of competent observers who have spent much time
in Haiti.
The capital of the republic, which is also the
principal port and the chief commercial city, is Port-
au-Prince at the head of the bay which penetrates
so deeply into the western end of the island. The
French built a fortification here at an early date,
but the city was not founded until i749> when it was
called L ’Hôpital. T he old colonial capital was
Leogane, which has an outlet on the bay now called
Ça Ira. Port-au-Prince has 30,000 to 35,000 inhabitants,
but though it is the centre of nearly all
the foreign trade, it is a shabby, ill-kept, foul-smelling,
and most unwholesome place. I t was shaken
to pieces by an earthquake in 1842, and has been
several times nearly burned up, but it retains its
flimsy construction, speedily becomes dingy after
being rebuilt, and reeks with filth at most times.
Back from the city the plain of Cul-de-Sac once
contained flourishing plantations and is by nature
one of the most attractive and productive stretches
of land in the whole country. T he port of St.
Marc to the north of the capital is the outlet for the
coffee gardens and mahogany groves of the lower
valley of the Artibonite. Near by is Gonaive,
where the independence of Haiti was declared, and
whence Toussaint L ’Ouverture was carried to his
dismal fate.
There is a good harbour at Mole St. Nicholas,
the end of the north-western peninsula, where
Columbus first touched this great island and where
the French established their real stronghold before