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The struggle for an independent black Haiti: the founding of the first independent state in the Americas, by an English admirer

RAINSFORD, Marcus.
St. Domingo, of het land der zwarten in Hayti en deszelfs omwenteling. Naar het Engelsch. Met platen en kaarten.

With a frontispiece, 8 full-page numbered engraved plates, a folding map of Haiti (20.5 x 44 cm), a folding plan of 'Kaap François', all engraved, and a facsimile of a letter by Toussaint L'Ouverture to Edward Tyrell Smith on 3 folding leaves.

Amsterdam, Johannes Allart, 1806. 2 volumes. 8vo. Contemporary sprinkled boards. With a frontispiece, 8 full-page numbered engraved plates, a folding map of Haiti (20.5 x 44 cm), a folding plan of 'Kaap François', all engraved, and a facsimile of a letter by Toussaint L'Ouverture to Edward Tyrell Smith on 3 folding leaves. XXVIII [= XXVI], 410, [2]; VIII, 416 pp.

First Dutch edition of an important work on Haiti and its strive for freedom from French rule. Marcus Rainsford (ca. 1750-1805) was a soldier who served for many years with the British Army in the British West Indies. He visited Haiti in 1799, where he became an admirer of Toussaint L'Ouverture, the former slave who led Haiti's revolution and struggle to end slavery. Toussaint L'Ouverture played a key role in what was the first successful attempt by a slave population in the Americas and the world to throw off the yoke of European colonialism. He defeated armies of three imperial powers: Spain, France, and Great Britain. The success of the Haitian Revolution had enduring effects on shaking the institution of slavery throughout the New World. Haiti became the second independent republic in the Americas.
This book is Rainsford's account of the slave uprising that began in August 1791 and the subsequent fighting that, at different times, involved French, Spanish, and British troops and various factions in Haiti. The book includes the first known representations of Toussaint, which were engravings made from Rainsford's sketches and descriptions. Also included are extensive documentation of the revolution and Rainsford's disturbing accounts of the brutal treatment of the slave population by their French masters, as well as of the atrocities committed by all sides in the course of the struggle. Toussaint died in Paris in April 1803, after having been seized by French forces acting under orders from Napoleon Bonaparte, who in 1802 sent an army to Haiti in attempt to reassert French control. Rainsford's wholly admiring account of Toussaint appears in chapter 5 of the work.
Rainsford was accused of espionage and subsequently sentenced to death. The black rebel leader Toussaint L'Ouverture, however, ordered his release. Rainsford wrote several accounts of his adventures. The present work was first published in 1805 as An historical account of the black empire of Hayti. This Dutch translation contains some fine engravings by Vinkeles and Vrydag after the original plates of the English edition, including a portrait of Toussaint l'Ouverture, the rebel who fought with great valour and military acumen for an independent Haiti, but did not live to see his dream fulfilled. His struggle, however was of major importance for the abolition of slavery in the West Indies.
In the introduction to his Historical Account Rainsford states that "mere description conveys not with so much force as when accompanied by graphic illustrations those horrors which are wished to be impressed on the public mind." In this case he refers to the Haitian Revolution. The "graphic illustrations" in his book, engravings based on the actual sketches from his visit to the island, can help to understand the resistance of slaves against the French during the Haitian Revolution. Not only do they demonstrate numerous forms of resistance, but they are also a reflection the British attitude towards these particularly rebellious black slaves. In order to grasp the dualistic nature of these illustrations, one must understand the difference between simply seeing the blacks as rebellious slaves and seeing them as equal leaders of the second independent country in the New World. Even the title of Rainsford's book indicates that the motivation for his sketches drew upon more egalitarian ideals.

Spines slightly worn. A fine set with bookplate of Donald Mac Gillarry.

Broos, Lijst van boek- en plaatwerken, p. 44; Muller, America 531; Saakes 4, p. 268 and 306; Sabin 67535;Vaderlandsche letteroefeningen 1807, p. 163 en 659.

Related Subjects: 19th Century Haiti Slavery Travel & Voyages

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