HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
415 
irruption; but was diverted from his design by a present of five hundred pagodas, 
and engaged to grant to the colony several additional privileges; which were accom¬ 
panied, however, with some exactions on his part, which he was afterwards induced 
to set aside. In 1686, M. Martin added two large warehouses built with bricks, 
as well as several other edifices. Two years after, he caused a strong wall to be 
erected on the western side, which has since been continued to the eastern side. 
This wall was flanked with four towers, on each of which was placed six pieces of 
ordnance. 
The French had scarce begun to fortify themselves in this post, when the Dutch 
came to besiege them by land and sea, with such a superior force, that the town was 
obliged to capitulate on the 6th of September, 1693. It was however restored to 
the Company four years after, by an article in the Treaty of Ryswick. On the 
return of the French to it, they found the government house was finished, and the 
fortifications strengthened by six bastions. Sixteen thousand pagodas were paid to 
the Dutch to reimburse them for these expences. M. Martin, who was continued 
in the exercise of his former functions, added several new works to protect the 
government house from every possible attack; and received a garrison of two hun¬ 
dred Frenchmen, to whom he joined three hundred Topases, or Indian soldiers: 
about the same time a Sovereign Council was established in the town. 
Pondicherry now began to be a place of importance. M. Martin informed the 
Company, in 1699, that he had added an hundred new houses to the town, for the 
purposes of receiving foreigners who might wish to establish themselves there; and 
in the beginning of the present century there were already from fifty to sixty thou¬ 
sand inhabitants. 
From the year 1700 till the Regency, the commerce of the Company was in a 
very languishing state. Indeed, from the year 1686, the Farmers General had 
laid a most exorbitant duty on the linen and other Oriental merchandize which was 
imported into France. According to the edict of 1664, which was the work of M. 
Colbert, each piece of linen, consisting of ten ells, was to pay no more on its entrance 
than eighteen sous. The other articles of merchandize were subject to a moderate 
tax, and the highest imposts did not amount to three per cent. 
After the death of M. Colbert, the rates were so much advanced, that, independent 
of the old duties, six livres were exacted for every piece of cotton, twenty livres 
