HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
public offices and the magazines. To facilitate the debarkation of goods, there is a 
wooden bridge, the work of M. de la Bourdonnais, which is a masterpiece of art: it 
advances about fourscore, feet into the sea, and is about twenty feet high and ten feet 
broad, with ,a wooden balustrade: it is supported by upright beams, which, being joined 
above, are fixed in the shore, and fastened there by strong chains of iron. It is so 
contrived as to possess an elasticity that preserves it from the violence of the hur¬ 
ricanes. The high mountain which is to the west of the town shades the plain from 
the sun in the afternoon, so that the evenings are very pleasant in every part of it. 
“ St. Paul is a large and populous town, and inferior only to that of St. Denis; 
there are si?c other places or villages, where there are magazines for coffee, in each 
of which resides one of the Company’s agents. 
,c The French send every year from Bourbon and Mauritius to Madagascar, to 
purchase slaves, cattle, rice, and salt;* so that from April to December vessels may 
be always found on the eastern coast of Madagascar, between the island of St. Mary, 
which is, as I believe, in the 18th degree of south latitude, and the Fort Dauphin, 
which is to the south. The principal places are Foulepointe, Matatan, and Fort 
Dauphin. They purchase their slaves with Spanish piastres, as well as fire-arms, 
powder and ball: each slave costs about twenty-five piastres. 
" The civil government of the Island of Bourbon is composed of a Governor 
and seven Counsellors; who are, nevertheless, subject to the Governor of the Island 
of Mauritius: the other members amount to about thirty, consisting of merchants, 
factors, and writers: the commissions of the Counsellors are derived from the 
King. The Governor has a salary of twelve thousand livres of France per annum; 
besides various perquisites, which furnish the principal part of the expenee of his 
table. The second in command has four thousand livres per annum; the Counsellors 
two thousand livres, and the inferior officers fourteen hundred livres: the Counsel¬ 
lors have also an allowance on the merchandize which is sold ip their magazines, 
as well as what is exported, which is equal to their appointments. The commodities 
found in their magazines are sold to file officers and other inhabitants at about forty-five 
livres per cent, above the price of Europe. The officers are allowed a certain quantity 
of wine at the current price, while it is sold to the inhabitants at an hundred per cent. 
“ The currency of this island is that of Spain; but in the last war bills were issued, 
which became the only current money. They take the Spanish piastres at three 
* There are at present salt pits in the Isle of France, near Port Louis. 
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