Îlet to Cabrit is located, at 1 km (0.62 mi) at the northwest of Terre-de-Haut Island, closing partially the Les Saintes Bay.

[1] The strategic position of Petite Martinique (former name of Îlet à Cabrit) always served of sentinel's place.

In 1777, France built, at the top of Morne de la Reine hill (Former name of Morne Josephine hill), a fortification named Fort de la Reine renamed later Fort Joséphine.

The British, who occupied les Saintes in 1809, kept Fort Joséphine and added water butt to it.

After the return of les Saintes under French dominion, Fort Joséphine became a penitentiary from 1851, but it was ravaged by a hurricane, on September 6, 1865.