St. Domingo, the National Assembly of France, in the preceding autumn, had appointed three commiffioners, to affume the government of the province; whom they invested with unlimited powers. They arrived about Christmas. Men of low birth, mean talents, and profligate manners, commanded little attention or refpect, and, as they had no troops to fupport their authority, they were foon neglected and defpifed. They publifhed the decree of the repeal of the decree of 15th of May, 1791; by which they became odious to the mulattoes. They then took upon them to publish a general amnefty to all who fhould lay down their arms within a certain time; and thus loft the confidence of the whites, who, confidered this meafure as a juftification of the most horrible enormities, as holding out a dangerous example to fuch of the negroes as had preferved their fidelity. Having travelled through feveral parts of the ifland, without being able to accomplish any thing of confequence, and feeing themfelves hated and contemned by all parties, they returned feparately to France in the months of March and April 1792.

Affairs in the colony remained for fome months without any material change. The white people continued mafters of Cape François, Port au Prince, and most of the towns and fortreffes throughout the ifland. The mulattoes and negroes were in poffeffion of all the open country in the northern and western provinces, and had formed feveral ftrong camps in it, particularly at a place called Le Croix des Bouquets. All cultivation, commerce, and industry were completely fufpended.

But important events during this period, were falling out in the mother country. The Jacobin faction had now gained a complete afcendancy, had dethroned their fovereign, and were purfuing, without oppofition, their plan of univerfal change and fubverfion. They determined, without delay, to introduce their fystem into the colonies. No motives of prudence, no reprefentations from others could retard the execution of their purposes.

May 4th, 1792, a decree was paffed, which declared that "the people of colour and free negroes in the colonies were French citizens, and fhould henceforth be on a footing of equality with the whites." But this was but a part of the plan; commiffioners were appointed for all the itlands, and veffed with ab folute powers. To thefe it was given in charge to do their utmo✯ for a total emancipation of the flaves. They were defired to hefitate at no facrifice in bringing about this event: they were told that infurrection and anarchy were preferable to peaceful flavery.

The commiffioners appointed for St. Domingo, were Meirs. Santhonax, Polveril, and Aithaud, three of the most violent and unprincipled Jacobins to be found in the French empire. To enfure respect and au thority to their commands, they were furnifhed with 8000 troops, lelected with great circumfpection from the national guards. Thefe, it was meant, fhould overawe every order in the ftate, and keep the negroes in order, if they fhould become turbulent and feditious; but they were chiefly meant to intimidate the planters, and to lay them at the mercy of the commiffioners.

The commiffioners, with their at

tendants,

66

fendants, landed at Cape François, Sept. 13) "much in the fame difpofition," fays Mr. Edwards, " as the Duke of Alva, when he appeared in the Netherlands, in 1568," burning with vengeance, elated with the hope of the riches, power, and fplendor which they were to enjoy, at the expence of the wretched colonifts.

The first measure of their new government was violent and arbitrary. They diffolved their colonial affembly, which was then fitting, and fent Blanchelands, the governor, a prifoner to France; where, to be accufed, was to be condemned: he foon after fuffered by the guillo

fine.

The greateft confternation and difmay again prevailed throughout the colony. All parties joined in look ing upon the commiffioners as fo many demons fent to aggravate their mifery; and they had reafon, for all groaned under the most rigor ous defpotifm. A new general affembly was eagerly longed for, and importunately demanded. The commiffioners liftened neither to wifhes nor demands. The put lic exigencies, it was thought, would render this meafure neceflary. By their own authority, they impofed new faxes, and affumed to themfelves every branch of fovereign power.

The first object to which they directed their attention, was the eftablishment of their own authority. They formed a body of life-guards of all the thieves, murderers, and affaffins, whom they could find in the gaols of St. Domingo. The troops had fhewn fome mutinous fymptoms: by immenfe largeffes they gained their decided fupport. Now abfolute mafters of the colohy, and firmly feated on the throne, they commenced a career of tyran

ny which ftands without a parallel. They made arbitrary regulations, impofed oppreffive taxes, and raifed exhorbitant contributions. All who prefumed to oppofe them, they ar refted and put in irons. The pri fons were everywhere crowded; and they fent numbers to be tried criminally in France; among which number was M. Defparties, the new governor, whom they depofed.

