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DUKE  UNIVERSITY 


il 


LIBRARY 


The  Glenn  Negley  Collection 
of  Utopian  Literature 


WORKS     ISSUED     BY 


Cfjf   I?alUu|;t   ^Oftfti;. 


THE  VOYAGE 

OP 

FRANgOIS    LEGUAT. 
VOL.  II. 


No.  LXXXIir. 


^m  .  J .  IPa<7 .  jj^ . 


THE    VOYAGE 

OF 

FKANCOIS    LEGUAT 

OF   BRESSE 

TO 

RODRIGUEZ,   MAURITIUS,  JAVA,   AND   THE 
CAPE   OF   GOOD   HOPE. 

TRANSCRIBED  FROM  THE  FTUST   ENOLISIl  EDITION. 


<i?t>itrir  antr  aiiinotatelt 

BY 

CAPTAIN    PASFIELD    OLIVER, 

LATE    ROIAL   ARTILtEHY. 


"  Si  forte  necesge  est 
Imliriis  monntrare  recentibus  abdifa  rcrut. 


VOL.  ir. 


LONDON: 
rillNTEI)    FOR    THE    HAKLUYT    SOCIETY, 

4,  LINCOLN'S   INN   FIELDS,  W.C. 

M.DCCC.XCI. 


COUNCIL 


THE    HAKLUYT    SOCIETY. 


CLEMENTS  R.  MARKHAM,  Esq.,  C.B.,  P.R.S.,  Phksidbkt. 
MAJOE-GENEBAt,   SiB   HENRY    RAWLINSON,    G.C.B.,    D.C.L.,    LL.D.,   P.R.S 

ASSOOIE  EtBANGEB   DE   L'InSTITUT   DB   FbANCB,  VlCB-rEESIDENT. 

Lord  ABBRDARB,  G.O. B., P.R.S. ,  late  Pbes.  R.U.S. 

S.  B.  B.  BOUVERIB-PUSEY,  Esq. 

WALTER  DE  GRAY  BIRCH,  Esq.,  P.S.A. 

Rear-Admibal  LINDESAY  BRINE. 

ROBERT  BROWN,  Esq.,  M.A.,  Ph.D. 

The  Right  Hon.  Sib  MOUNTSTUART  E.  GRANT  DUKF,  G. G.S.I. 

ALBERT  GRAY,  Esq. 

P.  H.  H.  GUILLEMARD,  Esq 

R.  H.  MAJOR,  Esq.,  P.S.A. 

E.  A.  PETHERICK,  Esq. 

Loan  ARTHUR  RUSSELL. 

ERNEST  SATOW,  EsQ.,C.M.G.,  Minister  Resident  in  Uruguay. 

S.  W.  SILVER,  Esq. 

COUTTS  TROTTER,  Esq. 

Prof.  E.  B.  TYLOR,  D.C.L. 

Captain  Sir  J.  SYDNEY  WEBB,  K.C.M.G. 

Captain  W.  J.  L.  AVHARTON,  R.N. 

E.  DELMAR  MORGAN,  Honokabi  Secbetaby. 


31.'?8,^1 


CONTENTS. 

VOLUME    II. 


Table  of  Contents  ..... 

List  of  Illustrations  and  Maps      .  .  .  . 

Bibliography       ....... 

List  of  Illustrations  and  Maps  in  Original  Edition  . 
Addenda  et  Corrigenda         .  .  .  .  . 


PAOB 

vii 

viii 

ix 

XV 

xvi 


Second  Part. 

Voyage  from   Rodriguez  to  INIauritius ;    Adventures   in  that 

Island,  Java,  and  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope     .  .  139 

Return  of  the  Adventurers  to  Holland       .  .  .  304 

Thanksgiving  Ilymu   .....  304 


Appendix  A. — Abstract  of  M.  J.  Codiue's  M6nioire  on  the 

Discovery  of  the  Mascarene  Islands   . 
Addendum. — On  M.  de  Flacourt's  Pillar 

,,  List  of  Bourbon  Birds 

Appendix  B.— Relation  de  ITle  Rodrigue 
Appendix  C. — The  Fauna  of  the  IMascarene  Islands 
Appendix  D. — On  Extinct  Birds  of  the  IMascarene  Islands 
Appendix  E. — The  Gigantic  Mascarene  Tortoises 

Supplementary  Note  by  E.  Delmar  Morgan. — The  Dugong 
Ilalicorc  Dugong,  Leguat's  "  JNlanati" 

Index     ..... 


308 
317 
819 
320 
341 
359 
373 

378 
384 


313 


VI 11  CONTENTS. 


ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  MAPS. 

Paut  II. 
Doiniue  Salva  Nos,  facsimile.— Frontispiece  to  Part  II. 
Ilocher  d'Exil,  facsimile       ....••     139 

Chart  of  Grand  Port,  by  Lieut.  Coghlan,  R.N.,  1877         .  .     161 

Mauritius,  Ooster  Haven,  from  Valentyn,  facsimile  .  .     176 

Fort  Fredrik  Ilendrik  op  Mauritius,  from  Valentyn,  facsimile      .     180 
Le  Geant,  facsimile  .....  ^09 

Avis  Indica,  from  CoUaert,  facsimile  ....     210 

Cliart     of     Mascarene     Archipelago,     reduced     facsimile     from 

D'Apros  de  Manuevillette         .....     309 

Carte  de  la  Reunion  par  L.  Maillard  ....     319 

lie  Gdant,  Ideal  restoration  after  Shufeldt  .  .  .     359 

/-Le  G^ant,  by  Schlegel  .  .  .  ,  .  .365 

Insula  Docerne,  alias  ^Mauritius  dicta,  from  De  Bry,  facsimile        .     371 
Ingentes  Testudinea  in  Mauritii  insula         .     do.  do.  .     375 

Skull  of  Manatee     .  .  .  .  .  .380 

Skull  of  Dugong       .......     380 

Skull  of  llhytina      .  .  .  .  .  .  .381 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

List  of  Works  and  Authors  alluded  to  in  the  present  Edition} 


AcADfeMiE  DES  Sciences. — Comptes-reudus  ;  Histoire  et  Memoircs. 

Adanson,  M. — Voyage  au  Senegal.     1757. 

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Africa  in  the  years  1797-98.     1804. 
Bausset,  Cardinal  de. — Histoire  de  Bossuet.     1814. 
Bayle,  Pierre. — Nouvelles  de  la  Republiq^ue  des  Lettres.     1713. 
Beaulieu,    Augustin    de.— Expedition    to   the   East   Indies,   1619-22. 

Harris'  Voy.,  vol.  i. 
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Berkeley,  Rev.  M.  J. — Botany  of  Rodriguez,  Fnngi.     1879. 
Bernard,  Jacques. — Nouvelles  de  la  Republique  des  Lettres.     1718. 
Blackwood's  JNIagaziue,  September,  1889. 

Blanc,  Vincent  le. — Les  Voyages  du  Sieur  Vincent  le  Blanc.     1648. 
Blume,  ])r.  C.  L.  de.— Flora  Javae.     1828. 
Braam,  Joan. — Kaart  van  het  Eyland  Mauritius.     1729. 
Brewer,  Dr.  E.  C. — Dictionary  of  Phrase  and  Fable.     1875. 
Bridet,  Lieut. — liltude  sur  les  ouragans  de  rheniisphfere  austral.     187(5. 
Bruggemann,  Dr.  F. — Recent  Fauna  of  Rodriguez.  Corals.     1879. 
BuFFON,   G.  L.  Leclerc,  Comte  de. — Histoire    Naturello,   Generale   ct 

Particuliere,  redigee  par  C.  S.  Sonnini.     1807. 
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Hemiptera,  Myriapoda,  Arachnida.     1879. 
Butler,  Samuel. — Hudibras.     1744. 

1  N.B. — This  list  is  exclusive  of  Authors  and  Works  mentioned  by 
Franyois  Leguat  or  his  Editor,  in  the  original  text,  whicli  are  given  on 
page  XV,  vol.  i. 


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1679. 
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1878. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  XI 

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White,  J. — Journal  of  a  Voyage  to  New  South  Wales.     1790. 
WiLCOCKE,  S.  H. — Ste  Stavorinus. 
Wilkinson,  Sir  J.  Gardner. — Manners  and   Customs  of  the   Ancient 

Egyptians.     1841. 
WooinvAHD,  H. — On  Sirejiia.      Geol.  Magazine.     1885. 
Yule,    Colonel. — Anglo-Indian  Glossary,  188G  ;    liakluyt    Soc.  edtn. 

of  Jordanus;  Hedges'  Diary,  1888. 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS    AND    MAPS 
IN    ORIGINAL    EDITION. 


Part  I. 

Frontispiece'   ..... 
A  Map  of  the  Island  of  Diego  Ruyz,  or  Diego  Rodrigo^ 

The  Flag  of  the  "Swallow"  with  the  arms  of  Du  Quesiic  aiK 
the  motto  Libertas  sine  Licent'm 

A  Flying  Fish  .... 

A  Sea  Swallow,  a  Mullet,  and  a  Flying  Gurnard 

The  Dorado  Fish  and  a  Bonito  Fish,  taken  in  the  Sea  of  Guinea 

A  Bonito  taken  on  the  Coasts  of  Kent 

The  Great  Throat  .... 

A  Sea  Cow  .  .  .  . 

The  Bay  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 

Isle  Bourbon,  called  also  Mascarenas  by  the  Portuguese 

A  Plan  of  the  Settlement' 

Kasta  or  Paretuvier,  a  Particular  sort  of  Tree 

The  Lamantin 

Tlie  Solitary  Birdi 

The  Succet  or  Remora  . 

The  Pavillion,  A  Tree  newly  Discovered 

Domine  Salva  Nos' 

Nascimur  Pares,  Pares  Moriniur.     Enihli'm 

The  Monument  or  Pillar 


1 

ii 

iii 
iv 

V 

vi 

vii 

viii 

ix 

X 

xi 
xii 
xiii 
xiv 

XV 

xvi 

xvii 

xviii 

xix 

XX 


'  i  Reproduced  in  facsimile 

ii  do.  do. 

xi  do.  do. 

xii  do.  do. 

XV  do.  do. 

xviii  do.  do. 


Ixix 

1 

41 

64 

80 

frontispiece  to  Vol.  II 


XVI 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


IVmit  TI 
The  Rock  of  Exile' 
The  Sea  Serpent 
The  Ananas 
Tlie  Giant  Bird' 
An  Extraordinary  Plant 
Extraordinary  Plants 
The  Hooded  Serpent* 
An  Extraordinary  Ape  of  ye  Island  of  Java 
A  Lizard  of  Gilolo 
Divers  kinds  of  Rhinoceros" 
A  Hottentot  Man  in  his  Summer  Dress^ 
A  Hottentot  Woman  without  her  Petticoat^ 


XXI 

xxii 
xxiii 
xxiv 

XXV 

xxvi 
xxvii 

xxviii 
xxix 

XXX 

xxxi 
xxxii 


'  xxi  Reproduced  in  facsimile    ....        139 
xxiv  .  .  .  .  .  .209 

2  Compare  plant  behind  snake  with  Goi/avier,  p.  137  of  De  Rochefort. 
1667. 

3  Compare  plant  by  side  of  Hottentot  man  with  figure  of  Bananier  in 
De  Rochefort. 

*  Compare  plant  by  Hottentot  with  figure  of  Papayer  in  De  Rochefort's 
Jlisto'ire  Natiirelle  den  Jks  A  nlilks. 


ADDENDA   ET  CORRIGENDA. 


Vol.  I. 


List  of  Illustrations,  p.  viii.     For  "Higgins",  read  "  Higgin"'. 
Editor's  Preface,  p.  xi,  seventh  line  from  bottom,     i^or  "Van  Kempeu", 
read  "  Van  Campen". 

Introduction,  p.  xxxiii,  line  7.     For  "  f uruishin",  read  "  furnishing". 

Author's  Preface,  p.  Ixxx,  line  12.     Add  note  below  :  "  Variety."     In  orig.  : 
"  avec  une  Vanite.      Vide  infra,  p.  Ixxxvi." 


Vol.  II. 

p.  154,  note  1.  After  "  il  prevint  le  pauvre  la  Haye"',  add  "i.e.,  he  antici- 
pated or  forestalled  poor  La  Haye." 

P.  164,  note  2.  For  ''  157"  read  "  161".  Add,  "  vide  Hedges'  Diarij,  vol.  ii, 
p.  cccxxvii.^ — '  The  Hollanders  keejj  up  their  Reputation  still  here  in  India 
especially  among  the  Portuguezes,  for  having  been  so  well  beaten  by  tlieno 
not  careing  to  heare  of  the  Ffrenches  Victory  in  Eurojie,  and  seeme  to  have  ap 
absolute  antipathy  to  that  Nation.'  " 

Pp.  207-208,  note  4.  After  "  known  as  the  Sambur",  add  "  Tide  ante,  p.  96". 

P.  209,  note  3.  i?t/ore  "  Writing  in  1769",  insert  "In  orig.:  '  L'Isle  (5toit 
autrefois  toute  remplie  &  d'Oyes  &  de  Canards  sauvages  ;  de  Poules  d'eau  ; 
de  Gelinotes.  .  .  .'      Vide  ante,  p.  81  et  infra,  pp.  334,  342,  343,  370." 

P.  210,  note  1.  After  "  Appendix",  add  "  D,  p.  359". 

P.  210,  note  2.  After  "  Appendix",  add  "  D,  pp.  369,  370,  375". 

P.  210,  note  4.  After  ^^  Coracopsis  vaza",  add,  "  =  Palaornis  eques"'  ;  and 
after  "grey  head",  add  " Psittacula  cana". 

P.  211,  note  1.  After  "Dutch-pigeon",  add  "probably  Alectoreenas  nitidis- 
sima  {P.  Z.  S.,  1879,  p.  2).     Vide  infra,  p.  345." 

P.  211,  note  2.  Dele  " (Coq  de  bois  ?)"  ;  and  after  "black-birds",  add 
"  Hypsipetcs  olivaceus". 

P.  222,  note  2.  A  plan  of  Batavia,  about  the  period  when  Leguat  was  confined 
there,  is  given  in  Lcs  Forces  de  VEurope,  Asie,  Afriqve,  et  Aimriquc,  published 
at  Amsterdam  by  Pierre  Mortier,  after  the  year  1700,  no  actual  date  being 
given  on  the  title.  In  this  ])lan,  probably  drawn  by  N.  de  Fcr,  or  Beaulieu, 
Leguat's  account  is  confinncd  in  every  particular.  The  bastion  of  the  fort 
to  the  N.,  "  le  Diamanf,  to  the  E.  "la  Perle",  to  the  W.  "le  Rubis".  The 
II  h 


Xviii  ERRATA   FT   CORRIGENDA. 

south  bastion  ib  fihown  ns  lurger  than  the  others,  viz.,  "  le  Saphii"'.  Opposite 
the  south  bastion,  bej-ond  the  ditch,  is  a  wide  glacis  on  the  land  side,  on  which 
is  conspicuously  marked  I'Echafaut  a  /aire  Justice,  close  by  the  stables  of  the 
Company's  officials  : — a  significant  indication  of  the  cruel  means  employed  by 
the  Dutch  to  preserve  a  bloody  discipline  of  terror  over  the  slaves,  Vjlacks  and 
natives.  A  ditch  is  shown  around  the  fort,  but  it  does  not  wholly  surround 
it,  and  was  probably  more  in  the  nature  of  a  shallow  inundation,  being  at 
some  little  distance  from  the  base  of  the  escarp  of  the  ramparts  of  the  enceinte. 
Doubtless,  it  was  often  dry,  which  would  account  for  the  discrepancy  in  the 
statements. 

P.  259,  top  line  of  notes  For  "  Father  de  Baupet",  read  "  Father  de  Baus- 
set". 

P.  272,  note.  ^/ter"King  of  England",  add  "The Treaty  had  been  signed 
on  11th  Septbr.,four  months  before  Leguat  heard  of  it  when  near  the  Cape." 

P.  298,  note  2.  After  "  Captain  Stephen  Poirier",  add  "  Vide  Hedges' 
Diary,  vol.  iii,  p.  xcvii,  where  Mr.  Poirier  is  mentioned  as  Governor  of  St. 
Helena  in  1704-5." 

P.  358  "  Oiseaux  de  Nazaret",  line  358,  add  below  note,  "  Cf.  Bory  de  St. 
Vincent,  vol.  ii,  pp.  305-306." 

P.  374,  line  18.  "  There  is  not  a  single  living  cxami)lc  left  alive  at  the 
present  day."  Add  below  in  note,  "  The  last  tortoise  was  killed  in  lieunion,  at 
St.  Philippe,  by  a  creole,  towards  the  end  of  the  last  cciituiy  (cf.  Maillard, 
op.  cit.,  p.  148).  Bory  de  St.  Vincent  examined  the  car.apaces  of  two  of  these 
tortoises  in  the  year  1801,  which  he  figured  and  described  as  Testudo  trica'  i- 
nata  testd  ovata  oblonffa  tricarinatd,  postice  obtusd  ilecemdc^itatd.'"  N.  PI.  xxxvii, 
fig.  1. —  {Voja'/e  dans  Ics  quatrc  principahs  'dcs  dcs  7ncrs  cVAfrltjue,  vol,  ii, 
p.  308.) 

P.  40.''..     For  "  Iliggins",  read  "  Higgiu". 


THE 

VOYAGE    AND    ADVENTURES 

OF 

FEANCIS   LEGUAT,   Etc. 


PART  II. 

At  length  the  time  for  our  Departure  came,  when  liaving 
reconiraendecl  our  selves  to  the  Ahnighty  Power,  which  even 
the  Winds  and  Seas  obey,^  we  re-embark'd  on  our  poor  Gaily, 
the  21st  of  May,  1693.  At  first  we  only  made  use  of  our 
Oars,  little  or  no  Wind  being  stirring ;  and  also  that  we 
might  more  exactly  observe  i\\Q,  Sea-marks'^  we  had  set  up,  by 
which  means  we  in  a  short  time  safely  pass'd  the  Ptocks  and 
Shoals :  But  a  Moment  after,  one  of  our  Oars  broke,  as  we 
were  endeavouring  to  avoid  the  Rapidity  of  a  Current  whicli 
M'ou'd  have  hurry'd  us  into  a  dangerous  ^^W^^;  and  the  Calm 
rendring  our  Sails  useless,  we  thought  we  must  inevitably 
perish.  True  it  is,  we  were  all  seiz'd  with  a  great  fright,  and 
I  dare  say,  not  one  amongst  us  but  wou'd  have  prefer'd  a 
favourable  Wind  to  the  finest  Woman  in  the  World.  At 
last  a  small  Gale'*  arose,  which  assisted  by  our  other  Oar, 

1  Vide  L'Evaiigile  selon  S.  Matthieu,  viii,  27  :  "  Qui  est  celui-ci,  que 
les  vents  uieuies  et  la  mer  lui  obeissent  ?" 

2  In  orig.  :  "  les  baliaes."  ^  hi  orig.  :  "  ciidroit." 

*  In  orig.  :  "  un  peu  de  frais  s'eleva."     Compare  Southey's  Thalaba, 
Vide  infra. 

'•  The  little  boat  rides  rapidly, 
And  now  with  shorter  toss  it  heaves 
Upon  the  heavier  swell ; 
And  now  so  near,  they  see 
The  shelves  and  shadows  of  the  cliff, 
And  the  low-lurking  rocks 
O'er  whose  black  summits,  hidden  half, 


140  FEARS   AND   APPREHENSION.  [1693. 

help'd  US  to  escape  the  Rock.  There  was  another  Rock  about 
two  Leagues  off,  towards  which  the  Current,  which  was 
stronger  thau  the  Wind,  was  driving  us;  but  the  time  we 
had  to  refit  our  Oar,  made  us  likewise  to  escape  that  Danger.^ 
I  am  asham'd  to  tell  that  such  was  tlie  blindness  of  our 
Owners,  that  they  had  not  provided  us  above  two  Oars : 
They  thought,  I  suppose,  that  Precaution  would  have  been 
needless,  because  they  reckoned  upon  a  Trade-wind,  which 
wou'd  infallibly  have  blown  in  our  Poop- ;  but  it  was  well  for 
us,  this  instrument  of  our  Deliverance  was  refitted,  otherwise 
we  had  certainly  gone  to  the  Bottom,  the  Current  dragging 
us  along  with  lta])idity,  in  spite  of  the  small  Gale  that 
assisted  us.  The  Sea,  which  dash'd  impetuously  against  the 
Iiock  we  were  apprehensive  of,  roar'd  terribly^;  and  the 
dismahiess*  of  the  Night  redoubled  our  Fears  and  Appre- 
hension ;  nay,  to  compleat  our  Misery,  the  violent  agitation 

The  shivering  billows  burst  j — 

And  nearer  now  they  feel  the  breaker's  spray, 

***** 
Now  is  the  ebb,  and  till  tlie  ocean-flow 
We  cannot  over-ride  the  rocks." 

'  In  orig.  :  "ce  second  danger." 

2  In  orig.  :  "  parce  qii'ils  comptoient  sur  un  vent  o/<sc  qu'ils  auroient, 
disoient-ils,  toujours  iufailliblenieut  en  poupe,"  i.e.,  "  because  they 
relied  on  a  trade-wind,  which  they  would  infallibly  have  (they  said) 
always  astern";  meaning  that  they  would  be  always  able  to  sail  before 
the  east  trade  wind,  which  should  be  constant.  The  translator's  ex- 
pression, "  blown  in  our  Poop,'"  may  have  been  used  in  his  day. 

3  See  Map,  p.  49.  "The  position  of  the  reef  is  indicated  by  breakers 
even  in  the  calmest  weather.  The  outer  edge  is  tolerably  steep  too, 
except  in  a  few  places,  but,  witii  the  swell  which  generally  rolls  on  to  it, 
the  sea  often  breaks  in  ten  fathoms  several  hundred  yards  outside  the 
actual  shoal  water.  At  '  Quatre  vingt  brisans',  eighty  breakers,  the 
S.W.  corner  of  the  encircling  reef,  the  edge  is  altogether  broken  \\\)  into 
detached  patches,  and  in  this  pait  the  breakers  .are  heaviest.  These 
reefs  have  been  the  scene  of  several  Avrecks,  and  it  is  remarkable  that 
each  vessel  was  reported  to  have  struck  at  fifteen  miles  S.W.  from  land, 
although  no  reefs  have  been  found  to  extend  more  than  five  or  six  miles 
off."     {Findlay,  p.  513.      Vide  svpra,  Introduction,  pp.  xlix,  1.) 

*  In  orig.  :  "I'inconvenient  de  la  nuit." 


1693]  A.   VIOLENT   TEMPEST.  141 

of  our  Vessel  made  us  so  Sea-sick,^  that  we  had  hardly  any 
strength  left ;  and  our  Interpreter^  himself,  the  Champion 
that  had  put  himself  at  the  Head  of  his  Party,  remain'd 
motionless  in  the  Hold  of  the  Ship.  Then  both  he^  and  the 
other  contrivers  of  this  Enterprize,  had  reason  to  be  con- 
vinc'd  of  the  vanity  of  their  Imaginations,  in  that  they  had 
form'd  to  themselves  an  Idea  of  the  easiness  of  this  Passage, 
while  not  one  of  them,  but  wou'd  willingly  have  return'd 
immediately  back,'*  had  such  a  design  been  Practicable.  But 
we  were  forc'd  to  continue  in  this  sad  Condition,  from  eleven 
a  Clock  at  Night  to  two  in  the  Morning ;  at  which  time  we 
found  we  had  pass'd  all  the  Piocks,^  by  reason  we  heard  no 
more  the  Waves  beat  against  them.  We  had  hitherto  ply'd 
our  Oars  only,''  but  now  we  began  to  make  use  of  our  Sails, 
and  take  a  little  P.reath.  Next  day  we  had  the  Wind  very 
Variable,  and  for  six  days  after,  it  was  altogether  against 
us ;  which,  as  we  since  understood,  is  not  a  little  extra- 
ordinary in  those  Seas.^  I  remember  we  were  oblig'd  to 
throw  our  boil'd  Provisions  over-board  being  full  of  Worms, 
and  reserv'd  only  a  little  Lamatin  (a  sort  of  Fish)  broird,^ 

1  In  orig. :  "nous  mettait  dans  un  accablement." 

2  In  orig.  :  "  notre  harangueur." 

3  Probably  Paul  Benelle.     {Muller.) 

■»  In  orig.  :  "en  arriere  et  regaguer  Pile;  niais  la  chose  etoit  imiws- 
sible." 

5  In  orig. :  "  tons  les  pointes,  &  que  nous  6tions  assez  avant  en  nier." 

6  In  orig. :  "  Nous  avions  toujours  rame  jusque  la,  mais  alors,  nous  ue 
nous  servimes  plus  que  de  la  voile." 

7  The  south-cast  "  Trade-drift"  current  runs  to  the  westward  at  the 
rate  of  twenty  to  twenty-five  miles  a  day,  between  the  parallels  of  about 
8°  S.  and  27°  S.  It  separates  to  the  eastward  of  Rodriguez  island  into 
two  branches,  one  flowing  past  the  north  end  of  JNladngascar  at  the  rate 
of  thirty-six  to  sixty  miles  a  day,  and  the  other  past  the  south  end.  at 
the  rale  of  about  fifty  miles  a  day.  This  current  enabled  Leguat'sboat 
to  drift  in  the  direction  of  Mauritius,  in  spite  of  the  contrary  wind. 
These  temporary  disturbances  of  the  regular  trade-wind  are  not  very 
unusual  at  Mauritius  from  October  to  INlay.  The  Creoles  term  these 
warm  breezes  ^^ vents  Mahjadus''. 

*  "  Boucane."     Cf.  svpru.,  pp.  7(5,  108. 


142  A   VIOLENT  TEMPEST.  [1693. 

and  some  Water-Mclojis,  of  wliicli  we  resolv'd  to  content  our 
selves  with  two  or  three  Ounces  a  Uay,  to  lenjrthen  out  our 
miserable  Lives,  in  case  we  should  have  the  Misfortune  to 
over-shoot  Isle  Maurice,  which  was  tlie  nearest  Land  to  us, 
and  whither  we  were  bound.  This  doubt  of  ours  was  well 
grounded,  and  'twas  no  less  than  a  Miracle,  that  we  lit  upon 
that  Lsland,  as  I  shall  satisfie  you  more  at  large  hereafter. 
The  AVind  which  we  had  had  almost  contrary,  even  to  the 
beginning  of  the  eighth  day  of  our  setting  Sail,  was  suc- 
ceeded by  a  violent  Tempest.  The  day  began  bright  enough, 
but  towards  Noon  the  Heavens  lour'd,  and  pour'd  down  such 
a  prodigious  quantity  of  Water,  tliat  our  small  Vessel  had 
been  soon  filled  with  it,  had  not  we  labour'd  incessantly  at 
the  Pump.^  This  Eain  lasted  above  four  Hours  without  any 
other  Storm  ;  but  as  soon  as  Night  came,  the  Wind  arose, 
and  that  feeble  Light  we  had  remaining,  was  follow 'd  by  a 
profound  Obscurity. 

The  Tempest  encreasing,  we  were  obliged  to  strike  our 
Main-Sail  and,  as  we  could  not  keep  our  Lights  in,  and  con- 
sequently not  consult  our  Compass^  we  made  but  little  way, 
and  suffer'd  ourselves  to  be  driv'n  before  the  Wind  with  our 
Fore-Mast^  up.  The  Night  not  continuing  equally  dark,  we 
cou'd   sometimes  observe  the   Vane,  which  we  endeavour'd 

1  In  oiig. :  "  a  la  vulder,"  i.e.,  by  baling  out  ;  they  evidently  had  no 
puinp. 

2  Vide  ante,  p.  108.     In  orig.  :  "  la  petite  boussole." 

Ill  Harris'  V(>>ja;jc.<f  there  is  a  remarkable  account  of  the  wonderful 
escape  of  William  Okeley  and  six  companions,  iu  an  improvised  boat  of 
canvas,  from  slavery  in  Algiers,  in  July  1044.  "The  Directions  they 
steered  by  in  the  Day  time  was  only  a  Pockct-Dyal  that  one  of  the 
Company  had,  and  they  were  in  the  Night  guided  by  the  motion  of  the 
Star.'!,  and  when  they  disappeared  by  that  of  the  Clouds."  (Harris; 
vol.  ii,  Appendix,  p.  17.) 

3  In  orig. :  "de  gouverner  vont  arrit'reavcc  la  trinquettc.'"  The  trans- 
lator is  here  also  wrong  in  his  technical  terms.  Tiicre  was  only  one 
mast,  so  there  could  not  be  a  fore-mast  (triiifjuct).  By  trinquettc  is  meant 
a  sail,  storm-jib,  by  which  they  were  able  to  steer  the  boat  and  keep  her 
before  the  wind. 


1 693-]  OUR   DEPLORABLE    CONDITION.  143 

not  to  lose  sight  of,  because  if  wo  had  not  taken  pnrticular 
care  to  manage  the  Waves/  one  of  them  wou'd  liave  Lecn 
sufficient  to  have  over-set  us.  What  gave  us  the  more 
reason  to  apprehend  this  danger,  was  that  our  Vessel  was 
Deck'd  only  at  one  end,  as  I  have  already  observ'd,  a  fault 
committed  thro'  vain  Hopes  that  we  sliou'd  always  have  fair 
Weather,  but  we  found  ourselves  very  much  out  in  our  Cal- 
culation, for  this  Night  was  the  most  dreadful  that  cou'd  be 
imagin'd.  The  Hurricane  we  underwent  between  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  and  the  Island  of  Mascarcgna^  had  been 
terrible  enough,  but  then  we  were  under  the  Conduct  of 
experienc'd  Seamen  ;  and  our  Vessel  was  much  better  pro- 
vided to  resist  a  Storm  than  this  poor  Cock-Boat,^  whoso 
deplorable  condition  my  Pen  is  not  able  to  describe.  Amidst 
these  obscurities,  the  Heavens  once  more  pour'd  down  a 
Deluge  upon  us,  which  indeed  was  like  to  overturn  us.  The 
Winds  which  a  small  shower  sometimes  abates,  became  now 
but  more  furious.  Sometimes  we  were  lifted  up  to  the  Skies, 
and  then  immediately  precipitated  to  the  profoundest  Abyss. 
A  certain  Noise  in  the  Hold  of  the  Ship,  occasion'd  as  we 
afterwards  understood  by  the  Water's  squashing  between 
two  Planks,  made  the  most  Courageous  of  us  squaul  out  from 
time  to  time,  thinking  it  was  our  last  Moment,  each  Shock 
making  us  believe  the  Vessel  was  about  to  Split.  We  look'd 
upon  present  Death  as  inevitable ;  we  had  lost  our  Route, 
and  according  to  our  Calculation,  there  was  no  likelihood  of 
meeting  with  either  Isle  Maurice,  or  any  other  Land.  Being 
under  Despair,  we  knew  not  what  to  do,  and  debated  whether 
we  shou'd  forsake  the  Helm,  and  without  relying  any  longer 
on  Humane  Endeavours,'*  wait  amidst  our  Prayers  for  our  last 

^  In  orig.  :  "  parer  la  vague." 

2  The  island  of  Bourbon,  or  Reunion,  formerly  known  to  tbe  Portu- 
guese as  ]\Iascareulias ;  of.  supra,  pp.  33-41.     Vide  App.  A,  p.  308  H  seq. 

3  In  orig. :  "  petite  Nacelle." 

♦  In  orig. :  "  la  prudence  humaine." 


144  LAND    SIGHTED.  [1693. 

Moment ;  but  it  was  carry VI,  it  was  our  dut}-  to  make  uur 
utmost  efforts  to  the  end.  This  made  us  recollect  our 
Courage,  and  some  prepar'd  to  Swim  at  such  time  as  tlie  Ship 
should  be  swallow'd  up.^ 

Whilst  we  were  under  this  Dilemma  of  Life  and  Death 
the  Sun  began  to  brighten  the  Horizon,  and  the  rage  of  the 
Wind  ceas'd.  The  Sky  clear'd  up,  and  the  Liglit  as  a  Mes- 
senger of  good  News,  made  us  to  perceive  a  large  Cape,^ 
which  belong'd  to  Isle  Maurice.  This  sight  caus'd  no  small 
Joy  among  us,  and  as  everyone  disengag'd  himself  from  his 

•  In  original  the  paragraph  proceeds  to  some  length,  whicli  has  been 
omitted  by  the  translator: — "  Nousne  perdimes  done  jamais  tout-a-fait 
courage,  &  quelques-uns  nieme  se  preparoient  a  nager,  quaud  la  barque 
seroit  engloutie,  pour  prier  &  benir  Dieu  quelques  raomens  encore.  Si 
I'abatement  extreme  ou  nous  nous  trouvions,  6toit  caus^  par  le  grand 
travail,  par  I'inanition,  par  des  sollicitations  a  un  sommeil  imjiossible, 
par  les  frayeurs  redoublees  qui  nous  environnoient,  il  etoit  sans  doute 
bcaucoup  augmente  par  les  secrets  reproches  que  les  uns  se  faisoient  de 
s'etre  ainsi  temerairement  exposez,  &  les  autres  d'avoir  etc  trop  faciles 
a  se  laisser  persuader.  Neamoius,  on  dissimula  toutes  ces  pensees-l;\,  & 
on  s'exhorta  les  uns  les  autres  en  toute  douceur  &  charite  fraternelle." 

