savages, it was received by the greater part of the inhabitants as a blessing from God. There were some, however, who said it was impossible ever to have peace with men who were without faith and without religion; that it would only serve as a pretext for them to surprise and assassinate the French, and then they would throw the blame upon those from St. Vincent's. Some of the French declared their determination to fire upon any of the Caribs that came within their reach. M. Aubert told them he was going to St. Christopher's to consult with M. de Poincy, and declared that every person who should injure the savages during his absence should be individually responsible for the act. He landed at St. Christopher's the 15th of October, where he was kindly received by De Poincy, and allowed to collect as many volunteers as he could persuade to follow him to Guadaloupe: he returned to that island with his lady the 25th of November. His commission was read two Sundays following, at the head of all the companies in the island.

The war which had been waged between the Spaniards and the Franch, under the former governor, had rendered it the most desolate of all the American colonies. Want of provisions had reduced many to such extremity, that death was the object of their wishes.' The continual fear they were in of being surprised by the savages obliged them to be always in arms, and to leave their gardens and plantations uncultivated: their officers abused their authority, and had brought the colony to the brink of destruction. As soon as M. Aubert assured them of a peace with the Caribbeans, the disturbers of the public peace were dispersed. Tobacco, the only article of exportation from the island, was again cultivated; and as that trade had been injured by persons selling bad tobacco, and foreigners, in consequence, slighted the island, M. Aubert appointed persons to examine all that was for exportation, with orders to throw into the sea what was unfit for fair traffic. The island soon began to flourish.

The Caribs at Dominica having persuaded their countrymen to make peace with M. Aubert, and having for five months refrained from hostilities, imagined that sufficient to render it safe for them to send a deputation to the governor, to confirm the peace. Two of

Du Tertre, tom. i. p. 192. Davis's History of the Caribbee Islands, p. 180-182.

1 Du Tertre, with five other religioners, landed at Guadaloupe. In M. Vernade's house he found 100 sick persons lying upon the ground, or at best upon some reeds, wallowing in their own filth, many reduced to the last extremity, and without succour from any person. "I had hardly finished with one till I was obliged to run to another: sometimes, while I was burying one rolled up in banana leaves (there was no talking of linen in those times),

I heard nothing from all sides the house but dying voices that said, 'Stay a moment, Father: don't fill up the grave; you will not have more trouble for two or three than for one only!' And in general it happened so that I buried, very commonly, two or three in the same grave!" These maladies and this mortality lasted till the arrival of M. Aubert. Du Tertre, vol. i. p. 152.

their most renowned captains, with several of the bravest officers and soldiers, were dispatched in two canoes, as envoys: Captain Amichon was the commander. They landed confidently, and desired to see the governor, M. Aubert, to whom they sent a present of their best fruits. The governor immediately ordered the inhabitants and his household not to give them the least occasion to fear any ill treatment, and went himself to welcome them. Amichon had visited M. Aubert in the ship at Dominica, and immediately recognized him, and told him he was come to confirm what they had resolved upon at Dominica concerning peace, and that all the Caribbeans of his country were desirous of peace. M. Aubert led them to his house, regaled them plentifully, and gave them presents of the curiosities most in esteem among the savages: and, that all the deputies might participate of the good cheer, those who had been treated went to relieve those who were left behind to look after the piragua, who also, in their turn, received equal presents. Captain Amichon, according to the custom they observe towards their friends, took M. Aubert's name, and gave him his own: they then returned, highly pleased, to the boat, and set sail.

At a certain rendezvous they met Captain Baron, the other ambassador, who, understanding the reception Captain Amichon had met with, proceeded on to Guadaloupe, and arrived there next day. This Baron had been a great friend of M. du Plessis.

