3 Mu ENGLAND'S COLONIAL EMPIRE MAURITIUS AND ITS DEPENDENCIES. AN HISTORICAL, POLITICAL AND STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF MAURITIUS AND ITS DEPENDENCIES. BY CHARLES PRIDHAM, ESQ., B.A., F.R.G.S. "Hv ck XtyweTii/ d> ov Siicaiov TOVQ ff<}>Tf.povg CITTOIKOVQ vf fjinOfT}fTai', we 7rar charge read change. 25, 16, insert comma after captured and delete after part. 47, 22, for eter read etez. 48, 8, for Bouganville read Bougainville. 58, 6,/or Dupressis read Duplessis. 7, ornit comma after Vigoreux and place it after Governor. 64, 6, /or Tn nquemale read Trinquemale. 72, 7, /or then rend than. 24, for from the Isle of France read for the Isle of France. 103, 14,/or langrodge read langridge. Ill, 19, /or Dornal read Dornald. 125, 2, for who read now. 127, 4 from hot torn, fo- pent read petit. _ 135, 4 from bottom, for body politic read political body. 142, 8, for attended read unattended. 18 from bottom, /or Tanavarino read Tanarive. 144, 18 from bottom, read Zelee with an accent. 146, 19, add 4< on it" after letters. 160, 5 omit semicolon. 176, 8 from bottom, for prejudiced read prejudicial. 185, 5 from bottom, for the read this. 15 from bottom, add " and." 190, 20 from bottom, read Mahebourg with an accent. 191, 20, far Grand, &c. read Grande Riviere. 194, 20, /or swo read two. 202, 19, for fool's attendant read fools attendant. 203, 12, /or Rivieie read Riviere, and passim. for Magnan read Mayan. 17 /or Latinier read Latanier. 204, 10, for Vaconas read Vacouas. 14, for Frambroisier rend Framboisier, 209, 2, /or Magnan read Mayan. 220, 16, for with read by. 222, 5, omit comma after interior. 235, 11, for mere read mire. 255, 12,/or them read it. 257, 20, omit as. 269, 3 from bottom, read Premiere with an accent. 289, 11, from bottom, read suppliant with an accent. 293, 3 from bottom, insert commas after plaintain and pineapple. 295, 15 ; 346, lines 12 and 17 fr. bottom, insert accent under Francois. 298, 8 ; 308, line 4 from bottom, for Manevilette read Manuevilette. 310, 20, insert comma after island. 320, 11 from bottom, insert comma after concessions. 3 from bottom, for desirable read derivable. 331, 7 from bottom, for require read requires. 335, 21 from bottom, for " who" read " when". 338, 3 from bottom, for pirate read pirates. 339, 3 insert comma after slaver. 365, 29, /or Angree tead Angrec. 366, 13, for velont6 read veloute. 367, 1 from bottom, for Th. /iepai KV\OV read Th. /it/tat 3t KV\OV. THE MAURITIUS, CHAPTER I. Area Geographical Position Early Discovery. IN one of the most centrical positions in the Indian Ocean, with a proud elevation above the coral reefs, by which, save where a few channels or openings intervene, it is on every side surrounded, lies the far-famed island of Mauritius. Its geographical position, according to the observations of the Abbe de la Caille and M. D'Apres Mannevilette, supported by Major Rennell, is between the parallels of 19 58' and 20 33' south latitude (computing the former from Cap Malheureux, its northern- most extreme, and the latter from Port de la Savane, its extreme point to the south), and 57 17' and 57 46' east longitude from Greenwich, while its points and anchorages are thus given by Lieutenant Raper, R.N. : Cooper's Island, the middle anchoring ground in Port Louis, 20 9' 4* south latitude, and 57 31' 7" east longitude ; Queen's Battery, Grand Port, 20 22' 6" south latitude, and 57 45' 7" east longitude ; Round Isle, off the north-east coast, 19 51' south latitude, and 57 50' east longitude; Port de la Savane, its southern extreme, 20 3S' south latitude, and 57 27' 30" east longitude . The form of the island would be completely elliptical, were it not that the coast trends to a considerable extent in a north- westerly direction a circumstance which has probably had its effect in giving rise to the erroneous opinion entertained by some of the earlier navigators of its circular shape. The Abbe de la Caille and M. Geiitil estimate- its greatest diameter from north to south at 31,890 French toises, equal to 63,780 English B 2 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. I. yaisfo,' frr 44 rnitec; a: d from east to west at 22,1 24 French toises, equal to 44;248 English yarck, or 32 miles. Its surface contains 432,080 acrtfs^at ;th r^te of 14)0 rods to an acre, and 24 feet to a rod, or 1676' square miies, .wMie its circumference is estimated at 90,661 fathoms, equal to 45 French or 35 marine leagues. The distance of the island in relation to the undermentioned coun- tries, with all of which it is either politically or commercially connected, is as follows: From Great Britain, via Aden, Suez, and Marseilles, about 9,500 miles; from AlgoaBay, Cape of Good Hope, 2,32? miles; from Aden, 2,700 ; from Madras, 2,800 ; Western Australia, 3,780 ; Madagascar, 480; Bourbon, 120; Seychelles, 1,050. The Mauri tins is divided into nine quartiers, or cantons, called Port Louis, Pamplemousses, Riviere du Rempart, Flacq, Grand Port, Savane, Riviere No'ire, Plains Wilhems, and Moka. The original discovery of Madagascar and its twin sisters, Mauri- tius and Bourbon, is a point involved in the deepest obscurity. A question, therefore, arises in the outset, whether, even if we had it in our power, it would be politic to lift up an emblazoned torch of discovery, which must depend for its subsistence on a sometimes forcible, yet frequently disconnected train of circumstances, and to dazzle the eyes with a vision, which, though it might possess an adventitious glare, would vanish with the hypothesis in which it was enshrined ; or prudent to aim at an ex cathedra decision on a subject, which, more maturely investigated, might fail in producing so conclusive a result. Influenced by this salutary caution, we shall therefore studiously abstain from hazarding an opinion on a question so enveloped in the mists of ages, and content ourselves with a simple review of the discoveries supposed to have been made by the ancients of the south and south-eastern parts of the great African continent. Premising, then, the discovery of this part of Africa to have been gradually effected, (an undertaking more likely to have had com- mercial enterprise for its object than any passion for scientific dis- covery) and the circumnavigation of the whole continent to have been accomplished at a later period, (a fact which lias been related by Herodotus, 1 and repeated by later historians) to what other nation can we look for the completion of so useful a purpose, than to the Phoenicians, who, at an early period, engrossed the lucrative commerce of the Eastern seas, and were in the possession of stations, from whence this commerce would have its distribution ? Accordingly, the convoy furnished to Solomon 2 at Ezion-Geber, 3 with a view to his expedition to Ophir, proceeded from this power. The navi- 1 Herodotus, Melpomene, c. 42. 2 1 Kings ix. and x. 2 Chron. viii. 3 Ezion-Geber, or Gaber, is at the head of what is now called the Gulf of Akaba, an estuary of the Red Sea, then called the Gulf of (Elana, or Eloth. See Bruce, &c. CHAP. I.] EARLY DISCOVERY. 3 gators employed by Necbo, king of Egypt, in the circumnavigation of the African continent, 4 were Phoenicians. A similar undertaking subsequently made, though we are uninformed as to its eventual success, was engaged in by Cartilage, 5 a Phoenician colony ; nor can the case of Sataspes, 6 a vassal of Persia, be deemed an exception to their peculiar claims, who, having committed a crime to which the punishment of death was attached, obtained a reprieve in con- sequence of a proposition successfully made to Xerxes by his mother, that he should immediately depart on a voyage of dis- covery round the Libyan peninsula, in the place of suffering the usual penalty of the law. But although he cruised by its coasts for a considerable distance, and brought back a glowing account of the discovery of new regions, the inhabitants of which fled at his ap- proach, and averred that he was only prevented by a combination of unfortunate circumstances from a further prosecution of his original intention, yet that monarch did not deem it expedient to permit of any deviation from his previous sentence. He was therefore exe- cuted, and with his death terminated all Persian discovery of this continent. On a later occasion we arrive at a clearer notion of the progress of Phoenician discovery during the period before adverted to, from the representations related by Pliny to have been made to Alexander by Clitarchus, historian to his expedition, who in all probability derived his information through no other medium than the merchant princes of Tyre. It will be remembered, that we have hitherto been without any specific relation of the separate parts of the coast of the African Con- tinent, any geographical phenomena, or other peculiarities, a know- ledge of which would have materially assisted us in coming to a conclusion as to the reality of such discovery. No account has been given of the supposed origin of the inhabitants, of their manners or customs, so likely to arrest the attention of the explorer into new regions ; and the inquirer is precluded, in the absence of general data, from placing implicit confidence on a tradition, to which such obscu- rity is attached. Pliny, however, puts into the mouth of Clitarchus a representation of the African islands ; some of their products are distinctly narrated, and an opinion of their origin is advanced. 4 It is proposed under the colonies of Western Africa to proceed with the hy- pothesis of the circumnavigation of Africa by the Egyptians from the point to which it has been already sustained in the Appendix, namely, the Bay of St. Thomas, and after tracing its course along the western coast, where it would have the greatest difficulties to encounter, to follow it on its return to l.Lrvpt through the Mediterranean. In like manner will be noticed the voyage 01 pes, the Periplus of Hanno, the trading voyages of the Carthaginians, and the missions of Eudoxus, Polybius, &c. &c. * Melpomene, c. 43. 6 Naturally (says a modern writer) Sataspes selected a Phoenician crew as the kind's best nautical subjects; naturally they preferred the false route by the west, and failed. B 2 4 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. I. The reader will find no great difficulty then, in believing that the representations of the historian on a subject replete with so intense an interest to a monarch, who wept that he had no more worlds to conquer, were not likely to be received with indifference, even amidst the dangers of a campaign ; or, if transmitted in writing, would be suffered to grow musty amid the regal portfolio. Accordingly, Thirl- wall relates that Alexander, on his return to Susa, was generally believed to have entertained the project, not only of circumnavigating Arabia to the head of the Red Sea, but afterwards the whole African continent ; then, entering the Mediterranean by the Pillars of Her- cules, to spread the terror of his arms along its western shores. These reports were not without a visible foundation. On his return from India, he prepared to equip a fleet on the Euphrates, and sent orders also to Phoenicia for vessels to be built there for the purpose. But the excesses that had taken place during his absence on the Indian expedition, and his anxiety to consolidate his own dynasty and the Macedonian power, as well as to give a cohesion to the discordant materials of which his empire was composed, effec- tually suspended this important undertaking, which was destined to be wholly abandoned on his premature death. At no long interval, an unexpected competitor with the Phoenicians, who had hitherto nearly engrossed the commerce of these seas, appeared in the Egyptian nation, under the Ptolemies. Those monarchs saw at a glance the advantageous position of their adopted country for the trade of the three continents, its adaptation to the growth of corn, then, as ever, the basis of commercial exchange, and lost no time in entering upon a trade, by which a share of the sur- plus of Egyptian produce should be bartered for the commodities of tropical Africa, which, carried on Egyptian bottoms, might be exchanged for the productions and manufactures of more temperate Europe. Yet was Phoenicia, though it had suffered a temporary prostration by the Macedonian expedition, far from overwhelmed, and, so late as the period of Roman supremacy, was still actively engaged in the commerce of the east. The progress of African discovery lias now been cursorily traced through a period of upwards of two thousand years ; it will be right, therefore, to pause for a moment, and reflect on the evident improba- bility that two of the most enterprising nations of antiquity (pre- mising their descent into an equivalent degree of latitude,) should fail of having their attention directed to an island of such vast extent as Madagascar, which is separated from the main land only by a narrow channel, or, having once beheld it, would be content to neglect its rich and varied productions? for those of the less favored continent. Assuming, then, that such a discovery was made by the ancients, (although we are still left in ignorance of the time when, and by 7 Clitarchus, vero, Alexandro regi renuntiatam adeo divitem, ut equos incolae talentis auri permutarent. Plin. lib. vi., c. 36. CHAP. I.] EARLY DISCOVERY. 5 whom it was effected) we shall find but little difficulty in con- cluding that the eastern coast, from its superior natural advantages, would be selected for the exportation of the largest part of its productions, while no inordinate stretch of the imagination will be required to enable us to conceive the possibility of one or more of a marine thus employed, tossed by the storms so prevalent in this quarter ot the globe, seeking a temporary shelter in the neigh- bouring isles of Bourbon and the Mauritius. The next mention made of an acquaintance with the geographical position of these islands occurs in the works of the elder Pliny a man indefatigable in his researches on these subjects, and unwearied in collecting the latest geographical information. After citing Ephorus, Eudoxus, and Timosthenes, in confirmation of the fact, " insulas toto eo mari (i. e. Indico) complures esse," 1 he selects from the first of the three a statement almost approaching to a descrip- tion : " Ephorus auctor est, & Rubro mari navigantes, in earn (. e. Cernen) non posse p ropier ardores ultr& quasdam columnas (ita appellantur parvse insulse) provehi." His own statement is as follows : " Contra sinum Persicum Cerne nominatur insula, ad versa ^Ethiopiae, cujus neque magnitudo neque intervallum & continente constat, Ethiopias iaiitu.ni populos habere proditur." Ptolemy of Alexandria, who flourished during the reigns of Adrian and An- toninus, arid was thus in possession of the double advantage of the description already given by the naturalist as a guide to further inquiries, as well as a nearer residence to the islands in question, for the most part coincides 2 with Pliny as regards their position and products, though he distinguishes by the new name of " MevovOias" the " Cerne" 3 of the latter. 1 Plin. Nat. Hist., lib. vi. c. 36. 2 Ptolemy, lib. iv. c. 9. 3 Al. Lemaire observes on Cern : " Jactatur, inquit, necdum tamen fidem obtinuit. Satis obscuri nominis, et incerti situs hanc fuisse turn insulam innuit : nee velle se faraae, quae de ea forte percrebuit, sponsorem fieri. Sic Kustathius ad Dionysii vers. 219, discrepantes refert auctorum de ejus situ sententras ; Lycophrone, ad ortum solis : Polybio ad occasum : ad meridiem Dionysio statuente. Nullus dubito quin haec Pliniana, sive Lycrophroniana, sive Dionysiana Cern6 sit ea quam St. Laureutia vocitamus, sive Madagascar MtvovQiae eadem Ptolemaei." Lib. iv. c. 9. Adversa /Ethiopia? " Plane (says the same writer) hie situs congruit cum hodierna Madagascar: nam extimo promontorio exortum solis ajstivum respicit, siriumque Persicum occidental! : latere ^Ethiopia inferiori ab exortu solis aestivo ad hibernum occasum prajtenditur." Parva; insulae " Lea isles de Mascaregnhas sic enim Lusitani vocant.sex sep- temve insulas exiguas qua? Madagascari ad septentrionem objacent sub linea fere zcquinoctiiili." Tbese islands now called "the Seychelles" were discovered by the Portu- guese, and their position is correctly laid down in all the charts of the Indian Ocean which appeared in the 17th century. This fact has, however, been unaccountably overlooked by every English writer. Tbese islands must not be confounded with tin- single island named at first Mascaregnhas but afterwards Bourbon. 6 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. I. But a short time had elapsed after the Portuguese discovery of these islands, an indistinct notion of which had always floated before the minds of the geographers of the middle ages, when the attention of the learned world was directed to a solution of the question by various authors, each of whom was anxious to outstrip his antagonist in setting forward points of similarity, which, from the nature of circumstances, could never have really existed. It was reserved, however, for a learned disciple of Loyola, who flourished in the 17th century, to explain satisfactorily the account of Cli- tarchus, and to identify the Cerne of Pliny with the MevovOias of the Egyptian astronomers. In the earlier part of the middle ages, at a time when they were endeavouring to raise the superstructure of commerce over the acquisitions made by arms, the Arabians are supposed to have become acquainted with Madagascar, if not the two smaller islands, and from them Marco Polo is said to have derived his knowledge of the former, which they called " Sarandib." II. It was in the first year of Governor Almeida in India, that the islands of Madagascar, Cerne, and Mascaregnhas, with some others, were discovered by the Portuguese. Don Laurentio d' Al- meida, son of the Viceroy, Don Pedro Mascaregnhas, Tristan d'Acungha (from whom a small island N.AV. of the Cape has derived its name), Diego Fernando Suarez, and Ruy Pereira, &c., were the first who have become immortalized by the discovery of these, and other places in the Indian seas. In 1505, Ruy Pereira discovered Madagascar, to which he gave the name of St. Laurentia. The south and south-west parts of the coast were visited by Fernando Suarez and Tristan d'Acungha, and other officers were subsequently sent by Albuquerque to make a more elaborate investigation. Don Pedro Mascaregnhas in the same year discovered Mauritius and Bourbon, and, in return for his services, was appointed Governor of Cochin. To the Mauritius he gave the name of Cerne, probably from a notion that that isle (instead of Madagascar, of whose existence he was then perhaps ignorant) had been so called by Pliny. To Bourbon he gave his own name Mascaregnhas. Although the Portuguese retained these islands during the greater part of the sixteenth century, they never appear to have viewed them in any other light than as mere stations of refreshment, weakly yielding to the belief that the secret of their route to the Indies would be per- manently preserved, and that they would suffer no molestation from the powers of Europe in their monopoly of Indian commerce. Indeed, during the whole period of their supremacy, they had never a force strong enough to have opposed the progress of an hostile fleet, had one chanced to have arrived, except in the Red Sea ; and the advantages possessed by the Mauritius, as a naval station and a key CFIAP. I.] KARLY DISCOVKHY. 7 to their connexion with India, so far as their actions can be con- sidered as a test, remained wholly unregarded. All they did, on their early discovery, was to land some deer, goats, monkeys, and pigs, some of whose progeny may still be found in the wild and uncultivated parts of the island. Nor was the neglect under which CVrne and Mascaregnhas had pined under Portuguese rule, destined to be removed by their union with Spain, which, oppressed by the weight of its empire in Europe, the Americas, East and West Indies, would naturally overlook two islands, whose importance and value could only be determined in the approaching struggle of European nations for supremacy in the seas of the east. III. It was in the course of an expedition to Bantam that the discovery of the isles of Cerne 1 and Mascaregnhas was effected by the Dutch. The importance of this object had occasioned the equipment of a larger fleet than had ever appeared in these seas. A pilot, named Guzerate Abdul, had been brought from Java expressly for the purpose of insuring the greater safety of so large a fleet. On the 1st of May 1598, the expedition set sail from the Texel, under the command of Admiral James Cornelius Van Neck, in the flag- ship the Mauritius (the Amsterdam was commanded by Vice- Admiral Wybrand Van Warwick, who at a later period so highly distinguished himself), with six other vessels, which took their names from the six provinces of Holland, Zealand, Gueldres, Utrecht, Frie^land, and Overyssel. The voyage was attended with the usual casualties, until, in the month of September, the fleet being dispersed in a violent storm off the Cape of Good Hope, five of the vessels were driven towards Madagascar. They doubled Cape St. Julien, and on the 17th came in sight of the island of Cerne. Ignorant of everything save its name, the Dutch dis- patched two boats to reconnoitre the shore, one of which discovered the south-east port, which, sheltered from the winds, and having an excellent bottom, appeared capable of containing fifty ships. The Vice- Admiral, not knowing that the island was uninhabited, was compelled, owing to the sickly state of his crew, to adopt the most cautious measures. On the 20th, he ordered a large party to land and take up a position, by which a surprise might be prevented. On several successive days he ordered out boats to examine other parts of the island, to discover if it was inhabited. These parties met with an astonishing variety of birds, which sur- prised them by their tameness, and their submitting to be taken by the hand. They discovered also many streams of water, which flowed from the mountains, and the island on every side appeared to promise abundance of refreshments, among which the cocoa was remarkable for the variety of its species and the luxuriance of its 1 " Term- " is said by the French to signify " Cygne," whence Mauritius was also called " Cygnea." 8 TIIE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. I. growth. On the shore was found about three hundred weight of wax, impressed with Greek characters, a hanging stage, the spar of a capstan, and a large yard, evidently the relics of some unfortunate vessel that had been buried in the waves. No trace of human beings was, however, discernible. After having ordered public thanks to be returned to Almighty God for having conducted them to so fair and secure a harbour, the Vice- Admiral named the island " Mauritius," after Count Maurice of Nassau, then Stadtholder of Holland, and the port " Warwick Haven," after himself. Before his departure, the Dutch commander ordered a board to be fastened to a tree, on which were sculptured the arms of Holland, Zealand, and Amsterdam, with the inscription in the Portuguese language of " Christianos reformandos." A piece of ground was also enclosed with stakes, of about 400 fathoms in circumference, which was planted and sown with vegetables and seeds, to make an experiment on the soil. . Some hens, in addition to those which were found wild about the island, were left for the sustenance of the crews of any vessel which might hereafter put in, and an entry was made in their journals, that this isle might be as advantageously visited by outward, as St. Helena by homeward-bound ships. But though many of their countrymen reaped the benefit of the advice thus offered, it was nearly forty years before a permanent settlement was effected. Vice-Admiral "Wybrand Van Warwick, on his return to Holland in the October of the next year, finding his ship in a leaky state, again put in at the Mauritius, which was still undisturbed, and abounded in cattle, fish, fowl, and fruits, so that, having landed such of the crew as were sick, they speedily recovered, and, having supplied themselves with all kinds of refreshment, they continued their voyage. Although the Dutch must be considered masters of the Mauritius at this period, they had no establishment there in 1601 ; nor, though discovered, was Mascaregnhas ever occupied by them, principally on the ground of its affording no secure harbour. These facts are stated by Hermansen, who, in passing close to the former island, determined to avail himself of its recent discovery for the supply of his ship with water and provisions, both of which had begun to fail. He accordingly dispatched a tender, called the Young Pigeon, to procure the necessaries in question. That vessel, however, did not return for a month, when it had a Frenchman on board, whom it brought from the island, and who gave the following account of himself. He had embarked in England, some years before, on board a vessel, which set sail in company with two others on a voyage to the East Indies. One of these vessels was lost off the Cape of Good Hope, and the crews of the two that remained were so greatly reduced that it was deemed expedient to burn one of the ships, and < HA I'. I.] EARLY DlMuVr.KY. 9 to consolidate the two crews on board the survivor ; still, however, they were the prey of continuing sickness, till a sufficient number of seamen did not remain to work the vessel, and she went ashon- on the coast of Pulo Timor, near Malacca, where all the crew dies except himself, four Englishmen, and two negroes. These forlorn people took possession of an Indian junk, with the extraordinary design of returning to England. The commencement of their voyage was successful ; but the negroes, alarmed at being so far removed from their own country, conspired together to get possession of the vessel. Their design being discovered, they threw themselves into the sea from despair, or the fear of the punishment with which they were threatened. After being tossed about by successive storms, they were at length driven to the Mauritius, but, unfortunately, at the moment when harmony was essential, not only to their comfort, but almost existence, these wretched men disagreed among themselves before they had been eight days on the island. The Frenchman wished to remain there, until it should please Heaven to send them relief, while the English insisted on putting out to sea, and determined to continue their voyage. They did not hesitate to do this, and the Frenchman was equally determined, so his com- rades hoisted their little sail, and left him to the solitude of this uninhabited spot. There he had passed nearly two years, sustaining himself with the fruit of the date tree, and the flesh of turtles. In everything that related to corporeal strength he was as vigorous as any seaman on board the Dutch ships ; but his understanding appeared to have sustained a shock, which seemed still more evi- dent, when he was pressed with a succession of questions, or when a conversation was continued beyond a certain period. His clothes had by degrees fallen from him, and he approached a state of com- plete nakedness. In 1 606, Admiral Matclief, having put in at the Mauritius for the refreshment of his crew, met with Admiral Van der Nagen, on his return from Bantam. About this period the Dutch had resolved on the exclusion of all other nations from their colonial possessions, and had entered on that career of commercial monopoly, which, wherever practicable, they have since retained with the most in- flexible obstinacy. It might have been therefore expected, that, with a view to the maintenance of such a policy, they would have secured themselves in the possession of an island, which, by the natural advantages of its position, might, in the hands of a rival, have rendered nugatory some of the most cherished objects of their ambition. But to return to the narrative : The first foreign navigator, who touched at Mauritius after its discovery by the Dutch, was Captain Castleton, the commander of an Kiiifli-li vessel called the /'K.MI:I> UY Tin: nrnii. 11 energies by the deficiency of labour, sent a vessel to Madagascar (where the French had just commenced a settlement) to purchase a number of slaves to supply the want. Pronis, the French governor, a man of low origin, and already guilty of many malversations, acceded to their request, and kid- iiappL'd a number of Malegaches, who had settled under French pro- tection. This breach of faith, which proved the min of both colo- nies, was considerably enhanced in the eyes of the natives, on their discovery that sixteen women, of the race of the Lohariths, (a superior caste) were among the captives. The Malegaches, excited to the highest pitch of indignation, could no longer confide in a nation guilty of such enormities. It is almost needless to relate the issue : suffice it to say, their ignomini- ous expulsion eventually followed ; and it was not long before the bones of Frenchmen bleached the shores of the country, where they had so lately met with a generous, but too confiding hospitality. Nor did a greater degree of success attend the Dutch in the exe- cution of a design so nefariously conceived. No sooner had the captives landed at Mauritius, than a large party fled to the woods, and the others, stung by the harsh treatment they received from their new masters, soon followed the example. Thus was raised up a body of men called Marons (i. e. outlaws, or banditti) who, urged by the pangs of hunger, or the desire of revenge, were ever on the watch to insult and attack their oppressors. But a storm was impending from an unexpected quarter, which it required all the fortitude of the Dutch to encounter, and the pre- sence of their best fortune, to avert. The English East India Com- pany, who were then in possession of a few inconsiderable settle- ments in Hindostan, finding the minds of the native princes were becoming gradually alienated from their interests, succeeded in tracing its origin to Dutch intrigue. Powerless for good or ill themselves, they eagerly supported the proposal made to Charles the First, by the merchants of London, that a squadron should be sent to the East Indies for the revival of English commerce in that part of the globe, without prejudice, how- ever, to their own peculiar rights and privileges. The expedition, which was furthered by Prince Rupert with a view to the ultimate colonization of Madagascar, consisted of six large ships, freighted with a rich cargo to be bartered for the commodities of the East. The latter object succeeded beyond the most sanguine expectations of its projectors ; but the Dutch, who dreaded nothing so much as the revival of English commerce, finding them dispersed, on their return to Europe, captured two of the largest ships, with their crews and cargoes. A subsequent expedition, which met with a similar success in trade, was, in like manner, defeated by this determined nation, who carried one of the largest ships in triumph to the Mauritius. 12 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. II. Such was the fate of an expedition, which, had it met with a success anything like proportionate to the expectations formed of it, would have effectually turned the halance of power in the East. The Dutch settlers, harassed on one side by the Marons, and checked by the parsimony of their East India Company on the other, became disgusted with an island which, had it not been for their own indolence, might have produced all the necessaries of life. Added to this, ebony (one of the woods which were natural to the place,) obtained a highly remunerative price in the European market, while indigo and tobacco could have been raised with considerable advan- tage. At length, then, they retired, leaving the Marons in undis- puted possession of the island. These banditti, however, fearing the return of their ci-devant masters, at a moment when they might be unprepared for resistance, still kept their mountain fastnesses, from whence sallying forth upon the crews of ships visiting the island for refreshment, they frequently surprised and cut them off. The constant occurrence of such disasters required the application of an immediate remedy. In consequence, a resolution was passed by the general council at Batavia in favour of the resettlement of the island, 1 in the belief, that the adoption of precautionary measures would remove the objections formerly raised against the colony. Three establishments were immediately formed. One on the north- west ; another on the south-east side; and a third upon the Riviere Noire. M. La Mocius was appointed governor. State criminals from Batavia and the other Dutch colonies w*ere now banished to the Mauritius, and a stone fort with magazines and warehouses for the convenience of shipping reconstructed. But the old seeds of mischief still remained ; new ones had also arisen. On the one hand, the Marons remained masters of the inte- rior, which, by compelling the Dutch to confine their settlements to the sea coast, led to an illicit trade, in which some of the convicts by their skill and experience profitably participated. Added to this, the governor received an inadequate remuneration with but few per- quisites ; he was seldom, therefore, enabled to resist temptation. English, French, and Portuguese ships met during this period with mysterious accidents, which obliged them to put into Mauritius to refit j though there was not so much as a dock or yard for the pur- pose, but there were magazines into which goods could be conveyed with singular dexterity. M. La Mocius was succeeded by M. Rodolpho Deodate, a native of Geneva, but a man of indifferent character, who, under false pre- tences, imprisoned and maltreated for four years a party of Hugonot 1 Another reason is given bj a French writer for the adoption of this step by the Dutch, which certainly accords with their character, viz., their desire to pre- vent the other nations of Europe from felling the ebony trees, with which this island abounded. TIIAP. II.] ESTABLISHMENTS FOUMKD HV THE IH'TCII. 13 refugees (who had escaped to the Mauritius in an open boat from Rodriguez) though they had been previously recommended to his protection by the Dutch government. About the commencement of the eighteenth century, the fort, having been burnt by the slaves, and the directors of the Dutch East India Company beginning to have a thorough knowledge of the piratical transactions before-mentioned, they resolved upon a second withdrawal of the colony, which, being brought off, and with the troops conveyed to the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch connexion with the Mauritius was altogether terminated. II. It was during the period, which intervened between the first retirement and the subsequent reoccupation of the Mauritius by the Dutch, that Captain De la Haye, commanding a squadron of five ships, which were sent by the king of France with a view to the in- spection of the French possessions in the East, finding the island thus deserted, took a nominal possession in bthalf of the French East India Company. The design of forming a settlement, if it were so early conceived by the French, would soon, however, be frustrated by the reoccupation of the Dutch. The final abandonment of the island by the latter did not long, however, escape the observation of the French settled at Bourbon, who, from their connexion with the establishments of their nation in the East, had increased their numbers to a degree, which, if the ex- isting means of subsistence were considered, appeared to render a re-emigration highly desirable at no distant period. Possession was accordingly taken in the name of the king of France, by William Du Fresne, captain of the ship Chasseur , by orders of M. de Beauvil- liers, governor of Bourbon, on the 20th of September, 1715, and the name of the island was changed from " Mauritius" to " lie de France." The foundation of an establishment was also laid at Port Nord-Ouest (Port Louis) and an authentic act, declarative of pos- session, being drawn up, was deposited amongst the archives of Bourbon. Du Fresne, nevertheless, departed without leaving any one to maintain his recent acquisition, and it was not, until the end of 1721, that any permanent settlement was effected. On the L'3d of September in that year, Le Chevalier Jean Baptiste (Jarnier de Fougerai, commander of the Triton of St. Malo, retook possession in the name of the French East India Company, to whom the ishind had been ceded by the king, and fixed a pole, decorated with a white flag, to which was attached the following inscription. 1 M. de Nyon, a knight of the order of St. Louis, and a lieutenant- ooloncl of' infantry, was selected by M. de Beauvilliers in the October 1 Vivat Ludovicus XV. Rex Galliarum et Navara* in acternum vivat. Hanc ipse insulam suis dictionibus voluit adjurigi, illanujue jure vindicatam in poste- rum iiibulam francicvn mmcupari. In giatiam honoremque tanti principis is tud voxillum nivoum extulit Joannes Baptiste Gamier de Fougeray, dux navis 14 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. II. .of 1721 to fill the office of governor. He did not arrive, however, till the January of the next year, and commenced his administration by the establishment of a provincial council, composed of six of the principal inhabitants. This assembly was, nevertheless, dependent on the superior coun- cil of Bourbon, and the governor was compelled to take his oath of office in the latter, before presuming to sit in his own. M. de Nyon, following the example of the Dutch, fixed the seat of government at Port Sud Est, (Grand Port.) The only events, which marked his government, were an attempt on sedition by a part of the troops, which was soon appeased, and the penalties which were attached to " Marronage" increased in its violence by the addition of the slaves recently imported to the Marons, who had been left by the Dutch. A lively apprehension was also excited by the scarcity of provisions, which the infant colony was long dependent for on the neighbouring islands, and it was not until the arrival of Mahe de la Bourdonnais that the removal of this obstruction on its progress was accomplished. M. Dumas was appointed on the 26th of August, 1726, Governor- General of the isles of France and Bourbon. As he selected the latter place for his residence, the resources of the isle of France still remained undeveloped. Indeed the company long scrupled to retain an island, which, as affairs were conducted, brought nothing but expense with it, and had more than once determined to leave it to the Marons, as the Dutch had done before ; but some event or other had always occurred to hinder the design. M. Dumas was succeeded in October 1728, by M. de Maupin, who, like his predecessor, was governor of both islands. The most violent hurricane, as yet experienced by the colonists, happened during his administration, and its horrors were in no degree diminished by an unexpected irruption of the Marons, who expelled the inhabitants from the quartier of Flacq. With a view to the re-establishment of order in a colony, which had so early become a scene of licentiousness, confusion, and anarchy, as well as to provide means of defence for the isles of France and Bourbon (a measure which the threatening posture of European affairs appeared to render far from premature) Mahe de la Bourdon- nais was appointed governor of both islands in November 1734, and in June 1735 he arrived at his destination. To give some idea of the condition, in which he found the isles of dictae " Le Triton' ex urbe San Maclovio oriundus, in minori Britannia, cum ipse hue appulerit, die 23d Septembris, eodem anno in Galliam navigaturus. Deo favente anchoras solvit. Near this place he set up a cross on a side of which was inscribed his own name with the arms of France, and on another the following lines. " Lilia fixa crucis capiti mirare sacratae, Ne stupeas ; jubet hie Gallia stare crucem. Anno 1721. TRAP. II.] ADMINISTRATION OP LA BOURDONN AIS. 15 France and Bourbon upon his arrival, it may be observed, that the latter was first peopled by a party of Frenchmen, who were saved from the massacre at Fort Dauphin in Madagascar ; by mechanics and other labourers from the different vessels, which touched there, or by those of the European pirates, who had made their submission, and met with the royal clemency. The former was not inhabited till between the years 1712 1720, and even then the number of persons settled there was so few, that, as has been seen before, the East India Company hesitated whether to retain or abandon it. At length, however, a distinct vocation was assigned to each colony. To Bourbon the culture of coffee. To the isle of France the supply of refreshments to ships employed in the trade to India and China. To say the truth, however, the grounds of the perplexity in which the Company had been involved with regard to its retention, were by no means trifling. To place the emigrants in a condition to form a settlement in accordance with the views before mentioned, it ap- peared to that body, that the most natural and effectual means would be, to furnish the former, both white and coloured, with arms, implements of husbandry, live and dead stock, slaves, &c., to be repaid out of the fruits of their industry. Such, however, was the injudicious manner in which these advances were made to all kinds of people, without the least inquiry, whether they had the industry, or talents requisite to ensure success, and so little was the discern- ment that had been practised in other respects, that the Company had as yet derived none of the expected advantages from the under- taking, and the inhabitants, instead of being able to maintain them- selves, continued a dead weight on their hands. In short, until the arrival of M. de la Bourdonnais, the isle of France had proved more burdensome than profitable to the^Company, who, in the place of finding provisions prepared for the ships as they had designed, were compelled to send an additional quantity from France for the purpose, besides having to provide for the support of the settlers themselves. Weary at last of a proceeding so fruitless, and indig- nant at the indolence of the inhabitants, they gave precise orders to La Bourdonnais, not only to withhold any further advances, but to demand the restitution of those already made. It is easy to con- ceive, how the communication of these indispensable orders alienated the minds of the people ; but this was not the only difficulty, with which the new governor had to contend in the execution of his commission. The administration of justice, of the police, and of commerce, as well as of the military and marine departments, was a source of still more painful concern, lie found justice administered by two councils, one of which was dependent on the other. The superior council was at Bourbon, until the arrival of M. de la Bourdonnais. Previous to his departure from France, he had pointed out to the ministry the expediency of declaring these bodies independent of 1C THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. II. each other, and that, as superior, over which the Governor presided. To this end his Majesty issued letters patent in 1735, to confer an equal power on the council of the isle of France, in whatever con- cerned the criminal law, and assigned the superiority with regard to the general administration to that of the island, in which the Governor resided. As may be supposed, these alterations were attended with many beneficial results, and it was open to M. de la Bourdonnais to boast, that during the eleven years of his govern- ment, there was but one law-suit in the isle of France, inasmuch as lie had accommodated all disputes by his own amiable interposition. It might be added, that that discord, by which the harmony of the two councils had, before his arrival, been so often interrupted, no longer prevailed. The administration of the police was the more difficult, as the Marons carried disorder and desolation into the very heart of the island. La Bourdonnais discovered the secret of destroying them by arming blacks against blacks, and forming a marechaussee of the negroes of Madagascar, who at length cleared the island of the greater part of these marauders. Of commerce there was no trace when he arrived. He began by planting the sugar-cane, 1 and establishing manufactures of cotton and indigo. A vent was found for these productions at Surat, Mocha, Ormuz, and Europe. Agriculture had also experienced its share of the general neglect, and such was the indolence of the inhabitants, that they had not availed themselves of any of the advantages with which the sur- rounding soil was ready to reward their labour. M. de la Bour- donnais, however, gave a new turn to their character, and by gradually weaning them from their slothful habits, awakened a spirit of enterprize and activity. He began by inducing them to cultivate all the grains necessary for the subsistence of the two islands, in order that they might be no longer subject to that state of dearth which had returned so frequently as to have become periodical, in which the settlers had been compelled to take to hunting and fishing, or to search for the native fruits and roots of the country for a precarious subsistence. He succeeded, after some difficulty, in naturalizing the manioc which he procured from St. Jago and the Brazils. For this purpose, he was compelled to employ all his authority to enforce the cultivation of the plant, though it was to prove an unfailing resource against that scarcity which they had so often suffered. He published an ordinance, by which it was compulsory on every land-owner to plant 500 feet of ground with manioc for every slave in his possession. Nevertheless, the larger proportion attached to their old customs, and disposed to resist authority, spared no pains in discrediting this branch of agri- 1 The sugar works which he constructed produced in 1750 a clear annual revenue of 60,000 livres to the East India Company. CIIAP. II.] ADMINISTRATION OF LA BOURDONNAIS. 17 culture. Sensible at length of tlie folly of their former prejudices, they at last experienced and acknowledged the utility of this plant, which at once secured the islands from the possibility of famine, so that when their harvests were laid waste by hurricanes or destroyed by grasshoppers, (a frequent event) the inhabitants found in the manioc the means of repairing tlie disaster. Besides this root, which grew in such abundance, the island produced five or six hundred minds of corn, while the quantity raised before the arrival of La Bourdonnais was too trifling to be mentioned. To provide for the subsistence of the inhabitants by the culture of the soil, did not alone suffice. It was incumbent on him to place the islands themselves in a state of security, for he found them without magazines, fortifications, barracks, or hospitals ; nor were there work- men or marines, and the other troops had been drawn oft' to Pondi- cherry. To attain these objects, La Bourdonnais spared no exertions, but they were attended with such difficulties and mortifications, as well from the actual state of things as the character of the inha- bitants, that he had frequently determined on renouncing the enterprise. Upon leaving France, he had been assured that he would find several French engineers at the Isles, not one of whom was there on his arrival. It is true they had been conveyed there, but continual disputes had arisen between them and the members of the council, which had dispersed them all. Part had returned to France to bear their complaints in person ; the others had retired elsewhere. The whole corps of engineers was, therefore, reduced to a mulatto, who superintended the construction of a small windmill in an unfinished state. There was also a magazine which had been commenced four years before, but was still roofless, and a small house for the chief engineer. Of such a character were all the public buildings that he found in the Isle of France, nor could the Isle of Bourbon boast of any superior degree of preparation : as he was then without engineer or architect, he was under the necessity of assuming both those characters ! Fortunately he was well acquainted with mathe- matics and the science of fortification, so that his plans met the approval of the Company. For their execution he collected a largo number of negroes, and putting them as apprentices to a few master workmen he had brought out with him, he assigned to each his different occupation; but they required his constant inspection; and the difficulties he had to contend with in compelling the one to afford instruction, and the other to receive it, it is almost impossible to conceive. At length, however, he found himself in possession of a sufficient number of workmen to carry his designs into execution. The obstacles, indeed, terminated not here. To collect a sufficient quantity of materials was a work of no less difficulty. Trees had to be felled in the woods, stone to be hewn from the quarry, and carts to be constructed to convey them to their destination ; added c 18 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. II to this, there was not a road along which they could pass, or a horse to draw them. Roads had therefore to be formed, and bul- locks broken in for the yoke ; and all these various labours had to be accomplished by a people, whose indolence resisted all exertion, and whose minds were as insensible to the general good, as to the public interest. M. de la Bourdonnais, however, contrived, by a judicious mixture of gentleness and severity, as different characters and occasions required, to keep them to their labours, and to erect a series of public works, whose beauty and utility were soon universally acknowledged ; nor was the Company the only recipient of the fruits of these labours ; the colony itself derived infinite advantages from the establishment of roads, the construction of carts, and, more than all, from the emulation excited by this great man in the breasts of all the inhabitants, so that the largest proportion of materials for building, such as wood, lime, &c., were reduced to a fifth part of their former value. The only hospital in the Isle of France was a large hut, formed of stakes and palisadoes, which could not contain more than thirty beds. He ordered the erection of a large and commodious one, in which from four to five hundred beds might be conveniently placed. The administration of the hospitals was a source of incessant trouble and vexation to La Bourdonnais ; he was compelled to change the superintendence five or six times, and subjected himself for a whole year to a daily visit of inspection ; yet, in spite of the most assiduous care, he could not altogether preserve them from the bad effects of idleness, incapacity, and knavery. The ingratitude of the invalids was no less a cause of annoyance. lie had been com- pelled during the first years of his administration, partly from the uncultivated state of the country, partly from a partial failure in the supplies from France, to retrench their allowance of food in propor- tion to the moderate quantity of provisions. Indeed, he had been at times compelled to order the substitution of game and turtle (no great hardship !) for a more regular diet. Their complaints were loud against this forced economy, as if it had been in his power to treat them better. But ingratitude is a prominent evil in all such communities; every private person was selfish, employed himself at the present merely with a view to the supply of his actual necessities; was careless of the future, and still more so of the necessities of others ! It would be needless to enter into a detail of all the various buildings and works erected by M. de la Bourdonnais in the course of his government ; suffice it to observe, that they consisted not only of magazines, arsenals, batteries, fortifications, hospitals, and barracks for the officers and soldiers, but also of mills, quays, offices, shops, canals, and aqueducts. Previous to his arrival, water (an article so indispensable both for existence and cleanliness) had to be CHAP. II.] ADMINISTRATION OF LA BOURDONNAIS. 19 sought at the distance of a league from the town, and when dis- covered, the means of conveying a quantity sufficient for the supply of the inhabitants were so inadequate, that there was a constant deficiency for the most necessary uses. The aqueduct, which ho constructed, was nearly six thousand yards in length ! It conveyed fresh water to the port and hospitals, and was an accommodation attended with inexpressible advantages both to the inhabitants and the ships, which touched there for refreshment. The indefatigable activity and spirit displayed by the Governor- general in the establishment and support of the insular marine, were no less worthy of commendation. Before his arrival, the settlers were in such a state of ignorance of everything that related to ship- building, that they were unable to calk or careen a vessel, and were not even qualified to undertake the slightest repairs of those of their fishing boats, which had become foul or decayed, but were compelled to have recourse to the carpenters of ships, which put into their harbours. La Bourdonnais was grieved to behold the reign of indolence and ignorance in an isle, which, from its centrical position, might have become a second Batavia ; or, to say the least, an entrepot for the commerce of that part of the Indian Ocean, as well as a port of refuge for the vessels of the Company. Eager to profit by these, its natural maritime advantages, he encouraged those of the inhabit- ants who were unemployed, to support his patriotic exertions, and by their united efforts, so large a quantity of wood had been cut down, conveyed from the woods, and put into a preparatory form, that, after the expiration of two years, he found himself in the possession of materials sufficient to commence his naval works. He commenced by the construction of pontoons for careening and loading ships, as well as lighters to carry water, and for the transport of materials and other daily service ; provided barges, large boats, and shallops. He next turned his attention to the repair of coasters, and European vessels, and to effect this, provided wet and dry docks, and built sawing mills. In 1737, he undertook to build a ship of war, which proved an excellent vessel, and in the following year launched two other vessels, besides putting a ship of 500 tons on the stocks. In a word, from his persevering spirit and indefatigable skill, a vessel could be built or refitted with as much facility at Port Louis as at any other port in the east. For this purpose he invented two machines, by one of which ships and transports were hauled up for repair in a most expeditious manner ; by the other, a volume of water was brought up in a moment of pressing need, which could be let down again and refilled in less than an hour. Previous to the arrival of La Bourdonnais, the captains of the Company's vessels had assumed a degree of independence and wilful- ness, which by no means accorded with the good order and advantage of the service ; nor could they endure with any other feeling than impatience the commands of a man, who had so lately been their c 2 20 THE MAURITIUS. fCHAP. II. comrade. The cross of St. Louis, with which he had been honoured by the King, no less inspired their jealousy. The service was in danger of suffering from these discontents, and it required all the firmness and conciliatory spirit of La Bourdonnais to restore good order and discipline into its different departments. But though the officers of the Company did not venture to oppose themselves openly to regulations enforced with so much temper and moderation, and could not with any degree of justice refuse their assent to the necessity of maintaining subordination, they continued to entertain a secret resentment against him. In the first years of his government, from the natural state of the island, and afterwards from an unfor- tunate mortality among the horned cattle, he had been unable to furnish the Company's ships with their full complement of meat ; but this was a misfortune of the times, and not the fault of La Bourdonnais. The captains, however, though they appeared per- fectly satisfied with his endeavours, and left him with every external mark of their approbation of his conduct, had no sooner arrived in France than they presented their complaints against him for neglect in furnishing them with the necessary supplies for their homeward voyage, and alleged the death of some of the crews as the result of starvation. Another subject of complaint also arose from the same quarter, of which he was by no means the cause. He had orders from the Minister to send home from the island the old ships' crews, and to replace them by those he might find on board the vessels of the Company. This charge did not fail to excite the discontent of the officers, who complained that the new men were much inferior to the old, although they knew that he had only acted up to his instructions, and had winked at the retention of the latter, wherever he could. He had also been ordered to furnish vessels leaving the Isle of France for Europe with water and provisions for five months, and, to prevent accidents, to retain the superfluous rigging and stores. When it became his duty to take an account of these provisions, and to retain the excess, they invariably declared he had taken too much, and left too little. La Bourdonnais, however, found to his satisfaction that there were some just and reasonable enough to appreciate the purity of his motives. It will be easily conceived, however, that the former assigned him the chief agency in all the misfortunes that had occurred during the voyage, and as there were none to contradict it, it cost but little trouble to give him the worst reputation in the world ; nor was he long in perceiving that these representations had been received in all quarters with a degree of credit, which they did not deserve. In 174-0, the death of his wife rendered it necessary for him to return to France ; and on his arrival there, he observed an unac- countable prejudice prevailed against him in the minds of all, which CHAP. II.] ADMINISTRATION OF LA BOURDONNAIS. 21 lie soon found reason to ascribe to the calumnies of his secret enemies. The ministry, Company, public in short, the whole world, wuro ready to regard him with an evil eye. In this unmerited situation, he made his complaints to Cardinal Fleury ; stated in the strongest terms his fidelity to the king, and his zeal for the Company, and demanded permission to offer his justification against the secret charges, which had been made against him, declaring at the same time that he did not possess a foot of ground in the island ; had decided but one law suit all the time he had been governor, and that he was ready to render a hundred fold to any one, who could prove that he had received the least injury from him. The cardinal, so remarkable for the ordinary urbanity of his deportment, suddenly assumed an acrimonious expression of countenance, and with a mys- terious air replied, that the complaints against him had been loud and abundant; and upon a demand of the names of the complainants, excused a disclosure on the plea of secrecy being necessary to justice. La Bourdonnais next demanded a list and specification of the charges, which met with a similar refusal. " You have been," said he, " too severe, and have not treated the inhabitants and officers with sufficient respect." " In what ?" enquired he. The minister would not, however, enter into the facts, and without any further explanation, contented himself with insinuating that the Company had reason to be displeased with his administration. He demanded, to no purpose, of what it complained ? in what he had betrayed or neglected its interest? Tiicse questions remained without any answer. Upon renewing his application to the Count de Maurepas, and M. Orry, comptroller-general, he was informed that the accu- sations against him should undergo a scrupulous examination. At this critical moment a libellous publication appeared, containing a long detail of charges, which reflected on his character as Governor of the Isles of France and Bourbon. But conscious of his own recti- tude, and despising the author of these calumnies, a man whose life and writings had been more than once branded by justice, he let them, grave as they were, pass without any particular answer. At length, however, he deem eel it necessary to check the course of public prejudice, which ran with so much violence against him, and he completely effected it by the justification which he published. At the same time, orders were issued by the Ministry to the Directors of the East India Company, which enjoined on them, that as they were now in full possession of the facts of the case, as stated by both parties, and were able to judge of the truth or falsehood of the several heads of accusation, they should verify them by a report. This having been done, the Directors handed in the following statement : " The Company, after most exact inquiries and strict examination, find and testify that the whole of the imputations against M , de la Bourdonnais are false." The public now no longer hesitated in restoring him to their good 22 THE MAURITIUS. [cflAP. II. opinion, and the ministry expressed their approbation of his conduct. Satisfied on this side, he found new subjects of chagrin and discontent from the secret and implacable enemies, which he now discovered in the Company. This circumstance very sensibly affected him. He perceived to what ceaseless vexations enemies of this sort had it in their power to expose him in a post such as he filled, which would inevitably happen when among those to whom he was accountable for the execution of his office, and who possessed the power to command the details, there were several, who, from motives of secret passion or interest, were strongly disposed to trouble the repose and disconcert the measures of his government. He there- fore resolved on tendering his resignation ; but the ministers, to whom he communicated the resolution, would not permit him to execute it. The wish to retire, however, still occupied his mind, when the armaments on the point of equipment in the several ports of France seemed to- announce an approaching rupture with Great Britain and Holland. A consideration of these movements induced him to communicate his views on the state of affairs to the most sensible of his friends, and he concluded by suggesting a plan of arming a number of ships to attack the commerce of those countries. So sanguine were the expectations formed by them of his project, and so forcibly had he pointed out the advantages which might be reaped by that nation, which should find itself prepared to enter on the war simultaneously with its declaration, that in order to facilitate its completion, they at once proposed to advance five millions of livres, on condition that he would take a tenth share in the arma- ment, and assume the command in his own person. The proposition was no sooner made, than he hastened to Fontainbleau to unfold his plan of operations to the Count de Maurepas, and to demand his permission to carry it into immediate execution. " If you agree with my project," said he, "I will equip six men-of-war and two frigates, and set sail for the east. If war should be declared, I shall be ready to make an instant attack on the commerce of Great Britain, and to undertake expeditions against her colonies. I engage to apply whatever money I may take to the service of the Company, which will render it unnecessary for them to send any specie out of the kingdom ; and in order that I may not interfere with their privileges, I will dispose of the merchandise, of which I may possess myself in the South Seas. After its sale, I will return to China, and having changed the money, which I have received for gold, I will touch at the Isles of France and Bourbon, in order to supply the Company with whatever funds it may require, and bring the rest to France. If, however, war should not be declared, while I am in the Indies, I can freight my vessel for the benefit of the Company ; so that, whatever may be the event, this armament can in no respect injure its privileges, while it is equally evident, that, if war is CHAP. II.] ADMINISTRATION OP LA BOURDONNAIS. 23 declared, I shall have it in my power to strike one of the grandest blows that have ever been inflicted on the seas. The minister was fully sensible of the importance of his plan, and gave it a general approval ; but, at the same time, reminded him that, in the opinion of the Company, the war ought not to extend to the east of the Cape of Good Hope, since it was the interest and custom of both companies to observe a neutrality between each other in the Indies. La Bourdonnais showed him that their expectation was ill-founded, and that they could not count on any neutrality in the east, unless the belligerent powers entered into such a convention on their own account, as the vessels of the king sailing in those seas had little respect to the particular treaty of the Company. The Count desired him to draw up a statement con- taining a detail of his views, and to transmit it for the inspection of Cardinal Fleury and M. Orry. This project was highly approved of by the ministry, and the comptroller- general imparted to him the orders of the king, which were, that he should be furnished by the Government with two frigates, that the East India Company would add four vessels, and enjoined him to execute for the Com- pany the plan he had formed for himself, with the assurance that the king would take care of him and his fortune. But, flattered as La Bourdonnais may be supposed to have been by these marks of confidence and favour, he could not help reminding the minister that, as the project had been kept secret from the Company, he was well aware of the opposition he should find from that body, who, piqued at not having been consulted in an undertaking, in which they were to be so materially concerned, would manifest their dis- content by delaying the operations of the armament ; but the minister regarded not his disquietude, and persisted in recommend- ing secrecy, with the promise to advance him to a distinguished rank in the naval service of France, and thereby secure him from vexatious proceedings on the part of the Company. This, how- ever, did not wholly satisfy his mind, or remove his apprehen- sions, and the event proved that his conjectures were not ill-founded. But things had advanced too far, and M. Orry would hear none of his remonstrances, but ordered him to obey the commands of his Sovereign. La Bourdonnais left France on the 5th of April 1741, with the general commission of captain of a frigate, and the particular com- mission to command the Mars, one of the king's ships of war. The fleet consisted of the Fleury, of 56 ; the Brtuiani and L'Ami/>le, of 50 each ; La Eenommee, of 28 ; and La Par/ait, of 1C. The . of 60, and Griffin, of 50 guns, which had at first formed a part of the squadron, were subsequently countermanded. Ar- riving at the Isle of France in August, he learned that the Mahrattas menaced Pondicherry, and, to prevent a siege of that place, that the garrisons of the Isles of France and Bourbon had 24 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. II. already been transported thither. lie proceeded, therefore, to Pon- dicheny, after having put his islands in a state of security. To fulfil this object, he began by ordering the construction of a fortress to defend Port Louis, and directed that the inhabitants should be trained on Sundays to the use of amis, marked out their posts and places of rendezvous, with orders that they should repair thither on the first alarm, and directed that the first vessel which might arrive should be sent to Goa to fetch provisions. After having issued these prudent and necessary regulations, he departed for Bourbon on the same errand, and from thence set sail for Pon- dicherry, which he found in a state of tranquillity. Returning to the Isle of France in 1742, where his presence \vas essentially neces- sary, he waited there for the intelligence of war between Great Britain and France, which he had daily expected, and prepared himself for immediate action. Meanwhile he received the high approbation of the king, and the eulogium of the ministry, and let- ters of nobility were directed to be sent to him. As his ships arrived at the islands, he ordered them to be suc- cessively refitted, so that he had his fleet ready by May in a better state of equipment, than when it left France. The hostilities at Mahe being terminated, and the islands cultivated, fortified, and secured from insult, he waited with impatience for the information that war was declared, to engage in an expedition against the enemies of France in India, which had been the original object of his armament. Iii the interval, he determined on employing the vessels of the Company in transporting its merchandise from Mahe, Pondicherry, and Bengal, to the Isle of France. By this means the voyage home was much shortened to the merchant vessels, and, while he fur- thered the objects of the Company by forwarding their cargoes, he kept the vessels of the squadron at the Isle of France in a state of preparation for the first coup de main. This project would have met with the success it deserved, had not the Company, at the very moment his hopes of acquiring fame for himself and rendering service to the country had reached the highest pitch, frustrated all by the issue of precise orders to disarm his squadron ; and to quench all representations on his part, he was expressly commanded to send every ship home, and let them return empty, rather than keep one of them at the islands. In this unexpected and mortifying con- juncture, he had no alternative but obedience. In 1744, M. de la Bourdonnais, finding himself obliged to remain in his government, and that he must no longer indulge himself in military speculations, gave himself up entirely to economical arrange- ments. He employed himself in establishing sugar, indigo, and cotton work?, which he began at his own expense, and which answered his utmost expectations. In these occupations he was actively engaged, when, on the llth of September 1744, he received CHAP. II.] ADMINISTRATION OF LA BOURDONNAIS. 25 intelligence from Europe, that war had been declared between France and England. This intelligence at once revived all his apprehen- sions, especially as it was accompanied by a letter from the Com- pany, containing precise orders, by which, on the ground of the alleged neutrality, he was forbidden from engaging in any act of hostility towards the English. At the same time, it was permitted him to defend himself in case hostilities should be commenced by the English, and he was authorized to retain one or two vessels for the purpose ; but what could he be expected to do with one or two merchant vessels against the fleet dispatched to the East by Great Britain ? Moreover, as the Company had thought proper to recall the squadron, which had left France under his command, the incal- culable advantage of arriving first with an armed force in India was lost ; all the projects of La Bourdonnais were overturned ; the superiority of the English was decided ; and all his fears, that the French would be defeated and captured in every part, confirmed. It will doubtless be asked, What was the foundation of the Com- pany's security, and why the minister permitted the retirement of that body to hinder the execution of a project so safe and advan- tageous to the state as that of M. de la Bourdonnais? But an answer cannot be found ! The Company, regardless of all the asseverations of that officer, and all past examples, persisted in firmly believing that a perfect neutrality would be observed by England in the East. Under this persuasion, it considered the presence of its vessels to be useless, and as an impediment to the neutrality, which it had flattered itself would be observed. This unfortunate prejudice, so vainly combatted by all the reasoning of M. de la Bourdonnais, while it brought nothing but loss to France, saved millions for her enemies. As for La Bourdonnais himself, when reflecting on the weighty arguments he had employed during his residence at Paris, in attempting to undeceive their minds in this important point, he could never persuade himself of their real motives in ordering the return of the squadron. At this mortifying conjuncture, all he could do was to send off a vessel on the instant to M. Duplcix, governor of Pondicherry, with the intelligence that war was declared, and despatched a vessel to France with letters for the Company, in which he repeated his efforts to undeceive them in their hopes of a neutrality. In the interim, until he should receive fresh orders, he was compelled to yield the command of these seas to the enemy. He did not, however, suffer any vessel to go out of port ; he redoubled his efforts to finish a ship, which he had laid on the stocks, and completely repaired the Bourlon, that had arrived from the Indies. In obedience to the orders of the Company, M. Dupleix confi- dently entered upon a negotiation with the governments of the English East India Company's settlements for the conclusion of a treaty of neutrality. The council of Madras, however, would not, 2G THE MAnurnra. [CHAP. n. (as M. de la Bourdonnais hid foreseen) render itself res] the conduct of his Britannic Majesty's ships of war, either as re- garded those at present, or that might hereafter cruise in those seas, but solely for its own : for it could not be imagined, that the cap- tains of English men-of-war, finding an opportunity Of capture, would respect the mutual conventions, made between the two corn- without the consent of their sovereigns, and contrary to the of warfare, which make no exceptions in favour of vessels armed by trading companies. To prove that the French risked every thing, and that the English hazarded nothing i treaties, it will be sufficient to observe, that the ht: ips of war, as well as merchantmen, in the Indian seas, while the t had only commercial vessels, and not a single man-of-war. 1 drawing np the treaty, it was declared by the English to exi . merchant vessels alone, so that i: lent, that all vessels would be taken by the English men-of-war, who we included in the treaty of neutrality, while the English merchantmen would be safe, since the treaty guaranteed them from all insult on the part of the Company's vessels, which were the only French ships to be found in the Indies, and that could be equipped for war. At length the signal error, which had been committed by the 1 East India Company, was discovered, when it was too late, and they acknowledged the folly of having despised the reiterated represen- tations of M. de la Bourdonnais. On the 5th of April, they AY ere informed by the JTOnuy, which arrived from the Indies, of the cap- ture of the Favori by an English vessel, which she could hav. self taken, had it not been for the orders of the Company. The French ship the flftary^ which had been equipped for the attack of the pirate Att^ria^ met with four English vessels in the rev. Cochin, and though she had it in her power to effect their capture, yet being restrained by her ordc. .tVcred them to depart uu mo- lested. At the same time, all the French merchantmen with the exception of one, commanded by M. Tillebague, brother- in-law of M. de la Bourdonnais, who, suspecting the consequences of a declaration of war, changed his course, and reached Pondicherry in safety. It will be needless to enter into a further detail of the curred by France ; it will be sufficient to rela: cumstance connected therewith. When Captain Burnet, who com- manded an English ship-of-war, captured their merchant ship. observed, that he only executed against the trade of France the design projected by M. de la Bourdonnais against that of Great Britain. Though M. de la Bourdonnais was extremely mortified that the ve stroke, which he had so long meditated against the enemies of France, should have been rendered abortive, he was not alto- gether disheartened, nor did he relax in his efforts, as will hereafter CHAP. II.] ADMINISTRATION OP LA BOURDONNAIS. 27 appear, to repair tho misfortunes of his country. On tho contrary, ho made the same exertions, as if ho had been tho cause of them. The letter:?, which he received by the /-Y.-w/v/, not only informed him of the arrival of tho English ships of war in India, but made him ac- quainted also with the actual situation of Pondicherry. M. Dupleix, tho governor of that settlement, jealous from tho first of the estima- tion in which M. de la Bourdonnais was held, had haughtily insisted on the strict observance of the neutrality by all tho French East India Company's servants, both as regarded the English factories and ships, while the English themselves, so far from interpreting tho treaty in a similar manner, had attacked the French establishments on every coast, and finally tho town of Pondicherry itself WM menaced by the English squadron. The governor and council were now constrained to represent to La Bourdonnais the state of alarm the settlement was in, and the dangers, to which their commerce was exposed in tho Indian seas. They entreated him to afford them all the assistance in his power, informing him at the same time that they could do nothing more on their part than send him by the first opportunity tho crew of the Ft*/t/', his squadron being victualled only for sixty-five days. 32 THE MAURITIUS. (_CHAP. III. CHAPTER III. The administration of M. David Expeditions of Admiral Boscawen and Count d'Ache Government of MM. Bouvet, Magou, Boucher, Dumas Inten- dancy of Poivre. M. DE ST. MARTIN filled the office of deputy-governor of the two islands on the nomination of his relative M. de la Bourdonnais during the visit of the latter to France, and subsequent expedition against the English settlements in India, and the Baron Grant was entrusted with the direction of their military defence. It has already been seen how M. de la Bourdonnais contrived to form an effective corps of soldiers by making them practise various manoeuvres of attack and defence on the principal batteries of the island, and sham assaults on the forts with bamboo ladders. All the Creoles being thus disciplined and inured to military exercise, formed excellent volunteers for joining with the European troops in the enterprise, which he meditated on Madras. M. de la" t Bourdon- nais having ordered all the troops under arms, presented himself, and commanded all those, whether officers or soldiers, who were willing to go on this expedition, to advan'ce beyond the lines. Not a man remained behind. M. de St. Martin was succeeded in 1746 by M. David, who had previously rilled the post of governor of Senegal. He is thus described by Baron Grant in a letter to some friends in France. "The arrival of our new governor has brought prosperity with it. The inhabitants are enchanted with the manners of M. David ; he is not so enterprising as M. de la Bourdonnais ; but mild- ness, humanity, and politeness, are the least of his good qualities. He is rich, and displays the best possible intentions for the welfare of the colony, and from the manner in which he speaks and acts, we shall derive considerable advantages from his administration. After he had made the necessary arrangements for the welfare of the colony, he engaged certain undertakings on his own account. One of these he formed on the sea-shore, for the manufacture of lime from coral, and placed seventy negroes in it. This was a very necessary establishment to carry on the buildings of the Company. He built also a beautiful stone house for himself, which he called L'Epreuve, as it was the first, of the kind which had been con- structed in the island. He has sent a frigate to France constructed at Port Louis, whose build has given general satisfaction. The East India Company, now assured that the island produces plenty of provisions and refreshment for their ships, will direct them all to stop at this port, which will be considered, as a principal magazine CHAP. III.] ADMINISTRATION OF M. DAVID. 