<Li> Marie - Galante </Li> <P> Due to its proximity, French Guiana is often associated with the French West Indies . </P> <P> Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc was a French trader and adventurer in the Caribbean, who established the first permanent French colony, Saint - Pierre, on the island of Martinique in 1635 . Belain sailed to the Caribbean in 1625, hoping to establish a French settlement on the island of St. Christopher (St. Kitts). In 1626 he returned to France, where he won the support of Cardinal Richelieu to establish French colonies in the region . Richelieu became a shareholder in the Compagnie de Saint - Christophe, created to accomplish this with d'Esnambuc at its head . The company was not particularly successful and Richelieu had it reorganized as the Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique . In 1635 d'Esnambuc sailed to Martinique with one hundred French settlers to clear land for sugarcane plantations . </P> <P> After six months on Martinique, d'Esnambuc returned to St. Christopher, where he soon died prematurely in 1636 . His nephew, Jacques Dyel du Parquet, inherited d'Esnambuc's authority over the French settlements in the Caribbean, in 1637 becoming governor of Martinique . He remained in Martinique and did not concern himself with the other islands . </P>

When did the french come to the caribbean