2  This  headland  was  probably  the  Morne  Brabant,  a  fine  mountain, 
1,809  feet,  which  juts  out  very  conspicuously  at  the  south-west  extremity 
of  Mauritius.  Mr.  Tridham  gives  the  following  description  of  the 
landmarks  to  reach  Port  Louis  in  the  north-west  part  of  the  isle: — 
"  The  circuit  which  was  once  made  was  very  considerable,  vessels  being 
used  to  bear  away  nearly  one  hundred  leagues,  or  as  high  as  Rodriguez, 
as  the  wind  and  currents  come  from  the  east.  The  skill  of  later  navi- 
gators has  considerably  contracted  this  (ktotir,  but  it  is  still  a  hundred 
miles  by  the  windward  passage,  whereas  a  short  cut  by  the  Morne 
Brabant  (which  is  a  conspicuous  landmark  to  vessels  approaching  the 
island  on  that  side)  is  only  a  third  the  distance.  An  officer  of  H.M.S. 
Thunderer  states  that  it  is  not  only  the  shortest,  but  the  safest,  course 
to  adopt  during  the  season  of  the  south-easters,  which  always  vary  to 
the  southward."  {Mitiirithis  and  its  Ih pendencies,  by  Charles  Pridham, 
1846,  p.  255.) 

It  may  be  considered  worthy  of  note,  and  interesting  from  a  literary 
point  of  view,  to  draw  attention  to  some  lines  in  Southey's  IVialaba,  as 
they  se(!m  to  have  been  taken  from  this  description  of  Leguat.  Curi- 
ously enough,  the  copy  of  Leguat,  from  which  the  present  transcript 
has  been  made,  was  formerly  the  property  of  Robert  Southey,  and 


1 693-]  DOMINE  SALVA  NOS.  145 

Cloak,  where  we  had  as  it  were  buried  ourselves  in  expect- 
ation of  Death,  one  might  reasonably  have  taken  us  for  so 
many  Persons  newly  risen  from  the  Dead.  Hope  soon  took 
place  of  our  dismal  Apprehensions,  and  Strength  returning 
to  us  at  the  same  time  with  our  Joy,  we  began  to  make 
Eeflections  at  our  ease.  But  we  did  not  above  all  omit  to 
admire  the  Divine  Providence  which  had  turn'd  to  good,  all 
the  Misfortune  of  that  terrible  Storm ;  for  doubtless  if  we 
had  not  been  forc'd  out  of  the  Route  we  propos'd  to  our 
selves,  we  had  never  lit  on  the  Island  where  we  design'd  to 
Land.i 

About  five  at  Night,  on  the  29th  of  May,  and  the  ninth 
Day  after  our  setting  Sail,  we  arriv'd  in  a  small  Bay^  of  Isle 
Maurice.    We  went  up  a  tolerably  large  Kiver  with  the  Tide, 

bears  his  name  (it  now  belongs  to  the  London  Library),  with  date, 
October  13,  1813  : 

"  The  moon  is  sunk,  a  dusky  grey 

Spreads  o'er  the  eastern  sky. 

The  stars  grow  pale  and  paler  ; — 

Oh  beautiful  !  the  godlike  sun 

Js  rising  o'er  the  sea ! 

AViihout  an  oar,  without  a  sail. 

The  little  boat  rides  rapidly  ; — 

Is  that  a  cloud  that  skirts  the  sea  ? 

There  is  no  cloud  in  heaven  ! 

And  nearer  now,  and  darker  now — 

It  is — it  is — the  land  !" 

1  In  the  French  edition  Leguat  adds  to  this  paragraph,  after  the 
words,  "  jamais  nous  n'aurions  rencontre  I'Isle  ou  nous  avions  dessein 
d'aborder,"  the  following  reflection  :  "nous  etions  perdus, si  nous  n'eus- 
sions  ete  perdus'';  quoting,  as  M.  INIuller  points  out,  from  the  speecli  of 
Themistocles  at  Sardis,  as  given  in  Abbot  Amiot's  version  of  Plutarch's 
Livex : — "For  he,  being  stept  up  to  great  countenance  and  authority, 
and  followed  with  great  traines  of  suitors  after  him  by  reason  of  his 
greatness  ;  seeing  himself  one  day  very  honourably  served  at  his  table, 
and  with  all  sorts  of  dainty  meats,  he  turned  him  to  his  children  and 
said  unto  them  :  '  ]\Iy  sonnes,  we  should  have  been  undone,  if  we  had 
not  been  undone.'  "     (See  Sir  Thomas  North's  Translation,  1607.) 

2  Probably  Port  Souillac,  at  the  extreme  south  of  the  island. 


146  BLACK    ItlVEU.  [1693. 

and  Landed  at  a  Place  agreeable  enough,  at  the  Foot  of  a 
sniall  Mountain  all  cover'd  with  Trees.^  We  had  been  so 
tumbled  in  our  poor  Weather-beaten  Bark,  that  we  staggcr'd 
about  like  so  many  Drunken  IMen,  and  were  hardly  able  to 
keep  our  Legs,  nor  resist  this  kind  of  Vertigo;  but  a  good 
Sleep,  with  some  Refreshments  that  Hunting  furnish'd  us 
vvitli,  soon  brought  us  to  our  selves  again.  Thus  we 
escap'd  the  Desarts  of  Rodrigo,  and  the  great  Hazards  of  a 
terrible  Storm.  ])Ut  Alas!  Our  new  Island  was  no  Port  of 
Safety  to  us,  for  we  got  free  of  these  Dangers,  only  td  I'all 
into  greater,  as  we  shall  shew  by  what  follows. 

Being  tlius  a  little  come  to  our  selves,  we  re-enter'd  our 
Vessel,  and  coasted  along  the  Lsland  in  search  of  some 
Inhabited  Place.  After  five  or  six  Touchings-  on  the  coast, 
where  we.  always  lay  a  Night  or  two,  we  came  at  length  to  the 
Black-River^  where  we  found  three  or  four  Huts  inhabited 

^  In  oiig. :  "  de  grands  arbres." 

2  In  orig.  :  "  stations."  The  six  river  entrances  on  the  south  coast 
where  the  adventurers  would  have  probably  entered  in  their  little  cock- 
boat are  marked  on  the  Kaart  van  het  Eyland  Mauritius,  by  .T.  van 
Braani,  ander  de  Linden,  in  1729,  as  follows  : — 

de  Jagers  Spruyt,  now  Riviere  du  Poste. 

Gansen  Spruyt,        „     R.  des  Anguilles. 

Laniotius  Rivier,      „     Savanna  R. 

de  Paling  Rivier,      „     Jacotct  R. 

de  Diejic  Rivier,       „     Raie  du  Cap. 

de  Ananasse  Rivier,  „     Wmg  de  I'ile  Furneaux. 

de  Swarte  Rivier,     „     Black  River. 
But  the  Swarte,  or  Black  river,  is  put  close  to  the  North-west  Port, 
whereas  it  is  really  twenty  miles  to  the  south  of  it. 

3  Black  River  is  a  rapid  torrent,  whose  principal  source  is  near  (Jrand 
Bassin,  a  crater  lake,  on  the  high  land,  nortii  of  iSIt.  Savanne,  whose 
waters  are  probably  connected  with  the  stream.  The  river  takes  its 
intricate  course  between  the  Tamarin  and  Savanne  mountains,  and 
draining  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Piton  dela  Riviere  Noire,  the  highest 
mountain  in  the  island  (2,711  feet  elevation),  Hows  westward  through  a* 
l)rccipitous  wooded  gorge  and  a  fertile  valley  into  a  commodious  bay 
where  there  is  an  anchorage,  sheltered  by  coral  reefs  and  defended  by 


1693-]  DUTCH   COLONISTS.  147 

hy  Dutch  Families,  who  receiv'cl  us  very  kindly.  These 
People  have  discover'd  and  cultivated  as  much  Land,  as  they 
til  ought  fit  in  a  Pleasant  and  fertile  Valley.  Their  Gardens 
abound  with  our  Plants,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Indies,  and 
they  have  a  particular  fancy  for  Planting  Tobacco.  Their 
Back-yards^  are  full  of  our  Poultry,  which  was  no  small 
Pleasure  for  us  to  see,  after  the  long  Eesidence  we  had  made 
in  our  Island,  where  we  had  hardly  met  with  any  thing  we 
ever  saw  before.  I  believ'd  my  Companions,  wlio  had  been 
so  long  disus'd  from  Women,  wou'd  not  be  able  to  contain 
themselves,  when  they  again  beheld  those  amiable  01)jects, 
or  at  least  that  they  wou'd  surfeit  themselves  with  looking 
on  them ;  but  I  was  not  a  little  mistaken,  when  I  found  they 
were  no  more  mov'd  with  them,  than  with  the  sight  of 
Cows ;  so  true  it  is,  the  shadow  of  Enjoyment  many  times 
mortifies  the  strongest  Inclinations.  The  Huts  of  this  little 
Colony  were  cover'd,  in  like  manner  with  ours,  with  Plan- 
tanc-Lcnvcs^  but  then  the  Roofs  were  higher,  and  the  Rooms 
much  larger,  because  this  Island  is  less  expos'd  than  Rodrigo 
to  Whirl-winds  and  Tempests. 

These  good  People  live  partly  upon  Hunting,  having  Dogs 
proper  for  that  Sport.^  After  we  had  continu'd  with  them 
about  a  Month,  five  of  our  Company  were  pitch'd  upon  to 
go  and  give  the  Governor  Advice  of  our  Arrival.    Tlie  Place^ 

batteries  aud  a  military  port,  now  deserted.  The  locality  has  been 
celebrated  by  Bernardiu  de  St.  Pierre  in  Paul  et  Virgin 'c. 

1  In  orig. :  "  Leurs  cours.''  ^  Leaves  of  the  Tjatanier. 

3  Vide  ante,  p.  96.  *  In  orig.:  "enrent  commission.'' 

^  The  old  Dutch  seat  of  Government  was  situated  on  the  north  side 
of  Grand  Port  (Warwick  Haven),  under  the  Bamboo  Mountains.  It 
should  be  remenibei'ed  that  this  was  in  reality  a  penal  or  convict 
establishment  for  Batavia  and  the  other  Dutch  Colonies,  and  that  the 
interior  was  in  the  hands  of  runaway  slaves  and  convicts. 

The  settlement  was  afterwards  removed  to  the  soutliern  side  of  the 
bay,  at  tlie  mouth  of  the  Riviere  Chaux,  by  (Jeneral  de  Caen,  in  1805,* 
and  named  Mahebourg,  after  M.  Mahe  de  Labourdonnais. 

The  ruins  of  the  old  settlement  of  the  Dutch  Governors  were  stand- 

L  2 


148  ROELOF  DIODATI.  [1^93- 

where  he  Resides,  boars  the  Xanie  of  Frederic  Ilcnri/,^  ami 
lies  on  the  South-East  of  the  Island,  about  28  Leagues  from 
where  we  were.  His  name  was  liodolfc  DiothUi,-  and  he  was 
burn  at  Geneva.      "Whilst  our  Deputies  were  going  in  search 

ing  till  17")3,  when  they  were  entirely  demolished  by  the  French, 
and  but  little  remains  at  Tointe  de  la  Colonic  of  the  New  IMah.'bourf,' 
of  de  Caen,  whilst  only  the  site  of  the  Dutch  fort  can  be  pointed  out 
east  of  Bestel  Cove.  The  bay  retained  the  name  of  Grand  Port  or 
Port  Bourbon.  (See  Pike's  Siihtroplcal  namhles,  op.  cit.,  p.  324,  and 
Appendix.) 

'  The  year  1G39  seems  to  have  been  the  date  of  the  first  pioneer 
establishment  by  the  Dutch  in  Mauritius  under  Commandeur  Pieter  de 
Goyer.  It  was  aban<loued  by  Adrian  van  der  Stel  in  IG-'iO,  re-esta- 
blished by  Maximilaan  de  Jong  from  1650  to  1654,  and  again  relinquished 
for  five  years,  when  Adriaan  Nieuland  formed  a  permanent  settlement 
in  the  Zuyd  Ooster  Haven  (where  fort  Fredcrik  Ilcnrik  was  built),  in 
the  Noort  Wester  Haven,  and  at  the  Swarte  llivier.  (Vide  Yalentyn, 
/.  c,  pp.  150-166.) 

*  In  orig. :  "  Ptudolphe  Diodati,  &  est  de  Geneve."  Legiiat's  editor, 
however,  corrects  this  statement  of  Leguat  in  the  Fautes  a  corriycr  at 
the  end  of  the  volume,  where  he  directs  "Effacez  &  est  de  Geneve"; 
and,  moreover,  at  p.  61  of  French  version  (vide  infra),  where  Leguat 
writes,  "  Je  ne  ponvois  pas  meme  soufrir  qu'il  portat  le  beau  nom  de 
Diodati ;  &  qu'il  se  dit  Fiufant  de  Geneve",  his  editor  has  inserted  : 
("  D'autres  assuroient  quil  etoit  nc  h  Dort"). 

He  appears  to  have  been  the  son  of  Philippe  Diodati,  who  was 
educated  and  brought  up  in  Geneva,  at  the  school  of  his  illus- 
trious father,  Jean  Diodati,  the  famous  Genevan  theologist,  and  the 
translator  of  the  Bible  into  Italian  (1630).  Philippe  Diodati  migrated 
to  Holland  and  was  installed  in  1651  as  pastor  of  the  Walloon  church 
at  Ley  den.  Philippe  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Sebastien  Francken, 
echiviii  of  Dordreclit,  and  had  four  sons,  the  second  of  whom,  Jacques, 
was  inspector  of  arms  for  the  King  of  England  (William)  in  Holland  ; 
the  third  and  fourth  sons  were  twins,  viz.,  Kodolphe  (or  lloelof)  and 
Jean,  born  at  Leyden,  28th  July  1658.  They  went  to  school  at  Dordrecht, 
and  entered  the  service  of  the  Dutch  Company.  Jean  proceeded  to 
Batavia,  and  died  at  Surat  in  1711.  Kodolphe  became  Ouderkoopman 
and  then  Opperhoofd  at  Mauritius  in  1692  to  1703.  (See  Vie  de  Jiun 
Diodati,  by  De  Bude,  1869.  Zaakcu  van  htl  Eijland  Mauritius,  by  Francois 
Valentyn,  1726.) 

Diodati  was  succeeded  by  Abraham  Mommer  Van  de  Velde,  1705  to 
1710,  at  which  latter  date  Mauritius  was  finally  evacuated  by  the 
Dutch  Company. 


1 693-]  NOKTII-WEST   rOKT.  140 

of  him  (one  of  wliicli  by  the  by  was  like  to  starve  in  the 
Woods,  having  stray'd  from  his  Companions)  he  happened  to 
pass  by  the  Place  where  we  were,  in  his  Progress  round  the 
Island,  which  he  was  accustom'd  to  make  every  year.  As 
soon  as  I  came  to  know  it,  I  went  with  the  other  Person  that 
rcmain'd  with  nie,  and  beg'd  his  Protection,  which  he  granted 
M'ith  all  the  Civility  I  could  desire,  and  gave  me  a  kind 
Peception.  When  he  and  his  Attendants  had  heard  our 
Story,  and  considered  our  poor  Vessel,  they  couM  not  but 
wonder  at  our  rash  Undertaking.  The  Governor  promis'd  to 
send  us  an  Anchor,  to  a  Port  on  the  North- West  side  of  the 
Island,  which,  he  said,  we  might  make  use  of,  as  occasion 
shou'd  serve,  in  our  way  to  his  Lodge,  so  the  Houses  of  the 
Governors  of  these  Islands  are  call'd  after  what  manner 
so  ever  they  are  built.  He  assur'd  us  at  the  same  time,  we 
shou'd  want  for  nothing,  and  added  we  might  thus  wait 
at  leasure  for  a  Vessel  that  would  arrive  in  a  short  time. 

Upon  these  good  Words,  which  he  repeated  several  times, 
we  left  the  Blach-Rhxr,  where  our  Companions  had  just 
joyn'd  us,  and  soon  got  to  the  North-West  Port.^  As  a 
fore-runner  of  the  Misfortunes  mo  were  yet  to  under  go,  we 
found  no  Anchor  there,  as  the  Governor  had  promis'd,  but 
instead  thereof  perceiv'd  we  had  not  those  Instructions  given 
us  were  necessary ;  for  whereas  they  ought  to  have  told  us, 
how  we  were  to  continue  our  Voyage  to  the  Lodge  by  Water, 
they  let  us  know  we  must  resolve  to  carry  our  Baggage  by 
Land  as  far  as  Flac^  a  small  Village  eight  Leagues  off,  where 

1  The  Nooi't  Wester  Haven,  the  modern  Port  Louis  ;  at  the  extremity 
of  -which  inlet  was  a  Dutch  camp,  wliere  a  town  arose,  subsequently 
nauieil  St.  Louis  after  his  most  Christian  Majesty  by  the  French  in  1721. 
The  harbour,  well  shelttred  from  the  prevailing  winds  by  an  amphi- 
theatre of  mountains,  was  fortified  by  La  Bourdonnais  and  became  the 
capital  city  and  seat  of  government  in  the  island.  (See  I'ridham,  The 
Maarilins^  p.  259.) 

'■^  Flac,  or  Flacq,  foriiu'ily  Flak,  on  the  north-cast  side  of  the  island, 
is  one  of  the  oldest  setlleuients.   The  old  Dutch  load  from  Fort  Louis  is 


150  TREACHEKY   OF    VALLEAU.  [1693. 

the  Comijciny  have  a  Garden.  As  this  was  a  Force-put}  we 
immediately  resolv'd  to  undergo  what  was  impos'd  on  ns, 
and  transported  our  Goods  in  seven  or  eight  Turns ;  but 
which  were  very  fatiguing,  and  wherein  we  many  times  lost 
our  way  by  traversing  untrackM  Forests. 

Before  we  continue  the  thread  of  this  Eelation,  it  will  not, 
I  imagine,  be  foreign  to  the  purpose,  to  acquaint  you  that  as 
soon  as  we  arrived  at  the  Lodge,  we  found  the  Surgeon  of  our 
Vessel,  one  Clas,  there,  with  the  Sieur  Jacques  Guiguer,  one  of 
those  Pilgrims  formerly  niention'd,^  whom  Valleau,  our  Cap- 
tain, had  forc'd  from  us  at  Eodrigo.  He  had  his  Eeasons  for 
playing  us  that  Trick,  and  I  suppose  he  had  others  for  leav- 
ing Guiguer  a,nd  Clas  in  Isle  Maurice.  For  my  part  I  shan't 
trouble  my  self  to  dive  into  these  JNIatters  ;  I  shall  only  tell 
you  in  a  M'ord  or  two,  what  these  two  Men  told  us.  They 
acquainted  us,  that  a  little  after  they  had  weigh'd  Anchor  in 
tlie  Bay  of  Roclrigo,  the  Captain  open'd  our  Letters,  read 
them  without  scruple  to  the  whole  Ship's  Crew,  and  after- 
wards threw  them  overboard :  Whatever  Complaints  we 
made  concerning  this  ill  Treatment,  had  no  effect  upon  him, 
and,  to  say  Truth,  we  expected  no  better  from  him.  They 
inform'd  us  likewise,  that  two  days  after  their  Arrival  at  Isle 
Maurice,  Valleau  continuing  there  at  the  same  time,  an  Eng- 
lish Captain^  chanc'd  to  come  in  with  his  Boat,  having  sav'd 
himself  from  Ship-wreck  with  his  whole  Crew,  when  his  Ship 
bulg'd  on  the  Sands  near  Rodrigo.*      That  the  said  Captain 

shown  on  the  Admiralty  chart,  the  distance  being  about  20  miles,  but 
a  railway  now  connects  the  two  places.  Flacq  was  in  Prior's  times  dis- 
tinguished for  pretty  scenery,  gardens,  and  pleasant  habitations  ;  the 
district  has  now  some  50,U00  inhabitants.  (Prior,  /.  c,  p.  53,  vide 
infra.) 

1  In  orig. :  "  un  faire-le-faut."  2  (^^'f  supra,  p.  65. 

3  In  orig.:  "un  Capitaine  Ahf/Ioi.s,  avec  son  equipage,  y  avoit  abordo 
dans  une  Chaloupe,  se  sauvant  du  naufrage  de  son  Vaisscau  qui  etoit 
cclioi'iu  sur  un  banc  de  sable  (sans  espoir  d'etre  relevc  par  le  flot)  assez 
pres  de  llodriym'.^'' 

*  Plank  found,  see  p.  U>7,  auk.     "  Ijulg'd'',  probably   for  "bilged". 


l693-]  GOVEHNOK  LAMOTIUS.  151 

propos'd  to  Vcdlcau  to  go  to  the  said  Ship,  which  yet 
appear 'd  above  Water,  and  see  if  they  cou'd  save  any  of  the 
Merchandize ;  that  Vallcau  consented,  and  the  two  Captains 
with  tlieir  respective  Crews,  took  Oaths  reciprocally  to  keep 
the  Secret.^  Vallcau,  who  was  oblig'd  to  give  an  account  of 
his  Actions  to  the  Governor  of  Isle  Maurice,  then  the  Sieur 
Lanwcius,"  thought  to  conceal  his  Designs  by  telling  him 
the  eight  Adventurers  Ijc  had  left  at  Rodrigo,  being  like  to 
stand  in  need  of  Necessaries,  he  could  not  but  esteem  it  the 
greatest  Charity  to  send  them  some  speedy  Relief;  and  at 
the  same  time  gave  in  a  List  of  such  things  as  he  believ'd  we 
wanted.  This  weigh'd  very  much  with  the  Governor,  to 
whom  we  had  been  earnestly  recommended  by  the  Governor 
of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  thereupon  the  former  imme- 
diately order'd  our  small  VesseF  to  be  laden  with  Deer, 
Calves,  Goats,  Hogs,  Turkeys,  Ducks,  Poultry,  Citron-Trees, 

1  In  orig. :  "  qui  apparemmeut  paroitroit  encore,  dans  I'esperauce  de 
s'enrichir,  de  plusieurs  bonnes  niarchandises  qn'ils  en  pourroient  tirer  : 
que  Vallcau  topa,  &  qu'ils  (irent  uu  pieux  sermcut,  les  deux  Capitaines 
&  leur  equipage,  de  tenir  leur  vol  bien  secret." 

2  The  Sieur  La  Mocius,  or  Lamotius,  was  the  fifth  Governor 
appointed  to  Mauritius  after  its  resettlement  by  the  Dutch,  lie  suc- 
ceeded Hubert  Hugo,  and  Avas  predecessor  of  Uiodati. 

Hubert  Hugo,  Commaudeur  of  Mauritius,  left  the  island  in  1677. 
"His  place  as  Governor  (Opperhoofd)  was  then  taken  by  the  (Onder- 
koopnian)  Lieutenant-Governor  Isaiic  Johannes  Lamotius.  The  latter 
was  stationed  here  for  fifteen  years,  till  the  year  1692.  IIo  traversed 
the  island  in  all  directions.  Once  he  undertook  a  journey  of  twenty-one 
days  to  see  how  large  it  was  in  circumference.  He  marched  daily  three, 
four,  five,  or  six  miles  along  the  coast,  cutting  off  a  corner  here  and 
there,  and  computed  the  circumference  to  be  sixty  miles.  He  left  for 
Batavia  on  the  12th  February  1693  by  the  (fluit)  ship  Dm/:' 

"His  (Lamotius')  place  as  Governor  was  taken,  in  1692,  by  Ilerr 
Roelof  Diodati,  Onderkooiiman. 

"The  latter  remained  here  till  the  end  of  1703,  when  he  left  for 
Batavia,  where  his  wife  died  on  the  6th  March  1701  ;  but  his  Excellency 
became  Governor  in  Japan  and  held  this  post  till  1721  (in  which  year 
it  seems  to  me  he  must  have  died)."  (Valentyn,  Beschrijcinge  van 
(le  Kaaj)  dcv  Gocde  Hoopc. — Zaalen  van  hit  cylaiid  Mainitinn,  p.  165.) 

3  In  orig.  :  "notre  Hiiondclle.'' 


lo2  THE   FATAL   AMBERGRIS.  [1693. 

Orange-Trees,  Ananas,  JDanane-Tiees,  Vine-Plants,  Tobacco, 
Potatoes,^  Eice,  Millet,  and  other  Trees,  Fruits  and  Grains 
in  great  abundance.  But  all  this  was  only  a  Pretence  in 
our  good  Captain  ;  for  either  out  of  Malice  or  Avarice,  he 
dejDriv'd  us  of  every  Jot  of  those  good  things  which  had  been 
so  charitably  sent  us.  This,  it  may  be,  caus'd  his  Enterprize 
to  Miscarry  ;  for  after  he  had  sail'd  several  times  to  and  fro 
in  sight  of  our  Island,  and  rounded  the  Bulg'd  Ship  as  many, 
he  was  roughly  repuls'd  by  the  revenging  Waves,  and  cou'd 
not  recover  the  least  part  of  what  he  pretended  to.^  This  is 
what  we  learnt  from  the  Siew'  Guiguer  and  Clas.  Now  let 
us  return  to  our  unfortunate  Adventures. 

John  de  la  Haye  our  Gold-smith,  having  several  ponderous 
Tools  wdiich  incommoded  him,  he  resolved  to  sell  part  of 
tliem  to  one  of  the  same  Trade,  whom  he  met  with  at  the 
North-West  Port.  Among  these  Tools  w^as  that  fatal  Lump 
of  Amber-greece^  formerly  meution'd,  which  had  been  found 
at  Bodrifjo,  and  weigh'd  about  six  Pounds.  La  Hayc  having 
ask'd  the  Gold-smith  what  it  was,  he  answer'd  coldly,  it  was 
a  sort  of  Gum*  made  use  of  in  the  Isle  of  Maurice,  instead  of 
Pitch,  and  that  great  quantities  of  it  were  to  be  met  with  about 
certain  Trees,  but  that  it  was  worth  little  or  nothing.  La 
ILaye  giving  credit  to  this  Account,  and  having  no  occasion 
for  Pitch  himself,  he  let  the  Gold-smith  have  it  into  the 

1  lu  orig.  :  "  Patates,"'  /.e.,  a  species  of  yam. 

2  In  orig. :  "  II  passa  &  repassa  a  la  vue  de  notre  isle ;  &  partie 
par  malice,  dont  il  etoit  bien  pourvu  ;  partie  par  chagrin  du  mauvais 
Bucces  de  son  entreprise,  car  ils  furent  rudemeut  &  dangercusement 
balotez,  par  les  flots  veugeurs,  autour  du  Navire  cclioiio  [bilged  V]  sans  en 
poiivoir  jamais  rien  arraclier,  il  nous  priva  vilainemcnt  de  clioscs  qui 
auroient  fait  de  notre  Kodrigue  une  veritable  Eden  :  si  ce  fut  pour  nCtre 
nial,  ou  pour  notre  bien,  Dieu  le  fait." 

3  Cf.  supra,  p.  87. 

''  Of  the  Terebinthaccjc  growing  in  ^lauritius,  the  Colophanc  Mauri- 
tiana,  one  of  the  larg'  st  trees  in  the  island,  bears  jmrple  blossoms  and 
yields  a  resinous  gum,  which  serves,  iustead  of  pitch,  for  caulking 
vessels.     (I'liiiham,  a^i.  rif.,  p.  .')(J2.) 


l693-]  AN   INSIGNIFICANT   GUM.  153 

Bargain,  only  he  kept  two   or   three  small   pieces   out  of 
Curiosity. 

Next  day  somebody  having  informed  him  that  this  insig- 
nificant^ Gum  was  really  Amber-greece,  he  went,  in  all  hast, 
to  the  Gold-smith  to  demand  the  lump  of  Pitch  again  of 
him ;  but  he  answer'd,  he  had  pitch'd  his  Pails  with  it,  and 
therefore  could  not  restore  it  to  him.  This  occasion'd  great 
Heats,  and  they  parted  with  a  great  deal  of  Anger,  the 
former  threatening  the  latter,  to  complain  of  him  to  the 
Governor.  Now,  as  the  Gold-smith  that  bought  this  Amber- 
greece,  had  several  times  found  of  it  at  Isle  Maurice^  and 
knew  that  the  Inhabitants  were  forbid  either  to  buy  or  sell 
it  under  severe  Penalties,  being  obliged  to  carry  all  they  got 

1  In  orig. :  "  protendue  mecliaute  gomme." 

2  Some  islets  off  the  north-east  coast  of  Mauritius  bear  tlie  name  of 
les  lies  d'vVmbre.  The  value  attached  to  ambergris  by  Loguat  is  doubt- 
less due  to  the  fact  of  its  being  a  highly  esteemed  aiticle  of  trade  in  the 
17th  century.  It  is  mentioned  among  the  products  of  the  Japanese 
archipelago,  and  it  was  imported  into  Siam  by  the  Dutch.  Thos.  Pitt, 
writing  in  1699,  from  Fort.  St.  George,  INIadras,  says  that  "a  very 
stately  piece  Ambergriese,  upwards  of  800  oz.",  had  been  sent  from 
Batavia.  Cf.  Hedges'  Diarij  (Hakl.  Soc),  iii,  49;  Eii(jUxh  Intercourse 
uith  .SVo/H,  Tiiibner's  Oriental  Series,  pp.  21,  96  ;  and  Francis  Pyrard 
de  Laval  tells  us  how,  in  the  Maldives,  "All  wreck  found  on  the 
sea-shore  is  immediately  brought  to  the  King,  for  no  Subject  dares 
to  keep  it  ;  no  more  than  Ambergreese,  called  by  the  INlaldivians 
Gomcn,  which  is  more  plentiful  here  than  in  any  part  of  the  Indies,  and 
which  is  so  narrowly  looked  after,  that  whoever  appropriates  it  to  his 
own  use  loses  a  Hand."  Cf.  his  Voyage  (Hakl.  Soc),  vol.  i,  p.  231,  and 
see  Mr.  Gray's  note,  ihid. 

"  On  this  shore  there  used  to  be  washed  a  good  deal  of  beautiful 
Amber,  tlie  price  of  wliich  had  been  fixed  before  at  two  llix  dollars  and  a 
bottle  oiarak  per  ounce  ;  but  as  Ilerr  Lamotius  bid  five  llix  dollars  for 
the  ounce,  he  obtained  a  piece  of  six  pounds,  and  afterwards  many  other 
pieces  which  were  pretty  heavy.  They  thus  entered  into  an  agreement 
with  some  Burghers,  on  account  of  the  Company,  and  to  clinch  the 
bargain  these  made  the  Company  a  present  of  one  pound.  Tiiis  lasted  one 
or  two  years  that  the  Amber  was  delivered  to  the  Company,  according 
to  the  agreement  ;  but  afterwards  they  tlieuiselves  begged  to  be  released 
from  it.''     (Vulentyn,  Dp.  cil.,  p.  153.) 


154  testard's  villi  ax  v.  [1693. 

to  the  Company,  and  part  with  it  at  a  certain  rate  ;  he  to 
prevent^  poor  La  Haye,  went  immediately  and  carry'd  the 
lump  of  Amber-greece  to  the  Governor,  telling  him  after 
what  manner  it  came  to  his  Hands.  La  Haye  hearing  this, 
went  likewise  and  made  his  Complaint,  but  the  unjust 
Judge,  being  prepar'd,  and  Self-interested,  assur'd  him 
that  lump  of  he  knew  not  what,  was  no  Amber-greece, 
but  a  certain  Gum  of  little  or  no  value,  and  which  he 
knew  by  experience.  La  Ilaye^  reply'd,  he  had  reserved 
several  pieces  of  it,  to  justifie  the  truth  of  what  he 
asserted,  and  therefore  demanded  Justice  :  What  further 
plainly  shew'd  it  to  be  true  Amber-greece,  was,  that  certain 
days  after  the  Contest,  the  Gold-smith  that  purchas'd  it  for 
Pitch,  had  been  so  unadvis'd  as  to  offer  60  Crowns^  for  the 
pieces  that  remain'd,  which  we  look'd  upon  as  done  by  the 
Governor's  Order,  who  could  now  no  longer  dissemble  Iiis 
sentiments.  It  appear'd  Ijy  their  Subtleties,  that  the  greater 
part  of  this  Amber-greece  had  been  melted,  no  body  knowing 
what  to  make  of  it,  and  that  only  a  small  piece  remain'd, 
which  being  produc'd,  was  adjudged  to  belong  to  the  Com- 
pany, and  sent  to  Batavia.  He  of  our  Companions  that  was 
a  Druggist,*  and  very  Skillful  in  his  profession,  had  learnt  at 
Modriyo  that  this  lump  was  really  Amber-greece,  but  he 
dissembled  what  he  knew,  and  pretended  in  spite  of  our 
Suspicions  that  it  was  no  such  thing,  out  of  hopes,  I  suppose, 
tliat  lie  might  one  day  have  an  ojiportunity  to  appropriate  it 
to  himself.     This  was  so  much  the  greater  Villany,  in  that 

1  In  orig.  :  "il  provint  le  pauvre  la  Haye." 

-  Ill  orig. :  "  Le  Suppliant.'' 

3  Sixty  crowns,  soixante  ecus.  Tlic  crowns  or  ecus  mentioned  by 
Tjeguat  were  rix-dollars.  Computing  these  at  50r/.  modern  money,  the 
value  of  60  crowns  would  be  £12  10*'.,  the  amount  offered  for  the  frag- 
ments of  the  ambergris  that  remained.  (Sec  Thcal's  Ilistory  of  South 
Africa,  vol.  ii,  Pref.,  and  p.  122.) 

