BOURBON, or MASCARENHAS, (isle of), an island in the Indian ocean, lying to the east of Madagascar, in E. Long. 58. 30. S. Lat. 21. 23. This island has no port, and is in some places inaccessible. Its length and breadth have not been well determined; but the circumference, according to the account of a person who resided there some time, is about 57 leagues. It is for the most part mountainous, but in some places
there are very beautiful and fertile plains. In the south part of the island there is a burning mountain, which has thrown out vast quantities of bitumen, sulphur, and other combustible materials; neither does it cease throwing them out still, so that the country about it is useless, and is called by the inhabitants pays brule, that is, burnt land. The shore is high and rocky all round; but though on this account it hath no ports, there are several good roads, particularly one on the west, and another on the north-east. As to its form, this island is irregular, so that it is difficult to judge from the maps whether it is round or long. The air is equally pleasant and wholesome, insomuch that the people live to a great age without feeling either infirmities or diseases. This is occasioned by the hurricanes, of which they have one or two every year. These purge and cleanse the air, so as to render it highly salubrious; the certainty of which is thus distinguished, that when they fail of making their annual visits, as sometimes they do, diseases and death find an entrance into the island, which otherwise would soon be overstocked with inhabitants. The climate is hot, but not to such a degree as might be expected from its situation, the breezes from the mountains being constant and very refreshing. The tops of these mountains are in winter covered with snow; which, melting in the summer, furnishes abundance of rivers and rivulets, with which the country is plentifully watered: so that the soil, though not very deep, is wonderfully fruitful, producing Turkey corn and rice twice a year, and the latter in great abundance. Most sorts of cattle are found here, good in their kind, and are very cheap; wild goats and wild hogs are found in the woods and on the tops of the mountains; here also are vast quantities of wild fowl of different kinds, fish, and land tortoises, affording at once the most delicate and wholesome food. As to fruits, they have bananas, oranges, citrons, tamarinds, and other kinds; neither does it want valuable commodities, particularly ebony, cotton, white pepper, gum benzoin, aloes, and tobacco; all excellent in their kind, when compared with those of other countries. This island is also happy in its deficiencies; for no animals that are venomous are to be found therein, and only two sorts that are disagreeable to the sight, viz. spiders of the size of a pigeon's egg, which weave nets of a surprising strength, reckoned by some capable of being treated so as to become as valuable as silk; and bats of a most enormous size, which are not only skinned and eaten, but esteemed also the greatest delicacy that they have.
The island of Bourbon was discovered by the Portuguese in 1545, as appears by a date inscribed by them upon a pillar when they first landed; but when the French settled in Madagascar, this island was totally desolate. Three Frenchmen being banished thither, and left there for three years, made such a report of it at their return as surprised their countrymen. They lived most of that time upon pork; and though they were in a manner naked, yet they affirmed that they never had the least pain or sickness whatever. This tempted one Anthony Taureau to go over thither in 1654, accompanied by seven French and six negroes, who carried with them the cattle from which the island has been stocked ever since. The first thing they did was to erect the arms of France, by order of Me
Falcourt
Bourbon. Falcourt who was governor of Madagascar, and to be-
flow upon the island a new name. Then they set up
huts, and laid out gardens, in which they cultivated
melons, different sorts of roots, and tobacco; but just
as the last became ripe, the whole plantation was de-
stroyed by a hurricane. The French, however, went
to work again; and by having some acquaintance with
the climate, succeeded better, and added aloes to the
rest of their plantations: but receiving no succour from
Madagascar, and being tired of living by themselves in
the isle of Bourbon, they very readily embraced the
offer of an English captain, and in the year 1658 em-
barked for Madras. When the last great blow was
given to the French at Madagascar by the natives, who
surprised and cut them off in one night, there escaped
as many men, as with their wives, who were natives,
filled two canoes; and these being driven by the wind
on the isle of Bourbon, were the next set of people
who inhabited it. This last colony, for want of an op-
portunity to remove, were constrained to cultivate this
new country of theirs, and to remain in it. It was
not long before a further stock of inhabitants arrived. A
pirate that had been committing depredations in the
Indies, returning to Europe, ran ashore and was split
to pieces upon the rocks, so that the crew were forced
to join themselves to the former inhabitants; and as
they had on board their vessel a great many Indian
women whom they had made prisoners, they lived with
them, and in process of time had a numerous posterity.
