HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
508 
of a war her utmost efforts will certainly be exerted against a colony that threatens 
her richest treasures. What a misfortune for France, should she suffer herself to 
be deprived of it! 
“ Yet what have we not - to fear, when we see that to this day no care has been 
taken for the defence of this island ? that the means for this purpose have always 
been wanting, or misapplied; that the court of Versailles, from year to year, has 
waited for the dispatches of the directors, to come to a determination on this point, 
just as one would wait for the return of a courier from the frontiers; and that even 
at the time we are writing, there is still perhaps a dispute, respecting the kind of 
protection which it is most expedient to adopt for a settlement of this importance. 
“ It is the general opinion of seamen, that the security of the Isle of France must 
depend entirely on the naval forces : but they acknowledge that these forces cannot 
fulfil this intention, till they have been sheltered from those hurricanes, so frequent 
and so terrible, which prevail in these latitudes from the month of December to 
April. A great number of merchantmen have, indeed, been lost, and whole squa¬ 
drons have received so much injury, even in Port Louis, the only one to which 
seamen at present resort, that too much labour cannot be bestowed in guarding 
against these dreadful events. For a long time the government paid little attention 
to this important object: it has, however, at length determined to dig a large har¬ 
bour in this road, in the hope that ships, of all dimensions, may one day find a 
safe asylum there. 
“ This business cannot be advanced with too much expedition ; but supposing 
it executed with every possible success, the maritime force would still be insufficient 
for the defence of the colony. The state will never subject itself to the expence of 
maintaining constantly a stationary squadron in these latitudes; and it is possible 
that the island may be attacked in the absence of the fleet, which may also be 
destroyed by sickness or by a storm : let it be a strong or a weak one, it still runs 
the risk of being beaten; and even if it were victorious, an opportunity may have 
been seized of landing troops during the action. These troops would immediately 
march on to the port, and make themselves masters of it, as well as of the victorious 
ships, which might have taken shelter there, in order to refit. 
« By this manoeuvre, which is a very simple one, a valuable settlement would 
fall, without striking a blow, into the hands of an enterprising and skilful enemy. 
These apprehensions, which are well founded, argue the necessity of fortifications. 
