. The storied West Indies . the littlebourg of Trois Ilet, where stands the church inwhich the future Empress of France was baptized,and where her father and mother are buried. This,in brief, is the history of Josephines connection withMartinique; and after this digression (the only ex-cuse for which is to afford comparison between theobscurity of her birth and the elevated station towhich she attained) we will follow the general trendof events toward the close of the eighteenth century. The English wrested nearly all the Eesser Antillesfrom the French; but when in 1768 the Marquis de 258 THE
. The storied West Indies . the littlebourg of Trois Ilet, where stands the church inwhich the future Empress of France was baptized,and where her father and mother are buried. This,in brief, is the history of Josephines connection withMartinique; and after this digression (the only ex-cuse for which is to afford comparison between theobscurity of her birth and the elevated station towhich she attained) we will follow the general trendof events toward the close of the eighteenth century. The English wrested nearly all the Eesser Antillesfrom the French; but when in 1768 the Marquis de 258 THE STORIED WEST INDIES Bouille was appointed governor of Guadeloupe andcommander in chief of all the French forces in theCaribbees, affairs took on a different aspect. Afterthe breaking out of the war of 1778, in conjunctionwith different naval commanders, he took nearly allthe islands back again, his vigorous campaign cul-minating in the capture of Saint Ivitts, the fall ofBrimstone Hill, and defeat of an English fleet under. The church at Trois Ilet. Admiral Hood. This commander was that same gal-lant Bouille who assisted Louis XVI in his futileattempt to escape from France and the guillotine,and who was later compelled to flee for his life fromthe country for which he had so long and so vainlyfought. Lying just south of Martinique, and separatedfrom it by a sea channel thirty miles in width, is theisland of Saint Lucia, where thousands of brave men, HISTORIC BATTLEFIELDS 259 led by misguided commanders, have left their bonesand drenched with their lifeblood the soil of everyhillside on its northern shores. Like the other islesof the Caribbees, it was a bone of contention be-tween England and France for nearly two centuries;but the most sanguinary contest took place here inthe year 1778. The British troops were commandedby brave General Meadows, the French by gallantand dashing DEstaing. Intrenched upon the vigie of Castries (which the English of to-dayare fortifying against the
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