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membered, has most closely followed the black Emperor in the method he has taken to reach his present position) will remember that the honor came upon him most unexpectedly. Parties were SO nearly balanced that neither of them was able to succeed, and after several unavailing ballots he was taken up as an available military candidate, and moreover as one that the leaders thought could easily be managed. But they soon found out their mistake. The very men who had procured his election were the first to suffer. In a very short time he dismissed them from the ministry and chose a cabinet to his own liking, and from that day onward he has sacrificed whoever has dared to oppose him, or been suspected of plotting his overthrow, with apparently as little feeling as he would have taken the life of a centipede. It is a very difficult matter to judge of the future in regard to the Haitian government and people, but to all appearances he bids fair to be their ruler for many years to come. At least if he be not it will not be because he would hesitate to sacrifice hecatombs of opposing subjects to secure this end.

It is not easy to give a truthful impression of the real state of things upon this island. A gentleman who, for many years, occupied the chair of history in one of our distinguished institutions, and whose knowledge of the past history and present state of the world is equalled by very few of any land, remarked to me that he found it more difficult to get satisfactory views of the state of things in Hayti, than of any other part of the world. Probably every one who has given any attention to what has been passing here for the last half century has experienced the same difficulty. I will therefore make this general remark in regard to the island, which will serve to explain the conflicting statements that are made by those who visit it. In Hayti you have every thing from extreme Parisian refinement and civilization down to the lowest African superstition and degradation! You may therefore believe any statement that would be true of any state of society between these wide extremes.

From all that I had known of them, of their revolutions and their almost constant sanguinary conflicts, I had not supposed that any portion of them were as far advanced in civilization as I found some of them to be. Those who transact the commercial and mercantile business of the city have an air of intelligence quite similar to the same class in our own cities.

Their style of dress is so remarkably neat and tasteful that it attracts your attention at once. The climate being warm, their clothing is generally light, and most of it the most pure and beautiful white I have ever seen worn. This is the result of much bleaching in a tropical sun, and of great painstaking and skill in washing. The dress of the common working people, however, what little they wear, is of the very opposite extreme. These, however, dress differently on certain occasions, which I shall hereafter describe.

Another characteristic of the people that at once arrests your attention, is their remarkable politeness. A foreigner who has resided among them for some years told me that this was the great matter in their education; that the better class of Haitian mothers flogged their children oftener for delinquencies in this matter than for any thing else. In walking with them in the streets, or whenever they ar meeting others, they are constantly dis ciplining them to make a handsome bow and salutation. To a foreigner the people are especially polite. In passing through the streets and meeting those of the higher class, they lift their hats to you, and with a graceful bow, give you a respecful "Box jour," or "Bon soir, Monsieur." I have seen an entire family who were sitting upon an outer gallery, in the cool of the evening, rise to their feet and bow most gracefully to a foreigner and his wife who were passing. A gentleman from Alabama, who spent some weeks on the island, remarked as he was about leaving, that he should have to be very careful when he reached home, or he should find himself tipping his hat to every negro he met on his plantation. A waggish downeast captain broke out, one day as I met him; "Don't these people make most beautiful bows? I've been practising since I've been here; and I believe I've got so I can lift my hat up about as handsome as they do, but somehow it won't come down right." To explain these things I need only remind the reader that there is not a little French blood coursing in the veins of these people, and that their education and habits are derived from that nation. From speaking their language, their intercourse and associa tions have been mainly with them, and those of them who have been educated abroad, have almost invariably been educated in France. These facts, and the remarkable powers of imitation inherent in the negro character, will, I think, prepare the reader for the statement (which I should not dare to make without

these preliminaries) that I have never seen in any city of the Union ladies of more cultivated and accomplished manners, than some I have seen in Port au Prince. For reasons that I need not here sate, I am excused for being entirely ignorant in regard to balls and dancingparties. But a lady, whose opinion and judgment would not be called in question if I might name her, assured me that she had never seen in New-York or New England more elegant dancers than in Port au Prince.

I had not been long upon the island before I had an opportunity of witnessing one of their religious fête days, when the custom-house and public offices were closed; there was a general cessation from business, and the entire people gave themselves up to the enjoyment of the holiday. These days are very numerous with the Haitians, as in addition to the regular Oatholic festivals, they have a large number of a national character, commemorating important events in their history. These are great occasions for dress and display with all classes. I have never on a public occasion, that called out the great mass of our people, seen them as a whole so neatly dressed. You wonder as you pass among the throng, where can be the miserably clad objects that you have been accustomed to see in the markets, on the wharves, and about the streets of the city. I was told in explanation of this that these people resort to every possible expedient, even to sadly wronging their poor stomachs, in order to acquire the means to make a handsome appearance on these public days, and that the most wretchedly clad beings I saw upon the street were almost sure to have one handsome dress for these occasions.

