 Those who landed on the island freely cut and took with them the precious heartwood of the ebony trees, then found in profusion all over the island.Dutch colonization started in 1638 and ended in 1710, with a brief interruption between 1658 and 1666.Numerous governors were appointed, but continuous hardships such as cyclones, droughts, pest infestations, lack of food, and illnesses finally took their toll, and the island was definitively abandoned in 1710.