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Description and Holding Information
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1550-1785, S. Domingue, Constitutions & Laws, St. Mery, 6v
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Loix et constitutions des colonies françoises de l’Amérique sous le vent; suives, 1. D’un Tab-leau raisonné des différentes parties de
l’Administation actuelle de ces Colonies; 2. D’Observations générales sur le Climat, la Population, la Culture, le Caractere et les Moeurs des Habitans de la partie
Françoise de Saint-Domingue; 3. D’une Description Physique, Politique et Topographique des différens Quartiers de cette même partie; le tout terminé
par l’Histoire de cette Isle et de ses dépendances, depuis leur découverte jusqu’à nos jours: by M. (Médéric-Louis-Elie) Moreau de Saint-Méry: Vol.
1-6, Paris, Chez Quillau & Mequignon jeune, Cap François, Chez Baudry des Lozieres, n.d., [1784-90]. (Spine title is “Loix de S. Domingue.” The title
page carries the legend: Avec app[r]obation et privilège du roi. All text is in French. This semi-official work was published under the auspices of the
Prince de Conti, Minister of the Marine, and thus effectively the French “Colonial Secretary.” To aid in the research the Colonial Ministry provided
Moreau with an allowance and access to its archives. The resultant work is a huge compendium of royal letters-patent, constitutions, proclamations,
decrees, ordinances, regulations, commissions, administrative dispatches, etc. It aggregates in one chronological edition the evolving con-stitutions and
laws decreed by the French Crown for the governance of the inhabitants of its colonies. It covers in particular the colonial “crown jewel,” Saint
Domingue; with its “partie Françoise” {the native French settlers}, its “citoyens de couleur”{freed slaves and other non-Europeans}, and the slaves of
both parties. Illustrative of the materials included is Le Code Noir, {“The Black Code,” the French Edict of March 1685 governing the lives and
treatment of slaves. See V. 1, pp. 414-424}. Other laws reprinted with notes are the Ordinance of Blois on civil procedure, the ordinances of 1679 and 1680
governing commercial matters, the ordinance of 1673 called the Mercantile Code for matters of maritime commerce, and the ordinance of 1681 called The
Code of the Sea. Materials are arranged with separate Chronological Tables and Indexes for each volume. Coverage and guides are found as follows: V.1,
1550-1703, CT-p.721, I-p.757; V.2, 1704-21, CT-p.801, I-p.839; V.3, 1722-49, CT-p.893, I-p.925; V.4, 1750-65, CT-p.879, I-p.903; V.5, 1766-79,
CT-p.927, I-p.963; V.6, 1780-85, CT-933, I-963. Due to the immense scholarship embodied in this work, and his decade of service in the colony as an
influential lawyer in Cap François, M. Moreau, if not always respected, was a widely recognized authority on everything related to the Colony of Saint Domingue.
Much cited during the era of the slave revolts and French loss of the colony, he is often referred to in the literature of simply as Saint-Méry; e.g.
“dit Saint-Méry.” Despite the fact that the sixth volume was not published until 1890, Moreau’s scope does not include coverage of events during or
after the Saint Domingue slave revolution. It is rather a brilliant description of a colonial world that he hoped might be rebuilt. During the French
Revolutionary period, Moreau sided with the reactionary wing of the settler party.)
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Title:
Loix et constitutions des colonies franc̜oises de l'Amérique sous le vent : suivies, 1. D'un tableau raisonné des différentes parties de l'administration actuelle de ces colonies: 2. d'observations générales sur le climat, la population, la culture, le caractere et les mœurs des habitans de la partie franc̜oise de Saint-Domingue: 3. d'une description physique, politique et topographique des différens quartiers de cette même partie ; le tout terminé par l'histoire de cette isle et de ses dépendances, depuis leur découverte jusqu'à nos jours / par M. Moreau de Saint-Méry.
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OCLC Number:
645658380
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Available Volumes
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