New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-01-21

then. az now. q separate political community, then
a COLONY Of Spain, sud known Spanish St. Do
npgo. Orders had previously been sent from
France 70 conyose the Inhabitants OF tie French
colour for tbe'pErpOse Of forming L. gslisve As
.emby for interior legislation. The mul.ttoes re-
living On the Declaration Of Rights, clAimed fol-
participation in all the privileges enjoyed BY the
whites; but to this the whites. like every other
privileged body, were mO.t vebemently opposed.
A considerable part Of the white population were
pitt Names, so called, Little whites, the same
with the "poor white trash" Of our Southern
States, without education or property, but eI-
cee6ingly tenacious, Ike our poor white trash
North and South, Of distinction which enabled
them to take rank Of the most accomplished aud
wealthy men Of color. Some few Of the more
intelligent vi ites supported the claim Of the peo-
pie of color, but against these the rage Of the
white populacs was bitter in the extreme. VI.
Ferrsnd de Besudiere drew up memorial in the
name of the mulsttoes claiming the full benefit OF
the Declaration of Rights. This was construed as
Gun mons TO the slaves to revolt, aDd the autbor
was committed TO prison; but the populace, in the
true spirit Of our Southern lynch law, dragged him
out and put him TO death. Bodies of mul.ttoes
appeared in arms in different parts of the country;
but, acting at first without sufficient concert they
were easily overpowered when their leaders tooh
refuge in the Spanish par! of the island In the
mean time however, the whites were not agreed
among Themselves Beside the General Assembly,
which met at ST. Marks on the 10th of April, 1870,
each of the three provinces-the Southern, Western
and Northern-had an Assembly of its own. These
Proyiscial Assemblies quarreled with the General
Assembly. The dispute was carried to the extent
Of armed collision, and thus commenced sectional
struggle by which all the subsequent history of
HsytI has been more or less marked.
In Nav. 1871, tie claim of the free mulattoes to
equal rights was brought forward by the Able Greg
ORE in the French Nat'onal Assembly, which body,
on the 18th Of that month decreed " That the people
of color resident in the French colon es, born of
French parents, were entitled to, as of right,
:" and should be allowed the enjoyment of, all the
"prvileges Of French citizens, and, among Others,
81 ho.e Of having votes in the choice Of Repre-
sebtatves, ard of being eligible to seats both in
the Parochial ard Colonial Assemblies.' The
intelligence Of this decree reached Cape Francois
on the 3Oth of June and no words can describe the
rsge and ind gLstion Of the white aIistocracy. Ia
the very spirit Of disuhiobsts the national cock
ade, then worn rs the badge of liberalism was s'crn-
fully thrown s.ide, and motion was made in the
Provincial Assembly to hoist the British standard
nstesd of the French. The frightened French
Governor, H. Bsncbelande, by name, to put
stop TO tho agitation, pledged himself that
wherever an official copy of the obnoxious de-
cree arrived in the island, be would suspend its
execution. The mGlattoes, dIeading general
prescription, began to collect in armed bodies and
the negroes of the parishes adjoining Cape Fran
co.'s taking advantage of this quarrel, rose on the
23d Of Au gust in general insurrecton. The cane
fields and bulldogs were set fire to, many whites
were Killed, while others sought refuge IN the
town, where the Governor had the greatest diff
Guilty in preventing the low whites from numbering
all the mulattoes. Such was the commencement OF
the negro in.urrection OF ST. Domingo-that word
of dread and horror to GU, shareholders.
After one or two sallles, the Governor resolved
TO confine himself to the defensive. The town OF
Cape st. Frencois-uow Cape Haytien-was sur
rounded by strong pslisade. Notice OF the revolt
was sent TO such distant parishes as could DO
reached BY sea or land. The whites of those pro-
vinces formed chains of posts, which for short
time served to prevent the rebellion from spread
ing beyond the Northern Province But the mulat-
toes Joined the negroes and several Of the white
posts were forced with great slaughter. The
blacks mounted the white cocksde, the symbol OF
Ioyaism, and any white man who would wear it
needed no other passport to secure his escape to
the Spanish part of the island. Many of the
plsnters embarked by sea, and fed to Louisiana,
whittier they carried the cultivation of the sugar
cane. Others fed to the United States. The
insurrec,ion soon spread to the Western Province;
but was arrested there by an agreement entered
into between the whites and mulst:Oes, which
stipulated an oblivion of the past, the political
equality Of the muattoes and the full force of the
decree Of the National Assembly Of May l5-an
agreement confirmed by the General Assembly Of
the Colony But while this arrangement. was
being entered into, the French National Assembly,
alarmed at the news of the negro in'urection,
repealed their decree of May 10. No sooner had
news Of this arrived in the island than the mulat.
toes, disrustfal from the first, lost all confidence
in the whites, and the civil war broke out again
with new fury ard horrible cru-lties on both sides
In the Northern Province the rebel negroes having
destroyed all the plantations on the p,in Of the
cape took possession Of the surrounding noun.
tain,, where they planted crops.
On The 4th of April, 1872, the French Assembly
made new attempt 20 quiet the island. A decree
Of that date gave equality Of political nights, no!