to conjecture. It is enough now to know that labor, like -capital, goes in the end to the place where it is most wanted; and that -labor, free from the destructive element of caste, has been, and still -is, the great desideratum of the tropics, as it is of all other places -which do not already possess it. I have already spoken of the presumed -ability of the Southern States to spare this kind of labor. Should -there, however, prove to be any part of the Union where the climate or -the culture really requires the labor of the black man, then there he -will remain, and eventually be absorbed by the dominant race; and from -that point the complexion of our population will begin to shade off into -that of the dark belt of Anglo-Africans, which will then extend across -the northern tropics. - -“I know that most of our Northern people, while they demand, in the -strongest terms, all the rights of man for the negro or mulatto, are -unable to eradicate from their minds a deeply-grounded prejudice against -his person. In spite of themselves, they shrink from the thought of an -amalgamation such as the foregoing observations imply. But these friends -are not aware how quickly this prejudice begins to melt away as soon as -one has entered any part of the tropics where the African race is in the -ascendant, or where people of colored blood have attained to such social -consideration as to make themselves respected. I suppose no Northern -man ever forgets the occasion when, for the first time, he arrives at -such a place, and the colored merchant to whom he is addressed comes -forward, with the self-possession which attends self-respect, and offers -him his hand. He begins to be healed of his prejudice from that hour.” - -I am also aware that the notion prevails generally in the United States -that the mulatto has no vitality of race; that after three or four -generations he dies out. This idea, I believe, finds its strongest -advocates among the slaveholders and the readers of De Bow’s “Review,” -and possibly it may be correct when applied to the colder latitudes; but -I have no reason to think it is so in or near the tropics. Moreau de St. -Mery, in his minute “Description of the French part of St. Domingo,” -says, with respect to the vitality of the mulatto, which term includes -all persons of color, however slight, of mixed European and African -descent: “Of all the combinations of white and black, the mulatto unites -the most physical advantages. It is he who derives the strongest -constitution from these crossings of race, and who is the best suited to -the climate of St. Domingo. To the strength and soberness of the negro -he adds the grace of form and intelligence of the whites, and of all -the human beings of St. Domingo he is the longest lived.... I have -already said they are well made and very intelligent; but they are as -much given to idleness and love of repose as the negro.” - -Hermann Burmeister, Professor of Zoölogy in the University of Halle, who -spent fourteen months, in 1850-51, in studying at Brazil the -“Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of the American Negro,” speaks thus -of the Brazilian mulatto: “The greatest number of the colored -inhabitants of Brazil are of the negro and European races, called -mulattoes. It may be asserted that the inferior classes of the free -population are composed of such. If ever there should be a republic, -such as exists in the United States of America, as it is the aim of a -numerous party in Brazil to establish, the whole class of artisans would -doubtless consist of a colored population. * * * Already in every -village and town the mulattoes are in the ascendant, and the traveller -comes in contact with more of them than of whites.” There is nothing in -these extracts, or in the essay from which they are taken, to indicate -that the Brazilian mulatto is dying out. These are the observations of a -patient investigator and man of science, and they have the more value, -inasmuch as they were not set down to support any particular theory. -The Professor speaks elsewhere in high but qualified terms of the moral -and intellectual qualities of the mulatto, coming to conclusions similar -to those of Moreau de St. Mery, except that he does not accuse them of -indolence. - -The author of “Remarks on Hayti and the Mulatto,” whose experience as a -merchant I have mentioned, further says: - -“This race, if on the white side it derives its blood from either the -English or French stock, possesses within itself a combination of all -the mental and physical qualities necessary to form a civilized and -progressive population for the tropics, _and it is the only race yet -found of which this can be said_.” - -“I have no desire to undervalue the blacks of Hayti. I have found many -shrewd, worthy, and intelligent men among them; and the country, it is -well known, has produced several black men of a high order of talent; -but these have been exceptional cases, like the King Philips, Hendricks, -Tecumsehs, and Red Jackets, of our North American Indians. As a race, -they do not get on. _The same may be said of every other original race._ -The blacks form no exception to the well-known law, that culture and -advancement in man are the result of a combination of races.” - - -REMARKS. - -I have no desire to retain, by the republishing of the above extracts, -the appellation of “Defender of the Mulattoes;” but have inserted them -here, that they may not be misunderstood. All I have to say is, that I -believe it would be actually more proper, numerically speaking, to call -at least the free persons of African descent in America, _colored_ or -mulattoes, rather than negroes. Yet, how often do we hear respectable -men of all parties, talk of “Negro nationalities,” and regarding the two -races as “two negative poles mutually repelling each other,” leaving no -middle ground for the great mass of the colored people or mulattoes, -whom, as some say, “God did not make.” Instead of such impiety, and in -place of sending one-half of the colored people to establish black -nationalities in Africa, leaving the other half to be absorbed by the -whites, I think it is much more liberal to regard them as one people, -the political destiny of whom is unknown, or at best but begun to be -discerned. To divide the colored people at this late day by any such -process, would seem to me _like splitting a child in twain_, in order to -give one half to its mother and the other to its father. _I go for a -colored nationality_, that shall divide the continent with the whites, -and the two empires being known respectively as Anglo-American and -Anglo-African. - - * * * * * - -In conclusion, I desire to return my thanks for the complimentary manner -in which the preceding communications have been received; and I would -fain hope they might be as favorably regarded now that they are -presented in this present form. - -How proudly will the colored race honor that day, when, abandoning a -policy which teaches them to cling to the skirts of the white people for -support, they shall set themselves zealously at work to create a -position of their own--an empire which shall challenge the admiration of -the world, rivalling the glory of their historic ancestors, whose -undying fame was chronicled by the everlasting pyramids at the dawn of -civilization upon mankind. - - “Hope of the world! _the rising race_ - May heaven with fostering love embrace; - And, turning to a whiter page, - Commence with them _a better age_; - An age of light and joy, which we, - Alas! in prospect only see.” - - -OPINIONS OF DISTINGUISHED STATESMEN AND PHILANTHROPISTS. - -“My proposition is simply to provide for the peaceful emigration of all -those free colored persons of African descent who may desire so to -emigrate to some place in Central or South America.... I believe the -time has ripened for the execution of the plan originated by Jefferson -in his day, agreed in by Madison and Monroe and all the earlier and -better statesmen of the Republic, both North and South.”--_Speech of -Senator Doolittle._ - - * * * * * - -“Instead, therefore, of being an expense to the nation, the foundation -of such a colony would be the grandest commercial enterprise of the -age.... - -“Are the young merchants of Boston and of America indifferent to an -enterprise which would give to our commerce, without a rival, such an -empire as that to which I have pointed?--an empire not to be won by -cruelty and conquest, but by peaceful and benignant means, and by -imparting to others the inestimable blessings of liberty which we enjoy, -and removing from our midst the only cause which threatens the -prosperity and stability of the Union....”--_Speech of Hon. F. P. Blair, -Boston._ - - * * * * * - -“It is my intention to use every effort to give practical effect to the -propositions submitted to Congress, and I believe that the colored -people themselves can give very efficient aid in the matter. If they -will only let it be known that they approve, and are themselves willing -to act upon the proposition, it will give it a great impulse.”--_Hon. F. -P. Blair--Letter to J. D. Harris._ - - * * * * * - -“The only mode in which we can relieve our country, relieve the blacks -and whites, and provide separate homes for them, is by some scheme -_which will meet the approbation of both--one which the parties -themselves will execute_.”--_Hon. Preston King._ - - * * * * * - -“Among all feasible things, there is nothing that in my judgment would -so much promote a peaceful abolition of slavery as your son’s -plan.”--_Hon. Gerrit Smith to F. P. Blair, Sen._ - - * * * * * - -“The feeling of the free blacks in relation to African colonization is -no criterion by which to judge of the success of American intertropical -emigration.... I am confident that with proper inducements to be held -out before them in regard to security of liberty and property, and -prospects for well-doing, I could muster two hundred emigrant families -or about one thousand colored persons annually for the next five years, -of the very best class for colonial settlement and industry, from -various parts of the United States and Canada, who would gladly embark -for homes in our American tropics.”--_Rev. J. T. Holly._ - - * * * * * - -To the above might be added the views and opinions of many of the most -eminent men in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Maryland, and other States, -among them the Hon. Mr. Bates, and Sam’l T. Glover, Esq., of St. Louis. -But none seem more appropriate to close this volume than the following -from the Rev. Dr. Duffield, of Detroit. - -_Detroit, Feb. 18, 1860._ - -DEAR BRO. KENDALL:-- - - Allow me to commend to your attention the object in which Mr. - Harris has embarked. I think very favorably of it on various - grounds, but regard it as especially indicative of God’s - providential designs in relation to the introduction of the gospel - into that portion of our American continent which has attracted - our attention, and which led yourself with me to memorialize the - General Assembly on the subject of commencing a system of missions - in Mexico, Central and Southern America. I had intended writing to - you on the subject with a view to the prosecution of the matter of - our memorial next spring, when the Assembly meets at Pittsburg. I - know not, nor can I learn, what has been done in pursuance of the - action of the last General Assembly. The whole matter as reported I - failed to understand, and have since had no light shed upon the - subject. May not this movement prove an occasion, if not of - connection to the mission, of bespeaking a deeper interest in - behalf of our benighted populations of Central and Southern America - than has yet been felt by and in our country.... - - Truly Yours, - -GEO. DUFFIELD. - - REV. DR. KENDALL, of Pittsburg, Pa. - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [A] See Appendix. - - [B] When the island was discovered by Columbus, it received from him - the name of Hispaniola--“Little Spain.” It was afterwards called Santo - Domingo; but the original name given it by the natives, and revived by - Dessalines, is said to be Hayti. The Haytien territory, however, is - but about two-fifths of the island, the greater part being owned by - the Dominicans. - - [C] Within fifteen days a disaffection has been discovered near the - Haytien frontiers, supposed to be the work of Solouque. Solouque is an - imitator of Napoleon I. Napoleon went to Elba--Solouque to the island - of Jamaica. - - [D] Published by A. P. Norton, New York. - - [E] For a beautiful description of this affecting scene, see - Whittier’s “Toussaint L’Ouverture.” - - [F] Rainsford. - - [G] Rainsford. - - [H] Anthony Trollope’s West Indies and Spanish Main. Harper and - Brothers. - - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -peaceful and benignant mean;=> peaceful and benignant means; {pg 30} - -undeveloped reresources=> undeveloped resources {pg 74} - -FATE OF OGE AND CHAVINE=> FATE OF OGÉ AND CHAVINE {pg 84} - -and and is as much beholden=> and is as much beholden {pg 130} - -victims of iliterate abuse=> victims of illiterate abuse {pg 164} - -where it is has once been=> where it has once been {pg 169} - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A summer on the borders of the -Caribbean sea., by J. Dennis. 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Dennis. Harris - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: A summer on the borders of the Caribbean sea. - -Author: J. Dennis. Harris - -Release Date: October 31, 2016 [EBook #53418] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SUMMER ON THE BORDERS *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="296" height="500" alt="cover" title="" /> -</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="border: 2px black solid;margin:auto auto;max-width:50%; -padding:1%;"> -<tr><td> - -<p class="c"><a href="#CONTENTS">Contents.</a></p> -<p class="c">Some typographical errors have been corrected; -<a href="#transcrib">a list follows the text</a>.</p> - -<p class="c">(etext transcriber's note)</p></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_001" id="page_001"></a>{1}</span></p> - -<h1> -A SUMMER<br /> -ON<br /> -THE BORDERS<br /> -OF<br /> -THE CARIBBEAN SEA.</h1> - -<p class="cb">BY J. DENNIS HARRIS.<br /> -<br /><br /> -<small>WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY</small><br /> -GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS.<br /> -<br /><br /> -NEW YORK:<br /> -A. B. BURDICK, PUBLISHER,<br /> -No. 145 NASSAU STREET.<br /> -1860.<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_002" id="page_002"></a>{2}</span><br /> -Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1860, by<br /> -<br /> -J. DENNIS HARRIS,<br /> -<br /> -In the clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern<br /> -District of New York.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_003" id="page_003"></a>{3}</span><br /> -</p> - -<h2><a name="ADVERTISEMENT" id="ADVERTISEMENT"></a>ADVERTISEMENT.</h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">Through</span> the columns of leading journals in New York, St. Louis, and -other localities, we have had occasion to acknowledge the fact that the -political views which gave rise to the present volume, though -comparatively new, have generally met the approval of distinguished -statesmen and philanthropists, North and South.<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a></p> - -<p>The following note from the venerable Mr. Giddings indicating the -proposition, is but one of a large number which we have received from -various parts of the country:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -<i>Jefferson, Ohio, July 13, 1859.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Dear Sir</span>:—I am heartily in favor of Mr. Blair’s plan of -furnishing territory in Central America for the use of such of our -African brethren as wish to settle in a climate more congenial to -the colored race than any that our government possesses.</p> - -<p>I hope and trust you may be successful in your efforts.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span style="margin-right: 10%;">Very truly,</span><br /> -J. R. GIDDINGS.</p> -<p><span class="smcap">J. D. Harris, Esq.</span> -</p></div> - -<p>The subjoined, respecting the work itself, is from Mr. William -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_004" id="page_004"></a>{4}</span> -Cullen Bryant, by whom, in addition to -Mr. George W. Curtis, a portion of these communications was reviewed:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -<i>Roslyn, Long Island, August 26, 1860.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>:—I have looked over with attention the letters you left -with me, and return them herewith. It appears to me it will be very -well to publish them. Of the Spanish part of the island of San -Domingo very little is known—much less than of the French part; -and the information you give of the country and its people is -valuable and interesting.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span style="margin-right: 15%;">I am, Sir,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-right: 5%;">Respectfully yours,</span><br /> -W. C. BRYANT.<br /> -</p></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Mr. J. D. Harris.</span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_005" id="page_005"></a>{5}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS.</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="margin:auto auto;max-width:90%;"> - -<tr><td class="hang"><span class="smcap">Introduction</span></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_007">vii</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2">DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.</th></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_I">LETTER I.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">From New York to Puerto de Plata—Smoothness of the Voyage—Hayti -in the Distance—The Custom-House Officers—Description -of the Standing Army—Unparalleled Scenic Beauty </td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_013">13-19</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_II">LETTER II.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">Want of Information—One side of a Question—The other side—Causes -of the decline of the Spanish Colony—Subsequent history</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_020">20-30</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_III">LETTER III.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">Corpus Christi—The Farm of the Fugitive Slave</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_031">31-35</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_IV">LETTER IV.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">First Ride in the Country—Pastorisa Place</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_036">36-41</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_V">LETTER V.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">Valley of the Isabella—Customs of the People—A Call for Dinner</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_042">42-50</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_VI">LETTER VI.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">On the way to Porto Cabello—Antille-Americana—Immigration Ordinance</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_051">51-61</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_VII">LETTER VII.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">Proposed American Settlement—A Picture of Life—Tomb of the -Wesleyan Missionary</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_062">62-67</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_VIII">LETTER VIII.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">Summary of Dominican Staples, Exports, and Products -</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_069">69-75</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_006" id="page_006"></a>{6}</span></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2">REPUBLIC OF HAYTI<br /> - -<small>HISTORICAL SKETCH.</small></th></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_IX">LETTER IX.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">State of Affairs previous to 1790</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_076">76-83</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_X">LETTER X.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">Affairs in France—Case of the Mulattoes—Terrible Death of Ogé and -Chavine</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_084">84-92</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_XI">LETTER XI.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">Tragedy of the Revolution—A Chapter of Horrors (which the delicate -reader may, if he pleases, omit)</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_093">93-104</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_XII">LETTER XII.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">Tragedy of the Revolution, continued—Rigaud succeeded by L’Ouverture—L’Ouverture -duped by Le Clerc</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_105">105-115</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_XIII">LETTER XIII.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">The War Renewed—“Liberty or Death”—Expulsion of the French—Jean -Jacques Dessalines, First Emperor of Hayti—The Aurora -of Peace—Principal Events up to present date—Geffrard on Education</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_116">116-127</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2">GRAND TURK’S AND CAICOS ISLANDS.</th></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_XIV">LETTER XIV.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">An Island of Salt—Honor to the British Queen—Sir Edward Jordan, -of Jamaica—A Story in Parenthesis—The Poetry of Sailing</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_128">128-137</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2">BRITISH HONDURAS.</th></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_XV">LETTER XV.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">Off Ruatan—The Sailor’s Love Story—Sovereignty of the Bay Islands—English -<i>vs.</i> American View of Central American Affairs</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_138">138-150</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2">CONCLUSIVE SUMMARY.</th></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#LETTER_XVI">LETTER XVI.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">Concise Description of the Spanish Main—Dominicana Reviewed—The -magnificent Bay of Samana—Conclusive Summary</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_151">151-160</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#APPENDIX">APPENDIX</a>.</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang">The Anglo-African Empire—Opinions of distinguished Statesmen and -Philanthropists</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_161">161-179</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_007" id="page_007"></a>{7}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="INTRODUCTION" id="INTRODUCTION"></a>INTRODUCTION.</h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> free colored American, of whatever shade, sees that his destiny is -linked with slavery. Where his face is a crime he can not hope for -justice. In the country which enslaves his race he can never be an -acknowledged man. That it is his native country does not help him. The -author of this book is an American as much as James Buchanan. He is more -so: for the father of Mr. Buchanan was born in Ireland, and the father -of Mr. Harris was born in North Carolina. But the one becomes president; -the other is officially declared to have no rights which white men are -bound to respect.</p> - -<p>The intelligent colored man, therefore, as he ponders the unhappy -condition of his race among us, perceives that, even if slavery in the -Southern States were to be immediately abolished, his condition would be -only nominally and legally, not actually, equal to that of the whites. -The traditional habit of unquestioned mastery can not be laid aside at -will. Prejudice is not amenable to law. There is a terrible logic in the -slave system. For the proper and safe subjugation<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_008" id="page_008"></a>{8}</span> of the slave there -must be silence, ignorance, and absolute despotism. But these react upon -the master; and the difficulties and dangers of emancipation, as the -history of Jamaica shows, are found upon the side of the master and not -of the slave. The law might establish a political equality between them, -but the old feeling would survive, and would still exclaim with the San -Domingo planters when the French Assembly freed the mulattoes in 1791, -“We would rather die than share our political rights with a bastard and -degenerate race.”</p> - -<p>The free colored man, wishing to help himself and his race, may choose -one of several methods. If he dare to take the risk, he may try to -recover by force the rights of which force only deprives him. But his -truest friends among the dominant race will assure him that such a -course is mere suicide. In a war of races in this country his own would -be exterminated. Or he may say with Geo. T. Downing, “I feel that I am -working for the people with whom I am identified in oppression, in -securing a business name: I shall strive for my and their elevation, but -it will be by a strict and undivided attention to business.” Or he may -believe with Jefferson, “Nothing is more certainly written in the book -of fate than that these people [the colored] are to be free: nor is it -less certain that the two races equally free can not live in the<a -name="page_009" id="page_009"></a> same government. Nature, habit, opinion, -have drawn indissoluble lines of distinction between them.”</p> - -<p>This latter opinion is shared by many intelligent public men in this -country, of whom Francis P. Blain Jr., of Missouri, Senator Doolittle, -of Wisconsin, and Senator Bingham, of Michigan, are the most -conspicuous. They believe that the emigration of free colored people, -protected by the United States, into some region of propitious climate -and beyond the taint of prejudice against color, would have the most -important practical influence upon the question of emancipation in this -country, and of the consequent restoration of the colored race to the -respect of the world.</p> - -<p>It is not surprising that a docile and amiable people enslaved by nearly -half the States,—legally excluded from many of the rest, and everywhere -contemned, should believe this, and turn their eyes elsewhere in the -fond faith that any land but their own is friendly.</p> - -<p>The author of this book is of opinion that under the protection of the -United States government a few intelligent and industrious colored -families could colonize some spot within the Gulf of Mexico or upon its -shores, and there live usefully and respected; while gradually an -accurate knowledge of the advantages of such a settlement would be<a -name="page_010" id="page_010"></a> spread among their friends in the United -States, and, as they developed their capacities for labor and society, -not only attract their free brethren to follow, but enable the -well-disposed slaveholders to see an easy and simple solution of the -question which so deeply perplexes them, “What should we do with the -emancipated slaves?”</p> - -<p>But neither Mr. Harris nor his friends, so far as I know, anticipate the -final solution of the practical problem of slavery by emigration. They -do not contemplate any vast exodus of their race; for they know how -slowly even the small results they look for must be achieved, since the -first condition is the protection of the American government. Mr. Harris -thinks that the island of Hayti or San Domingo, in its eastern or -Dominican portion, offers the most promising prospect for such an -experiment; and this little book is the record of his own travel and -observation upon that island and at other points of the Caribbean sea. -It contains a brief and interesting sketch of the insurrection of -Toussaint L’Ouverture, a story which incessantly reminds every -thoughtful man that slavery everywhere, however seemingly secure, is -only a suppressed, not an extinguished, volcano.</p> - -<p>I commend the book heartily as sincere and faithful, quite sure that it -will command attention not only by its intrinsic interest and merit, but -as<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_011" id="page_011"></a>{11}</span> another silent and eloquent protest against the system which, while -it deprives men of human rights, also denies them intellectual capacity. -I think we may pardon the author that he does not love the government of -his native land. But surely he and all other colored men may -congratulate themselves that the party whose principles will presently -control that government repeats the words of the Declaration of -Independence as its creed of political philosophy.</p> - -<p class="r"> -GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">New York</span>, <i>September 1st, 1860</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_012" id="page_012"></a>{12}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_013" id="page_013"></a>{13}</span> </p> - -<h1><small>A SUMMER</small><br /><br /> - -<small><small>ON THE BORDERS OF</small></small><br /><br /> - -THE CARIBBEAN SEA.</h1> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_013a.png" alt="" title="" /> -</div> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_I" id="LETTER_I"></a>LETTER I.<br /><br /> -Dominican Republic.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hang2">FROM NEW YORK TO PUERTO DEL PLATA—SMOOTHNESS OF THE VOYAGE—HAYTI -IN THE DISTANCE—DESCRIPTION OF THE STANDING ARMY—UNPARALLELED -SCENIC BEAUTY. </p></div> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Is John departed, and is Lilburn gone?<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Farewell to both, to Lilburn and to John.”<br /></span> -<span class="i10">Hudibras.<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_i.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="I" -/></span>T was a mild, showery morning on the 19th of May, 1860, that the brig -John Butler, on board of which we were, left her dock at New York and -anchored off the Jersey Flats. From this point we enjoyed the -pleasantest and decidedly most satisfactory view of the great commercial -city and its environs. The many white-sailed vessels and finely-painted -steamers plying in and out the North and East rivers, and between the -bright<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_014" id="page_014"></a>{14}</span> green undulating slopes of Staten and Long islands, presented a -picturesque and animated scene, quite in contrast with the dark walls -and stately steeples of the city which arose beyond.</p> - -<p>More delightfully refreshing nothing could have been. Altogether, the -fine air and characteristic scenes of New York bay amply repaid the -inconvenience of remaining all day in sight of the great metropolis, -without being jostled in its streets or snuffing the peculiar atmosphere -that pervades it.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the 20th we sailed out of the bay, passed Sandy Hook, -and were at sea. The sky was clear, and the ocean calm. Betwixt the -novelty of being at sea for the first time and the dread of that -sickness which all landsmen fear, but know to be inevitable, I was kept -in a state of moderate excitement which effectually annihilated those -sentimental sorrows which one is expected at such times to entertain. -The first vessel we met coming in was the Porto Plata, from this city, -and owned by a German firm on the corner of Broadway and Wall street, -New York. Her cargo, I have since learned, consisted principally of -mahogany and hides.