24 
HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
visited it since the foregoing period, was Captain Castleton, who commanded an 
English vessel named the Pearl: he touched there in the year 1613. It appears, 
at that time, that this island was uninhabited: though it is difficult to ascertain who 
were the first settlers of it. It is, indeed, generally believed, and the conjecture is 
certainly well founded, that they were some of those pirates who are known to have 
infested the Indian seas during this century. 
In the collection of voyages undertaken by the Dutch, there are some which are 
no less interesting for their sentiments, than the curious circumstances which awak¬ 
ened them. That of William Isbruntsz Bontekoe is among the number; and such 
was its character for fidelity of narration, that Thevenot enriched his collection with 
it. This distinguished seaman commanded the ship the New Hoorn, which was sent 
to the East Indies in 1618 for commercial purposes. He set sail from the Texel on 
the 28th of December, and on the 5th of January following encountered a most 
furious and unrelenting storm, which lasted nineteen days, and it was not till the 
twentieth day, that the weather was sufficiently moderate to enable the crew to put 
the ship in a condition to pursue the voyage; in which they were materially assisted 
by two Dutch ships from Amsterdam, with whom they fell in, at a time when they 
were in great difficulty from the damages which they had received from the tempest. 
The New Hoorn was soon separated from them, but fell in again with them off the 
Cape de Verd Islands, when they agreed to pass the line in company; which they 
effected, after being becalmed for several weeks. After various dangers, disappoint¬ 
ments, and difficulties, with a very sickly and dis-spirited crew, Captain Bontekoe 
arrived at length off Cape Mascaregnas, in seven fathom water. Although this situa 
tion was not altogether safe, from its vicinity to the shore, it was thought proper to 
anchor there, the sick men being so anxious to land; but in this expectation they 
were disappointed from the violence of the breakers. The long boat was therefore 
sent out to examine the island, and returned with a large quantity of turtle-doves, 
the sight of which inflamed the desire of the sick part of the crew to get on shore, 
which was afterwards effected, with every possible convenience their commander 
could afford them. They found plenty of wood-pigeons, which suffered themselves 
to be taken without attempting to fly away. Turtles were very easily taken; and 
the sick people, who were forty in number, found plenty of those refreshments which 
promised to restore them to health and strength. 
The anchorage appeared to be so bad, that Bontekoe went in the ship’s boat to 
