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Études Sur L'histoire D'haïti ; Suivies De La Vie Du Général J

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Études Sur L'histoire D'haïti ; Suivies De La Vie Du Général J "^--^ <^«rî ff^V •y J^. -"f^^ I.A c?^-^V^ -I' ^«w- ^Si ^i \:*^»Va.—^i<r:i. Accessions t Shelf^N^o. &tve:x by //^ ^é-^/jt /y^ ÉTUDES SUR L'HISTOIRE D'HAlTI SUIVIES nE LA VIE DU GpNÉRAL J.-M. BORGELLA PAR B. ARDOUIN iL^CIEN MINISTRE d'iIAÏTI PRES I.E GOUVERNEMENT FRANÇAIS, ANCIEN SECRÉTAIRE d'ÉTAT DE LA JUSIICE, DE L INSTRUCTION PUBLIQUE ET DES CULTES. TOME PREMIER. PARIS DEZOBRY ET E. MAGDELEINE, LIB. -ÉDITEURS, RUE DU CLOÎTRE-SAINT-DENOÎT, 10. 185 5 S;c:^)$;tt^e^X:C^)e»^^^^Q^^C::^$$C::X$i ÉTUDES L'HISTOIRE D'HAÏTI I-AIllS. — IMl'ttlMEUIE DE IIOQL'KT, r.lIE DK î-a HARPE, 93. GÉNÉRAL DE DIVISION, Décédé au Port-au-Prince, le 3o Mars 184-4. lr„P ,' n,rit. A < 11,11, Irr'-uuUr /'a. ÉTUDES SUR L'HISTOIRE D'H4iTI SUIVIES DE LA VIE DU GÉNÉRAL J.-M. BORGELLA PAR B. ARDOUIN ANCIEN MINISTRE d'hAÏTI I'RÈS LE GOUVERNEMENT FRANÇAIS, ANCIEN SECRÉTAIRE d'ÉTAT DE I.A JUSTICE, DE LINSTRUCTION PURLIQUE ET DES CULTES. TOME PREMIER. PARIS DEZOBRY ET E. MAGDELEINE, LIB. -ÉDITEURS, RUK DU CLOÎTRE-SAINT-BENOÎT, 10. 1855 3 iM* y ^ 7 7h. if't' AVERTISSEMENT. En publiant des Etudes sur Hiistoire d'Haïti, je crois avouer que je n'ai pas la prétention d'écrire l'histoire de mon pays, bien que ces études doivent Tembrasser entièrement. J'ai voulu seulement essayer de l'examiner au point de vue naturel à un Haïtien , et par opposition à tant d'auteurs étrangers qui ont eux-mêmes considéré cette histoire à leur point de vue. Je prépare ainsi des matériaux qui serviront, peut-être, à l'avenir. Telle n'était pas ma première pensée. Désireux d'é- crire uniquement la Vie du général Borgella, je m'étais l'œuvre. Mais , dès mis à mes premières pages , je me trouvai en face des grands événemens auxquels il a pris part, comme presque tous les hommes de la géné- ration dont il a fait partie. Pour expliquer ces événe- mens, il me fallait entrer dans certains détails afin de les rendre intelligibles , sinon me borner à une simple biographie. Cependant, le général Borgella s'est trouvé acteur T. 1. 2 ETUDES SUR L HISTOIRE D HAÏTI. important dans plusieurs circonstances remarquables ; et ces circonstances elles-mêmes n'ont été que la consé- quence de faits antérieurs. Pour en parler, je me voyais obligé de remonter à ces faits. Cette nécessité a décidé mon entreprise. Une autre réflexion m'y a déterminé. J'ai pensé alors que mon pays pourrait, peut-être, tirer quelque fruit de cet ouvrage, si j'examinais consciencieusement l'état antérieur de l'ancienne colonie de Saint-Domingue, la situation respective des diverses classes d'hommes qui en formaient la population , et les actes publics des autorités coloniales et de la métropole qui ont tant in- flué sur les événemens, et qui ont fait naître, pour ainsi dire, un nouveau pays au milieu de l'archipel des An- tilles. En effet, comment comprendre le nouvel ordre de choses qui y a prévalu, si l'on ignore tous ces anté- cédens ? Comment Haïti elle-même parviendrait-elle à se dégager des entraves qui s'opposeraient au libre dé- veloppement de sa civilisation, si elle fermait les yeux sur son passé? Le passé est le régulateur du présent comme de l'avenir : il enseigne aux peuples des choses qu'il est de leur intérêt de connaître, d'autres qu'il faut éviter, afin de parvenir à fonder leur prospérité sur des bases solides et durables. Je dois dire encore que, si je trouve une satisfaction personnelle à parler des actions de l'homme dont je vé- nère la mémoire, je n'en éprouve pas moins à rappeler celles de tant d'autres citoyens qui ont figuré avec éclat dans nos annales, et qui ont plus ou moins des droits à la reconnaissance de leurs concitoyens. Le plan que j'ai adopté pour cet ouvrage m'en procure l'occasion : je la saisis avec empressement. AVERTISSEMENT, o Puisse mon pays me savoir bon gré de mes intentions et de mes efforts pour rehausser la gloire de tous ! Quel- que sévère que puisse ou que doive être Thistoire envers quelques-uns, ils ne sont pas moins dignes du souvenir des générations qui leur ont succédé. Les hommes sont imparfaits de leur nature. Mais une nation s'honore toujours en se ressouvenant des services rendus par ses défenseurs. Ainsi que je l'ai déjà fait, en écrivant ces pages, mon but est d'exciter en mes concitoyens, s'il en est besoin, le désir de connaître sous leur vrai jour, les événemens qui ont amené ces défenseurs de nos droits à créer une patrie pour nous. Mais l'histoire ne