Star. — London, England, 1803-10-31 00:00:00

~~ then& tip fro FRENCH TrR.llO/r, DISPLAYED, IN •UTHENTIC DOCUMENTS, Continued front the STAG of Thurfday OPPRESSION, CRUMTY, FRAUD, AND PECULATION, WRITTEN IN ST. DOMINGO EY AN LYE-WITNE3i, AND INTENDED TO IL TRANSAII [0 TO FRANCR,VOR TML INFORMATION OF ?UL AUTHOR'S MERCANTILE ERICNOSAND CORILESPONDLNI RESULT OF THE EXPEDITION TO SAINT DOMINGO: CONDUCT OP GENERAL LECLERC AND OTHERS. It appears, from what I have colletilcd in different converfations, that General Lictsac committed a great fault. When he arrived in the miclit of his formidable army, compofed of the conquerors of Italy; when he found himfelf wrong, when his army was entire, he Ade of Liberty to the Blariir, having in his hand Botta, PARTE% Proclamation of the 4.th of Nivofe, year 8- which lays, " The Cow suts of the Republic, in an pouncing to you the new focial compadt, declare that the Jarred prineipb of tie liberty and apish', of the Blade will never experience among you any infringe ment or mothjication." And the 9th paragraph, "If there are in Saint Domingo any evil minded perfons, if there are any who maintain a correfpondence with the enemy, remember, in ave Blacks ! that the French people alone acknowledge your liberty and the equality of your rights." Gaseral Lactate had alto in his other hand Bo soseitats's letter to GeneralToussm w r, in which were the following words:—" What doyen col/blot.? Liberty to the Blad.: l You inato, that in every country, where we have been, we have given liberty to people who never before enjoyed it. Henceforth; the tranquillity and ftrength of Government will enfrre the liberty and property of the people of Saint Doering*; toil thew, that liberty to them is the greatO good, they cannot enjoy it but with the title , of French Citizen ; afrure them that you will take no account but of their prefent condua, and make no enquiry into the pia, but to find out thofe who have diftinguithed themfelves in the war which they maintained againft the Spaniards, and the Englifh,l who have been our enemies. _ _ _ General Lsccsac in a decree of the tilt of Plu vlofe, year to (fee the ictosittor f Germinal 29) lays. fome perfons endeavout to give a wrong opinion of the army which is come hither only to fllabgb order, sad se safe Mem to be rilielfed." General LECIARC. in a proclamation iffued at St. Domingo (fee Moniteur Germinal 2) Pays. " I have "moil - el liberty to the inhabitant, of St. Domingo, and I /all make them enjoy it." Such are the fentirnents he expelled when he found binefelf in force. and at the head of a powerful army ; and when his army was weakened. and almoft an nihilated by difeafe. General Laculac then began to (peak of llavcry. The needary refult was a violent commotion. In the month of Prairial, year to, (about the end of May, tilos) TOUSSAINT - LOUTIATURS was Cr. relied contrary to the faith of treaties, and by de. wising him, difeontent was neceffasily excited. Though feveral of the black generals were jealous of TOUSSAINT, aad anxious to afume his place, his being carried away could not fail of being a eau& of diforder. I was told that TOUSSAINT had retired to his plantation at Gonaive. A numerous detachment was polled either on the fpot or in the neighbourhood: it appears, that being incommoded by it, whether the foldiers committed any trefpifs, or the draws had treated him with contempt, he wrote to Gene- Tal-Bauair to requeft either that the detachment might be withdrawn, or that it might be retrained by a more fever difcipline. General Battairr tom municated Ton ss ate T'S Letter to General Laity Le, and the lams in his anfwer, defired General Baum sr to arrange the matter with Toussaint, at the fame tialk-he fent him particular infinieions either in writing or by Come confidential perka. General 331V111T made known to TOUSSAINT ills contents of General Lactsac's Litter, and invited him to pay him a vilit, in order that he might confer with him on the fuhjett. TOUSSAINT wept as defired, but was arrefted immediately on his arrival, and