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nTHE COURIER.Veo0 eeY xrnfEl1e£iectrr15LONDON:Friday, January, *7**The official accounts of the evacuation of St. Domingo, were brought by Capt. Sorrell, who commanded the squadron that blockaded Cape Fran^ais, and whose ship, the Garland\ was lost off the Cape. The details, will be published, wc suppose, in tomorrow night’s Gazette. The amount of Rocham-beau’s army, which surrendered to our squadron, is said to be greater than we stated it yesterday—it was about 8000. The black General, Dessalines, had for some time kept the Cape, the last port ion of territory possessed by the French in St. Domingo, in the stridlest blockade. No supplies could reach it from the interior, and Rochambeau's force was too weak to render it prudent for him to 3 J make any sallies to procure provisions. The bloek-t ade by sea was as strid as that kept up by land : not a vessel could elude the vigilance of pur cruisers.■vAt length General Dessalines* who had advanced his works close to the town, and who knew to what extreme tics the French were reduced, sent a peremptory message to Gen. Rochambeau, threatening to storm the place unless it were evacuated in 36 hours. General Rochambeau, after making offers to surrender to the Commander of our Squadron, which were accepted, sent an officer to Gen. Dessalines, to inform him, that lie consented to evacuate the place within the time fixed upon. Accordingly the whole French army, with the naval force in the harbour, surrendered 'to us. The troops were immediately carried to Jamaica, from whence they* •will, as soon as possible, be brought to this country. Thus has perished, by sickness and the swerd, oneL j of the finest armies ever scat out of France. Thus 1 I.have terminated the attempts of France to regain.the possession of one of the finest Colonies in the world. It has been well said by a rcspedlable r | Morning Paper, that “ if ever, in the history of human affairs, the interference of a superintendingProvidence is to be recognised in the punishment off a »s 1 guilt, even the most incredulous may trace out the* i j features of such interference, so far as impolicy, cru-t j cltyy;:4nd injustice, by the constitution of things,Vj must ever ultimately lead to disappointment, suffer-[ iug, and disgrace.’*The spirit of the murdered Toussaint has been revenged ; and one successful blow has been struck forAfrica. What will be the fate of this fine Island, u for whick God has done so much, and Man so little r”1—What will become of the Spanish part, and of the Spanish settlers ?—Will they be permitted by the viftorifuj? Blacks to remain quiet possessors of the soi! ?, Wc fear not! We fear, too, that if any system of regular Government be established, it will be after wading through a sea of slaughter ; after passing over the fiery ordeal of a ferociousAnarchy.*If we are rightly informed, the blacks had long before the evacuation of the french, dassed'and dis. vided themselves into the same tribes to which they belonged in Africa. These tribes, it is added,.consider themselves independent of each other. If that be the case, the same scenes of butchery will be presented as in Africa, though one motive to warfare I ^ will be wan dag—the Slave Trade. The African ^stantisiacGn\FL0:Ifvwhitlt;oidiwChiefs make war to procure prisoners, and sell them as slaves. If the St. Domingo Chiefs follow their example, we shall hardly be mad I L enough to purchase their unhallowed spoil— ^ nor shall we attempt to obtain any territorial possessions in the Island. The Negroes must be grateful to us for the manner in which, we have contributed to rid them of the French ; and our policy will be to establish a system of commercial, merely commercial, intercourse with them, which cannot • abut be of the highest benefit to us.As oqr Port Letters do not mention that Admiral Cornwallis has put into any of our ports, we sup-^ j ipose that he has been able to resume the blockade ofP.rpcLf I Gmhe
Newspaper Details
Courier and Evening Gazette
London, Middlesex, GB
Fri, Jan 27, 1804
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Orlando A.
PA, USA 18 Nov 2021
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