112,253 tons, and navigated by 11,220 feamen. The average exports of the colony for the three years preceding the commotions of the mother country amounted to 171,544,666 livres of St. Domingo, being equal to 4,765,129/, fterling money. If the number of acres of land in St. Domingo be compared with thofe of Jamaica, and the calculation of negroes and the expence of cultivation taken into the account, it will be found that the planters of the French part of St. Domingo receive larger returns in proportion than thofe of the British island. Va

rious caufes for this advantage have been alligned; but the true caufe will be found undoubtedly in the fuperior fertility of the land, and in the beneAt the French planters obtained from 'the fyftem of watering their fugarcanes in dry weather.

The foil and climate of St. Domingo must be the fame, whatever may be the political changes it undergoes. The face of the iiland is, however, widely altered. Like the other landfcapes in tropical regions, this invited and entertained the eye with wonder and delight; but the calamities of war, and the horrors of famine and pestilence, have defaced its image, and little elfe is now feen but the traces of anarchy, defolation, and carnage. Who fhall we blame for all this? Shall it be those reformers, whofe overwarm zeal for ameliorating the condition of human life fafier than Nature herfelf allows, kindle a fire between the different claffes of mankind, which only a torrent of human blood can extinguilh? Or fhall it be thofe, whofe avarice and luft of power make them infensible to the injuries and fufferings of others? Tothe higher orders, to the opulent, who, having loft all regard to public virtue, are carelefs of the public welfare; but, giving themfelves up to luxury and felf-intereft, goad thole to acts of violence whofe rights they contemn ? The whole of the French West Indies was disturbed by jealoufies and animofities before the revolution may be faid to have taken place: after the fall of the Bastille, however, in 1789, the rich proprietors of eftates in them, whether refiding there or in the mother country, began to feel great apprehenLion for their property, and the conftitution under which they had acquired their wealth. The voice of humanity and the language of philofophy uttered

in the British fenate a little before this period had penetrated thofe diltant regions, and could not fail to excite correfpondent fentiments anroug the enlightened inhabitants of the neighbouring capital. The legillative affembly of that kingdom paffed a decree, in March 1790, with a view of appealing the difturbances in St. Domingo, but its effect unexpectedly lighted up an additional flame; for before the commiffioners, who were to enforce the decree, arrived at Port au Prince, a Mulatto named Ogé excited a rebellion: his party was however defeated; he took refuge among the Spaniards, but cowardly or treache roufly, they gave him up, and he was made to iuffer death on the wheel, Troops were fent from France to reftore tranquillity, but they in their turn became infected with infubordination. A corps raised among the natives, called the Regiment du Port au Prince, affaffinated M. Mauduit their colonel, for what they termed arbitrary couduct: the mutinous battalion was with difficulty embarked in tranfports, and lent to Europe; but the king's commiffaries were unable to exercite their authority and fulfil their inftructions.

In the decree alluded to, parochial affemblies were directed to be held previous to forming the colonial conftitution, but no precife definition was given of the perfons who were to compofe thofe meetings; fo that the people of colour, not being excepted, naturally concluded that they were virtually comprised in the law. The moit rancorous contefts enfued, and a deputation was fent over to the National Af fembly, demanding an explication of the dubious decree.

The matter was warmly agitated in the Legislative Alembly, the advocates of the people of colour urging the declaration of rights which that affembly had agreed ou as the bafis of their new conftitution, and appealing to the higher authority, the great fundamental principles of reafon and justice. The colonial deputies, and their abettors, admitted that the prejudice against the people of colour was unjuft, but they alleged that it could not be effaced by a decree, nor done away in a thort space of time. The affembly found itfelf in a dificult predicament, feeing that a law which should at once elevate thefe perfons to the fame rank with the white colonius would expule

the lives of the latter to great rifque, and the whole itland to fevere calamities. The mother country was threatened with other apprehensions; for the free people of colour and their dependants, on the on hand, were both numerous and wealthy; and, on the other, the whites were matters of prodigious numbers of negroes, and were poffeffed of all the actual power, and had manifeited fymptoms of independence. They had already opened their ports to foreign nations, and had threatened to transfer their allegiance to the EngFith government. The affembly, conicious of its inability to enforce its decrces by the military, and feeing the troops became partizaus of the difputants as fast as they d.fembarked, proceeded with extreme caution. As a temporifing measure, it pailed a decree on the 13th of May 1791, "that the legiflature of the mother country could decide nothing in respect to the liberation of the flaves but with the actual and formal demand of the colonial affemblies." This decree was followed by another fhortly after, worded with equal cantion, but in effect partial to the white colouifts; laying it down, that people of colour, born of parents free on both fides, fhould be admitted iuto all the colonial affemblies; and as to those whofe parents on one fide only were free, the legislature would not determine any thing till they heard the fentiments of the colonial allemLlies.