This second party landed, and were treated with the same attention with which Captain Amichon and his party had been: and when Captain Baron found the governor had been intimately acquainted with his old friend M. du Plessis, a more particular friendship commenced between them, and Baron was dismissed better pleased than the former deputy. He soon made a second visit, when M. Aubert introduced one of his old friend M. du Plessis's sons to him, to whom, in remembrance of his father, Baron gave a thousand caresses. After this the Caribs made daily visits to Guadaloupe; and M. Aubert proposed to Baron, as a proof of his countrymen's sincerity, that he should require some of their children as hostages. Baron immediately replied, that mutual safety was to be procured by equal conditions; and that if they delivered up some of their children to the French, it was but just the French should do the same: he then presented to M. Aubert some of his own children, the best-looking of whom was chosen. Baron consented to part with him, and the lad Imalabouy was content to stay. From that day M. Aubert treated him as his son, and Imalabouy called him father. Baron, as a counter-hostage, wished to have one of Mad. Aubert's sons, because she had been the wife of his friend M. du Plessis: this, however, the governor contrived to avoid, by representing that young Du Plessis was too delicate to bear a Caribbean life, and persuaded Baron to accept instead of him one of his servants, who

much wished to go. He accordingly went; but after being a few months among the savages, who treated him with great kindness, he became so unwell, that Baron, fearing he might die among them, brought him back to M. Aubert, without requiring another hostage: but he could not prevail upon his own son to return.'

Baron frequently visited Guadaloupe afterwards, to see his son: and, as a proof of his gratitude to M. Aubert for his kindness to Imalabouy, told him, that three years before, he had taken a Frenchman prisoner, and had saved his life, only because he had been a servant to M. du Plessis, and this young man he promised now to deliver up, and a few days afterwards brought him back to Guadaloupe: but not thinking he had yet done enough to oblige M. Aubert, he prevailed upon another Caribbean captain to set at liberty another prisoner, whose name was Jean Jardin, a very clever fellow, who had gained the good-will of the Caribs, and learnt their language. Baron was going to Trinidad, to make war upon the Arouagues; fortunately, M. Aubert had a servant named Des Serissiers, who wished very much to be present at an engagement with the savages; and this man, properly equipped with good fire arms and ammunition, was offered to Captain Baron; who, much astonished at the favour, joyfully accepted his services. Des Serissiers was an excellent marksman, and a gallant fellow : in the first encounter with the Arouagues he did such service, that the Caribbeans were completely victorious: from that time they considered him a great captain.

During the whole of M. Aubert's government, the peace made with the Caribbeans was inviolably preserved on both sides, to the great advantage of both nations; the savages getting wedges, hooks, knives, &c. in exchange for swine, lizards, turtle, and fish: so that the Caribbeans were purveyors for the French, who, in the mean time, worked in their plantations without any molestation.

Davis's History of the Caribbee Islands, p. 185.

"Imalabouy (the son of Orachora Caramiana, whom the French called Captain Baron) was sent to Paris from Guada loupe, and baptized with great solemnity, in the presence of many honourable persons, and named Lewis, and afterwards sent back to his own country, laden with presents. As soon as he set foot upon his own island, he laughed at all he had seen, put off his clothes, and painted his body with roucon, saying the Christians were a foolish sort of people !"-Davis's History of the Caribbee Islands, p. 286.

Du Tertre, who calls the boy Mara bouis, denies the story in part, but confesses he was baptised in the Jacobin convent, Paris, when he was supposed to be upon his death-bed; that upon his return to Guadaloupe, his mother and friends enticed him from the Christians, and got him to marry his cousin; but that he repented of it afterwards, and wished to rejoin the Christians, when his friends poisoned him! Du Tertre, tom. ii. p. 418.

1641.

In May, M. de Poincy received fresh commissions, confirming his former command for three years from the next January: he, however, did not read them as was usual, at the head of the different companies; and this gave rise to rumours, that in consequence of the representations which had been sent home against his government, his powers were lessened. A counterfeit commission, lessening his authority, was handed about; and M. de Poincy suspected Maret, one of the oldest captains in the island, to be the author, and sent some of his creatures, who were also intimate with Maret, to procure proofs.