■*  Jean  Testard,  a  druggist,  a  mcrcliant'.s  son  of  St.  (iuentin  in 
Picardy.     (See  ante,  p.  6.) 


l693-]  BARBAEOUS   INJUSTICE.  155 

it  not  only  occasion'd  us  the  Misfortunes  that  happen'd 
afterwards  to  us,  but  likewise  deprived  us  of  an  Oppor- 
tunity of  enriching  our  selves  by  searching  for  more  Amber- 
greece,  which  we  might  undoubtedly  have  found  in  great 
quantities  in  that  Island,  during  the  stay  of  two  years 
we  made  there;  besides,  'tis  likely  we  might  have  stay'd 
much  longer  there  on  that  account.  I  cou'd  bring  divers 
other  Eeasons  to  prove  that  the  Druggist  must  needs  have 
known  it  was  Amber-greece  from  the  very  Minute  it  was 
brought  into  the  Hutt  at  Rodrigo  by  La  Hayc,  but  I  sliall 
insist  no  more  upon  that  Point.^  I  have  already  told  you,  the 
first  time  we  saluted  the  Governor,  he  received  us  with  great 
Civility,  and  promis'd  us  all  the  best  Treatment  we  cou'd 
desire  ;  but  as  soon  as  ever  this  business  happen'd  we  were  at 
a  Loss  for  all  those  fine  Promises.  As  we  cou'd  not  attribute 
this  alteration  in  his  Humour  to  any  Disrespect  we  sliow'd 
him  we  did  not  doubt  but  he  was  chagrin'd  on  account  of 
mis-carrying  his  Point.  He  had  reason  to  apprehend  we 
might  relate  this  Story  at  Batavia ;  and  tliat  the  Company 
might  call  him  to  account  for  the  Wrong  he  did,  first  to  us 
that  had  found  this  Amber-greece  in  an  Island  that  belong'd 
to  no  body,  and  consequently  we  ought  to  have  been  left 
quiet  possessors  of  it :  And  Secondly  to  the  Company,  in 
case  it  had  been  adjudged  to  have  been  their  Pight.  All 
this  consider'd,  made  him  to  form  a  barbarous  Pesolution^ 
against  us,  as  shall  appear  hereafter.  The  first  Injustice  he 
did  us,  was  to  seize  upon  our  Vessel  without  letting  us  know 
a  word  of  it,  and  the  second  was  burning  it.^ 

Instead  of  restoring  our  Sails,  which  were  made  of  a  good 
piece  of  Flanders  Cluth,  he  gave  them  to  his  Hunts-Men  to 

1  ''  Ce  fut  hii  qui  aiant  appris  ;\  Maurice,  que  La  llaijc-  avoit  doniio 
(jndis  uu  si  grand  trcsor,  avcrtit,  niais  trop  tard,  que  c'otoit  do 
I'Auibi-e,''  omitted  by  translator. 

'^  In  orig.  :  "  Ce  fut  pour  cola,  qu'il  forma  la  resolution  do  nous 
pordre  paries  barbares  &  infames  moyensqu'on  verradans  la  suite." 

^  "  Qucl<iues  jours  ajiros,''  omitted  by  translator. 


156  INSTANCES   OF    MALICE.  [1693. 

make  Cloaths,  and  this  notwithstanding  all  we  could  say  to 
him. 

He  began  likewise  to  give  us  Instances  of  his  Hatred  and 
jNIalice,  hy  lodging  us  in  a  Hutt  where  we  liad  nothing  sent 
us  to  eat  but  what  the  Conipany's  Servants  had  left.    • 

Afterwards  he  kept  iis  in  a  manner  Prisoners,  by  for- 
bidding us  to  go  beyond  our  Hut  above  a  thousand  Paces. 
He  took  the  only  Servant^  that  remain'd  to  us  away  from 
us,  and  listed^  him  in  the  Company's  Service  ;  so  that  he 
whom  we  had  brought  from  Rodrigo  having  likewise  juj'u'd 
with  him,  our  Number  was  reduc'd  to  Five. 

These  methods  of  Proceeding,  so  contrary  to  the  Civility 
we  at  first  receivM,  gave  us  reason  to  apprehend  that 
worse  would  follow.  Nevertheless,  we  rely'd  entirely  upon 
Providence,  which  had  hitherto  assisted  us  in  all  our  Calami- 
ties. 

But  as  in  all  Societies  there  are  some  Spirits  more  restless 
and  impatient  than  the  rest,  two  of  our  Number,  viz.  the 
Siairs  La  Case  and  Tcstard,  projected  to  retrieve  our  ill 
Circumstances  by  a  Proceeding  that  to  speak  Truth,  was  not 
altogether  Just.  This  was,  as  a  Ptcprisal  for  our  Vessel  and 
Sails,  to  seize  upon  one  of  the  Company's  Chaloupes,^  and  make 
our  escape  to  Mascargcna^  which  was  not  above  twenty-five 
Leagues  from  Isle  Maurice.  Now  as  they  thought,  whatever 
colour  they  might  give  to  tlieir  Design,  the  two  others  and  I 
would  never  ap[)rove  of  it,  they  did  not  think  to  let  us  know 

1  Ptiter  Thomas  and  Robert  Anseliu.     Cf.  supra,  pp.  6  and  51. 

2  A  custom  had  come  into  vogue  of  allowing  soldiers  and  convales- 
cent sailors  to  engage  for  short  periods  as  st  rvants  to  burghers,  their 
wages  and  cost  of  maintenance  being  thus  saved  to  the  Company,  while 
they  were  at  hand  in  case  of  need.  ( Vide  Theal's  History  of  S.  Africa, 
vol.  ii,  p.  30.) 

3  Hence  our  word  "  shallop''. 

*  "  ^lascaregna."  In  orig.  ''  Mascargna,"  the  island  of  Bourbon,  the 
high  mountains  of  which  arc  .sometinus  vi.siljlc,  at  sunset,  from  Mauri- 
tius, the  distance  between  the  two  islands  being  about  ninety-five 
miles. 


1 694-]  -^N   UNHAPPY    PROJECT.  157 

any  thing  of  the  matter.^  However,  as  they  coukl  not  well 
execute  their  Purpose  without  A.ssistance,  they  apply'd 
themselves  to  a  Soldier  of  the  Company' s,  one  John  Namur, 
who  had  giv'n  them  to  understand,  he  was  not  over- well 
pleas'd  witli  the  Governor.^  This  Soldier  no  sooner  came  to 
know  their  Secret,  but  he  went  and  acquainted  the  Governor 
with  the  Pi'oposal  that  had  been  made  him,  adding  that 
three  of  our  Number^  were  entirely  Innocent,  and  knew 
nothing  of  the  Plot.  Some  Weeks  pass'd  before  the  Governor 
took  any  notice  of  what  had  been  Eeveal'd  to  him,  causing, 
nevertheless,  our  Conduct  to  be  strictly  observ'd,  especially 
that  of  the  Accused.  But  perceiving  at  length  that  nothing 
came  of  all  his  Politicks,'*  and  fearing  if  he  delay 'd  any 
longer,  he  might  altogether  be  depriv'd  of  his  Eevenge,  he 
on  the  15th  of  January^  in  the  Night,  sent  a  Troop  of  arm'd 
Soldiers  to  seize  on  us,  who  Conducted  all  five  into  his 
Presence.  The  first  words  he  spoke  were  to  justifie  us  Three 
that  were  Innocent,  declaring  he  all  along  knew  we  were 
guiltless,  and  therefore  had  nothing  to  say  to  us.  After 
having  put  some  questions  to  the  other  Two,  they  own'd 
ingenuously  the  Design  they  had,  but  added  withal,  that  the 
Vessel  we  had  lost  was  worth  more  than  the  Chaloupe  they 
design'd  to  take,  insinuating  moreover  that  their  Intention 
was  to  pay  for  it,^  as  the  Soldier  himself  confess'd.  We 
were,  however,  all  hurry'd  away  together,  both  Innocent  and 

1  "  lis  se  cacherent  meme  si  soigneusement  que  uous  n'eumes  aucuiie 
coniioissance  de  ce  qu'ils  vouloieut  faire,"  omitted  by  translator. 

2  "  &  ils  lui  proposerent  d'etre  de  la  partie  pour  s'eu  aller  avec  cux," 
omitted  by  translator. 

2  lu  orig.  :  "  les  trois  camarades  des  deux  accomplices." 

*  In  orig. :  "  Mais  voyant  que  le  dcssein  qui  lui  avoit  6te  decouvcrt 
par  le  Soldat  n'avoit  aucune  suite ;  &  craignant,  sans  doute,  que  ccs 
pensees,  dont  il  ne  faisoit  qu'attendre  l'ex6cution  pour  user  Lardimcut 
de  grande  rigucur,  n'eussent  ete  aussi-t6t  dissipces  que  coufues.'' 

»  A.D.  1691. 

"  In  orig. :  "  de  laisscr  de  I'argent  pour  le  paycinent  de  cotte 
chaloupe." 


158  IMPRISONMENT. — THE   STOMBS.  [1694. 

Guilty/  to  an  obscure  Prison  wliich  I  may  well  call  a 
Dungeon,  and  there  laid  in  Stomhsr  These  Sionihs  are  a  sort 
of  Stocks  compos'd  of  two  thick  Beams  of  Wood,  which 
having  two  Semicircular  Holes  made  in  them,  were  let 
down  upon  our  Ancles ;  moreover,  we  were  to  lie  upon  the 
Ground  with  our  Heels  higher  than  our  Heads,  which  is  a 
Posture  you  may  conceive  not  very  easie.  The  difference 
between  us  Three,  and  our  two  Comrades  that  had  own'd 
their  Crime,  was,  that  they  had  tlie  next  day  Irons  of  tliirty 
I'ound  weight  added  to  their  Misery.  We  continu'd  in  this 
bad  Condition  two  Days  and  two  Nights,  at  the  end  of  which 
we  Three  that  were  Innocent  were  set  at  Liberty.  We  were 
immediately  carry'd  to  the  Governor  as  before,  who  declar'd 
to  us  anew,  that  our  Innocence  was  well  known  to  him,  and 
that  we  had  been  entirely  clear'd  both  by  the  Accuser  and 
the  Accused.  He  added  moreover  Treacherously,^  that  he 
should  always  have  a  kindness  for  us,  and  that  we  should 
find  our  Treatment  answerable  to  his  Promise  at  our  first 

^  In  orig. :  "  pretendus  coupables." 

2  In  orig. :  Ces  Stomhs  sont  composez  de  deux  pieces  de  bois  assez 
grosses,  dontl'une  s'abaisse  sur  I'autre  ;  &  qui  ayant  chacune  une  double 
echancrure  faite  en  demi  rend  I'une  vis-a-vis  de  I'autre,  sont  ensemble, 
quand  elles  sont  approchees,  deux  trous  oiiles  jambes  se  trouvent  pass^es 
&  prises  si  au  juste,  qu'il  n'est  pas  possible  de  les  retirer."  The 
word  '■^Stomhs"  given  in  the  French  edition,  as  well  as  in  the  English 
version,  is  not  recognisable  as  a  Dutch  term  ;  indeed,  the  Dutch  trans- 
lator of  the  book  in  Leguat's  own  time  renders  the  word  hulk  or 
ballcen,  i.e.,  clamp  or  clamps,  which  are  simply  pieces  of  wood  like  the  old- 
fashioned  English  stocks,  celebrated  in  Iludibras.  The  French  word 
Hoc  (or  cstrapade)  is  the  nearest  French  equivalent.  In  the  frontis- 
piece of  a  curiously  illustrated  work  on  the  Dutch  criminal  jurisprudence 
— Pructycke  in  Criinuiele  tidcckcn  ghemaeckt,  by  Joost  de  Dauihouder 
(Rotterdam,  1642) — there  is  a  representation  of  the  Dutch  halken,  in 
which  the  wooden  blocks  are  broader,  taller,  and  more  square  than  those 
of  the  old  English  stocks. 

3  In  orig.  :  ''  ce  Dieu-donne  indigne,''  omitted  by  the  translator.  A 
play  upon  the  name  "Diodati",  evidently  derived  from  the  Latin; 
indeed,  Misson  may  here  intend  a  covert  allusion  to  the  Pope  Adeodatus, 
the  successor  of  Vitalianus,  a.d.  G72-67G.     {Vide  supra,  p.  65.) 


1 694-]  TRANSPORTED  TO  A  ROCK.  159 

coming,  not  forgetting  to  insinuate  how  nnicli  we  were 
oblig'd  to  him  for  thinking  our  Sails  worthy  to  Cloath  his 
Huntsmen,  and  for  giving  us  his  Servants  Bones  to  pick,  but 
all  this  while  he  took  no  notice  of  the  Injury  and  Injustice 
he  had  just  done  us.  All  these  kind  Promises  however 
vanish'd  in  a  Moment,  for  he  soon  after  set  Guards  over  us, 
who  waited  upon  us  Day  and  Night.  Some  few  days  after 
one  came  hy  his  Order  to  seize  upon  all  we  had,  ISIoney, 
Arms,  Husbandry-Tools,  Kitchiu-Utensils,  Bed-Cloaths, 
Table-Linen,  and  in  a  word,  almost  all  we  were  ]\Tasters  of, 
excepting  a  little  Linen,  our  Beds,  our  Cloaths,  and  part  of 
our  Books.  Our  Gold-smith  too  had  all  the  Instruments  of 
his  Trade  taken  from  him,  not  leaving  him  so  much  as  one. 
After  this  we  were  put  into  a  Chaloupe  together  with  the 
Accus'd,  who  were  strip'd  to  their  Shirts  and  loaded  with 
Irons,  without  knowing  what  they  intended  to  do  M'ith  us, 
but  we  soon  found  to  our  Cost  and  Detriment.  We  were 
Transported  to   a   Desart  and   frightful    Uock^    about   two 

'  Off  Grand  Port  the  outer  edge  of  the  reef  lies  two  or  three  miles 
from  the  shore,  and  on  it  are  several  rocks  and  islets  in  the  southern 
part,  the  most  conspicuous  of  which  is  the  He  de  la  Passe  on  the  north 
side  of  the  principal  entrance,  and  half-a-mile  west  of  the  lighthouse 
on  Fouquier  or  Fouquet's  Island,  with  a  small  islet  (Vacoas  I.)  between. 
On  He  aux  Fouqucts  now,  is  a  lighthouse  84  feet  high,  and  Vacoas 
Island  is  apparently  the  one  on  which  Leguat  and  his  companions 
dwelt  in  their  enforced  exile.  It  is  2|  miles  to  the  eastward  of  the 
nearest  point  of  the  mainland,  and  on  the  very  edge  of  the  coral  reef, 
which  stretches  away  to  the  north.  On  this  reef  are  more  islets,  viz., 
Marianne  I.,  Bird  I.,  and  Fous  I.  All  these  islands  are  hollowed 
out  by  the  waves  in  many  places,  forming  caverns  that  undonuine  tliem 
to  some  distance.  There  is  a  large  tank  which  in  capable  of  containing 
a  supply  of  fresh  water  for  the  use  of  the  light-teeper  and  bis  'family, 
brought  over  in  barrels  from  the  mainland  every  day,  when  the  boats 
take  provisions  and  oil,  etc.,  and  stored  thetve,  as  the  place  is  often  inac- 
cessible for  days  together  at  high  tides  and  in  stormy  weather. 

The  He  de  la  Passe  was  formerly  defended  by  a  battery,  an»l  some 
old-fashioned  rusty  mortars  and  guns  wero,  not  long  since,  lying  neg- 
lected in  the  ruins  of  the  ramparts  and  defences  out  out  of  the  rock. 

The  graves  of  several  Fi-euch  and  English  soldiers,  >vho  at  various 

'■'■'// 


160  OUR   LAMENTABLE   CONDITION.  [1694. 

hundred  Paces  long,  a  liundred  broad,  and  near,  two  Leagues 
from  Slioar :  Here  we  were  to  live,  tho'  it  was  almost  im- 
possible to  walk,  by  reason  of  the  many  Holes  and  sharp 
Stones  we  were  to  tread  upon.  'Tis  true,  we  cou'd  sometimes 
go  to  some  neighbouring  Islands,  which  I  shall  speak  of 
hereafter.  They  settled  us  here  in  a  vile  Hutt,  built  upon  an 
Eminence  near  the  Sands  and  Shoals,  and  about  two  Paces 
from  the  Sea  when  it  was  full,  and  exactly  in  the  season  of 
the  Hurricanes.  This  Hutt,  half  ruin'd  l)y  Time,  and  wliich 
it  was  impossible  for  us  to  Eepair,  having  nothing  to  do  it 
withal,  had  formerly  serv'd  for  a  Prison  to  some  Criminals 
who  a  few  years  before  had  been  banish'd  thither. 

This  was  the  place  my  Lord  Diodati  was  pleas'd  to  send  us 
to,  and  where  we  continu'd  near  three  years,  I  mean  such  of 
ns  as  did  not  die  before  that  time.  Thus  we  became  the  sad 
Ptepresentations  of  those  unhappy  Plying-Fish,  who  have  no 
sooner  escap'd  the  Jaws  of  one  Enemy,  but  they  fall  into  the 
Claws  of  anotlier.  This  wicked  Governor  fed  us  only  with 
Salt-flesh  which  was  often  Corrupted,  as  may  easily  be 
imagin'd,  if  one  considers  the  excessive  Heats  of  these  Coun- 
tries. Our  Water  likewise  almost  always  stunk,  because  it 
was  brought  us  in  Vessels  that  were  never  clean,  and  we  had 
never  enough  of  it  neither.  At  first  we  had  our  Provisions 
every  eight  Days,  but  afterwards  they  did  not  come  in  fifteen,^ 
and  sometimes  in  twenty,  so  that  we  had  hardly  ever  any 
Pefreshment.  Thus  either  through  the  Malice  of  our  Perse- 
cutor, the  Negligence  of  his  Purveyors  or  oftimes  bad 
Weather,  we  were  obliged  to  stint  our  selves  to  shorter 
allowance/of 'M6at  and  Drink,  than  we  had  ever  done,  how- 
ever nauseous  and  uuhealthful  the  miserable  Nourishment  was 
that  was  brought  us.     All  this  occasion'd  us  to  desire  Netts 

times  garrisoned  tliis  rock,  testify  to  the  engagements  which  took  place 
in  the  vicinity  before  the  isknd  was  captured  in  1810.  (See  Appendix.) 
{Vide  infra,  p.  103.) 

i  In  orig. :  "de  quinzu  en  quinze,  &  quelquefois  plus  rarement." 


a'lsles  auxiJeMs  \ 

5\  'Topm  afireet  J*      \ 


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TH  ENTRANCE  TO  CaiAND  PORT    O^  SOf  Sp-^llfUpir! 
(  sec  planMOJ  I 


-A/     7  .-:k-.- -■ 


1694]  MIRACULOUS  RECOVERY.  161 

for  Fishing,  and  Vessels  to  catcli  Eain-Water  in,  but  we 
were  deny'd  both  one  and  the  otlier.  It  was  impossible  but 
all  this  ill  Usage,  and  bad  Diet,  must  alter  our  Healths,  and 
more  particularly  mine,  for  I  was  then  above  three  and  fifty 
years  old.  At  first  I  was  attacked  with  a  sort  of  Malady, 
which  we  FrcncJimcn,  in  that  Country,  call'd  Le  Pcrsc}  This 
was  a  continual  flux  of  Blood,  by  which  I  was  in  a  very  short 
time  reduc'd  to  a  very  lamentable  Condition  :  My  Distemper 
encreasing  to  a  dangerous  Degree,  the  Governor  was  advis'd 
of  it,  and  desir'd  to  let  me  be  brought  back  to  his  Island :  He 
sent  a  Surgeon,  who  after  he  had  visited  me,  declar'd,  I 
should  never  recover  unless  I  went  a-shoar ;  but  his  Opinion 
had  no  better  success  with  the  cruel  Governor,  than  my 
Prayers  :  for  he  desir'd  nothing  more  than  to  see  us  all 
Perish.2  jjg  ^^.^^  conjur'd  at  length  to  send  at  least  once  in 
fifteen  days  some  fresh  Provisions,  that  I  might  have  some 
Broth  made  me,  but  which  was  likewise  barbarously  refus'd  ; 
so  that  wanting  everything  that  was  proper  for  me,  I  was  at 
last  brought  to  Death's  Door.  My  Cure  was  absolutely 
despair'd  of ;  but  as  there  was  no  Body  on  that  Kock  that 

1  Dysentery.  M.  Le  Gentil,  iu  a  letter  to  M.  de  la  Nux,  in  1769, 
writes  :  "  Le  flux  de  sang,  on  le  connoit  a  File  de  France,  &  je  croisqu'il 
est  de  tons  les  pays :  il  doit  etre  tnis  au  rang  des  grands  inconimodites 
de  rinde  ;  cette  maladie  est  presque  ton  jours  tres-longue,  &  quelque- 
fois  suivie  de  la  mort."  (Vide  Voyage  dans  les  Mcrs  de  rinde,  vol.  i, 
pp.  675-676.) 

2  In  INIr.  Beaulieu's  Voyage,  we  read  of  the  cruelty  of  the  Dutch  to 
their  French  prisoners  : — '■  For  they  threw  the  sick  men  like  so  many 
logs  of  wood  out  of  the  ship  into  the  boat,  and  some  they  dragged 
through  the  water  with  a  rope  fastened  about  'em,  particularly  one 
who  being  so  dragg'd,  expired  immediately  upon  the  rocks  on  the 
shore";  and  the  English  as  well  had  their  share,  for  when  Lantore  was 
sacked  by  the  Dutch  in  1620,  Mr.  Spurway  writes  :  "Our  factors  there 
present  were  stripped,  bound,  beaten,  tumbled  over  the  town-wall, 
dragged  along  the  street  with  fetters  about  their  necks,  and  afterwards 
laid  fast  in  chains.  They  were  not  so  kind  as  to  execute  them  outright, 
living  being  then  a  far  greater  punishment  than  dying."  (Vide  Ilarrin's 
Voyages^  vol.  i,  pp.  105,  247.) 

M 


102  HAZARDOUS   RESOLUTION.  [1C94. 

would  undertake  to  dispatch  lue  in  form,^  Nature  began  to 
fortiiie  her  S(df  a  little,  and  I  quickly  recover'd  as  it  were  by 
a  Miracle.  If  the  good  Reader  is  touch'd  to  see  me  in  so  sad 
a  Place,  and  so  sad  a  Condition,  he  M'ill  no  doubt  be  glad  to 
hear  how  in  the  Moments  which  I  thought  the  last  of  my 
Life,- 1  directed  divers  pious  Exhortations  to  my  Companions, 
which  I  trust  have  not  been  unprofitable  to  them.^  Young 
people  may  tliink  and  talk  what  they  please,  but  after  all 
they  must  die ;  and  Happy,  thrice  Happy^  are  they  who  are 
truly  prepar'd  for  their  last  Hour.  The  Sieurs  La  Case  and 
Tcstard,  the  two  Persons  Accus'd,  were  likewise  attack'd 
with  the  same  Malady  some  time  after ;  but  as  they  were 
young,  and  of  a  stronger  Constitution  than  J,  they  resisted 
the  Distemper  better.  We  had  continu'd  in  this  miserable 
Condition  near  four  mouths,  when  on  the  15th  of  March 
1694  we  saw  a  Dutch  Vessel  call'd  the  Perseverance  come  into 
the  Harbour  of  the  Island'';  which  according  to  the  Law  of 

1  111  orig.  :  "  inais  comrae  il  u'y  avoit  personne  sur  ce  Rocher  qui 
entreprit  de  me  faire  mourir  dans  Ics  formes^  la  Nature  se  fortifia  peu-a- 
peu  d'elle-mome  ;  &  en  de  meilkures  formex,  je  me  trouvai  bien-t^t  en 
quelque  fafon  retabli."  Again  another  sly  cut  at  the  professional 
doctors — a  reminiscence,  as  Muller  points  out,  from  jNIolibre's  Amour 
medecin  (Act  ii,  50). 

2  "&  la  fin  detoutes  mesmiseres,  Dieu  me  fit  la  grace  de  me  donner 
assez  de  presence  d'esprit  pour  adresser  a  mes  Compagnons,"  omitted 
by  translator. 

^  "  &  pour  lour  donner  aussi  des  marques  qui  les  I'difiOreut,  de  ma 
resignation,  &  de  mon  Esperance,"  omitted  by  translator. 

^  In  orig.  :  "  Et  heureux  !  veritablement  &  uuiquemcnt  heurcux, 
quiconque  n'oubliant  jamais  I'inevitable  u^cessite  de  ce  dernier  depart, 
se  tient  toujours  pre t  a  le  faire."' 

^  There  are  three  entrances  to  the  ZiiT/d  Ooster  ITavcn  of  Mauritius, 
the  principal  port  of  the  island,  or  Grand  Part  of  the  French.  The 
southern  entrance  is  the  least  intricate,  and  this  is  the  one  depicted  by 
Valentyn  in  his  folio.  It  can  be  easily  made  out  now  by  the  lighthouse, 
but  in  olden  days  the  Drie  Gehroeders,  as  the  islets  were  then  named, 
formed  the  northern  arm  of  the  passage.  The  remarkable  bluff  moun- 
tain, 1,583  ft.  high,  named  the  Lion's  Head,  but  called  de  Zaal  Berg  by 
the  Dutch,  must  be  kept  on  a  N.E.   by  N.  ^  N.  bearing  in   making 


1 694-]  A  FRAIL  RAFT.  163 

the  Country,  ought  to  Transport  us  to  Batavla,  or  the  Co^.v, 
whether  Criminals  or  not ;  hut  we  were  acquainted  by  our 
Purveyors,  that  we  must  not  expect  to  go  with  that  Vessel 
This  made  my  two  Companions  and  I,  who  were  not  in  the 
case  of  the  Accus'd,  take  a  Eesohition  to  liazard  all,  rather 
than  not  go  a-shoar,  while  the  Officers  of  tlie  Ship  newly 
arriv'd  were  there,  to  the  end  that  we  might  make  our  Com- 
plaints in  their  Presence.  But  the  execution  of  tliis  Project 
was  highly  difficult ;  we  wanted  everything  that  Men  could 
want ;  the  Passage  was  two  Leagues,  and  above  all,  we  could 
not  judge  whether  the  Current  ran  out  to  Sea  or  towards 
the  Slioar.  Nevertheless,  that  there  might  be  nothing  to 
Reproach  us  with,  we  made  a  Float  of  Sea- Weeds,  and 
fastened  to  tlie  two  ends  the  two  Hogsheads^  we  Kept  our 
Water  in,  when  the  Sicurs  Be — le  and  La  Haye,  those  two 
of  my  Companions  that  were  Innocent,  tho'  treated  like 
Criminals,  ventur'd  to  Sea  upon  this  sort  of  Floating  Bridge^; 

the  Pass.  When  entering  the  channel  keep  the  Lion's  Head  bearing 
N.E.  by  N.  \  N.  until  the  centre  of  the  He  de  la  Passe  bears  E.  by  N.; 
then  steer  for  the  rock  of  the  Devil's  Point,  which  will  bear  E.N.E., 
and  after  running  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  bring  up  in  about  thirteen 
fathom,  sand  and  gravel.  It  was  doubtless  by  this  channel  and  at  this 
point  that  the  Perseverance  came  in  and  anchored.  (IVc/c  Findlay,  op. 
cit.,  p.  511.  Vide  supra,  p.  155.) 
1  In  orig.  :  "barriques." 

-  "  At  last,  when  care  had  banished  sleep, 

He  saw  one  morning — dreaming — doating — 
An  empty  hogshead  from  the  deep 
Come  shoreward  floating. 

"  He  hid  it  in  a  cave,  and  wrought 

The  livelong  day  laborious,  lurking 
Until  he  launched  a  tiny  boat 
By  mighty  working. 

"  Heaven  lielp  us,  'twas  a  thing  beyond 
Description  wretched  ;  such  a  wlierry 
Perhaps  ne'er  ventured  on  a  pond 
Or  crossed  a  ferry. 

M  2 


1G4  SAFE   AHRIVAL.  [1694. 

and  beiii"  bettor  Swimmers  than  the  rest  of  us,  and  more 
able  to  bear  fatigue,  they  arriv'd  safe  at  the  Island  in  twelve 
Hours. 

They  found  at  the  Governor's  House,^  who  was  very  much 
surpriz'd  to  see  them,  the  Ofhcers  of  the  Vessel,  before  whom 
they  made  their  Complaints  ;  demanding  that  we  should  be 
sent  away  pursuant  to  the  general  Orders,  and  the  Custom 
of  the  Company  ;  and  moreover,  according  to  the  repeated 
Promises  the  Governor  had  made  us.  Thfey  added,  That  if 
the  Accus'd  were  to  be  retain'd,  that  was  yet  a  Cause  to  be 
try'd ;  but  as  for  us  that  were  Innocent,  and  had  been  so 
declar'd  twenty  times,  we  ought  to  be  treated  after  another 
manner, 

Biodati  not  being  able  to  contradict  this  Truth,  answer'd. 
He  had  nothing  to  say  against  us  Three  ;  only,  if  we  had  not 
been  so  well  treated  as  we  expected  we  must  impute  the 
Cause  to  our  Comrades,  and  that  we  being  all  Frencli^  he 
could  not  trust  one  more  than  another;  a  reason  alto- 
gether impertinent,  and  which  was  laugh'd  at,  as  it  well 
deserv'd. 

The  Officers  hearing  what  was  said,  and  believing  so  bold 
and  sincere  a  Proceeding  as  ours  seem'd  to  be,  could  not 
come  but  from  a  good  Conscience,  they  conceiv'd  a  good 
Opinion  of   us  ;  and  altho'  our  Enemy  the  Governor  had 

"  For  ploughing  on  the  salt  sea  field 

It  would  have  made  the  boldest  shudder — 
Untarrod,  unconipassed,  and  unkeeled — 
No  sail— uo  rudder." 

(T.  Campbell,  Ncqwleon  and  the  Sailor.) 

1  At  Fort  Frederik  llendrik.  (Sec  plate,  taken  from  Valontyn.)  In 
the  distance  the  Drie  Grhrvcikrs^  the  centre  one  of  which  was  the  Rock 
of  Exile,  are  jjlainly  visible,  2|  miles  distant. 

2  The  war  of  the  League  of  Augsbourg  was  in  progress,  and  Louis 
XIV  was  successful  at  this  period  in  the  Low  Countries,  where  Alarechal, 
the  Duke  of  Luxembourg,  had  won  victories  at  Fleurus,  Steinkerk,  and 
Neerwindeu.  Hence  the  hatred  of  the  Dutch  for  the  French.  (I7(/e 
p.  157.) 


1 694-]  OUR   MEMOrJAL.  165 

endeavour' d  to  pcrswade  tliem  we  were  iioUiiiig  but 
Scoundrels  and  Villians,  yet  they  saw  plainly  they  had  been 
impos'd  upon  by  him ;  liowever,  tliey  could  do  us  no  Service, 
being  not  qualified  to  determine  our  Cause/  only  we  hop'd 
they  would  intercede  in  our  behalf,  and  report  the  State  of 
our  Case  to  their  INIasters.  When  our  two  friends  found  that 
the  Governor  pretended  still  to  be  apprehensive,  least  we 
should  escape  with  some  one  of  his  Chaloupes,  they  offer'd 
themselves  voluntarily  to  be  laid  in  Irons  again,  chusing 
rather  to  undergo  anything  a-shoar,  tlian  be  conveyed  any 
more  to  that  miserable  Eock,  but  even  this  was  refused  : 
Being  order'd  to  Prison  they  were  put  in  the  Stomhs  as 
before,  and  next  Morning  early  were  convey'd  to  us,  with 
express  Orders  not  to  stir  from  thence  on  the  severest 
Penalty :  And  to  the  end  we  might  no  more  pretend  to  come 
to  Land,  they  sent  us  back  but  one  Barrel,  and  tliat  without 
a  Head. 

The  Officers  were  nevertheless  sufficiently  inform'd  of  our 
Condition,  as  well  by  what  they  had  from  the  Governor  and 
our  two  Comrades  Mouths,  as  by  a  MemoriaP  which  was 
slily  slipp'd  into  their  Hands ;  where,  among  other  Things, 
they  were  desir'd  to  make  known  to  our  Relations  in  Holland 
how  we  far'd,  that  they  might  procure  us  an  Enlargement.^ 
These  Gentlemen,  mov'd  at  our  ill  Hap,*  were  so  kind  as  to 
come  and  visit  us  on  our  Eock,  that  they  might  more  fully 
inform  themselves  of  the  Truth  of  what  we  asserted.  They 
were  then  altogether  convinc'd  of  the  Hardships  and  Bar- 
barities we  underwent,  and  found  we  had  inserted  nothing  in 
our  Petition  or  Memorial  but  what  was  too  true ;  nay,  this 
inhumane  Usage  so  incens'd  them,  that  they  vow'd  to  see  our 

'  In  orig. :  "  n'ctant  pas  en  droit  de  demander  a  entendre  les  te- 
moins." 

2  In  orig. :  "  unc  reqiicte  circonstantiee." 

s  In  orig.:  "  afin  qu'ils  tachassent  d'y  apporter  dii  remede." 

*  In  orig. :  "  uotre  lamentable  condition." 


IGG  CIIAKITABLE   ASSISTANCE.  [1694. 

Grievances  redress'd,^  and,  moreover,  assur'd  us  it  was  no 
fault  of  theirs  if  they  did  not  receive  us* on  board  ;  but  that 
they  could  not  do  it  openly,  without  the  Consent  of  the  I'as- 
cally  Governor,  wlio,  they  could  plainly  perceive,  was  highly 
averse  to  it.  However,  they  told  us  if  we  could  so  contrive 
as  to  get  on  board  them,  without  any  manner  of  Assistance 
of  theirs,  then  they  said  they  both  could  and  would  receive 
us,  and  we  should  be  transported  whither  we  pleas'd.  Some 
few  Days  after  they  sent  us  out  of  Charity  three  hundred 
Weight  of  Eice,  some  white  Biscuit  and  a  few  Bottles  of 
Aciua  Vitie  and  Spanish  Wine.^  All  this  was  highly  useful 
to  us  afterwards,  especially  the  Rice,  which  we  sometimes 
stood  in  great  want  of.  These  Provisions  we  took  a  great 
deal  of  care  to  conceal  in  the  Holes  of  the  Rock,  lest  they 
should  come  to  be  seen  by  the  Seamen  that  brought  us  our 
Prog,  or  lest  that  malicious  Devil  Diodati  should  order  them 
to  be  taken  from  us.  Now  as  our  good  Friends  the  Officers 
had  promis'd  to  take  us  on  board,  in  case  we  could  get  to 
their  Ship  without  their  Help,  we,  like  drowning  Men  that 
catch  at  any  thing,  made  two  Attempts  for  that  purpose.  Za 
Case,  who  was  a  good  Swimmer,  us'd  his  Endeavours  to  get 
to  them  that  way,  which  was  yet  not  a  little  dangerous  to 
do,  by  reason  the  Passage  to  the  Ship  was  a  good  half 
League,  and  that  Sea  exceeding  full  of  Sharks,  which  are 

1  In  orig.  :  "  quils  nous  protestrrent  qii'ils  nicttroicnt  tout  en  oeuvre 
pour  tacher  de  nous  soulager." 

