, 1881-12-21
Establishment Of the French in the Island Of st. CrGL.
translated from r. 2. Labat.)

leagues TO u OU. MUS, duu Hdu
begun to ~colonize st. Martin, when, finding
the island of st. Croix uninhabited, they
established themselves in it in the year
1913.
The English established at st. kits,
pretending to nave rights in st. Croix,
armed Observation-Disclosures, in order to drive
out the Dutch. Notwithstanding the great
resistance they met, they succeeded Tin
landing, andsra bloody battle took place be-
tween the colOnists Of the two nations. The
victory remained to the English, the Dutch
having lost most of their people.
Those who managed to escape the chains
or imprisonment ran away to the little
islands called the Virgin Islands. That
action took place in 1646.
The Spaniards at Porto Rico, did not
consider it safe to let the English fortify
themselves so near them, their neighbour
1000 was too dangerous hence the Presi-
dent of Sto. Domingo collected 200 men,
whom he embarked upon five. ships on the
10th of August 1860, in order to expel thu
English; they landed at night, took the
enemy by surprise, killed one hundred and
twenty men and forced the others to
escape into the forest.
The Spanish General sen two of his
prisoners to the fugitiyes, to tell them on
his behalf, that if they wishel to leave the
Island and give their word not to return,
he would show no hostility against them,
and that he gave them three days to
decide, but that after that time he would
pursue them and spare no one.
The English received that orderas a great
favor and accepted it, promising the Spanish
General to submit themselves. They sent
a boat to st. Kits in order to ask for yes
sells to take them back. Those vessels
came, and the English embarked, with
little inclination to return
The Dutch at st. Eustatius having heard
that the English had been defeated, and
had abandoned the Island, sent at once
forty men to retake possession. Those
people without %enquiring whether the
Spaniards were yet there or had returned
home, anchored under the Spanish Fort,
and, as coolly as if no one had been there,
landed; they were sadly disappointed.
Sixty Spanish soldiers, who were guarding
the Fort, fired, killed one halt, made
ten prisoners and compelled the remainder
to escape, tracking them so closely i'll the
woods, that several were killed on the
spot. Two or three managed to swim to
their ship and returned to st. Eustatius
to inform their general CT their defeat,
which probably cured him of the idea of
further attempts against the Island.
Commander de Poincy, Governor Gene
raj of the French w. l. Possessions, pre-
tending to have rights over St. Crojx,
thought it was time to claim them.
Under the command of Captain de
Vaugallan, he sent a ship and a sloop with
100 men, with orders to drive out the
Spaniards from the Island of st. Croix,
and to retain it in the name of the King
of France and the w. / Company. In case
of being parted at sea, the two vessels
were to meet at a distance of one league
from the Fort. Effectively, a squall came
and separated them; the sloop had to sail
under the Fort. The forty mel that were
on board believing that the ship had pre-
ceded them, landed and marched to the
Fort. The Spaniards who had recognized
them as enemies set themselves in ambush
before they had anchored. They fell into
the snare and at the first fire OF the
Spaniards they lost thirteen of their best
men. That loss would have scared many,
but the French stood firm and returned
the fire, they killed many and lost many,
but at last overwhelmed by numbers they
retreated into the woods and later joined
their companions as they landed from the
ship.
Notwithstanding the gale the ship kept
the appointment; and Captain de Vaugal-
Ian, not seeing the sloop, waited three
days, after which he landed his troops,
amounting to 120 men without counting
the ships crew. Orders were given on
board to fire cannons and beat drums, from
time to time, so as to puzzle the SpanlardS,
and all the men marched up to 800 PAGES
from the Fort. An officer and a trumpeter
were then sent to challenge the enemy to
surrender the Fort and to leave the island,