ABSTRACT
In 1781 war broke out between the English and the Dutch, and one of the first British successes in the West Indies was the capture of Demerara. When the Colony was restored by France in 1783, the Dutch administration were quick to perceive that they had the nucleus of a better capital of the two Colonies in Demerara. Meanwhile, as Storm himself had foreseen, Demerara was developing far faster than the older settlement: in spite of great increase in the grants of land on the Pomeroon the centre of gravity was gradually shifting to Demerara. The new Colony of Demerara and Essequibo was placed under one Governor and had one general Court of Policy and Criminal Justice: Essequibo had its separate Commander with a minor Court for settling local affairs. The Spaniards were incapable of giving very much trouble, and the Indian trade seems to have lost its activity.
