the way and treated worse than mangy dogs.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

VIII.

THE STRUGGLE FOR SUPREMACY.

By the time of the Dutch war of 1665 the pretensions of Spain to the
exclusive possession of the Indies had been entirely ignored. Now began
the great struggle of other nations for supremacy, and the position of
"sovereign of the seas," the islands and Guiana becoming scenes of
contention between English, French, and Dutch. To these struggles is
greatly due the positions the naval powers of the world hold to-day, and
especially that of Britain.

As it was mainly a demand for free trade which led to so many attacks on
the Spanish possessions, so it was now the same question which led to
the struggle between the two great mercantile nations which succeeded
Spain and Portugal, as these had followed Venice and Genoa. In the West
Indies there was no line of demarcation between these new powers, and
consequently their interests often clashed, but on the whole the
colonists were favourable to the Dutch, and did all they could to evade
the Navigation Act.

Early in 1665 preparations were made in Barbados to repel an expected
invasion by the Dutch. Vessels were ordered to keep together and
protect each other, and men-of-war were sent out to afford convoy.
Already the English buccaneers had been somewhat discountenanced by the
home government, although they were generally encouraged by the
colonies, especially Jamaica, which derived considerable advantage from
their sales of booty. Now that there was a demand for all the forces
that could be gathered together, the Governor of that island gave the
rovers letters of marque, under which they were empowered to ravage the
Dutch colonies. At St. Eustatius they succeeded in carrying off
everything portable, including nine hundred slaves, and even such heavy
articles as sugar coppers and stills. De Ruyter made an attempt on
Barbados on the 20th of April, but the people there made such a stand
that he had to retire. He commenced the attack at ten o'clock in the
morning with his fourteen vessels, but by three in the afternoon the
fleet was so much damaged that he was forced to move away his own ship,
with a hole in her side "as big as a barn-door." He then went on to
Montserrat and Nevis, where he captured sixteen ships, but did not take
either of the islands.

In Guiana, the English from Barbados captured the Dutch trading factory
in the river Essequebo, as w