 In 1659, the French had established themselves on the western portion of the islands of Hispaniola and Tortuga by the way of buccaneers.The Treaty of Ryswick of 1697, allowed the French to acquire the western portion of the island from the Spanish they had neglected.By the 1700s, the French had situated its control comfortably, successfully cultivating sugarcane, coffee, cotton, and cocoa from the African slave labor.