he buccaneers and attack their small squadron on the way back,
they retained de Fontenay's brother as a hostage until they reached the
city of San Domingo. De Fontenay, indeed, after his brother's release,
did determine to try and recover the island. Only 130 of his men stood
by him, the rest deserting to join the buccaneers in western Hispaniola.
While he was careening his ship at Port Margot, however, a Dutch trader
arrived with commodities for Tortuga, and learning of the disaster,
offered him aid with men and supplies. A descent was made upon the
smaller island, and the Spaniards were besieged for twenty days, but
after several encounters they compelled the French to withdraw. De
Fontenay, with only thirty companions, sailed for Europe, was wrecked
among the Azores, and eventually reached France, only to die a short
time afterwards.

Footnotes:

[Footnote 83: Bibl. Nat., Nouv. Acq., 9334, f. 48.]

[Footnote 84: C.S.P. Colon., 1574-1660, p. 130. This company had been
organised under the name of "The Governor and Company of Adventurers for
the Plantations of the Islands of Providence, Henrietta and the adjacent
islands, between 10 and 20 degrees of north latitude and 290 and 310
degrees of longitude." The patent of incorporation is dated 4th December
1630 (_ibid._, p. 123).]

[Footnote 85: Ibid., p. 131.]

[Footnote 86: Ibid.]

[Footnote 87: This identity was first pointed out by Pierre de Vaissiere
in his recent book: "Saint Domingue (1629-1789). La societe et la vie
creoles sous l'ancien regime," Paris, 1909, p. 7.]

[Footnote 88: C.S.P. Colon., 1574-1660, pp. 131-33.]

[Footnote 89: Ibid., pp. 174, 175.]

[Footnote 90: This was probably the same man as the "Don Juan de Morfa
Geraldino" who was admiral of the fleet which attacked Tortuga in 1654.
_Cf._ Duro, _op. cit._, v. p. 35.]

[Footnote 91: In 1642 Rui Fernandez de Fuemayor was governor and
captain-general of the province of Venezuela. _Cf._ Doro, _op. cit._,
iv. p. 341; note 2.]

[Footnote 92: Brit. Mus., Add. MSS., 13,977, f. 505. According to the
minutes of the Providence Company, a certain Mr. Perry, newly arrived
from Association, gave information on 19th March 1635 that the island
had been surprised by the Spaniards (C.S.P. Colon., 1574-1660, p. 200).
This news was confirmed by a Mrs. Filby at another meeting of the
company on 10th April, when Capt. Wormeley, "by reason of his cowardice
and negligence in losing the island," was formally de