Geffrard restored the republic, and held the Presidency till February 1867, when he also went into exile, to be succeeded by General Salnave in April 1867. In January 1870 the latter was overthrown and shot.
The only President who carried through his term of office, and was neither exiled nor shot, was Nissage-Saget. At the completion of his four years, he retired on a pension to his native city, and I believe still lives. After Saget, General Domingue seized the reins of government, but was expelled in 1876, and sent wounded into exile. Boisrond-Canal followed. In the third year of his Presidency he was overthrown and banished, and in October of the same year (1879) General Salomon was elected for seven years.
It will thus be seen that two only of all these rulers completed their terms of office.
As was natural in an old French colony, the divisions of the country are French. It is divided into departments, arrondissements, and communes, and the governing machinery is most elaborate. There are no lack of candidates for every post. The general of the department and the general of the arrondissement are the officers in whom all power is really delegated, and they are generally absolute in their districts. The Government often, however, trust more to their general of arrondissement than to that of the department, as they fear to render the latter too powerful. They are veritable despots as a rule, and ride roughshod over every law at their pleasure, and are seldom called to account by the supreme authority.
The republic of Hayti is divided as follows:—
| Departments. | Chief Cities. | Arrondissements. | Communes. |
| North | Cap Haïtien | 7 | 18 |
| North-West | Port de Paix | 2 | 5 |
| Artibonite | Gonaives | 3 | 9 |
| West | Port-au-Prince | 5 | 14 |
| South | Les Cayes | 6 | 21 |
| — | — | ||
| 23 | 67 |
The department of the north is generally the most troublesome, from the separatist ideas of the inhabitants. King Christophe carried out that idea, and kept them independent for many years; and in 1865 Salnave tried the same project, but failed. They are, however, always restless, and dislike the other departments of the republic.
The department of the south is, on the whole, the most backward of all, and has been generally neglected, but the present holder of power, being a native of Les Cayes, may aid its progress.
All the other departments are jealous of that of the west, as in it are the capital, the seat of Government, and the Treasury, to which contributions flow from the other departments. Their object is always to divert to local wants as much of the general revenue as possible, and they think that if they could form separate republics, they would have their whole income to spend.
To sum up: At the head of the Government is a President chosen for seven years. He is supported by four or five Secretaries of State, who, when the chief is strong, are but his head clerks. A legislative body exists, consisting of a Senate of thirty paid members, generally very tractable; of a Chamber of Representatives of sixty members, also paid, who, under a chief who has the power of life and death, give him but little trouble. His main reliance, however, as also his main danger, is the army. General Salomon pays particular attention to that institution; has it strongly recruited, and, as long as its chiefs are satisfied, may defy the isolated revolutionary attempts of his enemies. The army is generally composed of blacks, and they look on a black President as their rightful head. They obey a coloured chief, but it is not willingly, and murmur at his punishments, whilst a black general might have a man beaten to death without exciting any dissatisfaction among his comrades.