til 1718. Also, as early as 1613, the French had established a foothold in Cayenne. The three nations all laid claim to the area, but, at this point in the nation's history, none of the three could establish permanent and authoritative control. While all three nations had settlements in the early 1600s, they all depended upon the indulgence of the indiginous population. The Amerindian natives were best viewed by the visiting explorers and settlers as allies in trade. Attempts to enslave the natives were met with little success. African natives were therefore imported to Guyana to serve as manual labor for the settlements.
The first of the three countries to meet with lasting success in an attempt to colonize the area was the Dutch. In 1621, the Dutch settlers had established the Chartered West India Company of the Netherlands, a charter that lasted for 25 years and then was renewed again in 1647. The company was mostly a trade organization, designed to maintain a monopoly against other traders and to maintain as many ships as further colonization would require. The Dutch were able to move deeply into Guyana's interior, enabling them to trade goods with the Indians for cotton, dyes, and wood. Eventually, trade began to decline in significance compared to cultivation, particularly of sugar cane.
In 1704, the company operated numerous plantations, and private plantations were springing up as well. The trade in sugar increased, the business of cultivation sped up considerably, and the center of Dutch administration was moved from the fort on the Essequibo to Flag Island in 1738. That year proved to be a dramatic turning point in the country's early colonization, as that was the year Storm Van 's Gravesande arrived. Gravesande was named to replace the previous Dutch Commandeur, and remained in authority until 1775.
Gravesande's tenure is marked by a dedication to the development of the region and the opening up of previously unta...