The Statesman.
London, England, 1814-12-07 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN;

••
KINGDOM OF HIM should be maintained, and that France would nee*
destroy her noblest work. On this basis the psees
MANIFESTO or THF. KING. ! was negotiated with the French, and Governor Toes..
(1'111)1i-bed October 2. 1614.] saint, having laid down his authority, quietly retired
Sovereign of a nation too long oppressed, which to the retreat he had chosen.
has suffered the most cruel persecutions, and which, The French had scarcely extended their dominion
by its energy, constancy, courage, and valour, has over the whole island,' more by cunning and penes.
succeeded in effecting its liberty and independence : sion than by force of arms, when they began to put
our only end, our unceasing anxiety, has been to in execution their horrible system of slavery and de-
give to it a rank among civilised States, by consecrating struction. The better to accomplish their plans, a
our labours to the happiness of a good, brave,' .and correspondence was fabricated by Maablavelic and I
generous people, which has entrusted to us the cafe mercenary scribes—designs were attributed to Tease
of its destinies. saint which he had never thought of. While quietly
It is under favourable circumstances in which reposing in his habitation of Pongauditt, under the !
: 41teral and dignified ideas appear to predominate protection of solemn treaties, he was loaded with
ever those disastrous times when mankind groaned chains, conveyed to France with his family in a vessel ,
-beneath the most horrible tyranny, and under which; called the Here, and all Europe knows how he ter-
eve behold the Sotereigns of Europe solely engaged minted his unhappy career, amidst the tortures and
at present in rendering their people happy, that we ! horrors of the dungeon of Chateau de Jour, in
deem it our duty to raise our voice, and to justify, 1 Fratiche.Comte. Such was the recompence reserved
at the tribunal of nations, the legitimacy of our in- for his attachment to France, and for the eminent
dependence. ! services which he had rendered her and the colonists.
A simple relation of facts, a plain narrative of the From this moment the signal for arrests was given
events which have produced our independence, will ' throughout the island.. All those who bad displayed
be sufficient to demonstrate by the most satisfactory strength of mind, or superior talents at the period,
evidence to the whole world oar rights and the when we claimed the rights of man, were the first'
justice of our cause. seized upou. Even the traitors who had aided the
We shall not attempt to depict the deplorable site- French armies, by guiding their vanguards, and.
ation into which we were plunged before the epoch of pointing out their fellow.eitizens to their vengeance, '
our emancipation. The world knows, that for up- were not spared. At first it was attempted to sell
yards of 150 years we were afflicted by the grievous them in foreign colonies ; but this not having sue-
. yoke of slavery, condemned to contempt and pct- needed, the French resolved to - carry them to.
nishment. The recital of our protracted mister. Francs, where oppressive labour, the galleys, fet.l
tunes, and the description of the horrible tortures ten, and dungeons awaited them. Then the Cleo.
we have suffered during the Colonial System, arstbe nig', whose number had progressively increased,
peculiar province of our history which will transmit thinking their Empire already established, ceased to
them to posterity. dissemble, openly declared that slavery was re-eats.!
It is our earnest wish to pass over these times of bibbed, and acted conformably with their declare.
opprobrium and iniquity,' and arrive at the era when Hon. These shameless men desired, that those !
• • general liberty was proclaimed by the ageuti of the should again submit to the yoke of slavery, who had 1
French Government, and sanctioned by France her. distinguished themselves and been useful to their 1
self, during several years of connection, of corn- country both in civil and military capacities ; that
muttication, and of mutual and uninterrupted tor virtuous and honourable Magistrates ; that warriors
responding', ,between the Governments of the two covered with wounds, whose blood had been Spilled
countries., -.- in the cense of France and of liberty, should be de.
We were Worthy of Wily; from our fidelity and graded by again becoming slaves.