doit pas être un simple récit des événemens. Elle comporte des enseignemens toujours utiles au peuple dont elle raconte les actions. Son objet doit être d'indiquer ce qu'il y a eu de louable ou de con- damnable dans ces actions. C'est par là qu'elle encou- rage les hommes à faire le bien, qu'elle les détourne du mal. Celui qui se donne une telle mission doit se proposer cette fin, s'il veut obtenir l'approbation de ses contem- porains et l'estime de la postérité. Pour y parvenir, il doit se mettre au-dessus de toutes les passions qui ont occasionné les animosités,les rivalités entre les hommes des temps reculés qu'il décrit. En appréciant leur con- duite et les sentimens qui les animaient, s'il trouve à louer actes il des généreux, doit y mettre son bonheur ; mais s'il y découvre des motifs honteux, il ne doit pas hésiter à les flétrir. La louange ou la flétrissure de l'histoire ne sont pas seulement un hommage rendu à la vérité ; elles sont ETUDES SUR L HISTOIRE D HÂlTi encore un témoignage de respect envers la postérité. Tels sont les principes qui m'ont guidé dans mon tra- vail, où j'ai appliqué d'ailleurs cette règle constante de ma conduite: Fais ce que dois, advienne que pourra. Dans les premiers livres que je publie aujourd'hui, il n'est question que de la lut!e entre deux races d'hommes. Cette lutte sera encore l'objet de quelques publications. Appartenant essentiellement à celle qui a été opprimée, qui a revendiqué ses droits les armes à la main, en se vengeant des longues injustices qui ont pesé sur elle, j'ai peut-être mis dans mon langage une certaine énergie qui naissait du sujet que j'avais à traiter. Mais, je le dé- clare hautement, je suis surtout animé contre le système, contre le détestable régimo colonial dont les Haïtiens ont secoué le joug. Fondé sur la cupidité la plus aveugle, il a méconnu ses vrais intérêts ; il a été la cause évidente de tous les maux que la race noire a endurés. Pouvais-je ne pas m'élever à la plus haute indignation contre les actes que cet infernal régime a fait commettre, lorsque des hommes consciencieux parmi les Européens les ont eux-mêmes flétris ? Pour composer les deux premiers livres de mon ou- vrage, j'ai puisé surtout dans le rapport si impartial, fait par Garrande Coulon, au nom de la commission des co- lonies qui a entendu Polvérel et Sonthonax, se défendant contre les accusations passionnées des colons de Saint- Domingue. C'est à ce travail qu'on doit la précieuse con- naissance des faits révolutionnaires, de 1 789 à 1794. Sans ce rapport, les Haïtiens ne pourraient établir une base certaine pour leur histoire ; car ils ne possèdent pas la plupart des documens qui ont passé sous les yeux de cette commission ; et ensuite, les débats entre les accu- ÂVERÏISSEMEINT. 5 sateui's et les accusés ont dévoilé bien des turpitudes qui seraient restées toujours ignorées. J'ai consulté aussi d'autres documens, et il sera facile au lecteur de l'apercevoir. Je n'ai pas négligé les tradi- tions orales, populaires, toutes les fois qu'elles m'ont paru offrir quelque certitude ; mais en citant celles qui n'étaient pas dans ce cas, je me suis cru obligé de les réfuter, puisqu'elles ne présentaient aucune probabilité, aucune garantie de la vérité historique. Il faut souvent se défier de cette manière de faire de l'histoire ; car les bruits du moment égarent les acteurs ou les témoins des événemens, qui les racontent ensuite comme faits posi- tifs. Si les documens eux-mêmes sont quelquefois men- songers, combien, à plus forte raison, ne doit-on pas se prémunir contre les traditions orales ? Ainsi je continuerai à faire dans les livres qui suivront les deux premiers. Je dois sans doute une explication pour la division que j'ai établie dans ces études historiques. Il m'a semblé que l'histoire d'Haïti renferme naturelle- ment deux grandes périodes. Je nomme la première, la périodefrançaise. N'écrivant que sur les faits révolutionnaires, je la fais commencer en nSO pour la conduire jusqu'en novembre 1805, où l'ancienne colonie de la France a cessé de lui apparte- nir pour passer en notre possession. Je nomme la seconde, la période haïtienne. Elle com- mence en novembre 4805 pour s'arrêter en mars 1843, par rapport à ce que je me propose d'écrire. La période française me paraît elle-même offrir une division en six époques distinctes, à cause des grands évé- O ETUDES SUR L IIISTOÏKE D HAÏTI. iiemens qui s'y sont produits. La révolution de '1789 a été la cause motrice de tous les troubles, de toutes les ré- volutions qui se sont succédé à Saint-Domingue.
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