The following incident will give an idea of the transformations often effected by these changes of dress for public occasions. The ordinary dress for the mass of the laboring women,-washwomen, &c.,—is a single garment hanging loosely upon the body like a chemise, with perhaps an old pair of shoes on, slipshod. With these two articles they are very satisfactorily dressed. An American gentleman was sitting in his door upon one of their fête days, when a lady approached dressed in the highest ton of the country—a rich Madras handkerchief about her head, earrings and other jewelry, a dress of the purest white, white satin slippers, and other things in corresponding keeping. He rose, and with his salutation, "Bon jour, Madame," bade her enter and be seated. She gracefully returned his salu

tations, entered with a manner and bearing in keeping with her dress, saying, "and so you do not recognize me!" He looked-it was his washwoman!

"All

The fête day to which I have alluded as the first that I witnessed, was Saints' Day." I went in the morning to the Catholic church, where some two or three thousand were assembled. All here were neatly, and many were richly dressed; and I was not a little surprised at their entirely decorous, respectful, and intelligent appearance. In the afternoon I witnessed one of those immense processions, which have such a peculiar charm to the people of all Catholic countries. Thousands upon thousands, "the whole city "" assembled at the church, and from thence, preceded by a company of soldiers, the priests with their crosses, candles, &c., they moved on, without any order, a promiscuous mass, nearly filling the streets through which they passed. In company with an American friend I followed on, and entered their cemetery. This is situated some distance from the city, is inclosed by a high wall, and, being ornamented with rich tropical trees and lying under the shadow of the mountain range on the south of the city, it presented, at that hour, a most beautiful appearance. In passing through this ancient and densely crowded "city of the dead," while as a Protestant I had no sympathy with these thousands in the religious sentiments that prompted their services, or in their estimate of their value, -I could but be moved by many of the touching and truly beautiful scenes that were around me. Here young bereaved mothers, aged smitten parents, sad and solitary widows, sorrowing orphans, and all the variety of stricken hearts were gathered around the graves that contained the objects of their cherished affections, and having strewed them with flowers, and lighted their wax tapers over them, were devoutly kneeling and offering their orisons in their behalf. Even the graves of numbers that had been shot for political offences, and, in consequence, were buried without the wall, were not neglected. They had been visited at some less public hour of the day, by stealth perhaps, and the hand and heart of affection had left upon them the burning taper and rich bouquet. I leave others to imagine with what reflections I retired from the scenes of the day!

The Sabbath in Hayti is not only the busiest day in the week, but presents more scenes characteristic of the people than any other day. You are awaked at

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the earliest dawn by booming of cannon on the fort. This is the call for the various military companies to collect at their several stations, and prepare for a general parade and review by the Emperor. Soon the streets are all alive with bustle and confusion. The various companies are dashing by on horseback or marching to the music of a band. They assemble at first in the large yard in front and around the government house, the residence of Soulouque, where, amid the strains of martial music, various evolutions and exercises are gone through with, the significance of which I could never understand, as the Emperor never makes his appear

ance.

After an hour or more spent here, they march to a large beautiful plain, lying back of the government house, where they prepare for a review by the Emperor. His majesty, Faustin the First, with not more than half a million of subjects, has a standing army of not far from 20,000, about twice the number of our own. I think I have seen half of this number at a Sunday morning review. They are formed into a hollow square, and after the proper officers have made the circuit of the lines, to see that all is in order, a company of officers is dispatched to inform the Emperor; whose approach is announced and greeted with an almost deafening salute of martial music, the roar and din of which is continued, while he, accompanied by his ministers of state, officers, and guards, rides rapidly around the entire line to the point of starting, where he makes a halt and the entire army passes in review before him. This done he makes the circuit. of the city, as I have already described.

But while all this is passing the city is by no means forsaken or quiet. Every store and shop is open, and the goods displayed more attractively than on any other day of the week. Sunday is the greatest market day of all the week, and the streets of the city are full of people coming and going, some with mules loaded with vegetables, wood, grass, coal, &c.; some with bananas, plantains, sugar cane, &c., on their heads, some with a few chickens, some with one thing and some with another. Thus they crowd on, bartering, disputing, shouting, singing, laughing, all in the boisterous tones peculiar to such a state of civilization, making altogether a scene of confusion such as is rarely to be found. But the great scene and centre of confusion is the market. This is a large open square in the centre of the city, where perhaps two thousand persons, some of them from great dis

