Things apparently started in 1493, when Christopher Colombus, sailing in the neighborhood, happened upon the island and named it after his brother, Bartolomeo. The first French colony, approximately 50 members strong, arrived in 1650. Between the English who chased the newly-arrived French settlers and the native Caribbean Indians who exterminated them, the first immigration attempt didn’t go so well for the French.
It wasn’t until the end of the 17th century that the French colony was finally able to take root. In 1697, St. Barts census figures reveal an island of 501 inhabitants. Of these island residents, 355-the majority-were white, another 141, approximately 30%, were slaves, and 5 were registered as mixed blood, or mestizo. The regional prosperity, which was generated by an aggressive sugar trade dependent on slave labor, did not fill St. Barts coffers. The island was too soil-poor, too arid, and too geographically unsuited for the lucrative agricultural commerce of its larger Antillean neighbors.
C’est en 1493 que tout a apparemment commencé. Christophe Colomb passe au large de l’île et lui donne le nom de son frère Bartoloméo. Les premiers colons français, une petite cinquantaine, arrivent vers 1650. C’est peu dire qu’ils ne sont pas les bienvenues. Les anglais les chassent, les indiens Caraïbes les exterminent. Il faudra attendre la fin du XVIIème siècle pour que la France et ses colons prennent définitivement pied sur l’île. En 1697, Saint-Barthélemy compte officiellement 501 habitants dont 355 blancs, 141 esclaves et 5 métisses. L’île est à des années lumière de la prospérité d’aujourd’hui. La richesse de la région provient du commerce du sucre et la géographie de Saint-Barth ne permet pas la culture de la canne.
Yves Bourel Realty - St. Barths Real Estate 