THE UEITULIC OF SAN DOMINGO 253 



Sugar, which has been so intimately connected with 

 West Indian development and decay, was introduced in 

 150(j, and in a tVw years its cnltivation became the princi- 

 pal occupation of the colonists. It is unnecessary to 

 review the events of these earlier years, when Spanish in- 

 stitutions became firmly implanted on American soil. 

 The reduction of the natives to slavery; their utilization 

 in the cane-fields and gold-mines, and final extermi- 

 nation through hardships; the raiding of the Bahamas 

 and adjacent islands for other slaves, and the intro- 

 duction of African slavery, all followed one another in 

 rapid succession. As early as lsJ.- African slaves on the 

 sugar-plantations were sufficiently numerous to mutiny. 

 The Inquisition was introduced in 1517. 



During the few years between its discovery and 1540, 

 San Domingo flourished. It witnessed in this time the 

 construction of cities, the introduction of sugar and Afri- 

 can slavery into the New World, the increase of vast 

 herds of wild cattle upon the island, and the establish- 

 ment of the old civilization of Spain in every detail. The 

 mines of gold and silver produced lordly fortunes for 

 their owners. But decay began as early as 1540. Thecolo- 

 oists were seduced away by the reports of riches on the 

 American continent, and then followed a period of attack 

 from the bucaneers of England and France, and the country 

 has had very little peace since then, until within the past 

 two decades. The people received in full force the terrible 

 incursions of the freebooters from the middle of the six- 

 teenth until the opening of the presenl century. The 

 little island of Tortnga, near the northwest corner of Haiti, 

 became the center and headquarters from which they made 

 their foray-. The French and English virtually seized the 

 western and Dorthern parts of the island piece by piece, 

 the former gradually acquiring possession of the western 

 half, as more particularly noted in the description of 

 Haiti. 



Op to L697 the entire island was a Spanish colony. In 



