INTRODUCTION. xliii 



different parts of the island ; they collect these tortoises in a 

 park, and send them to the Isle de France on the corvettes, 

 which they dispatch from time to time for this cargo. These 

 blacks, natives of Madagascar or from India, are, the most 

 part, slaves of the Company ; there are, nevertheless, some 

 free men. The work of these is paid for at the price agreed 

 when they are hired. There was, besides, at Rodriguez, when 

 I arrived there, a surgeon and a corporal of the island, both 

 Europeans. The commandant can have with him his family 

 and his slaves, if he has any. Such was the colony of 

 Eodriguez in 17G1. When the Governor of the Isle de 

 France sends a corvette to load up with tortoises, he sends 

 at the same time a provision of rice, sufficing for the main- 

 tenance of the colony. For its- defence, M. de Puvigne had 

 erected on the sea-coast a battery of six pieces of ordnance, 

 two prs.^ Most of these cannons had belonged to French ships. 

 As Eodriguez is only kept in order to obtain its tortoises 

 one would think it unnecessary to place it in a state of 

 defence. One would hardly imagine that it would enter 

 into the minds of the English to form there a base from 

 which they could attack the Isle of France to more advan- 

 tage. . . . All those who live at Eodriguez make profession 

 of being Christians ; but each one after his own fashion. 

 This one may eat of everything, because the Capuchin 

 priests who instructed him had represented that the 

 distinction of victual customary in his country had resulted 

 from superstition. Another would abstain from eating beef, 

 because his conversion had been effected by the ministry of 

 other missionaries,more accommodating to the opinions of the 

 people. They called these Pavlist- Christians, being baptised by 

 those who belong to the Church of Saint Paul at Pondiclierry. 

 The others were named Capuchin-Christians. Public worship 

 at Eodriguez was reduced to ringing the Angclus every day, 

 which no one said. Besides, the Commandant insisted on his 

 slaves attending prayers off'ered by a slave who had never 



^ I.e., two-poauder guns. 



