FOOTNOTES:
[1] Ever since the reign of Soulouque, professional authors have been paid by the Haytian Government to spread rose-tinted accounts of the civilisation and progress of Hayti. But twenty-four hours in any town of that republic would satisfy the most sceptical that these semi-official accounts are unworthy of belief.
[2] Mackenzie states that he noticed the thermometer marking 99° every day for considerable periods.
[3] It is a well-known fact that the noise of the approach of an earthquake is generally heard; but in Port-au-Prince there is a curious phenomenon which I have never known explained. A subterranean noise is frequently heard approaching from the plains, and appears to pass under the town without any movement of the earth being perceptible. The Haytians call it “le gouffre,” or “le bruit du gouffre,” and many fancy the whole of that portion of the island to be undermined, and predict a fearful fate for the capital.
[4] Our unsuccessful attempt to conquer Hayti does not merit to be recorded in detail, but it is humiliating to read of the stupidity of our chiefs at Port-au-Prince, who made our soldiers work at fortifications during the day and do duty at night. No wonder that we find a regiment 600 strong losing 400 in two months, and the 82d landing 950 men, to be reduced in six weeks to 350.
[5] St. Remy, speaking of Toussaint’s capture, says, “Embarquement par les blancs.” How like a mulatto not to say “par les français!”
[6] This biography, as well as the others I have seen, is full of absurdities; talks of Toussaint advancing with an imposing army, which turns out to be of 950 men. At the battle of Verretes 1500 blacks drive 3500 English troops from their intrenchments, and then 6000 English are defeated and cut to pieces by a few squadrons. As far as I can learn, Brisbane had eighty English soldiers and some untrustworthy black and coloured allies, mixed with French planters. Even a moderately sensible Haytian could not accept so absurd a biography.
[7] I am glad to be able to notice that M. Robin (mulatto), in his “Abrégé de l’Histoire d’Haïti,” remarks in relating Toussaint’s sad death:—“Ainsi fut récompensé de ses longs et éminents services cet illustre enfant d’Haïti, qui pouvait bien se dire le premier des noirs,” &c. &c. Dessalines appears to have encouraged Leclerc to arrest Toussaint, and then dishonourably betrayed Charles Belair (black), nephew to Toussaint, and his wife into the hands of the French, who shot Belair and hung his wife.
[8] One thing I wish distinctly to state, that I never heard of any mulatto, except Generals Salnave and Therlonge, who was mixed up with the cannibalism of the Vaudoux, nor of any black educated in Europe.
[9] On the African coast the word is Vodun. Burton mentions that the serpents worshipped at Whydah were so respected that formerly to kill one by accident was punished by death. Now a heavy fine is inflicted. Bosman states that the serpent is the chief god in Dahomey, to whom great presents are made. They are harmless; white, yellow, and brown in colour, and the largest was about six feet long, and as thick as a man’s arm. Fergusson, in his introductory essay on “Tree and Serpent Worship in India,” mentions that at a place called Sheik Haredi, in Egypt, serpent-worship still continues, and that the priests sacrifice to them sheep and lambs. On the west coast of Africa, women, when touched by the serpent, are said to become possessed; they are seized with hysteria, and often bereft of reason; they are afterwards considered priestesses. The whole essay of Fergusson is exceedingly interesting.
[10] Red, the royal colour at Mdra.—Bosman.
[11] Burton, in his “Mission to the King of Dahomey,” notices that the fetish priests are a kind of secret police for the despotic king, and exercise the same influence as in Hayti. They are supposed to be able to give health, wealth, length of days, and can compass the destruction of the applicant’s foes, all for a fee. Bosman, in his account of the slave coast of Guinea, says that a negro who offered opposition to the priests was poisoned by them, and became speechless and paralysed in his limbs; and that if any woman betrays the secrets of the priests, she is burnt to death.
[12] Barbot states that the common food of the natives of the kingdom of Ansiko (west coast of Africa) is man’s flesh, insomuch that their markets are provided with it, as ours in Europe with beef and mutton. All prisoners of war, unless they can sell them alive to greater advantage, they fatten for slaughter, and at last sell them to butchers to supply the markets, and roast them on spits, as we do other meat (date 1700).—Churchill’s Collection, vol. v. p. 479. Barbot also notices that the people of Jagos, Congo, and Angola were also cannibals.
[13] Barbot, in his account of the Ansiko kingdom, says: “That which is most inhuman is, that the father makes no difficulty to eat the son, nor the son the father, nor one brother the other; and whosoever dies, be the disease ever so contagious, yet they eat the flesh immediately as a choice dish.”—Barbot, in Churchill’s Collection, vol. v. p. 479.
[14] I may here notice that the Haytians have chosen the mountain cabbage-palm (Palma nobilis) as the tree of liberty in the national arms. It is in nature a beautiful palm, with its dark-green foliage and perfect shape. The cap of liberty stuck on the top of it makes it look rather ludicrous, and the arms around its base are not very appropriate to so unmilitary a people.
[15] “Nous ne sommes plus aux temps où quelques rares curés, repartis dans les principales paroisses de la république faisaient d’énormes bénéfices par des moyens souvent hélas reprouvés par la conscience et par les lois de l’église.... Qu’ai-je besoin d’évoquer dans le passé les lamentables souvenirs de l’église en Haïti. Je suis prêtre, et je voudrais pour l’honneur du sacerdoce pouvoir laver son opprobre de mes larmes et de les plonger dans un éternel oubli. Mais il ne dépend ni de moi ni de personne d’en effacer la triste mémoire.”—Monseigneur A. Guilloux, Archbishop of Port-au-Prince.
