. 49 ® 
HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
'Excursion of M. St. Pierre in the Isle of France.—Description of the Cavern.— 
A Tour round the Island, &c.—Account of an Hermit.—Its Commerce , Agri¬ 
culture, and State of Defence.—Observations on the Island , by the Abbe Raynal, 
and M. Mu?iro , &c. 
As the following details will increase the local knowledge of the Isle of France, 
we think proper to insert them. 
44 I had been, a long, time before, invited by a planter on the Black river, called 
M. de Messin, to pay him a visit: he lives about seven leagues from Port Louis, 
and availing myself of his pirogua, which came every week to the port, I embarked 
about midnight. The pirogua is a kind of boat, made out of one piece of wood, 
with oars and sails. We were about nine persons in it. 
“ About half past twelve at night we rowed out of the port: there was a strong 
swelling sea, which broke heavy upon the reefs j and we were often within the surf 
of the breakers, without perceiving it, as the night was very dark. The master in¬ 
formed me he could not continue his voyage before day-break ; we therefore went 
on shore. 
44 We had probably run about a league and an half when we came to a mooring, 
somewhat below the Little river. The Blacks carried me on shore upon their shoul¬ 
ders; after which they took two pieces of wood, one of the velvet tree, the other 
of bamboo, and lighted a fire by rubbing them together. This method is very 
ancient, the Romans made use of it, and Pliny says, there is nothing better for that 
purpose than ivy rubbed against laurel. 
“ The men seated themselves round about the fire, smoking their pipes, which 
consisted of a kind of crucible, at the end of a thick reed ; they passed them round 
to one another. I distributed some brandy among them, and laid myself down to 
sleep upon the sand, wrapped up in my cloke. 
64 They awoke me again at five o’clock, in order to re-embark. Daylight having 
appeared, I saw the summit of the mountains covered with thick clouds, passing 
