M AURITI V S. 
true (late of things ; and compelled the company to ac¬ 
knowledge, though they did not reward, his Cervices. He - 
afterwards returned into the Indies, and perfected the 
work he had begun ; and to him it is owing that the Ille 
of France was rendered one of the fined and moll impor¬ 
tant fpots upon the globe. Here no coffee is railed ; but, 
by the indefatigable induftry of M, de Bourdonnais, (ugar, 
indigo, pepper, and cotton, (which are not at Bourbon,) 
came to be cultivated with luccefs. Mines of iron have 
been difcovered in the mountains near the great plain, in 
the north-eaft part of the ifland ; and, thefe mountains af¬ 
fording in great abundance the neceflary fuel, forges have 
been ereited : but the iron produced is of a very inferior 
quality, it being brittle, and only fit for making cannon¬ 
balls and bomb-(hells. Black cattle, fheep, and goats, 
are preferved with difficulty; the firlt generally die before 
they have been a-year in the ifland, and this occafions 
frequent importations of them from Madagafcar and other 
parts. Common domeftic poultry breed in great plenty ; 
and, with fi(h and turtle, furnifli a great part of the food 
of the European inhabitants. 
Another great benefaflor to this ifland was M. Poivre. 
The duke de ChoifeuI, knowing his uncommon abilities, 
named him in 1766 governor of the Ifles of France and 
Bourbon. Like an able adminiftrator, he dire fled the 
chief attention of the inhabitants of thefe iflands to agri¬ 
culture; and he procured, from Madagafcar, fheep and 
cattle for the two colonies, as well as the bread-fruit-tree 
from the Friendly Iflands. He was indefatigable in aug¬ 
menting his colleflion of fpice-trees, and (ucceeded in 
introducing into the colonies, under his management, 
nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, and cloves, all of which con¬ 
tinue to thrive, and to furnifh a fupply fully equal to the 
conlumption of France. He quitted the I fie of France 
in 1773, bringing home a very moderate fortune, but 
leaving behind him a great number of friends, who deeply 
regretted him ; and his memory is dill dear to the colo¬ 
nies of both iflands. Yet the time which he palled there 
was not exempt from difficulties and forrow ; he was ex- 
pofed to perfections and cabals: but he found in the 
celebrated minilter Turgot a protestor, who was well ac¬ 
quainted with his talents. He died on the 6th of January, 
1786 ; and left feveral valuable and ufeful works. 
This ifland, during the period of the French revolu¬ 
tion, did not entirely efcape the ftorm which then agi¬ 
tated the parent country. In the year J799, a confpiracy 
\Vas formed, and broke out, for the purpoie of refitting the 
government which had been eftablifhed under the autho¬ 
rity of the republic. It was, however, fooo fuppreffed 
-by the activity of the municipality and governor-general, 
Supported by the majority of the inhabitants; and order 
and tranquillity were again reitored. 
The abbe Raynal gives the following view of the poli¬ 
tical and commercial advantages of this ifland : “ The 
Jfle of France mud always be allowed to be one of the 
moft valuable polTeffions for any nation defirous of trading 
to Alia. It is fituated in the African feas, juft at the 
entrance of the Indian Ocean. As it lies a little out of 
the common track, its expeditions can be carried on with 
greater fecrecy. Thofe who wifh it were nearer our con¬ 
tinent do not confider, that, it it were fo, it would be 
impoffible to reach the coalts of Malabar and Coromandel 
in a month’s time, and the moll diitant gblphs in two 
months at moft ; which is an ineftimable advantage to a 
nation, who, like the French, have no fea-port in India. 
This ifland, though in the fame latitude as the barren 
and fcorching coafts of Africa, is temperate and healthy. 
The foil is ltony, but tolerably fertile. Experience has 
fhown, that it will produce moft of the neceffaries, and 
even of the luxuries, of life. Whatever it may want, may 
be fupplied from Madagafcar and from Bourbon, where 
the inhabitants have retained their fimplicity of manners, 
find a tafte for hufbandry. Great Britain fees with a jea¬ 
lous eye her rival p-offeffed of a lettlement which may 
jirove the ruin of her flourilhing trade with Afia. At the 
563 
breaking out of a war, her utmoft efforts will certainly be 
aimed at a colony that threatens her richeft treafures. 
