Dutch, despite being at peace with the Netherlands at the time. Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy was appointed viceroy of the French possessions in America. La Barre formed the Compagnie de la France équinoxiale in the Bourbonnais to colonize what is now French Guiana, and obtained an appointment as lieutenant general and governor of Equinoctial France. On 26 February 1664 Tracy sailed from La Rochelle, France, with seven ships and 1,200 picked men of the Compagnie de la France équinoxiale led by La Barre. His first stop was in Cayenne, which the Dutch commander Guerin Spranger surrendered without opposition on 15 May 1664. Tracy disembarked La Barre and his garrison, and left for Martinique. Germán Arciniegas relates, An agreement between Spranger, de Tracy and de la Barre dated 15 March 1664 set out the terms of surrender. It recognized the Dutch rights to lands in the island, and to their guns, ammunition, merchandise, provisions and appurtenances. The French would let the Dutch military march out, drums beating, and would give them and all other inhabitants transport with their goods and slaves to their destination island or country, providing food and drink on the voyage. The inhabitants who remained, including the Jews, would have freedom of religion and full possession of their goods, lands and slaves. If they chose to leave they could sell their land and take their goods and slaves with them. La Barre established a garrison at Fort Cépérou, Cayenne, and started construction of a settlement of 200 huts. Back in France, on 11 July 1664 Jean-Baptiste Colbert, with the king's agreement, founded the Royal West Indies Company (Compagnie Royale des Indes Occidentales). La Barre was appointed Lieutenant General of the Company and Governor of Cayenne. In February 1665 the ship La Suzanne arrived in Cayenne with 180 men. La Barre learned from the ship of the new West India company, and set off for France. There he published an account of his mission and thoughts on the future of the colony as La Description de la France équinoxiale. He obtained the appointment of his younger brother Cyprien Lefebvre de Lézy as governor of Cayenne from the West Indies Company. Cyprien Lefebvre replaced the acting governor, Antoine de Noël de la Trompe d'Or, who left office on 8 September 1655. Lieutenant general of the Antilles (1665–68) During the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665–67) La Barre was appointed lieutenant general