1799-Late: British cruisers patrolling the waters near Jamaica seized Toussaint Louverture’s “small fleet of war” after the vessels supposedly strayed outsid…

1799-Late: British cruisers patrolling the waters near Jamaica seized Toussaint Louverture’s “small fleet of war” after the vessels supposedly strayed outside their permitted navigation zone. The fleet consisted of four ships manned by over 400 black sailors who were attempting to transit from Port Républicain to Jacmel. Claiming the ships had drifted too close to the Jamaican coast, the Royal Navy brought the sailors to Port Royal as prizes of war. This aggressive enforcement of the May convention was intended to dismantle any independent naval capability the black government possessed. The seizure highlighted the extreme vulnerability of Toussaint’s regime to the naval dominance of the European powers.