</p> - -<p>Our mornings were passed mostly in studying the Dominican language, -which, as nearly as I can<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_015" id="page_015"></a>{15}</span> analyze it, is a compound of Spanish, French, -English, Congo, and Caribbean—but, of course, principally Spanish. The -afternoons were spent in fishing, and catching sea-weed, watching the -flying-fish, or in looking simply and silently on the ever-bounding sea, -which was in itself an infinite and unwearying source of irrepressible -delight. A comparatively quiet sameness characterized the voyage. With -bright clouds pencilling the sunset sky, a fresh breeze stiffening the -sails, and the ship gliding smoothly over the buoyant waves, the -sensations were at times exceedingly exhilarating, and even supremely -delicious. But there were no dead calms, no terrific storms. To-day was -the pale blue sky above, and the deep blue ocean rolling everywhere -around; and to-morrow the sky was equally as fine, and the same dark -heaving ocean as boundlessly sublime. Had there been a storm, if only -for description’s sake!</p> - -<p>But the poetry ceased. We were now in the latitude of the regular -trade-winds, with which every man is supposed to be as certainly -familiar as he is with a school-book, or the way to church. Where were -the winds? Wanting—from the south and east when they should have been -from the west, and <i>vice versa</i>. As for their reputed regularity,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_016" id="page_016"></a>{16}</span> they -were no more regular than a sinner at prayers. Four successive days we -averaged about one mile an hour, and this was in the trade-winds! For -the honor of all concerned, however, I will say (on the point-blank oath -of our captain) that such a thing never occurred before, and, as he -expressed it, “mightn’t be again in a thousand years.” I thought of an -old man who once went travelling, and when he returned he was asked what -he had learned. He said, simply, “I was a fool before, but by travelling -I found it out.” The astounding thunderstorms you hear about in the West -Indies were all gone before we got here; so were the whirlwinds.</p> - -<p>After a sail of twelve days, a long, dim, bluish outline, as of a cloud -four hundred miles in length, stood out above the waves. Soon, with a -glass, could be distinguished the regularly rising tablelands and lovely -green valleys, the dark mountains standing in the background. I was at -once agitated with all the anxieties of hope and fear. We were -approaching the eventful shores of San Domingo, embracing as it does the -Dominican and Haytien republics. But however thrillingly interesting its -past history may have been, the <i>practical</i> question was whether the -present state of affairs here would not be found unsatisfactory, and the -climate hotter<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_017" id="page_017"></a>{17}</span> and less healthy than was desirable, or whether the -luxuriant indications of opulence and ease I now beheld might not prove -to be more captivating than expected, and the climate even more -delightfully salubrious than I had dared to anticipate. I watched the -lingering sunlight, wrapping the clouds, the mountains, and the sky into -one glowing and refulgent scene, with all the enthusiasm of which my -soul was capable; but the sun went quietly down, and the supper-bell -reminded me of a fresh-caught mackerel. The sun and the land will come -again to-morrow, but the mackerel disappeared forever.</p> - -<p>Morning did come, and with it came the pilot (black). We entered the -“port of silver” (Puerto del Plata). The harbor is a poor one; but if -there be one thing on earth deserving the epithet “sublime,” it is the -surrounding scenery. We anchored, and there awaited the coming of the -custom-house officers. The officers came—some white, some colored—and -with them Mr. Collins, an American gentleman to whom I was addressed. He -received me liberally, invited me to stop with him, promising to show me -around the country, introduce me to the General, (black,) and do a -variety of other things decidedly un-American, but very gentlemanly -indeed.</p> - -<p>It was Saturday afternoon when we went ashore,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_018" id="page_018"></a>{18}</span> and it so happened there -was to be a government proclamation. In due time the drum struck up, and -down came the standing army, looking for all the world like a parcel of -ragamuffin boys playing militia. I counted them, and I think there were -four drummers, two fifers, and two lines of soldiers—thirteen in a -line. Some were barefooted, others wore shoes; some of their guns had -bayonets, and others none. The manner in which they bore them compared -with the foregoing suggestions, and so on to the end of this ridiculous -scene. Dominicana has a government—so poets have empires.</p> - -<p>In passing through the streets one is compelled to observe the -non-progressive appearance of everything around him. There lie the -unturned stones, just as they were laid a century ago. The houses are -generally built one story high, with conical-shaped roofs, for no other -reason than that that is the way this generation found them. Mr. -Collins, who is a bachelor, lives in an airy two-story house, with a -charming verandah running its whole length, cool and delicious, and -surrounded by the sweetest fruit-trees outside of Eden. I found myself -perpetually exclaiming, “Oh! what beautiful, bright roses!” what this, -and what that, until I felt shamefully convicted of my own enthusiastic -ignorance. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_019" id="page_019"></a>{19}</span> need not repeat the traveller’s story, for the certainty -of exposure is sure. Look at a wood-cut and say that you have seen -Niagara, but don’t read Harper’s picture-books and suppose you have any -idea of Haytien floral beauty.<a name="FNanchor_B_2" id="FNanchor_B_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_B_2" class="fnanchor">[B]</a></p> - -<p>Of course I have not been here long enough to know whether it is a fit -place for a man to live in, or for a number to colonize, and I am well -aware, when the question of politics comes up, it turns on a very -different pivot; but by all that is magnificent, lovely, exquisite, and -delicious in its vegetable productions, I do set it down a perfect -paradise.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_020" id="page_020"></a>{20}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_II" id="LETTER_II"></a>LETTER II.<br /><br /> -Dominican Republic.</h2> - -<p class="chead">WANT OF INFORMATION—ONE SIDE OF A QUESTION.</p> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_t.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="T" -/></span>HERE is no school-boy but remembers, when tracing the history of -Columbus on his perilous voyage across the sea in search of a new world, -how eagerly he watched each favorable indication of bird or sea-weed, -and ultimately with what rapture he greeted the joyous cry of land; nor -who, looking back through the vista of centuries past, but brings -vividly to mind the landing of Columbus, the simplicity of the natives, -the cupidity of the Spaniards, and their insatiable thirst for gold. But -further than this—further than a knowledge of a few of the most -striking outlines of the earlier history of Hayti, or Hispaniola—there -is generally known little or nothing; little of the vicissitudes and -sanguinary scenes through which the peoples of this island have passed; -nothing of the “easily attainable wealth almost in sight of our great -commercial cities;” nothing of its sanitary<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_021" id="page_021"></a>{21}</span> districts peculiarly -conducive to longevity. On the contrary, erroneous and exaggerated -notions prevail, that because it is not within a given circle of -isothermal lines it must necessarily be fit for the habitation only of -centipedes, bugbears, land-sharks and lizards. Indeed, it has been well -said there is perhaps no portion of the civilized world of which the -American people are so uninformed; and, in fact, so anomalous and -apparently contradictory to the generally received impression does -everything appear, that I almost despair of these papers being regarded -as other than humorously paradoxical.</p> - -<p>I am standing now on the line of 19° 45´ of north latitude, or but 20° -15´ south of the city of New York, and but 3° of longitude east, a -distance not greater, I think, than by river from St. Louis to New -Orleans, a distance frequently made by steamers within four days, and a -distance which may be travelled over on railroads in the States at the -rate of three times a week! Yet there are many persons who, were you to -speak to them concerning this portion of the American tropics, you would -find, regard it as being somewhere away on the coast of Africa, and the -voyage hither long and tediously disagreeable. It is in reality but a -small pleasure trip.</p> - -<p>This is one side; but the great lesson of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_022" id="page_022"></a>{22}</span> world’s experience is -that there are two sides to every question.</p> - -<h3>THE OTHER SIDE.</h3> - -<p>On the other hand, it may well be asked, if this be the Eden of the New -World, why its flowers should be “born to blush unseen,” and its “gems -of purest ray” remain hidden in its hills; or, to speak less -classically, why the country should lie so long a comparative <i>terra -incognita</i>, producing generations of indolent men and women, excelling -only in superstition, idleness, and profound stupidity. In the “Silver -Port,” the port in which we entered, vessels get within a quarter of a -mile of land; then lighters take the cargo half the remaining distance, -and from thence ox-carts convey it to the shore, when a comparatively -small outlay of ingenuity, capital, and labor would make it a -respectable harbor.</p> - -<p>The men generally dress—those that dress at all—in cool white linen, -Panama hats, and light gaiter boots. They look nice; but the -red-turbaned, often bare-stockinged, loosely-dressed women are shocking.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Know then this truth, (enough for man to know,)<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Virtue alone is happiness below.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_023" id="page_023"></a>{23}</span></p> - -<p>Soon after we arrived, a dark, brown-skinned, and as handsome a looking -man as I ever saw, came on board as watchman. For my particular benefit, -I suppose, the captain inquired if he had a wife; to which he replied, -in broken Spanish, “Two—one is not a plenty.”</p> - -<p>A large portion of the cargo of the vessel in which I came consisted of -lumber for the erection of a storehouse. The same vessel will be -freighted back with timber of a superior quality. Indeed, the shores are -lined with yellow-wood and mahogany; <i>but it is not sawed</i>. A gentleman -is reported to have built a house in one of the interior towns which -would have cost in Northern Ohio about $800, at a cost of $25,000. -Inquire why this is so—why this listless inactivity prevails—and you -receive the answer, “Well, waat is the use?” or, as Tennyson has it, -“Vot’s the hods, so long as you’re ’appy.” The “apathy of despair” has -not reached here, but the apathy of stupidity is incurable.</p> - -<h3>CAUSES OF THE DECLINE OF THE SPANISH COLONY.</h3> - -<p>I am aware that many persons, among them our finest writers on -“Civilization—Its Dependence on Physical Circumstances,” attribute the -cause of the island’s decline from its ancient splendor,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_024" id="page_024"></a>{24}</span> and the -consequent supine indifference of the natives, to the effeminating -influences attending all tropical climates; and, without prejudice, I -believe such would be very greatly the case in a very large portion of -the tropical world; but it is a libel on Hayti and Dominicana. The -country is as healthy as Virginia, and, except in its excessive beauty -and fertility, resembles much the state of North Carolina. “Nobody dies -in Port-au-Platte,” they say; but I should be sorry to find it true. I -trace the cause in the country’s history, as I think the following brief -glance will show, for much of which I am indebted to W. S. Courtney, -Esq., and his essay on “The Gold Fields of St. Domingo.” We will say the -civilized history of the country began with the Spaniards in 1492. The -inhabitants, at the time of its discovery by Columbus, were a -simple-minded, hospitable, and kind-hearted people, the fate -(unparalleled suffering) of whom I have no disposition to record. The -studious reader of American history will shudder at the bare -recollection of the predatory scenes and excessively inhuman and -bewildering iniquities of which they fell the victims, and which, if -perpetrated now in any part of the world, “would send a thrill of horror -to the heart of universal<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_025" id="page_025"></a>{25}</span> man.” Montgomery, I think it is, expresses -their fate touchingly, and in a nut-shell, thus:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Down to the dust the Carib people passed,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Like autumn foliage withering in the blast;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">A whole race sunk beneath the oppressor’s rod,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And left a blank among the works of God!”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>The Spanish colonists brought with them, of course, the Spanish -language, customs, laws, and religion, which language, customs, and -religion prevail to this day. They were exceedingly prosperous through a -long series of years. They built palatial residences, cultivated sugar -and tobacco farms, erected prodigious warehouses, established assay -offices, and worked the mines on a grand but unscientific scale. The -mines are supposed to have yielded from twenty-five to thirty millions -of dollars per annum, and the exports of sugar and other productions -showed a corresponding degree of prosperity.</p> - -<p>In about 1630 the island began to decline. The natives had been driven -and tortured to the last degree, and the heroic Spaniards began to look -around for other countries to conquer, other people to enslave. They -discovered Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. The most glowing and captivating -accounts<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_026" id="page_026"></a>{26}</span> went forth of the incalculable wealth of those countries in -silver and gold, and multitudes abandoned their homes and haciendas and -flocked thitherwards, in the hope of realizing wealth untold. -Plantations and mines that had been producing immense revenues were -abandoned to waste and desolation, and the population of the island was -reduced one half from this one cause alone. Meanwhile, the French had -established themselves on the western part of the island, and the -present Haytien territory was ceded to France in 1773.</p> - -<p>The remaining Spaniards introduced African slaves to supply the place of -natives, and with this labor they were enabled to recover somewhat of -their ancient thrift. Soon after this, the revolt in the French portion -of the island occurred, and many of the Spanish slaves left the -territory to join the standard of their revolutionary brethren. Besides -this, whenever the French royalists drove the revolutionary forces back -into the mountains, and cut off their supplies, the latter entered the -Spanish territory, helped themselves to what they needed, destroyed the -haciendas, carried off cattle and crops, and if they were resisted, as -they sometimes were, they slaughtered the Spaniards as they do hogs in -Cincinnati, Ohio, set the cities on fire,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_027" id="page_027"></a>{27}</span> and left behind a grand but -terribly universal ruin.</p> - -<p>The history of San Domingo was never completely written, and if it were, -would never find a reader. But stand here on these shores, with a rising -panorama of half the scenes enacted by these revolting and infuriated -slaves, and there is not a planter in the Southern United States, who, -for all the wealth Peru, Mexico, and St. Domingo could produce, would be -willing to return home and remain there over night.</p> - -<p>Finally, Dessalines, that extraordinary prince of cut-throats, entered -the Spanish territory, slaughtered the French, laid waste the country -for leagues, carried off the remaining slaves, and so bewildered and -astounded the Spanish residents that they gathered up what movable -wealth they could and left the country, “some for Mexico, some for Peru, -while many returned to Spain.”</p> - -<p>Such are the principal and to me satisfactory causes which history -assigns for the decline of the island’s thrift, which had reached an -unparalleled degree of prosperity and an unsurpassed grandeur and -magnificence, with a rapidity unrivalled in the annals of the world.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_028" id="page_028"></a>{28}</span></p> - -<h3>SUBSEQUENT HISTORY.</h3> - -<p>For the gratification of your many readers, I will continue this -homœopathic sketch of the island’s history up to the present time.</p> - -<p>In 1821 the Dominican portion (which embraces about three-fifths of the -island, but having, I think, not more than one-fourth of its population) -declared itself independent of the Spanish crown, but was shortly after -subjugated by Boyer, the President of the Haytien Republic. In 1842 a -revolution in Hayti caused Boyer to flee, and Riviere assumed the -presidency. Two years after, the Dominicans overpowered Riviere, and on -the 27th of February, 1844, reëstablished their government, or rather -the present government of Dominicana. The main features of their -constitution are, that each district or canton choose electors, who meet -in preliminary electoral convention, and elect for four years the -President and other administrative officers, and a certain number of -counsellors, who constitute a congress.</p> - -<p>The President, Pedro Santana, is a mixed blood of Spanish and Indian -descent, and is emphatically regarded as a most estimable personage. -Baez, the former President, is said to be of mixed French<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_029" id="page_029"></a>{29}</span> and African -lineage; in short, there is no difference on account of color.</p> - -<p>In 1849, Solouque, the President of Hayti, contrary to the wish of many -Haytiens, undertook to conquer the Dominicans, and bring them -unwillingly under his despotic sway. He entered the territory with five -thousand men, but was met at Las Carreas, and disastrously defeated by -General Santana, “with an army of but four hundred men under his -command.” This is the truth, or history is a lie.</p> - -<p>For this brilliant achievement Santana received the title of “Libertador -de la Patria,” and seems to be admired, comparatively speaking, after -the manner of our “liberator” and Father of his country. (Bah!)</p> - -<p>But a small portion of the Haytiens, as I have before observed, -sympathized with President Solouque in his abortive attempt to carry out -the “Democratic” policy of territorial expansion. And when General -Geffrard was proclaimed President, it is said the populace demanded -pledges that he would not pursue the policy of his predecessor in this -regard.</p> - -<p>“It is not at all probable that any organized attempts of the Haytiens -to recover possession of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_030" id="page_030"></a>{30}</span> the Dominican territory will ever again be -made; so that henceforth there will be no more annoyances of this sort.” -Such are the views and opinions of eminent men, who have given this -subject some attention;<a name="FNanchor_C_3" id="FNanchor_C_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_C_3" class="fnanchor">[C]</a> but in the opinion of the writer, as is -generally known, the destiny of the island is union;—one in government, -wants, and interest, brought about by the introduction of the English -language, and by other peaceful and benignant means; such language, -wants, and interests to be introduced by the emigration hither of North -Americans,—some white, but principally colored. England, France, and -many other independent nations of the world, have acknowledged and -formed liberal treaties with the weak little Republic, but I hope you do -not suppose the government of the United States could be <i>guilty</i> of -anything that looks like generosity.</p> - -<p>God grant that I may never die in the United States of America!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_031" id="page_031"></a>{31}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_III" id="LETTER_III"></a>LETTER III.<br /><br /> -Dominican Republic.</h2> - -<p class="chead">CORPUS CHRISTI.</p> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_b.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="B" -/></span>ETWIXT midnight and daylight this morning I was lying sleeping and -dreaming under the halcyon influences of the lingering land breezes, -when suddenly a harmonious sound of partly brass and partly string -instrumental music rang upon the air. It appeared just as music always -does to any one in a semi-transparent slumber—not quite awake nor yet -asleep—when, as everybody knows, it is sweet as love. One boom from the -cannon, and I stood square on my feet; and, as it is not very remarkable -here to see persons dressed in white, the next moment I was out on the -verandah.</p> - -<p>There went a jolly crowd, promiscuous enough, but apparently as -light-hearted and happy as mortals get to be, and which to a -slant-browed contriving Yankee is a poser. They had thus early begun to -celebrate what is called <i>Corpus Christi</i>,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_032" id="page_032"></a>{32}</span> which, according to all fair -translation, I should think means Christ’s body. But any thing about it -after that I am entirely unable to say. It would seem to require a good -deal to understand all the Catholic ceremonies. Talk about their being -ignorant! I never expect to learn so much while I live.</p> - -<p>All business houses were closed for the day, and Dominican, French, -American, and other colors were flying from their respective staffs. -Altars were erected in various streets, with numerous candles burning -within, and bedecked with parti-colored flags and flowers. They were -really prettily and tastefully arranged. In short, it was an American -4th of July, except this: to each of these altars marched the throng of -people headed by the priest. The priest said prayers in “Greek.” The -people <i>understood</i>, and all knelt down in the street, men, women, and -children, but of course principally women.</p> - -<h3>THE FARM OF THE FUGITIVE SLAVE.</h3> - -<p>A party of us went out to see Mr. Smith, a fugitive slave, whose energy -and well-directed enterprise had attracted some attention heretofore. He -is not so fine looking a man as I expected to see. He is under five and -a half feet in height, limps a little,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_033" id="page_033"></a>{33}</span> and is altogether but little in -advance, to use a most contemptible Americanism, of his “kind of people” -in the States. He speaks no Spanish, and for that matter very little -English; but he has a will of his own, and a determination to do -something, which gives him an advantage over half a dozen persons who go -to school to lose their common sense.</p> - -<p>Mr. Smith was a slave in South Carolina; was brought by sea to Key West, -and there hired out to work for a Republican government. He and some -other of his fellow-slaves, including his wife, took sail-boat, set -sail, and after suffering almost incredibly from sea-sickness and want -of food, finally reached New Providence, which he had previously learned -to be an English colony. He proceeded to declare his intention to become -a British subject, and went to work; but wages being low, he concluded -to remove to Dominicana and go to farming. He purchased a piece of land -near the town of Porto Plata, and with the assistance of his -“help-mate,” (which in this country means a wife,) soon cleared the land -of its tropical undergrowth, and planted it in corn and potatoes. In -breaking up the ground he used a plow, a startling innovation here, but -which produced most salutary results. A neighbor of his has since bought -one. So great<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_034" id="page_034"></a>{34}</span> was the yield of Mr. Smith and his wife’s crop that in -little more than a year’s time they have a house and forty acres of land -all paid for, and a new crop worth over five hundred dollars, which will -soon be ready for market.</p> - -<p>This may not seem very remarkable to any one who has never seen a -sand-hill, nor yet been to Canada; but to me it is a miracle. My object -in mentioning this fact, however, is, to state that Mr. Smith also -planted a few seeds of Sea-Island cotton, the product of which has been -sent to New York and pronounced worth 14c. per pound. Now, there are -numbers of colored men recently from the Southern States skilled in, and -some who have made small fortunes by, the cultivation of cotton, at -perhaps not more than eight or nine cents per pound, when, too, it had -to be replanted every year. It produces here without replanting almost -indefinitely, but it is safe to say seven years.</p> - -<p>The query is this: give half a dozen such men as Smith a cotton-gin -($350), send them out here, and would they not accomplish more for the -elevation of the colored race by the successful cultivation of cotton, -in eighteen months, than all the mere talkers in as many years?</p> - -<p>The meanest thing I have been obliged to do,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_035" id="page_035"></a>{35}</span> and the greatest sin I -have committed, has been the registering my name as an American citizen. -I presented myself to the United States consul (whose son and clerk, by -the way, is a mulatto). The nice correspondence of Mr. Marcy was -produced, not with any evil intent at all, but just to show what -indefinable definitions there are between colored and black and white -and negroes as American citizens. I should like to find out how a man -<i>knows</i> he is an American citizen! There are members of Congress who can -no more tell this than they can tell who are their fathers.</p> - -<p>As for Mr. Corwin’s talk about enforcing the laws, he may thank Heaven -if he is not yet arrested as a fugitive slave.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>Since the above was written, I understand the courts of Virginia have -decided that an Octoroon is not a negro. Now, then, if an octoroon is -not a <i>negro</i>, is an octoroon a citizen? And if an octoroon is not a -negro, is a quadroon a negro?<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_036" id="page_036"></a>{36}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_IV" id="LETTER_IV"></a>LETTER IV.<br /><br /> -Dominican Republic.</h2> - -<p class="chead">FIRST RIDE IN THE COUNTRY—PASTORISA PLACE.</p> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_aq.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="“A" -/></span> YANKEE is known by the shortness of his stirrups;” so they say here, -and I do not know that the criticism is at all too severe. Except Willis -and one or two others, who of the Americans know any thing about riding? -The Dominicans are good on horseback. In fact, it is their boast that -they can ride or march further in two days than Americans want to go in -a week. On the other hand, if “Los Yankees” had this country they would -soon fix it so that a man could go over it all before the Dominicans got -breakfast. Señor Pastorisa, (of the firm of Pastorisa, Collins & Co., -formerly of St. Thomas,) who married a native, is mounted on a -cream-colored horse, (cost $300,) and wears behind him a sword in a -silver-gilt case. Every male person wears a sword of some kind, even -though it prove to be as useless as an old case-knife. It is an old, -superannuated,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_037" id="page_037"></a>{37}</span> hundred-years-behind-the-age custom; yet in some -instances serves as their Court of Appeals. No one disturbs you, and you -are expected to be as well behaved; but if not, the difficulty is -generally settled at the sword’s point, and there it ends. How -magnanimous even is this rude mode of settling disputes when compared to -that of the one-sided, blaspheming, defrauding den of thieves called a -court of justice in the States! Coming from a land where men kill each -other without warning, instead of a sword which I would not know how to -use, I buy a pair of holsters for horseman’s pistols, throw them across -the saddle, and am ready.</p> - -<p>Now there may be no pistols in these holsters, of course, but what is -the difference so long as they are supposed to be there? I take it as -one of the grand lessons which the world’s history teaches, that men are -far more afraid of supposed and imaginary dangers than of those they -know to be real. The number of backsliding sinners and snake-story -witnesses are innumerable.</p> - -<p>We were now at the base of the St. Mark’s mountain, which rises just -back of the town of Porto Plata. The so-called road was no road at all. -There were little narrow trenches running between the rocks, fit for -pack-mules, but scarcely wide<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_038" id="page_038"></a>{38}</span> enough to allow one’s feet to pass. Up -the mountain we came <i>poco á poco</i>. While passing these rocks the sun -poured down with an intensity not previously experienced. But I had -never been an alderman, and was not fat enough to melt; indeed, it might -as well have shone on a pine knot. Ere long the sun hid behind a cloud, -the thunder muttered a little, but pretty soon, as if by way of -repentance, there came a restorative shower of tears. (Thank Heaven! the -<i>nigger</i> question vanquished the sun.) Nothing is so calculated to make -a man vain as a mountain shower. You enjoy its ineffable sensations -yourself, while below you behold the poor valley fellows sweating in the -sun. Or it may be they are drowning wet below, and you basking in the -clear sunshine above. Either way, you are bound to rejoice and to look -with contempt on the silly ones who make themselves miserable by -regretting and whining over things that are in themselves unalterable, -and need no change. The wise repine not.</p> - -<p>Over the mountain and beside a stream, with limes scattered plentifully -around, we stop a moment for refreshment. Lemonade is cheap, one would -think; the limes are as free as the water. Had nature furnished the -sweetening as well, we should have had a river of lemonade.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_039" id="page_039"></a>{39}</span></p> - -<p>Here country settlements begin again, called <i>estancias</i>, which, if you -will get a blackboard and a piece of chalk, I will explain. Mark off, -say four acres of land, clear it up—let the fruit-trees stand, of -course—enclose it, but plant nothing therein. In the centre of this -piece erect a shanty. This much is called a <i>conuco</i>. Now go through the -woods, say a mile and a half, clear up four acres more and plant -tobacco. The next year or two this will be gone to weeds; you then (not -knowing the use of a plow) go another half mile, clear up another piece -and plant a new crop. The old place has gone to wreck, the new place is -in its vigor; but neither is in sight of the house. This together is -called an <i>estancia</i>, and I should have said before meant a farm, but it -does not mean a farm in English by a good deal.