2  Mr.  Francis  Willoughby,  whose  ornitliology  has  been  before  (juoted 
by  ]\Iisson  {vide  supra,  p.  15),  mentions  the  Spanish  wine  lie  found  at 
lluesca  in  1GG4,  as  a  yellowisli  white  wine  like  sack.  Tlie  Spaniards,  he 
said,  made  great  vessels  of  goatskin  to  put  wine  in,  and  lesser  bottles 
which  were  called  Bulos.  They  seldom  mingled  water  with  their  wine, 
it  b'jing  a  common  saying  among  them,  "  Vino  poco  ^-  pitro^^^  though 
all  over  Spain  the  wine  was  very  hot  and  strong.  {Vide  Francis  Wil- 
loughby's  Voi/fif/e  lliroiu/h  Spain;  Harris's  ]'()i/a(/(s,vo].  ii,  pp.  695,  597.) 

The  A'/ua  Vilm  of  the  translator  is  cax-dc-ric  in  the  original  ;  in  this 
case  probably  tlie  spirit  made  by  the  Dutch  and  called  J/dlhnids,  or 
corn  bramly. 


l694-]  ANOTHER   FUTILE    ATTE.Ml'T.  167 

very  dangerous  Creatures.  N"otwithstanding  all  this,  after 
we  had  a  long  while  work'd  at  getting  off  his  Irons,  by 
rubbing  them  with  Stones,  and  the  like,  he  being  at  liberty, 
put  himself  into  the  Water.  When  he  had  swum  above 
three-quarters  of  the  way,  his  Strength  began  to  fail  him, 
and,  having  both  the  Wind  and  Tide  against  him,  could  not 
advance  a  jot ;  moreover,  the  Waters  covering  him  every 
Moment,  hinder'd  him  from  making  any  sign  of  Distress. 
All  this  consider' d,  the  Seamen  perceiving  him,  began  to 
think  him  in  danger  ;  therefore  hoisting  out  their  Boat,  imme- 
diately row'd  to  his  Assistance,  and  came  just  in  time  enough 
to  save  him.  When  they  had  brought  him  to  the  Ship,  the 
Captain  kept  him  till  such  time  as  he  had  recover'd  his 
Spirits,  yet  afterwards  sent  him  back  again,  but  with  his 
Assurance,  that  it  was  with  all  the  Regret  imaginable  he  did 
so.  I  am  of  Opinion  he  herein  acted  a  little  too  cautiously, 
and  that  whilst  those  Gentlemen  were  with  us  we  mio^ht 
have  concerted  Measures  of  saving  our  selves  without  ex- 
posing them  to  any  Danger.^  As  they  were  thoroughly  satis- 
fy'd  we  were  Persons  unjustly  detain'd,  and  inhumanly  treated 
by  that  cruel  Hangman-  of  a  Governor  who  would  needs 
be  both  Judge  and  Witness  in  his  own  Cause  ;  they  might 
so  have  order'd  Matters  as  to  have  cast  Anchor,  seemingly 

1  "  The  captains  of  sbips  in  the  service  of  the  Dutch  East  India 
Company  are  obliged,  by  their  articles,  to  consult  their  lieutenants 
respecting  the  course  to  be  steered  ;  and  if  they  cannot  agree,  a  council 
is  to  be  summoned,  consisting  of  the  five  principal  officers  on  board, 
including  the  captain,  where  the  matter  is  decided  by  a  majority  of 
votes.  This  council  likewise  takes  cognizance  of  whatever,  not 
relating  directly  to  the  navigation  of  the  ship,  may  be  called  extra- 
ordinary circumstances;  and  determines,  among  other  things,  respecting 
the  diminution  or  increase  of  the  allowance  to  the  ci-ew  ;  the  touching 
at  any  places  for  reparation  or  refreshment  ;  the  time  to  be  passed 
there,  etc.,  as  per  Arts,  in,  iv,  v,  and  vi  of  the  East  India  Company's 
Artikel-bricf,  or  articles  of  agreement,  entered  into  by  the  persons  in 
their  employ."    (Wilcocke,  op.  cit.,  i,  p.  162.) 

2  In  orig. :  "  par  un  voleur  &  un  Bourreau.'' 


1G8  ILL  SUCCESS.  [1694. 

and  without  any  Design,  nearer  to  our  Piock,  which  was  free 
for  them  to  do,  or  at  least  sail' J  so  near  us  on  their  Departure, 
that  they  might  have  pretended  it  but  common  Charity  to 
have  taken  up  poor  Wretches  whom  they  saw  floating  on 
the  Water  on  Planks,  without  troubling  their  Heads  any 
farther.  Moreover,  'twas  probable  for  them  to  imagine  some 
Vessel  had  been  shipwreck'd,  and  that  we  five  were  part  of 
the  Crew  that  had  labour'd  to  save  our  Lives,  and  stood  in 
need  of  their  Iielief.  Let  what  Difficulties  then  will  be 
rais'd,  a  way  might  have  been  found  out  to  have  dealt  with 
them  ;  and  if  any  Dangers  were  to  be  apprehended  in  Holland 
or  at  Batavia,  it  is  we  must  have  answer 'd,  who  broke  our 
Chains,  and  surpriz'd  our  Deliverers,  and  not  they,  who  would 
have  been  suppos'd  to  have  known  nothing  of  the  matter. 
But  nothing  of  this  came  into  their  Heads,  and  the  poor  La 
Case  return'd  the  same  Evening,  very  much  concern'd,  that 
he  could  not  bring  his  end  about.  This  ill  Success  of  his, 
occasion'd  others  who  were  preparing  to  attempt  the  same 
method  of  Escape,  to  alter  their  Kesolutions.^ 

Some  few  days  after  the  Ship  went  and  anchor'd  above  a 
large  League  from  us,  yet  we  resolv'd  to  make  a  second  and 
new  Attempt.  For  this  purpose  we  ty\l  all  our  Chests 
together  after  we  had  fill'd  them  with  what  we  had  left,  and 
made  a  sort  of  Float,^  thinking  to  reach  the  Ship  while  it  was 
Niglit,  that  we  might  not  be  discover'd  from  the  Island.  As 
I  was  generally  Sick,  they  were  fain  to  carry  me  to  the 
Machine,  soon  after  which  we  put  ourselves  off  to  Sea;  but 
met  with  such  rapid  Currents  and  Eddy's,^  that  we  thought 
we  were  happy  that  w^e  could  get  safe  back  again.  Thus  we 
were  entirely  disappointed  of  all  Hopes  of  freeing  our  selves 

1  In  orig.:  "  voyant  qu'il  leur  seroit  impossible  dc  n'ussir,"  omitted 
by  translator. 

^  In  orig.:  "  radean,"  i.e.,  raft. 

3  In  orig.:  "  des  courants  raiiides&  contraires,  il  nous  fut  impossible 
de  les  vaincrc." 


1 695-]  DIODATI'S   MARRIAGE.  1G9 

by  these  means ;  for  soon  after  the  Ship  set  Sail  in  earnest, 
and  we  heard  no  more  of  her.^  One  day  as  the  Governor 
was  going  to  be  marry'd  to  the  Daughter  of  an  ancient  inha- 
bitant of  the  Island,  he  happen'd  to  be  in  so  good  a  humour, 
that  he  order'd  me  to  be  brought  a-shoar.  I  had  then  lan- 
guish'd  under  my  Infirmity  eight  Months,  M'hich  he  very 
well  knew.  Tho'  I  were  thus  fortunate,  I  had  no  opportunity 
to  serve  my  Companions,  since  I  never  saw  the  Governor  ; 
yet  I  reap'd  this  advantage  to  my  self,  that  being  better  fed, 
and  having  better  Air  to  breath  in,  I  began  to  recover  part 
of  my  former  Strength.  In  the  mean  time  my  two  other 
innocent  Companions,  who  still  remain'd  with  the  Accus'd, 
having  a  long  time  resisted  the  Inclemencies  of  the  Air  by 
their  Youth  and  Vigour,  fell  sick  of  the  same  Disease  that 
I  had. 

They  wrote  as  soon  as  they  possibly  could  to  the  Governor, 
to  intreat  him  tliat  they  like-wise  might  come  a-shoar, 
offering  to  do  any  work  for  the  Company  without  Wages, 
but  they  were  not  heard.  Then  they  beg'd  of  him  to  send 
them  some  fresh  Provisions,  which  prevailed  on  him  one  day 
so  far,  that  he  sent  them  a  Calf,  giving  them  at  the  same 
time  to  understand,  that  if  any  of  them  all  did  but  presume 
to  come  a-shoar  on  the  Island  without  his  Leave,  they  should 
repent  of  it  as  long  as  they  liv'd. 

They  continued  in  this  bad  Condition  till  the  season  of  the 
Eains  and  Winds  came,  which  very  much  augmented  their 
Indisposition.    The  Ninth  of  February^  they  underwent  a 

1  In  orig.  :  "  nous  vimcs  jiartir  le  Vaisscau  avec  le  chagrin  qu'on  pent 
s'imaginer  de  ne  nous  en  aller  pas  avcc  lui." 

2  1695.  According  to  Mr.  Thcal,  this  storm  occasioned  such  severe 
loss  to  the  Company  that  it  was  one  of  the  causes  that  led  to  the  aban- 
donment of  the  colony  in  the  island.  (Vide  History  of  South  Africa,  op. 
cit.,  p.  51.)  Baron  Grant  says :  "  The  general  state  of  the  weather 
throughout  the  year  is  as  follows  : 

"January. — Rainy  and  warm.  Storms,  which  are  sometimes  accom- 
panied by  thunder,  though  by  no  means  violent  ;  and,  as  the  tempestuous 


170  A    ILltlOlS    IIUIJRICAXE.  [1695. 

furious  Hurricane.  That  dreadful  Tempest  over-turn'd  the 
greatest  part  of  the  Hutts,  and  more  solid  Luildings  of  the 
Island ;  all  the  Plantations  were  destroy 'd,  and  a  great 
number  of  Trees  torn  up  by  the  Ifoots.  None  knew  wliere 
to  shelter  tliemselves,  and  even  those  that  were  in  the 
strongest  Stone-Houses  were  hardly  secure. 

"What  then,  thought  I,  must  become  of  my  poor  exil'd 
Brethren,  whereof  one,  the  Sieur  Testard,  had  but  that  day 
let  himself  Blood  with  a  Ben-knife  ?  Their  vile  Hut  was 
carry'd  away  like  a  reed,  and  what  remain'd  of  their  Provi- 
sions, etc.  was  wet  by  the  Rain  and  spoil'd ;  nay,  'twas  a  par- 
ticular Mercy  they  were  nut  carried  away  themselves  by  this 
Whirl-Wind  ;  for  had  not  Providence  directed  them  to  a 
Hole  in  the  Pock,  or  a  Cave,^  they  had  been  in  Danger. 
Here  they  peaceably  sung  the  praises  of  the  Almighty  amidst 
the  Tempest,  tho'  sore  afllicted  with  Hunger,  Cold  and  Sick- 
ness.   They  continued  there  twenty  four  Hours  and  above, 

season  approaches,  all  navigation  is  suspended  till  the  month  of  April, 

when  the  fields  become  green  and  the  whole  landscape  assumes  a  more 

cheerful  appearance. 

"  February. — Violent  gales  of  wind  and  hurricanes,  with  thunder. 

These  hurricanes,  wliicli  till  the  year  1789  were  constant  in  this  month, 

have  since  that  time  entirely  ceased  ;  but  the  inhabitants  have  not  a 

sufDcient  dependence  on  this  circumstance  as  to  be  wholly  unprepared 

for  them,  in  case  they  should  return  and  renew  their  former  ravages." 

{Op.  cil.,  p.  12.) 

1  "  And  like  a  living  grave 

Below  the  surface  of  the  lake 

The  dark  vault  lies  wherein  we  lay. 

We  heard  it  ripple  night  and  day  : 

Sounding  o'er  our  heads  it  knocked  ; 

And  I  have  felt  the  winter's  spray 

Wash  through  the  bars  when  winds  were  high 

And  wanton  in  the  happy  sky  ; 

And  then  the  very  rock  hath  rock'd, 

And  1  have  felt  it  shako,  unshock'd, 

Because  I  could  have  smiled  to  see 

The  death  that  would  have  set  me  free." 

(Byron,  Prisoner  of  CIt'dloii,  vi.) 


i6gs-]  ^  MODERN  Busiras.  171 

witlioiit  daring  to  peep  out,  during  which  the  sick  Persons 
suffer'd  exceedingly.  The  hard-hearted  Governor^  neverthe- 
less had  no  Pity  upon  them  ;  on  the  contrary,  two  days  after 
they  had  undergone  these  Torments,  he  had  the  Inhumanity 
to  order,  without  any  Pteason  or  Pretence,  that  the  two 
accus'd  Persons  should  be  chain'd  together,  notwithstanding 
they  were  already  in  Irons,  and  so  weak,  thro'  Sickness^  that 
they  could  hardly  stir. 

Over  and  above  a  Bloody-Flux,  which  one  had  been  tor- 
mented with  above  a  year,  he  had  likewise  a  lingering  Con- 
sumption. 'Tis  true,  they  were  not  bound  above  ten  Days, 
but  then  they  w^ere  still  continu'd  in  their  first  Irons  ;  and  the 
sickest  of  them  was  conducted  a-shoar  and  put  in  the  Siomhs 
in  Prison.  Fifteen  days  after,  the  Tyrant  who  sported  with 
us  just  as  a  Cat  does  with  a  INIouse,  order'd  him  to  the  Ptock 
again,  whatever  the  Surgeon  could  say  to  the  contrary ;  and 
made  me  be  carry'd  along  with  him,  without  suffering  me  to 
see  or  speak  with  him.  Altho'  I  was  pretty  well  recover'd, 
I  was  soon  overtaken  with  my  Bloody-Flux,  and  whatever 
Instances  I  could  make  to  come  a-shoar  again  were  rejected. 
This  Busiris-  would  needs  Murther  us  with  a  slow  Fire,  not 
daring  to  do  it  all  at  once. 

1  In  orig.:  "  avec  son  coeur  de  Pharaou,'"  omitted  by  translator. 
a  Biisirif!,  the  son  of  Neptune  and  King  of  Egypt,  wiio  sacrificed   his 
guest  Thrasius,  who  had  prophesied  that  the  inundation  of  the  Nile 
would  take  place  only  by  human  sacrifice.     This  experiment  was  also 
about  to  be  tried  on  Hercules,  but  the  hero  slew  the  tyrant.     Ovid  fre- 
quently alludes  to  him,  and,  considering   Leguat's  aversion  to  Latin 
verses,  this  classical  quotation  would  seem  to  belong  to  Misson. 
"  Sfevior  es  tristi  Busiride  :  sajvior  illo. 
Qui  falsum  lento  torruit  igne  bovem." 

{Ovidli  Nasonis  Trisliiim,  lib.  iii,  .'50.) 

"  Si  te  vidisset  cultu  Busiris  in  isto  ; 
Iluic  victor  victo  nempe  pudendus  eras." 

{Epistolx  IIcroidHm,  ix  ;  Dcianara  Ikrculi,  69.) 
"  Ergo  ego  focdantem  peregrino  teinpla  cruore 

Busirin  domui?"  . 

{Mclainoriihosiii,  lib.  ix,  lb2.) 


172  PLANTANE-LEAF  HATS.  [1695. 

The  Sieur  Tcstard,  one  of  the  Accus'd,  finding  liis  ]\Ialady 
encreasc  to  a  dangerous  Degree,  did  all  he  could  to  be  like- 
wise carry'd  a-shoar,  but  in  vain.  He  wrote  Letter  upon 
Letter,  offered  to  part  with  all  he  had  in  tlie  World ;  and  in 
fine,  consented  to  be  laid  up  in  the  Stomhs  in  Prison  if  ho 
might  but  have  this  Favour,  but  all  to  no  purpose.^ 

At  length  perceiving  all  his  Endeavours  fruitless,  he 
resolv'd  to  pass  over  without  leave,  in  case  he  could  bring  his 
design  aljuut,  and  to  seek  for  that  Relief  in  the  Woods  from 
Brutes,  which  one,  who  call'd  himself  a  Christian,  refus'd  so 
obstinately.  But  before  we  enter  upon  that  melancholy 
Adventure,  and  to  interrupt  a  little  so  disagreeable  a  relation, 
I  thought  it  not  improper  to  insert  here  a  few  Particulars  of 
the  Place  of  our  Exile,  and  of  divers  Matters  that  happeu'd 
there  to  us. 

As  we  did  all  we  could  to  divert  our  Melancholy,  some 
amongst  us  that  were  Innenious,  amus'd  themselves  with 
making  Hats  of  Plantane-'Le^yQ^P'  Tlicre  were  some  of 
these  Trees  in  one  of  the  two  Islands  that  lay  on  each  side 
of  our  Pock,  as  may  be  seen  liy  the  Map.  We  could  go  to 
these  Islands  at  low  Water  in  the  full  and  new  of  the  Moon, 
so  that  it  was  not  very  difficult  for  us  to  get  those  Leaves. 
This  Invention  did  not  only  serve  to  divert  us,  but  likewise 
procur'd  us  Sustenance  ;  for  those  that  brought  us  our  Pro- 
visions, were  so  taken  with  our  Ingenuity,  that  we  gained 
their  Affection  considerably  by  presenting  them  with  some  of 

*  In  orig.:  "  mais  rien  de  tout  cela  ne  fut  ecoute." 

2  In  Baron  Grant's  map,  south  of  the  lie  de  la  Passe  and  Fouquets 
I.  is  an  islet  named  the  He  dos  Vaquos.  This  evidently  was  the  islet 
where  Lcguat's  party  obtained  i\w\v  jihinUuic  leaves  fur  tlie  bats.  If  so, 
the  name  "  plantane"  was  applied  by  Leguat  to  the  PatidauHa  screw- 
jjine  as  well  as  to  the  Lalaiikr  i)alm.  The  name  Vaquoas  I.  is  now  given 
to  the  centre  island,  and  the  south  island  is  named  the  He  de  la  Passe. 
At  the  north-east  entrance  of  the  jiort,  opjTOsite  lioth's  Bay,  in  Van 
Braam's  map  is  marked  '■^  Zandplaat  met  ecu  Kluppcr-lioom^^ — a  sand- 
bank with  one  Filao  tree.  It  seems  that  there  were  more  trees  on 
these  islets  in  those  days  than  there  are  now. 


1 695-]  A    FRIGHTFUL    SEA-SERPENT.  173 

them.  The  Inhabitants  of  tlie  Island  also  were  so  well 
pleas'd  with  our  Work  that  they  sent  us  fresh  Trovisions, 
unknown  to  Diodati,  in  exchange  for  some  of  it.  These 
Eefreshments  were  a  great  Comfort  to  us,  and  we  got  some 
sometimes  from  those  that  brought  us  our  Salt-Edibles.  As 
we  had  always  been  very  desirous  to  take  some  Eish  to 
relieve  our  Necessities,  and  Avere  frequently  refus'd  even  the 
very  pieces  of  our  Netts  to  fish  with,  we  thought  of  an  Inven- 
tion to  serve  us  instead  of  them.  The  Hurricane  having 
left  some  ruins  of  our  Hut,  we  took  a  long  Pole  and  having 
found  a  large  Nail  among  the  Boards,^  we  fixed  it  with  the 
point  outwards,  at  the  end  of  the  Pole,  and  with  that  instru- 
ment darted  the  Fish  where-ever  we  could  see  them.  Now 
between  the  Eock  and  the  Eoad  where  the  Vessels  ride,  there 
is  a  large  space  which  remains  dry  when  the  Sea  is  gone  out, 
as  it  always  does  at  the  full  and  new  ]\Ioon.  There,  at 
certain  distances,  you  find  Pitts  of  three  or  four  Poot  deep, 
where  the  Sea  ever  leaves  some  Fish  when  it  retires.  It 
was  in  these  Pitts  or  Pools  that  we  darted  the  Fish  we  speak 
of.2 

After  we  had  once  hit  upon  this  Invention,  we  made  so 
good  use  of  it,  that  we  never  wanted  Fish.  We  made  Provi- 
sion of  them  for  eight  or  ten  days,  and  had  a  way  to  keep 
them  Sweet.  We  one  day  darted  one,  or  rather  knock'd 
him  o'  th'  Head,  that  was  like  to  have  cost  us  our  Lives.  It 
was  a  frightful  Sea-Serpent,  which  weigh'd  about  GO  Pound, 
and  which  we  in  our  great  Simplicity,  took  for  a  large 
Lamprey  or  Eel?   This  Animal  seem'd  to  us  very  extraordin- 

*  In  orig. :  "que  nous  trouvamcs  parmi  des  morceaux  de  vicilles 
planches  qu'on  nous  avoit  apportees  pour  faire  du  feu." 

2  In  orig. :  "  avoc  notre  baton  ferr6,"  omitted  by  translator. 

3  Col.  Tike,  American  Consul  at  Mauritius  in  1887,  relates,  in  his 
Suhtropical  Ramhhs,  how  he  caught  a  monster  cave  eel  on  the  reef  in 
Mapou  Bay, some  twenty  miles  from  where  Leguat  had  been  imprisoned  : 
"This  monster  eel  measured  twelve  feet  three  inches  in  length,  and 
round  the  largest  part  of  the  head  fourteen  and  a  half  inches.     The 


174  A   POISONOUS   MONSTER.  [1695. 

ary,  for  it  had  Fins,  and  we  knew  not  that  there  were  any 
such  Creatures  as  Sea-Serpents  ;  ^loreover,  we  had  been  so 
aceustom'd  to  discover  Creatures  that  were  new  to  us,  both 
at  Land  and  Sea,  that  we  did  not  think  this  to  be  any  other 
than  an  odd  sort  of  Eel  that  we  had  never  seen  before  ;  yet 
M'hicli  we  could  not  but  think,  more  resembled  a  Snake  than 
an  Eel.  In  a  word,  this  IMonster  had  a  Serpent  or  Crocodiles 
Head,  and  a  Mouth  full  of  hook'd,  long  and  sharp  Teeth, 
not  unlike  those  of  the  liattle-Snake  so  well  known  in 
America,  but  much  larger.  This  is  a  strange  Eel  quoth  we, 
what  Teeth  he  has!  But  have  not  Sharks,  Pikes,  and  a 
thousand  other  Fish  Teeth  too  ?  No  matter.  Teeth  or  not, 
we  must  tast  of  him.  We  then  began  to  poult^  him  about 
the  Mouth  and  Head  with  our  Pole,  and  at  length  carry'd 
him  off  in  Triumph,  like  St.  George  when  he  kill'd  the  Dragon. 
We  found  his  filthy  Flesh  very  tough,  and  of  a  bad  Tast ;  so 
that  as  good  luck  would  have  it,  we  swallow'd  none-  of  it, 
it  being  in  truth  Poyson,  We  were  all  over-taken  with  a 
strange  Weakness,  we  sweated  exceedingly,  we  vomited  even 

head  of  this  species  termiuates  in  a  blunt  point,  the  two  small  eyes  not 
more  than  an  inch  from  the  end.  The  large  mouth  is  filled  with  long, 
sharp  teeth,  even  the  roof  is  covered  with  those  formidable  weapons. 
This  eel  is  very  dangerous,  but  not  so  common  as  reported.  There  are 
several  species  of  this  genus,  but  none  so  large  as  this''  (p.  346). 

Col.  Pike  was  also  attacked  on  the  reefs  off  Pointe  aux  Caves  by  an 
eel  called  Anguille  Moiele  :  "  He  was  about  three  feet  long,  and  when 
I  struck  at  liim  he  came  directly  towards  me,  biting  at  my  boots.  I 
beat  him  off  and  speared  him.  This  singular  eel  is  banded  black  and 
white,  edged  with  salmon  colour,  and  has  one  round  black  spot  on  the 
•white  bands.  It  is  a  fierce,  voracious  creature,  bolder  than  a  snake,  and 
in  his  rage  be  runs  his  head  out  of  the  water  like  one.  The  bite  of  this 
eel  is  venomous,  I  am  told,  but  I  have  not  heard  of  any  accidents  from 
it."  {Ibid.,  I.  c,  p.  286.)  The  present  writer  saw  Captain  llay-IIiil, 
Consul  at  Reunion,  severely  bitten  by  an  eel,  when  gatliering  shells  at 
Black  River,  in  1864.     (Cf.  Relation  dc  I' tie  llodrigue.  Appendix  B.) 

1  To  kill  poultry  :  an  old  hawking  term.  (Halliwell's  Did.  of  Archaic 
Words.) 

2  In  orig.:  "  nous  n'en  mangeames  gurros''  (we  ate  but  little  of  it). 


l695-]  DANGEROUS    CITRONS.  175 

Blood,  and  for  my  part,  T  can  affirm  with  a  great  deal  of  Sin- 
cerity, that  I  was  terribly  Sick :  For  a  Month  together  I  felt 
sharp  pains  in  my  Belly,  and  ever  every  day  towards  Night, 
I  liad  a  fit  of  a  Fever,^  a  Distemper  altogether  unknown  in 
this  part  of  the  "World.  ]\Iy  Companions  were  all  sick  like- 
wise, and  in  this  bad  condition  we  made  Signals  to  demand 
Eelief,  but  in  vain.  When  our  Purveyors  came,  we  related 
to  them  what  had  happen'd  to  us,  and  shew'd  them  the  Eel's 
Head,  but  they  only  said  they  had  never  seen  the  like  : 
These  sort  of  People  take  but  little  notice  of  any  thing.  At 
length  we  began  to  come  to  our  selves  again,  fully  resolved 
to  eat  no  more  of  that  sort  of  Eel,  for  it  never  came  into  our 
Heads  tliat  it  was  a  Serpent :  Nevertheless  we  were  ready  to 
leap  out  of  our  Skins,  when  the  Governor  sent  us  a  Salt- 
Hind,^  and  certain  dangerous  Citrons,^  whicli  always  do 
harm  ;  he  had  his  Eeasons  for  it,  I  suppose,  for  he  did  not 
think  fit  to  assassinate  or  poyson  us  openly. 

As  we  had  no  likelihood  to  get  rid  speedily  of  our  unliappy 
Confinement,  we  thought  it  but  l^rudence  to  manage'*  our 
Rice,  which  the  Sea-Officers  had  left  us,  cautiously  :  We  eat 
of  it  but  twice  a  Week,  and  when  we  did  it  was  a  feast  to  us. 
After  we  had  reduc'd  it  to  Meal,  we  mix'd  about  two  pounds 
of  it  with  a  certain  sort  of  Gourd^  well  enough  tasted,  which 
some  of  our  Correspondents  in  the  Island  had  sent  us  pri- 
vately in  exchange  for  our  Hatts :  We  had  a  kind  of  Game 

^  In  orig. :  "  accident  d'autant  plus  notable  que  la  fievre  est  une  nialadie 
iuconnue  dans  ces  pais-la."  IMauritius  was  considered  healthy  prior  to 
the  terrible  epidemic  fever  of  18C6,  which  almost  decimated  the  in- 
habitants. This  peculiar  fever  is  now  endemic  in  the  low  parts  of  the 
island. 

2  In  orig.  :  "  de  la  Biche-en-rut.'' 

3  Possibly  the  Vontac,  Strychnos  VoJitac,  or  Vangassaj/e,  Citrus  Va7i- 
ijassayc  (?)  ;  the  citrons,  oranges,  and  shaddocks  of  the  island  are  whole- 
some enough. 

*  In  orig.:  "  de  menager,"  to  husband,  to  economise  their  supply  of  rice. 
•'■  Cnrurhita  potcria  :  in  orig.  Cifrouillcs ;  perhaps  the  Creole  palole^ 
or  snake-gourd  {Trirlu)miites  niir/nina). 


17G  FERRETS  OR  QUERETS.  [1695. 

among  us  which  sometimes  diverted  us.  The  Cake  we  made 
was  divided  into  lour  Parts,  and  we  were  to  throw  a  Die  which 
should  have  each  Part,  so  that  one  must  be  excluded^ ;  and 
who  no  doubt  was  not  a  little  mortify'd  to  see  the  others  eat, 
whilst  lie  must  fast. 

In  the  Galleys,  Dungeons,  and  such-likc-miserable  Places 
that  are  like  to  stick  by  a  jNIan,-  it  is  a  common  thing  to  re- 
concile one's  self,  in  some  Measure,  to  one's  Misery,  and 
amuse  one's  self  one  way  or  other.  I  have  already  told  you, 
our  Piock  lay  between  two  small  Islands,  which  at  low  Water 
one  might  go  to,  but  not  without  Difficulty.  In  one  of  these 
Islands,  among  other  Trees,  there  were  some  Plantanc- Trees, 
but  the  other  was  wholly  unprovided  of  any.  The  Wood- 
Island  was  every  Night  the  general  Rendezvous  of  a  great 
number  of  certain  Sea-Birds,^  which  are  about  the  bigness  of 
a  Pigeon,  and  not  much  unlike  one.  They  lay  their  Eggs 
upon  the  Sand  very  near  one  another,  and  do  not  lay  above 
one  at  a  time  ;  If  you  take  away  one,  they  match  him  with 
a  new  one,  and  so  will  do  three  times  together.  These  Birds, 
which  we  call'd  Ferrets  because  we  fancy 'd  we  heard  them 
sound  that  word,  have  this  in  particular,  that  if  you  take 
away  any  of  their  young,  the  Cocks  and  Hens  of  the  others 

1  In  orig.:  "  en  sorte  que  I'un  des  cinq  fut  exclus,  &  eut  reeours  a 
quelquo  petite  csp^ce  de  Philosophie  d'Aprenti-Moine,  pour  voir  manger 
les  autros,  sans  en  f aire  paroitre  da  chagrin."  Apprcnti-Mviuc,  a  coi^ 
teniptuous  term  for  a  postulant,  or  novice,  in  a  convent. 

2  In  orig.:  "dans  lescachots  mcmes,  &  dans  les  etats  les  plus  f/lcheux 
de  la  vie  qui  tirent  en  longueur,  on  se  fait  une  certaine  habitude  de  sa 
niisere." 

3  "  Certain  Sea-Birds."  Sir  Edward  Newton  thinks  tliat  these  are 
probably  some  species  of  tern,  perhajis  Sterna  ann'sthcla,  which  birds 
a  fijw  years  ago  bred  on  some  of  the  small  islets  off  the  windward  shore 
of  iNIauritius.  {Vide  supi-a,  p.  81.)  M.  de  la  Caille  speaks  of  a  number 
of  birds  which  flew  round  his  ship,  which  he  calls  Goikttcs.  In  a  note 
appended  to  this  remark.  Baron  Grant  suggests,  or  "  Qucrcta  (Gulls) 
Lartt.t,  Brixson."  (Grant,  /.  c,  p.  371.)  In  the  anonymous  Ihladon  de 
I'ile  Rodrirpic,  certain  Equcrctx  are  mentioned.     (  Vide  Appendix  B.) 


mi  ^ 

iti  11 


^|';ii!i'::'''''f! 

I'll! 


i'M 


l69S-]  DELICIOUS   EGCxS.  177 

will  forsake  theirs  too.  If  you  keep  these  young  Birds  alive, 
and  expose  thera  to  the  sight  of  the  old  ones,  tliey  will  fly 
about  them  'tis  true,  but  never  bring  them  anything  ;  and 
altho'  they  hear  them  cry  never  so  much  f(U-  Hunger,  they 
will  give  them  nothing  to  eat.'  The  first  time  we  went  to 
that  Island,  we  brought  away  three  or  four  Dozen  of  these 
young  Birds,  with  some  old  ones.  As  the  former  were  very 
fat  and  look'd  well,  we  roasted  them,  and  found  them  to  have 
somewhat  of  the  tast  of  a  Snipe,  as  they  resembled  that 
Bird  in  Colour ;  but  they  did  us  a  great  deal  of  harm,  and 
we  were  never  tempted  to  eat  of  them  afterwards.  The  old 
ones  have  yet  a  more  disagreeable  Tast,  and  no  doubt  are  more 
unwholsom.  The  next  time  we  return'd  to  that  Island,  after 
we  had  taken  away  these  young  Birds  I  have  l)een  speaking 
of,  we  found  all  the  rest  of  the  young  ones  abandon'd  by  the 
old  ones,  and  whereof  great  numbers  were  dead,  and  many 
dying  for  Hunger.  If  the  Flesh  of  this  Bird  is  so  crude  and 
pernicious,  their  Eggs  make  you  sufficient  amends,  nothing 
being  more  wholsom  and  delicious.  I  counted  that  during 
our  stay  under  this  Confinement,  we  eat  above  twelve 
Thousand,  and  we  were  never  incommoded  in  the  least  by 
them.  These  Eggs  are  spotted  with  Grey,  and  larger  than  those 
of  Pigeons.  It  happens  exactly,  that  the  three  months  when 
these  Birds  lay  their  Eggs,  the  Deer  are  in  their  Eutting- 
time,  so  that  tho'  the  Flesh  of  that  Beast  be  unwholsom,  and 
stinks  abominably  at  that  Season,  which  nevertheless  was  our 
ordinary  Food/  we  made  our  selves  ample  amends  by  these 

1  In  orig.  :  "  ils  les  laissent  neanmoins  pcrir  .ssans  aucnn  secours," 
omitted  by  translator. 

2  Venison  as  ordinary  food  in  Mauritius.  "Our  venison,"  says  Baron 
Grant  in  1741,  "  which  is  fat,  is  very  good,  and  serves  us  instead  of 
beef;  but  it  must  be  got  from  the  forests,  where  the  deer  are  very 
numerous :  on  account  of  tlie  heat  and  their  fat  they  are  easily  taken. 
It  is,  however,  a  circumstance  to  be  lamented  that,  from  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  air,  fresh  meat  cannot  be  kept  longer  than  two  days.''  {Op. 
cit.,  p.  195.) 

