Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

an English privateer from Nassau, the Susannah, Captain Tucker, who, after plundering the French of all their remaining valuables, and of their Negroes, who had voluntarily followed them, let the vessel go.

After this triumph of the republicans, Polverel left his colleague at the cape, and went to the westward. Santhonax quitted the government house, which formerly belonged to the Jesuits, and was indefensible, and removed to Grigri, M. Bailly's house, situated within gun-shot of the town, near the little " Carenage," upon the side of the mountain facing the anchorage, and in a steep place. There was only one narrow road to it between the " Morne a Pic" and the sea. A steep path led to the house, which could only be entered by a long flight of steps. Above it the heights were inaccessible, and before the house was a large terrace, underneath which was a garden, consisting of five or six platforms, still narrower, which ended at the road. Here two brass guns were placed, and a strong guard of Blacks; and here Santhonax remained. Upon the 29th of August, he declared all the Blacks and persons of mixed blood actually in slavery free, and entitled to enjoy all the rights attached to the quality of French citizens.

Polverel had done the same to leeward by a proclamation dated the 27th of August.

All the particulars of the precipitate departure of Santhonax (the French writer says) prove that he dreaded the animosity of the Mulattoes, and dared not trust himself to the Blacks; he could not hope either for any produce in a country so ruined. He took with him all the provisions and ammunition which remained in the magazines, and all the white troops, and only white ones, who were now reduced from 15,000 men to 1000, of whom 400 were so ill, that, despairing of curing them in that country, he sent them to the United States; these were shipped without necessaries and without surgeons; several, indeed, died during the process of embarking. When these were gone, Santhonax, upon the 10th of October, sailed for Port de Paix; quitting the famous anchorage of Cape François, which used, before the revolution, to contain continually four or five hundred merchant vessels of all sizes, and leaving in it only five or six small craft belonging to the Americans.

It is more probable that Santhonax was afraid of the English. Upon the 9th of September, Commodore J. Ford, in his Majesty's ship Europa of fifty guns, sailed from Jamaica with the expedition against St. Domingo. The troops were under the command of Colonel Whitelocke. Upon the 19th, the Europa, Le Goelan, fourteen guns, Captain T. Woolley, and Flying Fish (schooner), Lieutenant Prevost, arrived at Jeremie, and the troops were landed the ensuing morning; as the terms of capitulation had been previously arranged

[blocks in formation]

with the council of public safety of that part of the island, they took possession of the town, forts, and harbour, without the least opposition, and the inhabitants took the oaths of allegiance. The commodore remained here but a few hours, when he sailed for Cape St. Nicholas Mole, which surrendered on similar terms on the 22d September. The parishes of St. Marc and Gonaives surrendered to Major Grant, commandant at St. Nicholas Mole, in December, and Commodore Ford blockaded Port-au-Prince.

Colonel Whitelock having been assured that 500 French, under M. Duval, would assist at the capture of Tiburon, made the attempt, but Duval and his troops did not make their appearance; the enemy were more formidable than had been represented, and Colonel Whitelock was obliged to retreat with the loss of twenty men killed and wounded.

Between seven and eight hundred men from Jamaica reinforced the British troops, and led the planters to conclude that the English would pursue the conquest of the island.

In January, his Majesty's ship Providence, Captain William Bligh, and the Assistant brig, Captain Nathaniel Portlock, arrived at Jamaica from the South Seas, having on board several hundred plants of the bread fruit tree, and a vast number of other choice and curious plants: by December, some of the bread fruit plants were upwards of eleven feet high, with leaves thirty-six inches long. The gardeners' success in cultivating them exceeded his most sanguine expectations. There had been several attempts to introduce the bread fruit tree made before, but without success.

Three hundred bread fruit plants, in excellent order, were left by Captain Bligh at Kingston, in St. Vincent's, for the purpose of being distributed among the different islands. The Providence was only twenty-seven days on her passage from St. Helena to St. Vincent's.

