Sir William Stapleton dying, King James appointed Sir Nathaniel Johnson, governor-in-chief, who continued to act as such until the first year of the reign of William and Mary, when he retired to America, and was succeeded in the government by Colonel Christopher Codrington in 1689.[29] Colonel Codrington was so indefatigable in planting and cultivating the sugar-cane in Antigua, that he has been termed the patron of the island. This gentleman removed from Barbados to Antigua in 1674; when he purchased a large quantity of land, and formed the first sugar estate upon the island, and, sending for his wife and children, constituted himself one of its earliest planters. The Codrington family is of old extraction, and many a brave warrior has sprang from that source, as British history will shew.[30] About the first year of Colonel Codrington’s government, in 1689, the fortifications at Monk Hill were commenced; but they appear not to have been carried on with any degree of spirit until 1705. This year the crew of a French privateer landed at Five Islands’ Bay, and burnt and plundered the surrounding country; and carried away with them several negroes, besides much spoil. The Antiguans, highly incensed at this invasion, placed a small force on board an armed vessel under command of Captain Walter Hamilton, and pursued the enemy. This plan succeeded, and they returned to Antigua with the privateer as a prize; on board of which were some Irishmen, who were hung as a warning to others.