What a misfortune for France, (hould (he l'nffer herfelf 
to be deprived of it 1” 
The misfortune, however, has aflually happened; and 
this la(t remain of the French in the Indian feas was 
taken by the Englifli on the 2d of December, x8io, (fee 
tlie article London, vol. xiii. p. 237.) and, by the viiitlj 
article of the Treaty of Paris, (May 30, 1814-.) we are to 
retain it. On the pofleliien palling into our hands, the 
anxious queftion in all focieties was, whether the ifland 
(hould be fubjefted to the India Company’s monopoly ? 
Had this been the cafe, the efforts of induftry would have 
been cramped ; and this country would have known fcarce- 
ly any other benefit from the expenlive conquell than th@ 
increafed patronage of India directors. The importance 
ot the acquifition, in rooting out a neft of privateers, is 
to be eltimated by thofe only who know the hiftory of 
our Indian navigation. Could the conqueft have been 
accompliflied earlier in the war, it would have been the 
means of laving to this country the fum of many millions., 
if to adlual Ioffes we add the difference of the rates of 
infurance. 
The conqueft: of the important iflands of Mauritius and 
Bourbon was attended with a difcovery of the moft pain¬ 
ful nature: fCveral hundreds of our countrymen ferving 
in the French garrifons, in French uniforms, and carry¬ 
ing arms againit their country l 
The foil of the Mauritius is, generally fpeaking, red 
and (tony ; towards the lea-coatts it is mountainous, 
but within land there are many fpots both level and fer¬ 
tile. Some of the mountains are high, but none ex¬ 
ceed 426 fathoms in elevation : it is fa id, however, that 
their fummirs are covered with fnow throughout the 
year. The whole ifland is well watered ; and it produces 
all the trees, fruits, and herbs, which grow in this part 
of the globe, in great plenty; groves ot oranges as well 
as citrons; and the pine-apple grows fpontaneoufly in 
great perfection. The chief produce is fugar. When 
this ifland was firft difcovered the ground was covered 
with wood up to the fummits of the mountains; fo that 
it was one immenfe foreft, full of beautiful trees. M. 
Rochon obferved in it different kinds of the palm-tree, 
bamboos, ebony, mat-wood, tacamaca, ftinking wood, 
and many other kinds of valuable trees. No venomous 
animals, except fcorpions and millepedes, are known 
here. For finenefr of climate, and falubrity of air, this 
ifland, as well as that of Bourbon, may be compared 
with tlie Fortunate Iflands. The whole extent of the 
ifland is about 150 miles, and its form-is neatly circular. 
The population, in the year 1790, exclufive of the mili¬ 
tary, was eftimated at 8000 whites, and 12,000 blacks; 
but, at the time of its capture by the Englilh, the white 
population amounted to 14,000, of whom two-thirds were 
refident at Port Louis. The number able to carry arms 
was about 3000. Of the negroes, the total number was 
60,000, of whom 10,000 were in the town, and 50,000 
fcattered throughout the country. The colonial revenue 
is 50,000k (terling a-year; the expenfe under the French 
government was conliderably more ; and, under the Bri- 
tilh, it will in all probability bear no proportion to the 
(lender amount of the receipts. We cannot, like the 
French, rely on the attachment of the iflaiid-militia, fo that 
the number of our regular troops mull be large ; and the 
price of provifions is exorbitant. Our own markets, we 
once thought, ranked among the deareft of the habitable 
globe : but thole of Mauritius feem to leave all competi¬ 
tion at a diftance. Beef is there 3s. 6d. a-pound ; butter, 
9s. bread, is. potatoes, 2I. the cwt. eggs, 5d. each; a new 
coat, 12I. a hat, 5I. a pair of (hoes, 1!. 7s. and a pair of 
boots, far inferior in fafiiion to thofe of London, 61 . 6s. 
Such were the prices throughout the ifland before the 
capture: but, as the accefs of merchant-veffels is now 
more frequent and regular, we may be allowed to make 
fome abatement in the items of this extraordinary lift. 
The 
