150 Registrar of the Civil Branch, T. Pace, 1907. to 250l., Assistant Registrar, R. Leonardini, 907. to 1207. Fourth Class Clerk, P. V. Vella, 60l. to 807. Magistrates of the Island of Gozo, Gius. Xuereb, from P. Cremona, L.LD., from 1907. to 250. V. P. Micallef, LL.D., from 190l. to 250. Registrar, V. Tabone, 1207. Fourth Class Clerks: A. Tabone, 60l. to 80l. F. Cutajar. Supernumerary Clerk, J. Ferris, 607. Ecclesiastical. Chaplain to Government, Rev. E. Hardy, 4501. Public Libraries. Librarian, A. A. Caruana, LL.D., 2007. to 2507. Police Department. Superintendent of Police, Captain R. Casolani, 5007. Spain, William Jemison Smith. United States, C. Breed Eynaud (Vice-Consul). MAURITIUS. An island in the Indian Ocean, between 57° 17′ and 57° 46′ E. long., and 19° 58′ and 20° 32′ S. lat., situated at a distance of 115 miles from Réunion, 940 miles from Seychelles, 1,300 miles from Natal, 2,000 miles from Cape Comorin, 11,000 miles from England, 2,300 from the Cape of Good Hope, and 500 from Madagascar. It comprises an area of about 708 square miles, having an extreme length of 36 miles from north to south, and an extreme breadth of 28 miles from east to west. only systematic triangulation of Mauritius ever made was that by the celebrated practical astronomer, Abbé de la Caille, who had been sent by the Government of France, in 1753, to determine the latitude and longitude of Mauritius and Bourbon. The The formation of the island is supposed to be volcanic, and it is surrounded by reefs of coral. The mountain chains average 2,000 feet in altitude, with peaks rising to nearly 2,700 feet. Some of these, such as Pieter Both and the Pouce, have fantastic shapes, and have been described as "fingers pointing to Heaven." The highest peak is the Piton de la Rivière-Noire, which is 2,711 English feet, but Pieter Both and the Pouce are only a few feet lower. The island is watered by numerous streams, com First Class Clerks, E. Barbar, 190l. to 2507. Corradino Prison. Superintendent of Corradino Prison, S. Staines, 2301 Monte di Pieta, including Savings Bank. 1807. Third Class Clerk, L. Catro, 907. to 1207. Consuls. Argentine Republic, Gavino Bonavita. cascades; none of these rivers are navigable beyond a few hundred yards from the sea. This famous and beautiful island, the fairer "Malta of the Indian Ocean" (as it is called by Thiers), was discovered by the Portuguese in 1507, but the first people that occupied it in any great numbers were the Dutch, in 1598, whose commander, Admiral J. C. Van Neck, named it Mauritius, in honour of the then Statholder, Prince Maurice of Nassau. The Dutch, however, though to they built a fort at Grand Port, do not appear to have made any permanent settlement, and they finally abandoned the island in 1712. A party of Frenchmen, sent from the neighbouring island of Reunion, landed there in 1715, and in 1721 it was formally taken possession of by the French, at first, on behalf of the French East India Company and afterwards, in 1767, on behalf of the Crown of France. The name of the island was then Austria, Captain Ignatius Kohen (Consul General). changed by M. Du Fresne, captain in the naval Belgium, Edward V. Ferro. Brazil, Frederick Vella. Denmark, Edward V. Ferro. German Empire, Henry C. Ferro. France, Jean Pierre Lucien Barry. Greece, Ajax Caravias. Italy, Nobile Avvocato Bernardo Lambertenghi. Netherlands, Oloff Fred. Gollcher. Persia (vacant). Portugal, William Jemison Smith. Republic of Chili, Micallef Eynaud. Russia, Ruggiero Vella. service of France, into that of Isle of France, Mauritius was during the earlier part of the long war a source of great mischief to our merchant vessels and Indiamen, from the facility with which sorties were made from it upon our traders by French men-of-war and privateers. The British Government determined on an expedition for its capture, which was effected in 1810; the laws, religion, and customs of the inhabitants being guaranteed in the instrument of capitulation. The possession of the island was confirmed to England by the Treaty of Paris, 1814. The permanent settled population of European race is greater in Mauritius than in any other tropical colony. Many of the inhabitants are descendants of the ancient French nobles. The higher and middle classes possess much intellectual culture. The natives are proud of their country, and of the designation of Creoles. Six daily newspapers and other periodicals are published