fent to the Cape by fea. Such is the account given to me ; and to me it has every appearance of probability. Some think that the fubmirson of Too SUINT was perhaps not perfe&ly lincere, and that he fecretly waited for a favourable moment to recover his au thority. It was pretty generally believed, that his charaBer did not difplay complete fincerity, but, on the other hand, there does not fecm to be any proof that he was forming a confpiracy at the time he was Others are of opinion, that government would have done well, had it been poffible to fecure all the prin• eipal chiefs, CHI ISTOINII, DIBIALINIS, &c. leaving them the free difpnfal of every thing that belonged to them, and treating kindly the Officers and foldiers v. Yin had ferved tinder them, in order not to excite general difeontent, and to afford no pretext to their partizans. _ _ _ Thcfe perfons afert, that if we conf u lt the human heart, it may eddy be teen that men who had fo long enjoyed power, would not readily content to refign k gratuitoufly, and to return to a Rate of 'safe& nullity or degradation ; and that they ought to have been fent to France, giving them tome aqp&nunenu or penfions, with the enjoyment of the* property, and without affording them any caufe of ditcontent, for far of alarming and irritating their confidants. Were it indeed propofed to all our generals, off - o rot 'kat Flow 1•1.7.-1. they were before the revolution, ran any one believe that they would willingly content ; that they would fuller themfelves to be deprived of their rank and their appointments, and that they would not take up arms to refill, and excite all their comrades to do the fame ? Meafures diametrically oppofite to thole principles have been purfued at Saint Domingo, and they have produced the moll fatal effefls. Almon all the black corps have been difbanded. Thefe difbanded foldiers, accullomed to live amiclft the buftle of a camp, amidft rapine and plunder, as the equals, or the masers of the white people, could not, without danger, be incorporated with tradefmen. They could net return to the nate of peaceful la. bourers, fubjed to imperious masers. They went back to the plantations from which they were taken, but only to early thither difcontent, confufion, and revolt. The greater part found themfelves (tripped of their epaulets, which ferved to gratify their vanity, and deprived at the fame time of all means of fubfif• tence. The general difarming, attempted to be carried into execution, and which chiefly affefted that clafs of men, could only ferve to increafe the general difcon• tent. It ought to have been done not to them, but by them, in order to place them in oppofition to the blacks of the plantations, to bring them into difcredit with them, and prevent them from being Able to ex cite them to infurreftion in future. Tkefe black foldiers ought to have been employed to fupport the political fyilem of government. They ought to have formed one of its principal engir es. How was it poffible not to forefee th.t the moll re fpeetable of the black tradefmen, when forced to re. tire to the plantations, would apply to agriculture with a good will; that by boating of their battles and exploits, they would infpire their companions with relwaance and hatred for the whites, were it only to extol and to loftily their pail conduit, and that they could never be any thing but brigands, unlefs retrained by the fir iaelt and mot fevere military dif cipline.--Is is well known, that this difcipline, intead of hurting, flatters their pride, for thefe men, as they polies a military fpirit, think lets of the fubordination they are obliged to be under to their fuperiors, than they do of the power which they acquire of com manding theiv,inferiors. The generallaspeifation of all the authorties un dertaken about the fame time produced only new caufes of fear and alarm. There were people of every colour, whites, mulat toes, and blacks in the different conftituted bodies, the admiaiftration, courts of Mice, gendarmerie, Sec. None but a few white men, three or four