The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-04-03

The Vaudoux god a green snake, which is kept In
small wooden pox, with only one side opeD so as 10 allow
his devoees TO behold him But the god mas ideas Of MS
own and does not listen TO the wishes of his followers
unless their prayers be transmitted him by the high
priest or pretes who are again forbidden by the god
accept Of any wishes unless paid for ne shape OF o.
srngs 70 ,hs egg goa %nea the takes home
papa lot and nadnldn t0t
he rites of the vaudoux kept as secret as possible
their places Of worship unnhabted parts OF coun
try, and are held in the shape of revvas.
Shortly after the coronation of Soulouque monster
Vaudoux held where, in order TO increase the
emnity Of the occasion several animals killed and
their blood, mixed with tatfa or common hquor, was
drank by oil present Sououque papa toi or king Of
the VaudOux and this the cause OF his immense popu
arity among the lower class l.J
The routine Of the Yaudoux meetings is the following
the meeting is held in secluded spot and all the mem
beIs upon arriving take of their clothing very quickly
done by some) and envelope the body with red hsndker
Chiefs the number Of which varies according 70 their
The king and queen alone allowed 10 wear red
strip forehead, which said to represent dadem
Ali the members take their places around block Of wood
which stands the box containing the sacred snake and
sign from the king they give one after the other their
loud praises of the god and his power aud wind
hcitng favor, which frequently ii would be mpos
slbe to describe, the English language not containing
words which would express the exact meaning After this
the king the offerings in bis hat and then all
peat their oaths of fidelity TO their god The king then
snake god when directly all the parts OF his body
mence to remble and he executes the most strange
tics BY peculiar sympahetc effect TINS Somuancates
stimulus ofGd; they then commence dancing aud throw
ing their limbs into the most strange positions terrible
cries, Oaths and basphemes now follow, and the derum
increases to such pitch that most Of the poor wretcbes
fall 70 the ground under horrible commissions The priest
and his assistants then them secluded spot
by, where, under the influence of liquor and derum,
scenes enacted revolving enough TO make the
savage gods OF africa grna their teeta &c horror
1912 able 70 transform the apahsc slaves Of
day into wild beasts on the next and made them capable
of those deeds which have been considered abroad
darnaed courage and heroic devotion, while they
| only the product of their fanatica derum
The Yaudoux religion is still 80 profoundly rooted in the
minds Of the negroes that even the Catholic priests find
their interest not 10 interfere with It, Hayt Offers then,
ultra Catholics but at the same time continue 70 worship
the gods Of barbarous Africa Not calf mule or donkey
born but what the priest must give his benedcton.
while the Vaudoux loi receives aso offering,
lest Vaudoux act OF bewchng, might fall on the ami
NAL and make all its work abortive.
II negro has peculiar wish, he brings first with
offering to the vaudoux god and then to facilitate it's
goes the Cahocp priest who sells him consecrated
wax candles and says masses for the accomplishment OF
ThSnegro babies first baptized by the pr'eet, who
ed from ther neck; but together with it the papdot
gives them human bild, or Vaudoux charm, which
takes away all the bad luck and misfortune to which
simple baptspg would still have exposed the baby Such
being the EJECT Of which Soulouque is the head tho style
and tendency Of his government is understood without
After his election as President his fret pre-.
himself agans the tate Of his three last predeces
sors neither Of whom remained full twelve months in
Office BY the of repeated offerings % the Vaudoux
god he at length sscertaned that bewitched doll was
buried the garden of the palace and that he would be
| lost unless tie doll found and burned ! do not
know if the doll was found, but the whole garden
dug several times and Soulouque has remainad
IN office and succeededin making himself Emperor. The
ceremony of his coronation and the eronery with which
be apes The ceremonies of the European courts have been
too often described to need repetition Suffice 70 cay,
that the nveterate republican could not have ina
gned more caustc satire on royalty than Souiouqie,
with his whole stock Of groesqe negro initiative talent,
| OF 10 hs own great Satisfaction.