</p> - -<p>At this point we leave the “road,” and, under full gallop half the -while, take through the wood, guided by a dim path which winds over the -hills and down the dales with as careless an indiscrimination as ever -road was trodden by a prairie herd. L’Ouverture’s feats or Putnam’s -celebrated escape would do to read about, but this was reducing the -thing to practice.</p> - -<p>Five miles’ gallop over a level plain—thirty<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_040" id="page_040"></a>{40}</span> miles in all—and we have -reached Pastorisa Place: it is a perfect Arcadia.</p> - -<p>During leisure moments I shall probably look back to this day’s ride and -to these enchanting scenes as one of the “gilt letter” chapters of my -life; but at present, after a bath, the rapidity with which fried -plantains, pine-apple syrup, and scorched sweet milk will disappear, -would do a dyspeptic Northerner good to see!</p> - -<p>The property comes by Señora Pastorisa. She is, perhaps, -five-and-twenty. Her eyes are as bright and dark as even Lord Byron -could have wished them to be. Her complexion is that of a clear ripe -orange. The place is extensive, containing say nineteen thousand acres, -in a valley five miles wide, fenced in on either side by a spear of -mountains, with a limpid stream running through the centre. -Mocking-birds enliven every thing; parrots and paroquettes go around in -droves, screaming and squawking like a very nuisance. Back of the house -is a grove appropriated to honey-bees. They swarm on every log. (There -were certainly over one hundred swarms.) Honey is considered of but -little value anywhere in the mountains, and is often wasted in the -streams, the wax only being preserved. This comes of having pack-mules -and goat-paths instead of wagons and wagon-roads.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_041" id="page_041"></a>{41}</span></p> - -<p>Señor Pastorisa had informed me before of his desire to quit the town -and improve his farm. All he needed was men who understood farming on -the American plan. He has a plow, and intends harnessing an ox to-morrow -to try the experiment of plowing. Now, it is clear that to plow the -ground very successfully he will need at least a yoke of oxen—which he -has, all but the yoke. This I would undertake to make, though I never -did such a thing in my life, and always had a horror of an ox-yoke, -anyway; but lo! there are no tools. So Señor Pastorisa needs hands, but -with a very little <i>a priori</i> reasoning it will be seen there are other -things needed quite as much. One is a road. There is a natural outlet to -the valley—there must be. The stream before the door makes towards the -Isabella river. The Isabella empties into the sea, of course.</p> - -<p>I forgot to say Señora Pastorisa is “a little tinged”—the handsomest -woman in the world.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_042" id="page_042"></a>{42}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_V" id="LETTER_V"></a>LETTER V.<br /><br /> -Dominican Republic.</h2> - -<p class="chead">VALLEY OF THE ISABELLA—CUSTOMS OF THE NATIVES—CHAPTER ON SNAKES—A -CALL FOR DINNER.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Know ye the land where the cypress and myrtle<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Are emblems of deeds that are done in their clime;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Where the rage of the vulture, the love of the turtle,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Now melt into sorrow, now madden to crime;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Where the flowers ever blossom, the beams ever shine,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And all save the spirit of man is divine?”—<span class="smcap">Byron.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_t.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="T" -/></span>HERE had been one or two invigorating showers previous to our ride down -the valley of the Isabella, and so there remained a great deal of -slippery clay along the narrow pathways, which paths lay usually on the -very verge of some mountain slope, embankment, or more exciting -precipice. To have come off with only one or two bones broken, I should -have been perfectly satisfied.</p> - -<p>We forded the river with impunity, crossed and recrossed it again, and -finally came to as level a bottom plain as wheel ever rolled on. The -valley of the Isabella is as handsome as a park.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_043" id="page_043"></a>{43}</span></p> - -<p>The river itself is not so large as Longfellow’s “Beautiful River,” but -it is much more deserving the name. Apropos, every old homestead has its -particular title, such as the “Mocking-Bird,” “Humming-Bird,” -“Crebahunda,” and a variety of others for which there is no adequate -translation. The legends attending them are frequently the most -exquisite.</p> - -<p>Considering, therefore, the remarkable history, exquisite legends, and -extraordinary traditions of the country, I am bound to say, should there -be sufficient emigration in this direction to produce a poet of the -Hiawatha school, I should be sorry for the laurels of Mr. Longfellow. -There are one or two parts of “Hiawatha,” however, for which I hope to -retain a relish.</p> - -<p>The houses and cultivation along our way are in keeping with the -<i>estancias</i> before described. The men are comparatively neat in -appearance, find them where you will. The women are frequently -good-looking, but seldom spirited. The prevailing question seems to be, -How low in the neck can their dresses be worn? and the answer is, Very -low indeed! White Swiss is worn as dress, and when seen on a handsome -woman is like Balm of Gilead to the wounded eye. The wife does not<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_044" id="page_044"></a>{44}</span> -usually eat at the table with her husband. She sees that his baths are -ready, and at times even that his horse is fed, and at meal-times either -takes her plate on her lap or awaits the second table. This is not from -want of respect on the part of either; it is their stupid custom. Should -“los Americanos” ever run a stage-coach up this valley, and two or three -of these fellows have to climb on top for the sake of giving one lady an -inside seat, they will comprehend somewhat better for whose convenience -the world was made.</p> - -<p><i>June 14th.</i>—Señor Pastorisa fell ill to-day, and is now lying in a -hammock. This gives me an opportunity to extol the hammock, which is too -excellent a thing to pass unnoticed. It consists mainly of a net-work of -grass, netted something like a seine, twice the length of a person or -more, and fastened at the ends with cords sufficiently strong to hold -the weight of any one. These cords are tied to the limb of a tree or the -rafters of a house, and there you swing as happy as any baby ever rocked -in a tree-top. It is sufficiently light to be carried in saddle-bag, and -is altogether indispensable.</p> - -<p>The señor’s fever is also my excuse for pencilling down notes more -minutely than I otherwise should. I can, of course, give you a -description of but<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_045" id="page_045"></a>{45}</span> few things singly. The palm-tree ought to be one. -This remarkable tree grows without a limb, smooth and regular as a -barber-pole, from forty to sixty feet high. At this point it turns -suddenly green, and puts out two or three shoots. Around these grow its -berries, which are used for fattening pork. Each of these shoots -furnishes monthly a rare peel or skin, which is used for covering -houses, for packing tobacco, and for making bath-tubs, trays, and other -articles of household furniture. The body of the tree is used for -weather-boarding. It rives like a lath, the inside being pithy, somewhat -like an elder. Its leaves are twelve feet long, and bend over as -gracefully as an arch. In the centre of the top springs out a single -blade, like the staff of a parasol. This was made (one would think) for -mocking-birds to dance on. The most useful tree in the world, its -usefulness is excelled by its own beauty.</p> - -<p>The valley of the Isabella is a grove of palms.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>One cannot but remark how preposterous are the snake stories which the -vulgar relate respecting the West Indies and tropics generally. The -world does not contain another thing so brazenly destitute of the least -common sense. In all this rambling<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_046" id="page_046"></a>{46}</span> through the woods, over the hills, -and along the streams, the most harmful thing I have seen is a -honey-bee—not even a dead garter-snake!</p> - -<p>While on board a vessel off the coast one day, a sailor threw overboard -a hook and line, and in the course of time caught a young shark. It was -as wicked a little thing as I ever saw, and strong as a new-born giant. -The sailor struck it over the head with a stick, when it snapped the -hook and flounced around the vessel. In short, he killed it, and -proceeded to dress it for breakfast.</p> - -<p>“Going to eat a shark?” I inquired.</p> - -<p>“Why not?”</p> - -<p>“Good heavens! I thought they were the worst things in the world.”</p> - -<p>“You eat duck,” said he; “what’s nastier than a duck? Shark’s -clean—swims in a clean sea.”</p> - -<p>I afterwards tasted a piece: it was coarse, and the idea that its mother -might some day eat me, made the thing disgusting; but it learned me a -lesson I shall not very soon forget. An Irishman is afraid to go to -America on account of its frogs; a Frenchman makes a dish of them. One -man eats rats, and another cats.</p> - -<p>Now, to suppose there were no reptiles whatever in the country, or none -peculiar to its bays and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_047" id="page_047"></a>{47}</span> inlets, would be simply absurd; and when we -get to the coast, I should be sorry to miss seeing some lazy old -crocodile sunning in the sand. Should it have seven heads, however, I -shall very likely catch it, and send it straight to Barnum; but if not, -why, as Banks would the Union, let the snaky thing slide.</p> - -<p>Your “Allergater in de brake” song may do for the Southern States, with -their rhythmetical-and-stolen-from-the-African-coast slaves; but to -apply it to this country would disgrace the most idiotic “What-is-it” -ever imported. Of naturally wild quadruped animals there is not so much -as a squirrel. Birds are without number.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>Stanley is himself again! One and a half hours’ ride, two fords of the -river, (rising,) and we are at the mouth of the famous Isabella. The -river is here, but the town of Isabella has passed away forever. The -delta is covered with mahogany timbers; two schooners stand out in the -distance awaiting to transport them to Europe; and with these -exceptions—and with these alone, unless it be the absence of the -Indians—were Columbus to arrive here again to-day, he would not find a -particle more of improvement than was found here<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_048" id="page_048"></a>{48}</span> over three centuries -and a half ago. A boat load of oarsmen coming down the river, the -captain leading in a song, and all hands joining in the chorus; a splash -is heard on the other side of the water, as if broken by a fish or -clumsy sea-turtle; but except these sounds a death-like stillness -pervades the entire valley.</p> - -<p>To get a better view, you must cross the promontory (the northernmost -point of the island) to where Columbus first landed. From thence you see -the Haytien frontier stretching away in the dim blue distance, and the -scene is enchantment.</p> - -<p>Over the rocks we go, led on by a Spaniard on a little bay mule, that -climbs over the cliffs with an agility creditable even for a mountain -goat. The señor’s horse falters. One misstep, and they both go to -eternity!</p> - -<p>We are on the beach. My zeal to commemorate the landing of Columbus by -gathering a few tiny tinted shells reconciles the señor to sit in the -sun and hold my horse for a minute; but I have no doubt he had rather -see me as expert at gathering peas or picking up potatoes. “Ah! H.,” -says he, “leave off writing books and gathering shells; get married, and -come to farming.” So I will—all but the married.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_049" id="page_049"></a>{49}</span></p> - -<p>But you will want to know what, after all, is the matter with the port. -It is shallow. Vessels of a hundred tons burthen cannot get within as -many rods of a harbor. In fact, the only question is, why a man of -Columbus’ sense ever stopped there at all. It is not worth the pen and -ink it would take to describe it.</p> - -<h3>CALLED AT THE FIRST HOUSE FOR DINNER.</h3> - -<p>“Come, let the fatted calf be slain,” was complied with to the very -letter, except that in this instance it happened to be a <i>goat</i>. -Nevertheless, it was worth the return of any prodigal son.</p> - -<p>The largest “señorita” had a dress to make up. It was a piece of light -blue delaine, and to her, no doubt, was “superb.” She left off assisting -the old patriarch in dressing the goat, walked to the pitcher, took the -cocoanut dipper, and filled her mouth with water until her cheeks -swelled out like a porpoise’s. She then deliberately spirted it into her -hands; and this was her mode of washing! She then spreads out her -dry-goods, admires them a while, folds them up again, and lays them -aside.</p> - -<p>The four, and even six year old, running about the place, were as -innocent of even a shirt as any son of Adam at his coming into the -world.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_050" id="page_050"></a>{50}</span></p> - -<p>We look out into the open, slab-sided kitchen, and see old and young -sitting around on the dirt floor, enjoying a meal of fresh goat, winter -squash, and plantain stewed together.</p> - -<p>Our dinner is over; we bid these folks good-bye, and pronounce them the -happiest set of miserably contented mortals the sun ever shone upon. Man -needs excitement; he prays for ease.</p> - -<p>We return to Pastorisa Place to spend the Sabbath. Two or three days of -rest, and we start fresh again for Porto Cabello.</p> - -<p>So ends the week—one at least in my life for which it was worth the -trouble to have lived.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_051" id="page_051"></a>{51}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_VI" id="LETTER_VI"></a>LETTER VI.<br /><br /> -Dominican Republic.</h2> - -<p class="chead">ON THE WAY TO PORTO CABELLO—ANTILLE-AMERICANA—EMIGRATION ORDINANCE.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Here in my arms as happy you shall be,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">As halcyon brooding on a winter sea.”<br /></span> -<span class="i7">—<span class="smcap">Dryden.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_w.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="W" -/></span>HEN the saffron sunlight lingers on the fleecy edges of these mountain -clouds, there is a singular solemnity and peculiar fascination about -them which can not be likened to any thing earthly. More than any thing -else, the resemblance is that of a dark mourning-gown, lined with white -satin and trimmed with silver tassels.</p> - -<p>This reminds me that the sign of mourning here is somewhat novel. It is -that of a spotless white kerchief worn on the head—a thing rarely seen, -however, for the reason that people in this district rarely die except -from sheer old age. There is near us an old man (black) whose entire -grey hair and bodily appearance indicate his being at least eighty. His -father died only a year ago, and for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_052" id="page_052"></a>{52}</span> some time before the aged sire’s -death it is said that fires had to be kindled for him to sleep by, in -order to generate sufficient heat to keep his thin, chilly blood in -circulation. His age was beyond his own knowledge.</p> - -<p>But the great object of life here seems to be that of eating. The first -thing in the morning after leaving your hammock, you are furnished with -a dish of aromatic coffee, strong and excellent as a beverage, and as -little like the ordinary stuff you get at hotels as pure rich cream is -like chalk and water. Bah! think of your dish-water slops, made of -parched peas, and supposed to be West India coffee! Oh! nation of -Barnums and egregious dupes!</p> - -<p>Where circumstances allow it, not an hour in the day passes without -something being brought in to be eaten. “This is an alligator pear—must -be eaten with salt and pepper.” Now it is honey, pine-apple, mango, -orange, banana, and even a joint of sugar-cane—anything to be eating. -You are then expected to eat as hearty a dinner as ought to satisfy a -man for a week. Ride a mile and a half and you are asked if you are not -hungry. You reply, “No, indeed.” Cross the next stream, and “Are you not -thirsty?” is asked. Say “No, indeed” again if you like, and you will be -very lucky not to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_053" id="page_053"></a>{53}</span> hear your admirable self inelegantly compared to some -kind of a goat.</p> - -<p>The climate of these mountains seems to be that of perpetual spring, 88° -Fahrenheit being the warmest day we have had so far. I understand, -however, that in September the heat is much more oppressive because -there are more calms, but never so intolerable as in the changeable -latitudes. Sunstroke! You might venture the reputation of half a dozen -“speakers” (a trade which is had in the States for the picking of it up) -that such a thing as sunstroke would not be felt here until the world -has wheeled as many years backward as it has forward.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>We are trotting along on the way to Porto Cabello. I have given you a -description of these valleys before, but passing a grove of -<i>rose-apples</i> just now, (a fruit highly prized in the West Indies simply -for its flavor, the tree being much like that of a lime, and the fruit -hollow, something like a May-apple, lustrous as an orange, and flavored -precisely as a rose is perfumed,) I could but reflect that if another -Eve were to be placed in an earthly garden I should pray that it might -be somewhere among the hills of New England, for, doubtless, then she -would meet temptation with a masterly resistance;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_054" id="page_054"></a>{54}</span> but if placed in such -a garden as might be made in this country,—with all the sins of the -world before her I fear she would be tempted over again a thousand -times.</p> - -<p>Stop a moment on an elevated point of a homestead called “Crebehunda;” -behold the grand valleys stretching away between the mountain chains -until lost in the green-blue sea which the glass shows in the distance. -Dodging under branches, going sometimes head-first through the eternal -verdure which, if possible, grows even more luxuriant, in this way we -ultimately reach Porto Cabello, a place which proves to be, as -previously understood, the grandest point for a port of entry on the -whole northern coast of the island.</p> - -<p>These old Spaniards are all the time saying to me,</p> - -<p>“My son, you never look pert.”</p> - -<p>“Perfectly happy, uncle,” I reply.</p> - -<p>“Look long time away—studying.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing, uncle—only an American.”</p> - -<p>“Only an American? Well, what do they different from other people?”</p> - -<p>“Lay out towns one day, and build them the next; own lands, and improve -them.”</p> - -<p>Now, this is genuine American talk; whether it will be American practice -remains to be seen.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_055" id="page_055"></a>{55}</span></p> - -<p>Porto Cabello is now used to some extent as a point of export; but the -only reason why it is not used more extensively is, that between this -and the valley there is a hill to be crossed, which could be made -respectable as a highway by six sturdy hands in as many days. The -country is ripening for immigration. Mr. James Redpath, a talented -English-American, and a most acute observer, recently traversed a -portion of the Haytien territory, and came to the conclusion that the -entire island was capable of sustaining 20,000,000 people. There is not -upon it probably one million, and of these the greater portion are in -Hayti. The Dominican territory, by far the most extensive and desirable, -does not contain much over one-fourth of a million, all told.</p> - -<p>I say the country is ripening for immigration. The Pike’s Peak fever -will ere long be exhausted. Then there is, probably, no more promising -field for enterprise than this in the entire new world. Most any point -could be made to flourish by the opening of good roads. With Porto -Cabello this is peculiarly so. Santiago is the principal interior town. -It is the proper place for, and was the former capital. It is situated -on the river Yaque, which courses La Vega Real, (the Royal Plains,) and -contains about 12,000 inhabitants. The trade of Porto Plata is kept -alive<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_056" id="page_056"></a>{56}</span> mainly from this source; but the mountainous road between them, -over which nothing can be transported except by piecemeal on horseback, -has been well-nigh the ruin of them both. Porto Cabello is sixteen miles -west of Porto Plata. It shuns the St. Mark’s mountain, and it is fair to -suppose that, could communication once be established between this and -Santiago, and were there the least facilities here for shipping produce, -the trade of the interior would inevitably flow in this direction. As to -the shipping interest, it was that which first turned our attention -hither; for Porto Plata being an unsafe harbor for the winter, vessels -had been known to make this port for safety. There are nine feet of -water on the shallowest bar, and this once over there are two quiet -bays, in either of which a merchantman could ride without an anchor.</p> - -<p>There will be an American settlement up this valley,—the nucleus where -I now stand, and this their port of entry. Such a settlement would meet -the encouragement of Señor Pastorisa, and, as I have reason to believe, -of the natives generally. They have no labor-saving machines, which is, -beyond all question, what the country most needs. Think of a community -like this getting on without a plow, a cotton-gin, a saw-mill, or -anything of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_057" id="page_057"></a>{57}</span> kind. It is, verily, astounding. There is, of -course—and it is certainly natural enough—a lingering prejudice -against white Americans. This may or may not be overcome; but the -natural question is, Are colored men in America competent to infuse the -spirit of enterprise which the country demands? <i>Let the common-sense -working-men answer.</i> My experience with your “leading” -would-be-white-imitating upstarts is conclusive.</p> - -<p>The route—and a cheap one—is from New York to Porto Plata. -Agricultural implements are admitted duty free. I send herewith an -important communication, showing the disposition of the government -towards immigration. It is easy to see that (if carried into effect) it -will mark a new epoch in the country’s history.</p> - -<p>But before this question is taken into the debating rooms—that is, the -pulpits—for discussion, it ought to be understood. If people read -Homer’s poetic descriptions of imaginary scenery, and come here -expecting to find them realized, they will be fully as much disappointed -as they deserve. There are times when the clouds rise slowly over the -mountain height, with a blazing sun at their backs, when the skies glow -with a splendor transcending all conception; yet it is not at all likely -they will see<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_058" id="page_058"></a>{58}</span> these mountains “go bobbing ’round,” or “nodding,” to -suit the convenience of anybody. Must mountains necessarily rest their -exalted heads against the bosom of the sky, as if holding constant -<i>tête-à-tête</i> communion with the stars? If so, there are no mountains -here—nothing but potatoe-ridges. Nor will they be blindly dazzled by -the excessive resplendence of the sun or moon; nor will the moon make -silver out of anything upon which it may happen to shine. Moonshine is -moonshine, I suppose, the world over. American poets, however, may be -read with impunity.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“This is the land where the citron scents the gale;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Where dwells the orange in the golden vale;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Where softer zephyrs fan the azure skies;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Where myrtles grow, and prouder laurels rise.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<h3>IMMIGRATION ORDINANCE.</h3> - -<p>The following is a translated copy of an important official paper -published in San Domingo city, June 9th, and proclaimed in Porto Plata, -June 28, 1860:</p> - -<p>“Antonio Abad Alfare, General of Division, Vice President of the -Republic, and entrusted with the executive power, looking at the -necessity which exists for facilitating the execution of the laws -concerning immigration, defining the manner of making<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_059" id="page_059"></a>{59}</span> effective the -measures which the government may take for their observance, the council -of Ministers having heard, has come to issue the following ordinance:</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Art. 1.</span> That there be constituted a Board of Immigration in each -capital of a province, and in the qualified ports of Samana and Puerto -Plata. These shall be composed of four members named by His Excellency, -among those most friendly to the progress of the country, of the -Governor of the provincial capital, or the Commandant-at-Arms in the -communes, who shall be the president of them. Their secretaries shall -also be of said commission.</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Art. 2.</span> These Boards shall meet at the seat of government in the -provincial capital, and in the communes of Puerto Plata and Samana, at -the Commandant-at-Arms. For their internal ordering and the more ready -fulfilment of that which is assigned them, they shall regulate that -which they have to do according to utility, first submitting it for -approval to the Minister of the Interior.</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Art. 3.</span> The functions of the Board are: First, to learn the easiest and -cheapest way of bringing immigrants to the country, always communicating -everything to the President through the Minister of the Interior. -Second, to employ all means leading<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_060" id="page_060"></a>{60}</span> to the result that there shall only -come as immigrants the agricultural class, or those following some -craft, profession, or useful form of labor; to get information of lands -belonging to the nation most suitable for health and fertility; to have -them prepared to furnish to farmers who may not have been able to agree -with private individuals under the terms of their contracts; to assign -them lodgings and sustenance after their arrival, during a period to be -agreed on, and to look after them with all the attention and care which -it shall be possible to display; to supply them with tools and other -articles of use which it may be decided to furnish to them, and with the -first stock of seed-corn for their sowing, taking care that everything -be of the best quality; to take care that those who agree with private -persons shall be under a contract which insures the fulfilment of that -which has been agreed with them; to attend to all things which can give -credit to this department as well within as without the Republic.</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Art. 4.</span> The Board shall appoint agents for the furnishing of victuals -to those who shall be needy, taking care that in every thing there be -exactness, order, and good faith.</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Art. 5.</span> All accounts of expenses which may<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_061" id="page_061"></a>{61}</span> actually be incurred must -be examined and approved by the Board, and submitted to the inspection -of the Minister of the Interior.</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Art. 6.</span> The office of member of the Board is honorary, and without pay, -and they shall perform their functions two years. Those who perform with -zeal and patriotism their trust, will be entitled to the esteem and -consideration of their fellow-citizens.</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Art. 7.</span> The present ordinance will be promptly executed by the -Ministers of the Interior, Police, and Agriculture.</p> - -<p>“Given at St. Domingo City, the capital of the Republic, the 4th day of -June, 1860, and the 17th year of independence.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“<span class="smcap">A. Alfau.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>“Countersigned, the Minister Secretary of State, in the departments of -justice and education, charged with those of the interior, police, and -agriculture.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“<span class="smcap">Jacinto de Castro.</span>”<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_062" id="page_062"></a>{62}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_VII" id="LETTER_VII"></a>LETTER VII.<br /><br /> -Dominican Republic.</h2> - -<p class="chead">PROPOSED AMERICAN SETTLEMENT—PICTURE OF LIFE—TOMB OF THE WESLEYAN -MISSIONARY.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Thy promises are like Adonis’ garden—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">That one day bloomed, and fruitful were the next.”<br /></span> -<span class="i7">—<span class="smcap">King Henry VI.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_i.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="I" -/></span> HAVE scarcely time to inform you of an American settlement really -begun. It is near the sea, not far from Porto Plata, on a large -<i>commonality</i> or tract of land embracing about twelve square miles, (not -twelve miles square,) having a water power running full length. The land -being in common is considered of the first importance, for by this means -a small outlay of capital—say one hundred dollars—secures to the -settler the grazing advantage of the whole tract, where not otherwise in -use. This idea was suggested by an eminent gentleman of St. Louis, and -has been the custom of early settlements in Spanish colonies for -centuries past. It will of course be subdivided whenever desired, each -man<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_063" id="page_063"></a>{63}</span> taking the part he had originally improved. The principal settlers -are from Massachusetts, one of whom, a Mr. Treadwell, (colored,) designs -establishing a manual-labor school. Another, a Mr. Locke, (white,) who -came out for his health, has actually secured a mill site, erected a -small shanty, and cleared from twelve to twenty acres of land, as -preparatory steps towards building a saw-mill. How happy will be the -effect of such enterprise on a non-progressive people you have probably -anticipated from what I have previously observed.