Star.
London, England, 1802-03-19 00:00:00

COPY OP A LETTER TO GENERAL CHRISTOPHI,

FROM THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF.

" On bc,ard the 0 ctAx.

" I learn, with indignation, Citizen General,
that you refufe to receive the French Squadron
and Army which I command, under the pretence
that you have received no orders from the Go-
vernor-General. France has made peace with
England, and the Government has fent to St.
Domingo a force fufficiently bong to mat re-
bels, if there he any found there. With refpeoft
to yourfelf, Citizen General, I confefs to you,
that it will be painful to me to confider you among
the number of rebels. I give you notice, that if
you do not this day deliver into my potreffion the
Forts Piccolet and Bclair, and all the batteries on
the coati, to-morrow at day break, 15,000 men
!hall be difembarked. Four thoufand men are
now difembarking at Fort-Liberte ; 8000 at Fort.
Republicain. Annexed to this letter, you will
find my Proclamation ; it expreffes the intention
of the French Government. But, remember,
that, whatever perfonal
u
good opinion I may en-
rtain of your conduft in the Colony, I confider
you as refponlible for whatever may happen.
64 LECLERC."
ADMIRAL VILLARET TO THE MINISTER OF MARINI

ANT) THE COLONIES.

" On board the Ocean, in the Road of Cape Francois,
Feb. a o, 1802.
" CITIZEN MINISTER,
_ _ _ - -

" I halten to give you an account of the opera-
tions of the fleet of the Republic, fence its dept..
turc from Breft to the prefent day, and I requeft
you will fubmit this Letter to the Firft Codal.
—Ypu know that winds :direelly adverfe detained
the fquadroe ti l the 14th of December. On the
morning of the 17th I rallied dole by Belle Ifle
the divition from L'Orient, and not perceiving, et
this rendezvous, the divifion from Rochefort, I
Itretched as far as Ifle Dieu, in hopes of finding
it. I thus literally fulfilled your inftruEtions, and
as the weather did not permit me to prolong this
dangerous cruize, I made fail for Cape Finiftene.
Violent winds, an extremely rough fea, and con-
tinual fogs, feparated, during this paffage, feveral
fhips of the fquadron, and damaged confidcrably
leveret velfels. On the soth Dec. the Neptune,
commanded by General GRAVINA, left the fqua-
dron to be repaired at Ferrol. On the 28th De-
cember I was obliged to permit the (hip Duquefne
to put in at the fit :4. port, and to order the Cor,
nelia to accompany hTr.—[Thefe two velfels have
not yet rejoined us, although I exprefsly ordered
the frigate not to delay more than 24 hours ;n the

port were fhe might anchor.]—T entertained a
feeble hope of finding Rear Admiral La-roues+ E at
the Canary Wands. I have learned that this Officer
had fteet et! there diree from Rochefort, and had
wait: _I there tour days in expectation of our fleet.
I made the Ifle of Palma on the sth of January,
without meeting any vac), and I proceeded with-
out delav to condua the army to its dellination.
—The contrary winds, which defeat alike our
power and our prudence, did not, however, pre-
vent the arrival of the Army at Cape Samana, the
29th of January in the morning, forty-fix days
atter its departure from Brea. On the fame morn-
ing I met again with Admiral GRAVIN A, the iqua-
dlon from Rochefort, and all the Spanah and
Deitch Vac's which had parted from the Fleet,
ith the exception of the Duquefne, the Cornelia,
Rhinoceros, and the two Packets, which were
:,lilted to anchor, the one at Corogne, and the
at St. Ander. _ _

