et du Sud." Dated, "Donnée en notre Palais Royal de Saint Marc, le 9 Juin, 1818, l'an 15 de l'Independence et de notre régne le huitieme.

" HENRY.

"Par le Roi.

"Le Secretaire d'Etat, Ministre des Affaires Etrangères,

"COMTE DE LIMONADE."

FRAGMENT OF A LETTER FROM LIEUT. G. A. SAINTHILL, H.M.S. "PARTHIAN," JAMAICA, FEBRUARY, 1820.

The king is in his person what you would call in England a fine portly-looking man, about 5 feet 10 inches, and rather stout; on horseback, where he certainly looks the best, has much the appearance of George the Third. His dress, except on state days, is plain, similar to the Windsor uniform, always wearing a star. He is quite black, with a manner and countenance very intelligent, pleasant, and expressive. His features are much like those of his countrymen ; his nose rather long, but flat at the nostrils; his lips are not thick ; his eyes, except when he is in a passion, rather small but quick; his forehead (which gives so much character to his countenance) high, and his hair has now grown perfectly white. I am told by those who have seen him in one of his gusts of passion, that it can only be compared to a hurricane for its fury; but fortunately they are now very seldom, and do not last long. Doctor Burt, his English physician, saw him in one: his form absolutely dilated, his countenance changed, and his eyes became enlarged and rolled in his head; he looked like a demon, but it was over in five minutes, and he was as quiet as a child. No person but the queen dare speak to him in those paroxysms. His avowed intentions are a religious, moral, and political change. He is wholly without education; by all accounts a man possessing great powers of mind, attended with strong passions. He can read badly and sign his name; but, to make up for that, he has been brought up in the school of danger, difficulty, and intrigue, where his deep policy and knowledge of human character has shone as conspicuously as his courage and talent as a soldier. It is his mind, and his alone, that governs all. He has the ablest men in his kingdom employed about his person, but they are mere execu

tors of his will. One proof of his being neither a very changeable nor cruel man is, that almost all the great officers of state have been in office five or six years, and they generally bear the characters of good and just men. "He never forgives a fault:" he even sent his own son (the Prince Royal) to the citadel, to shew he paid no regard to high rank. But, before we judge too severely of him for this, think who he has to govern-a set of slaves, brought up without any principle of religion or morality, and who have, in the sanguinary contest for liberty, been accustomed, by the example of their enemies, to all sorts of inhuman and dreadful crimes. He is a most affectionate father of a family, and he has in his palace several little children the orphans of his old officers who have been killed or died. He is very much attached to the queen, who, by what every body says of her, deserves it. She is said to be a most amiable character, and her charities are most extensive. She is plain in her manners, and jet black. Her two daughters (an American lady told me, that attended them as preceptress for a year) are very accomplished, speaking English remarkably well, as well as understanding music, &c. in their manners particularly engaging, and affable to all about them. The eldest is 18, the youngest 16 years of age.

He is now building a college at Sans Souci, where it is his intention to have professors of the different sciences from England. He has established four schools on the Lancastrian plan under Englishmen, at Cape Henry, Sans Souci, Port de Paix, and Gonaives. The school at Cape Henry has 177 boys. I was much astonished at the wonderful progress made by many of them in spelling, reading, writing, and arithmetic. The cleverest boys of good families are sent to learn Latin and mathematics with Mr. Morton, the clergyman-I believe a good teacher. The opinion of Doctor Stewart, Professor of Anatomy, and Mr. Gulliver, teacher at this school, upon the natural capacities of the blacks:-"There is no doubt that they are quick at learning the early rudiments of education, and have wonderful memories; but the grand question that remains to be proved is, how far they possess powers of reasoning," &c. The schoolmaster at Sans Souci-a young Aberdeen collegian-is said to be of considerable talents: he is also tutor to the Prince Royal. -This youth's character is so differently represented that I do not know what to think of him. He is not yet 15 years old, and is as