Until the election Of soulouque the country was in
afita1u ft0fY
and agriculture, 10 which negroes have always great
dskine, was still carried on in some districts BY his
despotic rule he has reduced the commerce 10 nero
gambling and ruined agriculture by existing the work.
| men az soldiers.
The weakest side Of soulouque his ambition for mill.
,ary glory he wants TO initiate Napoleon, he great Of
course) and iances himself hero Bis repeated nva-
sons OF the territory OF the 81 Domingo republic followed
always by most tremendous defeats, have not cured him
| Of this weakness
He may congratulate himself that the cont nued trouble
81 domingo prevents the people there from returning
his attentions by OF Hay where they would DO
received with open arms BY large part Of the people,
thereby reducing Soulouque TO the state for which nature
has made him-viz., planting sugar cane.
ALLEGED AMERICAN INTRIGUES IN HAYTI
| sAMBos GRIEVANCES AGAINST BROTHER JONATHAN.
Translated for the Nxw YORK HERALD from the Port su
| Prince Feuille du Commerce, March g.
The NEW YORK HERALD, in its issue of the 9th OF
February last, has favored with letter from its
correspondent at Port Prince, in which the latter
gives us his peculiar views on the Rembaud bank
ruptcy and is consequences This letter, regular
advice addressed TO the merchants of New York and
Boston in relation TO the affairs of IIayti
However profound may be the indignation which
! has been created In our breasts by this diatribe
which could only have emanated from an American
pen, we should not stoop TO refute IL If triple mo
tive, ofthe most serious character, had not imposed
upon us that imperative obligation. This document
is the composition of a wretch living in our midst;
its object is the ruin of Hatien credit in the United
States; il is add essed TO suspicious minds already
but too much prejudiced against us-the enemies OF
| our race-who seize upon eagerly and without ex'
animation all the absurditics, all the accusations
with Which 1t pleases maieyoence TO debit an ac'
count. Before such judges we have Il must be
owned, but little chance of success the justice, the
force Of our arguments will not advance ny mucf
with them, especially az moment when it ~ ev
dent TO every one that the infamous combinatonhai
| already borne its fruit.
In thus expressing ourselves we advance nothip1
which IL not strictly true, for every one must hav
remarked with us the simultaneous arrival Of al
those birds OF passage, who only come 10 sheltc
themselves under our fine sky when the storm burst
out IN their own attitudes, and who again take fgh
| when they have replumed themselves. We are
therefore, almost convinced that we shall not sue
coed in destroying, perhaps not even in mitigating
the evil already produced by this detamatory libe
But IL does nat matter we shall not the less full
| the honorable task that we have imposed on on
selves. We shall not the less repel they deserv
the erroneous and malevolent appropriations Of th
| correspondent Of the HERALD. and the false and m
lcious deductions which he wilfuly draws fron q
Reimbaud bankruptcy. We shall energeticall
point out all that there is infamous and ignoble
the object which he has proposed TO himself in
dting these calumnies. lie shall be pitiless
whipped, and attached forever to the piory Of q
| opinion OF the civilized world.
Let us now face each other, Mr.. Yankee.
quote your own words in order the better TO chasti
you.
During my long sojourn in the island, you 80
| III have never seen anything like the calamiu
| caused by this rascal
We fully concur with you, sir, on the immensii
| the gravity OF these calamites They have ex
| cised over trade terrible and fatal influence
| could not be otherwise. We fully concur With
on the Justice Of the epithet with which You ha
qualified the miserable author Of all this desolati
But where we are about 10 differ with you u in
| gard 10 the epithet that should be applied TOT
| sir, when the proper moment shall have arrived
it; TO you who have sgnalized the gravity Of tn
calamities not 10 deplore them, not 70 pity their
fortunate victims, but 70 exploit them 70 odiousy