Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/510

* HAITI. 458 HAJJ. largo number of the lower classes, especially in the rural districts, practice raHrfoju-worshiping, and, according to some authorities, the practice is occasionally accompanied by human sacrifices and acts of cannibalism. Marriage ties are very loose, and polygamy prevails to some extent. The current langiiage is French, but the peas- antry speak a dialect. The capital is Port-au- Prince ( q.v. ). There are United States consuls at Cape Haitien, Gonaives, Port-au-Prince. Au.x Cayes, Jacmel, Jeremie, Miragoane, Petit Goave, anil Saiht-JMarc. History. The island of Haiti vpas discovered by Columbus in 1492. In 1496 Bartholomew Columbus founded Santo Domingo, the first Euro- pean town in the New World. The natives, who were very numerous, were quickly exterminated by their relentless taskmasters, and negroes were imported from Africa to take their place as laborers. The blacks soon came to form the vast majority of the population. After the coloniza- tion of the mainland Haiti was neglected, and in the seventeenth century a colony of buccaneers were allowed to make "their headquarters at the western end of the island. They were French- men, and as a result of this occupation that part of the island was ceded to France by the Treaty of Ryswick (1697). A prosperous and wealthy Freiich colony grew up, but the large negro population, and especially the turbulent and discontented class of free nuilattoes, were a constant source of disquietude to the planter.;, who would not allow civil rights to any portion of the colored population. During the French Revolution, at a time when there were dissen- sions among the white population, the negroes and mulattoes, encouraged by the reception ac- corded to their appeals by the people of France, rose against their oppressors. The insurrection, which broke out in 1791, was marked by the most bloody excesses. In 1793 the commissioners of the French Convention proclaimed the freedom of the blacks. At this time invasions by the British took place. The blacks were rallied, organized, and led to victory by Toussaint L'Ou- verture (q.v.), who was recognized by them as generalissimo of their forces in the island, and who expelled the British in 1798. Three years previouslv Spain had ceded the eastern part of the island to France, and this was now included by Toussaint, who now reigned as dictator in practical independence, within his sphere of au- thority. In 1801 Napoleon Bonaparte sent a force under General Ijcclerc to svibdue the island. Toussaint w^as captured and deported to France, where he died in prison (1803). His place was filled by other leaders, and the French were final- ly expelled in December, 1803. The victorious general, Dessalines (q.v.), declared Haiti inde- pendent, and assumed the title of Emjieror (1804), He was assassinated in 1806. Then for some years the northern part of Haiti was held by Christophe (q.v.), a negro, who in 1811 assumed the royal title, while Petion (q.v.) es- tablished a mulatto republic to the south. Upon the death of Christophe in 1820, the power was seized by Boyer, the successor of Petion, who then proceeded to the. conquest of the eastern part of the island, which had been reoccupied by Spain, but had revolted, and formed a republic. The whole island was ruled with wisdom and firm- ness by Boyer (q.v.) as President until his over- throw "in 1843. France recognized the independ- ence of Haiti in 1825. In 1844 the eastern part set up for itself as the Republic of Santo Do- mingo. In the west — the Republic of Haiti — a series of struggles between the blacks and mulat- toes for political ascendency lasted for many years. In 1849 the negro President Soulouque proclaimed himself Emperor as Faustin I., and for ten years ruled in a despotic manner, at- tempting more than once to annex the Republic of Santo Domingo to his dominions. The Re- public was restored at the beginning of 1859 by the mulatto Geft'rard, who held power till 1867. In 1888-89 civil war raged between the generals Legitime and Hippolite, who were rival candi- dates for the Presidency. The latter was vic- torious, and ruled with unlimited authority till his death in 1896. He was succeeded by General Simon Sam, who was President until May, 1902, when he was forced to resign. Civil war ensued between Boisrond-Canal, head of the Provisional Government, and M, Firmin, Haitian Ambassa- dor at Paris, who established a rival government at Gonaives, in the northern part of the island. In October, 1902, Firmin was overthrown, and in December General Nord was proclaimed Presi- dent by the army. BiCLiOGBAPHT. Fortunat, 'Nouvelle geographie dc Vile d'Haiti (Port-au-Prince, 1888); Saint John, Haiti, or ilie Black Republic (2d ed., Lon- don, 1S89): Rouzier, Dictionnaire geographiijue ct administratif universel d'Haiti (Port-au- Prince, 1892) ; Marcelin, Haiti, etudes econo- miques, sociales et politiques (2 vols,, Paris, 1893) ; iA., Haiti, ses guerres civiles, leurs causes (Paris, 1893) ; Justin, Etude sur les institutions haitiennes (Paris, 1894) : Vibert, La republique d'Haiti (Paris, 1895); Prichard, Where Black Rules n'hite (London, 1900) ; Keller, Erin- iterungen aus Haiti (Aarau, 1900) ; Tippen- hauer. Die Insel Haiti (Leipzig, 1893) ; Edwards, Historical Surrey of the Island of Santo Do- mingo (London, 1801) ; Burney, Buccaneers of America (London, 1816) ; Madiou, Histoire d'Haiti (3 vols., Port-au-Prince. 1847) ; Lin- stant Pradine, Recueil general des lois et actes du gourernement d'Haiti "(5 vols., Paris, 1851-65); Ardouin. Etudes sur Vhistoire de Haiti ( 10 vols., Paris, 1853-61) ; Handelmann, Geschichte von Haiti (Kiel, 1856). HAJDU-BOSZOBMENY, hi'dy be'ser-ma-ny*. See BiisziiRMKNV. HAJEK OF LIBOCAN, hii'yek uv le'b6-chan, ^ENZEL (?-1553). A Bohemian chronicler. He wrote in the Czech language a Chronicle of Bohemia (1541), which was translated into Ger- man bv Johann Sandel ( 1596), and was long con- sidered one of the best sources of Bohemian his- tory. Modern criticism, however, has found it to be very inaccurate. Consult Palacky, Wurdigung der alien hohmischen Gesohichtsohreiber (Prague, 18.30-69), HAJJ, haj (from Ar. hajja. to make a pil- grimage). An Arabic word, applied specifically To the pilgrimage to the Kaaba (q.v.) or sanctu- arv of Mecca, which every Mohammedan, whose means and health permit", is bound to perform, once at least in his life. The original sense of the word appears to be •circuit,' and points to the ancient custom of passing around a sanctuary as one of the rites connected svith a visit to a sacred spot. The word also exists in Hebrew {hag), and