33 for their commerce; at the same time every possible encouragement will be given to promote industry and advance cultivation. The different undertakings formed by M. de la Bourdonnais and M. David for raising cotton and indigo have failed, which will render useless the magazines erected by the latter for cultivating them with the necessary advantage and convenience. The sugar plantations have in some degree succeeded, whose produce resembles the coarse honey of Europe : time and industry, however, will bring it to per- fection. The more wealthy adventurers are absolutely starving by being compelled to purchase the provisions necessary for themselves and their people. They have had the inconsiderate ambition to burthen themselves with large bodies of slaves, before they had pro- vided the means of maintaining them. On his return from Madras, M. de la Bourdonnais found his place occupied by M. David. Many of the inhabitants were anxious to dispose of their plantations, being persuaded that the changes, which had taken place in the government, would be attended with inevitable disadvantages to them. It will indeed be very difficult to find such a governor as M. de la Bourdonnais. M. David had received orders from the Company to make every possible inquiry, and obtain all possible information relative to the administration of his predecessor. He was at the same time instructed not to give up to him the command of the ships, which were to return to Europe, if he had been guilty of any malversations. M. David had fulfilled his commission before the arrival of M. de la Bourdonnais at the Isle of France, and was fully convinced, that all the complaints exhibited against the latter had proceeded from passion and a spirit of mutiny. As soon as he had landed, M. de la Bourdonnais, to give the fullest proof in his power of the uprightness of his conduct towards individuals, as well as of his zeal and fidelity to the king and Company, repeated the course he had taken in France on a similar occasion, and publicly challenged those who had been injured by him, in any way whatever, either in the Isle of France or Bourbon, to come forward with their charges, that he might immediately do them justice, and make such restitution as they had a right to claim. But though he was now superseded in his government, and was not only a private, but in some measure a disgraced man, not a single complaint was insti- tuted against him ; in short, so irreproachable did his conduct appear in every particular, that M. David did not hesitate to deliver him the order of the king to command the ships destined for Europe." Thus terminated the connexion of M. de la Bourdonnais with the Isle of France, which had lasted for eleven years years fruitful in events both for the colony and its metropolis, during which the seat of the government had been transplanted from Bourbon to the Isle of France through the sagacity of the Governor-general, who saw at a glance that the possession of two such harbours gave the decided D 34 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. III. pre-eminence to the claims of the latter over the former island, which was without that qualification. The monuments of his industry still remain. Indeed, he may be truly said to have been the founder of Mauritius. " His memory still remains (says the local historian) in every heart ; his portrait is in every house ; his memoirs in every library, and his statue in the Place cl'Armes." The reaction against the French power in India consequent on the removal of M. de la Bourdonnais from the command, and the haughty and dishonourable conduct of M. Dupleix, the governor of Pondicherry, with respect to Madras and the native governments, was not long in producing a sensible change in the condition of the Isle of France. The war with England still continued, and the con- stant reinforcements, which had been sent out by that power, had again retrieved its naval superiority in the East, so that whole fleets, destined for the Isle of France, were either taken or destroyed, a few corvettes alone arriving to announce the disasters, and they were often in a crippled and dismasted condition. Baron Grant thus describes the state of the island in 1?4G : " We have been informed that fifteen ships have been dispatched from the East, laden with provisions for our islands ; but unfortu- nately the English fell in with them, and being superior to them in point of force, have taken them all except one small vessel, which escaped but to make us acquainted with our misfortunes. We live at present in a most wretched state of incertitude, in want of every thing ; and, to complete our misery, we are afflicted with a con- tinued drought, which has known no interval throughout the year, but from an hurricane which visited us during the last month, and ravaged everything, occasioning many fatal accidents. Several per- sons were killed and wounded during its continuance, and, to com- plete our distress, it was succeeded by a cloud of locusts, which devoured whatever the hurricane had not laid waste." The English ministry at once perceived that a blow had been struck against France in the East, which required but to be followed up with energy and resolution to produce the most splendid results. For the furtherance of this object, Mr. Boscawen, who had already highly distinguished himself in the execution of the several commis- sions with which he had been intrusted in Europe, was elevated to the rank of admiral, with the command of a powerful fleet, whose primary operations were to commence with an attack on the Isle of France, which had become the centre of French power in the East, and, after its reduction, to proceed to the attack of Pondicherry. In November 1 747, the rear-admiral sailed from England, with the combined squadrons of the maritime powers under his command, con- sisting of twenty-eight ships of war of different sizes one of seventy- four, one of sixty-four, two of sixty, two of fifty, one of twenty, a sloop of fourteen guns, a bombship with her tender, and an hospital CHAP. III.] EXPEDITION OF ADMIRAL BOSCAWKN. 35 ship. These belonged to the navy of England ; eleven of the East India Company's vessels were likewise employed in transporting the military stores and the regular troops, which amounted to 1,400 men. The principal part of the fleet arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in March, but five ships were detained till April. They were joined at the Cape by six ships belonging to the Dutch East India Company, on board of which were 400 soldiers. The troops having been landed for refreshment, were all re- embarked before the 16th of April, the day on which it had been determined to sail ; but contrary winds and weather detained the fleet until the 8th of May, when they left the Cape, bound for the Isle of France, which the admiral was ordered to attack on his passage to the coast of Coromandel, if, on investigating its state of defence and preparation, he should judge such a measure to be prudent and practicable. After a fatiguing passage of thirty-five days, in which the fleet was again baffled by adverse winds, it came in sight of the eastern coast of the Isle of France on the 23rd of June, at daybreak, having parted with three of the Dutch ships in the bad weather. As soon as the ships came in sight of the north-east point of the island, the admiral called a council of war to ask the advice of his captains as to which they thought the most proper course for the vessels to take in going in. The result of these deliberations was, that they passed between Long Island and Gunner's Quoin, and proceeded along the north coast in a line of battle a-head, the men-of-war leading, and the East India Company's ships following them. Before night, they had advanced within two leagues to the north-east of Port Louis. The admiral, imagining the French squadron bound for India might be still in the harbour, sent a party to reconnoitre the strength and position of the enemy, by whose account only two places had been discovered where the smoothness of the water seemed to render a descent practicable, all the rest of the shore being defended by rocks or breakers. He therefore deemed it expedient to bring his ships to anchor in the " Baie des Tortues," between the mouths of the river of that name and the " Riviere du Tombeau." The rest got in the next day, having been fired at in their passage from two fascine batteries of six guns each, but without receiving any material damage. Early the next day, it was ascertained that the enemy had raised other batteries of a similar description on each side of the two rivers, between which the squadron was at anchor, from which they soon commenced firing, and were perceived to be hard at work in the wood opposite to where the squadron lay in throwing up intrench- nicnts, as well as raising other defences. Some of the ^ which had shells thrown at them by the French inma>id their distance from the shore, but, as it was of the utmost consequence to the success of the enterprise to prevent the enemy from proceeding D 2 36 THE MAURITIUS. QcHAP. III. with these works, Admiral Boscawen ordered the Pembroke, which lay nearest the shore, to fire and disturb them at their work ; but the result was attended with very little execution on either side. Let us here pause for a moment to consider the means possessed by the island to meet this formidable invasion. As the war with Great Britain had been carried on for some time, previous to the arrival of the squadron, under Admiral Bos- cawen, it had long been conceived that the island would be subject to the attacks of the enemy. The Isle of France was, therefore, in the course of being fortified by the French Government at a great expense, and numbers had been employed in putting it in a state of defence ; yet the works had advanced but slowly, though they had been directed by able engineers, and were in a state far from com- plete on the appearance of the British fleet. But the natural advantages for defence possessed by the island, coupled with the works already raised, were calculated to afford a formidable obstacle to the landing of an enemy, as was fully proved by the successful resistance made against this attack. The port was at this time full of vessels belonging to the Company, with one ship of war of sixty guns, named the Alddet, commanded by M. de Kersaint, who laid her across the entrance of the port. The French worked all night through, with a great deal of confusion, to be in readiness for the following day. The Count de Restaing, who had been commandant of the artillery, had, before his departure, examined the arsenal, and, having found an old mortar, had placed it on the point that commands the entrance of the harbour, before which the English fleet was at anchor. At break of day, they found themselves in a condition to discharge a bomb at the nearest of the English vessels, which did not, however, reach it. A second was thrown nearer, and the English admiral thought proper to increase his distance in a small degree, in the conjecture that they had a battery of mortars ; and when he perceived that no more were discharged, he concluded that it w r as from his being removed out of their distance, though the real cause proceeded from the impossibility of their throwing another shell, as the mortar had been rendered useless by the second discharge. The English remained off the island for several days, and, from the frequent communications between the ships, the boats continually passing from one to the other, the French con- cluded that they held frequent councils respecting their future conduct. But to return to the combined squadron. Admiral Boscawen now ordered the Sicallow sloop, under Captain Lloyd, of the Eltham, the two principal engineers, and an artillery officer, on whose judgment and accuracy he could safely rely, to reconnoitre the coast along the shore quite up to the ports, and fix on a spot where the troops might be landed with the least difficulty, and in the most orderly and expeditious manner. On their return, they reported that CHAP. III.] EXPEDITION OP ADMIRAL BOSCAWKN. 37 the means of defence possessed by the enemy were very numerous and respectable, that they had been fired at in their passage by eight different batteries planted along the shore, as well as from the forts at the entrance of the harbour, that a large ship, with two tiers of guns, lay at anchor, with her broadside across its mouth, that there were thirteen other ships within, several of which were large, and either equipped for actual service or fitting for it, and that, as far as they were able to judge, it was impracticable to land any- where to the east of the harbour on account of the thickness of the woods, which came down close to the water-side. In consequence of this information, Admiral Boscawcn resolved to alter his plan and mode of attack, and proceed beyond the Grande Riviere to the west of the town. Still, however, it was extremely doubtful whether a landing here was practicable, and, in order to ascertain this point, the masters of six of the line-of-battle ships were directed, as soon as it was dark, to sound in their barges along the shore, and discover the depths of water, and see particularly whether it was possible to land at the place proposed. Their report was, if possible, still more unfavourable than that of the officer who had been sent before to reconnoitre ; for they stated that a reef of rocks ran along the shore at the distance of twenty yards, which rendered it impossible for boats to land except at the entrance of the rivers, where the fleet rode, or at the harbour itself, where the channel which led into it was not more than 1 00 fathoms wude, and was strongly protected by batteries, and that the entrance would be subject to a further difficulty by the operation of the south-east wind, which would blow off shore. After receiving this intelligence, it was but too evident to the Admiral that no serious attempt could be made against this possession of the enemy; but as he always gave up with reluctance a point on which he had set his mind, or which he thought his country expected him to carry through, he called a council of war, composed of the principal naval and military officers, before whom he laid these reports, and his instructions, so far as they related to the attack of the Isle of France, and to consult with them on the best measure to be taken. The council coincided with him in the opinion that the enterprise should not be abandoned without another attempt to discover a landing-place, since, if that could be found, they entertained little doubt of ultimate success. It was therefore resolved that, as they were unacquainted with the strength of the enemy, three armed boats, of ten oars each, should be sent, under the command of Major Cuming, to endeavour to land in the night, and take by surprise a prisoner from the shore, from whom intelli- gence might be obtained of a proper and safe landing-place. This was attempted, but in vain. On the next morning, the 25th of June, the council being again assembled, it was resolved that, although their force was sufficient to reduce the island, yet, as the capture of the Isle of France was not 38 THE MAURITIUS. CHAP. III. the principal object of the expedition, as there was such a strength of ships in the harbour, and the preparations which the enemy had made along the coast made it certain that the attack must be at- tended with considerable loss, while the maintenance of it, when taken, would not only retard, but might possibly disable the arma- ment from undertaking the siege of Pondicherry, which Admiral Boscawen was instructed to consider the principal object of his destination, no further attempt should be made, but that the fleet should proceed as quickly as possible to the coast of Coromandel, that they might arrive there in time to act before the change of the monsoon in October. Two days elapsed before the fleet could leave the island, which, joined to the delay that had already ensued, placed the ships in such straits for wood, water, and provisions, as to make it necessary to divide those articles among each in proportion. Just as they were on the point of setting sail, one of the three Dutch ships which had parted company in the storm, joined them, but the other two were never seen or heard of. After the fleet had cleared the island, the other Dutch ships took their leave, and stretched sail for the south- ward. The Admiral being anxious, in pursuance of the resolution of the council of war, to make the shortest possible passage to Pondicherry, passed with his fleet through the islands and shoals to the north of the Isle of France, and arrived at Fort St. David on the 29th of July, where he found the squadron under Admiral Griffin, whom he suc- ceeded in the command. Before the cause of the failure of this formidable expedition is considered, it will be well to take a moment's view of the state of affairs in the island. Baron Grant, who was charged with its defence, thus continues : " On the sixth day, one of the largest of the English vessels ap- proached within cannon-shot of a place where they supposed we had a masked battery. They cannonaded it from break of day with great warmth, but without the least return, as it was nothing else than a large heap of faggots collected for a lime furnace, which their balls scattered about. In the evening of the same day, we descried a number of well-armed sloops, escorted by a frigate, ranging before the batteries, from which, however, they could not be reached. We concluded that their intention was to make a descent at La Petite Riviere, eight miles to the west of the port, which was unguarded, and where there was a small inlet through which one boat alone could pass at a time. As I was attentive to guard the coast, we narrowly watched their motions, and, hastening to the point with some light pieces of artillery, we arrived there at an early period of the night. We saw the frigate and the sloops furling their sails opposite to us, while the latter appeared to be approaching the opening of the river. I immediately ordered the artillery to play on CHAP, III.] EXPEDITION OP ADMIRAL BOSCAWEX. 30 the boats, and directed that, after the first discharge, the drums, which had been scattered about in different places at some distance, should come in beating a inarch, so as to indicate the approach of troops from various directions. This step made the English suspect that our force was very considerable, and they accordingly retired from the shore. We thought it necessary, however, to pass the night under arms. At break of day the different vessels had returned to their former stations, and at eleven A. M., the whole fleet, relin- quishing the attempt, was under sail from the island. Four of their ships, after having saluted the Admiral, passed to leeward, while the rest held their course to windward, as if proceeding to India. It has since been reported that these four ships had several families on board, and a large quantity of utensils for the cultivation of the island, the capture of which they had reckoned on with certainty. The same report added, that we were all of ns to have been sent to the Cape of Good Hope ; and thus was Admiral Boscawen deceived by appearances, and concluded from circumstances, which were very fallacious, that we were in a state of defence and preparation very superior to our actual capacity ; or they might have imagined that the time spent in taking the island would interfere with more im- portant operations in India." It is nevertheless difficult to conceive how the island could have held out under a protracted siege, as the whole of the French force consisted of only 300 regular troops, the European inhabitants, who were disciplined as a militia, 1.500 Caffre slaves, on whose service and attachment the French had little reliance, and 1000 sailors belonging to the ships. The prestige attending the successful commencement of a cam- paign having thus early vanished, dispirited the English in the same proportion as it instilled courage and energy into their oppo- nents. M. Bouvet, an able and experienced mariner, who com- manded a flying squadron of seven ships-of-war, and two smaller vessels in these seas, succeeded in eluding Admiral Griffin, and landed a number of volunteers of colour from the Isle of France for the succour of Pondicherry, with 200, OOO/. of silver for the service of the Company. This opportune relief, and the successful resistance of the Isle of France, produced such an effect on the garrison of Pon- dicherry, that they offered a resistance, as vigorous as it was unex- pected, to the English admiral, so that the squadron under his com- mand was compelled to return to Fort St. David to winter, the campaign having proved an entire failure. In the interval, M. Bouvet, returning to the Isle of France, brought back 200 men, whom he landed for the relief of Madras before the English squadron could appear in sight. M. David was succeeded in the government of the Isle of France by his brother- in-law, M. Bouvet, in 1750. The former appears to have greatly endeared himself to the inhabitants by the good qualities before 40 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. III. mentioned. Baron Grant, in speaking of him, mates allusion to the abruptness of his departure. " AVo have received the pleasing assurance that M. David, our late governor, will return ; he is im- patiently expected here, and will be received with the sincerest pleasure by us all. We understand that there is a difference among the directors about his return ; we shall, however, soon learn their decision by the ships whose arrival is now the object of our impa- tient expectation." It was during the government of M. Botivet, that the celebrated astronomers and geometricians, M. d'Apres Mannevilette, and the Abbe de la Caille, visited the Isles of France and Bourbon for scien- tific purposes. The former became distinguished for his acquirements in hydrography, and published a series of charts, called the " Orien- tal Neptune," whose correctness has been little invalidated by more recent discoveries. In 1755, M. Magon succeeded M. Bouvet as Commander- general of the two islands. He commenced his administration by giving a general permission to cut wood, which threatened to injure the agriculture of the island by inducing drought, and render it more defenceless in the event of an attack from the enemy, by removing one of the principal obstructions to their landing. Upon the re-commencement of hostilities between Great Britain and France, in I 757, powerful squadrons were again dispatched to the East by both the belligerent powers. The van of the French Avas commanded by M. de Soupirs, and was followed by the main body of the squadron, under Count de Ache, on board of which was the Count de Lally, an officer of Irish extraction in the French service, to whom was committed the government of the French establishments in India, as well as the direction of the military operations. It is not within the province of this work to trace the early progress and final defeat of the latter officer, or even that of the fleet under Count d'Ache ; it will be sufficient to observe that, after an engagement with the English squadron, under Admiral Pococke, in which, though not a ship was lost by either party, he was compelled, after having been roughly handled, to retire with all the mortification of a defeat, and arrived at the Isle of France after thirty days' sail. In Port Louis he found a reinforcement of three ships of the line, under M. d' Eguilles, an officer of experience and reputation, witli three million livres destined for the service of Pondicherry, two of Avhich he detained, and countermanded the departure of the latter oificer for that place. There were also several vessels belonging to the Company, which from the presence of the formidable force of their nation, were unarmed for war. The crews of the united squadrons amounted to 5,500 men, and all the provisions which could be collected in the isles, or even from Madagascar, with the supplies sent from Europe, were insufficient for the support of so CHAP. III.] EXPEDITION OP COUNT I/ACHE. 41 large a body of men, in addition to the regular inhabitants. After several meetings of the council had been held to consider the means of relieving this distress, it was resolved that one of the men-of-war, with eight of the Company's ships, should be sent with 3,500 men on board, to the Cape of Good Hope, where they might purchase a sufficiency of provisions for the squadron in the ensuing voyage, and the crews might be supported in the interval, without breaking in upon the general stock. On the arrival of these ships at the Cape, in January, 1758, they purchased at a vast expense a large quantity of grain, wine, and meat, and returned to the Isle of France in April. The departure of the squadron from the island was, however, retarded for three months by the equipment of some of the Com- pany's ships for warlike service, and it did not sail, in consequence, till July. After a result similar to that of the year before, they returned again to the Isle of France in November. Their arrival renewed the scene of former distress. The island, after all the exer- tions of La Bourdonnais, had never produced provisions sufficient for the settled inhabitants, and had on this occasion, been further exhausted of the stores collected from abroad by victualling the squadron at its departure, so that there was but little left to support them on their return ; and this scarcity had been injudiciously increased by the equipment of two vessels for an attack on the English settlements in the Gulf of Persia. In this perplexity it was resolved to follow the example of the year preceding, and three merchantmen were again sent under convoy of the Centaur , of 74- guns, belonging to the French East India Company, to purchase provisions at the Cape ; but an unexpected difficulty here arose. The Count d' Ache had proposed to entrust the command to the Captain of the Aclif, one of the King's ships of war ; upon which there immediately arose a clamour from the Captains of the Com- pany's ships, who protested against this preference, as derogating from their peculiar rights and privileges. In the delay thus occa- sioned, one of the frightful hurricanes to which this island is periodi- cally subject, burst forth on the 27th of January, and lasted without intermission for thirty-six hours. Thirty-two vessels in the port were torn from their anchors, but with the exception of a vessel of thirty guns, were fortunately prevented by an ooze in the bay from driving on the rocks, and becoming complete wrecks. Of the smaller craft there were few, however, which were not either stranded or wrecked. The ruin was still greater on the land. Every species of vegetation above the surface of the earth was totally destroyed. The cattle and fowls were washed away by the torrents, or perished by the inclemency of the tempest; and of the magazines of grain, which were constructed of wood, some were overthrown, and the rest opened to the winds and rain. Three months were employed in repairing the damage occasioned by this awful visitation, in which interval, some few provisions were brought by trading vessels 42 THE MAURITIUS. QcHAP. III. belonging to the colony, from Madagascar, and the surplus of the produce of Bourbon. On the 8th of June, a vessel arrived from France with the intelligence that an armament was fitting out in England for the attack of the two islands, in consequence of which the French Government sent the regiment of Cambray to reinforce the garrison, and directions were given to the squadron under Count d' Ache, if still remaining at the Isle of France, to continue there, and if it had left for the Indies, it was to be immediately recalled. These orders determined Count d'Ache to remain with the greater part of the squadron for the defence of the island, but to send a part to Mada- gascar, till the middle of August, to save the consumption of pro- visions. Permission was also given to the council of war, supposing it received no direction how to act before this time, to proceed to the execution of any service of which the condition of the slnps might be deemed capable. The Admiral was soon after superseded, having been defeated for the third time by Admiral Pococke. M. Magon was succeeded, in 1759, by M. Desforges Boucher; and in August, 1764, the administration of the island passed from the hands of the East India Company to those of the King. The Abbe Regnal offers the following observations on the causes of this change : *' This island had for a long time engaged the speculations, rather than the industry of its possessors, and they wasted their time in conjectures concerning the advantages which might be derived from it. Some w r ere inclined to make it a central mart for all Indian merchandize, which, brought thither in Indian bottoms, could then be shipped on board French vessels, which would never proceed further. A two-fold advantage evidently arose from this scheme. First, the expenses were lessened, as both the pay and maintenance of Indian sailors was very trifling ; and secondly, the ships' crews were more effectually preserved, as they sometimes suffered greatly from the length of the voyage alone, and still more frequently from the climate, especially in Arabia and Bengal. This plan, however, met with little support, as it was feared the Company would fall into contempt, unless they displayed in these distant latitudes a naval force sufficient to procure respect. Others, in accordance with a new system which engaged their attention, were of opinion that the inhabitants of the Isle of France should be allowed to trade to India, which they had never yet been suffered to do. The sup- porters of this system maintained that the proposed freedom would prove an abundant source of wealth to the colony, and consequently, to the mother country. But the island was then in want of both vessels and specie ; it had no article for exportation, nor any means of consumption. For all these reasons the experiment proved unsuccessful, and it was resolved that the island should be entirely confined to agriculture. This new regulation gave rise to fresh mistakes. Men were sent from the mother country to the colony, CHAP. III.] ADMINISTRATION OF M. DUMAS. 43 who neither understood husbandry, nor were accustomed to labour. The lands were distributed at a venture, and without distinguishing what was to be cleared from that which was already in a state of cultivation. Money was advanced to the planters, not in proportion to their industry, but to the interest they could make with the Government. The Company, who got cent, per cent, upon the commodities which the colony drew from Europe, and fifty per cent, upon those that were sent in from India, required that the produce of the country should be delivered into their warehouses at a very low price. To complete the misfortunes of the colony, the Company, who had kept all the power in their own hands, broke the engagements they had entered into with their subjects, or rather with their slaves." Under such an administration, no improvements could be expected. Discouragements threw most of the colonists into a state of inaction ; those who had some share of industry remaining, were either in want of the means that led to prosperity, or were not supported by that strength of mind which enables men to surmount the difficul- ties which always attend on new settlements. Those who had an opportunity of seeing and observing the agriculture of the Isle of France, found it little better than what they had seen amongst savages : the Government felt themselves bound, therefore, to take it under their immediate control. MM. Dumas and Poivre were accordingly sent out to take possession in the name of the king, the one as Governor, the other as Intendant and Commissary- general of the Marine. The former was recalled at the expiration of the year, but found time enough for the commission of several arbitrary acts, one of which was the deportation to Rodriguez of one of the " Superior Council," which being duly protested against by that body, was promptly disavowed by the sovereign at home. Henceforward, up to the period of British supremacy, the Governor and Intendant shared between them the administrative powers, though in a somewhat unequal proportion. The former, contenting himself almost entirely with the military command, left to the Intendant the mananagement of finance, the imposition of taxes, the care of agriculture and commerce, and the direction of justice and the police. The " Superior Council" now reformed, was com- posed of those of the colonists, who were superior either from their wealth or intelligence, (a proof that the benefits to be derived from the infusion of a popular clement into the representative system of the colonies were already appreciated) and soon after became both a legislative and judicial body. The governors were now enjoined by the home Government to give the preference in every case to native colonists for all public functions, and every royal ordinance gave anxious solicitude for the welfare and contentment of the colony. M. 1'oivre, the first Jutemluiit, had been connected with the Iy privateers fitted out in the Isle of France, are estimated at four millions sterling." On the recommencement of the war, he again wrote to that nobleman : " On the reduction of the Isle of France, it would be a practicable and ex- pedient measure to compose a part of the garrisons of native sepoys from India; 7*1 THE MAURITIUS. QcHAP. IV. of allowing France to retain these islands, so that if a war should continue, I trust you will strike a blow against these prolific sources of intrigue in peace, and of piracy and buccaneering in war." The retirement of the Marquis of Wellesley from the Indian government in 1805 again postponed an undertaking, whose importance could not, in his opinion, be too highly estimated, and to whose accom- plishment he had looked forward as to one of the most glorious objects of his vice-royalty. But to return to the Isle of France. On the death of M. de Malartic, in July 1800, he was immediately succeeded by Le Comte Magallon de la Morliere. The new House of Assembly, though it had been reconstructed on a principle which apparently precluded any violent ebullitions of republican fury from within, found itself constantly impeded in the career of legislation by the remnant of the republican party, to whom the late deportation had not extended. Measures were, therefore, taken in 1801, for the transportation of 108 of their number to France ; l but the vessel that conveyed them to their destination foundered off the shores of that country, and the majority on board perished. Meanwhile a strong and energetic government had been estab- lished in France, and under its influence the equivocal independence, for some time maintained by the Isle of France and Bourbon, soon began to totter to its fall. After he had effectually stifled the liber- ties of France, Bonaparte next turned his attention to the destruc- tion of those of the colonies, by the decree of the 30th Floreal, in the tenth year of the republic, which passed almost unnoticed in France, but subjected the colonies to a most arbitrary regime. This law, which was only composed of three articles, re-established the trade in slaves, restored a legal existence to slavery, and suspended for ten years the constitution which had formerly been bestowed on the colony. No sort of resistance was offered to the proposed mea- sure by the House of Assembly (in which the moderate party had long obtained the supremacy), who abjectly fawned on the hand that had dealt destruction to their liberties, by passing a vote in favour of the election of Bonaparte to the consulship for life, and voting an address to the consuls. and as it would be difficult to despatch an expedition from Europe direct, it would be most advisable to commence the operation by reinforcing the English troops in India. An expedition might thus be prepared here with the advantages of a short voyage, of the most recent information relative to the defences of the island, and with the aid of a proportion of native troops." Despatches of the Marquis Wellesley. 1 Captain Pelham Brenton erroneously states, in his " Naval History," that these men were transported to the Seychelles, to the number of 108 ; but, being met, by an English frigate on their passage thither, their vessel was sunk, and all on board perished. CIIAI'. V.] NAVAL HISTORY. 75 CHAPTER V. Naval history of the Isle of France during the French Revolution Expeditions of Sercy and Linois Successes of the Island Corsairs, and their depreda- tions on British commerce Surprise, capture, and abandonment of Bourbon Descents of Captain Willoughby on the coasts of the Isle of France Re- capture of Bourbon Expeditions of Hamelin and Duperr6 Seizure of He de la Passe by the British Conflict at Grand Port Expedition against the Isle of France Its success, &c. THE naval history of the French Revolution, as connected \vith the Isle of France, presents little worthy of notice until the arrival of the British squadron under Admiral Rainier, who sailed from England in May 1794, and was soon after followed by the French squadron under Vice-Admiral Sercy, 1 which, with the insular marine, 1 The Centurion, Captain Osborne, of 50, the jRemfance.Captain Pakenham, 44, the Diomede of 44, and Orpheus frigate, were the English vessels cruising in this part of the Indian Ocean in 1794. The Duguay Trouin, a French frigate of 34 guns, and the corvette Vulcan, were captured in that year by the latter vessel. As the Isle of France was the source from whence all the French naval operations in the Indian Ocean emanated, it may be right to give a brief abstract of the proceedings of Vice-Admiral Sercy after leaving that island. The fleet of this officer had originally consisted of three frigates ; namely, the Forte of 44, Reg/nerteof 36, and the Seine, armed en flute and two corvettes, which, having parted in a storm from the remainder on the passage, were captured by English cruisers. Sercy was reinforced at Port Louis by the Vertu, Cybele and Pru- dente frigates, with which he departed in 1796 on a cruise off Ceylon and the coasts of India, made some rich prizes, and would have made others had it not been for the check he experienced after a cruise in the Straits of Malacca from the Arrogant and Victor, two English men-of-war of 74 guns each, which dogged him for a considerable distance, but avoided an action, his force being so much superior. The French retiring after making out the British force, were chased by the latter, and an action ensued, in which the Arrogant was much crippled, as were the Vertu and two other French frigates, which, being taken in tow by the rest of the squadron, made all sail away. The British loss in this spirited en- counter was twenty-four killed and eighty-four wounded ; French loss forty-two killed and 104 wounded. The result was, that Sercy was compelled to abandon his designs on Indian commerce, and retired to the Isle of France to refit. The next year, Sercy sailed with his six frigates to Batavia, with the regency of which he entered into a treaty for the supply of the Isle of France with provi- sions. Sailing from thence he came in sight of five or six Indiamen, whom he took for a superior force, and congratulated himself on his escape. In this illu- sion he was aided by the British commander, who, with a boldness greatly to his credit, affected to assume the offensive, hoisted the flag of Admiral Rainier, and sent one of his vessels to reconnoitre the French ships. The chagrin of Sercy, who discovered the truth on his return to Port Louis, may be easily conceived. In 1798, he again sailed for Batavia with the combined squadron, which carried on board the troops expelled from the Isle of France, ostensibly with a view to succour the Dutch, but in reality to rid the colony of their presence. The squadron now dispersed on marauding expeditions. Part returned to France. 1 ho Prudente, a frigate of 36 guns, was captured in 1799 by the Dti-dttlits. an English frigate of 32 guns, after a warm engagement, in which twenty-seven 76 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. succeeded, as we have seen, in capturing a great number of the East India Company's vessels. The peace of Amiens again put it in the power of France to dis- patch a squadron which had been heretofore diverted for the national defence at home, to the Isle of France, under Centre- amiral Linois. The fleet of the admiral, on board of which was M. Decaen, with the title of Captain-general of the Isles of France and Bourbon, and a commission to execute the new decree, consisted of the Marengo of 80 guns, the Atalante, Belle Poule, and Semillante frigates, a corvette of 28, and a Batavian brig of 18 guns, and contained a large garrison for the defence of the islands. M. Decaen disembarked on the 26th of September, 1803, took possession of the government, dissolved the Colonial Assembly, which had lasted for twelve years, abolished the whole existing system by a proclamation of twelve lines, and promulgated the new constitution formed for the colony by the consuls, in virtue of which all the executive, legislative, and judicial powers were committed to three high functionaries, styled the Captain-general, Colonial Prefect, and Commissary of Justice. The secrecy which seems to have been maintained in France as to the objects of this expedition, directed the attention of the English ministry to its destination, and, in a despatch to Lord Grenville in 1801, Mr. Wickham, the British ambassador at the court of France observes : " As to the intended expedition of the French to the Isles of France and Bourbon, of which I spoke in my despatch of last November, I am still positively assured that it is yet agitated, though great pains are taken to conceal its real destination, and that the vessels of which it is composed appear to make a part of the St. Domingo squadron. It is suggested that the Red Sea may make a part of the object of the expedition, but that its first destination is the Isle of France, the dependence of which it is first necessary to secure." The French admiral proceeded from the Isle of France to Pondi- cherry, which was to be restored to France by the peace, and to be governed by General Decaen. Hearing, however, of the probability of her men were killed, and twenty-two wounded, and the Forte, another of the squadron, which had committed great depredations on British commerce while cruising in the Bay of Bengal, was captured, after a terrible combat, by the English frigate Sibylle of 38 guns, though the Forte carried 48, with a corres- ponding weight of metal. In this engagement, the Sibylle had five killed and seventeen wounded ; the Forte, sixty-five killed, and eighty wounded. The Preneuse, another French frigate, commanded by L'Hermite, being disguised as an English ship, captured two valuable Indiamen in the roads of Tellicherry, with 600 prisoners on board, in 1798. In the next year, cruising off the Cape, it encountered two small English vessels, which it was unable to capture. A ship of war, from the Cape station, was sent in pursuit, but returned without accom- plishing its object. The Preneuse, retiring to the Isle of France, was driven ashore by two English vessels, and there set on fire, her crew being made prisoners. CHAP. V.] EXPEDITIONS OF SERCY, LINOIS, &C. 77 of war 1 again breaking out, Admiral Rainier, who was fortunately stationed off the coast with four men-of-war, and the same number of frigates, refused to give it up, or even to permit the French to land, upon which M. Linois, after giving full vent to his indignation, cut his cables and returned to the Isle of France. Here he received official dispatches from Europe, which gave intelligence of the war, as well as instructions to commence hostilities. He immediately set sail for the Eastern Archipelago, attacked Bencoleen, an English settlement in the island of Sumatra, captured some richly laden Indiamen, burnt others, and prepared to intercept the China fleet on its passage to England. This fleet, which was under the command of Captain Dance, a brave and resolute officer, though consisting ex- clusively of East Indiamen, and country ships, resolved not to yield without a struggle ; 2 and so strong was the resistance it opposed, that the French admiral was compelled to sheer off. On his arrival in England, Captain Dance received the honour of knighthood, and high rewards from the East India Company. Admiral Linois was again disappointed in an attack upon an English frigate of 50 guns, though he had with him the Marengo of 80, and two frigates ; and hearing that the British fleet was in pur- suit of him, he set sail for the Isle of France, after having committed great depredations on the commerce of the East India Company. Having completed his repairs, he took advantage of the departure of the British fleet under Admiral Rainier, for sailing on another cruise, in which he was more successful in the acquisition of wealth than of honour. 1 The treacherous designs of Bonaparte on British India, even during the peace of Amiens, and his intention to recommence the war on the instant that the French naval power in the Fast was sufficiently strong for the purpose, are con- firmed, if previous evidence were insufficient, by the following extract from Na- poleon's instructions to General Decaen, published hy Count Dumas in his " Precis des Kvnemens Militaires." "The mission of the Captain-General is, in the first instance, a mission of po- litical and military observation ; but the First Consul, if well informed by the Captain-General, upon whom he relies for the punctual execution of these in- structions, may, perhaps, place it in his power to acquire a great glory, which, prolongs the memory of man beyond the duration of ages." 3 The conduct of Linois on this occasion will be best estimated by the following abstract of the engagement : " British vessels formed in close order, while French closed astern, with the in- tention of attacking their rear, which, being expected by Captain Dance, he pre- pares to support if. French ships preferring an action by day, haul close to the wind. With the light of day, Linois attempts to cut off the rear of the English, on which Dance makes the signal to tack in succession, bear down in line ahead, and engage with the enemy. French fire returned with great spirit by the English, on which the former haul their wind, and stand away to the eastward. Indiamen pursue ; but reflecting on the immense amount of property that might thus be endangered, and the danger of being carried too far from the mouth of the Straits of Malacca, tack about." The excuse offered by Linois was, that he judged by th^ir conduct that these ships had an escort. English loss in the en- gagement, one man killed and one wounded. ?8 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. In the interval, Admiral Rainier had stationed Captain Osborne in the Arrogant of 74, with a small squadron to blockade the ports of the Isle of France. Many of the enemy's vessels were either cap- tured or destroyed by this excellent officer ; but not with standing his vigilance, the French squadron with all its prizes, reached Port Louis in safety. Quitting the island for the third time, Linois scoured the Mozam- bique Channel, proceeded to the mouth of the Red Sea ; next made for Ceylon, and from thence directed his course for the Cape of Good Hope. Soon after he fell in, off the east coast of Madagascar, with i\\QBlenheim of 74, commanded by Sir T. Trowbridge, with ten India- men whom she convoyed. Under the conviction that she was an Indiaman (he had fallen into the contrary mistake on another occasion), Linois hastened to bring her into action; but the moment he had felt the effect of her guns, he quickly removed out of gun- shot, hauled his wind, and escaped, the British ship being too bad a sailer to pursue. No man had more perseverance than Linois, none more opportunities of encountering his enemy, and none was more unfortunate in the results. In short, his whole naval career was marked either with error or misfortune. The Isle of France was made the grand depot of the plunder he had collected, where, being converted into specie, it was shipped for France. After having gained as much booty, and inflicted as much injury as he could ac- complish, he resolved to carry the rest of his spoils to Europe. On the way, the Marengo and Belle Poulle, richly laden, were, after the best contested action in which Linois had engaged, overtaken and captured by Sir J. Borlase Warren, with the admiral on board. The Isles of France and Bourbon were now the only relics of French dominion to the east of the Cape of Good Hope. The shelter af- forded to shipping, and the resources possessed by the government of these islands for the equipment and victualling of ships-of-war and privateers, had enabled some of the most enterprising French officers to inflict incalculable injury on the commerce of India. The successes of Sercy, Linois, Bergeret, Hamelin, and Duperre were in great measure to be ascribed to the facilities with which they could make good the defects of their ships at Port Louis. The Creoles of the island, moreover, who were men of an active and adventurous spirit, delighted in the most perilous of enterprises, and ably seconded the operations of the French fleets by the equipment of a large number of privateers, with which they cruised successfully in the surrounding seas that became the theatre of most sanguinary con- flicts with English vessels and their own. Napoleon, gratified by their bravery and success, directed that the thanks of the nation should be transmitted to them, and, as a farther reward, decreed the admission of the produce of the island into France free of duty. Among the most remarkable of these corsairs may be singled out the tllAl'. V.] EXPEDITIONS OF 8ERCY, LINOI8, &C. 79 names of Surcouf, Trehouart, Perrot, Thomasin, &c. In 1 all their enterprises against British commerce, they were materially assisted by a number of reckless American adventurers, who infested the whole of our possessions in the East, brought fast sailing ships to the Isle of France, fitted them out there,- met the corsairs at a rendez- vous mutually agreed on, gave information of the sailing of all our trade, bought not only the cargoes of the prizes for the American market, but the hulls of the ships to carry back to our own settle- ments, and there are strong reasons to believe, that collusive bargains were entered into in anticipation of the captures made in consequence of such intelligence ; in a word, this island became a centre for the freebooters of every nation to fit out privateers and commit depreda- tions on English property. In 1809, when the injuries sustained from the enemy had exceeded all bounds, when the East India Com- pany bitterly complained of the loss of their richest vessels on the one hand, and the reclamations of our merchants could no longer be slighted on the other, when our navy, though everywhere triumphant, could not correct the evil, either by a blockade 2 of the island, or by 1 Martin's Colonial Library. 2 Port Louis, with the French frigates Semillante and Bellone was blockaded in 1808 by the Pitt frigate of 36 and the Terpsichore of 32 guns. The latter afterwards departed for Ceylon, while the Pitt whose crew was reduced to less than one-half by sickness, cruised alone off the isle and captured several vessels. Sensible of her weakness, the French resolved to go out and engage her in the Semillante; but her captain changed his plan and steered for Bourbon to con- voy merchantmen there detained, chased for some distance by the Pitt, which having scarcely hands enough to work the ship, proceeded to Ceylon, when the French ships re-entered Port Louis. The Bellone and Henriette were subse- quently captured by the English, but the Semillante escaped, and had the good fortune to capture eight richly laden merchantmen, which she carried into Bour- bon. The blockade of Port Louis was resumed by the English with the Sceptre of 74, and Cornwallis, and Dedaigneuse frigates. Several attempts were made to capture the Semillante, but bad weather favoured her escape on the first occa- sion, and she was protected on another by more than 100 pieces of cannon on the shore. On the departure of the English, the Semillante regained Port Louis with her prizes in safety, chased in vain by her antagonists. Soon after she again set out on a cruise and made some rich captures. On another occasion she met near Ceylon with the Terpsichore, whom she engaged. That vessel had from age and weakness been compelled to leave a great part of her guns behind, yet the Semillante did not dare to board her, but hastened to escape, first throw- ing on board a quantity of combustible materials, which caused an explosion. Terpsichore having put out the flame, makes sail, and recommences the action, but the Semillante avoided close quarters, and flies, pursued by the Terpsichore who had twenty killed and twenty-two wounded in the action. Arriving at Port Louis, the Semillante was found to be unfit for further cruises, and was dis- patched to France laden with colonial produce. The French ships left at Port Louis were the frigate Canonniere of 40, and the Jena corvette of 18 guns. At this moment the English gun-brig Laurel of 22 guns, Captain Woolcombe arrived off the Isle of France, and finding there no British cruiser, watched the enemy's motions. Having captured a Portugese ship on her way from Bourbon to the Isle of France, on board of which were some French ladies as passengers, Woolcombe sent a boat with a flag of truce to General Decaen requesting him to send a small vessel to take the ladies and their baggage on shore. The second 80 THE MAURITIUS. QciIAP. V. bringing their ships to action, the Indian Government considered the subject as worthy of their attention, and the conquest of the colony was resolved on. This measure had been procrastinated since the departure of the Marquis of Wellesley, partly through the tact of General Decaen, who had so well succeeded in deceiving the Government of India as to the real state of his defences, as to have prevented an attack being made in the interval, and, when an attack was determined on, four times as many troops were sent as were required. The state of politics in the Indian peninsula, and the perfect subjection of the native powers, at length enabled the Governor- General to spare such a body of troops as should, when seconded by the ships-of-war, ensure the possession of these islands to Great Britain, and thus deprive the French cruisers of all support from their own settlements. As a preparatory step to the enterprise, Vice- Admiral Bertie who was in the command of the naval station at the Cape of Good Hope, was directed to enforce the blockade with yet greater rigour, and captain (afterwards Vice- Admiral Sir J. Rowley) was entrusted by him with the execution of the service. Meanwhile a detachment of the 56th regiment, and a strong body of Sepoys under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Keating, had em- barked at Bombay early in 1809, with orders to take possession of the island of Rodriguez, 300 miles eastward of the Isle of France, with a view to afford occasional aid to the squadron cruising in the neighbouring seas, and by the proximity of its situation, to contri- captain of the Canonniere coming on board with a flag of truce, ascertained the Laurel's force in guns and men, and induced his superior to meet her with the Canonniere of 44 guns and 420 men outside Port Louis. After a short engage- ment, in which the Laurel poured forth a spirited fire, she was compelled, her rigging being destroyed and her masts shot away, to strike to the superior fire of her antagonists. In this action the French frigate had twenty killed, while the Laurel had none killed, and but nine wounded. The French commander returned Captain Woolcombe bis sword, and that officer was acquitted for the loss of his ship by a court martial. The Canonniere was shortly after captured by the Valiant of 74, laden with the products of the Isle of France, and the Jena corvette subsequently shared a similar fate. Continuing our brief notice of the subordinate naval history of the Mauritius, we come to the action between the Caroline French frigate and the Europe, Streatham, and Lord Keith East Indiamen of 20 guns each, of whose re-capture we have just spoken. These vessels had been placed under the convoy ot the Victor sloop of 18 guns, but having parted from her in a storrn, fell in with the Caroline, then cruising in the Bay of Bengal, which had been informed of their position and force by an American captain (a miserable wretch, who having shared the protection of their convoy in the morning, was base enough to immediately be- tray them). An engagement ensued, in which the Caroline, by her superior force, soon disabled, and captured the Europe and Streatham, overcoming them in detail by her skilful management. The other vessel escaped from her hands. The con- duct of the French captain is highly praised for his humanity to the prisoners. After her capture at Bourbon the name of the Caroline was changed to Borbon- naise, and Captain Corbet was appointed her commander, Captain Willotighby succeeding him in the Nertide. HAP. V.] CAPTURE OF BOURBON. 81 bute in straitening the enemy's quarters in the Isles of France and Bourbon* In September, having been informed by Commodore Rowley that Bourbon might be advantageously attacked by a com- bined operation of the army and navy, Colonel Keating very readily joined in the enterprise, and Captain Corbett, of the Nertide^ from his perfect acquaintance with the coasts and defences of Bour- bon, was employed in bringing them down to their destination. The squadron of Commodore Rowley, consisting of the Ra isona lie of 64, the Boadicea, Sirius, and Nereide frigates, with the Otter sloop of war and Wasp gun-brig, having sailed from Rodriguez, a landing was effected on the 21st of the same month by the troops (which consisted of 300 soldiers and as many sailors and marines) at Grande Chaloupe, seven miles from St. Paul's. The enemy were driven in great confusion from the town, and the batteries were suc- cessively carried with great rapidity (their guns being instantly turned by Captain Willoughby on the shipping in the roads, from whose fire the troops had been considerably annoyed in the descent) without the loss of a single officer, and but few of the troops. The squadron now opened its fire on the shipping in the bay, which had long been the rendezvous of the French cruisers and their prizes, and though these had been run on shore, they were at length secured, and proved to be the Caroline frigate of 48 guns, and 400 men, the Europe and Streatham East Indiamen, her prizes, a privateer (for- merly the Grappler gun-brig) and several smaller vessels. The whole, witli the exception of the Europe, were sent to the Cape under convoy of the Otter sloop of war, and a great part of the cargoes of the two Indiamen, having been taken on shore, were re- shipped on board the Streatham. The principal magazines, field- pieees, and other military material had been carried off or rendered useless the day before, but the appearance of a French force on the heights, and their advance in force on the town of St. Denis, deter- mined the commanders to reland a small detachment and destroy the Government stores, valued at upwards of a million sterling, for which Captain Willoughby volunteered. The French troops, under General Desbrulys, now retreated to St. Dmis, and an armistice of five days was concluded with the com- mandant of St. Paul's, during which the troops and seamen, after having obtained a full supply of fresh provisions, were re-embarked for Rodriguez at the stipulated period, carrying with them all the public stores to be found in the place, and the ordnance that had not been spiked or destroyed. General Desbrulys the French commander, chagrined at the success of this coup-de-main of his antagonists, committed suicide on their departure. Of the many brilliant actions of the war (to which the French themselves were not altogether without a claim), the landings of Curtain Willoughby, of the Nereide frigate, at Riviere Noire and Port Jacotet, in the south-west part of i!u' No of France, were perhaps the most remarkable, and, by their o 82 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. cool intrepidity and height of daring, threw every other completely in the shade. Protracted as had been the blockade of the Isle of France by the English squadron, they had never made an attempt at landing on the island, and the expedition of Admiral Boscawen itself, after coming to an anchor and surveying the coast, had de- parted without being able to set a foot on shore. Discovering a brig and two other small vessels at anchor under the protection of the batteries at Riviere Noire, Captain Willoughby, who was cruising off Cape Brabant in the Otter sloop of 1 8 guns, thought it practic- able, notwithstanding the immense strength of the batteries, to cut out these vessels by a " coup-de-main," and resolved to attempt it in the night. In the mean time, to prevent suspicion, he bore away for Bourbon, pulling back for Riviere Noire in the evening, and entered the harbour unperceived in three boats. After securing one of the objects of their search, two boats were detached to board the brig, while Captain Willoughby proceeded to search for the gun- boat which was missing. The party sent to board the brig found a body of soldiers drawn up to defend her, whom, in the face of a heavy fire of musketry, they repulsed, and after a smart struggle on her decks, carried the vessel. But the batteries were now alarmed, and fired; the English were therefore compelled to abandon the vessel, but carried out the lugger in defiance of a heavy fire, with the loss of one man only. Another attempt subsequently made by this officer to cut out the Astree frigate, which was moored under the protection of the same batteries, proved ineffectual from the strength of the latter, and after he had exchanged a few broadsides with them, he was compelled to retire. His next proceeding was attended with a more signal suc- cess. Descrying in one of his cruises, about the end of April 1810, a ship of 400 tons at the anchorage of Jacotet, Captain Willoughby resolved on making an attempt to cut it out by means of his boats. Before, however, he could reach the ship, a French schooner, lying at anchor, had given the alarm, so that, by the time the boats had approached the shore, both of the batteries and two field-pieces were playing upon the only spot where the troops could land. They landed, nevertheless, with the greatest self-possession in spite of every obstacle, and as every one knew what was to be done, the whole party, led by Captain Willoughby, followed by Lieutenants Burns, Langhorne, and Deacon, made an instant dash upon the bat- teries, which they stormed and took possession of in less than ten minutes. They next rushed to the guard-house in the rear, which was protected by forty regular troops, twenty-six artillery men, and a strong body of militia with two field-pieces, which had already succeeded in driving back the boats with the men left to guard them. As soon, however, as they opened a fire on Captain Willoughby, he gave the word to charge, but to his utter astonishment the enemy immediately took to their heels, leaving the two field-pieces and their CHAP. V.] SURPRISES AT RIVIERE NOIRE AND PORT JACOTET. 83 officer, himself a brave man, and apparently stupified with astonish- ment and chagrin, in the hands of their assailants. With the dawn of day the French discovered that the opponents from whom they had so ignominiously fled, consisted of only fifty seamen, and as many marines. The strongest battery was still untaken, and before it could be reduced it was necessary to pass the Riviere des Galets, whose banks were precipitate and strongly guarded. The stream was also at this time swollen by the rains, and the current was strong and deep. It was crossed, however (or rather swam over), without loss, and the party, after giving three hearty cheers, charged with the bay- onet, and carried the hill and batteries in a most rapid and brilliant manner. After they had burnt the signal posts, destroyed the gun carriages, spiked the guns, and removed the field-pieces and all the mi- litary stores on board the frigate, they were on the point of retiring, when that part of the enemy which had been first defeated having rallied on being reinforced by the militia and inhabitants, the captain instantly took measures to get into their rear, which when they per- ceived they again took to flight. The party now re-crossed the river, and carrying oft* the schooner, embarked in safety on the Nereide, with the loss of one man killed, and Lieutenant Deacon and six others wounded, having remained on shore four hours after the morning had dawned, and intelligence had been given of their landing. 1 In the succeeding months, attacks were made on Belombre and the post of the Cap de la Savane, but with a disproportionate success. The Isle of Bourbon, or (as it was then called) Isle Bonaparte, had been attacked, as will be recollected, in the preceding year, by Commodore Rowley and Lieutenant-Colonel Keating ; but the force at that time employed was not considered strong enough to retain possession of the island ; it was therefore abandoned, and the enemy was left for a short time in tranquillity. On the 10th of June, 1810, a detachment of 4000 men (half of whom were sepoys) from the grand army afterwards to be employed against the Isle of France, embarked at Madras, and arrived at Rod- riguez. On making Bourbon, Captain Pym, of the Sirius, was directed to cause a diversion by landing the first brigade of 950 men at Grande Chaloupe, near St. Denis, which, after seizing the bat- teries, cut off all communication between St. Paul's and the former town, while the rest of the squadron pushed for the anchorage. The difficulty of effecting a landing on the windward side of the island, proved, however, to be greater than had been expected ; but Captain Willoughby, having volunteered to land with 150 men, succeeded in the attempt, and took possession of Sante Marie. Two of the principal points being secured, and the remainder of the army having been disembarked at Grande Chaloupe, the island surrcn- 1 From information corroborated by what fell from the French officers, a body of 600 men could have reinforced the batteries within an hour. 84 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. dered 1 on the 9th of July, and Mr. R. J. Farquhar was left with the greater portion of the troops as governor par interim. On the commencement of the following month, Captain Pym, of the Sirim frigate, which was then stationed off the Isle of France, and particularly off Grand Port, then called Port Imperial, to the south-east or windward side of the island, conceived the possibility of more effectually preventing the ingress of the enemy's ships into that harbour by occupying the Isle de la Passe, a coral islet, in which there was a circular battery and barracks, distant about a league from the main land, and commanding the narrows, as well as defending the entrance of Port Imperial. With this intent, and the further design of landing near Mahebourg before that post could be strengthened, and distributing the proclamations of Governor Far- quhar, which it was thought would sap the fidelity of the French militia, (the principal strength of the island,) a party pushed off in the boats, but their attempt was frustrated by the violence of the weather : the attack was therefore postponed till the following night, when seventy-one men were debarked from the Sirius, who, under cover of a storm and the most profound darkness, made them- selves masters of the islet 2 with the loss of eighteen men killed or wounded, before the French on the main land could be informed of the enterprise, and dispatch the necessary succour. Having ob- tained possession of the enemy's signals, he gave them to Captain Willoughby, of the Ncreide, and stationed him to guard the position he had so nobly and judiciously won, while he himself proceeded on a cruise to the leeward of the island. At break of day the signals announced the success which had been gained by the English. Hardly had the news of the capture of this important post arrived at St. Louis, than (according to the French account) General Vander- maesen betook himself to the point most menaced by the enemy, and was joined by many of the inhabitants of the neighbouring quartiers. Full of confidence (it continues) in the valour of their general, the volunteers vied with the regular troops in their eagerness to be led against the English, who, favoured by the position of their recent con- quest, had effected several descents on different parts 3 of the adjoining 1 The regular French force at Bourbon then amounted to 575 troops, and there was a militia of nearly 3000 men. 2 This fort carried 18 guns, and the landing-place was defended by a chevaux de frise. A battery had then to be passed, and the garrison consisted of eighty regular troops. The batteries on the south-east side were carried without the loss of a man. 3 Captain Willoughby landed at Canaille with sixty soldiers and 100 marines and sailors, with whom he marched six miles along the coast, attacked the fort at Point du Diable, commanding the north-east passage into Grand Port, and carried it without the loss of a man. French commandant and three men killed in the encounter. Having spiked or carried off the guns, he moved off to old Grand Port, a distance of twelve miles, where be was attacked by General Van- deimaesen with a strong detachment, whom he defeated with the loss of six killed CHAP, v.] DUPERUE'S SUCCESSFUL CRUISE. 85 coast, and in their incursions had profusely circulated proclamations, 1 which called upon the inhabitants to put themselves under British protection, depicting the advantages which would accrue to the colony therefrom, both in a political and commercial point of view. For a moment retracing our steps to equalize the course of the narrative, we find that the frigate Bellone of 44, Captain Duperre, which had been dispatched from France in 1809, in company with La Manche of 40, La Venus of 40, and another of 40 guns (four of the finest frigates ever built in France), as a reinforcement to the naval division in the Indian seas, after capturing or destroying several British merchantmen, was chased in its turn by three English cruisers in succession, after she had arrived within sight of the Isle of France, but escaping them by the dexterity of her manoeuvres, entered the port in safety. Here, having debarked a quantity of military stores designed for the service of the colony, she was refitted and victualled for a cruise. In defiance of the blockade, which was so strictly maintained by the English, as apparently to forbid the egress of any vessel from the port, the Bellone successfully effected her escape, and set sail for the French settlements in Madagascar, where, having accomplished the object of her mission, she proceeded to the Bay of Bengal ; here she fell in with and chased the Victor corvette, Captain Stopford, which, after its rigging had been cut to pieces, and main and mizzen masts split, was compelled to strike its colours. She next encountered La Minerve, a Portuguese frigate of 52 guns, which she also captured, and was joined by La Manche with two East Indiamen, her prizes. These having been manned from the frigates, the united division sailed in close company for the Isle of France, with a view of protecting the entrance of the prizes. Arriving in safety at the port, the squadron, after a complete refit- ment, succeeded in escaping from the pursuit of the English cruisers, and set sail for the southern coast of Madagascar, with the design of or wounded, and, after gaining all requisite information, he returned on board the Nereide. Captain Willougliby afterwards landed at Grande Riviere, destroyed the signal house, &c., but perceiving the enemy had 700 or 800 men posted near a battery there, he returned to Point du Uiable. From the forbearance practised by the British force, which laid no hands on private property, the French inhabi- tants had refrained from molesting them, but the appearance of five French ships of war to the west of the island recalled the recreant militia to their duty, and they poured in from all quarters ; so that Captain Willoughby, having accom- plished all his objects, deemed it prudent to retire (more especially when be perceived the approach of the French naval force), defied to no purpose by the jests and provocations of his opponents. 1 In his despatch to the French Government, General Decaen vehemently in- veighed iiainst this proceeding as opposed to those dictates of loyalty and good faith, the force of which ought never to be extinguished by war itself. " Monu- ment," said he, " a jamais trnppant du genie v6nal de la nation, qui 1'a dictee. de Tor! Voila leur moren de seduction ! de Tor ! pour payer Thouneur fran- cais et decider des gueniers, des administrators et des colons fideles, & se vouer a I'infamie ! 86 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. intercepting the East India and China trade, which they knew was compelled to take this route on its passage to Europe. Two cir- cumstances, which they could not have foreseen, effectually deprived them of the spoil their minds had pictured as already within their grasp. An embargo had been laid on all the British shipping at Can- ton, in consequence of a momentary difference between that na- tion and the Chinese Government, and every vessel at Madras had been taken up by the Government of that Presidency, for the tran- sport of troops to Isle Bonaparte. On the third of July, however, after they had touched at St. Augustin's Bay, and scoured in vain the Mozambique Channel, three East Indiamen, on their passage from the Cape of Good Hope to India, hove in sight of the squadron off Mayotta, and the signal was given for a general chase. The Minerve, 1 Captain Bouvet, and Victor, Captain Breton, favoured by a change in the wind, overtook them at three o'clock in the after- noon ; the signal for the attack having been given, they hauled to the wind on the starboard tack, and the combat commenced within range of pistol shot. The Minerve directed a part of her fire on the Windham, and her whole larboard broadside on the Ceylon, which was close astern to her consort. The Victor now came up and opened her fire, while the Minerve shot ahead, and then bore down as if to board her opponents, to which they were far from averse, inasmuch as they had a large body of troops on board. The Wind- ham having made sail to strike the French frigate on the larboard quarter, her consorts co-operated in the manreuvre, but were unable to accomplish it before the Minerve had passed athwart the hawse of the Windham, and wore to cut her off. This tactic was on the point of being crowned with success, when the Minerve suddenly found herself disabled of her top and topgallant masts by her own impetuosity, while the English ships, encouraged by this unexpected disaster, had recovered in the respite from their disorder. At this moment the Bellone, Captain Duperre, came up, and lost no time in prolonging the line to windward, and, drawing her bowsprit under her poop, ranged herself side by side with the vessel bearing the dis- tinctive mark of command, pouring at the same time a heavy fire on the Windham. At six o'clock they were still closely engaged : the fire of the English was excellently and most unintermittingly served by the soldiery on board, and their musketry was equally brisk and effective. At eight, however, the captain and first-mate of the Ceylon, which had borne the brunt of the fire, being wounded, her 1 This frigate was partly manned by Irishmen, who, having been taken prisoners in British ships, were induced by the French to enlist in their service, under the artful plea that France was about to invade Ireland, and having freed it from the British yoke to restore the Roman Catholic religion. Some British sailors were also base enough to desert the national flag, and under the threat of strict confinement, serve against their own nation. James's Naval History, CHAP. V.] CONFLICT AT ISLE DE LA PASSE. 