Star.
London, England, 1805-01-02 00:00:00

min

CORONATION OF
.74,417E3 t

[From the New-York—American Citizen.]

RETRACT OF A Writ FROM THI SUPERCARGO OF All
•MERiCAM VESSIL, AT CAPS FLANCOIS, TO HIS
OWlsk&S IN 111W•YORK, DATED
Cape Franctil, Gelobe: 19, 1804.
Yellerday I returned to this piaci. from Port-au-
Prince, after having witnelfed a fpedate, to me both
new and extraordinary-1 mean the Creation of an
Emperor, and that too of as ugly, as ill fh;:ped, and
as difgulling a little black fellow as I ever beheld on
any of the plantations of Virginia or South Carolina.
" For three days previoully to the ceremony, the
Blacks from all parts of the country flocked to Port-
au-Prince, and the avenues of the roads to the town,
even at midnight, were crowded with males and fe
mates. of all ages and feseA—moil of them imern
c.imbered with clothing, and agreeable to the (elision
of the climate, xleflitute of covering even to a fig
leaf, their clothes and provifions being packed up
on affes.

4, On the morning of the Coronation (the Bth) the
troops were under arms at three o'clock, and in a
few minutes alter a moil tremendous roar of ci;nnun
and mufquetry commenced, which hiked fur above
an hour without the (mallet intermi(4on.

44 This was the fignal for joy and confulion. The
Blacks from all quarters at the fird difeharge Qarted
from their huts and tents, and flew like madmen to
the Champ de Mars. There thetrnops, to the number
of about 7000, were drawn up in a hollow fquare,
and on a Rage ereded for the purpofe, after many
ineffeßnal attempts to procure filence, CHRISTOP H
at length commenced the reading of the Al, nnmi•
nating litssaLis Es Emperor for life, but the con-
fided no:le of the fable multitude completely drowned
every fyilable he Paid.

‘s \Viten he had finifhed, the people, men, women,
and children, together with the troops, fet up fuch a
yell, (mingled with the cla(ling of the Coldiers
arm•, and the noife of the cannon) you would have
thought could have proceeded only from the Infernal
Regions. Never did I behold fuch a Irene. The
multitude then, in the form of a prneeflion, moved
to &large temporary hall, ereEted to the rigist of the
Parade ; but here fate interpofed her curtain, and
thut me out from the remainder of theft Imperial
Rites.

"In plAis language, myfelf, and a party of my
eountrymcu, among whom was our mutual friend
had polled ourfelves on that fide of the
Parade, which we vainly thought w :old keine us an
ear), accels to the Hall of Coronation ; bin we were
miitaken. No fooner was the fignal given for the pro-
cef lion to move to the hall. than the frantic multi.
rude ',tithed in a body towards the doors, furmount-
ing all impediments, and (weeping every thing before
them ; indeed, I am not cet lain, whether it was not
fortunate that we were excluded from the hall. as,
from the temper of thcfe Sovertign People," it
;night have been dangerous for a white face to have
!hewn i►felf among them.
" The ceremony concluded about one o'clock,
P. M. and I have received the following account
from an Officer of the fiat Cape Divilion, who
dined with me yeflerday, and whole nation during
the Ceremony was within a few Reps of the Corona-
tion Altar.

0, After th.• Civil and Military Officers had taken
their feats, DLiSALINEs, the Emperor cleft, with M.
Pgrios on his left, and the Abbe DsSFON•rAIN on his
right, entered the hall from an Anti• Chamber—
. entrance was greeted by an anthem from a
large fplendid organ and a choir of fingers. The
ball was fitted up in 'amphitheatrical order, and in
the centre was a large Rage, acceffible by two flights
of Reps, by which the Emperor afcended, and by
the other the Abbe DEsrourata and M. Philos.—
The whole ceremony confined of an oath, which
was adminiftered by the Abbe, amidll the mbft pro-
found filence. The mob who, juft before, were nnify
even to madnefs, appeared to be (truck dumb at the
fi,,ht of the altar, and whilft the oath was adminifler-
-411, the ruffling Of 4 leaf might have been heard.
.# The fublfance of the oath was, that the Empe-
ror would preferve the independence of the itland.—
that he would always be ready to facrifice his life
Car the Liberties of the People, and that he would
deliver up the truß repofed in him to that Military
or Civil Officer who (ball render bimfell molt wor-
thy of it by his Cervices, and by his attachment to the
country. . . . .

