He confiscated all the ships and warehouses, but found less cash and valuables than he expected.
This, plus the fact that Statia sold weapons to the rebels, led to war between Britain and Holland.Īdmiral Rodney arrived and Statia surrendered. British officials didn’t think much of this, and even less of the fact that an American ship later captured a British ship in the area and took it back to the States. Thus Statia became the first nation to salute an American naval vessel.
He didn’t realize that, although Andrew Doria was a merchant ship, she was under the command of an American rebel navy captain. Governor de Graff, not sure what to do, decided to fire a return salute, but two guns less. In 1776 the Andrew Doria, an American vessel, came into harbor and gave a salute. Statia became known as the Golden Rock, but the prosperity was not to last. It was officially approved smuggling, and the inhabitants, some 8000 mixed Dutch, English, and Jewish merchants, got very rich. For example, in 1770 Statia produced about 600,000 pounds of sugar, but exported 20 million pounds. Countries not allowed to deal with each other could deal with Statia, so Statian papers were attached to many things produced elsewhere. It became possible to buy or sell anything here, along with the appropriate papers. The Dutch, who owned Statia, remained neutral and opened Statia as a free port. The major powers wrapped their colonies in a mass of red tape and taxes, stifling trade. During these years, the European powers were fighting each other in addition, England was unsuccessfully trying to put down the upstart American rebels. Thousands of tons of commodities are traded daily in a colorful, noisy, bustling town, with hundreds of small boats going from ships to shore. Goods are available here from all over the world: fine fabrics, silver, gold, household supplies, slaves, guns, sugar, tobacco, and cotton. All along the shore a sea wall protects a long street of shops and warehouses. From one to two hundred sailing ships lie at anchor.
Imagine now, the Golden Era during the mid to late 1700s, when Statia was the trade capital of the Indies. Ashore, a donkey grazes peacefully little movement breaks the tranquility. To the east a perfect volcanic cone rises to 2000 feet. On top of the cliff the present small town peeks out through trees. At the base of the cliff a couple of buildings are nestled between old stone ruins, which tumble into the sea. From the anchorage you will see a long cliff just behind a sandy beach. Statia is a small island with a large history.
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