 As a result piracy became widespread, encouraged by European powers hostile to Spain such as France (based on Île de la Tortue) and England.The Spanish largely abandoned the western third of the island, focusing their colonization effort on the eastern two-thirds.The western part of the island was thus gradually settled by French buccaneers; among them was Bertrand d'Ogeron, who succeeded in growing tobacco and recruited many French colonial families from Martinique and Guadeloupe.