or MAURICE, an island of Africa, about 400 miles east of Madagascar, lying in the latitude of 20 and 21 degrees south. It is about 150 miles in circumference. In the beginning of the 16th century it was discovered by the Portuguese, who knowing that Pliny and other ancient writers had mentioned the island of Cerne in these seas, took it for granted that this must be it; and accordingly we find it styled Cerne or Sirne, in their maps: but, notwithstanding this, they did not think fit to settle it; and indeed their force was so small, in comparison of the vast dominions they grazed, that it was very excusable. However, according to their laudable custom, they put some hogs, goats, and other cattle, upon it, that in case any of their ships either going to the Indies or returning to Portugal should be obliged to touch there, they might meet with refreshments. The Dutch, in the second voyage they made to the East Indies under their admiral James Cornelius Vanneck, came together with five ships on the 15th of September 1586; anchored in a commodious port, to which they gave the name of Warwick Haven; and gave a very good account of the place in their journals. Captain Samuel Cattleton, in the Pearl, an English East India ship, arrived there on the 27th of March 1612; and taking it to be an island undiscovered before, bestowed upon it the name of England's Fore/?, though others of his crew called it Pearl Island; and in the account of their voyage, written by John Tatton the master of the ship, celebrated it as a place very convenient for shipping, either outward or homeward bound, to refresh at. This they sometimes accordingly did, and brought some cargoes of ebony, and rich wood from thence, but without fixing any settlement.

At length, in 1638, the Dutch seated themselves here: and it is highly remarkable, that at the very time they were employed in making their first settlement, the French sent a vessel to take possession of it, who found the Dutch beforehand with them, and refused the assistance of an English Indiaman, wooing and watering in another port of the island, who very frankly offered it, to drive the Dutch from their half-settled posts. They continued for some time in quiet possession possession of the places they fortified in this island, to which they gave the name of Mauritius, in honour of Prince Maurice their stadtholder. But having engaged the French, who were settled on Madagascar, to steal 50 of the natives, and fell them for slaves, for the improvement of the Dutch settlements here, this proved the ruin of both colonies; for the negroes surprised and massacred the French in Madagascar; and the slaves in Mauritius fled into the centre of the island; from whence they so much and so incessantly molested those who had been formerly their masters, that they chose to quit a country where they could no longer remain in any tolerable degree of safety. The East India Company, however, from motives of convenience, and a very imperfect notion of its value, disapproved this measure, and therefore ordered it to be refettled; which was accordingly done, and three forts erected at the principal havens. Things now went on somewhat better than they did before; but they were still very much disturbed by the revolted negroes in the heart of the isle, whom they could never subdue. One principal use that the company made of this place, was to send thither state prisoners, who, as they were not men of the best morals, quickly corrupted the rest of the inhabitants, and rendered them such a race of outrageous smugglers, the situation of the place concurring with their bad disposition, that, after various ineffectual attempts made to reform them, orders were at length given to abandon Mauritius a second time, which, after some delays, were put in execution in the year 1710.

Two years after this, the French took possession of it, and named it the île de France. This name has obtained among themselves, but the Europeans in general continue to call it Mauritius. It lies in S. Lat. 20. 15. E. Long. 6. 15. The inconveniences arising from the want of a port at the island of Bourbon, induced the French to take possession of Mauritius, it having two very good harbours, to fortify which no expense has been spared. That on the north-west is called Port Louis, that on the south-east side of the island is called Port Bourbon. The trade-wind from the south-east in these latitudes blows all the year round, excepting for a few days at the summer solstice, when it is interrupted by hard gales and hurricanes from the north. The ease with which this wind enables ships to enter the port of Bourbon, caused the French, when they first took possession of this spot, to esteem it the best port in the island; but experience pointing out to them, that the same wind often rendered the passage out of the harbour so difficult, that a ship was sometimes obliged to wait a considerable time before the weather admitted of her putting to sea, this harbour is in a great measure abandoned, and the principal town and seat of government is now fixed at Port Louis, which is nearly in the middle of the north side of the island, and its entrance is through a channel formed by two shoals, which advance about two miles into the sea. When a ship arrives opposite to this channel, the south-east wind hinders her from entering the port under sail, and she must either warp in with cables or be towed in with boats. The necessity of this operation, joined to the extreme narrowness of the channel, which does not admit of two ships abreast of each other entering at the same time, is one of the best defences the harbour has against an attack by sea; for, from these obstructions, an enemy would find it a matter of the greatest difficulty to force the port; and in addition to this natural strength, they have built two forts and as many batteries, which are mounted with heavy cannon, and entirely command the approach to the harbour, should ships presume to force an entry under fail. This port is capable of containing 100 sail of ships, and is well provided with every requisite for repairing and even building of ships. This port has proved of the greatest advantage to France in the several wars which have been carried on between Great Britain and her; and has proved of great utility to the French East India Company's commerce; for here their ships and crews were sure to meet with all necessary refreshment after a long voyage. The port of Bourbon is also fortified; and an army landed here would find it an extremely difficult talk to pass the mountains to the different parts of the island. There are several places between the north-east extremity and Port Louis where boats may land, but all these are defended by batteries; and the country behind them is a continued thicket: The rest of the coast is inaccessible. In the north-eastern quarter is a plain extending about 10 miles from east to west, and in some places five miles inland from the northern coast. All the rest of the island is full of high and steep mountains, lying so near to one another, and the intervals between them so narrow, that, instead of valleys, they rather resemble the beds of torrents; and these are choked with huge fragments of rocks which have fallen from the steep sides of the impending mountains. On the summits of the mountains ice is frequently to be found, and they are covered with forests of ebony and other large trees. The ground they shade produces herbage, thrubs, and plants of various sorts, from the common grass to the strongest thorn, and that in such profusion, that they form a thicket so closely interwoven, that no progress can be made but by means of a hatchet. Notwithstanding these difficulties, plantations have been formed on these mountains, and very considerable progress has been made in the plains; but the productions, although mostly of the same kind, are not only in less quantity, but of an inferior quality to those produced at Bourbon island.

