go-


 TOUSSANT L'OUVEtRnUE. 225







 CHAPTER II.

 and Leclere conspire to effect the arrest of Toussaint L'Ouver-
 Swho s treacherously selzed, sent to France, and confined In the
 s de Joux partial rising In consequence.
I::-;.
he establishment in Saint Domingo of the authority of
mrance had been the object of the expedition, the present
Iment or' its atfairs woull hav\ L.'-en left to unfbld its re-
ieea, and the bleain~is (I the exi-tin_ peace would have been
manent. All uppoition had libeen put down. Mutual ex-
ad~ons had bee-n g;Ven. With one exception, the leaders of
iblacki held rank and power in the French army. Tous-
it L'Ouverture, the only exception, was engaged in rural
sits and at is of btLenfic'-ncc. Le-clere was solo master in
island. Havri was now at least a colonial dependency of
iace. And it' there were evils or obstacles which he could
iat the mome-nt put away, they were nothing more than such
promised to disappear before good government, aided by the
ding and relbrmatory hand of' Time. Even through the tem-
tof the plague, tokens of' c',ming serenity were readily dia-
sed. But the occupation of the iLlattd was only the first
*in the drama.
nhe intelligence of the ravages of the fever in Saint Do-
igo shocked the mind of Bonaparte, though he had foreseen
-even premeditated the calamity. One obstacle which lay
Its way to the imperial throne had been removed. So far
I expedition had n-.t proved nugatory. There were two
er obstacles. One was the freedom of the blacks. Such
Bdom, in the Consul's eyes, was licentiousness. It was, more-
r, incompatible with his design. If Saint Domingo re-
ined free, the other French coloni.s must and would be