Excuse my ignorance, but it was news to me to learn that Gambia was  once a colony of  Latvia and was wondering if anyone on the list  can substatiate or otherwise dispute the following assertions relating  to Gambia's history:

  1:
  "XVII Century

  "In the Polish-Swedish war (1600 - 1629), Sweden wins northern Latvia,  while the provinces of Kurzeme and Zemgale are united into a duchy loyal to  the Polish-Lithuanian empire. In time the former unit becomes quite  powerful, especially during the reign of its most successful leader, Duke  Jacob Kettler (Jekabs Ketlers). Trade is expanded to all corners of the  world; Latvian pines become masts for English warships. The duchy gains a  colony: the island of Tobago in the Caribbean (later exchanged for Gambia  in Africa).........."

  http://www.angelfire.com/ks/kristucitis/ks6.html

  2:

  "In 1651 the Duchy even gained its first colony in Africa, St. Andrews Island at the Gambia River and established Jacob Fort there........."

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courland

  3.

  "In 1641, JACOB KETTLER inherited the Duchy of Courland. He was a very energetic man, built up a navy of 61   ships and pursued a colonial policy; Courlanders built   FORT JAKOB   on the Gambia river in West Africa (1651) and another colony on    TOBAGO   in 1652, attempting to get a share in the African slave trade........."

  http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/eceurope/courland16411795.html




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