</p> - -<p>The manual-labor school is, without question, the only mode of infusing -a tone of morality in the country, or giving a foothold to the -Protestant religion. This has been tried. About twenty years ago a -society of Wesleyan Methodists established a mission in the town of -Porto Plata. The church still lives, and is, by foreigners, -comparatively well attended; but they have not converted a single -Catholic by preaching from that day to this. The reason is, the -Catholics will not go to hear them. Yet, for the benefits of an -education, about one hundred and fifty children were sent regularly to -school, and there, by the “infidel” teachings of the Wesleyans, they -soon learned to distrust the ceremonies of their mother church. -Unfortunately, about two<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_064" id="page_064"></a>{64}</span> years since this school was discontinued, and, -having succeeded in weaning the people from positive Catholicism without -yet embracing the Protestant religion, it seems to have left them with a -general belief in every thing, which is, as I take it, the nearest point -to a belief in nothing.</p> - -<p>The country around Porto Plata is owned almost entirely by the Catholic -church, being leased, through the government, at reasonable rates to -such persons as desire to settle thereupon; but by establishing a school -at a distance of seven miles, as above indicated, it would be entirely -free from all such influences. An English missionary is soon to come -over from one of the neighboring islands to give the location his -personal inspection.</p> - -<p>The sea view is divine. Along the shallow edges the rippling waves -appear brightly green—greener than the trees—while beyond this, where -the water deepens, the hue is a pearly purple—purer purple than a -grape. In fact, the earth does not contain a comparison for the tranquil -beauty of this transparent sea. Some hours ago I thought to sketch it -for you, lest it should prove, like so many other things, too fine to -last; but so it continued hour after hour, and until the sun nestled in -its very heart.</p> - -<p>So much for the future settlement. It may be<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_065" id="page_065"></a>{65}</span> called “Excelsior,” but at -present I will call it “Crebahunda.”</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>This cool morning air nearly chills me. You take a bath and retire to -bed at night with only a thin linen sheet spread over you. In the -morning you are chilled, and resolve to sleep hereafter under more -covering; but, of course, when night comes again you do not need any -more.</p> - -<p>Not a morning, my dear H., do I look upon these fields of living green -but that I think of you and your daily routine of office duties. I take -a seat beneath one of these forbidden-fruit trees while the land breeze -is freighting the valley with perfume, the sun just peeping over the -hills, and the white mists, beautiful as a bridal veil, slowly rising up -the mountain green; now listening to the voice of a favorite mock-bird, -and then to the softer cooings of a mourning-dove. A strange-looking -little hummy perches on the first dead limb before me. Parrots squawk, -and a dozen blackbirds chime one chorus, while other varieties chirp and -trill. The whole scene is Elysian. Then along comes a sparrow-hawk, and -choo-ee! choo-ee! choo-ee! off they all go, helter-skelter.</p> - -<p>Of whom is this a picture? You are toiling<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_066" id="page_066"></a>{66}</span> away, arranging rude -manuscripts, at times almost discouraged, but still toiling on in your -close, hot rooms—and this for the good of your race. Well, Heaven grant -they may thank you for it, and save you from crying at last, “Choo-ee! -choo-ee!” But, ah!—even worse than that—I am afraid the sparrow-hawks -will catch you! With me, the end of every thing is that of the birds—a -melancholy aggravation. I have been entranced by these morning scenes -but a passing short while, and will soon be compelled to leave them and -take a lonely ride to the coast, thence to depart for a season. I -therefore stuff my saddle-bags with oranges and cinnamon-apples, as I -think this is wiser than weeping.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>An absence of precisely four weeks, and we are once again in sight of -Porto Plata. “The moon is up, and yet it is not night.” Some kind of a -holiday being at hand, men, women, and children are riding to and fro up -and down the streets on donkeys, mules, and ponies of every description. -The scene is truly picturesque. I could but remark to my friend the -Protestant exhorter, the grandeur of the evening, to which he replied, -“A man that could find fault with this climate would find fault with -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_067" id="page_067"></a>{67}</span>Paradise.” I do not believe him, however, for whether the day and night -trips along the coast have been too much for me or not, I have certainly -got the chill-fever.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>This morning, July 7th, I visited the tomb of the Wesleyan missionary to -whose labors here I have before referred. The following inscription will -furnish the data to such of your readers as are interested in the -history of such missions:</p> - -<p class="c"><small> -IN MEMORY<br /> -OF THE</small><br /> -R E V. W M. T O W E R,<br /><small> -WHO WAS BORN AT HORNCASTLE, LINCOLNSHIRE, ENGLAND, ON<br /> -THE 12TH FEBRUARY, 1811, AND ENTERED UPON<br /> -THE MISSIONARY WORK OF EVANGELIZING<br /> -THIS ISLAND IN<br /></small> -1838.<br /> -<br /> -<small>HE LABORED ON THIS STATION FOURTEEN YEARS AND A HALF.<br /> -HE WAS BELOVED BY ALL WHO KNEW HIM; AND<br /> -DIED ON THE</small> 25<small>TH OF AUGUST</small>,<br /> -1853,<br /> -<small>UNIVERSALLY REGRETTED.</small><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_068" id="page_068"></a>{68}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_VIII" id="LETTER_VIII"></a>LETTER VIII.<br /><br /> -Dominican Republic.</h2> - -<p class="chead">SUMMARY OF STAPLES, EXPORTS, AND PRODUCTS.</p> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_iq.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="“I" -/></span> CAME across a copy of Rousseau this morning,” said an American -scholar, whom we had met before; and he added, “I should not have been -more surprised had I seen it drop out of the clear sky.”</p> - -<p>There are but very few books in Dominicana of any kind, and no reliable -statistics. The government on the south side of the island appoints -custom-house officers on the north side, allowing them little or nothing -for their services. The consequence is, these officers pay themselves -out of the import duties, and hence few returns are accurately made.</p> - -<p>In the essay on the “Gold Fields of St. Domingo,”<a name="FNanchor_D_4" id="FNanchor_D_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_D_4" class="fnanchor">[D]</a> to which I have -previously referred, I find the following summary of staples, exports, -and products, which, while it is but little more than the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_069" id="page_069"></a>{69}</span> reader will -have already gathered, may serve at least to confirm what has been said:</p> - -<p>“The chief products of the Dominican part of the island are now -mahogany, tobacco, indigo, sugar, hides, bees-wax, cocoa-nuts, oranges, -lemons, some coffee and some fustic, satin and many other kinds of wood; -but the trade in those articles now is not very considerable. There is a -vast quantity of <i>mahogany</i> in the territory, standing in groves on the -mountains and the plains, and scattered over the valleys and along the -rivers and streams. The best mahogany in the West Indies grows on this -island. Some of these groves and trees are truly magnificent, growing -straight and to a great height. The best is now found inland, as it has -been nearly all already stripped off the coasts and cut away from near -the mouths of the principal rivers and around the bays, where it was -more accessible and of easier and cheaper carriage to market. It has -been extensively used for building purposes by the inhabitants of the -cities, more especially by those of the interior, the lumber now used in -the coast cities being carried thither from the States, and exchanged -for mahogany and other products. It is only of late years that the best -mahogany cuts have begun to come to market, as heretofore they were<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_070" id="page_070"></a>{70}</span> -carried to Europe, where they brought a better price.</p> - -<p>“<i>Tobacco</i> is now one of the principal exports. But little of it, -however, finds its way to this market. There is a large quantity of it -raised by the residents on the Spanish part of the island, particularly -about Santiago, on the Royal Plains, and in the neighborhood of -Maccrere. It is brought down in bales or ceroons on mules to Port -Platte, and shipped on board Dutch bottoms to Holland and the Germanic -states. There is also some cultivated about St. Domingo City and around -the Bay of Samana. But the cultivation and traffic in this commodity -compared with what it might be, were those fertile plains and rich -savannahs settled by an industrious and enterprising people, is scarcely -as a drop to the bucket. There are regions in the territory where -tobacco can be grown equal to the best Havana brands, and, on account of -the fecundity of the soil, with even much less labor.</p> - -<p>“There are still some good <i>sugar</i> plantations in the Dominican -territory, chiefly about St. Domingo City and to the west as far as -Azua, but they are ‘few and far between.’ The best sugar is now produced -in the region about Azua and Manuel, and is of a very superior quality. -The country people<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_071" id="page_071"></a>{71}</span> cultivate and manufacture, each on his own account, -and, in his small way, pack it in ceroons and carry it down to the coast -on mules. Indeed, the term ‘cultivate’ is not appropriately used in this -connection, as the cane grows up wild and spontaneously from season to -season, and from year to year in many places, and the inhabitants have -nothing whatever to do but cut and grind it in wooden mills and boil day -after day. The writer is not informed that they use the sugar-mills in -use in other sugar-growing countries in their operations. It is easy to -conceive what a source of incalculable wealth the culture of this staple -there would become, if in the hands of a skilful and enterprising -population.</p> - -<p>“The trade in <i>hides</i>, compared with other products, is quite important, -which arises from the fact that a majority of the population pursue -grazing for a livelihood, and the rapidity with which stock increases -and the little care required in preserving it. Owing to the heat and -abundant oxygen which the atmosphere contains, the flesh of the beef, -unless properly salted and cured, keeps but a day or two, so that the -inhabitants are obliged to kill almost every other day. This now keeps -up and supplies the traffic. Perhaps three-fifths of the population<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_072" id="page_072"></a>{72}</span> of -the interior country and towns are now engaged in grazing.</p> - -<p>“Compared also with other staples, the trade in <i>bees-wax</i> is -considerable. The island producing the greatest quantity and variety of -flowering plants, shrubs, and trees, bees exist there in incalculable -and immense swarms. The prairies of the West in June furnish no parallel -to the flowers that perpetually unfold on these mountains, plains, and -valleys. The writer has been informed by a gentleman who recently -visited Dominica [Dominicana], that so strong and rank was the odor from -the flowers in passing over the Royal Plains, that it so jaded his -olfactories as to cause his head to ache, and almost made him sick. The -swarms build in the rocks, in the trees and logs, under the branches, -and even on the ground. Those who pursue this branch of business collect -the deposits in tubs, wash out the honey in the brooks by squeezing the -combs, and afterwards melt the wax into cakes, or run it into vessels -preparatory to carrying it to market. Those engaged in this vocation are -chiefly women. The trade in this article, however, bears no proportion -to its production and abundance. They have recently begun to save some -of the honey, and a small quantity of it has found its way to this -market.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_073" id="page_073"></a>{73}</span> The reason why it has not been hitherto saved is owing to the -great cost of vessels to collect it in, as wooden-ware of all kinds has -to be taken there from the States.</p> - -<p>“There are some exports of <i>cocoa-nuts</i>, <i>oranges</i>, <i>lemons</i>, <i>limes</i>, -and other fruit, all of which are both cultivated and grow wild in vast -abundance on the island, and are not excelled by any in the Antilles, or -on the Spanish main. The labor necessary to collect them, prepare them -for shipment, and carry them to the ports is not there. From this cause, -indeed, the whole Spanish end of the island languishes in sloth, and its -transcendent wealth goes year after year incontinently to waste.</p> - -<p>“There is some <i>coffee</i>, which grows wild in abundance through the -island and on the mountains, and is collected and shipped. After the -abandonment of the coffee plantations, the trees continued to grow thick -on them, and finally spread into the woods and on to the mountains, -where they now grow wild in great quantities. Lacking the proper -culture, its quality is not the best, but the climate and soil is -capable of producing it unexcelled by any in Porto Rico or any of the -West Indies or Brazil. The writer is informed, however, that there are a -few coffee plantations under culture about St. Domingo<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_074" id="page_074"></a>{74}</span> City. The labor -of cultivating coffee and sugar in Dominica [Dominicana], with all the -modern appliances of civilization, would be absolutely insignificant -compared with the rich returns it would bring the planter.</p> - -<p>“In addition to the staples and exports above-mentioned, the island -produces a vast number of other valuable commodities, among which we may -make notable mention of its lumber and different varieties of valuable -wood other than mahogany. The pitch or yellow pine grows in vast -abundance at the head of the streams and on the mountains, dark and -apparently impenetrable forests of which cover their sides and tops. -This lumber, with very little expenditure of labor and capital, could be -brought down the streams during their rises almost any month in the -year, to the principal cities. When the reader is made acquainted with -the stubborn fact that all the lumber used on the north side of the -island, except the little mahogany that is sawed there and at and about -St. Domingo City, is carried there at great cost from the States, and -sold at a price fabulous to our lumber-dealers here, he will measurably -comprehend the undeveloped resources of Dominica [Dominicana] in that -interest alone. Pine lumber sells at Port Platte for $60 per<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_075" id="page_075"></a>{75}</span> thousand -feet. It has then to be carried back to Santiago, Moco, and La Vega on -mules, where it sells for $100 per thousand, while those mountains and -the banks of their streams stand thickly clothed with it, in its -majestic and sublime abundance! There is but one saw-mill on the Spanish -end of the island near St. Domingo City, and that not now in operation. -They saw by hand a little mahogany at a cost of 80 cents a cut, ten feet -long; and when an individual wishes to build a house at Santiago, Moco, -La Vega, Cotuy, or any of the interior towns, he has to begin to collect -his lumber a year beforehand!... In consequence of this scarcity and -cost of lumber, those of smaller means build their floors of brick and -flags, and roof their houses with the same material or with the leaf of -the palm-tree. Besides the pine, there is the oak, the fustic and satin -woods, compache, and an indefinite variety of others. Some of the -hardest and most durable vegetable fibre in the world is to be found on -the island.”</p> - -<p>It may appear somewhat strange to the reader that mahogany should be -used for building purposes, but so it is. The art of veneering is but -little known, house furniture consisting generally of solid mahogany.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_076" id="page_076"></a>{76}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_IX" id="LETTER_IX"></a>LETTER IX.<br /><br /> -Republic of Hayti.</h2> - -<p class="chead">HISTORICAL SKETCH—GENERAL DESCRIPTION PREVIOUS TO 1790.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Think not that prodigies must rule a state—<br /></span> -<span class="i1">That great revulsions spring from something great.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_i.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="I" -/></span> HAVE given you Dominicana as a garden of poetry and the home of -legendary song. Well, Hayti is a land of historical facts, and the field -of unparalleled glory. Consulting one day with Mr. Redpath, the talented -author of the series of letters to which I have previously referred, he -suggested the impossibility of any one forming even a comparatively -correct opinion respecting affairs in Hayti, without being guided by a -sketch of the country’s previous history. Confessedly, therefore, much -as his letters were appreciated by the readers of the <i>Tribune</i> he had -not done the Haytiens simple justice. Since nothing could be so highly -interesting, be it mine and the <i>Anglo-African’s</i> to undertake what the -<i>Tribune</i> and its correspondent<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_077" id="page_077"></a>{77}</span> failed to supply. The following -compilation will be taken from Rainsford’s, St. Domingo, and Edwards’ -and Coke’s histories of the West Indies, but principally, and when not -otherwise marked, from Coke.</p> - -<p>There is nothing low or cowardly in the history of Hayti. -Notwithstanding their conquests on the main land, the Spaniards were -wont to regard it as the parent colony and capital of their American -possessions. The buccaneers of Tortuga, however much they may have -suffered or have been feared, can not be said to have ever been really -conquered. In fact, by whomsoever settled, the country has shown one -uninterrupted record of pride and independence. I regard this as an -honor to begin with.</p> - -<p>The history of Hayti begins with the buccaneers, a company of French, -English, and Germans, driven from their homes in the neighboring islands -by the haughty arrogance of the Spaniards, in 1629. These men, collected -on the shores of Tortuga, vowed mutual fidelity and protection to each -other, but eternal vengeance against their persecutors. How well they -kept their word has passed into a proverb.</p> - -<p>In 1665 the court of Versailles, observing a beautiful country of which -some of its subjects had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_078" id="page_078"></a>{78}</span> taken an actual though accidental possession, -took the fugitive colony under its protection. It was not difficult for -the French government to see that the island was in value equal to an -empire, and it was therefore determined to enhance its interests with -all possible speed. The first care was to select a governor who should -be equal to the difficult task of humanizing men who had become -barbarians; which important task was committed to D’Ogerton, a gentleman -of Anjou.</p> - -<p>Hitherto not a single female resided in the settlement, to supply which -deficiency was the governor’s first care. With this view he sent -immediately to France, and many women of reputable character were -induced to embark. From this time the prosperity of the colony fairly -begins.</p> - -<p>The personal fame of D’Ogerton drew many who had suffered persecution at -home to flee for safety to an asylum which his lenient measures had -established in Hayti, among whom was one Gobin, a Calvinist, who, upon -his arrival, (1680,) erected a house on the Cape, and prevailed on -others to join him in his retreat. Time added to their numbers, and the -conveniences of the situation justified their choice. As the lands -became cleared and the value of its commodious bay became known, both<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_079" id="page_079"></a>{79}</span> -inhabitants and shipping resorted to the spot, and raised the town of -Cape François to a degree of elegance, wealth, and commercial importance -which in 1790 scarcely any city in the West Indies could presume to -rival.</p> - -<p>Considered in itself, the situation of the town is not to be commended. -It stands at the foot of a very high mountain which prevents the -inhabitants from enjoying the land breezes, which are not only delicious -but absolutely necessary to health. It also obstructs the rays of the -sun, causing them to be reflected in such a manner as to render the heat -at times almost insupportable. On one side of the town, however, is an -extensive plain, containing, perhaps, without any exception, some of the -finest lands in the world. The air is temperate, though the days and -nights are constantly cool. In short, it is another Eden. “Happy the -mortal who first taught the French to settle on this delicious spot.”</p> - -<p>The situation of Port au Prince, to which place the seat of government -has been transferred, seems to have been unfortunately selected. It is -low and marshy, and the air is impregnated with noxious vapors, -rendering it extremely unwholesome. To this day it is commonly regarded -as the graveyard of American seamen. In 1790 it had also reached<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_080" id="page_080"></a>{80}</span> an -eminent degree of prosperity, and contained 14,754 inhabitants, of whom -2,754 were white, 4,000 free people of color, and the remainder slaves. -So, also, near Port au Prince is a fertile plain called Cul de Sac. The -mountains surrounding it possess a grateful soil, and are cultivated -even to their summits. The value of such lands is at present from ten to -twenty dollars per acre.</p> - -<p>The town of St. Mark’s, near which the last body of colored emigrants -from America have settled, is somewhat more advantageously situated. It -lies on the northern shore of the bay, on the point of an obtuse angle -formed by the margin of the rocks and waves. Hills encircle it in the -form of a crescent, the points of which unite with the sea, and, while -they afford it shelter, leave it open to the breezes of the ocean, which -become the springs of health.</p> - -<p>The land which the French had brought under cultivation previous to the -revolution was devoted mostly to the cultivation of sugar, coffee, -indigo, and chocolate. It is said that Hayti alone produced as much -sugar at this time as all the British West Indies united. The prodigious -productions of little more than two million acres of land were as -follows: brown sugar, 93,773,300 lbs.; white sugar,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_081" id="page_081"></a>{81}</span> 47,516,351 lbs.; -cotton, 7,004,274 lbs.; indigo, 758,628 lbs. But great as this product -may appear, it by no means gives the entire amount, the quantity of -tanned hides, spirits, &c., being equally immense.</p> - -<p>Immorality and irreligion everywhere prevailed, worse even than at -present, if we are to judge from a poem written about that time. The -West Indies would seem to be peculiarly conducive to this species of -iniquity:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“For piety, that richest, sweetest grant,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Of purest love blest super-lunar plant,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Is here neglected for inferior good,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Torn from the roots, or blasted in the bud.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Soft indolence her downy couch displays,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And lulls her victims in inglorious ease,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">While guilty passions to their foul embrace<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Seduce the daughters of the swarthy race.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>This brings us to the consideration of the all-important subject called -in America the “negro question,” but which is, nevertheless, the -immortal question of the rights of man.</p> - -<p>The inhabitants of Hayti consisted of 540,000 souls, and were divided -into three distinct classes—the whites, the slaves, and the mulattoes -and free blacks. The term mulatto comprehended all shades between whites -and negroes. The whites conducted themselves as if born to command, and -the blacks,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_082" id="page_082"></a>{82}</span> awed into submission, yielded obedience to their imperious -mandates, while the mulattoes were despised by both parties.</p> - -<p>The freedom they enjoyed was rather nominal than real. On reaching a -state of manhood each became liable to serve in a military -establishment, the office of which was to arrest runaway slaves, protect -travellers on the public roads, and, in short, to “mount a three years’ -guard on the public tranquillity.” To complete their degradation, they -were utterly disqualified from holding any office or place of public -trust. No mulatto durst assume the surname of his father; and to prevent -the revenge which such flagrant and contemptible injustice could hardly -fail to excite, the law had enacted that if a free man of color presumed -to strike a white man, <i>his right arm should be cut off</i>. In fact, they -were not much above the condition of the free blacks in the United -States. “On comparing the situation of these two classes of men”—the -slaves and the nominally free—says Coke, “it is difficult to say which -was the most degraded. The social difference was, without doubt, very -great, but in the aggregate must have been about the same.”</p> - -<p>Such was the state of affairs previous to 1790. What they have been -subsequently remains to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_083" id="page_083"></a>{83}</span> seen. The whip of terror never yet made a -friend. It may prevent men from being avowed enemies for a while, but it -usually makes a deeper impression upon the heart than upon the skin. The -heart is nearest the seat of recollection, and will stimulate to revenge -for a long time after the wound has been inflicted, as the reader of the -following pages will abundantly attest.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i3">“Time the Avenger! unto thee I lift<br /></span> -<span class="i0">My hands and eyes and heart, and crave of thee a gift.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_084" id="page_084"></a>{84}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_X" id="LETTER_X"></a>LETTER X.<br /><br /> -Republic of Hayti.</h2> - -<p class="chead">AFFAIRS IN FRANCE—THE CASE OF THE MULATTOES—TERRIBLE FATE OF OGÉ AND -CHAVINE.</p> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_i.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="I" -/></span>T was towards the close of the year 1788 that the revolutionary spirit -which had been fermenting among the French people from the conclusion of -the American war first manifested itself in the mother country; and -although that extraordinary event convulsed the empire in every part, in -no place was the shock so great as in Hayti.</p> - -<p>The mulattoes, notwithstanding their oppression and degradation, it -should have been observed, were permitted to enjoy property, including -slaves, to any amount, and many of them had actually acquired -considerable estates. By these means the most wealthy had sent their -children to France for education, just as many are now sent to Oberlin, -in which place they supported them in no small degree of grandeur.</p> - -<p>It happened about this time that a considerable<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_085" id="page_085"></a>{85}</span> number of these -mulattoes were in Paris, among whom was Vincent Ogé. This young man -entered into the political questions relative to the people of color, -which were then violently agitated, and became influenced with a -conflict of passions at the wrongs which he and his degraded countrymen -were apparently destined to endure. His reputed father was a white -planter, of some degree of eminence and respectability, but he had been -dead for years. Ogé was about 30 years of age; his abilities were far -from being contemptible, but they were not equal to his ambition, nor -sufficient to conduct him through that enterprise in which he soon after -engaged. Supported in Paris in a state of affluence, he found no -difficulty in associating with La Fayette, Gregorie, and Brissot, from -whom he learned the prevailing notion of equality, and into the spirit -of which he incautiously entered with all the enthusiasm and ardor -natural to the youthful mind when irritated by unmerited injuries; and -he determined to avenge his wrongs.</p> - -<p>Induced to believe that all the mulattoes of Hayti were actuated by the -same high-minded principle, he sacrificed his fortune, prepared for -hostilities, and sailed to join his brethren in Hayti.</p> - -<p>What was Ogé’s disappointment when, after<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_086" id="page_086"></a>{86}</span> evading the vigilance of the -police and secretly succeeding in reaching these shores, he found no -party prepared to receive him, or willing to take up arms in their own -defence! It probably might have been said of him also, “<i>His heart is -seared.</i>”</p> - -<p>About two hundred were at length prevailed upon to rally around his -standard; and with this inadequate force he proceeded to declare his -intentions, and actually dispatched a note to the governor to that -effect.</p> - -<p>In his military arrangements his two brothers were to act under him, -with one Mark Chavine, as lieutenants. Ogé and his brothers were humane -in their dispositions, and averse to the shedding of blood; but with -Chavine the case was totally different.</p> - -<p>Ferocious, sanguinary, and courageous, he began his career with acts of -violence which it was impossible for Ogé to prevent.</p> - -<p>Finally the brothers of Ogé joined Chavine in his petty depredations. -White men were murdered as accident threw them in their way. The -mulattoes, when they could not be induced to join them, were treated -with every species of indignity; and one man in particular, who excused -himself from joining<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_087" id="page_087"></a>{87}</span> them on account of his family, was murdered, -together with his wife and six children.</p> - -<p>The inhabitants of Cape François, alarmed at these outrages which they -imagined to be committed by a far more formidable body of revolters than -really existed, immediately took measures for their suppression.