87 masts, rigging, and sails being cut to pieces, many of her guns dis- abled, and her loss in killed and wounded being severe, she surren- dered, and her example was followed by the Windham, after she had assisted in securing a retreat to the Astell, Captain Hay, 1 which profiting by the darkness of the night and the damages sustained by the Minerve, seized an opportunity, while the French were occu- pied in securing the Windham and Ceylon^ to make her escape, for which the captain and crew were handsomely rewarded by the East India Company. The total English loss in this engagement was twenty killed and seventy-six wounded. French loss, twenty- two killed and thirty-eight wounded. These vessels carried twenty-six guns each, and had 1,200 men, forming the 24th regiment of infan- try, with a general, the colonel, and its colours on board. At the expiration of twelve days, the squadron with its prizes was under weigh for the Isle of France. And now was the tide of success, which had lately set in almost unbroken in favour of Great Britain, no longer to preserve its wonted course, disaster to follow disaster, and a coincidence of appa- rent accidents to protect and even lead the enemy to a partial victory over the unrivalled heroism and superior numerical force of the British navy, as if it had been determined by some over-ruling Providence, that the expiring genius of Gallo-Indian power should emit one feeble flickering ray previous to its utter extinction. On the 20th of August at day-break, the mountains to the wind- ward of the Isle of France were distinctly seen by the squadron of Duperre, and at mid-day, Port Imperial itself came into view. In the port was descried a frigate, anchored under cover of the fort on Isle de la Passe, evidently of French build, with the tri-coloured flag floating from her mizzen, and indicating by her signals, that the English were then cruising oft' Port Napoleon and the Coin de Mire. One of the frigates now made the private signal, which was an- swered from Isle de la Passe. Duperre deemed it, therefore, prudent to put in, if it was only for the purpose of making further inquiries, and, having regulated the order of advance, he bore up for the har- bour, the Victor leading the way, and the Bellone bringing up the rear. In the interval the crew of the Nertide had been posted at their guns, and awaited the order to fire; the batteries on Isle de la Passe, manned by a party from the 33d and 69th regiments under the command of Captain Dodd, were equally prepared to give the enemy a warm reception, and the Victor, with her topsails clewed up and her men aloft to furl sails, was just on the point of doubling 1 Captain Duperr6 characterised this officer as " cet indigne fuyard" under the supposition that he had struck his colours, and having taken advantage of the security with which his surrender had shielded him, made sail and escaped. The reverse was, however, the fact, for, though desperately wounded, he would not strike his colours, a fact confirmed by the officers of his less fortunate consorts. 88 THE MAURITIUS. QcHAP. V. the Nereide, when she was hailed by the latter, and commanded to strike her colours. This order was accompanied by a broadside, which quickly produced obedience : her helm was put down, her colours struck, and her anchor let go in an instant : at the same mo- ment the French flag was hauled down both from the fort and the frigate, and the English flag hoisted in its room, both on the one and the other. As soon as Duperre saw the fire from the Nereide, and the Isle de la Passe, his first idea was, that the whole of the southern part of the island was already in the possession of the English ; he therefore gave the signal for a general rally, and to keep to the wind. But it was too late. The Minerve had ad- vanced so close on the corvette, as to be unable to execute the movement, and had consequently received on her entrance through the pass the whole fire of the fort, as well as the broadside of the Nereide, which had just time to reload her guns, when the Ceylon, the prize East Indiaman, also entered the narrows, and coming into action, returned the fire with great spirit. Duperre now saw that there was not a moment to be lost ; the Minerve and Ceylon had passed into the anchorage at the bottom of the bay, and the Victor was lying alongside the Nereide, 1 he deter- mined, therefore, to force the passage with the Bellone ; if it was only to recover the corvette, and rallying his squadron, work a diversion that might be useful to the colony. Entering the pass under easy sail, he returned the fire of the fort and frigate with a vigorous broadside under the stern of the latter, but the channel, occupied by the Nereide, was here so extremely narrow, that the Bellone was compelled to tack about, so as to prevent running on board of her when passing. The Windham, to which the Bellone, after having herself passed, had thrown out signals to follow, was directed by M. Duperre to imitate his manoeuvres, but the captain, from an indecision or unwillingness to incur the danger, preferred re- maining out at sea, and was forced to seek another port. While the attention of the Nereide had been distracted by the attack of the Bellone, the Minerve had hailed the Victor, which had already struck, and ordered her to cut the English, rehoist the French colours, and make up for her. By this manoeuvre the whole French squadron reached the harbour, and came safely to their moorings 1 The situation of the N6r6ide and her boats, which were absent, and con- tained a great portion of the crew, as well as a party of soldiers, was very critical. Presently, however, they were seen pulling down the narrow channel, up which the Minerve and Ceylon were sailing ; so that their capture appeared inevitable, but to their surprise, though passing within pistol shot of the two Frenchmen, they were suffered to pass unmolested. Another accident, which had well nigh proved her destruction, almost immediately followed. A powder magazine ex- ploded near the anchorage, killing three and wounding twelve of her men, be- sides dismounting five of the guns. During the action with the four ships, which had passed and engaged her in succession, the Nereide had three men killed and several wounded and had sustained considerable damage. CIIA1'. V.] CONFLICT AT ISLE DE LA PASSE. 89 under the protection of the batteries. Duperre now found that the French flag was floating everywhere, and that the Isle de la Passe was alone held by the foe ; he gave orders, therefore, that the squadron should take a more advanced ground of anchorage in the hope of capturing the frigate and retaking the fort, which was in- stantly done. On putting himself in communication with the shore, he learned the capture of Isle Bonaparte, and the situation of the Isle of France. On the 21st, shells having been thrown by order of Captain Willoughby with a view to compel the French frigates to anchor farther from the Nertide, their proximity being considered dangerous, Duperre placed the squadron nearer the shore in the form of a crescent with its rear to the rocks, which skirt the bay, and the van close to the coral reef. In the mean time the Windham East Indiaman, whom we left in search of a port, had anchored at the mouth of the Riviere Noire, where she was boarded and retaken, in defiance of the formidable batteries, by the boats of the Sirius without arms, and was immediately dispatched by Captain Pym to Isle Bonaparte. To give the French an idea of the confidence with which he looked to the ultimate issue of events in despite of his (at that time) critical position, Captain Willoughby despatched a boat with a flag of truce to demand the restoration of the Victor^ which had surren- dered the day before, but to this Duperre demurred, and on his re- peating the demand, a peremptory refusal was returned. Previous to his taking this step, the British officer, whose motive in enticing the French into Grand Port had originated in the conviction that they would be an overmatch for the English frigates cruising off Port Napoleon, had sent a boat to Captain Pym to acquaint him with his situation, and prepared at the same time to defend himself, in case the French squadron became the aggressor. On his receiv- ing intelligence of the entry of Duperre's division into Port Imperial, an advice of that movement was immediately sent by Captain Pym to the Mayicicune and Iphigcnia frigates then cruising in security before the north-west port, where they had little doubt Duperre would endeavour to enter. On the 22d the Nertide, which the strong breezes from the south- east had prevented, equally with the French squadron, from quitting their respective positions, the one at the entrance, the other at the bottom of the bay, was joined by the Sirius, to which Captain Wil- loughby made the signal that he was prepared for action ; that the enemy was inferior in force to the two British frigates supported by the fort, while the master of the Nercide assured Captain Pym that he could lay him along-side the Bcllone. The plan of attack was, therefore, instantly conceived and arranged in consequence of the position of the French, but, in steering in for this purpose, the SVY///.N- grounded on a shoal, and could not be got off till the follow- ing day at noon, which for that day frustrated the design. 90 THE MAURITIUS. QCHAP. V. Upon a consideration of the weak state of his crew, arising as well from the prizes he had to man, as from the engagements he had fought, Captain Duperre demanded a reinforcement of men from General Decaen, who hastened from St. Louis to Mahebourg to confer with him, and promised him every assistance it was in his power to afford, as well as assured him that the division of Commo- dore Hamelin would shortly arrive to give him the preponderance, and frustrate the expectations of the English. On the 23d at four o'clock in the afternoon, the Sirius and Nereide were joined at their anchorage by the Magicienne and Iphigenia frigates, under the command of Captains Lambert and Curtis. With this additional force it was conceived that the enemy would no longer offer a resistance, and, without giving them a mo- ment to increase the number of their batteries, the plan of attack was instantly arranged, and, every disposition having been taken, the British squadron again stood in to the attack. From the preparations they had been making, Duperre had no doubt of the intentions of his opponents ; he lost no time, therefore, in securing the most favourable position, and took every necessary precaution to prevent a surprise. A reinforcement of officers and men, in part from the frigates of Commodore Hamelin's division, had been dispatched to Port Imperial over land, and were, imme- diately on their arrival, distributed among the squadron of Duperre, so that he now saw himself prepared for every contingency that might occur, and beheld with calmness the English frigates direct their course, one for the Minerve^ a second for the Ceylon, and the other two for his own frigate and the Victor^ indicating by their movements that they meant to attack him at anchor. At 5h. 10m. P.M. the engagement began by a well-directed fire from the French ships and batteries. In steering for the Bellone, the Sirius grounded for a second time on a coral reef, and in such a position as to preclude the possibility of her returning the fire of her opponent. Soon after the Magicienne also grounded, on being placed alongside the Minerve, and though she commenced action with musketry, yet from her position only three of her guns could be brought to bear. Nor was the Minerve herself in a more fortu- nate condition. Both her own and the cables of the Ceylon, which now struck her colours, had been cut away by the shot of the Magicienne^ but before a boat could be sent to take possession of the latter the two vessels had drifted on shore with their broadsides towards the Bellone^ and their fire became in great measure useless. Meanwhile the Bellone would have been fouled by her consorts, had she not cut her cable and herself ran aground, preserving at the same time an excellent position for the combat. So far the English seemed to have rather the advantage, as they had two frigates left to oppose to the Bellone and the batteries, though one of these, it is true, was prevented by circumstances from sharing in the action. rilAl'. V.] CONFLICT AT GRAND PORT. 91 At this juncture, the Ntreide, Captain Willoughby, seeing what had befallen the Sirius, and regardless of the raking fire poured on her, steered with characteristic gallantry for the Bellone, and be- tween these two ill-matched vessels a furious cannonade commenced, in which the Victor, being near, likewise took a part. As the log of the Ntreide, from which I make the following extract, will con- vey a more distinct notion of the state of that ship, than any language, however forcible, from the pen of a person not actually present ; I shall, without an apology, present it to the reader. '* Nereide brought up with the small bower in five fathoms a quarter of a mile off shore, and within half a pistol shot of the Bellone and Victor, veered to half a cable, and commenced action at5h. 30m. P.M. Shortly after, \\ielphiyenia cleared the pass, and seeing the position of the Magicienne, anchored on her larboard quarter, and commenced firing on the Mineroe. The Sirius had pre- viously grounded. And then did Commodore Duperr turn what had threatened to prove an entire defeat into a decided victory. From this moment the Nirtidc was almost singly exposed to the more powerful fire of the Bellone and the cross fire of the batteries, while the Iphigenia, which was separated from her by the interposition of a shoal, vainly endeavoured to run down to her assistance. The effect was soon visible, her spring was first shot away and she swung round with her stern to the Bellone, which, after having been fouled by her consorts, had altered her position nearer in shore. The small bower cable of the Ne'rfide was, therefore, cut and let go, the better to bring her starboard guns to bear. At 10 P.M. Captain Willoughby was severely wounded on the head ; the mast of the quarterdeck and the guns of the forecastle were dismounted ; most of the guns disabled on the main deck, and the other parts of the squadron on the rocks, and unable to render any assistance. She next ran aground astern, where she was hulled by the ships and batteries, and five hours having elapsed since the commencement of the action without the arrival of a single boat from any one of the squadron, Captain Willoughby ordered the now feebly maintained fire of the Nereide to cease, and the few survivors to shelter themselves in the lower part of the vessel, directing at the same time a boat to be dispatched to Captain Pym to apprise him of his situation, and the defenceless state of his ship, leav- ing it to him to say, as senior officer, whether or not it was practicable to tow the Nertide out of reach of the enemy's shot, or set her on fire and endanger the Bellone and other French ships aground. At lOh. 30m. P.M. the boat returned with orders for Captain Willoughby to repair on board the Sirius, which that officer thought proper to decline. A boat was then dispatched to the Bellone to inform her that the Nertide having been entirely silenced by her fire had struck with a dreadful carnage on board. An officer was now sent from the Iphigenia to know the cause of the cessation of her fire. At 1 1 h. 20m. the boat, which had been dispatched to the Bellone, returned without having been able to reach that vessel in consequence of a shot from the batteries, which had left her in a sink- ing state." The fire from the other English frigates had ceased, with the ex- ception of that from the Ipldgema, which proved that they were labouring under some great disadvantage, while the broadsides of the Bellone became, if possible, still more vigorous, fed as they were by the assistance in men, cordage, and ammunition, sent by the captain of the Mini r/v, which was saved from being captured by the //t/t'h/<-iiin, only by the intervention of a shoal. The victory had now declared itself decisively in favour of the French, when about 92 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. llh. 10m. P.M., and at the very moment when his victory appeared complete, Commodore Duperre was struck on the head by a grape shot, and, being hurled off the deck into the waste, was taken up in- sensible. Apprised of the misfortune that had occurred, Captain Bouvet of the Minerve instantly hastened to replace him in the command of the Bellone. The French still continued their fire on the Nereide at intervals during the night. At 12h. 30m. P.M. the main- mast went by the board, and several ropes had caught fire, but were fortunately extinguished. French colours were now hoisted on the fore-rigging, but the batteries and Bellone still directed their fire on the unfortunate frigate, though they had been hailed times without number to say that she had struck. A momentary cessation of fire gave a short respite of two hours to the combatants : meanwhile fresh troops poured unto the enemy's ships from the shore, and re- placed the killed and wounded. Though the whole of the French ships, with the exception of the Bellone^ had taken the ground at an early stage in the contest, yet they were left in such a condition as to possess every advantage over those of the English, while the Nereide had sunk as low as the shoal would permit. On the recommencement of the engagement, it was perceived that the union jack, which had been nailed to the head of the mizzen- mast was still flying, and, as there was not a particle of rigging or rope to go aloft by, the mast itself was cut, and the enemy ceased firing at 3h. 30m. AM 1 At 4 o'clock she was boarded by a boat from the Bellone^ which spiked her guns, took possession of the keys of her magazine, and committed to the deep the bodies of the slain. And now a most frightful scene of carnage presented itself to their view ! On a shred of the mast was still floating a fragment of the union jack, lingering as if unwilling to quit in death the noble men who through their lives had won such glorious triumphs under its auspices ! The decks were covered with the dead and the dying ! 1 The cause of this cessation has been otherwise accounted for, and indeed, of the two, the following; would appear to be the more probable reason. " On the 24th (says the French account) at 3 o'clock in the morning, the aide-de-camp of the Captain General Decaen was sent to announce to the French frigates that a prisoner of their nation from Isle de la Passe, who had been detained on board the Nereide, having escaped the broadsides vomited forth by the Bellone, had disengaged himself from the midst of the dead and dying, and precipitated him- self into the water, for the purpose of making the shore, and apprising General Decaen of the fact, that the Nereide had entirely ceased her fire at 10 o'clock the night before, that Captain Willoughby was aleady dangerously wounded, and seeing the impossibility of offering any protracted resistance to the fire of the French division, had dispatched men on several occasions to lower the English flag, but that the fire from the frigates had always struck down those who pre- sented themselves to execute the order, that the crew, filled with consternation, had precipitated themselves into the hold in disorder, leaving to his fate their captain, who, stretched prostrate on the deck without assistance, was weltering in his blood." This advice at length suspended the fire, which had been till then almost wholly directed on the N6reide, in revenge, perhaps, for the leading part she had taken in the passage of the 20th. (II A I'. V.] CONFLICT AT GRAND PORT. D3 Nearly every officer and seamen liad been killed or wounded ! No part of the ship had been sheltered ! The shot of the enemy had even penetrated into the hold, and Mr. Timmins, a young midship- man, had his head shot off, when sitting at the door of his cabin in the 'tween decks, while bleeding from a previous wound. Captain Willoughby himself was found reclining on the capstan, his arm dangling out of the socket, one of his eyes hanging on his cheek, and though otherwise severely injured, singing aloud, " Rule Britannia," &c. Even in this situation he struggled, under some impulse of mental aberration, until he was overpowered by the French. Around him were 1 1 6 of the crew lying dead, and of the wounded many breathed their last on being landed. Lieutenant Deacon re- ceived twenty- two wounds. Lieutenants Burns, Morlett of the 33d regiment, and Aldwinkle of the Madras Artillery, were also among the slain. Not an officer had escaped unhurt, and very few of the crew. At 10 A.M. the boats of the Bellone under the com- mand of M. Roussin again boarded the Nereide, and found things in a state too horrible to be conceived. The English were now re- placed by the French colours, and the decks were wetted by the di- rection of that officer, who was alarmed lest the explosion from the Sirius should set fire to the former vessel, she being to leeward and the wind strong. As soon as the English on Isle de la Passe perceived that the French had hoisted their own in the place of the national colours on board the Nereide, they directed their fire in turn on that ill-fated frigate, and, as the French had not as yet completed the reduction of the others, they again abandoned her. From this moment up to an hour after midnight on the 24th, the Magicienne became the sole mark of the French guns ; they were under the necessity of waiting, howrver, until she had surrendered, to take possession of her, as their boats would have been otherwise too much exposed to a cross fire. The cannonade lasted till 2 o'clock, but on the French side only. From time to time the May icien ne fired a few random shots, the last efforts it would seem of despair. The boats held frequent commu- nication with the other frigates, from which it was clear to the French that their enemies meant to abandon her. At 5 o'clock in the evening her ship's crew, who had eight of their number killed and twenty wounded, were observed to quit her, as she was then bilged and in a sinking state. She was subsequently set on fire by Captain Curtis to prevent her from falling into the enemy's hands, and at 1 1 h. 30m. P.M. she blew up. The crew reached Isle de la Passe and the Iphigenia (which had taken a very small share in the action) in safety. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon the latter frigate had warped herself out of her position to larboard of the Magicienne^ and for some hours afterwards was actively engaged in endeavouring to get the Siriut afloat, which Captain Pym had laboured for two days and nights to accomplish, but in vain. The night was spent 94 THE MAURITIUS. QcHAP. V. by the French in watching the movements of their antagonists. On the morning of the 25th their fire was in its turn directed against the Sirius. She returned it for a time with her bow guns, but her position rendered the contest too unequal to be supported long. At 10 o'clock the English were observed to quit her, as they had done the Magicienne the night before, and she was perceived to be on fire in several places. The flames, fanned by the evening breeze, and darting forth from out the darkness, offered to the countless specta- tors on the shore a resplendent and yet a horrible spectacle. At 11 o'clock at night the powder magazine blew up, and destroyed what remained of the gallant vessel. Rushing in crowds to the boats, her crew in like manner repaired to the Iphigenia, 1 which had now 1000 men on board, and was completely blocked up in an enemy's port without water and provisions. This frigate, which alone re- mained intact out of the four, partly in consequence of her having been anchored by the side of the Nereide, and therefore masked from the fire of the batteries and fleet, no longer announced by her position an intention of continuing to take a part in the combat, but hastened to make her escape under the guns of Isle de la Passe with the wreck of the crews* from the Sirius and Magicienne. Mean- while the French squadron that had taken part in the late engage- ment was actively employed in repairing damages and getting afloat in the rear, while the Bellone, as the least injured in the action, prepared to crown her victory by having herself towed up in pur- suit of the Iphigewia, which, blocked up by the winds and the French squadron, remained at their mercy, when the division of Commodore Hamelin, consisting of the Venus 44, La Manche 40, Astree 40, and Entreprenant corvette, which had been released from Port Napoleon on the relinquishment of its blockade by the English frigates, suddenly appeared in the offing on the morning of the 27th, and took their position in her van, so as not to leave the English any possible means of escaping from their fate. After Captain Lambert had by excessive exertion succeeded in 1 Captain Lambert, in the Iphigenia, had previously offered to Captain Pym to run down and endeavour to carry the Bellone and the other French ships by boarding, as he had now got to the east of the shoal which had before prevented his pursuit of the Minerve. Captain Pym wished him, however, to continue warping out, as he had yet hopes to get off the Sirius. The French shot con- tinuing to rake his vessel, Captain Lambert sent another boat to Pym, stating that he should be obliged to recommence the action in his own defence; but Captain Pym still wished him to warp out of gunshot, which he at length accomplished by means of a light breeze that sprung up. 2 The loss of the Nereide has already been mentioned. That of the Ma- fficienne was eight killed, and twenty wounded; of the Iphigenia, five killed, and twelve wounded. The Sirius suffered no loss, being out of range of shot ; though Captain Pym, on the other hand, states that she lay within shot of all the enemy's forts and ships, and was only able to return their fire with two guns. The loss of the French is generally considered to have greatly exceeded the alleged number, as the frigates were constantly recruited from the shore. CHAP. V.] CONFLICT AT GRAND PORT. 95 warping his ship close up to Isle de la Passe (whose capture had turned out so lamentable) and landed the crews of the Sirius and Magicienne, an officer was dispatched by General Decaen with a summons to surrender, to which Captain Lambert, flattering him- self with the hope of being rescued, for some time demurred. A negotiation was also opened between the captain and French squadron, when he offered to surrender the island, provided the Iphigenia should be allowed to retire with her officers and men to a British port, but this being rejected, and Commodore Hamelin having repeated the summons and endeavoured to make him sensible of the impossibility of resistance against the attack he was pre- paring to direct against him, Captain Lambert, being in want of ammunition and the commonest necessaries before a five-fold force, found himself under the necessity of capitulating, under a promise that the officers 1 and men should be forwarded within a month to the Cape of Good Hope (a pledge which remained unfulfilled), and in every other respect gave up the treatment of himself and his companions in misfortune to French generosity. At 11 o'clock on the morning of the 28th the French flag was hoisted on the fort and on board the frigate of which Captain Bouvet was appointed com- mander. A garrison was also sent to the fort from the Isle of France, and the prisoners, to the number of 1 00 naval and military officers, and 1600 soldiers, seamen, and marines, were conveyed to Port Imperial. The loss of the French in the late action had been likewise far from inconsiderable. The Bellone had thirty-seven killed, and 112 wounded, and the other frigates had severely suffered, though not in a similar proportion. Such was the result of the conflict at Grand Port, 2 a conflict to 1 These officers were retained at the Isle of France till its capture in Decem- ber, though General Decaen had pledged that they should be sent home on parole, or exchanged within a month. Captain Willoughby being now a prisoner, a council was held by the French Governor, to determine whether or not he should be punished for having distributed proclamations among the inhabitants subversive of their allegiance. It was decided, however, that, as he had been taken in honourable fight, he should be treated as a prisoner of war. His wounds not permitting his removal, he remained at Grand Port, where he was passably treated. Not so his brother officers, Pym, Lambert, and Curtis, who were removed to St. Louis, and treated in the harshest manner. Some ladies, who had been taken in the captured Indiamen, were also thrown into prison. Where (says Mr. James) was General Decaen 1 where was French gallantry 1 What has M. Dupin, the advocate of French humanity, to say to that 1 As for Captain Hamelin, the hero of Tappanooly , he permitted his officers and men to plun- der the British of almost everything, adding personal insult to Captain Lambert, to whom he had intimated before his surrender that if he did not accede to the terms proposed by General Decaen, the French frigates would commence an attack on the Iphigenia and Isle de la Passe, and on carrying them would put the crew and garrison to die sword. James's Naval History. 2 By a French survey of Port Imperial, and the position of the contending ships drawn by an officer who was present, it has been made to appear that the Siriits grounded at the distance of sixty-three toises from the Bellone, and the Ntrtide not thirty ; the other two ships in the intermediate distance. This OG THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. which will be attached an enduring interest, so long as Great Britain shall remain mistress of the seas, as much from the fact that the valour of some of her bravest officers was perhaps for the first time counterbalanced by a succession of unavoidable accidents, 1 as from statement is notoriously incorrect ; the Sirius was nearly a mile from the enemy, the Iphigenia about the same distance, the Magicienne much nearer, and the Nereide within hail. Brenton's Naval History. 1 Baron Dupin has, with a casuistry unusual for him, attempted to prove, from the issue of this engagement, that in cases where the French possess an equality of force, they are a match for their more skilful antagonists on the sea. We will proceed, however, to subjoin his remarks, with the addition of our own comments thereon. Speaking of the close of the action, he says, " Le lendemain 1'action recommence avec le meme acharnement. Les fregates Franc aises et trois des fregates Anglaises sont echouees sur des bas-fonds, et se battent dans les posi- tions donn^es par cette immobilite forcee. Le nombre des morts et des blesses est plus grand du cote des Fran^ais ; mais la Constance est moins grande du cot6 des ennemis. Les Anglais ne peuvent plus soutenir le feu do nos batimens. Une premiere fregate se rend a nous. Une seconde se brule elle meme le second jour du combat. La troiseme se brule 6galement, le troisieme jour du combat. Enfin la quatrieme, refugiee sous le fort de la Passe, se rend, a 1'apparition de la division Hamelin, qui vient jouir de ce beau triomphe de notre force navale. Ainsi, par une suite d'actions brillantes, la fregate Bellone cause a nos ennemis, la perte des cinq frigates. Quelques jours apres, L'lphigenie notre prise, mont6e par Captaine Bouvet prend encore L'Africaine. 11 fallait alors, coup sur coup et de tous nos grands ports, envoyervingt fiegates danslesmersdel'Inde pour rejoindre les heros qui venaient d'y faire de si grandes choses. Mais on n'envoya que des secours insignificans, qui la plupart manquerent leur destination. ' C'est ainsi que la France a perdu pour jamais une ile qui soutenait avec gloire le nom de notre patrie, et qui menaait le commerce oriental de 1'empire Bri- tanique. II me plait d'avoir prouve ce fait : dans le temps memes ou les Anglais repetaient partout a haute voix que notre force navale, dmoralisee, n'osait plus soutenir contr'eux de combat a forces 6gales, nous pouvions leur opposer d'illus- tres succes et montrer tout ce que notre marine (si la sagesse etit regie ses dis- tins), etait capable d'entreprendre et d'executer.'' Before we analyze these statements of the Baron's, it may be well to observe, that he classes the cap- ture of three Indiamen by two powerful French frigates and a corvette, as one mark of French prowess. Another mark was its forcing its way through the Pass. A third and principal, the conflict at Grand Port, though he is compelled to admit the grounding of three out of the British force. The fourth and last the capture of the Africaine, but he here conceals the awkward fact, that her capture was effected by two frigates, both of a force superior to her own. " Nor had Duperre (says Mr. James) any cause but to regret so unfair an account of a victory, which the shoals and rocks of Grand Port, rather than the prowess of French seamen, or the cannon of French ships, gained for him. The same writer pertinently remarks, that if the British ships had, from previous acquaintance with the difficult navigation of the place, been enabled to take the stations as- signed them, the enterprise would have been crowned with success, and a very serious blow inflicted on the French naval power in these seas. Too much pre- cipitation was used : had the attack, instead of taking place an hour or two before dark, been postponed till early the next morning, when the water was smooth, and the shoals discernible, the British commanding officer would have written his despatch under very different feelings from those which must have pos- sessed him when giving an account of a defeat so complete, calamitous, and un- called for.'' Soon after the capture of the island, Captains Pym, Lambert, Curtis, and Willoughby, and their several officers, were tried by court-martial on board the Illustrious, at Port Loinc for the loss of their respective ships, and CHAP. V.] EXPEDITION OF COMMODORE HAMELIN. 97 the loss of four of her frigates and a portion of her troops. The battle had not been wholly confined to the sea. Detachments were landed from Isle de la Passe and the squadron, with the intention of working a diversion in favour of the latter, but the presence of General Decaen with the troops and national guard militated against the success of the attempt. General Vandermaesen was also posted at another point of the bay exposed to the English fire, and ably seconded every operation of the squadron. The division of Commodore Ilamelin, which had been blockaded (as has been before stated) by the English at Port Napoleon, but was subsequently released from its duresse by the diversion effected in another part of the island, had cruised in the Indian Ocean during the preceding year without any remarkable success, but, according to Captain Brenton, with eternal infamy to her commander. In the month of October La Venus and the rest of the division, after cap- turing an Indiarnnn, proceeded to Tappanooly, a British settlement in the island of Sumatra, which they completely laid waste, forcing the female part of the inhabitants on board a prize. After having plundered it of every article, disabled the guns on the batteries, car- ried off or maimed the horses and cattle, and destroyed the plantations, he set fire to the town, burning alike private and public build- ings. 1 " If" (continues that gallant officer) " Commodore Hamelin were most honourably acquitted. Its decision on Captain Willoughby's case deserves recording: "The court is of opinion, that the conduct of Captain \Yilloughby was injudicious in making the signal to the Sirius, that the enemy was in inferior force, she being the only ship in sight, and not justifiable, as the enemy evidently was superior, but it is of opinion that II. M.S. Nereide was car- ried into action in a most judicious, officer-like, and gallant manner; and the court cannot do otherwise than express its high admiration of the noble conduct of the captain, officers, and ship's company during the whole of the unequal contest, and is further of opinion that the Ntreide was not surrendered to the enemy until she was completely disabled, so as to render further resistance use- less, and that no blame whatever attaches to them for the loss of the said ship. So (says James) the noble behaviour of the officers and crew threw such a halo of glory round the defeat at Grand Port, that the loss of the four frigates was scarcely considered a misfortune. 1 After leaving Tappanooly, the French division fell in with three Indiamen, which engaged them in a most spirited manner. The Windham, Captain Stewart, though there could be little chance of success, singly pncountered a French fri- gate, which was to windward of the rest, and compelled her to join her consorts, but meeting with a want of co-operation from the other two ships, Captain Stewart made all sail to escape. Meanwhile the other Indiamen had struck to the French, while La Venus pursued the Windham, which, though for a long time maintaining her ground, was at last overtaken and captured, and Commo- dore Hamelin sailed with his prizes for the Isle of France. On the way tho Venus was met by a dreadful hurricane, lost her topmasts, and filling with water, was given up by Ilamelin and his crew, who requested Captain Stewart to endf;i- your to save her with his late crew, at the same time pressing him to give a pledge that his men should abstain from taking possession of the trigato. Captain Stewart refused any such terms, but replied that Commodore Ilamelin must take his chance of that. Having caiiM-d all the arms to be removed, the French gave up the frigate to his charge, and by hia great exertions, the wreck of the 11 98 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. was really present at this detestable and disgraceful scene, be ought, when taken, to have been sent back to Tappanooly, and made to answer for his barbarity with his life. What more could have been done by the Ashantees, than was perpetrated by this representative of the emperor of a refined and polished nation ? Was there ever an example of such conduct in the British army and navy ? I am proud to say there never has, and trust there never will be." Of the conduct of the commodore on this occasion, unless its enormity has been greatly exaggerated, no palliation can be offered, and the reader will not fail to be reminded of the contrast it presents to that of the brave, and therefore generous, Duperre. No sooner had General Decaen become acquainted with the design of the English on Port Imperial, and perceived that their aim was to overpower the division of Duperre, than (as we have already seen) he directed Commodore Hamelin to hasten to their assistance. The Venus, La Manche, Entreprenant, were therefore immediately refitted and victualled, and such was the zeal and activity employed on the occasion, that six hours had scarcely elapsed after the receipt of the instructions from General Decaen, than the division, reinforced by a number of volunteers, who embarked on the invitation of that officer, was under weigh for Port Imperial. Baffled by a series of adverse winds and currents, the progress of the division was greatly retarded, and eager as it might be to share in the dangers and re- wards of the division of Duperre, its efforts to surmount the ob- stacles which opposed themselves to the rapidity of its course were vain notwithstanding, and Commodore Hamelin arrived but in time to conclude (as senior officer) the terms of a capitulation, to which the English, who could not be blind to the horrors of their situa- tion, were forced to submit. With scarcely as much force as common prudence would have required to insure his squadron from capture, Commodore Rowley proceeded to retrieve the disasters of his countrymen. He had for- tunately agreed with Colonel Keating that a military post should be established on Isle Platte, after the possession of Isle de la Passe should be secured. For this purpose, the Bombay Merchant, a large transport, was laden with water and provisions sufficient for both islands, and carried on board the flank battalion of an infantry regiment, under the command of Lieutenant- Colonel Austen. The commodore had just completed this part of his arrangements, when he was joined by the Windham in St. Paul's Bay on the 22nd of August, which had been recaptured from the enemy by the /Sirius frigate's topmasts was cleared, the water reduced in the hold, and the Venus car- ried safe into the Riviere Noire, with scarcely a drop of water for the prisoners or crew, and no provisions but rice, so that she could not have been carried off by the English captain. The Windham was subsequently recaptured by the Mafficienne, Captain Curtis, and being conveyed to the Cape, was there rejoined in a cartel by Captain Stewart James's Naval History. CHAP. V.] PROCEEDINGS OF COMMODORE ROWLEY. -'! the day before, and from her he learned that Duperre had forced the passage at Isle de la Passe, and that it was the intention of Captain Pym to attack him in that anchorage without waiting for any further reinforcement. The more highly the commodore appreciated the talents and courage of Captain Pym, the more he dreaded his fatal resolution, convinced of the extreme hazard of the enterprise, certain that he would make the attempt, yet, assured that in the course of a few weeks the enemy's squadron must surrender without firing a shot to the combined forces, which would then proceed to attack the Isle of France, he resolved to run down to his assistance, if the issue were not already decided, and in that case to act as cir- cumstances might dictate. Two of the flank companies, and a detachment of artillery, w r ere therefore hurried on board the Boadicea, and the transport, with the remainder of the force, was directed to follow. But the passage was unfortunately retarded by a succes- sion of baffling winds, till the event had been decided, and the boat which had been dispatched by Captain Pym to Commodore Rowley before the surrender of the Iphigenia^ without attracting the observation of the French, was picked up on the 27th by the Boadicea, arid acquainted her commander with the unfortunate result of the action at Port Imperial. Never (says Captain Brenton) was an officer more completely mortified and disappointed than was Commodore Rowley on receiving this melancholy dispatch. In making the Isle de la Passe on the following morning, he per- ceived the French frigates close off the Port, of one of which he stood within gunshot, and within six miles of Isle de la Passe, where he descried the Iphigenia, but could not approach her (although she was at that time in possession of the English), a third frigate coming down upon him to windward ; the commodore tacked, and stood off, and was chased by the French squadron. La Venus, Commodore Hamelin, from being in a cleaner state, had a great superiority in sailing, and might easily have brought the jBoadicea to action, but preferred to wait the coming up of her consort, La Manche. The event now turned on a trial of tactics, in which the superior genius of Rowley was not long in bearing off the prize. He ran as far leeward as St. Denis, but perceiving that the French frigates had hauled off, he again stood forward towards them, in order to give an opportunity to the transport to communi- cate with and succour the Iphigenia^ and perhaps afford time for her escape by diverting the attention of the French from Isle de la Passe. At daylight on the following morning, the chase was again renewed by the French frigates, until the Boadicea arrived off. St. Denis, from whence an express was sent by the Commodore to Cap- tain Tomkinson, of the Otter, directing him to move, with his whole ship's company, into the Windham^ and join him immediately. On his arrival off St. Paul's, Commodore Rowley found that the H 2 100 THE MAURITIUS. CHAP. V. command of the Windham had been declined by Captain Tomkin- son, on the plea that she was unfit for service, in consequence of which Captain Lyne had, by the most indefatigable exertions, transferred her guns to the Emma transport, and joined the Com- modore off the Port with this assistance, upon which he resumed his route towards the Isle of France. Finding, however, that the Emma could not keep up with him, he detached her on a cruise between Isles Ronde and Rodriguez, to give information of the state of the enemy's force to any British ships she might encounter, and proceeded himself in the Boadicea to the Isle de la Passe, from which he discovered on his arrival that the Iphigenia had sailed, but that four ships remained in the port, which were, the Bellone, Minerve, Ncreide, and Ceylon. As the Iphigenia had capitulated long before, nothing more could be done at that time ; he returned therefore to St. Paul's Bay, Isle Bonaparte. A few days after her capture, the Ipliigenia was placed in a fit state to proceed on a cruise ; and, being manned by detachments from the crews of the two divisions, was dispatched by the Captain- General Decaen, in company with the corvette Le Victor, under the command of Captain Bouvet, in quest of vessels sailing between the several English stations. They were afterwards to be joined by the Astree and Entreprenant, which had lately formed a part of Com- modore Hamelin's division, and were at that moment detached to reconnoitre the seas to the north of the island, and insure a free communication between Ports Napoleon and Imperial. After they had succeeded in making a few inconsiderable prizes, the latter returned to Port Napoleon to refit, and were directed by General Decaen to prepare for setting sail to Port Imperial, where they would effect a junction witli the Iphigenia and Victor. They weighed anchor on the 3rd of September, but adverse winds did not permit the two parties (each sailing from a different port) to meet each other so easily as had been expected. On her way the Astree captured a merchantman from the Cape of Good Hope, which was laden with stores for the Isle of France, under the supposition that it had fallen into the hands of the English. Upon the junction of the division, it was found that the Iphigenia had been equipped in such haste as to have neglected several of her requisite stores ; the Victor ', Lieutenant Morrice, was therefore sent to procure them, and the other corvette was detached to explore that part of the coasts of Madagascar, which the English vessels were most likely to frequent in search of provisions. Pre- vious to her return to Captain Bouvet's division, the Victor captured the transport, which had accompanied Commodore Rowley in his late reconnoitre off Port Imperial, with 350 sepoys, a large quantity of military stores, and 30,000 piastres. Anxious to profit to the uttermost from the late success at Port Imperial, General Decaen returned to that place on the 8th of CHAP. V.] CRUISE OF THE FRENCH DIVISION UNDER BOUVET. 101 September to concert measures with Commodore Duperre, whose health was now re-established, for the blockade of St. Denis, the capital of Isle Bonaparte, and to intercept the Boadicea and other English vessels, with the third division under his command, which, though ready to sail as soon as the wind would permit, was destined, from one cause or other, to remain inactive in the har- bour. On the 19th of September, a vessel of parley, which had been sent to Isle Bonaparte to endeavour to effect an exchange of the prisoners captured at Isle de la Passe, returned unsuccessful, and bore dispatches from Mr. R. T. Farquhar, governor par interim, intimating that his sense of duty would not permit him to make the desired exchange. They were consequently re-embarked. No sooner had the crews of his squadron been refreshed, than Commodore Rowley, who had been warned of the appearance of the Astree and Iphigenia in the offing, again weighed anchor from the Bay of St. Paul's, on the morning of the 1 2th of September, in pursuit of the enemy, then descried to windward, in company with the Otter sloop-of-war, Lieutenant Tomkinson, and Staunch gun-brig. Apparently astonished at the promptitude with which he had repaired the late disaster, the Frencli seemed rather to decline a collision with an opponent, whom their hopes had led them to believe was of inferior force, by keeping to windward. Anxious, however, to assure themselves more clearly of the strength of the English force, they tacked about, as if to meet it, but, discovering that he had completed the embarkation of his crews, and was endeavouring to haul his wind, they immediately imitated his manoeuvre. At this moment, the frigate Africaine, Captain Corbett, of 38 guns, which had been for some time hovering around the coasts of the Isle of France, 1 having heard, on putting in at Rodriguez, of the misfortune at Isle de la Passe, though she was on her way from England to Madras with dispatches for the Governor- General, which directed him to send an expedition immediately against the Isle of France, changed her route, and hastened to join the division of Commodore Rowley. Though making her ap- pearance in a manner so unexpected, she instantly followed in 1 On the llth of September, the Africaine came in sight of the Isle of France, and detached her boats in pursuit of a French schooner, which had sought slu'ltcr among the rocks. Here, however, they met with an unexpected resistance from the neighbouring inhabitants, who, having assembled for her defence, and kept up a warm and constant fire from their coverts on the shore, the British were compelled to retreat, with the loss of two men killed and sixteen severely wounded. The Africaine next bore up for Bourbon, off which she descried the Astree and Iphigenia, which presently stood on the larboard tack, as if disposed to offer battle, on which Captain Corbett, who was then omployi'd in landing his wounded, hoisted a broad pendant and red ensign, his object being to simulate the Boadicea. The ruse had the desired rtlVrt ; for, on seeing a second frigate advancing towards him, Captain Bouvet judged it to be the Windham ludiaman. 102 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. the wake of the French division, having first landed her wounded, and received in return a small party of soldiers from the island. One of these, the Astree, was rallied within hail by the Iphigenia at sunset, after which both stood out more directly to sea, the Africaine still holding on her course, and rapidly gaining on the French frigates every moment, as well as leaving her own division, which had now recognised her far removed in the rear. As soon, however, as she had advanced so far as to be almost within range of the French guns, she for the first time paused in her impetuous career, and proceeded under easy sail, in order to allow the Boadicea time to come up to her assistance. The intention of Captain Bouvet had been to hurry out to sea as much as possible, and to decline the engagement till the following day, counting throughout on the inferiority of the force which would advance to sustain her. This view he imparted to Captain Lemarant, commander of the Astree, and directed him to keep that vessel in the rear to leeward. About midnight, the frigate which had chased them was observed to be repeatedly exchanging signals with some other vessel in the dis- tance, and influenced, whether by the approach of this reinforce- ment, or from the effect of some intervals of calms and variable breezes, in consequence of which she had continued to near them, the Africaine^ which had been thrown by accident into a good position, knowing also that the French frigates would otherwise escape to Port Louis, decided on engaging her opponents single- handed. The same cause, by which Captain Corbett had been apparently induced to contend against such fearful odds, operated in like manner to prevent the Boadicea, which was now about three or four miles astern (her consorts still further removed) from running down to her assistance ; and thus was an event, which had appeared at the outset so likely to redound to the credit of the British arms, once more to terminate in disaster, and the gallant Rowley to experience another bitter mortification. Finding herself ranged on the starboard side of the Astree, the Africaine commenced her fire on that frigate at three o'clock A.M. with her larboard guns, to which she replied, till she found herself disabled of her jib-boom and fore top-sail, on which she crowded sail to gain the side of her con- sort, and get out of reach of the English fire. The lightness of the breeze, which had been gradually falling since the action, would have deprived the Africaine of her former advantage in point of sailing, even if her running rigging had not been cut away ; hence she could hardly steer. The Iphigenia now bore up, and bracing her sails on the mast astern, and taking her post on the lee quarter of her consort, closely engaged the Africaine at 3.30 A.M., which, bearing up as well as she could under the repeated broadsides of the Astree, recommenced a brisk and spirited fire on the Iphigenia. After some volleys, however, she endeavoured to avail herself of a fresh breeze that sprung up, and, making sail, run HAl>. V.] AFRICAINE AND FRENCH FRIGATES. 103 along the Iphigenia to windward, at the same time recom- mencing the action with the Astree on her weather bow. A sudden fall in the wind enabled the Iphigenia to retain her position. Not having succeeded in her design, and becoming more and more unmanageable under the superior fire" of her anta- gonists, the Africaine crowded sailed for the purpose of executing by the prow of the Iphigenia a movement which, while it promised her for the moment an advantageous position, might remove her from the side of the frigates. As it happened, however, it only had the effect of unmasking and presenting her prow to the side of the Astree, which was able to keep her enfiladed, while the Iphif/cnia, by imitating her manoeuvre, remained constantly at her side, all her attempts having only served to draw her nearer to that vessel, which poured in a raking and destructive fire of grape-shot and langredge, while making her preparations to board. Finding at 4.30 that the Boadicea, though removed at no great distance, continued to be prevented by the light and variable breezes from rendering any as- sistance, that Captain Corbett had been mortally wounded at the Tery beginning of the engagement (one foot being shot off above the ankle, and a compound fracture of the thigh of the same leg having ensued by a blow from a splinter) that her jib-boom and fore and mizzen topmasts were shot away, that the three lower masts were reduced to a tottering state, her hull pierced in all directions, her quarter-deck nearly cleared of officers and men, and her main-deck so thin, that only six guns could be manned, and her fire gradually growing feebler, while the enemy had commenced raking her fore and aft, the senior lieutenant found himself compelled (no chance of escape being apparent) to surrender after a gallant resistance, and having ceased their fire and lowered the English flag, the French frigates were hailed at 5 A.M. with the information that she had struck. 1 She continued, however, to be a mark for their fire for a quarter of an hour longer, during which several of her men were killed, after which she was boarded and manned by the French, and a part of the prisoners, who had escaped in the carnage, were con- veyed with a quantity of military stores on board the French divi- sion. The loss sustained by the English in the late action was most 1 The judgment of Captain Corbett in not waiting the coming up of the Boa- dicea, hus (according to Mr. James) been much questioned. Had the Africaine (says he) shortened sail for that purpose, the French frigates would have made sail for Port Louis. A near approach would soon have shown that the supposed Indiaman was a real frigate and a large one too, and Captain Houvet, brave as he undoubtedly was, would have declined engaging two British frigates, a sloop, and a brig. So untoward, however, was fortune that a few minutes before the Afri- caine had hauled down her flag, a breeze swelled the sails of the Boadicea, and she passed within musket-shot of the enemy. Had Rowley attacked them then, the Iphigenia would have made but a feeble resistance against the Otter and Staunch, while the Boadicea might have gone in chase of the Astree, but cau- tion was necessary with a force so reduced as that of the English. 104 THE MAURITIUS, [CHAP. V. severe. Out of a crew of 295, the Africaine had forty -nine killed, and 114 wounded. Of the officers, Captain Corbett did not (it is said would not) survive the capture, which it lias been alleged the misconduct of the crew 1 tended in no slight degree to facilitate. The master was also among the slain, having had his head carried off by a round shot. The senior lieutenant had been wounded in four places, but could not be persuaded to go below. The next officer was shot through the breast. The lieutenant of marines, a mate, and three midshipmen were likewise severely wounded. The French force, which consisted of the Astree of 44, and 360 men, and the Iphigenia of 42, with 258 men, had nineteen killed and thirty-five wounded. The Astree received but little injury in the engagement. The dawn of day once more broke on the gallant Rowley in pre- sence of an enemy superior to him in force and numbers, but im- measurably inferior in skill and resources. Casting his eyes around for a brief space on the spectacle presented to his view, his vanguard dismasted to the very level of her decks, the sea which surrounded him covered with the dead bodies and pieces of wreck, and the French frigates, which appeared to have suffered to no great extent, already in possession of the Africaine, and promptly drawn up in order of battle, while the Boadicea was alone and within reach of Commodore Hamelin's division, then cruising in the neighbourhood, he rightly conceived that a renewal of the action under these disad- vantages would be nothing less than an act of madness, and resolved to return and bring up the Otter and Staunch, then out of sight astern ; which being effected, he again led them towards the enemy, who, judging it prudent not to await his arrival in their present destitute condition, abandoned the Africaine at his approach, leaving an officer and nine Frenchmen in charge of her with most of the wounded, and about eighty-three of the crew, 2 whom they had not time to remove. At 5 P.M. the Boadicea arrived close abreast of the Afri- caine, when the latter fired two guns and hauled down the French 1 On his appointment to the Africaine, the crew at first refused to serve under Captain Corbett, being intimidated by his reported severity. Strong measures having been adopted, they eventually yielded. It would appear, however, that he was still the object of dislike owing to his excessive severity, as the unskil- fulness of his crew in gunnery, one cause of their having done so little execution, has been attributed to this cause. A report arose that Captain Corbett's death wound was inflicted by his own people, but this is without foundation, it having arisen from a cannon-ball. Others affirm that, unable to brook his defeat, he cut the bandages of his amputated limb, and suffered himself to bleed to death. The want cf surgical aid is assigned by Mr. James as the immediate cause of his death. 2 The late crew of the Africaine swam off to the Boadicea on her arrival, and expressed the utmost eagerness to renew the action with the French frigates, under an officer whose mild system of discipline had been made known to them ; proving that, though their ship had been captured, their spirit was unsubdued. James's Naval History. CHAP. V.] AFUICAINE AND FRENCH FRIGATES. 105 colours, while the Astree, taking the Iphigenia in tow, made all sail to windward. From the capture of the Africaine having followed so soon on the disaster at Isle de la Passe, considerable attention was excited, on the arrival of the intelligence in England, as to the cause which might have contributed to such a result, and Lieutenant Tullidge, the senior surviving officer, was subsequently tried before a court-mar- tial for the loss. But as it appeared that he had most faithfully discharged his duty, had received four severe wounds, and had only surrendered, when nothing could be done to save the ship, he was most honourably acquitted, and promoted to the rank of com- mandor. Taking the Africaine in tow, the Boadicea now proceeded with the rest of the division to St. Paul's, the French division having been descried more than once in the distance. On the J5th, Commodore Rowley weighed anchor, and steered for St. Denis, when the French frigates, having again reconnoitred, returned to Port Louis. The flood of misfortune had not yet expended itself. The Ceylon (not the one before mentioned, but another Indiaman purchased at Bombay to co-operate with the division of Commodore Rowley, and mounting thirty guns) was commissioned as a ship-of-war, and placed under the command of Captain Gordon ; her crew was never- theless in a most defective state, which was not altogether compen- sated by the fortunate accession of a party of soldiers, who assisted in her defence, which, for its obstinacy (says Captain Brenton) and the happy results to which it conduced, brought a greater degree of honour to her captain and crew, than many victories which have received the rewards usually allotted to merit, leading in great mea- sure to the subsequent success of Commodore Rowley. The Ceylon had sailed from Madras in August, under orders from Vice- Admiral Drury, and carried Major-General Abercrombie, with a small body of troops, on board, to assist in the capture of the Isle of France. She arrived off Port Napoleon on the l?th of Septem- ber, and discovered seven sail of frigates and a corvette lying in the harbour. After reconnoitring several parts of the coast, Captain Gordon deemed it prudent, as the British squadron was not in sight, to make all sail for Isle Bonaparte ; but he had not escaped the notice of the enemy's scouts from the signal station, who at first announced the Ceylon as a man-of-war, but subsequently as an Indiaman with troops on board. At 1 P.M., the Venus and Victor, part of Commodore Hamelin's division, sallied forth in pursuit, though the English vessel was now twelve miles to leeward of the port, and were descried by the ('i/Ivn % which steered W. by S., under all sail. Commodore llaindin, whom wo left on a late occasion engaged in the chase of the Boadicea^ Commodore Rowley, had been completely eluded by the superior tactics of that skilful veteran, and, finding it impossible 106 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. to bring him to action, had returned to Port Napoleon, alleging, as his motive, that the favourable winds had saved the enemy from falling into his hands. " Observing at dusk that the Venus was considerably ahead of her consort, the Ceylon shortened sail to allow the former to close ; but finding, at 10 P.M., that she had likewise reduced her sail to wait the arrival of the Victor , the Ceylon again made sail to keep the two ships apart. Having much the superiority in sailing, the Venus again overtook her, when she shortened sail to commence action. Passing under the stern of the English ship, the Venus hailed her with a discharge of musketry, and received in return the fire of the Ceylon's stern chasers. She next ranged up on the Ceylon s starboard quarter, and now (says Mr. James) was the mutual discovery made of the immense disparity in size and appa- rent force between the two ships, which, though it did not dis- hearten the one, animated the other." 1 The engagement now became close, and continued till 1.15 A.M., when, having ascer- tained that her opponent was a sloop-of-war, the Venus wore round and dropped astern. The Ceylon had now an opportunity to repair her damaged rigging, and make sail and escape from an antagonist of whose superiority, when single-handed, she was fully sensible, without requiring the presence of the Victor to strengthen the assurance. She was, however, again chased, and overtaken by the Venus, at 2. 15 A.M., when the action recommenced with such fury that it was riot long before the French ship had lost her mizzen, fore and main topmasts, and the Ceylon her fore and main topmasts and gaff. The rigging of both frigates was also cut. Finding, in her chase of the Ceylon, that the Venus had a great advantage over her in speed, so much so as to have run five miles ahead at six o'clock in the evening, and that the Ceylon had also considerably gained on her, the Victor endeavoured, by every means in her power, to make up her lost ground ; but in vain, for night coming on, she was bewildered as to the course most proper to adopt. At two o'clock in the morning, however, she perceived lights blazing ahead, and one a little to the leeward of her. She directed her course, therefore, to the quarter from whence they originated, strongly conjecturing that it could be no other than the Venus herself. A short time after, the firing was so briskly repeated, that she did not doubt but that her consort had overtaken the Ceylon, and was then engaged with her. Isle Bonaparte was then on her side to leeward. Owing to the darkness and confusion inseparable from such a scene, the Victor was not at first able to recognise friend from foe. At 4.30, however, being within gun- shot, she shortened sail, and recognising La Venus, passed within pistol-shot of the English frigate, on which she opened her broad- 1 James's Naval History. CHAP. V.] BOADICEA AND VENUS. 107 side?, but without any return on the part of the former. La Venus her-df was reduced to a mere wreck from the fire of the Ceylon, and at four, having dropped to leeward, with the masts over the side, fired only at intervals. Unfortunately the united fire of the French had shot away the topmasts of the Ceylon about the same time, and she became unmanageable. The contest was, nevertheless, pro- trncted till five A.M., when the Victor, which had her fore and main ina.-ts intact, passing to windward, took a raking position athwart the bows of the English frigate, where she maintained her fire unchecked by any return from the Ceylon, which supposed her to have been a frigate. 1 At length Captain Gordon directed the mizzen mast topsail to be cut away, so as to enable the ship to get before the wind ; but this resource failing, and everything having been done for her preservation, the colours were hauled down to the superior force of the enemy, on a boat having been dispatched by Commodore Ilamelin to inquire whether she had struck. The Victor immediately lay to, and sent her boat to convey the officers and crew of the Ceylon on board the Venus, which they found to be a frigate of forty-four guns and 380 men, and the Victor (formerly English) eighteen guns and 120 men. The Ceylon (formerly the Bombay Indiamari) had 290 men on board, including 100 soldiers, of which ten were killed and thirty- four wounded. The loss of the Venus is not given. Captain Gordon was most honourably acquitted for the loss of his ship by the court-martial before whom he was tried. On the recovery of the Africaine, her command was entrusted by Commodore Rowley to Mr. Langhorne, first lieutenant of the Boadicea, to whose zeal and services that commander bore the highest testimony, and arrived in St. Paul's Bay on the 18th of September, with her shattered hull, which, after undergoing tem- porary repairs, he again embarked on in pursuit of the enemies of his country. He had not been many hours at anchor before the three French vessels made their appearance abreast of St. Denis, at the distance of three leagues to leeward, two of which appeared to have greatly suffered as to their masts and rigging. At eight A.M., 1 Mr. James makes some just comments on this engagement. " It is generally an advantage to a well-disciplined ship to engage at night, because in case of being assailed by a superiority of force, she may reduce the odds to the level of her own power by a superiority of tactics. But the Ceylon would have done bettor had she fought by day, not owing to any lack of skill in her crew, as the damage done to her antagonist testified, but because the obscurity of night caused her to over-estimate the force of the Victor, which, if known, would have been greeted with a broadside which would have probably sent her to the bottom, or, at all events, disabled her from offering any effectual resistance. The Ceylon was in no worse state than the Venus, and had a suspension of fire continued a few hours longer, the British force would have saved her, and pre- vented a French corvette of sixteen guns from claiming the houour of having summoned a British frigate to surrender. 108 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. the Boadicea^ with the other sloop- of- war, and Staunch gun-brig, whom we left at that anchorage, hastened in pursuit ; but the light winds so long retarded their movements, that before they could clear the bay the enemy was nearly out of sight. In the mean time, the Victor had been directed by Commodore Hamelin, who had descried the British vessels, as they cleared the bay, to take her prize in tow, and follow him, which she instantly ran up to do, as the lines which served for that operation had been many times broken. At 9.30, the towing-rope broke, and, on the Victor approaching the Venus to inform her of the disaster, she was ordered to rejoin the Ceylon with a cable, by which that vessel was for a time secured, and to convey a party of her men on board for her defence. At the same time, Commodore Hamelin sent a request to Lieutenant Morrice, in command of the Victor, to furnish him with written information as to the position of Captain Bouvet's division, to which the latter replied, that, in a late interview with that officer, he had stated that it was his intention to cruise to windward of Isle Bonaparte. At 1 1 A.M., the Venus^ having freed herself of most of her rigging and sails, hoisted her fore and main sails, and a small sail on the stump of her mizzen, and stood on the starboard tack, having gained a league and a half on the Victor and prize, which now made all sail to come up with her. The wind was now E.S.E., and the sea was also rough. The Victor, in consequence, made little way, being too light to tow the Ceylon with any effect, and dropped down considerably to leeward. The rigging of the Ceylon having all fallen on the mainsails, and they on the masts, the officer in charge of that vessel was directed to disengage them as quickly as possible, so as to allow the Victor to proceed with greater rapidity. At mid-day, nothing was seen of the vessel, which had been sig- nalled in the morning. At two o'clock in the afternoon, however, the Boadicea, having the advantage of a fresh breeze, again hove in sight, and neared them rapidly. Three sail were shortly afterwards signalled to windward by the French squadron, directing their course under full canvass ; one of them approached the Victor so rapidly, that she crowded sail to bring herself nearer the Commo- dore, fearing lest the Ceylon she had in tow should part from her in the attack. At 3.30 V the Africaine was also perceived to be loosing from the bay of St. Paul's. The fears of the commander of the Victor were now realized, the Ceylon having parted from her ; on seeing which, La Venus ran down to her assistance, and the Com- modore, having been hailed by Lieutenant Morrice with a request for further orders, advised him, as the least disabled of the division, to save himself by flight, and, making sail for Port Napoleon, inform the Captain-General of the sad reverse of fortune. To facilitate this manoeuvre, La Venus tacked to larboard, so as to run down on the English division, then about two miles distant. CHAP. V.] BOADICEA AND VENUS. 109 The Ceylon having no topmasts, and only her coursers to set, bore up to assist her crippled consort ; but as soon as the Victor was out of gunshot, the English on board rehoisted the national flag, and she again became a British ship-of-war, under the command of the second lieutenant. At 4.40 P.M., the Boadicea ran close alongside the Venus, on which, after brailing her mainsail, she directed her whole broadside, which that vessel for some time returned with great spirit. At 4.50, however, the Boadicea, passing to leeward of her antagonist, poured in a rapid and overwhelming fire upon the parts most exposed, by which she was quickly silenced, and, striking her own, displayed the British colours. The Otter and Staunch immediately bore up to board and man the Venus, on whose decks were found nine killed and fifteen wounded. The Boadicea had none killed, and but two wounded ; but her bowsprit had been badly struck in the action. The Ceylon was now boarded by Captain Tomkinson in the Otter, when the troops, with Major- General Abercrombie, l were recovered in safety, and Captain Gordon 2 returned on board, with his lieutenants, to resume the command of his recaptured frigate. The Victor being too far off to be pursued with success, Commodore Rowley taking the Venus in tow, returned with his prizes to St. Paul's Bay on the 21st of September, where Colonel Keating afforded him every assistance, and recruited his crews with the soldiers belonging to the garrison. In his report to the admiral respecting his late engagement, Com- 1 A ludicrous incident connected with the recapture of the Ceylon strikingly exemplifies the glorious uncertainty of war. On the capture of that frigate by the Venus and Victor, Commodore Hamelin, who had observed Major- General Abercrombie engaged in reconnoitring the coasts of the Isle of France, and was fully aware of the proposed destination of the British commander, after exchang- ing compliments, somewhat ironically observed, that he presumed he should have the honour to introduce his prisoner to General Decaen rather sooner than he had perhaps contemplated. In the course of a few hours, the British officer being thus happily recaptured, politely thanked the Commodore for his courteous offer of introduction, and now felt extremely delighted in being able to return the compliment by introducing him to Commodore Rowley. 2 Captain Gordon's account of the late action is as follows : " At 5 A.M. the enemy's foresail enabled him to wear close under our stern, and take a raking position under our lee quarter. H. M. S. lying an unmanageable wreck, 1 directed the mizzen topsail to be cut away, and endeavoured to set a fore stay- sail in hopes of getting the ship before the wind, but without effect. The second ship having opened her fire with the great advantage the enemy had by having both his ships under command, enabled him to keep his raking posi- tion, and pour in a heavy and destructive fire, while H. M. S. could only bring a few of her guns to bear. In the shattered and disabled state of II. M*. S., re- treat was impossible. The superiority of the enemy's heavy and destructive fire left me no hopes of success. Reduced to this distressing state, feeling the firm conviction that every energy and exertion was called forth, under the strongest impressions that I had discharged my duty, and upheld the honour of His Majesty's arms, and feeling it a duty to the officers and crew, who had nobly displayed their bravery, to prevent a useless effusion of blood, I was under the painful necessity of directing a light to be shown to the second ship that we had struck." 110 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. modore Rowley distinguished Captain Tomkinson of the Otter, Lieutenants Langhorne and Street of the Staunch, and Lieutenant Ramsay of the 50th regiment, as having more particularly sig- nalized themselves. To return once more to the division of Captain Bouvet. On the 15th, after having completed the repairs of the rigging, masts and sails of the Iphigenia, that officer returned to the coasts of Isle Bonaparte. The next day he was joined by the Entreprenant, which had been sent to cruise off the coast to leeward. On the 17th, the Boadicea was seen ahead near the roads of St. Denis, as well as another vessel of size to leeward, which manoeuvred to join her. The French division now approached the Boadicea, and laid to, till it was about two miles distant to windward, desirous to entice the commo- dore to sea, but he remained still in his position, thinking probably that Commodore Hamelin's division would have come up to their support, and it was, therefore, useless to attack him. In the even- ing of the same day, the Entreprenant was detached on a special mission of observation, and the division prepared to return to the Isle of France. They were the rather induced to take this step, as the masts and rigging of the Iphigenia were only preserved by dint of the greatest care and precaution, and would have infallibly fallen a sacrifice to the first bad weather. The crews were enfeebled by the loss of some of the best of their number, and exhausted with the fatigues of a long campaign, which had terminated in a succession of combats ; in fine, the wounded required proper support, and would have perished had they been exposed to a longer detention on the sea. The Astree, which had not suffered so much in the action with the Africaine, might perhaps have been able to continue the cruise. In their passage home, they fell in with the Aurora, an English corvette, which they captured, and carried her, with 1 00 prisoners on board, into Port Napoleon. The late success of Commodore Rowley paved the way for the final reduction of the Isle of France, to which Vice- Admiral Bertie directed the squadron under his command. In his letter to the secretary of the Admiralty, written on board the Africaine in St. Paul's Bay, on the 13th of October 1810, that officer says, "I hoisted my flag on board the Nisus, and sailed from the Cape of Good Hope on the 4th of September for the Isle of France. On the '2d of October I made the land, and proceeded to reconnoitre Ports Imperial and Napoleon without meeting with any British cruiser. Thence I proceeded to St. Paul's Bay, where I found the Boadicea, Otter, and Staunch gun-brig together with the Africaine and Ceylon, which, with the imperial frigate La Venus, had been taken or recap- tured from the enemy. A momentary superiority, thus obtained (says the Admiral) by the enemy, has been promptly and decisively crushed by the united zeal, judgment, and intrepidity of Commodore Rowley, in the Boadicea. On his arrival at Isle Bonaparte, the vice- CHAP. V.] EXPEDITION AGAINST THE ISLE OF FRANCE. 