• ettachment to the usether.country •we have proved This these Colonists, who had but just obtained
• our gratitude lto her, when reduced our resources, possession of their estates, whose empire was held
inflexible to Menaces, ivaccessible to seduction, deaf together by a thread, already decided which should
to proposition, we braved 4nisery, famine, and tall be the first victims of their vengeance. Theta arrived
kinds of privations, and finally triumphed over both 1 the infamous Decree of Bonaparte, which confirmed
her external and internal enemies. We were then I the re-establishment of our slavery ' • and the better
far from foreseeing, that twelve years afterwards, as I to insult our misery, he employed towards us the
a reward for so much perseverance, so many sacri- 1 same system of delusion which he usually made use
'fices, and so much blood, France would wish to de- of towards the people of Europe. This Decree was
prime us, in the most barbarous manner, of the most brought by a traitor, called Hercule, a Black Of&
precious of all possession—liberty. cer, who was the creature of Bonaparte. The proud
Under the administration of the Governor-General and liberticide faction of the Colonists, and sellers
Toussaint Louverture, Hayti rose from its ashes, and of human flesh, which since the Revolution has an.
every thing seemed to promise a happy futurity.— noyed every succeeding Government of France with
The arrival of Generalliedouville changed the ap- plans, projects, and atrocious and extravagant me.
pearance of things, and gave a death-blow to public morials, tending to our destruction—this faction,
tranquillity. We shall not enter into a detail of his tormented by the recollection of the despotism which
intrigues with the flaytian General Rigaud, whom it exercised in Hayti, agitated by a crowd of contending
lie p±rsuaded to revolt against his Legitimate Chief. passions,employed all possible means to seize agaiii on
We shall merely notice, that before this agent departed the prey which had escaped from it. Under the reign
he disturbed every thing, by throwing amongst us the of the Constituent Assembly, it supported indepen•
brands of discord, and it was only lifter the Bowleg deuce; under that of the Jacobins, sided with the
of torrents of blood that public tranquillity was re. Terrorists ; when Bonaparte beamed, it was vio.
established. Always occupied in the restoration of lently Bonapartist : and, in short, it put on the meek,
peace, Toussaint Louverture, by his paternal admi- of all parties-to render them favourable. It was thus
nistration, had recalled the reign of the laws, of me. that it persuaded Bonaparte to undertake the unj.ist
rolity, of piety, of learning, of industry. Agricul. expetlitiett against Ilayti. It was the same faction
ture and commerce flout ished. which, after persuading him into that measure, fur.
He patronised the white colonists, particularly niched him with pecuniary resources, by subscription
the planters; his solicitude, nay his preference, had lists, which were opmthd at this period. It was this
been carried to such a height, that he was loudly faction, in a word, which caused the blood of our
blamed•for being more attached to them than to his countrymen to flow so abundantly—which instigated
countrymen. 'this reproach was not without some the un-heard.of punishments which we have felt, and
foundatiori, for some months before the arrival of which could have been ;emitted only by Colonists,
the French he sacrificed his own nephew, Gen. hardened in, and habit. •ited to, all sorts of climes.
Moyse, because he had not observed his orders for It is to the Colonists that France owes the loss of a
the protection of the colonists. This act of the Go. numerous army, which perished on the ph,itis and
vesnor, and the great confidence he placed in the mountains of Hes ti : to them is attritettaule that
French Government, were the principal causes of shameful enterprise which has imprinted an indelible
the public reception the French experienced at Hayti. stain on the French name.
Indeed, so strong was his confidence in that Govern. We are persuaded, after the cruel es el ienca we
meat that lie had dismissed the greater part of the have had of the spirit of which animit,s • (lege Colo.
troops of the line. nista and Traffickers in human flesh, end their vile
Such was the situation of affairs whilst the peace supporter's, that they will employ all their eccuitomed
of Amiens wits negotiating. It was scarcely con. means to engage the French Cabinet in a new eater.
eluded when a powerful army lauded on our coast, prise against us. If over this enterprise should take
which surprised us in a moment of perfect security, place—and that it will we can hardly believe—to
and plunged us into an abyss of misfortunes. Pos- this cast, the enemies of the human race, we shall be
terity will scarcely believe that in a philanthropic indebted for it; for we are far from imputing such an
and enlightened age so abominable an enterprise took intention to those Europeans who have no know.
place. From the bosom of an enlightened nation a ledge of the colonial system of which we have been
swarm of barbarians went forth to destroy and load the victims, and of the horrible misfortunes which
with fetters a whole civilized and unoffending we have suffered. What interest had the French in
people. carrying the horrors of war into theheart of a nation
It was not enough to use force—but the better to which was proud of belonging to them ? What in.