</p> - -<p>A detachment of regular troops invested the mulatto camp, which, after -making an ineffectual resistance in which many were killed, was entirely -broken up. The whole troop dispersed. Ogé and his officers took refuge -in the Spanish part of the island. The principal part of their -ammunition and military stores immediately fell into the hands of the -victors.</p> - -<p>The triumphs of the whites over the vanquished insurgents were such that -they proceeded from victory to insult. The lower orders especially -discovered such pointed animosity against the mulattoes at large that -they became seriously alarmed for their personal safety, and many -regretted not having joined the now vanquished party.</p> - -<p>Urged by fatal necessity many resorted to arms, so that several camps -were formed in different parts of the colony far more formidable than -that of Ogé.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_088" id="page_088"></a>{88}</span> At this time <span class="smcap">Rigaud</span>, the mulatto general, makes his -appearance, declaring that no peace would be permanent “until one class -of people had exterminated the other.”</p> - -<p>In the midst of these commotions which presaged an approaching tempest, -<span class="smcap">Peynier</span>, the governor, resigned his office in favor of general -Blanchelande. The first step of the latter was directed towards the -unfortunate Ogé. The demand made on the Spanish governor for his arrest -was peremptory and decisive. Twenty of Ogés followers, including one of -his brothers, were speedily hung; but a severer fate awaited Ogé and -Chavine. They were condemned to be broken alive, and were actually left -to perish in that terrible condition on the wheel.</p> - -<p>Chavine, the hardy lieutenant, met his destiny with that undaunted -firmness which had marked his life. He bore the extremity of his torture -with an invincible resolution, without betraying the least symptom of -fear, and without uttering a groan at his excruciating sufferings.</p> - -<p>With Ogé the case was widely different. When sentence was passed upon -him his fortitude abandoned him altogether. He wept; he solicited mercy -in terms of the most abject humility; but in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_089" id="page_089"></a>{89}</span> end he was hurried to -execution, and left to expire in the most horrid agonies.</p> - -<p>Previous to this the National Assembly in France, which had originally -declared “That all men are born free, and continue free and equal as to -their rights,” had to contradict this in order to pacify the planters, -and to declare it was not their intention to interfere with the local -institutions of the colonies.</p> - -<p>It so happened, however, that with this decree they also transmitted to -the governor a chapter of instructions, one of the articles of which -expressed this sentiment: “That every person of the age of twenty-five -and upwards, possessing property or having resided two years in the -colony and paid taxes, should be permitted to vote in the formation of -the colonial assembly.” It was like the Dred Scott decision of the -United States, for the question immediately arose whether the term -“every person” included the mulattoes.</p> - -<p>It was just at this time that intelligence of the tragical death of Ogé, -who had been previously well known in Paris, reached that city. The -public mind was instantly inflamed against the planters almost to -madness, and for some time those in the city were unable<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_090" id="page_090"></a>{90}</span> to appear in -public, either to apologize for their brethren or defend themselves. To -keep alive that resentment which had been awakened, a tragedy was -founded on the dying agonies of Ogé, and the theatres of Paris conveyed -the tidings of his exit to all classes of people.</p> - -<p>Brissot and Gregorie, two well-known reformers, availing themselves of -this auspicious moment, brought the case of the mulattoes before the -National Assembly.</p> - -<p>This was early in May, 1791. The eloquence displayed by Gregorie on this -occasion was most marvellous, enforced by such facts as a state of -slavery and degradation rarely fails to produce, and the whole finished -by an affecting recital of the death of Ogé.</p> - -<p>Amid the ardor with which he pleaded the cause of the mulattoes, a few -persons attempted to stem the torrent by predicting the ruin of the -colonies. “<i>Perish the colonies</i>,” exclaimed Robespierre in reply, -“rather than sacrifice one iota of our principles.” The sentiment was -reiterated amid the applauses of an enthusiastic Senate, and the -National Assembly, on the 15th day of May, decreed that the people of -color born of free parents should thenceforth have all the rights of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_091" id="page_091"></a>{91}</span> -French citizens; that they should have votes in the choice of -representatives, and be eligible to seats both in the parochial and -colonial assemblies.</p> - -<p>The colonial representatives no sooner heard that these decisive steps -were taken than they declared their office useless, and resolved to -decline any further attempts to preserve the colonies.</p> - -<p>The colonists who resided in the mother country heard the decree with -indignation and amazement. But in the island, as soon as it became -known, the planters sunk into a state of torpor, and appeared for a -moment as if petrified into statues. All local feuds between the whites -were immediately suspended, and all animosities swallowed up by what -appeared to them an evil of unparalleled magnitude. The civic oath was -treated with contempt; tumult succeeded subordination; proposals were -made to hoist the British colors; and resolutions crowded on resolutions -to renounce at once all connection with a country that had placed the -rights of the mulattoes on an equal footing with their own.</p> - -<p>The mulattoes, who became criminal from their color, were obliged to -flee in every direction. Their homes afforded them no protection. They -were threatened with shooting in the street; and thus menaced by -destruction, they began to arm in every direction.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_092" id="page_092"></a>{92}</span></p> - -<p>The governor beheld this commotion with palsied solicitude. He foresaw -the evils that must burst upon the colony, without having it in his -power to apply either a preventive or a remedy.</p> - -<p>But a far more awful mine, surcharged with combustibles, and destined to -appall all parties, was at that moment on the very eve of an explosion.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_093" id="page_093"></a>{93}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_XI" id="LETTER_XI"></a>LETTER XI.<br /><br /> -Republic of Hayti.</h2> - -<p class="chead">A CHAPTER OF HORRORS (WHICH THE DELICATE READER MAY, IF HE CHOOSES, -OMIT).</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Out breaks at once the far-resounding cry—<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The standard of revolt is raised on high.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_a.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="A" -/></span>MONG the various transactions which had taken place, both in the island -and in France, little or no attention had been paid to the condition of -the slaves. It is true an abolition society had been early established -in Paris, called the “Friends of the Blacks,” (<i>Amis des noirs</i>). Their -sufferings had also been used to give energy to a harangue, or to -enforce the necessity of general reformation, but their situation was -passed over by the legislative assemblies as a subject that admitted of -no redress.</p> - -<p>These, sensible of their condition, numbers, and powers, resolved, amid -the general confusion, to assert their freedom and legislate for -themselves.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_094" id="page_094"></a>{94}</span> They had learned from the contentions of both their white -and colored masters that violence was necessary to prosperity. Such -measures they adopted; and no sooner adopted than they were carried into -effect.</p> - -<p>It was early on the morning of August 23, 1791, that a confused report -began to circulate through the capital that the negroes were not only in -a state of insurrection, but that they were consuming with fire what the -sword had spared. A report so serious could not fail to spread the -greatest alarm. It was credited by the timid, despised by the fearless, -but was deeply interesting to all. Pretty soon the arrival of a few -half-breathless fugitives confirmed the melancholy news; they had just -escaped from the scene of desolation and carnage, and hastened to the -town to beg protection and to communicate the fatal particulars. From -these white fugitives (the scale had turned) it was learned that the -insurrection was begun by the slaves on a plantation not more than nine -miles from Cape François.</p> - -<p>There, it appeared, in the dead of night, they had assembled together -and massacred every branch of their master’s family that fell in their -way. From thence they proceeded to the next plantation, where they acted -in the same manner, and augmented their<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_095" id="page_095"></a>{95}</span> number with the slaves whom the -murder of their master had apparently liberated. And so on they went, -from plantation to plantation, recruiting their forces in proportion to -the murders they committed, and extending their desolations as their -numbers increased.</p> - -<p>From the plantation of M. Flaville they carried off the wife and three -daughters, and three daughters of the attorney, after murdering him -before their faces. In many cases the white women were rescued from -death with the most horrid intentions, and were actually compelled to -suffer violation <i>on the mangled bodies of their dead husbands, friends, -or brothers, to whom they had been clinging for protection</i>.</p> - -<p>The return of daylight, for which those who had escaped the sword -anxiously waited, to show them the full extent of their danger, was -anticipated by the flames that now began to kindle in every direction. -This was the work of but a single half night. The shrieks of the -inhabitants and the spreading of the conflagration, occasionally -intercepted by columns of smoke which had begun to ascend, formed the -mournful spectacle which appeared through a vast extent of country when -the day began to dawn.</p> - -<p>It was now obvious that the insurrection was general and that the -measures of the revolted slaves<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_096" id="page_096"></a>{96}</span> had been skilfully preconcerted, on -which account the revolt became more dangerous. The blacks on the -plantation of M. Gallifet had been treated with such remarkable -tenderness that their happiness became proverbial. These, it was -presumed, would retain their fidelity. So M. Odelac, the agent of the -plantation, and member of the General Assembly, determined to visit them -at the head of a few soldiers, and to lead them against the insurgents. -When he got there he found they had not only raised the ensign of -rebellion, but had actually erected for their standard <small>THE BODY OF A -WHITE INFANT</small>, <i>which they had impaled on a stake</i>. So much for happy -negroes and contented slaves! Retreat was impossible. M. Odelac himself -was soon surrounded and murdered without mercy, his companions sharing -the same fate—all except two or three, who escaped by instant flight -only to add their tale to the list of woes.</p> - -<p>The governor proceeded immediately to put the towns in a proper state of -defence; and all the inhabitants were, without distinction, called upon -to labor at the fortifications. Messengers were despatched to all the -remotest places, both by sea and land, to which any communication was -open, to apprise the people of their danger, and to give them<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_097" id="page_097"></a>{97}</span> timely -notice to prepare for the defence. Through the promptitude with which -the whites acted, a chain of posts was instantly established and several -camps were formed.</p> - -<p>But the revolt was now found to be even greater than imagined. The -slaves, as if impelled by one common instinct, seemed to catch the -contagion without any visible communication. Danger became every day -more and more imminent, so much so that an embargo was laid on all the -shipping, to secure the inhabitants a retreat in case of the last -extremity. Among the different camps which had been formed by the whites -were one at Grande Riviere and another at Dondon. Both of these were -attacked by a body of negroes and mulattoes, and a long and bloody -contest ensued. In the end the whites were routed and compelled to take -refuge in the Spanish dominions. Throughout the succeeding night carnage -and conflagration went hand in hand, the latter of which became more -terrible from the glare which it cast on the surrounding darkness. -Nothing remained to counteract the ravages of the insurgents but the -shrieks and tears of the suffering fugitives, and these were usually -permitted to plead in vain.</p> - -<p>The instances of barbarity which followed are<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_098" id="page_098"></a>{98}</span> too horrible for -description; nor should we be induced to transcribe any portion of them, -were it not that many persons regard such statements as mere assertions -unless accompanied by a record of the unhappy facts. The recital of a -few, however, will set all doubts forever at rest.</p> - -<p>“They seized,” says Edwards, “a Mr. Blenan, an officer of the police, -and, having nailed him alive to one of the gates of his plantation, -chopped off his limbs one by one with an axe.”</p> - -<p>“A poor man named Robert, a carpenter, by endeavoring to conceal himself -from the notice of the rebels, was discovered in his hiding-place, and -the negroes declared that he <i>should die in the way of his occupation</i>; -accordingly they laid him between two boards, and deliberately sawed him -asunder.”</p> - -<p>“All the white and even the mulatto children whose fathers had not -joined in the revolt were murdered without exception, frequently before -their eyes, or while clinging to the bosoms of their mothers. Young -women of all ranks were first violated by whole troops of barbarians, -and then, generally, put to death. Some of them, indeed, were reserved -for the gratification of the lust of the leaders, and others had their -eyes scooped out with a knife.”</p> - -<p>“In the parish of Timbe, at a place called the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_099" id="page_099"></a>{99}</span> Great Ravine, a -venerable planter, the father of two beautiful young ladies, was tied -down by the savage ringleader of a band, who ravished the eldest -daughter in his presence, and delivered over the youngest to one of his -followers. Their passions being satisfied, they slaughtered both the -father and the daughters.”</p> - -<p>“M. Cardineau, a planter of Grande Riviere, had two natural sons by a -black woman. He had manumitted them in their infancy, and treated them -with great tenderness. They both joined the revolt; and when their -father endeavored to divert them from their purpose by soothing language -and pecuniary offers, they took his money, and then stabbed him to the -heart.”</p> - -<p>Amid the worst of these scenes Mr. Edwards records that solitary and -affecting instance wherein a <i>soft-hearted</i> slave saved the lives of his -master and family by sending them adrift on the river by moonlight.<a name="FNanchor_E_5" id="FNanchor_E_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_E_5" class="fnanchor">[E]</a> -This is generally admitted to have been the <i>Washington</i> of Hayti, -Toussaint L’Ouverture.</p> - -<p>At this time, also, the mulatto chiefs, actuated by different motives, -not only refused to adopt such<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_100" id="page_100"></a>{100}</span> horrid measures, but particularly -declared their only intention in taking up arms was to support the -decree of the 15th of May, which had acknowledged their rights, of which -the whites had been endeavoring to deprive them, and proposed to lay -down their arms provided the whites acknowledged them as equals.</p> - -<p>The white inhabitants gladly availed themselves of an overture which, -though it pressed hard on their ambition, afforded a prospect for -deliverance from impending danger. A truce immediately took place, which -they denominated a <i>concordat</i>. An act of oblivion was passed on both -sides over all that had passed, the whites admitting in all its force -the decree giving equality to the mulattoes. The sentence passed upon -Ogé and the execution of it the <i>concordat</i> declared to be infamous, and -to be “held in everlasting execration.” So much for Ogé.</p> - -<p>Both parties now appeared to be equally satisfied, and a mutual -confidence took place. Nothing remained but to induce the mulattoes to -join the whites in the reduction of the negroes, now in a most -formidable state of insurrection. To this the mulattoes consented. New -troops were introduced from France. The whites were elated, and perfect -tranquillity stood for a moment on the very tiptoe of anticipation.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_101" id="page_101"></a>{101}</span></p> - -<p>But the great lesson of the revolution was speedily to be learned. The -hurricane of terror which was yet to overcome them was at that moment on -the Atlantic, and hastening with fatal impetuosity towards these -uncertain shores.</p> - -<h3>UNION.</h3> - -<p>It was early in the month of September that intelligence reached France -of the reception which the decree of the 15th of May had met with in -Hayti. The tumult and horrid massacres which we have noticed were -represented in their most affecting colors. Consequences more dreadful -were still anticipated. The resolution of the whites never to allow the -operation of the ill-fated decree was represented as immovable; and -serious apprehensions were entertained for the loss of the colony.</p> - -<p>The mercantile towns grew alarmed for the safety of their capitals, and -petitions and remonstrances were poured in upon the National Assembly -from every interested quarter for the repeal of that decree which they -plainly foresaw must involve the colony in all the horrors of civil war, -and increase those heaps of ashes which had already deformed its once -beautiful plains.</p> - -<p>The National Assembly, now on the eve of dissolution,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_102" id="page_102"></a>{102}</span> listened with -astonishment to the effects of a decree which, by acknowledging the -rights of the mulattoes, it was expected would cover them with glory. -The tide of popular opinion had begun to ebb; the members of the -Assembly fluctuated in indecision; the friends of the planters seized -each favorable moment to press their point, and actually procured a -repeal of the decree at the same moment that it had become a medium of -peace in Hayti.</p> - -<p>At length the news reached these unhappy shores. The infatuated whites -resolved to support the repeal, which would leave the mulattoes at their -mercy. A sullen silence prevailed among the latter, interrupted at first -by occasional murmurings and execrations, and finally exploding in a -frenzy which produced the most diabolical excesses yet on record.</p> - -<p>Rigaud’s original motto was again revived, and each party seemed to aim -at the extermination of the other. The mulattoes made a desperate -attempt to capture Port au Prince, but the European troops lately -arrived defeated them with considerable loss. They nevertheless set fire -to the city, which lighted up a conflagration in which more than a third -part of it was reduced to ashes.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_103" id="page_103"></a>{103}</span></p> - -<p>Driven from Port au Prince, by the light of those flames which they had -kindled, the mulattoes established themselves at La Croix Bouquets in -considerable force, in which port they maintained themselves with more -than equal address. At last, finding themselves and the revolted slaves -engaged in a common cause, they contrived to unite their forces, and -with this view drew to their body the swarms that resided in Cul de Sac. -Augmented with these undisciplined myriads they risked a general -engagement, in which two thousand blacks were left dead on the field; -about fifty mulattoes were killed, and some taken prisoners. The loss of -the whites was carefully concealed, but is supposed to have been equally -as destructive.</p> - -<p>The furious whites seized a mulatto chief whom they had taken prisoner, -and, to their everlasting infamy, upon him they determined to wreak -their vengeance. They placed him in a cart, driving large spike nails -through his feet into the boards on which they rested to prevent his -escape, and to show their dexterity in torture. In this miserable -condition he was conducted through the streets, and exposed to the -insults of those who mocked his sufferings. He was then liberated from -this partial crucifixion to suffer a new mode of torment. His<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_104" id="page_104"></a>{104}</span> bones -were then broken in pieces, and finally he was cast alive into the fire, -where he expired. So much for the whites.</p> - -<p>The mulattoes, irritated to madness at the inhumanity with which one of -their leaders had been treated, only awaited an opportunity to avenge -his wrongs. Unfortunately, an opportunity soon occurred. In the -neighborhood of Jerimie, M. Sejourne and his wife were seized. The lady -was materially <i>enciente</i>. Her husband was first murdered before her -eyes. They then ripped open her body, took out the infant and <i>gave it -to the hogs</i>; after which they cut off her husband’s head and entombed -it in her bowels. “Such were the first displays of vengeance and -retaliation, and such were the scenes that closed the year 1791.”</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“A law there is of ancient fame,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">By nature’s self in every land implanted,<br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>Lex Talionis</i> is its latin name;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">But if an English term be wanted,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Give our next neighbor but a pat,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">He’ll give you back as good and tell you—<i>tit for tat</i>!”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_105" id="page_105"></a>{105}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_XII" id="LETTER_XII"></a>LETTER XII.<br /><br /> -Republic of Hayti.</h2> - -<p class="chead">TRAGEDY OF THE REVOLUTION CONTINUED—RIGAUD SUCCEEDED BY<br /> -TOUSSAINT—TOUSSAINT DUPED BY LE CLERC.</p> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_w.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="W" -/></span>E omit, as unnecessary to the thread of this narrative, the contentions -between the French and English, in consequence of the British invasion, -from 1792 to 1798; during which time Rigaud was succeeded by Toussaint -L’Ouverture, whose superior military genius had won for him the -appointment of Commander-in-Chief of the native forces.</p> - -<p>But there is yet another “lesson of the hour” to be gleaned from the -history of this marvellous revolution. Treachery led to the fall of -Toussaint.</p> - -<p>On the 1st day of July, 1801, a Declaration of Independence was made by -Toussaint, in the name of the people.</p> - -<p>The ancient proprietors of plantations, who in the former insurrections -had been compelled to quit the island and seek an asylum in France, soon -found in this act of independence a confirmation<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_106" id="page_106"></a>{106}</span> of their former -suspicions. They saw that all their valuable possessions must be -inevitably lost, and that forever, unless government could be prevailed -on to send an armed force to crush at once a revolt which had become so -formidable as to assume independence.</p> - -<p>The complicated interests of commerce were instantly alarmed and -awakened to action; powerful parties were formed; a horde of venal -writers started immediately into notice; a change was wrought in the -public sentiment as by the power of magic; and negro emancipation was -treated in just the same manner that negro slavery had been treated -before. Such was the fickleness of the French at that time, and such is -the inconstancy of the human mind in ours.</p> - -<p>Bonaparte, aiming himself at uncontrolled dominion, found it necessary -to bribe all parties with gratifying promises to induce them to favor -his views, and to enable him to introduce such changes in the form of -government as he desired.</p> - -<p>The transitory peace which had taken place in Europe produced at this -time a band of desperate adventurers, who, destitute of employment, were -ready for any enterprise that could afford them an opportunity to -distinguish themselves. Accordingly<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_107" id="page_107"></a>{107}</span> an expedition of 26,000 men was -fitted out, at the head of which was placed General le Clerc;<a name="FNanchor_F_6" id="FNanchor_F_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_F_6" class="fnanchor">[F]</a> and -such was the confidence of its success, that he was accompanied by his -wife, (sister to Napoleon,) and her younger brother Jerome Bonaparte.</p> - -<p>But it was not to the fleet and army that Napoleon trusted exclusively -for success. A number of plotting emissaries had been secretly -dispatched to tamper with the unsuspecting blacks, to sow the seeds of -discord between parties, and to shake their confidence in Toussaint. -Even Toussaint’s children had been prepared, by the deceitful caresses -of the First Consul, to assist, by their representation of his conduct -towards them, in the seduction of their father.</p> - -<p>Le Clerc with his detachment of the French squadron, appeared off Cape -François on the 5th day of January, 1802. General Christophe, who, -during the absence of Toussaint, held the command, on perceiving the -approach of the French fleet, immediately dispatched one of his officers -to inform the commander of the squadron of Toussaint’s absence, and to -assure him he could not permit any troops to land until he had heard -from the General-in-Chief. “That in case the direction of the -expedition<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_108" id="page_108"></a>{108}</span> should persist in the disembarkation of his forces without -permission, he should consider the white inhabitants in his district as -hostages for his conduct, and, in consequence of any attack, the place -attacked would be immediately consigned to the flames.”</p> - -<p>The inhabitants, trembling for their personal safety and the fall of the -city, sent a deputation to assure Le Clerc that what had been threatened -by Christophe would actually be realized should he persist in his -attempt to land his forces.</p> - -<p>Le Clerc, regardless of this destiny, and intent upon the gratification -of his own ambition, proceeded to put on shore his troops, flattering -himself with being able to gain the heights of the Cape before the -blacks should have time to light up their threatened conflagration.</p> - -<p>Christophe instantly perceived this movement, and, steady to his -purpose, ordered his soldiers to defend themselves in their respective -posts to the last extremity, and to sink if possible the ships of the -assailants; but that when their own positions were no longer tenable, to -remove whatever valuables could be preserved, reduce every thing besides -to ashes, and retire.</p> - -<p>Le Clerc did not reach the heights of the Cape<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_109" id="page_109"></a>{109}</span> until evening, and then -only to behold the flames which Christophe had kindled, and which filled -even the French soldiers with horror. They beheld with unavailing -anguish the stately city in a blaze, the glare of which gilded the -ceiling of heaven with a dismal light. Their expectation of a booty -vanished in an instant, and the only reward which awaited them, they -plainly perceived, was a heap of ashes or a bed of fire.</p> - -<p>It was during these scenes of devastation on the shores that Toussaint -was engaged in rendering the interior as formidable as possible; after -the accomplishing of which he returned towards the ruins of the capital -to discover if possible the real intentions of the French respecting the -island, and to learn if any amicable proposition was to be made, which -should secure to the inhabitants that freedom for which they had taken -up arms.</p> - -<p>In this moment of suspended rapine, Le Clerc resolved to try what effect -a letter addressed personally to Toussaint by Napoleon would have upon -the black commander, who was yet unapprised of its existence, or of the -arrival of his sons from France. A courier was immediately dispatched -with the former, and with intelligence that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_110" id="page_110"></a>{110}</span> latter were with their -mother on his plantation, called Ennerry.</p> - -<p>The wife and children of Toussaint, ignorant of the part they were to -play, entertained, as the author of their happiness, Coison, the -preceptor of their children, who was at that moment plotting their -destruction.</p> - -<p>Toussaint, animated with the feelings of an affectionate parent, -hastened, on the receipt of the letter and intelligence of the arrival -of his children, to fold them in his warm embrace. He reached the -plantation the ensuing night. When his arrival was announced, the mother -shrieked, and instantly became insensible from a delirium of joy. The -children ran to meet their father, and sunk without utterance into his -open arms. When the first burst of joy was over, and the hero turned to -caress him to whom he immediately owed the delight he had experienced, -Coison began his attack. He recapitulated the letters of Bonaparte and -Le Clerc; he invited him to accede to them, and represented the -advantages resulting from his submission in such glowing colors as could -hardly fail to awaken some suspicions. He perfidiously declared that the -armament was not designed to abridge the liberty of the blacks, and -concluded with observing that,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_111" id="page_111"></a>{111}</span> unless the proposed conditions were -immediately acceded to his orders were to return the children to the -Cape.</p> - -<p>Toussaint retired for a few moments from the presence of his wife and -children, to weigh the import of their common supplication. His awakened -reason instantly discovered the snare which had been laid to entrap him, -and he therefore indignantly replied: “Take back my children, if it must -be so; I will be faithful to my brethren and my God!”<a name="FNanchor_G_7" id="FNanchor_G_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_G_7" class="fnanchor">[G]</a> then, mounting -his horse, rode off to the camp, from which place he returned a formal -answer to Le Clerc.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately Le Clerc’s bribery was not so ineffectual in other -quarters. Many of Toussaint’s generals were induced to listen to the -promises of Le Clerc, and</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“To sell for gold what gold could never buy.