of the Mascarene Islands. 
149 
island, it was so changed that only one ship of six guns and ten 
sailors was made ready for departure. This ship set sail from the 
Texel the 4th September, 1690. The colonists on board, eleven 
in number, among whom was the brother of our Leguat, were all 
French emigrants. Leguat, who was placed at the head of the 
expedition, was already more than fifty years of age* *. These colo¬ 
nists, with the exception of two, who had but a small fortune, 
were all well-to-do and of respectable condition, undertaking the 
voyage for their own pleasure and not through necessityf. On 
the 3rd April, 1691, they arrived in sight of Bourbon J; but instead 
of landing there, the captain steered for the island of Rodriguez, 
at that time most generally called Diego-Ruys§, where he put 
them ashore ||. After a sojourn of two years in this, till then 
uninhabited, island, our colonists left it in a boat, which they had 
themselves built, on the 21st May, 1693^[, and on the 29th of 
that month arrived at Mauritius, exhausted almost to death 
by storms and want. They then proceeded for about a week 
along the coast, till they came to the Zwarte River [Riviere 
Noire], where some Dutch families dwelt in huts. This river is 
twenty-eight miles ( lieues ) from the then Dutch fort Frederik 
Hendrik**, which lay on the south-east of the island. After 
staying a month on this river it happened that the Governor of 
Mauritius, on his annual voyage round the island, arrived in this 
district; and it followed that he sent our Leguat and his mates 
to the harbour on the north-west coast, thence to depart to the 
governor's residenceff. They remained in freedom until the 
15th January, 1694; but from that time were treated as pri¬ 
soners J J, and for a further abode were transferred to a little rocky 
islet lying two miles from Mauritius§§. From this islet, they 
tales par une escadre de six vaisseaux, commandez par M. Duquesne.’ 
Rouen, chez Machouel, 1721. 3 vols., 12mo. The levity and wantonness 
of this narrative, which was principally composed for the then French 
Minister of Marine, De Seignelai, contrasts very strongly with the earnest¬ 
ness, simplicity, and honesty which mark Leguat and his companions. 
* Op. cit. i. pp. 3-7. t Ibid. i. p. 69. 1 Ibid. i. p. 47. 
§ Ibid. i. p. 49. || Ibid. i. p. 60. 51 Ibid. i. p. 164. 
[Very nearly the site of what is now Mahebourg.— Transl.] 
tt Op. cit. ii. pp. 8-12. ff Ibid. ii. p. 21. 
§§ Ibid. ii. p. 25. 
