dr. s \ H^. ^r^^. ._ ]^y-'w y^'^'i' -x^ ^'^^^ r: ■ip^V^^. -^^ ' ^ my j^ BARE BOOK DEPT Accessions Shelf J>"o. l;-.tfe7s GIVEX BA' / '19/1 Si^CRET HISTORY; OR, rHE HORRORS OF ST. DOMINGO, IN A SERIES OF LETTERS, 4 WRITTEN BY A LADY AT CAPE FRANCOIS, TO COLONEL BURR, LATE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, PRINCIPALLY DURING THE COMMAND OF GENERAL ROCHAMBEAU. PHILADELPHIA: PUBLISHED BY BRADFORD fc^ INSKEEP. R. CARR, PRINTER, 1808. ^ (yL^c^ /U-p ^ S^/^ /^i^^c^ XH JWUMl . ', L. /J / Uc. /J, IS J J. PREFACE, I AM fearful of having been led into an error by my friends, when taught by them to believe that I could write something which would interest and please ; and it was chiefly with a view to ascertain what confidence I might place in their khid assurances on this subject, that I collected and consented, though reluctantly, to the publication of these letters. Should a less partial public give them a favourable reception, and allow them to pos- sess some merit, it would encourage me to en- deavour to obtain their further approbation by a little work already planned and in some for- wardness. THE AUTHOR. Philadelfihia^ JVov, 30th, 1807. LETTER L Cape Francois. WE arrived safely here, my dear friend, after a passage of forty days, during which I suffered horribly from sea-sickness, heat and confinement ; but the society of my fellow- passengers was so agreeable that I often for- got the inconvenience to which I was exposed. It consisted of five or six French families who, having left St. Domingo at the beginning of the revolution, were now returning full of joy at the idea of again possessing the estates from which they had been driven by their revolted slaves. Buoyed by their newly awakened hopes they were all delightful anticipation. There is an elasticity in the French charac- ter which repels misfortune. They have an inexhaustible flow of spirits that bears them lightly through the ills of life. 2 HORRORS OF Towards the end of the voyage, when I was well enough to go on deck, I was delight- ed with the profound tranquillity of the ocean, the uninterrupted view, the beautiful horizon, and wished, since fate has separated me from those I love, that I could build a dwelling on the bosom of the waters, where, sheltered from the storms that agitate mankind, I should be exposed to those of heaven only. But a truce to melancholy reflections, for here I am in St. Domingo, with a new world opening to my view. My sister, whose fortunes, you know, I was obliged to follow, repents every day hav* ing so precipitately chosen a husband : it is impossible for two creatures to be more dif- ferent, and I foresee that she will be wretched. On landing, we found the town a heap of ruins. A more terrible picture of desolation cannot be imagined. Passing through streets choaked with rubbish, we reached with diffi- culty a house which had escaped the general fate. The people live in tents, or make a kind of shelter, by laying a few boards across the half- consumed beams j for the buildings being ST. DOMINGO. O here of hewn stone, with walls three feet thick, only the roofs and floors have been destroyed. But to hear of the distress which these unfor- tunate people have suffered, would fill with horror the stoutest heart, and make the most obdurate melt with pity. When the French fleet appeared before the mouth of the harbour, Christophe, the Black general, who commanded at the Cape, rode through the town, ordering all the women to leave their houses — the men had been taken to the plain the day before, for he was going to set fire to the place, which he did with his own hand. The ladies, bearing their children in their arms, or supporting the trembling steps of their aged mothers, ascended in crowds the mountain which rises behind the town. Climb- ing over rocks covered with. brambles, where no path had been ever beat, their feet were torn to pieces and their steps marked with blood. Here they suffered all the pains of hunger and thirst; the most terrible apprehensions for their fathers, husbands, brothers and sons ; to which was added the sight of the town in flames: aiid 4 HORRORS OP even these horrors were increased by the ex- plosion of the powder magazine. Large mas- ses of rock were detached by the shock, which, rolling down the sides of the mountain, many of these hapless fugitives were killed. Others still more unfortunate, had their limbs broken or sadly bruised^ whilst their wretched com- panions could offer them nothing but unavail- ing sympathy and impotent regret. On the third day the negroes evacuated the place, and the fleet entered the harbour* Two gentlemen, who had been concealed by a faithful slave, went in a canoe to meet the admiral's vessel, and arrived in time to pre- vent a dreadful catastrophe. The general, seeing numbers of people descending the mountain, thought they were the negroes com« ing to oppose his landing and was preparing to fire on them, when these gentlemen inform- ed him that they were the white inhabitants, and thus prevented a mistake too shocking to be thought of. The men now entered from the plain and sought among the smoaking ruins the objects of their affectionate solicitude. To paint these ST. DOMINGO. 5 heart-rending scenes of tenderness and woe, description has no powers. The imagination itself shrinks from the task. Three months after this period we arrived and have now been a month here, the town is rapidly rebuilding, but it is extremely difficult to find a lodging. The heat is intolerable and the season so unhealthy that the people die in incredible numbers. On the night of our ar- rival, Toussaint the general in chief of the ne- groes, was seized at the Gonaives and em- barked for France. This event caused great rejoicing. A short time before he was taken, he had his treasure buried in the woods, and at the return of the negroes he employed on this expedition, they were shot without being suffered to utter a word. Clara has had the yellow fever. Her hus- band, who certainly loves her very much, watched her with unceasing care, and I be- lieve, preserved her life, to which however she attaches no value since it must be passed with him. Nothing amuses her. She sighs continual- ly for the friend of her youth and seems to b 2 6 HORRORS OF exist only in the recollection of past happiness. Her aversion to her husband is unqualified and unconquerable. He is vain, illiterate, talkative. A silent fool may be borne, but from a loqua- cious one there ia no relief. How painful must her intercourse with him be ; and how infinitely must that pain be augmented by the idea of being his forever? Her elegant mind, stored with literary acquirements, is lost to him. Her proud soul is afflicted at depending on one she abhors, and at beholding her form, and you know that form so vilely bartered. Whilst on the continent she was less sensible of the horrors of her fate. The society of hei: friend gave a charm to her life,^ and having married in compliance with his advice, she thought tliat she would eventually be happy. But their separation has rent the veil which concealed her heart; she finds no sympathy iui the bosom of her husband. She is alone and she is \vretched. General Le Clerc is small, his face is in« teresting, but he has an appearance of ill health. His wife, the sister of Buonaparte,, &ves in a house on the mountain till there cam ST. D0MII7G0. 7 be one in town prepared for her receptioHi^ She is offended, and I think justly, with the ladies of the Cape, who, from a mistaken pride, did not wait on her when she arrived, because having lost their cloaths they could not dazzle her with their finery. Having heard that there were some Ame^ rican ladies here she expressed a desire to see them; Mr. V — ^ proposed to present us; Clara, who would not walk a mile to see a queen ,^ declined. But I, who walk at all times, mere- ly for the pleasure it aifords me, went; and, considering the labour it costs to ascend the mountain, I have a claim on the gratitude of Madame for having undertaken it to shew her an object which she probably expected to find in a savage state. She was in a room darkened by Venetian blinds, lying on her sofa, from which she half rose to receive me. When I was seated she re« clined again on the sofa and amused general Boyer, who sat at her feet^ by letting her slip- per fall continually, which he respectfully put on as often as it fell. She is small, fair, with blue eyes and flaxen iiair* Her face is expres. 8 HORRORS OF sive of sweetness but without spirit. She has a voluptuous mouth, and is rendered interest- ing by an air of languor which spreads itself over her whole frame. She was dressed in a muslin morning gown, with a Madras hand- kerchief on her head. I gave her one of the beautiful silver medals of Washington, en- graved by Reich, with which she seemed much pleased. The conversation languished, and I soon withdrew. General Le Clerc had gone in the morning to fort Dauphin. I am always in good spirits, for every thing here charms me by its novelty. There are a thousand pretty things to be had, new fashions and elegant trinkets from Paris ; but we have no balls, no plays, and of what use is finery if it cannot be shewn? The natives of this country murmur alrea- dy against the general in chief; they say he places too much confidence in the negroes. When Toussaint was seized he had all the black chiefs in hi^ power, and, by embarking them for France, he would have spread terror throughout the Island, and the negroes would ST. DOMINGO, y have been easily reduced, instead of which he relies on their good faith, has them continual- ly in his house, at his table, and wastes the time in conference which should be different- ly employed. The Creoles shake their heads and predict much ill. Accustomed to the cli- mate, and acquainted with the manner of fight- ing the Negroes, they offer advice, which is not listened to; nor are any of them employed, but all places of honour or emolument are held by Europeans, who appear to regard the Island as a place to be conquered and divided among the victors, and are consequently view- ed by the natives with a jealous eye. Indeed the professed intention of those who have come with the army, is to make a fortune, and return to France with ail possible speed, to enjoy it. It cannot be imagined that they will be very delicate about the means of accomplishing their purpose. The Cape is surrounded; at least the plain is held by the Negroes; but the town is tran- quil, and Dessalines and the other black chiefs are on the best terms with general Le Clerc. We are to have a grand review next week. 10 HORRORS OF The militia is to be organized, and the gene- ral is to address the troops on the field. He has the reputation of being very eloquent, but he has shocked every body by having ordered a superb service of plate, made of the money intended to pay the army, while the poor sol- diers, badly cloathed, and still more badly fed, are asking alms in the street, and absolutely dying of want. A beggar had never been known in this country, and to see them in such numbers, fills the inhabitants with horror; but why should such trifling considerations as the pre- servation of soldiers, prevent a general in chief from eating out of silver dishes? We have neither public nor private balls, nor any amusement except now and then a little scandal. The most current at this mo- ment is, that Madame Le Clerc is very kind to general Boyer, and that her husband is not content, which in a French husband is a little extraordinary. Perhaps the last part of the anecdote is calumny. Madame Le Clerc, as I learned from a gentleman who has long known her, betrayed ST. DOMINGO. 