Cape Haytien—Haiti.

Affairs in the Haytien Empire—Negro Respect for a Flag of Truce—To al Overthrow of the Black Troops under Pierot, &c.

When I last had this pleasure, in the month of January, Haiti was reposing in the sweet sleep of profound and honorable peace; all looked forward to a season of renewed life and prosperity in her affairs.

This was but a deceitful calm only to burst forth anew with tenfold fury, in revolution and bloody warfare.

The Spaniards who occupy the eastern and most valuable part of the island, and who have never been well affected to the negro rule on that part, which was in some measure forced upon them, suddenly hoisted a standard of their grievances and flew to arms on the 7th of March, declaring themselves a free and independent State, divided and separate forever from the Haitien Republic—the news of which reached here on the 10th.

The President Rivière lost no time in ordering to arms the whole male population of the French part of the island, to march on the rebels, to crush to overrun the Spanish part with his forces at one blow, for the Spanish population do not exceed one-third of the French.

He left Port au Prince on the 10th of March, and soon mustered 30,000 men, with which he set out for St. Domingo. His advanced guard met the enemy at Azua, a small town of about 600 inhabitants, where a severe and night fight took place; his advanced guard were cut to pieces; however, coming up the next day with the main body of his army, he forced the Spaniards to retire, and ultimately occupied the town, which he found totally abandoned, without a single soul in it. The loss before Azua is privately stated at eleven hundred men, and by our last accounts from Port au Prince, the President had not yet advanced, but is awaiting further reinforcements. He had only removed to a short distance from the place, on account of the stench from the dead bodies, which it appears were never buried.

On this, the north side of the island, General Pierot assembled on the frontiers of Hinche, eight or ten thousand men. In the mean time, the Spanish General, Salcedo, having also collected a force, had advanced to within eight miles of the Haytien forces, where he remained some days in camp. He ultimately sent two officers, escorted by four dragoons, with a flag of truce, to Gen. Pierot, as bearers of a letter, communicating that the object of the Spanish was not hostilities, but merely to occupy the frontiers of the Dominican Republic, and to live in peace, as they had made no reply, but immediately had the officers and their escort disarmed, and taken from the arms, &c., which, together with their horses, he distributed among his soldiers, and then marched them off on foot to this place, where they arrived yesterday, and are now living together, in one narrow dungeon, and all communication with them prohibited. So much for respect to a flag of truce.

The Spaniards after this, in order to entice Gen. Pierot into the interior, gradually retired before him, as soon as he set out from Hinche, on the 24th March, at the head of the combined force of all the Northern Guards and troops of the line. The North was mustered, leaving behind him nothing but women and children.

His orders were to take possession of Santiago at any sacrifice of life, from thence to cross the country and form a junction with the President for a combined attack upon the city of St. Domingo.

General Salcedo, ignorant of the fate of his first envoys, despatched another flag of truce to Gen. Pierot, on the Plains of Talanquero; this party was surrounded and fired upon; several were killed and the rest escaped with difficulty. This was the opening of the campaign on the part of the Haytiens, and where Spanish blood first watered the soil of their country.

Gen. Pierot reached the neighborhood of Santiago on the 29th of March, and made his dispositions for attacking the Spaniards, who had assembled a force of about five thousand men, advantageously posted on a hill, at the entrance of the town.

The Haytien army was divided into three divisions; the right, commanded by General Cadet Antoine, was ordered to cross the Yaqui river, and the river Yaqui is the rear of Guimonea's brickery, on the left of the town; the left, under General St. Louis, commanded the left division, to cross the Yaqui at Paso Colorado; and Gen. Pierot the centre division, to cross at Paso Yaqui. The whole was done with much skill and precision, and the three columns almost simultaneously advanced to the attack, about noon, on Saturday, the 30th ult. The Spaniards very quietly allowed them to come within the reach of their artillery, when such showers of grape and musketry as to cause confusion in the Haytien ranks; however, they rallied, and three different times returned with coolness to the assault, but the fire of the Spaniards was too dogged obstancy, until Gen. Pierot was finally obliged to retreat. He has not been heard of or seen since his army completely broken up; for it is reported that he has not more than five hundred men, some say that he has scarcely one thousand men with him.

The Spaniards never left their lines during the whole attack, and are reported to have suffered little or no loss. After the action, Gen. Pierot made a movement to enter a flag of truce to the Spaniards, the result of which has not transpired—though we know they were well treated, notwithstanding strong reasons for retaliation.

There is no doubt of the ultimate success and independence of the Spaniards; and, from the liberal policy of the new government of St. Domingo, it is generally anticipated that the Spanish part will soon become powerful and prosperous.