The country continued ftill to be infefted with bands of infurgents; who, iffuing from their faftneffes in the mountains, made predatory excurfions into the plains. Owing to thefe, but ftill more to the oppreffion of the tyrannical triumvirates, the wretched inhabitants had often reafon to regret the turbulent year of 1791. Their mifery was now more certain and more hopeless.

This was the melancholy pofture of affairs at the end of 1792. Of the proceedings of thefe fcourges of humanity in the emancipation of the flaves; of the nomination of M. Galban to fupercede them upon the cries of injured innocence at length reaching across the Atlantic, and ftirring up compaffion in the finty hearts of the favage murderers of Louis XVI; of the bloody evil war which enfued upon his arrival; of the general revolt of the negroes; of the conflagration and fack of Cape François, we fpeak not at prefent, as thefe mournful events did not take place till the fubfequent year, and as this fubject is of too great extent and importance not to Be refuined in another volume.

The internal circumftances of all the other French colonies were the fame with St. Domingo. The decrees of the National Affembly extended to all; and upon all they produced the fame woeful effects. The ftate of Guadaloupe and Mar

tinico, at the end of 1792, was, if poffible, ftill more deplorable than that of St. Domingo. At the fame time when Santhonax and his compeers were fent to the laft, a commiffioner of the fame ftamp repaired to each of the former. They rivalled Santhonax in tyranny and extortions. The inhabitants rebelled; they called in the negroes to their affiitance; all was confufion and horror. In fhort, it may be well faid that, when our account clofes, the inhabitants of the French Weft India iflands were certainly the most miferable portion of the human

race.

Nor were the calamities that overwhelmed the French colonies excited folely by the unavoidable courfe of events, but, in fome meafure, invited by a great portion of the inhabitants themfelves, and even purchased by mouey. It is certain, beyond all doubt, that Briflot, Condorcet, and other chiefs among the Amis de Noirs, received from the mulattoes large fums of money. From the correspondence between the mulattoes and the Amis de Noirs, difcovered to the French miniftry by the mistress of Raymond, agent of the mulattoes at Paris, it appeared that inftructions and plans were fent by the party juft mentioned to St. Domingo, in the years 1790 and 1791, for the purpose of executing, conducting, and fupporting the infurrection of the negroes; with copies of prints, pamphlets, and handbills, to be diftributed in the colonies. Among the fame papers was found a parcel, containing a plan and register of a contribution to be raised upon the mulattoes of St. Domingo; the fum total of which amounted to above 7,000,000 of livres. To thefe pa

pers was joined a memorial, refpect ing the manner in which the money was to be employed. Great part of it was to be fent to Paris to reward the paft, and purchase new fervices of feveral members of the Affembly and of the Jacobin clubs, to pay lawyers, writers of pamphlets, and journalists, to defray the expence of printing placards, &c. Another parcel contained a great number of original letters, addreffed to Raymond by his correípondents ot St. Domingo, and notes of his answers. One of the letters announced, that nearly a million had been fent to Paris, 66 en attendant mieux." And it appeared, by one of his letters, that Briffot had been intrufted with the fum of 300,000 livres, Condorcet with 150,000, the Abbé Gregoire 80,000, and Petion 60,000:- but Robefpierre would accept of no money, either for the purpofe of diftribution or gratification, although he ferved the cause with equal zeal.

