154 THE LIFE Of

 speeches suffices to show that they are uttered by ,
 if these gentlemen were this moment to change col
 would talk differently." The restoration of slavery
 solved in the legislative body by a vote of two hund
 twelve against sixty-five. Such lyas the love of Fren
 for liberty, for the right of man, ofr the right of their
 citizc-ns, for the freedom of the black population of
 The determination of itlelfjustifies the course pursued by
 saint L'Ouverture. Ili constitution may pro'e an inef
 guarantee of the hardly-varne.l lberrie- of his rnlor, but c
 it afforded the only fasRihl: chance of: perpetuaitng the
 hal wrought out.
 On the 20th of Miay, 1801, Bonaparte puhlihd the infa
 decree which placed the French colonies in the state in w
 they were before the year 1789, and whi.h, authorizing the s
 trade, abrogated all laws to the contrary. This rxerrablo
 ure marks the real character of the Corrian adventurer,
 hands his name down to posterity covered with dig
 Soon, however, did be lind that in an evil hnur he had
 stepped the limits of prudence; and therertre he put Ibrth
 other decree which hypocritically excepted Saint Domingo
 Guadeloupe, '* because these islands are free, not only by ri
 but.in fact, whilst the other colonies are al:tually in slavery,
 it would be dangerous to put an end to that rtatr of things.";
 The preparation to the public mind for the unjust and ic
 attempt to put down liberty in Saint Domingo was aided by
 less obvious but powerful edorts, nut only of the colonists in
 eral, but by the mulattoes who dwell at Paris, of whom Riga
 may be considered as the head. Overcome and exiled by T
 saint, Rigaud panted for revenge. In that vindictive sentim
 he well represented his race, who could not tbrgpir the b
I President for having extorted the freedom of h-i cuolr out
 their hand.
 There were in Paris two young men who Il.:akedl on the
 rangements for the expedition which they saw everywhere
 ceeding with anxiety and alarm. These were Isaac and Pl