1 1 1 admiral immediately commenced his preparations for the attack of the Isle of France. The prize and recaptures were equipped : the name of La Venus was changed to Nereide, as a memorial of the gallant defence of that ship, and in eleven days after the Admiral's arrival the Boadicea, Africaine, Nisus, Nereide, Ceylon, Otter, and Staunch were ready for sea. 1 With this force, Admiral Bertie set sail for Port Napoloon, before which he arrived on the 1 9th of October, and found the whole of the enemy's squadron lying in the harbour. The French on their side had not been idle. The division of Duperre, which had been for a long time detained within Port Im- perial by a succession of adverse and obstinate winds, had employed the interval in the repair of damages, and the equipment of the pri/e frigate the Nereide. Profiting by a calm, they were towed outside the reefs on the loth of October, and set sail for Port Napo- leon. Here they were on the point of being prepared for a cruise, when the appearance of the English with so superior a force, and the certainty of an approaching attack, suggested the necessity of adopting measures of defence. The Bellone, Minerve, and other frigates were placed under the command of M. Dornal de Guy, and a line of embossment was formed by the four, their bowsprits, being drawn close to the poop, fronted the opening of the port, so that their broadsides presented a battery of eighty guns. Added to this, two strong chains were drawn across the gorge at the entrance, and a number of vessels were sunk to contract the passage. The regular defences will be noticed elsewhere. These measures were combined in a manner to defeat every attempt of the English on this point, after which strong detachments of the crews were disembarked, and placed at the disposal of the Captain-General. The blockade of Port Napoleon, which had sustained such fre- quent interruptions, being again resumed, Commodore Rowley was left with the Boadicea, Nisus, and Nereide, to observe the motions of the enemy, while Vice- Admiral Bertie proceeded to Rodriguez in company with Major-General Abercrombie to join the transports with the army from India. On the 24th he was joined by Rear- Admiral Drury, from India, with the Russell, Clorinde, Doris, Phce- ton, Bucephalus, Cornelia, and Hesper ; and taking under his orders the Rear-Admiral and his squadron, he detached a part to strengthen the blockade. At Rodriguez (where they arrived on the 3d of November) they found a large force from Bombay assembled. The division from Madras also arrived on the 6th, under convoy of 1 " A remarkable instance of the casualties, to which naval warfare is more par- ticularly subject, happened at this period. The Ranger transport had been taken by La Venus, laden with stores and provisions for the squadron; the loss of this vessel was a misfortune, therefore, which threatened most serious con- sequences, but after La Venus had been captured by tbe Boadicea, she was found to have on board the stores of the Ranger, which sufficed for victualling the British squadron for four months." Hrentons Naval History. 112 THE MAURITIUS. [^CHAP. V. the Psyche and Cormeallis, and a third from Bourbon on the 12th. Rear- Admiral Drury was now therefore directed to resume his sta- tion in India, taking with him the Russell, Phaeton, and Bucephalus. Though the divisions from the Cape of Good Hope and Bengal had not yet met at the rendezvous, it had nevertheless been determined that the fleet should put to sea on the following morning, as from the advanced season of the year, and the threatening aspect of the weather, the fleet could no longer be considered secure in its anchor- age at Rodriguez ; measures were therefore taken to meet every con- tingency that might occur, in the event of their being disappointed in the junction of so large a part of the armament. Early, however, on the morning of the 22d, Vice- Admiral Bertie received a commu- nication from Captain Broughton of the Illustrious, announcing his arrival in the offing, with the convoy from Bengal. All the divi- sions with their convoys having thus united, with the exception of that from the Cape, the commanders agreed that it would be impo- litic for the Bengal division to anchor, but that the best course would be to proceed direct to the Isle of France without waiting for the troops from the Cape. The whole fleet accordingly weighed anchor at daylight, as had been originally intended, and a junction having been effected with the Bengal division in the course of the day, the squadron bore up for its destination. And now was the Isle of France, that had so long been an object of solicitude to the Government of Great Britain, and checked her forces in the full career of victory by the depreciations of its naval adventurers, as w r ell as alarmed her by the formidable plans and combinations which had emanated therefrom, to fall before a force the French could not hope to resist, a force, which, whether its strength, valour, discipline, or equipment be considered, was the most powerful that had ever been afloat on the Indian seas. Year after year had the project been destined, from one cause or other, to suffer a repeated postponement, and the Marquis of Wellesley had beheld with regret the failure of one of the most cherished objects of his ambition ; but the perfect subjection and peaceful demeanour of the native governments, coupled with the fortunate turn events had taken in Europe, powerfully co-operated in enabling Lord Minto, then Governor- General of India, to dispatch such a body of troops as should at once crush all effectual opposition. To this end Bengal, Madras, Bombay, Bourbon, Ceylon, and the Cape respectively fur- nished their quota of troops, and the first and last detached a large part of their naval armaments to co-operate with the intermediate division of Commodore Rowley in the work of subjugation. The land army commanded by General Abercrombie, consisted of 11,500 men (irrespective of those on board the Cape division, which amounted to 3,500 more) attended by a small proportion of cavalry, and a formidable train of light and heavy artillery. The combined fleet, under the command of Vice- Admiral Bertie, consisted CHAP. V.] EXPEDITION AGAINST THE ISLE OF FRANCE. 113 of twenty ships-of-war 1 besides fifty East Indiamen and transports. The greatest obstacles, opposed to an attack on this island with any considerable force, had invariably been considered to depend on the difficulty of effecting a landing in consequence of the reefs, which surround every part of the coast, and the supposed impossibility of finding an anchorage for a fleet of transports. By the indefatigable exertions of Commodore Rowley, assisted by Lieutenants Street of the Staunch, Blackiston of the Madras Engineers, and the masters of H. M. S. Africaine and Boadicea, these difficulties were for- tunately removed. Every part of the leeward side of the island had been minutely examined and sounded, and it was found that a fleet might anchor in the narrow passage, formed by the small island called the Gunner's Quoin and the mainland, and that there were openings at this spot through the reef, which would admit of several boats entering abreast. These obvious advantages fixed the determination of the two commanders, though they could not help regretting that circumstances prevented the disembarkation from being effected at a shorter distance from Port Napoleon. Owing to light and baffling winds, the fleet did not arrive in sight of the island till the 20th, and it was on the morning of the follow- ing day, before any of the ships passed within the Coin de Mire, and bore up for the point of debarkation at Grande Baie about seventeen miles to windward of Port Napoleon, where, the Africaine leading, and the ships-of- war following with their convoys according to a previous arrangement, the whole fleet was at anchor by 10 o'clock, A.M. At this moment a grand explosion was perceived about a league to the westward. It arose from a portion of the works at Fort Malartic, situate at the head of Grande Baie, and the SHIPS. . GUNS. COMMANDERS. ' Africaine ... .441 F^g-Vice-Admiral Bertie. "'"rio"- - 74 )SpioBgLn. Boadicea 38 Commodore Rowley. Nisus 38 Captain Beaver. Cornelia 36 Captain Edgell. Clorinde 36 Captain Briggs. Menelaus 38 Sir Peter Parker, Bart. Doris , 36 Captain Lye. Phoebe 36 Captain Hillyar. N6reide, formerly La Venus ... 44 Captain Henderson. Psycbe 36 Captain Edgecumbe. Ceylon, retaken 30 Captain Tomkinson. Ilesper 32 Captain Paterson. Hecate 18 Captain Rennie. Eclipse 18 Captain Lyne. Egremont 14 Emma, government armed sbip . . Lieutenant Street. Monche 14 Staunch, gun-brig , . . . 14 Lieutenant Craig. Actaeon ... .... 16 Lord VifOOunt Nerille. 114 THE MAURITIUS. [c'HAP. V. fort nearest to the squadron, which the enemy unwilling to wait an attack, had blown up on retiring. To cover the landing of the troops, two brigs-of-war drawing little water anchored near the reef within 100 yards of the beach, while the boats, which contained the first division, consisting of the reserve, the grenadier company of the 59th regiment with two six-pounders, and two howitzers, and the light ini'antry under Major-General Warde, collected outside the reef and proceeded to the shore at Mapou with parade precision. Before the evening had closed, 10,000 men with three days' provi- sions and their artillery, stores, and ammunition, as well as several detachments of marines serving in the squadron, with a large body of seamen, had disembarked without accident or resistance. To the fleet were allotted three distinct operations. One division was left to maintain a vigilant blockade of Port Napoleon. A second re- mained for the protection of the convoy at the anchorage, and a third, under the more immediate command of Vice-Admiral Bertie, shifted its position as circumstances required, so as to keep up a more effectual communication with the army, as it advanced, it being wholly dependent for its supply of stores and provisions on the resources of the navy. As soon as a sufficient part of the European force had been formed, it became necessary to move for- ward, as the first five miles of the march lay through a thick wood and a narrow bad road, which it was of the utmost importance that the enemy should not be allowed to pre-occupy. Lieutenant-Colonel Smythe was, therefore, left with his brigade to cover the landing place, with orders to rejoin the army on the following morning. For about a mile the column moved along the beach to the right, after which, diverging a little to the left, it entered the wood. Here the advanced guard under Colonel Keating was encountered and fired upon by a picquet of the corps, retreating from Grande Baie, by which that officer, Lieutenant Ash, and a few of the men were wounded. In the evening the column had succeeded in gaining the more open country, without any further efforts having been made by the enemy to retard its progress, and continued to move on during the night, but halted at one o'clock in the morning, when the men were permitted to rest for a few hours. Before daybreak the army had again resumed its march with the intention of halting no more till it arrived before Port Napoleon, but the troops had become so completely exhausted, as well from the exertions they had made, as from the deprivation of water, of which this part of the country is destitute in summer, that General Aber- crombie at noon found himself compelled to take up a position in two lines on a gentle elevation at Moulin-a-Poudre, a wood stretch- ing along its front, and extending with some intervals to Port Napoleon, from which it was five miles distant. At 2 o'clock, General Decaen, some mounted officers, and about eighty of his hussar guard appeared within 100 yards in front of the British THAI'. V.] EXPEDITION AGAINST TIIE ISLE OP FRANCE. 115 line, after having surprised and cut to pieces a small picquet, which they fell upon in the wood. They succeeded in making a good re- connaisance, and arrived at a near estimate of the British force. As none but dismounted cavalry had as yet been landed, he was pursued by the light companies of the 12th and 59th regiments. A few of his men were killed, and he himself received a ball through his hat, and was slightly grazed on the leg. Early the next morn- ing, Lieutenant-Colonel MacLeod was detached with his brigade to seize the batteries at Tombeau and Tortues, and open a communi- cation with the fleet, as it had been previously arranged that the army was to draw its supplies from these two points. Some of them, which had offered little resistance, were already in possession of parties of seamen from the squadron. The remainder were suc- cessively evacuated (the enemy having spiked or withdrawn his guns) on the approach of the troops. At 5 o'clock the army, divided into columns of sections, advanced by the centre through the road, which traversed the wood in that direction, led by the reserve, composed of the flank brigade and two flank companies of the 59th regiment under Major-General Warde. The column had not penetrated above 300 paces, when a desultory fire was com- menced by the enemy's light troops. Several men were struck down in the column, but the English troops of a similar description evidently opposed them with a more correct effect. They were overtaken in attempting to destroy a wooden bridge over the Riviere Sec-he. They had only succeeded, however, in raising the planks of a small part, so that the troops filed over the bridge without any greater inconvenience, than that the artillery were obliged to drag their guns over the river through a narrow, but rapid current, ren- dered more difficult from the innumerable fragments of rock scat- tered through its whole bed. The enemy's line supported itself on the east point of the mountain, called Pieter Both, extending nearly parallel to the wood at a distance of 200 paces from it, and reaching to a gentle eminence on its left, on which were a planter's house and offices ; it was, therefore, a most favourable position for attempting to make an impression on the head of the column, as it emerged from the end of a narrow road with a thick wood on each flank. The French force, there posted, consisted of 3,500 men, with several field- and howitzers under the command of General Vandermaesen. The chief force with the Governor- General Decaen, remained within the lines. At the above point there was a signal-post, from whence every movement of the English could be telegraphed. The skirmish of light troops continued, until the head of the column composed of the European flank battalions under Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell of the 33d regiment, had emerged from the wood, and formed with as much regularity as the broken nature of the ground would admit of. The enemy's line then gave a confused volley, and while the corps which had cleared the dehle were being formed, the i 2 116 THE MAURITIUS. [oiIAP. V. column was exposed to a shower of grape, which, though well- directed, was much too elevated. The grenadiers of the 59th were next formed, and, having reserved their fire, and heing supported by all the flank companies of the reserve in succession, they rushed to the charge with great spirit. The foe waited till they were within fifty paces of them, when they broke and precipitately retired, leav- ing their field-pieces and ammunition, with the killed and wounded, in the hands of the English, and hurried over the plains to their lines in great confusion. This advantage, however, had not been purchased without the loss of Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell and Major O'Keefe of the 12th regiment, two excellent and valuable officers, who, from having been mounted, had been more exposed to the enemy's fire. A corps now ascended the mount, and pulling down the French, hoisted the English flag. This was a signal to the army for a mo- ment of general exultation, and their cheers loudly reverberated from the adjoining hills. In the course of the forenoon, a position in front of the enemy's lines (but beyond the range of cannon-shot) was occupied by the British force. The ground admitting of it, the army had began to deploy, which as soon as the French perceived, they fired from a battery of heavy ordnance on the right extremity of the lines, but with little effect. The heat of the weather, the lassitude of the troops, and the late- ness of the day prevented the assault on that occasion. The army consequently retired, and took up a position about 400 paces in the rear, waiting with anxiety for the morrow. During the night, a party of marines, who, from the heat of the climate, had assumed a lighter garb of white and blue, approaching with the intention of joining the troops, were mistaken for Frenchmen. An alarm in- stantly spread through the ranks, and some shots were unfortunately fired, by which a few were killed and several wounded. The enemy were in like manner disturbed by a false alarm, during which the irresolution of the national guards, taken in conjunction with the appearance of the Cape division and a reinforcement of troops, which disembarked in safety at Petite Riviere on the opposite side of the coast, had their influence in inducing General Decaen to propose terms of capitulation. As an antecedent step, he sent a flag of truce to the outposts, which did not, however, prevent the progress of the arrangements for a general assault, while the fleet, which had been under sail with the break of day, indicated by its movements an intention of combining with the army in an attack upon the port. Many of the articles of the treaty appearing perfectly inadmissible to the naval and military commanders, " 1 made my dispositions (observes General Abercrombie in his despatch) to detach a corps on the following morning to the south side of the town, and prepared to order a general attack," upon which M. Decaen offered to revise his propositions, and Commodore Rowley with Major- General CHAP. V.] CAPTURE OF ST. LOUIS. 117 Warde being selected by the British commanders, and Commodore Dtipcrre with General Vandermaesen as commissioners on the side of the French, the most offensive were yielded, and the terms offered by the British being finally acceded to, the treaty for the surrender of the island and its dependencies was signed and ratified on the 3d of December, and it has ever since remained a colony of the Empire. On the same day at 6 o'clock, the grenadiers marched into the lines, and occupied the principal forts and batteries of St. Louis, while the fleet took possession of the port and roads. 1 The French squadron was subsequently delivered up to Admiral Bertie by command of General Decaen. 2 Of the feelings of the population at this crisis it is impossible to speak with decision, as the French, to whom alone we have to look for a description, differ among themselves ; it is highly probable that both may be correct to a certain extent ; that the planter and merchant, weary of a war which in a great measure hindered the exportation of the products, on which they depended for a subsis- tence, looked with favour, or, to say the least, with indifference upon British occupation, while the populace, or more unthinking part of the population, intoxicated under the influence of that idiosyncracy of liberty, the passion for national aggrandizement, would be averse to any government, that militated with this its most cherished principle, nay, would passively endure the most degrading oppres- 1 Before this had been accomplished, however, an event had taken place which threatened to be attended with fatal consequences. The prisoners taken at Isle de hi Passe had been confined on board the prison ships in the harbour of Port Napoleon : and being kept indiscriminately under hatches for some months, had been scantily victualled, and treated with severity. On the morning of the 3d, the French officer of the guard went down to inform them that they were now at liberty, and that the arrack on deck was at their service. Heedless of conse- quences, the prisoners became intoxicated, quarrelled with the French soldiers, and anxious to revenge the treatment they had undergone, threw a Frenchman overboard, and were proceeding to other excesses, when a French frigate moored along side, poured on them some rounds of grape, by which twelve of their num- ber were killed or wounded, and the remainder driven below. a The ships and vessels taken at the Isle of France, were the frigates Aslrtfe of 44, Bellone 44, La Manche 44, La Minerve 52, the Victor corvette of 10, the Entreprenant and another of 14 guns each, all fine vessels, besides thii tv-one sail of ships and brigs of large tonnage. The Iphigenia and Nereide of 36 guns each were also recaptured. The amount of booty taken at the capture was not very considerable. The distribution of the proceeds became a subject of litigation between Vice-Admiral Bertie, and the Honourable R. Stopford, the latter having superseded him in the command of the station at the Cape of Good Hope, previous to the surrender of the Isle of France. Sir William Scott, after a long and patient hearing, gave it in favour of Vice-Admiral Bertie, who gladly paid all the expenses of the appeal. General Abercrombie was honoured with the Order of the Bath, and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General. Great rejoicings ensued in England on the arrival of the intelligence of the late success, but the delight at so agreeable an event was mingled with surprise that such an attempt had not been previously made, and that this nest of pirates and piratical enemies had been so long permitted to send forth its swarms of cruisers to prev upon British commerce. Bren ton. 118 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. sion at the hands of the civil power, provided a full indulgence were meted out to it in this particular. The capture of Isle Bonaparte, which tended to recall the government to a sense of its danger (for the expedition, from its having experienced so many delays, had ceased to be regarded as an object of apprehension), might possibly render the sentiments of the former less equivocal in favour of British connection : with the latter it would naturally have a con- trary tendency. The government on its side appears to have laboured most strenuously to convince the authorities at home of the attachment of the colonists, as if it doubted of its reality itself. Hence every trifling manifestation of public feeling, from whom, or from what cause soever originating, was faithfully recorded and ex- hibited, as a fresh proof of devotedness to a regime, which had despoiled the colony of all its free institutions, and ruled with the despotic sway of the sabre. The proclamations secretly introduced from Isle Bonaparte, and freely distributed in every quarter of the island, as soon as the fleet had anchored, still further tended to un- settle the loyalty and attachment of the colonists. By them the people were exhorted to estimate aright the advantages which were likely to be enjoyed as British subjects ; the deplorable state of the colony was forcibly depicted, a pledge of religious freedom, and the full enjoyment of their local laws and customs was also held out, with a promise, that, when admitted into the empire, the Isle of France should be treated as one of the most favoured English colo- nies, while the alternative premised, that in case the inhabitants should be found uniting with the military force during the contest that was impending, they would expose themselves to all the hard- ships of war : but if they remained quietly at their homes, they would be protected from injury and their property respected. In reply to this, M. Decaen is said to have addressed a letter to Mr. Farquhar to the following effect : " The attempts to seduce the subjects of the Imperial majesty from their duty and allegiance is a violation of the laws of nations and of war. The loyalty of the people was not to be shaken, and he only regretted that a sufficient number of these perfidious publications had not been landed that he might use them for cartridge-paper." Opinions are no less divided as to the temper of the troops. Without doubt the influence of a tropical climate, and the inaction consequent thereon, the absence from the opera and those scenes of pleasure, which are enjoyed by none more keenly than the soldier of France, preponderated over the scale of duty, by which elsewhere he might have felt himself bound to be regulated ; nor were the in- clinations and ambition of General Decaen and his principal officers less obviously directed towards home. The first who had served with credit 1 under Moreau in the celebrated retreat of the Black 1 As a legislator, some praise is due to M. Decaen for the prompt, resolute, and effective manner, in which he as it were remodelled, and put on an altered foot- (IIA1-. V.] POLITICAL ASPECT OF THE ISLAND. 119 Forest, and had been placed on tlie first role of French generals, had been long since disgusted at seeing himself blocked up many thousands of miles from Europe, while his old companions in arms had opined the baton of marshals, and those of the latter the epaulettes of generals. These sentiments all tended to a similar result. The majority regarded the defence to be so unequal, as to be impracticable : all held it to be contrary to their secret inclina- tions and private interests. On tlie other hand, the policy of the treaty of capitulation, the principal conditions of which were, that the French troops should be transported to France with their arms, baggage, and standards on board of cartels, at the expense of the British government, and that the colonists should preserve their religion, laws, and customs, has been much and seriously questioned. A celebrated naval historian (from whom we have made copious extracts through the whole of this naval campaign) has stigmatised it as a convention in no way superior to that of Cintra ; inasmuch as the troops were not even made prisoners of war for an exchange, but left at unconditional liberty, while a military officer, who was present at the siege, and was therefore, perhaps, more capable of forming a correct estimate of the further defence that might have been sustained by the French, observes, " Had we assaulted and carried the lines, the further progress of our army must have de- pended on the nature of the opposition presented by the French troops. In that event, had they disputed their ground in tlie rear of the lines with any degree of pertinacity, to mark the period of halt to a victorious soldiery, and to arrest the winter torrent in its descent from tlie hills, would seem equally feasible. A chief object was the preservation of the town. Had terms been refused to the French, the glory of the army might doubtless have been consider- ably enhanced by the exertion of its determined courage, and high state of discipline, and the issue of an attack upon the town might ins;, a society that had become disordered by fifteen years of anarch v. His treat- ment of the finances, which he fouud in a deplorable state, was in like manner successful. By recalling the residue of the paper money, which he effected for 1000 piastres, (so depreciated had it become), he removed the sources of former contention, and overcame a difficulty which might have otherwise proved almost insurmountable to any succeeding government. In despite of his despotic ten- dencies, he summoned a colonial council a short time before the arrival of the expedition to enable him to raise a sum of money for striking a blow against the English, but he would not take its advice or permit it to question his policy. His conduct to Captain Flinders, an officer who had been engaged at the peace of Amiens in making scientific rese.irclies at the Isle of France, and who was detained a prisoner for seven years by General Decaen, has been censured by all. So impressed were the British officers engaged at the capture oi the island with his barbarity, that they refused an exchange of courtesies on that occasion. It should be stated, however, that Captain Flinders, in common with the other prisoners, was treated with the greatest kindness by the inhabitants, who endea- voured by every possible service, to mitigate the miseries of captivity. 120 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. have been certain in our favour, but the loss 1 that might have been sustained in officers and men would have been without an ade- quate equivalent. The motives of General Abercrombie were both politic and humane. By permitting so small a body of veterans at so remote a distance from Europe to return to their native country free from any engagement, he secured an important conquest without deterioration of its worth, protected the interests of the inhabitants, who had long laboured under the most degrading misery and oppression, avoided the hazard of events at a period of the season, by the late- ness of which every hour became more valuable, prevented the effusion of blood, and in every other particular accomplished the objects of the expedition as much as if the town had been taken by assault. The same officer, though by no means impressed with the bril- liancy of General Decaen's military talents, as evinced in his defence of the Isle of France (owing, as he concludes, in some degree to the poverty of his treasury) proceeds to enumerate the forces at his command. His regular force, including disciplined sailors, was 2500. He had a national guard of 6000, and might have had at his disposal 10,000 chosen blacks. The natives of Madagascar are from infancy trained to war, and are muscular and courageous. These, behind \valls, with a knowledge of the passes, might have ren- dered it a sanguinary contest. The people would have been a capital resource in the hands of a zealous commander, and one to whom they were attached. The roads into the town, which were then few in number, should have been broken up, and defended at proper places by slight works, the banks of the ravines occupied and strengthened, the bridges destroyed, and the woods, through which the roads pass, should have been intersected at different places by abattis. The moment the British fleet came to an anchor, he had in- stant intelligence by telegraph. Had he dispatched a small corps with some light guns in that direction, it might have disturbed them at night in the wood with immense advantage. He seems to have deluded himself with the idea, that an attack was to be expected almost exclusively on the port ; he therefore added some works on the sea-side, which were already strong enough, and omitted to improve the works on the land side, which were emi- nently deficient, and thus violated a great maxim of war equality of defence. Amidst this conflict of opinions, it may perhaps be safely assumed by the reader, that, from the force General Decaen had then, or might shortly have had, at his disposal, and the rein- forcement, which was subsequently sent from France to his assist- 1 As it was, the total loss of the combined army was seventy killed and 200 wounded, and that of the French was about the same in number. CIJAP. V.] SUCCOUR SENT TO ISLE OF FRANCE FROM EUROPE. 121 ancc, taken in connexion with the near approach of the hurricane months, during which the safety of the fleet, on which alone the army depended for its supplies, would have been endangered at its anchorage, that it would have been impolitic to drive him to an ex- treme, like a stag at bay, and that the course adopted by the com- manders was, under the circumstances, the most prudent. The want of forecaste, however, which was displayed by the English commissioners in sanctioning the stipulation, by which the inhabi- tants were permitted to retain their antiquated, and, in many respects, barbarous code of French laws, has entailed endless difficulties on the British Government, and it is a source of regret that a civilian wa-j not selected in the place of a military man, for a post which demanded a larger share of political foresight and acumen than is generally allotted to the last named profession. A squadron of three French frigates, the Clorinde, Renommee, and Ncrelde of 40 guns each, on board of which were GOO troops and a large quantity of military stores, sailed from Brest in the Feb- ruary of 1811 under the command of Commodore Roquebert, with the design of relieving the Isle of France, whose capture had not been yet ascertained. On the 24th, however, the French commodore received a notification of the intended attack on that island, so that on his arrival in May off Isle de la Passe, he very prudently dis- patched a boat from each of the frigates to the shore at midnight to gain intelligence. The calm of the evening being uninterrupted by any hostile sound, induced the French to suppose that the island was still in their possession. The dawn of day, however, soon dis- sipated the illusion ; for though French colours were hoisted on the fort as a ruse, there was no private signal. This at once alarmed M. Roquebert, who was yet further surprised by the advance of four sail to leeward at sunrise, and the simultaneous appearance of the signals at Isle de la Passe and along the coast (which from their having undergone no alteration since the advent of British power were understood by the French) indicating the presence of three French frigates to windward. The English squadron, which consisted of the Phoebe and Galatea frigates of 36 guns each, and the Racehorse 1 8 gun-brig were part of a force that had been directed by Rear- Admiral Stopford, who was in command of the Cape station, to cruise off the Isle of France, and endeavour to intercept the French division with two others of the enemy's vessels, and on descrying them, made all sail in chase. Information of the arrival of the French was also sent to the Astrea, Captain Sehomberg of 36 guns, then at Port Louis. The enemy being informed by a negro on the shore of the condition of the colony, tacked and stood off to the eastward, followed by the British force, which, imitating the example of the French, hoisted the national colours. In the evening, the distance between the two hostile 122 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. squadrons was much diminished, and at 8 P.M. the French frigates bore up and stood towards the English force, which shortly after wore and steered to the westward in the direction of Isle llonde, then five or six leagues off. The enemy having at that time a supe- rior force and a favourable breeze to manoeuvre with, Captain Hill- yar, who anxiously awaited the arrival of the Astrea, seemed rather to decline an engagement, which led Commodore Iloquebert, who held it dangerous to follow the British into the indraught between Isle llonde and Serpent, to discontinue the chase, and proceed to the eastward, when the two squadrons were about five miles apart. On the 9th at daybreak, they regained a distant sight of each other; but the Phoebe and Galatea bearing up about noon to join the Astrea, the French ships disappeared, on which the English returned to Port Louis. Being deplorably in want of water and provisions, the commodore, after having reduced the allowance to his crews, bore up for Bourbon, and made the land, on which, however, he could not alight, though the defences were weak, in consequence of the heavy surf. Disappointed here, he steered for the coast of Mada- gascar with the design of obtaining there a supply of provisions. On the 19th he surprised the settlement of Tamatave, the garrison of which, then enfeebled by disease, consisted of a hundred officers and men of the 22d regiment, who, after the capture of the Isle of France, had been sent thither by Mr. Farquhar, governor of that island, in the Eclipse of 18 guns, and had taken it from the French. On the 20th at daybreak, Captain Schomberg, who had sailed from Port Louis direct for this settlement, came in sight of Iloquebert near Foul Point with the division under his command, and made all sail in chase, being favoured by a light breeze from off the land. The French ships now formed in order of battle, the Renommee being placed in the centre, the Clorinde ahead, and the Nercide astern, while the British closing in, formed in line ahead, the Racehorse being abreast of the Phoebe. At 3.50 the French, being on the larboard tack, wore together, and after keeping away for a short time, hauled up on the same tack. The British ships approached the enemy on the starboard tack, and when the Astrea was abreast the Renommee the latter opened her fire, which the Astrea presently returned, as also the Phoebe and Galatea. Passing out of gun-shot astern of the Nereide, the Astrea prepared to tack and renew the action, but, as was to have been expected (says Mr. James) so near to the land, particularly off Madagascar, the cannon- ade produced an almost instant calm to leeward, and the Astrea was unable to execute the movement. The French ships, on the contrary, from being to windward, felt its influence the longest, and the breeze had not entirely ceased before two of the French ships had borne up, and stationed themselves in a destructive position near the Phoebe and Galatea. The Racehorse, whose fire should have supported them, here proved ineffective. Owing to the leeward position of the CHAP. V.] ACTION BETWEEN THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH. 123 Galatea, and the efforts of the Phcele by backing her sails to support her consort, these two ships lay nearly abreast of each other. On the starboard quarter of the Phosbe lay the Renommee, and on her starboard bow the Nereide, which had just cleared herself from the An/nn and Racehorse, then a mile and a half ahead of their consorts, and like them becalmed. At 6.30 a slight breeze from the south- east enabled the Phcele, which up to this time had only been able to bring her bow guns to bear on the Nereide, and her quarter ones on the Renommee, as the swell hove her off and brought her to, to close on the Nereide in a raking position. The result of her fire was soon evident by the silence of the Nereide, which was only saved by the interposition of the Clorinde and Renommee, who, seeing her distress, ran down to her assistance. These two frigates had, by the aid of their boats, kept their broadsides to bear on the Galatea in the interval, and cut her up till she was rendered unmanageable, her fore and mizzen topmasts having fallen over the side, and her hull being shattered, she could not wear. After three of her boats had been shattered or cut adrift by the enemy's shot, the Galatea succeeded in opening her broadside on the Clorinde and Renommee, the latter of which received the greater part of her fire. On a light breeze springing up, and while the French frigates ran down to assist their consort, the Galatea made for the Astrea and Racehorse, and with her the action ceased, having lasted four hours. At 8.30 she passed to leeward of the latter vessels under press of sail, and Captain Losack hailed Captain Schomberg to inform him of the shattered state of his ship, her foretopmast having fallen over the larboard bow, and the mizzen topmast upon the main yard, her bow- sprit being badly wounded, and her hold having nearly four feet of water, while her rigging of every sort was cut to pieces. The Astrea immediately closed with the Galatea, and, on hailing her, was informed that she was in too distressed a condition to wear and renew the action. The Astrea, however, supported by the Phoebe and Racehorse, followed up the advantage they had gained, and renewed the combat with the Renommee and Clorinde, which, after having compelled the Phoebe to quit the side of the Nereide, had ordered the latter, then in a defenceless state, to make the land. Commodore Roque- bert stood on his course in the most gallant manner, though un- supported by the Clorinde, 1 and at 9.50 P.M. came close to action 1 The Clorinde kept shamefully aloof during her consort's gallant action. Captain Schomberg states in his despatch : " Another frigate, i.e. theC7orinri:i:i)TNGS OF GOVERNMENT AFTER THE ( AJTIli! . 125 the English frigate TOJM:, in whose favour General Darling had neglected to observe the usual sanatory precautions. In consequence of this event, representations wore addressed to that officer by the council of the commune of St. Louis, which were met on his part by an arbitrary assumption of the power to dissolve them, which was carried into effect on the 18th of February 1820, by a simple circular addressed to each member, and without any proclamation. On reporting the step he had taken to Lord Bathurst, then secretary of state for the colonies, a despatch was transmitted from London, Authorising him to issue a proclamation pronouncing the definitive abolition of that institution. On the return of the Governor, now Sir R. T. Farquhar, in 1820, he issued a proclamation, which an- nounced that Port Louis was re-opened 1 to foreign vessels under certain restrictions. After having rendered many important ser- vices to the colony, that officer retired 2 from the government, and was succeeded in 1823 by Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole. The new governor was the harbinger of measures of the highest importance to the colony. A series of devastating hurricanes had laid waste the crops of the planter, destroying the support of his dependants, and leaving the island in a state of poverty bordering on insolvency, while the oppressive duty on sugar, its staple product, excluded it from the market, to which it could most naturally and profitably look without opening that of the country, with which it had been formerly connected. On the 27th of June, 1825, however, an act was passed by the Imperial Parliament, permitting the importation of the products of the colony into England, which had hitherto been included under the imports of the East Indies, on the same terms, as those of the West Indies. This act of justice gave a new impulse to Mauritian agriculture, and the crops of sugar were soon doubled, as will be seen from the tabular statement inserted in an- other place. In the month of August in the same year appeared a proclama- tion from Governor Cole conceived in a similar spirit. " See- ing that it has pleased his Most Gracious Majesty by his letters 1 The opening of the port to foreign vessels was, in some respects, beneficial, as it facilitated the discharge of the arrears that had existed before the capture of the island. It had the effect, however, of increasing the imports in a scale disproportioned to that of the exports, which for a long time proved highly in- jurious to the colony. The price of provisions was also extravagantly increased, which pressed hard upon the industrial portion of the community. 2 The departure of Sir R. Farquhar is mentioned by the local historian as a misfortune that was very sensibly felt. During his government, the agricultural resources of the colony "had been developed in a manner such as to astonish even the natives themselves, commerce had revived from a state of unparalleled depres- sion, iiiid the revenue had augmented to a considerable degree. The public works hail lu'gun to render communication both rapid and facile ; in a word, the pro- sperity of the island had been assured by his energy and sagacity. The manner in which hi- endeavoured to heal the wound inflicted on the colony by its perma- n.'iit separation from France is no less deserving of commendation. K 130 THE MAURITIUS. [ciIAP. VI. patent, issued under the royal seal and sign manual, by and with the advice of his privy council dated 9th of February 1825, to ordain that a council be established in this colony to consult with the Gover- nor^ and assist him in the administration of the government of the same, and seeing that his Majesty has made known that it is his good pleasure that the said council shall be composed as follows : PRESIDENT. His Excellency the Governor, or the officer charged with the temporary administration of the civil government of the colony. MEMBERS. The Chief Justice. The Colonial Secretary. The officer second in command of the troops. The Collector of Cus- toms with the title of " Honourable." " His Excellency the Governor in consequence makes known by the present proclamation the establishment of the said council, and orders its publication for the information of the inhabitants of the said colony and its dependencies." From this period the laws were no longer in the shape of proclamations emanating from the Gover- nor alone, but ordinances of the Governor in council. One drawback to the advantages of the measure was found to consist in the sup- pression of the royal instructions, so that the colonists were ignorant as well of the constitution as of the powers of the council, nor could they discover whether its office was to advise the Governor, or whether the majority had the power of passing an ordinance in oppo- sition to the will of that high functionary. This inconvenience was, however, the less felt from the reputed character of the executive. Sir Lowry Cole had been no long time at the head of affairs before he had rendered himself beloved by the whole colony, of which he was considered " the father and the friend," and, though it fell to his lot to have to enforce a number of regulations intended to elevate the condition of the negro, but of a character highly obnoxious to the planter, yet " such" (observes a contemporary writer) " was the confidence created by the frank and generous disposition of his excel- lency, and so conciliatory was the intercourse he maintained with the principal inhabitants, that their knowledge of his upright and honourable principles, and his abhorrence of anything like tyranny and oppression, and their conviction of the sincere interest he felt in their welfare, increased the moral influence of his high station, and gave a paternal interest to his government, which made his opinion respected, and ensured the success of measures sanctioned by his recommendation." On the other hand, it has been asserted that he winked at the prosecution of the slave trade, and, by his vacillating course of pro- ceedings, permitted the planter to violate the ordinances he had promulgated, and in this manner betrayed the interests of his govern- ment. Be this, however, as it may, there can be little doubt that the slave trade was carried on during his administration, and that de- (HAP. VI.] GOVERNMENT OF SIR CHARLES COLVILLE. 131 Option was practised upon him in some oilier respects, but there is no reason to believe that he could be privy to a proceeding which had been long since declared to be a felony by the laws of his country, or that his ohtuseness was greater than that of the subordinates who were more immediately concerned in its prevention. Sir Lowry Cole was suc- ceeded in June 1828 by Sir Charles Colville, who promulgated in the following year the order in council of the 22nd of June in the preceding year, which abolished all the unjust distinctions then existing between whites and free citizens of colour. This measure which the government might have adopted with safety long before, produced little or no excitement, and the two classes for some time associated without those strong prejudices of origin, by which the frame-work of society is even yet disturbed in other countries. A similar boon had been conferred on this class by the Colonial 1 Assembly thirty years before the measure now authorized by the British government, but had been abrogated with every other vestige of liberty by Napoleon. In 1830, in consequence of the objectionable constitution of the newly created council, and the publication of an order in council, by which some stringent regulations were intro- duced as to the treatment of slaves, the colonists resolved to despatch an agent to London to lay their complaints at the foot of the throne, and demand certain ameliorations in the laws of their constitution, and in the general administration of the colony. " M. Adrien d'Epinay, who had been long distinguished" (says the Almanach de 1'Ile Maurice) " among his fellow-citizens by his zeal and intelligence, was by them selected to undertake this important mission. On the 10th of October 1830 he embarked for England, carrying his in- structions, their petitions, and the regular powers. He returned to the Mauritius in the October of the following year, and gave an account of his mission in a general assembly held in St. Louis. Lord Goderich, then Secretary of State for the Colonial Department, had received him in the most favourable manner, and promised at- tention to the principal reclamations of the colonists. These pro- mises were partially fulfilled by the creation of a legislative council, into which seven of the inhabitants (as we shall presently see) were admitted, and the important concession of the liberty of the press, by whose means (where it is not perverted) the road is opened to the other blessings of constitutional liberty. Both of these measures were soon after carried into effect by the local government in accord- ance with the instructions of the minister." The executive and legislative council that had preceded, and by whom a large number of important ordinances had been passed during the seven years it had subsisted, was abolished on the 18th of January 1832, and on the same day the following notification entitled " Order of Government" was published by Sir Charles Colville. "His Excellency the Governor, orders that it be made known, that it has pleased his Most Gracious Majesty to address to K 2 132 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. VI. him his royal commission, renewing the letters patent issued by his late Majesty King George the Fourth, constituting and naming his Excellency Governor and Commander-in-chief of the Mauritius and its dependencies, as well as giving him power to form and es- tablish a council of government, which should be composed of certain officers of the crown, and an equal number of other persons selected from among the principal merchants and inhabitants of the colony, and to name and appoint the latter by means of commissions drawn up and signed by his Excellency. " It has pleased his Excellency, in execution of the aforesaid com- mission, and the instructions under the royal sign manual, which accompany it, authorizing the Governor to name as members of tho said council, such persons as his Excellency shall judge fit, to make known that the seven persons required have been named accord- ingly. "It has also pleased his Excellency to order that it be made known, that on the 25th of the current month he will hold a levee, at which the royal commission shall be publicly read, and the afore- said members of the council of government, shall, on admission, take the oath prescribed." Five days after, another official act appeared on the same sub- ject. " It has pleased his Excellency, the Governor, on referring to the order of government dated 18th of January, to make known for the general information, that the undermentioned persons are the official members of the council of government, to wit, the President of the Court of Appeal, the Commander of the Forces, the Colo- nial Secretary, the Collector of Customs, the Colonial Advocate, 1 the Attorney -General, the Protector of Slaves." At the levee held this day at the government house the royal commission was read by his Excellency with the accustomed honours, and his Ex- cellency and the members of the council 2 present took the prescribed oaths in presence of the public authorities and principal inhabitants of the colony. Office of the Colonial Secretary, St. Louis, January 23rd, 1832. G. F. DICK, Colonial Secretary. These acts, it will be observed, only made known the composi- tion of the council without giving any information as to its powers and privileges, of which the public still remained in ignorance. In 1 The functions of Colonial Advocate and Attorney-General having been con- ferred on the same person, the Auditor-General was afterwards named to com- plete the council, and the office of Protector of Slaves being abolished, that officer was replaced by the Colonial Treasurer. 2 "The new Legislative Council, which was composed of seven officials, ind seven unconnected with the Government, had," says Un Vieux Colon, " a aajority, who, though in office, broke their engagements to gain popularity." (IIA1>. VI.] GOVERNMENT OF MU (IIAHLES COLVILLK. 133 tlic same year the royal instructions issued on the 20th of July, 1831, were reeeived from England. By these the rules to be followed in the council of government, commonly called legislative council, were marked out. The first ordinance passed by the council established a penal code, whose enactments assimilated with that of Fiance, but it was subsequently disallowed by Lord Goderich, then colonial minister. No other code having been since introduced, the Mauritius is still governed by that drawn up by the French Repub- lic in 1791, many of whose provisions are extremely rigorous and incomplete. The second ordinance, published in the same year, established the liberty of the press, which had been hitherto sub- jected to the previous censorship of the government secretary. Con- ciliatory as was the natural tendency of these ameliorations, they were found to be insufficient to restore peace and contentment to the colony. From the first years of the establishment of their autho- rity, the British government had seen with concern that the estrange- ment of the inhabitants and their aversion to their rule, so far from becoming enfeebled by time, assumed day by day an increased energy, threatening, on the first sbot that should be fired in war, to restore its ancient possession to France. The cause of this aliena- tion, independent of the reaction in favour of a sympathy with their old metropolis, and a returning feeling of nationality, for a moment blunted by the disasters and privations they had endured on her account, had at times been more directly stimulated by the repres- sion of everything in the shape of constitutional liberty, and the substitution, in its stead, of the arbitrary will of the Governor. To diminish the number of these internal enemies, it has been alleged (with what credibility it is impossible to affirm) that measures were adopted by the British government, calculated by their tendency to compel the discontented to dispose of their property to the English, who had come to establisli themselves in the colony, and that for this purpose they had recourse to a series of measures both arbitrary and vexatious, but that the emigration, proving tardy in its opera- tion, and being found to be unattended by its expected results, it was necessary to resort to other measures of repression, and the opposi- tion, which had assumed a character so formidable, it was thenceforth determined to divide. \Vith respect to the former course of proceeding, it may be urged that the impolicy of such a step, not to mention its injustice, its certain defeat as soon as suspicion should arise, and the universal failure it has in every age experienced, are reasons in themselves sufficient to throw discredit on an allegation, which in all probability owes its origin to the fact, that it was expressly stipulated in one of the terms of the treaty, that the French inhabitants should enjoy the privilege of removing them -elves and property to any part of the world within a definite period. As regards the latter lino of action, by \\liich races may be (;is it is popularly termed) played off upon 134 THE MAURITIUS. [dlAP. VI. each other, its policy is perhaps not only less questionable, but even justifiable, provided it is only resorted to by a government (as in this case) for the simple purposes of self-defence. Society in the Mauritius may be predicated then, as now, to have been divided into three distinct classes. The whites descended from the early French settlers, or more recent accessions, the mulattoes, and freed blacks. The first of these were the issue of concubinage between the white and his female slaves, the last ci-devant slaves who had been freed in return for some meritorious service, whether by the Government or individuals. The slaves themselves. Thus far the first and second of these classes had lived on a mutual good under- standing. The latter, peaceable, thrifty, and laborious, had gone on enriching itself by the patronage of its former masters, whose prejudices, carried to so absurd a height in other colonies, had here lost their excessive seventy; and the advantages, by which the mulattoes were apparently satisfied, were held to be the recompense of the prudent conduct they had manifested during the troubles of the French revolution, in aiding the planters to keep their slaves in subjection. The aversion to its rule displayed by the planter, and the sympa- thy excited in England for the man of colour, who had so long been degraded, induced the colonial government (as we have before ob- served) to divide the opposition, to which its authority was exposed, by the union between this rising class and the European planter, and to address themselves to his love of advancement by endea- vouring to elevate him in the social as well as in the material scale, and to identify him in a greater degree with the class from which he had originally sprung. The mulattoes on their side were in gene- ral indifferent at first to the contemplated change in their condition, inasmuch as it promised to bring little, if any, advantage in a mate- rial point of view, an object to which their regards were principally directed ; yielding, however, at length to the flattering invitations of the government, they attached themselves firmly to its inte- rests, and without estranging themselves from the white planter, continued to be little disposed to return to a state of which they now saw the disadvantages. On the other hand, the laws that had been promulgated by the Imperial Parliament on the slave question since the general peace, the stringent regulations in favour of the negro, and the perfect equality thenceforward to exist between the white and the man of colour, while they met with a strong resistance in the West Indies, appeared to the Mauritian planter to be called into vigour without a sufficient regard to interests so im- portant, and prejudices now beginning to be recalled. In addition to the shock which the prejudices of the planter had sustained, his discontent was destined to be further excited, when the agents of the Government, in whom he had so little confidence, benevolently interposed between himself and that which he deemed the most (HAP. VI.] GOVERNMENT OF SIR CHARLES COLVILLE. 1 3.~> precious part of his property his slaves, whom lie already found it difficult to keep under restraint, and, by weakening the bonds that united them to their masters, threatened a compulsory effranchise- ment and rebellion. Feelings like these were sure to find a veut in some direction, and, the theatre being selected for the purpose, the purrs, from which any disparaging allusions to the English nation could be extracted, enjoyed a preference on every occasion, and met with the most vehement applause. Many times the disorder was pushed to an extreme, till the Government at length deemed it their duty to interpose and suppress the effervescence every day increas- ing, by closing the theatre, and deporting the actors to Bourbon. Meanwhile, the attachment of the mulatto and the labouring popu- lation being firmly secured, the Colonial Government could have afforded to look with contempt upon the disloyalty of what was, after all, an inconsiderable portion of its subjects, and have baffled the designs of France (had such been conceived) for the recovery of her ancient possession. In March 1832, a new order in council, for regulating the duties of masters and servants, bearing date of the 2nd of November, 1831, arrived, and was immediately put in force. Previous to this, a pro- ject for the emancipation of slaves, which the colonists 1 saw was inevitable, having been prepared and drawn up, was transmitted by them to England for approval. The same vessel that had brought the order in council was also bearer of the intelligence that Mr. Jeremie, ci-devant Chief Justice at St. Lucia, whence he had been recalled on the complaint of the inhabitants, was to be sent to the Mauritius as Procureur-General. A forcible pamphlet, which he had published in London, and in which he expressed a desire to see the emancipation of the slaves immediately achieved, was, at the same time, received. A report spread abroad that the object of his mission was to carry this into effect at the Mauritius, where he was anxious to make a primary experiment. The news, transmitted from mouth to mouth, finally reached the ears of the slaves them- selves, among whom a ferment arose, which was presently followed by acts of disobedience and insubordination. Fires also, the work of the incendiary, burst out in several places. A deputation of the principal inhabitants assembled, in consequence, on the 27th of March, at the Government-house, and presented an address to the Governor, expressive of the danger by which they conceived the colony to be menaced, and requesting that he would authorize the 1 Professing a desire to moderate and direct the course of events on this exciting subject, these men proposed to the Government to prepare the colony for the approaching change by discussion, and styled themselves " the Colonial Committee." They soon, however, degenerated into a body politic, and attacked the Government ; but Sir Lowry Cole did not compel them to confine themselves to the original object of their institution ; so that the minority, who remained faith- ful to the principles for which they had met, were silenced by the others. Un " Coum. 136 TIIE MAURITIUS. [dlAP. VI. colonists to form themselves into a corps of volunteers for the main- tenance of the public tranquillity. His Excellency granted the authority. Volunteers were immediately formed in the town and country districts, and guard was punctually kept, day and night, for the repression of any movement among the slaves. On the 4th of June, in the same year, arrived Mr. Jeremie, 1 in the ship Ganges. On the following day, after taking the oath prescribed, he was admitted to a seat in the Council, which was announced on the same day by an official notice, and inserted in the Government Gazette. His presence augmented the public uneasi- ness. The course of affairs was interrupted by a spontaneous movement. 2 All the shops were simultaneously closed. The advo- cates and solicitors quitted the courts of justice, which now became deserted. It seemed as if the whole colony had become all at once paralysed. The markets were without provisions, and the harvest, which ordinarily commenced at this period of the year, was left uncut by the inhabitants. Addresses without number poured in from every quarter of the island, entreating the Governor to put an end to the deplorable state of affairs by the removal of Mr. Jeremie from his post. An extraordinary meeting of the Legislative Council, to which was added a certain number of persons chosen from among the most respectable and influential in the colony, was summoned by Sir Charles Colville, and to the united body was sub- mitted the question of the return of that magistrate. A very large majority pronounced in the affirmative. Having in this manner ascertained the opinion of the leading men, the Governor was anxious to assure himself of that of the mass of the planters. A general meeting of the white inhabitants was therefore held at St. Louis on the 27th of June, and an address was unanimously voted, demanding the immediate removal of Mr. Jeremie, which was soon covered with several thousand signatures. 1 Mr. Jeiemie had been named Procureur-General in the room (says Un Vieux Colon) of a violent demagogue, who afterwards joined the malcontents, and had been raised to that post by the influence of the party styling them- selves " French," who had rested all their hopes of innovation on him. So reckless was the effervescence of the rabble, that the new officer had nearly been massacred on landing, and on the following day was compelled to enter the courts of justice without the insignia of office, and by a private door. In argu- ment and mental qualifications (continues the same writer), his opponents werf by no means a match for him ; and had he arrived eighteen months sooner, he would have been received with open arms by the colony, few of whose inhabi- tants would then have joined the malcontents, the creditors would not have been ruined so universally by fraudulent debtors, nor would justice have been so uni- versally tampered with by chicanery, while the indemnity would have been dis- tributed among those for whom it was designed. 2 Un Vieux Colon denies that the course of affairs was interrupted by the people in general, but states it to have been the act of the clique before men- tioned, who hoped, by preventing provisions from entering the town, to exas- perate the populace, and drive it into excesses. CHAP. VI.] GOVERNMENT OF SIR CHARLES COLVILLE. 137 Upon this, Sir Charles Colville no longer hesitated, and published an order of Government to the following effect on the 10'th of July : u His Excellency the Governor has judged proper, in conformity with the decision announced by his Excellency to the Council of Government, to ordain, that the Honorable Procureur and Advocate- (lenoral embark for England with all possible promptitude. "Given at the Government-house, St. Louis, 16th July, 1832. " CHARLES COLVILLE, " Governor and Commander-in-Chief." On the 20th, Mr. Jeremie departed from the island. Order and tranquillity were instantly restored, affairs resumed their wonted course, and every one returned to their ordinary occupations. 1 On 1 The local writer, whom we have before quoted, gives a far different account of the authors of this movement to that with which our English readers are perhaps acquainted, and thus characterizes the men, " who, having sprung from the scum of the population, succeeded by their senseless, but incessant clamour, in working on the fears and imbecility of the Government." We must content ourselves with an abrege of the description of their proceedings, with which he fills several hundred pages, in (as we cannot help thinking) a very unprofitable manner. " This party, which may be said to have been the spawn of the French Revolution, was composed of men, who to the most visionary ideas respecting the restitution of the colony to France, joined the most fraudulent intentions with respect to the debts they had contracted. During the earlier years, in which the new Government was established, the transition through its agency from the extreme of despondency to a prosperity unexampled, the revival of commerce, the development of the agricultural resources of the island to a degree unknown before, the retention of the French language (for a long time even in official documents) and laws, and th^ moderation with which it aimed at assimi- lating the colony with British interests, had produced their effect on the whole community, and gained for it the co-operation of the more respectable proprie- tors and merchants ; and though the men in question occasionally indulged in violent and ridiculous sallies (on hearing, for example, of the return of Napoleon from Klba, &c.), and were eager to insinuate themselves into place by means far from scrupulous, vet they were checked, arid their clamour excited little sym- pathy, as was proved during the visit of the Earl of Moira to the Mauritius, who, though he hud rilled a prominent place during the wars of the Revolution, met with the most courteous reception from the colony in general. The lapse of time, which familiarizes men with the most perfect of institutions, and the measures adopted with respect to the slave trade and slavery, gave them at length a dinsen opportunity (which they were not the men to slight) for carrying their malevolent intentions into effect. Two circumstances (or rather evils) inherent iu the constitution of Mauritian society, tended to further their otherwise power- less efforts. The bar, with some honourable exceptions, bad long intrigued for the possession of a monopoly of wealth and honours, the direction of the public opinion, as well as of the affairs of commerce. Restrained within due limits b} General Decaen and Sir R. Farquhar, it subsequently became the promoter of disorder, made itself conspicuous in assemblies and in the press, conspired witu the debtors to defraud their creditors, and by its chicanery rendered the move- ment of justice as slow as it was obnoxious. In like manner, the press, to whom liberty hud at length been conceded by the Government, (though the r.ship, so iar from having been placed in the* bands of the proper authorities, had in iv, ill i\- pi . ,i controlled 1>\ the leaders of disorder) became an instrument iu their hands for insulting their opponents. A new and secret 138 THE MAURITIUS. [dlAP. VI. the 31st of January, 1833, Sir Charles Colville was succeeded by Sir William Nicolay, in compliance with his request that he might association, called the " Bande Noire," now arose, which for the better accom- plishing its objects, divided the island into departments. It possessed an almost unlimited influence over the courts of justice by means of its adherents among the bar, over the finances by means of the bank, whose operations it conducted, and over the police by the aid of the press, which seemed to be free for such purposes only. With liberty and equality ever on their lips, these adventurers opposed every act, which had the liberty of others for its object, and were furious against the government, if it propagated in its proclamations ideas simi- lar to their own. According to their own account, their aim was to defend the property of the colonists to the death, but they nevertheless flattered and caressed the anti-slavery party, vociferating at the same time against all ordi- nances for ameliorating the slaves, and ill treating the protectors charged with their execution. Though Sir Lowry Cole had followed in the steps of Sir R. J. Farquhar and was universally respected for his frank, simple, and generous dis- position, yet was the visit of Sir Hudson Lowe chosen as an opportunity for insulting him and dishonouring the national flag. The government thus menaced, refrained from striking again, created protectors of slaves, yet did not protect itself; promulgated ordinances, conceived but to be eluded, abandoned its em- ployes to menace, persecution, and mal-treatment, in the fulfilment of their duty, as a recompense to those, whom its imbecility had given the actual management of affairs, and placed men in office, when it should have deported them. The re- sult was the triumph of the latter and the depreciation of English interests. The arrival of Mr. Jeremie brought things to a crisis, but excitement had arisen long before, and might have been foreseen by the Government, which appears to have considered it as the mere effervescence of a number of young men. The press, which should be the palladium of liberty and justice, and give warning of danger, now became yet more violent, the youth were with difficulty kept under restraint, the Marseillaise and Parisienne were chanted at the theatre, a/id in the streets, where they served as rallying cries to (what maybe called) the insurgents, while everything betokened the coming storm. At this moment a body, styling them- themselves " the Committee of Public Safety,'' who were identical with the ci- devant colonial committee, presented themselves to the Governor, and demanded an authorization to arm. Having gained permission, the leaders, when their party was assembled, for the first time showed hesitation and incertitude, and would have been willing to fill a more subordinate part. In fact they had miscalculated the public feeling, which was only an effervescence, and would have rejoiced at an insurrection among the slaves (whom indeed they did accuse of an intention to revolt, and alleged were incendiaries) to have given a reason for their inter- position. Taking courage, they at length sounded the cry to arras ; occupied posts ; prevented the assembling of merchants ; shut the bazaar ; left negroes unemployed ; intimidated workmen from proceeding to labour ; forbade trans- actions in produce ; held out menaces, imprisonment, and stoning to those who persisted ; sent out spies, who rendered a faithful and circumstantial account of their investigations, to note everything they saw or heard ; and compelled the civil commissaries (who otherwise feared the loss of their posts) to connive at their excesses. The silence of the streets was interrupted for forty days solely by horsemen bearing despatches. The rich, expecting the pillage of their pro- perty, were anxious to dispose of it at any price, while the factious, unconcerned for the result, which they foresaw, took the opportunity to reduce their debts. Meanwhile the press, which was eager to encourage discord, insulted the Govern- ment, as it did all who were exposed to its machinations, asserted that the people were calm and moderate, that the installation of Mr. Jeremie was illegal, and that their party was making enormous sacrifices for the public good in fur- nishing food gratuitously to the poor, while they at the same time defrauded their legitimate creditors. The same exaggerations arid falsehoods were resorted to THAI'. VI.] GOVERNMENT OF Sill WILLIAM MCOLAY. 139 be permitted to return to England. 1 The character of that officer, acknowledged by his opponents to have been at once frank, open, firm, and conciliatory, was revered by all who surrounded him ; but, from his arriving at the helm of affairs at a critical period, and being compelled to execute orders which, though just, were in their appli- cation necessarily severe, he could not be justly appreciated by the soured dispositions of men, who, in spite of all his efforts, became more and more estranged from him. In short, society itself was divided into two parties, equally animated by those peremptory and splenetic sentiments inherent in the violent conflicts of politics. In vain did Lady Colville, a woman of high birth, and of a sweet and amiable temper, aim at bringing about a reconciliation by means of grand and magnificent reunions. The parties met, but new causes of rivalry produced also new sources of exasperation. On the 4th of February, 1833, Sir W. Nicolay published an order in council of the 6th of November, directing the dissolution of the volunteers, under pain of death. The corps had already disbanded itself some months before, tranquillity having been re-established among the slaves. The measures taken by the new Governor were considered by the planters as clearly demonstrative of the nature of the reports made by Mr. Jeremie to the British Government. His powers, too, had become in like manner extended. They held it, as at the French revolution, with a view to exasperate and corrupt the masses. Women were said to suffer the throes of premature accouchement; children to flee ; and slaves to revolt at the mere mention of the name of Jeremie. The orders of government were received by the committee of public safety without being- executed, they gave no account of their proceedings, nor would they co-operate with the regular troops, and yet for all this they have in the place of punishment received rewards. Un Vieux Colon. 1 In so grave an emergency as that in which he had been placed, Sir Charles Colville, who had no other thoughts than for the prosperity of the colony, was tranquil and relying, and the truth having never reached him, he thought he was surrounded by friends of order and the established power, instead of enemies of both. It has been thought that he did not coincide in the instructions sent out from home, and his flexibility towards the malcontents, whom firmness would have suppressed, would seem to warrant the assertion. Since 1832, the Govern- ment had been of the species denominated " laisser faire,*' but the eagerness of the home government to accomplish the emancipation of the slaves, induced it to seek support among these soi-disant friends of the colony, who desired nothing more than to enrich themselves at its expense. In return for these advantages, it has endured raillery, insult, and revolt, and has been compelled to reward the ai;< nts of such transactions, making vice sit by the side of virtue, and the oppres- sor by the oppressed, has suffered fortunes to be built on the ruin of honest families, and its best subjects to be pillaged for the sake of adventurers. Though the Governor had not hesitated to compromise his private fortune, in rendering assistance to a number of proprietors overwhelmed with debt, by lend- ing them a large sum on the public security, yet so base was the spirit engen- dered by parly, that the men, who had profited by his generosity, were subse- quently opposed to him, and obliged him to surround himself with troops to secure Ins person from insult. The sum advanced was squandered on insolvent drhtors, nor was it wonderful that such should have happened, when it is con- sidered through whose hands it in a great measure passed. Un Vievx Colon. 140 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. VI. therefore, to be an object of particular importance, that an agent should be despatched to England to give a version of their own with respect to the late occurrences, and gain the ear of the minister. To that end a general assembly was convened at St. Louis in February, 1833, by the permission of the Government. The choice of the colonists again fell on M. Adrien d'Epinay, and he embarked for England four days afterwards. On the 29th of April, Mr. Jeremie returned to the island on board a vessel of war, with two regiments destined to reinforce the gar- rison. His arrival was announced by an official notification, dated the 29th of April, and he immediately entered on his functions at the court of appeal, and he took his seat in the council. One of his first measures was to cause the publication of a series of ordinances restrictive of the liberty of the press, by the first of which a power was extended to the public accuser of using his discretion as to pro- secuting the editors of journals in the Court of Assizes, or the Tribunal of the Correctional Police. By a second, the exclusive privilege of all judicial and legislative announcements was assured to the Government Gazette. A few days after, a number of the inhabitants in the quartier of Grand Port were arrested on a charge of conspiracy against the Government. The same occurrence had taken place in the year preceding. The accusation of high treason was sustained by Mr. Jeremie with the greatest pertinacity, but, in despite of his utmost efforts, the Court of Assize, presided over by Chief Justice Blackburn, pronounced their complete acquittal on the 29th of March, 1834, and they were immediately set at liberty, after having passed seven months in confinement. From that moment the power of Mr. Jeremie ceased to be felt, and an official advice of the 3rd of September announced his dismissal, by order of the King, and the nomination of M. P. d'Epinay in his room. The Presi- dent of the Tribunal of Premiere Instance, who was thought to have exceeded his authority in the case of several commercial houses of St. Louis, was at the same time dismissed, and both took their departure for England. To give an account of all the proceedings of Mr. Jeremie during his residence in the Mauritius, would be to drag ourselves into sub- jects, rather more akin to political discussion than is consistent with a treatment of facts ; suffice it to observe, that, while the rectitude of the intentions by which the British Government were actuated cannot be for a moment called in question, they would nevertheless seem to have been unfortunate in the selection of their agent, whoso measures were as precipitate as they were imprudent and vindictive. In January 1 835, M. Adrien d'Epinay returned to the Mauritius after an absence in London of sixteen months. His reception in England had been accompanied by reserve on the part of the Government, which he finally succeeded in dissipating by his perseverance. After many interviews with the Secretary for the colonies, some of his re- (HAP. VI.] GOVERNMENT OF SIR LIONEL SMITH. 