11 Trom her earliest youtli a disposition to gallant- ry, and had, when very young, some adven- tures of eclat in Marseilles. Her brother, whose favourite she is, married her to general Le Clerc, to whom he gave the command of the army intended to sail for St. Domingo, after having given that island, as a marriage portion, to his sister. But her reluctance to come to this country was so great, that it was almost necessary to use force to oblige her to embark. She has one child, a lovely boy, three years old, of which she appears very fond. But for a young and beautiful woman, accustomed to the sweets of adulation, and the intoxicating delights of Paris, certainly the transition to this country, in its present state, has been too vio- lent. She has no society, no amusement, and never having imagined that she would be forced to seek an equivalent for either in the resources of her own mind, she has made no provision for such an unforeseen emergency. She hates readmg, and though passionate- ly fond of music plays on no instrument ; ne- ver having stolen time from her pleasurable 12 HORRORS OF pursuits to devote to the acquisition of that divine art. She can do nothing but dance, and to dance alone is a triste resource; there- fore it cannot be surprising if her early pro- pensities predominate, and she listens to the tale of love breathed by General Boyer, for never did a more fascinating votary offer his vows at the Idalian shrine. His form and face are models of masculine perfection ; his eyes sparkle with enthusiasm, and his voice is mo- dulated by a sweetness of expression which camiot be heard without emotion. Thus si- tuated, and thus surrounded, her you-th and beauty plead for her, and those most disposed to condemn would exclaim on beholding her : " If to her share some female errors fall, Look in her face, and you'll forget them all." I suppose you'll laugh at this gossip, but 'tis the news of the dav, nothing: is talked of but Madame Le Clerc, and envy and ill-na- ture pursue her because she is charming and surrounded by splendor. I have just now been reading Madame De Stael on the passions, which she describes ST. DOMINGO. 13 very well, but I believe not precisely as she felt their influence. I have heard an anecdote of her which I admire ; a friend, to whom she had communicated her intention of publishing her memoirs, asked what she intended doing with the gallant part, — Oh, she replied, je ne me peindrai qu'en buste. 15 LETTER II. Cape Francois. What a change has taken place here since my last letter was written ! I mentioned that there was to be a grand review, and I also mentioned that the confidence General Le Clerc placed in the negroes was highly blam- ed, and justly, as he has found to his cost. On the day of the review, when the troops of the line and the guarde nationale were as- sembled on the field, a plot was discovered, which had been formed by the negroes in the town, to seize the arsenal and to point the can- non of a fort, which overlooked the place of review, on the troops ; whilst Clairvaux, the mulatto general, who commanded the advanc- ed posts, was to join the negroes of the plain, overpower the guards, and entering the town, complete the destruction of the white inhabi- 16 HORRORS OF tants. The first part of the plot was discov- ered and defeated. But Clairvaiix made good his escape, and in the evening attacked the post General Le Cierc had so imprudently- confided to him. The consternation was terrible. The guarde nationale, composed chiefiy of Creoles, did wonders. The Ame- rican captains and sailors volunteered their services ; they fought bravely, and many of them perished. The negroes were repulsed; but if they gained no ground they lost none, and they occupy at present the same posts as before. The pusillanimous General Le Clerc, shrinking from danger of which his own im- prudence had been the cause, thought only of saving himself. He sent his plate and valu- able effects on board the admiral's vessel, and was preparing to embark secretly with his suite, but the brave admiral La Touche de Treville sent him word that he would fire with more pleasure on those who abandoned the tov^^, than on those who attacked it. The ensuing morning presented a dread- ful spectacle. Nothing was heard but the groans of the wounded, who were caiTied ST. DOMINGO. 17 through the streets to their homes, and the cries of the women for their friends who were slain. The general, shut up in his house, would see nobody ; ashamed of the weakness which had led to this disastrous event, and of the w^ant of courage he had betrayed : a fever seized him and he died in three days. Madame Le Clerc, who had not loved him whilst living, mourned Ms death like the Ephesian matron, cut off her hair, which was very beautiful, to put it in his coffin ; refused all sustenance and all public consolation. General Rochambeau, who is at Port au Prince, has been sent for by the inhabitants of the Cape to take the command. Much good is expected from the change, he is said to be a brave officer and an excellent man. Monsieur D'Or is in the interim Captain General, and unites in himself the three prin- cipal places in the government : Prefect Co- lonial, Ordonnateur, and General in Chief. All this bustle would be delightful if it was not attended with such melancholy con- sequences. It keeps us from petrifying, of which I was in danger. c2 18 JflORRORS OF I have become acquainted with some Cre- ole ladies who, having staid in the Island dur- ing the revolution, relate their suiferings in a manner which harrows up the soulj and dwell on the recollection of their long lost happiness with melancholy delight. St. Domingo was formerly a garden. Every inhabitant lived on his estate like a Sovereign ruling his slaves with despotic sway, enjoying all that luxury could invent, or fortune procure. The pleasures of the table were carried to the rast degree of refinement. Gaming knew no bounds, and libertinism, called love, was without restraint. The Creole is generous hospitable, magnificent, but vain, inconstant, and incapable of serious application ; and in this abode of pleasure and luxurious ease vices have reigned at which humanity must shudder. The jealousy of the women was often terrible in its consequences. One lady, who had a beautiful negro girl continually about her per- son, thought she saw some symptoms of ten- (Iresse in the eyes of her husband, and all the furies of jealousy seized her soul. She ordered one of her slaves to cut off the ST. DOMINGO. 19 head of the unfortunate victim, which was in- stantly done. At dinner her husband said he felt no disposition to eat, to which his wife, with the air of a demon, replied, perhaps I can give you something that will excite your ap- petite ; it has at least had that effect before. She rose and drew from a closet the head of Coomba. The husband, shocked beyond ex- pression, left the house and sailed immediately for France, in order never again to behold such a monster. Many similar anecdotes have been related by my Creole friends ; but one of them, after having excited my warmest sympathy, made me laugh heartily in the midst of my tears. She told me that her husband was stabbed in her arms by a slave whom he had always treat- ed as his brother ; that she had seen her chil- dren killed, and her house burned, but had been herself preserved by a faithful slave, and conducted, after incredible suiFerings, and through innumerable dangers to the Cape. The same slave, she added, and the idea seem- ed to console her for every other loss, saved all my madrass handkerchiefs. 2© ' HORRORS OF The Creole ladies have an air of voluptu- ous languor which renders them extremely interesting. Their eyes, their teeth, and their hair are remarkably beautiful, and they have acquired from the habit of commanding their slaves, an air of dignity which adds to their charms. Almost too indolent to pronounce their words they speak with a drawling accent that is very agreeable : but since they have been roused by the pressure of misfortune many of them have displayed talents and found resources in the energy of their own minds which it would have been supposed impossible for them to possess. They have naturally a taste for music; dance with a lightness, a grace, an elegance peculiar to themselves, and those who, ha- ving been educated in France, unite the French vivacity to the Creole sweetness, are the most irresistible creatures that the imagination can conceive. In the ordinary intercourse of life they are delightful; but if I wanted a friend on any extraordinary occasion I would not ven- ture to rely on their stability. ST. DOMINGO, 21 LETTER III. Cape Francois, The so much desired general Rochambeau is at length here. His arrival was announced, not by the ringing of bells, for they have none, but by the firing of cannon. Every body, ex- cept myself went to see him land, and I was prevented, not by want of curiosity, but by in- disposition. Nothing is heard of but the pub- lic joy. He is considered as the guardian, as the saviour of the people. Every proprietor feels himself already on his habitation and I have even heard some of them disputing about the quality of the coffee they expect soon to gather ; perhaps these sanguine Creoles may find that they have reckoned without their host. However, en attendant^ the General, who it seems bears pleasure as well as conquest in 22 ^ HORRORS OF liis train, gives a grand ball on Thursday next. We are invited, and we go. Clara is delighted ! for the first time since our arrival her eyes brightened at receiving the invitation, and the important subject of what colours are to be worn, what fashions adopted, is continually discussed. Her husband, whose chief pleasure is to see her brilliant, indulges all the extravagance of her capricious taste. She sighs for conquest because she is a stran- ger to content, and will enter into every scheme of dissipation with eagerness to forget for a moment her internal wretchedness. She is unhappy, though surrounded by splendor, be* cause from the constitution of her mind she cannot derive happiness from an object that does not interest her heart. My letter shall not be closed till after the ball of which I suppose you will be glad to have a description. But why do you not write to me ? I am ignorant of your pursuits and even of the place of your abode, and though con- vinced that you cannot forget me, I am afflic= ST. DOMINGO. 23 ted if I do not receive assurances of your friend- ship by every vessel that arrives ! Clara has not written, for nothing has hi- therto had power to rouse her from the lethar- gy into which she had sunk. Perhaps the scenes of gaiety in which she is now going to engage may dispell the gloom which threaten- ed to destroy all the energy of her charming mind. Perhaps too these scenes may be more fatal to her peace than the gloom of which I complain, for in this miserable world we know not what to desire. The accomplishment of our wishes is often a real misfortune. We pass our lives in searching after happiness, and how many die without having found it ! In Continuation, Well my dear friend the ball is over — that ball of which I promised you a description. But who can describe the heat or suffocating sensations felt in a crowd ? The General has an agreeable face, a sweet mouth, and most enchanting smile ; but ^* Like the sun, he shone on all alike," 24 HORRORS OF and paid no particular attention to any object. His uniform was a la hussar ^ and very brilliant; he wore red boots: — but his person is bad, he is too short ; a Bacchus-like figure, which ac- cords neither with my idea of a great General nor a great man. But you know one of my faults is to create objects in my imagination on the model of my incomparable friend, and then to dislike every thing I meet because it falls short of my expec- tations. I was disappointed at the ball, because I was confounded in the crowd, but my disap- pointment was trifling compared with that felt by Clara. Accustomed to admiration she expected to receive it on this occasion in no moderate portion, and to find herself undis- tinguished was not flattering. She did not dance, staid only an hour, and has declared against all balls in future. But there is one announced by the Admiral which may perhaps induce her. to change her resolution. Madame Le Clerc has sailed for France with the body of her huflband, which was em- balmed here. ST. DOMINGO. 