5*4 
HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
attack, to throw red-hot balls into the town; or if the wind happened to blow hard 
at the time from the north-west, to send a fire-ship among them, in which a kind of 
wooden mortars charged with bombs* might be made in such a manner as when the 
deck caught fire to cast the shells with a short fusee into the town. Some ships of 
war could lay at anchor at the distance of an hundred fathoms from the little island 
to the east of the port, called the Isle des TonnelUers , at the east and west side of 
the town, covering two fordable rivers, the one called des Lataniers , and the other 
la Petite riviere , near Fort Blanc. Several brooks of this kind descend from the 
mountains in every direction, and the places, where they empty themselves into the sea, 
are the most convenient points to pass between the ridges of rocks which are said to 
guard the coasts; and when the boats have once passed them the water becomes per¬ 
fectly calm in several parts of the shore. I was informed that vessels of two hundred 
tons were building in the river des Citrohniers , at the south-east point of the island. 
At post Jacotet, near this river, an arm of the sea enters in the land, and forms a large 
bason, where smaller vessels can approach the shore with the greatest security. Here 
I should propose the first descent to be made with two hundred Europeans and six 
hundred Sepoys, without artillery; this spot being the most retired of the island, 
as well as the most convenient for making a junction with the Maroon Negroes, 
who generally live in this neighbourhood. The end of April is the most suitable 
season, when the monsoons are over; the winds then become variable, and the winter 
provisions of the inhabitants are almost exhausted: the detachment, thus landed, 
should receive orders upon being reinforced by the Maroon Negroes, or by people 
on whose intelligence they could rely, to form into two divisions, and to advance 
towards Port Louis on each side of the coast; the interior parts being totally inac¬ 
cessible, in order to carry off the cattle they might find in the vallies; whilst the 
rest of the troops and the ships should be formed also into two divisions, running to 
windward of the island with the utmost expedition, and effect a landing at each 
point of the town, as was before proposed : by this means the enemy’s forces would 
be greatly divided, and their forage completely cut off; which, as is reasonable to 
suppose, would soon force the town to capitulate. But even if the island could not 
* During the siege of Wandewash, Captain Flint, who made such a noble defence of the place, 
constructed mortars of \Vood surrounded with iron hoops, which perfectly answered his purpose. 
This excellent officer likewise invented grenades of dried potters’ earth, which he filled and threw 
into the enemy’s works with great effect.—Captain Munro. 