perhaps, were filtered to retain their places, all the reit were fucceeded by milt -ass from France, or by the moft cfiftinguithed men of colour, who had been in the pay of the Engin!), and who with them had carried on war againft France. It is very extraordinary, that all theft were the jells ot preference, and of particular predeliaion ; and what is very remarkable, and thews the height of im. prudence, there in power excluded in general from all places. without any swarths or dflisaies, not only the blacks, but the men of colour, and even the old, rich. free. and mod enlightened proprietors. This excludes was a degrading kind nfprofcription, a fort of condemnation, a fort of civil death, which remind. ed them of real death. It was in the month of Thermidor, then at the pe riod of the organifation of the conftituted authorities, that partial movements of infurredion began to be manifefted, and daily to increafe. In the mean time, very imprudent language was ufrAl in France in the Tribunate and Legiflative Body, and the Offices of the Minifers, where flavery was talked of for the colonies. This language was con veyed even to Saint Domingo. Evil minded perfons, den blinded by their paffions, who wiffied to over turn every thing that their party might triumph, and to gratify their refentment, took care to tranfasit thither this intelligence. Their objeft being to pro duce confufion, they fpread uneafinefs, dread, and forpicioa, that they might afterwards excite an in furre{tion, and have it in their power to punifh and to gratify their vengeance. On the other hand, the Englifh and the Americans took care to traofmit to the Cape the Englifh or American Newfpapers, containing an account of what was done in the Tribunate or Legiflative Body, where flavery bad been fpoken of for the Colonies. There newfpapers were, perhaps, in English ; bat Cm erstor it s, one of the principal Chiefs. was an Englifliman, and underftood Englifh perfectly. Hence arofe diftruft; alarms were ipecac!, and produced infur ration. Government might, and ought to have formed at the very commencement a national guard, complied of the whole Citizens. This meafure was negleßed; and, as it was not carried into execution at fief, it molt appear extraordinary that (even or eight months after the arrival of the French, jun at the moment when they had the imprudence to fpeak of flavery, they took it into their heads to form a national guard, exclufively compofed of white men, rejeeling all rasa of colour. Tbek matures could not fall of exciting a great deal of umbrage and uneaGnef h and mull hay' cos tributed to excite difalfetlion among the black Gene rals, and chefs of the men of colour, ■nd to produce the unfonunate eataltrophe of the end at Venda miaice, year t 2, (middle of Oeober. semi (To k seliffet) . VOLUNTEERS. O6NUR•L ORDIRS. 1102112 GUARDS, OCTORti 29, Igo3. His Royal Highnefs the Commander in Chief has received the ![tic's command to convey to the fevcral Volunteer an 1 Affuclated Corps which were reviewed in Hyde Park on the 26th and 28th inftant, His Majeety*s hieett approbation of their appearance, which has equalled His M jetty's utmoll. expedtation. His Majefty perceives, with heartfelt ratisfadtion, that the fpi• rit of loyalty and patriotifm, on which the (Atm of the Armed V.Aunteers throughout the Kingdom was originally founded, has rifen with the exigencies of the times, and at this moment forms fueh a Bulwark to the Conititution and liberti:s of the Country, as will enable us, under the protedlon of PROVIDZNCE, to defiance to the unprovoked malice of our enemies, and to hurl back with becoming indignation, the threats Which they have pre fumed to vent againft oar independence, and even our exiftenee as a nation. His Majelly has obferved with peculiar pleafure that, amangft the unprecedented exertions which the prefect cireninftances of the Country have called forth, thufe of the Capital of His finked Kingdom have been anhuntly ennfpicuous ; the appearance of its numerous and well-regulated Volunteer Corps, which were