Maret was entertaining them in the most hospitable manner, when one of them pretended to find a piece of parchment, and asked what it was. Maret said he did not know; that never having learnt to read or write, he took no heed of such things: and denied its being his declaring that those who had taken it from his hammock had put it there themselves. He was, however, arrested, carried before De Poincy, and sent under a strong guard, with irons upon his hands and feet, to the fort: he was ordered to be immediately tried, was found guilty, and condemned to death, though all the inhabitants knew that he could neither read nor write, and must therefore be innocent of forging the commission. Some disrespectful expressions concerning the Pope, the Virgin Mary, and De Poincy, were proved against him.

The Capuchin friars, believing him innocent, used their utmost endeavours to save his life, and persuaded the judge to call upon De Poincy, and tell him frankly that he could not condemn Maret to death. The judge returned to the friars in tears, and declared to Father Hierome, that he was a lost man if he did not condemn Maret. His friends now contrived to get him out of prison by making the soldiers drunk, and he remained concealed for thirteen days, during which time he was condemned to be beheaded for contumacy, and the sentence was executed upon his effigy. De Poincy's rage was unbounded: he confiscated the effects of the two sergeants of the guard, and banished them to Guadaloupe; the two corporals were tried by a council of war, consisting of six officers and his judge, who condemned them to death, and the sentence was executed within an hour afterwards.

Understanding that Maret had taken refuge among the English, De Poincy, with 4000 armed men, proceeded to the frontier of the English, and sent a trumpeter to the governor, to say that if Maret was not given up he would come and search for him even in the governor's house. Unwilling to take any part in the affair, the

English sent back the fugitive, who was carried again to the fort under the guard of 100 men, and upon the 17th of September beheaded with a bill-hook, after having done penance, in his shirt, with a torch, before the chapel at Basse Terre, as guilty of high treason against God and man.

M. de Poincy's violent proceedings at St. Christopher's had given rise to great murmurs in the island, which were increased by his forbidding any person to go on board the merchant vessels which arrived to trade there. He took all their cargoes himself, and had them lodged in his own store-houses, and appointed seven commissaries to retail them to the inhabitants, taking four per cent. himself upon all transfers made in the island, and fixing what duties he thought proper. Some of the oldest inhabitants took arms to oppose this monopoly, and, headed by Clement Bugaud, proceeded to demand that things should be restored to the same state they were in during D'Enambuc's administration. Bugaud and his followers were unexpectedly surprised by M. Sabouilly, who, pretending to call several other companies of soldiers to his assistance, so intimidated the insurgents, that they dispersed and fled from what they supposed was a very superior force.

Bugaud and some of the principal insurgents escaped to the

continent.

The Spaniards attacked the English at New Providence, displaced the settlers, burnt their habitations, and murdered the governor, but did not occupy the country themselves.

The French abandoned their settlement at Surinam, and the English, at the expence of Lord Willoughby, first settled there.

Sir Henry Hunks left the government of Barbadoes, and was succeeded by Captain Philip Bell. Sir Henry carried home with him a chart of the island, which was drawn by Captain Swann ; Sir Henry commanding Swann to give it up to him for that purpose. Captain Philip Bell had been governor of the island of Providence.

While governor of Barbadoes, he settled the constitution of the island. The governor is appointed by the King's commission; so are his council, consisting of twelve, by mandamus. The assembly is composed of twenty-two, that is, two members from each of the eleven parishes. The island is divided into five districts: in each of these there is a judge and four assistants, who hold a Court of Common Pleas every month, from January to September.

Every servant, at the expiration of his term, is by law allowed three, four, or five acres: this constitutes a yeomanry, and is one reason why the force of the island is at all times respectable.

Colquhoun's British Empire, p. 372.

Anderson, vol. ii. pp. 389. 392, A. a. Ligon's History of Barbadocs, pp. 26. 32.

Du Tertre, tom. i. pp. 165. 167. Univ. Hist. vol. xxxvi. p. 188. Campbell's Political Survey, vol. ii, p 666.