their great stronghold in the
West Indies, and the principal depot for the contraband traffic with
Venezuela. At that time no Spanish vessels went to this part of the
Main, but finding that the trade was of some importance to the Dutch,
the authorities now granted licenses to drive their rivals out of the
market. But the Spanish traders could not compete with the Hollanders,
and this so annoyed the authorities that they determined to extinguish
smuggling at any cost. This they were unable to do by catching the
delinquents, but they could punish those who dealt with them. The result
was the infliction of heavy fines and confiscation, with disgraceful
punishments, from which many were ruined. Yet with all that the trade
was so lucrative to both parties that neither was inclined to give it
up--the Dutch took care of themselves, while cheap commodities could
generally command a market, whatever the risk. The fact was the mother
country imposed so many restrictions, and exacted such heavy fees for
licenses, that the cost of an article was doubled or trebled as compared
with that of the Hollander.

In 1627 a French Association was incorporated under the title of "The
Company of the Islands of America." They appointed the Sieurs d'Enambuc
and du Rossy to settle the islands of St. Christopher's and Barbados as
well as others situated at the "entrance of Peru." Nothing was done at
Barbados, as the English were already in possession, but in 1634
examinations of Dominica, Martinique, and Guadeloupe were made, which
ended in the two latter islands becoming French colonies in 1635.

Meanwhile, in November, 1630, a treaty was signed at Madrid between
England and Spain, after which peace was supposed to again prevail.
Nothing was said about the West Indies, probably because Spain knew that
further protests were useless. Hardly had this been settled before, in
1635, France declared war against the common foe, and her corsairs could
now legally carry on their work of pillage and destruction. In 1638 the
island of St. Martin's, which had been partly occupied by French and
Dutch, was captured by Spaniards, who expelled the inhabitants and
replaced them by a strong garrison. In the same year Colonel Jackson,
with a force from the English islands, captured Santiago de la Vega in
Jamaica, and plundered it of everything valuable, after which, in
retaliation, the island of New Providence, one of the Bahamas, was
captured by Spain. Neither pl