WEST INDIA SOCIETY. 157 



you shall bye and bye rayse sight of the white little islet, which 

 seemeth like a ship under sail." 



The point d^appui of this chain, and where I am now relegated, 

 was originally settled by a few Dutch buccaniers, who built here a 

 fort to protect themselves, about the year 1648.* They were not 

 left in quiet possession of it long, being ejected by a stronger party 

 of freebooters. These, to screen themselves from similar casualties 

 forthwith hoisted the British flag, and thus became, by a sort of 

 autonaturalization, its subjects. Questionable as this right of occu- 

 pancy might be, our government was not over scrupulous in profit- 

 ing by it, for we find Charles I. presently after granting Tortola 

 and its dependencies to the Earl of Carlisle. But the next reign 

 saw it again in hands of the crown by purchase. A commission 

 then granted to Sir William Stapleton, annexes this group to the 

 Leeward Island government. From that time to the present the 

 English claim seems to have remained unimpeached. 



The Dutch had made small progress in settling the country 

 when they were expelled ; and we may date its principal improve- 

 ment so late as about a century and half since, when some English 

 families from Anguilla, transferred themselves and fortunes to this 

 colony. Their resources, although confined, were adequate to their 

 wants ; and a governor, who acted as justiciary, with his council, 

 formed an executive body at once simple and unexpensive. But 

 notwithstanding this, the island did not continue to thrive .equal to 

 their expectations. That some panacea was requisite for small 

 capital and weak credit in their case, appeared evident enough, but 

 none could discover this — until a seer arose to declare that it was 

 law 1 and forthwith boys and men shouted " law," with the perti- 

 nacity of Abderites. They memorialized the king, who referred it 

 to his ministry, the ministers to their clerks, and these sent out, in 

 due time, a charter with all the machinery of litigation to our hearts' 

 content. For this the islanders stipulated to pay four and half per. 

 cent, for ever on all sugars exported by them ; a stipulation con- 

 firmed by the first act of assembly, holden at Tortola in 1774. 

 There was a rider attached to this bill, voting 400 currency as salary 

 to the governor. " Such was the price of colonial legislation," says 

 Bryan Edwards, in his statement that begins with lamenting a de- 

 ficiency of archives respecting the Virgin Isles. 



* There seems an error in thi^ date of settlement assigned by 

 Bryan Edwards. 



