National Gazette

Authentic copy of a letter from a gentleman of character and information in Cape-Francois to his correspondent in this city, dated Cape-Francois, Dec. 28.

SINCE I did myself the honor to write you from hence, under date 4th current, affairs have remained in pretty much the same state throughout the northern district of this colony; I mean with respect to the ravages of the insurgents. The southern and western districts have been obliged to take copious draughts from the cup of bitterness. Should I attempt to recite the melancholy accounts which have presented themselves from day to day during my residence here, you might probably find the detail uninteresting, and it would certainly be prolix. Permit me to acquaint you simply, that since the terrible conflagration at Port-au-Prince on the 21st ult. M. Coutard, the governor of the western district, and M. Jumecourt, the second in command, have taken up their quarters with the people of colour, at their camp in the parish of Croix-des-Bouquets. Those two gentlemen were of high military rank under the ancient government, and have several hundred white adherents now with them. The mulattoes, it is said, look up to M. Coutard as to their god, and all their manoeuvres are directed by him. If he has the power of controlling the operations of that vindictive race, its successes should be carried to his account;—and whatever plausible pretexts he might place on the debit side, the balance would appear infinitely against him. The people of colour assembled at Croix-des-Bouquets, lately sent a deputation to the colonial assembly, and to the commissaires civils, to state their demands;— They not only insist on the exact observance of the concordat and subsequent treaty of peace, entered into some time since in the western district, but also that all the guards nationales soldées of the colony and the two regiments of Artois and Normandy, shall be immediately sent to France—And that every white man, be his occupation what it may, who is not in possession of a plantation or other effective property in this colony to the amount of 50,000 f. shall depart the colony forthwith. You may naturally suppose that such extravagant demands will never be complied with.—Those mal-contents have not committed such general and indiscriminate ravages in the south and west, as the insurgents have done on this side the island; but they have been guilty of much more bloodshed. They have disarmed the whites in almost every parish from St. Marc southward, Port-au-Prince excepted.— They have afterwards, in the most cruel manner, murdered in cool blood great numbers of those whom they had thus rendered defenceless. Their savage barbarity has spared neither age nor sex. I heard a letter read yesterday, which states, that at Logane they have basely murdered sixty persons who were in the hospital. Other accounts of their treatment of matrons, virgins, and infants, would make a Nero blush.

Is it possible that the French aristocrats can be the stimulators and abettors of all the horrid proceedings which have deluged this colony in blood, and brought it to this brink of ruin, in the illusory hope of thereby effecting a counter-revolution in France?

Many circumstances go far to prove the affirmative: but for the honor of human nature, and of a polished nation, I would fain persuade myself that these infernal transactions are only the ebullitions of uncultivated spirits, which have made a sudden transition from the extreme of ignorance and despotic restraint, to certain mistaken ideas of the rights of man, and that unbridled licentiousness consequent thereto.

While new clouds appear to be enveloping the other parts of the colony, and threaten a fresh inundation of misery, the aspect of the political hemisphere in this quarter, appears more serene than for months past. The chiefs of the brigands here, have taken advantage of the general amnesty recently proclaimed by les commissaires civils from France, to make overtures to the colonial assembly for causing their deluded followers to surrender their arms and return to their duty—and for liberating the whites whom they now hold as prisoners. It was on the 8th current, that two deputies from the insurgents presented themselves at the bar of the assembly, with the proclamation in their hands, and a well written letter from John Francois. No other answer was given, than for those emissaries to retire to their camp, and return at the end of eight days to receive the determination of the assembly respecting the propositions contained in the letter. Accordingly on the 16th, the same emissaries returned, when the president of the assembly addressed them in a firm tone to the following effect:

"That it was inconsistent with the dignity of the colonial assembly, to treat with revolted slaves—that whenever they returned to their duty, all the indulgence should be shewn them which could be expected from the known clemency of their proprietors, and consistent with the nature of their case; but the makers and guardians of the laws could not think of holding any intercourse with those who were actually in arms, contrary to all principles of law and order."—He then ordered them instantly to retire. The next day a new deputation from the brigands arrived with a very submissive address, proposing as a proof of their sincere desire of returning to their duty, that they would immediately release all the whites whom they hold as prisoners: they solicited a conference with les commissaires civils, in order to engage their intercession with government.—This application was so favorably received, that on Thursday the 22d current, messieurs les commissaires civils, attended by a strong escort of patriotic cavalry, gave John Francois a rendezvous at the habitation called St. Michel, near Petit Ance, on the side of the bay opposite to this city, that chief threw himself on his knees before the commissaries, and begged that he might be admitted to take advantage of the general amnesty. He likewise supplicated that the same privilege might be extended to his wife, who for some time past has been confined in the prison of this city. He promised that he would cause his partisans to send in the whites, who were held as prisoners as soon as they could possibly be conveyed from the different places where they were confined; and that he would likewise cause all his followers to surrender their arms as expeditiously as possible, and return to their duty upon the plantations, to which they respectively belong. —Several white prisoners have since been sent in, but I do not learn that any arms have yet been surrendered.

The assembly remain firm in their resolution, not to hold any correspondence with the brigands, except on the base of unconditional submission. On the 15th current, the frigate La Fine, arrived here in 33 days from Brest, with a detachment of the regiment of Provence on board—and brought the animating intelligence, that great preparations were making in France to dispatch a very respectable force in order to re-establish this valuable colony. Yesterday M. de Blanchelande communicated to the president positive intelligence which he has received, though the public do not know by what route, that 18,000 troops have actually sailed from France destined for this colony. Their arrival here is ardently wished, & momentarily expected. The brigands have always had accurate intelligence of every thing that passes in this city: nay, they must have had some secret friends and abettors in the legislative or administrative assemblies here, since it has been proved that they have been speedily acquainted with what has passed, even in a secret committee.—Thus, as they cannot entertain a doubt of the formidable preparations that are making against them, their chiefs are apparently convinced that they cannot extricate themselves or their deluded followers from that labyrinth of misery into which their crimes have driven them.

