Miscellany

The negroes in St. Domingo, having acquired tlieir freedom by a struggle which would have secured ttieir immorta] renown hadthey been white men, immedintely adopted vigoro'js nieasures fbr the j organizaiiori of a new goverrirneiit. Touissant; who was iheir Washington, and whu was endowed with the noWest qualities of mind and heart, was chosen governor für lifc, 'vhli the power of nominaling bis Succrssor. He mmedialely despatched an ambassador to Napoleon, who was then First Consul, with a letter commencing with these words, "The first of blacks to the first of whites." - He desired to live on terms of friendship with Frnnce. and to unite St. j mingo with llieFrench empire by all the alliances ofcommerce and motas] good will; but manifesied no disposilion to 1 render the independence which the Haytians had acquired. He also immedialely established a very efficiënt and wisegovernment over the Island. Laws were enacled pieventing vagrancy, and the laborers Were allovved as their wnges one-fourth part of the products of their j toil. Kapidly the lace óf Ihe Island was changed from desolation lo verdure. - The new incenitves to laboi' reared and ! adorned a thousand cheerfu! homes, and spread fertilitv and beauty over the fields. The Island, which had been desolaied by the sanguinary war which had raged over all :s hills and plains', was rapidly asuming again. under the vigorous government of Touissant, an aspect oí' weallh and prosperity and happiness. - A government admitled even by the kilterest enemiesof the emancipátéd slaves, to have been eninently vigorous and wise, wes securing io the Island all the blessings of fieedom - a boon as precious to tl, e colored man as to nis imperious brothei Matiers vrere in this slate, when Napoleon was persuadeJ by the fnends of the ejfictcd planters, contrary to his own i beüor judgment, to attempt the re-crinquest of the Island, and the re-establishment ofslavery over itá now fieely tilled fields. Napoleon admitled lo Las Casas. that he was wrong in the mcasures he adopted in reference to Sï. Domingo. "I I have to reproach myself," said he, "for! that expedition n the time of theconsn-i late. h was a great fault to try to subject ït by forcé. I should have been ! tented with the intermedia!o government I of Touissant. Ït was undertaken against ■ my opinio, i conformiiv to tlie ! es of :he Consul ot Slate, who wcre carried au-ay by the cries of tho ! oriisls." But NapolRon hnving undertaken to'! ro-conquer the island, enterrd upon ihe enterprise with all hiscustonïary vigor.- Hecollected in the liarbors of'France the' most powerful flppt which bad ever been ! sent forth agninst th New World. i fiveshipsoftheline, twerity-cne Trigates, andabove eighty smaller verséis, convev. ing ar. army of thirty-five thousand sol-' diers and all the most formidable engin-' efy of tnöderti wnrfarb, sailed fi-om ! France the 14th of Dec. 1801, to rivet anew ihe m-inaeles ofslavery upon those arms now nervcd by the spirit of freedom. The inhabitanl-i of St. Domingo were entirely uneonveious of the storm which ! was gathering for their desolatiou. An' American vessel carried the startling tidings to Touissant, ofthe approach of the fleet. The héroic cliieftain cxclaimed,in j words which would have done honor tó the proudest monarch of Rome, "A duliful son, without doubt, owps submission and obedience to his mother, luit iftliat parent should bocoma so ünnaturnj as to aim at the destruction of its own offspring" nothing remains but to entrust vengeance to the hands of God. If I must die, I wül die as a brave soldier and a man of honor. I fear no one." Couriers soon announced lo Tow'aoant the appearance of the fleet in the dislant horizon. He Hastened to the elevated summit of Cepe Samana, and mournfully cast his eye over the enonnous nrmainent whicli was coming j down like nn avalanche upon his feeble kingdom. When he beheld the vsst array, whitening the ocenn with saus as far as the eye could exlend, he wns, for a moment, overwhelmed witli consternation. It seemed utterly mpossible, with any power at his disposal, to meet such an army. The generáis and soldiers' who had won such victories over the disciplined troops of Austria, had come in their pride and power, to sweep like a whirlwind over the plains of St. Domingo. "We must all die," he exclaimed in despair. "France, in a body has come to St. Domingo." Soon,however, he recovcred his wonled resolution, and resolved lo summon all hts energies for the most delennined resistnnc'e. Cour ers were despatched in cvery direution lo rouae the nliabiiants, men,vomèn and cliildren, fo aid in repelüng the invaders. He knewtha't it would lie ín vain, with his untrnined soldiers, to meet thse veterans of the wars of Europo in open battle; hut he resolved slöwly to relire before the foe, dispuling evory incli of ground, surrendering evérv city to conflngration, applying the toren rt every village, ere it feil into ihe hands of the enemy, and leaving behind him lo dio victors but a barren desert. Wiih unfalteringenergy did he execute his licroic purpose. The Fronch encountered much difficully in obtaining a pilot to guide the fleet into the harbor of Lape Tovvn. - Not a pilot could b? found wlió would betray his country. Tfiey seized a mulatto, whose name was Sarigas, the harbor admira!, and pu'ting a rope nbout liis neck, threatened him with instant death if ie refused to pilot the fleet into the harbor; while on ihe other hand they offered him a reward of five thousand dollars, i f he would guicie the vesfeli throngh the intricate and uhknown channel. But Sangas, with virlue tvhich would almosl have defieJ a Roman, could neilherbe nduced by threator bribe to aid the enemy. The ;jme secured by i his delay, enabled the blacks to escape from the lowh with much of their property and military stores, and when, a few days after, Ihe French efïected a landing, the only foe they met in ihe streets was a devouring conilagration, which in a few liours, lefl but a plain ofsmouldering ruins in the place where Cape Town had reared its ediftcea of eputence and spletidor. The flames of Caps ToWn were alrnpst as destructivo to the French Army, as thf1 sobsequënt conflagraron of Moscow to the hosls of Napoleon. The suppües which tho French confidoiitly expected to fina in ihe placp, were a!l destroyed, and from the ruins of the city (herenrose pestilential vapors, which as allies s?nt by tho Almig'ity to aid his c.hildren conlending for their ftgnl", tnowèd down the invaders more resistlessly Ihan thousands of bayoneis and bulléis. Rnpidly, however, the sea-coat andtlie plains feil into the hnnds üf the French, while the heroic Islanderí, witli the"svord in one hand and torch in the ottier" slowly retired step by step into the dense fores'.s and wild ravines and inacoessible fastnesfesofth intsrior. Tnto this savnge, pathless wilJerness, no artülery could be dmgged, no horseman could ien(tratp, and no solid columns could march onward '.vith their ihvincibls front. And h e re Touissant,with the same consúmate generalship which led Napoleon to the marshes of Rivoli, took his stand, and I with s!epple;s vigilar.ee nssailed his foe in every vulnerare point.