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">Among these was an officer named La Plume, who by his treachery threw a -large district into the hands of the French, and also revealed to them -those plans of operation with which Toussaint had entrusted him.</p> - -<p>Such an act on the part of La Plume, in whom<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_112" id="page_112"></a>{112}</span> Toussaint had placed -unlimited confidence, could not but cause him to distrust those who -remained attached to the common cause; and who, perceiving these -suspicions, grew lax in the obedience which they owed to his commands.</p> - -<p>On the 24th of February a severe battle took place between the French -troops under General Rochambeau, and those under General Toussaint, -consisting of 1,500 grenadiers, 1,200 other chosen soldiers, and 400 -dragoons. The position of the blacks was extremely well chosen, being in -a ravine fortified by nature and protected by works of art. Rochambeau, -availing himself of his local knowledge of the country, which he had -obtained from La Plume, entered the ravine with as much address as -Toussaint could have manifested, avoided the obstacles which had been -thrown in his way, and commenced an attack on the entrenchments of the -blacks. Toussaint was prepared to receive him, and a desperate battle -ensued, in which both skill and courage were alike conspicuous. The day -was extremely bloody, and the field which victory hesitated to bestow on -either party was covered with the bodies of the slain. Both parties at -the close of the day retired from the scene of action to provide rather -for their future safety than to renew a fierce contention for a mere -point of honor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_113" id="page_113"></a>{113}</span></p> - -<p>Rochambeau hastened with the remains of his division to join the French -troops in the western province, who were unable to withstand the force -of the black General Maurepas. The troops thus collected were put in -action, and the doubtful issue of battle was expected to decide their -fortune. But Le Clerc had recourse to his usual manœuvres, and -Maurepas, seduced with the promise of retaining his rank under the -auspices of Le Clerc, submitted to the French general without a -struggle, and gave his posts into the enemy’s hands.</p> - -<p>Le Clerc, finding he could conquer the blacks much more readily by -winning their confidence than by swords, redoubled his efforts in this -direction. The number of his emissaries was increased; their powers were -enlarged, and they were sent forth as the missionaries of seduction to -induce the unsuspecting inhabitants to put on their chains. Success in -proportion to his professions attended their exertions. Even Christophe -was induced to believe that the late proclamations, in which Le Clerc -promised liberty to all, were sincere. And, finally, Toussaint, willing -to prevent the effusion of blood, gave way to the representations of -Christophe, who immediately entered into correspondence with Le Clerc.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_114" id="page_114"></a>{114}</span></p> - -<p>A truce was formed on the ground of an oblivion of the past, the freedom -of the men in arms, and the preservation of his own rank, that of -Toussaint and Dessalines, and all the officers in connection with them. -This proposition was made by Christophe, and agreed to by Toussaint; but -Dessalines, dreading such an unnatural compromise, submitted only under -protest. The proposals, after some hesitation on the part of Le Clerc, -were accepted.</p> - -<p>Hostilities ceased on the 1st of May.</p> - -<p>Not one month past before Le Clerc seized Toussaint, his family, and -about one hundred of his immediate associates, and placed them as -prisoners on board the vessels then lying in the harbor. Many of the -blacks were ordered to return to their labors under their ancient -masters.</p> - -<p>Toussaint, amazed at such an act of treachery and baseness, inquired the -cause, but could obtain no other reply than that he must instantly -depart. For himself he offered no excuse, declaring that he was ready to -accompany his abductors in obedience to his orders; but as his wife was -feeble and his children helpless, he begged earnestly that they might be -permitted to remain. His expostulations were of course urged in vain.</p> - -<p>Le Clerc, to rid the island for ever of a man<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_115" id="page_115"></a>{115}</span> whom he both feared and -detested, prepared, soon after the capture of Toussaint, to send him to -Europe, and with him a letter of accusation at once false, criminal, and -malicious. A letter more dishonorable never crossed the Atlantic. Upon -his arrival in France, Toussaint was immediately sent to prison in a -remote province in the interior, and entirely secluded from the society -of men.</p> - -<p>Shut up in melancholy silence, in a dungeon horrid, damp, and cold, his -suffering was not long. The Paris journals of April 27, 1803, say -this—no more and no less: “Toussaint died in prison.”</p> - -<p>As to his wife and children, they remained in close custody at Brest for -about two months after their only friend was torn from them. They were -then removed to the same province in which Toussaint had been -imprisoned, without knowing anything either of his proximity or his -fate. In this place, reduced to distress, they continued neglected and -forgotten, a sad spectacle of fallen greatness.</p> - -<p>Such was the fate of Toussaint L’Ouverture, the <i>Washington</i>, but not -“<i>the Napoleon</i>,” of Hayti.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_116" id="page_116"></a>{116}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_XIII" id="LETTER_XIII"></a>LETTER XIII.<br /><br /> -Republic of Hayti.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hang2">THE WAR RENEWED—“LIBERTY OR DEATH”—EXPULSION OF THE FRENCH—THE -AURORA OF PEACE—JEAN JACQUES DESSALINES, FIRST EMPEROR OF -HAYTI—PRINCIPAL EVENTS UP TO PRESENT DATE—GEFFRARD AND -EDUCATION—POSSIBLE FUTURE.</p></div> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“This is the moral of all human tales:<br /></span> -<span class="i1">’Tis but the same rehearsal of the past—<br /></span> -<span class="i1">First freedom, and then glory.”<br /></span> -<span class="i7">—<span class="smcap">Childe Harold.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_t.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="T" -/></span>HE violent and perfidious measures to which Le Clerc had resorted -produced an effect diametrically opposed to that which he intended. On -the distant mountains, particularly toward the Spanish division, -innumerable hosts of blacks had taken up their residence and assumed a -species of lawless violence. They ridiculed every idea of a surrender to -the Europeans, notwithstanding the compromise which had been made with -Toussaint and Christophe. Even among those who had submitted, the sudden -seizure of their brave leader and about one hundred of his enlightened -associates, of whose fate they could receive no satisfactory account, -but who was supposed to have been murdered by Le Clerc,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_117" id="page_117"></a>{117}</span> produced a -spirit of indignation which was poured forth in execrations portending -an approaching storm.</p> - -<p>Le Clerc, seated on his painful eminence, saw in a great measure the -danger of his situation, and endeavored to counteract the impending -evil. But death at this moment was lessening the number of his troops, -and sickness disabling the survivors from performing the common duties -of their stations.</p> - -<p>Dessalines, whose talents and valor, recognized by his countrymen, had -caused him to be appointed to act as General-in-Chief, resolved not to -dally with his faithless foes as Toussaint had done, but to bring this -ferocious war to a speedy and decisive issue. Impressed with this -resolution, he drew a considerable force into the plain of Cape -François, with a design to attack the city. Rochambeau, perceiving his -movements, exerted himself to strengthen the fortifications of the city, -after which he determined to risk a general engagement.</p> - -<p>Both parties were as well prepared for the event as circumstances would -admit. The attack was begun by the French with the utmost resolution, -and from the violence of the onset the troops of Dessalines gave way for -a moment, and a considerable number fell prisoners into the hands of the -French.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_118" id="page_118"></a>{118}</span> But the power and courage of the blacks soon returned. The -French were repulsed; and as a body of them were marching to strengthen -one of the wings of their army, they were unexpectedly surrounded by the -blacks, made prisoners of war, and driven in triumph to their camp.</p> - -<p>With these vicissitudes terminated the day. At night the French general, -to the disgrace of Europe, ordered the black prisoners to be put to -death. The order was executed with circumstances of peculiar barbarity. -Some perished on the spot; others were mutilated in their limbs, legs, -and vital parts, and left in that horrible condition to disturb with -their shrieks and groans the silence of the night.</p> - -<p>But Rochambeau had to deal with a very different man from Toussaint—a -man whose motto was, “<i>Never to retaliate</i>;” for under cover of the same -inauspicious night Dessalines deliberately selected the officers from -among his prisoners, then added a number of privates, and gibbeted them -all together in a place most exposed to the French army.</p> - -<p>Nor did the revenge of the black soldiers terminate even here. Burning -with indignation against the men whose conduct had stimulated them to -such inhuman deeds, they rushed down upon the French the ensuing -morning, destroyed the camp,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_119" id="page_119"></a>{119}</span> made a terrible slaughter, and compelled -the flying fugitives to take refuge under the walls of Cape François. -From this period the French were unable to face their opponents in the -open field, and the victorious Dessalines immediately took steps to -crush them in the city.</p> - -<p>To add to the calamities of the French commander, the war between -England and France was again renewed during this period of his distress. -Unfortunately, however, he remained uninstructed by past experience, and -his cruelty seemed to increase with the desperation of his -circumstances. Pent up in the city, from which his forces durst not -venture in a body, he contrived to detach small parties with bloodhounds -to hunt down a few straggling negroes, who wandered through the woods -unconscious of the impending danger. These when taken were seized with -brutal triumph, and thrown to the dogs to be devoured alive.</p> - -<p>Amid scenes and horrors as infamous as these, Le Clerc was summoned by -the fever to appear before a higher tribunal to give an account of his -deeds of darkness. He died on the 1st of November, after having been -driven from Tortuga, his previous place of abode. Madame Le Clerc was -present at the awful scene; then, departing with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_120" id="page_120"></a>{120}</span> body for Europe, -bade a final farewell to a region which had promised her happiness, but -paid her with anguish and mortification.</p> - -<p>It was in the month of July that an English squadron, not fully apprised -of the condition of the French army, made its appearance off the cape. -This circumstance completely overwhelmed the besieged commander, who, -while the blacks were fiercely crowding upon him, was perfectly -conscious of his vulnerable condition as exposed to the British. He -therefore opened a communication with the latter to learn what terms of -capitulation he had to expect in case a proposition of that kind should -be made. The terms required by the British being dreadfully severe, -Rochambeau lost no time in strengthening the works towards the sea as -well as towards the land, having every thing to fear from both quarters.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the victorious blacks continued to pour in reinforcements upon -the plains of the cape. A powerful body now descended upon the French, -and, having passed the outer lines and several blockhouses, prepared to -storm the city in thirty-six hours.</p> - -<p>Rochambeau, from a persuasion that all would be put to the sword, -proceeded before it was too<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_121" id="page_121"></a>{121}</span> late to offer articles of capitulation, -which, to the honor of Dessalines, by foregoing the desire of revenge, -were accepted, granting the French ten days to evacuate the city—“an -instance of forbearance and magnanimity,” says Rainsford, “of which -there are not many examples in ancient or modern history.”</p> - -<p>The articles of capitulation which Rochambeau had entered into were -communicated by Dessalines to the British commodore. The latter, -therefore, awaited the expiration of the appointed time to mark the -important event. When the time had elapsed, Commodore Loring, perceiving -no movement of the French towards evacuation, sent a letter to General -Dessalines to inquire if any alteration had taken place subsequent to -his last communication, and if not, to request him to send some pilots -on board to conduct his squadron into the harbor to take possession of -the French shipping. To this letter he received the following -characteristic reply:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="c"> -“LIBERTY <small>OR</small> DEATH!<br /> -</p> - -<p class="r"> -“<span class="smcap">Head-Quarters</span>, <i>Nov. 27, 1803</i>.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="hang"> -“<i>The Commander-in-Chief of the Native Army to<br /> -Commodore Loring, etc., etc.</i>:<br /> -</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Sir</span>:—I acknowledge the receipt of your letter, and you may be -assured that my disposition toward<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_122" id="page_122"></a>{122}</span> you and against General -Rochambeau is invariable.</p> - -<p>“I shall take possession of the cape to-morrow morning at the head -of my army. It is a matter of great regret to me that I cannot send -you the pilots which you require. I presume that you will have no -occasion for them, as I shall compel the French vessels to quit the -road, and you will do with them what you shall think proper.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span style="margin-right: 2em;">“I have the honor to be, etc., etc.,</span><br /> - -“<span class="smcap">Dessalines</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>Scarcely had Commodore Loring entered the harbor on the morning of the -30th, before he was met by an officer of the French troops then going in -quest of the English to request them to take possession of the ships in -the name of His Britannic Majesty. This, he observed, was the only -method left by which they could be saved from inevitable destruction, as -the black general was at that moment preparing to fire upon them with -red-hot shot, and the wind, blowing directly into the mouth of the -harbor, prevented their departure.</p> - -<p>The whole of the French troops and shipping, including seventeen -merchant vessels and about 8,000 soldiers and seamen, thus falling into -the hands of the British, were conveyed to England, arriving at<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_123" id="page_123"></a>{123}</span> -Portsmouth, on the 3rd of February, 1804, from whence the troops were -taken into the interior and paroled as prisoners of war.</p> - -<p>Thus ended this visionary expedition through which Napoleon and Le Clerc -flattered themselves and the country that the inhabitants of Hayti were -to be again reduced to slavery; and thus, by the unrelenting -determination of Dessalines, were the fearful thunderbolts of war made -to recoil on the heads of those who hurled them.</p> - -<h3>THE AURORA OF PEACE.</h3> - -<p>The “Aurora of Peace” which Dessalines and his colleagues had predicted, -was now ushered in. On the 14th of May following Dessalines departed -from the cape, determined, like his unfortunate predecessor Toussaint, -to make a tour through the island, to note the manners which prevailed, -and to observe how far the regulations he had already introduced were -enforced, and what beneficial effects had resulted from their adoption.</p> - -<p>During this journey the people, animated by the presence of their -victorious chief, resolved to exalt him to the dignity of emperor. -Whether any intrigue had been used on this occasion by Dessalines, or -that the offer was a pure emanation of gratitude<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_124" id="page_124"></a>{124}</span> originating with the -people, it is impossible to say. This much, however, is certain, that -the proposal was accepted without any reluctance, and in due time he was -enthroned as <i>Jean Jacques Dessalines, the first emperor of Hayti</i>. This -was at Port au Prince, on the 8th of October.</p> - -<p>After the imposing ceremonies which necessarily attended the imperial -coronation, the people, not forgetful of Him who had guided them through -this arduous struggle in defence of those rights with which He had -originally endowed them, marched to the church, where a Te Deum was sung -to commemorate the important transactions of this memorable day. From -this place of solemnity the whole procession returned in the order in -which they came to the government house; after which a grand -illumination took place in all parts of the city, amid the roaring of -cannon and every demonstration of joy that both language and action -could possibly express.</p> - -<p>In tracing the narrative of this remarkable revolution, we have -purposely omitted the invasion of the British from 1793 to 1798. Suffice -it to say, that after a profuse waste of blood and treasure during five -years, Great Britain was constrained to withdraw the remnant of her -troops, acknowledge<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_125" id="page_125"></a>{125}</span> the independence of the island as a neutral power, -and relinquish forever all pretensions to Hayti.</p> - -<p>Such, then, is a brief outline of the principal features in the history -of this new-born empire, as recorded by Edwards, Rainsford, and Coke, -and as given me from the lips of veterans yet upon the soil. The -principal changes since are briefly these:</p> - -<p>The reign of the emperor Dessalines was short and turbulent, and his -designs against the mulattoes cost him his life. After the death of -Dessalines, (in 1807,) General Christophe was made chief magistrate, and -in 1811 he crowned himself King Henri I. Meanwhile the mulattoes having -cause to distrust him also, elected General Petion, a companion of -Rigaud, to preside in the south-west, which he did with great leniency -and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents, by many of whom he -is still affectionately remembered. He died in 1818. Christophe shot -himself in 1820. In 1822, Boyer, who had been elected President, united -the whole island under his government.</p> - -<p>And this brings the chain of events up to those mentioned in our review -of the history of the Spanish part of the island, to which the reader -can refer for a statement of the principal changes from that time to the -present.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_126" id="page_126"></a>{126}</span></p> - -<p>Under President Geffrard the country is highly prosperous, such -confidence being placed in the government that its paper currency is -preferred by the people to silver coin.</p> - -<p>Under Protestant influences, also, several large schools, in which -hundreds of young girls and boys are being educated, promise in due time -to present to the world a virtuous female offspring of these heroic -revolutionists, adorned by all the graces attending the use of both the -French and English languages, and a body of youths skilled at once in -commerce, and in the sciences of government, the sword, the anvil, and -the plow.</p> - -<p>The president desires the immigration hither of young men and ladies who -are capable of teaching French, “and also to undertake,” he says, “the -courses of our lyceums. In this case they would find employment -immediately.”</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>It is difficult to believe these fields of natural beauty, embellished -with all the decorations of art, have at any time presented to earth and -heaven such spectacles of horror as to cause even Europe, accustomed as -it is to blood and fire, to stand aghast, and which will serve Americans -as a finger-board of terror so long as slavery there exists. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_127" id="page_127"></a>{127}</span> torch -of conflagration and the sword of destruction have marched in fearful -union through the land, and covered the hills and plains with -desolation. Tyranny, scorn, and retaliating vengeance have displayed -their utmost rage, and in the end have given birth to an empire which -has not only hurled its thunderbolts on its assailants, but at this -moment bids defiance to the world.</p> - -<p>In the days of imperial Rome it was the custom of Cicero and his haughty -contemporaries to sneer at the wretchedness and barbarity of the -Britons, just as Americans speak of Haytiens to-day; yet when we reflect -how analogous the history of the seven-hilled city and that of the -United States promises to be, that Hayti may yet become the counterpart -of England, head-quarters of a colored American nationality, and supreme -mistress of the Caribbean sea, she can well afford to leave</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Things of the future to fate.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_128" id="page_128"></a>{128}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_XIV" id="LETTER_XIV"></a>LETTER XIV.<br /><br /> -Grand Turk’s and Caicos Islands.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hang2">AN ISLAND OF SALT—SIR EDWARD JORDAN, OF JAMAICA—HONOR TO THE -BRITISH QUEEN—A STORY IN PARENTHESIS—THE POETRY OF SAILING.</p></div> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Had ancient poets known this little spot—<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Poets who formed rich Edens in their thought—<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Arcadia’s vales, Calypso’s verdant bowers,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Hesperia’s groves, and Tempo’s gayest flowers,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Had ne’er appeared so beautiful and fair<br /></span> -<span class="i1">As these gay rocks and emerald islands are.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_i.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="I" -/></span>T is usually no more to “dangle round” this sea than it is to cross -Lake Erie. On this particular occasion, however, I very willingly -reached these shores, for the little schooner Enterprise in which we had -ventured was not much larger than a good-sized yawl—certainly not over -six tons burthen. The waves inundated us at pleasure, wetting even the -letters in my breast coat-pocket, filling our faces at times with its -slashing foam, and drenching us thoroughly to the inmost thread. But our -schooner skimmed along like a seagull, and within thirty-two hours we -were once again on land, dry enough for all practical purposes.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_129" id="page_129"></a>{129}</span> Nice -little schooner—the waves might as well have undertaken to drown a -fish!</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>There is not a natural hill on all Turk’s Island. The shores are but a -few feet above the level of the sea, and the interior is scooped out -like a basin. This basin is artificially subdivided into innumerable -troughs or ponds, into which water is admitted by canals from the sea, -whence it evaporates leaving beds of salt. This salt is then raked into -hills, so that as you approach these shores you have the extraordinary -sight of an island studded with salt-hills.</p> - -<p>The slight elevation of the land also permits the wind to pass -uninterruptedly over its limestone surface, which accounts for the even -temperature and perfect health of the island. The thermometer fell -to-day from 86° to 77° Fahrenheit, which is the hottest and the coldest -they have had it this summer. But, as you will readily perceive, the -absence of all barriers to the winds subjects the colony to the terrific -ravages of every ocean storm that chooses to sweep this way. At this -very moment the large and substantial mansion in which I am writing -trembles like an aspen-leaf, and I am fearful that the few cocoa-nut -trees and flower plants bending before the storm on every side will<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_130" id="page_130"></a>{130}</span> be -speedily swept away. Heaven spare the verdure!—the people can look out -for themselves. Generally speaking, the winds are soft as a sigh. The -gale ebbs to a gentle zephyr; the cloud passes on to Mobile, or wherever -else it is bound, leaving these islands gayer for its shower; the huge -West Indian sun, apparently magnified to six times its usual diameter, -sinks into the crimsoned sea; the heavenly twilight comes on once more, -and earth, sea, and sky are all once again tranquilly imparadised. The -effect of these transitions on the mind is imperative. The most -commonplace, matter-of-fact personage you have in America can not spend -a summer around these islands and amid these scenes without having -transitory poetic visions flash through his inmost being. But do not -think I intend to dwell any further on these Elysian things. If you have -a correspondent capable of describing them, send him along. A keen sense -of my inability to do so constrains me to desist as from an attempt to -comprehend the Infinite.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>According to the theory of certain American statesmen, Turk’s Island -properly belongs to Hayti; at least, it is on the borders of the Haytien -sea, and is as much beholden to Hayti for its support as Cuba is to the -United States. As luck has it,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_131" id="page_131"></a>{131}</span> however, Turk’s Island really belongs to -the British, and Cuba, it would seem,</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“By some o’er-hasty angel was misplaced.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>These, then, are a group of the celebrated British West Indies, and form -a part of the governmental jurisdiction of Jamaica. It is with rare -pleasure that I mention the latter fact, (since “next to being great -one’s self it is desirable to have a true relish for greatness,”) for it -gives me an opportunity to inform you that the order of knighthood has -recently been conferred by Her Britannic Majesty on Sir Edward Jordan, -Mayor of the city of Kingston and Prime Minister of Jamaica—a degree of -dignity never before attained by a colored man, as I believe, since the -British government began. The day of the Anglo-African in America has -not yet clearly dawned, but it is dawning. A great many of the officers -here, too, are colored. How strange it seems to stand before a large, -fine-looking black or colored man, entitled Sir, Honorable, Esquire, and -the like! To save me, I cannot realize it, although I see, hear, and -shake hands with them every day.</p> - -<p>But the grand source of interest to you and to me is, of course, the -slaves manumitted by the magnanimity<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_132" id="page_132"></a>{132}</span> of the British government some -twenty-six years agone. It is strangely interesting to hear them tell of -parties making their escape to Hayti by sail-boats previous to the act -of emancipation, sometimes sailing swift and direct, and at others -dodging under the lee of the Caicos reefs until pursuit had been -suspended, reminding one much of our Canadian friends. The history of -the escape of slaves in our day is as full of heroism as any history in -the world.</p> - -<p>The neatness and cleanly appearance of the masses are actually -surprising. I say it with all due respect, but, take them all in all, -the colored people really present a better appearance than the whites. -The latter, however, for reasons which you will already have -anticipated, are of course more wealthy and intelligent—for which -reason, also, they have heretofore been entirely at the head of -political affairs. It is only recently that the blacks, who are in the -majority, began to tread on their political heels. Some of the whites do -not like to see this, but the easiest way for them is to allow -themselves to be peacefully absorbed by the colored race in these -regions, for their destiny is sealed.</p> - -<p>The Caicos Islands, like most of the Bahamas, are but a series of coral -reefs, more extensive in territory<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_133" id="page_133"></a>{133}</span> and less sterile than this portion -of the colony; but their principal products are about the same—salt and -shipwrecks. They are at once “the residence and the empire of danger.” -An American captain is now here selling the wreck of a cargo lately -shipped from Boston to New Orleans—(Captain Elliot, ship Nauset, total -wreck on North Caicos reef, July 7, 1860.) The population of the group -inclusive is about five thousand, principally colored, who are -remarkably industrious, if one is to judge from the rapidity with which -they load a vessel with salt; and the essentially limited resources of -the island would seem to admit of their being equally virtuous. Churches -abound, and schooling may be had at the rate of three cents per week. -Every thing is due to the English missionary societies for the healthy -tone of morality and religion which prevails in these islands, and I -must say, as I believe, chiefly to the Baptists.</p> - -<p>But the great characteristic and most amusing peculiarity of these -people is their inordinate attachment to the British crown. A captain of -a schooner on the coast (black, but thoroughly British) one day -overheard some reckless fellow speak disrespectfully of Queen Victoria. -About every thing he thought of or said during the rest of the voyage<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_134" id="page_134"></a>{134}</span> -was, “He insult my Queen,” repeating “He insult my Queen” over and over -again. They seem to regard Queen Victoria with about the same reverence -that the Spanish Catholics bestow upon the Virgin Mary. Nor do I blame -them for this, since, if England were crippled to-day, it would be -difficult to say what would become of the world’s humanity. It would be -like extinguishing the sun!</p> - -<p>Every thing is salty. You stand a chance to get some Boston ice here, -which is a <i>rara avis</i> in this direction; but before you can get it -congealed into cream you are bound to get salt into it, it would seem. A -nice saloon, a good hotel, three churches, (English, Wesleyan, and -Baptist,) and a first class Masonic lodge—at the head of which is a -colored Esquire—together with its excessive salt propensities, are -about the best things that can be said for Grand Turk’s Island. Stay! I -forget the “Royal Standard,” a weekly journal, to the editor of which I -am under obligations, and from which I clip the following</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="c"> -NOTICE.