He who arrogated to himself the title of king, now humbly supplicates the clemency of those against whom he has been the principal instrument of committing every species of outrage which the most depraved imagination could suggest. How far it may be politic to accord grace to him and his principal adherents, I will not pretend to say: If to obtain a mitigation of deserved punishment, they should be induced to discover the prime instigators and abettors of the revolt, wherein the same John Francois has acted so conspicuous a part, it might open such a field of recrimination as would give room for unquiet spirits to marshal all the forces of ingenious malice in battle array, so that by artful skirmishing, they could for a long time prevent the return of that concord and reciprocal confidence which alone can restore this colony to its former flourishing state. On this consideration it may be best, that the names of the original conspirators should still remain concealed, and to draw the veil of oblivion over all crimes and misdemeanors that have been the offspring of their nefarious machinations.

The alternative of total extirpation or unconditional submission, which is all that is now left for the insurgents, seems to be a guarantee for the continuance of that tranquility which begins to dawn in the northern district. This is, however, a very critical moment. Those who are so far advanced in crimes that it is more difficult to return than to proceed," doubtless wish to put the finishing stroke to the work of
Destruction, before the arrival of the expected force from France shall blast their malignant hopes forever.

Many are firmly persuaded that there are emissaries from the mal-contents now concealed in this city, who are determined, if possible, to display the same scene here which was lately exhibited at Port-au-Prince. For several days past reports have been circulated, that a collection of combustibles was discovered in one place—private conversation respecting the plan for burning the city was overheard in another—and suspected persons were arrested in a third. I suppose it has been observed by the principal guardians of the public safety, that the citizens are too apt to relax in their vigilance where they do not apprehend immediate danger; therefore, whether a report like the above is founded on fact, or merely fabricated, it is good policy to give an alarm now and then, to make people more alert in their duty. More evil is still to be apprehended from the inveterate enmity that exists between certain individuals among the whites themselves, and from that unparalleled degree of insubordination which pervades every department of government, than from any thing that slaves or the intermediate class can operate.

Through the unhappy division of the whites, the people of colour are absolute masters in all the country adjacent to Port-au-Prince, and have long had the power of perpetrating infinite mischief with impunity. They have uniformly declared, that if the ships in the road fired on them, they would instantly set fire to the neighboring habitations. To prevent this impending destruction, M. Grimouard, captain of the Boree 74, and commandant on that station, had very prudently temporized in the expectation, that such force would speedily arrive as would give one party or the other a decided preponderance—recent advices from that quarter state, that on the 17th current, the inferior officers and crews of the Boree, and a frigate which lay before Port-au-Prince, commenced a cannonade upon a post occupied by the mulattoes, not only against the advice, but contrary to the express commands of the commandant and other commissioned officers. The mulattoes immediately proceeded to put their previous threats in execution, and the superb habitations which were situated on the plains of Port-au-Prince, now present to the enquiring eye but so many heaps of ruins!—When the latest accounts came away, on the 18th, the flames were perceived as far as the sight could reach toward Leogane. A rumour prevailed here yesterday, that the equipage of the Boree have massacred M. Grimouard their captain.—I hope this intelligence is premature, for I cannot find any one who knows how it came—all intercourse by land between this and Port-au-Prince having been long cut off, we are dependent upon the variable elements for our communications; and at this season the winds are generally unfavorable to a vessel coming from thence to this port; this accounts for our not having received later advices from that quarter than the foregoing.

It is exceedingly unfortunate for this colony, that ever since the commencement of the revolution, all confidence between the legislative and executive bodies has been annihilated. There is almost as much coolness subsisting between the present colonial assembly and M. de Blanchelande, as there formerly was between the assembly of St. Marc and M. de Peinier.—As is asserted respecting the natural, so in the political system, it is apparently true that there are bodies possessed of certain repulsive qualities which cause them mutually to recede from each other, to the great detriment of that order and harmony which is so essential to general felicity. Some do not scruple to assert that so many discordant particles have entered into the composition of the present legislative body of this colony, as must accelerate its dissolution.—Some there are who pretend to such a superior degree of sagacity, that they can perceive in the intrigues of certain members of the colonial assembly, the detestable source of all the evils which have afflicted this colony. Others pretend that, as the fourteen parishes of the western district lately recalled all their deputies, the present assembly, where they continue to sit, is not legally constituted. Not to enter into the merits of this question, one thing is evident even to a superficial observer, like myself; that is, the assembly does not act as if it had great confidence in its own abilities. Its debates are generally desultory, diffuse and indecisive. Mere words, more than the sense of things, seem to occupy its attention. The discussion of the question whether the assembly should style itself "generale" or "colonia le," lately occupied it four days, notwithstanding the same important subject had been much agitated by the same body at Leogane last summer.

From observations similar to the foregoing, many judicious men are of opinion that the inhabitants of this colony are not capable of legislating for themselves, but that it is necessary some superior, independent power should decide all their political controversies. The friends of peace and good order apparently place their ultimate hopes for the re-establishment of the colony, upon the firmness and unanimity of the civil commissaries and of the forces momentarily expected here. If they act in concert for the general good without leaning to one party or the other, or listening to the insidious suggestions of such who would sacrifice the public welfare to their private interest or revenge, tranquility may speedily be restored, and the wealth and happiness of this unique colony may, like the phoenix, be resuscitated from its own ashes with increasing brilliance.