At Jamaica, the bread fruit plants, some of which were nearly three inches in diameter, and in high perfection, were divided by the commissioners; eighty-three to the county of Surrey, and an equal number to the county of Manchester, and the same to the county of Cornwall.

The white population in Grenada were estimated at 1000 this year. The island of Tobago was captured by the English: it surrendered without any great struggle, on the 15th of April, to Sir John Laforey, in his Majesty's ship Trusty, of fifty guns, the Nautilus, of sixteen, the Honourable H. Powlett, and the troops under the command of Major-General Cuyler.

The Danish government allowed the free exportation of cotton from Santa Cruz, on payment of 74 per cent. duty.

Edwards, vol. i. Preface; vol. iii. p. 436.

Annual Register, 1793, pp. 10. 17. Colquhoun's British Empire, pp. 357. 362.

The whole of the trade from the Danish West India islands employed only between fifty and sixty vessels, from 80 to 120 tons burthen.

Some charges having been made against Sir J. Orde, as governor of Dominica, by the assembly of that island, he was recalled to England, and the charges investigated before the King in council. The result of the inquiry, Mr. H. Dundas tells him," is highly creditable to you; and the more so, from the full and minute considerations which those charges, and their general imputations against you, underwent."

In 1786, the assembly had voted him their thanks; and in 1791, the principal inhabitants did so again, for suppressing a dangerous revolt of the slaves.

In February, the Methodists held a conference at Antigua; and by the returns which were made to this conference from the different islands, they found that their total number of members in society amounted to 6570 persons. Of this number, 2420 resided in Antigua, of whom only thirty-six where Whites, and 105 people of colour. The rest were Blacks.

Nearly 400 had been formed into a society in Nevis.

From the return made to the House of Commons, it appears that Great Britain imported 90,547 cwt. of coffee and 163,500 hhds. of sugar from the West Indies, of which 28,928 cwt. of coffee and 80,300 hhds. of sugar came from Jamaica.

Upon the 25th of November, his Majesty's ships Penelope, Captain B. S. Rowley, and Iphigenia, Captain Sinclair, captured L'Inconstante, of thirty-six guns, in the Bight of Leogane, St. Domingo.

In August, St. Christopher's was considerably damaged by a hurricane. On the evening preceding the storm, there were near thirty sail at anchor in the roads, but in the morning none were to be seen, except those stranded at different places along the

coast.

June 29th, George Poyntz Ricketts, Esq., was appointed governor of Tobago.

The Methodists in Grenada finished their chapel: it would contain about 400 persons, but was at times too small for the congregation. The Methodists were 100 in society in June. In August, the assembly passed an act, establishing the Romish clergy, with the Church of England, in every parish throughout the island allowing them £200 per annum, and prohibiting preachers of any other denomination whatever from exercising the functions of

Naval Chronicle, vol. xi. p. 191.

Coke's West Indies, vol. ii. pp. 75. 77. 80. 443.; vol. iii. p. 16.
Steele's Naval Chronologist.

Sir W. Young's Common-place Book, p. 16.

Annual Register, 1793, pp. 43. 63.

ministers, under the penalty of being treated as rogues and vagabonds. The bill, however, did not pass into a law.

General export of the four staple articles of produce of the British sugar colonies, from return to order of House of Commons, May the 5th, 1806, for 1793,2,129,750 cwt. of sugar, 4,907,051 gallons of rum, 92,016 cwt. of coffee, and 9,173,583 lbs. of cotton.

The dried fish from the United States, imported into all our islands collectively, was 5025 quintals; and the herrings, or other pickled fish, amounted to 426 barrels.

A Spanish squadron under Lieutenant-General Ariztizable, composed of seven sail of the line and ten frigates, arrived at Porto Cavallo in July, where they remained six months, and suffered dreadfully from the fever. They then crossed as rapidly as possible to Fort Dauphin, where a part remained. The rest went to the Havaña, and remained there until the ships rotted, for they were found not sea-worthy; when, in 1801, an order was sent to the Havaña, for their return to Spain.

