MUTIN DE PRESLES, Saturnin Amable (moo-tang), French colonial magistrate, born in Louisiana in 1721 ; died in Cape Francais, Santo Domingo, in 1779. He received his early education in New Orleans, but finished his studies in Paris, and in 1746 became civil magistrate of Port Louis in Santo Domingo. He was afterward appointed civil justice of Cape Francais, and member of the privy council of the governor. In 1751 he prepared, at the request of the colonial intendant, a modified "code noir," or legislation for the slaves in the French possessions, who were then governed under the laws of the famous code noir that was promulgated by Louis XIV. in 1685. The modifications that Mutin proposed were rejected in the king's council as too favorable to the slaves, but the adoption of his code was nevertheless left to the discretion of the colonial governors, and it probably replaced the Draconian code of 1685 everywhere in the French possessions. Mutin composed also, at the instance of the authorities, a "Histoire gendrale des iles du vent et sons le vent, suivie d'un traite statistique de la population, des esclaves, et du commerce de ces possessions" (6 vols., Paris, 1762). His other works include "Memoire sur le gouvernement de la colonie de Saint Domingue, de 1700 a 1725" (3 vols., 1765); "Relation du sidge et de la defense de la ville de Saint Louis en 1697" (Cape Francais, 1772): " Memoire a sa Majeste sur l'administration de la justice dans les iles sons le vent, et des reformes a introduire" (2 vols., Paris, 1775).