Although the "Constitution" was subjected to two rounds of shelling during the battle, its sails were not damaged and its sailing ability was not greatly affected.

The two boats continued on their way to Santo Domingo, and at about ten o'clock in the morning of the second neighborhood, a huge island gradually emerged from below the horizon.

"Mr. Treville, that's Santo Domingo, we're here." Captain Zola pointed to the island to Victor.

It was the first time in Victor's life that he had been on a boat for such a long time, and now he looked at the island from afar, and a sense of joy suddenly rose up, and the corners of Victor's mouth couldn't help but bend upward.

"I miss the land a lot, right?" Captain Zola, noticing this, asked with a smile.

"Yes. I hadn't even noticed it before, but as soon as I saw the island, I immediately felt my legs eager to stand somewhere without shaking. Victor replied with a smile as well.

"It's the same for everyone, whether it's a passenger or a seafarer, after a long voyage, they want to be able to put their feet on the ground that won't shake. It's the same for everyone. The only difference is that every time a seafarer like us goes ashore and stays for less than two months, we start to miss the blue sea and the rickety deck. ”

"Haha, that's how humans are." Victor laughed too. Although you can already see the island, it is still far away, until about three o'clock in the afternoon.

"Free Trade Number" and seized

The USS Constitution arrived outside Port-au-Prince, Santo Domingo's largest port. Port-au-Prince is the largest port in Santo Domingo, as well as the largest city and political center.

Most of Santo Domingo's sugar, coffee, and other products are shipped from here and then crossed to Europe.

So it's a very busy port.

"Free Trade Number" and

The appearance of the "Constitution" caused a commotion. After all, it is rare to see such a large ship in this area.

The "Free Trade" anchored near the channel outside the harbor and waited, and it was only after a close hour that a ship with a French flag approached.

That dhow is in the distance

The "Free Trade" stopped not far away, and a sampan was lowered, and two black men paddled the sampan and sent a black man in uniform over.

The "Free Trade" lowered the rope ladder, and the black man in uniform climbed up the rope ladder.

"I'm Jacques, the sailor of the Port Authority of Port-au-Prince, what are you here for? Do you want to enter the port? You may have to wait, we don't have a large enough berth for you at the moment. The black sailor asked.

"Hello, I am the captain of this warship," Zola replied,

"We have come from France to escort the envoy of the First Consul to Governor Toussaint-Louverdur, and if there are not enough places on the ship, we may not enter the port for the time being. But ......" At this point, he turned his head and proudly pointed to the one behind him

"Constitution" said: "On our way to Port-au-Prince, we were attacked by this American ** ship, and we defeated them and captured this ship. The ship had some damage during the battle and may need to be brought into port for emergency repairs. So, if possible, I hope you can prepare a berth for this ship as soon as possible. Sadly, however, the black sailor didn't seem to quite understand the demonstrative words, he just

"Oh", and then said, "We'll arrange it as soon as possible." ”

"Also, the envoy of the First Consul is here. You can go and inform the people at the Port Department and the Governor's Palace. Zola added.

The black man took his leave and left. When it was almost dark, he returned again and informed Captain Zola that a berth had been vacated on the harbor for those they had captured

"Constitution" is used, and in addition, Mr. Envoy can also go ashore and go to the Governor's Palace. So Victor followed the black man into their ship and entered Port-au-Prince first.

Port-au-Prince is a free-growing city with the port at its core, which then expands outwards from the seaside to the nearby hillside around the wharf.

Because there was neither a plan nor a rule when it was built, it was completely free to build how to build it with love, so the city roads were narrow and tortuous, and in many places, even two horse-drawn carriages could not meet.

On both sides of the road are rudimentary and crowded shacks. Most of these shacks were rebuilt after the earthquake of 1794.

The whole port area is dirty and chaotic. But the area on the hillside is different, it is a rich area, where the owner of the manor and the like live, the roads are relatively wide, and the houses are mainly luxurious garden villas.

The Governor's Palace of Santo Domingo was naturally in this area, but the people who used to live in the Governor's Palace were white, but now they were black.