In May, his Majesty's ship Experiment arrived in English Harbour from Grenada, in the greatest distress, having lost almost all her men by the fever. An artificer belonging to the ordnance, who had gone on board, and slept in a blanket belonging to one of the dead men, was seized with the fever, and died in a few hours. The infection by means of this blanket, which was carried on shore to the ordnance quarters, with the wearing apparel of the deceased, as part of his property, was communicated to the whole detachment of artillery, and from them to the 31st regiment, then on garrison duty. A boat's crew of the Solebay frigate were sent on board the Experiment to assist in working her into the harbour; they caught the infection, and all died. They had communicated the disease to the crew of their own ship, of whom 200 perished. The contagion was carried to St. John's.

This year, there are only three privateers reported to have been taken by the English in the West Indies.

On the 11th of June, Admiral Gardner with a fleet, having on board 1100 soldiers, under the command of General Bruce, arrived off Cape Navire, in Martinico. The troops landed on the 16th, and were immediately joined by about 800 French royalists, and the whole took post within five miles of St. Pierre's, the general intending to attack the two forts which commanded that town. On the morning of the 18th, the troops were to march in two columns,

Sir W. Young's Common-place Book, pp. 29, 30. 32, 33.
Stephens's Defence of Register Bill, p. 201.
Depon's South America, vol. ii. pp. 51. 211.
Coke's West Indies, vol. ii. p. 419. quoting Dr. Chisholm.
Steele's Naval Chronologist, p. 48.

the British in one, and the French in another. They were in motion before daylight; but some alarm taking place among the royalists, they began in mistake, firing on one another. Their commander was wounded, and they retreated to the post from which they had marched. As no dependance could be placed upon these troops, and the British were too few, the attack was given up, and the troops reimbarked.

The assembly at St. Vincent's passed an act, declaring," that no person in the island should in future preach, without first obtaining a licence; and no person was eligible to a licence, but those who had actually resided twelve months on the island." This militated entirely against the itinerant plan, which had been pursued among the Methodist missionaries who had been established by that sect in the islands. Though they should continue idle for one year, at its expiration there was no certainty of procuring a licence.

The penalties for breaking this law were- for the first offence, a fine of ten johannes, or imprisonment for not more than ninety days, nor less than thirty; for the second offence, such corporal punishment as the court should think proper to inflict, and banishment; and lastly, on return from banishment, death.

On the Sunday following the passing of this act, Mr. Lumb preached, as usual, in the Methodist chapel, which had been built by their own money, and to which no other person presumed to lay the most distant claim. On the ensuing Thursday, he was committed to jail. Through the iron gratings of his window, he repeated the crime which had brought him to that condition; and the Negroes thronged round the prison, "to receive his instructions, and weep over his calamities." To prevent this, the magistrates ordered him to be closely confined, and none but white people were allowed to visit him. From this place Mr. Lumb was released, upon his promising to quit the island.

Dr. Coke says, "before the above iniquitous law was enacted, no island afforded a more pleasing prospect of the prosperity of religion than that of St. Vincent's. Above 1000 of the poor slaves were already stretching forth their hands unto God; and multitudes more attended constantly the preaching of the word. The Negroes throughout the island appeared in general ripe for the gospel, but the door was shut against it."

Dr. Coke returned to London, and waited upon Mr. Dundas, one of the secretaries of state; who, upon the 31st of August, informed him," that his Majesty in council had been graciously pleased to disannul the act of the assembly at St. Vincent's;" and "that his Majesty's pleasure should be notified by the first packet that sailed to the West Indies.-Thus was liberty of conscience again restored, by the best of monarchs, to his loyal subjects."

« AnteriorContinuar »