Opinion had been prejudiced by the insurrections in St Domingo and Martinique, and in the British island of Dominica; and the motion was defeated by 163 votes against 88.
On the 7th of September the French governor of Martinique, the marquis de Bouille, had surprised the British island of Dominica.
He was made an Irish peer for his share in the defeat of the comte de Grasse on the 9th and 12th of April near Dominica.
This done, he was considered to be in truste dominica and bound to the discharge of all the services this involved.
For each of their expeditions, the kings raised an army of citizens in which the Gallo-Romans mingled more and more with the Franks; they only kept one small permanent body which acted as their bodyguard (trustis dominica), some members of which were from time to time told off for other tasks, such as that of forming garrisons in the frontier towns..