* On the 3oth January, the Syrene frigate,
winch I had difpatched to Guadaloupe, brought
me the details of the events which had occurred in
that Colony. This intelligence, and come indired
information refpeting the movements which have
diftraded all the Antilles, at the fame epoch, in-
fpired us with a juft doubt of the reception which
we were about to experience; we concluded we
had not a moment to lofe, to ftifle or prevent a
general confpiracy. Hence, General Lee ac re-
quelled me, on the fame day, to difpatch for St.
Domingo, General KEATEASIAII, with his Divi-
fion, and the reit of the Army continued its route.
It was neverthelefs fill doubtful to the Agents of
Government, whether they Should difcover at St.
Domingo, in the charafter who for (coeval years
had pirated himfelf of- the whole authority, a
faithful Frenchman or a rebel African ? Whether
TouSEAMNT LOUVLAT U A t had retained the Colony
for the Mother Country, or for its enemies? Whe-
ther he would fecond the generous defigns of the
Firft Conful, and deferve a grand national recom.
peace, or enkindle the flames of civil war, to glut
an ambition as cruel as unbounded ? You know
better than any one, that Government partook of
cur doubts, !ince we had orders to be equally pre-
pal ed for war or peace. Our matures were con-
certed in conformity to thefe two fuppofitions,
equally podible. When I had reached the heights
of La Grange, and had provided myfelf with tome
Skilful Pilots, whom I fent for from Monte Chrilli,
the Fleet and Troops were divided into three divi-
lions. The firft under the orders of Rear-Admiral
LATOUCHF, was intcoded to difembark at Port All-
Prince, a body of Troops, the command of which
the General in Chief gave to General BOUDF T.—
The fecond, was defined, under the orders of Capt.
MUM, to difembark at the Bay of Mancenille
the divifion of General Roc If AM sear', and to fe-
cund his attack on Fort Dauphin. I conduded
the ref of the Fleet and the Forces which General
Lacer ac had refereed to take poffeffion of the Cape
Town and the neighbauring quarters, the mot
important points in the Colony.
" On the evening of the 2d of Fehrnary, having
finiffied all our diapofitions, I -made a fignal for
Rear Admiral Larouc t and Captain MAGI)! to
execute their orders • and on the morning of the
3d, I prefented myfelf, with the reft of the arma-
ment, before the Cape. You are aware, Citizen
Minifter, that the entrance of the Road, fo diffi-
cult for velrels of every defcription, is not without
danger to (hips of the line of the fame rate as the
Ocean; that it is pradicable only with the high
wind that rifts regularly about eleven in the morn-
ing, and blows during a great part of the night.
On the fame day, I or dered the Clarinda and Ura-
nia f•;.,:ates„ and the Aiguille cutter to fail at the
entrance of the Road, to difcover if there were
any buoys oat, and to r:connoitre the fate of the
fortifications. The frigates made fruitltfs private
Signals to the land, and the cutter having ground-
ed in the ',adage, the fort I'icollet fired on her with
rid hot balls. Lieutenant Os e r, the Commander
of this fmall veffil, did not &RR from his objed,
and anchored in the Road of the Cape, although
the buoys were removed. On thee circumilances
a mulatt hrarred LANCES, who cxercifed the func-
tions of Port Captain at the Cape, came on board
my veltel. So far from contenting to pilot the
Ocean, he dt clarc d that the Black General CH ars-
'fora t ordered him to acquaint us, that the
Whites would be maffaered, and the Town fit °n
fire, the very itilarit the fquadron Should enter the
P. it we refuted to await the return of a courier
whoni he had difpatched to Governor Touss Al NT
LOIFFF A Tv RI:. We unanimoufly thought that fo
fLrociaas a determination could only be fuggefled
by unjuii fears of the French Government. The
Commander in Chief wrote to CIFILISTOT HI, 10
make him acquainted with the benevolent put-
poles of the Firft Confill, and to endeavour, by
diffipating his apprehenfions, to bring bim to a
fettle of Ins duties as a Soldier and a Frenchman.
LIAR UN, Signal Officer, Adjutant to my Etat
Major, was cntrufted with this delicate miffion, as
well as to carry to the Cape a great many copies
of die Fiat Conful's Proclamation. I detained the
Port Captain, and night compelled the squadron to
fad large.
"On the 4th, Citizen Lanni, brought back the
anfwer of General CHAISTOFHE an abfolute re-
Nal to receive the army, an inflexible determina-
tion to burn the Town and Fields. Particular care
was taken to prevent LABIUM from diftributing
the Calfular Proclamation, and CoatSToras had
fern, dly declared, that he Should receive and re-
eogi.:Lc no other orders than thofe of TOUSSAINT.
1 hi: cutter, Aiguille, having got out again with-
out ob(lacles, brought at the fame time a Depu-
tat:-.n of the inhabitants of the Cape, compofed
cf the Mayor, the Commandant of the National
Guard, the Redor and three Notables. They
came to implore the Commander in Chief not to
at--,,,e the affront offered to the Government and
Tench flag; they affured us, that on the firli
fl real of a difembarkation, the town and country
of the Cape would be burnt, and all the Whites
roaffacred ; they confirmed the information we
had received of the meafures taken by the Rebels,
and :heir invariable refolution. The twenty-four
hairs req nit ed for To u s s Al a v'sanfwerhadelapfed,
and we had good reafon for believing that he was
in the Town, or at koft, in the neighbourhood,.

