Of my other personages, all had a real existence, except Monsieur Revel, Euphrosyne, and their servants; some of the planters mentioned in the second chapter; the children of Bellair; the Abbess and her establishment; and some of the visitors at Toussaint"s levee; with a few other subordinate characters.
Of the real personages, several were probably very unlike what I have represented them. I knew the names of some, without knowing their characters; as in the instances of Placide and Isaac, Messieurs Pascal and Moliere, Mars Plaisir, Madame Oge, the Marquis d"Hermona, Laxabon, Vincent, and Paul.
Of others, I knew the character and history, without being able to ascertain the names; as in the instances of Madame Dessalines and Madame Bellair. Since the issue of my first edition, I have learned that the name of Madame Dessalines was Marie; and her second name, before marriage, Claire or Clerc. I have not thought it advisable to subst.i.tute Marie for Therese in this edition, as nothing could be thereby gained which would compensate for disturbing the a.s.sociations of my readers in regard to one of the chief personages of the story.
Of others, such as the wife, daughters, and third son of Toussaint, Monsieur Papalier, and the tutors, Azua and Loisir, I knew only that they existed, without being able to learn their names or characters.
The only character designed to be fully and faithfully accordant with history is that of Toussaint himself. Those which have much, but less absolute, pretension to historical truth are those of Jean Francais, Christophe, Dessalines, and the other negro Generals, old Dessalines, Bellair, Raymond, the French Commissaries and Envoys, Bayou, and Moyse.
Note 1. I believe the term "morne" is peculiar to Saint Domingo. A morne is a valley whose bounding hills are themselves backed by mountains.