tances in the country, are eager in driving their bargains and disposing of their various articles. This market-place has no building except a few open sheds or booths at the ends or sides of the square, where meat and such articles are sold as need to be protected from the sun. The entire area of the square is filled with people who, without any reference to regularity or order, have laid upon the ground, or a mat, their mule-load, or head-load of oranges, potatoes, beans, corn, plantains, yams, pine-apples, chickens, pigs, fish, charcoal, or whatever animate or inanimate articles they may have for sale. The noise, confusion, and picturesqueness of this scene entirely baffle my powers of description. Strangely enough to an untravelled American, the Catholic church is hard by, upon a slight elevation overlooking one of these large markets, crowded with worshippers. Old women from the country come along to the church, lay their baskets or bundles upon the steps, go in, cross themselves with holy water, kneel, count their beads, and go through with their devotions, and then come out and go on with their trading. Thus multitudes come and go, and those who are able to stay and engage in the services for a longer time, seem not to be at all disturbed by them.

Thus with noise and excitement the day passes on. By two or three o'clock business begins to subside, and sports of various kinds begin. The country people having made their sales, and got through with their "shopping," are leaving for home in groups. The boys of the city fly their kites, spin their tops, and run, and laugh, and shout in their various sports. The young men walk, or ride, or visit, as they may prefer. The more wealthy having finished a late dinner, amuse themselves with dancing or cards, and all according to their taste seek their pleasure. As the evening approaches new and still stranger scenes begin. The more common and ignorant portion of the people assemble in large companies in the open air and engage in dancing, which is their great and almost sole amusement. These dances are unlike any thing that we are accustomed to call by that name. There are several things characteristic of them all; though there is said to be a great variety of names and kinds of dances. Large numbers of them are regularly or ganized societies, with their mysterious rites of initiation, and their cabalistic ceremonies, which are said to be truthful representations of the heathen dances of central Africa, which have been handed

down here from generation to generation. Others are entirely informal, the dancing of any promiscuous company that chance may bring together. These dances are uniformly in the open air, though many of them are under the cover of a tent or awning belonging to the "société." Their music is made by pounding with the palm of the hands upon a drum, which is made by stretching a skin over the head of a small barrel, like a drum-head. To this they have various accompaniments, such as pounding with two sticks upon an old herring or soap box, the clicking of pieces of iron, singing, clapping of hands, &c. Though to the uninitiated the music thus made seems a monotonous, unintelligible jargon, there is said to be a great variety of tunes which they seem perfectly to understand. I procured from a Haitian musician some of this dancing music. These tunes are like the real plantation songs of the South, the productions of excited ignorant minds, having no knowledge of the science of music whatever. This music, executed in the manner already described, has an electrical effect, and immediately collects large groups, who will stand for hours in a charmed circle surrounding the dancers. Sometimes there will be quite a number engaged in dancing, sometimes half a dozen, and sometimes one or two will enchain the attention of the spectators with their movements. These are the most grotesque imaginable; now a shaking movement somewhat like those of our shakers, -now a peculiar balancing of the body, now dashing off suddenly in a whirling, sailing motion around the entire circle,now with feet fixed upon the ground, moving the body up and down-as the Aztecs uniformly did when told to dance -and continuing this motion more and more vigorously, until it would seem that they must dislocate every bone in the body, and now leaping with great rapidity to a remarkable height in the air, like the bounding of a India-rubber ball. These are among the more common feats. As these dances form the almost sole amusement for the numerous holidays of the Haitians, I have very often witnessed them. They have a very ingenious method of making a foreigner pay for his amusement, after this manner. As soon as he is seen in the crowd some one of the dancing women begins to move toward him holding out her hands for a gift; and continues to dance back and forth, before and around him, her hands still extended, until he is "the observed of all observers." After this was understood, I generally had

some change ready so as to pay my tribute in the quickest time possible. One night as I was going through the street, I passed an open yard where a company was dancing that seemed more merry and excited than usual, and without any forethought I turned in. I had hardly reached the group before one of the dancing women was before me with open palm. I thrust my hand into my pocket, found I had no change, and the first thing I could get hold of was a two-dollar Haitian bill, which I handed over as soon as possible. It was the best investment in this line that I ever made. She just glanced to see what it was, and then waving it in the air went whirling and sailing around the circle, and among other demonstrations giving me an opportunity to see some almost incredible feats that I had often heard described but had never witnessed. Placing a small crockery cup, about the size of a teacup, upon the top of her head, she danced, whirled, and sprung suddenly several feet, and back at the same bound, making apparently the most convulsive jerks possible, the cup meanwhile remaining untouched upon the top of the head. This jumping and jerking was gone through with several times, and far surpassed any feat of jugglery that I had ever witnessed. A colored woman, a member of the Baptist Mission Church in Port au Prince, told me she had often seen her mother go through the same feats with a wineglass upon her head. So universal is this custom of dancing among the Haitians upon their fête days and Sunday, that I have often thought, that including the various grades from the regular balls in the city down to the lowest field dances, two thirds, or even a greater proportion of the people of Hayti must be engaged in dancing. The influence of this habit is all pervading. Children catch the spirit, and will sway their bodies to and fro, keeping time to the music, when they can scarcely go alone; and as soon as they have strength to spring clear from the ground, without the hazard of a fall, they are ready on any occasion to exhibit their dexterity to a stranger. The music of a drum and fife, especially on a public day, is almost certain to set all the children in a street to hopping, and I have been greatly amused to see boys with no other dress on than a shirt who were going along the streets, step, and balance, and whirl, and sail on, keeping time to the music. By sundown upon Sabbath evening the music of these dancing companies is heard in all directions, and the noise and dance