in the capital. The French language is spoken all over the island. Mauritius is divided into nine districts, Port Louis, Pamplemousses, Rivière du Rempart, Flacq, Grand Port, Savanne, Moka, Plaines Wilhems, and Black River. The City of Port Louis is the capital, and seat of Government, and contains, with its suburbs, a population of nearly 70,000 souls. The harbour is one of the best in the East, and is sufficiently spacious to receive more than a hundred vessels. It possesses three graving docks. It is defended by Fort Adelaide (the citadel) and by Fort George. There are large barracks and military stores. The annual trade of the island (including imports and exports), which passes almost entirely through Port Louis, is valued at about seven millions > sterling, while the annual public revenue exceeds £300,000. The principal public edifices of Port Louis are the Government House, the Institute, the Roman Catholic and Protestant cathedrals, the Royal College, the Town Hall, the theatre, &c. In the district of Grand Port is the small town of Mahebourg, so called in honour of M. Mahé de Labourdonnais. The constitution of Mauritius was altered in 1884-85. It now consists of a Governor, with an Executive Council of five officials, and a Legislative Council of twenty-seven members, eight being ex-officio, nine nominated by the Governor, and ten elected on a moderate franchise -two for the town of Port Louis, and for each of the eight rural districts. Where ten non-official members vote together on any question of finance or purely local concern, the official vote is not to be counted. Climate, &c.-From December to April is the hottest season of the year in Mauritius, but it is comparatively cool during the remainder of the year. The temperature in the high lands in the interior of the island is always lower by several degrees than in the city of Port Louis and in the cast districts. The governor, the officer commanding the troops, and most of the official and other principal inhabitants, now reside in the charming climate of the uplands. The mean temperature at Curepipe, 1,800 feet above the sea, a place much resorted to of late years, and rapidly becoming a large town, resembles that of the South of France. The hurricane season extends from December to the middle of April, and the cyclones range from about 8° to 30° S. latitude. One of the severest hurricanes in this century was that of 1868 (11th and 12th March), when a considerable loss of property and life occurred, and some 50,000 persons were left houseless. The longest days are at the December solstice, and the shortest at the June solstice. The difference of time between Greenwich and Port Louis is three hours, forty-nine minutes, fifty-eight seconds, the latter in advance of the former. Scenery, Field Sports, &c.-The famous tale of Paul and Virginia, by Bernardin de St. Pierre, an Engineer officer in the service of France, who was stationed in the island towards the close of the last century, scarcely exaggerates the picturesque beauty of large portions of Mauritius. Many of the forests have, however, been felled to mako room for the cultivation of the sugar-cane, the staple industry of the colony. In the remaining woods deer abound, and afford good sport; there are also partridges, quails, hares, and wild ducks in several parts of the island. The far-famed Botanical Gardens of Pamplemousses contain many rare and valuable plants and flowers. Railways.-There are two lines of railway, the North Line and the Midland. The former runs between Port Louis and Grand River, S.E., a distance of 38 miles; the second line runs between Port Louis and Mahebourg, a distance of 35 miles with branches to Savanne and Moka. The total number of miles of railway now open is 92. At Curepipe the elevation of the railway is 1,822 feet above the sea. Telegraphic communication is established throughout the island. Religion. The Christian Churches are supported by State grants. According to the last census the Roman Catholics numbered 108,000, and the Protestants 8,000. The Roman Catholics receive Government aid amounting to 79,576 rupees, the Protestants receive 46,272 rupees. Education. The department of public instruction comprises two branches, the Royal College for higher education, and the Schools Department for primary education. The College is under the control of a Rector, who is assisted by a staff of professors. The Schools Department is under the direction of a Superintendent, aided by two Inspectors. The Government schools are supported wholly by the State; the grant schools only partially so. The following table shows the numerical strength of each in 1883:- Government schools Grant schools Number. Pupils. 