Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-05-03
them he gained from the English set

Dutch. The company, however, cut nc
great figure in West Indian history,
and about the middle of the eighteenth
century this island and st. John be-
came a distinctly national possession
Of Denmark. But by that time Santa
Cruz had also become Dutch and how
it came so Is a rather quantity inter-
esting struggling bit Of mediaeval
history.
Buccaneers, and all sorts Of Spanish
galleons and gentlemen adventurers'
Of the Drake Raleigh and Philip How
ard type one naturally associates with
the Antilles, but the knights Of st.
John of jerusalem of Rhodes, and of
Malta somehow seem to belong a good
deal further east. 1t comes as some
thing Of a surprise to be told that the
knights of the white eight-pointed
cross were once. in their corporate ca
pacity, sovereigns Of at least four
West Indian islands. 1t was In the
days just after La Valette's splendid
defense Of Malta against the Turk
the last magnificent exhibition Of the
old Hospitaller crusading spirit. The
date of the entry in Verlot's chronicle
Of the order in 1652-three years after
the beheadal Of Charles I, eight before
the restoration Of Charles II. Lascaris
was grand master and ruled In Malta.
The knights seem to have been wont
to employ themselves individually,
when not actually fighting the Turk by
land or by sea in a body, with any
civil or military occupation which they
could get from their own respective
national governments. So the Chew
alier Poinsy, of the language OF
France and Languedoc," commanded
the Island of st. Christopher (St.
Kitt's) for the French merchant ad-
venturers. But one Thoissi, a rival
made a clique against this chevalier,
and comforted his enemies, So Poinsy
wrote to the grand master, Lascaris,
saying that two more brethren OF the
order, might be sent over seas, that, In
case of Poinsy's demise, his posses
sions might not fall into the hands OF
these enemies, but be duly assumed
by his lawful heir, the order. Las
caris, instead of at once complying
with the letter of this petition, sends
the Chevalier de Montigni to the king
of France complaining Of Thoissi and
asking that he be kept within bounds
by royal authority. Royal authority
was just then in the minority of Louis
XIV, represented in France by Anne
of Austria, and Mazarin, who probably
finding themselves already quite busy
enough with the Fronde, settled this
business in a summary fashion by
turning over to the sovereign order OF
st. John the islands Of st. Christopher
st. Bartholomew, st. Martin. Santa
Cruz, let quelques autres.' The
chronicler Of the order, like those con-
cerned in the official transfer, talks
about these islands as II they were
trinkets. In gathering the inward
ness Of the transaction from the hur-
ried record, one has to read between
the lines, remembering always the No
mans archipelago status Of the An
titles in these days. So"far as poor
prosecuted Poinsy was personally con-
cerned, the affair ended sadly, he dy-
ing, and the administrators Of the or
der found that his estate consisted on
ly of bad debts. However, the terrific.
rial grant was confirmed by letters
signed by King Louis XIV, in March
1868.
There being no Turks for them te
fight in those seas, despite the mislead-
ing name Of a not distant island, ano
as their constitution, unfortunately
said nothing about extirpating bucca'
neers, the knights Of Malta found lit
tie to detain them in Santa Cruz OF
Saint Croix. At some date or other
not easily ascertainable, but presum'
ably subsequent to 1725, when Vertofs
chronicle ends, Santa Cruz was re-
ceded by the knights to the Frencf
crown.
The first half Of the eighteenth cen
fury saw the beginning Of that series
of political deals in West India is
lands which continued until the day:
of Nelson. Islands began changing
hands like poker chips. The third dec
ade of the century was the age of Johr
Law in France, the period Of the Mis-
sissippi Bubble" and Of the Frencf
company Of the Indies. The fever o.
financial and commercial speculation
ended badly for the French, and thf
course of international politics drove
the Regency-the Orleans Regency
into the arms of the cognate Spanish
monarchy. The family compact be-
tween the French and Spanish branch
es of the house of BOurbons In 1i3;
was intended, of course, to be meas
ure of precaution against British en-
croachment, and so. doubtless, was the
sale of Santa Cruz to Denmark IN the
same year. The Engilsn colonizing ant
naval power had been re-enforced by
the union of the Scotch and Engl1sf
parliaments in 1907, and against this
mower a worldwide struggle was
about to begin; it was better TO sci
Santa Cruz to Denmark for the equiv
alent of $780, of our money. than tt
LET the British get 1t as prize OF war
Santa Cruz, occupied all the same
and agriculturally developed by Eng
lish planters, gained somewhat dis
sipated fame for its products. ST
Thomas, on the other hand, has never
been famed for producing anything
For many generations. in the golder
600 of high and undiscriminating GUS