continue until midnight, and often till the break of day. Thus the Sabbath ends with confusion as it began.

Were I to stop here, after what I have said in regard to the politeness, taste in dress, skill in dancing, &c., &c., that I found in Port au Prince, I am sure that a very wrong estimate of the character and condition of the people would be formed from what I have written. I have already alluded to the fact that there is here a strange blending of Parisian refinement and civilization, with native African barbarism and morals. Having said what I have of the first, my account would not be truthful were I to pass over the last.

I witnessed one large fire in Port au Prince. As soon as it began to spread, the merchants who had foreign vessels in port consigned to them, ran immediately to their stores, and tumbling their money into trunks and bags, ran with them to the wharf, in the quickest time possible, and sent them on board these vessels. Many of the captains were unwilling to take the bags and trunks in that way, without knowing their contents, and begged their consignees, if they would have it so, to send some one on board in whose care the property might be left; but they invariably preferred to leave it in that way. A fire is the signal for universal theft and dishonesty. Scarcely an article that is thrown into the streets can be secured, and a man does not know whom to trust. One man intrusted a bag of money to one of his neighbors in the midst of the confusion of the fire, and when he called for it the next day, the man denied having received it, and as there was no proof the owner could not recover it. When I heard this and similar facts, I was not surprised at their readiness to trust foreign captains. The best stores here have a small building adjoining, which is without windows and fire-proof; on purpose to have a place where they can store their money and valuables in times of fire. Thieving seems the great bane of the island. Those who are disposed to be industrious have no certainty that they will reap the rewards of their industry. While they are laboring, others are sleeping, who in the dead of the night will prowl around and seize upon the fruits of their toils. Corn, vegetables, fruits, &c., are stolen from the fields where they are growing; pigs, fowls, &c., are stolen from their inclosures. An American negro, who was disposed to be industrious, told me that often while he was at work at one end of his garden, thieves would be watching him and steal

ing his vegetables and fruits from the other end. This practice is so universal that the law allows any man to shoot down a thief in the act of plundering. I was told of a case where a young man, hearing some one in the act of stealing his bananas, went out in the dark and fired at him, and on going to the spot was startled to find that he had killed one of his most intimate friends. In 1842 the city of Cape Haitien was shaken down by a most terrific earthquake, and probably one half or two thirds of its population were instantly killed. Of those who escaped in the general ruin, multitudes from the city and surrounding country rushed to the terrible scene, and engaged in plundering the bodies of the dead and the dying! And yet, paradoxical as it seems, money may be transmitted from Port au Prince to any other part of the island with the utmost safety. Packages of bills containing thousands of dollars, may be intrusted to a native, who will carry it, unmolested, across the country, sleeping with it under his head at night, and deliver every dollar with unfailing certainty. But after it is once delivered and counted the same man would not hesitate to appropriate a package if an opportunity were offered.

Another central African characteristic of the Haitians is their almost universal licentiousness. I have taken no pains to obtain statistics, but think I cannot err in saying that a majority of the births upon the island are illegitimate. To live together as husband and wife without a civil or religious marriage ceremony is scarcely less respectable than regular marriage. Many men, among the first in wealth and social position, live in this manner; and the respectability of the connection may be inferred from the fact that when they commence housekeeping they give a party, and subsequently appear together in parties, at church, and other public places, precisely as if they were regularly married.

By a law of the island, marriage at any subsequent period, makes all the children born in this state legitimate. When the present Emperor was elected president he was living in this state of concubinage, but his subsequent marriage makes the present princess a legitimate successor to the throne. Such a state of things being tolerated among the more respectable of the people, it can readily be understood that among the lower classes the state of morals in this respect is most deplorable, and such as to forbid description.

It is well known that in severing them

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