141 quisitions were acceded to, but the readjustment of the ministry pro- tracted a decision. No sooner had the new minister, Mr. Spring Rice, been put in possession of the facts on which he rested his claims, than lie was replaced in his turn by Lord Glenelg, who was by no means so favourably disposed as his predecessors to the conces- sion of his demands. On his arrival in the colony, however, his labours were rewarded by a succession of banquets and other ac- knowledgments in every quarter of the island. On the 1st of February 1835, the Act of Parliament passed on the 28th of August, 1833 (3 and 4 W. 4. cap. 73), came into operation, and slavery ceased from that moment to exist in the Mauritius. This great event was unaccompanied by anything in the shape of disorder, and was celebrated by the negro with the most heartfelt feelings of grati- tude and joy. An order in council of the 6th of July in the same year preserved to the colonists the rights of apprenticeship over the ci-ilti'ant slaves. In October, 1836, the magnificent port of Mahe- bourgh, which had up to this time remained closed to trading vessel?, was opened by an advice from the collector of customs. In his late mission to England, the policy of the measure had been strongly urged by the agent. Sir William Nicolay was succeeded early in 1840 by Sir Lionel Smith, G.C.B., &c. who had so eminently distinguished himself by his gallantry and soldier-like conduct in every part of the globe, and his advocacy of the cause of humanity in the West Indies. The at- tention of the new Governor, whose mind was as unwarped by passion and prejudice, as it was quick in the detection of a false and pseudo philanthropy, was principally directed to a mitigation of the evils, which had been found to result to the proprietary of the colony from the loss of slave labour, as well as to an earnest endea- vour to obtain the resumption of Coolie emigration from India, and a refutation of the mendacious assertions made by a party of fanatics in England relative to cruelties alleged by them to be inflicted on the emigrants. The hard services of this officer in tropical climates had worn out his constitution (accelerated in great measure by his constant atten- dance upon his consort) at the comparatively early age of sixty- four, lie was seized in January 1842 with hydrothorax, or effusion of water on the chest, from which he almost immediately expired at Kedruit, his country-house. Sir Lionel Smith was succeeded by Lieutenant- Colonel Stavely, the senior officer in command of the troops, until the arrival of Sir William Gomm, K.C.B., the present Governor, who had at the out- sot to contend with financial difficulties of no ordinary character, arising in great measure from a monetary crisis, that had in its turn originated in overtrading and an excess of imports. This difficulty was overcome by his prudence and firmness, and the career of his Excellency may be said hitherto to have been as successful, all things 142 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. VI. considered, as that of any of his predecessors. A better feeling now exists on the part of the colonists towards Great Britain, and though it would be unreasonable to expect an immediate fusion of ideas and interests so diverse, yet the good work has commenced, and promises to be progressive. A knowledge of the English language is now also becoming generally diffused, while, in a material point of view, the introduction of Indian labourers has been effective in producing an increase in the export of sugar, and proved to be attended by the calamities so unceasingly predicted by its detractors. Before we close the chapter, we cannot refrain from adverting to a subject akin to the matter contained in it. In the course of the history, mention has been incidentally made of the vast and neigh- bouring island of Madagascar. It is not our purpose to transgress to any great degree the limits to which we had confined ourselves in respect of a country, to do adequate justice to whose importance, resources, and extent, or to narrate whose annals, encumbered as they are with deeds of savage life, would fill volumes, rather than the few pages we can possibly devote to such a subject. We shall commence then by observing, that Madagascar is not only an island of vast extent, and in some parts very densely peopled ; but is also most fertile, offering great variety of temperature, with some of the finest harbours, and the best timber in the world. The interior is also remarkably healthy. It is, however, for the most part sur- rounded by a narrow border of swamp, owing to the sea and the mouths of the rivers being frequently on the same level, as is the case on the west coast of Africa. This swamp is of a most deadly nature, and, at one season of the year, living in these parts of Madagascar is almost certain death to a European. In one, if not in more districts, the swamp ceases, or at all events is very narrow. The capital, Tanavarino, on the high lands, near the centre of the island is very healthy, but only approachable by a narrow path, little more than six feet wide, cut zigzag through the woods to make the distance appear greater than it really is. Towards the capital flows a broad and navigable river, which penetrates far inland. The south and west coasts are beautifully clothed with timber, and ver- dant with the richest pastures. Along the east coast, a margin of low land extends from ten to thirty miles from the shore, and along the west coast from 50 to 100. The land then rises, forming ex- tensive steppes or tables, running north and south, diversified with hills of greater or less elevation, the highest about 6,000 feet above the sea, luxuriant valleys, passes, and ravines, craters of extinct volcanoes, immense forests, savannahs, rivers, and lakes ; the latter, says Martin, affording some of the finest scenery in the island, while almost every part of the coast is indented with spacious harbours and bays, some of them fifty miles deep, with soundings in every part, and sheltered from all winds. The principal tribe or people are the Ovahs, who are now in the ascendant, and the Saccalanas, THAI'. VI.] MADAGASCAR AND ITS PEOPLE. 143 who \virc friends to the English, but have been lately crushed by tlic Ovahs. The population of the island has been estimated at five millions, and is divided into two distinct races ; the one inhabiting the table land of the interior ; the other the districts bordering on the coast. The features of the latter partake, both as regards the nose and the configuration of the skull, of the negro character. Their figures too are lofty and Herculean, the complexion black, and they have in general dark bushy hair. The former, including the Ovahs, are of a copper colour, and resemble Asiatics, their hair is long, and silky, and the head and face of a European mould. 1 The Malagash are clothed, says Martin, the men in flowing robes of cotton cloth, principally of native manufacture, frequently of the plaid pattern, and worn like the Roman toga, the women wear a short jacket with long sleeves and folding robes round the waist and limbs. They manufacture to a considerable extent silken cotton, hemp, &c., some of their clothes being dyed with hues of the bright- est colours. They work also iron, tin, copper, gold, and silver, out of which they make chains of great length, and of neat and often elegant workmanship. The Spanish dollar is the principal coin in circulation, and is often divided into a number of parts representing a proportionate value. The policy of Great Britain of late years would seem to have been non-interference with the internal affairs of Madagascar, though it has had numerous provocations to such a step. The French, on the contrary, from their possessing no har- bour at Bourbon, have long been desirous of a footing there, and have made several attempts, as at Nossi Beh, which have in general proved unsuccessful, owing to the unhealthiness of the climate. St. Mary's, however, has long been in their possession. Tamatave, the scene of the recent conflict, was captured, as the reader will remem- ber, at the close of the war from France, by a part of the squadron cruising off Mauritius, but it would appear to have been subse- quently abandoned by Great Britain. We now revert for a moment to the state of affairs after the death of Radama, of whom we have spoken in another place. That mon- arch was succeeded by Ranavala Manjaka, the present queen, who was no long time in undoing all the good effected by her predecessor, 1 A somewhat striking instance of the superiority of the light over the dark coloured Malagash is given by Mr. Martin. A certain number of youths of both colours were placed on board the vessels of war on the Cape station, in order to form a set of seamen for Radama, as we had already aided him, through the in- strumentality of Mr. Hastie, in forming a powerful army. Six light and six dark-coloured youths were shipped on board the Ariadne, one of each colour was placed under the care of the carpenter ; another pair under the armourer ; another under the sail-maker ; the light coloured race learned their respective trades as aptly as an English youth would have done. The dark coloured were slow, hut persevering, and as sailors never exhibited that activity aloft, which their fairer countrymen did, though the latter were an inland people, and the former maritime. 1 44 THE MAURITIUS. [CITAP. VI. ordering all the missionaries out of the kingdom, and burning or decapitating all the native Christians on whom she could lay her hands, being many thousands in number. Some, however, escaped to the Mauritius, by means of the British missionaries, with whom they were conveyed in a frigate sent by Sir R. Farquhar for the purpose to that island, and after undergoing a course of training, were employed in the instruction of their own countrymen, then in slavery on that island. The queen who, though indulging in constant intoxication and hideous acts of cruelty, is really a superior woman, is about fifty years of age, and has, a la Catharine, a constant succession of lovers, who are said to be equally desirous with herself to repress the pro- gress of civilization. She is in partnership in several sugar estates at Madagascar with a Frenchman from Bourbon, who finds machinery, and she, land and slaves. 1 In the May of last year, an order was issued by Ranavala, that all the foreign traders in her dominions (principally from Mauritius, and Bourbon) should become naturalised Malagash, and thereby subject themselves to a law which, among other disabilities, ren- dered them slaves under certain contingencies, and in the event of non-compliance with certain rules ; and she gave them a very short time to dispose of their property and leave the island, in case of their unwillingness to become so naturalised, which had the immediate effect of interrupting the trade with Mauritius and Bourbon in ar- ticles almost indispensable to the existence of those islands. On in- telligence of this premeditated outrage arriving at the Mauritius, Sir William Gomm, immediately despatched Captain Kelly in the corvette Conway, who, on arriving in Tamatave roads, found there, in accordance with a previous arrangement, the Berceau and Zidee French men-of-war, sent thither by Admiral Bazoche, the Governor of that island, to receive on board the European residents, who were in great danger from the tyranny of the queen. On their arrival, both the French and English officers agreed, that if they committed, without any manifest provocation, an act of hostility against the Ovahs, they might expose to serious danger the Europeans residing in other parts of Madagascar, from Fort Dauphin to Vahemar, and they accordingly determined to temporize. The next day, therefore, the English officer landed, and held a con- ference with the Malagash, among whom was Razakafidy, the Governor of Tamatave himself. They comported themselves in a most insolent manner, informed him plainly that they had impera- tive orders from the Queen to enforce the measures against the 1 The Appendix contains a short account of the various attempts to colonise Madagascar by the French, as well as a consideration of the grounds on which their claims are hased, and a statement of their late aggressions in the Indian Ocean, to which we refer the reader. CIIAI*. VI.] CONFLICT WITH THE MALAOASII. 145 traders, that in case of non-compliance they would drive tlieni into the sea, and refused to wait until a letter from Captain Kelly to the Queen, requesting a sufficient time, at least, for the embarkation of their property, and protesting against such treatment, should he sent to her at the capital. An export duty of ten per cent, ad valorem had been also imposed on the embarkation of their effects. The French they flatly refused to admit even to a conference. Captain Kelly returned, therefore, on board. The next day was occupied in the embarkation of the European residents and their effects, or as much as could be got off, and the duty was not rigorously enforced. The Ovahs 1 also evacuated the town, carrying off baggage and burdens to the three forts parallel with the coast. On Sunday morning, the united division bombarded the fort. The reasons which induced Captain Kelly to adopt this course were the harsh treatment of the residents, and the obligation to embark at such a notice, and under such circumstances, as amounted prac- tically to a confiscation of their property ; the insolent bearing of the Malagash at and subsequent to the conference, and the refusal to allow him to communicate with the Queen in a satisfactory man- ner. Three hundred and fifty men, of whom one hundred were from the garrison at Bourbon, and the others belonging to the crews of the division under the command of Captain Fiereck and Lieutenant Heseltine, accompanied by the refugees, who requested permission to follow as volunteers, landed in the afternoon of the 15th, and advanced across a plain under a sharp fire from the fort, which was in great measure screened by a plantation of trees, and a battery of grape and musketry, which were directed with a precision which would have astonished them, had they not been informed that the artillery was superintended by a renegade Spaniard, who made a most improper use of his talents. The enemy was, however, driven out of the battery, and the guns were spiked. The outwork or screen, which had been supposed to be the fort itself, was stormed and taken. They now discovered the real fort or keep (of the existence of which, incredible as it may appear, the residents at Tamatave, not being allowed to visit the works of defence, were themselves ignorant), which is of a circular form, and mounting thirty guns, casemated in a circular gallery. The garrison of Tamatave con- sisted of one thousand men, viz., four hundred Ovah regular troops, and six hundred Betsimisaracs auxiliaries. The wall was about thirty feet high, and surrounded by a ditch of about the same width. 1 At two o'clock, a boat, which awaited the reply of Razakafidy, Captain Kelly having given time till that hour to acknowledge the receipt of his protest, returned with the following laconic answer : " We have received your letter, and we clearly declare that we can make no change in the proclamation which we have issued, it being a law of Madagascar. " 1 salute you, " RAZAKAFIDY, " Commander and Governor of Tamatave." 14G THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. VI. Possession was kept of the top of the screen for upwards of half an hour, and a constant fire kept up. Having no means of breaching the wall, and the men falling fast under a shower of balls and grape-shot, they retired, carrying off the flag, for the possession of which the French and English sailors disputed for a long time. The flag-staff' being shot through, fell inside the circular fort, on the edge of which it had stood. It was then put on a lance, or some- thing of the sort, and stuck again on the wall in a crevice of the stones. Being again shot away, it this time fell outwards, hanging down within a few feet of the bottom of the ditch, between the inner fort and the screen. Two English sailors and a midshipman, and two or three Frenchmen, made a rush into the ditch after it, seized it, and neither party being able to get it from the other, after struggling a considerable time in the very hottest of the Malagash fire, they were about to come to cutlass blows with one another, when Lieutenant Kennedy, of the Conway, to prevent mischief, rushed down, and with his knife cut it in two, giving half to each party. The standard was of pure white, with the Queen's name, " Ranavala Manjaka," in large letters, two or three letters remained with the flag-staff. The English got the " Manjaka," and the French the major part of the " Ranavala." In returning after this admirable arrangement, Lieutenant Kennedy was getting through one of the embrasures in the screen, when a gun went off, and killed several, but he escaped with a slight wound from a splinter. The guard-house, custom-house, and a considerable part of the town having been burned, the troops landed on the following day, carried off the remaining European property, as well as the wounded. The killed, whose heads were next day exposed on the beach, stuck on pikes, they were compelled to leave behind. The men-of-war and all the merchant ships then sailed from the harbour. The loss of the English was : Killed, four ; wounded, one officer and eleven men. French : Killed, three officers and fourteen men ; wounded, one officer and forty-two men. The Zelee and Berceau lost a top- mast each from the fire of the enemy, but the Conway, which com- menced the fire, had only a few ropes cut. Nearly all the balls passed over the ships, which had anchored about eight hundred yards from the shore, and whose fire was excellently served. On the intelligence of this outrage arriving in France, the minis- try at once determined to inflict a signal punishment on the treacherous Ovahs, and an expedition was immediately equipped, of which rumour gave the command to the naval representative of the House of Orleans itself. Three causes, however, operated in the first instance to delay, and finally to postpone to an indefinite period, the vengeance so promptly aimed at. The revival of war in Algeria, and its threatened extension to Morocco ; the jealousy and distrust entertained by the larger part of the French press of any warfare in which England should be a co-operator, and its conse- CHAP. VI.] CONFLICT WITH THE MALAGASH. 147 quent unpopularity with tlie opposition, combined with a conviction then prevalent that Madagascar might prove a second Algeria, if not yet more deadly ; and, what was more, the disinclination of the minister (who had conceived the expedition solely with the view of quieting his opponents in the Chambers), on seeing the apathy and repugnance with which they viewed it. Meanwhile, Sir William Gomm had effected a survey of the whole coast, with the view of facilitating the operations of any armament that might be despatched by the two powers. In one of his descents, the English officer was met in a deprecatory tone by the Ovahs, who assured him that it was far from their intention to insult or oppress the English, and that they would never have experienced such treatment had they not conceived that his country- men had combined with the French, who had always sought to overthrow their independence, in a design for the subjugation of the island. END OF PART THE FIRST. I, 2 148 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. I. PART THE SECOND. CHAPTER I. PIRACY IN THE INDIAN OCEAN. Quin et comraercia ipsa infestant ex insulis Arabes, Ascitae, appellati, quoniana bubulos utres binos sternentes ponte piraticum exercent sagittis vene- natis. PMN. THE insecurity of the ancient navigation of the northern part of the Erythrean Sea, which is recorded by Pliny as having arisen from the piratical attacks of the Arabs, was extended, according to the Abbe Ro9hon, to its southern waters, soon after Vasco de Gama had dis- covered the new route to the East. After a careful search, how- ever, for any statement that might bear out this opinion of the early rise of piracy, we have come to the conclusion that he has assigned too early a date to its first establishment, despite of the confidence we have in his general accuracy. Nor does he give a single instance in support of his assertion, nor is one perhaps anywhere to be found. That piracy commenced, however, in the East, during the succeed- ing century, is certain ; for we find in the earlier annals of the Mauritius that the colony was withdrawn from thence by the Dutch in consequence of the Governor having been found to be implicated in these transactions. During the whole of the seventeenth cen- tury, commerce was seriously harassed by these freebooters, who were composed of a motley assortment from every nation in Europe, but principally of Englishmen, whose national commerce had now become important in the East. An early writer on eastern piracy (whose pages are the more striking from their containing recommendations for its suppression that appear to be identical with the regulations of the new Act for the Registry of Seamen) thus accounts for the formidable hordes who at this time sprung up in the East : '* They (the pirates) began their barbarous trade shortly after the . I.] PIRACY IN THE INDIAN OCEAN. 149 late private war between the East India Company and the Moors, when the news of the ricli booty their ships had acquired stirred up the old buccaneer gangs of the West Indies, where prizes had become scarce, and the Spaniards were less easily robbed than formerly, to direct their course to the East. Here, having met with a success equal to their expectations, their numbers were increased by fresh accessions. During the war that broke out between France and England, the privateers, whose success against French vessels had been limited, were so tempted by the secure and successful life then enjoyed by the pirates, that whole companies both from England and the American colonies flocked to Madagascar, &c. They who went from England either had a commission to distress the enemies of the nation, or went in merchant ships, and, mutinying against their officers, ran away with the vessels, or else, having touched at Madagascar for refreshment or traffic, and their ships being sold, taken, or cast away, and they being left destitute of an opportunity for returning home, turned pirates. They who went from the North American colonies were either old buccaneers, who had com- missions from the Governors, or such as went to trade with the pirates of Madagascar, and, being debauched by their bad company, joined them." The fear of these brigands deterred the English slave dealers, who had commenced their operations on the western coast of Madagascar, more particularly at St. Augustine's Bay, from a perseverance in that trade. Several squadrons of British men-of-war were now sent against them, but they cruised without success. 1 " A single ship, however," observes the quaint writer from whom I have extracted this fact, " commanded by one Millar, hath done more than all the chargeable fleets could do ; for with a cargo of strong ale and brandy, which he carried to sell them, he killed five hundred of them by carousing, though they took his ship and cargo as a present from him, and most of his men entered into the society of the pirates, who had now selected a place on the east coast of Madagas- car as an asylum, which had a good harbour to shelter them from the weather, but was difficult to enter, from being environed with islands and dangerous shoals. Hearing that a squadron of British ships were in quest of them, they removed to the main isle, where 1 The mode of punishing pirates before the reign of William III. differed little from the punishment inflicted on other malefactors, being very summary. In the eleventh year of his reign, however, an Act was passed for the more effec- tual suppression of piracy, as it was found by experience that pirates in the East and other remote places could not be punished without great trouble and expense, having to be brought to England to be tried within the realm, as directed by the statute, so that many were encouraged to turn pirates, thinking they should not be brought to trial, and increased in insolence, &c. This bill was, therefore, to facilitate punishment, and condemned accessors to the same penalties as prin- cipals. 150 THE MAURITIUS. [dlAP. II. they made themselves free denizens by intermarriages with the natives, so that it was difficult to dispossess them." The adventures of these men, when stripped of the horrors and excesses by which they were attended, and which are often too sickening for recital, possess many features of interest for the philo- sopher, from the conflicting feelings to which the varied nature of their lives gave birth, the remorse which the temporary cessation or abstinence from piracy frequently brought with it, and the polity under which they lived when on shore, in itself a remarkable instance of the love of order implanted in the breasts of even the most fero- cious of mankind. Our purpose here is to confine ourselves to a brief sketch of the more interesting incidents, in which they appear as connected with Madagascar and the Mauritius, and for this we must refer the reader to the Appendix. CHAPTER II. THE SLAVE TRADE. "Q fjLOl TtKttoV IfJlCJV, (jj fJLOl TTarkptoV, xQoVOQ 9', a ' Apytidtv, ya> d' ev &i vq, xOovi fry KtK\r]nai SovXa. HECUBA, Chorus, avrivrp. /3'. 1. 473. IN the same manner as slavery itself will be perceived to possess separate and distinct features in its relation to the Mauritius, so also will the trade in slaves. Unlike a similar traffic on the western shores of the African continent, it began, as it ended, consistently. If its ferocity was from the first startling, it was to the last without disguise. It spake not of peace with its lips, bearing a sword behind ! A Hawkins was not there found to gloss over its enormi- ties by whispering into docile ears an exciting tale of national great- ness, or to dazzle the eyes of suspecting philanthropists with an opening vision of sable regeneration. It was throughout a deli- berate deed of blood ! The landing from the bark of the pirate commenced, as it ended, in blood. Blood flew in torrents on every occasion. Peoples had to meet peoples in a strife kindled not by themselves, but yet they died or bled. Far worse the latter alterna- tive. Their misery then but commenced. Battened down like CHAP. II.] TIIF. SLA Vi; TRADE. 1 .j ' cattle under the suffocating batches, or cooped up in the narrowest space on deck, they were either relieved from their sufferings by an instantaneous death, or a life far less preferable remained. We have stated, on the authority of the Abbe Ro^hon and other writers, that pirates were the first to undertake this trade to the Mauritius. These men, whose adventures in the Indian Ocean have been cursorily traced in another part of this volume, had for nearly two centuries skimmed the vast surface of the eastern seas with the mark of murder and desolation on their foreheads. The ubiquity of their movements had the effect of creating an erroneous impression of their real power, and the general success of every out- rage had given an air of invincibility to their courage. Alarmed at last by the din of preparation to be heard in almost every port in the Indies possessed by Europeans, they retired in a body to the north-east coast of Madagascar, where, by abstaining from bri- gandage, they remained for a time unnoticed, and formed an esta- blishment at Nosse Ibrahim, called by the French " Sante Marie." Here they contracted an alliance with the natives, whose usages they partly adopted, and designed the new settlement as the future inheritance of their children : fortune, however, had otherwise ordained. Some of their number, unable to resign without a struggle the wild charms of a corsair's life, had ventured out anew, and, after capturing several vessels richly freighted, had at last fallen in with a Portuguese man-of-war of seventy guns, lying at anchor at Bourbon, and bearing on board the Conde d'Ericeira, Viceroy of Goa, with the archbishop of that colony. This vessel, having been disabled in a storm, had lost the whole of her masts, had thrown overboard the greater part of her guns, and, being in this manner incapable of resistance, fell an easy prey to the pirates. The large amount of plunder here obtained, and the losses elsewhere incurred at the hands of these reckless freebooters, again directed public attention to their new retreat. The pirates, inured to danger, and relying on former successes, offered a long and desperate resistance. They were, nevertheless, unable to hold out against a force so considerable as that despatched against them, and suffered a severe chastisement, most of their ves- sels being set on fire. The absolute destruction of their maritime power, though it put an end to their oppression of commerce, did not prevent them from conceiving a project, which, if still more criminal and felonious than the other, was, nevertheless, more con- sonant with European feelings, and, I may add, profit. The nations of that continent had displayed an indignant sense of piracy, and the plunder of merchandise on the seas ; the fleet of the men, by whom these offences were perpetrated, they had sacrificed to their just resentment, but their moral perception no longer held them out in an abhorrence of the traffic in human flesh. The pirates, per- fectly contented with the opening to a career which promised to be 152 THE MAURITIUS. [ciIAP. II. so closely akin to their own, professed to appreciate their motives, and lost no time in entering on this bloody trade, in which they became lawfully recognised adventurers, while the more harmless, because more humane life, they had formerly led was universally proscribed and detested. I leave it to Europe in the present day to reconcile these subtle distinctions of their more refined forefathers. The first aim of the pirates was to sow discord among the native tribes of Madagascar, into the interior of which they had been so recently compelled to flee. Unmindful of the generous treatment they had there received, they commenced by stirring up a war between the Bethalemenes, a tribe of the interior, and the An- tarames, a people on the sea-coast. The prisoners of each they purchased, and shipped off to Mosambique, Bourbon, or the Mauri- tius, till the other tribes one after another became the victims of their impious treachery. If there was a deficiency in the number required, a party of whites, accompanied by some of the natives, were despatched on a foray to the nearest village to fill up the com- plement, while the pirate captain marked out with callous eye the district in which his fellow-man was to be captured, contenting himself with leaving to the sons of Ham themselves to fulfil his behest of butchery. The rapidity with which the stroke fell upon its unhappy victims was not a whit the less remarkable. The land- ing of the pirate, the negotiations with the chief, the battle conse- quent thereon, the defeat, the capture of prisoners, their embarka- tion, seemed the work of an instant. Never perhaps was human misery before consummated in so brief a space, or ever so simul- taneous in its operation. The black flng of the pirate, which had flaunted so rakishly on the breeze, now half mast high, was super- seded by the blood-red flag of slavery, and the proud ship, whose decks had so lately scorned an encumbrance, were now occupied by hatches for the cargo in men, while the felon and motley crew, who had so often passed their gibes, and feasted on the fate of the Moslem, Hindoo, or wealthier European captives, now casting their eyes around and beholding their wretched victims, were vividly reminded of the issue of those daring feats of old in which they had once so joyously participated, and grasped the cutlass with a yet sterner hand, as they laughed that a chance was yet left for em- plunging its cold steel, and drawing it forth reeking with the blood of men. Relentless as was the cruelty of these men towards the negro on his passage, and reckless as they were of the mortality which the crowded hatches occasioned, yet the latter suffered not here to the same extent as his brethren in the interior of the con- tinent. He had not to accomplish the dreadful journey by land, goaded by the maddening whip of the driver, or to encounter such lengthened horrors in the middle passage. A few days of suffering almost intolerable brought him in sight of his savage taskmasters and alien home, had not the sharks, the counterpart under water of (II A I'. II ] THE SLAVE TRADE. 153 the pirate and slave-dealer above it, previously received as their share of the human cargo those whom sickness or disease seemed to render unprofitable when landed. If a leak arose, no compunc- tions of conscience prevented the throwing overboard of the live slaves to lighten the vessel, which, added to the mortality originat- ing with their capture, augmented by the journey to the shore, the number of deaths from suffocation on the passage, the cause we have previously specified, and the slaughter of the helpless and infirm unable to support themselves immediately on their dis- embarkation, will give a mortality 1 of five for every two landed. Here ceased not, as we shall shortly find, this cool and deliberate murder. A yearly recruit of an eighteenth part of their number was found absolutely necessary. Hence the colony, if left to itself, would in eighteen years have suffered a total extinction. All the other crimes then committed by mankind, from the creation of the world up to the present time, not excluding even war itself, would not equal the slave trade in the extent of the sacrifice of human life. There is some difficulty in ascertaining the exact date of the first shipment to the Mauritius, but it is clear that it took place some time in 1723, for we find, in the November of that year, that three of the recently imported slaves, being convicted of joining the Marons, then the ci-devant slaves of the Dutch, were sentenced to death. This will leave a period extending over more than a century for the prosecution of the horrid traffic. Allowing, then, for natural deaths, and the mortality arising from the causes above mentioned, it will be found that the number of human beings who have perished from first to last, either by its direct agency or by a connection with it more or less remote, will fall little short of eight hundred thousand souls for the island of Mauritius alone. The active measures adopted by La Bourdonnais for a develop- ment of the resources of the island, without doubt gave new activity to the trade, which would be further stimulated by the introduction of the manioc, which was at all times a cheap and cer- tain means of sustenance, and removed the apprehension of the starvation of the slave after his landing, a result which had hap- pened in instances without number. La Bourdonnais endeavoured also to alleviate, as far as it was in his power, the cruelties to which they were exposed in the passage by sea, and aimed at an efficient discharge of the duties imposed by the Code Noir for their protec- tion on land. In his expeditions against the English settlements in India, he enlisted many of the negroes into his service, and by pro- 1 The mortality on board Dutch slave ships was, according to the most accu- rate estimate, from five to seven per cent. On French ships from Africa, ten per cent. On Portuguese, less than either French or Dutch, but more than on Eug- li*h. After the Regulations Bill, the English rate of mortality was three per cent. Thus there was a mortality of seven per cent, on Fiench above English 154 THE MAURITIUS- [CHAP. II. per training and encouragement rendered them faithfully attached to his person, as well as brave and expert seamen. In proportion as the pirates dropped off or removed, the colonists and merchants of Europe engaged themselves in a traffic to which age had now given the rights of prescription. The Mauritius was thenceforth by no means confined to the supply to be derived from Madagascar. The eastern coast of the continent, and Goree and Senegal on the western, furnished their respective quotas to the nefarious traffic. The average price of a Malegache slave was a barrel of powder, a few muskets, a small quantity of linen, with the addition of a few piastres. Fifty crowns was the price if paid in money. The value of a slave, however, diminished not with the increase in the number imported, but rose with the demand for labour. In 1776 the number of free coloured amounted to 1150 ; slaves, to 25,190. In 1799 the former had increased to 35,00, and the latter to 55,000. In 1832 the free coloured amounted, at an approximate estimate, to 16,000 ; slaves, 63,536. A decree of the French republic, oasis-like amid the desolation of democratic rule, prohibited slavery and the slave trade in all the colonies of France. Let it not be forgotten, then, that there \vas one leaf of gold to be found in the volume of republican legislation, and that in the last stage of a tottering existence it was, nevertheless, not too selfish to forget the claims of the negro, a course of procedure which presents a striking contrast to a similar legislation elsewhere, which, arrogating to itself a superior freedom, has done worse than nothing for the severance of the fetters by which the slave is manacled, and is at this moment engaged in a domestic and internal traffic no less impious than that we have described. The ordinance of the French republic to which we have alluded was completely set at nought by the planter, for, though the slave trade was professedly abolished, its prosecution continued to be winked at, and the system of slavery remained entire, so that a temporary alienation from the metropolis was the result. Upon the accession of Napoleon to the consulship, an edict was issued, by which the former was directly abrogated, and the slave trade again reared its noxious head, regard- less of the war that raged on the very ocean on which the whole of its operations were conducted. After the capture of the island by Great Britain, the slave trade was a second time placed under the ban of the law, and the severest penalties followed on a conviction. A negotiation was subsequently opened with Radama, king of the Ovahs, in the northern part of Madagascar, who engaged to dis- countenance and suppress the slave trade in his dominions on the payment of an annual subsidy, and with the Imaum of Muscat, a province of Arabia. But the facilities, which a perfect knowledge offered to the planter, and the coral reefs, which, though they might appear to be an insurmountable obstacle in the eyes of the Colonial Government, were, by averting suspicion, in reality of the greatest I'll Al'. II.] THE SLAVE TRADE. 155 advantage to the prosecution of the trade, for while they seemed to render a landing impracticable at any other than the two principal ports, yet there were creeks and openings into which the buoyant and narrow pirogue could pass without the slightest danger. The subject of the greatest astonishment will, however, be found to con- sist in the fact, that the confusion and change inseparable from the influx of so large a body as thirty thousand, or, according to the exaggerated statement of the Anti-Slavery Society, fifty thousand slaves, could have so long escaped the observation of the colonial authorities. Visitors at the Mauritius had been for some time unable to account for the strange blacks met witli in every part of the island, who spoke neither the vernacular patois of the negro, nor possessed a language of their own. The substance of what was officially communicated on this subject so late as 1823, or ten years after the trade had been declared a felony, is contained in a letter from Sir R. T. Farquhar, and another from his successor, Sir Lowry Cole, in November 1824, both addressed to Earl Bathurst. The fair inference from these communications would seem to be, that in those years the slave trade had been reduced to a very low ebb in the Mauritius. It is impossible, however, under all the circum- stances of the case, not to entertain very considerable doubts of the accuracy of that information, and a conviction of the gross deception practised upon both Governments on the subject. Sir Lowry Cole, indeed, affirmed, that not only had the introduction of slaves ceased, but that on the part of the inhabitants there was no disposition to renew the trade, but rather a feeling of indignation at its horrors. This appears also to have been the opinion of his predecessor. On this a contemporary writer remarks, " The planters of the Mauritius have doubtless professed to renounce and detest the slave trade, but it is very difficult to give them credit for the sincerity of their pro- fessions. They had long been familiar with this trade, and had evinced even to a recent period an attachment to it so rooted, as to lead even some of the higher classes to brave, for the sake of its profits, all the infamy of a felonious conviction. What, then, could have wrought this extraordinary conversion in so short a time ? An external difference of conduct might, indeed, be fairly expected. The increasing vigilance of our cruisers augmented the risks of trans- gression, while the extremely low price of colonial produce during the period in question diminished the temptation to transgress. But, to infer from this temporary cessation of the trade, even if such cessation had actually taken place, that the planters of the Mauritius had become in principle adverse to that trade, is not con- sistent with the character of those planters, or with what we know of human nature itself. Besides, it is notorious that, during this period, the planters were making great efforts to obtain the removal of the protecting duty on their sugar, and they must have felt that a decent external compliance with the abolition laws was essential 156 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. II. to their success. If a reference be made to the official testimonies already adduced, as disproving this suspicion, it may be urged in reply, that the papers laid before Parliament furnish numerous proofs of similar representations in favour of the conduct and dis- positions of the colonists on the part of the local authorities in the West Indies at the very moment, when the whole course of pro- ceeding pursued by the former was furnishing a direct and palpable contradiction to the official eulogy. One of the strongest presump- tions against the alleged purity of the Mauritian planter is drawn from the records of Parliament. Had they been as sincere in their abhorrence of the slave trade as they are represented to be, and we may add, had the Colonial Government been as earnest and vigilant in its repression as they were bound to be, some proof of this would have been found in the regularity with which the order in council for the registration of slaves had been complied with by the slaveholders, and in the strictness with which the salutary provision of that order had been enforced by those charged with its execution. It was felt by all enlightened abolitionists, and by none more than the king's Government, that the only effectual security against the continuance of the slave trade to any extent, which the planters of Mauritius might desire, was in the establishment of a perfect system of slave registration. Experience had shown that, for the due re- pression of the slave trade at the Mauritius, no reliance could be placed on the fidelity of courts and juries composed of planters, themselves participating, or desiring to participate, in its criminal gains. And as for the navy, what could one or two cruisers, how- ever vigilant, effect to prevent small and fast- sailing vessels from throwing slaves ashore during the night, without the cognisance of any person except the inhabitants, who were equally the parties in- terested in concealing the transaction. The slave market, be it re- membered, was distant only a few hours' sail. Slaves could there be bought for a few dollars. That they were eagerly desired by the planter, no one will doubt. What, under these circumstances, could prevent an active slave trade but a well regulated registry ? But the registry was not well regulated at the Mauritius, as was proved before the imperial legislature. A registry of the slave popu- lation regularly kept, it w r as admitted, could alone effectually pre- vent the illicit importation of slaves. What is perhaps the most re- markable is, that, although the due establishment and the vigilant superintendence of the slave registry was one of the first and most essential duties of the local Government, and though it was recog- nised by the Executive at home as the most effectual means of pre- venting the slave trade, yet the imperfection, not to say the perfect nullity of the Mauritius registry, appears to have excited no attention till a subsequent period. It was obvious, however, that, in the peculiar circumstances of the Mauritius, the very course which the best friends of the slave trade would be disposed to pur- (IMP. II.] THE SLAM: TRADE. 1 ~>7 sue in order to secure its undisturbed continuance, would be to declaim against that trade, and threaten punishment on those who should engage in it, and yet allow the slave registry to fall into complete disorder." The order in council, which established a slave registry at the Mauritius, was promulgated there in 1815. From that time, had the provisions of the Registry Act been fulfilled, the introduction of slaves, if not entirely prevented, must have been rendered difficult and hazardous. If any one object, therefore, more than another de- served the vigilant inspection of the Colonial Government, it was this. A strong suspicion that this essential instrument for the pre- vention of the slave trade had become wholly inoperative, was awakened by an examination of the returns made to the House of Commons, and printed by their order in March 1823, and which were found to be in so unsatisfactory a state as not even to afford any accurate information with respect to the slave population, much less to prove any effective check on the illicit importation of slaves. The suspicion thus excited was afterwards considerably strengthened by a return to the same House on the 27th of June 1825 by the registrar general of colonial slaves in Great Britain. It is entitled " Return of the slave population in the Mauritius, as received in the office of the general registrar, since its first establishment," and is as follows: 181 G, Males, 55,717: Females, 29,706: Total, 85,423. The duplicate slave returns in Mauritius for 1819 were found to be so imperfect as not to afford any means whatever of as- certaining the slave population at that period, and were therefore sent back to the colony for correction. This neglect was the more remarkable, as it was in defiance of the provisions and penalties of an act of Parliament passed in 1819 for securing the regularity of such returns. To whom the neglect was to be attributed does not appear. It was deemed, however, so criminal in itself, and so ruinous in its effects, that, together with other matters connected with slavery, and the slave trade in that part of the world, it did not fail to excite anew the attention of Parliament. The able writer whom I have before quoted further observes : " Until the existing state of things as to the registration of slaves has undergone a radical change, all general statements as to the non-introduction of slaves into the Mauritius must be regarded as illusory. It is known too, in this case, that a Governor is surrounded on all sides by func- tionaries, judges, and juries, who are almost one and all holders of slaves, and who are therefore deeply interested, not only in keeping open the channels of supply, but also in concealing every act of de- linquency, so that, without the infallible means of information which a perfect system of registration alone can afford, it would be impos- sible for him to pronounce with confidence as to the execution of the abolition laws, and if this reason is applicable to the Mauritius under the depression arising from low and protecting duties, which prevailed 158 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. II. there in 1822, 23, and 24, how much more strongly does it apply at the present moment, when the removal of the restrictive duties, and the general rise in the price of colonial produce, must have given an increased stimulus to cultivation, and rendered the temptation of the adjacent slave market still more irresistible. It would be easy to show, in addition to this, in how open and barefaced a manner new negroes were introduced from the Seychelles by means of certain for- malities, which, under all the known imperfections of the system of registration, could be of no use in checking, but were of great use in facilitating an illicit slave trade. It would be idle to suppose that the slave registry at the Seychelles was more perfect than that at the Mauritius, and yet the certificate of the officer commanding at the former, was sufficient to ensure the admission into the latter of any number of slaves he might accurately describe and certify as coming from those islands, and for anything that appears, he himself might have first imported these slaves from Mozambique or Zanzibar, and then transferred them to the Mauritius. The whole affair was an outrage on the honour and character of the British nation, and France and the other powers, whom the Government were then strenuously urging to adopt a plan of registration for the more effec- tual suppression of the slave trade, might almost have charged it with hypocrisy, when they contemplated the operation of that sys- tem in the Mauritius." To this it was objected that the slave trade having been abolished by Radama in Madagascar, and by the Imaum of Muscat in Eastern Africa, there was no source left from whence slaves could be easily drawn to the Mauritius, and that the trade being now declared to be piracy by statute, none but a few desperate characters would venture to engage in it. " As for the treaty with Radama," continues the same writer, " supposing it to be religiously observed on his part, and in consideration of the large annual payment made to him by the British Government, which he would otherwise forfeit, this is possible, but it furnished no secu- rity against the slave trade in those parts of Madagascar, which were not subject to his authority, more especially those under French rule. The treaty with Radama could not in the slightest degree interfere to prevent a vessel, which might have cleared out at Port Louis to any destination or to sea generally, which was there a common pretence, from calling at one of the French settlements in Madagascar, taking slaves on board, there landing them in the night at some inlet in the Mauritius, and appearing the next day at Port Louis, and entering at the custom house there as returned from her voyage in ballast. The treaty with the Imaum of Muscat presented also no effective barrier to the introduction of slaves into the Mauri- tius by British subjects, which was the crime that should have been specially provided against. Besides, even if it were credible that importations had ceased during 1822, 23, and 24, yet credulity itself could hardly have supposed that they would not be renewed. It CHAP. II.] THE SLAVE 'IK AUK. 159 could not be hoped that in the absence of all effectual check from registration, as well as of all disposition in the colonial courts to convict slave traders, either the fear of the gibbet or the treaty with Itadama, and the convention with the Imaum of Muscat would prevent the revival of the slave trade (even supposing it to have ceased for a time), more especially since the restrictive duties on sugar, and the enhancement in the price of that article had combined to give a new and powerful stimulus to the extension of sugar planting. It would be folly to have expected it." This general but, as it appears, conclusive reasoning on the sub- ject, derived additional force from the amazing disparity in the sexes existing among the slaves in the Mauritius, which does not appear to have lessened since the capture of the colony, but which would have been greatly lessened in the intervening period had importa- tions really ceased. The inference fairly deducible from this fact is corroborated by the late progressive increase of sugar cultivation in the Mauritius, a cultivation generally held to be not only more de- structive to human life than any other, but requiring a greater number of hands to carry it on, and it is further urged that, con- nected with this fact, it is necessary to bear in mind, that the known prejudices of the planter at the Mauritius in favour of the buying, as compared with the breeding system, the contiguity of the slave market, the extraordinary cheapness of slaves, the known partiality of the courts of justice in favour of slave traders, the eminently harsh and destructive nature of the bondage, which prevailed there, considered together, it will be impossible to acquiesce in the opinion so confidently announced that the slave trade had long ceased at the Mauritius. But independently of all the strong presumptions ad- duced above, and which are sufficient to justify the refusal of an im- plicit assent to the statements which we will presently notice, in which the illicit importation of slaves is represented as having ceased long before, a circumstance subsequently occurred which went far to convert presumptions into proofs, and called for an increased vigilance in the enforcement of the law, and an increased attention to the due registration of slaves. As a set-off to these allegations, it was asserted by the defenders of the planter that the increase in the great staple export might fairly be assigned to the following causes : first, the natural consequence of the impulse given to agriculture by the repeal of the high duties ; the large quantity of new land brought into cultivation, which was said to be vastly more produc- tive (in many cases quintuple) than the worn-out soil of the old plan- tations, and required not the same labour in manure and tillage; the large amount of capital expended in steam-engines and other machinery, and the improvements effected by experience in the ap- plication of labour and general management of the plantations. The advantages derived by the colony from the attention paid by the local Government since Sir L. Cole's administration to the for- 160 THE MAURITIUS. [dIAl>. III. ination and repair of roads ; the accession of the labour of slaves formerly occupied in the transport of produce and provisions, as extra domestics, or as bearers of palanquins ; the great increase in the number of carts, carriages, and beasts of burden of every description ; from the augmented value of manual labour, and the facility of the improved roads ; the abandonment of the export of minor staples (formerly important) in consequence of the planter finding it more profitable to devote himself to the cultivation of the cane, and the decrease in the labour expended in the growth of maize and manioc as provisions for the slaves, as shown by the vast increase in the import of rice, which then became their food, and lastly the removal of some proprietors with their slaves from the dependencies to the Mauritius, and the transfer to the planter by sale or hire of the slaves possessed by individuals, who were formerly employed either as domestics or fishermen, or in raising supplies for the markets are alleged as having powerfully contributed to the in- crease in the production of sugar. CHAPTER III. SLAVERY. THERE have been three epochs of slavery, of which the last will bear a subdivision into three subordinate heads, whose outlines, though clearly defined in other countries or colonies, are, from the late period in which the system was introduced, less obviously discernible in the Mauritius. Under the first the system as yet scarcely acclimatised, seemed to pause and look around for precedents by which its machinery might be afterwards regulated. In default of a discovery sufliciently satisfactory, so much of the Mosaic law as was adapted to the infantile institutions of the colony, and the temper and habits of the slave population was engrafted, partly upon the regulations that had previously obtained in the other French colonies, but principally upon those originating in the caprice or inclination of the planter or the East India Company with those which the Government deemed most adapted for the particular case. In these, though little if any regard was had to the comfort, ^ome few acknowledgments of duties on the part of the planter towards his slave might have been selected from the confused mass. The slave, if despised and sunk into the lowest stage of degradation, was by these held to be some- thing more than a chattel convertible as the interest of his master might dictate, and though the regulations were practically ineffective, yet humanity is ever the gainer, if its precepts be but tacitly recog- CHAP. III.] SLAVERY. KM nised. During the second period of its duration, the ingenuity of man, or rather of the fiends in his shape, working upon an almost irresponsibility to law, rendered the system, as will be hereafter seen, absolutely intolerable. Hence this may be considered the middle or darkest age of slavery. In the third, the cruelty of the system, though still predominant, was gradually but sensibly miti- gated by the agitation 1 awakened in Europe by a recital of its hor- rors, which, when brought to bear upon the Governments of that continent, compelled them to interfere with its atrocities. The sys- tem will be viewed perhaps with greater perspicuity through its several stages, if it be taken in the order of time. Of its first com- mencement in this island little is recorded, save the frequent fire which marked its earliest footsteps, the constant escapes to the Marons in the forests, and the longing lingering look over the vast ocean, which separated him from his native land, the negro's fondest gratification. As we have before observed, the condition of the slaves, as far as it was in the power of a governor to interfere with the subject, was somewhat ameliorated under La Bourdonnais. He introduced the manioc or cassada root from Brazil, which, though when in a green state was absolute poison, became a most nutritious food after due preparation, and compelled every planter or inhabitant in the possession of land to cultivate 500 square feet of manioc for every slave, which had the immediate effect of obviating the starva- tion to which the negro had been frequently subjected. The people, however, had become so habituated to idleness, and were so dis- gusted with everything in the shape of authority, that they did everything in their power to discredit the root ; and instead of throwing cold water upon the scheme, poured hot which killed or checked the plants. At length, however, they became so convinced of its utility, that a large quantity was grown, and it was at once constituted the food of all the slaves in the island. From this it will be gathered, that it was not until some time after the departure of La Bourdonnais that the horrid cruelties related by St. Pierre were perpetrated. A slight mention of the working of the system again occurs under the intendancy of Poivre. Guided by those sentiments of humanity, which were his leading characteristic ; he perceived, with regret, that the negro was considered as little beyond a mere instrument of cultivation, and was deemed unworthy of the slightest regard on the part of the proprietor. He resolved, there- 1 Les Amis des Noirs, among whom were enrolled some of the most dis- tinguished actors in the grand drama of the Revolution, may be said to have owed their origin to the pathetic representations of St. Pierre, from which we have so largely quoted. The genius of Mirabeau found here a theme on which to lavish its most brilliant gifts, and Madame de Poivre, wife of the deceased Intendant of the Isle of France, no less distinguished herself by her zeal in the cause of humanity. M 162 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. III. fore, upon an exercise of his authority, as joint administrator, in their behalf, and, as a primary step, enacted an ordinance, forbidding the imposition of the excessive loads 1 which the negroes had been hitherto compelled to bear on their heads or shoulders, over a broken and then almost impassable country, and thenceforth limited their burthens, which had previously exceeded 1 20 Ibs. weight, and were conveyed by tedious routes along by-paths, where beasts of burthen could be no avail, to 60 Ibs. for the male, and 50 Ibs. for the female slave. Poivre was left, however, with the melancholy reflection, that his ordinance, in itself so harmless and even capable of proving beneficial to agriculture, by the preservation of its agents, remained without any practical enforcement. Yet, though his measure was thwarted by those from whom he should have received support, and acted as little more than a protest and an enunciation of his opinions, it served, nevertheless, to disconnect him from the atrocity of the system, and demonstrated his recognition of the principle, that where a Government has no longer the power of command, its next best and most dignified course is to instruct and enlighten those of whom it is in advance. Before we proceed further, it will be right to give a description of the slave population, of their cus- toms, origin, &c. A striking discrepancy will be found to exist in the accounts given of this class. The Viscount de Vaux, whose father, himself a planter, had been driven, in common with others of the French nobility, to settle in the Mauritius, in consequence of his unfortunate connection with the airy schemes of Law, and was in the possession of slaves, describes them as idle, insolent, and not to be relied on. Of all the different races, from which the slaves were made up, he singles out the Malagash as falling the most fully under these imputations. But the statements of the noble Baron are really worth little or nothing, for the premises on which he grounds his conclusion are of themselves founded in error, for the slave to do wrong must have a power of volition of his own, but the noble Baron was not prepared to grant him this, but held him to be a sense- less chattel, and in the first instance recognised the right of tearing him away from his country and kindred, and putting him under the most irksome restraint. It would, perhaps, be unfair to picture the noble Baron in a similar condition, but sufficient has been said to show how the negro has ever been maligned. St. Pierre describes them as having neither so flat a nose nor so black a skin as the Guinea negro (he alludes here to the Malagash), some of them were merely brown, and others, as the Balambous, had long hair of a brown or carotty colour. They were active, ingenious, had a high sense of honour, and even of gratitude, were far less mindful of 1 In speaking of asses, St. Pierre observes, that their introduction would be highly beneficial to the colony, as they would lighten the severe labours of the negro, on whose head every load, however heavy, was remorselessly imposed. CHAP. III.] SLAVERY. 163 injuries done to themselves personally than of those offered to their family, the last of which they deemed an insult of the highest degree. When in their own country they made a variety of things with much art and industry. Their ragaye or half pike was very well forged, although they had nothing but stones for both anvil and hammer. The linen or pagnes, which were weaved by women, were very fine, and beautifully coloured. Their manner of throw- ing their garments around them was also extremely graceful. Their head-dress was very regular in rows of curls and braids nicely ar- ranged one above the other, in like manner the work of women. They made excellent guides in travelling, and were very expert in obtaining a light, which was effected by rubbing two sticks together, one of the vcloutier, the other of bamboo. They were passionately fond of dancing to music, and playing an instrument called the tan- tarn, which was a kind of bow with a gourd bottle fitted to it. The sound of it was very soft, and was a pleasing accompaniment to their songs, of which love was always the subject. The girls danced to the song their lovers composed, while the spectators beat time and applauded the performance. They were very hospitable. A black, who was travelling, might enter unknown into the first cottage he passed, and sit down and partake of their food with its inhabitants, without being asked whence he came, or whither he was going. This custom was general. [We will here fill up the picture by a quotation from Baron Grant, who describes] " his negroes as requiring continual attention, which compelled him to rise frequently in the night to see if they were in their huts. They were very fond of nocturnal excursions, either to gratify their gal- lantry, or to pilfer from their neighbours ; indeed so strong was this disposition in them, that no severity seemed equal to the correction of it. The offices of religion were at first regularly performed to the negroes, morning and evening, in every plantation, and they were married by a simple ceremony suited to their understandings. We assorted," says he, "these matches in the best manner we were able, and endeavoured to gratify their inclinations, whenever it was in our power. The ceremony consisted in nothing more than a short discourse, recommending mutual kindness and fidelity, accompanied with a menace of punishment to the party who should be guilty of misbehaviour or improper conduct. 1 The whip was the instrument of justice employed on these occasions, and the person who was 1 As some set-off to the relentless cruelty of the planters towards the negro, it should be stated that he found it both politic and advantageous in a pecuniary point of view to allot a small piece of ground for tobacco and gourds. The negro cabins were ranged in lines like tents in a camp. Flocks and poultry were bred in these small plantations, the harvests were plentiful, but generally injured by grasshoppers. This laudable practice, which prevailed in all the colonies of France was derived from the Romans, by whom the slaves were indulged with some property of their own, the reward of their industry and good behaviour, which was distinguished by the name of peculium. M 2 164 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. III. appointed to exercise it was called the ' Commander.' This officer punished the offences of the man ; should the wife be guilty, the whip was consigned to the husband, who might correct her in the presence of the 'Commander/ though it often happened that he pardoned her on the spot, and they departed perfectly reconciled. Notwithstanding their occasional disagreements, they were in gene- ral fond of each other, and discovered the most tender affection for their children. Such were the arts, such the manners, these simple people brought with them to the Mauritius." Of all the French writers on the Mauritius, St. Pierre is the only one, with the excep- tion of M. Sonnerat, who has had the courage to touch upon the condition and treatment of the slave population. The enormities of the system were vividly delineated by him, for he witnessed some of the horrors of its middle age. A man, however, of noble descent, so philanthropic, and with a reputation already established, would be the last to exaggerate the cruelties of the system, had he not been himself an eye-witness of them ; indeed, there was no attempt at concealment on the part of the planter, or even a desire of glossing over their enormities. This was perhaps well, else had hypocrisy been added to a catalogue of crimes fearful enough to consider. St. Pierre was kindly and hospitably treated by the planters in all cases, and described only the scenes which he had with his own eyes witnessed, in themselves sufficiently disgusting. An officer in the army, and for some time stationed at the Mauritius, he made the tour of the island, and had therefore the best of opportunities for seeing the working of the system. Had his statements then proved to be incorrect, or even exaggerated, numbers would have been found to expose his misstatements, both in the colony and in France. Such never having been the case, and other things being taken into consideration, we cannot but place the greatest reliance on his truth- fulness. " Of the slaves," he says, " they are landed with just a rag round their loins. The men are ranged on one side, and the women on the other with their infants, who cling from fear to their mothers. The planter, having examined them as he would a horse, buys what may then attract him. Brothers, sisters, friends, lovers, are now torn asunder, and bidding each other a long farewell, are driven weeping to the plantations they are bought for. Sometimes they turned desperate, fancying that the white people intended eating their flesh, making red wine of their blood, and gunpowder of their bones. They were treated in the following manner : At break of day, a signal of three smacks of a whip called them to work, when each betook himself with his spade to the plantation, where they worked almost naked in the heat of the sun. Their food was bruised or boiled maize, or bread made of manioc, a root for which we have no name in Europe. Their clothing, a single piece of linen. Upon the commission of the most trivial offence, they were tied hands and feet to a ladder, when the overseer approached with CHAP. III.] SLAVERY. 165 a whip like a postillion's, and gave them fifty, a hundred, or per- haps two hundred lashes upon the back. Each stroke carried off its portion of skin. The poor wretch was then untied, an iron collar with three spikes put round his neck, and he was then sent back to his task. Some of them were unable to sit down for a month after this beating ; a punishment inflicted with equal severity on women as on men. In the evening, when they returned home, they were obliged to pray for the prosperity of their masters, and wish them a good night before they retired to rest. There was a law in force in their favour called the Code Noir, which ordained that they should re- ceive no more than thirty laches for any one offence ; that they should not work on Sundays; that they should eat meat 1 once a week, and have a new shirt every year ; but this was not observed. For how could it be expected that the poor wretches who complained of its infringement could obtain redress from judges who were, perhaps, the tyrants under whose oppression they languished, and whose avarice withheld the food, rest, and rewards it decreed. But," said they, " these people are not to be restrained but by severities. Pun- ishments must be inflicted ; iron collars with three points, whips and fetters to their legs, and chains of iron for their necks must be made use of ; they must be treated like savage beasts, or the white people could not live like men." From this principle, so grossly unjust, no consequences could be deduced but what were equally unjust and inhuman. Sometimes, when grown too old for labour, they were turned out to get their bread, where they could. One day he witnessed a poor creature who was nothing but skin and bone, cutting off the flesh of a dead horse to eat. It was one skeleton devouring another. " Nor did it suffice," says he, " that these poor negroes were victims to the avarice and cruelty of the most depraved of men, but they were also the sport of their sophistical arguments. Our priests told them, that the slavery of their present life would ensure them a spiritual liberty for ever in heaven. But the greater part were brought to the island at an age too advanced to learn French, and our missionaries did not understand the language of their country. Moreover, those who were baptized were not a jot better treated than the rest. I am concerned," he 1 M. Sonnerat's words would here perhaps suffer by a translation. " L'habi- tant n'emploie jamais ses benefices a Amelioration des terres. Les esclaves ne travaillent que noncbalamment, que peut on attendre d'un malbeureux qu'on force a grands coups de fouets de rapporter 1 interet de ce qu'il coute >. J'ai connu des maities humains et compatissans, qui ne les maltiaitent point, adou- cissaient leur servitude inais ils sont en Ires-petit nombre. Les autres exerceut sur leurs ngres une tyrannie cruelle et re>oltante. L'esclave, apres avoir tra- vaille toute la journeV, se voit oblige de chercher sa nourriture dans les bois, et ne vit que de racines malfaisantes. Ils meurent de misere et de mauvais traite- im-nt, sans exciter le moindre sentiment de commiseration, aussi ne laissent ils pas t chapper 1'occasion de briber leurs fers pour aller chercher dans les tbrets Tiiidependauce et la misere.'' 166 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. III. proceeds to say, " to see that philosophers, who enter the lists with so much alacrity to combat other abuses, scarcely speak of the slavery of the negro without a degree of pleasantry. It is a subject they seem desirous of avoiding. They dilate upon the massacre of Paris, as if the crimes of these days in which the half of Europe is concerned, either as principals or accessories, are not equal to them. Can they believe the iniquity of murdering a number of people of a different persuasion to ourselves to be greater than that of bringing misery and torments of the severest nature upon a whole nation to whom we are indebted for those delicacies which our luxury has rendered necessaries. When an European seemed afflicted at these sights, he was told he did not know the negro ; that they were such gluttons as to steal victuals from the neighbouring houses ; so idle that they took no manner of care of their master's business, nor performed what they were set about ; that the women were totally inattentive to the affairs of their families, and so little concerned about children, that they had rather procure an abortion, than bring them into the world. The negroes were naturally lively, but after having been for some time in slavery became melancholy. Love seemed the only passion their sorrows would permit them to be sensible of. They did all in their power to get married, and if their own choice was suffered to take place, they generally preferred those who had passed the prime of their youth, who, they would tell you, made much better soup than the very young ones. They gave the wife all they possessed. If their mistress was the slave of an- other planter, they would go three or four leagues in the night to see her, through glens and thickets almost impassable. When under the influence of this passion, they were alike fearless of fatigue or punishment. Sometimes they appointed a rendezvous in the middle of the night, and under the shelter of a rock, danced to the dismal sound of a bladder filled with peas ; but the approach of a white person, or the bark of a dog, immediately broke up the assem- bly. They had also dogs with them, and these animals knew per- fectly, even in the dark, not only the white man, but the dog that belonged to him, both of whom they feared and hated, and howled as soon as they appeared. The dogs of the whites seemed on their parts to have adopted the sentiments of their masters, and at the least encouragement would fly with the utmost fury upon a slave or his dog." St. Pierre goes on to observe, that " the caprices which the children of the whites were suffered from the earliest age to exercise upon the slaves to a degree of tyranny beyond all bounds, added to their igno- rance all the depravity incident to the worst form of society in Europe. In short, the blacks were sometimes unable to endure their hard lot, and gave themselves up to despair. Some hung or poisoned them- selves ; others would get into the smallest boat, and without sails, provisions, or compass, hazard a voyage of nearly five hundred miles CHAP. Ill,] SLAVERY. 