When the laws of the Conftituent Affembly granting liberty to the negroes, were tranfmitted to the colonies, fome of the governors and officers, attached to the ancient government, refufed to comply with the orders they had received, and refigned their places. Their fucceffors in office, appointed by the King, were then of refpectability, but being ignorant of the manners, cuftoms, and regulations of the iflands, were incompetent to the arduous task of managing and reftraining negroes intoxicated with ideas of liberty; which they confounded with a total lofs of infubordination to all authority, Matters were everywhere involved in greater and greater confufion, mifery, and horror, till the conqueft of Martinico by the

English

AVING confidered the inter

and the influence of thefe upon her own foreign dependencies, we come now to view them as affecting, or affected by, the councils of independent nations. The deceafe of the Emperor Jofeph, and the fucceffion of his brother Leopold, as is illuftrated in former volumes of this work, to the Hungarian and Bohemian thrones, had already given a new afpect to the affairs of Europe. Leopold had governed Tufcany for near five-and-twenty years, with great wifdom and high reputation. He had directed his exertions principally to the good government of his people, to the improvement of their general condition, to the eftablishment of a perfect police, and to every beneficent object of a pacific reign. While at Florence, and only a diftant fpectator of the great fcenes paffing in the empire, he had attentively studied the affairs of Europe. Nor did he fail to perceive or draw inftruction from the errors of his elder brother. Upon his own eleva

ation to the imperial throne, he

timents of his former life. Free from the inconfiderate fpirit of reform and innovation, he knew how to temporize and to attain his ob ject, by profound policy, by pati ence, and by conciliation. In the courfe of a very fhort reign, fcarcely comprizing two years, he remedied many of the calamities occafioned by the precipitation of his brother. He had recovered the low countries, which had revolted; concluded an honourable peace with the Porte, and finally, after difarming the jea loufy of Ruffia, fecured the friendfhip of Great Britain. The objects of the convention of Reichenbach, entered into between Leopold and Frederic William, in the autumn of 1790, were fulfilled by the peace of Sifto, concluded in the following year with the Turks. The mifunderftanding between the courts of London and Peterburgh, which gave rife to the armament of 1791, was completely terminated. On the 31ft of January 1792, the King of

G 3

Great

Great Britain, in his fpeech to parliament, opened the hiftory of the laft, and the profpects of the year begun; which profpects were wholly pacific. France, in whofe interior the ftorm had been for fome time fermenting, which burft forth in the explosions already defcribed, had fuffered a temporary eclipfe. A celebrated orator in the English Houfe of Commons, faid, "That he looked in vain for that once powerful country, on the map of Europe, and found only a blank. The monarchy was fallen, the fovereign was powerlefs, the cabinet diftracted, and the finances without any order or folid fupport." Projects had been formed for reftoring the old government by foreign force; and the French territories were to pay the expences of the restoration. Thefe plans were fuppofed to have originated at the memorable interview at Pilnitz; and the court of London, as well as the great powers on the continent, has been publicly charged with a knowledge of them, if not a participation. On this fubject the public have been hitherto mifinforined. It was the intereft of all parties that the truth fhould remain under a veil, but of none that it should be published. Europe has been led to believe, that the project of Leopold, which has been mifreprefented under the defignations of the Coalition, and the Confpiracy of Pilnitz, was hoftile to the interefts of national liberty, and aimed at nothing short of the efta

blifhment of defpotifm in France, after difmembering it of its ancient acquifitions. This opinion was confirmed by the invafion of the Duke of Brunfwick, at the head of the armies of Auftria and Pruffia, and accompanied by the emigrated princes and nobles of France. The interview at Pilnitz was indeed attended by the Compte D'Artois, Mr. de Calonne, aud the Marquis de Bouille: and a fpecics of engagement was entered into, and afterwards published, by which the Emperor and the King of Pruffia engaged, in certain eventual cafes * to fupport the re-establishment of order in France. This engagement, which, after its publication, was formally difavowed by the Emperor, as an act implying any hoftility to France, gave full fcope to the public opinion.. The rulers of the French revolution anticipated and confirmed the belief, that a real confpiracy had been formed against them at Pilnitz. The death of the Emperor, which took place a few months afterwards, and which many connected with his love of peace, left the impofition to its course. Time has difcovered the truth on this important subject. The memoirs of the Marquis of Bouille have, to a certain extent, done juftice to the memory of Leopold, in refcuing it from imputations with which it has been loaded; and the minifters of Great Britain have formally difavowed in parliament any knowledge or participa