The National Register. — London, England, 1808-01-03 00:00:00

• «-,< ..~. . only to remain a few days at. the latter pl: se, as he wishes to be in Charleston next February, and in New York the follow ing month. '• The season being so far advanced, made it necessary for him to travel with some rapidity, and it was only a few days before he left `New York, that he was informed a passage could e be procured. This ex planation was perhaps unnecessary, for no person of common sense will imagine, that one of the greatest generals of the age, should be willing to change his. high fame for that of an ad%'euturer." The Senate of the United States have appointed a Com mittee to investigate the conduct of John Smith, Senator of the United States from the State of Ohio, as it relates to his connections with Aaron Burr. Mr. Smith is said to be at Washing•ton. A Resolution has passed the House of Representatives of the State of Maryland, ranting leave to bring in a Bill, entitled, an Act to abolish all such parts of the Constitu tion and form of Government, as relate to the time and manner of electing the Senate, and the mode of filling up vacancies in that Body.—Yeas 47, Nays 9. THE NATIONAL REGISTER. HAYTI. JAN 3. " That where the relaxation of the navigation system would be beneficial to the British Planter, it is rigidly enforced; and, where the enforcement of it would be beneficial to him, it is unaccountably relaxed by the novel permission granted to a Neutral Power of carrying the produce of his rivals to under sell him at the European market. " That your Memorialists are unwilling to intrude their con cerns upon the important relations of the Mother Country with Neutral Powers; but humbly conceive, that it cannot reasonably be expected that Great Britain should see her Colonies decay, herself deprived of that Great balance of foreign trade, which she commanded by the export of her surplus colonial produce, and the Colonies of Powers, with whom she is at war, ag grandized by the continuance of a mistaken and injurious policy. " That your Memorialists, on these grounds, humbly suggest that the now acknowledged and extreme distress of the West India ColOnies of Great Britain, calls upon Government for a revision of the existing system, respecting the trade of Neutrals with the Colonies of the enemy; and justifies the reasonableness of a change in that system, so far as may be necessary for the purposes of self-defence and self-preservation." Christophe had for some time been confined with a se vere indisposition, of which Petion had taken advantage to rally his partizans and invade several places, which adhered to his rival. On his recovery, Christophe lost no time in taking the field ; and his skill and energy enabled him to defeat with great slaughter, those corps of his ene mies which he first encountered. Petion, determined to shew himself not less active, took advantage of his rival's absence, to advance with all his forces against St. Marc and Port Le Prince. The officers of Christophe, however, were well prepared to receive him, and repulsed him with great loss in every quarter. The following is the rela tion of events subsequent to that period: REPORT MADE BY THE CHIEF OF THE STAFF OF THE ARMY OF HAYTI TO THE PRESIDENT HENRY CHRIS TOPHE, ON THE VICTORY 6kINED THE 25TH OF OC TOBER, OVER THE ARMY OF THE REBELS, BEFORE ST. MARC. After the unsuccessful attack of the 20th of September, ano- • ther desperate attempt of St. Marc was determined upon, for which all the forces in the South of Hayti were collected. The President having received information of this design, sent, to reinforce the garrison of St. Marc, three battalions, two coin panics of artillery, and a squadron of cavalry, and set off him self from the Cape on the 23c1 of October. On the 24th he en tered St. Marc, when, without dismounting, 'he visited all the posts, reconnoitred the positions of the enemy, and gave his or ders for a general attack on the follow ing day. On the 25th the troops of the North entered St. Marc at ten o'clock in the morning. The President reviewed all the troop on the place-d'armes, and ordered the attack at eleven o'clock. The rebels occupied on the left the post of Pivert, distant only half a mile from. the town, where they had thrown up several intrenchments. They had, in the same manner, erected some works upon the road leading from St. Marc to Port mi Prince; on the right they occupied the position of Florencemt and the neighbouring hills. Brigadier Diaquoi Vigne, and Colonel L'Esperance, were detached with three battalions, in order to keep in check the rebels on the right, whilst the left was to he attacked. The Commandant Richer was left in the town with a battalion as a reserve. The President divided the troops into two columns; the first with a piece of cannon, was ordered to force the road, and storm the intrenehtnents ; the second column was ordered to turn the heights, to flank the rebels, and throw them upon the road, where the first column and the cavalry were ordered to receive them with vigour. The cavalry were drawn up in order of battle, at the distance of musket shot from the enemy, as a reserve. Soon after the attack was commenced, the intreucii went on the road was evacuated by the enemy, who withdrew to the intrenclunent in the heights. The President was in the WEST INDIES. SLAVE TRADE. JAMAICA.—The House of Assembly of Jamaica have made a Report on the Act passed in the last Session of Parliament, for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. It is the ohject of this Report to represent the stop put to the importation of Slaves, as ruinous to the Colonies. This has been always the argument of those who opposed that benevolent measure ; hut it is obvious that if it were true, it cannot be proved by any effects, which have yet resulted from the abolition, as sufficient time has not yet elapsed to shew either benefits or disadvantages of the Act. If, however, the wisdom of the Legislature had not adopted that measure, it is to be feared that the Colonists would have experienced the dreadful effects of an abolition, not brought about by the influence of law, but by violence. The constant and unlimited importation of Negroes from Africa would have finally reduced our West India Islands to the melancholy situation of St. Domingo. The following are the Resolutions of the Committee of the House : " Resolved, That the Act of the Imperial Parliament for abolishing the Slave Trade, is pregnant with evils to this Island, militating not only against its ge i neral welfare and interest, but threatening its total destruction as a British West India Colony. That depriving this extensive and yet unsettled Island of the means of a supply of labourers from Africa, to cultivate the soil, must be eventually ruinous to the proprietors and others interested in it : many industrious and enterprising settlers, who have braved the difficulties and hardships always attendant on infant embellishments in the inferior and mountainous situations, will, with their families, be reduced to poverty and wretched ness; and, when these settlements are abandoned by their pre sent inhabitants, they will become the haunts and fastnesses of disaffected and rebellious negroes. That properties in possession of mortgagees, receivers, guardians, and others, must shortly tall a sacrifice to this Parliamentary regulation : because, from their peculiar circumstances, they cannot be supplied with la bourers, the result of which will be, to deprive a numerous de scription of persons, from the earliest state of infancy to the most advanced and helpless ages, of the common means of edu cation and support." iesday, contain a larders, Merchants, is Colonies, which !un-, has not, till Country• In this The Jamaica Papers received on Tile Memorial of the of the Committee of Plai and others. interested in the West India though presented so long ago as last Ji now, been published in any Paper in this I Memorial the Planters complain, A At et • A. , I • ~;. . ,%\ s qb % lo ci! • •. -