HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
23 
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 which re¬ 
mained were so greatly reduced, that it was thought right to burn one of the ships, 
and to consolidate the two crews on board the survivor. Still, however, they were 
the prey of continuing sickness, till not a sufficient number of seamen remained to 
work the vessel, and she went ashore on the coast of Pulo Timon, near Malacca; 
where all the crew died, except himself, four Englishmen, and two Negroes. These 
forlorn people, therefore, had got possession of an Indian junk, with the extraordi¬ 
nary design of returning to England. The commencement of their voyage was suc¬ 
cessful; but the Negroes, alarmed at being so far removed from their own country, 
had conspired together to get possession of the vessel; their design, however, being dis¬ 
covered, they threw themselves into the sea, from despair, or the fear of that punishment 
with which they were threatened. After being tossed about by successive storms, 
they were at length driven to the island of Mauritius: but, unfortunately, at a mo¬ 
ment when harmony was essential not only to their comfort, but almost to their 
existence, these wretched voyagers disagreed among themselves, before they had 
been eight days on the island. The Frenchman wished to remain there till 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 execute' their de¬ 
sign ; and the Frenchman was equally determined: so his comrades hoisted their little 
sail, and left him to the solitude of this uninhabited spot: there he had passed near 
two years, sustaining himself with the fruit of the date-tree, and the flesh of turtles. 
In every thing that related to corporal strength, he was as vigorous as any seaman on 
board the Dutch ships; but-his understanding appeared to have sustained a shock, 
which appeared very evident 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 was found in a state that approached to nakedness. 
It appears that in the year 1606, and since that period, the Dutch sometimes put 
into this island, but there is no authentic reason to suppose that they really began 
to form settlements there till the year 1644. According to the information afforded 
by the voyage of Admiral Matclief, that naval commander put into the island of 
Mauritius, on the 1st of January, 1606, where he met Admiral Vander-Nagen, who 
had a few weeks before set sail from Bantam. At that time the Isle of Mascaregnas 
had been abandoned by the Dutch. The first navigator who is related to have 