This timid policy allowed the breach to widen, for neither party was contented with the decree. The majority of the people of colour were not born of parents free on both fides; a confiderable number being the offspring of female flaves who had lived in a itate of concubinage with their matters; and the white colonists, on the other hand, confidered their favourite prejudice invaded even by this trifling innovation. A new and more fatal difcord now thewed itself immediately; and it is ealy to conceive that a fcrutiny into the pedigree and extraction of individuals could not be carried on without the most invidious examinations and rancorous revilings.

There were commonly from 2000 to 3000 of the king's troops on the colony; and each of the parishes raited one company or more of white militia, a company of mulattoes, and a coinpany of free blacks, The officers of

both the regular troops and militia were commiffioned provifionally by the governor-general, fubject to the king's approbation; but the militia received no pay of any kind. Thus it is evident that the peace and happinets of the inhabitants of St. Domingo de pended much on the qualities and dif pofition of the governor, who was always felected from the army. But at this period it would have been impollible for any man, however quali lied by exper ence and endowed with talent, to remain faithful to his oath, and give fatisfaction to the people of this ill-fated ifland. The fpirit of republicanifm had penetrated not merely its primary or parochial affemblies, but even its very colonial committees. The fermentation was begun, the great queftion of what were the rights of men had called up every fubject of the French dominion; and in St. Domingo there were fo many parties with feparate interefts which force could not filence, that it was utterly impoffible for the legislature of the mother country, had it been compofed of fages, to fatisfy them.Without entering into the question fo much difcuffed by philofophers and others, whether any natural fuperiority ought juftly to be acknowledged in any one race of people over another; the fame contempt and degradation which attached to the colour in the West Indies, as diftinguithing flavery from freedom, rau through all its varieties in a certain degree. The free mulattoes felt this, and, as Bryan Edwards truly obferves, their fituation was in many refpects more wretched than that of the enflaved negroes, whofe maiters were interefted in their prefervation; thefe, as well as all others of the free men of colour, were confidered in the French ilands as the property of the public, and in that light were obnoxious to the caprice and tyranny of all thofe whom the accident of birth had placed over them. They were obliged to ferve three years in the military cftabliment called the Maréchauffic, and on the expiration of that term to work on the high ways: this burthenfome and almot infupportable fervice was denominated the corvées. This was not all, for they were compelled to ferve in the militia of the province, without pay or allowance of any kind.

[To be continue d.]

for

To the Editor of the Univerfal Mag. Quid verum atque decens.

Sir,

HE fine arts fhould be enriched

THE

with every treasure which the phyfical fciences can concede to them. Painting, in particular, that fifter of Poetry and Mufic, fhould certainly examine their refults, and appropriate them to herfelf. She hould study every fubftance fhe depicts in all its various fades, under all the paffions that animate, and in every climate that transforms. To confine ourfelves, for example, to man, that being which iffues fo perfect from the hands of Nature, what differences does he not offer in the various yet proper forms he affumes, according to age, fex, country, &c.! It must not be fuppofed that the fimple alteration of ftature, and mere difference of colour, will fufficiently mark the variation; that the fuperficial grimaces of the figure will fupply the energetic expreflion of fentiment, the divine emanations of intelligence and life; or that the fame mummery will hold equally with all men, in all phyfical characteriftics, and in all countries.

But who does not know this? they cry. Impatient man, attend! Confider, firft, the principal peculiar conftitutions, or the idiofyncrafies which are to be found among the human fpecies. Are there not many individuals who have fimilarities of conformation and organic ftructure? 1 behold fome fmall, dry, brown, high-coloured, with hair and eyes black; others, thick, large-bellied, fat, of a fallow complexion, filled with a viscous phlegm, long hair, partially white, &c. &c. Can it be fuppofed that we fhall find in these two different beings the fame fentiments? The animated vivacity, the fparkling ardour, the glow of mind, which lives in the affections of the former, do they not yield in VOL. II.

the latter to a ftupid indolence, heavy dulness, and imbecile affurance? Can we give to thefe last an ardent tone of fentiment, or a vivid temperament? Can we put them by the fide of a Julius Cæfar, a Homer, a Demofthenes? Are they capable of conducting a phalanx to victory; of chaunting the praifes of heroes and of gods; or of thundering forth the impetuous torrent of eloquence? Doubtless not. And we are equally wrong when we depict fuch as ravening fiends, when we reprefent them fowing the feeds of every crime, fcattering the poifon of civil difcord, and their heads covered with dreadful fnakes: in fact, fuch can only figure in the taverns of the Flemish school, or in the grotefque conceptions of drunkards.

