HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
147 
An Account of the Governors of the Isle of Bourbon; extracted from the Journals 
of the Isles of France and Bourbon , which were printed at the former, in the 
years 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788; and from the Voyages of Flacour, of 
Rennefort, de la Haye , &c. 
As no settlement had been made at the Island of Mascaregnas either by the 
Portuguese or the Dutch, M. de Flacour, governor of the Island of Madagascar, 
took possession of it in the year 1657, ^ name of the King of France, and 
denominated it the Isle of Bourbon. He left there nine men and three women, and 
appointed a man named Payen to be their commander. 
In 1665, Rennefort touched at the Isle of Bourbon, in his voyage to Madagascar, 
with three vessels, the Taureau, the la Vierge de bon Port, and the l’Aigle Blanc. 
These vessels left the Sieur Renaud with twenty artisans under his orders. He 
possessed this little command till June, 1671, when M. de la Haye relieved him. 
This Renaud, who was one of the first clerks of the India Company, established in 
1665, may indeed be considered as the first governor of this island; and he it was 
who formed the four principal establishments, which actually subsist, under the names 
which he gave them, viz. St. Paul, St. Denis, St. Mary, and St. Susanna. 
In 1671, M. de la Haye, who commanded a ship in the king’s service, took 
possession of it also in the name of his Majesty Louis XIV; and conferred the 
command on M. de la Hure, who died suddenly. 
M. de Florimond, lieutenant in the king’s service succeeded him, and died also 
in a short time. 
In 1673, M. Nuger. 
In 1675, Father Hyacinthe arrived there, to exercise the functions of a priest, 
and arrogated to himself the rights of a governor. 
In 1678, M. Drouillard followed his example, though he had only the title of agent. 
In 1689, M. de Vaubulon arrived in the character of governor; and in the same 
year M. le Cours succeeded him. 
In June, 1701, M. de Villiers was governor. 
From 1704 to 1708, M. de Chalainville. 
From 1710 to 1715, M. de Parat. 
From 1715 to 1721, M. de Beauvilliers. 
In 1722, M. Desforges Boucher. 
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