Manifesto of the King of the Kingdom of Haiti, September 18, 1814, with supporting documents

The manifesto presents the king as sovereign of a nation long oppressed that conquered its liberty and independence, and it states that the aim is to justify before the tribunal of nations the legitimacy of that independence at a time when European sovereigns are turning to the well-being of their peoples. It recalls more than one hundred fifty years of slavery, the proclamation of general liberty by French government agents, the administration of Governor-General Toussaint Louverture, the intrigues of General Hédouville with Rigaud and the French expedition that sought to take liberty back twelve years later.

The text declares that the king will never consent to any treaty that compromises the honor, liberty and independence of the Haitian people and would bury himself under the ruins of the country first. It is dated at Sans-Souci on September 18, 1814, the eleventh year of independence and fourth of the reign, and it is countersigned by the Secretary of State, the Count of Limonade. Numbered supporting documents follow, including consular and military acts of the French Republic and letters, certified as true to the originals in the state archives.