insure the success of the edition, it was necessary terest had they is coming to bury themselves In our
to use perfidious andeelmineful means. It was ne- destructive climate, and in rendering themselves the
cessary to sow division amongst us in order to cause imbue:ants of the
Colonists, to satiate their thirst for
R division favourable to their objects. They rte-. riches and for vengeance ?
glected nothing to attain this execrable end. Thy Nevertheless, the greater part of the people began
Chiefs of different colours who were in France, eve* to take up arum to peewee life and liberty. This
the sons of the Governor Toussaint Louvertere, first movemeet alarmed the Freud', and appeared,
were brought over in the expedition--even they serious enmesh to General Leclerc, to require the
were deceived, like us, by that master-piece of per- coavocation of an Extraordinary Assembly of the
tidy, the Proclamation of the Filet Consul, in which Colonists, in order toadopt measures the best adapted
he said—" You are all equal and fee before God and to restore a better state of affairs ; bet these Colo-
the Republic."—This was his--,ftlaration, while mists, far from relaxing their atrocious principles is
the instructions given to General Leclerc positively consequence of Imperious circumstances, unanimous.
anjoinecl the imposition of slavery. It was not fly answered in these words—" No slavery, no cote.
enough to take men as witnesses of his perjury, ey."
but the Deity must also be insulted by horrible Islas- As Members of this Council, in vain we raised
plaemy. our mimeto prevent the completion of the ruin of
The greater part of the people, deceived by these our country—in vain we made representations on the
fallacious promises, and long accustomed to consider injustice of Imposing slavery on freemen—in vain,
themselves French, submitted without resistance.— from our knowledge of the spirit and love of liberty
The Governor so little expected to have an enemy to which animated our countrymen, we asserted that it
oppose, that he had not even given any orders to his was the only means of detaching this country for
Generals in case of an attack. On the appearance ever from France. All was useless. Convinced,
of the French squadron in the east of the island, if then, that no means of conciliation existed, and that
any Generals did resist, it was merely because the it was necessary to choose between slavery and an
hest& manner in which they were summoned to sur.l honourable death, we gave information of the state
muter had obliged them to consult only their duty, ,of things to our fellow-citizens who had their eyes
tieir honour, and the circumstances in which they ! fixed upon us; and we all unanimously took up
were placed.—[To prove these assertions reference is; arms, resolved to die or to expel for ever the tyrants
mete to some official documents which are annexed to' from our soil. As to Gen. Leclerc; who had al-
the Manifesto.] ready announced the sabinisilon of the island, and
After a resistance of some months, the Governer had even received letters of congratulation on the
yielded to the pressing entreaties and to the formal enupposed conquest of Ilayti from the maritime
protestations of Generalloclerc, that perfect liberty towns of France, where the principal felleirtte of

the Slave Trade resided, ashamed of having held
illusory hopes, vexed at not having been able to coo-
summate this detestable enterprize, fearinge Ms day., the
proach of a terrible war, despair short
and hurried hfm to his grave.
Among other crimes whielt distinguished the Ad-
mioistration of Leclerc, that practised against
Hayden General Maurepas will excite the
dignation of any heart susceptible of pity. Maurepa,
of gentle manners, honest and respected by
countrymen, who became one of the first among
Frallakaboul and who had rendered them the most
eanices, was suddenly carried away to Port
410 1; and put on board the Admiral's ship in
of the Cape, where, after having been fastened
to the mast, two old epaulets were placed in Jeri!
opal his shoulders, and an old General's hat
upon his head,with nails, such as are used in the bM
file of ships; in thir frightful situation, after hay
satiated the savage joy of those cannibals, he
precipitated with his wife and childern into the way
Such was the punishment of this virtuous and I
fortunate soldier !
