S10 AFRICAN ISLANDS. 



Madagascar is a pleasant, desirable, and fertile country, abounding 

 in sugar, honey, vines, fruit-trees, vegetables, valuable gums, corn, 

 cattle, fowls, precious stones, iron, some silver, copper, steel, and tin. 

 It affords an agreeable variety of hills, vallies, woods, and champaign; 

 watered with numerous rivers, and well stored with fish. The air is 

 generally temperate, and said to be very healthy, though in a hot 

 climate. Tne inhabitants are of different complexions and religions j 

 some white, some negroes ; some Mahommedans, some Pagans. The 

 whites, and those of a tawny complexion, who inhabit the coasts, are 

 descended from the Arabs, as is evident from their language and 

 their religious rites ; but here are no mosques, temples, nor any 

 stated worship, except that they offer sacrifices of beasts on parti- 

 cular occasions ; as when sick, when they plant yams, or rice, when 

 they hold their assemblies, circumcise their children, declare war, 

 enter into new-built houses, or bury their dead. Some of their cere- 

 monies and practices resemble the Jewish, whence it is conjectured 

 they are descended from Jews who formerly settled here, though 

 none knows how, or when. This island was discovered by the Por- 

 tuguese, and the French took possession of it in 1641 ; but the people 

 disliking the government, they were driven out in 1652 ; since which 

 the natives have had the sole possession of the island, under a num- 

 ber of petty princes, who make war upon each other for slaves and 

 plunder. 



MAURITIUS, or Maurice, was so called by the Dutch, who first 

 touched here in 1598, in honour of prince Maurice, their stadtholder. 

 It is situate in east long, 56° south lat. 20° about 400 miles east of 

 Madagascar. It is of an oval form, about 150 miles in circumference, 

 with a fine harbour, capable of holding fifty large ships, secure against 

 any wind that blows, and 100 fathoms deep at the entrance. The 

 climate is extremely healthy and pleasant. The mountains, of which 

 there are many, and some so high that their tops are covered with 

 snow, produce the best ebony in the world, besides various other 

 kinds of valuable wood, two of which greatly resemble ebony in 

 quality ; one red, the other yellow as wax. The island is watered 

 with several pleasant rivers, well stocked with fish, and, though the 

 soil is none of the most fruitful, yields plenty of tobacco, rice, fruit, 

 and feeds a great number of cattle, deer, goats, and sheep. It was 

 formerly subject to the Dutch, then to the French, who called it the 

 Isle of France, but it is now in the possession of the English. 



BOURBON. The isle of Bourbon is situate in east long. 54° south 

 lat. 21° about 300 miles east of Madagascar, and is about 90 miles 

 round. There are many good roads for shipping round Bourbon, 

 particularly on the north and south sides ; but hardly a single harbour 

 where ships can ride secure against those hurricanes which blow 

 during the monsoons. Indeed the coast is so surrounded with blind 

 rocks, sunk a few feet below the water, that coasting along shore is 

 at all times dangerous. On the southern extremity is a volcano, 

 which continually throws out flames and smoke, with a hideous roar- 

 ing noise. The climate here, though extremely hot, is healthy, be- 

 ing refreshed with cooling gales, that blow morning and evening 

 from the sea and land : sometimes, however, terrible hurricanes shake 

 the whole island almost to its foundation ; but generally without any 

 other bad consequence than frightening the inhabitants. The island 

 abounds in brooks and springs, and in fruits, grass, and cattle, with 

 excellent tobacco (which the French have planted there) aloes, white 