N 


178  GUZMAN  d'alfarache.  [  1*^95  • 

Eggs,  especially  when  our  Fishing  was  not  Prosperous,  as  we 
could  not  expect  it  should  be  always.  Altho'  these  Eggs  were 
many  times  ready  to  put  forth  their  young,  we  toss'd  them 
up  in  a  Fricassee,  and  crunch'd  them  between  our  Teeth,  as 
if  they  had  been  the  best  Disli  in  the  World,  though  I  know 
some  squeamish  and  scrupulous  People^  would  not  have  the 
same  Opinion  of  it.  This  Fricassdc  made  me  to  think  of  the 
famous  Guzman  d'Alfarache,^  who  comjilaiu'd  that  his  Gutts 
came  up  to  his  Teeth  when  he  crak'd  the  Still-born  Chicken- 
Bones  ;  yet  this  Remembrance  did  not  at  all  disgust  me,  so 
true  the  Proverb  is,  which  I  think  I  have  made  use  of  before, 
that  HiLiiger  is  the  hcst  Sauce,^  especially  where  that  which 
one  eats  is  not  bad,  but  thro'  Opinion.  There  came  also 
upon  our  Rock  divers  other  Birds,  which  we  call'd  Pluto's,'^ 
because  they  were  as  black  as  Crows ;  they  had  almost  the 
same  size  and  form,  only  their  Bills  were  longer,  and  hook'd 
at  the  end.  Their  Feet  were  like  those  of  a  Duck.  These 
Birds  remain  six  Months  of  the  year  at  Sea,  without  being 

1  In  orig.  :  "  encore  qu'un  pareil  ragout  fasse  horreur  a  ceux  dont  la 
cuisine  se  gouverue  par  la  mode ;  &  qui  aiment  ou  n'aiinent  pas  les 
choses,  selon  le  caprice  de  la  coutume  &  du  prcjnge.'' 

2  Guzman  d'Alfarache,  a  character  in  a  Spauisli  romance  by  Mateo 
Aleman  :  Le  Sage  is  said  to  have  borrowed  the  Life  of  Gil  Bias  from 
this  prototype  of  a  knave,  stable  boy,  swindler,  and  merchant,  1599. 
In  the  catalogue  of  books,  sold  by  the  publishers  of  the  English  version 
of  Leguat's  Voyage,  advertised  at  the  end  of  the  volume,  appears 
"  The  Life  of  Guzman  D'Alfarache  :  To  which  is  added  the  celebrated 
Tragi-Comedy  Caelestuia,  written  in  Spanish  by  j\fatco  Akman,  done 
into  Enf/lixh  froni  the  new  French  version,  and  compar'd  with  the  origi- 
nal by  several  hands.  Adorn'd  with  Sculptures  by  G  (if par  Bout  tats  in 
two  Volumes  in  octavo.^' 

3  Vide  supra,  p.  13,  "  il  n'est  sauce  que  d'appetit"  ("  There's  no  sjiuce 
like  a  good  stomach"). 

*  Fon  or  Foufjuct ;  Pterodroma  alcrrivia,  Proccllaria  aterrima,  black 
petrel  (Verreaux),  would  answer  the  description  of  the  plutos,  but  it 
is  only  known  in  Reunion.  The  birds  here  mentioned,  Sir  Edward 
Newton  says,  are  j)robably  l^itjjinus  chlorori/nrhus^  which  bred  on  the  He 
aux  Fouquets,  one  of  the  little  islets  near  the  Isle  de  la  Passe,  a  few 
years  ago.     (Vide  supra,  p.  81,  ct  Appendix  B.) 


1 695-]  A  LAEGE  SEA  TORTOISE.  179 

ever  seen  at  Land ;  and  tlie  other  six,  tliose  of  the  Neigh- 
bourhood come  and  drive  them  from  our  Eock  where  they 
lay  their  Eggs.  Their  cry  is  ahnost  as  loud  as  that  of  a  Calf, 
and  they  always  make  the  greatest  noise  at  Night.  A  Days 
they  are  very  quiet,  and  so  exceeding  tame,  that  you  may 
take  their  Eggs  from  under  them  without  their  Stirring, 
They  lay  in  tlie  Holes  of  the  Kocks,  as  far  in  as  they  can. 
These  Birds  are  excessive  fat,  very  ill  tasted,  extreamly 
nasty,  and  very  unwholsom.  Although  their  Eggs  were  not 
a  whit  better  than  their  Flesh,  we  did  not  fail  to  feed  on 
them  when  necessity  requir'd.  They  are  white,  and  as  large 
as  those  of  two  of  our  Pullets.  When  you  have  taken  their 
Eggs  from  them,  they  go  out  of  their  Holes  and  fall  a  fighting 
with  one  another,  till  they  fetch  Blood. 

Going  a  walking  one  Night,  we  found  a  Sea-Tortoise^  which 
came  very  a  projws,  because  we  at  that  time  stood  in  great 
need  of  Eefreshment.  It  was  very  large  and  afforded  us 
near  150  Eggs.  This  was  the  only  Creature  of  this  kind  we 
had  seen  all  the  while  we  had  been  there.  In  the  place 
where  we  went  to  dart  Fish,  we  found  Shells^  of  an  Oval 
Figure,  and  wonderfully  speckled  and  streak 'd  like  the  Skin 
of  a  Tyger.^     These  Shells  we  made  use  of  for  Cups. 

At  length  the  too  just  Eeasons  we  had  to  believe  that  tho' 
any  Vessel  should  arrive,  the  Governor*  would  not  suffer  us 
to  go  on  Board  it,  made  us  resolve  anew  to  think  on  some 

^  Col.  Pike  observed  a  very  fine  turtle  {Testndo  unhricata),  which  he 
could  have  easily  captured,  at  three  hours'  rowing  from  the  He  de  la 
Passe.  They  formerly  abounded  on  that  coast,  but  are  now  rarely  seen. 
(Vide  Suhtropical  Ramhles^  p.  328.) 

2  In  orig.  :  "  des  coquillcs  qu'on  appelle  de  Venus.'' 

3  Perhaps  Ti-itoiis.  The  striped  varieties  of  the  Tritmi  ruticnhnn  are 
very  handsome  when  taken  alive,  especially  the  scarlet  and  yellow 
varieties  (Pike,  op.  cif.,  265).  Baron  Grant  mentions  one  of  the  ^^Por- 
cclnincs''^  {Cypr.vn  sp.)  as  being  spotted  like  a  tiger.  Situated  as  the 
island  is  in  the  midst  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  its  reefs  have  become  the 
home  of  an  infinite  variety  of  molluscs. 

"•  In  orig. :  "  toujours  inexorable,"  omitted  by  translator. 

N  2 


180  A  GREAT   FIRE.  [1695. 

means  tliat  mi^'lit  baffle  liis  Malice.  For  this  purpose  we 
forni'd  a  Design  to  build  us  a  sort  of  Boat.  Now  having 
gain'd  mightily  upon  our  Purveyors,  and  divers  Inhabitants 
of  the  Island,  by  sending  them  our  Leaf-Hatts,  we  obtain'd 
fiom  them  in  exchange  several  Deer-Skins,  and  Ox-Hides, 
under  pretence  that  we  wanted  them  to  make  Shooes  of. 
They  sent  us  likewise  several  Poles  that  we  desir'd  of  them ; 
and  we  by  other  Pretences  got  at  different  times  a  good 
quantity  of  Pitch  from  them.  Having  thus  provided  all  that 
was  necessary  for  our  Design,  we  cover'd  the  Carcass  of  our 
Boat  with  Skins  sew'd  together ;  and  upon  Tryal,  found  it 
would  do  our  business  well  enough  ;  and  to  the  end  that  our 
I'urveyors  might  know  nothing  of  the  matter,  we  hid  our  new 
Skiff  carefully  in  the  hole  of  a  Rock.  Now  it  happen'd  one 
Night  that  one  of  our  Company  being  awake,  and  looking 
towards  the  Island,  he  cliscover'd  a  great  Fire ;  he  call'd  to 
us,  and  we  presently  judg'd  it  was  the  Fort  that  was  on  fire. 
The  Governors  Appartment,  the  Magazine  and  Guard-House 
were  of  Stone ;  but  the  other  Buildings,  and  even  a  little 
Chapel,^  were  compos'd  of  nothing  but  Branches  and  Leaves. 
We  presently  concluded,  that  if  the  Authors  of  this  Fire, 
which  we  look'd  upon  as  done  out  of  Malice,  were  not  soon 
known,  the  Governor  would  not  fail  to  suspect  us  of  it,  or  at 
least  pretend  so  to  do,  that  he  might  treat  us  after  a  more 
rigorous  manner  than  he  had  hitherto  done  if  that  were 
possible.  This  made  us  think  he  would  soon  visit  us,  and  if 
he  should  find  the  Boat  we  had  just  made,  there  would  l)e 
)io  Mercy  for  us.  To  prevent  this,  we  immediately  pull'd 
that  Machine  to  pieces,  and  so  dispos'd  of  the  Materials  that 
'Iwas  impossible  they  should  occasion  the  least  Suspicion, 
A  few  days  after  Experience  convinc'd  us  we  were  not  in  the 
wrong  in  our  Conjectures,  for  our  Purveyors  acquainted  us 
that  we  had  been  Suspected.     They  also  related  to  us  some 

>  111  oriic. :  "  le  petit  Temple." 


Mf%*^  111 


1 695-]  CRUEL  rUNISIIMENTS.  181 

Circumstances  of  this  rire,^  which  I  shall  beg  leave  to  inform 
the  Reader  of.  The  Governor  understanding  a  Negro  Slave 
had  committed  a  piece  of  Eoguery  in  his  Kitchin,  he  told 
him  he  would  have  him  chastis'd.  Now  the  way  here  to 
punish^  these  sort  of  People  when  they  were  found  in  any 
fault,  was  to  bind  them  naked  to  a  Ladder,  and  scourge  them 
with  a  Piod  made  of  Eeeds,  with  knots  at  the  end.  When 
Ihey  had  made  their  Bodies  all  bloody,  they  were  to  be 
rubb'd  with  Pepper  and  Vinegar.  This  unhappy  Ncfp-o 
fearing  this  Punishment,  fled  soon  after  he  had  been  thus 
threatened,  and  plotted  with  one  of  his  Comrades  and  two 
Najro  Women  to  set  fire  to  the  Fort ;  they  executed  their 
Purpose,  but  they  were  soon  after  taken  and  punish^l,  as 
they  well  deserv'd.     The    Men  were  broken  alive  on  the 

»  Subsequently,  on  the  15th  November  1707,  when  Abraham  Monimcr 
van  de  Velde,  the  Ondcrkoopman,  became  Oiii3erhoofd  in  the  island, 
the  whole  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company's  premises  at  Fort  Frederik 
Ilendrik  were  totally  destroyed  by  fire,  on  which  occjision  the  books, 
records,  and  goods  in  the  magazines  were  burnt,  and  the  whole  establisli- 
ment  ruined.  This  event  coming  so  soon  after  other  severe  losses,  and 
as  the  small  penal  colony  contributed  nothing  beyond  a  little  ebony 
timber  and  ambergris  to  commerce,  it  was  decided  to  abandon  the 
place,  and  instructions  were  sent  to  this  effect  in  February  17C8,  which 
were  carried  out  in  the  following  year.  (See  History  of  S.  Africa,  by 
Theal,  vol.  ii,  p.  51.) 

2  The  treatment  of  slaves  in  the  colonies  of  all  nationalities  as  late 
as  1821  was  frightful.  The  floggings  are  represented  as  dreadful. 
The  instrument  was  a  rattan  split  so  as  to  form  a  powerful  cat  of  two  or 
three  tails.  This  instrument  would  lacerate  the  flesh  like  a  knife,  and 
weighed  upwards  of  seven  pounds.  Females  were  flogged,  and  even 
children  as  well  as  men,  and  the  lacerated  flesh  was  afterwards  rubbed 
with  lime-juice,  or  salt  and  pepper. 

Fugitive  slaves  were  thus  treated;  for  the  first  offence  the  slave's 
ears  were  cut  off,  and  he  was  branded  on  one  shoulder.  For  the  second 
offence  his  hamstrings  were  cut  and  he  was  branded  on  the  other 
siioulder.  The  third  offence  was  capital.  A  slave  who  struck  his  master, 
mistress,  or  children  was  punished  capitally.  (See  Blac-Book,  July 
1828,  and  Asiatic  Journal,  1829,  p.  282.) 


182  A  GHASTLY   KAFFLE.  [1695. 

Wheel,'  and  the  two  Women  were  hang'd.  We  have  been  so 
confidently  assur'd  of  a  singular  Action  relating  to  one  of 
these  unhappy  Wretches,  tliat  I  can't  doubt  the  truth  of  it. 
He  had,  it  seems,  ever  had  an  extreme  Passion  for  Dice,  so 
that  when  he  came  to  the  place  of  Execution,  he  requir'd 
with  great  earnestness,  that  some-one  of  the  standers-by 
■would  oblige  him  so  far,  as  to  play  a  Game  or  two  with  liim 
at  EafHe,  protesting  that  after  that  he  should  die  with  all 
manner  of  Satisfaction.  If  he  had  any  design  in  this,  no 
body  was  able  to  dive  into  it ;  however  there  was  no  stander- 
by  that  would  oblige  him  in  what  he  desir'd. 

To  speak  Truth,  the  Governor  had  taken  too  much  liberty 
upon  this  occasion,  for  by  reason  of  the  many  unjust  pro- 
ceedings of  his  Predecessors,  the  Compani/  had  left  them 
only  a  Power  of  accusing  as  well  Blacks  as  Whites,  as  our 
Tyrant  himself  once  confess'd,  in  relation  to  our  accus'd 
Brethren ;  for  one  of  them  having  petition'd  liim  to  be 
brought  upon  his  Tryal,  and  not  suffer'd  to  lie  any  longer  in 
his  Irons,  he  answer'd,''^  he  had  no  power  to  try  Inm,  and  that 

1  John  Splinter  Stavoi'inus,  who  was  a  rear-admiral  in  the  naval 
service  of  the  States- General,  states  that  the  punishments  were  very 
severe  in  the  Dutch  Colonies,  especially  with  regard  to  Oriental  slaves. 
In  the  year  1768  he  saw,  at  the  Cape,  one,  who  had  set  a  house  on 
fire,  broken  alive  upon  the  wheel,  after  the  flesh  had  been  torn  from 
his  body,  in  eight  different  places,  with  red-hot  pincers,  without  his 
giving  any  sign  of  pain  during  the  execution  of  this  barbarous  sentence, 
which  lasted  full  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Impalement  was  also  practised 
at  the  Cape,  as  well  as  at  Batavia.  Stavorinus  gives  some  hideous 
details  of  the  impalement  which  he  saw  practised  on  a  INIacassar  slave 
at  Batavia  in  1769.  (See  Voyages  to  the  East  Indies,  by  Stavorinus, 
translated  by  S.  H.  Wilcocke,  vol.  i,  pp.  288,  571.) 

'^  In  orig. :  "  naiveraent,"  omitted  by  translator.  Stavorinus  says 
that  the  administration  of  justice  at  the  Cape  was  confided  to  a 
sepan>,te  Council,  of  which  the  second  in  command  of  the  colony 
was  president.  In  civil  matters  an  appeal  lay  from  their  sentence 
to  the  Council  of  Justice  at  Batavia.  In  criminal  affairs  they 
were  empowered  both  to  pass  sentence  of  death  and  to  jjut  it  into 
innnediate  execution.  Officers  were  appointed  in  the  out  stations  of 
the  colony  (Mauritius  was  a  dopendoncy  of  the  ("ape)  railed  i/nisfs  or 


1 695-]  ENGLISH  SHIPS.  183 

if  he  had  had  any,  he  shoukl  have  been  dispatch'd  long  ago. 
Since  I  am  engag'd  in  these  little  Digressions,  I  must  tell 
you,  that  'tM'as  all  that  the  Governor  and  some  of  his  Friends 
and  Attendants  could  do,  to  save  themselves  in  their  Shirts. 
They  owM  the  saving  of  their  Lives  to  a  Prisoner,  who  lying 
in  Irons  in  the  Guard  Eoom  perceiv'd  the  fire  first ;  what 
was  best  in  the  Magazine  was  likewise  sav'd. 

Much  about  this  time  there  came  into  the  Eoad  of  tlie 
North-West  Haven,^  two  Enfjlish  Ships,'^  but  as  that  place  was 
distant  from  our  Eock  above  twelve  Leagues,  we  had  no 
knowledge  of  them  till  afterwards.  Besides,  the  Governor 
forbid  our  Purveyors  under  severe  Penalties  to  acquaint  us 
with  it,  rightly  judging,  that  if  we  knew  it,  we  would  use  our 
utmost  efforts  to  get  to  them. 

We  were  told  afterwards,  that  one  of  the  Captains  of  those 
Ships  understanding  our  Confinement,  was  going  to  send  for 
us,  as  well  because  he  pity'd  our  Condition,  as  that  he 
wanted  Men.  His  Boat  was  certainly  hoisted  out,  and  arm'd 
with  several  small  pieces  of  Canon,  in  order  to  carry  us  off, 
but  ill  Weather  iuterven'd,  and  hinder'd  his  charitable 
Purpose. 

I  now  come  to  speak  further  of  the  design  of  the  Sieur 

sheriffs,  avIio  arrested  criminals,  but  had  no  power  of  trying  or  judging 
them  ;  it  was  necessary  to  send  \x\)  criminals  to  the  Council  of  Justice 
to  be  examined  and  punished.     (Wilcocke,  op.  cit.,  p.  671.) 

1  Port  Louis ;  vide  mite,  p.  146  ;  also  Appendix. 

2  "The  English",  writes  le  Sieur  Luillier.  in  1701,  "send  several 
ships  yearly  into  India,  the  number  of  them  not  fix'd,  and  drive  a 
considerable  trade,  yet  much  inferior  to  the  Dutch,  for  they  receive 
little  more  in  return  than  the  value  of  the  plate  they  send  over  from 
Europe,  the  profit  of  the  commerce  from  place  to  place  in  the  country, 
going  to  defray  the  charges  of  their  Officers,  Forts  and  Factories;  whereof 
if  anything  remains  it  makes  up  the  lading  of  their  ships.  There  is  not 
so  regular  a  method  observ'd  in  the  English  as  in  the  Dutch  service, 
for  every  man  returns  when  he  pleases,  and  may  stay  in  India  as  long 
as  he  wills ;  and  I  have  observ'd  they  are  not  so  zealous  in  the  service." 
(Translation  by  Symson,  np.  ciL,  p.  323.) 


184  testakd's  ruojECT.  [1695. 

Testard  luul  to  endeavour  to  get  a-slioar,  come  what  would  of 
it.  This  poor  Man  was  one  of  the  Persons  accus'd  :  He  per- 
ceiving that  his  Malady  encreas'd,  that  the  Governor  would 
hearken  neither  to  Prayers  nor  I'romises,  and  that  conse- 
quently there  was  no  hopes  of  being  speedily  deliver'd,  tho' 
any  new  Ship  should  arrive  :  This  poor  Man,  I  say,  being  no 
longer  able  to  resist  the  violent  Passion  he  had  to  breath  a 
freer  and  better  Air,  and  to  go  seek  in  the  midst  of  Woods, 
Nourishment  that  was  properer  for  his  Health,  than  that  he 
now  had  ;  he  communicated  to  us  his  Project,  and  we  con- 
ceived it  both  difiicult  and  dangerous  to  put  it  in  execution, 
look  on  it  on  which  side  we  would.  We  endeavoured  to 
make  him  comprehend  the  ill  consequences  of  it ;  we  repre- 
sented to  him,  that  the  Pass  was  above  twelve^  Leagues,  that 
his  Float  could  be  made  only  of  Weeds,  since  we  had  no 
more  Barrels  to  put  at  the  end  of  it,  as  we  had  done  to  tliat 
of  the  Gold-smith  ;  that  supposing  he  should  have  the  good 
fortune  to  get  to  Land,  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to 
live  in  those  Woods,  because  they  were  not  such  as  here  at 
Isle  Maurice'^;  there  were  few  Tortoises  to  be  had,  and  no 
Birds  that  would  suffer  themselves  to  be  taken  by  hand,  no 
more  than  other  Animals.  We  urged,  moreover,  that  in  a 
little  while  he  would  be  without  Cloaths,  exposed  to  the 
inclemencies  of  the  Air,  and  that  after  all,  it  was  in  a 
manner  unavoidable  but  the  Hunters  must  meet  with  him, 
who  would  assuredly  resign  him  into  the  hands  of  his 
Enemy  :  We  added,  that  when  he  should  be  found  no  longer 
among  us,  that  evil  Persecutor  would,  it  may  be,  accuse  us 
of  having  kill'd  him  in  some  Quarrel,  and  that  therefore  he 
ought  to  leave  a  Letter  for  him,  and  another  for  us,  in  some 

1  lu  oiig. :  "  j)liis  de  deux  lieiies."  The  distance  from  Fouqucts 
island  to  the  nearest  mainland  is  actually  two  miles  and  three-quarters. 

2  A  misprint  or  bad  translation ;  in  original,  the  passage  runs : 
"  i)arce  qu'il  n'en  ctoit  pas  de  mcme  dans  cttte  lie  conime  a  Rodriijnc, 
oil  Ton  trouvoit  \rM-  tout  de  quoi  sc  nourir  ;  n'y  ayant  (juc  trcs-pcu  do 
Tortucs  a  Maurice." 


l695-]  A   FLOAT   OF   WEEDS.  185 

corner  of  our  Hut,  that  we  might  be  able  to  defend  our 
selves,  when  we  were  so  accus'd.  In  a  word,  we  forgot 
nothing  that  might  disswade  him  from  so  unfortunate  a 
Eesolution,  but  all  we  could  say,  was  to  little  purpose.  He 
work'd  alone  at  his  Float,  no  body  being  willing  to  assist  him 
in  making  an  Instrument  for  his  Destruction^:  He  made  it  of 
bundles  of  Weeds  and  Poles  bound  together,  but  which  was 
done  very  ill,  and  it  would  not  have  been  better  if  we  had 
assisted  him.  He  nevertheless  resolv'd  to  make  use  of  it, 
and  told  us  at  parting,  that  he  would  not  fail  to  appear  every 
Month  upon  one  of  the  Mountains  over  against  the  Eock, 
where  he  would  make  a  fire  at  the  beginning  of  the  Night, 
that  should  precede  or  follow  the  Full-Moon  ;  that  if  we 
continu'd  in  the  same  place,  Ave  should  answer  him  by  a  like 
Signal,  or  otherwise  he  should  take  such  neglect  for  a  Token 
that  we  were  a-shoar,  and  consequently  would  meet  us  soon 
after  at  a  place  agreed  upon ;  but  withal,  assur'd  us,  that  so 
soon  as  ever  he  could  spy  any  Vessel  in  what  part  of  the  Isle 
soever,  he  would  certainly  get  on  board  her  if  possible.''^  The 
set  time  for  his  Departure  being  come,  he  fasten'd  his  Float  by 
a  stake  near  our  Hut,  and  came  to  take  his  leave  of  us ;  but 
whilst  he  was  longer  than  ordinary  in  acquainting  us  with 

^  *'  From  neighbouring  woods  he  interlaced 
His  sorry  skiff  with  wattled  willows  ; 
And  thus  equipped  he  would  have  pass'd 
The  foaming  billows. 

"  But  Frenchmen  caught  him  on  the  beach, 
His  little  Argo  sorely  jeering  ; 
Till  tidings  of  him  chanced  to  reach 
Napoleon's  hearing. 

"Rash  man,  that  wouldst  yon  channel  pass 
On  twigs  and  staves  so  rudely  fashioned, 
Thy  heart  with  some  fair  English  lass 
Must  be  impassioned.'' 

(T.  Campbell,  Nupuleon  and  (he  Sailor.) 
2  In  orig. :   "  Secrettement,"  omitted  by  translator. 


ISC  A   SECRET   DESIGN.  [1695. 

his  Design,  a  Sea^  came  and  washed  away  his  Float,  which 
afflicted  him  exceedingly.  For  our  parts  we  were  no  less  joy- 
ful at  it,  especially  when  we  saw  it  was  carry'd  by  the  Current 
towards  the  main  Sea,  and  far  enough  oil"  from  the  Island.  If 
this  accident  had  not  happcn'd,  we  might  quickly  have  seen 
our  friend  perish,  without  being  able  in  the  least  to  have 
help'd  him.  One  would  have  thought  this  happy  Misfortune 
might  have  made  him  more  wise,  and  inclined  him  to  forego 
his  Eesolutiou,  but  he  continued  obstinate  for  all  that,  and 
would  not  hearken  to  the  Keasons  we  gave,  that  what  had 
happen'd  cou'd  never  be  by  chance,  but  that  Providence  must 
needs  have  a  hand  in  it,  and  that  he  ought  to  acquiess  with 
Patience  in  what  had  been  done,  and  resolve  with  us  to 
endure  Submissively,  Avhatever  God  was  pleas'd  to  impose 
further  upon  us.  Now  as  nothing  of  all  this  had  the  desir'd 
effect  upon  him,  in  that  he  protested  he  would  make  another 
Float  to  execute  his  former  Design,  I  thought  myself  oblig'd 
in  Conscience  to  tell  him,  I  would  do  all  I  could  to  hinder 
him ;  that  we  must  treat  him  like  a  ]\Iad-man,  if  he  would 
throw  himself  away  after  that  rate,  and  that  even  tho'  I 
should  be  alone,  I  would  do  the  best  I  could  to  prevent  his 
Euin.  He  said  no  more  to  me,  and  seemed  to  acquiess  in 
what  I  desir'd,  imagining  doubtless,  that  we  were  resolv'd 
to  make  our  selves  Masters  of  him,  but  secretly  he  still 
meditated  the  same  Design.  Perceiving  it  was  impossible 
for  him  to  make  another  Float  without  our  Knowledge,  he 
resolv'd  to  build  a  small  Boat  witli  the  lieast-skins,  that  we 
should  know  nothing  of.  As  he  was  one  that  assisted  in 
making  ours,  and  knew  we  laid  the  things"^  under  our 
Mattresses,  he  stole  some  away  privately,  and  carry'd  them 
to  a  Grot  in  the  Kock,  where  he  wrought  on  the  Boat  at 
spare  hours.     He  liiiish'd  this  Machine  in  a  short  time  and 

1  In  orig.  :  "  il  aniva  que  la   mer  qui   moutuit   ciilcva   sa   fragile 
barque.'' 

-  lu  orig.  :  "  dus  peaux  de  ccrf." 


1696.]  A   FATAL   DEPARTURE.  187 

departed  on  Sunday  Moruinfr,  the  lOtli  of  January  1696/ 
without  saying  a  word  to  any  Body,  Next  Morning  calling 
him  to  our  usual  exercise  of  Prayer,  we  were  surpris'd  to 
find  him  gone :  You  may  guess  at  our  Concern.  We  went 
immediately  and  search'd  among  his  Goods  for  Letters,  not 
doubting  but  if  he  was  really  gone,  he  would  leave  some 
according  to  Promise.  We  found  two ;  in  that  directed  for 
ns,  he  gave  us  a  long  account  of  his  Intentions,  assuring  us 
if  God  was  pleas'd  to  let  him  get  safe  to  Land,  he  would 
break  his  little  Boat  to  pieces,  sink  the  Skins  in  the  Sea 
under  a  heap  of  Stones  and  dispose  so  of  other  matters,  that 
it  should  be  impossible  to  find  out  that  we  assisted  him  in 
his  escape.2  The  other  Letter  was  fur  the  Governor:  It 
contaiu'd  in  Substance,  that  it  was  he  that  forc'd  him  to  take 
that  melancholy  liesolution,  by  his  cruel  and  obstinate 
refusal  to  suffer  him  to  go  a-shoar  for  recovery  of  his  Health  ; 
that  he  was  now  going  into  the  Woods  with  tlie  same  design, 
and  that  he  did  not  remove  himself  from  Justice,  since  he 
would  not  fail  to  surrender  himself  in  his  hands,  as  soon  as 
any  Ship  should  arrive  in  the  Port,  lie  carry'd  along  with 
him  only  a  little  Skillet,^  a  Burning-glass  to  light  fire,  a 
Prayer-Book,  and  some  few  Cloaths. 

Since  this  fatal  Departure,  we  had  never  had  the  latest 
News  of  him,  whatever  enquiries  we  made  after  him.  We 
perceiv'd  none  of  the  Signals  he  promised  to  give  us,  and  all 
our  searches  after  him  were  vain. 

According  to  all  probability  this  poor  Man  perish'd  in  liis 
Passage,  or  died  miserably  in  the  midst  of  the  Woods,  soon 
after  his  arrival  in  the  Island.  A  report  indeed  came  to  our 
Ears,  that  the  carcass  of  his  Boat  was  found  beaten  to  pieces 

'  In  orig.  :  "  la  nuit  du  Samedi  au  Dimanche." 

2  In  orig.  :  "  qu'on  ne  pourroit  jamais  decouvrir  comment  il  auroit 
cchapc  du  Rocher,  ni  uoussoupfonnerd'avoireu  part  a  son  evasion.''  "  We 
Lave  the  originals  of  these  two  letters  in  our  possession"  {iwlc  in  orhj.). 

3  In  orig.  :  "  un  petit  poilon,''  /.c,  poelon,  a  saucepan. 


188  ESCAPE  OF  LA  CASE.  [1696. 

after  the  manner  lie  promis'd  in  his  Letter,  but  this  was  never 
confirm'd ;  and  about  two  years  after,  when  we  were  at  the 
Cape  oi  GoodIIo2)c,aYcss(i[  that  came  from  lslelfawn'cc,assur'd 
us,  there  was  never  anything  heard  of  him.  See  how  our 
unfortunate  Company  was  reduc'd  to  four  persons,  thro'  the 
Tyranny  of  this  hard-hearted  Governor.  After  he  came  to 
understand  the  Escape  of  the  Sieur  Tcstard,  both  by  our  l\ir- 
veyor,  and  the  Letter  we  sent  him,  he  became  never  the  better, 
and  did  not  alter  a  whit  of  his  Severity  towards  us  that 
remain'd.  On  the  contrary,  he  caus'd  Irons  to  be  put  on  the 
Legs  of  the  Sieur  La  Hai/e,  altho'  he  had  never  accus'd  him 
of  any  tiling,  and  tho'  he  was  exceeding  sick  thro'  the  hard- 
ships he  underwent.^ 

Now  as  the  Sieur  Za  Case  perceiv'd  that  his  Malady  began 
to  augment  upon  him,  and  that  he  must  speedily  take  to  his 
Bed,  he  resolv'd  whilst  he  was  able,  to  imitate  the  Sieur 
Tcsiarcl  in  his  Enterprize,  and  go  into  the  Woods  in  search 
of  Health  as  he  had  done.  He  communicated  his  design  to 
us,  and  beg'd  of  us  not  to  oppose  him,  since  it  would  be  but  in 
vain,  adding,  that  if  we  would  not  consent,  he  would  venture 
to  swim  over  in  the  Night,  rather  than  undergo  any  longer 
that  miserable  Confinement.  We  perceiving  that  he  was 
fully  bent  on  what  he  said,  and  that  our  refusal  to  comply 
with  him  might  carry  him  to  some  desperate  Action,-  con- 
sented to  what  he  desir'd,  and  lielp'd  him  to  make  a  Float  of 
Weeds  and  Boughs ;  and  we  even  repented  of  not  having 
done  the  like  for  the  poor  Sieur  Tcstard.  We  moreover  set 
up  a  Mat  made  of  Plantane-Leaves^  on  his  Eloat,  to  serve 
him  for  a  Sail.     He  waited  for  a  Night  when  both  the  Wind 

1  In  orig.  :  "  &  il  traita  les  autres  comme  a  I'ordinaire,"  omitted  by- 
translator. 

2  Id  oiig.  :  "  plutot  desesper6e  que  t6meraire." 

3  In  orig.  :  "  une  natte  de  toile  de  Latauier."  Perhaps  the  matting 
manufactured  from  pahn-fibre  called  ^^i-ahannes"  in  Mauritius  ;  or  the 
mcoa  mats  from  which  at  the  present  day  bags  are  made  for  outer 
packing  of  the  sugar  in  guuny-bags. 


1696.]  OUll   ENLARGEMENT.  189 

and  Sea  were  high,  and  stipulated  with  ns  the  same  Con- 
ditions the  Sieur  Tcstard  had  done.  The  Wind,  which  was 
very  violent,  over-set  the  Machine  twice,  but  the  Sieur  La 
Case  who  was  a  good  Swimmer,  easily  got  up  upon  it  again, 
and  gain'd  the  Land  in  a  short  time,  the  favour  of  the  Wind 
having  preserved  him  from  'the  fury  of  the  Current.  As 
soon  as  he  was  got  a-shoar  he  made  a  fire,  and  we  understood 
the  Signal :  He  retir'd  afterwards  into  the  thickest  Woods, 
and  there  pass'd  the  remainder  of  the  Night.  Next  Morning 
as  he  has  twice  inform'd  us,  he  rambled  about  all  day 
without  knowing  whither  he  went,  and  that  without  finding 
aught  either  to  eat  or  drink.  It  was  the  same  thing  for 
eight  days  following,  so  that  if  he  had  not  taken  some  Pro- 
visions along  with  him,  he  must  inevitably  have  perish'd 
with  Hunger  and  Fatigue ;  and  moreover  his  Malady  still 
augmented  upon  him.  The  eighth  day  he  caught  an  Eel, 
which  he  greedily  devour'd  raw  :  The  ninth  he  found  a  Path 
which  led  him  to  the  House  of  an  Inhabitant  of  the  Island, 
who  instead  of  relieving  him,  delivered  him  up  to  Soldiers, 
who  carry'd  him  to  the  Fort. 

