1801 empress.-This was immediately followed by an order for taking off the embargo laid on the English shipping.—And before the close of this year he concluded a treaty of amity and commerce with the French republic. + 1801 TURKEY. THE accession of the emperor Alexander, a prince whose councils were pacific, to the throne of Russia, and the expulsion of the French from Egypt in consequence of the brilliant successes of the English arms, relieved the sultan from the apprehensions of molestation to his dominions in that quarter. The joyful celebrations of this event at Constantinople were soon followed by those of another still more propitious to the happiness of the Turkish nation: that was a treaty of peace and amity between the sultan and the French government, + by which, among other articles, France recognised the republic of the Seven Islands, consisting of Corfu, Cephalonia, Zante and the other ex-Venetian territories near the coast of Greece, formed in 1800. 1801 EAST INDIES. THE statement given by Mr. Dundas, as president of the East India board, to a committee of the whole house, of the positive and relative state of the "Peter the First himself lamented, that he was only the despot of a nation of slaves. At an + + October 9. Ann. Regis. 239. State Papers. 292. the company's affairs, must afford satisfaction to all who feel themselves interested in the prosperity of the East India company, the general commercial interests of the kingdom, or the national resources. By this it appeared that the amount in which the general state of the whole concern. had amended during the last year was £.90,465.-That the aggregate amount of the sales in 1800-1 was £.10,323,452; being .162,842 more than last year.-And that their present assets in India amount to 11,469,553; being .1,310,446 more than in 1800. After comparing the present flourishing state of the company's affairs with what it had been been in 1794, when they were so embarrassed that some were of opinion that it must be dissolved, and doing honour to the two noblemen under whose auspices they had made such advances, he adverts to the fall of Tippoo Sultan, as one of the chief grounds on which they might promise themselves increasing prosperity. "Whilst that restless " tyrant was alive," says he, " confidence could not have existed and all "that could have been expected was an armed truce. He had even checked "the agriculture of the company's possessions, and in every way obstructed "their improvement. Every seditious polygar and circar was led to "revolt, relying on Tippoo for assistance."-Such is the satisfactory account given of the state of the company's affairs by a minister who by his talents and his assiduous attention to the business of his office, had very essentially contributed to their advancement. 1801 WEST INDIES. TOUSSAINT, pursuing his labours for the good of the state, was at this time employed in the execution of the measures prescribed by it for annexing the Spanish part of St. Domingo to that before possessed by France. This year, he addressed a letter to the first consul, informing him that this measure was accomplished.-That the finishing hand had been put to this work; that a central assembly had been held, " and that a "constitution 1801 1801 "constitution was formed which promised happiness to the long-suffering "inhabitants of this colony, and which he transmitted to him for his approbation and that of the government." Agreeably with his general conduct, when a formidable insurrection of the blacks, headed by Flaville a malecontent chief, was excited by an article in the French constitution authorizing the importation of slaves, + from which they apprehended a revival of the old regime respecting negroes, he immediately marched against them, and took effectual means to suppress them, b The discipline and good order which he had restored in the island rendered such an achievement easy to him; which would, perhaps, have been impracticable by any other person. His conduct and the prosperous state of the colony are thus described by one who was a witness of it. "No "man in Europe can believe," says a Jamaican, " to what a degree of regularity, order, tranquillity, and opulence, the black general Toussaint "has restored that colony. Every man in the island is under his subjection: and, so wisely has he tempered all his measures, that not a murmur is heard from any party or colour: on the contrary his name "is venerated to a degree of enthusiasm much superior to that of Buonaparte in France. His troops, although nearly naked are in a superior style of discipline: and I have seen large parties of negroes go through "the exercise in a manner that would do honour to a Prussian veteran." But the merit which gave Toussaint his ascendency at the same time awakened apprehensions in the French government that he would employ it for the purpose of establishing an independent sovereignty in himself. -Buonaparte, being informed of his popularity, and of his declaration, that he was determined to effect a complete emancipation of the negroes, reflecting on the path by which he had ascended to the sovereign power himself, readily listened to the aspersions of Toussaint's enemies; and, whilst he was soothing him with kind professions, he adopted measures to avert the danger which he apprehended from him.-At the close of this year, general Leclerc embarked with a strong force on board a fleet under admiral + October 25. ⚫ Letter from a Gentleman in admiral Villaret, destined to supersede Toussaint in his command, and to enforce the new laws respecting the future destiny of the blacks; and also to subdue the rebellion which had broken out in the isle of Dominique. 1801 66 AMERICAN STATES. THE flourishing state of the American states affords pleasing prospects not only to the nation themselves, but to all who have a commercial intercourse with them.-The president of the congress informed the deputies this year, that, according to a census of the inhabitants lately taken, they might perceive that the increase of numbers, during the last ten years, proceeding in geometrical ratio, promised a duplication in little more than twenty-two years. Moreover," that, other circumstances com"bined with the increase of numbers had produced an augmentation of revenue, arising from consumption, far beyond that of population "alone; and that, although the changes in foreign relations, now taking place so desirably for the whole world may for a season affect this "branch of revenue, yet, weighing all probabilities of expence, as well as of income, there was a reasonable ground of confidence that they might now safely dispense with all the internal taxes: and that the remaining sources of revenue would be sufficient to provide for the support of government, to pay the interest of public debts, and to discharge the principals in shorter periods than the laws, or the general expectation had contemplated."-An obvious reflection suggested by this statement is, that the independency of America had been followed by, and has, probably, in a great measure, produced a rapid increase of consumption and of course an increased demand of European goods, the greater part of which are purchased of British merchants. This affords a striking example of a final good produced by an apparent evil. 66 66 1801 a State Papers. 355. 6. GREAT GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, SPAIN, AND HOLLAND. 1802. 1802 THE preliminaries of peace having been signed on the basis already set forth, the plenipotentiaries of Great Britain, France, Spain, and Holland, repaired, towards the close of the late year, to Amiens, for the final adjustment of the treaty.-Some difficulties arose on the subject of the articles which related to the retention of Trinidad and Ceylon by Great Britain and the future disposal of the isle of Malta, which protracted their deliberations. These being at length overcome, the definitive treaty was signed, on the twenty-fifth of march, by the earl of Cornwallis on the part of his Britannic majesty, by Joseph Buonaparte on that of France, by the chevalier Azara for the king of Spain, and minheer Schimmelpennick for the Batavian republic.* Such The article in the treaty relating to Malta purports that this island, Gazo and Camino shall be restored to the order of St. John of Jerusalem, to be held on the same conditions on which it possessed them before the war, and under certain stipulations, the most interesting of which, in a political view, are as follow: "1. The knights of the order, whose languages shall continue to subsist, after the exchange "of the ratification of the present treaty, are invited to return to Malta, as soon as the exchange "shall have taken place. They will there form a general chapter, and proceed to the election "of a grand master, chosen from among the natives of the nations which preserve their language, "unless that election has been already made since the exchange of the preliminaries.. "It is understood that an election, made subsequent to that epoch, shall alone be considered "valid, to the exclusion of any other that may have taken place at any period prior to that "epoch. 66 2. The governments of the French republic and of Great Britain, desiring to place the order "and island of Malta in a state of entire independence with respect to them, agree, that there ❝ shall |