25 The place is tranquil. The arrival of Ge- neral Rochambeau seems to have spread terror among the negroes. I wish they were reduced to order that I might see the so much vaunted habitations where I should repose beneath the shade of orange groves ; walk on carpets of rose leaves and frenchipone ; be fanned to sleep by silent slaves, or have my feet tickled into extacy by the soft hand of a female attendant. Such were the pleasures of the Creole ladies whose time was divided between the bath, the table, the toilette and the lover. What a defightful existence ! thus to pass away life in the arms of voluptuous indolence; to wander over flowery fields of unfading ver- dure, or through forests of majestic palm- trees, sit by a fountain bursting from a savage rock frequented only by the cooing dove, and in- dulge in these enchanting solitudes all the re- veries of an exalted imagination. But the moment of enjoying these plea- sures is, 1 fear, far distant. The negroes have felt during ten years the blessing of liberty, for a blessing it certainly is, however acquired, and they will not be easily deprived of it. they 26 HORRORS OF have fought and vanquished the French troops, and their strengh has increased from a know- ledge of the weakness of their opposers, and the climate itself combats for them. Inured to a savage Hfe they lay in the woods without being injured by the sun, the dew or the rain. A negro eats a plantain, a sour orange, the herbs and roots of the field, and requires no cloathing, whilst this mode of living is fatal to the European soldiers. The sun and the dew are equally fatal to them, and they have perished in such numbers that, if reinforcements do not arrive, it will soon be impossible to defend the town. The country is entirely in the hands of the negroes, and whilst their camp abounds in provisions, every thing in town is extremely scarce and enormously dear. Every evening several old Creoles, who live near us, assemble at our house, and talk of their affairs. One of them, whose annual income before the revolution was fifty thou- sand dollars, which he always exceeded in his expenses, now lives in a miserable hut and prolongs with the greatest difficulty his wretch- ST. DOMINGO. 27 ed existence. Yet he still hopes for better days, in which hope they all join him. The distress they feel has not deprived them of their gaiety. They laugh, they sing, they join 4n the dance with the young girls of the neigh- bourhood, and seem to forget their cares in the prospect of having them speedily removed. 29 LETTER IV. Cape Francois, The ball announced by the admiral ex- ceeded all expectations and we are still all ex- tacy. Boats, covered with carpets, conveyed the company from the shore to the vessel, which was anchored about half a mile from the land, and on entering the ball room a fairy palace presented itself to the view. The decks were floored in ; a roof of canvas was suspen- ded over the whole length of the vessel, which reached the floor on each side, and formed a beautiful apartment. Innumerable lustres of chrystal and wreaths of natural flowers orna- mented the cieling; and rose and orange-trees, in full blossom, ranged round the room, filled the air with fragrance. The seats were ele- vated, and separated from the part appropri- ated to dancing, by a light balustrade* A gal- d 2 30 lIlDRRORS OF lery for the musicians was placed round the main-mast, and the whole presented to the eye an elegant saloon, raised by magic in a wil- derness of sweets. Clara and myself, accom- panied by her husband and Major B , were among the first who arrived. Never had I beheld her so interesting. A robe of white crape shewed to advantage the contours of her elegant person. Her arms and bosom were bare ; her black hair, fastened on the top with a brilliant comb, was ornamented by a rose which seemed to have been thrown there by accident. We were presented to the admiral, who appeared struck by the figure of Clara, and was saying some very flattering things, when a flourish of martial music announced the ar- rival of the General in chief. The admiral hastened to meet him, and they walked round the room together. When the dances began the general leaned against the orchestra opposite Clara. Her eyes met his. She bent them to the ground, raised them timidly and found those of the general iix€d on her : a glow of crimson suffused itself Sr. DOMINGO. 31 over her face and bosom. I observed her at- tentively and knew it was the flush of triumph ! She declined dancing, but when the walses began she was led out. Those who have not seen Clara walse know not half her charms. There is a physiognomy in her form ! every motion is full of soul. The gracefulness of her arms is unequalled, and she is lighter than gossamer. The eyes of the general dwelt on her alone, and I heard him inquire of several who she was. The walse finished, she walked round the room leaning on the arm of Major B . The general followed, and meeting her hus- band, asked (pointing to Clara) if he knew the name of that lady. Madame St. Louis, was the reply. I thought she was an American said the general. So she is, replied St Louis, but her husband is a Frenchman. That's true, ad- ded the general, but they say he is a d d jealous fool, is he here ? He has the honour of answering you, said St Louis. The general was embarrassed for a moment, but recover- ing himself said, I am not surprised at your 32 HORRORS OF being jealous, for she is a charming creature. And he continued uttering so many flattering things that St. Louis was in the best humour imaginable. When Clara heard the story, she laughed, and, I saw, was delighted with a conquest she now considered assured. When she sat down. Major B pre- sented the General to her, and his pointed at- tention rendered her the object of universal admiration. He retired at midnight : the ball continued. An elegant collation was served up, and at sunrise we returned home ! The admiral is a very agreeable man, and I would prefer him, as a lover, to any of his officers, though he is sixty years old. His manners are affable and perfectly elegant; his figure graceful and dignified, and his conver- sation sprightly. He joined the dance at the request of a lady, with all the spirit of youth, and appeared to enjoy the pleasure which his charming fete diffused. He told Clara that he would twine a wreath of myrtle to crown her, for she had vanquish- ed the General. She replied, that she would mingle it with laurel, and lay it at his feet for ST. DOMINGO. 33 having, by preserving the Cape, given her an opportunity of making the conquest. Nothing is heard of but balls and parties. Monsieur D'Or gives a concert every Thurs- day ; the General in chief every Sunday : so that from having had no amusement we are in danger of falling into the other extreme, and of being satiated with pleasure. The Negroes remain pretty tranquil in this quarter; but at Port-au-Prince, and in its neighbourhood, they have been very trouble- some. Jeremie, Les Cayes, and all that part of the island which had been preserved, during the revolution, by the exertions of the inhabitants, have been lost since the appearance of the French troops ! . The Creoles complain, and they have cause ; for they find in the army sent to de- fend them, oppressors who appear to seek their destruction. Their houses and their ne- groes are put under requisition, and they are daily exposed to new vexations. Some of the ancient inhabitants of the island, who had emigrated, begin to think 34 HORRORS OP that their hopes were too sanguine, and that they have returned too soon from the peace- ful retreats they found on the continent. They had supposed that the appearance of an army of thirty thousand men would have reduced the negroes to order; but these conquerors of Italy, unnerved by the climate, or from some other cause, lose all their energy, and fly be- fore the undisciplined slaves. Many of the Creoles, who had remained on the island during the reign of Toussaint, regret the change, and say that they were less vexed by the negroes than by those who have come to protect them. And these negroes, notwithstanding the state of brutal subjection in which they were kept, have at length acquired a knowledge of their own strength. More than five hundred thousand broke the yoke imposed on them by a few thousand men of a different colour, and claimed the rights of which they had been so cruelly deprived. Unfortunate were those who witnessed the horrible catastrophe which accompanied the first wild transports of free- dom 1 Dearly have they paid for the luxuri- ST. DOMINGO. 35 ous ease in which they revelled at the expense of these oppressed creatures. Yet even among these slaves, self-emancipated, and rendered furious by a desire of vengeance, examples of fidelity and attachment to their masters have been found, which do honour to human na* ture. For my part, I am all anxiety to return to the continent. Accustomed from my earliest infancy to wander on the delightful banks of the Schuylkill, to meet the keen air on Ken- sington bridge, and to ramble over the fields which surround Philadelphia, I feel like a prisoner in this little place, built on a narrow strip of land between the sea and a mountain that rises perpendicularly behind the town. There is to be sure an opening on one side to the plain, but the negroes are there encamp- ed ; they keep the ground of which general Le Clerc suiFered them to take possession, and threaten daily to attack the town ! There is no scarcity of beaux here, but the gallantry of the French officers is fatiguing from its sameness. They think their appear- ance alone sufficient to secure a conquest, and 36 HORRORS O^ do not conceive it necessary to give their yielding mistresses a decent excuse by pay- ing them a little attention. In three days a love-aiFair is begun and finished and forgot- ten; the first is for the declaration, the se- cond is the day of triumph if it is deferred so long, and the third is for the adieu. The Creoles do not relish the attacks made on their wives by the officers. The husband of Clara in particular is as jealous as a Turk, and has more than once shewn his displeasure at the pointed attentions of the General-in- chief to his wife, which she encourages, out of contradiction to her husband rather than from any pleasure they afford her. The bois- terous gaiety and soldier^like manners of ge- neral Rochambeau, can have made no impres- sion on a heart tender and delicate as is that of Clara. But there is a vein of coquetry in her composition which, if indulged, will even- tually destroy her peace. A tragical event happened lately at Port- au-Prince. At a public breakfast, given by the commandant, an officer just arrived from France., addressing himself to a lady, called ST. DOMINGO. 37 her citoyenne, — The lady observed that she would never answer to thai' title. The stran- ger replied that she ought to be proud of be- ing so called. On which her husband, inter- fering, said that his wife should never answer to any mode of address that she found dis- pleasing. No more passed at that time, but before noon Monsieur C received a chal- lenge : the choice of weapons being left to him, he said that it was absolutely indiiferent: the stranger insisted on fighting with a rifle ; Monsieur C replied that he should have no objection to fight with a cannon : it was liowever, finally settled, that the afiair should be decided with pistols ; and at sun-rise next morning they met : the ofiicer fired without effect. Monsieur C , with surer aim laid his antagonist lifeless on the ground. On what trifles depends the destiny of man ! but the Europeans are so insolent that u few such lessons are absolutely necessary to correct them. Monsieur C is a Creole, and belong- ed to the Staff" of the general who commands at Port-au-Prince, from which he has been 38 HORRORS or dismissed in consequence of this afFair, which is anotjipvproQ&riltoe hatred the French offi- cers bear the inhabitants of this country. We have here a General of division, vv^ho is enriching himself by all possible means, and with such unblushing rapacity, that he is universally detested. He was a blacksmith before the revolution, and his present pursuits bear some affinity to his original employment, having taken possession of a plantation on which he makes charcoal, and which he sells to the amount of a hundred dollars a day. A carricature has appeared in which he is repre- sented tying up sacks of coal. Madame A-r*, his mistress, standing near him, holds up his embroidered coat and says, "Don't soil your- '* self, General." ST. DOMINGO. 39 LETTER V. Cape Francois, Three of your letters arriving at the same time, my dear friend, have made me blush for my impatience, and force me to acknowledge that I have wronged you. --But your friend- ship is so necessary to my happiness that the idea of losing it is insupportable. You know what clouds of misfortune have obscured my life. An orphan without friends, without sup- port, separated from my sister from my infan- cy, and, at an age when the heart is most alive to tenderness and affection, deprived by the unrelenting hand of death, of him who had taught me to feel all the transports of passion, and for whose loss I felt all its despair — Cast on the world without an asylum, without re- source, I met you: — you raised me — soothed me— whispered peace to my lacerated breast! 