 In 1697 France and Spain settled their hostilities on the island by way of the Treaty of Ryswick of 1697, which divided Hispaniola between them.France received the western third and subsequently named it Saint-Domingue, the French equivalent of "Santo Domingo", the Spanish colony on Hispaniola.The French set about creating sugar and coffee plantations, worked by vast numbers of slaves imported from Africa, and Saint-Domingue grew to become their richest colonial possession.