[16] “Ne suffit-il pas d’ailleurs de parcourir les villes et les bourgades de la république pour rencontrer encore les témoins vivants d’un libertinage sans exemple.”—Guilloux.
[17] Military trials have always been a disgrace to Hayti. Even under their model President Boyer (1827) they were as bad as they were under the Emperor Soulouque or the present President Salomon. Mackenzie, in his notes on Hayti, states that no defence was allowed, as that would have been waste of time. Four officers were tried and condemned to death: their arms were tied, and they were led by a police officer to the place of execution. They showed great intrepidity, though the soldiers fired a hundred shots before they killed them. President Geffrard had certainly more respect for the forms of law.
[18] Mackenzie tells a story of a town-adjutant calling on him in gorgeous uniform; he next met him cooking the dinner of his host.
[19] Recueil de Proverbes Creoles. Port-au-Prince, 1877.
[20] Vol. ii. p. 24:—“Les légionnaires au nombre de 800 environ furent enveloppés de toutes parts; ils se trouvaient sans nul espoir; assurés de leur mort, mais résolus de se bien défendre, ils se retranchaient sous la mitraille la plus meurtrière, les uns derrière des arbres renversés, d’autres derrière d’énormes? pierres; percés de coups de baïonettes, criblés de balles, ils combattaient toujours avec une intrépidité sans égale: plusieurs ayant le bras coupé se défendaient avec celui qui leur restait; ceux qui par la perte de leur sang ne pouvaient plus se tenir debout se trouvaient sur leurs génoux, combattaient encore avec fureur, se faisaient un rempart des corps expirés de ceux qui étaient tombés,” &c., &c.
[21] There is a line wanting in this stanza, which the authoress herself has not been able to remember.
[22] I would refer to Major Stuart’s excellent Report for 1877 for details on these subjects. I have myself partly founded my observations on this Report.
Transcriber’s Note.
The following changes were made to the text as printed:
vi “climate; the Senate the House” changed to “climate; the Senate, the House”.
ix “goodwill of the masses” changed to “good-will of the masses”.
xv “The Army and Police” changed to “Army and Police”.
3 “the Artibonite, Arcahaie, Port Margot” changed to “the Artibonite, Arcahaye, Port Margot”.
17 “hand-to-mouth system” changed to “hand-to-mouth system.”
20 “and yellow-fever too often” changed to “and yellow fever too often”.
21 “as yellow-fever appeared” changed to “as yellow fever appeared”.
22 “Yellow-fever rarely appears” changed to “Yellow fever rarely appears”.
48 “Biasson then ordered all his white prisoners” changed to “Biassou then ordered all his white prisoners”.
77 “effort to restrain is authority” changed to “effort to restrain his authority”.
112 “Nissage-Saget took up arms” changed to “Nissage Saget took up arms”.
125 “Bosroind-Canal, though not a brilliant ruler” changed to “Boisrond-Canal, though not a brilliant ruler”.
143 “coromacaque” changed to “cocomacaque”.
169 “exercise which provokes Perspiration” changed to “exercise which provokes perspiration”.
172 “The mistresses of the firstnamed” changed to “The mistresses of the first-named”.
194 “The authorities at L’Arcahaie” changed to “The authorities at L’Arcahaye”.
209 “associaties of the society” changed to “associates of the society”.
212 “cannibals of this society.”” changed to “cannibals of this society.”
238 “de maintenir l’independance nationale” changed to “de maintenir l’indépendance nationale”.
243 “Hérard Rivière was proclaimed” changed to “Hérard-Rivière was proclaimed”.
245 “head-clerks” changed to “head clerks”.
247 A subheading reading “Religion.” was added, to standardise the formatting of the chapter.
The anchor to the footnote on page 248 was missing from the printed text; it has been placed by the transcriber in what seemed the most probable intended location.
250 “arrangements of lesser importance” changed to “arrangements of lesser importance.”
276 A subheading reading “The Army.” was added, to standardise the formatting of the chapter.
282 “is purely nominal” changed to “is purely nominal.”
286 “Mr. —— The lady” changed to “Mr. ——. The lady”.
308 “derrière d’enormes pierres; percès” changed to “derrière d’énormes pierres; percés”.
308 “Etudes sur l’Histoire d’Haïti” changed to “Études sur l’Histoire d’Haïti”.
309 “la grace de Lamartine” changed to “la grâce de Lamartine”.
311 “noir couleur me plait” changed to “noir couleur me plaît”.
311 “Regnrgent d’honneurs” changed to “Regorgent d’honneurs”.
311 “Gardez-vous de l’éclair” changed to “‘Gardez-vous de l’éclair”.
315 A subheading reading “Agriculture.” was added, to standardise the formatting of the chapter.
320 “riding through coffee-plantations” changed to “riding through coffee plantations”.
321 “amount produce greatly exceeded” changed to “amount produced greatly exceeded”.
335 “Les Cayes, for instance—” changed to “Les Cayes, for instance:—”.
338 “Justice, education, pub li worship” changed to “Justice, education, public worship”.
339 “custom duties produced—” changed to “custom duties produced:—”.
Otherwise, as far as possible, original spelling and punctuation were retained.