BOURBON

BOURBON, Isle of, an island in the Indian Ocean, belonging to France, about 400 miles E. of Madagascar and 90 miles W.S.W. of Mauritius, in Lat. 21. 30. S. Long. 55. 30. E. It was discovered in 1645 by Mascarenhas, a Portuguese navigator, whose name it originally bore. It remained uninhabited till 1646, when De Prony, the French commandant of Madagascar, formally took possession of it in the name of his sovereign, and gave it the name of Bourbon. It was at first employed only as a penal settlement; but in 1654 De Hacourt, a director of the French East India Company, established a small settlement, which, however, never prospered, and the colonists, becoming disheartened, embarked for Madras in an English vessel which happened to touch at the island. It was unvisited save by pirates and buccaneers, till a remnant of the French who had escaped the massacre of their countrymen in Madagascar took refuge in the island, and, with the crew of a privateer, which happened to be wrecked on the shore, formed a colony, which in a short time began to prosper. In 1661 it was made over by Louis XIV. to the East India Company, who sent out small relays of workmen from time to time. In 1710 a regular administration was organized, and a governor despatched from France. The council by which he was assisted comprised the principal officials of the government, and was subject in appeal cases to the sovereign council of Pondicherry. Two years after, the new settlement was strong enough to take possession of the Mauritius, which had been abandoned by the Dutch, and in 1732 the seat of government was removed to that island. In 1735 the governor, La Bourdonnais, fortified Bourbon with such skill that an English fleet under Boscawen attempted in vain to take possession of it. At the outbreak of the French Revolution the home government abolished slavery in all their dominions, but the people of Bourbon, much of whose wealth consisted of slaves, refused to obey orders, and deposed their governor, though they still acknowledged the authority of the mother country. From 1790 to 1795, the principles of the Revolution continued to gain ground; but at the latter date a reaction took place, and, in 1799, 7108 proprietors, who had countenanced these principles, were banished to the Sêchelles. The ship in which they sailed was attacked by an English frigate, and the whole ship's company was shot or drowned. Till 1803 Bourbon, which under the republic had assumed the title of Île de la Réunion, was self-governed. In that year Napoleon sent out a governor, and in 1806 the island once more changed its name, and became the Île Bonaparte. In 1810, after a gallant resistance, it fell into the hands of the English, who retained it till the general peace of 1814,

when the island resumed its old name of Bourbon. In the following year, before the downfall of Napoleon, it was once more besieged by the English, and along with the Mauritius again fell into their hands. After the general pacification of Europe Bourbon was restored to France, in whose possession it now is, but the adjoining island has since been retained by its English conquerors. In April 1848 a decree of the National Assembly abolished slavery in all the French dominions, and an indemnity of nearly L.5,000,000 sterling was awarded to the slaveholders of Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Bourbon, which in this year once more changed its name for the old one of La Réunion. It was ordained, however, that a year should elapse between the passing of the act and the manumission of the slaves. In 1852 the last instalment of the indemnity was paid.

Bourbon, which is nearly elliptical in form, measures 40 miles at Physical its greatest length, 27 at its greatest breadth, and, following the aspect, windings of the shore, 104 miles in circumference. The whole island is, as it were, one mountain, having its highest point in the centre, and sloping thence gradually to the sea. This great mass, however, is split into two systems. In the northern range is the Piton des Neiges, the highest peak in the island, about 10,000 feet above the level of the sea. Of the southern system the highest point is the Piton de Fournaise, an active volcano, 7000 feet high. The northern parts of the island present every indication of having been at one time subject to volcanic action of the most violent kind; but the operation of nature and the industry of man have long since converted these once desert plains into beautiful and fertile fields. In the south-east, however, the state of matters is quite different. The scarcity of water, and the vicinity of the volcano, which is the most active in the world, bursting forth at least twice every year, and sending its lava streams sometimes as far as the sea, combine to make this portion of the island the exact antithesis of the other. One portion of it, known as the Pays Brûlé, comprising 11,543 acres, is a desert waste, untenanted by man or beast. Between the two mountain systems are the Plaine des Cafres and the Plaine des Palmistes. The first of these, sloping to the south, exhibits no signs of vegetation except a few stunted shrubs, while the latter, sloping to the north, is watered by numerous streams and is remarkably fertile. Both are at a considerable elevation above the sea. In the centre of the island is a lake, called the Grand Etang, which, though it derives its waters only from the rains, is half a mile in diameter, and in winter 30 feet deep. It has no outlet, yet in summer the evaporation is so great that it is sometimes nearly dried up. The rocky and mountainous nature of the entire island precludes the existence of deep or navigable streams. Such as it possesses are merely mountain torrents, reaching the sea by a succession of waterfalls. Their waters are supplied entirely by the rains and the melted snows of the high mountain peaks. The chief of these are the St Denis, Sèche, Est, Mat, and Remparts. Of these the Mat is the largest, and has a course of nearly 30 miles. Cultivation is confined almost entirely to those parts of the island that border on the sea-shore. The whole of the interior, except the Basin de Salazé in the Gros-Morne, is uninhabited. According to M. Bory, the island is divided into eleven parishes, St Denis, containing the capital of that name, which is the seat of government—St Marie, St Susanne, St André, St Benoît, St Rose, St Joseph, St Pierre de la rivière d'Alord, St Louis du Gaul, St Leu, and St Paul—and politically into two arrondissements, six cantons, and eleven communes. There is no good harbour in the island, and no safe anchorage off the coast. The effect of this disadvantage is to throw the trade into the hands of merchants from the Mauritius.