7,152 5,323 12,475 Total 114 The annual vote amounts to about Rs. 412,000. There are about 170 masters and mistresses employed. Of the pupils 73 per cent. are professedly Roman Catholics, 8 per cent. belong to the Church of Enggland, the Hindus number 14 per cent., and the Mahomedans 5 per cent. Currency. All accounts are now kept in rupees and cents of a rupee, which is also the currency o the island. Weights and Measures.-The Metric System, as regards weights and measures, came into force on the 1st May, 1878. Military Contribution.-Mauritius pays 401. per head per annum for each infantry soldier stationed in the colony, and 707. for engineers, artillerymen, staff, &c. The annual military contribution amounts to about 21,0007. a year. Police.-The total police force on 31st December, 1884, was 679. Sea Communications-A four-weekly service is carried on by the mail steamers of the Messageries Maritimes between New Caledonia and Marseilles, ria Suez, touching at Mauritius, Réunion, and Seychelles. The same Company's steamers leave Marseilles every four weeks for New Caledonia, touching at Mauritius. The passage to and from Marseilles averages 21 days. This line receives a subsidy from the Mauritius Government. The Messageries Maritimes Company have also recently (1885) inaugurated a new monthly service of steamers between Mauritius, Réunion, Madagascar, the Comores Islands, Mozambique, and Zanzibar. A subsidy is also paid to the Dobald Currie line of steamers, which keep up a monthly communication with England, via Natal, and the Cape of Good Hope. There is frequent communication by both sailing and steam vessels with India, Australia, Madagascar, Natal, Réunion, &c. Commerce. The foreign commerce of Mauritius extends to every quarter of the globe. The chief exports are unrefined sugar, rum, &c. The number of vessels that entered the harbour of Port Louis in 1884 was 593, with a total tonnage of 378,763 tons. DEPENDENCIES. The numerous dependencies of Mauritius comprise about a hundred islands scattered over the Indian Ocean, and contain a total population of 17,000 inhabitants. They may be roughly divided into four groups, the Seychelles Group, the Amirantes Group, the Oil islands and St. Brandon Group, and detached islands. The Amirantes Group lie between 4° 54′ and 6° 13' S. lat., and 53° 27′ and 53° 7′ E. long. They are coral islands, producing cocoanut oil and a little maize, and some of them are used as fishing stations. The St. Brandon, or Cargados Islands, lie between 16° 20′ and 16° 50′ S. lat., and 59° 26' and 59° 41' E. long. Most of them are mere sandbanks, and their only produce is a little salt fish. The Chagos Islands, the Trois Frères or Eagle Islands, and the Cosmoledo Islands, which are known generally as the Oil Islands, lie between 6° 40′ and 9° 40′ S. lat. and 72° 22′ and 47° 48′ E. long. Amongst the detached islands may be named Assumption, the Aldebra, and the Glorioso Islands, St. Paul Island, and Amsterdam Island, but none of these have any permanent population. The Seychelles Islands are situated between the parallels of S. lat. 4° and 5°; the total number of acres comprised in this group is 50,120; the distance from Mauritius 940 miles. These islands are under the superintendence of a Chief Civil Commissioner (assisted by a Board of Commissioners) who is appointed by the Secretary of State, but is subordinate to the Governor of Mauritius, from whom he receives his instructions. Mahé is the largest and most populous of the Seychelles Islands. It is 17 miles long and 4 miles broad. It rises abruptly from the sea, and its mountains, in some cases, reach the elevation of 2,000 feet. The capital of the island, now called Victoria, is situated in a valley in the north-east, and has a commodious and safe harbour. 