| Adolph Esmit |
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| governors of danish west indies | |
| esmit, adolph | |
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When Adolph's brother's was proclaimed governor in 1679, Adolph was in Courland , but he quickly went to the West Indies, where he captained a Slave Ship . When there, Esmit led a faction of Planter s in opposition of his brother, and deposed him in the fall of 1682. Westergaard describes him as "shifty, shrewd, vain, and at times boastful, and an exceedingly exasperating neighbor to deal with."Westergaard, Danish West Indies, 29 Meanwhile, his (likely English) wife Charity Esmit was in Copenhagen , securing the official proclamation of his inauguration as governor in 1683.Bricka, Biografisk, 599 During his rule, St. Thomas gained a reputation of being a haven for Pirate s. This was due in part to that when the fact that a sloop owned by a Brit was seized in the harbor of St. Thomas reached Governor Stapleton of Nevis , he attempted having the sloop restored to its owner. He also required the delivery of seven white servants who had run away. Esmit was evasive, saying it was a free port. and Stapleton sent his deputy, Thomas Biss, who said "Sir, if your port is free, why did you seize the sloop? If some rogues have freedom here, why not all?" Esmit later offered to return the sloop, even after having sold it on auction.Westergaard, Danish West Indies, 30 Already in 1684, his rule was seen as a disgrace by the Danish West India Company , and a replacement, Gabriel Milan was sent to St. Thomas. Milan had orders to send Esmit to Denmark so he could be taken to account for his actions, but instead he threw Esmit in irons in order to extort money from him. Thereafter, in 1686, a new envoy was sent, a Mikkel Mikkelsen, with orders to bring them both to Denmark. Upon Esmit's arrival in Denmark, he was able to convince Danish West India Company that he could help them locate a sunken Spanish silver transport, and thus avoided the consequences of his rule. He was proclaimed governor again in 1687.Bricka, Biografisk, 599 When it turned out that he would not be able to fulfill on his promises, and the citizens would not accept him as their governor, he was brought to Denmark again in 1688. Once there, Esmit managed to evade the impending trial by leaving for Courland .Bricka, Biografisk, 599 BIBLIOGRAPHY
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