In April 1798, the British commander Thomas Maitland approached Toussaint to negotiate a British withdrawal, which was concluded in August.[5] In early 1799, Toussaint also independently negotiated "Toussaint's Clause" with the U.S., allowing American merchants to trade with Saint-Domingue despite the ongoing Quasi War between the U.S. and France.[6][7] These developments significantly augmented Toussaint's power and demonstrated his emergence as a de facto independent ruler.[8] Going forward, Toussaint and Rigaud effectively controlled all of the troops and territory within Saint-Domingue, although the colony was still nominally under French oversight.[9] Toussaint ruled the colony's northern region around Le Cap and the western region around the capital of Port-au-Prince.