Nor is it only the figures of men which prefent fuch marked differences, fuch ftriking contraits. Every member-what do I fay?-every, even the fmalleft, part partakes more or lefs of that general conftitution of body. I love a painter who can tell, by a fingle glance at the hand, for example, to what particular temperament, age, or fex, it belongs; and indeed, it is extremely poffible for very fuperficial obfervers to attain nearly to this precition. Who has not obferved, a hundred times, that graceful contour, that delicate and interesting foftnefs, orthofe prominent mufcles, thofe angular protuberances, and that firm make, which diftinguithes Venus from Mars, by fuch obvious variations? Thefe diftinctions are marked even upon the very fkeleton: that of the woman is in every refpect feminine; its bones have a greater exility, are more weak, they have lefs prominency, &c. &c. The antient fculptors were not ignorant of what is almoft unknown to many moderns. It is true that youth effaces fome of thofe ftriking conC

trafts which are to be found in adults; but the fiery Achilles was eafily difcovered by the eyes of Ulylles under his feminine habiliments; and the mufcles of Hercules in his cradle were able to ftrangle the ferpents.

The anatomift eafily perceives thefe differences, which vary with out end, and which are combined in a thousand different ways: an able doctor knows at the first glance what is the predominant temperament. In fome, their fanguineous appearance aptly prefents the noble contours of Apollo; in others, a bilious and rugged afpect befpeak the rough and favage Mars. There, a fat and flabby conftitution indicates the phlegmatic; here, a dry and harsh habit accompanies the melancholic. This laft ftructure, which is never to be found united with beauty, was nevertheless very frequent among illuftrious men, and the most famous heroes of antiquity, according to Ariftotle. It is unneceffary to relate here the phyfiological caufes which produce this; but it was remarked in Thefeus, Socrates, Plato, Ariftotle, Democritus, Hippocrates, Zeno, Brutus, Cato, Julius Cafar, &c.; and perhaps Homer and Virgil. It is alfo to be found in the greater part of philofophers and men of letters, who contract it from affiduous ftudy; and hence among fome of the most celebrated moderns, as Newton, J. J. Rousseau, Locke, &c. It may fafely be concluded from the portrait of Raphael, that this great painter was of the fame temperament. Such alfo were the religious fectaries; and we may eafily diftinguish it in Mahomet, Confucius, Zoroafter, &c., notwithstanding the brilliant colours and metaphorical language with which the orientalifts have defcribed them. In fact, nothing is more common than this conftitution in the fouthern regions of the globe. It is therefore neceffary that the painter fhould udy Nature in all her diverfity;

that he should become acquainted with every peculiar temperament; that he thould accurately and relatively know each part of the body, and be a profound phyfiognomist, without however indulging in those wanderings of imagination which milled the great Lavater, but to push his ideas fyftematically, fomewhat farther than fimple phyfical obfervation. Doubtless many painters, Hogarth for example, have poffeffed that happy talent which has rendered their works immortal; they have given each paffion to its proper confiitution, without which diftinétion it degenerates into mere grimace: they have imparted to their pictures every thing that can fpeak to the judgement. It is not fufficient that the defign be exact, the tints well given, the colours properly mixed, with an harmonious and just keeping: all this is merely mechanical; it is fimply a fhadow, a fkeleton, the rough draught of a picture; we behold in it none of that warmth which is the infpiration of the art, which aftonithes, delights, tranfports; every thing is geometrically and frigidly correct; the heart is unmoved: and what can be more ridiculous than this abfence of all emotion?

But where thall we find a genius who can fucceed? Artifts! do you afk this? It exifts in that lively animated fenfibility which fets fire to the imagination; which tranfports us fometimes to the fplendid abodes of the gods, above "the visible diurnal fphere," where the youthful Hebe pours forth her nectar; which carries us by the difmal glare of a funereal torch to the dull, cold regions of death; freezes us with fear in the midft of the dreadful filence of the tombs, interrupted only by lengthened groans which burft the heaving breaft; the dire croaking of reptiles, the horrid fluttering of nocturnal birds, and pale and bleeding bodies, which harrow up our fouls with fear; then, skimming