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sonnes endettées à l'étranger à l'abri des poursuites à la Trinidad, était malavisé; il amena dans cette ile à peu près tous les banqueroutiers de cette partie du monde, banqueroutiers parmi lesquels beaucoup, pour la première fois de leur vie, firent alors profession de la religion catholique romaine : ce ne fut probablement qu'en ce moment qu'ils songèrent à se choisir une religion.

«Il y a en Australie des milliers d'exemples de criminels. réformés devenus de respectables colons, mais bien peu d'exemples, je crois, de débiteurs frauduleux devenus des membres honorables de la société. »

Nous ignorons si les criminels ordinaires sont plus susceptibles de venir à résipiscence que les débiteurs frauduleux; mais nous savons que le malheureux qui se rend coupable de fabrication et d'altération de documents historiques, dans le but de blesser gratuitement l'honneur d'une population au milieu de laquelle il a passé la plus grande partie de sa vie, est et demeure le dernier des hommes. Le seul esprit de nationalité, à quelque exagération qu'on veuille le porter, ne saurait donner l'explication d'un si grand forfait. Il faut que celui qui s'en rend coupable soit venu au monde avec une âme vile, ou qu'il ait perdu le sentiment de l'honneur dans les arrière-boutiques des grandes villes d'Europe.

VI.

(Meany, Abstract of the minutes of Cabildo, 1733-1813, ms.,
p. 98 et seq.)

January 18th 1787.

His Excellency the Governor stated to the Board the necessity of giving another direction to the waters of the River Tragarete (Sainte-Anne) which run

through an irregular tortuous bed on the west side of the Town of Port of Spain, in order to give a proper extension to the projected Town on that side; that the king will advance the necessary sums of money to pay the labour of 638 black slaves and 405 free coloured who inhabit the Town, agreeable to the Register, and who will be devided into proper corvées under the direction of the Engineer-in-Chief Don José del Pozo, and that it was meet that the cabildo should name a Committee from among its members to aid and assist the said Officer of Engineer towards the perfection and quickness of the work, and to report from time to time the state of the same to the Board.

VII.

(Free Mulatto, Address to Earl Bathurst, p. 8.)

He (Don Martin de Salaverría) was succeded by Don Josef Maria Chacon, the period of whose administration was the golden age of Trinidad! Commerce flourished, justice poised an equal scale, and prejudice was driven to skulk in the dark abodes of a few illiberal earth-born breasts. His ear was open to every complaint, his arm extended for the support of every feeble petitioner! He long since has mouldered in the dust; but if the fervent prayers of a grateful people can aught avail, the sod lies gently on him.

NOTES DU CHAPITRE XI.

I.

(Meany, Abstract of the minutes of Cabildo, 1733-1813, ms., p. 133.)

SOUSCRIPTION entre les membres du cabildo, pour subvenir aux frais de la guerre.

Philip Langton...... 100 doublons.

Bartolomé Portel .... 50

100

24 doublons par an pendant la durée de la guerre.

Francisco Mendez....

Abraham Shaw......

E. M. Noël......

100

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Les deux alcades Carry et Basanta déclarent avoir déjà souscrit comme commissaires de population.

II.

(Bryan Edwards, History of the war in the W. I., t. III, ch. IV, p. 433 et seq.)

Victor Hugues was born of mean parents and was placed when a boy as an apprentice to a hair-dresser. In that occupation he went originally to Guadaloupe, where he was after

ward known as a petty inn-keeper at Basseterre. Failing in that pursuit, he became master of a small trading vessel, and at length was promoted to a lieutenancy in the French army. Being distinguished for his activity in the French Revolution, he was afterwards deputed, through the influence of Robespierre, to whose party he was strongly attached, to the National Assembly. In 1794 he obtained the appointment of Commissioner at Guadaloupe, with sontroling powers over the commanders of the army and navy, and proved himself in every respect worthy of his great patron and exemplar, being nearly as savage, remorseless and bloody as Robespierre himself.

Victor Hugues having secured the possession of Guadaloupe, determined in the next place (his force being in adequate to a regular attempt against any of the other islands) to adopt a system of hostility against some of them, which, though well suited to his character and disposition, was not less outrageous and sanguinary than unprecedented among civilized states. To this end he directed his first attention towards Grenada and St Vincent's, expecting to find in each of these islands adherents fit for the project which he meditated.

III.

(E.-L. Joseph, History of Trinidad, part. II, ch. xi, p. 187.)

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France had no naval power in the West Indies, nor any means of assailing England in this quarter, but by intriguing amongst the people of colour. Victor Hughues knew this, and he also knew that Trinidad was, in all but the

name, a French colony, although not likely long to be defended against the naval supremacy of England; he therefore sent to offer a large supply of men to Don Chacon.... Between the amiable Spanish governor and the ferocious Hugues no sympathy could exist the offer of aid was firmly declined by the former.

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