40 HORRORS OF Ah ! can I ever forget that delightful moment when your care saved me ? It was so long since I had known sympathy or consolation that my astonished soul knew not how to receive the enchanting visitants; fleeting as fervent was my joy : but let me not repine ! Your friendship has shed a ray of light on my solitary way, and though removed from the influence of your immediate presence, I exist only in the hope of seeing you again. In restoring me to-' my sister, at the mo- ment of her m^i^g4> you procured for me a home not only respectable, but in which all the charms of fashionable elegance, all the at- tractions of pleasure are united. Unfortu- nately, Clara, amidst these intoxicating scenes of ever- varying amusement, and attended by crowds, who offer her the incense of adulation, is wretched, and I cannot be happy ! You know her early habits have been dif- ferent from mine ; affluence might have been thought necessary to her, yet the sensibiHty of her heart rejects the futile splendour that surrounds her, and the tears that often stain ST. DOMINGO. 41 her brilliant robes, shew that they cover a bo- som to which peace is a stranger ! The fortune of her husband was his only advantage. The friend who had been charg- ed with Clara from her infancy had accustom- ed her to enjoy the sweets of opulence, and thought nothing more desir-able than to place her in a situation where she could still com- mand them. Alas her happiness has been the sacrifice of his mistaken, though well meant, intentions. St. Louis is too sensible of the real superiority of his wife not to set some value on that which he derives from his mo- ney, and tears of bitterest regret often fill her eyes when contemplating the splendor which has been so dearly purchased. Though to me he has been invariably kind yet my heart is torn with regret at the torments which his irascible temper inflict on his wife. They force her to seek relief in the paths of pleasure, whilst des- tined by nature to embellish the sphere of do- mestic felicity. E 2 LETTER VL Cape Francois, General Rochambeau has given Clara a proof of his attention to her wishes at once delicate and flattering. She ^ined with a large party at the Governmeift-Iioupe, where, as usual, he was entirely devoted to her. After dinner, he led her, followed by the company, to a saloon, that was fitting up for a dining- room. It was ornamented with military tro- phies, and on every pannel was vn'itten the name of some distinguished chief. On one Buonaparte, on agpther Fredkji on another Massena, &c. ^F^ "* Clara said it was very pretty, but tha|4,^^t Washington should also have found a place there ! A few days after, a grand ball was given, 44 HORRORS OF and, on entering the ball-room, we saw, on a pannel facing the door, Washington, Liberty, and Independence! This merited a smile, and the general re- ceived a most gracious one. It was new- year's eve. When the clock struck twelve, Clara, approaching the general, took a rose from her bosom, saying; leW]^ be the first to wish you a happy new-year, and to offer you les etrennes. ..^ , ^.,4 ^. He topk. t^^:|[^s^'^passed it across his lips, and put it in hi§»Dosom. The next morning, an officer called on her, and presented her a pacquet in the name of the general in chief. On opening it she found a brilliant cross, with a superb chain, accom- < pafied by an elegant billet, praying her accept- ance of theselM^egj^ /^ "^ Take it back, she exclaimed, I gave the general a flower, and will accept nothing of greater value. — The officer refused, and, as the eyes of her husband expressed no disap- probation, she kept it. We have since learned that it is customa- ^ ST. DOMINGO. 45 ly to make at this season, magnificent pre- sents, and this accounts for the passiveness of St. Louis on this occasion. Shortly aftef, at a breakfast given by Ma- dame A , Clar^;^peared with her bril- liant cross : the General was there. When they sat down to table, he offered her an apple, which she declined accepting. Take it, said he, for on Mount Ida I would have given it to you, and in Eden I would have taken it from you. She replied laughing, no, no ; since you attach so much value to your apple I certainly will not accept it, for I wish equally to avoid discord and temptation. Her husband looked displeased, and with- drew as soon as possible. On their return home, he told her that Her flirting with the General, if carried much far- ther, would probably cost her too dear. She became serious, and I foresee the approaching destruction of all domestic tranquillity. Clara, proud and high spirited, will sub- mit to no control. If her husband reposed confidence in her she would not abuse it. But 46 HORRORS OF his soul cannot raise itself to a level with that of his wife, and he will strive in vain to re- duce her to that of his own. ' -£^. He has declared that shS shajl go to no more balls ; and she l^|^€feitr.ed as peremp- torily, that she will go where she pleases. So on the first public occasion there will be a contest for supremacy, which will decide for- ever the empire of the party that conquers. Their jarrings distress me beyond mea- sure. I had hoped to find tranquillity with my sister, but alas ! she is herself a stranger to it. I have no pleasure but that which the re- collection of your friendship affords, which will be dear to my heart whilst that heart is conscious of feeling or affection. ST. DOMINGO. 47 LETTER VII. Cape Francois, The brigands have at length made the at- tack they so long threatened, and we have been terribly alarmed. On Thursday last, one party approached the fort before day break, whilst another, passing behind the barrier, which is at the en- trance of the plain, unobserved by the guards surprised fort Belleair, which stands on an ele- vation adjoining the town, and killed the offi- cer and twelve soldiers. The wife of the of- ficer, who commanded that post, had gone, the day before to stay with her husband. Her- self and her child were pierced by the same bayonet. The body of the officer lay across the bed, as if he had died in the act of defend- ing them. The negroes were advancing silently into 48 HORRORS OF the town, when they were discovered by a cen- tinel who gave the alarm. The troops rushed to arms. The Brigands were repulsed : but those who had taken pos- session of fort Belleair made a vigorous resist- ance. St. Louis, who commands a company in the guarde nationale, was the first on the field. It was discovered that the negroes in the town intended to join those who attacked it from without and to kill the women and children, who where shut up in their houses, without any one to defend them ; but the patroles of the guarde d'honneur prevented, by their vi- gilance, the execution of this design. At nine o'clock the general sent to tell Clara that the part of the town she lived in being very much exposed, she had better come to his house and he would send her on board the admiral's vessel. She replied that it was impossible for her to go, her husband having desired her on no account to leave the house ; therefore she added, " Here I must stay if I am sure to perish." ST. BOMINGO. 49 The action continued at the barrier and ad- vanced posts during the day. The negroeSj depending on their numbers, seemed deter- mined to decide at once the fate of the town, and we passed the day in a situation which I cannot describe. In the evening the general sent an officer to tell Clara that he had some news from her husband which he could communicate to none but herself. The first idea that presented itself was, that St. Louis had been killed. She seized my arm and without waiting to take even a veil hurried out of the house. A gloomy silence reigned throughout the streets. She arrived breathless at the govern- ment house. The general met her in the hall, took her gravely by the hand and led her into a parlor. What have you to tell me ? she cried^ where is St. Louis ? Calm your spirits said the general. Your agitation renders you unfit to hear any thing ! But seeing that his hesitation encreased her distress, he said, laughing, your husband is 50 HORRORS OF well, has behaved gallantly, and seems invul- nerable ; for though numbers have been killed and wounded at his post, he has remained un- hurt ! Then why, she asked, have you alarmed me so unnecessarily, and made me come here, when you knew he had desired me not to leave the house ? He will never believe my motive for coming, and I shall be killed ! The general strove to soothe her, said that it would be highly improper to pass the night in her house, that several ladies had embark- ed, and that she must go on board, which she positively declined. At that moment the officer who had ac- companied us, entered, and presenting some papers to the general, they both went into ano- ther room. Directly after the general called Clara. She went, and I followed her. He was alone, and looked as if he thought me an intruder, but I continued at her side. The papers he held in his hand were dis- patches from the camp. He told her that St. Louis would remain out all night, and again ST. DOMINGO. .5,1 requested her to think of her own safety. But she would not listen to his proposal of sending her on board ; and, attended by the of- ficer who had accompanied us, we returned home. Whilst the general was talking with Clara, I examined the apartment, which had been Madame Le Clerc's dressing-room. The sofas and curtains were of blue sattin with silver fringe. A door, which stood open, led into the bedchamber. The canopy of the bed Vv^as in the form of a shell, from which little cupids descending held back with one hand, curtains of white sattin trimmed with gold, and pointed with the other to a large mirror which formed the tester. On a table, in the form of an altar, which stood near the bed, was an alabaster figure representing si- lence, with a finger on its lips, and bearing in its hand a waxen taper. The first thing we heard on our return was that a soldier, sent by St. Louis, had en- quired for Clara, and not finding her, had re- turned immediately to the camp. .^Q HOilRORS OF She was distressed beyond measure, and exclaimed, '' I had better go forever, for St. ^ 'Louis will kill me ! " I endeavoured to console her, though I felt that her apprehensions were not groundless. She passed the night in agony, and awaited the return of her husband in the most painful agitation. At ten the next morning he arrived, ha- ving left his post without orders, and thus exposed himself to all the rigours of a court- martial. He was trembling with rage, transported with fury, and had more the air of a demon than a man. I know your conduct madam, he cried, on entering, you left the house contrary to my desire ; but I shall find means of punishing you, and of covering with shame the monster who has sought to destroy me ! He seized her by the arm, and dragging her into a little dressing-room at the end of the gallery, locked her in, and, taking tlie key in his pocket, went to the government house, and without waiting till the officers in the an= ST. DOMINGO. 53 tichamber announced him, entered the room where the general was alone, reclining on a sofa, who arose, and approaching him fami- liarly said, '* St. Louis, I am glad to see you, and was just thinking of you ; but did not know that you had been relieved." I have not been relieved, replied St. Louis, but have left a post where I was most unjust- ly placed and kept all night, to give you an opportunity of accomplishing your infernal designs. You expected, no doubt, that I would have shared the fate of my brave com- panions, which I have escaped, and am here to tell you what every body believes but which no body dares utter, that you are a villain ! — ^ I know to what I am exposed in consequence of leaving my post. You are my superior, it is true ; but if you are not a coward you will wave all distinction, and give me the satisfac- tion due to a gentleman you have injured. He then walked hastily away, before the general could recover from his surprise. The officer, who had accompanied us the night before, followed and attempted to soothe him. I 2 54 StORROilS ©F He said that he had been sent by the ge- neral to take Clara to his house because the part of the town in which she lived was abso- lutely unsafe, and that he had used a little stratagem to induce her to come, but that she had absolutely refused staying ; — that Made- moiselle, (meaning my ladyship) had gone with her, and that he had not left her till he had conducted her home. This a little softened the rage of St. Louis ! He has a good opinion of this young man, who by the bye, is a charming creature. They entered the house together. I was alone, and joined my assurances to those of the officer, that we had not quitted Clara an instant. He was now sorry for having treated her so harshly ; but did not regret the scene that had passed at the general's. At this moment a soldier entered, who told him that they had been relieved directly after he had left them, and that no notice had been taken of his departure. I now learned that St. Louis, with sixty men, had been placed in the most advanced post, on the very summit of the mountain. ST. DOMING©. 