It is also very difficult to classify this population in respect to color, and to show the respective proportions in number of the several principal grades, whites, black, and mixed; more so, undoubtedly, than in regard to the inhabitants of any of the other West India Islands. From the fact that slavery existed here for a long period, it would naturally be inferred that the three classes of whites, slaves and free people of color-which last term is used throughout in its West Indian sense, designating the free mixed races, not blacks-existed in about the same proportion at the time of the emancipation as in the other part of the island and the West Indies generally. But we think that such was not altogether the case, for reasons that will be stated; corroborated, too, by the present state of society in this respect, for which they alone seem adequate to account.

equal to £4,956,780 sterling," or $24,783,900; that is to say, $10 82 in value to the acre; be sides supplying the domestic consumption of these same kinds of articles called for by a popuation of 534,831 souls, of all colors; or one peron to every 4 1-4 acres nearly.

From the fact that this colony never possessed a firm and enduring basis of prosperity, which, in the case of one like it, composed mostly of a rural population, can only be established by an efficient prosecution of agricultural pursuits, but only attained that illusive and ephemeral kind which resulted from the discovery and working of the gold mines of the territory, when these became comparatively unproductive under their rude system of mining, the mass of the population, little disposed character, and still more indisposed to it perhaps to agricultural toil from national from long disuse, sunk back into indolence and poverty. The consequent diminution of trade and commerce gradually isolated them from the rest of the world, with its interests, its stimulating competitions and rivalries, its various incentives to ambition and emulous exertions,-in a word, from its progress; the pride of caste gradually disappeared; the social barriers between

mentioned districts in the Dominican territory is, Now the aggregate area of the two above as their extent has been above estimated, about 5000 square miles; and if two-thirds of this about equal in acres to the number given in the above table-were under cultivation, they would furnish for exportation-their yield and the population to supply being the same—products to the same amount as the French part. And if, of the remaining lands of the Dominican republic, the one-tenth part, or 1500 square miles, were under cultivation, and two-thirds as productive as the before-mentioned districts, the result would be nearly $32,000,000, as the total amount of the exports of the republic, after supplying a population, estimated on the same basis, of above half a million of souls.(1) We shall hereafter see how this well founded calculation of the agricultural capabilities of the state correspond with the actual condition of things.

*By executive decrees, under the new government, issued in 1845, the regular army is

(1) Our estimate, and indeed that of Edwards, is substantially confirmed, as far as it may so be, as we have found

placed on a footing of 9643, rank and file. This is a large number for the above estimate, but the peculiar regulation existing in regard to actual service, which allots alternate seasons of service and relief for agricultural pursuits, admits of the consistency of the above two statistical numbers. Indeed, the writer knows that a very large portion of the adult male population belongs to the army under this organization. The number of electors (a body hereafter noticed) assigned to the

Alison.-Hist. of Mod. Europe. ch. 37.

roborate the above estimate.

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the lower classes of whites and the higher | classes of the colored population became weakened-a result which the mild system of servitude that prevailed naturally promoted, by fostering a sympathy of feeling, as poverty had already done of tastes, between these castes; until finally a practical system of social as well as sexual amalgamation grew up between them. To this circumstance, and the still further ane of the natural and gradual progress upward in the social scale of this demolition of the social barrier between the races that followed, and which was still further promoted by the subsequent emancipation of the slaves by Boyer, is it, we conceive, owing thatt he present general mixture of races and castes has been produced, which renders it difficult to make any classification of them.

Of the pure black race scarcely a remnant is left; a few of the old liberated slaves and their immediate offspring, with some naturalized Haytians and the American blacks* and their children, represent this class, whilst the mass of the people is composed of the class whose hybrid origin we have above traced; so much so that the national complexion of skin and general physiognomical traits may well be described as being a light brown, approaching the copper color of the North American aborigines, straight and black hair-in the case of the females long, glossy, and in luxurious profusion; and a combination of features resulting (in appearance, we mean) from about an equal blending of the African,

This last class were natives of the United States, and emigrated thither about the year 1824, soon after the incorporation with Hayti, on the invitation of the Haytian government, whose motive in the act was to revive the languishing agricultural condition of that country. The expenses attending their passage and settlement were defrayed by that government, which aint gave them land gratuitously for cultivation. They were settled partly in the Spanish portion, and partly in Hayti proper. Their number we cannot state. There are now left of them in the capital and its vicinity, perhaps a hundred, or nearly that number, and more in other parts, though many of the original settlers there, through apprehension followed the Haytians in their retreat to the west end of the island at the time of the separation. They are very generally a most worthy and respectable class of people. They emigrated principally from Baltimore, Philadelphia and Richmond, and the adjacent sections of the country.