The  Governor  apprehending  least  we  should  all  escape 
one  after  another,  and  those  who  brought  us  Provisions  con- 
firming the  same  thing,^  he  was  at  length  constrain'd  by 
these  Reasons,  and  some  others,  to  let  us  come  all  ashoar. 
But  to  the  end  that  this  enlargement  might  not  occasion  us 
too  excessive  Joy,  he  had  the  charity  to  temper  it  by  taking 
from  us  about  200  pounds  of  Ptice  that  had  been  left  us, 
and  which  we  had  hitherto  so  carefully  manag'd.  This  was 
about  that  time  when  Potatoes  are  good  for  nothincj,  and 
then  the  Soldiers  were  oblig'd  to  buy  Pice  of  the  Governor 
at  their  own  Charges.^     He  gave  them  to  understand  that 

'  In  orig.  :  "  &  les  gens  qui  nous  apportoicnt  nos  provisions  sc 
plaignant  sans  cesse  de  la  peine  que  cela  leur  dounoit." 

2  "  The  Company  pay  a  fixed  price  for  every  article.  That  of  the  rice 
is  ten  rix-dollars,  or  twenty-four   gilders,  for  every  coyanfi  of  3,400 


190  THE   ROCK   OF   ZOCTIELET.  [1696. 

what  Rice  he  had  sav'd  from  the  Fire  was  his  own,  and  that 
lielonging  to  the  Comjmny  had  been  for  some  time  exhausted. 
For  our  parts  we  could  neither  buy  that,  nor  any  thing  else, 
having  no  Money,  the  Governor  liaving  taken  care  to  rob  us 
of  it. 

As  I  had  left  some  Memoirs  at  Rodrigo,  I  likewise  cnn- 
ceal'd  some  in  a  Hole  of  our  Eock,  (which  I  for  a  double 
Reason  call  the  Rock  of  Zorkcld}  1  Kings  i.  9j  to  which  I 
added,  an  Abridgment  of  the  History  of  our  long  and  cruel 
Confinement  in  this  melancholy  and  barren  Place.  I  did 
not  forget  to  observe  in  this  short  Relation,  that  a  fatal 
piece  of  unknown  Gum  for  a  long  while  despis'd,  had  been 
the  cause  of  our  Tyrannical  Persecution,  and  the  deplorable 
Death  of  one  of  our  dear  Companions.  So  true  it  is  what 
St.  Paul  says,  that  Covetousncss  is  the  root  of  all  Evil-  and 
that  those  who  have  a  mind  to  become  Rich,  fall  into 
diabolical  Snares,  and  many  pernicious  Desires,  which  at 
length  precipitate  them  into  the  Abyss  of  Perdition. 

pounds  weight  (equal  to  about  l.f.  6r/.  per  cwt.) ;  but  when  the  harvest 
fails  they  sometimes  pay  five  rix-dollars  more  ;  or  when  the  wants  are 
very  large,  as  in  the  year  1773,  when  the  scarcity  of  this  grain  at  Batacia, 
occasioned  by  a  certain  occurrence  respecting  the  first  administrator  in 
the  grain-magazine,  was  very  great ;  or  when  several  succeeding  harvests 
have  failed,  orders  are  then  given  to  the  residents  to  buy  the  rice 
immediately  from  the  natives,  and  the  coijang  then  stands  them  in  fifty 
rix-dollars."     (Stavorinus,  op.  c(7.,  vol.  ii,  p.  139.) 

The  administrators  of  the  grain-magazines  at  the  stations  of  the  East 
India  Company  were  allowed  particular  emoluments,  and  were  to 
content  themselves  with  respect  to  rice  with  one  hundred  pounds 
allowed  upon  each  last,  by  resolution  of  16th  October  174-1.  {Vide 
Stavorinus,  I.  c,  vol.  iii,  Appendix,  p.  486.) 

^  "  And  Adonijah  slew  sheep  and  oxen  and  fat  cattle  by  the  stone  of 
Zohelcth*  which  is  by  En-rogel."     (1  Kings,  i,  9.) 

2  "  For  the  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil ;  which  while  some 
coveted  after,  they  have  erred  from  the  faith,  and  pierced  themselves 
through  with  many  sorrows."  (1  Tim.  vi,  10.) 


*  I.e.,  by  the  Sloiie  of  the  Serpent. 


1696.]  A  CANTICLE  PENNED.  191 

As  soon  as  the  good  News  of  our  Deliverance  came  to  onr 
Ears,  and  that  of  our  Departure  from  Isle  Maurice  for 
Batavia,  I  was  not  a  little  over -joy'd,  for  however  Industrious 
I  was  to  seek  for  Diversion,  and  even  to  appear  Gay  to 
encourage  those  poor  young  j\Ien  with  whom  I  was ;  I  must 
own,  my  Mind  was  not  less  indispos'd  tlian  my  Body : 
Resides,  I  can't  dissemble  that  I  was  exceedingly  set  against 
that  inveterate  and  implacable  Persecutor,  but  still  had  a 
greater  Contempt  for  him,  than  Hatred.  T  could  not  endure 
that  he  should  bear  the  fair  name  of  Diodati,  or  said  to  be  a 
Child  of  Geneva}  But  others  affirm  he  was  born  at  Doi^t. 
If  any  Mahometan  of  Algiers  had  us'd  me  yet  worse,  I  could 
have  born  it  patiently  from  him. 

In  this  extream  Joy  that  affected  me,  my  Soul  lifted  it  self 
up  towards  its  Deliverer,  and  I  pen'd  a  Song  of  Thanksgiving 
and  Benediction,  which  I  compos'd  of  divers  passages  of 
Scripture  so  happily  link'd  together,  that  I  may  say,  they 
perfectly  express'd  our  different  Conditions.  I  busied  my 
self  a  whole  day  about  this  comfortable  Collection,  and  as 
it  was  nothing  but  the  word  of  God,  I  thought  it  must  needs 
be  agreeable  to  this  Eelation  of  my  Adventures.  But  I 
observe  some  People  at  a  distance,  that  assume  a  ridiculing 
Air  upon  this  occasion  ;  methinks  I  hear  them  say,  we  have 
a  great  deal  to  do  indeed  with  your  Canticle,  Formerly  they 
were  accounted  Fools,  that  denied  the  Being  of  a  God,  but 
now  forsooth,  they  must  pass  for  Wits:  Well  Gentlemen,2you 
shall  not  have  my  Canticle,  you  are  unwortliy  of  it.  Holy 
Things  are  not  your  Inclination''  I  find,  and  these  Pearls 
shall  not  be  thrown  away  upon  you :  I'll  keep  them  for 
good  Men,  for  you  wise  and  honest  Eeader,  who  are  not  to 
be  carry 'd  away  by  the  Torrent  of  Prejudice,*  therefore  look 

1  Vide  supra,  p.  145, 

2  In  orig, :  "  Messieurs  les  Beaux- Esprits,"  omitted  by  translator. 

3  In  orig.  :  "  les  choses  saintes  ne  sont  pas  pour  les  Chiens." 
<  In  orig. :  "  perversite." 


192  ARRIVAL   OF   THE   SURAAG.  [1696. 

at  the  eml  of  my  Relation,  and  you'll  find  the  Canticle  I 
speak  of.^ 

The  6th  of  September  1G96  the  Vessel  call'd  Sumag  arnv'd, 
and  brought  Orders  to  carry  us  away.  Our  good  and  gene- 
rous Friends,  the  Officers  of  the  Perseverance,  oi  whom  I  have 
already  spoken,  were  so  kind  as  to  present  our  Letters  and 
Petition  to  the  Directors-General-  in  Holland,  so  that  when 
the  Governor  found  he  could  detain  us  no  longer,  he  thought 
lit  to  let  us  know  wliat  had  happen'd.  He  told  us  of  it  first 
himself,  and  bid  us  prepare  to  embark.  \Ye  expected  that 
according  to  Custom,  when  a  Ship  arrives,  an  Assembly"^ 

'    Vide  infra, 

2  Directors-General.  "The  administration  of  the  Dutch  East  India 
Company  is,  in  Holland,  divided  between  six  boards,  or  chamhcrs, 
having  session  at  different  places,  viz.,  one  at  Amsterdam,  which  being 
the  most  considerable,  is  called  the  presidial  chamber  ;  this  is  composed 
of  twenty-four  directors,  of  whom  eighteen  are  chosen  by  the  magis- 
trates of  Amsterdam,  four  by  the  cities  of  Dort,  Harlem,  Let/den,  and 
Gonda,  and  the  two  others  by  the  provinces  of  GtlderJand  and  Friselaiid; 
besides  these,  there  are  four  of  the  chief  proprietors,  who  in  certain 
cases  have  session  with  the  directors  :  the  chamber  of  jSHddlelmrgli  is 
the  second  in  rank  ;  it  has  thirteen  directors,  twelve  chosen  by  the 
cities  oi  Zealand,  and  the  thirteenth  by  the  province  of  (lelderland  .... 
next  the  chamber  of  Delft  ....  the  chamber  of  Rotterdam  ....  that  of 

Ham the  chamber  of  Enkhuisen.  . .  .    The  places  where  these 

chambers  assemble  being  all  seaports,  a  certain  number  of  ships  is  dis- 
patched from  each.  .  .  .  But  the  supreme  and  general  direction  of  all 
the  affairs  of  the  Company  is  vested  in  what  is  called  the  Assembly  of 
Seventeen,  which  consists  of  seventeen  directors  deputed,  eight  from  the 
chamber  of  Amsterdam,  four  from  that  of  Middlehuryh,  one  from  each 
of  the  others,  and  one  alternately  by  each  of  these  four  last.  This 
assembly  meets  three  times  a  year,  and  is  held  for  six  following  years 
at  Amsterdam,  and  the  two  ensuing  years  at  Middlehnnjh.  .  .  .  There  is 
likewise  a  council  of  the  directors,  which  meets  from  time  to  time  at  the 
Hafjne ;  .  .  .  being  the  medium  through  which  the  Company  communi- 
cates with  the  States-General."     (Wilcocke,  o/>.  cit.,  vol.  i,  pp.  89-91.) 

3  ]\Iauritius  had  been  abandoned  when  Stavorinus  visited  the  Dutch 
colonies,  but  his  account  of  the  government  of  an  out-station  (Amboyna) 
sufficiently  indicates  the  procedure  of  the  law : — "  The  council  of 
justice  consists  of  the  second,  as  president,  and  six  members,  who  gene- 
rally assemble  every  fortnight,  in  a  lower  apartment  of  the  stadhouse 


1696.]  OFFICIAL  ARROGANCE.  193 

should  be  held,  where  every  one  might  make  their  Com- 
plaint at  liberty  ;  but  he  found  means  to  prevent  that,  and 
we  were  sent  on  board  without  any  Bodies  speaking  to  us, 
and  without  having  any  part  of  our  Effects  restor'd.  This 
occasion'd  us  to  present  a  Petition  to  the  Officers  of  the 
Vessel,  informing  them  of  the  ill  Treatment  we  had  had  from 
our  Persecutor,  who  yet  continu'd  to  exercise  towards  us 
the  same  Tyranny  and  Injustice.  This  made  him  come 
a-board,  where  having  seen  our  Petition,  he  call'd  one  of  us 
cursed  Dog,i  and  ask'd  him  why  he  presented  such  sort  of 

or  town  hall.  All  civil  and  criminal  causes  are  decided  here,  but  in  the 
former  an  appeal  can  be  made  to  the  Council  of  Justice  at  Batavia.  .  .  . 
Although  by  an  express  command  of  the  supreme  government,  the 
government  here  may  not  intermeddle  in  any  matters  which  come 
under  the  cognizance  of  the  Council  of  Justice,  further  than  to  approve 
or  suspend  their  sentences  in  criminal  cases,  yet  some  of  them  arrogate 
to  themselves  so  much  power  in  this  respect  that  in  the  same  manner  as 
in  the  council  of  polity  they  force  a  conformation  to  their  will,  or  bid 
open  defiance  to  justice  and  honesty,  if  the  members  of  the  Council 
refuse  to  abet  their  iniquity."  Stavoriuus  then  adduces  an  instance  of 
rank  abuse  of  authority  remaining  unnoticed  and  unpunished.  It  may 
be  added  here  that  Roelof  Diodati  does  not  appear  to  have  been  re- 
primanded even  for  his  conduct  towards  Leguat  and  the  French  refugees, 
being  subsequently  promoted  to  Japan  ;  but  in  some  respects  he  suffered 
a  kind  of  retributive  justice  in  Mauritius,  for,  before  leaving  that  island, 
in  1701,  a  piratical  ship,  the  Amy,  was  wrec  kedclose  by  the  fort,  when 
200  armed  buccaneers  got  to  shore,  forcing  the  colonists  to  take 
refuge  in  the  fort,  and  Diodati,  in  order  to  get  rid  of  them,  sold  them 
the  Company's  packet  at  half-j)rice.  (See  Stavorinus,  /.  c.,  ii,  p.  381:  ; 
Theal,  S.  Africa,  I  c,  p.  51.) 

1  In  orig.  :  "  qu'il  traita  de  maudit  coquin."  "  An  Englishman", 
writes  Admiral  Stavorinus,  "would  never  brook  the  insupportable 
arrogance  with  which  the  Dutch  East  India  Company's  servants  are 
treated  by  their  superioi's,  as  well  at  Batavia  as  at  the  out-factories. 
It  would  be  well  if  this  conduct  remained  solely  confined  to  the 
Asiatic  regions,  which  gave  birth  to  it :  but,  unfortunately,  we  see 
it  continued  by  purse-proud  individuals  when  they  return  to  a  country 
where,  from  the  most  ancient  times,  it  is  known  to  be  in  perfect 
contradiction  to  the  genius  and  temper  of  the  inhabitants.  It  is 
certain  that  this  is  one  reason  why  there  are  so  few  to  be  met  with 
who  serve  the  Company  with  fidelity  or  a  sense  of  honour.     Everyone 

0 


194  NEW   SUBJECT   OF   COMPLAINT.  [1696. 

Petitions  against  liim.  We  thinking  ourselves  in  a  manner 
out  of  his  Clutches,  answer'd  boldly,  That  he  might  be  sure 
that  it  was  not  to  boast  any  ways  of  his  kindness  to  us,  but 
to  acquaint^  these  Gentlemen,  who  were  at  length  come  to 
our  Assistance,  with  his  barbarous  usage  of  us,  even  to  the 
last  Moment,  and  that  they  might  testifie  this  Complaint 
was  made  even  at  Isle  Maurice.  After  some  injurious  Ex- 
pressions he  reassum'd  a  ridiculing  Air,  and  told  us,  if  we 
thought  our  selves  aggriev'd,  we  might  seek  for  Justice  at 
Batavia  from  the  General  and  his  Council;  and  we  answer'd 
that  that  was  our  Eesolution.  After  Dinner^  he  had  us 
call'd  again,  when  he  told  us,  in  the  presence  of  the  Council 
of  the  Vessel,^  that  he  had  at  first  given  Orders  we  should 
be  receiv'd  on  board  as  Passengers,  without  being  obliged  to 
do  any  thing ;  but  since  we  had  presented  that  fine  Petition, 
we  should  work  as  the  Soldiers  did,  before  we  eat.-*  As  for 
Monsieur  cle  la  Case's  part,  added  he,  he  must  be  contented 
to  lie  in  Irons  during  the  whole  Voyage,  and  so  you  shall 
have  a  new  subject  of  Complaint  when  you  come  to  Batavia. 

attends  solely  to  the  main  business  of  well  and  speedily  lining  his 
purse,  and  all  look  to  the  time  wlien  they  shall  be  able  to  withdraw 
themselves  from  the  insolent  dominion  of  an  arbitrary  government, 
against  which  little  or  nothing  can  be  said  or  done."     (^Op.  cit.,  i,  146.) 

1  In  orig. :  "  en  sa  propre  presence,"  omitted  by  translator. 

2  In  orig. :  "  L'apres  midi." 

3  "  If  a  coj^eman  (Jcoopmaa  or  factor)  or  under-copeman  goes  from 
port  to  i3ort  in  any  ship  he  has  the  command  of  her,  and  also  of  the 
fleet,  or  all  ships  in  company,  by  the  Company's  settled  order  in  their 
articles.  When  there  is  a  fleet  together  under  the  command  of  a  com- 
mandore,  the  council  is  to  consist  of  copemen  and  skippers.  When  a 
ship  is  single  the  council  is  to  be  of  copoman,  skipper,  under-copeman, 

book-keeper,  and  steersman All  chiefs  of   factories  have  free 

power  to  dispose  of  their  ships  and  men  while  they  are  under  their 
chiefship,  and  as  occasion  requires  in  the  Company's  service.  Tiiey  may 
take  out  men,  ammunition,  provisions,  and  stores,  though  such  ships 
come  there  casually  through  accident  or  necessity."  {Universal 
History,  Modern,  vol.  ix,  p.  132.) 

■*  In  orig, :  "  &  seulement  pour  notre  nourriturc." 


^^96.]  ISLE   MAURICE.  ]  95 

Before  we  leave  Isle  Maurice,  I  will  relate  to  you  some 
things  that  I  have  observ'd  there,  and  what  1  have  heard 
concerning  it.  'Tis  well  known  that  this  Island^  is  situated 
m  the  12th  Degree  of  Southern  Latitude-:  It  is  almost  round, 
and  its  Circumference  is  about  fifty  Leagues.  I  have  read 
some  where,  that  it  was  the  Portuguses  that  discover'd  it: 
They  call'd  it  Ccnie^-  but  when  the  Hollanders  made  them- 
selves masters  of  it  iu  the  20th  of  September  1598,  they  gave 
It  the  name  of  Prince  Maurue  of  Nassau,  then  Governor  of 
the  United  Provinces. 

You  may  Anchor  in  three  principal  Places;  at  the  Fort, 
the  Black  Eiver,  and  tlie  Nortli-West  Haven. 

The  Company  maintains  at  the  Port,  a  Garrison  of  about 
fifty  Men  ;  and  there  are  tliirty  or  forty  Dutch  Families  dis- 
pers'd  throughout  the  Island. 

After  the  fire  had  destroyed  great  part  of  the  Fort,  as  we 
have  already  acquainted  you  it  did,  it  was  rebuilt  with  Stona-^ 

1  The  well-known  island  of  I\Iauritius  is  situated  in  lat.  S.  20°  8', 

long.  E.  57°  29'.     It  is  about  thirtjr.ni„e  miles  long  by  tbirty-five  miles 

wide,  and  over  one  hundred  miles  iu  circumference,  whilst  its  area 

measures  about  seven  hundred  square  miles,  being  a  little  smaller  than 

the  county  of  Surrey.     It  is  at  a  distance  of  nearly  five  hundred  miles 

from  the  east  coast  of  Madagascar,  and  ninety-five  miles  from  the 

of ty  island  of  Reunion.     (Vule  supra,  p.  156.)     The  northern  part  of 

the  island  is  a  low  plain,  covered  with  sugar  plantations.     In  the  centre 

IS  an  elevated  plateau  rising  to  some  1,500  ft.,  the  rocks  being  almost 

entirely  volcanic.     Around  this  plateau  rise  the  principal  mountain 

ranges,  the  remains  of  denuded  crater-cliffs  and  cirques  of  an  extinct 

volcano.     Their  peaks    and    summits    attain    heights    varying    from 

2  In  orig.:  "sous  le  21me  degre."     These  continual  mistakes  show 
great  carelessness  on  the  part  of  the  translator,  as  regards  figures 

3  Vide  ante,  p.  157,  and  Appendix. 

^  *  M.  I'Abbe  de  la  Caille,  who  surveyed  the  island  in  1753,  writes- 
ihis  island  has  two  very  fine  harbours.  The  least  of  them,  which  is 
called  Fort  Louis,  is  situate  towards  the  middle  of  the  western  coast 
and  there  is  the  principal  establishment  of  the  East  India  Company 
bhips  must  be  towed  into  it,  but  they  may  sail  out  of  it  with  the  wind 
right  aft.    ihe  other  harbour,  which  is  called  Grand  Port,  or  Port  Bour- 

0  2 


196  THE   ROAD    FOTl   SHIPPING.  [1696. 

They  then  mounted  tliere,  if  I  well  reniembcir,  twenty  good 
pieces  of  cast  Canon. 

The  Soil  of  tliis  I.sland^  is  almost  every  where  reddish, 
and  generally  good,  but  about  the  Fort  it  is  worth  little  or 
nothing. 

The  Koad  for  Shipping,  over  against  it,  is  dangerous  and 
difficult  to  get  out  of,  altho'  there  are  two  Outlets,  because 
they  necessarily  require  a  certain  Land- Wind,  which  comes 
but  seldom,  and  profound  Calms  are  frequent  in  these  parts. 
The  two  other  Roads  are  good  enough. 

There  are  in  tliis  Island  great  numbers  of  Ebony-Trees,^ 

bon,  is  situate  towards  the  middle  of  the  eastern  coast  of  the  island,  and 
is  very  caj^acious  and  secure.  Ships  may  enter  it  with  a  leading  wind  ; 
but  the  dejjarture  from  it  is  difficult,  on  account  of  the  prevalence 
of  the  south-easterly  winds,  which  blow  directly  into  the  principal  of 
the  two  channels  which  form  its  openings.  Here  it  was  that  the 
Dutch  established  their  settlement,  and  built  a  fort,  which  they  named 
Frederick  Henry.  Its  foundations  and  a  part  of  the  walls  remained 
in  1753,  but  they  have  since  been  entirely  removed  in  order  to  erect  a 
very  handsome  building  for  the  reception  of  the  commandant  of  the 
port  and  the  garrison,  as  well  as  to  contain  the  necessary  magazines. 
(Grant,  I.  c,  p.  377.     Cf.  St.  Pierre,  p.  54.) 

1  Bernardin  de  St.  Pierre  remarks :  "  Everything  here  (in  the  5le  de 
France*)  differs  from  what  is  seen  in  Europe,  even  the  herbage  of  the 
country.  To  begin  with  the  soil  :  it  is  almost  everywhere  of  a  reddish 
colour,  and  mixed  with  veins  of  iron,  which  are  frequently  found  near 
the  surface,  in  the  form  of  grains,  the  size  of  a  pea."     {I.  c,  p.  57.) 

2  "The  Ehony-wood;  its  leaves  are  large,  the  lower  side  white,  the 
upper  of  a  dingy  green.  The  centre  only  of  this  tree  is  black,  the  sap 
and  the  bark  being  white,  lu  a  trunk  from  which  may  be  cut  a  log 
six  inches  square  there  is  frequently  no  more  of  real  black  ebony  than 
two  inches  square.  This  wood,  if  worked  while  green,  smells  like 
human  excrement,  and  its  flowers  like  the  July-flower  ;  the  very 
reverse  of  the  cinnamon,  whose  flowers  are  stinking,  and  the  wood  and 


*  Leguat  does  i\ot  seem  to  have  recognised  the  volcanic  character  of 
the  rocks  at  Mauritius.  On  the  road  to  Flacq,  Leguat  and  his  com- 
rades would  have  passed  from  North-West  Port  by  Terre  Rouge  river 
under  Montague  Longue;  and  the  red  dust  on  the  track  to  Pauiple- 
mousses  doubtless  attracted  their  attention. 


1696.]  EBONY   AND    OTHEll   TREES.  197 

white  and  black :  The  black  is  hardest.  The  Soldiers  who 
are  employ'd  to  saw  this  Wood,  will  saw  twenty  foot  of 
White^  before  they  can  twelve  of  Black,  and  which  is  their 
ordinary  Task  for  a  day. 

Here  are  Oranges^  both  sweet  and  sour,^  and  great  plenty 
of  Citrons  of  the  same  kind.  Also  divers  of  Trees  fit  for 
Shipping.*  A  good  quarter  of  a  League  from  the  Fort, 
there  is  a  Grove  of  Limon-Trees,^  round  which,  as  well  as  in 

bulk  of  a  pleasant  smell.  The  ebony  bears  a  fruit  like  a  uierllar,  full 
of  viscous  juice,  tliat  is  sweet  and  ploasant-tasted.  There  is  another 
sort  of  Ebony  here,  veined  with  black."  (Bernardin  de  St.  Pierre,  /.  c, 
p.  63.)  Ebony- trees.  To  the  Ebenaceoi  belong  Plaqueminkr  mellanide  or 
Ebeue  hlanc  (Diospi/ros  mdankla)  ;  Ebhm  noir  (D.  tessillav'ia.)  {Prid- 
ham,  p.  368.) 

^  In  orig.  :  "  rouge." 

2  Oranges.  Citrus  anrantium,  C.  Biijaradie,  C.  Ber(]amia,  C.  dcvumana. 
Lemons  and  Citrons.  Citrus  acida,  C.  Limonum,  C.  medica,  C.  Limetla. 
Malagasy  Orange,  Citrus  Vangassuye. 

"The  Citron-tree  bears  fruit  in  cool  and  damp  places  only,  the 
citrons  are  small  but  full  of  juice. 

"  The  Orange-tree  also  thrives  in  a  soil  of  this  kind  ;  its  fruit  is 
larger,  and  sharp-tasied.  ]\Iany  of  them  grow  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  Great  Port  (South-East  Port)  ;  yet  I  doubt  if  these  two  species 
are  natural  to  the  island.  The  sweet  orange  is  very  rare,  even  iu 
gardens.  Orange-trees  are  of  many  sorts  ;  among  them  is  one  yield- 
ing an  orange  called  a  Mandarin  ;  a  large  kind  of  Pamplemousse, 
of  a  red  colour  and  but  middling  taste  ;  a  citron  that  bears  a  very 
large  fruit,  but  with  little  juice  in  it  (the  shaddock  of  the  W.  Indies)." 
(Bernardin  de  St.  Pieri-e,  op.  cif.,  p.  63.) 

3  In  orig. :  "  aussi  doux  &  aigres." 
*  Iu  orig. :  "  pour  la  charpente." 

^  In  van  Braam's  map  is  shown  dc  Groete  Linioen  Booms  liivirr, 
possibly  the  strQam  which  flows  into  Bestel's  Cove,  indicating  the 
Grove  of  Oranges  and  Lemons  mentioned  by  Leguat.  ''There  are  also 
a  great  many  sweet  and  sour  lemon  (^citrocn-hoomen)  and  orange  trees, 
planted  in  1606  by  Heer  Mattlief\a,n  Keernan,  who  brought  them  from 
the  island  of  Annabon.  And  close  by  the  Fort  one  overlooks  a  great 
wood,  and  near  it  a  large  plantation  of  tobacco  and  sugar-cane.  There 
are  here  very  fine  pine-apples,  pisang  (plantain?),  and  other  Indian  fruits. 
The  Calappus  {Jilao  or  casuarina)  and  other  trees  grow  well  here.  By  the 
end  of  our  occupancy  there  was  also  a  Company's  garden  with  all  sorts 
of  European  {Vadcrkuidzc)  fruits;  but  rice  docs  not  thrive  w'cll  here" 


198  MAURITIAN   FRUITS.  [1696. 

many  other  places  of  this  Island,  they  plant  Tobacco/  which 
is  excessive  strong:  They  plant  likewise  great  numbers  of 
Sugar-Canes.2  The  Spirit  they  draw  from  them,  and  which 
is  here  call'd  Araque,  is  strong  and  nnwliolsom  while  it  is 
new.  I  would  say  nothing  of  tlie  Ananas,  the  Banancs, 
beautiful  and  excellent  Fruit,  which  they  have  here  in 
great  abundance,  because  all  Eolations  speak  of  them,  were 
it  not  that  there  are  divers  sorts  of  them.  The  Ananan^  of 
Isle  Maurice  comes  out  of  the  Ground  like  an  Artichoke, 
and  multiplies  like  it :  Its  Seed  is  in  the  Tuft  that  crowns 
the  Fruit.  This  Plant  bears  but  one  of  these  Fruit,  which 
is  commonly  about  the  bigness  of  a  niidling  Melon,  shap'd 
pretty  much  like  a  Piue-Apjile,*  and  dazling  the  Eye  on  all 
sides  with  lively  and  beautiful  Colours.  It  has  a  sort  of 
Crown  a  top  consisting  of  small  Leaves,  and  one  can  never 
be  tir'd  with  looking  on  it,  no  more  than  with  admiring  its 
sweet  and  exquisite  Sapour;  but  as  it  is  extreamly  cold,  it 
must  be  eaten  with  great  Moderation.  Its  large  and  thick 
Leaf   is  arm'd  on  the  sides  with  prickles,  and  resembles 

(Valentyn,  I.  c,  p.  152).  It  is  suggested  that  Valentyn  may  have  seen 
Leguat  and  derived  some  information  from  him  -personally,  as  he  had 
not  visited  Mauritius. 

1  "  The  tobacco  is  not  good.  None  is  planted  but  by  the  negroes 
for  their  own  use."     (St.  Pierre,  /.  r.,  p.  112.     Vide  ante,  p.  147.) 

'^  "The  sugar-cane  ripens  here  in  perfection;  the  inhabitants  make 
an  indifferent  sort  of  liquor,  which  they  c&W  flangourin.  There  is  but  one 
sugar-house  in  the  whole  island."  (Bernardin  de  St.  Pierre,  I.  c,  p.  120.) 
This  one  sugar-house  is  mentioned  by  liaron  Grant  in  1753.  He  says  : 
"MM.  Vigoureux  of  St.  Malo  have  established  an  handsome  sugar- 
work  ;  but  it  is  so  ill-conducted,  that  the  sugar  has  the  appearance  of 
Norman  honey  :  it  costs  two  sous  the  pound,  and  is  quite  disgusting ; 
but  Ave  entertain  the  hope  that  the  manufacture  will  improve.  This 
sugar  is  employed  to  cover  houses  in  the  Italian  manner,  and,  being 
incorporated  with  chalk,  forms  a  kind  of  mastic ;  and  being  spread  on 
fine  planks,  becomes  hard  as  pavement.  The  Indians  alone  know  how 
to  malie  this  composition."     {Op.  cit.,  p.  .'37U.) 

^  Ananas,  or  pineapple,  Brumelia  ana)tu,-<. 

■•  In  orig.  :  "pomme  de  pin,"  i.  e.,  a  pine  or  lir  cone. 


1696.]  divp:ks  natural  piioductioxs.  199 

somewhat  that  of  Aloes.^  The  description  we  have  of  the 
Ananas  of  Brasile,  differs  something  from  this.  They  have 
little  Leaves  that  come  out  on  all  sides  between  the  grains 
of  the  Fruit. 

The  Banane  Plant^  is  large  and  fine,  it  rises  about  ten  or 
twelve  foot  out  of  the  Ground,  and  has  very  large  Leaves  of 
an  Oval  Figure.  It  bears  a  Fruit  as  long  as  one's  Hand, 
and  of  the  bigness  of  the  list  of  a  Cliild  of  four  years  old. 
It  is  outwardly  yellow  when  'tis  ripe,  white  within,  a  little 
clammy  like  the  inside  of  an  Apricock,  and  of  a  delicate 
and  excellent  Flavour. 

There   are    also   to    be    found    in    this    Island,    Coco's,^ 

1  In  orig. :  "  de  I'Aloe,"  presumably  the  aKoy]  of  Dioscorides  and 
Pliny  ;  the  bitter  aloe  of  Africa.  Leguat's  editor  bases  his  description 
of  this  fruit  ou  the  fuller  details  given  by  M.  de  Rochefort  in  his 
History  of  the  Antilles  (  /.  c,  p.  248),  of  the  Broinelia  fastmsa,  whose 
leaf  is  likened  by  that  writer  to  the  'Mfoes",  meaning  perhaps  the  agave 
of  America. 

•  The  Banana  or  Plantain,  Mum  paradisiaca,  var. 

"  The  Banana-tree  grows  everywhere.  It  has  no  wood  or  stock, 
being  only  a  tuft  of  flowers,  which  springs  up  in  columns,  and  blows  at 
the  top  in  large  and  long  leaves,  of  a  beautiful  satiuny  green.  At  the 
end  of  a  year  there  issues  from  the  summit  a  long  stem,  all  hung  with 
fruit,  in  the  form  of  a  cucumber  ;  two  of  these  stems  are  a  load  for  a 
black  ;  the  fruit,  which  is  mealy,  is  also  very  pleasant  and  nutritive. 
The  blacks  are  very  fond  of  it,  and  it  is  given  to  them  on  the  1st  of 
January  as  a  New- Year's  gift ;  they  count  their  years  of  sorrow  by  the 
number  of  banana-feasts  they  have  regaled  at.  Linen  cloth  might  be 
made  from  the  thread  of  the  banana-tree.  The  shape  of  the  leaves 
like  belts  of  silk,  the  length  of  its  stem,  the  upjier  part  of  which  hangs 
down  from  the  height  of  a  man,  and  whose  violet  colour  at  the  end 
gives  it  the  look  of  a  serpent's  head,  may  have  occasioned  its  being 
called  by  the  name  of  Adam's  fig-tree.  This  fruit  lasts  all  the  year  ; 
there  are  many  sorts  of  it,  from  the  size  of  a  plum  to  the  length  of  a 
man's  arm."     (Bernardin  de  St.  Pierre,  op.  cit.,  p.  123.) 

3  Cocos  nucifera.  "  The  Coco-tree  is  planted  here;  'tis  a  kind  of 
palm,  which  thrives  in  the  sand  ;  this  is  one  of  the  most  useful  trees  in 
the  Indian  trade,  though  it  affords  nothing  else  than  a  bad  sort  of  oil  and 
cables  as  bad  in  their  kind.  It  is  reckoned  at  Pondicherry  that  each  coco- 
tree  is  worth  a  pistole  a  year.     Travellers  speak  much  in  praise  of  its 


200  PALMS  AND   FRUIT  TUBES.  [1696. 

Palm-Trees,*  Plantaue-Trees,^  and  divers  sorts  of  Fruit- 
Trees.^ 

fruit  ;  but  our  flax  will  ever  be  preferred  to  its  cotton  for  making  clotb, 
our  wines  to  its  liquor,  and  our  filberds  to  its  nut.''  (Bernardin  de  St. 
Pierre,  0/).  c?V.,  p.  125.) 

