Allison; Taking Control

Chapter 56

Troubled though he was, the transit was mercifully straightforward and uneventful. It felt as though hardly any time had passed at all when, the next morning, forward lookouts reported sighting land on the south coast of St. Martin, or Sint Maarten, as the Dutch would have it. They controlled the southern portion of the small island, maintaining their plantations and other affairs under the auspices of the West India Company. The northern part of the island was actually French territory. The very existence of this divided colony was testament to the fact that although the two nations had found common interests in the present conflict, historical relations between their peoples were by no means always so cordial.

Even so, the shared border was of great potential use to both sides during this war, and to not avail themselves of the opportunities it presented made little sense. Given the mercantile arrangements between the two countries, it would be an easy matter for the Dutch to have n