<br /> -</p> - -<p>On the first of August, the “Friendly Society” and the “Benevolent -Union Society” of Salt Cay will march in procession from the -Society Hall, at<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_135" id="page_135"></a>{135}</span> 11 o’clock A. M., to the Baptist chapel, where a -sermon will be preached by the Rev. W. K. Rycoft on the occasion. -By order, etc.,</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">John L. Williams</span>.<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>So much for the land of salt, and a farewell to its happy people, the -most that can be said of whom is that they worship Queen Victoria.</p> - -<p>(Let me tell you a story. In passing around these islands, we are one -day with the Spanish, next day with the English, and the third with the -French. It is sometimes diverting. I was sitting one warm afternoon -before the door of a countryhouse, having a large green sward-yard -sloping away to the road. The house was full of children, some of whom -were, or pretended to be, studying their books. Well, suddenly there -came pouring down a splendid summer shower, when, without a word, half a -dozen of these little rogues, of both sexes, dropped their books, -stripped off to the skin, and away they went sailing around the yard -like so many water nymphs! In five minutes more they were all dressed, -sitting down with their books, and looking as demure as if nothing had -happened. “So there hadn’t,” except that one plump little girl <i>fell -heels over head</i>! That is one way of taking a shower bath I never -thought of.)<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_136" id="page_136"></a>{136}</span></p> - -<p>By the way, an American captain was this day looking at a number of -hands, male and female, engaged in loading a vessel with salt. The women -were employed holding the sacks, and tying them when filled.</p> - -<p>“That’s a smart gal,” said the Yankee captain, pointing to an ebon Venus -who was singing, dancing, and tossing the sacks around as merrily as -your city girls ever “pawed” the piano.</p> - -<p>A sleek-faced gentleman turned up his eyes at us, and inquired: “You lub -dis gal, Cap’en?”</p> - -<p>“Thunder, no!” said the astonished American; “I don’t love anybody!” -Which remark, I guess, was not very far from the truth.</p> - -<p>The vessel which I am now on board of is a full-rigged, finely-finished -English brig. Her sails are all set, the wind blows fresh, and she cuts -the water like a sword-fish. The captain cleared $1,400 on his trip out, -with a cargo of lumber from the States. How much will our friend Wm. -Whipper make in a year running his craft up a Canadian creek? The -tenacity with which our leading colored men embrace that short-sighted -policy which teaches them to confine their enterprises to certain -proscribed, prejudice-cursed districts, is not only extraordinary—it is -marvellous.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_137" id="page_137"></a>{137}</span></p> - -<p>The heavenly night comes on. The clouds in the sky look like ships on -fire. The rising moon trembles upon the silver-sheeted waves in the -east, while the receding sun burnishes the west, tinging the waters even -to our very spray. And thus, in this sea of glory, do we skim along. -<i>This</i> is the “poetry of sailing.”</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Thou glorious, shining, billowy sea,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">With ecstasy I gaze on thee!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And as I gaze, thy billowy roll<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Wakes the deep feelings of my soul.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_138" id="page_138"></a>{138}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_XV" id="LETTER_XV"></a>LETTER XV.<br /><br /> -British Honduras.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hang2">THE ISLAND OF RUATAN—THE SAILOR’S LOVE STORY—THE SOVEREIGNTY OF -THE BAY ISLANDS—ENGLISH VS. AMERICAN VIEW OF CENTRAL AMERICAN -AFFAIRS.</p></div> - -<p class="c"> -<i>Off Ruatan the New “Gibralter,” Flower of the<br /> -Bay Islands, and “Key to Spanish America."</i><br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_i.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="I" -/></span>T certainly takes the impatience out of one to travel very much on a -sail vessel. The dead certainty of your getting becalmed annihilates -even contrary anticipation. But instead of murmuring at the irksome roll -of this spell-bound ship, which flaps its sails as vainly as a bird with -cropped wings, I, with genuine Spartan philosophy, will make the most of -it by going visiting, that is, from the cabin to the forecastle. Here I -take a seat beside an American; (for, my dear H., nobody ever knows what -true friendship is until they have been shipwrecked, nor does any one -conceive how mutual are the sympathies of persons coming from the same -country, however remote their positions may have been, until they have -met away from home,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_139" id="page_139"></a>{139}</span> and been surrounded by foreign influences. Strange -as it may seem, I have not met a colored American out this way but who -actually celebrates the Fourth of July.)</p> - -<p>Instead of complaining of this ghastly calm, as I was about to say, I -take a seat beside my friend Mr. Johnson, formerly of Plymouth, -Massachusetts, from whom I learned the following important story, -albeit, a love story. Important because it shows the correctness of that -theory which assumes this,—the infusion of Northern blood as one of the -means by which the more sluggish race of the tropics is to be quickened -and given energy, and also how these seductive southern zones induce -persons to sacrifice kindred, friends, and home, in order to live and -die under their soothing influences.</p> - -<p>The story is this: Some years ago he had sailed from Boston to Balize -with a cargo of ice; was taken sick, and the captain of his vessel, -having made all possible arrangements for his comfort, left him in the -hospital to recover. He did so, and was just on the eve of going over to -Jamaica to get on board a vessel in which to return home, when up -stepped an elderly man, who accosted him in English and also in Yankee, -to wit: “Guess you are from the States?” to which Mr. Johnson<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_140" id="page_140"></a>{140}</span> replied, -of course, “You, too, I suppose?” The fact is, if you could not tell an -American away from home by his looks, his salutatory phrases are as -certain as an oddfellow’s password.</p> - -<p>So Mr. Dickinson, the elderly gentleman, was from the States also, and -nothing would do but Mr. Johnson must accompany him to his home in -Ruatan, there to spend a few weeks for old acquaintance’ sake, and -meanwhile strengthen his health. He went; but Mr. Johnson coming from -the States had never seen so lovely an island, and certainly none so -prolific as Ruatan. He found oranges selling for one dollar per barrel, -and cocoa-nuts at a cent apiece; and that after being rowed a distance -of six miles. He found also that good milch cows could be bought for six -dollars each; and that upon one of the neighboring islands wild cattle -were to be had for the sport of catching. On Utille, another island, -also, almost in sight of Ruatan, is a settlement of whites, which, -though small, is in a very flourishing condition; both being tributary -to Ruatan. Altogether, he liked the appearance of things exceedingly.</p> - -<p>Mr. Johnson not being one of your lazy visitors, soon began to make -himself useful by assisting his friend Mr. Dickinson in whatever he -might have to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_141" id="page_141"></a>{141}</span> do; and so one day, with pants rolled up to his knees, he -went over to a neighbor’s to borrow some bags. This neighbor had a -pretty niece who lived in Nicaragua, which is just over the way, and who -was now on a visit to her uncle.</p> - -<p>It was near dusk; his neighbor was not at home; but, with that careless -indifference which travellers in the tropics will appreciate, he walked -into the shanty, slightly nodded to some one he saw sitting in the -corner, and immediately stretched himself out in a hammock.</p> - -<p>The timid girl, less frightened at this rude freedom than at the bushy -whiskers of the Northerner, answered his inquiries as to when her uncle -would be in, curtsied, and left the room; but in doing so she discovered -about the trimmest ancle and the neatest pair of stockings Mr. Johnson -had ever beheld. It fixed him. He could not sleep after that without -dreaming of the pretty feet, and, of course, pretty owner.</p> - -<p>Mr. Johnson found business with his neighbor very often. The divinity -went over home; Mr. Johnson had business over there also; and with -genuine American grit obtained the old man’s consent, and actually -returned with his daughter.</p> - -<p>Soon after this Mr. Johnson received from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_142" id="page_142"></a>{142}</span> States the mournful -intelligence of his father’s death, and, like a dutiful son, immediately -sailed for Plymouth to see his mother and sisters. His brother, equally -anxious with his mother and friends to have him stop at home, offered -him a situation as clerk in a lawyer’s office. But, alas! those pretty -feet! They had caused him to sacrifice his home; and although -shipwrecked in the attempt, he is now back in Ruatan, with no -expectation of ever meeting his Plymouth friends again during life. “I -told them,” said he, “she was not quite so white as some of them, but -she’s a darn sight better-hearted;” which is very probably a fact. Mr. -Johnson affirmed, also, that he could not be induced to leave Ruatan for -the income of the most princely merchant in Boston; but I make -allowances for a man who has a young wife with pretty feet.</p> - -<p>Ruatan, as you are aware, is the principal one of the celebrated Bay -Islands, the sovereignty of which has been so long in dispute. Nor can I -settle the question as to whether the British claim is just or not; I -can only give it to you as I get it.</p> - -<p>In the first place you must know there is what may be called <i>two -Honduras</i>. That is, the State of Honduras, and these Bay Islands with a -portion<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_143" id="page_143"></a>{143}</span> of the Musquito coast, constituting British Honduras, of which -Balize is the capital. This will relieve a great many blunders people -have perpetually fallen into.</p> - -<p>When or by whom Ruatan was originally settled is now unknown. It was -discovered by the Spaniards, and was afterwards occupied as a military -post, but subsequently abandoned. Soon after the Emancipation Act took -effect in Jamaica and the other British isles, a number of these -emancipated slaves settled here, and the settlement is now multiplied to -the number of about three thousand.</p> - -<p>It becoming necessary for them to have a government, they sent to -Jamaica for a magistrate to act as governor, voting him a salary of -three thousand dollars, and, being British subjects, of course looked to -Great Britain for protection. And so Great Britain claims the right to -protect them; and she does protect them.</p> - -<p>It was off this island that the pirate Walker rendezvoused the present -summer; and from what I have said respecting the immigration hither of a -few white Americans, you will probably suppose there might be some -advantage taken of these islanders; but do not think it. Mr. William -Walker’s recent experience at Truxillo will probably induce him to -respect Ruatan.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_144" id="page_144"></a>{144}</span></p> - -<p>Nevertheless, Ruatan is measurably affected, of course, by the -prosperity of the main land, and if the future administration of the -United States government is to be as weak and vacillating as the past -has been, it is difficult to say what is to be the end of these -invasions.</p> - -<p>At present there is but little communication between this excellent -island and the United States. Thanks to your unjust policy, (wide-spread -infamy,) the natives can not be induced to look towards America, and so -can not see the difference between the Northern and Southern States. -This feeling has been heightened recently by the fact that a merchant, -who dealt in fruits with certain parties in New Orleans, went over there -on business. He was also a British magistrate, and took with him the -necessary papers to certify that fact. Hardly had he reached the shore -before he was arrested and taken to prison; and when he supposed to -estop their procedure by showing that he was a British magistrate, the -New Orleans constable replied: “If Queen Victoria were to come over -here, and she were black, I’d put her in jail!”</p> - -<p>I am asked to point out, as I go along, what could be done whereby -persons could gain a competence? Any thing in the shape of work will -gain<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_145" id="page_145"></a>{145}</span> a competence,—the trouble being, in all these countries, that a -living is too easily gained. But fruits are the principal export. Could -a vessel be run between this and Baltimore, or any other respectable -port of the United States, it would pay beyond a peradventure. It would -also furnish the means of getting here safe the fruits from wasting, for -want of occasional vessels, and also supply news; which is an -inconceivable desideratum.</p> - -<p>Land is offered at a shilling an acre; import duty is but two per cent., -and exports free; which, considering the English language prevails, give -it a decided advantage as a place of settlement.</p> - -<p>Ruatan is but thirty miles from Truxillo, Honduras, and one hundred and -twenty from Balize; and these are the only ways of getting here from New -York, at a cost of sixty dollars. For the want of such a vessel as I -have intimated, crops of oranges and limes are frequently swept into the -sea. The Pine-apples are large and of a superior quality. Walk out into -the grounds early in the morning, take a Machette and strike one open, -and nothing can give you an idea of their flavor except to imagine you -are sipping the nectar of the gods.</p> - -<p>In the interior of the island are cocoa-nut groves, and other marks of -improvement, such as<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_146" id="page_146"></a>{146}</span> an old fortress hid away from the sea, which -clearly prove the island to have been anciently inhabited; but, like -many other interesting objects which the historian fails to comprehend, -by whom, or when, is left entirely to the conception of the poets.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Gone are all the barons bold;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Gone are all the knights and squires;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Gone the abbot, stern and cold,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And the brotherhood of friars.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<h3>ENGLISH <i>vs.</i> AMERICAN VIEW OF CENTRAL AMERICAN AFFAIRS.</h3> - -<p>It is but fair to say the Hon. E. G. Squier shows very clearly the -forced nature of the English claims, and that Ruatan rightly belongs to -Honduras. But then I should think Mr. Squier, or any other American, -would blush to talk about British <i>proclivities to piracy</i>.</p> - -<p>The following are the views of Mr. Trollope (English) on the most -important of Central American affairs,<a name="FNanchor_H_8" id="FNanchor_H_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_H_8" class="fnanchor">[H]</a> who probably also intends by -them to give Mr. S. a rap on the knuckles.</p> - -<p>“As I have before stated, there was, some few years since, a -considerable passenger traffic through Central America by the route of -the lake of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_147" id="page_147"></a>{147}</span> Nicaragua. This of course was in the hands of the -Americans, and the passengers were chiefly those going and coming -between the Eastern States and California. They came down to Greytown at -the mouth of the San Juan river, in steamers from New York, and, I -believe, from various American ports, went up the San Juan river in -other steamers, with flat bottoms, prepared for those waters, across the -lake in the same way, and then by a good road over the intervening neck -of land between the lake and the Pacific.</p> - -<p>“Of course the Panama Railway has done much to interfere with this. In -the first place, a rival route has thus been opened; though I doubt -whether it would be a quicker route from New York to California if the -way by the lake were well organized. And then, the company possessing -the line of steamers running to Aspinwall from New York has been able to -buy off the line which would otherwise run to Greytown.</p> - -<p>“But this rivalship has not been the main cause of the total stoppage of -the Nicaraguan route. The filibusters came into that land and destroyed -every thing. They dropped down from California, or Realego, Leon, -Manaqua, and all the western coast of Nicaragua. Then others came from -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_148" id="page_148"></a>{148}</span> South-eastern States, from Mobile, and New Orleans, and swarmed up -the river San Juan, devouring every thing before them.</p> - -<p>“There can be no doubt that Walker’s idea, in his attempt to possess -himself of this country, was, that he should become master of the -passage across the Isthmus. He saw, as so many others have seen, the -importance of the locality in this point of view; and he probably felt -that if he could make himself lord of the soil, by his own exertions and -on his own bottom, his mother country, the United States, would not be -slow to recognize him. ‘I,’ he would have said, ‘have procured for you -the ownership of the road which is so desirable for you. Pay me by -making me your lieutenant here, and protecting me in that position.’</p> - -<p>“The idea was not badly planned, but it was of course radically unjust. -It was a contemplated filching of the road. And Walker found, as all men -do find, that he could not get good tools to do bad work. He tried the -job with a very rough lot of tools; and now, though he has done much -harm to others, he has done very little good to himself. I do not think -we shall hear much more of him.</p> - -<p>“And among the worst injuries which he has done is this disturbance of -the lake traffic. This route<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_149" id="page_149"></a>{149}</span> has been altogether abandoned. There, in -the San Juan river, is to be seen one old steamer, with its bottom -upwards, a relic of the filibusters and their destruction.</p> - -<p>“All along the banks tales are told of their injustice and sufferings. -How recklessly they robbed on their journey up the country, and how they -returned to Greytown—those who did return, whose bones are not -whitening the lake shores—wounded, maimed, and miserable.</p> - -<p>“Along the route traders were beginning to establish themselves; men -prepared to provide the travellers with food and drink, and the boats -with fuel for their steam. An end for the present has been put to all -this. The weak governments of the country have been able to afford no -protection to these men, and, placed as they were beyond the protection -of England or the United States, they have been completely open to -attack. The filibusters for a while have destroyed the transit through -Nicaragua; and it is hardly matter of surprise that the president of -that land, the neighboring republic, should catch at any scheme which -proposes to give them back this advantage, especially when promise is -made of the additional advantage of effectual protection.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_150" id="page_150"></a>{150}</span></p> - -<p>“To us Englishmen it is a matter of indifference in whose hands the -transit may be, so long as it is free and open to the world; so long as -a difference of nationality creates no difference in the fares charged, -or in the facilities afforded. For our own purposes I have no doubt the -Panama line is the best, and will be the route we shall use. But we -should be delighted to see a second line opened. If Mr. Squier can -accomplish his line through Honduras we shall give him great honor, and -acknowledge that he has done the world a service. Meantime we shall be -very happy to see the lake transit reëstablished.”</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>There is no hope for the Central American States except by intervention -on the part of some government capable of protecting them.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_151" id="page_151"></a>{151}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="LETTER_XVI" id="LETTER_XVI"></a>LETTER XVI.<br /><br /> -Conclusive Summary.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hang2">CONCISE DESCRIPTION OF THE SPANISH MAIN—DOMINICANA REVIEWED—THE -MAGNIFICENT BAY OF SAMANA—CONCLUSIVE SUMMARY.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_t.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="T" -/></span>HUS have I endeavored to seize on whatever might seem to be of -importance, and at the same time interesting to such of your readers as -desired to have some more general information respecting tropical -America.</p> - -<p>I am aware that I have not analyzed the soil, nor (so long as it -produced well) have I cared whether it was “composed of the <i>débris</i> of -these limestones and lava mountains,” or “tempered by the decaying -vegetation of the centuries past.” Nor have I entered into any essay to -show how the lofty sierras of Honduras differed from those of Nicaragua, -or those of the islands from the Spanish Main. It would be easy to give -you a chapter stating that “the summits of some of them are of hard -sandstone or granite; some are covered with layers of mould of different -colors and density, sometimes mixed with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_152" id="page_152"></a>{152}</span> stones of different degrees of -hardness, and more or less calcinable; and some of them of various -vitrifiable substances.” But I take it that the way to make a thing -useful is also to have it agreeable. Who reads, for example, Mr. Wells’ -well-written but ponderous “Travels and Explorations in Honduras”?</p> - -<p>Central America, by common assent, not only realizes in its geographical -position the ancient idea of the centre of the world, but is in its -physical aspect and configuration of surface an epitome of all the -countries and of all climes. “High mountain ranges, isolated peaks, -elevated table lands, and broad and fertile plains, are here grouped -together, relieved by beautiful lakes and majestic rivers; the whole -teeming with animal and vegetable life, and possessing every variety of -climate from torrid heat to the cool and bracing temperature of eternal -spring.”</p> - -<p>On the Atlantic slope rain falls in greater or less abundance for the -entire year; vegetation is rank, and the climate damp and -proportionately insalubrious, while the Pacific slope and the elevated -regions of the interior are comparatively dry and healthy.</p> - -<p>With this variety of “physical circumstances,” also, the people differ, -and have always differed, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_153" id="page_153"></a>{153}</span> a direct and corresponding ratio; the -inhabitants of the cool and healthy regions having at the time of the -discovery systematized forms of government and worship, while the hotter -and less salubrious coasts were occupied by a distinct family of men -unfixed in their abodes, having no social enjoyments, and living on the -natural fruits of the earth. In Central America, therefore, Dr. Smith’s -celebrated essay on “Civilization—its Independence of Physical -Circumstance,” receives a striking illustration, the damp Musquito -coasts having propagated only a rude tribe of men; while San Salvador, -for example, sustains a population highly civilized, and equal in number -to New England.</p> - -<p>But I have dwelt at most length on the island of Hayti, because it is a -source of greatest interest to us, and because there is perhaps no -country the intrinsic value of which is so little known; and while I can -see no objection but every thing to encourage by governmental influence -the establishment of a colony in some parts of the Central American -States, neither do I know why it might not be established in the Spanish -territory of Hayti. I have given another gentleman’s views, which are -worth more than my own, as to the vast population the country is capable -of sustaining, and have shown<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_154" id="page_154"></a>{154}</span> that especially from Porto Cabello west, -to the Bay of Samana east, no finer province could certainly be desired. -That noble bay, as I am informed, has been surveyed heretofore by a -corps of American engineers, who pronounced it the choicest point for a -naval station on the Caribbean coasts. It is also assumed, from the -rapid increase of the coral reefs in the Bahama channels, that this in -time will furnish the only safe channel for California steamers, and -even for larger vessels bound from the Northern States to New Orleans. I -have nothing to do with that, further than to state it as I have it. The -insurance companies will however appreciate this assumption, if we are -to judge from the number of wrecks which have recently occurred between -the Caicos and Florida reefs.</p> - -<p>Surrounding the bay of Samana are beds of coal as if on purpose to -supply such steamers; but they now lie unworked, useless, and almost -unknown. Into this bay empties the Yuna river, which takes its rise far -back in the northern and middle range of mountains, and, fed by -innumerable tributaries, winds its course towards this magnificent -harbor through the widest portion of the Royal plains.</p> - -<p>“In briefly describing the principal bays of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_155" id="page_155"></a>{155}</span> Dominicana,” says Mr. -Courtney, “the first of importance is the far-famed and magnificent bay -of Samana, at the north-eastern end of the island, at the mouth of the -Yuna river. It is about fifty miles from east to west, and varying in -width from fifteen to twenty miles, and of a great depth. The entrance -to it is at the east end, and is about a mile wide, as beyond that is -shoal water, to the south side some little islands and bars appearing -above the surface. An old fort, erected long since on the high bluff on -the north side, a few miles above the mouth and before it widens out, -commands its entrance. The hills and mountains on either side of the bay -rise back from it to a great height, their sides being covered with -beautiful slopes, plateaus, and benches. The coasts are here and there -indented with minor bays and inlets, the most important of which is at -the town of Samana, about twenty-five miles up the bay on the north -side. It is a land-locked harbor and very deep, as are all the inlets. -The view of the bay from either side across to the opposite shores, -covered as it is with swarms of ducks and swans and other water fowl; -and the coasts and hills and mountains covered with flowers and verdure -and fruit, is truly beautiful and sublime, equalling, if not -surpassing,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_156" id="page_156"></a>{156}</span> in beauty and magnificence, the Bay of Naples, and is -obviously the key to the Gulf of Mexico.</p> - -<p>“Here all the navies of the world could lie at anchor in safety.”</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>It would be useless for me to give a minute description of each -particular bay in each particular State, thus swelling these pages into -the usual ponderous three-dollar volumes which nobody buys, and so none -read. I am aware that the Bay of Fonseca, and others on the Spanish -Main, are equally deserving, if necessary, to be described. Mr. Wells -has shown this, and also that the interior districts of Honduras are as -rich in silver and gold as any region of which California can boast. I -understand, however, that parties have since been formed on the strength -of Mr. Wells’ report, and thoroughly equipped for mining operations. But -as I am informed, they were not allowed to enter the interior in -consequence of those filibustering propensities which all white -Americans are supposed to possess.</p> - -<p>A party organized to work the mines on a small scale in Dominicana has -lately sailed for the island. They will not be interrupted by the -present government, but the durability of that government is, I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_157" id="page_157"></a>{157}</span> am -sorry to say, a question which may be agitated, and even settled, -<i>before I finish writing this book</i>.</p> - -<p>And now I have struck the key note of all I have to say. The most -beautiful countries in the world are the most lamentably ill-governed. -It makes no difference to any one having foreign protection, as to their -personal safety, whether there be revolution or not. This white -Americans and all Englishmen or anybody else have, but the free colored -people of America. They have no protection anywhere.</p> - -<p>Now this is a shame and a disgrace to the civilized world. But so it is, -and, as Mr. Douglas would ask, “What are you going to do about it?”</p> - -<p>I have no reason to doubt the sincerity of such eminent persons as have -proposed to acknowledge the independence of these governments, form -treaties therewith, and even to purchase territory and provide the means -whereby a settlement could be established. I have rather much cause to -believe the new government (that is to be) will give the subject earnest -consideration. Nothing could be more just, and, as I believe, wise or -popular. I know that such a measure would not be opposed by the people -of the tropics, for there are many who entertain<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_158" id="page_158"></a>{158}</span> progressive ideas, and -who have sympathies in common with Americans, who, the moment a -protected settlement were established, would flock thither from the -neighboring States and islands, and immediately swell the number of the -original emigrants. I say I know this, because so many have said so, -among whom could be mentioned English and American families, white and -colored. But it pains me to say, the truth is, unless this protection -could be given, or unless a sufficient number could emigrate (which they -are not able to do) to protect themselves, none of these States seem to -be in a sufficiently reliable condition to prevent such a movement from -being a matter of great risk.</p> - -<p>I have shown, I think, which was the object of this visit, what might be -accomplished provided the government should provide means, never so -small, towards the furtherance of such a movement.</p> - -<p>It is the only way by which a colony to any extent could be permanently -established, which would give tone and stability to the government -there, and turn the important commerce of the tropics in this direction. -There are now probably ten European vessels in the harbor of Spanish -America, but especially of Dominicana, where there<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_159" id="page_159"></a>{159}</span> is one belonging to -the United States, although the latter is the natural market, from which -they receive entirely their flour and salted pork. (Merchants of -Cincinnati will appreciate this.)