Caucasian and Indian physiognomies. The very visible traces of this latter would seem to indicate, though we are not aware of the existence of any other evidence of it, that the aboriginal race, instead of having been entirely exterminated, had been partially amalgamated with the imported African race. Of course there are various shades of color in this predominant characteristic class, from the dark mulatto, to the bright yellow so near approaching the white complexion of the tropics as to be only distinguishable by the practiced eye-the musfees and postees of other islands. These two classes, in all their varieties and shades, comprise, we should judge, about threefourths of the entire native population.

The remainder is composed of the representatives of the pure white race. This class is considerably increased by foreign residents, naturalized citizens or otherwise, mostly found in the capital and the other towns, who are principally Germans, Frenchmen and European Spaniards, and belong generally to the commercial and trading class.

The creoles of this pure blood are found more or less scattered among and mingled with all classes of the population, though the caste is more generally represented by the descendents of the early Spanish gentry of the colony-the old hidalgo blood, and by the landed proprietors of the provinces, in part of the same origin. From the former is mostly supplied the ecclesiastical body, whose members are generally, if not wholly, of the pure white blood-a relatively large order in the State-generally intelligent, frequently learned, and universally influential, not only in their more appropriate sphere, but also in the State. From this same class, also, are supplied most of the talent and civil learning and experience by which the political affairs of the State are directed, and the legal and other learned civil professions and pursuits, including the judicial and most of the other high functionaries of the republic, and a large part of the commercial and trading classes. Of the landed proprietors above spoken of, many are the possessors of immense estates, measured only by leagues, and their boundaries defined by rivers and mountains. Their extensive surface is covered with the primitive growth of forest trees, or overspread with a luxuriant tropical

verdure the natural pasture of the herds of domestie cattle, which constitute the principal wealth of their indolent proprietors, and from the sale of whose hides many of them realize the principal means of supplying the few wants which the very limited and meagre cultivation of the soil leaves unprovided for. Further than this, they would disdain to condescend to traffic. Though there are exceptions among them, they may be characterized generally as a class who live secluded from the world -even the little world of their sea-girt isle; who possess all the pride-in this practical age, Quixotic of the ancient hidalgoes, beyond whom they have not advanced one whit, in the onward march of the world, while they have essentially retrograded in regard to most of those traits and characteristics which gave position and prominence to their ancestry. Ignorance, indolence physical and intellectual, and bigotry coupled with superstition in religion, and an inveterate dislike and jealousy of all foreign innovations and of foreigners themselves, except as visitors, are, it is to be feared, the terms that will most truthfully and succinctly characterize them.

These peculiar traits of character and sentiment are shared to a considerable degree by the lower classes of the proprietary rural population, whether of pure or mixed blood, in whom they often manifest themselves in a manner and in ways sufficiently ludicrous and amusing to a stranger.*

Among the mercantile and trading population of the capital and other towns, there is a good degree of intelligence, industry, and enterprise. Indeed, the shopkeepers of the middle classes are probably as much characterized for efficiency in their calling as the same class in any other tropical country.

The great mass of the rural population, however, may be characterized as very in

*The custom, which is almost universal among all classes of the rural population, of wearing a sword on all occasions, appears sufficiently odd and antique in any instance; but when it is coupled, as it very frequently is, in the lower classes, with the circumstance that the wearer is unshod, and with a bare sufficiency of rude apparel to satisfy the demands of propriety, the picture is grotesque; and indescribably so when the wearer is seen jogging along, seated on a rude pack-saddle, astride his little "burro," or donkey.

dolent, thriftless, and disinclined to regular, efficient and systematic occupation, especially such as a proper cultivation of the soil everywhere requires. These characteristic traits result undoubtedly from a combination of causes the original composition of the body of the colonists, together with the influences and circumstances already alluded to, that from the earliest period in a great measure moulded the character and habits of the people, the deteriorating influence on the physical energies, and consequently on the habits, of a tropical climate where incentives to provident industry and thrift are not furnished by an ever-conscious necessity of providing a substantial dwelling, a good supply of clothing, and an ample stock of provisions against a season of periodical cold and of consequent temporary unfruitfulness of the soil.

