HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
539 
verbal message, to the general: and in two or three hours* after, a physician came 
to ascertain the people’s health on board the ship; he accordingly sent for all who 
were on board, and inquired into the state of every man’s health : he then came 
up to us, and made a salam , or obeisance, and told us, that he would immediately 
send notice to the general, of our arrival: we desired him to allot some place for 
our accommodation on shore, and enable us to disembark, adding, that in a day or 
two after, we would commence our interviews with the sirdars; requesting that our 
arrival might not be made known. 
The physician, after remaining an hour, returned to the sirdars, and before 
two hours had elapsed, sent four persons of rank with a verbal message, stating, 
that he was extremely happy at our arrival, and would send for us the next day; 
we replied, by requesting that he would send for us clandestinely, so that it should 
be known to no one; they replied, that they would make their report to the gene¬ 
ral, and act agreeably to such orders as he might give. They then departed. In 
the mean time, Ripaud carried the ship near land, and dropping anchor in the 
mouth of the river, immediately went to the general. At twelve o’clock at night 
he came on board again, and told us that he had represented every thing to the 
general: but before his return, five or six sirdars, and two aides-de-camp of Ge¬ 
neral Malartic, came to us on board the vessel, and told us that they must con¬ 
form to the custom of their nation, and that if they did not receive your highness’s 
ambassadors with due respect and attention, they would be censured from home. 
We used every argument in our power to dissuade them from that intention, but 
to no purpose. The next day, the soldiers were drawn up in two lines, from the 
bank of the river to General Malartic’s house, by his particular directions. He 
also sent several officers in his own boat to meet us, and conduct us to his house; 
accordingly we went on shore in the boat, and immediately on our landing, near a 
hundred and fifty guns were fired ; and we were conducted, with the utmost degree 
of respect, to the sirdars. When we arrived at General Malartic’s house, the general 
himself. General Sercey, the members of the council, t and other sirdars, met us at 
the door of the house. The general seated us on chairs at his right hand. We pre¬ 
sented your highness’s compliments to all the sirdars, and told them, that the object 
* The hours in this paper must be understood to mean the Hindostany ghurry, consisting of 
about 23 or 24 minutes. 
-j- The Colonial Assembly. 
3 2. 2 