</p> - -<p>I presume it would be difficult to find an American merchant in any of -the Spanish States, who had not succeeded in making a fortune by the -great advantages of trade in mahogany, dye-woods, hides, and tobacco, -almost immediately after commencing business, but who has not as -invariably lost it, in whole or in part, by the depression of currency -in consequence of the momentary revolutions.</p> - -<p>How grandly would both these and <i>those</i> States “loom up in the eyes of -the world,” if, abandoning that policy which makes them the -indiscriminate oppressors of the weak, the American people should set -themselves at work through their new administration, to secure by this -means the commerce of those countries; give them peace, and forever wipe -out the stain which Walker has cast upon the very name of all who boast -themselves citizens of this republic. Such a measure would in some -degree recompense the colored race for the services they have rendered -to the government, the fruits of which they have not been permitted to -enjoy; would make this great nation less obnoxious to the weak;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_160" id="page_160"></a>{160}</span> lay the -foundation of a future empire; and cause those lovely regions to bloom -with industry and skill as they now bloom with eternal verdure.</p> - -<p class="c">END.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_161" id="page_161"></a>{161}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="APPENDIX" id="APPENDIX"></a>APPENDIX.<br /><br /> -<small>(FROM THE ANGLO-AFRICAN MAGAZINE.)</small><br /><br /> -The Anglo-African Empire.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot2"><p>“Do these things mean nothing? What the tender and poetic youth -dreams to-day and conjures up with inarticulate speech, is -to-morrow the vociferated result of public opinion, and the day -after is the charter of nations.”—<i>Phillips.</i></p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="eng"> -<img src="images/ill_t.png" -class="drop-cap" - -alt="T" -/></span>HE stars of the tropics are the guiding stars of the age. The sympathy -of the world is with the South, and the tendencies of things are -southward. The controlling influence of the great commercial staple of -our Southern States, the growing demand for the productions of the -tropics, the discovery of gold toward the torrid zone, and a consequent -want of labor in that direction, indicate firmly the force of these -assertions. Other causes, apparently indirect or yet apparently opposed, -such as the disappearance of slavery from Maine to Maryland, and the -rapidity with which the slaves<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_162" id="page_162"></a>{162}</span> are hurried further south, might be -cited on the one hand; and on the other the filibustering propensities -of Southern fire-eaters as the unerring and immutable laws of destiny, -guided by an all-wise and overruling Providence. “The coral zoöphite -does not know that while it builds itself a house it also creates an -island for the world;” and the master, as he pays the passage of his -slave from the more Northern slave States to New Mexico, is but the rude -agent of a superior power, urging him to more inviting fields for -enterprise, and for his higher and more responsible duties as a freeman.</p> - -<p>Reforms do not go backwards, nor filibustering northwards, and “nothing -is more certain than that the slaves are to be free;” but the problem as -to what position they are to sustain as freemen is but little thought -of, and, of course, less understood. It is true some suggestions have -been offered on this subject, foremost among which stands that of Mr. -Helper, as the most absurd and ridiculous. It did not occur to Mr. -Helper, when he suggested the broad idea of chartering all the vessels -lying around loose for the huddling together of the blacks after -emancipation and shipping them off to Africa,—it did not occur to him -that they were men, and might not wish to go; at least it did not occur -to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_163" id="page_163"></a>{163}</span> him that they were <i>men</i>. So I make the suggestion for his benefit, -and for the benefit of those who may come after him, this being a -question not to be settled by arbitrary means, but by means which shall -meet the approbation of all parties concerned, nor yet forgetting that -at the head of these parties stands Him whose name is not to be -mentioned without reverence.</p> - -<p>Whence comes the colored people’s instinctive horror of colonization in -Africa? Colonizationists say they can not account for it, since Africa -is their fatherland. But if this were any argument, I could account for -it by the simple affirmation that it is not their fatherland. The truth -is, “Time has shown that the causes which have produced races never to -improve Africa, but to abandon it, and give their vigor and derive their -strength from other climes, is not to be reversed by the best efforts of -the best men.” Besides this, charity begins at home. Allowing that the -colonizationists, by sending a few handfuls of colored men to Africa, -may plant the germ of civilization there, that the seed may spread or -the fire may flame until the whole continent becomes illuminated with -Christian love, and her sons stand forth regenerated and redeemed from -the dark superstition that enthralled them. Then what?<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_164" id="page_164"></a>{164}</span> It is a great -deal, and a great deal more than we can hope for, and a hero is he who -will sacrifice his life in making the attempt to bring about such a -magnificent result; but in doing this very little will be accomplished -for the millions who remain, increasing, on this continent.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, there is a growing disposition among colored men of -thought to abandon that policy which teaches them to cling to the skirts -of the white people for support, and to emigrate to Africa, Hayti, or -wherever else they may expect to better their condition; and it is -encouraging to know that the time is at hand when men can speak their -convictions on this subject without being made the victims of illiterate -abuse and indiscriminate denunciation, all of which is the natural -result of more general information, and which will lead to the discovery -at last of what is to be the final purpose of American slavery—the -destiny of the colored race after slavery shall be abolished.</p> - -<p>The history of Hayti and Jamaica, and of the American tropics generally, -indicates the propagation of the colored race, exclusive of whites or -blacks. (This is simply calling things by their right names, for which -the compiler of these facts expects to be made the most popular writer -of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_165" id="page_165"></a>{165}</span> age, of being highly flattered, infinitely abused, feared, -hated, and all that attends the discovery of truth generally.) -Throughout the West Indies, with the single exception of Cuba, the -whites have been unable to keep up their numbers, and in that instance -only by a recent flood of immigration on a large scale from Europe. The -colored race, on the contrary, is perfectly well adapted to this region, -and luxuriates in it; and it is only through their agency that some -small portion of the torrid zone has been brought within the circle of -civilized industry. I have said their history would prove this.</p> - -<p>When discovered by the Spaniards these islands were inhabited by a -colored people not unlike our Indians. Their homes were invaded; they -were reduced to a state of miserable vassalage, and the proud Caucasian -stalked about, the conquerer of every spot of earth his avarice or -cupidity desired. The natives, unable to endure the persecutions to -which they were subjected, withered and fell like the autumn leaves, and -Africa became the hunting-ground of the slave pirate for hardier and -more enduring slaves.</p> - -<p>Africa became their hunting-ground, and quiet villagers were startled in -the dead of night to behold their huts in flames, and to hear the -shrieks of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_166" id="page_166"></a>{166}</span> their fellow-men and fellow-women, who were being torn away -from their native homes as victims for the slave-ship, there to suffer -all the tortures of the yoke and the branding-iron, and finally to be -landed, if at all, on the American coast, with no other prospect than -that of a life-bondage spread out before them. This state of wickedness -continued, so far as England was concerned, until its glaring outrages -challenged the attention of the British realm, and until the Parliament -of England passed an act declaring all British subjects should be -free;—“An act of legislation which, for justice and magnanimity, stands -unrivalled in the annals of the world, and which will be the glory of -England and the admiration of posterity when her proudest military and -naval achievements shall have faded from the recollection of mankind;” -an act of legislation which restored the liberties of eight hundred -thousand of our fellow-men, <i>and left them in possession of superior -claims and circumstances to those from which they had been originally -removed</i>, (because, undoubtedly, the chances of any free man are better -upon this continent than in Africa.)</p> - -<p>Then came a series of American slanders: “Jamaica was ruined;” “the -negro unfit for freedom;” and the downfall of prosperity and the loss of -trade were everywhere said to be inevitable.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_167" id="page_167"></a>{167}</span></p> - -<p>But the negro and his descendants are proof against slander and against -the New York Herald, which terms are soon to be synonymous. Jamaica was -not ruined: but, while these complaints were raised against her -population, 40,000 land patents, varying from ten to one hundred acres -each, were being taken up in a single year! Lands having been provided -and schools introduced, happiness began to smile, prosperity reäppeared, -and the whole country was redeemed from what had been a field of terror -to what promises to become the very garden of the Western world.</p> - -<p>This is said to be an axiom of political philosophy upon which it is -safe to rely: <i>For any people to maintain their rights, they must -constitute an essential part of the ruling element of the country in -which they live.</i> The whites of the tropics are but few in number. They -have heretofore sustained themselves by their superior wealth and -intelligence. But, as fast as the colored people rise in this respect, -their white rulers are pushed aside to make way for officers of their -own race. This is perfectly natural. When a colony of Norwegians come -over from Norway and settle a county in Wisconsin, do they elect a -yankee to represent them? Norwegians elect Norwegians, Germans elect -Germans,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_168" id="page_168"></a>{168}</span> and colored men elect colored men, whenever they have the -opportunity.</p> - -<p>Even now a large majority of the subordinate officers of Jamaica, I -understand, are colored men. The Parliament is about equally divided, -and the Attorney-General and Emigration Agent-General are colored men; -and it is fair to assume, within a few years of the date of this paper, -there will not be a single white man throughout the West Indies -occupying a position within the gift of the people.</p> - -<p>A retired merchant of Philadelphia, a man of large thought and liberal -views, having an experience of fifteen or twenty years’ residence in -Hayti, in reply to certain letters asking for information and advice -respecting the subject now under consideration, published a pamphlet in -which he says: “There is a long view as well as a short view to be taken -of every great question which bears upon human progress; but we are -often unable or unwilling to take the former, until some time after a -question is settled.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Manifest destiny’ has been, for some years, a familiar and accepted -phrase in the mouths of our politicians, and each class suggests a plan -for carrying it out in accordance with its own specific interests, or -some preconceived theory. The pro-slavery<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_169" id="page_169"></a>{169}</span> adventurer may yet gain a -footing in Central America, but it will not be to establish slavery. -Slavery once abolished, has never been reëstablished in the same place, -in America, except in one instance—that of the smaller French colonies, -now again free. The vain effort to reënslave St. Domingo cost the French -forty thousand men. The free negro, that nothing else can arouse, will -fight against the replacement of the yoke which he has once thrown off; -and the number of these in Central America is sufficient to prove a -stumbling-block if not a barrier to its return. To reëstablish slavery -permanently, where it has once been abolished, is to swim against the -great moral current of the age.</p> - -<p>“We can acknowledge to-day that the persecution of the Puritans by Laud -and his predecessors, only intended, as it was, to produce conformity to -the Church, really produced New England. And we can now see that the -obstinacy of George the Third was as much a cause of the Declaration of -Independence, at the time it was made, as the perseverance of John -Adams,—the one being the necessary counterpart of the other, the two -together forming the entire implement which clipped the tie. Now if we -can make the above admissions in respect<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_170" id="page_170"></a>{170}</span> to these, the two greatest -settled questions of modern times, without excusing either persecution -or obstinacy in wrong, but keeping steadily in view that every man is -responsible for the motives which govern his conduct, be the result of -that conduct what it may, why should we not begin to look at this, the -third great question of the same class, still <i>un</i>settled, from the same -point of view?</p> - -<p>“<i>If, then, I were asked what was probably the final purpose of negro -slavery, I should answer—To furnish the basis of a free population for -the tropics of America.</i></p> - -<p>“I believe that the Anglo-Americans, with the Africans, whom a part of -the former now hold in bondage, will one day unite to form this race for -the tropics, with or without combination with the races already there. -But whether the African quota of it shall be transferred thither by -convulsive or organized movements—or be gradually thinned out from -their present abode, as from a great nursery, by directed but -spontaneous transition—or retire, by degrees, with the ‘poor whites,’ -before the peaceful encroachments of robust Northern labor, it would be -useless now to conjecture. It is enough now to know that labor, like -capital, goes in the end to the place where it is most wanted; and that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_171" id="page_171"></a>{171}</span> -labor, free from the destructive element of caste, has been, and still -is, the great desideratum of the tropics, as it is of all other places -which do not already possess it. I have already spoken of the presumed -ability of the Southern States to spare this kind of labor. Should -there, however, prove to be any part of the Union where the climate or -the culture really requires the labor of the black man, then there he -will remain, and eventually be absorbed by the dominant race; and from -that point the complexion of our population will begin to shade off into -that of the dark belt of Anglo-Africans, which will then extend across -the northern tropics.</p> - -<p>“I know that most of our Northern people, while they demand, in the -strongest terms, all the rights of man for the negro or mulatto, are -unable to eradicate from their minds a deeply-grounded prejudice against -his person. In spite of themselves, they shrink from the thought of an -amalgamation such as the foregoing observations imply. But these friends -are not aware how quickly this prejudice begins to melt away as soon as -one has entered any part of the tropics where the African race is in the -ascendant, or where people of colored blood have attained to such social -consideration as<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_172" id="page_172"></a>{172}</span> to make themselves respected. I suppose no Northern -man ever forgets the occasion when, for the first time, he arrives at -such a place, and the colored merchant to whom he is addressed comes -forward, with the self-possession which attends self-respect, and offers -him his hand. He begins to be healed of his prejudice from that hour.”</p> - -<p>I am also aware that the notion prevails generally in the United States -that the mulatto has no vitality of race; that after three or four -generations he dies out. This idea, I believe, finds its strongest -advocates among the slaveholders and the readers of De Bow’s “Review,” -and possibly it may be correct when applied to the colder latitudes; but -I have no reason to think it is so in or near the tropics. Moreau de St. -Mery, in his minute “Description of the French part of St. Domingo,” -says, with respect to the vitality of the mulatto, which term includes -all persons of color, however slight, of mixed European and African -descent: “Of all the combinations of white and black, the mulatto unites -the most physical advantages. It is he who derives the strongest -constitution from these crossings of race, and who is the best suited to -the climate of St. Domingo. To the strength and soberness of the negro -he adds the grace of form and intelligence<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_173" id="page_173"></a>{173}</span> of the whites, and of all -the human beings of St. Domingo he is the longest lived.... I have -already said they are well made and very intelligent; but they are as -much given to idleness and love of repose as the negro.”</p> - -<p>Hermann Burmeister, Professor of Zoölogy in the University of Halle, who -spent fourteen months, in 1850-51, in studying at Brazil the -“Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of the American Negro,” speaks thus -of the Brazilian mulatto: “The greatest number of the colored -inhabitants of Brazil are of the negro and European races, called -mulattoes. It may be asserted that the inferior classes of the free -population are composed of such. If ever there should be a republic, -such as exists in the United States of America, as it is the aim of a -numerous party in Brazil to establish, the whole class of artisans would -doubtless consist of a colored population. * * * Already in every -village and town the mulattoes are in the ascendant, and the traveller -comes in contact with more of them than of whites.” There is nothing in -these extracts, or in the essay from which they are taken, to indicate -that the Brazilian mulatto is dying out. These are the observations of a -patient investigator and man of science, and they have the more value, -inasmuch<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_174" id="page_174"></a>{174}</span> as they were not set down to support any particular theory. -The Professor speaks elsewhere in high but qualified terms of the moral -and intellectual qualities of the mulatto, coming to conclusions similar -to those of Moreau de St. Mery, except that he does not accuse them of -indolence.</p> - -<p>The author of “Remarks on Hayti and the Mulatto,” whose experience as a -merchant I have mentioned, further says:</p> - -<p>“This race, if on the white side it derives its blood from either the -English or French stock, possesses within itself a combination of all -the mental and physical qualities necessary to form a civilized and -progressive population for the tropics, <i>and it is the only race yet -found of which this can be said</i>.”</p> - -<p>“I have no desire to undervalue the blacks of Hayti. I have found many -shrewd, worthy, and intelligent men among them; and the country, it is -well known, has produced several black men of a high order of talent; -but these have been exceptional cases, like the King Philips, Hendricks, -Tecumsehs, and Red Jackets, of our North American Indians. As a race, -they do not get on. <i>The same may be said of every other original race.</i> -The blacks form no exception to the well-known law, that culture and -advancement in man are the result of a combination of races.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_175" id="page_175"></a>{175}</span></p> - -<h3>REMARKS.</h3> - -<p>I have no desire to retain, by the republishing of the above extracts, -the appellation of “Defender of the Mulattoes;” but have inserted them -here, that they may not be misunderstood. All I have to say is, that I -believe it would be actually more proper, numerically speaking, to call -at least the free persons of African descent in America, <i>colored</i> or -mulattoes, rather than negroes. Yet, how often do we hear respectable -men of all parties, talk of “Negro nationalities,” and regarding the two -races as “two negative poles mutually repelling each other,” leaving no -middle ground for the great mass of the colored people or mulattoes, -whom, as some say, “God did not make.” Instead of such impiety, and in -place of sending one-half of the colored people to establish black -nationalities in Africa, leaving the other half to be absorbed by the -whites, I think it is much more liberal to regard them as one people, -the political destiny of whom is unknown, or at best but begun to be -discerned. To divide the colored people at this late day by any such -process, would seem to me <i>like splitting a child in twain</i>, in order to -give one half to its mother and the other to its father. <i>I go for a -colored nationality</i>, that shall divide the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_176" id="page_176"></a>{176}</span> continent with the whites, -and the two empires being known respectively as Anglo-American and -Anglo-African.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>In conclusion, I desire to return my thanks for the complimentary manner -in which the preceding communications have been received; and I would -fain hope they might be as favorably regarded now that they are -presented in this present form.</p> - -<p>How proudly will the colored race honor that day, when, abandoning a -policy which teaches them to cling to the skirts of the white people for -support, they shall set themselves zealously at work to create a -position of their own—an empire which shall challenge the admiration of -the world, rivalling the glory of their historic ancestors, whose -undying fame was chronicled by the everlasting pyramids at the dawn of -civilization upon mankind.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Hope of the world! <i>the rising race</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1">May heaven with fostering love embrace;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And, turning to a whiter page,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Commence with them <i>a better age</i>;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">An age of light and joy, which we,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Alas! in prospect only see.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_177" id="page_177"></a>{177}</span></p> - -<h3>OPINIONS OF DISTINGUISHED STATESMEN AND PHILANTHROPISTS.</h3> - -<p>“My proposition is simply to provide for the peaceful emigration of all -those free colored persons of African descent who may desire so to -emigrate to some place in Central or South America.... I believe the -time has ripened for the execution of the plan originated by Jefferson -in his day, agreed in by Madison and Monroe and all the earlier and -better statesmen of the Republic, both North and South.”—<i>Speech of -Senator Doolittle.</i></p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>“Instead, therefore, of being an expense to the nation, the foundation -of such a colony would be the grandest commercial enterprise of the -age....</p> - -<p>“Are the young merchants of Boston and of America indifferent to an -enterprise which would give to our commerce, without a rival, such an -empire as that to which I have pointed?—an empire not to be won by -cruelty and conquest, but by peaceful and benignant means, and by -imparting to others the inestimable blessings of liberty which we enjoy, -and removing from our midst the only cause which threatens the -prosperity and stability of the Union....”—<i>Speech of Hon. F. P. Blair, -Boston.</i></p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>“It is my intention to use every effort to give practical effect to the -propositions submitted to Congress, and I believe that the colored -people themselves can give very efficient aid in the matter. If they -will only let it be known that they approve, and are themselves willing -to act upon the proposition, it will give it a great impulse.”—<i>Hon. F. -P. Blair—Letter to J. D. Harris.</i></p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>“The only mode in which we can relieve our country, relieve the blacks -and whites, and provide separate homes for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_178" id="page_178"></a>{178}</span> them, is by some scheme -<i>which will meet the approbation of both—one which the parties -themselves will execute</i>.”—<i>Hon. Preston King.</i></p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>“Among all feasible things, there is nothing that in my judgment would -so much promote a peaceful abolition of slavery as your son’s -plan.”—<i>Hon. Gerrit Smith to F. P. Blair, Sen.</i></p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>“The feeling of the free blacks in relation to African colonization is -no criterion by which to judge of the success of American intertropical -emigration.... I am confident that with proper inducements to be held -out before them in regard to security of liberty and property, and -prospects for well-doing, I could muster two hundred emigrant families -or about one thousand colored persons annually for the next five years, -of the very best class for colonial settlement and industry, from -various parts of the United States and Canada, who would gladly embark -for homes in our American tropics.”—<i>Rev. J. T. Holly.</i></p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>To the above might be added the views and opinions of many of the most -eminent men in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Maryland, and other States, -among them the Hon. Mr. Bates, and Sam’l T. Glover, Esq., of St. Louis. -But none seem more appropriate to close this volume than the following -from the Rev. Dr. Duffield, of Detroit.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -<i>Detroit, Feb. 18, 1860.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -<span class="smcap">Dear Bro. Kendall</span>:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>Allow me to commend to your attention the object in which Mr. -Harris has embarked. I think very favorably of it on various -grounds, but regard it as especially indicative of God’s -providential designs in relation to the introduction of the gospel -into that portion of our American continent which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_179" id="page_179"></a>{179}</span> has attracted -our attention, and which led yourself with me to memorialize the -General Assembly on the subject of commencing a system of missions -in Mexico, Central and Southern America. I had intended writing to -you on the subject with a view to the prosecution of the matter of -our memorial next spring, when the Assembly meets at Pittsburg. I -know not, nor can I learn, what has been done in pursuance of the -action of the last General Assembly. The whole matter as reported I -failed to understand, and have since had no light shed upon the -subject. May not this movement prove an occasion, if not of -connection to the mission, of bespeaking a deeper interest in -behalf of our benighted populations of Central and Southern America -than has yet been felt by and in our country....</p> - -<p class="c"> -Truly Yours,<br /> -</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Geo. Duffield</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Rev. Dr. Kendall</span>, of Pittsburg, Pa.</p></div> - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="cb">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> See <a href="#APPENDIX">Appendix</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_B_2" id="Footnote_B_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_B_2"><span class="label">[B]</span></a> When the island was discovered by Columbus, it received -from him the name of Hispaniola—“Little Spain.” It was afterwards -called Santo Domingo; but the original name given it by the natives, and -revived by Dessalines, is said to be Hayti. The Haytien territory, -however, is but about two-fifths of the island, the greater part being -owned by the Dominicans.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_C_3" id="Footnote_C_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_C_3"><span class="label">[C]</span></a> Within fifteen days a disaffection has been discovered near -the Haytien frontiers, supposed to be the work of Solouque. Solouque is -an imitator of Napoleon I. Napoleon went to Elba—Solouque to the island -of Jamaica.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_D_4" id="Footnote_D_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_D_4"><span class="label">[D]</span></a> Published by A. P. Norton, New York.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_E_5" id="Footnote_E_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_E_5"><span class="label">[E]</span></a> For a beautiful description of this affecting scene, see -Whittier’s “Toussaint L’Ouverture.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_F_6" id="Footnote_F_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_F_6"><span class="label">[F]</span></a> Rainsford.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_G_7" id="Footnote_G_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_G_7"><span class="label">[G]</span></a> Rainsford.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_H_8" id="Footnote_H_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_H_8"><span class="label">[H]</span></a> Anthony Trollope’s West Indies and Spanish Main. Harper and -Brothers.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><a name="transcrib" id="transcrib"></a></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="padding:2%;border:3px dotted gray;"> -<tr><th align="center">Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:</th></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">peaceful and benignant mean;=> peaceful and benignant means; {pg 30}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">undeveloped reresources=> undeveloped resources {pg 74}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">FATE OF OGE AND CHAVINE=> FATE OF OGÉ AND CHAVINE {pg 84}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">and and is as much beholden=> and is as much beholden {pg 130}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">victims of iliterate abuse=> victims of illiterate abuse {pg 164}</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c">where it is has once been=> where it has once been {pg 169}</td></tr> -</table> - -<hr class="full" /> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A summer on the borders of the -Caribbean sea., by J. 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