THE SEYCHELLES 
209 
Industry is very little developed, and there is no trade 
of importance. If steamers of any size stop there the 
inhabitants try to get a little profit by selling produce. 
They supply provisions to such vessels as well as to the 
whale-ships. 
One speciality I have noticed there which I have 
come across nowhere else, a delicious preserve made 
of bananas. Besides this, pretty wickerwork and 
tastefully worked fans are produced. These are made 
of the leaves of the Lodoicea seychellarntm and are em¬ 
broidered with silk from Madagascar. Delicate liqueurs 
made from bananas are sold to travellers by the Creoles. 
Commercial activity has somewhat improved just lately, 
and whereas exports varied between 300,000 and 400,000 
rupees in the seventies, they rose to 764,000 in 1896. 
Imports in the same year amounted to 633,000 rupees. 
The island of Mahe was formerly of importance as 
a coaling station, and the Australian steamers of the 
Messageries maritimes used to call there regularly. At 
first these used to run to Reunion and Mauritius, and later 
on from Port Victoria direct to Australia, but at present 
these liners have quite given up calling. In the begin¬ 
ning of this century the Seychelles were lost, and passed 
to England, which took over the government in 1816. 
They are dependencies of Mauritius and are governed 
by an English Civil Commissioner. There is a certain 
disadvantage in this, as the financial competence is not 
very great, and lawsuits have to be decided in Mauritius. 
The inhabitants have therefore long had the wish to 
possess an independent administration. 
As to England, however, it is doubtful whether the 
islands would repay the costs of administration. Even 
at present a subsidy is necessary, as, in 1896 for example, 
the revenue only amounted to 235,000 rupees, while the 
expenditure was 278,000 rupees. 
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