41 vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of 64.989 tons, entered Port Victoria in 1884. The chief exports consist in coconut oil, vanilla, cloves, &c. In the Seychelles group of islands are to be found the celebrated cocos-de-mer. With the leaves of the tree beautiful straw hats are made by the natives. Rodrigues, the most important dependency of Mauritius after the Seychelles, is situated in latitude S. 19° 41' and longitude E. 63° 23', and is 344 nautical miles from Mauritius. The island is 18 miles long by 7 miles broad, and is surrounded by coral reefs, extending in some places 5 or 6 miles from the shore. It is under the administration of a civil commissioner (who is also a police magis trate), who takes his instructions from the governor of Mauritius. Laws for the island are made in the form of regulations framed by the governor of Mauritius in executive council. The population on 3rd April, 1881, was 1,436. The island, which is mountainous and in some parts well wooded, is beautiful and picturesque in the extreme. The highest land is 1,760 feet above the level of the sea, and may be seen in clear weather at a distance of 10 or 12 leagues. The temperature differs little from Mauritius, although the breezes are stronger and hurricanes more freThe climate is healthy. The quent and severe. principal industries are fishing and the rearing of cattle and goats, for which latter the pasturage is excellent. The soil is good, sugar-cane, cotton, coffee, rice, maize, beans, and vanilla have all been tried. During the time of slavery fortunes were made in this island by agricultural pursuits; but of late years this industry has been neglected, owing to want of regular communication and insufficient labour. There is an abundance of fresh water springs in the island, and wild guinea fowls and partridges are plentiful. There are also deer and wild pigs. Fruit abounds, such as mangoes, bananas, guavas, pineapples, avocas, custardapples, wild raspberries, and tamarinds, while the island is famous for oranges, citrons, and limes. The palmiste and vacoa trees are to be found all over the island. The principal exports at present are beans, maize, salt-fish, cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, and fruit. Rodrigues was very serviceable to the British troops when Bourbon and Mauritius were taken from the French. The English troops were for a long time at the island; and again, later on, after the attack on Bourbon, the wounded were sent back there for recovery. Diego Garcia, the most important of the Oil Islands group, consists of four islands, at four days' steam from Mauritius, the chief one being about 30 miles in length, extending in an irregular horse-shoe, and embracing between its extremities the three other minor islets. It is provided with a spacious bay, roomy enough for large vessels to enter, being fifteen miles in length from end to end and from two to five miles in breadth. Situated as Diego Garcia is, at 7° latitude S. and between 72° and 73° longitude east, on the straight line between the entrance to the Red Sea and Cape Lecuwin, it affords great convenience for coaling purposes to the steamers that cruise in those seas. Large coal depôts have been established on the island by two commercial companies, and Diego Garcia is now frequently visited by steamers. In 1885 the island was placed under the jurisdiction of a magistrate, with a small force of police from Mauritius. Further south, in the track of vessels from the Cape of Good Hope to Australia, lie the two rocky islands of St. Paul and Amsterdam, which are also dependencies of Mauritius. Tariff The customs tariff regulated by Ord. No. 7 of 1878, Schedule A., Ord. 17 and 36 of 1881, and Ord. 25 of 1883, and Ord. 18 of 1884-85, is as follows: duced in any of the dependencies of Rs. c. 10 0 50 4 40 0 80 2 0 080 0 80 4 40 1 0 20 0 Exemptions. Ordinance No. 7 of 1878-Schedule C. Animals, viz. :-Horses, mules, asses, cattle, and 7 8 all other live stock, animal charcoal, ballast, when the same consists of sand or stone, books and maps, except foreign reprints of British copyright works, bricks and tiles, choorah, coals, coke, and patent fuel, cocoanuts, coin and bullion, copperah or poonac, firewood and charcoal, fruits and vegetables, fresh, glass bottles, imported full, except fancy bottles or decanters, hay and straw, ice, instruments for regimental bands, leeches, lime, machinery and apparatus for the manufacture or improvement of sugar, rum, or other produce of the colony, manures of all sorts, music, printed, paintings, engravings, prints, photographs, and drawings, school materials for the use of free schools, seeds intended for agricultural and horticultural purposes, slates and stones for building and paving, sugar, shipped for the use of Her Majesty's