stout as his father. He is not wanting in talent, but prefers being on horseback to studying Euclid. Liberal in his money. In short,

may turn out anything yet. Doctor Stewart has charge of the hospital, and says none in Europe can be more liberally supplied. If a private soldier requires a bottle of wine a-day he has it, and good. The king did not arrive in town till late, but the first thing he did was to ride to the hospital. There was not an individual that he did not know by name, his character, his regiment, disease, and everything about him; and whenever he came to a blackguard (and the doctor said every one he singled out had been troublesome to him) he gave him a confounded knock on the head with his cane. The soldiers were all delighted to see him, but the officers appeared frightened. The wards for the latter are elegantly fitted up, and he sends them of all ranks there, from a duke downwards. In his late journey through his dominions he took a clergyman with him, and married all the young women he met, by "ranks:" this may be called a rough commencement of his moral system. He has offered through England twenty millions of dollars to France to make an independent peace guaranteed by England; but, without this guarantee, he would not give 20 dollars: and, until that is done, all his towns and the country will be kept in its present ruinous state; for, if the French make an attack, the hour they land they will find themselves surrounded by a wilderness, without a house to cover them, or a morsel of food except what they bring with them. He says, "I abandon them freely the shore, and the places where cities have existed; but woe to those who may approach too near the mountains: it were better for them to be received by the sea into its profound abyss, than to be devoured by the anger of the children of Hayti." When Capt. Malcolm remarked to him the talent of the boys, he said with a smile, "I think we shall be able to prove that we are capable of thinking and acting for ourselves." Baron Vastey is writing his life. In conversation with him one day about the history, he said, "My desire is that it may, in what regards my life, be a plain and clear statement of facts, and that those who knew me in early life, when they see those truths in the book, may vouch for the correctness of it." If they do this, it will not only be curious but valuable, for few more extraordinary characters have appeared: -from a slave at St. Kitt's, where he was born, to a steward in

Count D'Estaisy's fleet, and from that to uncontrolled power and riches. In conversation with Baron Depuy upon his treasures, he said, "It is true I do possess immense treasures, and men think I am hoarding it for the mere pleasure of hoarding; but they are mistaken: whenever that treasure can be of use to my fellow-citizens in procuring them liberty and independence, it is ready to come down from the citadel." Sans Souci is said to be a handsome town, with a population as large as Cape Henry. It has been built within the last five years. The palace has undergone great alterations and improvements; and you may fancy his magnificence, when the furniture of his grand hall of audience, which is daily expected from Paris, is agreed for at a million of francs, and a German who comes out to fit it up (for he will not allow a Frenchman to land in Hayti) is to have 5,000 dollars. The citadel is hardly to be described: it appears from the

THE TASK:

OR, RECOLLECTIONS OF MISS O'NEIL'S PERSONAL APPEARANCE.

2 Hamilton Row, Dublin. April 30, 1850.

MY DEAR MR. SAINTHILL,-I will take it as a particular favour if you could write, in a sheet of letter paper, to me a portrait (such as you can draw in pen and ink) of Miss O'Neil. I am writing an article for the Magazines about her, and I have got no good description of her face and figure. You need only describe her such as you recollect her yourself, aided by those admirable engravings of her which you have in your collection, and with which I recollect you particularly interested me on one of the many occasions when I was indebted to you for your most kind attentions. By great favour I have been lent, for a couple of days, a book on the Kilkenny Theatricals, and am now writing against time.

I do not wish to put you to any trouble, but I recollect the way you graphically described medals and artistic works, and a pen and ink portrait from your pen would be a great addition to my materials. Will you, with your usual goodness, excuse this trouble, and with compliments to Mrs. Sainthill,

Believe me,

My dear Sir,

Most truly yours,

D. OWEN MADDYN.

P.S. I would want it here before Thursday next.

The first time I saw Miss O'Neil was in Dublin, in the autumn of 1811 (October, the time of the great comet, and being on my way