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Character of Christophe , late King of Hayti . ( From the Christian Observer . )
RE VOLUTION has taken place A in the northern division of this island . Early in the month of September , the king , Henry Christophe , appears to have had an attack of
apoplexy , from which he had but imperfectly recovered , when the troops in garrison at St . Marc ' s are said to have mutinied , and afterwards to have revolted to General Boyer , the president of the southern division of the island .
With the circumstances which led to this revolt , or to the subsequent insurrection of the rest of Christophe r s army , we are very imperfectly acquainted . That insurrection , however , seems to have been general ; and , on receiving the intelligence , Christophe is said to have laid violent hands on himself .
The date assigned to this unhappy event is the 8 th of October . More recent accounts state , that General Boyer had reached the Cape on the 21 st October , and that the whole of the northern part was now united with the southern under his command .
We pretend not at present to speculate on the effects of this change on the fortunes of Hayti . Our anxious wish is , that it may tend to give security to the liberties of its interesting population , and , by uniting their force
and concentrating their resources , to render hopeless any attempt which the ex-colonists may yet be insane enough to urge their government to make , with the view of replacing on the neck of the Haytians the yoke of bondage .
We cannot , however , quit this subject , without briefly adverting to the injustice which has been done on this occasion to the character of Chris-¦ tpphe . All the statements which have been given to the public respecting the above transactions have branded this
fallen chief as a tyrant , a monster of cruelty and ferocity . In one journal only ( the New-Times ) has an attempt
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£ 88 , Character of Chritttonhe , King of Hayti
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votion exceeds formality , and practice most corresponds with profession ; and where there is , at least , as much charity as zeal ; for where this society is to be found , there shall we find the church of God . " J . SIMS .
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been made to rescue his memory from such foul and calumnious imputations and we gladly avail ourselves of a letter which it has inserted , for obviating their effect on the minds of our readers . We agree with the writer of the article to which we allude , that a faithful
narrative of Henry Christophe r s actions would be the best answer to the libels in which his fall has been announced , but that this would require a volume rather than a corner of a daily or monthly journal . The persons by whom he has ever been hated and
defamed' are the planters and slavemasters of the French and English colonies ; and it is now on the authority of letters from the West Indies , that he is inveighed against as tyrannical and cruel . This of itself furnishes a presumption in his favour . But he was also the tried friend , the faithful
adherent of Toussaint ; the firm , victorious opponent of Buonaparte . It is hardly to be expected , that , throughout the sanguinary civil war in which he was for a long time engaged , and in the midst of the many dangers which surrounded him , he should not have
been guilty of some actions which it would be impossible to justify ; but these were exceptions from the general character of his administration , which was strict indeed , but not more severe than the peculiar situation of Hayti seemed to require . He shewed much anxiety to promote industry and good
morals among his subjects , and was peculiarly attentive to the welfare of the peasantry , and the due execution of the laws . His probity in his dealings with strangers has often been applauded , but never credibly impeached . He was unremitting in . his efforts to civilize his subjects , and provided for them at no inconsiderable
expense the means of instruction ; and with the aid of persons in this country distinguished for their attachment to the cause of African freedom , he prevailed with artisans and men of science to come to Hayti and settle there . He established an academy for literature
and the arts at the Cape , and schools in almost every town . He had it at heart to substitute the English language for the French , and the Protestant for the Catholic religion ; and with that view English was taught in the schools , Protestant , missionaries
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1821, page 288, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2500/page/32/
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