reviewed on the 26th and agth iaftant, indicates a degree of attention and emulation, both in Officers and men, which can proceed only from a deep fenfe of the important objects for which they have enrolled theinfelva, a jolt eitintation of the blenings we have fo long enjoyed, and a firm and manly determi nation to defend them like Britons, and tranfaitt them unimpaired to our pofterlty. The Commander in Chief has the blghc* fatisfaftion difcharg ing his duty, by communicating theft His MaJcity's moft gracious fentimenta, and requefts that the Commanding Officers win have reeourfe to the readirit means of making the fame known to their refpeCtive Corps. (Signed) Fast:mann, Commander in Chief. ULNCRAL aCTURN OE TUE VOLUN VEER CORPS RIVIEITED IV 113 MAJESTY IN 117DL TARR, ON TUt 26T■ AND 21411 OP OCTOBER, 18:.3. Co a PS. ON WIDNESDAY Tec 26TN. COMM I. IttteCTlVt in the Fuld. Loyal London Vetkm. Cavalry Lient.-Col. Anderdon 217 Hon. Artillery Contrany CoL Paul Ls Mefuria 994 1R Royal Eaft India Volunteers Col. Sir L. Darrell 640 sd do. do. do. Cal. Sir Hugh Inglis 636 3d do. do. do. Col. John Roberts 5 8 3 lit Reg. Loy. Loe. Volun. Infan. 1 icut.-CoL Birch 737 ad do. do. du. Lieut—Col. J. Smith 6 f7 3d do. do. do. Lieut.-CoL Xen6ngton 804 4th do. do. do. Lieut.-Col. Price 79 0 sth do. do. do. lieut.-CoL T. Smith sot 6th do. do. do. Lieut.-Col. Wlgram 6 47 7th do. do. do. Lieut.-Col. Shaw 404' Bth do. do. do. Licut.-Col. Canning 777 9th do. do. do. Lieut.. Col Sir W. Curtis 6s o icith do. do. do. l.icu4•Col. Combs 587 i tth do. do. do. Major Seddon 2 93 i ttßeg.Tower Hamlets do. Licut.•Col. Meal& 350 Whitechapel do. Lieut.-Col. Craven 44t Mile End do. Major Llptrap 2 , 33 St. George in the EA do. Major Splidt 230 Radcliffe do. Major Baskat /83 Sholreelltch do. Major Martian 294 Bromley St Leonard do. Major Smut 1 75 Bethnal Greta da Major Carrick z 66 St. Cathiirine do. Captain Jenkins 221 ChriAchurch Volunteers Major Stevens 184 •M IIIDAY TIM 1111711. T 18,401 London &Welirnin. Light Hark Colonel H emits 7 2 7 Wdttnin itetof Volun.Cavalry 'AWL CaL Elliot SU Southwark Troop at Yeomanry Captain Colhngdon 69 Ckri.,. , well Cavalry Captain &Eon 46 Lambed' do. Captain Watran 40 St. r ,of VaL infant. CaL Bad at Clederfield 667 A. Gooses Reg.. _J; St. James's do. do. Cot Lod Mast 954 Bloom. and Inns of Court do. CA Cat 9 2 9 Royal Weft:Mutter do. Col. Robed* 9 61 Prince of Wales's do. Co/ AL P. Mews 640 St. Margaret's and St. Jan's Mao Lieu. OIL Nen Sas Loyal Needs &Mos Lieut. CoL Lard Lay 1116 Mary-la-bonne Col. Lord Deneamas 9 0 5 Law Afibelotion Lieut. Col. Has. T. Saltine 33s Doke of Olastolleee Col. Lard Chetwind 46% The Seuserfeeldees Colonel llama,. 3 80 The R. Oilee's Neat. George 's Lim. CoL Slr j. Nelson 6os The Chibmeell ... !4 i i .r M r l , c lot Loyal 111611 h &diem - Lieut. Caked autos 542 The 14/41 Mum Lkut. Camel Day Von z 47 St... Askew and IL Ocerge• Lieut. Coked leader 314 Ift alstaig. ad Dettelkus } Clres's aurae Wood Lord Hebert 986 The Miler Eyre to 71e at. 52 : ee Dom Mier Nike se% rit Surrey Lieut. Woad Clean 313 The Sc Sepulchre - - ',. reed 174 Tbe St.Sioiour 74ajor . Major Potts Ist The Loyal Southwark Colonel Tknier _ _ 34S Lambeth Lieut. Colonel ?Awards sss . Chrlltehorei 17! St. J.in•. Ht. Olives Reeks*(die Major Tolima MaMe Yr. i King tsi Captain Stn► asi Major Wells 158 ibe &is of Cumberland's i - Cords limber 84 Slexp Simms Onja Lim Carps of V. Mimeo Captain J. E. Cabs 3g IP 11111, 14474 HAUT C ' Adjutant-00,ml The total number of the troops infpeeed amounted 37,077.—1 n many inflances a confiderable pan of the corps were abfent on bufinefs nr otherwite ; and we underhand that the returns of the effective Orength of the feveral battalions, rendered Come weeks Once, made the number of Volunteers within the City to exceed 35,000. The Corps in the vicinity of the me tropolis—as the Hackney, Pancras, Fulham, Hamp. Read, Illington, Camberwell, Wandfworth, &c. exceed t,OOO, making in the whole a force of 46,000 men. Friday fel:Might the Marquis of HIIIITLT inrpeeed at Fortes, the two companies of Forces volunteer infantry, when his Lordthip on the ground defired Captain STILACNAII, who commands then, to exprefs to the corps his LordUtip's entire fatisfahion at their appearance.