Note 19 — Chapter III
Reading edition
It was for some time pending in the mind of Louis XIV. whether he should, or should not, restore Antigua to its rightful sovereign; and several letters passed between the King of the French and his ambassador, Count D’Estrade, (the deputy from Zealand assuring the count that he would use his influence to retain Antigua for his majesty, should such be his wish,) upon the subject. At length, however, Louis XIV., after much hesitation, authorized its rendition by a letter to Count D’Estrade, dated 6th May, 1667, of which the following is a translation:—
“I have always forgotten to inform you, and even to put it in your instructions, that it is my intention to surrender the island of Antigua to the English, which belonged to them before the war. Thus you will make no difficulty by promising, by the treaty (of Breda), that all things shall be established in the island of St. Christopher, and that of Antigua, as they were previously to the rupture,” &c.