 Port-LaJoye became the administrative centre, although other sites had greater commercial potential.The British confirm this decision when they became masters of the region after the capitulation of Louisbourg in 1758.The first European settlers in the area were French military personnel from Fortress Louisbourg who founded a settlement in 1720 named Port-LaJoye on the southwestern part of the harbour opposite the present-day city of Charlottetown.