" When this was concluded, the Emperor defcend-
ed from the flag; and received the congratulations
of the officers, and happy were they who were per-
witted to approach his pert 'n.
" This done the plocetTiin withdrew from the
Hall, and the troops having formed again, the Em-
peror immediately placed himfelf on foot at the head
of the Grenadiers of the ad divifion of the Cape.—
He wore on the oceafion, nothing betides hit Grdi-
sary drefs, except a large cap or head drets, encircled
with diamonds. The moment he drew his (word to
place himfelf at the head of the troops, the noife of
cannon and mufketry, was again heard, and the
cries of 6' live lkfaliie: " Vivc "'aqua I," rent
the air. The whole then moved to the church in the
upper part of the town, where, in the pretence of the
Emperor, and of the public Bodies. the troops re-
maining und.r arms widu'ut, Te Deum was per-
formed, and prayers offered up fir the lakty of the
Empire. The proceffion then returned to the
Champs de Mars. and the troops being difmiffed, the
Emperor and his officers immediately repaired to
rite houfe of the General Commandant of !Ina au-
Prince. During the proccaion the Emperor was
not attended by any guard f.ir his person, and he
refuted to mount his horfe until the troops were dif-
miffed.

" Of the night which followed I can give but an
impede& pilture. One thing I remarked, that
arnidlt the exceli of joy and unrearained plcafure
which prevailed every where, infix ices of intoxica-
tion were very rare. I preambulated the areas
during the principal part of the night, under the pro-
teftion of an officer of the garrifon of Pnrt au•Prince,
ani amidit the crowd, a drunken Black was fcarce-
ly to be Peen. The fame could not be laid of the
men of colour, many of whom lay .n the gutters
dead drunk until next morning. But very few of the
military Teemed to mix with the ciuwd during the
nigh!.
i• Their joy, or their enthaG4m, certainly flood ,

in need of no fakitions affitlance. Although (ober.
they were merry even to intoxication, and their ex
ultation was that of the molt extravagant madnefs.
They danced, fang, and leaped through the beets,
males and females mixed, half, and force more than
,half naked, like beings broke from Bedlam. bloa of
them, although nearly in a hate of nakednefs, had
their bead. full dreffed ; indeed, this firmed to be
the only part the natural colour or conformation cf
which they teemed Iludious to conceal. Figure to
yourfelf, then, a brilliant illumination—an itnmenfc
multitude eying to and fro, with the greafy mixture
from their heads ftreaming down each black vifage,
and you will have no imperial idea of the night
fucceeding the late Coronation at Port-au-Prince.
" The Magißratcs and Ofikers of the Garrifon
gave a grand dialler to the Emperor, and his offi-
cers, after the Ceremony, at the holt& of the Com-
mandant. Nest morning, at day-break, the Em-
peror and his fuite fet off for the Cape, where they
now are.

" There were no Females, at feet none of thofe
related to the Imperial Family, prefent on the occa-
lion. The Emperor himfelf is a bachelor, and his
mother is the wife of a municipal officer at the Cape.
He is about five feet fix incites high, and Petting afidc
a row of white teeth, peeping through a jet black
countenance, he has nothing to diftinguifh him from
his brethren of the African race in general. Many
of his officers are of use faille very different. Chats.
TOPMa and GARRARD are both flout fwaggering fel-
lows, and their military drefs and long fabres give
them a very formidable appearance. As to their
mental faculties, I believe there is none of them over
burthened with fenfe ; but they have fomeimitced En-
ropmns among them, who, vain they dire& their
Councils, are content to remain in the back ground as
long as they are well paid for managing the pro.
ceedings before the curtain.
aa The Emperor is now employed in preparations
to march againft the remainder of the White Troops
in the quarter of St. Domingo, and if I have not
formed a mitlaken opinion of the zeal and refoltnion
of his troops, I think I may pr;clid that there will
not be a White left in that quarter of the ifland in
lets than two months. Thefe Bliliks are well dif.
ciplined, although left fo, perhaps, than European
troops in general ; but they have that, which, With
being naturalized to the ciiinate renders them fupe-
rior to any equal number of White Troops that can
ever be brought againil them.
a' In general they treat our countrymen and the
Briti(b with civility and refped, but the name of a
Frenchman is never mentioned without pointed exe-
cration. Their hatred is carried fo far, that it is in
contemplation to change the language of the ifland
Per that of the Englifh ; or, as the Blacks call it, the
Ameriean Lanpage, and for this purpofe, I underhand
that feminartes are fhortly to be efiablifhed by the
Government in different parts of the ifland. At all
events, my opinion is, that flavery can never be re.
eftablifhed in St. Domingo, but by the total extirpa.
tion of its prefent race of inhabitants.
_ _

" P. S. Port•au-Prince was, in the reign of Re.
publicanifm here, nicknamed Port Republican by the
French; but the Blacks have reftored its former
name, and pulled down one or two of the Town-
houfcs, upon which the arms of Liberty were engrav-
ed by their former oppreffors.

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