55 %vhere they were crowded together on the point of a rock. In this disadvantageous position, they had been attacked by the negroes ; forty men were killed ; and the troops of the line, who were a little lower down, had offered them no assistance. It being the first time that the guarde nationale had been placed before the troops of the line the common opinion is, that it was the general's intention to have St. Louis destroyed, as it was by his order that he was so stationed, and kept there all night, though the other posts had been relieved at midnight. St. Louis forgot his rage and his sufferings in the assurance that Clara had not been faith- less. He went to the room in which he had confined her, threw himself at her feet, and burst into tears. Clara, affected by his pain, or ashamed of having so tormented him, — or fatigued with their eternal broils, leaned over him, and min- gled her tears with his. When the violence of her emotion subsid- ed, she entreated him to forgive the inconside- rateness of her conduct, and vowed that she would never again offend him. — But you have J6 HOREORS OF destroyed yourself, she continued, the general will never pardon you : let us leave this hated country, w^here tranquillity is unknown. After much debate, it was agreed that he should send us to Philadelphia, and that he would follow himself as soon as he had ar- ranged his affairs. Clara keeps her room and sees nobody, her husband is in despair at parting with her, but proposes following her immediately. We embark in ten days. What power shall I invoke to grant us favourable winds ? Whose protection solicit to conduct me spee- dily to my native shores, and to the society of my friends ? ST. BOMING«>- 5w7 LETTER VIII. Cape Francois. We are still here, my dear friend, and my disappointment and vexation have been so great, that ten days have passed since I have written a single hne. The general, thinking Clara was sent away against her will, and determined to thwart the intentions of her husband, laid an embargo on all the vessels in the port. St. Louis raved, and swore she should not leave her room till he conducted her on board. To prevent all intercourse from without, he keeps her locked up in a small room, ad- joining her chamber. — Nobody, not even my- self, can see her, except in his presence ; and thus all confidence is at an end between them. She weeps continually, and I am afraid the torments she suffers will destroy her health. 56 HORRORS OF St. Louis is unworthy of her : he thinks it possible to force her to love him : — How much more would a generous confidence in- fluence a heart like her's ! Many of his friends have represented to him the impropriety of his conduct. The challenge he gave general Rochambeau filled every body with terror, for it exposed him to certain death. To have left his post without orders was a crime equally serious ; and, if the general has passed them both over in si> lence, it is supposed that his vengeance only slumbers for a time to be more sure in its ef- fect. He thinks Clara attached to the general. I know she is not ! her vanity alone has been interested. To be admired was her aim, and she knew that, by attracting the notice of the general in chief, her end would be accomplish- ed. She succeeded even beyond her wishes, but it has been a dangerous experiment ; and will cost her, I fear, the small portion of do- mestic />^f?£?e she enjoyed. — Uomcstic /elicit i/ she never knew ! I am convinced that she ST. DOMINGO. 59' has never been less happy than since her mar- riage ! Nothing can be more brutal than St. Louis in his rage ! The da}^ of his affair with the general, he threw her on the ground, and then dragged her by the hair :■ — I flew to her, but his aspect so terrified me that I was obliged to withdraw : and when his fits of tenderness return he is as bad in the other extreme. He kneels before her, entreats her pardon, and overwhelms her with caresses more painful to her than the most terrible effects of his ill-hu- mour. And then his temper is so capricious that he cannot be counted upon a moment. I have seen him oblige her to stay at home and pass the evening alone with him after she had dressed for a ball. This does not accord with the liberty French ladies are supposed to enjoy. But I believe Clara is not the first wife that has been locked up at St. Domingo, yet she excites lit- tle sympathy because she has not the good for- tune to be one of the privileged. In Continuation, Certain events, which shall be related, pre^ €d HORRORS OP vented me from finishing my letter. The same events have produced an entu*e change in our affairs, and we are now fixed at St. Domingo for some time. The embargo is raised : — the general in chief is gone to Port-au-Prince ; all the belles of the Cape have followed him. Clara is at liberty, and her husband content ! As soon as we had an opportunity of con- versing together, Clara related to me occur- rences which seem like scenes of romance, but I am convinced of their reality. Under the window^ of the little apartment in which she was confined^ there is an old building standing in a court surrounded by high walls. The general informed himself of the position of Clara's chamber, and his intelligent valet, who makes love to one of her servants, found that it would not be difficult to give her a let- ter, which his dulcinea refused charging her- self with. He watched the moment of St. Louis's absence, entered the deserted court, mounted the tottering roof, and, calling Clara to the window, gave her the letter, glowing with the vv^armest professions of love, and sug- ST. DOMINGO. 61 gesting several schemes for her escape, one of which was, that she should embark on board a vessel that he would indicate, and that he would agree with the captain to put into Port- au-Prince, whither he would speedily follow her. — Another was, to escape in the night by the same window, and go to his house, where he would receive and protect her. But the heart of Clara acknowledged not the empire of general Rochambeau, nor had she even the slightest intention of listening to him. If her husband knew all this it would cure him, I suppose, of his passion for locking up. But, incapable of generosity himself, he can- not admire it in another, and would attribute her refusal of the general's offers to any mo- tive but the real one. How often has she assured me that she would prefer the most extreme poverty to her present existence, but to abandon her husband was not to be thought of. Yet to have aban- doned him, and to have been presented as the declared mistress of General Rochambeau, would not have been thought a crime nor have excluded her from the best societv! 62 HOURORS OJF Madame G , who has nothing but her beauty to recommend her, (and no excess of that) lives with the admiral on board his ves- sel. She is visited by every body ; and no party is thought fashionable if not graced by her presence, yet her manners are those of a poissarde and she was very lately in the lowest and most degraded situation. But she gives splendid entertainments : and when good cheer and gaiety invite, nobody enquires too mi- nutely by whom they are offered. Clara laughs at the security St. Louis felt when he had her locked up. Yet in spite of bolts and bars love's messenger reached her. The general's letters were most impassioned, for, unaccustomed to find resistance, the diffi- culty his approach to Clara met added fuel to his flame. You say, that in relating public affairs, or those of Clara, I forget my own, or conceal them under this appearance of neglect. My fate is so intimately connected with that of my sister, that every thing concerning her must interest you, from the influence it has on my- self; and, in truth, I have no adventures, I ST. DOMINGO. 63 described in a former letter, the gallantry of the French ofncers, but I have not repeated the compliments they sometimes make me, and which have been oiFered, perhaps, to every woman in town before they reach my ear. But a civil thing I heard yesterday, had so much of originality in it that it deserves to be remembered. I was copying a beautiful drawing of the graces, when a Frenchman I detest, entered the room. Approaching the table he said. What mademoiselle do you paint? 1 did not know that you possessed that talent. Vexed at his intrusion. I asked if he knew I possessed any talents. Certainly, he replied, every body acknowledges that you possess that of pleasing. Then looking at the picture that lay before me, he continued : The modesty of the graces would prevent their at- tempting to draw you. Why? I asked. Be» cause in painting you, they w^ould be obliged to copy themselves. With all this bavardage receive my aifec- tionate adieu ! 65 LETTER IX. Cape Francois, We have had some novelty here my dear friend, for general Closelle,, who commands during the absence of the general in chief, has taken a new method to amuse the people, and courts popularity under the veil of religion. He gives no balls, no concerts ; but he has had the church fitted up, and the fete dieu has been celebrated with great order, magnificence and solemnity. At break of day the fete Avas announced by the firing of cannon : at eight o'clock the procession left the church, and passed through the principal streets, which were strewn with roses ; the fronts of the houses were decorated with green branches, formed into arches, in- termingled with wreaths of flowers. The troops under arms were placed in double ranks on each G 2 66 HORRORS OF side of the street. The procession was opened by a number of young boys dressed in white surplices, singing a hymn in honour of the day. T.bcy were followed by young girls, crowned with myrtle, bearing in their hands baskets of flowers, which they strewed on the ground as they passed along. The band of music fol- lowed, and then the priests, bearing golden censors, in which were burning the most ex- quisite perfumes, preceded by four negroes, carrying on their shoulders a golden temple, ornamented with precious stones, and golden angels supporting a canopy of crimson velvet, beneath which the sacred host was exposed in a brilliant sagraria. After them marched ge- neral Closelle, and all the officers of the civil and military departments. The procession was closed by a number of ladies, covered with white veils. As the temple passed along, the soldiers bent one knee to the ground; and when it returned to the church, high mass was sung, accompanied by military music. Clara and myself, attended by her everlast- ing beau, major B — — , went all over the town, and so fatigued our poor cavalier, that ST. DOMINGO. tt he actually fell down ; but he is fifty years old, and at least five hundred in constitution; he has been very handsome, has still the finest eyes in the world, is full of anecdote, and infi- nitely amusing. General Closelle is very handsome, tall, and elegantly formed, but not at all gallant, consequently not a favourite with the ladies; and for the same reason, a great one with the gentlemen, particularly those who are married. Since the departure of the general in chief he has put every thing on a new footing' the for- tifications are repairing, and block-houses are erecting all round the town, A few days since the negroes attacked a block-house which was nearly finished. A de- tachment commanded by general Mayart, was instantly