'  Dictyosperma  alha,  Acaiithophanix  rubra,  ILjopJwrhe  indlca,  Acan- 
thophcenix  criuita.  Hijophorhe  amaricaulis,  is  indigenous  on  Round 
Island.     {Baker  and  Balfour.) 

"There  are  still  some  other  trees,  which,  though  curious,  are  of 
little  or  no  use,  as  the  Date,  which  seldom  bears  fruit  ;  the  Palm, 
which  is  called  here  the  Araque  (Areca)  ;  and  that  which  produces 
sago.  The  Vacoa  is  a  kind  of  small  palm-tree,  whose  leaves  grow 
spirally  round  the  trunk  •,  they  make  mats  and  bags  of  them.  [This  is 
the  paiulanus,  not  a  palm.]  The  Palm-tree  rises  in  the  forest  above  all 
the  other  trees  ;  it  bears  at  the  heart  a  cluster  of  palms,  whence  there 
issues  a  shoot,  which  is  all  this  tree  affords  fit  to  be  eaten  ;  and  to  get  at 
this  the  tree  must  be  cut  down.  This  shoot,  which  they  call  the 
cabbage,  is  formed  of  young  leaves  rolled  one  over  the  other,  very 
tender,  and  of  a  very  pleasant  taste."     {St.  Pierre.,  p.  63.) 

2  Latama  Commersonii,  L.  Loddigesii.  "The  Latanier  is  a  large  kind 
of  palm-tree  :  it  bears  at  the  top  one  leaf  only,  in  the  shape  of  a  fan, 
with  which  they  cover  their  houses.     {Ibid..,  p.  63.) 

3  "Fruit-trees."  Between  1750  and  1770,  M.  Poivre  introduced 
into  the  Isle  of  France  the  spice-trees  of  the  Malaysian  Archipelago 
and  many  exotic  and  economical  fruits  and  plants,  some  of  which,  by 
the  tune  Bernardin  St.  Pierre  visited  the  island,  had  become  thoroughly 
naturalised  and  established.  The  latter  says :  "  I  have  seen  here 
cherry,  apricot,  medlar,  apple,  pear,  olive,  and  mulberry-trees ;  but 
without  fruit,  though  some  of  them  had  flowers.  The  fig-tree  pro- 
duces a  tolerable  fruit.  The  vine  does  not  succeed  upon  props,  but, 
when  in  arbours,  bears  grapes,  which,  like  those  in  the  gardens  of 
Alcinous,  ripen  one  part  after  another  ;  a  good  vintage,  therefore,  can- 
not be  expected.  The  peach-tree  gives  fruit  enough,  and  well-tasted  ; 
but  they  are  never  luscious.  There  is  a  white  louse  which  destroys 
them.  .  ,  ."  "  The  fruit-trees  are  the  Attier,  whose  triangular  flower,  of  a 
solid  substance,  tastes  like  the  pistacliio  ;  its  fruit  is  like  a  pineapple  ; 
when  it  is  ripe,  it  is  full  of  a  white  and  sweetish  cream,  which  smells 
like  the  orange-flower ;  it  is  full  of  black  kernels.  (This  is  the 
custard-apple.)  The  Alte  is  very  pleasant,  but,  being  very  heating, 
soon  cloys  and  gives  a  pain  in  the  stomach  to  those  who  eat  it  {Aiiona 
squamosa). 

"  The  Mamjo  is  a  very  beautiful  tree.     It  is  covered  with  superb 


1696.]  THE   STKONT-BOOM.  201 

There  is  a  sort  of  Shrub  call'd  Sironi-hoom'^  or  T-Tree, 
which  is  extreainly  Venomous.     The  middle  of  its  Trunk  is 

girandolesof  flowers  like  the  Indian  chestnut.  To  these  succeed  a  great 
number  of  fruits,  shaped  Hke  a  large  flat  plum,  covered  with  a  rind, 
which  smells  like  turpentine.  This  fruit  has  a  vinous  and  agreeable 
taste  ;  and,  but  for  its  smell,  might  vie  with  the  best  fruits  of  Europe. 
It  is  never  prejudicial  to  those  who  eat  it,  and  [  should  think  a  whole- 
some and  pleasant  drink  might  be  made  from  it.  This  tree  has  one 
inconvenience  attending  it,  being  covered  with  fruit  at  the  time  of  the 
hurricanes,  which  strip  it  of  the  greater  part." 

M.  St.  Pierre  also  mentions  the  Guava  {Psid'mm  sp.),  of  which  there 
are  three  species  in  the  island — the  Jamrosa  (which  includes  three 
species  of  Jambosa ;  the  Papaye  (Cai-ica  Papaya)  ;  the  Badamier 
{Terminalia  Cutappa)  ;  the  Avoca,  or  alligator-pear  (Persea  grad'ssiina)  ; 
the  Jack  (Artocarjius  intcgrefuUa) ;  the  Tamarind  ;  the  Cashew-nut  {Ana- 
cardium  sp.) ;  the  Cinnamon  ;  and  one  Cacao  {Theohroma  cacao). 

The  Ravinsara  (Afjathophylhun  aromaticum)  was  introduced  by  M. 
Poivre,  as  were  also  the  Mangosteen  and  the  Litchi,  the  clove,  nut- 
meg, and  other  valuable  spice-trees. 

^  The  Stronlhooin  of  Leguat,  or  Ilapofi  of  St.  Pierre,  is  somewhat 
difficult  to  identify.  Earon  Grant  (p.  37)  writes :  "  A  large  and  very 
uncommon  tree  is  found  among  the  rocks,  whose  substance  is  as  soft  as 
the  flesh  of  a  turnip.  It  is  called  Mapou,  or  stinking  Avood,  from  its 
offensive  odour,  and  is  considered  unwholesome.  M.  Bernardin  de 
St.  Pierre,  writing  from  The  Port,  October  8th,  17G8,  states:  "Some 
days  ago  I  perceived  a  large  tree  in  the  middle  of  some  rocks,  and, 
being  desirous  of  cutting  a  piece  with  my  knife,  was  surprised  at  the 
whole  blade  entering  without  my  using  the  least  force.  It  was  of  a 
substance  like  a  turnip,  and  of  a  very  disagreeable  taste  ;  for  some 
hours  after  (although  1  did  not  swallow  any  part  of  it)  my  throat 
was  much  inflamed,  and  felt  as  if  pricked  by  pins.  This  tree  is  called 
Mapou,  and  is  looked  upon  as  poisonous."  Mr.  Baker  says :  "^fapou, 
in  Mauritius,  is  Vitis  Mappia,  a  harmless  vine.  Buis  majMni,  more 
than  one  species  of  Pisonia,  also  harmless;  purgative,  perhaps,  but 
not  actively  poisonous."  He  adds  :  *'  I  should  think  the  poisonous 
tree   would  most  likely  be  a  StiWugia   {Euphorhiacex),  or  something 

of  that  kind "     "  There  is  a  Slillincjia  Fanguiiia  in  INIauiitius,  which 

I  infer,  from  the  name,  is  poisonous.  That  sort  of  plants  have  an 
acrid  milky  juice,  and  the  Seychelles  ally  is  superstitiously  dreaded  by 
the  native,  called  Bois  Jasmin.  The  Mapou  of  the  I'laine  dcs  Caffres, 
in  Bourbon,  is  stated  by  Maillard  to  be  Monimia  roluiuUfolia.  Monimia 
rotiindifolia  of  Mauritius,  in  the  herbarium  at  Kcav,  is  labelled,  says 


202  SPEEDY   AND   DEADLY   POYSON.  [1696. 

larger  tliaii  either  its  bottom  or  top.  Its  Wood  is  flabby, 
and  its  Leaves  M-ould  nearly  resemble  those  of  our  Willows, 
were  it  not  that  they  are  a  little  larger.  I  have  neither 
observM  Flowers  nor  Fruit  upon  it :  Both  the  Wood  and  the 
Eind  are  a  speedy  and  deadly  Poyson,  and  which  as  I  have 
heard,  admits  of  no  Antidote.  One  day  as  I  was  coming 
thro'  a  Wood  in  my  return  from  Hunting,  I  chanc'd  to 
break  off  a  little  Branch  of  it,  and  without  making  any 
Eeflection,  or  having  heard  of  this  Tree,  I  put  a  little  bit  of 
it  in  my  Mouth.  I  threw  it  away  that  instant  without 
swallowing  my  Spittle,  and  yet  I  thought  I  should  have 
died  of  it.  For  twenty-four  hours  together,  it  seem'd  to  me 
as  if  some  body  was  throtling  me,  and  my  Throat  was  so 
swell'd,  I  could  liardl}'-  breath.  In  Countries  where  one  is 
an  absolute  Stranger,  one  ought  to  take  particular  care  of 
these  sort  of  things.  I  was  told  the  only  way  to  distinguish 
the  venomous  Fruits  in  these  Islands,  from  such  as  were 
not  so,  was  to  offer  them  to  some  Ape  of  the  Island,^  who  if 
they  were  naught,  would  undoubtedly  refuse  them.     In  the 

Mr.  Soott  Elliott,  BoU  de  Tui-Ie."  Professor  Balfour  writes,  with 
regard  to  Monimia  :  "  It  may  be  worth  noting  what  may,  however,  be 
merely  a  coincidence — the  allied  genus  Tamhourina  has  a  species,  Bois 
tambour  (there  is  the  translator's  T.  tree?) — and  some  species  of 
Tamhourina  have  been  called  Milhridatea — and  this  genus  was  founded 
by  Commerson,  the  father  of  so  many  Mascarene  genera,  and  taken  up 
by  Schreber.  I  do  not  find  any  poisonous  qualities  now  attributed  to 
the  Monimiacese ;  but  if  the  tree  had  not  some  reputation  in  connec- 
tion Avith  poisoning — antidotal  or  itself  venomous — why  should  Com- 
merson give  it  such  a  name?     At  least  it  should  be  a  medicine-yielding 

tree Unless  some  evidence  from  the  nomenclature  takes  one  to 

Stillinrjia,  1  should  prefer  to  trust  to  the  clue  which  such  evidence 
affords  and  seek  for  the  plant  either  among  the  Vitis  or  the  Mommiacex. 
....  I  cannot  conjecture  what  it  (the  Stronthoom)  might  be.  It  would 
be  strange  if  the  name  of  so  conspicuous  a  tree  as  the  Mapou  must 
have  been  in  Leguat's  time  was  transferred  to  another  tree  without  its 
properties,  even  if  the  original  Mapou  were  exterminateil." 

1  In  orig.  :  "  parce  qu'on  pent  a  (toup  sur  manger  de  ce  qu'il  mange, 
comme  on  doit  aussi  laisser  ce  qui!  pcr.siste  a  refuser." 


1696.]  DANGEROUS   LABYRINTH.  203 

middle  of  the  Country  in  a  great  Plain^  environ'd  with 
Mountains,  there  is  a  Wood  that  is  very  dangerous  to  go 
into.  The  Branches  of  the  Trees  are  so  thick  at  top,  and  so 
interlac'd  with  one  another,  that  it  is  altogether  impossible 
to  see  the  Sun,  by  which  means  one  wanders  one  knows  not 
whither,  and  oftentimes  one  is  lost  as  it  were  in  a  Labyrinth, 
which  Misfortune  is  so  much  the  greater,  in  that  one  meets 
with  nothing  to  eat. 

1  "Plain  and  Forest."  The  Abbe  de  la  Caille  states  that  in  1753, 
■when  he  surveyed  the  island  :  "  The  Isle  of  France  is  almost  entirely 
covered  with  woods,  which  are  of  a  handsome  appearance,  particu- 
larly on  the  south-east  side  ;  but  a  passage  through  is  rendered  very 
difficult  and  troublesome,  from  the  quantity  of  fern  and  creeping 
plants.  These  plants,  wliose  branches,  like  those  of  our  ivy,  wind 
about  and  interlace  themselves  with  the  shrubs  and  dead  wood,  render 
the  forests  in  a  great  measure  impassable.  Nor  can  a  passage  be 
obtained  in  any  part  of  them  but  by  circuitous  ways,  which  are 
known  to  few.  These  forests  are  the  refuge  of  the  Maroon  negroes." 
He  has  marked  '■' Fori't  tres  Epatt:se",  N.VV.  of  the  Montague  des 
Creoles,  in  the  INluuicipality  of  Grand  Port,  in  his  map. 

INIr.  Pike  says :  "  The  ascent  on  the  Grand  Port  side  is  so  rugged 
and  steep,  that  it  is  called  I'Escalier,  and  between  it  and  the  Riviere 
Tabac  stands  a  fair-sized  village.  Beyond  this  lies  a  tract  of  countrj', 
in  former  times  a  dense  forest,  containing  such  fine  timber-trees  that 
it  obtained  the  name  of  Gros  Bois.  From  the  destruction  of  these 
trees,  even  so  early  as  the  time  of  occupation  by  the  Dutch,  doubtless 
many  species,  once  abundant,  are  now  rare,  if  not  wholly  extinct. 
The  reckless  way  the  trees  were  cut  down  by  the  crews  of  every  vessel 
that  touched  here  must  have  made  great  changes  in  the  forests.  During 
the  present  century  the  same  want  of  system  has  prevented  the  growth 
to  full  size  of  the  best  timber.  In  the  Gros  Bois  are  still  fine  specimens 
of  Calophyllum  ^hwi  they  are  rare.  The  Tatamaka,  Elseodendron,  Colo- 
phon, and  two  species  of  ebony  yet  abound,  and  a  host  of  others." 
{Op.  cit.,  p.  320.)  "  The  East  India  Company  set  apart,  for  their  forges 
at  Moudesir,  an  extent  of  wood  of  ten  thousand  acres  called  the 
Reserves  ;  they  then  imagined  that,  by  making  regular  falls  of  timber 
in  these  lofty  woods,  they  would  shoot  forth  again  the  following  year, 
and  that  the  young  trees,  being  left  untouched,  would  replace  the 
larger  ones.  But  it  was  found  that  the  woods,  once  cut  down,  did  not 
grow  again ;  and,  in  the  year  1770,  the  people  at  Mondesir  were 
obliged  to  go  a  league  and  a  half  to  fetch  charcoal.'-  (Le  Gen  til,  I.  c, 
ii,  p.  6!S0.) 


204  GREGAEIOUS   MONKEYS.  [1696. 

The  Governor  of  Isle  Maurice^  before  this  last,  happen'd 
one  day  to  enter  this  Wood,  and  plung'd  himself  so  deep 
into  it  before  he  was  aware,  that  he  knew  not  how  to  get 
out.  Both  he  and  his  followers  had  soon  made  an  end  of 
their  Provisions,  and  they  were  just  ready  to  starve,  when 
by  good  fortune  they  chanc'd  to  find  a  way  out,  after  they 
had  vainly  sought  one  for  four  days. 

The  other  Woods  of  this  Island  are  easie  enough  to  traverse. 
There  are  some  very  pleasant,  and  where  you  find  Apes^  of 
divers  kinds.  These  mischievous  Beasts  do  a  great  deal  of 
damage  to  the  Inhabitants,  inasmuch  as  they  take  delight  in 
plucking  up  whatever  is  sown. 

This  island  in  general  is  very  Mountainous,  and  full  of 
Woods,  as  most  Countries  are  that  are  slenderly  Inhabited. 
It  is  water'd  by  divers  rapid  Itivers,^  on  some  of  which  the 

1  M.  La  Mocius,  predecessor  to  M.  Rodolphe  Diodati,  vide  ante,  p.  151. 

2  Monkeys  were  introduced  by  the  Portuguese  into  the  island, 
according  to  the  Abbe  de  la  Caille.  There  are  two  species,  both  of  a 
middling  size,  the  largest  of  which  has  thick  hair  of  a  reddish -grey 
colour,  with  a  long  tail ;  they  are  both  gregarious.  These  aninuils 
frequently  venture  in  droves,  sometimes  of  sixty  or  seventy,  to  plunder 
the  houses  of  the  inhabitants.    (Pridham,  I.  c,  p.  226  ;  cf.  Grant^  p.  65.) 

M.  Bernardiu  de  St.  Pierre  has  recorded:  "The  monkey  of  the 
Isle  of  France  is  of  a  middling  size.  It  is  of  a  reddish-grey  cast,  and 
has  a  long  tail.  This  animal  is  fond  of  society.  I  have  seen  them  in 
troops  of  sixty  at  a  time.  They  frequently  come  in  droves  and  pillage 
the  houses.  Scouts  are  placed  on  the  tops  of  trees  and  the  points  of 
the  rocks,  who,  as  soon  as  they  see  any  dogs  or  hunters  approach,  cry 
out,  to  alarm  the  others,  who  immediately  decamp.  They  will  climb 
up  the  steejDest  mountain,  and  rest  uj^on  the  slightest  edge  of  a  preci- 
pice, where  no  other  quadruped  (?)  of  its  size  dare  venture."  {Op.cit.,-p.  67.) 

3  "  The  island",  writes  Bernardin  de  St.  Pierre,  "  is  watered  by  about 
sixty  rivulets,  some  of  which  have  no  water  in  the  dry  season,  especially 
since  so  much  ti-mber  has  been  cut  down.  The  interior  part  of  the 
island  is  full  of  ponds,  and  in  this  part  it  rains  nearly  all  the  year 
round,  the  clouds  being  stopped  by  the  mountains  and  the  woods  at 
the  top  of  them."  M.  de  St.  Pierre  also  notices  a  cotton-mill,  Avorked 
by  water,  constructed  by  M.  de  Seligny  at  Grande  Riviere  ;  and  he 
also  remarks  a  large  mill,  nearly  fallen  to  ruins,  at  Grand  Port. 
(/.  c,  p.  56.) 


1696.]  FRESH- WATER   FISH.  205 

InhaLitants  have  built  Mills  to  saw  Boards.     These  Elvers 
have  Fish  enough.^ 

On  each  side  of  these  Elvers  you  frequently  meet  with 
little  Valleys,  whose  Soil  is  admirably  good.  There  are 
great  tracts  of  Ground  level  enough,  especially  tliat  formerly 
mention'd  call'd  Flac-  or  Fiat-Ground:  'tis  on  this  Spot,  the 

1  "  The  fresh-water  fish  are  better  than  ours  ;  and  appear  to  be  of 
the  same  kind  as  those  which  are  taken  in  the  sea.  Among  these  the 
best  are  the  lubin,  the  mullet,  and  the  carp  ;  the  cabot,  that  lives  in 
the  torrents  formed  by  rocks,  to  which  it  adheres  by  means  of  a  con- 
cave membrane  ;  and  very  large  and  delicate  shrimps.  The  eel  is  a 
kind  of  conger  ;  there  are  some  from  seven  to  eight  feet  in  length, 
and  of  the  thickness  of  a  man's  leg  ;  they  retire  into  the  holes  of  the 
rivers,  and  sometimes  devour  those  who  are  so  imprudent  as  to  bathe 
there."     (Baron  Grant,  /.  c,  p.  59.) 

"  Foreign  fish  have  been  even  brought  to  this  place.  The  Gonrami 
comes  from  Batavia.  It  is  a  fresh -water  fish,  and  is  esteemed  to  be 
the  best  in  the  Indies.  It  is  like  the  salmon,  but  more  dehcate. 
Here  are  also  the  gold-fish  from  China,  which  lose  their  beauty  as  they 
increase  in  size.  These  two  species  multiply  in  the  pools."  {Ibid., 
p.  69.)     The  Gourami  or  Gouramier  is  the  Osphromcints  ol/'ax. 

2  "  This  part,  which  is  called  la  Flarq,  is  the  best  cultivated  in  the 
island  ;  rice  grows  in  great  plenty.  There  is  a  creek  in  the  rocks,  by 
wliich  barges  can  come  and  load  with  the  greatest  convenience."  (Ber- 
nardin  de  St.  Pierre,  op.  eit.,  p.  170.)     Vide  supra,  p.  149. 

M.  de  Gentil,  who  wrote  in  1779,  states  :  "  The  District  of  Flacq, 
which  is  a  quarry  of  rocks,  produces  the  finest  maize.  Such  a  soil  is 
not  favourable  to  corn  ;  the  inhabitants,  therefore,  clear  away  the 
smallest  stones,  and  plant  maize  in  the  places  which  they  occupied, 
where  it  is  found  to  luxuriate  and  grow  to  the  height  of  from  eight  to 
ten  feet;  and,  unpromising  as  the  soil  is,  the  settlers  look  for  two,  and 
sometimes  three,  harvests  in  the  course  of  the  year.  A  certain  portion 
of  it  they  pour  into  the  public  magazines ;  with  the  rest  they  nourish 
their  slaves,  barter  for  corn,  and  feed  their  hogs  and  poultry,  with 
which  they  traffic.  They  have  every  convenience  that  is  to  be  derived 
from  water,  as  Flacq  is  a  kind  of  archipelago,  on  account  of  the 
various  branches  of  water  that  intersect  it.  This  quarter  also  possesses, 
in  the  low  grounds  towards  the  sea,  some  parcels  of  ground  which  are 
proper  for  the  cultivation  of  rice  ;  and  it  was  that  part  of  the  island 
Avhich  supplied  the  Company's  magazine  with  such  a  necessary  article." 
"At  Flacq  the  corn  generally  produces  twenty  fold,  and  sometimes 
thirty  in  fresh  ground ;  but  no  more  than  ten  in  that  which  has  been 
in  a  long  and  successive  state  of  tillage.  (Vide  Voyage  dans  Ics  Mers 
df  ITiidr,  vol.  ii,  pp.  G69,  672.) 


206  THE  company's  garden.  [1696. 

greatest  part  of  the  Colony  inhabit.  I  don't  know  whether 
I  have  already  told  3^011,  that  the  Company  has  a  Garden 
here  furuish'd  with  all  our  Plants  of  Europe,  especially  such 
as  could  he  cultivated  with  Success  in  this  foreign  Climate. 
Wheat  will  not  thrive  there,  nor  any  other  sort  of  Corn. 

The  Vine  grows  well  enough,  and  I  have  seen  good 
Arbours ;  but  the  Grapes  don't  ripen  well,  which  it  may  be, 
may  proceed  partly  from  the  Ignorance  or  Laziness  of  those 
that  cultivate  them,  or  rather  that  do  not  cultivate  them 
at  all. 

It  is  from  this  Garden  the  Co7npany  has  its  Potatoes, 
Fruits,  and  other  tilings  with  which  it  feeds^  its  Garrison, 
the  i\^c^?'oc-Slaves,  and  all  others  that  depend  on  it.  A  Boat 
goes  every  Week  twice  or  thrice  to  the  great  Ptiver,^  whence 
it  brings  all  that  has  been  brought  thither  from  Flac  on 
Waggons,  for  the  use  of  the  Fort.  This  is  inconvenient  and 
of  great  expence,  it  being  above  eight  Leagues  thither  from 
Flac,  which  way  is  partly  by  Water,  and  partly  by  Land. 
The  Earth  about  the  Fort  is  extreamly  barren,  and  the  Water 
is  by  no  means  good,  being  impregnated  with  Salt-Petre. 
There  is  a  corner  in  the  Island  call'd  the  Burnt  Country^ 

1  "Whatever  is  bought  for  the  king,  is  sold  to  him  at  one-third  less 
than  its  real  worth — the  corn  of  the  inhabitants,  all  buildings  erected 
for  him,  stores,  and  expeditions  of  every  sort."  {B.  de  St.  Pierre,  p.  175.) 

2  Grande  Riviere  Sud-Est,  as  distinguished  from  la  Grande  Riviere, 
near  Port  Louis.  At  the  mouth  of  this  river  is  a  convenient  port  for 
small  vessels,  protected  by  a  battery  and  military  station,  opposite  the 
northern  entrance  to  Grand  Port  (see  map,  supra,  p.  160),  and  some 
eight  miles  south  of  Flacq.  This  was  de  Groote  Rivier  of  the  Dutch, 
represented  by  van  Braam  as  joined  by  de  Kalties  Rivier,  and  falling 
into  Both's  Bay.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  rivers  in  the  island,  rising  by 
the  Piton  du  Milieu,  and  draining  the  northern  slopes  of  the  Bambou 
Mountains.  It  is  joined  by  the  Riviere  Profonde,  which  drains  the 
southern  flanks  of  the  Blanche  Mountains,  both  streams  traversing  the 
district  called  Trois  Islols.  Below  the  junction  of  their  waters  their 
channel  is  obstructed  by  a  dyke  of  basalt,  by  which  a  fine  cascade  is 
formed. 

3  The  "Burnt  Country",  near  Grand  Bassin,  now  called  "  Le  Bois 


l6g6.']  IDLE  AXD  LAZY  COLONISTS.  207 

because  the  Trees  that  were  formerly  there  were  burnt,  but 
there  have  several  come  up  since  in  tlieir  stead,  although 
the  Soil  be  Piocky. 

Totatoes^  thrive  here  wonderfully  everywhere,  and  are 
tlie  ordinary  food  of  the  Inhabitants.  These  sort  of  Topi- 
nambous^  serve  them  for  Bread,  in  like  manner  as  to  the 
common  I'eople  of  Ireland.  When  tliey  have  a  mind  to 
have  any  Eice,  they  buy  it  of  the  Company.  It  is  not  but 
that  Grain  will  grow  here,^  the  Water  and  Earth  being 
proper  for  it  in  divers  Places,  but  these  People  are  too  Idle 
and  Lazy  to  cultivate  it,  this  sort  of  Grain  requiring  a  more 
than  ordinary  Care :    The  common  Meat  here  is  Venison.* 

Sec'\  is  a  curious  district,  dreary  in  tlie  extreme,  where  thousands  of 
dried-up  skeletons  of  trees,  blanched  to  a  ghastly  whiteness,  meet  the 
eye  on  every  side,  contrasting  with  the  neighbouring  evergreen  woods. 
It  is  the  portion  of  a  forest  which  has,  apparently,  been  blighted  by 
the  poisonous  exhalations  from  some  volcanic  fissure,  in  connection, 
possibly,  with  the  adjacent  extinct  crater-lake,  Grand  Bassin,  now 
filled  with  water.  (See  Pike,  I.  c,  p.  318.)  The  district  within  the 
active  sphere  of  the  volcano  in  Keunion  is  still  named  Le  pays  brule. 

1  Palates,  wrongly  translated  potatoes,  are  the  various  species  of  so- 
called  sweet  potato  {Convolindus  Batatas),  of  which  a  number  of  excel- 
lent varieties  are  grown  in  the  island.  The  American  potatoes,  ;K-jy»«ei- 
deterre  {Solanum  tuberosum),  grow  almost  wild  on  the  heights  of  the 
Keunion  Mountains,  and  are  exported  thence  to  Mauritius. 

2  Topiuambours  are  Jerusalem  artichokes  ^Iklianthus  tuberosus). 

^  '•  Rice,  the  best  and  perhaps  the  most  wholesome  of  all  aliments, 
thrives  very  much.  It  keeps  longer  than  wheat,  and  yields  more 
plentifully.  A  wet  soil  agrees  with  it  best.  There  are  above  seven 
different  species  of  it  in  Asia,  one  of  which  grows  best  in  a  dry  soil ; 
it  were  to  be  wished  that  this  grain  were  cultivated  in  Europe,  on 
accouutof  its  extraordinary  fertility."    (B.  de  «t.  Pierre,  op.  cit.,  p.  112.) 

*  "  There  are  in  the  woods  wild  goats,  wild  hogs,  and  especially 
stags,  which  had  multiplied  to  such  a  degree,  that  whole  squadrons 
were  supplied  Avith  venison  for  provisions.  Their  flesh  is  very  guod, 
especially  during  the  months  of  April,  May,  June,  July,  and  August.'' 
{JbuL,  p.  13-1.) 

''Between  the  two  mouths  of  the  Black  Pdver,  a  stag  pursued  by 
hounds  and  hunters  came  straight  towards  me.  The  poor  beast  wept 
and  panted  ;  as  I  could  not  save  it,  and  was  unwilling  to  kill  it,  1 
fired   one  of  my  charges  in  the  air.     lie  then  took  to  the  water,  and 


208  DEER,  HOGS,  AND  CATTLE.  [1696. 

The  Deer  are  so  fat,  that  after  having  ran  a  quarter  of  a 
League  they  drop  down,  and  suhmit  themselves  to  the 
mercy  of  the  Dogs :  Here  are  likewise  great  numbers  of 
Goats ;  they  are  very  fat,  and  their  Flesh  has  no  ill  Tast. 
They  are  much  eaten  while  the  Deer  are  in  their  Paitting- 
time,  because  the  Venison  has  a  stinking  and  insupportable 
Tast :  Here  are  Hogs  of  the  China  kind.^  Altho'  these  are 
not  near  so  good  as  our  wild  Boars,  yet  they  are  much 
eaten  for  all  that :  These  Beasts  do  a  great  deal  of  Damage 
to  the  Inhabitants,  by  devouring  all  the  young  Animals 
they  can  catch. 

The  Bulls  and  Cows  of  the  better  kind  have  been  brought 
hither  from  Madagascar^  and  they  have  multiplyM  exceed- 
ingly ;  they  have  a  bunch  upon  their  backs.  The  Cows 
afford  but  very  little  milk.  One  Holland  one  yields  six  times 
as  much,  neither  is  their  Beef  near  so  good  as  ours.  There 
are  wild  Cows  that  are  originally  of  this  Island,  or  at  least 

was  overtaken  and  killed  by  the  dogs."  (*S/.  Pkrre^  p.  151.)  The 
editor  of  the  present  version  has  witnessed  a  similar  scene,  when  a 
fine  stag  swam  halfway  across  the  bay  at  Black  River ;  but  it  was 
pursued  by  some  gunners,  who  captured  it,  and  cut  its  throat.  The 
deer  still  exist  in  considerable  numbers,  being  carefully  preserved ; 
they  are  of  the  species  from  India  known  as  the  Sambur. 

1  "  The  CocJion  marron  of  Mauritius  has  evidently  descended  from 
animals  introduced  by  the  first  Portuguese  voyagers.  Whether  they 
are  from  a  Chinese  stock,  as  Leguat  avers,  it  would  be  impossible  now 
to  determine.  The  boars  grow  to  a  considerable  size,  have  fine  tusks, 
and  their  shoulder-plates  are  of  wonderful  toughness  ;  in  all  respects 
they  rival  the  wild  boar  of  Europe.  They  occasionally  attain  to  a 
weight  of  four  hundred  pounds,  with  tusks  nine  inches  in  length." 
{Vide  Pike,  I.  c,  p.  219.) 

~  "Among  those  animals  which  we  may  call  the  domestic  quadru- 
peds, are  sheep,  that  fatten  and  lose  their  wool,  goats  that  thrive 
prodigiously,  and  oxen  of  the  Madagascar  breed,  that  have  a  great 
hump  on  their  neck  ;  the  cows  of  this  breed  give  but  very  little  milk  ; 
those  from  Europe  give  much  more,  but  their  calves  degenerate.  I 
saw  once  two  cows  and  two  bulls  from  Bengal  which  were  no  bigger 
than  an  ass.  This  breed  did  not  succeed."  (B.  de  St.  Pierre,  op.  cit., 
p.  134.) 


'T^'ftt.Jl.  2^.  7^. 


1696.]  WILD  HORSES.  209 

were  found  there  by  those  that  first  discover'd  it,  but  they 
must  of  necessity  have  been  brought  thither  one  time  or 
other.  Here  are  also  many  wild  Horses/  which  are  some- 
times kill'd  to  feed  Dogs  with.  These  two  sorts  of  Animals, 
I  mean  Dogs  and  Horses,  are  subject  to  the  Falling-Sickness,^ 
and  several  of  them  die  of  it,  especially  when  they  are 
young. 

This  Island  formerly  abounded  with  wild  Geese^  and 
Ducks,  Moor-Hens,  Water- Quails,  Sea  and  Land  Tortoises, 
but  now  all  these  are  become  scarce.  The  Sharks  also,  and 
divers  other  Sea- Animals'*  have  forsook  it,  since  the  Natives 
have  been  accustomed  to  lay  Nets  for  them.     You  shall  see 

1  "  Horses  are  very  dear,  and  by  no  means  fine  ones.  A  common 
horse  cannot  be  bought  for  less  than  a  hundred  pistoles.  They  fall  to 
decay  very  soon  at  the  Port,  from  the  excessive  heat.  They  are  never 
shod,  although  the  island  is  so  rocky.  Mules  are  rarely  seen.  The 
asses  are  small,  but  few  in  number."     {B.  cle  St.  Pierre^  p.  135.) 

2  In  orig. :  "  au  haut  mal,"  i.e.,  the  staggers. 

3  Writing  in  1769,  Bernardin  de  St.  Pierre  remarks  :  "  There  is 
great  plenty  of  every-thiug  at  Black  River,  of  game,  venison,  and  both 
fresh-water  and  sea  fish.  While  we  were  at  dinner  one  day,  a  servant 
came  to  tell  us  that  some  Jamcutins  were  seen  in  the  bay  ;  we  ran 
down  immediately  ;  they  cast  nets  across  the  entrance,  and,  when 
drawn  ashore,  we  found  a  great  quantity  of  sword-fish,  of  skates,  two 
sea-turtles,  and  other  kinds  of  fish  ;  but  the  lamentins  had  escaped" 
(/.  c.,p.  141). 

Bernardin  de  St.  Pierre  visited  this  port  in  1769,  at  which  time 
he  writes :  "  The  South-East  Port  was  formerly  inhabited  by  the 
Dutch,  one  of  whose  ancient  buildings  is  now  used  as  a  chapel. 
There  are  two  ways  to  enter  the  Port,  one  at  Point  Diable,  for  small 
vessels ;  the  other,  which  is  much  wider,  is  by  the  side  of  an  island 
{lie  de  la  Passe)  towards  the  middle.  At  each  of  these  places  is  a 
battery,  and  at  the  bottom  of  the  bay  is  a  third,  called  the  Queen's 
battery"  (l.  r.,  p.  166 ;  vide  ante,  p.  196,  to  which  page  this  note  belongs.) 