When Victor disembarked, he got into a carriage and circled the narrow streets surrounded by a group of black soldiers, and by the time he reached the governor's palace, the color had completely darkened.

Victor entered the governor's palace and was greeted by a black officer. He introduced himself as the Governor's lieutenant, and then asked about Victor and if he had already had dinner.

Victor showed him a letter of authorization from the neighboring consul and told him that he hadn't eaten yet.

"Your Excellency the Governor asked me to take you to dinner first, and then Your Excellency the Governor will meet you in the drawing room." That adjutant.

Then he took Victor to a nearby restaurant for dinner. When Victor had finished eating, he took Victor to the drawing room, where the only black governor of France was waiting for him.

Governor Toussaint Louverdur wanted to divide and make an attempt for independence, and there was no one in the whole of France who did not know it.

However, at this time, he still behaved very politely when dealing with Napoleon's envoys.

Governor Toussaint Louvidur first chatted with Victor casually about his journey along the way, and then asked, "Did Your Excellency the First Consul send you here to give me any instructions?" Victor was more direct.

Victor replied bluntly: "Your Excellency, the First Consul has no intention of giving you instructions, but has only sent me to have some kind discussions with you about the present and future of Santo Domingo. IMHO, it is no secret that Mr. Governor has always sought to make Santo Domingo an independent state. ”

"So, what is Your Excellency First Consul's opinion on this?" Since Napoleon's envoy behaved so bluntly, Toussaint Louvidur no longer concealed it, but asked directly.

"The First Consul thinks that you may not have thought through what might happen after independence. Or, you may not have thought enough about the difficulties ahead. Victor said.

"Are you, the French ** team?" Toussaint Louvidur simply cut the curtain straight,

"I have heard of the First Consul's prowess on the battlefields of Europe, but we are not afraid to die for the sake of freedom. Although there may be some difficulties in the future, if you want to conquer us by army, then you can try. ”

"No, no, Mr. Governor, you may have misunderstood what we meant." Victor Dao,

"Mr. Governor-General, I was in France when there was a revolution against tyrants, and you, Mr. Governor-General, also started an uprising in Santo Domingo. In the early days of the uprising, you allied with the Spaniards, the British against us French. But soon, you parted ways with them, and later you even cooperated with us against the Spaniards and the French, why is that? Toussaint Louvidour glanced at Victor, but there was no interface.

"For what you want, Mr. Governor, is the liberation of the Black Rao, and the abolition of slavery. But both the Spaniards, as well as the British, were supporters and beneficiaries of barbaric slavery. They can support you against France, but they won't allow you to actually overthrow slavery. They simply did not want to see an independent, slave-free black nation emerge in the Caribbean. Because if such a situation arises, it can have a ripple effect in their territories, especially in their territories where slavery is also used. That's why you're against the British, the Spaniards. France, on the other hand, is a completely different country from England and Spain. I hear that you are a very knowledgeable person, you have read the great works of Rousseau, Montesquieu and other French sages, and you have a certain understanding of their thoughts. ”

"Yes, I've read their books, and they inspired me." Toussaint Louvidur replied.

"Then you should also know that the French Republic today is different from the French Kingdom that oppressed you in the past. In fact, when the news of your uprising reached Paris, the revolutionary government immediately responded. The abolition of slavery was proclaimed, and full citizenship was granted to blacks. It is for this reason, Mr. Governor, that you have chosen to cooperate with us in the fight against the nations that still cling to the evil of slavery. Victor continued,

"Mr. Governor-General, after the last war, the French Republic kept his promise to abolish slavery, and the Negro of Santo Domingo did acquire full citizenship, including the right to vote and to be elected—Mr. Governor-General, you became Governor of Santo Domingo by election. Mr. Governor, look around you, are there any other governors of the dependent territories of any country that have been elected? Is the governor of any of the country's dependent territories black? In the whole of America, apart from Santo Domingo, is there any black person with full citizenship? Mr. Governor-General, the French Republic has been fulfilling its commitments, because this is not an expedient measure, but a requirement of the Declaration of Human Rights, on which the French Republic was founded. Why, then, do I understand, Mr. Governor, that you are obsessed with making Santo Domingo independent? ”