The Sun.
London, England, 1803-02-01 00:00:00

DciNtArd(s;

," • -1-7"""."- ' Jr,
J ournal of Prcteedings at Cape ,FrancOli, tctvreeia April r.ricl
November, giventby a French (Mica of Rank, roan.
Officer of a British Man of War, then lying at Cape Frou.
cols, Nov. 21, igex. , .

THRE Eor four, _apt after. the departure;, o the
Cetlerus, jz guns, in April last, 6-11t1StOrE, the
&ask General, 'third in Command, entered the
town with a Flag of Truce, ands negotiated a Peace
between the Negroes and Whites, 1.1 authority of
TOUSSAT /4T. In ten days, Generals .TOUSSAIN.:
and DESSAIiINES, First and Second in Command,
caine also and surrendered to General LE C ',Ella, by
whop TOT.I3SA INT was pardoned, and per=ssiort
givpn to reside at any of his Plantations in the
Island ; in consequence of which he r,!yairc(.l to one
near Gonaiy es.

. CHRISTOPHE and DESSALINES
in unison with General. Laci..Eic—one was apa
pointed Commandant of the Northern District over
the-Negroes, the other Inspeaor General of Cuhi-,
vators in the Island. In this pleasing dream of
security they continued for some titrie; until DES.
SALINES denounced TOI;SSAINT a conspiratoe
against the French Republic, in consequence of Which'
he was arrested at his Plantation, put on board a
French Frigate at donaiyes, and aent to France.—
For some tithe after tranquillity seemed to reign, till
Comthandant MAURESAS roused the Negroes to
their former depredations. They began by, de.;
stroying and burning the Plantations in the island
of Tortudas; burnt Port.au.PaiX; and all the adja
cent Country. DESSAINES was sent against them
'brit always contrived to leave, on every retreat, his,
stores and ammunition in piaaseision of the Negroeia
They now becaMe more enterpiiaing by burning
again the plains of the Cape: Cita isTortaa
,was
now ordered to as against them, who also con-
trived to let them into the possession of his camp.
stores ; and every thing Wore a serious, aspen:
General DESSAINV accused a General Bj>LLAIR
and his wife as, the principal instigators of retellion :
they Were arrested, brought to the Cape; and shot.
The conspiracy among the Negroes now began to
be very ripe; General CLAtavAtist (a Mulatto
CoMniandant), together with the, other two, con.
trivad to get all the Negroes in the toWn to job's
theirs ; also a regirfient of Blacks; the 6th, which
was in Barracks. DESSAL IN Ei was to join CHIC
TO HE and the Brigands privately, then to m'a'rch
to Haut de Cap, where CLAIKVAUX waited for
them ; from thence immediately to proceed to the
Cape, where they had obstacle, to fear; as the
Negroes and 6th Regiment were ready to join them,
and the White, inhabitants unarmed, by a General
Order from the Commander in Chief, direCting their
fire-arms to be taken from them, that they might be
issued to the'Blaelts well inclined to the Republic.
Such was LECLERC'S. infatuation. CLAIRVAUX
(who is naturally said to be a coward) feared to wait
the denouement, it should appear, for he ail at once
deserted Haut de Cap, took the loth, and another Re-
giment in garrison there, and went over to the enemy..
This step alarmed LECLERC: the Whites were
mediately embodied as a national guard, all the rt.
gulags mustered, and every aaive exertion' Made to
prepare for their reception, which was hardly ac.
complished before the whole host of Negroes fell on
Haut de Cape the teeth Oaober, at midnight, and
carried the town and works by storm. At ore A.M.
two regiments of the Poldnese troops, then on duty,
frightened by the horrid wild cries and yells, of die
Blacks, gave way with great loss. The French
retreated to a pass a mile and a half from the town
of Cape Francois, and there made a stand until the
'morning. The firing of musquetry was heavy while
it lasted, but neither side lost many men. At eight
A. M. the Negroes set fire to the camp of the French,
taking with them cannon, &c. We then continued
about ten days quiet. LECLERC evacuated all the
'small posts to the coast, drew all his strength to the
Cape, appearing much panic struck, for he em.
barked every thing from the Cape for Tortudas,
and even spiked all the guns of the town that bore
on the shipping ; these circumstances raised a gene.
ral alarm among the inhabitants; they immediately
shipped all their property ; there is scarcely now a
dollar to be seen, and vessels arrived from France
with merchandise are preparing to return. At the
expiration of another ten days they attacked Haut
du Cap again about six o'clock in the morning, car.
ried it and the works before ten, and drove the
French to their old stand at De la Cour, shewing
a determined resolution of entering the Cape ; for
this purpose they raised works on, the hill, and
opened two batteries on the French below them;
they fortunately, however, had only 121 b. halls for
19. pounders, and this,. together with their being
bad engineers, prevented them from cutting the
French to pieces ; the latter returned bumb.shells,
well direaed, which appeared to discommode them
much. The Negroes three separate times at dead of
night attempted to surprise them, making the.most
desperate attacks, but were driven off with lcass :
the French increased, and the negroes slackened
their fire, until the 6th of November, when they once
More set fire to Haut du Cap, destroying every
thing as usual. They are now encamped ott a river
four leagues from Cape Francais. In the mean
time LECLERC had disarmed, shipped, and drowned
the whole of the 6th Regiment, with a great num.'
her of the Town Negroes, together with their
wives and children ; no trial was wanting at this
time, their colour condemned them, iimocent 'and
guilty, and their corpses flaming in the hat-
hour occasioned such a pestilence, that General
LECLERC was compelled to retire out of the gar-
rison, and died three or four days before the Ne.
grecs were driven off. Madam LECLIERC sailed the
9th from the Cape, in the Swiftsuae, fur Irranee ,•
three line of battle ships were in the harbour with
on hundred
on d
sseetv seventy,.
tilgt )1•1
ement o
thingtwo
two frigates, one of which' had only severity men
left of
so unto stifaan ctol
ntriclo)ml
mon t
or ten carts full of bodies every day taken from the
hospital
,for internment, a dozen in'ench ; , anti, upon
the nearest calculation, it is estimated that there
are not more than two or three thousand cfrc:aive
men remaining out of the whole original nuirbor.
Great praise is
.taid to be due to the inhabi;aats
of the town (MereNts, Creoles, Americans, &ea)
for their active support against the Briguads , it gig
said their assistance entirely turned the saale of the
last day's attack ; they are regularly called upon duty,
and furnish horses, &c. for the use of the troops,'