Star.
London, England, 1801-10-21 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, OCTOBER xj.
DECREE OF THE 10TH ocTosta.
Boaar•ars, Firft Conful of the Republic, de-
crees :--•
alt. Citizen Jofeph Bonaparte, Coat:dello; of State, is ap- ;
pointed Minifter Plenipotentiary of the Republic to the Con-
grefs at Amiens.
ad The Minliter for Foreign Affairs is :.harged with the exe-
cutiou of the relent cree.
(Signed)de Bo N tttttt . Flrft Cada
(Counterfigned) MA II CT, Secretary of State.
Forty-five Archbilbors and Billings have fent in
to the Cardinal Legate the refignation of their
Sees. They are as follow :
H.
B. Royer, Metropolitan Wallop of Paris.
H. Gregoire, Bithop of Blois.
M. J. Dufralffe, Metropolitan Bilhop of Bourges.
F. X. Moyfe,Bifliop of St. Claude.
Claude Lecos, Metropolitan Bifhop of Rennes
Jaques Guillaume Rene Francois Prudhomme, Bithop of
Mans.
Dominigue Lacombe, Metropolitan 'Whop rq Bourdon.
J. J. Brival,Bilbop of Tulle.
J. P. Saurine, Bifhop of Paz.
A. Conftant, Bithop of Aril.
Ch. Leman; Bithop of Vannes.
Ch. Francois Doriodor, Whop of Laval.
J. B. Blampoix, Bilhop of Trois.
H. Fernict, Metropolitan Bifliqp of Toulouft.
Paul Benoit Barth; Bifhop of Aueb,
J. G. Molinler, Bilhop of Tarbes.
C. Debertier, Bithop of Rhodes.
jean Danglars, Bifhop of Cahors.
Louis Bertin, Bifhop of St. Flew'.
P.l). Villa, Bifhop of Perpignan:
L. Belmar, Hilltop of Narbonne.
Maudru, Bilhop of St. Dlez.
N. Prancin, Bifhop of Meta.
Jacques Jofeph Schelles, Bithop of Conbrait..
ofeph Morin, /Whop of Sedan.
A. Bertlolet, Bifhop of Colman
F. Etienne, Bilhop of Avignon. •
A. H. Wandelaincourt, Bithop of Langres.
Dcmandre, Metropolitan Bilhop of Bei:neon.
1 . B. Volfins, Bithop of Dijon.
can Baptitte Flavigny, Bifbop of Vefoul.
can Claude Leblinc Beaulieu,Metropolitan Di atop of ROLM.
r. Decherd, Bifhop of Coutances.
Elea' :tore Marie Darts, Bifhop of Amiens.
aqua Andrti Simon Werner, Bilhop of ScarC. R. Lamy, Bithop of Evreuz.
L. C. Biffon, Bifhop of Bayeux.
CL F. Primal, Metropolitan Bilhop of Lyons.
Henry Baimond, Wu, of Grenoble.
Antoine Behan: Dupoux, Bilbop of Moulins.
The Bilhops of Saint Maixtent, Poialers, Chanabery, and
Clermont had given in their refignatioos before.
Charrier de Is Roche, Metropolitan Bilhop of Rouen, fent
his to Rome.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON THE CONSTITUTION OP

ST. 1:00,410,
The Colony of St, Domingo exifted for feveral
years without pofitive laws. Governed for along
time by ambitious men, its deftruCtion appeared
inevitable without the alive and wife genius of the
Commander in Chief TOUISSAINT LOUVERTURE,
who, by the molt judicious combinations, the bell
laid plans, and the moll energetic actions, was
enabled to refene it almoft at the fame moment
frpm its external and internal enemies ; to extin-
guifh fucceflively all the fparks of dileord ; to pre-
pare its refurredion from the bofom of anarchy ;
to make plenty fucceed to famine ; the love of la-
bour and of peace to civil war and idlenefs ; leen-
rity to terror, and finally to reduce it entirely to
the dominion of the French Empire. The Revo-
lution had overthrown with violence every thing
that conflituted the fyflem by which the Wand of
St. Domingo was formerly regulated. New laws
had been fubfiituted at various periods by the dif-
ferent Legiflative Affemblies of France, but the
incoherence of thefe laws, repealed almoft as foon
as enacted, their defetts and their infufficiency ac.
knowledged even by thofe who were the authors
of them—the manner in which they were carried
into effect by the factions or thofe attached to par-
ty, contributed more to propagate diforder than
to reprefs it. The natural confequence of this or-
der of things was to make the laws, which ought
to have been treated with refped, objets of alarm,
or when they were impotent, objects of contempt.
Thofe wife men who co-operated in forming the
French Conflitution for the Bth year have, no
doubt, felt the neceffity of adopting a new fyflem
for remote colonies, and of confulting in the en-
acting of laws intended to dired them, the man-
ners, the cufloms, the wants of the French by
whom they are inhabited, as well as the circum-
Ilances in which they are placed. Could it, in
fad, be an eafy talk to form an opinion of all thefe
contiderations from flatements frequently incor-
rect; to appreciate, at fo great a diflance, the alte-
rations effected in the public mind ; to afcertain
the evils under which the people laboured, and to
apply remedies both proper and efficacious, more
particularly during the war ?
The gift Article of the French Conflitution
would have been alone fiifficient to authorize the
inhabitants of Saint Domingo, to prefent to the
French Government Laws by which they are to
be governed, had not the experience of the pall
rendered it an imperious duty. And what moment
could be more proper for the execution of that im-
portant work than that in which the chaos laid
open, the ancient edifice cleared of its ruins, pre-
judices banifhed, and the heat of paflion allayed,
teemed to mark the propitious inftant in which it
became necelfary to lay the foundations of the
work ? Thefe are circumflances which do not pre-
fent themfclves more than once during a long teries
of centuries, to fix the fate of nations. If (offered
to efcape, they are fought for in vain.
To thcfe fundamental caufes, which made it ne-
cellary to have a Conllitution for St. Dominso,
combined with the interefis of its inhabitants, which
were intimately connoted with thole of the Mother
Country, we:e joined motives equally prelTing.—
The jolt claims of the departments of the Colony
to have accefs to the Tribunals of Juflice. The ne-
ceffity of introducing new cultivators for the in-
creafe of rultivation,the re-animation of commet ce,
and the re-cflablilliment of manufadures. The
utility of cementing the union between the old
Spanifh and French parts. The impoffibility of !he
mother country fiipporting and maintaining this
immenfe Colony during a war with foreign Mari-
time Powers. The hecellity of ellablifhing a Pimple
and u;liforrn regimen in the adminiftration of the
finances of the Colony, and in reforming abnfes.
11 a neccffity of tranquillizing abfent proptietors
with regard to their prorrties. And laflly, The