167 to Madagascar, where they have been frequently seen to land, and, having been retaken, were sent back to their masters. He saw many of them hung, or broken alive : they went to execution with joy, and suffered without a cry. He once saw even a woman throw herself from the top of a ladder. On the quay, he has beheld them sometimes so overwhelmed with grief, that they have been unable to utter a cry, and would bite the cannon to which they were tied. They believed" (continues St. Pierre) " that the father of mankind was not unjust as men were. They used to say that before Euro- peans landed in their country they fought with sticks headed with iron, but that they had now been taught by them to kill each other at a great distance with fire and ball ; that in order to procure slaves at a cheap rate, they fomented continual divisions among them ; that formerly they followed the impulses of nature without fear of those grievous distempers with which they have since poisoned the consti- tutions of their women ; that they suffered them to languish without clothes, without nourishment, and beat them inhumanly without reason." A female slave ran up to him one day, and, throwing her- self prostrate at his feet, informed him that her mistress made her rise so very early every morning, and sit up so late every night, that she was almost wholly without sleep ; and that, if overcome with fatigue she did chance to drop asleep, her mistress caused her lips to be rubbed with ordure, which, if she did not lick off, she underwent a whipping. A relief from this intolerable grievance was what she begged him to intercede for. He did so, and obtained his request. Intercessions of this kind were sometimes complied with, and the punishment was redoubled a few days after. He was witness to this conduct in the case of a councillor, whose blacks complained of him to the Governor, and he assured him on the morrow that he would have them fleaed from head to foot. Not a day passed with- out men and women having been whipped for having broken earthenware, for not having shut the door after them, or some such trifling reason, and when almost covered with blood, were rubbed with vinegar and salt to heal their wounds. He describes in an- other place a scene that he witnessed at the house of a Creole lady, on whom he was paying a visit. Some of her dogs had commenced quarrelling with each other, and she ordered one of the negroes at hand to separate them. This not having been effected with the despatch she required, she inflicted a blow with a prickly shrub on the nearest dog, which sent it howling piteously away, and another on the bare back of the slave, which covered him with blood in an instant. The eyes of the philanthropist might well be weary of seeing such sights, his pen of writing such a recital of horrors, and his ears of hearing their doleful moanings. " The sights to be seen on every side," says he, " were poor negro women bent over the spade, their children, the companions of their labour, flung at their backs. 168 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. III. Negroes passing trembling and shrinking before him. At times might be heard the sound of the tambourine afar off, but far more frequently the smacks of the whips, which echoed in the hills like the report of a pistol, and cries of ' Mercy ! Master, mercy !' which at once struck on the ear and pierced the heart. If," pro- ceeds he, " I seek a retirement, I find a country rugged, rocky, and mountainous, whose inaccessible summits retard the course of the clouds, and, breaking them, form torrents that rush into abysses equally horrible and tremendous. The winds that war in the deserts, the hollow dismal sound of the waves dashing upon the breakers, the sea before me, vast and extending to unknown regions, all combine to depress my spirits, and furnish me with ideas fit only for an exile and an outcast. Whether coffee and sugar are really necessary to the happiness of Europe is more than I can say, but those two commodities have brought wretchedness and misery upon two continents. One of these is depopulated that Europeans may have a land to plant them in, and another is stripped of its inhabi- tants for hands to cultivate them. It is thought more for our interest to cultivate the commodities we want on our own planta- tions, than to purchase them of our neighbours. But since carpen- ters, bricklayers, masons, &c., from Europe, can work in the open air exposed to the sun, why should not white men be employed in all sorts of labour ? But what, then, would become of the proprie- tors of these lands ? I answer, that they would become the richer by these means. An inhabitant would live at his ease were he to employ twenty Europeans ; possessed of twenty slaves, he struggles in vain with an almost insurmountable poverty. So true it is, that without liberty, property and population must decrease, and that injustice and good husbandry are incompatible." There is yet left a part of the slave population, or rather of that which was once, but now no longer predial, witli whom we have still to deal. These were the Marons, or fugitive slaves, who pre- ferred a struggle with hunger and misery in the forests, caverns, or mountains, to the direr alternative of slavery. The reader will remember that their existence was coeval with the Dutch occupation of the island, and that the annoyances to which the colonists were exposed by their incursions powerfully contributed in inducing^them. to abandon the island. The measures adopted by La Bourdonnais to effect their removal are detailed in another place ; yet, though success attended his efforts, many still remained, who formed on his departure a source of accretion for the numerous refugees from French barbarity. The Malagash are said to have been most inclined to desert from their masters, and, incited by the love of liberty, to have retired into the most inaccessible woods and moun- tains, where, forming themselves into bodies, they attacked the plantations in which they had formerly been slaves. The mischief they occasioned was sometimes very destructive both to the plauta- CHAP. III.] SLAVERY. 169 tions and those who inhabited them. When impelled by hunger, neither domestic nor wild animals, not even the monkeys, escaped them, which they transfixed by means of a kind of short spear or javelin, which they threw to a considerable distance and with great dexterity. Numbers were taken or destroyed by the detachments of troops sent after them, but many still remained, and, from the ferocity of their character, were a subject of continual alarm and hostility to the planter who lived in the vicinity of the forests they inhabited. " When they were taken," says Baron Grant, " they were punished with the greatest severity, being treated as wild beasts, and shot whenever an opportunity offered ; but what may appear perhaps as excessively cruel was the effect of dire necessity, as the French were naturally humane ( ? ) ; and if very severe examples had not been made, they could not have lived in safety." " It is true," he continues, " that in general they contented themselves with pillaging what was required for their support, but they would sometimes accompany their plunder with fire and sword. The danger arising from their hostility was increased by the perfect knowledge they possessed of the plantations they had deserted. Besides, their old comrades and mistresses would frequently give them information of the most convenient opportunites for a descent, and second their designs. We did not, however, go in pursuit of them, till they invaded the plantations, or committed some crime which called for vengeance. They were then hunted down as ob- noxious animals, and suffered in the same manner, a process which, cruel as it may seem, was absolutely necessary in point of policy. A longer absence from home than twenty-four hours might therefore be attended with very serious consequences ; as the negro demanded the most attentive vigilance or very severe punishment : I chose to adopt the former regimen." His humanity was, however, of no avail ; for we find him com- plaining in a subsequent letter that the strongest of his negroes had deserted him 1 to join the Marons, who lived on the fruits of nocturnal rapine, and had been shot in one of his marauding 1 The desertion of slaves was not confined to private individuals, for we find the following minute sent to the East India Company at home, for approval : " By means of a numerous garrison, it is possible the desertion of the Company's slaves, by good management and shutting them up at night, may be prevented, and the attempts of the Madagascar blacks, who are termed freebooters, might, by forming good posts on the sea-shore and the interior of the island, be guarded against. Slaves may then be bought without hazard, and all agree that they can be had cheaper and better, and are more intelligent and laborious, and are sooner trained to all kinds of work than those procured elsewhere. The Company, think- ing that the good of the service required that an entire jurisdiction over the blacks should be established, wrote to the Council at the island to employ such means as were necessary to engage the inhabitants to make detachments against them. They were promised 140 livres for every freebooter they destroyed, but that recompense not proving sufficient, INI. Bouvet offered a slave at the Com- pany's expense." 170 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. Ill, expeditions. " This black,'' says be, " cost me tbree hundred livres, and since the return of the Governor, slaves of his kind are sold for a thousand. This is a considerable loss in the first instance, besides the value of his labour, but we are consoled in these cases by the kind and ready assistance we receive from our friends and neighbours. We nevertheless experience difficulties of many kinds, for besides the aug- mentation in their price, disease, death, and flight deprive us of our negroes. We are allowed, however, to pay one-third of the sum in grain on receiving them, and credit is often extended over three years." The same writer mentions another instance of the insecurity of life and property, so universal under the system of slavery, which happened with respect to his uncle and himself. Being informed of his absence, eight of the negroes entered into the apartment of his relative during the night. They deliberated for some time whether they should not murder him, but perceiving that he was asleep, they contented themselves with robbing him, as well as the baron, and among other things carried off his fire-arms and a barrel of powder. Enraged on his return at this daring act of plunder, the latter took a small detachment of soldiers with him, and remained six weeks in the forests and mountains in pursuit of them. He killed the first he met, who was on the point of employing his own arms against him. They captured the most dangerous of them, who had been guilty of several murders, and they suffered the punishment they deserved. One of them had been his huntsman, and had rendered himself so formidable throughout the island, that it was dangerous to frequent the roads in the neighbourhood of the woods, from an apprehension of this man and his band of companions. We will conclude our description of their savage but picturesque mode of life, with an extract from St. Pierre, who met, in his tour round the island, with a troop of negroes armed with fusils, whom he perceived on a nearer approach to be a party sent out by the police of the island. They stopped when they came up to him. One of them had got two puppies, just whelped, in the shell of a gourd ; another led a woman, tied by the neck with a cord made of rushes, which was the booty they had taken from a camp of Marons, which they had routed. They had killed one man, whose "grisgris " they showed him it was a kind of talisman, made like a rosary. The poor negro- w^oman seemed overwhelmed with grief, and could answer none of the questions he asked her. She carried upon her back a bag made of vacoua, which he opened, and was horrified to find therein the head of a man. The conversation turned on the subject of the Marons, for one of his companions had met the party with the woman, who bore the head of her lover. Troops of two or three hundred at a time might still be seen in the environs of of Belombre, the part they approached, who elected a chief, dis- obedience to whose orders was punished with death. They were CHAP. III.] SLAVERY. l?l forbidden to take anything from the houses in the neighbourhood, or to go to the side of the frequented rivers to seek for fish and other food. In the night they went down to the sea-side to fish, and in the day-time drove the deer or stags into the interior parts of the woods, with dogs trained to great perfection for this purpose. When there was but one woman in a party, she was reserved for the chief, but if there were many, they were in common. The children that were born were immediately killed, lest their cries should ever discover their retreat. The whole morning was spent in casting lots to presage the destiny of the ensuing day. They had an affection for each other, of which St. Pierre was furnished with a direct proof. lie was informed by a planter that, being out hunting, he met a Maron, whom he pursued, had overtaken, and presented his gun at it missed fire three times, upon which he was on the point of knocking him down with the butt-end, but was prevented by two negro women, who came out of the wood, and weeping, threw themselves at his feet. The black secured the opportunity to escape, but the planter brought the two generous creatures home with him, one of whom he showed to that officer. Another mode of desertion was practised by the Malagash, who had been rather accustomed to war than to labour, and whose desire of returning to their coun- try employed all their thoughts. Though, to catch the wind, it was necessary to make a large circuit in coming from Madagascar to the Isle of France, " they seemed," says Baron Grant, " to have had an instinctive knowledge that the distance of their country was not in proportion to the length of the voyage, and would direct their hands to the point where it lay, and exclaim, in their corrupted French, ' $a blanc la li beaucoup malin ; li couri beaucoup dans la mer la haut ; mais Magascar li la.' " This opinion sometimes incited them to undertake the most desperate actions, and they would make the most daring attempts to return to their home. Sometimes they would regard us with a most ferocious aspect, as they have adopted the belief, since the affair at Fort Dauphin, in their island, that the wine we drink is the blood of negroes. In their escape into the forests and mountains of the Isle of France, they would endeavour to get possession of a canoe or other small boat along the coast, wherever they could find it, and showed not only uncommon courage, but also address and activity in putting to sea. At other times they contrived to make a large pirogue or canoe, of a single tree, some of which are large in this island, and in one of these they would trust to the mercy of the waves, and attempt a passage to Madagascar, nearly five hundred miles distant, with a mere calabash of water and a few manioc or cassada roots. It has also happened that when they have found themselves too numerous for the canoe to contain them with safety, they would alternately embark and swim through the voyage. Though many of these adventurers were lost, some of them have been known, by the force of the currents and the 172 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. III. favour of the winds, which generally blew that way, to have regained their native land, having been recognised by French people who had seen them at the Mauritius. Sometimes they have even been known to make for the continent itself over the stormy and pathless ocean, and, though the majority perished, some succeeded. Such were the extremities these ill-fated beings resorted to, to escape from an existence absolutely insupportable. We now arrive at the third epoch of slavery in the Mauritius, which may be said to have com- menced with the French Revolution, one of the chief aims of whose leaders was to accomplish its abolition. The slaves, too oppressed to be insensible to a relief emanating from whatever quarter, evinced their satisfaction at the near ap- proach of liberty, which was followed by a state of ferment, when by the veto of the planters a delay interposed to the accomplishment of the boon. In fact a difficulty of recent growth, and one arising from out of their own class, whose origin might be traced to that most inveterate and deeply-rooted of the human passions, the love of gain, presented an effectual impediment to the realization of their hopes. The mulattoes and freed blacks had already become an im- portant constituent in the framework of colonial society, and the pride with which they viewed the holding their own people in bond- age revolted, no less than their interests, at a measure which would evidently militate not only against their progressive advancement, but even against a retention of their actual position, and might, by the advance of the inferiors they despised, degrade a portion of their number. Accordingly they resisted the measure during the whole period of the revolution no less strenuously than the white planter, and displayed a most extraordinary vigilance and resolution in the repression of the slave population. The statements we have seen respecting what has now become the middle class, as well in the Mauritius as in the other tropical colonies, coincide in assigning them qualities which, morally considered, seem to partake of the defects incident both to the white and negro character ; on the other hand, some of their number have displayed such a degree of thrift, activity, and industry, as to attract the favourable notice of the local government. Unlike the mulattoes, who owed their de- scent to the connection between the planter and his female slaves, they were indebted for their liberty to the favouritism of the plan- ters, "from whose indulgence," says Baron Grant, " resulted so many inconveniences, that it was found absolutely necessary to abridge the power, and limit freedom to those alone who might have saved the lives of their masters." From the time of British occupation they had increased year by year, and during the first year in which the fees and taxes upon manumission had been abolished, nine hundred out of a population of sixty thousand nine hundred, were emancipated by the free will of their owners. The number con- tinued to increase with the promulgation of several additional regu- CHAP. III.] SLAVERY. 173 lations, tending to facilitate emancipation. The weak points in the character of the free coloured class are thus given : " The listless indolence, lazy pride, and gross immorality of this class can only be known by personal observation. Frequent at- tempts were made to procure the labour of the poorer of them upon the plantations ; but in most cases their pride and insolence defeated the design, and they preferred a precarious subsistence by less creditable means. The conduct of the wealthier towards their slaves was harsh and severe, and they even surpasfeed the whites in discipline and cruel usage, every kind of torture short of murder being resorted to; and, strange to say, those who had once been slaves were always the most cruel masters. In 1826, the British Government for the first time interfered with slavery in the Mau- ritius. "We find that the Malagash had lost nothing of the sim- plicity and fortitude ascribed to them by the early writers. Mr. Martin describes the slaves in general as having principally con- sisted of two races ; the one from Mozambique and the eastern coasts of Africa, the other from Madagascar, where the lowlanders of the west coast were generally captured for the French islands ; these he states to possess great strength, if personal appearance be a criterion, and to be of a bold, sometimes ferocious, and even vin- dictive appearance, but when well treated to have been faithful and hard-working. A more recent visitor observes that the slaves were still unclothed, with the exception of a piece of blue cloth round the waist, which hardly reached the knees. Long habit, however, lessened the disgust which first arose at so revolting a sight. At this time they were said to have been in a degraded condition, and great cruelties were even then exercised in the country, where there was little fear of detection. The female slaves had begun to display much finery ; those who had long straight hair were very proud of it, and treated it with the greatest care, while those whose hair was woolly used their utmost efforts, by unwearied combing and oiling, to bring their rebellious locks into a state of discipline." An officer of her Majesty's ship Thunderer, who visited Mauri- tius in 1840, in a brief description of the coloured races, says of the Malagash : " They were bareheaded, the hair twisted, and worked into snake- looking points, which stuck out, and had a most Medusa-like appearance, their only garment was a white cotton shirt worn as a flowing rube, similar to the Roman toga. They are a fine-looking race, and in this simple dress there is yet a noble mien around them." They were as passionately fond as ever of their native land, to regain which they would still brave the greatest dangers, and even death itself, in the hope that when life had departed the spirit might return to its natal shore. Of the tang froCd with which the 174' MAURITIUS. [[CHAP. TIT. slave met death, when inspired with the hope of returning to his country, an instance occurred when Mr. Martin resided at the Mauritius : " For the purpose of being executed, a Malagash slave committed arson, and was sentenced to be beheaded. That gentleman accom- panied his brother officers to visit him in prison ; he appeared re- joiced at the near approach of the termination of his earthly career, and walked after his coffin a mile to the place of punishment, where a platform was erected with a slope upon which to ascend. Upon the platform was placed a broad plank on an inclined plane, about the length of the intended sufferer, and on either side stood two executioners in masks, dressed in a blood-red clothing, with large axes in their hands. The Malagash stood on the verdant earth, cast his eyes around, nodded joyfully to his comrade's among the assembled crowd, pointed to that part of the heavens where his country was situate, then, with an enthusiastic expression, knelt for a moment on the grassy sod, stretched out his hands in mental prayer to the bright noonday sun, hastily arose, ran with alacrity to the platform, and stretched his body on the inclined plane. The one executioner quickly buckled two broad straps over the prostrate being ; the other raised his arm, and within less than a quarter of a minute from the time that this brave man knelt on the beautiful earth in prayer to the glorious symbol of the Almighty, his bleeding and still animate head rolled from the scaffold, and his free spirit ascended where slavery has no control over our race ! Who that possesses a Christian soul, but must rejoice that a system productive of such results has ceased for ever in the British empire ?" The general principle of improvement being now adopted, several humane regulations were brought into operation on the recommen- dation of the governor, Sir L. Cole, to the principal planters. The corporal punishment of female slaves was generally discontinued throughout the island, and the inhabitants gradually prepared for the ordinance of the governor in council on the 7th of February, 1829. By this charter of the slave population, many and most important benefits were proclaimed. In it was intimated the in- tention of the Government to make effectual provision for the religious instruction of the slaves. All proprietors were enjoined to cause their slaves to be baptized, and instructed without delay in the principles and observance of the Christian religion ; the sanctity and privileges of the Sabbath were distinctly recognised, and a free toleration in attending religious worship was declared ; the right to contract marriages was stated, and the separate sale of the husband and wife, and of their children under the ages of twelve or fifteen, was prohibited. Slaves were made competent to acquire stock, and to possess moveable or immoveable property. A savings bank was established as a means of preserving it, and they had free power to dispose of the same by wills or testamentary dispositions. An CIJAP. III.] SLAVKUY. 175 opening was made for their elevation to the civil privilege of their evidence being admitted into the courts of justice, as soon as they were instructed in the nature and obligation of an oath. The most humane regulations were set forth respecting the mode and degree of punishment. The use of the carter's whip was expressly pro- hibited. Twenty-five lashes was the extent of punishment allowed in one day, nor could the chastisement be repeated while any un- healed sore or laceration remained. More than nine blows could not be inflicted until twenty-four hours at least had elapsed since the commission of the offence. Females could no longer be sub- jected to corporal punishments except by the direction of a court of justice or the protector of slaves, and no punishment was lawful unless witnessed by one free person, or at least six slaves. A cor- rect register or record-book of all punishments, whether by the whip or imprisonment, w r as required to be kept by every proprietor, and he was liable to be called upon to swear to the truth of the same under a heavy penalty. The offence of any false or fraudu- lent entry, or of any erasure or destruction of the register, and in general any unlawful punishment or inhuman treatment of a slave, was declared to be a misdemeanor, and made the offender liable to a fine of 200/., six months' imprisonment, and the confiscation of the injured slave; nor was this all, for it was further ordained that in case any proprietor, manager, or overseer, should be convicted a second time before any court of justice of having inflicted, or caused to be inflicted upon any one or more slaves any punishment or treatment of an unlawful or inhuman nature, independently of the punishment such person might have incurred by law for such offence, the slave or slaves, the object of such offence, were to be declared by the courts as confiscated for the use of his Majesty; 1 and the person or persons was further declared incapable of owning or 1 Crown slaves in Mauritius, in 1818, 1,'200; annual charge, 4,OOOZ. The Government slaves were those, who were either found the property of Govern- ment at the capture of the island, or such as afterwards became forfeited to the Crown. They were fed and clothed by the Government, and in sickness they received humane attention in the hospital. Some were employed in the various public departments as artificers, labourers, messengers, and others were hired out to private individuals at the ordinary price of the colony. Their children were usually bound as apprentices from seven to fourteen, after which period their services ceased to be gratuitous. The females who had families were allowed to attend to their children, some had also the charge of orphans. These slaves bad a regular religious instruction. The apprentices at this time were the negroes rescued from slave ships since the abolition of the slave-trade, and were bound by the collector of customs for fourteen, and latterly for seven years, to individuals, who, by the indentures they signed, engaged to teach them a trude or occupation by which they might earn a livelihood, to provide them with all things necessary for their comfort, and to permit and encourage them to attend public worship. The slaves who had run away, or been guilty of any oflVnces, were chained together in couples, and were employed in carry- ing water from house to house, or in drawing carts into Port Louis. The sound of their clanking chains is said to have been horrible. 176 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. III. possessing any slave within the Mauritius or its dependencies, or of acting as overseer or manager over any slave or slaves in any man- ner whatever. The weight of chains and burdens was restricted, and a sufficiency of food and clothing required to be given by the laws previously existing ; but this ordinance secured to the slaves employed on agricultural labour a due time for rest, viz. one hour for breakfast, and two for dinner. And to enforce and crown the benefits of the ordinance, a person was nominated as the protector and guardian of slaves, who was thought most free from local in- fluences and'prejudices, and the duties of his office were distinctly explained and vigorously enforced. He had assistants resident in every district of the island, and a clear and explicit mode of pro- secuting offences within his jurisdiction was provided and pointed out. The effect of these regulations was soon visible ; and in a despatch to the Home Government, in 1826, Sir L. Cole used the following words, " I am gratified in being able to state, that, both from the information I have received and from my own observation, the treatment of the slaves has materially improved in this colony." CHAPTER IV. SOCIETY. THE first French people who established themselves permanently in the Mauritius, were some husbandmen from Bourbon. They brought with them simplicity of manners, good faith, and confidence, a love of hospitality, and an indifference to riches. After Mahe de la Bourdonnais had rendered the island interesting by his labours, and it was thought a proper place to touch at in the passage to India, people of all ranks and conditions poured into it, among whom w r ere the agents sent out by the French East India Company. The principal employments of the island being vested in their hands, they lived in a state approaching to that of the nobles at Venice, and to their aristocratical manners joined the business of financiers, then, as ever, prejudiced to the spirit of agriculture. Every appointment was at their disposal, and their power was alike absolute in trade as in judicial matters. Some of them cleared the land, and built houses, all of which they resold at a very high price to those who had ventured thither in the hope of advancing their fortune. A great outcry was raised at this, but the power was in their hands, and no redress from their exorbitant profits could be obtained. Several persons in the marine service of the Company CHAP, iv.] I:TY. 177 also arrived, who couM not for a long time understand that the dan- gers and fatigues of the trade with India were to them in proportion as the honours or profits of it were to those for whom they laboured. As this settlement was so near India, a sanguine hope of advantage from fixing in it animated their minds, and they became its inhabi- tants. Their arrival raised great expectations, but they soon became discontented. The Company sent out a military force, some of the officers of which were of high birth. These could not stoop to intercourse with men who had been merchants' clerks, except to receive their pay, nor did they like the sailors, whose manners were too blunt and unpolished. Thus their pride standing in the way of their fortune, they continued as poor as when they left France. They were followed by some regiments of the King, many of whose officers, allured by the love of repose and the serenity of the climate, were induced to take up their abode in the island ; but, as everything was at the disposition and submitted to the power of the Company, the subaltern met not with the distinction paid him in garrisons, while he was looked upon as an alien by the merchants. To com- plete the settlement of the island, an additional number of merchants arrived, with small capitals, who, finding the colony without com- merce, augmented the abuses of money-jobbing, which they found already established, and employed themselves in forming petty monopolies, which soon rendered them obnoxious, and they acquired the name of " Banians," a name as much hated in the East as that of the Jews was formerly in Europe. Oil the other hand, they affected to despise any particular distinctions of rank, and were fond of propagating the opinion, that, after having passed the line, every man was equal to his neighbour. At length the war in India inun- dated the Mauritius with the scum of Europe and Asia. Bank- rupts, ruined libertines, thieves, and wretches of every description, dri ven from the former by their crimes, and from the latter by the bad success of the French arms, attempted to re-establish their for- tunes on the ruin of the public. 1 On their arrival, the complaints of the people were augmented ; every character was now traduced 1 The remarkable analogy existing between the early state of society at the Isle of France, as described by St. Pierre, and that at Corcyra at the outset of the Peloponnesian war will at once occur to every reader of Thucydides. A no less remarkable identity will be perceived in the causes from whence they originated, if allowance be made for the disparity in their respective stages of civilization. At Corcyra as at Mauritius, war had produced scarcity, and scarcity superinduced the classes that fatten rather on the wants aud short- comings, than the legitimate productions of new communities. Necessity in her turn adapted men to occasions, and hence arose passions secret or uncontrolled, which, as the historian rightly observes, are inconsistent with the healthy pro- gress of peace and genuine prosperity, " for men are then better minded, because they are under no compulsion of doing anything against their will ; but war, by taking away the free supply of daily necessaries, is a violent master, and conforms men's tempers to the present occasion." Kai rijv tiwBviav ai- /, c. r. X. Thucydidcs, Lib. 3. Caps. 82, 83,84. N 178 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. IV. with an Asiatic ingenuity hitherto unknown to the calumniators of European society ; no woman was now looked upon as chaste, nor any man as honest; all confidence and esteem were at an end. Thus by vilifying mankind they hoped to reduce them to their own level. All their expectations being founded upon a change in the administration, they at last effected their design. The Company yielded to the King, in 1775, a colony which had brought them nothing but trouble and expense. Order and peace were now expected to resume their sway, but the new Government only added fuel to the flame, for a number of persons were sent by authority from Paris to make their fortunes in an island then almost unculti- vated, and where paper was the only currency. One part of the inhabitants, who were attached to the Company from gratitude, saw with pain the introduction of the royal jurisdiction : the other, who had reckoned on the favour of the new Government, when they saw it principally occupied in plans of economy, were propor- tionably chagrined and disappointed. To these new differences were added the dissentions of bodies of men, who were continually at variance even in France, the departments of the pen, the marine, and the sword. In short, the mind of every individual, being neither occupied by business nor amused by public entertainments, retired within itself to brood over its own disquietude. Discord reigned all over the island, and there was none of that love of society which might have been expected to prevail in a remote island at the end of the world. Each man wanted to make his fortune and leave. To have heard them talk (says St. Pierre) one would have supposed that the island would again become uninhabited ; every man declared he would go away next year, and some announced this intention thirty years ago, but remained to say the same the year ensuing. An officer from Europe soon lost here his military ardour. In general, he had but little money, and was in want of everything. His house was without furniture ; provisions, when bought retail, were excessively dear, and he found himself the sole consumer between the merchants and inhabitants, who seemed to strive who should impose upon him most. This forced him to act on the defensive ; buy by wholesale, and make the most of all opportuni- ties for good bargains, every commodity having been of double value after the departure of the ships. The anxiety of providing for his family being at an end, another no less painful ensued. He tormented himself with the thought that he was an exile from his native land, and destined to remain, he knew not how long, in one destitute of every comfort and convenience. Want of employment and company, aided by the hopes of gain, allured him therefore to engage himself still further in that commerce, to which mere neces- sity at first drove him. The regiments furnished a considerable number of workmen, for the heat was not so excessive as to prevent CIIAl*. IV.] SOCIETY. 179 the white people from working in the open air, but they were not rendered so beneficial to the colony as they might have been by a better disposition of their labour. Among the recruits sent from Europe, there were frequently wretches capable of the most atrocious vill.inics, whose deportation from their native country, where their crimes had rendered them unworthy to remain, to a colony in an incipient state, could not fail to produce the most injurious results. Some of these unhappy culprits would frequently become so des- perate, as to murder each other with their bayonets upon the most trifling occasion. Though the seafaring people did but come and go, they had yet a groat influence on the manners of the inhabitants. They delighted to complain alike of the places which they had left, and of those at which they arrived. They would constantly remind people that their lucky hour had passed by without their having taken advan- tage of it, a proposition to which the latter demurred, principally on the ground that they had found it perpetual. The truth was, they had always bought too dear, and sold too cheap, and saw ruin, where they could not clear a hundred and fifty per cent. A cask of claret, for instance, cost one hundred and fifty livres, and everything else was in proportion. It will scarcely be deemed credible that European goods were dearer here than in India, and Indian goods dearer than in Europe, and yet the seamen were much regarded by the inhabi- tants, who could not have lived without them. Their murmurings, and perpetual going to and fro, gave the island all the bustle of an inn. From such different conditions resulted, as it were, a people of different nations, each hating one another. Probity and honour were in no esteem. The cunning man was here the man of wit. On the other hand, mistrustful and wary people were disliked : the reason was, there was less to be got from persons on their guard, by whom their arts might be detected. They were quite insensible to the happiness of a generous mind, had no taste for literature and the arts, but deeply regretted their absence from the opera and the women of Paris. Every sentiment of humanity was here depraved, if not extinct. St. Pierre was once at the funeral of a wealthy merchant, but saw no signs of affliction ; his brother-in-law indeed remarked that they had not dug the grave deep enough. This in- difference extended to all about them. The married people in the town were very few. Those, who were not rich, gave that as their excuse for remaining single ; others said they would not settle till they had returned to France, but the true reason was that they seldom met with a repulse upon the negro girls. Besides, there were very few good matches for the men, ten thousand francs being a fortune but seldom heard of. The greater part of the married people lived on their plantations, and the women scarcely ever came to town but to a ball or to confess at Easter. They were pas- sionately fond of dancing, and no sooner was a ball announced, than N 2 180 TUB MAURITIUS. [CHAP. IV. they would come in crowds, borne in their palanquins from every quarter. There were as many of these vehicles in a family, as there were children, and each was attended by eight blacks. The hus- bands, who were more prudent and economical, were averse to these excursions, which were a great hindrance to the business of the plan- tations, but the roads were so bad, (where there were any) that wheel carriages were of no use. The women, who were very nu- merous, had but little colour, but were well made, and in general handsome. 1 Nature had given them a great flow of wit and viva- city, and, if they had been better educated, they would have been most agreeable companions, but some were so ignorant as to be unable to read. At their meetings they were reserved and silent, as each brought with her some secret pretensions, either from the fortune, employment, 2 or birth of her husband, while others reckoned upon their youth or beauty. An European looked with disdain upon a Creole, who in her turn looked upon the former as an adven- turer. In spite of the scandal, which was ever speaking to their prejudice, they were more deserving than the men, who neglected them for the black slaves. Such of the women as were really vir- tuous were the more to be commended, as it was not by their edu- cation that they were so. They had at once to combat with the heat of the climate, the indifference of their husbands, and the pro- digality and ardour of the young officers skilled in seduction and regardless of repulse ; if then they ever failed in fidelity to the mar- riage vow, blame was to be ascribed to those who had introduced the manners of France on the shores of Africa. In other respects they had many good qualities ; were domestic, sober, (seldom or never drinking anything but water) and clean in their habits. Their ordi- nary dress, which was of fine muslin, lined with rose or other coloured taffetas, was neat and becoming. They were very fond of their children, who ran about the house almost naked very soon after they were born, never being put into swaddling clothes, but were frequently bathed, and allowed to eat fruit at their discretion. As 1 Admiral Kempenfelt observes under this head, that both men and women were strong and well made, and the latter were so numerous from the disinclin- ation for marriage prevalent among a part of the population, that every artificer, workman, and soldier had a wife, who were very fruitful a circumstance, which he imputes to the salubrity of the climate, and their regard for moderation and temperance. They were fond of continual exercise, and were bold equestrians. In the beauty and elegance of their shape he held them to surpass the women of old France. 2 It was remarked by a person who visited the Mauritius, towards the latter end of the last century, that the inhabitants of the Mauritius, who were mostly exiles from France, were neither so independent in their circumstances nor so easy in their minds, as those of Bourbon, though they affected more dress and gaiety, and had better houses and furniture. Every third person you met of a fair com- plexion wore at his button hole the order of St. Louis. The people of Bourbon were likewise held in contempt by the poor noblesse of the Mauritius on account of their ignoble extraction. CHAP. IV.] SOCIETY. 181 they were left entirely to themselves, and were uncontrolled by the superintendence of education, they soon became strong and robust. The puberty of both sexes appeared early. Girls were married at eleven years old. This abandonment of their nurture to nature left the children ignorant to an extreme, while the vices of the negro women, which they imbibed with their milk, added many of the defects of that unfortunate race. Some children were sent to France for education, but returned with vices perhaps more amiable, but nevertheless more dangerous. There were at this time about four hundred planters in the island, and about a hundred women of condition, few of whom lived in the town. The evening was their time for visiting, but for want of conversation they soon grew tired of each other or gamed. At eight o'clock the evening gun was fired, when all retired home. To an existence thus profitless and monotonous, there were, nevertheless, some remarkable exceptions. St. Pierre depicts a scene of the inte- rior, where innocent happiness and rustic simplicity were for once congenially associated, and seemed to derive additional lustre from the heartlessness and demoralization of the community, with which they stood in so singular a contrast. It will appear to the reader the more remarkable, as its principal features would seem to belong to a pioneer settlement in Australia or North America, rather than to that of an island in the tropics. " We were met," says he, "by a black belonging to M. Normand, whose house, from which we were a quarter of a league distant, we proposed to make our quar- ters for the night. As we went down the hill, another negro ap- proached us with water, and informed us that we were impatiently expected. We found the house to be a long building, formed of palisadoes, the roof of which was covered with the leaves of the latanier. There was only one room, in the middle of which was the kitchen, at one end the stores, and here the servants slept ; at the other was the bed of the planter and his wife, which was covered with a cloth by way of tester, upon which a hen was sitting ; under the bed were some ducks ; pigeons harboured among the leaves of the roof, and at the door were three dogs. All the implements both of the house and field were hung against the walls. What was my surprise at finding the mistress to be both a handsome and genteel woman. Both she and her spouse were persons of con- dition in France. They had come here years before to seek their fortune, and had quitted kindred and father-land for a spot where nothing was to be seen but the sea and the frightful cliffs of the pro- montory of Brabant ; but the air of contentment and good-nature about the young mother of a family seemed to make everybody happy who came near her. She gave suck to her youngest child, while the other four stood around her playful and contented. Sup- per time having arrived, everything the house afforded was served up with the utmost propriety. This meal appeared a very agreeable 182 THE MAURITIUS. [CIIAP. IV. one to me. I could not help being struck with the sight of the pigeons fluttering about the table, the children at play with the kids of the goats, and such a variety of animals in perfect agreement with this amiable family, and with each other. Their peaceful sports, the solitude of the place, the murmurs of the sea, all combined to pre- sent to my imagination a picture of those times when the children of Noah descended upon a new earth, and began afresh to partake of the domestic enjoyments to which they had so long been strangers. After supper I was shown to my lodging room, which was a little hut, newly built of wood, about 200 paces from the house. The door was not yet put up, but I closed the opening with the boards of which it was made, and laid my arms in readiness, the Marons being very numerous in these parts. The next day I took leave of this hospitable house, and its amiable and excellent mistress. Her husband accompanied me part of the way. He was a very robust man, and his arms, legs, and face were exceedingly sun- burnt. He worked himself in the plantations, as well in cutting down as in clearing away trees. Nothing gave him concern, he said, but the ill health his wife brought upon herself by bringing up her children, and that she had lately added to the fatigue by taking upon her the charge of an orphan. He told me only his grievances ; for he could not but perceive how sensible I was of the happiness he enjoyed. Eight negroes were attached to the plantation." The French revolution, by means of which every existing institu- tion of society was uprooted in the metropolis, threatened for a brief period to produce similar results in the Mauritius, but its evils being providentially averted, it proved in the end to be highly bene- ficial by weeding the colony of the miscreants who had so long pol- luted its integrity. Many of the old noblesse of France, whose ruin, originating with the failure of the schemes of Law, had been nearly consummated by the proscriptions of the revolution, weary of the scenes exhibited in their native country, sought shelter and repose in this agreeable retreat. Previous to this, blood had been frequently shed in the streets of St. Louis, which had resounded night and day with the clashing of arms, while the solitudes of the country too often echoed the cry of murder. The children might then be seen whetting their knives to kill " the enemies of liberty," as they were taught to ex- press themselves. Robbery was committed, houses entered and plundered, all under the name of liberty. The inhabitants have yet a vivid recollection of the injuries and excesses perpetrated by the French soldiery, which the peaceful and orderly deportment of the British troops has now happily effaced from the profession of arms. One of these is mentioned as having been accompanied by some peculiar circumstances of atrocity. A French officer, having attempted the seduction of a planter's wife, was rejected with scorn. Stung with resentment and the hatred that succeeded to a denial of his passion, he availed himself of the husband's absence to concoct CHAP. IV.] SOCIETY. 183 and execute a scheme for burning the house, together witli its inno- cent inmates. The wretch he employed for the purpose was ob- served, convicted, and executed ; but the colonel, from the dread which the military had inspired, succeeded in setting the laws of the island at defiance, and, to complete the tragedy, was challenged on his return by the husband, whom he also slew. The British officers, engaged in the capture of the island in 1811, speak with enthu- siasm of the politeness and hospitality with which foreigners were received by the inhabitants, and of the cordiality and mutually unaf- fected kindness existing in their society. They describe the men as well made, and the number of elegant females as surprising. They were remarkably handsome, and had most engaging manners. The supposed reigning vice was gallantry. The affability and cheerful- ness so prevalent amongst them, they attributed to the clear sky and fine scenery, rendered still more agreeable by the salubrity and softness of the air. To obtain a correct view of the existing, or at least more recent state of society, it will be necessary to trace the course of events subsequent to the capture of the island by Great Britain, for on it hangs the key to those passions and prejudices by which the amicable intercourse between the higher classes, English and French, so mutually beneficial, has been till recently interrupted. During the wars of the revolution, intercourse with Europe was both dan- gerous and unfrequent : the exportation of its products had ceased, and commerce supported alone by the prizes snatched from the hands of its enemy too sensibly languished : yet the colony remained faithful to its engagements, for its wants were few, and it still re- tained its ancient simplicity. With the return of peace returned also prosperity ; its coffee and sugar met with a brisk demand in Europe ; and the price advanced in an equal proportion. Plantations were considerably extended, new ground was turned up, land rose im- mensely in value, and with it luxury, so fatal to the interests of young communities. At first its steps were silent, and it followed in the train of fortune, but it gradually outran the means by which it had been supported : numerous and brilliant equipages brought at a great expense from England and the Cape of Good Hope, whirled along the streets, or traversed in all directions the roads which now wound along the mountains where erst was seen the modest palan- quin : vast houses luxuriously furnished, replaced in all parts of the isle the old and more humble habitations : and that passion for hazardous speculations, which had brought such catastrophes on the commercial cities of Europe, now crossed the seas and sought for new victims in the colonies, whose inhabitants were but too disposed to follow its dangerous illusions. A species of dizziness seemed to have seized on the inhabitants of Bourbon, and the Mauritius, to which a crowd of fortune-hunters, driven from Europe by the de- ranged state of their affairs, flocked and augmented the evil. A re- 184 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. action necessarily ensued, and a monetary crisis followed, which for a long time prostrated the colony and brought ruin on some of the oldest families, by causing a transfer of their estates already over- burdened to their creditors. Time has, however, not only brought things back to their former level, but has witnessed yet greater im- provements ; and it is no exaggeration to state that society in the Mauritius approaches nearer to the European standard, than it does in the majority of the British colonies. CHAPTER V. EDUCATION. RELIGION. OFFENCES. AMUSEMENTS. OF all the important functions left to be discharged by the govern- ment of a country, perhaps the superintendence of education ranks second to none in the "responsibility attached to its directors, or its influence on the morals and wellbeing of the whole community. If this position is held to be incontrovertible in reference to an old country, where its own limits have been fixed to each class of society, which it requires a superior intelligence to pass ; where an identity of race produces in great measure an identity of feeling ; and where the conduct or example of the parent acts as a warning or encourage- ment to his offspring ; what must be its necessity, and how great the activity, prudence, and intelligence, required in its direction, in a country emerging from the grossest barbarism, so far as the larger proportion of its inhabitants is concerned, with an upper class still to be instructed in the refinement of European humanity with an intermediate class but lately formed, composed of the most hetero- geneous materials, and too frequently disposed to dispense to those accidentally placed in its power a measure of the same cruelty it may have suffered in a similar position ? Nor, harsh though the outlines of such a picture may appear, are they at all softened by the exist- ence of a commixture of races ; each possessing its own language, religion, habits, ideas; all adding their common share to the difficul- ties of an efficient system of instruction. These complexities which have sprung for the most part out of the confusion in which the Mauritius was involved by the abolition of slavery, and have been renewed more recently by an urgent demand for labour, had, it is true, no existence at an earlier period ; but it was hardly to be ex- pected that the generation of planters, anterior to the abolition of slavery, would be prepared to permit the education of the negro, or, if they had permitted it, would assist in an object so calculated to ele- vate him above the bestial form in which he appeared to his humane CilAP. V.] EDUCATION. 185 master. It was hardly to be expected that the man who permitted a reckless ferocity to prevail over the certain gain which a greater degree of mercy in the bodily treatment of his slave would have secured, would be induced, by a conviction of the marked superiority education gave him in both a mental and physical point of view, to allow any part of his time to be devoted to so useful a purpose. We shall not wonder, then, that the slave remained without any alleviation of his mental darkness, save from the fragments of instruc- tion to be picked up on the casual visits of the minister of religion. Here, however, ceased not the injustice. The animus with which the "ordonnance" on public instruction, passed by the colonial legislature in 1 835, was framed, is far from placing its originators in the amiable light which reason and policy alike dictate as the guide of their conduct for the future. Art. 1. " Public Instruction is placed under the protection of Government; its direction and superintendence is confided to a committee to be called ' The General Committee of Public Instruction of thir- NOTE BY THE COMMITTEE ON teen members.' " NEGRO APPRENTICESHIP IN Art. 3. " Requires teachers of private schools to obtain the previous sanction of " The provisions of this Government, and to renew this permis- 4"bT4h7e si . "M* y be withdrawn on report France, are inconsistent with of tne committee of instruction, the enjoyment of civil and re- Art. 4. "Punishes keeping school ligious liberty, and may seri- without permission with a fine not ex- zfz?3*Mz c r ding 2 ,i- sterling ' and with closing of education and religious in- " ie school. struction of the negro." Art. 5. "Requires a prospectus or programme of the studies, discipline, terms, management to be communicated to the committee of instruction, and makes teachers liable to be examined by committee." Such having been the disposition of those who from their station in the colony might have been expected to cherish any plan, which had for its object the amelioration of their humbler fellow-country- men, the fact of the labouring population in the Mauritius having been far behind every other British colony, so far as the present and future means of education are concerned, will scarcely elicit surprise. The evil appears, however, in all its intensity in the examination of Sir G. Grey, the then under secretary for the colonies, before the select committee of the House of Commons on negro apprenticeship in the colonies. Q. 5611. Mr. Buxton. " Are you aware of the number of per- 186 THE MAURITIUS. [dlAP. V. sons amongst the 70,000 negro population in the Mauritius, who are capable of reading the scriptures ?" " I have seen a statement of their number, which is, I believe, a correct one, but I do not recollect the particulars at this moment. A very large proportion are unable to read : I believe they are in an extremely ignorant state/' Q. 5612. " Are you aware that the Bible Society offered to give a Bible to all those that could read, and that the West Indies sup- plied nearly 100,000 applicants for this gift, but that in the Mauri- tius there could be found only ten of the negro population who could read the Testament?" " I was aware of the fact of the Bible Society having offered a Bible or Testament to those who could read ; but I was not aware that the number in the Mauritius who were able to avail themselves of it was so small. But I think the offer on the part of the Bible Society was not a present offer at the time it was made, but to those who might read at a future date." Q,. 5614. " Are you aware of another letter from the same quar- ter, stating that there was in the Mauritius a district comprehending 30,000 negroes, in which there was no school, and no place of wor- ship whatever ?" " No ; the statement I have seen was placed in my hand by a lady connected with the Mauritius, which she had re- ceived from Mr. Le Bruu, the agent of the London Missionary Society in that colony. I have read the statement, but I have not got it by me now ; but I know the general impression it left upon my mind is, that the means of instruction were extremely inade- quate to the wants of the population in the Mauritius, and that the negro population there was in a state of great ignorance. Q. 5615. "Do you not consider, especially with reference to the extreme want of education in the Mauritius, that is a matter of first-rate importance at this time to provide means of education for the people ?" " I certainly think it is ; I do not know anything of greater importance with reference to the future condition of the negro population throughout our colonies. I think facilities exist for the promotion of education from the disposition generally shown on the part of the negroes to avail themselves of opportunities of education when offered them." In a review of the means of education possessed by the Mauritius, the schools belonging to the white population will necessarily claim the largest share of our attention both from their number, date of foundation, and comparative efficiency. Up to the end of the eighteenth century, education was grievously neglected, and the larger proportion of the schools have been opened since 1830. St. Pierre, in his description of the state of Society contemporaneous with his visit to the island, states that the greater part of the women, though in the full possession of their national wit and vivacity, were deplorably deficient in more solid attainments, while others were so ignorant as to be unable to read. These imperfections are said to have remained up to a more recent period, and, though highly til A I'. V.] KDUCATION. 187 finished in their manners, they are not considered well informed. Female education is far too superficial, and more attention is directed to a proficiency in the arts of personal attraction, than the more useful, because more durable, accomplishments of the mind. Long and tedious as is the voyage, the youth of both sexes, where their parents are in a state of affluence, have of late been sent either to England or France to finish their education ; by this means a rapid improvement may be reasonably expected. There are ten private schools in Port Louis devoted to female education ; three at Mahe- bourg. The former containing from six hundred to six hundred and fifty, the latter from one hundred and fifty to one hundred and eighty pupils. There are also five schools for infants of both sexes, in which the number of pupils ranges from two hundred and eighty to three hundred. Although the anomalous state of society before alluded to, for a long time forbade any attention to the educational requirements of the colony, yet the Royal College was founded by a decree of the Colonial Assembly so early as 1791, at the first out- break of the French revolution, whose principles were soon extended to the island. In 1799 it was transferred to a larger structure at Vauxhall. A violent hurricane in 1824 blew from its foundation this apparently solid building, leaving it a complete wreck. The college has since been rebuilt on a plan better adapted to a country open to periodical returns of such dreadful visitations, and the su- perstructure, which was formerly of wood, has been exchanged for stone. The institution was for a long time unique among the Euro- pean colonies in Asia and Africa, and such was the reputation of its professors that it numbered nearly four hundred pupils, and a constant influx of youth from the adjacent countries bore testimony to the excellence of its system. During this period it sent forth some men distinguished for their talents both in the colony and France. But the foundation of similar establishments in neighbour- ing countries, and the peace, which brought with it a desire for the more varied instruction of Europe, joined to the institution of a num- ber of private or inferior schools, have had the effect of diminishing the number of pupils, and to some extent the efficiency of the school. 1 1 The causes of this diminution in the number of pupils would seem, accord- ing to the local press, to have arisen from the supposition that the English lan- guage had been made the medium of communicating instruction, while the French had been neglected ; the kind of abandonment into which the Roman Catholic religion has been allowed to fall in that establishment, which is almost entirely composed of pupils professing that mode of worship, and the imperfect know- ledge of French possessed by the rector. One means of giving an impulse to the propagation of the English language and manners recommended by the Com- mittee of Public Instruction in their Annual Report, viz. the selection of one or two of the best pupils at the close of the year by the Governor with a view of sending him to England to finish his education, would doubtless be productive of the best results, and prove a far greater stimulus than any hot-bed system of compulsion. 188 THE MAURITIUS. [dlAP. Y. The course of instruction and general management is subject to the approval of the Committee of Public Instruction of thirteen mem- bers, who possessed a general control over all the schools in the island, until the proposition, which has been adverted to in another part of this chapter, having been submitted to the Government at home for approval, had the effect of so completely convincing the Colonial Secretary of the unfitness of the committee ; that their power 1 was limited for the future to the charge of this institution, in which their own and children of a similar rank are instructed. The departments of education are presided over by fifteen professors or masters, most of whom are from Europe, and are well qualified for their various duties. A general supervision over the whole is exercised by the principal, late of Trinity College, Dublin, who has been substituted for a French rector, and though he is distinguished by his general attainments, he has rendered himself extremely unpo- pular by his intolerance in religious matters, and is said have been in no small degree the cause of hastening a decline, which natural causes had already commenced. The number of pupils does not, according to the most recent information, exceed one hundred and eighty, while it is stated at two hundred and forty in 1843. The privileges of the institution are shared by three classes. " The Pensionnaires," " Demi-pensionnaires" and " Externes." The former pay twenty piastres per month, a sum far from excessive, when the high price of provisions is considered. The two latter pay in proportion. The college was endowed by General Decaen, and is otherwise maintained by a small annual grant from the colonial legislature with the sums received from the pupils. There is a preparatory school for youth intended for the college. Besides this institution, there are four other public schools. The " Mauritius Academy," the " College of St. Louis/' the "Colonial Academy," and the "English and French Academy," which, if possessing inferior pretensions, are no less useful to the classes for which they were designed, than the former. These contain four hundred and eighty pupils under the care of thirty- six masters or lecturers. There are also eight private schools, containing nearly four hun- 1 The committee in their report for 1844, express their regret at the order in councilof 1836, and the abolition of the monopoly of teaching. According to them, a man only commenced a school, when he has failed, perhaps deservedly, in every other pursuit. Formerly, it had been their duty to inquire into the fitness and character of persons making an application to open a school. As re- gards the substitution of English for French in the Royal College, the committee observe that the majority of the planters approve of it, as they are desirous that their children should by all possible means learn a language, which they know- must be one of the first steps towards their advancement, but they disapprove of it in the case of the younger children, and think that in the present position of tbe community, where in not one family out of a hundred the English language is spoken, to teach exclusively this as the medium of language, would be to arrest instead of to promote it. CHAP, v.] r.nucATioN. 189 dred pupils. A school of mutual instruction, opened in 1833 by the colonial committee, numbered ninety pupils on its commence- ment ; but, from the prejudices entertained by the parents of the white children against those of a different colour, it has since been reduced to fifty. There is also a night and Sunday school. The wants of the country districts are supplied by three or four professors, who give lessons in private families. It will be ob- served, by a reference to the statement annexed to this head, that the schools in connection with Lady Mico's charity are at present the chief instruments employed in the education of the labouring population of the island. This charity, as stated in a re- port made to the Secretary of State in 1838, has for its object the religious and moral instruction of the negro, and coloured population of the British colonies. It was established in 1835 to meet the destitution prevailing in the West Indies as regarded education, and was soon after extended to the Mauritius. The system adopted is founded on the catholic basis of the British and Foreign Schools, and the society has seen no reason as yet to doubt the efficacy of a principle which, while it recognises the Scripture as its foundation, steers clear of exclusive or party peculiarities. But the desire by which the trustees were influenced of combining religious in- struction and moral training with the general enlightenment of the native mind, was encumbered with many and serious diffi- culties, arising from the diiference of opinion prevailing on the subject of religion ; and the perfect apathy of the parents as regards the inestimable advantages of education to their children, who, in most cases, thought they conferred a great favour on the teacher by permitting their children to attend school. These, however, by a mixture of prudence and good feeling, have been gradually overcome ; and notwithstanding the distance of the colony from Europe, its language, the natural indisposition of the children to submit to the restraint of a school-room, and the great expense of residence, with other considerations, presented some formidable obstacles ; they were at length surmounted, while the society has had reason to congratulate itself on a success reaped amid such untoward circumstances. They have also endeavoured to prosecute their labours in all cases in the more destitute localities, so as not to interfere with any of the educational bodies, unless when specially invited to such places by the friends of education. The children of the coloured population, who were formerly quarrelsome and dis- orderly, are now, wherever they have come within the scope of the society's efforts, reduced to a wholesome state of discipline and feeling, and are no longer the savages they were a few years ago, while the adult scholars have given evidence of a similar happy result by displaying a desire for the marriage-state. The principle of exemption from payment, introduced in the schools in connection with other bodies, has to some extent operated injuriously to the 190 THE MAURITIUS. [('HAP. V. interests of the society, for the trustees, from the very first, judi- ciously determined on a modified system of payment, which, while it should prevent the privileges it offered from becoming too cheap, might hold out a reasonable prospect of self-maintenance at no dis- tant period. The result has fully justified these expectations ; and the friends of education will have to look to this quarter principally for the support of schools which the society will be shortly com- pelled to abandon. The trustees were fortunate enough to obtain the assistance of the Rev. Mr. Le Brun, a long-tried friend of the coloured population, in their early labours, and the Rev. Mr. Le Joux was added, when they assumed a more comprehensive character. The great expense necessarily attendant on the introduction of European teachers, and the sufferings to which they are often ex- posed from a tropical climate, early suggested the propriety of train- ing native teachers as the most effectual means for the furtherance of education in the colonies. They have accordingly regarded this department of primary importance, devoting great care to the selection of efficient superintendents. To attain these ends the normal pupil is lodged and supported at the expense of the charity in an institution adapted for the purpose, and is provided with the means of acquiring a practical as well as theoretical acquaint- ance with the duties of a schoolmaster in all its details of moral, intellectual, and physical training. This department is not, how- ever, limited to this object. The doors of the institution are thrown open to all, and numbers of the free-coloured population have benefited by the opportunity. The Rev. Mr. Le Joux is director. There are ten schools, three at Port Louis, and seven in the country, including Mahebourg, containing about seven hundred children. Success had thus far attended the labours of the society, and it had prepared to devise means to meet the influx of Indian, Chinese, and Mahomedan labourers, when its efforts were suddenly paralysed from an unexpected quarter. It will be remembered that, upon the cessation of slavery through the British colonies, Parliament voted two sums of 25,000^. each for the furtherance of education among the apprentices, and 5 > 000/. for the establishment of normal schools. The Mico charity, as one of the principal edu- cating bodies, obtained a large share of this fund, by means of which they were enabled to extend the ramifications of the society to a considerable extent. In 1841 the trustees received a commu- nication from the Secretary of State, announcing the gradual withdrawal of this grant, and the transference to the local legis- lature of the duty of raising the necessary funds for public educa- tion. They have been, therefore, compelled to abandon almost the whole of their schools in the West Indies (as the interest arising from the property of the Mico trust does not exceed 3,600/.), reserving to the latest possible period the relinquishment of the more destitute colony of Mauritius and the Seychelles. The manner in til A I'. V.] EDUCATION. 191 which Government propose to effect the withdrawal of the above- mentioned grant, and the causes thereof, are fully detailed in the correspondence contained in the Appendix. The London Mis- sionary Society has four educational establishments at Port Louis, superintended by two ministers and four native teachers, with four hundred scholars. They are also about to erect a school in the district of Moka, and give a cheering account of the aptitude for instruction manifested by the native youth, means being only wanted to establish schools to an indefinite extent. The Church of Rome has two girls' schools, one at Port Louis, the other at Malic- bourg ; the former averages fifty, the latter twenty-five scholars. The Bishop of Ruspa is now in England for the purpose of raising funds and teachers for the establishment of others. The Societies for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge and the Propagation of the Gospel have each contributed largely to the erection and outfit of schools ; and the latter has two schools at Port Louis, and four in the country districts, with upwards of five hundred children on their books. The Government has now five flourishing schools at Port Louis, one at Pamplemouse, one at Grand Riviere, containing three hun- dred and fifty-three boys and four hundred and ninety-two girls. A school has been established at Reduit, containing forty-three children, instructed at the expense of the Government. Thus, while ten years ago there were but four schools, viz. the two supported by Government and two by the London Missionary Society, there were at the close of 1845 thirty-two schools, most of them in active operation. Four thousand pounds are now also voted out of the colonial chest for educational purposes. A proposition was made to Government some years ago by a portion of the free-coloured population, which had for its object the foundation, at their own expense, of a college for the instruction of their children in the various branches of learning, who are neither the associates of the white Creoles, nor are admitted into the schools of the white population. Although such a concession appears at first sight highly reasonable, yet, on more mature consideration, it would seem to be a questionable policy, which, in place of cementing the connection gradually forming, if left to itself, would create a still broader line of demarcation. Perhaps the more pru- dent course would be to leave to time the accomplishment of an object which, however desirable, is at present surrounded by difficulties. Gloomy, then, as were the prospects of education in the Mau- ritius a few short years ago, the clouds which hung over the island are on every side breaking, and create expectations of a brilliant future. But, great as has been the increase in the erection of schools and the number of scholars, it must still be recollected that the latter (allowing for the most recent additions) do not exceed 192 THE MAURITIUS. [dlAP. V. three thousand five hundred among a population of no less than one hundred and seventy-five thousand souls: much, therefore, remains to be done, especially among the labouring population lately intro- duced. Amidst the general improvement, the superior education now so eagerly sought after by the white population cannot rightly be overlooked. Many of these are constantly seeking the shores of England and France in quest of those finished attainments denied them in the limited sphere of a colony. They are generally held to possess good natural talents, and, though somewhat ne- glected, evince great aptitude for instruction. Here they will see the world on a larger scale, will arrive at a clearer notion of the relative duties of masters and servants, which cannot be abrogated by colour. They will view the progress of English agriculture perfect as com- pared with their own, will acquire a notion of economising labour an object of paramount importance, and with the English lan- guage will carry back English feelings, which, by their elevating the tone of society in the colony, will oppose the most effectual barrier to the formation of local and narrow-minded prejudices. The education of the ci-devant slave population will, by the cessa- tion of the parliamentary grant, and the consequent withdrawal of the Mico schools, have to be provided for the future out of a grant of money from the colonial legislature. This, though an apparent evil, will most probably prove conducive to the best interests of education. Another parliamentary grant would have given a per- manency to the insensibility hitherto manifested by the planter towards the improvement of the labourer ; while a vote from the island legislature will have the effect of exciting his attention to a subject with which he will have a more intimate connection. Nor should a grant be otherwise than cheerfully conceded by those who, from the proceeds of taxes paid in part by the ci-devant slave, have im- ported no less than fifty- six thousand foreigners as his competitors in the labour market. The subject, however, is important in more views than one ; there is danger of a collision between uneducated races, each ignorant of the customs and feelings of the other ; there is impolicy in suffering a generation of freemen to remain in the same ignorance as their simple forefathers. Education, moreover, will enable the labourer to perceive and maintain his position and rights as a free British subject,' while the sums devoted to its furtherance will most likely be but a transfer of those otherwise devoted to pro- secutions or the punishment of crime. RELIGION. The progress of religion in the Mauritius, like that of education, has been so slow, as to be scarcely perceptible. The first French settlers, who came from the neighbouring island of Bourbon, were men possessed of simple habits, with a love of hospitality and an indifference to riches. Availing themselves of this simplicity, the missionaries of St. Lazarus, who arrived at an early period, exercised for some time an uncontrolled dominion over their minds, but when CHAP. V.] RELIGION. 