Mr. Peck to Mr. Seward.
Sir: I beg leave to narrate in this despatch the leading events, having a political bearing, which had occurred in this republic since the date of my last report to you, (despatch No. 38, September 6, 1866.)
In the early part of September another insane attempt at revolution was made. The affair occurred at St. Marc. Among the conspirators were some of the leading men of that part of the country. The insurgents suddenly set upon the government troops and killed four of them. But at the first appearance of the energetic general commanding the place, the assailants incontinently fled. Some of them left the country; others were arrested, and have since been tried, but owing to some (for Hayti) singular eccentricity of the court, but one person was sentenced to severe punishment. This man, who was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment, acted through the trials as the chief government informer. It is said that this peculiar issue of the proceedings causes the President great chagrin.
In the early morning of September 18, the principal arsenal in the republic, situated at the middle of the sea front of this city, blew up. There were in the building and its enclosures about 30,000 pounds of powder, a large number of loaded shells, many small-arms, and some artillery. The explosion was indescribably terrific, and exceedingly destructive; but fortunately it caused the death of only about a dozen persons. Public opinion, taking sides against the government, as is usual here, assigns a political origin to the sad event, and the government is made to suffer the imputation of having desperate enemies who have at length found means to reach its most protected strongholds. Withal, the physical shock given to every person in the community by the catastrophe has resulted in a dread and in expectation of new horrors, which have a demoralizing political as well as social effect.
Since my last dates the government has been greatly exercised over the peremptory demand from the French government for the payment of its accrued debt to that power. Of the 800,000 francs which the republic should have paid to France in April, but 300,000 were paid. The July instalment, of equal amount, was wholly passed, and another instalment of equal amount is now due. The Emperor now refuses, and with much emphasis, to give longer grace, and in the present disordered political and commercial condition of the country it is almost impossible for the government to raise the needed funds. The dilemma is a serious and exceedingly unhappy one.
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On the 10th of the present month, Rear-Admiral J. S. Palmer, commanding the United States North Atlantic squadron, arrived in this port in his temporary flag-ship Bienville; he was followed two days after by the Mackinaw; and on Wednesday last (17th) the Rhode Island and the Florida came into port.
The visit of the fleet is already producing much good, which will, I think, be permanent. The display of our physical power, itself a matter of considerable importance in a community like this, makes an impression but small when compared with the moral influence which the purpose of the admiral, in causing a thorough investigation of the conduct of Ensign Kane, exerts. That an admiral should make such haste to come, at great personal and official inconvenience, to right a wrong done by one of his officers to people belonging to a weak government, is to this community at once a surprise and a proof that the admiral himself and his government love justice and truth above all other things. And this impression is happily strengthened by the personal bearing of the admiral and the officers under him.
[Page 526]I had the honor on the 13th instant to present Admiral Palmer to his Excellency the President of the republic. The interview was most cordial on both sides.
The admiral, on a later day, was presented by Captain Depuy, of the staff, to the ladies of the presidential household, from whom he received attentions as frank as they were respectful. He has also met during his stay many of the leading citizens of the town, and there is a general and very gratifying expression of satisfaction with the acquaintance which has been made with one of our prominent naval officers.
For my own part, my intercourse with the admiral has been a delight to me such as I have seldom enjoyed. Saying nothing of the pleasure I have taken in his society, the opportunity to unfold to him the whole political, social, and moral condition of this people which he has patiently given me, has been most acceptable to me. I shall hereafter feel that our interests here will have a wise and discriminative protection from our navy. As some complaints of want of attention from our naval officers to American interests here, which I have made to the State Department, have been forwarded to the honorable Secretary of the Navy, I beg that my acknowledgments for the present visit may be also conveyed to him.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.