land and sea forces, they being at the time on board of any of Her Majesty's ships in one of the harbours or at any of the roadsteads of the colony, vacoa bags and leaves, and Madagascar straw bags, provisions and stores of every description imported or supplied from bond for the use of Her Majesty's land and sea forces, or for the colonial government, or under special authority from the governor, for the use of ships of war of other nations, objects and specimens (animal, mineral, and vegetable), illustrative of natural history, including live plants, and trees and vegetable productions connected with the study of botany, wearing apparel, baggage, or any instrument intended for professional use, if it be the property of a person coming to the colony, and if it arrive within three months before or after the arrival of its proprietor, articles of civil, naval, and military uniform, intended for the personal use of the importer; goods, the growth, production, or manufacture of the dependencies of Mauritius, other than Seychelles, except tobacco, goods, the growth, production, or manufacture of Mauritius and its dependencies, and all goods upon which the full amount of duty shall have been paid on their first importation into Mauritius, legally exported hence and afterwards returned; provided 0 54 0.50 0.60 0.80 20 0 40 0 0 80 0.80 054 2.10 0 95 4 40 1 58 Mauritius, except Seychelles, per kilogram 0 32 such goods shall be returned within three years Wheat flour, per 100 kilograms Wheat, per 100 kilograms. Wines, in casks, per hectolitre 054 in bottles, per dozen bottles, each bottle not to exceed one litre Wines per dozen bottles, not exceeding 5 decilitres each All goods, wares, and merchandise not otherwise charged with duty, and not mentioned above, or not specially exempted, shall be liable to an ad valorem duty of six and three-fourths per centum. Oil imported from the Oil Islands. 0.80 1 0 0 50 from the date of their exportation, and it be proved to the satisfaction of the collector of customs that they are the identical goods exported from Mauritius; and provided the property of such goods continue in possession of the person by whom or on whose account the same were exported. The following substances generally used as manure or as disinfectants : Ammoniacal liquors, bones, bone dust, bone oil, and dissolved bones, carbolic acid, chloride of lime, chloride of manganese, chloride of soda, solution of soda, chloride of zinc, coal and wood soot, dried muscular flesh and dried blood, fish, and other substances damaged and condemned by the customs sanitary officers as fit for manure only, guano, lime, carbonite of lime, sulphate of lime, or gypsum, phosphate, and superphosphate of lime, manures artificially prepared, nitrates, silicates, and . 0 50 carbonates of potash and soda, perchloride of iron, permanganate of potash, phosphate of soda, poudrette, sulphate of iron, sulphate and muriate of ammonia, and other ammoniacal salts, sulphate of potash, sulphate of zinc, sulphuric acid, urate and sulphurated urine. If the proprietors or lessees of the Dependencies commonly called the Oil Islands, do not pay into the Treasury Rs. 4,000, on or before the 15th January in each year, there shall be levied on oil imported from the said islands, per hectolitre M. Mahé de Labourdonnais January 1722 26 Oct. 1728 10 Nov. 1734 1750 1755 1759 M. Dumas, Colonel, Gouverneur Général des . Major-General Sir R. Darling (acting) 20 May 1823 Hon. Sir Charles Colville, K.G. H. . . 12 June 1823 17 June 1829 31 Jan. 1830 20 Feb. 1840 16 July 1842 3 Jan. 1842 21 Nov. 1843 5 May 1846 21 May 1848 8 June 1849 13 Jan. 1855 12 June 1855 11 Sept. 1857 21 Sept. 1857 April 1746 Lieut.-Col. Sir W. M. Gomm, K.C.B. 24 Aug. 1772 Le Vicomte de Souillac, Commandant Général, 2 Dec. 1776 3 May 1779 4 July 1781 15 Feb. 1785 5 April 1785 Le Vicomte de Souillac, Gouverneur Général Le Vicomte de Souillac ance 9 Jan. 1863 22 Aug. 1863 4 June 1870 21 Feb. 1871 19 Aug. 1871 29 Sept. 1871 21 Oct. 1871 28 Oct. 1872 14 Nov. 1789 ,, 7,821,080 1881 7,813,910 7,600,176 1882 ,, 9,551,635 1883 ,, 8,892,655 8,609,576 ,, 9,072,813 29 July 1800 M. David Charpentier de Cossigny, Maréchal- M. le comte Magallon de la Morlière, Général M. Charles Decaen, Général de Division, Capi- 3 Dec. 1810 1878 Rs. 22,293,460 Rs. 37,773,790 9 April 1811 1879 32,362,590 . 12 July 1811 1880 36,347,880 19 Nov. 1817 1881 ,, 24,672,665 35,526,072 ,, 27,662,869 |