In the end, Brand made a compromise.
After all, the Negroes on the Bahama Islands were just clamoring for independence, which was entirely different from actually establishing a government structure, taking control of the entire island's administration and economy.
By then, as the commander of the expeditionary force, he would inevitably have to take full responsibility.
As for the reinforcements, the news he received last week indicated that they were not yet ready. It would be at least four months before 5,000 soldiers would arrive in the Caribbean Sea.
Before that, he needed someone to help him stabilize the situation in the Bahamas. At the very least, he couldn't allow the rebel government to easily confiscate the plantations on the island and expel the British people.
The "commission" for the French people would naturally be paid by the Governor of the Bahamas — Sir Essex had taken quite a bit of money with him when he fled Nassau.