All these.causes exerted a baneful influence on the agricultural interests of the country from the early times; and the disastrous effects resulting therefrom were still farther and signally aggravated by the emancipation of the slaves by Boyer.

The fuller discussion of these topics will more appropriately belong to a future connection.

We will now pass to a consideration of some of the leading features and provisions of the Constitution of the republicframed as we have before mentioned-and of some of the laws passed in accordance with its provisions.

The essential features of this Constitution are derived from that of the United States and from the French Charter of 1830, with such differences as the peculiar character of the people suggested. It commences by declaring that "the Dominicans constitute themselves into a free, independent and sovereign nation, under a government essentially civil, republican, popular, representative, elective and responsible." It declares the territory of the Dominican republic to consist of the Spanish part of the island of St. Domingo and its adjacent islands; and its limits to be the same that in 1793* divided it on the west side from the French part, and which are definitively fixed. It divides this territory into five provinces, and these it again sub

* That is, two thirds; and so Alison, ch. 37.

divides into communes whose number and distribution is to be regulated by law. Dominicans are defined to be, first, those who at the moment of the publication of the present Constitution enjoy that character, which as subsequently defined in the instrument embraces all without distinction, servitude being declared to be forever abolished, and all placed on a footing of political equality and admissibility to public employments; second, the absentees who were born in the country of Dominican parentage; third, all those Spanish Dominicans and their descendents who, having emigrated in 1844, have not borne arms or committed any other act of hostility against the Dominican republic; and, fourth, all those descendents of persons of Dominican origin, born in foreign countries, who shall comé and fix their residence in the republic.

Those capable of becoming Dominicans are declared to be: all foreigners who either acquire in the republic real estate (bienes raices) of the value of six thousand dollars, or who, by their personal labor, (trabajando personalmente,) form an agricultural establishment in the republic, under title of proprietors. These foreigners are not to be admitted to the enjoyment of political rights, (that is, become adopted citizens,) until after a residence in the territory of six years, which period is, however, abridged to three years, in favor of those of them who either marry a Dominican wife, or form in the republic a permanent agricultural establishment of a capital value of at least twelve thousand dollars. This privilege of becoming citizens by naturalization is not to extend to foreigners who belong to a hostile nation. All other foreigners than those of this class are declared to be admissible into the territory of the republic if they profess any art, science or useful industry, and to the enjoyment of civil rights; and from the moment that they step upon its soil they are declared to be under the safeguard of national honor, and in the enjoyment of protection to person and property, so long as they are obedient to the laws.

The enjoyment, suspension and forfeiture of political rights, as well as the exercise of those of a civil kind, are to be regulated by law. Individual liberty is secured. No one can be prosecuted by

| law except in the cases for which it has made provision, and in the form which it prescribes, nor be imprisoned except on the warrant of a judge, unless in case of apprehension in the criminal act; with all the other provisions for security and inviolability of person and property which are similar to our constitutional provisions, and therefore familiar to all. So, too, of the liberty of the press, (of which, however, the only one at present in operation in the republic is the government one at the capital;) the abuses of which, legally cognizable, are particularly defined by a subsequent organic law, and are similar to those generally punishable under our law, with the exception of that of "publishing maxims or doctrines that tend directly to destroy or subvert the religion of the State," which is defined and made punishable by imprisonment in the same category with the like offenses against the Constitution of the republic.

Public instruction is to be instituted, common to all classes of citizens, and gratuitous in all the elementary branches. Schools for this purpose are to be established throughout the territory of the republic; the details to be regulated by an organic law. Accordingly, the Congress passed a law the following year, establishing one elementary school in each of the communes of the republic, and two in each of the provincial capitals. These last are to be transformed into high schools, if expediency suggests it. In these elementary schools are to be taught the principles of religion, the Castilian grammar, and the usual branches of a common school education. Provision is made for the payment of the teachers out of the public treasury; and the general superintendence of education is placed under the Minister of Public Instruction.

The apostolic Roman Catholic religion is declared to be the religion of the State; its ministers, in respect to the exercise of the ecclesiastical ministry, depending solely on the prelates canonically appointed. The article stops here; nor does the Constitution any where say anything in regard to religious toleration, or make any allusion to other forms of faith or modes of worship.*

In the Revolutionary Manifest, adopted and