St Eustatia, or Eustatius, one of the Caribbean islands, belonging to the Dutch, and situated in W. Long. 62°, 56'. N. Lat. 17°, 29'. It is little else than a huge mountain, which formerly has, in all probability, been a volcano. Its situation is so strong, that it has but one landing place; and that is fortified in such a man- ner as to be almost impregnable. Tobacco is the chief product of the island; and it is cultivated to the very top of the pyramid, which terminates in a large plain surrounded with woods, but having a hollow in the middle, which serves as a large den for wild beasts. No fewer than 5000 white people and 15,000 negroes subsist on this spot, where they rear hogs, kids, rabbits, and all kinds of poultry, in such abundance, that they can supply their neighbours, after having served themselves. The first Dutch colony sent to this island consisted of about 1600 people. They were dispossessed by the English from Jamaica in 1665. Soon after, the Dutch and French becoming confederates, the English were expelled in their turn. The French continued to hold a garrison in the island till the treaty of Breda, when it was restored to the Dutch. Soon after the revolution, the French drove out the Dutch, and were in their turn driven out by the English under Sir Timothy Thornhill, with the loss of no more than eight men killed and wounded, though the fort they took mounted 16 guns and was in every other respect very strong. Sir Timothy found it necessary for the protection of the Dutch, to leave a small English garrison in the fort; but he granted the French no terms of capitulation, except for their lives and baggage. By the peace of Rywic, the entire property of this island was restored to the Dutch.

This island was reduced by the British in the year 1781. Though not 20 miles in circumference, it abounded at that time with riches, by reason of the vast conflux of trade from every other island in these seas. Being a free port, it was open to all the subjects of the belligerent powers; and thus a communication was established among them, through which they were enabled to carry on a commercial correspondence, which greatly mitigated the inconveniences of war. The greatest benefit, however, was reaped by the Dutch; who, by transacting all trading business for other nations, were thus entrusted with numberless commissions, and likewise enjoyed vast profits from the sale of the merchandizes to which they were entitled. At the time the attack was made upon them, they were so little under any apprehensions of such an event, that their warehouses were not sufficient to contain the quantity of commercial articles imported for sale, and the beach streets were covered with hogsheads of tobacco and sugar. In this situation, Admiral Rodney having received orders to commence hostilities against the Dutch, suddenly appeared before the island with such an armament of sea and land forces, as in its defenceless situation was not only useless but ridiculous. The governor could scarce credit the officer who summoned him to surrender; but being convinced how matters stood, the only possible step was taken, namely, to surrender the whole island, and everything in it, at discretion. Along with the island there fell into the hands of the captors a ship of 60 guns, with 250 tail of merchantmen, while the value of property on the island was estimated at no less than four millions sterling. This capture became afterwards a subject of discussion in parliament, where the conduct of the British commanders was severely scrutinized by Mr Burke. The admiral and general made their defence in person; but the minority at that time were far from being satisfied; and it was supposed that on the change of ministry a rigid inquiry would have been set on foot, had not the splendor of Admiral Rodney's victory over de Graffe put an end to all thoughts of that nature.

The island of St Eustatius is naturally of such difficult access, as already observed, that it is almost impossible for an enemy to effect a landing if proper care is taken by those who are in possession of it. This very circumstance proved the ruin of the new possessors. The British, secure in their inaccessible situation, conducted Eustatius themselves in such a manner as induced the Marquis de Bouille to make an attempt to regain it. Having failed, he landed on Martinique at the head of 2000 men, he arrived on the 26th of November 1781, off one of the landing places of the island, which was deemed so inaccessible that it had been left without a guard. With much loss and difficulty, however, he landed here with four or five hundred of his people during the night. The appearance of day put an end to his landing any more; and he now saw himself obliged either to relinquish the enterprise or to attack the garrison, which was almost double the number of those he had on the island. He chose the latter; and was favoured in his enterprise by the extreme negligence of his antagonists. A difficult pass, which a few men might have occupied with success against a great number, was left unguarded, which the marquis secured in time, and then pushed forward with the utmost expedition. The British, mistaking a body of Irish troops which attended the French commander for their own comrades, suffered them to approach without thinking of opposing them. They were then exercising on the parade; but were soon made sensible of their fatal mistake by a close discharge from their supposed friends, by which many were killed and wounded. The surprise occasioned by this sudden attack was so great, that no resistance could be made; especially as their commanding officer, Colonel Cockburn, who happened at that instant to come upon the parade, was made prisoner. A number of them, however, hastened to the fort with a view of making head against the enemy; but the French had already taken possession of the gate, and prevented the draw-bridge from being raised. They entered the fort; which, being surrendered by those who had taken shelter in it, the rest of the garrison, dispersed in various places, and imagining the number of the enemy to be much greater than it really was, submitted without any opposition. The French commander took this opportunity of showing his disinterestedness in pecuniary matters. Among the spoils that fell into his hands a large sum of money was claimed by the British commanding officer as being his private property, which was generously restored to him; in like manner the property of the Dutch inhabitants was reserved to them, and nothing was allowed to be seized but the produce arising from the sale of prizes that had been taken by the English when they captured the island.