. ,
the insifible foul and mover of all that bad pallid.
The General in Chief fent back the Deputation,
with orders to the Mayor to read to his fellow-
citizens the Proclamation of the FIRST CONSUL,
and to explain to them the perfidious intentions of
their Chiefs. CS:?AIi Ti LEMACHUS, a Negro truly
French, fulfilled that talk with heroic intrepidity :
from that moment- we found that we mull either
renounce all hopes of Living the Town, or fuffer
the laws and to of the French Government
to be trampled under foot. In the evening of the
ath. the ::y
rece frigate came to announce the Inc-
cefs of the Debarkation in the Bak of Mancenille,
and the entrance of the Troops into Fort Dauphin.
—The General in Chief took that part which he
thought moll favourable to humanity, and the role
objea of the expedition; he thought that liy bod-
ing all the Troops in the Bay of Acul, he tnight
arrive at the Heights of the Cape before the Blacks
fhould execute their defigns • and that out' Iltips
after the debarkation, by taking advantage of the
&ft favourable breeze, might force the entrance
in time to fave fume part of Town. I agreed
to this idea, and ordered the Troops to be imme-
diately put on board the Frigates, Sloops, and
boats. Captain Torsesr, Commander of the Fu-
Tiede. took them undet his convoy, and 'leered by
night towards Limbe. Unfortunately he was pre-
vented b the calm from arriving there during the
night. On the morning of the ph, the Divifion of
Frigates had not yet reached their deßination,
when an Aid-de-Camp of General ROCHAMSLAU
brought me Difpatches from the General in Chief,
and Details from Captain Maotn, of the Expedi-
tion to Fort Dauphin. The Blacks had oppofed
the difembarkation in the Bay of Mancenille, ex-
claiming " No Whites I No French!" at the fame
time firing on our canoes. Captain MAGER, how.
ever' effected his landing with equal activity and
addrefs ; and while. the troops were on their march
to Fort Dauphin, he made his Divifion prepare,
with the fame rapidity, to force the nartow and
difficult paffage leading to the Harbour. The calm
frultrated his zeal for tome hours. General Ro-
CHAMBRAWS troops had time to turn the forts of
Lalxneque and Ance, where the Blacks obllinately
defended themfelves. At laR Captain MAGER was
enabled to prefent Itimfelf before the Fort, which
received him with a difcharge of artillery. Two
rounds made him mailer of that poll, where he
found a confiderable quantity of cannon and am-
munition. Here all veils were removed from the
defigns of the rebels, by finding orders written by
General Ca aurora z to the Commander of the
place, ordering him to fink all the French veffels,
to defend himfelf to the /all extremity, and if forced
to retreat, to burn every thing behind him.
" The gallant condua of Captain Mac EN, and
the exprefi requeß of the General in Chief, calls
upon you, for the encouragement of the fervice, to
raife him immediately to the rank of Rear-Admi-
ral. His talents and fery ices demand this dillinc-
ton. I waited with extreme impatience till this
difembarkation was effected cn the sth. I did not
lore fight of the frigates under fail, and the alar m
guns which were flied along all the coati, and the
fames of fume of the fettlenients, plainly difcovcr.
ed the defigns of the rebels. As foon as I thought
the debarkation was effated, I ordered the (hips
le Scipio and le Patriote to prefent themfelves
before the entrance, in order to draw the attention
of the enemy. As loon as the Scipio came off
Piccolet, the cannon began to play upon her and
le Patriote with ball and bombs. I had ordered
LANCES, Captain of the Port, to moor the Scipio
dole by Piccolet, fo :s to demoliflt it ; but night
prevented Gen. DELmom from executing this or-
der. The land wind began to blow at the approach of
nigh; when the height of the Cape, and the reflec-
tion Of the thy, announced the burning of the
town, and we were obliged all night to behold the
flames without having a it; our power to render
the wretched inhabitants any affiflauce. On break
of day the flames had not reached the plain.-
1 called the Captain of the Port again on board
the Ocean, and taking advantage of the fira breeze,
made for the harbour, ordering all the fquadron
to follow me. Forts Piccolet and St. Jofeph had
been abandoned; forts Belair and St. Michel con-
tinued to fire on us; but the fquadron gained the
anchorage without firing a Ihot. I commanded
le Patriote to fire on the rebels, while all the !hip's
companies difembarked ; and General HUMBERT,
with a body of aoo men, marched to take poi-
feffion of Fort Belair. By our united efforts, and
the dexterous manoeuvres of the General in Chief,
the plains are completely Caved. General Ro-
camas soi on his fide, advanced as far as Limo.
nade, of which he took polieffion, as well as of
Caracol, and of all the country fituated between
the Cape and Fort Dauphin. Thus, we have
only to regret the deßtudion of a great number
of houfes at the Cape; there have been but few
maflacres. The prefervation of the country affords
certain means of re-building them, and promifes
to commerce a fufficient guarantee for the advances
which it may make to the inhabitants.
" On the 7th of February, all the frigates em-
ployed in the difembarkation of Limbe rejoined
the fleet in the Road, except the Furieufe, which
I keep critifing before the harbour.
" Yetterday morning the Wattigny, the Fu-
dente, and the Clorinda, let fail for Port de Pair.
The plan of the General is to get poffeffion of the
fort of that town, and of the Mole. Private in-
telligence leads us to hope that the latter will be
,furrendered to us. If this expedition be fuccefs•
fill, as we have every reafon to hope, the Army
will obtain many advantages and refources, of
which it Rands in the great& need.
" My total want of light veffels has prevented
me from giving fooner any news of the Army,
and it was not before this day, I could difpatch
the Syrene frigate, the Captain of which I greatly
regret, as he executed all the millions I have en-
trailed to him, with a zeal, activity, and (kill,
beyond all praife. May I entreat you to fend him
back to me with another frigate, and the reward
due to his talents.

