47° 
HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
hundred slaves, according to their extent; they are in general pleasantly situated 
near a rivulet, and decorated with hedges. The houses are built with wood, and at 
a small distance from them are villages of huts, which form the residence of the 
slaves: many of the planters are rich, and are continually improving their situation. 
In proportion as the inhabitants increase, the price of their productions advances, 
and having more than sufficient in the island for their domestic consumption, in 
grain, cattle, fowl, fruits. See. they are able to supply the vessels which touch there, 
with refreshments. 
The planters raise as large a quantity of live stock as they can, for which they 
have always a very beneficial sale. It is impossible for me to calculate the number 
of inhabitants with any degree of precision; but the island appeared to be very 
populous. The artisans and mechanics are very numerous; and when to these are 
added the sailors, who are continually coming and going, with the military forces, 
and the slaves, we may suppose a body of many thousand people. The slaves are 
brought from Goree, an island on the coast of Guinea, from Madagascar, the eastern 
coast of Africa, and Bengal: the latter are generally preferred for home service. 
They are Gentoos, and of a docile character, therefore better qualified for domestic 
purposes than the others, who are of a robust form, and able to undergo the severer 
labours of tilling the ground. Many of these slaves are ingenious and easy to in¬ 
struct, which their masters find it very advantageous, as they become artificerssome 
of whom are known to gain a dollar per day. In case of attack, many of these people 
may be armed without danger, particularly such as have ’been born in the island. 
When the fleet commanded by Admiral Boscawen threatened Pondicherry, a con¬ 
siderable body of them, natives of the Isles of France and Bourbon, voluntarily en¬ 
gaged in the public service, and were accordingly conveyed to Pondicherry, where 
they contributed very much to the preservation of that important fortress. 
The women are handsome and very numerous, so that every artificer, workman, 
and soldier has a wife; they are very fruitful, which circumstance is imputed to the 
salubrity of the climate : they take a great deal of exercise, and are bold equestrians. 
The poorer classes of both sexes in the country, never have any covering to their 
feet. 
The two most considerable establishments that M. de la Bourdonnais erected in 
this island,, were the iron forges and sugar works; they cost very large sums, in 
mills, canals, and machines of various kinds, to advance them to that degree of 
