44 
HISTORY OF THE [book iii. 
sessed by a numerous and warlike people, amongst 
whom it does not appear that the Spaniards ever 
attempted to force a settlement. They had a no¬ 
bler prize to contend for on the continent, and a 
century elapsed, before the other nations of Europe 
considered the regions of the New World as coun¬ 
tries, wherein all men might seize on what suited' 
their convenience, without any regard to the pro¬ 
per inhabitants. Thus the Charaibes of Grenada 
happily remained in peaceful obscurity until the 
year 1650, when the avarice and ambition of a 
restless individual devoted them to destruction. 
This person was Du Parquet, the trench gover¬ 
nor of Martinico, nephew and heir of Besnambuc, 
of whom memorable mention is made in the annals 
of St. Christopher. Notwithstanding that the 
French establishment in Martinico was itself of 
recent date, and that a great part of that island 
still remained uncultivated; and although another 
establishment was, at the same time, begun by the 
same nation, in the large and fertile island of Gua- 
daloupe, yet such was the rapaciousness of this 
people, that upwards of two hundred hardy ruffians 
were easily collected, by Du Parquet’s encourage¬ 
ment, for an attempt on Grenada; and it is appa¬ 
rent from the nature and magnitude of the prepa¬ 
rations, that it was considered an enterprize of dif¬ 
ficulty and danger. 
The history of this expedition, which took place 
in June 1650, is related at large by Father du Ter- 
