Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-11-04

o. tfif1 with wholesale store on the
lower floor; parlors, bed-chambers and dining
rooms on the second and bedrooms and spare
rooms in the upper story, Mr.. Thoby is one
of the wealthiest, if not the richest citizen of
St. Marks; he is wholesale merchant, the
minister of finance of the ACCOMPLISHMENT, and
the lessee, also, of a large plantation mile or
two from town. Heis highly educated man
an accomplished gentleman; an able man of
business; a man of capacity, honor, integrity,
and yet, in the United States, on account of
his color, he would not be admitted to the
churches or theatres on terms of equality with
such reprobates as the Benicia Boy! |
tell you it makes an American feel pretty
small to associate with the gentlemen of
Hayti. Among the huts of the "habitans,' or
country people, he can excuse in some
measure, the pro-slavery prejudices of the
people of the NORTH but in the Cities
where he will daily meet his equals in educa-
ton, breeding, wealth, refinement, taste, cour-
tesy and all the other graces of civilization-he
must feel embarrassed enough (when he is an
ardent Abolitionst, and has long and earnestly
done battle against the prejudice of color at
home) to know that here the slave code and
slavery are the best known of all American in
stitutlens, and that he can never hope to return
the hospitality he may receive in consequence
of the just aversion felt by all Haytians to a
visit to the United States.
looked soiled and shabby enough dare
say, when went to the house of Mr. Thoby,
and, IN the best French l was master of, asked
for the best beard and lodging. Madame Tho
by-who would pass anywhere for a white
lady-asked if had letters mentioned the
name of my friends at Gonaives, and was forth
with invited to stay. made myself perfectly
at home at once, and expected to have to pay
at least three dollars day. 1 remained four
days, and then asked for my bill. The young
gentleman, their son, was astonished at my
demand. His parents did not keep hotel,
he said, nor receive money from strangers
He was glad to dispense hospitality, but never
to sell it, AS long as | chose to stay they
would be glad to entertain me. It was the
custom of the country. In the rural districts
the poor people might sell food and receive
payment for lodging, but the respectable cit-
Zens never
You may imagine my surprise Without
letters, without acquaintance without cere.
mony, l had demanded hospitality, and made
myselfas much at home as if had been living
at hotel and now to find that was guest,
unlimited, indeed, but not less generously
welcomed and supplied with every want
RUINS AND RELICS.
St Marks is nearly all built of stone. The
houses are chiefly one story in hight, but the
proportion of larger residences is much great
er here than in Gonaives. Nearly every house
in town was built by the French, the roofs and
interior divisions only being added by the
present inhabitants.
l. Ruins are numerous. Opposite the bay are
the ruins of magnificent block, built of white
hewn stone, with carved door.heads and pill
lars, arched porticos, and other evidences OF
the great wealth and fine taste of st. Macary,
the richest citizen of the town in the days of
the colony. 1t is of large dimensions, but is
now ruin in every part There is another
ruin OF large house beside it, once the prop.
erty OF M. Aelie, who was also rich French
citizen. They both were successful in escap-
ing to France. One of the mulatto children of
Aelie,-the Treasurer of the empire under
Soulouque-inherits his property, but the pos
sessions OF the other were confiscated, and are
now the property of the state. Dessanes set
fire to them. In every part of the town are
similar blackened evidences, in stone and NOR.
tar, of the terrible eapnestness of the struggle
SO successfully carried on by the slaves of St.
Domingo contest which changed every.
thing but the language, color, and religion of
the island. Even the name of it was changed
for Dessalnes successfully decreed that it
should henceforth be known by its Indian
name of Hayt.
The plantations in the neighborhood, indeed,
still bear the names of the ancient proprietors,
but now they are owned AMI cultivated by the
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