I cannot conclude without eureffing a teflimo.
ny of the exalted praife of our ahies, the Spaniards,
to which they are in honour and truth entitled.
Above all, Admiral GILAVINA, in all his tranfac-
tics& with us, has (hewn a fraakatts, loyalty and

fiirnners, which chara&erize the perfet
The allonifbing celerity with which he repaired
his ship; that fingular a&ivity in a moment fo de-
cifive, and his arrival at the rendezvous off Cape
Samaaa the fame day with the ref of the fleet,
have excited univerfally a furprife, which is the
fineft eulogy of M. de GRAVINA. General VI t.-
LAVICENCIO, who, during his abfetice, command-
ed the Spanifh divifion, difplayed, during the pall
fage, to the Captains of the two fquadrons, an ex-
cellent model of precifion and vigilance in every
branch of navigation.
" In the mielft of the things which ptefs upon
me, I cannot fend you an account of the !late of
the ammunition found at Fort Dan phin, theofficial
papers, private correfpondence, orders, Ste. &c.—
You will receive them by the &It velfel which I
fend. I have thought it proper not to lofe a Mo.
meat in acquainting the Firft Conful with the Rate
of the army, the events which have followed our
arrival at St. Domingo, our regret, our hopes, and
our unreferved attention to the inteiefts of the
Itepultc and of Government.

‘, Receive, in the mean time, Citizen Minifter,
the affurances of my telped. VILLARET."

_ACT4OI7 TUE GOVERNMENT.

Citizen Dejean, Conniellor of State, appointed 'Meador
of the Admitnitration of War, with the rank and futa
Of Minilter.

Citizen Meldles, CounfcNor of State, is appointed Member
of the Council of the Adminiltration of WA'.