2^2 
HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
to M. de Maurepas. M. de la Bourdonnais accordingly left his squadron at 
Martinico, and, provided with passports and letters for the Dutch Governor, he 
set out to find at the Isle of St. Eustatius, some vessel on which he might embark 
for France. 
On passing from Martinico to this island he assumed a feigned name, and ven¬ 
tured in a small boat, with M. Laurent his principal secretary, and a single domestic. 
In the passage he was chased by an English man of war, which forced him to deviate 
very much from his course; a circumstance that saved his life: for otherwise he 
would have arrived at St. Eustatius at the very moment when a tremendous hurri¬ 
cane was ravaging that coast, and whose violence was so great, that of forty vessels 
which were in the road of that island, not one was saved. This misfortune obliged 
him to remain forty-five days at St. Eustatius, to wait till a vessel could be refitted. 
It was a small Dutch ship, which was bound to Flushing. 
As they approached Europe, they met an English vessel, who assured them that 
war was declared between France and Holland. This news rendered it necessary 
for the Dutch Captain to put into an English port, in order to procure a convoy. 
M. de la Bourdonnais was therefore taken into an enemy’s country ; and, though 
he had changed his name, he was not without apprehensions that he might be dis¬ 
covered; and they were too well founded: for as the intelligence had arrived in 
England, that he had embarked from St. Eustatius to get to Europe in a Dutch 
vessel, the ship was so strictly visited on its arrival at Falmouth, that he was dis¬ 
covered, and conducted to London as a prisoner of war. 
There he was treated with every mark of regard and distinction; was received 
by the Ministers and Directors of the East India Company; and was favoured by 
very particular attentions from two gentlemen, who were members of the Council 
of Madras when that place was taken, and had since returned to England. 
In short, to give an idea of the opinion which was entertained in England of 
M. de la Bourdonnais, it will be sufficient to observe, that on his request to return 
to France, the government refused any other security than his own word, and he 
quitted London on his parole the 22d of February, 1748. On the Sunday fol¬ 
lowing he arrived at Paris, and he instantly set out for Versailles, where he had a 
conference with the minister. But the memorials from Pondicherry had excited an 
universal prejudice against him. In fact, these memorials, some of which appeared 
£0 be signed by all the Council., and others by the whole colony, could not fail to 
