NOTBB DU CHAPITRE XI

OlÊÊmj, AUimtt of tke minmÉâa of QabUdOy 173S4813, ns^ p. 193^

Souscription entre les membres du cahildoy 'pour suhvenir

aMKc frais de la guerre.

Philip Langton 100 doublons.

Bartolomé Portel .... 50 *-

Francisco Mendez.... 100 —

Abraham Shaw.« . ««« SA dottbloBfi fiar an peadantla doré^ de

la gaerre.

fi.M.Noftl 100 ^

Charles DesBon..^.^. 50 — —

Le secrétaire • . • 36 — •*-

Les de«is aletdes Carry «t BMiatt dtelu^ent «rw éf^k B 6< wci ri l o ommo eoninîaBiint 4e|K>pd«deii.

(Bryan Edwards, History of the war in the W. I., t. III, ch. iv,

p. 433 et seq.)

Victor Hugues was bom of mean parents and was placed when a boy as an apprentice to a hair-dresser. In that occupation he went origiually to Guadaloupe, where he was after-

WOTES (4793-1796). 351

ward known as a peity inn-keeper ai Basseterre. Failing in that pursuit, he became master of a small trading vessel, and al length ^^as promoted to a lieutenancy in the French army. Seing distinguished for his activity in the French Révolution, he was aflerwards deputed, through the influence of Robespierre^ to whose party he was strongly attached, to the National Âssembly. In 1794 he obtained the appointaient of Commissioner at Guadaloupe, with sontroling powers over the commanders of the arniy and navy, and proved himself in every respect worthy of his great patron and exemplar, being nearly as savage, remorseless and bloody as Robespierre himself.

Victor Hugues having secured the possession of Guadaloupe, determined in the next place (his force being in adéquate to a regular attempt against any of the other iblands) to adopt a System of hostility against some of them, which, though well suited to his character and disposition, was not less outrageons and sanguinary than unprecedented among civilized states. To this end he directed his first attention towards Grenada and St Vincent's, expecting to find in each of thèse islands adhérents fit for the project which he meditated.

in.

(E.-L. Joseph, History of Trinidad, part. II, ch. xi, p. 187.)

France had no naval power in the West Indies, nor

any means of assailing England in this quarter, but by intriguing amongst the people of colour. Victor Hughues knew this, and he also knew that Trinidad was, in ail but the

name, a French colony, aUhough not likely long to be defended against the naval supremacy of Eogland ; he therefore

sent to offer a large supply of men to Don Chacon

Bet^'oen Ihe amiable Spanish governor and the ferocious Hugues no sympalhy could exist : the ofTer of aid was firmly declined by (he former.

NOTiiiJ (1796). 353