In a course of years, however, the settlement cost so much, and was considered in every light worth so little, that it had been more than once under deliberation, whether, after the example of the Dutch, they should not leave it again to its old negro inhabitants; which sooner or later in all likelihood would have been its fate, if, in 1735, the famous M. de la Bourdonnais had not been sent thither with the title of governor-general of the French islands.

He found this isle in the worst state possible, thinly inhabited by a set of lazy people, who equally hated industry and peace, and who were continually flattering this man to his face, and belying him wherever and as far as they durst. He gave himself no trouble about this, having once found the means to make himself obeyed; he saw the vast importance of the island; he conceived that it might be settled to great advantage; and, without so much as expecting the thanks of those for whom he laboured, he began to execute this great design. His first step was to bring over black boys from Madagascar, whom he carefully trained up in good principles, and in continual exercise; by which he rendered them so good soldiers, that he very quickly obliged the Marones, or wild negroes, either to submit or to quit the island: he taught the planters to cultivate their lands to advantage; he, by an aqueduct, brought fresh water to the sea side; and whereas they had not so much as a boat at his coming thither, he made a very fine dock, where he not only built flops and large vessels, but even a ship of the burden of 500 tons. However incredible it may seem, yet it is certainly fact, that in the space of five years he converted this country into a paradise, that had been a mere wilderness for 5000; and this in spite of the inhabitants, and of the company, who being originally prejudiced by them, behaved ill to him at his return. He soon made the cardinal de Fleury, however, sensible of the true state of things; and compelled the company to acknowledge, though they did not reward, his services. He afterwards returned into the Indies, and perfected the work he had begun, and to him it is owing that the isle of France was rendered one of the finest and most important spots upon the globe. Here no coffee is raised; but by the indefatigable industry of M. de Bourdonnais, sugar, indigo, pepper, and cotton (which are not at Bourbon), came to be cultivated with success. Since the departure of that most excellent governor, the plantations have been neglected, and are fallen off; but if a proper spirit of activity was raised among the inhabitants, they might soon be made to resume their flourishing appearance. Mines of iron have been discovered in the mountains near the great plain, in the north-east part of the island; and these mountains affording in great abundance the necessary fuel, forges have been erected; but the iron produced is of a very inferior quality, it being brittle, and only fit for making cannon-balls and bomb-shells. Black cattle, sheep, and goats, are preserved with difficulty; the first generally die before they have been a year in the island, and this occasions frequent importations of them from Madagascar and other parts. Common domestic poultry breed in great plenty; and, with fish and turtle, furnish a great part of the food of the European inhabitants.

The approach to the island is extremely dangerous, it being surrounded with ledges of rocks, and many of them covered by the sea. The shore abounds with coral and shells. This island is said to contain 60 rivers: some are considerable streams, and most of them have their sources from lakes, of which there are several in the middle part of the island. The rivers afford plenty of various kinds of fish, particularly cels. These are of an enormous size, some having been found that were six feet long, and fix inches in circumference, and so extremely voracious, that it is dangerous to bathe in those parts of the river where they lie, as they will seize a man without fear, and have strength sufficient to keep him under water till he is drowned. Here is a great variety of birds, and bats as large as a young kitten: the inhabitants esteem them a delicate morsel. The air is both hot and moist, but not unwholesome. The place abounds with insects, which are very troublesome; but there are no serpents. It has been discovered, that off Port Louis the south-east wind generally blows with least strength about Mauritius sunrise; and it also happens, on four or five days, at intervals, in the course of a month, that early in the morning the wind ceases in the northern part of the island for an hour or two, when a breeze rises, although but faintly, from the north-west; during which, a ship stationed at the entrance of the channel to avail herself of this breeze, may enter the harbour and attack the forts.

This island, during the period of the French revolution, did not entirely escape from the storm which then agitated the parent country. In the year 1799, a conspiracy was formed, and broke out, for the purpose of restoring the government which had been established under the authority of the republic. It was, however, soon suppressed by the activity of the municipality and governor-general, supported by the majority of the inhabitants, and order and tranquillity were again restored.

The population of this island in 1799 amounted to 65,000, viz. 55,000 blacks, and 10,000 whites and mulattoes. The following is a state of the produce of this island in 1800: viz. coffee, 6000 bales, of 100 lbs. French; indigo, 300,000 lbs. from 2s. to 8s. per lb.; cotton, 2000 bales, of 250 lbs.; raw sugar, 20,000,000 lbs.; cloves, 20,000 lbs. The island of Mauritius, as well as the other French islands in the Indian ocean, were taken by the British in 1811.