the life
and property of the inhabitants wherever the lack of forts or adequate
garrisons facilitated their manoeuvres. As the pirates were supposed
to be either British or French, the government of Spain was suddenly
roused to action and entered complaints at the courts of France and
England. But they received little satisfaction beyond an exchange of
polite diplomatic notes, which contained nothing reassuring whatsoever.
Both governments replied that the miscreants were private individuals
and criminals for whose actions their government, however seriously it
discountenanced them, was by no means responsible. Moreover,
interference was out of the question, since the offenses were committed
outside of the jurisdiction of the respective countries. Spain was thus
left to her own resources in proceeding against those disturbers of the
peace and safety of her American colonies.

But these colonies were thousands of miles away and Spain, under the
weak rule of a weak sovereign, was too much absorbed by the futile
effort to stay the decline of her European power. Roussillon and Artois
had been ceded to France, the war with Portugal was dragging along
hopelessly. Although the revenues of the crown had been materially
increased under the king's favorite, Olivares, the profligate
extravagance of the court was forever draining the coffers. The colonies
had to get along as best they could and they had a troublesome time to
fight the ever growing menace of pirate invasion with little or no aid
from the mother country.

The death of Governor Montano made necessary another provisional
government; it consisted of D. Diego Ranzel, as political and the
Alcalde Jose Aguirera as military governor. When the duly appointed new
governor, Captain General D. Juan de Salamanca, entered upon his office
on the fifth of March, 1658, he soon found his hands full. Some years
before, a number of Frenchmen, regardless of the Spanish claim of
priority, had settled on the island of Tortuga. They were hunters,
planters and laborers, with a fair sprinkling of adventurers. The
settlement had grown into a real colony, before the Spaniards became
aware of the fact that it constituted a grave danger. Several
expeditions were sent against them, but failed to dislodge them.
Encouraged by this triumph over the Spaniards, these intruders set about
to extend their operations to the coast contiguous to Hayti. Sometimes
these men were working by authority of the