A Roving Commission; Or Through the Black Insurrection at Hayti

The novel is set against the backdrop of the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) a significant historical event where enslaved Africans and free people of color revolted against French colonial rule in Haiti then known as Saint-Domingue. The story follows the adventures of the protagonist Maurice Saint Leger a young British officer who finds himself caught up in the tumultuous events of the Haitian Revolution. Maurice serves aboard British warships stationed in the Caribbean where he witnesses firsthand the brutal and chaotic nature of the conflict between the enslaved population French plantation owners and various factions vying for power.