193 the body of the people became augmented by a different class, who dispersed themselves over the island, the former were contented with an attendance to the more immediate functions of the pastoral office. The duties of religion were, with few exceptions, wholly neglected by the new settlers, nor were the wants of the negroes better cared for. These, though baptized by the priests and instructed that they had become the brethren of their white masters by the rite, with the prospect of a paradise to be more than compensatory for their tortures here, found some difficulty in believing that Europeans could ever be instrumental in such an object, seeing they were the cause of all their sufferings on earth. The misery of their condition led these men to have a firm belief in the doctrine of predestination, so that, whether braving the perils of the deep in the fragile pirogue, or exposed to the malignity of the white man on land, they were influenced by a tranquillity of mind to which the philosophy of the latter could never attain. As may be expected, the state of religion excited no attention during the commotions of the French revolution, but rather retrograded. Since the capture of the island by Great Britain, a general religious toleration has been observed. Previous, however, to the enfranchisement of the negro, and even during his apprentice- ship, every possible hindrance was offered to his religious instruction by the planter. The latter set up as a pretext, the increasing dis- satisfaction with his condition evinced by the negro under such in- struction. But the zealous Protestant missionary, though proscribed and in danger of personal violence, was not to be deterred by these means. From him the slave received the consolations of religion, and by him alone was the apprentice prepared for the privileges of the freeman. The present aspect of religion, though far from satisfactory, presents some features of encouragement. All parties are now striving to outstrip each other, to make up for time hitherto lost, to meet an increased population, and an increased demand for instruc- tion. Of the three religious parties in the Mauritius, the Church of Rome has at once the pre-eminence, in the antiquity of its founda- tion and its numerical superiority. The white and Creole popula- tion are, with few exceptions, nominal Romanists, though their claim to a connection with that creed will be found in most instances to depend solely on baptism by its ministers. The larger proportion of the ci-devant slaves are also members of that church, but without a deeper perception of its faith than consists in an appreciation of its gorgeous and magnificent ceremonies. So impressed is the bishop with a conviction of their possession of a mere external Christianity, that in a return made to the legislature he scrupled to name more than two who could be received as evidence on oath. The whole number of members of the church of Rome in the colony may be estimated at 75,000, though the average attendance of worshippers at its services cannot be said to exceed 2,500. There are two churches, one at St. Louis, a large and solid structure ; the other, at o 194 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. Pamplemousses, is capable of containing a large congregation, though seldom well frequented. Added to these are seven chapels. The services are conducted by seven priests (most of whom reside at St. Louis) presided over by Dr. Collier, with the title of " Bishop of Ruspa." This prelate is now on a visit to England for the purpose of procuring funds for the erection of schools, and the maintenance of an additional number of ministers. He is possessed of great in- tellectual energy, with an agreeable vivacity of manners, and appears fully sensible of the religious indifference and spiritual destitution of the colony. The services of his church, formerly conducted in Latin, and therefore unintelligible to the mass of the population, have latterly been commuted for French, the language generally spoken. A " Conseil de Fabrique" and churchwarden have the care of the churches' repairs, as in other countries. The residence of the bishop is in Port Louis, and is a neat and commodious edifice. In some cases a small glebe is attached to the house of the priests, but this is far from universal. Their stipends are paid by the colony. The remainder of the religious community may be divided into swo sections the Church of England, and the Protestant dissenters. The former ranks among its adherents almost the whole of the offi- cers of Government, a portion of the military, some Anglo-Indians or other resident strangers, and a few negroes. The whole number of members does not, however, exceed a thousand. There is but one church at St. Louis capable of containing five hundred persons, used by the French as a powder magazine, for which the thickness of its walls seemed to have given it a peculiar fitness. The service is here per- formed by a civil and military chaplain on the colonial establish- ment. There are also casual services at other places fitted up for the occasion. The Mauritius will form an archdeaconry in the pro- posed diocese of the Cape. The number of Protestant dissenters is extremely limited. Under this head may be included two or three Huguenot families, a body of Independents with chapels at Port Louis, Mapon, and Piton, and the Wesleyans with a chapel at Mahe- bourg. In conclusion, it may be observed that, amidst all the efforts employed for the evangelization of the negro and Indian labourer, care should be taken that education should serve in all cases as the handmaid of religion : without it, there is the constant danger of a usurpation of unmeaning forms over real piety on the one hand, or the fervour of religion lapsing into an excess of uncontrollable fanati- cism on the other. OFFENCES. Of all the offences committed in Mauritius, when in a state of transition, that of " marooning " was by far the most frequent and injurious. The parties, by whom these outrages were perpetrated, were the descendants of the Malagash, kidnapped by the Dutch on their first settlement of the island, who being joined during French occupation by a number of fugitive slaves, unable to CHAP. V.] OFFENCES. 195 endure the cruelties of their white masters, engaged in continual depredations on the property of the planters, burning or destroying what could not be carried off. Their retreats were selected amongst the most intricate recesses of caverns, the outlets of which were known only to themselves, or the trackless forests, whence they sallied forth for the supply of their temporary w r ants, always re- serving the confusion incidental to the recurrence of a hurricane, or a similar visitation, as the occasion on which the greatest quantity of plunder could be obtained, and the inhabitants found in the most defenceless condition. Hence (in addition to natural causes) grew up a rancorous hatred between the white and the Maron, by no means diminished by the disparity in their respective conditions. As neither party gave, so neither expected mercy. The planter seldom, therefore, ventured out in the districts most infested without a large body of his slaves for protectors. On some occasions, when stimulated like beasts of prey by hunger or revenge, the Marons carried their excesses so far as to compel the inhabitants of a dis- trict to abandon their dwellings and property. The sagacious mind of La Bourdonnais hit upon an expedient which succeeded for a time in breaking up their confederacy. Having sent to Mada- gascar for a number of young negroes, he had them brought up under his own inspection. Bound to him by the obligations of gratitude, they were by no means unwilling to embark on a mis- sion, which, by its delicacy and dangers, would give the most cer- tain proofs of their fidelity and devotion. Accordingly, from their being the fellow-countrymen of the Marons, and possessing a supe- riority in civilization, they obtained an ascendancy over the latter, which led to the betrayal of some of their number, and the disper- sion of the remainder. Upon the departure of La Bourdonnais their outrages became a renewed source of annoyance. Without doubt the harsh measures adopted after their capture added virulence to the hostility of their feelings. The law called " code noir," or, as it should have been denominated, " code sanglant," inflicted a severe whipping with the loss of an ear for the first offence. For the becond, the " Maron " was again whipped, the sinews of his hams cut across, and his person loaded with chains. For the third he was either hung or broken alive, but in either case was kept in ignorance of his sentence until the moment of its execu- tion. The life of these men was a continued round of privation and solicitude. AVith the rejection of dress they cast off the feel- ings which mark the man even in the savage, and differed but little from the monkeys, often the tenants of the same mountain with themselves. Though secure enough in their mountain fast- nesses, the calls of hunger or revenge constantly sent them forth to satisfy the one, or to wreak the other. This opportunity was seldom neglected by the planter, who, informed by one of his of their appearance in the vicinity, or warned of their o 2 196 THE MAURITIUS. [dlAP. T. proximity by the barking of his dogs (particularly keen in scenting a Maron), would march out in quest ^of the object of his hatred. The Maron, put up like a wild beast by the hunters, if he could not be run down for the purpose of suffering a lingering death, was shot, and his head, being fixed on the top of a pole, was brought home in triumph. These barbarous and impolitic re- gulations remained in force till the end of 1790, when they were abrogated by a decree of the Colonial Assembly. Since then " Marooning" has gradually decreased, and with the final abo- lition of slavery has altogether ceased, until its only relic is to be found in a tax called " marronage," levied upon the inhabitants up to the present day. The laws by which the slaves had to be guided were exceedingly arbitrary and severe, and were enforced with the greatest exacti- tude. At eight o'clock in the evening a cannon was fired, after which no slave could appear in the street. The means by which one of the latter was recognised from among the free-coloured, was their going bare-footed, this being the distinctive mark imposed by the law. Such as were out of doors were arrested after this time, unless they could show a written certificate from their master that they were sent on some business by him. The practice of poison- ing was very frequent among the slaves. This crime was much facilitated by the number and variety of poisonous plants, with the nature of which they were well acquainted. They have frequently taken off a master or a mistress in this way often without detec- tion. Such were the rewards of slavery ! ! ! Arson was con- tinually committed by this class, since upon discovery it presented a ready method for the termination of a life rendered intolerable by the cruelties of their oppressors. In the punishment of trivial offences, the " code noir," which did not allow of the infliction of more than thirty lashes, was generally disregarded by the planter, double that number being frequently administered. Assassination, a crime of frequent occurrence during the troubles of the French Revolution, was in few, if in any cases, perpetrated by the slave, but generally arose from the licentious conduct of the military. While the labouring population were in a state of slavery, summary punishment was inflicted by the masters or overseers in many cases, which required the examination of a magistrate during the apprenticeship. This brought rather a large proportion of the coloured class for a time into the prisons. Fears were at first en- tertained that emancipation would be attended with an insecurity of life and property; but the result has been free from a fulfilment of the contemplated outrages. The principal cause of complaint appears to arise from the fact, that many of the women, who formerly resorted to the fields to labour, now remain at home to take care of their huts and families. Much stress has also been laid upon jthe increase of crime since the enfranchisement of the CHAP. V.] OFFENCES. 197 negro; yet, if subjected to an analysis, it will be found, tbat, though offences may have increased in a large proportion during the apprenticeship, so far as their number is concerned, they have on the other hand undergone a marked modification in atrocity. They are now principally confined to cases of petty theft, such as the pilfering of eatables, &c., and the negroes are found to pause, ere they pass the rubicon of more systematic crime. Drunkenness is, perhaps, on the increase. This may be ac- counted for by the facilities offered to drinking by the canteens, which are farmed from the Government by a private individual; and though subjected to some good regulations, such as being open to the street and burning lights inside, yet they present a source of irresistible attraction to the uneducated labourer. Smuggling is an offence practised to some extent by the Creoles, and that part of the coloured race which was free previous to the abolition of slavery. When engaged in by the negro it is simply in the character of a subordinate. Coffee is the principal article thus introduced; and the illicit traffic has been stimulated by the absurd regulation which, forbidding the coffee of Bourbon, requires such as is im- ported into the island to be brought from England or one of its colonies. The increase of crime may, however, be traced to more causes than one ; first, perhaps, to the liberty enjoyed by the ne- groes of remaining out as late as they may wish at night, denied them under the iron yoke of slavery this freedom, while it affords an opportunity of committing thefts, renders detection a matter of chance. Next, to a diversion in the surveillance of the police, caused by the influx of Indian and Chinese labourers ; but in proportion as this body regain their efficiency (probably already restored) a diminution in cases of petty theft may be reasonably expected. The police, upon whose activity and energy so great a demand must have arisen by the simultaneous influx of so great an amount of labour, may be said to excel those of every other British colony in discipline and an acquaintance with the most perfect modes of espionage. The gaols, whose regulations are subject to the approval of a Committee of Prisons, consisting of seven members, are, accord- ing to Mr. Backhouse, as complete as might have been expected. The three principal ones in Port Louis are the Bagne, the Prison of the Court of Justice, and another recently erected. The latter is intended to remedy the defects of the two former, and contains eighty cells in two stories, arranged on the sides of two wide-arched passages. The prison of the Court of Justice is under good manage- ment. The building is, however, incommodious, not admitting of clarification. The prisoners it generally contains are debtors, per- sons committed for trial, and those under sentence. The last are employed in picking oakum, breaking stones, making baskets and nets, tailoring, and shoe-making. All persons of this class are re- quired to work, and, if not accustomed to any regular occupation, 198 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. they are desired to choose one, that they may not be turned out of prison without the means of earning a subsistence. The receipts from their labour amounted to 86/. 10s. in 1836. They had in- creased in 1837 to 205/. One half of this money is appropriated towards defraying the expenses of the prison ; the rest is divided among such prisoners as shall, up to their discharge, have conducted themselves in conformity with the rules. The mortality in this prison was twenty-three in 1836, thirty-four in 1837. The preva- lent diseases are dysentery, dropsy, and catarrhal affections. In the Bagne prison the negro population, sentenced by special justices, as well as Indian labourers, are confined. The deaths in this prison amounted to twenty in 1836 ; in 1837, to less than half that num- ber. The building consists of several large rooms, in which the prisoners sleep on wooden platforms. In some respects it may be considered more as a depot than a prison, inasmuch as parties pre- ferring complaints against their masters are here confined until the latter may be summoned to answer their accusations. Among the plaintiffs are bands of Indian labourers, who quit the plantations on which they were engaged, considering themselves hardly used or deceived. Many of these on entering the prison are found to be affected with the itch. The period for which prisoners are sentenced to this place varies from a few days to a few weeks. Their food, which consists chiefly of rice, costs threepence per day each ; their clothing one pound a year, making a total annual average cost, for each prisoner, of 5l. Us. 3d. The prison at Mahebourg is an old and inadequate building, with but two rooms. When these are very full, the door and windows are scarcely approachable from the close- ness of the atmosphere within. On going out in the morning, and on their return in the evening, the prisoners bathe in the river, which flows by. The men work on the roads, and their victuals are limited to one pound of rice a day. They are sentenced here by the special magistrate for a period not exceeding thirty days, and to receive not more than thirty-nine lashes. The Civil Commissioner has the power of awarding six months' imprisonment to free persons, but, in case his sentence exceeds thirty days, the prisoner is sent to Port Louis. With the labour and limited ration, the prisoners become much reduced in flesh and strength, so that sometimes the medical at- tendant is obliged to order the sentence to be relaxed ; it is found that those who have previously lived best, suffer most from incar- ceration. The anomalous state of English law, in reference to the conduct of seamen engaged in the merchant service, is unfortunately too well known to require many observations here. Suffice it to say, that an almost incredible number of cases of insubordination and even mutiny constantly occurred east of the Cape, and scarcely a day passed without a complaint of this sort being brought for adjudication before the Court at Mauritius specially appointed for this purpose. The men generally succeeded in deserting the service, CHAP. V.] AMUSEMENTS. 199 and vessels would frequently have found themselves unable to prose- cute their voyage, had it not been for the check imposed by the inflexible strictness of the police. This evil (a remedy for which was encompassed with numerous but far from insurmountable diffi- culties) has, from its universal application and the frightful extent of increase, forced itself upon the attention of the legislature. Before I dismiss this branch of my subject, I cannot refrain from calling attention to the miserable fate of the Indian convicts engaged in the repair of the roads in the Mauritius. These wretched men were first introduced under the government of Sir R. T. Farquhar, and being dispersed over the country in parties, under the control of English soldiers, they contributed, with the military, towards the formation of the lines of road by which the island is on every side reticulated. A small ring is placed round their ankles, as a mark of their condition. They are lodged in huts like thatched roofs, or in other inferior dwellings near the road. There are about seven hundred of them in the island. The treatment of convicts in our penal settlements, in Australia, severe as it undoubtedly is, is never- theless regulated by gradations of suffering commensurate with the past or present guilt of the criminal, and the felon, sentenced to eternal banishment, may, by a course of reformation, hope for a mitigation, if not an abbreviation, of his original sentence. Not so here. The impetuosity of youth (for many of them are still young), too violent to brook control, the probability of their having been the dupes of others older in crime, their general good conduct, and the long years (so many notches in their existence) they have already passed in this most hapless servitude, are all unheeded. The government of their country, too much occupied in schemes of aggrandisement, cares not for them. Philosophy at home, which hath adopted for its dictum the principle of a prevention, not a revenge, of crime, sees them not, and on the dusty roads and on a foreign soil the sun of the tropics darts its fierce rays on these victims of unrequited toil and ceaseless despair. AMUSEMENTS. The wild and uncultivated state of the Mauritius, for a considerable time after its settlement by the French, served to augment the number of animals introduced by the Portuguese, con- sisting principally of deer of a smaller size and grayer colour than those of Europe. " Hunting," says Baron Grant, " which is pur- sued without difficulty, and with continued success, is one of our principal resources. We have three kinds of partridge, none of which are the same as those of France. Monkeys are also pursued by the sportsman. As the climate is very warm, I frequently re- main for successive days and nights in the forests and mountains to enjoy the pleasures of the chase. The stag and the cabri, a kind of wild goat, are the most frequently hunted ; the latter is very active, runs among the mountains, leaps from rock to rock, and delights in ascending those narrow ledges and sharp points of the rocks inacces- 200 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. sible to every other living creature. This mode of hunting was the most dangerous, from the narrow and difficult ways to be passed in pursuit of the game. The antelope or gazelle, brought by M. David from Senegal, soon became extinct under the shafts of the hunters. It was captured by means of a tame one, to whose horns a snare made of cords was curiously attached. When the herd was found, the tame animal was sent amongst them, when the wild males in- stantly advanced to oppose him, and in butting violently with their horns were entangled in the noose. In this struggle they both fell to the ground, when the hunter arrived to kill the one and disengage the other." There were also a small quantity of wild boars, called " Maroon hogs," descended from those left by the Portuguese on their discovery of the island. " When a stag was killed, an entertainment always followed, as the flesh would not keep for more than two days ; the neighbours were accordingly invited to partake of the feast, and though the island did not produce wine, they contrived to enliven their festivals with the produce of Bourdeaux. M. David, the suc- cessor of La Bourdonnais, issued a general prohibition against hunt- ing, to prevent the total destruction of the game, which might have proved an effectual resource in time of dearth, but unfortunately it was very difficult to compel a strict observance of the edict/' The sports of the field were not confined to the male population. St. Pierre met in his tour round the island with a Creole lady, who seemed to value herself much upon going to hunt the Marons in the woods, but she told me the governor had deprived her of her favourite sport, which was " stag hunting," and added, " I should have been better pleased had he stuck a dagger in my heart." The race of deer is not yet extinct : Trois Manguiers, the spot generally selected as the rendezvous of the " chasseurs au cerf," is still frequented by occasional parties, formed of the planters of the district, who as- semble at this place provided with guns and a couple of hounds, and proceed to the adjoining woods, where a station at different openings in the forest is assigned to each sportsman, while others proceed with the hounds to beat the covers, all on foot, the nature of the ground precluding the use of horses. The venison is but of indifferent quality, lean and possessing little flavour. Races are held annually in June on the Champ de Mars, which is then seen to the greatest advantage, the whole colony being there concentrated. The ladies of French descent are seated in chairs ranged on one side the course ; behind them, in several rows deep, are the coloured females attired in the gayest manner, their heads uncovered and displaying a profusion of glossy black hair arranged with the nicest care. Of this in com- mon with the white Creoles of the mountains, they are very proud. The races having commenced, the whole scene is one of the most pic- turesque that can be conceived. The fine horses galloping round, the mixture of European and Oriental costumes, the military uni- forms, all these contrasted with the solemn stillness, which seems to CHAP. V.] AMUSEMENTS. 201 brood over the surrounding majestic mountains, make a lasting im- pression on the mind. " Some excellent horses, in part of English breed, have been imported at different times from the Cape, many good Arabs have also been introduced by visitors from India, and some few well-known English racers have appeared in the arena to the utter discomfiture of all Easteni opponents. Nor is there a de- ficiency of other means of amusement. A neat little theatre, an in- dispensable requisite in a French community, has been built at St. Louis, within the last few years ; and a company from France played some time with success, but the attempt to establish a permanent corps has been unsuccessful. The present is a stone building, the original one, which was of wood, being removed from its foundation in a violent hurricane. When the theatre was first opened, the or- chestra refused to play " God save the King," in consequence of which the military were forbidden to attend. This not having the desired effect, the proprietor was told he would not be allowed to continue, unless he gave way. He yielded at length, but the French still persisted in keeping on their hats. There is a spa in the Mau- ritius, discovered in 1810, after a severe hurricane, containing the same ingredients as the waters of Cheltenham. It has obtained con- siderable celebrity in India, where it is held efficacious in removing some of the diseases incidental to that climate. There are also public baths. The Mauritius boasts of two literary clubs irrespective of the society of natural history, founded in August 1829, for the purpose of making known the productions of the colony, the im- provement of agriculture and horticulture, as well as the general propagation of science. The patron is the governor for the time being, and the society is supported by a large number of resident and foreign members. There are two libraries containing a large number of books, of which French form the larger proportion. The gay season commences about the end of June (when the Governor and his family leave Reduit their country residence, and occupy a house in town) and continues until October, when winter is over. During this interval, balls and dinners follow each other in rapid succession. The passion for dancing, an exercise in which both sexes excel, seems to be completely hereditary, for St. Pierre mentions "that the women scarcely ever came to town, but to a ball. No sooner was this announced, than they would flock in crowds, borne in their pa- lanquins." The young girls make their " debut" so early as fifteen. Music is another accomplishment to which the inhabitants devote much of their attention, and in which they are generally considered to excel. The celebrated Fte de Dieu, in which the most beautiful young girls clad in white robes walk bareheaded in procession, strewing flowers before the Host, is an occasion of great rejoicing throughout the island. A great mass of people are then collected. Flags wave in every direction, and a blaze of bright colours shines around, while the streets and cathedral are lined with troops, and 202 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. V. the batteries fire salutes. Another scene of gaiety has been intro- duced with those of the Indian labourers who have come from the coast of Malabar. This ceremony or festival is kept eleven days, once in eleven months. At its commencement the people perform ablutions in a river, and it is said bring up anything they lay hold of in diving, which is retained as an object of veneration, if not of adoration, till the next yamsey. The crowds of people dressed in holiday attire present an imposing appearance. This dress is com- posed of white cotton drapery, varied with scarlet or other head- dresses. Mr. Backhouse describes their appearance thus : " A small group were dancing with gaily coloured things upon their heads, re- sembling meat-safes with quadrangular pyramidal tops, here called garde-mangers. Another group were carrying gay banners, accom- panied by a sort of drumming. Some were painted red, and dappled with other colours : some of those, who begged, had on very little clothing. One man jumped at intervals amongst the crowd to a great height, having his hands erect, and accompanying the effort with a deep hissing noise. The painted men resembled in some respects the fool's attendant on the exhibitions of ' Ploughboys' and c Morris-dancers' in England, to whose fooleries, indeed, the whole transaction bore a resemblance. Afterwards we saw them carrying about three splendid goons or pagodas of several stories high with balloon-like tops ; they were made of coloured and gilt paper upon bamboo frames. The gayest was broken at the end of the ceremony and scattered upon the water at the place where the people had per- formed their ablutions at the commencement of this festival, or rather fast, for they practise considerable abstinence till the pagoda is broken, after which they have a feast. The fragments of this struc- ture become playthings for the children. Representations of the sun and moon and some stars, were among the rude designs on its first story. Several banners were carried in the procession, one of which had a white flag, and was surmounted by the representation of a hand in tin. The crowd dispersed after this ceremony, and many of the people formed parties to eat curry, made with rice and cock fowls, hens being rejected I know not for what cause. It is said that many nominal Christians in the island vow under affliction that, if they be delivered from the cause of their distress, they will devote a cock or some other offering, such as a tin hand or some tin* sel, to the Malabar priest at the yamsey. There could not have been less than ten thousand persons present at this exhibition of heathenism.' PART THE THIRD. CHAPTER I. PHYSICAL ASPECT, RIVERS, LAKES, MOUNTAINS, GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, ETC. THE aspect of the Mauritius is very bold and wild : its scenery is on every side romantic and picturesque, and its appearance from the sea is the more remarkable from the singular form 1 of the mountains, which in some parts astonish the stranger by their abruptness, and in others rise gradually from the coast into the interior, where they are intersected by ranges, or chains of diverging radii, running in a contrary direction. There are, however, three principal ranges, from 1,800 to 2,800 feet high above the level of the sea, which are covered with timber, except at their very summits. In the centre of the island there are plains of table-land several leagues in circumference, and of different elevations, called Plains Wilhems, Plains de St. Pierre, Plains de la Riviere Noire, Plain Magnan. Part of the district of Moka is also of this elevation. Though it possesses a circumference of only ninety miles, the Mauritius is watered by more than sixty rivers or streams, which rise in the mountains, of which the principal are Grande Riviere Quest and Grande Riviere Est. The Port Louis, Latinier, Plains Wilhems, Moka, Rempart, Riviere Noire and Petite Riviere Noire, du Poste, des Creoles, de la Chaux, du Tamarin, de la Savane, Seche, du Poste Est, Fran9oise, des Pamplemousses, du Tombeau, de Seche Quest, Sere. The others are small streams, some of which cease to run in the dry season. They generally flow through 1 It sometimes happens (says Mr. Bradshaw) that at daybreak the whole of the lower part of the island is enveloped in a white wreath of mist, while the craggy summits of the mountains are seen above, standing out in sharp relief against the clear and brilliant sky. On approaching the island under these circumstances, the high peaks are sometimes perceptible at sea at an almost incredible distance, but as the day advances, and the exhalations are diffused by the power of the sun, the pleasing vision disappears. 204 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. 1. deep ravines, which are open, however, to the influence of the sun and air, and, in relation to the country in general, may be considered as the rays of a circle. One of the natural curiosities of this island are its lakes, the most extensive of which is Grande Bassin, which is situated on the most elevated plain in the island, and surrounded by mountains clothed with wood, that serve to attract the clouds, and feed the streams which run from it. The depth is doubtless great, and is said by the inhabitants to be unfathomable. There is a large cavity, of a circular shape, on a mountain called " Le Tronc au Cerfs." The lake itself is called Mare des Vaconas or Vacques. It is also of great depth, and is much frequented by deer : the path leading down to the bottom of it is carpeted with verdure. The district of Grande Riviere, which is in the immediate vicinity of St. Louis, is the resort of the government officials and merchants, whose avoca- tions require a daily attendance in the town. It is several hundred feet above the level of the sea. The river divides the cantons of Plains Wilhems and Moka, and falls into the sea on the west side of the bay of the same name. Though rising in the interior, it is only navigable a few hundred yards from its mouth, and there only for small vessels. Through the village (which is the station of the Indian convicts), and adjoining the mouth of the river, lies the high road to Mahebourg, passing through Plains Wilhems. The hollow of the ravine, through which the river runs, is deep, serpentine, and very beautiful, being thickly clothed with plantations and groves, from among which the rocks grotesquely emerge, and is lined on either side with charming white houses of basalt, which render the view as picturesque as can well be conceived. This ravine has several branches (through which the rivers Moka, Plains Wilhems, and Profonde flow, and finally join the larger stream), running in deep chasms with precipitous sides, presenting a fine mixture of wood and rock scenery, and several cascades in their course. The caves, which the Marons once frequented, are here to be seen. The beauty of the scene is enhanced by the proximity of a chain of mountains, lying to the S. E. of which the Morne de la Decouverte forms one termination. In the centre lies the Pouce, and at the other extreme the Pieter Both, the whole forming nearly a semicircle. At the stony bed of the river above the bridge (which is of five arches, and has been several times swept away by the rapidity of the mountain tor- rent), an animating spectacle may frequently be seen. For a quarter of a mile the banks of the river are covered with clothes (nearly the whole of those worn at St. Louis and the vicinity being washed here) spread out in the sun, while men and women, of swarthy or ebon skins, are up to the middle in the water washing. The clothes are soaked, then rubbed with soap or goats' dung, and beat upon flat parts of the rocks with a piece of wood. They are then worked backwards and forwards in the water : next exposed to the sun, and finally sprinkled with water. These operations make them very CUAl'. I.] PHYSICAL ASPECT. 205 white, but are very destructive to the clothes. Reduit, the country house of the governor, is in the district of Moka, at the confluence of that stream, and the Riviere Profonde with Grande Riviere. It is a delightful residence, in a highly picturesque situation, being built on an angle of land at the junction of the two deep and extensive ravines, through which the above-mentioned rivers flow, and is eight hundred feet above the level of the sea. The approach is through a long avenue of Filhaos or Madagascar fir and Mangoes. The house (which is of two stories and built of wood) has received large addi- tions of late years, consists of a hall in the centre, with other rooms at the sides, in which, on account of the chilly nature of a situation so exposed, is to be seen an English grate a rare appendage in tro- pical countries. The upper rooms contain sleeping apartments for visitors. The usual outbuildings, called pavilions, of one story high, surround the house, and verandahs or colonnades, which are as much occupied as any part of the house, line both the front and back. The furniture, which is a specimen of that found in all the houses of the planters, is by no means sumptuous, but is suitable for the climate, being almost entirely brought from China, and is formed from the bamboo and Indian reed. The furniture of Europe could not long resist the influence of the strong and constant winds by which the country is dried up from May to September, and still less the reeking humidity of the rainy season. That which luxury absolutely requires, becomes in a short time the covert of a swarm of disgusting and dan- gerous insects, while the walls of wood are the asylum of scorpions, centipedes, and serpents. The prospect from the back of the house is extremely beautiful, comprehending an extensive view of the gar- dens and shrubberies, which are tastefully laid out, as well as the rich and varied landscape beyond. To the front are extensive lawns, adorned with neat parterres of flowers. Numerous cool and shady walks, which are impervious to the rays of the sun, line the steep sides of the plateau, which renders the temperature comparatively cool, while the roads in the vicinity, which are in good repair, afford good equestrian exercise. At the end of the shrubberies is the " Bout du Monde," a majestic and almost perpendicular cliff, whose depths the eye is afraid to fathom. At its bottom is the Riviere Profonde, which, though a considerable stream, appears a mere rivulet, from the great depth of the ravine, the sides of which are covered by five or six stages of large trees, whose foliage, with its rich and varied tints, harmonises well with the red soil of the cliff, and the enormous grotesque masses of grey rock. The plain to the west of St. Louis is seen beyond the intersecting lines, which mark the windings of the ravine, and " Morne de la Decouverte," or signal station on the right. In the distance is a fine view of the ocean. The district of Moka, which, though seven miles from St. Louis by the road, is not more than three across the Pouce, is the residence of many of the oflicers of the Government, to whom (says Mr. 206 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. I. Bradshaw) it possesses a two-fold attraction, arising from its proxi- mity to Reduit, and the comparative coolness of the atmosphere, the temperature being in general six or seven degrees cooler than that of St. Louis, arising perhaps from damp. Most of the houses have fire- places in the sitting-rooms, for there are many evenings in the cool season when a fire is highly acceptable. The river rises in the heights of the district, and, after receiving many tributary streams, falls into the Grand Riviere, about a mile and a half from its mouth. The valley is well cultivated, and lined with numerous cottages : the bazaar of St. Louis is chiefly supplied with fruit and vegetables from it. In travelling through this district, the sound of water-falls fre- quently falls on the ear. The cascade of Moka is very beautiful, and the sides of the road are adorned with hedges of rose-bushes, and wild flowers, of every variety of tint, while the wild fram-broisier affords to the traveller a pleasing repast, and attracts admiration by the beauty of its crimson glow. The district of Plains Wilhems (so called by the Dutch) is an extensive plain elevated nine hundred feet above the level of the sea, and is the residence of many persons of opulence, on account of its coolness. It is seven miles distant from St. Louis, and is in general well cultivated, though there are parts covered with trees, shrubs, and stones. The cascade du Piston is in the ravine of Plains Wilhems : it is eighty feet high. The upper part of the fall is picturesquely broken by ledges and shelving projec- tions, till it reaches the perpendicular part of the cliff; from whence the whole collected volume of water gushes impetuously into the gulf beneath. In these ravines the tropic bird, or paille en queue, (so called from the single long feather, of which its tail consists) builds her nest, and numbers of these birds, with their snowy plumage glittering in the sun, are seen, towards the close of day, returning to their nests, after a cruise over the blue and sparkling ocean. The western boundary of Plains Wilhems is formed by a range of mountains, the centre of which is the Montagne du Rem- part. These mountains rise abruptly from the plain, assuming an endless variety of fantastic forms. Adjoining Plains Wilhems is the maritime district of the Plains of St. Pierre. The whole coast is very steep from Petite Riviere to this district, and the soil is strong, but well calculated for the culture of sugar and coffee. The small rivers, Bellisle, Dragon, and Galet, which water this district, are fordable. These passed the coast ceases to be steep, and is succeeded by a large plain. The sea has considerably receded from this part of the coast. The Riviere du Tamarin, which is one of the most considerable and rapid of the mountain torrents in the Mauritius, is in this district. The bed of the river is composed of large stones and masses of rock, which have to be waded over by the traveller, as the floods would sweep away any bridge that could be erected. The cascade du Tamarin presents a splendid coup d'ceil, which is much enhanced by the unexpected CHAP. I.] PHYSICAL ASPECT. 207 manner in which it bursts upon the view. To the east of the river is the remarkable mountain of Trois Mammelles. Not far from the Riviere du Tamarin is a small district, which takes its name from the vacoua, a species of palm which abounds there. The district of the Riviere Noire, which is the south-west extreme of the isle, is eighteen miles south-west of St. Louis, and is remarkable for its romantic scenery. The soil is extremely fertile, and the sugar-cane flourishes here in great luxuriance. Date-trees grow here, as also tamarind-trees, which are in general very productive. The most elevated mountain in the island is the Piton de la Riviere Noire, being nearly thirty feet higher than the Pieter Both, or about two thousand nine hundred and fifty feet above the level of the sea. Riviere Noire is a rapid torrent of considerable breadth during the rainy season. Its takes its rise from behind a chain of mountains flowing through a deep ravine at the foot of the Piton, and be- tween them and the Morne de la Riviere Noire it passes over a pebbly bed with a gentle current, and is barred at its entrance into the bay by a bank of sand and coral. Petite Riviere Noire is a small stream, taking its rise to the south of the same chain of mountains, and flows into the bay of the same name. Off this part of the coast are four small islands, the largest of which is Isle Morne. The others are Isle Tamarin, and des Benitiers. The lofty bluff or promontory, called the Morne du Brabant is re- markable for its peculiar form and singular position, rising, as it does, partly out of the sea, and partly from the flat sandy beach. It is nearly two thousand feet above the level of the sea. Isle des Fourneaux, off this coast, is used as a signal station. The interior of the district of La Savane is said by Mr. Bradshaw to be extremely picturesque, while the direct road in making the tour of the island, from its following the coast, is dreary and uninteresting. The beach, along the whole of the district, is covered with marine shrubs down to the water's edge. The Baie du Cap (so called from the lofty promontory at its entrance) is about a mile long. There is only a depth of water sufficient to float coasters which are engaged in conveying provisions and stores from Port Louis for the planters in the vicinity, and carry back timber, &c. The post called Jacote is a place, where the sea, having pene- trated inland, forms a round bay, in the middle of which is a tri- angular islet. This cove is surrounded by a hill, which gives it the form of a basin, which is its only opening towards the sea. At the extremity several rivulets pass over a fine sand into it, springing from a lake of fresh water that abounds with fish. Round the lake are several small hills, which rise behind each other in the form of an amphitheatre, and are crowned with trees in pyramidal and other pleasing shapes. This verdure, which rises in the midst of the mossy ground, unites with the forest, and a branch of the chain of mountains that extend on to the Riviere Noire. Though this is 208 TUB MAURITIUS. [CHAP. I. one of the finest parts of the island, yet it is only partially cul- tivated, as the communication with St. Louis is difficult on account of the mountains in the interior: so little indeed is the traffic, that the stranger may proceed for miles without finding any proof of the island being inhabited, with a vertical sun over his head, which is powerfully reflected by the sandy soil beneath. Arriving, however (says Mr. Bradshaw), after an abrupt ascent upon the summit of a cliff from three to four thousand feet above the level of the sea, he is amply repaid for his previous uninteresting march by a beautiful and diversified prospect, which opens suddenly upon him. The narrow bay beneath him, with its clear blue waters, the picturesque bank of blended wood and rock on the opposite side, with a fine view of the distant country bounded by a lengthened chain of lofty hills, form altogether a striking coup d'ceil. The falls of the Riviere du Cap are among the mountains of the Savane district. This cascade has an immense volume of water, and is three hundred feet in height. It is classed by this tourist with Terrii and other continental cascades ; but the fall, says he, is distinguished in a remarkable degree by vastness of design, and sub- limity of effect, exciting those feelings of mingled awe and admi- ration inseparable from the contemplation of Nature's grandest works. The Riviere des Anguilles flows in a rapid current over a bed full of rocks: some springs of a ferruginous nature fall into it, which cover its water with a sort of oil of the colour of a pigeon's neck. The Riviere du Poste runs with great noise over rocks : its waters are transparent in the dry season, when it is fordable. All the coast from the arm of the sea near the Savannah is rugged and difficult of access. The rivers which fall into it are very much en- closed, so as to render it impossible to proceed on horseback. The march of an enemy might, therefore, be easily arrested, each river being of a frightful depth. The country now becomes very rocky, and is clothed with a fine sort of dry grass proper for pasturage. The canton of Grand Port contains the Rivieres de la Cliaux (at the mouth of which purple oysters have been found) and des Creoles, whose borders are woody and very deeply embanked. The view of the woody country between them and the adjacent craggy moun- tains is striking and very picturesque, and is said to bear a strik- ing resemblance to some parts of Madagascar. The environs of Grand Bay are covered with mango and orange trees, and clumps of the traveller's tree, " Urania speciosa," are scattered over the coun- try in all directions, and form a striking feature in the prospect. The Riviere des Creoles rises in the adjacent mountains, and keeps its course to their right, till it falls into the Bay of Grand Port. The Montagne des Creoles and du Grand Port are the principal moun- tains in this district. From the singular form of the first it is de- nominated le Lion couchant : one is twelve hundred and fifty, the other two thousand and ninety-four feet above the level of the sea. (MAI*, i.] iMiY>rru. ASPECT. 20!) At the hack of these mountains, which are themselves covered with \\ ]. tin- fon-.-t still prevails. Plaine Magnan, which is twenty-five miles from St. Louis, is in this district. Beyond it the country aing one above another. They appear to be conglomerate polyps with a continuous membrane, covering the whole mass externally, and connecting the individual inhabitants of the numerous cells. This, however, is not the case with the mushroom coral, called here champignon, which is a single animal. The reefs themselves are nothing more than coral or madreporse, worked in the sea by the polypi, and form a steep or perpendicular bank, which is con- tinually augmenting, either by the labour of those animals or the power of the sea, which when boisterous covers it with fragments of the same substance, which it has broken off from their beds, or forced up out of its own depths. The particular spots, which the billows have reached during the gale, are visible from the beds of fragments left by the sea when it has calmed. It appears highly probable that in time a dry passage will be obtained to the very brink of the reefs, so that the space now under water will become plains like those we have already described. To say that the soil of the Mauritius is rich, in the English acceptation of the term, would be incorrect; for though in some parts a black vegetable mould is found, yet this is rather an excep- tion to the general nature of the soil. The soil of the Champ de Mars, and the parts at the extremity of the harbour, is composed of a bed of rich clay, containing talc and lenticular stones, mixed with flints, gravel, and pebbles, beneath which are probably the same kind of rock as on the plains. In some places it is without any mixture, and may be termed quaking earth, as stakes of eight or ten feet long may be thrust into it without meeting with any resistance. The same sort of clay may be seen at the bottom of the mountains Decouverte, Longue, Pieter Both, and Moka, from whence M. le Gentil infers that these rest on a bed of clay, and urges this as a proof that the Isle of France is not the immediate effect of a volcano. The soil is in general light and ferruginous, of a brick-red colour : sometimes arid and barren. In some parts in the drier seasons the ground is extremely hard, and resembles pipe- clay ; and to make trenches of it, it has to be cut with axes like lead. After rain it becomes viscid and tenacious, yet it does not seem adapted for bricks, but is fertile when cultivated, and when manured is very productive. The sugar-cane loves the vesicular or decomposed basalt (called rocailles), which obtains in many parts of the island, and which contains many excellent chemical properties. In many of the fields the stones are collected into ridges about four feet apart, and in others into squares. The canes are planted in the 220 THE MAURITIUS. [dlAP. II. interstices between these rude walls. Some of the stones are small, and others as large as a man's head, but the soil among them is adapted for the cane, which thrives even in the fissures of the rocks, where the stones preserve it from drought. Maize also flourishes in this soil, which requires no manure, and has all the productiveness of the lava of Vesuvius. The sand found near the ravines is the sand of a mine by the shore, that is composed of calcined shells, of which glasses of crystal were once attempted to be made. In digging wells in the Champ de Mars to the level of the sea no coral has been found ; nor has any in the more elevated parts of the island, nor the shells which are so abundant on the shore. This is said to be a proof that this isle has never been covered by the sea. CHAPTER II. CLIMATE. HEALTH. HURRICANES, ETC. M. LE GENTIL, of the Royal Academy of France, in his " Voyage to the Indian seas," gives the following account of the result of his ob- servations on the climate of this island. " There are here four sea- sons : the first begins in May, and is accompanied with south-east winds, with squalls and rain. The latter is in general beneficial to the green crops, though sometimes it is injurious. The second sea- son begins in September or October, when the south-east winds are succeeded by those from the north-west. The sun now approaches the zenith of the island, warms the atmosphere, and causes rain and winds, which generally begin in December, when the third season commences, and extends to March. The fourth or dry season then follows, and lasts only six weeks. This division of the year relates rather to the general cultivation of the island, than to any other cir- cumstance, for, in point of fact, there are but two seasons, where the winds range from south-east to south, or from north-east to north. The south-east winds are strong and violent, but are free from danger to shipping, as they never exceed a certain degree of force. On the contrary, the winds from the north-east to the north-west are weak and broken by calms. This is called the rainy, tempestuous, and hurricane season. It is considered, indeed, as the winter, though it is the hottest period in the year, and is so called, because, while it lasts, no ships venture out to sea, and the voyage to the Indies is long and circuitous. The two intermediate seasons are caused by the change in the air, which is a kind of monsoon, blowing from south-east to north-east. The south-east winds give a sort of fresh- ( IIA1>. II.] CLIMATE, HEAT/TIT, ETC. 221 ness to the air, l>ut while they blow, everything ceases to vegetate, in ore especially in the parts most exposed to it. Hence it is that trees and fruit seldom attain any great degree of growth and perfec- tion in the district of Pamplemousses, which is much too cleared of wood. The orange and lemon trees in the plain are shrunk or muti- lated by this wind, whilst those which have the shelter of the woods arc flourishing and lofty. The tamarind, which has a hardier nature, braves the malignity of the wind, and would form a protection for the more tender fruit trees of the gardens, but its growth is here so slow, as to be thought undeserving of care or cultivation, so that the trees seldom bear fruit on the side exposed to this obnoxious wind, while those on the other yield a comparative abundance. The nights are in general very fine, particularly in the season of the north- east winds ; at this period the sun rises witli a serene aspect. At about ten o'clock, small clouds appear and continue to accumulate without any menacing appearance : they occupy but a small space, while their motion is almost imperceptible. A few drops of water then fall a certain sign of the coming rain, for the sky is almost immediately overcast, and so insensibly that it is impossible to perceive whence the clouds have proceeded : at the same time the rain increases in such a manner, as to render it impracticable to see any object at the distance of one hundred yards. These rains continue about two hours, but fall only when the wind sets in from the sea. When these inundating showers cease, vapours rise from the sea, and are stopped by the mountains. While the south-east winds last, however, a small rain is seen to fall, particularly in the evening, though the sky appears without a cloud, and is adorned with stars in full lustre. Rainbows are here produced by the moon, as well as the sun, a phenomenon seldom, if ever, seen in Europe. The general state of the weather in each month of the year is as fol- lows : (January.) Rainy, warm, and gloomy. The sun in his journey towards the southern tropic passes and repasses, and appears to linger over the island through December, January, and February, his scorching rays and fervid heat being at times scarcely bearable. Storms, sometimes accompanied by thunder, though by no means violent, but as the tempestuous season now approaches, navigation is almost suspended till April, while the fields become green, and the whole landscape assumes a cheerful appearance, but the sky is still dismal. (February.) Violent gales of wind, perchance hurricanes and thunder. Thunderbolts have been known to fall in great num- bers, and have killed men and cattle. Hurricanes were constant in this month till 1789 : since then less frequent, but the inhabitants prepare for them, in case they should renew their periodical ravages. (March.) The torrents are now less strong and impetuous : rains less i'n (juent ; winds now begin to be fresh, but without dew. The tliiek foijs l>v degrees disappear from the high mountains, which have been cloud-covered for some months: winds al\\ays in the south- 222 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. II. east. Heat moderate. (April.) The season is fine and dry, and the grass begins to wither on the mountains. (May.) Wind north- west. All the summits are visible, and though the sky is often foggy in the morning, it becomes pure in the afternoons which are calm. The season is dry, but in the low grounds and the interior, the air is fresh and agreeable. The breezes at the bottom of the bay cause abundant squalls of rain, but they do not last long : the tem- perature is stifling, when they do. (June.) Winds fixed in the south-east, from which they seldom vary. Rain falls in small drops. (July.) Wind still south-east. Strong breezes during the day, which subside at night, when all is calm. Though it is the dry season, the rain falls often in slight dropping showers, with brief but sometimes violent squalls, and the air is cool enough to require warm clothing. It is now winter, 1 (though still warm) if such an expres- sion can be used in a country, where the trees never lose their leaves. -(August.) It rains almost every day. Rainbows are formed on the sides of the mountains by the rain, but they are not the less black on that account. The summits of the mountains are clad in cloudy vapours, which descend into the valleys, accompanied with gales of wind. (September.) The same weather and wind. This was the time of the corn-harvest. (October.) The temperature of the air is warmer, though it is yet fresh in the interior. At the end of this month, corn used to be sown, and in four months it was reaped. Maize was sown again in May, and was ripe in September, so that there were two harvests a year. (November.) The heat is now sen- sibly felt : the winds are variable, sometimes in the north- west. Rains accompanied by storms (December.) The heats increase: the sun is vertical, but the heat of the air is moderated by the rains, which destroy the rats, grasshoppers, ants, &c. In short the winds and rains produce here the same beneficial effects, which other countries receive from the cold and frosts of winter. The prevailing winds throughout the year may be said to range from north-east to south-east. East winds are unfrequent, and generally accompanied by abundant rains; the south wind is cold and blows in winter. St. Louis is deprived of all cool breezes (except those which blow from the sea, or north-west which are rare) as it is enclosed on three sides by the mountains : yet it is far from being unhealthy for a tro- pical town. The temperature is sometimes, however, very oppres- sive, and even the wind from the north-west is highly injurious, and is as much dreaded as the malaria in Italy. It causes headache and colds, and is carefully excluded from the apartments in its visits. About Reduit, and the district of Moka, which is one thousand two 1 The thermometer ranges even now from 72 to 77 on board ship. On shore it is two degrees higher. In the sun from 120 to 122. Barometer steady at 30' 10. The average height of the thermometer in the hot stason, i. e. from No- vember to May, is estimated by Bradshaw at 83 in the shade, that is, it ranges from 76 to 90. CHAP. II.] CLIMATE, HEALTH, ETC. 223 hundred feet above the level of the sea, the sun seems to lose much of its scorching power, and shines with paler beams, while the tem- perature is always 7 or 8 cooler than at St. Louis, and even in the district of Pamplemousses, which is level, it is 3 or 4 lower. Reduit is even a chilly situation, and is very humid in the rainy season, so that, though it is within the tropics, a great part of the island is in a temperate climate. At the Riviere Noire, the climate is in general warm and dry, as the rains do not often reach the shore, the clouds being arrested and attracted by the lofty mountains in the neigh- bourhood. According to Mr. Martin, September, October, and November are here dry and moderately warm ; mean of thermometer 79, and prevailing winds south-east ; north north-east, and north- west. In the four following months, mean heat 86 ; winds, north north-west ; west and south-west. April, May, and June are cool and refreshing ; mean 70 ; winds south and south-east in strong breezes. At the Powder Mills the mean heat through the year is at sun-rise 70; afternoon 86 ; sun-set 72. The sky of the Mauritius is generally remarkably clear, and mag- nificent, of an indescribable purity of blue, and the mountains, instead of resting on it, as they appear to do in more northerly climes, stand out from it in bold relief, while the eye looks beyond their irregular outline to a depth of aether, kindling in the blaze of the southern sun, and excelling in colour the pure blue of Italy. The stars are more numerous and brilliant, and of greater magnitude, than those of Europe ; many are as brilliant as the planet Venus. The spectacle presented by this magnificent illumination is beyond description." Thus Bourbon, though one hundred and twenty miles distant, is frequently visible. This perhaps, will hardly excite wonder, when it is remembered that Mount Ida in Crete is visible from Cythera, and the Malean promontory. It is this purity of the atmosphere that (according to Mr. Martin) enabled an old man to see objects at a distance of three or four hundred miles. The time for observation is at morning dawn, when the observer proceeds to a gentle eminence, and looks into the sky, (not on the horizon) where he beholds (with the naked eye) inverted, the object within his peculiar vision, which is extended or contracted, according to the rarity of the atmosphere. The telescopic eye of this old man is said to have been verified by several instances of correctness ; viz. when the British squadron was assembling at Rodriguez (three hundred miles east of Mauritius) in 1810 to attack the island, a prediction for which he is said to have been imprisoned by M. Decaen for raising false alarms. Several instances are also mentioned of his descrying ships at a distance of three or four hundred miles, and stating their appearance, number of mast*, and other facts connected with them. The old man 1 pro- 1 1 am bound to state that the reader must take this anecdote for what it is worth. I have my doubts as to its veracity, though Mr. Martin's statement is 224 THE MAURITIUS. [OlIAP. II. fessed to teach his art, and a lady was found as a pupil. He was latterly made a pensionnaire of the treasury, and was engaged in in- forming the port captain what vessels were in his sight. When asked, his answer would probably be. " A ship, two hundred miles east, nearly becalmed. A schooner west, will make the land to- morrow. Two brigs standing to the southward," and his report was invariably correct. The want of method displayed in the clearance of the forests in the Mauritius has had in many respects, an injurious effect on the climate. The first settlers effected their purpose by fire, so that they opened large spaces of country without leaving any intervals of wood which might attract the clouds to the new- formed fields. The rains are the best, and indeed the only manure in the island, and they too often confine their course to the forests, leaving unbedewed the tracts that are cleared. Added to this, the fields, when deprived of the adjoining woods, have no pro- tection against the violence of the winds, which are often pernicious to the harvest. The water of the rivers appeared to the first settlers to be unwholesome, as it gave the cramp to the young ducks, and the bloody flux to persons drinking it a quality natural to all waters shaded by wood from the influence of the sun ; for though it is injudicious to strip a hot country of its wood, it is dangerous to inhabit it when entirely covered with forests, particularly in the vicinity of water. The banks of the rivers were here no sooner de- prived of shade, than the water became wholesome, but several of the rivulets near St. Louis were dried up in consequence. The tem- perature of a country newly inhabited may be entirely changed by destroying its wood ; such a measure should therefore be adopted with great caution, according to the heat of the climate, and the nature of the soil. The woods should be left on the mountains, and a certain proportion on the plains, so as to attract the clouds, and feed the sources of those streams, which, on quitting the shade, would be purified by the sun, before they come into those parts be- neath the hills which new settlers locate themselves on, and would then refresh the pastures at the bottom of valleys. Meadows, as well as arable land, should be skirted with masses of trees, inclosing lines, and should be left in such a manner, that the air may freely circulate through them, while they may protect the crops from de- structive winds and parching heat. As some counterbalance to the evils which have arisen, it is thought that the paucity of hurricanes may be attributed to the diminution of wood. To say that the vigor of an European constitution is fully preserved here would be erro- neous, for though the air is very salubrious on the mountains, yet in positive as far as it goes. Experience has shown that men are able to keep up such deceptions long without discovery. Wimess the case of Cavanagh and a ci-devant weather prophet. What is very remarkable, is, that when taken to Bourbon, his power disappeared with the change of scene. . CHAP. II.] 17.IMATK, IIKAF/TII, KIT. 22.3 other parts the mind is deprived of most of its activity and energy, and even in winter, when the natives complain of cold, the climate has an enervating influence. Many, however, of the East India Company's servants recruit their health here. It is not merely the almost insupportable heat of the sun during eight months of the year which enervates the body, but the softness of the air has the same effect ; there is no exciting impression or animating sensation ; indeed, there is sometimes almost an unconsciousness of existence. The French inhabitants are, in general, very temperate, a rule which is far from being observed by the negroes. In some of the moun- tainous districts of the country, the climate is so cool as to allow of the inhabitants having healthy complexions, and the young girls in many families have cheeks as glowing red as those of more northern climes. No malady seems peculiar to this island, but those of Europe prevail, as apoplexy, smallpox, pleurisy, obstructions in the liver (which may arise from vexation, as much as from any other cause). Lock-jaw is a more common disease here than in Europe, but hardly a crooked or deformed person is to be found. The negroes are subject to the stone. St. Pierre ?aw one that was larger than an egg. Violent gouts and paralytic disorders attack those who do not pay proper attention to diet. The negroes and children are much subject to worms, and when the former have the venereal disease, they are subject to dreadful chaps or clefts in the soles of their feet. The air has little of medicinal virtue, and gouty persons are liable to keep their beds for months together. The change of the seasons has no little effect on the constitution of the inhabitants. They are then liable to bilious fevers, and the heat often occasions ruptures, but temperance and bathing will keep a man in health. The scurvy sometimes makes its appearance at St. Louis, but those affected with scorbutic complaints are soon cured on their removal into the country. The smallpox and cholera morbus have both proved severe scourges. The former has visited the island four or five times; in 1792 it is said to have car- ried off twenty thousand persons, and from the latter, in 1819 20, there perished twelve thousand persons. The mortality among the troops is very little greater than that of Europe, not exceeding 30*5 per thousand annually, and it would be still less were it not for the irresistible temptations offered by the use of arrack and other ardent spirits. In a tropical climate the issue is delirium tremens, from which many more die than from the climate. To those who asoned to the climate, a removal to Europe is rather injurious than otherwise, and the Bishop of Ruspa, when in England, assured me he never enjoyed such good health as in this island. 22G THK MArKlTIUS. [CIIAI*. Hi. CHAPTER III. ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE KINGDOM. ACCORDING to the Abbe de la Caille, monkeys were brought into the Isle of France by the Portuguese, who would appear to be the only civilized nation that considers them comestible. There are two species, both of a middling size, the largest of which has thick hair of a reddish-gray colour, with a long tail ; they are both gre- garious. These animals frequently venture in droves, sometimes of sixty or seventy, to plunder the houses of the inhabitants. They will climb the highest mountains and trees, and repose above the precipices on the smallest projections, where no other quadruped of their size could venture ; and so nimble are they that it is seldom the sportsman can even catch a sight of them. One portion of their food consists of the eggs of birds. No ruse de guerre is unpractised by these animals in escaping the vengeance of the exasperated proprietors. Thus, while the troop ravages the plantations of sugar-cane and bananier, its nu- merous sentinels, placed on the rocks and loftiest trees, look with care to the common safety : A cry announces the approach of the enemy ; then the pillagers bearing their booty under each of their arms, and tripping away on their hind feet, promptly retake their route to the ravines ; if in the retreat the less clever, or the too heavily charged, are unable to escape the fatal gun, but, though severely wounded, succeed in gaining some covert, their com- panions return to carry them off when the danger is removed ; and such is the strong and vivacious constitution of these animals that they seldom fail to recover from their wounds. It has been re- marked that on account of their experience the wounded become the chiefs of the band, unless indeed the bodies of their comrades, pierced through in the last expedition, and suspended to the neigh- bouring trees, suffice to intimidate and disgust them with these depredations. Very fortunately for the planter they seldom quit their retreats by night. Negro boys are often placed to make a noise about the woods to frighten them off; but these cunning animals will if possible discover an unguarded avenue, and carry off what they can find. Fowling-pieces and hounds are more effectual ; but so great is their address and agility, that though they are as large as a common spaniel they contrive to hide themselves among the branches, and leap from tree to tree with such rapidity that it is very difficult to destroy them. The white hare was formerly plentiful, but is now almost extinct. The rats, which resemble the European animal, and may pos- sibly have been introduced in the ships, are very large, and issue CHAP. III.] ANIMAL AND TEGETABLE KINGDOM. 22? from the woods during the night in prodigious numbers. They make large hoards of corn and fruit under ground, and climb up to the tops of the trees to eat the young birds, and will pierce the thickest rafters. In one night they will destroy an entire crop, and sometimes will leave a field of maize without an ear. To destroy them the negroes set traps along the borders of the woods, consisting of wooden balls cut in half, the flat side being placed towards the ground. These are supported by three small pieces of wood, and some grains of maize are placed upon them, so that when the rats seize the bait the semi-ball falls and crushes them. Mice are very common here, and the havoc they make is incredible. The dronte, dodo, or dodaer, denominated walg-vogel by the Dutch, and by the French " oiseau de degout," or " le geant," was found by Bontekoe, and the earlier navigators, on all the three islands of Mauritius, Bourbon, and Rodriguez, and affords an example of the extinction of an animal within a comparatively recent date. It is supposed that the flamingo (Phoenicopterus), a large and beautiful sea-bird, in the plumage of which black and white and the colour of the rose are intermingled, was common in this island, but they are now seldom or never seen. The corbigeaux is, perhaps, the best game in the island, but the most difficult to shoot. There are two species of the paille en queue (the Phaeton sethereus of Linn.), called by the English " the tropic bird ;" the one of a silver white, the other with a red beak, claws, and rump. Though a sea bird, it builds its nest in the woods. Its name is by no means expressive of its extraordinary beauty. Though keeping near the sea, it does not fear the sight of man. There are several species of green parroquets, with a grey capuche. They are of the size of a sparrow, and fit for eating ; but are almost untameable, and destructive to the crops. Blackbirds are found in the woods, and considered as game. They are often so tame as to approach close to the sportsman, who may knock them down with his gun. There is a species of pigeon called the Dutch pigeon, of most magnificent plumage ; and another variety, which, though of a pleasant taste, is liable to throw those eating it into convulsions. In the mountain districts there is a species of hawk, resembling the sparrow-hawk, called the chicken-eater, which is said to feed on gnis-hoppers. Its abode is on the sea-shore, and it discovers no alarm at the sight of man. It is the only bird of prey at the Mauritius. Among the most formidable animals is that which M. de Buffon calls the great bat of Madagascar. It is about a foot in length from its posterior extremity to its head (being nearly the size of a Q 2 228 THE MAURITIUS. [dlAP. III. cat), and its wings stretcli to about four feet. It lias Inrnrp canine teeth, consisting of four in the upper, and as many in tiie lower jaw. Its muzzle is black and sharp, its ears large and bare. Its talons are hooked, large, and compressed, but it has no tail. These bats are of different colours, some of a bright red, others brown, and some are almost black. They resemble the common bat in their interior conformation, the shape of their wings, and the man- ner of spreading them when they fly. When these animals repose they cling to the tops of the highest trees, and hang with their heads downwards. At other times they fix themselves upon ani- mals, and even upon man himself. They feed indifferently on fruit, flesh, and insects, and are so fond of the juice of the palm-tree that they sometimes intoxicate themselves with it, so as to fall to the ground. Their horrid shrieks are heard during the night in the forests at two miles distance ; but they retire at the approach of day. Nothing is safe from the ravages of these destructive crea- tures, they equally destroy the wild and domestic birds whenever they have an opportunity, and they will sometimes attack the human kind by seizing and tearing the face. " It is very proba- ble," says M. de Buffon, " that the ancients borrowed the idea of the harpies from these terrible animals. The Indians consider them as a palateable article of food, particularly in that season of the year when they are the most fat ; and even some of the French, both in Bourbon and Mauritius, though they had at first a great repugnance to them as an article of food, formerly followed the Indian example, and admitted them to their tables. The negroes, however, hold them in the greatest horror, and no consideration whatever could induce them to touch these noxious animals, but to destroy them, for which purpose they employ uncommon dex- terity. It has often happened that persons have been attacked while asleep and bled to death by them, as they are powerful and subtle blood-suckers, so that it is really dangerous to sleep in the open air, or let them enter a house during the night. There is another species resembling the European bat." MARINE PRODUCTIONS. The seas that surround the Mauritius produce a great variety of fish, many of which are unknown in Europe. The black whale is numerous on the windward coasts of the island and in the adjacent seas, and the sperm whale is success- fully sought for to the northward ; and in the neighbourhood of the Seychelles, especially about September, the time of their coupling, when they are frequently seen to poise themselves perpendicularly in the water. Thoy are smaller than the northern whale. They are never caught by the inhabitants, though the negroes are not unacquainted with the art of harpooning them, because they are engaged in more useful and less perilous occupations. The flesh of these whales is like that of the ox. This mine of wealth and nur- sery for the most enterprising and daring class of seamen is most CHAP, in.] MARIM: I-KOIUVTIONS. 