sent out to support the guard. As he passed under my window, I told him to hasten and gather fresh laurels. He replied, that at his return he would lay them at my feet ; but, alas 1 he returned no more. The negroes were retreating when he arrived : a random shot struck him, and he fell dead from his horse. This young man came from France 68 HORRORS OF about a year ago, a simple lieutenant; he was very poor, but being powerfully protected, ad- vanced rapidly in the army; and, what is* infi- nitely surprising, thirty thousand dollars, and a great quantity of plate, were found in his house at his death. Madame G , a pretty little Parisian, who was his favourite, is inconsolable. She faints when any body enters the room, and re- peats his name in gentle murmurs. In the evening she languish in gly reposes on a sopha placed opposite the door, and seems to invite by the gracefulness of her attitudes, and the negligence of her dress, the whole world to console her. The most distressing accounts arrive here daily from all parts of the island. The general in chief is at Port-au-Prince, but he possesses no longer the confidence of the people. He is entirely governed by his officers, who are boys, and who think only of amusement. He gives splendid balls, and ele- gant parties ; but he neglects the army, and oppresses the inhabitants. ST. DOMINGO. ^9 A black chief and his wife were made pri- soners last week, and sentenced to be shot. As they walked to the place of execution the chief seemed deeply impressed with the hor- ror of his approaching fate : but his wife went cheerfully along, endeavoured to console him, and reproached his want of courage. When they arrived on the field, in which their grave was already dug, she refused to have her eyes bound ; and turning to the soldiers who were to execute their sentence, said "Be expedi- tious, and don't make me linger." She re- ccived their fire without shrinking, and ex- pired without uttering a groan. Since the commencement of the revolution she had been a very devil ! Her husband commanded at St. Marks, and being very amorously inclined, every white lady who was unfortunate enough to attract his notice, received an order to meet him. If she refused, she was sure of being destroyed, and if she complied she was as sure of being killed by his wife's orders, which were indisputable. Jealous as a tygress, she watched all the actions of her husband ; and never failed to punish the objects of his amo- 70 HORRORS OF rous approaches, often when they were en- tiijely mnocent. How terrible was the situation of these un- fortunate women, insulted by the brutal pas- sion of a negro, and certain of perishing if they resisted or if they complied. This s^me fury in female form killed with her own hand a white man who had been her husband's secretary. He offended her ; she had him bound, and stabbed him with a pen- knife till he expired ! How often, my dear friend, do my sighs bear my wishes to your happy country; how ardently do I desire to revisit scenes hallowed by recollection, and rendered doubly dear by the peaceful security I there enjoyed, contrast- ed with the dangers to which we are here ex- posed. Yet the Creoles still hope; for *' Hope travels through, nor quits us when we die." They think it impossible that this island can ever be abandoned to the negroes. They build houses, rebuild those that were burned, and seem secure in their possession. The ST. DOMINGO. 71 measures of general Closelle inspire them with confidence ; and they think that if he was commander in chief, all would go well. But when general Rochambeau was second in command, he was a favorite with everybody; and it is only since he has attained the sum- mit of power that he has appeared regardless of public opinion ! He is said to have the ta- lents of a soldier, but not those of a general. Whatever may be the fate of this country, here I must wait with patience, of which mulish virtue I have no great share, till some change in its affairs restores me to my own. Yet when there, I can hope for nothing more than tran- quillity. The romantic visions of happiness I once delighted to indulge in, are fading fast away before the exterminating touch of cold reality. — The glowing hand of hope grows cold, And fancy lives not to be old. But whilst your friendship is left me life will still have a charm. » 73 LETTER X. Cape Francois, It is not often in the tranquillity of domes- tic life that the poet or the historian seek their subjects! Of this I am certain, that in the calm that now surrounds us it will be difficult for me to find one for my unpoetical pen. Clara is dull, St. Loui^ contented, and I pass my time heavily, complaining of the fate which brought me here, and wishing to be away. We go sometimes to the concerts given by monsieur d'Or, where madame P , a pretty Uttle Parisian sings; and where madame A , acccompanied by her daughter, pre- sides with solemn dignity. This lady, who is at present a most rigid censor of female con- duct, and not amiable either in person or man- ners, lived many years with monsieur A , who raised her from the rank of his house- 74 HORRORS OF keeper, to that of his mistress. But he fell in love with another lady, whom he was going to marry. The deserted fair one threw herself in despair at the feet of Toussaint, with whom she had some influence, and so forcibly repre- sented the injustice of the proceeding, that Toussaint ordered A to be confined, say- ing he should not be released till he consent- ed to marry the lady he had so long lived with. A resisted some time, but at length yield- ed, and exchanged his prison for the softer one of her arms. Before tlie revolution there was a convent at the Cape. The nuns in general were very rich, and devoted themselves chiefly to the education of young ladies: some of their pu- pils, I have heard, would have done honour to a Parisian seminary. When religion was abolished in France, the rage for abolition, as well as that of revo- lutionizing reached this place, and the nuns were driven from the convent by Santhonax, a name which will always fill every French- man's breast with horror: he caused the first destruction of the Cape. On the arrival of ge- ST. DOMINGO. 75 neral Galbo, who was sent to supercede him, he said, '' if Galbo reigns here, he shall reign over ashes," and actually set fire to the town. The convent was not then burned; but the society was dissolved, the habit of the order laid aside ; and some of the nuns, profiting by the license of the times, married. Gne of these became the wife of a man who, during the reign of the negroes committed crimes of the deepest die. He has not yet received the punishment due to them; but he awaits in trembling the hour of retribution. I often see her. She has been very handsome, but her charms are now in the wane ; she has a great deal of vivacity, and that fluency of expression in conversing on the topics of the day, which gives to a -French woman the reputation of having beaiicoup d^ esprit, I know also the lady abbess, who is an excellent woman of most engaging manners. She lives in a miserable chamber, and sup- ports herself by her industry. The greatest part of the community have perished; and ge- neral Le Clerc found it more convenient to have the convent fitted up for his own resi- ib HORRORS OF dence, than to restore it to its owners, the government house having been entirely de- stroyed. There are also here two hospitals, neither of which have been injured, though the town has been twice burned. The Hopitale de la Providence is an asylum for the poor, the sick and the stranger; the building is decent: but the Hopitale des Peres de la Charite is superb, surrounded hj gardens, ornamented with sta- tues and fountains, and finished with all the magnificence which their vast revenues ena- bled its owners to command. The streets of the town cross each other at right angles, like those of Philadelphia, and there are several public squares which add greatly to the beauty of the place. In the centre of each is a fountain, from which the water, clear as crystal, flows into marble ba- sons. The houses are commodious, particu- larly those of two stories, which have all bal- conies; but the streets are narrow, and the heat would be intolerable if it was not for the relief afforded by bathmg, which is here an universal custom, and for the sea-breezes ST. DOMINGO, 77 which, rising every afternoon, waft on their wings dehcious coohiess. The mulatto women are the hated but suc- cessful rivals of the Creole ladies. Many of them are extremely beautiful ; and, being des- tined from their birth to a life of pleasure, they are taught to heighten the power of their charms by all the aids of art, and to express in every look and gesture all the refinements of voluptuousness. It may be said of them, that their very feet speak. In this country that unfortunate class of beings, so numerous in my own, — victims of seduction, devoted to pub- lic contempt and universal scorn, is unknown. Here a false step is very rarely made by an un- married lady, and a married lady, who does not make one, is as rare; yet of both there have been instances : but the faux pas of a married lady is so much a matter of course, that she who has only one lover, and retains him long in her chains, is considered as a mo- del of constancy and discretion. To the destiny of the women of colour no infamy is attached; they have inspired pas- sions which have lasted through life, and are H.2 78 HORRORS OF faithful to their lovers through every vicissi- tude of fortune and chance* But before the revokition their splendor, their elegance, their influence over the men, and the fortunes la- vished on them by their infatuated lovers, so powerfully excited the jealousy of the white ladies, that they complained to the council of the ruin their extravagance occasioned to many families, and a decree was issued imposing re- strictions on their dress. No woman of co- lour was to wear silk, which was then univer- sally worn, nor to appear in public without a handkerchief on her head. They determined to oppose this tyranny, and took for that pur- pose a singular but effectual resolution. They shut themselves up in their houses, and ap- peared no more in public. The merchants soon felt the bad effects of this determination, and represented so forcibly the injury the de- cree did to commerce, that it w^as reversed, and the olive beauties triumphed. But the rage of the white ladies still pur- sued them with redoubled fury, for what is so violent as female jealousy ? The contest how- ever was unequal, and the influence of their ST. DOMINGO. 79 detested rivals could not be counteracted. Some of them were very rich. There is a friendliness and simplicity in their manners which is very interesting. They are the most caressing creatures in the world, and breathe nothing but affection and love. One of their most enviable privileges, and which they ill- herit from nature, is that their beauty is im- mortal — they never fade. The French appear to understand less than any other people the delights arising from an union of hearts. They seek only the gratifi- cation of their sensual appetites. They gather the flowers, but taste not the fruits of love. They call women the '''beau sexe^^'' and know them only under the enchanting form of mi- nisters of pleasure. They may appear thus to those who have only eyes; by those who have hearts they will always be considered as sacred objects of reverence and love. A man who thinks and feels views in woman the be- neficent creature who nourished him with her milk, and watched over his helpless infancy; a consoling being who soothes his pains and softens his sorrows by her tenderness and even 80 HORRORS OF by her levity and her sports. But here female virtue is blasted in the bud by the contagious influence of example. Every girl sighs to be married to escape from the restraint in which she is held whilst single, and to enjoy the un- bounded liberty she so often sees abused by her mother. A husband is necessary to give her a place in society ; but is considered of so little importance to her happiness, that in the choice of one her inclination is very seldom consulted. And when her heart, in spite of custom, feels the pain of being alone, and seeks an asylum in the bosom of her husband, she too often finds it shut against her; she -is assailed by those whose only desire is to add another trophy to their conquests, and is borne away by the torrent of fashion and dissipation till all traces of her native simplicity are de- stroyed. She joins with unblushing front, the crowd who talk of sentiments they never feel, and who indulge in the most licentious ex- cesses without having the glow of passion to gild their errors. These reflections were sug- gested by a most preposterous marriage, at which I was present. A girl of fifteen was sa- ST. DOMINGO. 