As East India ships touched frequently here, when too
late to double the Cape, many of the sailors, for the
sake of the women, deserted at the time of their de-
parture, and staying behind became planters in the isle
of Bourbon. As the place grew more populous, the
people naturally became more civilized, and desirous of
living in a more commodious manner; which induced
them to build small vessels, that in these they might
sometimes make a trip to Madagascar, in order to pur-
chase slaves, whom they employed in their plantations
to cultivate aloes, tobacco, and other things, with
which they drove a small trade, when ships of any na-
tion anchored in their roads for the sake of refreshments.
In this situation they were, when the French East
India company put in their claim; and assuming the
property of the island, sent thither five or six families
and a governor. At first the inhabitants expected to
reap some benefit from their new masters; but finding
very little, and thinking the governor took too much
upon him, they revolted at the insurrection of a priest,
seized their governor and put him into a dungeon,
where he died of hunger and grief. For this some of
the ringleaders were punished, a kind of fort was er-
ected, some guns placed on it, and the French flag
kept flying; but in other respects, so little care was
taken, that, till within these 40 years, the island was
in no state of defence.
The number of inhabitants, in the year 1717, was
computed at 2000; viz. 900 free, and 1100 slaves. Am-
ongst these people the usual distinction of whites and
blacks entirely fails: for even the free are of different
colours; and a French writer assures us, that he saw in
a church one family, consisting of five generations, of all
complexions. The eldest was a female, 108 years of age,
of a brown black, like the Indians of Madagascar; her
daughter, a mulatto; her grand-daughter, a mestizo; her
great-grand-daughter, of a dusky yellow; her daugh-
ter, again, of an olive colour; and the daughter of this
last, as fair as any English girl of the same age. These
people are, generally speaking, of a gentle quiet dispo-
sition; very industrious; and submissive enough to au-
thority, provided it is exercised with a tolerable degree
of equity and decency; for otherwise the whole of them
are apt to rise in rebellion at once; and the slaves have
so little reason to complain of their masters, that they
are always on the same side. The island is divided into
four quarters. The first is that of St Paul, which is the
largest and best peopled: their houses are built at the
foot of a steep mountain, on both sides of a fresh water
lake. As for the plantations, they are on the top of a
mountain, which they ascend by a very rough and
troublesome passage. On the summit there is a spacious
plain, a great part of which is divided into plantations
of rice, tobacco, corn, sugar, and fruits. The quarter
of St Dennis lies seven leagues from that of St Paul,
towards the east; and there the governor resides. It is
not so well peopled as the former; but the country is
more pleasant, and the situation better. At two leagues
distance, proceeding along the sea coast, is the quar-
ter of St Mary's, which is but thinly peopled. The
last and most fertile quarter is that of St Suffannah,
which is at the distance of four leagues from St Den-
nis. The road between these two quarters is tolerable,
though part of it has been cut with much difficulty
through a wood: but the passage from St Dennis to
St Paul is only by sea.
When the present company of India became, by
their perpetual establishment, possessed of the island of
Bourbon, they began to improve it exceedingly: rais-
ing new forts and batteries, so as to render it in a man-
ner inaccessible; and importing coffee-trees from Ara-
bia, which have succeeded so well, that it is believed
they produce an eighth, according to some a sixth, part
as much coffee as is raised in the kingdom of Yemen in
Arabia, and it is likewise held next in goodness to that.
—In 1763, the population amounted to 4627 white
people, and 15149 blacks; the cattle consisted of 8702
beeves, 4084 sheep, 7405 goats, and 7619 hogs. Upon
an extent of 125,909 acres of cultivated land, they ga-
thered as much cassava as would feed their slaves,
1,135,000 pounds weight of corn, 844,100 pounds of
rice, 2,879,100 pounds of maize, and 2,535,100
pounds of coffee; which last the company bought up
at about 3 d. per pound.
In 1748, Admiral Boscawen appeared before this
island with a British fleet; but found it so well for-
tified both by nature and art, that he was obliged, af-
ter some cannonading to very little purpose, to pursue
his voyage.