Hayti; or, The black republic.St. John, Spenser, Sir
History
Hayti; or, The black republic.
St. John, Spenser, Sir
Haiti; Haiti -- History
General Lorquet had been sent at the head of a force to check the
advance of the northern insurgents; but, as might be expected, he
joined them and marched at their head to take possession of the
Government. But no sooner had he entered the town than a murmur arose.
The friends of those he had murdered, as Monplaisir-Pierre, Brice, and
Chevalier, began to collect. Lorquet fled to his house, but was pursued
and attacked, and killed whilst trying to hide in a cupboard.
Thus fell the very worst Government that even Hayti had ever seen.
Cruel and dishonest, it had not a redeeming quality. Domingue, brutal
and ignorant, was entirely dominated by his nephew, Septimus Rameau,
whose conduct has been only excused by his friends on the ground of
insanity. There was too much method in his madness for that plea to
be accepted. His hatred of foreigners may be partly accounted for by
his being a member of the Vaudoux; it is even asserted that he was a
Papaloi or priest of the sect.
When Domingue fell there was a struggle for the succession between
Boisrond-Canal and Boyer-Bazelais, but the former was preferred on
account of his energy and courage. He had a difficult task, as the
dilapidations of the late Government had ruined the finances, and
France insisted that the Domingue loan should be recognised before she
would acknowledge the new President.
Boyer-Bazelais, although, like Boisrond-Canal, a man of colour,
bitterly resented his rival being chosen President, and created every
difficulty possible for the new Government. These events, however, are
too recent for me to dwell on them. I may, however, notice that the
principal attention of both Government and Opposition was directed to
the finances, and that in 1879 the French Government forced Hayti to
acknowledge the Domingue loan.
In July 1879 a disturbance took place in the House of Representatives,
and it was adjourned amidst much tumult. Boyer-Bazelais and his party
retired to his house and took up arms, they said, to defend themselves.
Their opponents attacked them, and a desperate fight ensued. Fire was
put to the adjoining houses, and amidst this fierce conflict our acting
Consul-General Byron and the French Chancellor Hullinot intervened,
and at the greatest personal risk rescued the ladies from the burning
houses and took them to a place of safety. A _sauve qui peut_ soon
followed, and Boyer-Bazelais’ party was dispersed with heavy loss, two
of his brothers being killed in the fight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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