81 crificed by her grandmother to a man of sixty, of the most disagreeable appearance and for- bidding manners. The soul of this unfortu- nate victim is all melting softness; she is of the most extraordinary beauty; she is now given to the world, and in those who surround her she will find the destroyers of her delica- cy, her simplicity, and her peace. 83 LETTER XL Cape Francois, To give you some idea of the despotism that reigns in this country, I must relate an event which, though it originated with Clara, was certainly carried farther than she either expected or desired. On our arrival here she engaged a young Frenchman to give her lessons in his language, which she spoke tolerably before, but in which she wished to acquire perfection. After he had attended her some time she perceived that his lessons were considerably lengthened and that he chose for his themes the most amorous and affectionate pieces. Some observations made on the subject, drew from him a confes- sion of the extraordinary passion she had in- spired. After laughing at his folly, she dis- 84 HORRORS OF missed him, and thought of him no more ; but shortly after was informed that he had circu- lated reports highly injurious to her. General Rochambeau, whose ears they had reached, asked her from whence they arose? and she related to him with great simplicity the whole affair. The general said he should be em- barked, and the next morning he was actually sent on board an armed vessel which was to sail in a few days. Whilst there he wrote a pathetic and elegant little poem in which he represented himself as the victim of the gene- ral's jealousy, who thus sought to destroy him for having interfered, and not unsuccessfully, with his pursuits. This paper was sent to the man with whom he had lived, and who handed it to every body. Clara was in despair. She informed the general in chief that he had ren- dered the affair, which was at first only ridi- culous, seriously provoking: in consequence of which the house of this man was surround- ed by guards, who, without giving him time to take even a change of clothes, conducted him on board the vessel where his friend was ¥ ST. DOMINGO. 85 confined; it sailed immediately for France, and his house and store, which were worth at least thirty thousand dollars became the prey of the officers of the administration : but the poem was heard of no more. 87 LETTER XII. Cape Francois, The general in chief has returned from Port-au-Prince. Three days after his arrival the Cape was blockaded by five British ships, and news w^as received of war having been declared between England and France. Every body is in the greatest consterna- tion, for inevitable ruin threatens the place. The English will no doubt prevent all vessels from entering the port, and take all that go out; at the same time the negroes are said t@ be preparing another attack. The general brought in his train all the belles of Port-au-Prince, and has given a ball, at which, incredible as it may appear to you, Clara and myseW appeared. When the cards of invitation were brought, St. Louis declared that they should not be left; but major B , 88 HORRORS OF who was present, represented so forcibly the danger of irritating the general, who has shewn some symptoms of a disposition to tyrannize, since his return which were never remarked in him before, that he consented to our going. When we entered the room attended by B, every eye was fixed on Clara, who never was so lovely. Dressed in a robe ornamented with •wreaths of flowers, she joined the sweetness of Flora to the lightness of the youngest of the graces, and the recollection of certain late events gave an air of timidity to her looks which rendered her enchanting. General Ro- chambeau, by the warmth of his manner en- creased her confusion, and fixed on her more pointedly the attention of every beholder. He was surprized at seeing her without her hus- band, and enquired what had wrought so won- derful a change? She replied that he had found a very good representative in major B , and that he had acquired a little confidence in herself. She waltzed with* more than her usual grace, and the general seemed flattered by the notice she attracted. ST. DOMINGO. 89 Most of the ladies from Port-au-Prince are widows " Who bear about the mockery of woe To midnight dances and the pubHc shew.'' None of them are remarkable for their beauty or elegance. The only new face worth look- ing at was a madame V , lately arrived from France ; her hair was dressed a la Ninon de VEnclos^ part of it fastened on the top of the head, the rest hanging about her neck in loose curls. The ball room had been newly furnished with regal splendor; all the chairs Avere re- moved, and long sophas with large cushions offered delightful seats. A recess at one end of the room had been fitted up a la Turc ; the walls were entirely concealed with large look- ing glasses, which reached the ceiling; the floor was covered with carpets and the only seats were piles of crimson sattin cushions thrown on the ground. The lustres, veiled with green silk, gave a soft light, imitating that of the moon, and the ensemble breathed an air of tranquillity that invited to repose after the I 2 90 HORRORS OF fatigue of dancing, and offered a retreat from the heat which it was almost impossible to re- sist. To this retreat general Rochambeau led Clara. A lady was lolling in one corner, and I entered at the same moment. He looked as if he wished us both away, but I never attend to looks that I am resolved not to understands ST. DOMINGO. LETTER XIII. 91 Cape Francois. A few days after the ball mentioned in my last, St. Louis determined to send Clara and myself to St. Jago de Cuba, and to follow us as soon as possible. This measure was op- posed by major B ; but Clara insisted, and the day of our departure was fixed. The next day B breakfasted with us; and as soon as we were alone, told Clara that she M'^as wrong in being so entirely governed by her husband. She replied, that she had suiFered much in consequence of coquetting with ge- neral Rochambeau, in which her only inten- tion had been to find amusement; but she was now convinced of its being highly dangerous and improper; and that it had been produc- tive of much ill. She added, that she lived in continual inquietude, and that nothing would / 92 HORRORS or induce her to stay in the Cape if she could get away. B — - — spoke of the passion of the general, — said he had seen him that morning, and as a proof of her having been the subject of their conversation, gave her a letter from him. Is it possible, (she exclaimed) you in whom my husband has so much confidence? You are a fool, replied B , and your husband is no better : and if his insolence to the general has not been punished it is owing to my inter- ference. Clara read the letter. It was filled with professions of admiration and unalterable love. He begged her not to think of leaving the Cape, which was in no danger; and further said he had taken measures to prevent her being sent away. He requested her to write to him, but this she positively refused. Towards noon a proclamation was issued ordering all the passports which had been granted during the last three months to be re- turned. St. Louis was in despair: he had in- tended sending Clara off without eclat, having procured passports before, but B- betray- ST. DOMINGO. 95 ed him. Yet in B he has the most un- bounded confidence ; and suffers Clara to re- ceive nobody els^. She walks with him when she pleases, and he never fails on such occa- sions to give the general an opportunity of speaking to her. A few days ago ^ve went to Picolet, to see the fort. The road to it winds along the sea- shore at the foot of the mountain. The rocks are covered with the Arabian jessamin, which grows here in the greatest profusion. Its flex- ible branches form among the cliffs moving festoons and fantastic ornaments, and its flowers whiter than snow, fill the air with intoxicating fragrance. After having visited the fort we were preparing to return, when we saw a troop of horsemen descending the mountain. They came full speed. We soon discovered they were the general and his suite ; and as they followed the windings of the road, with their uniform a la mameluc^ and their long sabres, they appeared like a horde of Arabs. The general arrived first, and jumping from his horse, told Clara that he had left the table an hour sooner than usual to have the plea- 94 HORRORS OF sure of seeing her. Then, said she, looking reproachfuUy at B , you have a famihar spirit who informs you of jny movements ! Why not, he repHed, are you not an enchan- tress, and have you not employed all the powers of magic to enslave me ? You arc in an error said Clara ; I was flattered by your admiration, and gratified by the attentions with which you honoured me; but I used no art to attract the one, and am too sensible of my own defects not to feel that I am indebted for the other entirely to your goodness. That is too modest to be natural, cried the general. No- body who possesses your charms can be igno- rant of their power ; nor could any one mis- take the passion I have evinced for you, for the common attention every lady receives as her due. Then you do not believe a woman can be modest? asked Clara. Modest if you please, but not insensible, he replied. And suffer me to observe, Oh no observations, I entreat, interrupted Clara ; fcr this interview w^ill, I fear, occasion too many. — rBut tell me, how did you learn I was to be here ; and why have you left the table where you so often sa= ST. DOMINGO. 95 crifice till a late hour to the rosy god, to wan- der among these rugged rocks where despair- ing lovers alone would seek a retreat? And are you of that number? he enquired. No, she replied: but I have not your motive's for staying at home : I was led here by curiosity; It is my first visit to this spot. Then believe, said the general, that I came here to offer at your feet that homage which envious fate has hitherto deprived me of an opportunity of pay- ing. During this conversation, he had drawn her to a point of the rock; and the officers of his suite, surrounding me, sought to divert my attention by all the common place compli- ments of which they are so profuse. I had forgotten Clara for a moment, when, turning, I beheld the general, who bending one knee to the ground, seized her hand passionately, and at the same time I saw St. Louis ascend- ing the mountain. Pressing through the crowd I flew to her, saying, are you mad? Rise general, for heaven's sake I her husband approaches ! what means this exhibition of folly ? Yes I am mad, he re- plied, I adore your sister, and she refuses to 96 HORRORS OF listen to me. My sister is married, I answer- ed. But, said he, she loves not her husband. At least I love no one more than him, said Clara, trembling at the idea of having been seen by St. Louis. Fortunately I had disco- vered him at the foot of the mountain, and the road winds round its base with so many turn- ings that it is of considerable length and be- fore he arrived she was tolerably composed. You have deceived me, said the general. I never listened to you, she replied. But you have read my letters. — I could not avoid re- ceiving, but I never answered them. Still, he observed, interrupting her, I will hope; For your eyes cannot utter falsehood, and from them I have received encouragement. At that instant St. Louis arrived; he ap- peared astonished at seeing Clara so surround- ed, and advancing involuntarily, as if to defend her, took her arm. The general, with his usual levity, told St. Louis, that he came in time to prevent him from running away with his wife. Then twin- ing round her arm a wreath of jessamin he had taken from my hand, said, with such fetters ST. DOMINGO, 97 only you should be bound! Does she find those that, bind her too heavy ? asked her hus- band. No, replied the general, she seems con- tent. Then casting a look of