—This corps has a few fupernunteraries above the ehablintment, and only one man was raft for a blemith in one of his eyes. The Mike of GLOVOSTIR'S Loyal Volunteers were prefented nn Tucfday with a pair of colours, by their Colowel, Lord Cm grime, as proxy for her Royal Higbee!. Prince(' SOPIItA of Gsotscssrea. —His Loral* made as apttte fpeech upon the occafion, in which he ex his confidence, that the corps would ached colours upon all oe e,aGeos„ with the loft drop of their bleed t and be trilled that the Assnowre Betio, that ruled all meats, would crown their honourable efforts with complete foccefs. The corps received the addrefs with three cbmrs. A fabfaiption bat bees begun . 11 the Ladies of lefgow. for the pole, of the r ib : r e el s, of the id! regiment of volunteers with which as V alairdel to the heel* of &Was in that damp ammo. particularly is dis ems of their bdog L tailed it• •flwl Swim FRENCH COM.VERC2. The following letter is from . a neutral Cenral at Path, to &idol and eourtryntan of lilt own In London. Our itsaners may rely on its authenticity : 40 PARIS, OCT. 10. " You can form no idea of the dillrefs of the mer cantile part of this nation; all confidence is at an end, and all fpeculations are at a Rand; no man gives another credit for a week, and nn capitalilt dares to trufl his money out of his hands. Here, and at Bourdeaux, Bayonne, islarfeilles, Lyons, Names, L'Oricnt, Havre, St. Maio, and Rouen, no let s than 965 bankrupts, or floppagc of payments,' have taken place within this latt five months; and of fifty.two banking houfes in this city, only five continue to do honour to their affairs. The caulk to this rain of our trade and of our merchants, is the peace which the deceitful pulley of BONAPLITII concluded, and the war which his treacherous ambi tion provoked. During the former pant of the Re volution, many of our rich mei chants had emigrated, or fared their fortunes in foreign funds. The peace recalled the fugitives, and with them their capitals. The latter were immediately employed in diftant fpe. culations, particularly to St.Domingii, and the other Wen India illands. But betine any returns could be rece i ved, by LECts it c's tyranny St. I),rilingo was loll; and what had efcaped the plunder of the negroes, and the requilitions and pillage of the confular generals and commiffaries, has been captured by Englith cruisers. —Coffee, fugar, and other colonial produllions, of which we and is fa great need, we obtain front on the Adriatic lea, and from Lubeck, on the Baltic, where they are brought in Britifh vat's. Judge, therefore, what the darnels mull be here; when what we pay for the freight, land-carriage, &c. often amounts to feven-eighths of the original price in England ; and of the iinjuil and impolitic conduct of the Government, which, contrary to treaties, and to what it has done during former wars, prevents all dire& intercoorfe with England, ty ours and other neutral fhips. Money is fo fcarce, that upon landed patrineetial ewer, the interefl is two and a half per cent. in the month ; and upon natioral property, four and up wards ; and no money is lent for longer than three months, when new facrifices muff be made to have the loan continued. Except bills, accepted by five of our Ertl banking-houfes, there is no pnflibility to get any difcounted ; and for thofe of fbart dates, two per cent. is paid in three decades. Yon may, perhaps, think I exaggerate our fituation, becaufe oar funds are kept up ; but the military defpotifm rules as much our Exchange, and our mercantile tranfac. .ions, as thole of the Cabinet, of the forum and of the field. You have heard that many perfons, by intrigues, plunder, and crimes, have made fmmenfe fortunes lance the Revolution as national deputies, army commiffaries, contradors, &c. &c. Menthe war began, they were ordered, under pain of having