To the government of Leclerc succeeded that
Rechambeau. This monster, the agent of Boi
parte, was polluted by every species of crime;
spared neither 'sex, infancy, nor old age; he s
passed in cruelty the most refined villains in ancient
or modern times ; the gibbet was raised every whr
the drowning and burning machines, and all kit
of punishments were put in practice by his orders
lie invented a kind of machine where victims of boi
Sexes, heaped one upon another, where suffocate
by the vapour of sulphur. In his senseless rage,
went to the expense of bringing a pack of bl:
bounds from Cuba to this island: they were brougi
'by a Frenchman named Noailles, of an illustrio
family, who, during the Revolution, was the first
who betrayed his benefactors ; and thus was
human race given up to be devoured by dogs;
those animals partook of the horrible propensities
their masters. What then was our crime? What
had we done to deserve such proscription ? Is
African origin, then, to be a cause of eternal oppi
brium to us? Is the colour of our skin to be for eves
the seal of our reprobation ?
In the space of one-and-twenty months, during
which the French remained in our island, more tt-
-16,000 of our countrymen perished by the tortir
just described. The barbarities committed upon I
Hay tians by these modern conquerors exceeded
£rimes of Pizarrro, of Cortes, or Badavilla, the 1
devastators of the new world. After all their egos
We have elfectrl the expulsion of these oppressors
our territory. -
To secure us for ever against the return of si
barbarities and unheard-of crimes, as well as &gall
perfidy and injustice, we resolved for 'ever to
ourselves of every kind of foreign dominion ;
accordingly, ou the Ist of January, 1804, in s Ge-
neral Assembly of the Representatives of the Ni
tion, the independence of Hayti was solemnly pro-
claimed ; and we took an oath to die free and inde-
pendent, and never submit to any foreign power.
Like other people, our first years were chequered
with errors and troubles; like them we partook
the vicissitudes inseparable from revolutions. '
our advancement to the throne, our first care w,
to raise the name and dignity of the Haytian peopi,
;convinced that good faith, frankness, and probity
all transactions, respect for property and the rig)
of men, could alone effect this object. Convim
that the laws constitute the happiness of men unit
in society, our first object was to form a code
laws conformable to our usages, our climate, ,
our manners. After a laborious attention, and wt
the as ,i-tance of the Almighty, we have been enable
to put the finishing stroke to this basis of our sod
edifice. We bare constantly encouraged agricultr
and commerce, which are the channels of pill
prosperity. Abundant harvests have been the rest
of the labour and efforts of our cultivators. Gran
quantities of products have been carried away from
our ports since we proclaimed our independence
and particulerly during the years 1812, 1813, as
1814, by foreign nations, which have carried or
lucrative commerce with us.

Solicitous to adopt every means for reviving
internal prosperity, at all times attentively observh
the events that passed in Europe during the blood
struggle supported there, we never for a single
slant lost sight of our military system of defence.
In that attitude we expected that Bonaparte,
enemy of the world, would attack us, either by foi
of arms or by perfidy, his accustomed means.
have not forgot that after the peace of Amiens,
first object was to enter on that famous expetli!
for our extermination.

But the God of Armies, who raises and overtoi
thrones according to his will, did not, in his justii
consent that this oppressor of nations should lICCOIt.
plish his horrible design. We hope that his fail will
give repose to the world,—we hope that the return
those liberal and reanimating sentiments which
Same the European Powers, will induce them
acknowledge the independence of a people who
quire only the enjoy ment of peace and commerce, I
object of all civilised nations.
It will be in vain to attempt again, by means
force or seduction, to. reduce us under a foreign d.
minion. The absurd maxim of deceiving men,
order-to govern them, is no longer dangerous to
Taught by experience, we have acquired the aid
truth, of reason, and of force. We shall no lunge
be the victims of credulity ; we cannot forget tF
attempts have already been made to take, away ok
liberty. The painful recollection of the horrible pu,
nishments which precipitated into the grave our
thers, our mothers, and children, will never
effaced from our minds.

We can never again be deceived : we know tl,
perverseness of our enemies : we have before out
eyes the projects of those men named Malouet, Barri
de Saint Venant, Pages, l3ruilcy, and other Col-
nists. The political religion of those traffickers ,
human lesh—of those counsellors of misfortunes—
is well known to us:—it is slaver)/ and destruction.
We are not ignorant of the criminal plots, the shame-
ful measures of those apostles of criminality and
falsehood ; they are even more distinguished by their
writings than by the tortures they inflicted on us.
We call upon all the Sovereigns of the world—',
Sill upon the brave and loyal British nation, which
was the first in its august Senate to proclaim the
abolition of the infamous trade is blacks; and which,