disappointment at Clara, he mounted his horse and rode off. Major B engaged St. Louis in a con- versation on the situation of the colony, which made him forget the dangerous one in which he had found his wife, Clara, leaning on my arm, seemed op- pressed by a variety of sensations, among which indignation predominated. The ^ rity and presumption of the gene^*-^' her, and the recollection of haviu:. gativeiy encouraged him, gave ai -^1 pang to her heart. We returned slovv Our meeting with general Rochambca drought accidental by St. Louis, and was ta. no notice, of. i 99 LETTER XIV, Cape Francois. Ah, my dear friend, where shall I find ex- pressions to convey to you an idea of the hor- ror that fills my soul ; how describe scenes at which I tremble even now with terror ? Three negroes were caught setting fire to a plantation near the town. They were sen- tenced to be burnt alive ; and the sentence w^as actually executed. When they were tied to the stake and the fire kindled, one of them, I understand, held his head over the smoke and was suiFocated immediately. The second made horrible contortions, and howled dread- fully. The third, looking at him comtemptu- ously said, Peace ! do you not know how to die? and preserved an unalterable firmness till the devouring flames consumed him. This cruel act has been blamed by every body, as 100 HORRORS OP giving a bad example to the negroes, who will not fail to retaliate on the first prisoners they take. But it has been succeeded by a deed which has absolutely chilled the hearts of the people. Every one trembles for his own safe- ty, and silent horror reigns throughout the place. A young Creole, who united to the great= est elegance of person the most polished man- ners and the most undaunted courage, had in- curred, I know not how, the displeasure of ge- neral Rochambeau, and had received a hint of approaching danger, but neither knew what he had to fear, nor how to avoid it, when he re- ceived an order to pay into the treasury, be- fore three o'clock, twenty thousand dollars on pain of death. This was at ten in the morn- ing. He thought at first it was a jest; but when assured that the order was serious, said he would rather die than submit to such injus- tice, and was conducted by a guard to prison. Some of his friends went to the government- house to intercede for him. Nobody was ad- mitted. His brother exerted himself to raise the sum required; but though their house has- ST. DOMINGO. 101 a great deal of property, and government is indebted to them more than a hundred thou- sand dollars, it was difficult, from the scar- city of cash, to raise so large a sum in so short a time, and nobody thought there was any danger to be apprehended. At half after two o'clock he was taken to the fosset, where his grave was already dug. The captain of the guard sent to know if there was no re- prieve: and was told that there. was none. He sent again, the same answer was returned, with an order to perform his duty, or his life would be the forfeit of his disobedience. He was a Creole, the friend, the companion of the unfortunate Feydon. Ah ! how could he submit to be the vile instrument of tyran- ny ? how could he sacrifice his friend ? Why did he not resign his commission on the spotj and abide by the consequence ? Approaching Feydon, he offered to bind his eyes ; but he refused, saying. No, let me witness your hor- rors to the last moment. He was placed on the brink of his grave. They fired : he fell ! but from the bottom of his grave cried, I am K 2 k 102 HOERORS OF not dead- — finish me ! My heart bleeds : 1 knew him ; and while I live, the im,pression this dreadful event has made on me will never be effaced. At the moment he was killed his brother, having collected the required sum, carried it to the general, who took the money, and sent the young man, who was frantic when he heard of his brother's fate, to prison. It is said a reprieve had been granted, but had been suppressed by Nero the commandant de la place, who is as cruel, and as much detested as was the tyrant whose name he bears. A few days after, nine of the principal mer- chants were selected. One hundred thousand dollars was the sum demanded from them ; and they were imprisoned till it should be found. It was then the virtuous Leaumont approached, fearless of consequences, the re- treat of the tyrant, and obliged him to listen to the voice of truth. He represented the im- possibility of finding the sum demanded from these unfortunate men, and entreated to have a tax laid on every individual of the place in proportion to his property, which, after much ST. DOMINGO. 103 debate was consented to. The money was soon furnished, and the prisoners released. Since the death of Fey don the general ap^ pears no more in public. A settled gloom per- vades the place, and every one trembles lest he should be the next victim of a monster from whose power there is no retreat. St. Louis, above all, is in the greatest danger, for he has the reputation of being rich, and, hiiving ex- cited the aversion of general Rochambeau, it is not probable that he will escape without some proof of his animosity. Clara is in the greatest dejection. She re- pents bitterly the levity of her conduct, and is torn with anxiety for the fate of her husband. She loves him not, it is true, but would be in despair if through her fault the least evil befel him, and feels for the first time the danger of awakening the passions of those who are ca- pable of sacrificing all considerations to grati- fy their wishes or revenge their disappoint- ment. She requested the general to give her a passport for St. Jago de Cuba. He replied that he could only grant them to the old and 104 HORRORS OP Ugly, and she, not being of this description, he was obliged to refuse her ; however, after much solicitation, she obtained one for herself for me and her servants, and we shall sail in a few days. All the women are suffered to depart, but no man can procure a passport. Some it is true, find means to escape in dis- guise, and they are fortunate, for it is much feared that those who remain will be sacrificed. Every vessel that sails from hence is seized and plundered by the English ; but, as we are Americans, perhaps we may pass. Our intention is to stay at St. Jago till St. Louis joins us. God knows whether we shall ever see him again. With what joy I shall leave this land of oppression 1 how much that joy would be increased if I was going to the. continent ; but in all places, and in all coun- tries I shall be affectionately yours, T. DOMINGCf-. 105 LETTER XV. Barracoa, You will no doubt be surprised at receiv- ing a letter from hence, but here we are my dear friend, deprived of every thing we pos- sessed, in a strange country, of whose lan- guage we are ignorant, and where, even with money, it would be impossible to procure what we have been accustomed to consider as the necessaries of life. Yet here we have found an asylum, and met with sympathy; not that of words, but active and eifectual sympathy, from strangers, which, perhaps, we should have sought in vain in our own country, and among our own people. We embarked at the Cape, Clara, myself and six servants, in a small schooner, w^hich was full of womxcn, and bound to St. Jago. As soon as we were out of the harbour a boat 106 HORRORS OF from a British frigate boarded us, condemned the vessel as French property, and, without further ceremony , sent the passengers on board another vessel which was lying near us, and was going to Barracoa, where we arrived in three days, after having suffered much from want of provisions and water. Every thing belonging to us had been left in the schooner the English made a prize of. St. Louis, hav- ing forseen the probability of this event, had made Clara conceal fifty doubloons in her corset. On our arrival at Barracoa, a Frenchman we had known at the Cape came on board. He conducted us ashore, and procured us a room in a miserable hut, where we passed the night on a board laid on the ground, it being impossible to procure a mattrass. The next morning the first consideration was clothes. There w^as not a pair of shoes to be found in the place, nor any thing which we would have thought of employing for our use if we had not been obliged by the pressure of necessity, Clara had given a corner of our hut to a lady ST. DOMINGO. 107 who, with two children, was without a shiK ling. While we were at breakfast, which we made of chocolate, served in little calabashes, lent us by the people of the house, a priest of most benign aspect entered, and addressing Clara in French, which he speaks fluently, told her that having heard of our arrival and mis- fortunes, he had come to offer his services, and enquired how we had passed the night ? Clara shewed him the boards on which we had slept. He rose instantly, and calling the mis- tress of the house, spoke to her angrily. I afterwards learned that he reproached her for not having informed him of our distress as soon as we arrived. He took his leave and returned in half an hour with three or four negroes who brought mattrasses, and baskets filled with fowls, and every kind of fruit the island pro- duces. Then, telling Clara that his sister would call on her in the evening, and begging her to consider him as her servant, and every thing he possessed at her disposal, he went away. In the afternoon he returned with his sister. She is a widow. Her manners are in» 108 HORRORS OF teresting, but she speaks no language except her own, of which not one of us understood a word. Father PhiHp sent for the only shopkeeper in the place, who furnished us with black silk for dresses, and some miserable linen. By the next day we were decently equipped. We were then presented to the governor, whose wife is divinely beautiful. Nothing can equal the lustre of her eyes, or surpass the fascinat-^ ing power of her graceful and enchanting man- ners. The changes of her charming counte= nance express every emotion of her soul, and she seems not to require the aid of words* to be understood. She conceived at once a fer- vent friendship for Clara, and having learned our misfortunes from father Philip, insisted on our living in her house whilst we remained at Barracoa. This point was disputed by Don- na Angelica, who said she had provided a chamber for us in her own. But madame la Governadora was not to be thwarted ; she seized Clara by the arm, and drawing her playfully into another room, insisted on dress- ing her a la Espagnoky which is nothing more ST. DOMINGO. 109 than a cambric chemise^ cut very low in the bosom, an under petticoat of linen, made very stiff with starch,. and a muslin one over it, both very short. To this is added, when they go out, a large black silk veil, which covers the head and falls below the waist. By this dress the beauty of the bosom, which is so carefully preserved by the French is lost. Clara looked very well in this costume, but felt uncomfortable. As Donna Jacinta would not hear of our leaving her we consent- ed to stay ; and a chamber was prepared for us. In the evening we walked through the town, and were surprised to see such extreme want in this abode of hospitality. The houses are built of twigs, interwoven like basket work, and slightly thatched with the leaves of the palm tree, v/ith no other floor than the earth. The inhabitants sit on the ground, and eat altogether out of the pot in which their food is prepared. Their bed is formed of a dried hide, and they have no clothes but what they wear, nor ever think of procuring any till these are in rags. 110 HORRORS OF There are only three decent houses in the place, which belong to the governor, to father Philip, and his sister ; yet these good people are happy, for they are contented. Their poverty is not rendered hideous by the con- trast of insolent pride or unfeeling luxury. They dose away their lives in a peaceful ob- scurity, which if I do not envy, I cannot des- pise. There are many French families here from St. Domingo; some almost without re- source; and this place offers none for talents of any kind. It is not uncommon to hear the sound of a harp or piano from beneath a straw built shed, or to be arrested by a celestial voice issuing from a hut which would be sup- posed uninhabitable, Clara studies with so much application the Spanish language that she can already hold with tolerable ease a conversation, especially with the seignora Jacinta, whos