their former candoa and accounts revifed, to lay out their capitals in our funds, and to receive their filed interefts, es lose as tbe „rootrionaa jaielpe prefer, mad net to fell ad before the goveranaw termite - and fuch is the fevcre ihfpeftion over the floc tranfedions, that when lately the famous navy contrador OUDOVAILI4 who has eighteen millions of byres in the five par cents. fold out only froze:zoo byres, be was ionsfediate ly fent to the Temple ; and only efcapsd teantorta tion to Cayenne, by dividing tome of his millions with Lomas, and tome other members of the Confular family. " The commercial chambers, which the vanity of the Conful lately eilablifhed in our principal cities, have patented upwards of isoo memorials to the Minifter CRAPTAIL with complaints and demands of fuccours; but when he laid tome of them before the Frasr Cowart., he met with •foch rebuke, that he demanded to refign his place. Ansongfl other fevers things, Bowe aaaaa (aid, that if the merchants did not eeafe to torment him with their reprefentations, he would be forced to regulate a ineranne ; or by the bayonet filence Is twine warebawle. " Upwards of boo merchants' clerks here are with. out bread, far le pawl; who from neceffity will join our armies as wolaateert, in the manner as feveral hun dreds of them ax Boordeaur, Marcella, Nantes, and other places, have already entered on board privateers or gun boats. When fuch is our fituation, after a war of only five months, I tremble to think how great our wretchednefs mod be, mould hoailides mamma twelve months longer. " The merchants is Italy, Holland, and Switzer land, think themfdves work off than we are here'; beanie requifition and contribution increafe and are augmented, in proportion as their trade or indokry is haraffed, profcribed, or annihilated ; and every mail from thefe countries brings us accounts of tome new dißrefs and tome new failures." A detachment of the Royal Army of Referve, which has been flationed at Edinburgh Goes they were railed, marched for Ayr. The boxes and trunks which were brought from on board a Yarmouth brig lying at Blackwall, were on Saturday privately infpeeted at the Mullion Houle, being fuipaled to contain charts, and foundings of our coafts and harbours ; which were fupporecl have beefs taken by Come Frenchmen who have Wed for the Continent in a neutral vac!. A French wo. man who had the care of this luggage. gave toms account of the owners of it ; one Of them, fbt bid, was a man who had been concerned in an exhibition at Leicefter Name. Every thing relative to the con tents of the trunks and boxes is at prefeni a profound fecret. On Saturday about fourteen or fifteen Lafintrh who had been found wandering about the llreethiand committed to the Poultry Compter, were brought before the LORD Marin. They all belonged to an outward-bound country Eel Indiaman, lying at Greeahithe. Three of them who could (peak Eng lilb, flatted that they had been cruelly treated by the mates of the fhip ; and that looser than go back to her, they would rather be hanged or lie in prifun.— The Captain, who was prefent. ftid he was bound by articles of agreement to take thefe men back to India. and that he could not (offer them to leave the fhip. The LORD MAYOR gave them to nntlerfland that they Dna either go back to their fbip or be committed to prifon; becaufe no beggars or vagrants kold be allowed to go about the areas of London. The Licari ebninately refuted to go on board the fhip; and they were OCCOrdingly committed to pti• is for firm clays. A I nes, ,Ta ttler rerat a of zic ; No. lino— gne I the iopcs Ply rrive if, iv 4' the I flup id on this but aley Old. ones In--. rices. T CWt. bead birr. i r. t 9. rtunull Ka al Ile 64 od 19 , I 3 of Its a ;Ss a 4" cli 43 1 64 eas ea 4o od t. the os. to 04118 ,m the of Kil an of , The , faced t plain, a nude :y were ng fol d have heM.— oofei to y, and cb had auk for a PO!. aft M- I ta ar !Camp. he 37th if then will he ioarable l ie City he trials Monday Yeomen name of he 110t(*. . at nil a well _H e en when I.c