pirates and even shared in their booty.
One ship alone carried such rich freight, that every member of the
pirate crew received four hundred pounds and the governor himself a
handsome sum of hush-money.

But the grim tragicomedy of Morgan's career reached its climax when the
scoundrel, who had brought untold misery to homes in Cuba and other
Spanish colonies, suddenly turned about, became respectable, married the
daughter of one of the most prominent citizens of Jamaica, and was
appointed Judge of the admiralty court. Nor was this all: Charles II
knighted him and in 1682 the whilom buccaneer, as Sir Henry Morgan,
became Deputy Governor of Jamaica. He held the office three years,
during which he mercilessly sacrificed some of his former comrades. Then
King James II came upon the throne, and Spain having gathered sufficient
evidence to accuse "Sir Henry" of secret complicity with the pirates, he
was discharged, sent to England and spent some years in prison. The
"American Treaty," however, dealt a blow to piracy in the Western
hemisphere; and in due time relieved the inhabitants of Cuba as of other
Spanish possessions in America for the nightmare that had threatened
them for over a century.

CHAPTER XXV

In spite of the "American Treaty" which had for the moment bound Great
Britain and Spain together for mutual protection against the pirates,
the designs of land-hungry British courtiers and adventurers were by no
means abandoned. Spain was not blind to the fact that she had all powers
against her, that were playing an important part in the development of
the New World. French, Dutch and British were stung with the desire to
appropriate to themselves some of its wealth. For many years the British
government had jealously watched the progress of Dutch navigation and
commerce. Its settlements in North America had whetted the appetite for
colonial expansion, which, once awakened, was bound to be satisfied by
whatever means diplomacy or strategy offered. Though England and Spain
were then nominally at peace, Cromwell was haunted by dreams of British
world power and as soon as the Revolution gave him authority to act as
Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, pursued his visions of conquest.

The act of navigation which was issued in the year 1651 does not with a
word mention British monopoly of the colonies; it only established the
principle of exclusive maritime commerce by British vessels, equipped
for the most part