2'J: unaccountably neglected by the British merchant. " It is a ser- vice," says an eminent naval writer, " from the very nature of it, best adapted for the training of sharp, hardy, adventurous men, where- with to man a fleet. It is a subject of deep interest to a. country like England, and to revive and foster it, it ought to be carefully set about." Premiums and the presence of men of war appear at first sight the readiest method, but we question whether such a violation of the maxims of political economy would not prove yet more detrimental when the temporary prop should be removed. At present these advantages are almost entirely in the hands of the Americans, who literally swarm the whole of these seas, and cany on a very thriving trade, and one much more lucrative than ships going with low freights. It is usual to meet three or four of them sailing in company, they fill up rapidly, take black whale or sperm, and when these fail the smaller sort, or anything that will yield oil. It is said also that they enter into the smuggling line. It appears that a few years since the French had also allowed this valuable source of prosperity to fall into neglect, and that by pre- miums and protection it has been recovered, and is now yearly improving. Occasionally an English whaler is met with at sea, but it is a rare sight. The veille is a fish of a blackish colour, like a cod both in shape and taste. It is sometimes poisonous, as well as several other kinds, which however are easily known. Those who accidentally eat of them are seized with convulsions, which sometimes end in death. In such circumstances their skin falls off in scales. The fleet of Admiral Boscawen lost a large number of men by eating of this fish at the island of Rodriguez. It is supposed that these fish acquire their poisonous quality by eating the branches of the madrepores. The poisonous fish may be known by the blackness of their teeth, or by throwing a piece of silver into the kettle in which they are boiling, which becomes black if they are impreg- nated with deleterious juices. It is, however, a very singular cir- cumstance that this fish is never unwholesome to the windward of the island. It would, therefore, seem to be an ill-founded opinion that the madrepores communicate this poison, because the island is surrounded with banks of coral. Others attribute it to the fruit of some poisonous tree which falls into the sea ; but this opinion is even les* likely to be correct than the other, since, among other reasons, the island does not produce any fruit that would have so pernicious an effect. There is also a kind of wood-pigeon whose flesh when eaten occasions convulsions ; but as it is a bird of passage, while this fish is found in every part of these seas, this fatal quality may bo acquired on the neighbouring coasts of Madagascar or the main land. In the number of these suspected fish are several of a whitish appearance, with a wide mouth and large head, such a> the captain and carr.inque. The flesh of these fish is 230 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. III. not remarkably good, and those are not supposed to be dangerous which have a rough bone on the palate. Sharks are sometimes found, but they are never eaten. In general the smaller the fish are, the less danger there is in eating them. The roach is much larger, though inferior in taste to that of Europe. Both it and the mullet, which is very common, are con- sidered wholesome. The pilchard and mackerel differ little in appearance from those known to Europeans. The poule d'eau is a kind of turbot, and the best fish of these seas; its fat is green. There are white rays, whose long tails are covered with sharp- pointed bones, and others, whose skin and flesh are black ; the sabre fish, so called from their shape ; the moon fish, speckled with different colours ; and the purse fish, whose skin is marked with the meshes of a net. There are other fish like our whiting, of red, yellow, and violet colours, There are also the parroquet fish, which is green, with a yellow head and white hooked beak ; they swim in shoals, as the birds from whom they derive their name fly in flocks. The armed fish is small, and of a very whimsical shape ; its head is like that of the pike, which bears on its back seven bony bristles as long as its body, the prick of which is poisonous, they are united by a pellicle that resembles the wing of a bat. It is marked from its mouth to its tail with brown and white stripes like a zebra. There is a fish which is square like a trunk, after whose name it is called, and is armed with two horns like a bull. Several kinds never attain to any considerable size, as the porcupine lish, bristled over with long prickles, and the polypus, which crawls in the swamps with its seven claws armed with air-holes ; it changes its colour, spouts forth water, and endeavours to defend itself against any one who attempts to take it. These strange fish are found in the ledges and reefs of rocks, and are seldom if ever applied as food. The fresh- water fish are better than ours, and appear to be of the same kind as those which are taken in the sea. Among these, the best are the lubin, grey mullet, and carp, the cabot, that lives in the torrents formed by rocks to which it adheres by means of a con- cave membrane ; the cabeaux during the season of the heavy rains is taken in considerable numbers, its skin is black, but the flesh is delicately white ; and very large and delicate shrimps. The eel is a kind of conger ; there are some from seven to eight feet in length, and of the thickness of a man's leg ; they retire into the holes of the rivers, and sometimes attack those who are so imprudent as to bathe there. The lobster or langoustes is of a prodigious size, though their claws are comparatively small ; they are of a blue colour, marbled with white. There is a smaller species of a most beautiful form, and of a sky blue colour with two small claws divided into two joints, which are like a knife, whose blade turns back into the handle, it seizes its prey as if it were maimed. " There is a great va- CHAP. III.] MAKINK 1'KOIH ( TIONS. 231 riety of the crab. The following are the most remarkable : A species rough with tubercles and prickles like a madrepore; another which has on its back the impression of five red seals ; another, whose claws terminate in the form of a horse-shoe. There is a kind also, which is covered with hair, but is entirely unprovided with claws, and sticks to the sides of ships. Another species is of a gray colour with a smooth indented shell, on which appear several whimsical and irregular figures that are exactly similar to each crab. There is another, whose eyes are placed at the termination of two long tubes, like telescopes. When it does not employ them, it lays them in grooves along the side of its shell. The sea spider is a crab with red claws of unequal length. There is also a crab, whose shell is three times larger than itself; thus it appears to be covered with" a large shield, and when in motion, its feet are not visible. In many places along the sea-shore, a few feet beneath the water are found great numbers of boudins de mer, red, and black. When they are dragged on shore, they emit a thick, white, and flimsy matter, which is transferred in a moment into a parcel of loose glutinous threads. This animal is supposed to be the enemy of the crabs, among whom it is found. Its slime is calculated to embarrass their claws, which are not able to lay hold of its elastic coat or cylindrical shape. The sailors give it a very gross name, which may be rendered into Latin by mentula monachi. The Chinese greatly esteem it, and consider it as a powerful stimulant. Among the shell-fish may be ranked a shapeless, soft, and membraneous mass, in the centre of which is a single flat bone somewhat bent. In this species, the common order of things seems reversed, as the animal is without, and the shell within. There are several kinds of oursin (Echinus marinus) the blue oursin, with long prickles. In the water its two eyes shine like grains of lapis lazuli, and among many others, there is one which re- sembles the bottom of an artichoke. Of the various snails, some remain fixed to the rocks with an in- crusted shell, and others, whose shell is smooth and shining, wander about. Among the former is the bouche d'argent epineuse ; the bouche d'or, whose shell is yellow ; the river snail, whose black skin conceals a fine rose colour striped with points d'hongrie ; the Persic or Panama conch, which affords a liquor yielding a purple dye ; a long snail, whose mouth is marked with black spots, and .several others. Among the wandering snails are the fluted uerite (neiitina corona), a black shell armed with long spines; the smooth nerite, with red, gray, and black streaks in all directions. Of these, there is a great variety. Tlie harp snail, tho most beautiful in shape and colour ; another similar, but with the addition of prickles; a snail similar to one seen at the A/ores, and yielding a purple juice, and many others including the Navicella elliptica, a smooth, oval, black shell, nearly 232 THE .MAURITIUS. [CHAP. III. an inch long ; the smooth and flat lepas ; the star lepas, and the lepas fluviatilis, which like the other shells found in the rivers of this island is covered with a black skin. The oreille de iner, whose inside is empearled, and a kind of white shell, whose bourellet is still more rounded. The vermicular (the serpula of Linn.), which is nothing more than a white pipe, is supposed to be a fragment of the arrosoir (the Serpula penis) a large kind, which winds across the madrepores. The cornet of St. Hubert, a small white vermicular in a spiral form, and divided into separate partitions like the nauti- lus ; the nautilus papyraceus, and the common nautilus, whose section forms such a fine volute. Among the rouleaux (conus Linn.) is a common olive. Voluta Linn., a beautiful olive, resembling the shades of a velvet of three colours ; the black is most esteemed ; there are some of five inches in length ; a small olive more open ; and the common rouleau with red spots. These three kinds have an upper skin covered with hair ; the drap d'or, whose shell is very small, striped in zigzag ; the poire ; the rouleau covered with skin like the poire, whose mouth has a hollow slit, and is of a fine scarlet ; the ear of Midas is incrusted, but it is of a beautiful lustre ; the grand casque of a pale yellow colour ; the white casque spotted with purple is very small ; the scorpion is covered with skin, and has several fangs; and, lastly, the arraignee, a large and fine shell, whose lips are of a violet colour, and have a mouth decked with prickles. Among the porcelaines (cyprsea, Linn.) there is a common kind of a reddish brown, a dos d'ane ; another, which is spotted like a tiger ; and the carte de geographic, which is rare. There is also the ceuf, or the egg of a milk white, whose mouth is red and yellow. The lievre (lepus) of a fine dark red colour; and the olive de roche (voluta), whose shell is very brittle and may be taken in the Baie de Tombeau by leaving a line with baits upon it in the deep water for a few hours. Among the vis, the common speckled vis is very long ; there is another equally beautiful, whose spiral form is accompanied with a moulding; the enfant en maillot, more swelled; another equally large, called culotte de Suisse, whose colours and lustre are very fine ; a small vis, with a kind of beak with a hole pierced in it ; another a dos d'ane that is also pierced ; the fuseau blanc, which is rare ; the fuseau with red spots ; the maritime mitre, marked with the same spots ; the mitre fluviatilis, covered with a black skin. It is a sin- gular circumstance that all the univalves are turned from left to right, the shell being placed on its mouth, and the point towards the person who regards it. Exceptions from this general rule are very rare. If it were asked, by what law their volute always turns to the same side ; it may be answered by the same law which makes the earth turn from the west to the east. In that case, the sun may be the effective cause, as it is of their colours, which increase in beauty, C11AI'. III.] MARINE PKODUCTIONS. 233 as we approach nearer to the line. The scorpion, which has very long claws, increases its shell every year. Its old claws become use- less, and it forms new ones. It may be asked, what has it done with the old ones ? In the same manner the porcelaine has a thick mouth, which is formed in such a way, that it cannot augment its revolutions on itself, if it does not succeed in destroying the obstacles to its opening. It is not improbable that these animals possess a liquor capable of dissolving the walls of the roof, which they wish to enlarge, and if this dissolvent exists, it might be employed for the stone in the bladder, and to destroy those glutinous humours, which resemble the prima materia of shells. Among the bivalves are the common oyster, which adheres to the rocks, and is of so rude a shape that it is necessary to employ a hammer to open it ; it is good to eat ; a species called the leaf, on account of its form ; a grey oyster, which sticks to the sides of ships, and whose shell is beau- tiful and elastic ; this is very rare. The pearl oyster is white, flat, thick, and very large ; it is found at a great distance from land, and is the same as that in which pearls are found ; another pearly oyster, which is still flat, and of a deep violet colour, attaches itself by means of threads like the muscle. It is very common at the south-east port and is found at the mouths of the rivers. Its pearls are of a violet colour. The oyster called la tuillee is by no means uncommon, it is of the same kind as those which serve for holy water pots in the church of St. Sulpice at Paris. It is, perhaps, the largest shell- tisli in the sea. Some of them are found at the Maldives, that re- quire two bullocks to drag them along. This oyster is found in a state of petrifaction on the coast of Normandy. There is a species of oyster very small, and of a grey colour, that resembles a Polish saddle in shape ; the thorny oyster, which is found in the beds of coral, and the pelure d'oignon or onion-peel, of which some detached shells are generally found. There are three kinds of muscle, which are neither curious nor common. They resemble in shape the " dail" of the Mediterranean, and are found among the madrepore ; there is also a white muscle with an elastic shell, which incorporates itself with the sponge ; it is an intermediate gradation between two kinds. The huche d'armes is of the muscle kind, and is formed like a battle-axe with the hatchet on one side, and a point on the other ; it is covered with asperities, and opens with a simple elastic plait. Among the cockles is the arche de noe, whose extremities rise like the poop of a vessel ; the coeur de bceuf, one side of which is irre- gular ; the corbeille, whose flutings bend with eah other ; the rape, v\ hose stries or gutters are formed by arches, which cross one another ; a common cockle with a slender .shell, the inside of which is tinged with a deep blue ; another sort, \\hich is M-ry beautiful and scaice, and marked like embroidery on the outside ; the pei^ne, and the manteaii ducal of a line aurora colour. There is e\ery ap- 234 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. III. pearance that the shell-fish have their hostilities, as well as other animals, as the shattered remains of them are continually found on the shore, and those which are taken in an entire state are always pierced in different parts. There is a snail armed with a sharp tooth, with which it wounds the shell of the muscle. It is found also in the Straits of Magellan, and is called the armed burgau. To obtain fine shell-fish, they must be taken alive. Those whose covering is clear, live on the sand, where they take refuge in stormy weather ; others cling to the rocks. The muscles take abode among the branches of submarine plants, where they do not multiply in any great degree. If they were to spawn on the rocks, as in Europe, the hurricanes would destroy them. There is much variety in the hinges of the shells of these fish, which the artificer might imitate with advantage. The oyster has but little leather, which incor- porates with the stony substance. The muscle has a strong elastic skin : the hache d'arme has but one fold ; the coeur, if regular, has some small teeth at its hinge, which lock in one another, and if one of its sides extends, the hinge increases on the side where the weight preponderates, and the teeth, which form it, have a proportionate strength. An admirable principle of geometry is visible in their curb. Formerly there was great plenty of turtles on the coast, but they are now seldom or never seen ; the flesh was like beef, the fat green, and well tasted. The sea-side is full of holes, which are in- habited by great numbers of tourlouroux, a kind of amphibious crab that burrows under the earth, like a mole. They run very fast, and when in danger of being taken, snap their claws, and present their points, with which they make a kind of ringing noise by way of menace. This animal is of no use to man. Another very singu- lar amphibious animal is the bernard Thermite (cancer bernhardus, Linn.), a kind of lobster, whose hinder part is without a shell, but instinct has taught it to lodge that part in any empty shell it can find upon the shore. They may be seen running about in great numbers, each of them carrying its borrowed house, which, when in- commodious from its being too small, it changes, as opportunity serves, for one that is more capacious. INSECTS. The most destructive insects in the island are the lo- custs. They will light upon a field like a fall of snow, darkening the sky at their approach, and lie upon the ground several inches deep, eating up its verdure in the course of a night. They then lay their eggs, which are speedily hatched, and the ground is covered with them. They are the most dreaded enemy of the planter. Unless destroyed, they soon hop about, and would shortly rise upon the wing. The mode of attaining this important object is as follows. Small holes are made in the ground, about the size and depth of the crown of a hat, into which the negroes, with small brooms, sweep the young, and, having covered them with earth, press it down with their feet. As this practice is universal over the CHA1 1 . Ill ] I.NM-ICTS. 235 island, this mischievous insect is at length destroyed. There are a large variety of caterpillars, some of which, as that of theCitronnier, are very large and beautiful, and a nocturnal butterfly, which bears on its corslet the figure of a death's head (the atropos or tete de mort). This is called " liar,'' and flies chiefly about rooms. The down of its wings is said to blind those whose eyes it touches. The houses abound with ants, which destroy provisions of every kind. The pantries are not safe from their ravages, unless they stand in water. Numbers of them are killed by an insect called Formicalao. The serpent and adder are said to have been discovered in Isles Rond and the Coin de mere, but have never been seen in the main island. The centipede (cent pieds, scolopendre) is frequently found in damp places. This insect seems to have been destined to warn man from unwholesome places. Its sting is very painful, and long in healing, and will bring an ulcer. Some of these insects attain the length of six inches, and ants have been seen to seize their legs and drag them along like a piece of timber. The yellow wasp, with black rings upon the body, whose larvse or grubs, when roasted in the combs, are eaten by the Creoles, (who, in taking the nests, drive off the wasps by means of a burning rag, fastened to the end of a stick,) is not less formidable for its sting than the scorpion, which is very common here, and builds in trees, and even in houses. Its hive is of a substance like paper. Its bite is not mortal, but it produces a fever, which is cured by rubbing the affected part with oil. This insect is the only one in the island that is really noxious to man, and oven it has become much less venomous than formerly. The wasp called the maconnel, builds itself a nest of earth like the work of a swallow. It lodges in unfrequented rooms. These wasps shape leaves with their teeth into circular pieces into the size of a sixpence, with great nicety. They carry them into their nests, and, having rolled them into the shape of a horn, deposit their eggs in them. There is another kind of insect, of a blackish colour, resembling the ant in appearance and industry, and is not less sagacious in the mode of forming its abode. It makes great havoc among the trees and timber, whose wood it pulverizes, and with the dust forms arches of about an inch in breadth, over which it passes and repassea. Then' arches are black, and will sometimes run over the timber of a whole houx'. These insects, called carias, will penetrate through trunks and furniture in one night : the most certain remedy against their depredations is to rub the places they frequent with garlic. There are three kinds of cancrelas (Blatta Indica), a kind of beetle. The dirtiest of all is the scarabrea. One of them is flat and grey ; the most common one is the size of a cockchafer, and is of a reddish brown. This cancrelas or kakerlaque, is a coleopterous insect, which soils and destroys everything. It attacks furniture, especially books and papers, and harbours constantly in offices and kitchens. It is called ravet in the Antilles, though the cancrelas of 236 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. III. the Mauritius is larger than the ravet of St. Domingo, yet it is equally troublesome by piercing the water-casks in ships, and making holes of two inches in circumference. It has for an antagonist a species of scarabraea or green fly, very gaudy and very nimble, whose touch alone renders it motionless. The fly then seeks for some crack or chink, to which it draws the cancrelas, and thrusts it in, deposits an egg on its body, and then leaves it. This touch, which some look upon as a charm, is the stroke of a sting, the effect of which must be instantaneous, as that insect is of a very hardy nature. In the trunks of trees there is found a large worui with claws, that knaws the wood : it is called moutouc. Not only the black but the white people con- sider it palatable food. Pliny observes, that it was a favourite dish at the first tables in Rome, where it was the custom to fatten it with flour. Those were most preferred which were found in the trunk of the oak. It was called cossus. Thus have wealth and poverty com- bined in the same taste, and, like most extremes, meet. On the borders of rivulets are seen the insects called " demoiselles" (libellula), which are of a fine violet colour, with a head like a ruby. It is carnivorous, and feeds on butterflies, which it will carry through the air. The kind of flies which are common in Europe are also to be found here. The gnat called moustique or maringouin is very troublesome, as its loud hum is to be heard in every place it fre- quents. This gnat is black, spotted with white. Gauze curtains, called mousticiaires, are employed as preservatives against it during the night. The rooms are at certain seasons filled with moths or small butterflies, which flutter about the candles, and singe them- selves. They are so numerous that the candles are often obliged to be put into cylinders of glass. A small and beautiful lizard about four or five inches in length, with very lively eyes, is to be found in the houses. It makes a faint chattering noise, which is often heard at night. It crawls up the walls and ceiling, and even along the glass of the windows. It feeds on flies and insects, for which it lays in wait with extreme patience. It lays eggs that are small and round like a pea, whose shell is spotted white and yellow like pullets' eggs. Some of them become so tame as to take milk and sugar from the hand. Far from being noxious, they are very useful. Some very beautiful ones are to be found in the woods, being of an azure colour, in- clining to green with crimson streaks on the back, resembling Arabic characters. But a still more formidable enemy to the in- sects is the spider. Some of them are as large as a nut, with long legs covered with hair. Their webs are so strong that even small birds are caught in them. They are useful in destroying wasps, scorpions, and centipedes. The white louse is very injurious to fruit-trees ; and there is a bug whose bite is more dangerous than that of a scorpion, and is succeeded by a tumour as big as a pigeon's egg, which continues four or five days. The mild tempe- CHAP, III.] ANIMAL KINJilu.M. 23? rature of tliis climate, so much desired by the inhabitants of Europe, is favourable to the propagation of the insects which de- vour fruit. But the fruits of these southern countries are clothed with such thick rinds, hard skins, and aromatic barks, that there are very few in which the fly can deposit its worm. Many of these insects also are in a continual state of hostility, as the centipedes and scorpion. The formicalao lays its snare for the ants ; the green fly stings the cancrelas ; the lizard pursues the butterfly ; the spider prepares its nets for every insect that flies ; and the hurri- canes, which were formerly looked for every year, destroy both the pursuer and pursued. ANIMALS THAT HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED INTO THE ISLE OF FRANCE. Among these are goats, wild or Maroon hogs, and deer, which last were at one time so plentiful that a squadron of ships was victualled with them. Their flesh is excellent, particularly in April, May, June, July and August. The flocks which have been domesticated have never multiplied. Among the domestic qua- drupeds there are sheep who lose their wool, goats that on the contrary thrive, and cattle that come from Madagascar, and have a large wen on their necks. The cows give very little milk, and their calves degenerate. There was once but a partial supply of butchers' meat, but the inhabitants have a resource in pork which is better than that of Europe ; it does not, however, make good salt meat, which proceeds from a defect in the salt, it being too acid. The female pig is very subject in this island to produce monsters. Horses used to be very dear ; a common one would cost a hundred pistoles. They are now more reasonable, being procured from the Cape at an average of 30/. for each animal. On account of the ravine-like nature of the roads it is only" lately that they have been shod. Mules are in common use, and are procured from South America. They are fast giving way to the camel, which has been lately introduced by a spirited landed proprietor. The ass is here rare and small. Cats degenerate, the greater part become thin and emaciated ; nor do the rats discover any very great apprehension of them. Dogs are much more effectual in destroying these noxious animals ; but even they in time lose their hair and scent. It is said they have never been known to go mad in this island. The bird called " the gardener's friend" has been introduced from the Cape, as also a small and very melodious singing bird, which, being brought from curiosity, escaped into the woods, where it greatly multiplied, and is a source of great mischief. They subsist on the fruits of the harvest, and the government sets a price on their destruction. There is a very pretty tomtit, whose wings are dotted with white spots ; and the cardinal has been brought from JVngal. There are three kinds of partridge, much smaller than ours, and their cry resembles that of a hoarse cock ; they roost, as 238 MAURITIUS. [CHAP. in. in other hot countries, on the trees during the night. The fine pheasant of China and pintades have been let loose on the woods. Geese and wild ducks have also been introduced to the pools of water, as also tame ones ; and among others the Manilla duck, which is very beautiful. There are our European fowls, a kind of African fowl, whose skin, flesh and bones are black ; and another sort from China, the male of which is remarkable for its courage. Many of the inhabitants derive considerable advantage from their poultry, on account of the scarcity of meat. Pigeons succeed well, and they are the best fowl in the island. Two kinds of turtle- doves, as well as hares, have been brought here. The martin has multiplied very much indeed in this island. It is a kind of Indian starling, w T ith a yellow beak and claws. It scarcely differs from that of Europe, but in its plumage, which is less spotted. It has the same warble, the same aptitude to articu- late words, and the same actions. It counterfeits other birds, and settles on animals to pluck their hair ; but it is most remarkable for its greedy consumption of grasshoppers. They always go in pairs, and at sunset assemble in thousands on certain trees which they prefer. After a general warbling the whole flight goes to rest, and at break of day they disperse in pairs through different parts of the island : this bird is not eatable. The raven was let loose in the woods to destroy the rats and mice, but they soon became extinct ; perhaps by the hand of some of the inhabitants, who accused them of devouring chickens. Foreign fish have even been introduced into this island. The gourami, a large and broad flat fresh- water fish (the flesh of which is very firm and of delicate flavour, and is esteemed the best in the Indies) has been put into the rivers. It resembles the salmon in taste. The gold fish from China, which lose their beauty as they increase in size, have been brought hither. These two species mul- tiply in the pools. Several ineffectual attempts have been made to transport frogs hither, which eat the eggs the moustique deposits on the stagnant waters. VEGETABLE KINGDOM. For a description of the indigenous and exotic plants found at the Mauritius, I must refer the reader to the Appendix. PART THE FOURTH. CHAPTER I. AGRICULTURE. HORTICULTURE. " THOUGH the Isle of France," says M. Poivre, in his report to the Due de Choiseul, in 1766, " possesses a fertile soil, with brooks that are never dry in the hottest season, and water the island like a garden ; nevertheless, the harvest often fails, and the place is always more or less in a state of want. This arises from the erratic charac- ter of the inhabitants, who pursue project after project, and en- deavour to cultivate every kind of plant, but without the perse- verance that will ensure success. Coffee, cotton, indigo, sugar canes, the pepper plant, cinnamon tree, tea plant, mulberry tree, cocoa, and roucou, have each had their turn ; but the knowledge and attention necessary to establish an experiment has always been absent. If they had followed," he continues, "the simple plan of their founder, which was in the first instance to secure a plentiful supply of bread, the island would at this time have been in a nourishing state, abundance would have reigned, and the vessels that touched there would have found plenty of provisions and refresh- ments. The cultivation of corn, neglected and ill understood as it is, succeeds the best, and the land which is employed in tillage bears in the same year a crop of corn, and another of rice or Indian corn, without ever lying fallow or receiving manure, and with no great exertion of labour." Large herds of cattle and flocks of sheep were originally brought from Madagascar to this island for the purpose of stocking it ; but when it was discovered that more was to be gained by importing slaves than cattle, the latter were neglected, and continued to diminish by the consumption of the island and the supply of ves- sels. Besides, the ground, which had been prepared tot pasture, was so injudiciously disposed and managed, that there was not sufficient herbage for the maintenance of the eattle. In some dis- 240 THE MAURITIUS. QciIAP. I. tricts there was a very fine grass, which shot up at the beginning of the rainy season, attained to the height of five or six feet, and arrived at its full growth in the space of three months, while that season lasted. At this time the colonists sent their herds to graze on it, by which they were soon fattened, and, unless checked, would have gorged themselves with it, and fatal results would have fol- lowed ; but when the vegetation ceased, it became dry and hard, so that the cattle could not eat it. By a thousand accidents, the dried grass was frequently set on fire, which sometimes occasioned conflagrations in the adjoining woods. During the remainder of the year, the flocks and herds were left to wander about the forests in search of a precarious subsistence. The great error which had been committed in this island, which was once covered with forests, and had proved most prejudicial to its agriculture, was the injudi- cious manner in which the ground had been cleared. The first settlers effected their purpose by fire, so that they opened large spaces of country without leaving any intervals of wood, which could alone attract the clouds to the new-formed fields. The rains are the best and indeed the only manure in the island, and they generally confine their course to the forests, leaving unbedewed the tracts that are cleared. Moreover, deprived of the surrounding woods, these fields had no protection against the violence of the winds, w r hich often destroyed an entire harvest. The lands of the Isle of France, according to M. Gentil, bore a larger proportion of annual produce than those of the mother country, though the soil appears dry, poor, and arid, especially in summer, and the vegeta- bles draw all the nourishment from the water and the air. In size, too, the discrepancy was remarkable. Thus the manioc, which remained eighteen months in the ground before it was fit for use, was as thick as a man's leg. The maize which was sown during the warm rains, which gave such vigour to vegetation that the weeds frequently prevailed over the regular crops, was also very successful, though it required a considerable quantity of water and heat, so that the season of the north-east wind agreed with it the best. It was planted among the stones, with which large and small the greater part of the soil is covered, where it was found most to luxuriate, and grew to the height of from eight to ten feet. Such a soil was not adapted for other species of corn. Unpromising as this soil was, the inhabitants reaped two and sometimes three harvests in the course of the year, as the crops never failed, the rocks which kept the earth from becoming dry preserving the soil iii the requisite state of humidity. The hogs and poultry were fed on this grain in common with the slaves, but the inhabitants gene- rally do not value it as an article of food. Rice was also grown in the low grounds near the sea, in the quartier of Flacq ; but its culti- vation is now almost abandoned for the more profitable sugar crop. The maximum amount of corn produce would appear to have been (IIAI-. I.] AGRICULTl Hi:. 241 eighty-fold ; the ininiinuin thirty-fold. To insure a good harvest a concurrence of favourable circumstances was necessary. Thus the rats and birds had to be checked in their devastations, the rain should fall in such a manner as not to beat down the crop, and the eur should be preserved from mildew. Corn was sown in May and June, and generally reaped at the end of September. Beans were equally rapid in their progress to maturity. On account of the rocks, corn was here planted, as the plough could not be used, which rendered necessary the employment of a larger number of hands in spade-labour. The coffee tree was never permitted to attain its natural height in the Isle of France, being kept down to a thicket of seven or eight feet. This is attributed to the climate, and the necessity of preserving the trees from hurricanes, which would not have so much power over them in their mutilated state. This tree soon exhausted the soil in which it was planted, so that a plantation only lasted from ten to fifteen years, and when the trees ceased to bear fruit, and perished, they could not be renewed on the same spot, and fresh ground was required, which was conclusive against this branch of agriculture. The nutmeg brought into this island by M. Veron, in 1770, was very inferior in quality to that of the Moluccas. This nut requires for perfection an arid, spongy soil, composed of cinders, lavas, and volcanic matter, with a very hot atmosphere and frequent rains, qualities which are possessed by the Moluccas, but are not to be found at the Mauritius. The nuts at first distributed among the inhabitants were of the bastard kind, being large and oblong, and the growth of the Philippines ; hence it was that the Spaniards boasted of possessing the nutmeg in those islands, that is not to be com- pared \\ith that of the Moluccas, which is small and round, few of which were brought to the Mauritius. M. le Gentil observes, however, that the inhabitants of the Isle of France spared no labour or expense in the cultivation of this valuable spice. He states also that the nutmeg, shown at the Academic Royale as the produce of the Isle of France, was judged by the persons employed to examine it as the true commercial nutmeg. The cloves produced at the Academy from the Isle of France were smaller than those of the Moluccas. The mangoustan (Garcinia, Linn.), the first of fruits in the opinions of all who have tasted it, was introduced in young plants into the Isle of France in 1754- and 1770, but in so bad a state that there was little chance of it succeeding in the colony. The soil in which it grows at Malacca is very rich and strong, as well as swampy during three parts of the year. It is also a very hot climate, with heavy falls of rain, so that the mangoustan grows very quick, and in a superior form. The soil of the Mauritius, on the contrary, is li^lit and sandy, and it is neither so hot or so well watered as the peninsula of Malacca. This difference, then, in the it 242 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. I. soil and climate sufficiently explains the cause of the failure of that tree in this island, notwithstanding the great attention paid to it. The cocoa tree would appear to have been originally indigenous to the Isle of France ; but from its great utility for fuel and other necessary purposes, soon disappeared, and another species was introduced, which, as M. le Gentil observes, did not seem adapted to the soil, not having arrived at its usual height, and soon bearing the symptoms of old age and of a premature decay. It yielded cones of a fine appearance, but they never became perfectly ripe, a proof that it did not flourish at the Isle of France. Such is the nature of this tree, and that of the jaca (the tijaca marum of the Hort. Malab.), that they both bear fruit along their thickest branches, and not at the end of them, and sometimes on their trunks and at their roots, which latter operation of nature is a sign of their approaching decay. The soil of this island may be said to be very diversified. Al- though by its climate it is adapted for all colonial productions, it has not equally answered for all the different kinds of cultivation the inhabitants have endeavoured to introduce. Coffee plantations requiring the most simple culture and the least expense and esta- blishment of labour, were the first to be adopted. Cotton appear- ing more profitable superseded it, but the latter, which had promised such advantageous returns, and was of an excellent quality, was neglected at its turn for indigo, the cultivation of which became most popular. Finally, the great profit, which the first sugar plantations brought, induced the proprietors to establish them wherever they could pro- cure a sufficiency of water above the level of the earth for working a sugar-mill. The quality of this sugar would appear to have been very indifferent at first, resembling Norman honey. It was employed to cover houses in the Italian manner, and being incorpo- rated with chalk formed a kind of mastic, which, spread on planks, became as hard as a pavement. The cultivation of tea on a small scale has been commenced by a planter on the east coast, and is superintended by Chinese emigrants, placed at his disposal by the Government. I extract from a minute of the Society of Natural History at Mauritius the following statement : " The produce obtained from a small number of trees in three months may be estimated at one hundred and fifty pounds, an enormous yield, and one far surpassing all expectation, being two distinct harvests in the same number of months, independently of an almost constant cropping during more than three days of every week. The tempests cause no other damage than that of stopping the vegetation for a few days, and throwing down small quantities of the seed." The culture of silk has also met with success at Vacoa, where the climate is unfavourable to the sugar-cane, but so suited to the II \I-.I.] AORICULTURE. 243 mulberry tree that it grows there without cultivation, and produces foliage the whole year, allowing of seven or eight harvests a year, and even more. The moderate temperature also agrees with the silkworm, which only requires a sufficient quantity of nourish- ment. It would seem that a " magnanerie " was first introduced into this island in 1812 and 1813 by M. de Chazal, who, having visited the " magnaneries " of the East India Company, was so convinced of the great advantages which would result from the culture of silk to the Mauritius, that he spared no requisite expense in obtaining eggs of the silkworm and slips of the mulberry tree, of which the Company were very jealous. He succeeded perfectly in acclimatising them at Vacoa, but he lost all of them in a hurri- cane the same year. He was equally unfortunate with others, which he procured with still greater expense and difficulty. Appli- cation having been made to the Government, eggs were again pro- cured for him from India, when the mulberry trees having grown, the buildings being well established, and experience acquired, his perseverance was crowned with the most complete success. His nursery became in a few months so interesting as to draw the attention of the local Government, which, taking into consideration the advantages which would result to the country from the work, if it met with assistance, placed at the disposal of M. de Chazal a number of Indian convicts. By their assistance the plantations were extended, and seven hundred and fifty pounds of raw silk were pro- duced in 1822. The death of the proprietor, however, gave an immediate check to this rising branch of industry, as he was the only colonist capable of undertaking it, which was increased by the withdrawal of the convicts at the time when the cultivation of the sugar cane was carried to such an extent that every other cul- tivation was neglected ; while domestic labour was raised to so high a price that it was impossible to continue the " magnanerie " any longer. Since then, circumstances having compelled the daughter of the deceased proprietor to return to Vacoa, to the estate of Men- drain, she discovered with exultation that the mulberry trees had not all perished, and tried a little nursery of silkworms, which has met with great success. She has, therefore, called the attention of the Society of Natural History to the expediency of encouraging the culture of silk, with the view of benefiting her poorer neigh- bours, who are anxious to plant mulberry trees, and rear the silk worm. The " magnanerie," according to the Indian method, is not an expensive undertaking, but good workmen are required to build solid houses and make the stories. Labourers are necessary to plant and take care of the trees, to gather and carry the leaves. "Wheels must be brought, and a steam filature established ; and, lastly, there must be one or two good Indian drawers of the silk, who are easily to be found at Mauritius among the convicts. The yam of the Mauritius is very inferior, being watery and insipid. H 2 244 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. T. The sugar-cane of the Mauritius was originally brought from the Antilles and Tahiti, but, from the change of position and climate, it has in a great measure lost the extreme suceulency of West India sugar, and forms a sort of medium between the excessive dryness of East India sugar and the excessive moisture of that of the Antilles. The season for planting in general commences with the month of October, and terminates in April. Reaping begins in the middle of July, and ends towards the close of January. Guano has been lately applied with great success as a manure, and the plough has been introduced wherever the nature of the soil would admit of it. Great improve- ments have also been made in the mode of extracting the juice from the cane, and more than one eminent French chemist has been en- gaged in making experiments, by which the colonists may be enabled to avail themselves of the saccharine matter that is left after the sugar has been expressed. The mills, all of which were formerly worked by water power, and were therefore obliged to be built on a corresponding level, are now, in many cases, worked by steam. HORTICULTURE. The plants indigenous to the Isle of France, and those which have been introduced from Madagascar and naturalized, I have elsewhere described. I now proceed to describe and enumerate the plants, which have been introduced by the French inhabitants, and among others, Messrs. De Cossigny, Poivre, Hermans, &c. The pine-apple, water-melon, white pepper, and banana ; the saffron of the Indies, the great cardamum, the ginger, the veronica, the vesi- caria, the basil ; the aster, the gentiliana, the bagnaudier, the veroche, and the papyrus of the ancients, called sanga-sanga, &e., have all met with a moderate degree of success. The water- cress is found in the rivulets, where it was sown some years ago. The dandelion and wormwood grow freely among rub- bish, and in earth that has been moved. But, above all, the molene (verbascum) spreads its large and downy leaves, and shoots up its cluster of yellow flowers to an extraordinary height. The squine (not the Chinese plant of the same name) is a grass that grows to the height of the finest rye, and chokes up the other herbs by the rapidity of its growth, but it must be eaten while it is green, as it is too tough when dry to be used as food for any animal. It is green only five months in the year, and was often set fire to by the Marons, in defiance of the ordinances published against such an offence. There is a great variety of vegetables cooked and eaten, under the name of bredes or brettes, whose name, in the Indian language, sig- nifies an eatable leaf. It is a species of morel. Some of them, when in a raw state, are considered acrid or decidedly poisonous, but by stewing they are rendered not only harmless but wholesome. The negroes moisten their manioc in the water in which they have been boiled. They are usually eaten with boiled rice and milk currie, which constitute the chief food of the Creole and native population, many of whom, in eating dry boiled rice, greatly prefer conveying it CHAP. I.] HOKTirrLTI-RE. 245 to their mouths with their fingers to taking it with a spoon or fork, which they say spoils its flavour. The brede-songe is the young leaf of caladium esculentum, or of some other plant of the arum tribe, and is boiled in water previously to being stewed. Most of the other kinds are simply stewed in a kind of broth, formed by boiling an onion that has previously l>een roasted, and a little lard, in some water. Among them may be enumerated brede-martin, which is no other than the poisonous solanum nigrum; brede-malgoche or solanum nodiflorum ; brede-girrammonde, the very young shoots of cucurbita pepo, the common pumpkin ; and brede gandolle (Basella indica). The manioc and the camaignoc, another species of it, grow in the driest spots. It is a shrub, whose leaf resembles that of hemp ; its root is as long and as large as a man's arm ; and, when grated, is made into cakes. Three pounds were formerly given to each negro for his daily food. It is a most nutritious plant, and rapidly multi- plies where it is sheltered from the hurricanes. The flour of wheat grown in this island is never very white, but its bread is preferable to that produced by the flour of Europe for long voyages. The small millet thrives well here, and oats succeeded well, but are little cultivated. Tobacco is grown for the consumption of the island. Attempts have been made to cultivate sainfoin, trefoil, flax, hemp, and hops, but they have not met with success. The greater part of the vegetables degenerate, and those who are curious in them must frequently obtain their seeds from Europe, and the Cape of Good Hope. The peas are tough, and without sweetness ; the kidney-beans are hard, but there is one kind larger and more tender, called the Cape pea. There is another species, with whose vines, arbours are formed. Horse-beans are successful. There is also a kind of bean, whose pod is a foot in length ; its grains are large, but are never eaten ; and its branches are so luxu- riant, as to form verdant bowers. The artichokes put forth large leaves, but produce small head*, which are very tough, unless the root has been well manured. Hedges are formed of them, as they are very thorny, and rise to a considerable height. The giromon is a small pumpkin. The cucumber is also diminutive, and less pro- ductive here than in Europe. The melon is in great estimation, and the pasteque or water-melon is excellent ; the climate is very favour- able to it, as well as the soil, when improved by manure. Gourds grow here to an enormous size, and are of great use, as they form the utensils of the negroes. The bringelle or aubergine is of two kinds : the one, which is a native of Madagascar, has a very thick bark, and produces a round and yellow fruit ; the other, which is known in Europe, yields a blue fruit, of the size of a large fig. There are two sorts of pimento; the one which is known in Europe, and tlie one natural to this island. It is a shrub, whose fruit is very small, and shines like grains of coral on a foliage of the finest green. Tho 246 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. I. Creoles use it in their ragouts ; it is a very strong pepper, and burns the lips like a caustic : it is called the fiery pimento. The ananas, the finest of fruits, is known here, and the strawberry begins to mul- tiply in cool situations : they are not, however, very productive, any more than the raspberry, whose fruit has degenerated. There is a very fine species from China, attaining the size of cherries, and is very abundant, but it is neither sweet nor fragrant. Spinach, cresses, sorrel, parsley, fennel, and celery, are difficult of cultivation. The beet, lettuce, endive, and cauliflower, are much smaller, and less tender than they are in Europe. The cabbage, which is among the most useful of vegetables, flourishes here. The pimpernel, purslain, and sage, increase here, but, above all, the cistercian, which is a long- lived plant. Asparagus, carrots, parsnips, sassafras, radishes, and turnip radishes require care, but as cattle are scarce, manure is pro- portionably rare. A species of Chinese radish succeeds well. The red beet flourishes, but is very woody. The pomme de terre (Solanum Americanum) is not larger than a walnut, from being badly cultivated ; those of the Indies, called cambar, weigh often upwards of a pound : its skin is blue, like a violet, but it is white within, and its taste is very insipid : it affords a variety to the food of the negro, and multiplies, as well as the potatoe, some kinds of which are preferable to the European chestnut. Saffron is used to give a colour to culinary or cari preparations, like the pistil in Europe. The ginger is not so hot as that of the Indies. The pistachio, which is not the fruit of the pistachio tree, is a small nut that grows in the ground in a rough shell : to be eaten, it must be roasted, but it is principally cultivated to extract a lamp oil. This plant is a phenomenon in botany, as it is very rare indeed that oily qualities are found in those fruits which grow beneath the sur- face of the earth. The mignionette, balsam, tuberose, larkspur, Chineaster, and small pinks, flourish, as in Europe. The large pinks and lilies put forth an abundance of leaves, but seldom bear flowers. Anemones, ranunculas, and the Indian rose, as well as the stocks and poppy, flourish in this island. Among the more common flowering plants of Africa, there is but one, which is the fine ever- lasting of the Cape, whose berries are large and red, like straw- berries, and grow in bunches at the top of a stem, whose leaves resemble pieces of gray cloth. There is another everlasting, with purple flowers, which grows everywhere. A reed is to be found that does not exceed the size of a large hair, and bears a bunch of white and blue flowers, which, at some distance, appear to be float- ing in the air : it comes from the Cape, with a kind of tulip, that has but two leaves, which stick to the earth as if they grasped it : there is a plant also from China, that sows itself: it has small flowers like a rose, each stem producing six or seven of them at the same time, all of which are variegated from the deep red of bulls' blood to the colour of brick. ( IIAI-. I.] IIORTICULTUKi:. 24? The aloe flourishes here ; from whose leaves may be drawn a medicinal gum, while their fibres are capable of being manufactured into linen : it grows on the rocks, and in places scorched by the sun. Some are covered with a strong and thick leaf of the size of a man's hand, and armed with a long spike : the stem rises from the centre to the height of a tree that is covered with flowers, which drop down aloes in their perfect state. There are others, which are straight like large torches, with several sides, and covered with very sharp thorns ; these are streaked, and have the appearance of serpents. The rose tree is so easily propagated, that hedges are formed of it ; but its flower is not close, and fragrant, like that of Europe : there are many varieties of them, and, among others, a small kind from China, which bears flowers throughout the year. The jessamine, of Spain and France are naturalized here. There are pomegranates with a double flower, but they are not very fruitful. The myrtle does not flourish here as in Provence. The Asiatic, African, and American shrubs are the cassis, whose leaf is indented, but it does not resemble that of Europe. It is a large shrub, which is covered with yellow odoriferous flowers, in small tufts ; they yield a bean, which gives a black dye. As it is thorny, it is useful in forming hedges. The foulsapatte, an Indian word, which signifies the shoemaker's flower, from its depositing a black dye when rubbed on leather. This shrub has a fine green foliage, larger than that of the horn- bean, in the midst of which appear flowers, like those of the pink, and of a deep red : they are used in forming close hedges, and there are many varieties of them. The poincillade, which is a native of America, is a kind of bramble, that bears clusters of yellow and red flowers ; it is very beautiful, but fades in a short time. It yields a bean, and its leaf is divided, like the esculent vegetables. The jalap bears flowers in the shape of a funnel, and of a deep crimson, which only open at night : they smell like turpentine, and there are two kinds of them. The vine of Madagascar is a creeper, of which bowers are formed, and bears a yellow flower ; its leaves are downy, and appear to be covered with flour. There are several other kinds of flowering creepers in the gardens. The mongris is a jessamine, whose leaf resembles that of the orange tree ; there are both double and single ones, and they give forth an agreeable fragrance. The franchipanier is a jessamine of another kind. This shrub grows in the shape of a stag's horn. From the extremities of the smaller horns there shoot out branches of long leaves, in the centre of which are large white flowers, in the shape of a funnel, and have a pleasant odour. The lilac of the Indies comes to perfection in a short time, and as quickly dies. It has an indented leaf of a very beautiful green ; it bears sweet smelling flowers, which change into berries. This shrub attains the height of a tree, and is of an agree- able appearance ; but, though its foliage is of a brighter green, its 248 THE MAURITIUS. [dlAP. I. flower is less beautiful than the lilacs of Europe, which do not grow here. That of Persia does not succeed here. There is also the laurel, the rose laurel, the galet lemon tree, which is formed into hedges ; its fruit is round, small, and very acid. The palma Christi grows everywhere, and its oil is a vermifuge. The pepper plant is a creeper, which twines, like ivy ; it flourishes, but bears no fruit. The Indian reed is naturalized here, and is of the same use as the willow is in Europe. The cotton tree grows, in the form of a shrub, in the driest situa- tions ; it bears a pretty yellow flower, to which a pod succeeds that contains the cotton. Its seed is given to promote milk in the breast. The coffee tree was formerly the most useful shrub in the island. It is a kind of jessamine with white flowers ; its leaves were a fine green placed in regular opposition to each other, and were like those of the laurel ; its fruit was of a deep red, and separated into two beans. The trees were planted at the distance of seven feet from each other, and they were lopped at the height of six feet. They lasted only seven years ; at three years they bore fruit, and the an- nual produce of each tree was estimated at a pound of berries. A negro could annually cultivate a thousand pounds weight of it, inde- pendent of the berries necessary to his own subsistence. The inha- bitants pretended that the coffee of this island was inferior only to that of Moka. Among the European trees, the pine, the fir, and the oak, grow to a moderate height, when they decline. There are also cherry, apricot, apple, and mulberry trees, with the pear, medlar, and olive. The fig tree cannot boast of its fruit, nor does the vine suc- ceed in this climate ; it produces grapes, but they do not ripen at the same time, and yield nothing for the vintage. In Europe this fruit attains its ripeness at the same time ; here, by ripening successively, an uncommon variety is occasioned in the taste of the fruit gathered at the same moment from the same tree ; it would probably be otherwise, if it were left to its natural growth. The vine grows in hot countries in the midst of woods, where it twines itself round the trees, which serve to shade it; this circumstance proves that, if it were introduced into more shady places, it might succeed in this island. The peach tree produces fruit in a moderate abundance, and of an agreeable taste, but the stone does not separate. The trees in this island are in a perpetual state of vegetation, and it might be a beneficial practice to plant them deeper in the earth, so as to check their growth ; they should be preserved from the heat here, as they are protected from the cold in the northern parts of Germany. The European trees shed their leaves in the cold season, which here possesses the warmth, and is accompanied with as much humidity, as the spring in the moderate parts of Europe. The foreign ornamental trees are the laurel, which flourishes here, and the agathis, of which there are several kinds. Its leaf is indented, and intermixed with bunches of white, airy flowers, which are succeeded CHAP, i.] H:I:TI< ri/rruE. 24.9 by long leguminous pods. The Chinese frequently represent them in their landscapes. The polche is a native of India ; it has a tufted foliage, whose leaf is in the shape of a heart ; it is useful only for the shade it affords. It produces an unprofitable fruit of a ligneous substance, and in the form of a medlar. The bamboo appears at a distance, like our willows. It is a reed that shoots up to the height of the loftiest trees, and puts forth branches covered with leaves, like the olive, which are formed into avenues, and as the wind passes through them, it produces a cease- less murmur. Their uses are various, and well known. The roots which spread to an extraordinary distance around it are very injuri- ous to the trees in the vicinity. The attier, whose triangular flower is of a solid substance, has the taste of the pistachio. Its fruit re- sembles that of the pine tree ; when ripe, it is filled with a white, sweet cream, has the fragrance of the orange flower, and is full of black kernels. It is a grateful fruit, but very heating. The man- guier is a very fine tree, which the Indians represent on their painted silks; it is covered with flowery branches, like the Indian chestnut tree, to which succeeds a quantity of fruit in the shape of a very large flat plum, covered with a rind that smells like turpentine. The fruit has an agreeable and vinous taste, and if it were not for its smell might be said to equal the finest fruits of Europe : it is probable that a very pleasant drink might be extracted from it. It is generally loaded with fruit in the hurricane season, which occa- sions the loss of the greater part of it. It grows on the sands, and even in the sea. The bananier grows everywhere, but has no wood ; it is nothing but a tuft of leaves, which rise in columns, and expand at the top in broad bands of green, which have the appearance of satin. At the end of a year, there sprouts forth from the top a long cluster bristled over with fruit in the shape of a cucumber. The fruit, which is mucilaginous, has an agreeable taste, and the negroes are very fond of it ; it was given them on festivals, and they reckoned their time by the course and number of banana feasts. Its leaves resemble silk girdles ; its cluster falls down for several feet, and its violet co- loured head resembles that of a serpent ; this circumstance may have been the cause of its having been called the fig-tree of Adam. This fruit lasts all the year, and there are many kinds of it ; some of the size of a plum, and others as long as a man's arm. Linen may also be made of the fibres of this plant. The gouyanier bears a strong resemblance to the medlar; its flower is white, and its fruit smells like bugs. It possesses an astringent quality, and is the only fruit which breeds maggots. The jamrose is a tree, which affords a fine shade, though not of a lofty growth ; its fruit emits the fragrance of a rose bud, and is of a sweetish taste. 250 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. I. The papayer is a kind of fig tree without branches ; it grows fast and shoots up like a column, with a capital of large leaves ; its fruit, which is like a small melon grows out of its trunk, which is of the substance of a turnip. Its seed has the taste of cresses. The female papayer only bears flowers ; they are of a form and smell as agreeable as those of a honeysuckle. The badamier seems to have been formed for the purpose of giv- ing shade. It grows in the form of a pyramid ranged in several separate stories ; its foliage is fine, and it yields a few almonds that have an agreeable taste. The avocat is a handsome tree, and yields a pear, which encloses a large kernel, the substance of this fruit is like butter, which, when seasoned with sugar and lemon juice, is a pleasant eatable, though of a heating quality. Thejacqis a tree 'of a beautiful foliage, and bears a monstrous fruit, the size of a large pumpkin; the rind is of a fine verdant colour and entirely shagreened. It is full of grains, whose coats, consisting of a white glutinous and sweet skin, are alone eaten. It smells like rotten cheese, and is a powerful stimulant. The tamarind has a very fine top, and is of a hardy nature ; its leaves are placed in regular opposition to each other, and close in the night. Its pod affords a mucilage, which makes a pleasant and cooling beverage. It has perpetuated itself in the woods. There are several kinds of orange trees, one of which bears an orange called, by distinction, the mandarin ; a large kind of pamplemousse, an orange of a red colour, and an indifferent taste ; and a lemon tree that bears a large fruit, which yields but little juice. A species of the cocoa tree has, as we have before observed, been transplanted hither. It has been discovered that a crab took up its abode at the foot of the cocoa tree, which, being provided with a long claw terminated by a nail, draws out the substance of the fruit through the holes at its extremity. This animal is found on the Isle of Palms to the north of Madagascar, and was discovered in 1769 by the shipwreck of a vessel that foundered on its way to Bengal. This crab served the crew for food. The date seldom bears fruit here. The palm called the araque, as well as that which produces the sago are here to be found ; the canificier and the acajou, both of which yield flowers, but without fruit ; the cinnamon tree, of which ave- nues have been made, resembles a large pear tree both in size and foliage ; its small clusters of flowers, and its cinnamon have an aro- matic odour. The ravinerara, a kind of nutmeg from Madagascar, has long been planted here, as also the varnish tree that yields an oil capable of preserving cabinet work ; the tallow tree, whose seed is covered with a kind of wax ; a tree from China, which yields small lemons in clusters like grapes; the silver tree of the Cape; and the teak so well known for its service in the construction of vessels. y the Tables, which I have thought it best, for many reasons, to place in the Appendix. One striking political feature is, how- ever, deserving of notice in a review of the commercial transactions of the Mauritius. Though its exports to Great Britain far surpass those to all the other nations of the world united, and though a restrictive duty is levied upon most articles of French produce and manufacture, yet the French inhabitants are so wedded to cus- tom, or so reluctant to sever this last connecting tie with their father land, that they willingly seek the more costly, and, in many respects, less serviceable fabrics of France, to the cheaper and more durable articles of British manufacture. CHAPTER III. HARBOURS PORTS TOWNS BUILDINGS, ETC. THE two principal ports in the Mauritius are Grand Port, or Port Sud Est, and Port Louis, or Port Nord Quest. The former, which is much the most extensive, being very capacious and secure, is the windward port, and is situate at the south-east end of the island. This port has the advantage of lying more directly in the track of vessels arriving from the Cape of Good Hope, and is entered with great ease, as the trade- wind blows right in, but the objection to it as a port of trade lies in the difficulty of egress by the same passage, as the winds are almost always in the south-east, and, when procurable at extremely low rates, and obtainable by barter ; among which may be enumerated hides, horns, bees' wax, tallow, ebony, betel, &c., which the natives freely exchange for rum, cotton goods, hardware arms, and powder, for which two latter articles they often pay high prices in specie. Another produc- tive article of Madagascar is the orchilla weed, known in England as a beautiful purple dye, and commanding a sale in England at 80/. or 90/. per ton. A few months ago two or three small vessels were despatched from Mauritius in search of this weed, and the prices realised by its sale on that island fully remunerated the proprietors of the vessels. The French are already alive to the commercial importance of this hitherto neglected part of the world, and are sending annually vessels laden with Euro- pean goods. The Americans are also in possession of a very lucrative branch of the trade of the Indian Ocean. They whale off Madagascar, and, whenever an opportunity offers, carry on a barter with the natives ; from thence passing on to St. Paul and Amsterdam, they refresh at Swan River, and proceed to trade in the Indian Archipelago. It is, however, beyond a doubt, that the natives of both coasts of' the Mosaml)ii|ue Channel give a preference to English wares and manu- factures. Colonial Gazette, April 18M, 1846. 254 THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. III. they change, are generally variable, with occasional breezes, in con- sequence of which it is little frequented, except by coasters and fish- ing vessels. There is, however, another entrance to the west (with greater facilities on account of its depth, though it is very narrow) out of which vessels might clear with a leading wind, if a certain point of the passage, where there is not more than three fathoms water, were cleansed and deepened a practicable operation, and one which would render its other advantages of service, and constitute it the best in the island. On entering the port the channel may be distinguished by the colour of the water, and the dangers are plainly apparent. The eastern channel is of great length winding in various directions, narrow, and intricate. Ships can get out by this entrance only at the full and change of the moon, when there are breezes from the land. The western channel, though narrow and winding, is more safe ; on entering it, Isle de la Passe, which is on the edge of the eastern bank, is passed close aboard. This doubled, vessels pass to the eastward to avoid the point of the reef to the west, and cast anchor in the basin, where there is from twenty to thirty fathoms of water, and where vessels of almost any size may be careened. This harbour is secured from all weather by a reef of rocks that renders the water tranquil within : but the perpetual roar of the surf break- ing upon it continually benumbs the ear. The greater part of the reef is visible at low water. At its foot there are four and a half fathoms. Had buoys been placed on the several dangerous parts of these channels, Great Britain would not have had to deplore the loss of four frigates, an account of which is elsewhere given. Steam-tugs remove all the objections, which formerly existed against this noble harbour, whose advantages may sooner or later be duly appreciated. (Port Louis or Nord Quest.) Though the Dutch had a small estab- lishment at this port prior to their final departure, yet Frederic Henry in Warwick Haven was their central station, an example, which was at first followed by the French, till La Bourdonnais dis- covered the superior position of Port Louis in reference to Madagas- car, &c. The reckless manner in which, without any rule or mea- sure, clearances had been undertaken, soon, however, operated injuriously to the depth and safety of the harbour. The high mornes, which surrounded the port, and defended it from the violence of the winds, had been cleared to their very summits, so that their crests became arid, and the vegetable earth was precipitated into the valleys, while the large trees, which had protected it from dissolution, when the isle was uninhabited, were cut down or burnt. From that time torrents were formed, and the port became choked up by accu- mulations, while the anchorage for vessels was unprotected from the rough sea and violent winds, so that the island was on the point of being deprived of its principal port through the absolute want of foresight, and the furtherance of the transient interests of a few of the principal colonists. To remedy this evil, which he held to be CI7AP. III.] IIAIinoUKS, ETC. 255 practicable, M. Tromclin, a French naval officer, as fertile in re- sources as he was able and experienced in all the duties of the en- gineer, urgently proposed to M. Poivre, then Intendant, to undertake the task. That celebrated man at once perceived all the advantages of the project, and joined with M. Steinaur the military governor, par interim, himself a man of science, in requesting the Due de Pras- lin in the name of the colony, to authorize its prompt execution, so that the Isle of France might again possess a port of safety, and ves- sels might be sheltered from the hurricanes. As soon as the autho- rization had been given, M. Tromelin commenced his labours by diverting the torrents in dykes, and canals, which concentrated the mass of water, &c., and conducted them into the sea behind Isle Tonnelliers (now called Cooper's Island) where the deposits could do no injury, and formed a causeway, connecting it with the main- land, called chaussee Tromelin. The clearance of the port, or rather of the channel (which was the most pressing operation), now pro- ceeded without an obstacle, by means of cure molles, and gabarres & clapet, which brought up the mud. Having taken measures to pre- vent the channel from being again choked, he formed a new and enlarged project of deepening the basin called Trou fanfaron, which is completely protected from the violence of the winds, and commu- nicates with the channel. The length of this basin is three hundred toises by sixty in breadth, but its mean depth did not exceed ten feet ; it was necessary, therefore, to increase it to twenty-five feet to make it capable of receiving vessels of large burden. After it had been cleared of the accumulations there still remained a coral bank, which closed the entrance, the extirpation of which was difficult and costly. After taking soundings, he ordered excavations to be made, in which were laid trains of gunpowder, by which the obstruction was at once removed. As the ports of this noble island (more espe- cially the leeward port, Port Louis) are one of its most important acquisitions, and as it is of the greatest value to Great Britain, to have a complete acquaintance with the resources of such secure and commanding havens which are important possessions in these seas, as well as of the coasting voyage by which they are reached, it appears essential to enter into a description of them in this place. (To reach Port Louis in the north-west part of the isle.) The circuit which was once made was very considerable, vessels being used to bear away nearly one hundred leagues, or as high as Rodriguez, as the wind and currents come from the east. The skill of later navi- gators has considerably contracted this detour, but it is still a hun- dred miles by the windward passage, whereas the short cut by Morne Brabant (which is a conspicuous landmark to vessels ap- proaching the island on that side) is only a third of the distance. An officer of his Majesty's ship Thunderer states, that it is not only the shortest, but the safest course to adopt during the season of the 25tf THE MAURITIUS. [CHAP. IIT. south -easters, which always vary to the southward. For men-of- war it is almost always the best, and a couple of tacks would carry a merchant vessel in during the greater part of the year. As the longer route still obtains we will content ourselves with a description of it. The Mauritius is visible on the south-west side about fifty miles off, where the tops of the mountains appear like islands. On the windward side, and indeed on the greater part of the leeward, the island is fronted with extensive reefs, which stretch far out to sea- ward, and on these ramparts, which nature has given as a defence from the angry ocean, the sea breaks heavily. After steering large on the starboard tack, with the breakers in sight to leeward, Flacq will be reached in a few hours, when vessels prepare to thread the islands, which are five in number. In rounding from the weather- side the first reefs should be kept in till the ship is brought on the port-tack. When through, the breeze usually freshens with gusts off the high lands. The passage is the mid-channel between Flat Island and the Gunner's Quoin, the reefs on either side being avoided. The bearings of the other islands, and their opening out clear of each other being attended to, these serve as guides to clear the dangerous reef, stretching out from Cannonier's Pointe, which is low, and in no way remarkable of itself. It is known by a fort near the point, it being a military outpost. It may be rounded at three-quarters of a mile distance ; but care should be taken, as the reefs on this side are not known by the sea breaking on them, as they are on the windward. When abreast of the Baie du Tom- beau the bell-buoy may be distinguished, which is the outer anchorage, and has a depth of water varying from ten to twenty fathoms, in a mud bottom. It is capable of berthing many sail of vessels, and is used by those on a short stay, or those waiting to be towed up the harbour by the steamer. The bell-buoy is a fine beacon, and is moored on the fan-way just without the channel. The pole, which is well secured to the flat, is painted white, and is about nineteen feet high, with a flag or large vane at the top. It can be seen easily six miles off with a glass. The bells are fixed about two-thirds up the pole in such a way that the least motion of the water causes one or the other to strike with an increasing and monotonous tolling at minute intervals. Its position is west of the citadel, south-east of Peter Botte, north-east of the Gunner's Quoin, the apex of which may be seen over the land, and Grande Riviere south -south- west. The coup d'ceil^ which meets the stranger from this spot, weary with a long sea-voyage, is very magnificent. Within the harbour may be seen tiers of shipping, close and well- packed, lining either side of it. Ships under the various stages of repair. Ships-of-war are almost always here, and there is a life and bustle going forward that is astonishing. Boats of different CIIAI'. III.] HARBOURS, ETC. 25? rigs, from the man-of-war boat to the light pinnace, manned by coolies, lascars, negroes, and men of every shade of colour, add to the busy scene. The famous, towering, and grotesque Pieter Both and Pouce, with mountain ridges of lesser elevation ; the variety of picturesque trees ; the town and suburbs, with the commanding citadel, batteries, and sea-forts ; a country on either side laid out with sugar-plantations ; the country-seats of the planters, and the huts of the labourers; with other objects of interest, in the place of indicating the princi- pal port of a small island, might more readily be taken as proofs of the capital of a great country. The channel of this harbour lies south-east and north-west between coral reefs, running out from Tonnelliers or Cooper's Isle on the north side, and beyond Fort Blanc on the south. They are marked by a line of black buoys on either side. By the old system a long line of hawsers was fastened to the buoys, which was a tedious method of warping in. An English navigator, who visited the Mauritius in the middle of the last century, states, that the French were so excessively jealous of any European intercourse with this port, that they had recourse to warping ships up at the harbour as a political stratagem, intending to impress strangers with a notion of its difficult access. He adds, that he found the passage for his ship clear and easy, and that there was generally a constant and brisk gale into the harbour in the afternoon. In this he was to a certain degree mistaken ; for though the French exaggerated the difficulty of ingress, yet, from the prevailing winds being through the year from north-east to south-east, ships could rarely sail into it, but were obliged to anchor at the mouth till warped in. This difficulty of entrance (which is now obviated by steam-tugs) was amply compensated by the advantages hereby afforded in case of attack, and by the facility of egress, as ships were generally enabled to sail directly out of the harbour with a breeze, which carried them at once to sea. The harbour is nearly two miles long from the mouth to the principal quay, and from half a mile to a mile broad. At the extremity of the north side is the fine basin called Trou Fanfaron, where ships may generally ride as securely as in a dock. The force of the wind in the hurricanes has been sometimes, however, so overwhelming, that the ships in the harbour have broken from their moorings, and coining in collision, injured each other. His Majesty's ship M