The climate of so mountainous a country as Bourbon is very variable, but on the whole healthy and pleasant, and by no means so hot as might be anticipated from its latitude. The hot season continues from the beginning of December to the end of March. The mean temperature throughout the year is 75° Fahrenheit. The inhabitants are healthy and long-lived, and the average annual mortality is only 1 in 42. They attribute their longevity in part to the periodical recurrence of tornadoes, which last for one or two days, and have the effect of purifying and cooling the atmosphere.

Coffee, which was introduced from Mecha in 1717, was for a long time the staple article of culture in Bourbon, and was reckoned little inferior to that of Arabia. Cloves were also introduced and carefully cultivated, but never so as to compete successfully with those of the Eastern Archipelago. Cotton was formerly produced in large quantities, but in 1801 hurricanes and a disease which broke out among the trees discouraged the planters, who substituted coffee in its room. Of late years, the quantities of all these articles have greatly diminished, partly from local causes, and partly from

Bourbon-
Lancy
Bourbon-
nais.

the effects of competition upon the European markets. Since 1818, the cultivation of the sugar cane has almost entirely superseded that of coffee in the eastern and most fertile part of the island. The tobacco and cereals grown in the island do not supply the demand. Yams, potatoes, beans, and fruits, are found to thrive extremely well; and manioc, the food of the black population, grows in great abundance. Cattle are imported in considerable quantities from Madagascar, as the pasturage of Bourbon is insufficient to maintain the requisite number. The fisheries on the coast are valuable, and afford employment to nearly 500 persons. Coral and ambergris are found in considerable quantities off the shore. The manufactures of Bourbon are as yet in their infancy. The principal articles of manufacture are bricks, iron, and tin goods. There are also several lime-kills and tanneries, and one brewery. The annual value of the articles thus manufactured is estimated at about L.60,000. In 1836 the amount and value of goods exported were—

The total value of exports in this year was nearly L.670,000. The total value of imports, which, besides cattle and cereals, included oil, wine, timber, salt, &c., amounted to L.550,780. In 1852 the production of sugar amounted to 25,000,000 kilog., and was in the fair way of doubling itself within two or three years.

Government, &c.

The chief magistrate of the island is the governor, who is sent out from the mother country. He is assisted by a council of thirty, elected from those French residents who pay L.8 and upwards of direct taxes. The electors in 1837 amounted to 1145, distributed into eight electoral colleges. They have also two representatives at Paris, with salaries of L.800 a-year each. Justice is administered by an imperial court, which sits at St. Denis, two courts of assize, two tribunals of primary jurisdiction, one of which sits at St. Paul, the other at St. Denis, and by six justices of peace. In 1837 the troops of the line amounted to 814, the national guard to 6000. The revenue of the island in 1837 was L.85,982, the expenditure L.117,297, leaving a deficit of L.31,315. A college has been established in St. Denis, and throughout the island there are 29 boys' schools and 24 girls' schools. The total number of pupils was, in 1837, 2316, of whom 1486 were boys and 830 girls. There are two hospitals, one at St. Denis, and another at St. Paul, in each of which towns there is also an establishment for the relief of the poor; sixteen churches, two prisons, a chamber of commerce, a public library at St. Denis, containing about 4000 volumes, and three private printing establishments. A bank was established in 1852. Four newspapers are printed on the island. In 1841 the population was 106,582, of whom 65,993 were free blacks. In 1850 it was 102,584.