*  "  Whales  frequently  come  into  the  South-Ea.st  Port,  where  it  would 
be  very  easy  and  safe  to  harpoon  them.  Fish  is  very  plentiful  upon 
this  coast,  especially'  shell-fish  of  the  most  beautiful  kinds.  Whales 
are  often  seen  to  the  windward  of  this  island  about  September,  the 
time  of  their  coupling.  I  have  seen  many  this  season,  that  kept  them- 
selves upright  in  the  water,  and  came  very  near  the  coast.  They  are 
smaller  than  the  northern  ones.     There  is  no  whale  fishery,  but  the 

F 


210  BITTERNS   AND   GIANTS,  [1696. 

great  flights  of  Bitterns,^  and  many  of  those  Birds  call'd 
(liants,-  because  they  are  six  foot  high.  They  are  extreamly 
high  mounted,  and  have  very  long  necks  :  Their  Bodies  are 
not  bigger  than  that  of  a  Goose.  They  are  all  white, 
except  a  little  place  under  their  Wings,  which  is  reddish. 
They  have  a  Goose's  Bill,  but  a  little  sharper ;  their  Claws 
are  very  long,  and  divided.  They  feed  in  Marshy  Places, 
and  the  Dugs  frequently  surprize  them,  because  they  require 
a  considerable  time  to  get  upon  the  Wing :  We  saw  one  one 
day  at  Rodrigo,  and  we  took  liim  with  our  Hands,  he  was  so 
fat.  That  was  the  only  one  we  observ'd  there,  which  made 
me  inclinable  to  believe  he  had  been  carry'd  thither  by 
some  Wind  he  could  not  resist.  This  Game  is  good 
enough. 

There  are  also  a  kind  of  small  Birds^  pretty  much  like 
our  Sparrows,  except  that  their  throats  are  red.      Parrots*  of 

negroes  are  not  unacquainted  with  the  method  of  harj3ooning  them. 
Sea-cows  are  sometimes  caught  here ;  I  have  eaten  of  them  ;  their 
flesh  is  like  beef  ;  I  never  saw  any  of  this  fish.''  {Voijage  to  the  Isle  of 
France,  I.  c,  p.  75.) 

1  "  Bitterus."  Probably  the  night-herons,  now  extinct,  before  men- 
tioned, at  Rodriguez.  At  Reunion  ancient  voyagers  speak  of  large 
blue  birds,  which  frequented  the  pJaine  des  Co/res,  which  are  supposed 
to  have  been  the  Madagascan  '■'■  j)oule  sidtane"  [porphyrio  Madagan- 
carieims);  vide  ante^  p.  45.     See  Appendix. 

2  "There  are  there  a  great  many  birds,  such  as  bitterns  {puttooren) ; 
also  a  bird  called  the  giant,  because  its  head  stands  quite  five  to  six 
feet  high,  besides  they  are  very  long  in  the  legs  and  neck,  but  as  to 
the  body  not  larger  than  a  goose.  Perhaps  this  is  the  iculg-vocjel  about 
which  we  read  in  the  second  voyage  of  Jacob  van  Neck:'  (Valentyn, 
op.  cit.,  p.  152  ;  vide  ante,  p.  44,  and  Appendix.) 

3  "There  is  a  beautiful  titmouse  here  with  a  number  of  white  specks 
on  the  wings,  and  the  Cardinal  {Foudia  Madagascariensis),  whose  head, 
neck  and  belly,  at  a  particular  season,  are  of  a  lively  red  ;  the  rest  of 
its  plumage  is  of  a  pearl -coloured  grey.  Ihis  bird  comes  from  Bengal." 
(B.  de  St.  Pierre,  p.  133).     Rice-birds  or  "  calfats"  {Mnnia  oryzivora). 

4  Parrots  {Lophopsittacus,  and  Foliopsitta  cana)  and  parroquets  {Cora- 
copsis  vuza  ?).  "  I  have  seen  many  sorts  of  Parrots,  but  none  very  hand- 
some.    There  is  a  species  of  green  parroquet  with  a  grey  head.     They 


1696.]  BIRDS  AND  BATS.  211 

all  sorts  are  likewise  to  be  found  here  in  great  abun- 
dance. Here  moreover  are  Pigeons^  and  Blackbirds,^  but 
few  of  them.  Bats,^  whicli  are  much  valued  in  tliis  Coun- 
try, are  here  in   great  Numbers,  as   are  likewise  Lizards.* 

are  as  large  as  sparrows.  It  is  impossible  to  tame  them.  These  also 
are  enemies  to  the  harvest,  but  they  are  very  good  to  eat."  {Unci., 
p.  69.) 

1  "  There  is  a  pigeon  called  the  Dutch-pigeon,  of  a  most  magnificent 
plumage  ;  and  another  sort,  Avhich,  although  of  a  very  pleasant  taste, 
are  so  dangerous,  that  those  who  eat  theui  are  thrown  into  convul- 
sions."    {St.  Pierre,  p.  G9.) 

2  "  Blackbirds."  "A  bird  that  has  multiplied  very  fast  in  the  island  is 
the  Martin  {Acriduthercs  tristix)^  a  species  of  the  Indian  sansonnet,  or 
Flukin  (?  starling),  with  a  yellow  beak  and  claws.  It  differs  but  little 
from  ours  except  in  plumage,  which  is  less  spotted.  In  chirping,  how- 
ever, as  well  as  in  an  aptitude  to  talk,  and  to  mimic  other  birds,  it 
perfectly  resembles  the  European  species.  It  will  perch  upon  and 
peck  at  beasts  without  fear,  but  the  prey  which  it  pursues  with  an  un- 
wearied perseverance  is  the  grasshopper  [Grijlhis  Cajycusis).,  numbers  of 
which  species  are  destroyed  by  it.  The  martins  always  fly  about  in  pairs, 
and  assemble  constantly  at  sunset  in  flocks  of  some  thousands.  After 
a  general  chattering,  the  whole  republic  falls  asleep,  and  at  daybreak 
again  disperses  in  pairs  to  the  different  quarters  of  the  island.  This 
bird  is  not  fit  to  eat ;  yet  they  are  sometimes  shot,  though  shooting 
them  is  prohibited."  {B.  de  St.  Pierre,  p.  132.)  "  In  the  woods  are 
found  black-birds,  which,  Avhen  called  to  by  a  sportsman,  will  come 
to  the  muzzle  of  his  gun.  This  is  a  kind  of  game  much  in  request'' 
{Coq  de  hois?).  {St.  Pierre,  p.  C9.)  "The  Isle  of  France  was  formerly 
exposed  to  the  ravages  of  locusts.  None  of  these  noxious  insects, 
however,  have  been  seen  sinc-^  1770.  It  is  pretended  that  the  Martins, 
a  kind  of  bird  brought  here  from  India,  and  which  have  multiplied  in  a 
very  extraordinary  manner,  have  destroyed  them.  It  is  certain  that 
these  birds  feed  upon  them  with  avidity,  when  they  are  just  produced, 
and  before  they  have  wings."  (Observations  by  M.  de  Cossigny, 
Governor  of  the  Isle  de  France  in  1791.     See  Grant,  p.  518.) 

3  "  Bats."  "  Two  sorts  of  bats  are  found  here  ;  one  like  ours,  the 
other  as  big  as  a  small  cat,  very  fat ;  and  is  eaten  by  the  inhabitants 
as  a  rarity."     {St.  Pierre,  p.  69.) 

*  "Lizards."  "The  apartments  are  at  certain  seasons  filled  with 
moths  or  small  butterflies,  that  come  and  singe  themselves  in  the 
candle.  They  are  so  numerous  that  the  caudles  are  frequently  obliged 
to  be  put  into  cylinders  of  glass.  They  draw  into  the  houses  a  very 
handsome  small  lizard,  about  a  finger's  length.     Its  eyes  are  lively ;  it 

1'  2 


212  RATS    AND    MICF.  [1696. 

Rats^  and  Mice  swarm  here,  and  do  a  great  deal  of  damage 
to  tlie  Company  and  Inlialtitants,  l»y  gnawing  their  Sugar- 
Canes,  and  devouring  their  Pulse.  If  they  would  make  use 
of  the  same  means  we  did  at  Rodrigo,  they  might  get  rid  of 
tlie  greatest  part  of  them  ;  yet  some  few  Regiments  of  Cats 
would  make  the  shortest  work  with  them,  and  soon  exter- 
iriinate  those  misehievous  Vermin. 

Small  and  green  Caterpillars-  reign  here  for  three  or  four 
Months  in  the  year,  and  eat  up  almost  every  thing. 

climbs  along  the  walls,  and  even  along  the  glass;  lives  upon  flies  and 
other  insects,  and  watches  with  great  patience  for  an  op])ortiinity  of 
catching  them.  It  lays  eggs  that  are  small  and  round  like  peas,  having 
a  wliite  and  yellow  shell,  as  the  eggs  of  pullets.  I  have  seen  some 
of  these  lizards  so  tame  that  they  would  come  and  take  sugar  out  of  a 
person's  hand.  Far  from  being  mischievous,  they  are,  on  the  contrary, 
very  useful.  Some  very  beautiful  ones  are  to  be  seen  in  the  w^oods,  of 
an  azure  and  changeable  green,  marked  with  crimson  on  the  back,  like 
Arabic  characters."     [D.  de  St.  Pierre,  p.  73.) 

1  "  The  rat  seems  a  native  of  this  island.  There  are  prodigious  num- 
bers of  them,  and  it  is  said  that  the  place  was  abandoned  by  the  Dutch 
because  of  this  creature.  In  some  houses  they  are  so  numerous  that 
30,000  are  killed  in  a  year.  They  make  large  hoards  under  ground,  both 
of  corn  and  fruits,  and  climb  up  to  the  tops  of  trees  to  eat  the  young 
birds.  They  will  pierce  the  very  thickest  rafters.  One  may  see  them 
at  sunset,  running  about  in  all  parts,  and  in  one  night  they  will  destroy 
an  entire  crop.  I  have  seen  a  field  of  maize  in  which  they  have  not  left 
one  single  ear.  They  are  exactly  like  the  rats  of  Europe,  and  have,  very 
possibly,  come  from  thence  in  ships.  Mice  are  very  common  here  ;  the 
havoc  they  make  is  incredible."     (St.  Piei're,  op.  cit.,  pp.  G7-8.) 

"  The  breed  of  cats  degenerate  greatly  on  this  island ;  they  grow  lean 
and  thin-flanked.  The  rats  scarcely  fear  them  ;  the  dogs  are,  therefore, 
the  rat-catchers,  and  my  Favourite  has  often  distinguished  himself  in 
this  service.  I  have  seen  him  strangle  the  largest  rat  in  the  Southern 
hemisphere.  The  dogs,  in  the  long  run,  lose  their  hair  and  their  sense 
of  smelling,  but  it  is  said  they  never  go  mad  here''.  (7i.  dc  St.  Pierre., 
p.  135.) 

^  "  In  the  trunks  of  the  trees  there  is  found  a  large  worm,  with  paws, 
that  picks  the  trees ;  they  call  it  Montac.  The  blacks,  and  even  the 
white  people,  eat  them  greedily."  {If>id.,  I.  c, -p.  72.)  "The  centi- 
pedes are  frequently  found  in  damp  places.  This  insect  seems 
destined   to    drive   mankind   from   the    unwholesome  air  they  breed 


1696.]  SEA   AND    LAND    CUABS.  213 

Sea  and  Land  Crabsi  are  liere  also  to  be  found,  but  in 
small  numbers. 

in.  Its  sting  is  very  painful.  My  dog  was  bit  by  one  of  them,  which 
was  more  than  six  inches  long ;  the  wound  turned  to  a  kind  of  ulcer, 
and  was  three  weeks  in  healing."     (Ibid.,  I.  c,  p.  70.) 

^  "  There  are  lobsters  or  cray-fish  of  a  prodigious  size,  their  claws  arc 
net  large  ;  they  are  blue-marbled  with  black.  I  have  seen  here  a 
species  of  lobster  that  is  smaller  and  of  a  beautiful  form  ;  it  was  of  a 
sky-blue ;  it  had  two  little  claws,  divided  into  two  articulations,  like  a 
knife  with  the  blade  shutting  into  the  handle." 

"  There  is  a  great  variety  of  crabs.  The  following  seemed  to  be  most 
worthy  of  notice.  A  sort  that  is  rugged,  with  tubercules  and  points 
like  a  madrepore  {Parthenope  spinoslssima)  ;  another  that  has  upon  its 
back  the  impression  of  five  seals ;  another  with  something  in  the  shape 
of  a  horse-shoe  at  the  end  of  its  claws ;  a  sort  covered  with  hair,  that  has 
no  claws,  and  that  adheres  to  the  sides  of  ships  ;  a  crab  marbled  with  grey, 
the  shell  of  which,  though  smooth  and  polished,  is  very  uneven.  JMany 
irregular  and  strange  figures  are  observable  among  these,  which  are, 
notwithstanding,  perfectly  alike  upon  each  crab  ;  that  with  its  eyes  at 
the  end  of  two  long  tubes  like  telescopes,  which,  when  it  is  not  using 
them,  it  deposits  in  grooves  along  the  side  of  its  shell.  A  crab 
with  red  claws,  one  much  larger  than  the  other  {Cancer  sawjuhwlentus'). 
A  small  crab  with  a  shell  thrice  as  big  as  itself,  in  which  it  is  covered 
over  as  by  a  buckler,  so  that  its  claws  cannot  be  seen  when  it  walks." 
{B.  de  St.  Pierre,  p.  77.) 

"  A  kind  of  crab  has  been  lately  discovered  to  burrow  at  the  foot  of 
the  coco-nut  palm.  Nature  has  provided  this  animal  with  a  long  claw, 
at  the  end  of  which  is  a  nail  serving  to  extract  the  substance  of  the 
fruit  by  the  holes  I  have  described.  It  has  not  the  large  pincers  of 
other  crabs — they  would  be  useless  to  it.  This  animal  was  discovered 
on  the  Isle  of  Palms,  to  the  north  of  Madagascar,  by  the  shipwrecked 
crew  of  the  Henrcux,  which  was  lost  there  going  to  Bengal."  (Ibid. ,  p.  127.) 
"  Thesea-side  is  full  of  holes  in  which  lodge  a  greatnumbcrof  TouhmroiLV  ; 
they  are  an  amphibious  crab,  and  make  burrows  underground  like 
moles.  They  run  very  fast,  and  if  you  attemjit  to  catch  them  they 
snap  their  claws,  and  present  their  points  by  way  of  menace."  (Ibid., 
p.  69.) 

"  Another  amphibious  and  very  extraordinary  creature  is  the  Ikruard 
VHermite,  a  kind  of  lobster  whose  hinder  part  is  not  provided  with  a 
shell,  but  it  instinctively  lodges  itself  in  empty  shells  which  it  finds  on 
the  shore.  One  may  see  them  run  along  in  great  numbers,  each  with 
its  house  after  it,  which  it  abandons  for  a  larger  when  its  growth  makes 
it  necessary."     (Ibid.,  p.  70.) 


214  AP.SKNCE   OF   SNAKES.  [1696. 

Here  are  no  Serpents^  to  be  seen,  and  tlie  People  say  they 
have  been  miraculously  driven  from  this  Island,  as  the  Irish 
pretend  St.  Patrich  has  banish'd  all  venomous  Animals  from 
their  Country. 

There  are  neither  Lice  nor  Fleas,  nor  Toads,-  nor  Frogs  to 
be  seen  here,  no  more  than  at  Rodrigo,  and  I  fancy  there  are 
none  in  any  of  the  Islands  hereabouts.  This  abounds  with 
Fish,^  and  afl'ords  sometimes  yellow  Amber,'*  and  Auiber- 
greece  in  like  manner  with  Rodrigo. 

Hurricanes  were  formerly  very  frequent  and  furious  in 
this  Island,  but  for  twenty  years,  or  thereabouts,  they  have 
none  but  that  before-mention'd  which  we  underwent  on  our 
liock.     'Tis  true,  they  have  in  their  stead,  at  certain  Seasons,^ 

^  "  Serpents."  "  There  are  no  serpents  in  the  Isle  of  France,  and  it 
13  said  that  they  cannot  live  there  ;  while  in  the  surrounding  islets, 
called  the  Isle  Ronde,  the  Isle  Loiujve.,  and  the  Coin  dc  Mire,  there  are 
both  adders  and  serpents.  I  do  not  pretend  to  verify  this  opinion,  but 
in  the  Coin  de  ]\Iire  I  have  seen  lizards  twelve  inches  long."  {De  la  CuiUe  ; 
vide  Grant,  I.  c,  p.  378.) 

Curiously  enough,  snakes  have  been  found  in  Round  Island  at 
fourteen  miles  north-east  of  Mauritius,  although  not  on  the  mainland. 
They  belong  to  the  Python  family,  forming  a  distinct  genus,  Casarea. 
(Cf.  Wallace,  Island  Life,  Part  11,  chap,  xix.) 

2  No  frogs  or  toads,  but  such  as  have  been  introduced,  ex^st  in  the 
^lascarene  islands.  Some  European  and  Indian  species,  including 
Biifo  melanostichis,  are  now  acclimatised  inhabitants.  (Wallace,  I.  c, 
p.  409.) 

3  "The  coasts",  says  Baron  Grant  in  1711,  "  abound  in  fish,  which 
have  been  already  described,  as  well  as  enormous  eels  whicli  are  found 
in  the  rivers.  I  have  frequently  killed  them  with  my  gun  in  shallow 
waters."  {Op.  oil.,  p.  195.)  "The  Vieille  is  a  blackish  fish,  and  in 
form  and  taste  a  good  deal  like  the  cod-fish  ....  The  water-pullet, 
a  sort  of  turbot,  is  the  best  of  all  the  fish  caught  here ;  the  fat  is  green." 
{St.  Pierre,  p.  76.) 

■*  Certain  islets  on  the  north-east  coast  of  Mauritius  yet  retain  the 
name  of  les  lies  d'Atnbre ;  vide  ante,  p.  153. 

^  Dr.  Meldrum  has  established,  from  careful  observation,  the  periodi- 
city of  cyclone  frequency  in  the  southern  Indian  Ocean  ;  thus  the  five 
years  1847-51  were  characterised  by  cyclone  frequency,  then  came  a 


1696.]  DEPARTURE   FROM   MAURITIUS.  215 

Winds  that  are  very  violent,  and  accompany'd  with  great 
Rains. 

It  is  a  very  singular  thing  in  this  Island,  if  what  I  have 
been  told  be  true,  that  when-ever  any  Hurricane  comes,  it  is 
always  on  the  9th  of  February.  This  passes  for  a  current 
Truth. 

The  Inhabitants  chuse  for  their  Sowing-time^  this  rainy 
Weather,  which  continues,  without  Intermission,  for  five  or 
six  Weeks  together.  This  Island  is  not  unhealthy,  altho' 
the  Heats  be  sometimes  most  excessive.  Fair  Weather 
commonly  lasts  there  from  the  Mouth  of  June  to  that  of 
Fehruary. 

After  having  waited  for  a  favourable  Wind  above  six'^ 
Weeks,  we  at  length  set  sail  about  six  a  clock  in  the  Morn- 
ing, and  so  escap'd  the  pernicious  Paws  of  the  Sieur  Rod. 
Diodati. 

The  Wind  having  shifted  all  of  a  sudden,  we  found  our- 
selves oblig^l  to  drop  Anchor  :  About  Noon  it  came  about 
to  the  South-East,  and  then  we  sail'd  again,  but  we  had  soon 
after  so  great  a  Calm,  that  we  saw  the  Island  Maurice  even 
on  the  ninth  day.  We  return'd  as  far  as  the  thirty-ninth 
Degree  to  find  the  Westerly  Winds,  which  conducted  us  to 

period  of  comparative  calm  (1852-67),  which  was  followed  by  six  years 
(1858-63)  remarkable  for  cycloues.  The  next  five  years  (1861:-68) 
showed  a  considerable  decrease,  and  since  (1869-74)  thei-e  was  again 
an  increase,  and  so  on.  This  periodicity  has  been  found  to  coincide 
with  the  cycle  of  sun-spots.     (Vide  Nature,  vol.  vi,  p.  358.) 

1  "  Sowing-time.''  "  The  summer  is  very  dry  and  the  ground  is  in  a 
state  of  aridity  during  that  season.  The  warm  rains  then  succeed, 
giving  such  vigour  to  vegetation  that  the  weeds  frequently  prevail  over 
the  regular  crops,  which  are  twofold  in  the  course  of  the  year.  In  tliis 
season  is  soAvn  the  maize.  In  the  month  of  May  and  June  we  sow  our 
corn,  which  we  reap  at  the  end  of  September,  as  well  as  various  kinds 
of  beans,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  sent  to  the  magazines  of  the 
Company,  to  be  ready  for  supplying  the  ships.  Corn  generally  produces 
an  hundred-fold.''     (Baron  Grant,  p.  194.) 

^  In  orig.:  "  plus  de  trois  semaines." 


216  ARRIVAL   IN   JAVA.  [1696. 

the  Bar  of  Batavia,  without  meeting  with  any  thing  extra- 
ordinary in  our  Passage. 

As  the  Governor  of  the  Isle  Mcmrice  had  put  us  under 
Arrest  in  his  Island,  we  were  kept  the  same  till  we  came 
to  Batavia.  At  our  Landing  we  were  put  in  Prison, 
and  we  continu'd  there  till  the  next  day,  the  IGth  of 
JDcccnibcr. 

The  Council  of  State  of  the  Indies^  assembled  that  day, 
and  we  were  carry'd  before  them.  We  presented  our  Peti- 
tion, in  which  we  set  forth  amply  all  the  Injustice  had  been 
done  us  at  Isle  Maurice ;  and  their  Lordshij^s  having  at  first 
conceiv'd  the  Justice  of  our  Cause,  they  restor'd  us  our 
Liberty,  of  which  we  had  been  depriv'd  for  so  long  a  time, 
and  lodg'd  us  in  the  Saphir,  which  is  one  of  the  Bastions 

1  "  The  cliief  government  of  Batavia,  and  of  all  the  possessions  of  the 
Dutch  East-India  Company  in  Asia,  is  vested  in  the  Council  of  India, 
with  the  Governor-General  at  their  head.  This  Council  consisted  (in 
1763,  when  Admiral  Stavorinus  was  there)  of,  besides  the  Director- 
General,  five  ordinary  counsellors,  including  the  Governor  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  nine  extraordinary  counsellors  and  two  secretaries.  This 
Council  determined  affairs  of  every  kind,  those  which  related  to  the  ad- 
ministration of  justice  alone  excepted  (vide  ante.,  pp.  192,  193).  Yet,  in 
civil  matters  an  appeal  could  be  made  from  the  sentence  of  the  Council 
of  Justice  to  the  Council  of  India.  The  authority  of  the  Governor- 
General,  however,  was  almost  unbounded  ;  and,  although  obliged  to 
give  cognizance  to  the  Council,  and  to  consult  them  on  some  matters, 
he  possessed  the  most  arbitrary  and  independent  power  of  all ;  for 
there  were  few  members  of  the  Council  who  were  not  in  need  of  his 
good  offices,  in  some  instance  or  the  other  ;  for  example,  in  order  to 
obtain  lucrative  employment  for  their  relatives  or  favourites  ;  and  if 
this  was  not  sufficient  to  make  them  obey  the  nod  of  the  Governor,  he 
was  not  destitute  of  the  means  of  tormenting  them,  in  every  way,  under 
various  pretences,  nay,  of  sending  them  prisoners  to  Europe."  {Op.  cit., 
vol.  i,  pp.  276-78.) 

The  Governor-General  at  Batavia,  when  Leguat  and  his  unfortunate 
companions  were  confined  there,  was  Willem  van  Outhoorn,  whose  life 
and  portrait  are  given  by  Francois  Valeutyn  in  his  noble  folios ;  the 
likeness  is  evidently  taken  from  the  painting  in  the  hall  where  the 
Council  assembled. 


1697-]  DETAINED  IN  BATAVIA,  217 

of  the  Fort,^  The  Fleet  was  ready  to  depart,  but  the  Council 
were  so  busie  with  other  Affairs  that  they  could  not  find 
time  to  look  into  Ours,  so  that,  on  the  lU\r  of  February 
1697,  the  General  call'd  one  of  us  to  him  that  spoke  Dutch, 
and  told  him  that  the  time  was  too  short  to  examine  our 
Pretensions,  and  that  we  should  not  return  into  Holland 
before  pressing  Affairs  were  determin'd  ;  that  we  must  sufter 
this  Fleet  to  depart,  and  that  if  our  business  could  not  be 
effected  in  five  or  six  Weeks'  time,^  our  worst  would  be  to 
remain  at  Batavia  for  a  year,  or  thereabouts,  where  by  reason 
we  were  stript  of  all,  we  should  be  listed  for  Soldiers,  and 
allow'd  Pay  to  the  day  of  our  Arrival  in  Holland}  The 
General  added,  that  in  that  time  he  would  dispatch  a  Vessel 

^  Vide  infra. 

2  In  orig.  :  "  le  4me  Janvier." 

3  In  orig.  :  "  (auquel  temps  deux  Vaisseaux  que  Ton  attendoit  de- 
voient  repartir),"  omitted  by  translator. 

4  "  The  Dutch",  writes  Le  Sieur  Luillier,  in  1701,  "  are  the  wealthiest 
the  strongest,  and  the  greatest  dealers  of  all  Europeans  in  India,  for 
they  have  never  less  than  forty  ships,  and  often  more,  trading  con- 
tinually from  one  place  to  another ;  with  the  produce  whereof,  and 
revenue  of  their  dominions,  they  every  year  load  thirteen  or  fourteen 
tall  ships  for  Europe,  whence  as  many  come  yearly,  and  so  return,  but 
they  change  their  crews.  For  as  soon  as  a  commander  comes  from 
Europe,  they  put  him  into  another  ship,  and  those  who  have  been  three 
years  in  the  service  return  home  if  they  please.  In  order  whereto  they 
present  a  petition  to  the  Council,  which  never  rejects  it,  if  the  peti- 
tioners are  fit  to  return  ;  and  if  there  be  not  so  many  as  to  supply  all 
the  ships  that  are  to  return  to  Europe,  the  Governor  consults  who  are 
the  properest  to  be  sent,  that  is,  such  as  have  made  the  best  of  their 
time,  and  are  best  able  when  they  come  home  to  maintain  their  families. 
The  Dutch  Company  would  have  all  that  are  in  its  service  to  thrive, 
and  if  any  officer  does  not  look  after  his  own  private  business  he  is  little 
look'd  upon  ;  the  Hollanders  believing  that  he  who  neglects  his  own 
will  not  be  diligent  in  another's  concerns.  Thus,  unless  a  commander 
appears  industrious  in  laying  up  for  himself,  he  is  very  rarely  prefcrr'd, 
and  must  not  hope  to  return  home  'till  he  has  made  some  provision,  the 
Council  never  regarding  the  petitions  he  presents  ;  so  that  he  must  stay 


218  ENLISTED   AS   SOLDIERS.  [1697. 

to  Isle  Maurice}  and  so  our  Affairs  should  Lc  liappily  ended. 
AVe  insinuated  those  Conditions  could  not  be  extreamly 
aj^reeahle  to  us,  by  reason  we  were  not  of  the  Dregs  of  the 
People,  and  that  tho'  we  were  now  Poor  and  Miserable,  that 
had  wholly  been  occasion'd  by  the  Governor  of  Isle  Maurice, 
the  Company  s  Officer,  who  had  pillag'd  us,  and  therefore 
'twas  against  him  that  we  demanded  Justice,  which  if  it 
were  speedily  afforded  us,  we  should  soon  be  in  a  Condition 
to  subsist  without  tho  mean  Pay  of  a  Soldier.^  But  however 
good  our  Eeasons  might  be,  if  they  were  not  contradicted, 
they  were  not  much  hearken'd  to.  Our  Persecutor  had  his 
Friends  there,  and  we  poor,  half-starv'd,  half-naked  Creatures, 
Avere  not  considerable  enough  to  turn  the  Scale,  so  that  we 
must  submit  to  what  they  would  have  us,  and  turn  Soldiers.^ 
We  were  posted  in  different  Places,  and  as  the  Sieur  B — le, 
who  spoke  Dutch,  wrote  likewise  a  very  good  Hand,  he  was 
thought  worthy  to  fill  the  Place  of  Clerk  to  the  Fort,  where 
he  was  lodg'd. 

The  Sieur  dc  la  Case  was  detain'd  still  in  Prison,  but  after 
several  Petitions,  we  presented  jointly  with  him  for  his 
Enlargement,  the  Council  considering  the  Information  they 
had  receiv'd  from  Isle  Maurice,  and  perceiving  that  his 
Crime  consisted  only  in  projecting  a  thing  he  never  executed, 
nor  endeavour'd  to  execute,  they  pronounc'd  him  Innocent, 
and  made  him  a  Soldier  like  the  rest. 

Our  Amber-greece  stuck  in  our  Stomachs,  as  did  likewise 
all  the  other  things  we  had  been  robb'd  of,  viz..  Gold  Ingots, 

by  force,  and  should  he  happen  to  get  away  without  leave  they  would 
prosecute  him  as  a  deserter."     (  Voyacje  to  East  India,  p.  321.) 

1  In  orig.  :  "qui  seroit  en  ^tat  de  partir,"  omitted  by  translator. 

'^  In  orig.:  "Nous  nous  trouverions  en  etat  de  subsister  par  nous- 
memes  d'une  manicre  plus  agr6able  que  dans  la  condition  de  Sol- 
dats." 

•^  In  orig.  :  "  nous  pauvres,  decharnez  &  couverts  de  haillons,  nous 
faisions  nne  figure  qui  n'imposoit  pas  beaucoup  de  respect  ;  de  sorte 
qu'il  i'allut  en  passer  par  oil  ou  voulut,  &  devcnir  Soldat." 


1697.]  PETITIONS   IGNORED.  210 

Coiii'd  Silver,  Cloaths,  Instruments  and  Utensils,  which, 
without  reckoning  the  Bark,  amounted  to  the  value  of  2,000 
Crowns.  But  the  various  Petitions  we  presented  on  this 
Head  were  always  put  off  to  another  time.^ 

After  we  had  continu'd  five  or  six  Months  in  this  Con- 
dition at  Batavia,  the  General  sent  for  him  whom  he  had 
made  the  Clerk  of  the  Fort,  and  told  him  there  had  no 
occasion  yet  offer'd  to  send  for  the  Governor  of  Isle  Maurice 
to  answer  our  Complaints  in  Person,  and  for  that  reason  our 
Affairs  could  not  for  the  present  be  search'd  to  the  bottom, 
but  he  did  not  doubt  they  would  do  us  Justice  in  Holland, 
and  therefore  we  might  if  we  pleas'd  pursue  it  there,  and  get 
our  selves  ready  to  depart  with  the  first  Fleet.^ 

After  this  manner  it  pleas'd  our  Superiors  at  Batavia  to 
determine  our  Suit.  Tliey  need  not  have  kept  us  there  so 
long,  to  give  us  no  better  Satisfaction.  They  might  have  let 
us  go  at  first  according  to  our  Desires,  and  tho'  they  made=^ 
us  do  Duty  in  the  Vessel  without  Pay,  as  we  had  done  in 
our  Voyage  from  Isle  Maurice.     But  those  who  were  secretly 

1  In  orig.:  "rendre  etant  d'ordinaire  uue  chose  peu  agreable  aux 
reudeurs,"  omitted  by  translator. 

2  "The  seamen  coming  out  of  Europe  are,  in  the  same  manner,  imme- 
diately put  aboard  other  ships,  and  may  not  return  into  Europe  under 
three  years'  service,  being  allowed  some  little  trade  for  their  greater 
encouragement  ;  for  the  true  way  to  be  well  serv'd  is  to  promote  the 
interest  of  those  who  are  employ'd.  Thus  we  see  that  there  is  no  reason 
to  admire  that  the  Dutch  are  so  wealthy,  and  so  zealously  serv'd  in 
India,  their  care  in  advancing  such  as  are  in  their  service  exciting  all 
persons  to  be  zealous  in  the  performance  of  their  duty  ;  for  the  kindness 
of  a  master  very  often  fixes  the  wavering  fidelity  of  the  servant.  It  is 
well  known  that  the  Dutch  owe  the  flourishing  condition  they  are  m  to 
the  mighty  trade  they  drive  in  several  parts  of  the  world  ;  and  it  is  no 
less  plain  that  their  greatest  wealth  is  drawn  from  India,  whence,  as  has 
been  said,  they  yearly  receive  thirteen  or  fourteen  ships  richly  laden ; 
the  cargo  whereof  outward-bound  costs  them  little,  and  the  import  they 
vend  to  all  other  nations  at  their  own  rates."  (LuiUier,  translation  by 
Symson,  vp.  cit.,  p.  322.) 

^  In  orig,:  "au  hasard  meine  do  scrvir." 


220  DEATH    OF    DE    LA    HAVE.  [l^97- 

ill  our  Eobbers'  Interest,  thought  that  a  lengthening  out  of 
time,  might  in  some  measure  efface  the  Idcca  of  his  Infamy's, 
old  Crimes  never  ap})earing  so  crying  as  new. 

Some  time  after  the  Sicur  dc  la  Hayc,  one  of  our  unfortu- 
nate Companions,  dy'd  of  a  Bloody  Flux  at  Batavia,  that 
being  the  ordinary  Distemper  reigning  in  those  Countries ; 
so  that  of  five  we  were  at  first,  there  now  remain'd  but  three, 
the  Sieurs  Be — le,  La  Case,  and  my  Self. 

Altho'  there  have  been  many  Accounts  of  Batavia'^  the 
Beader  will  not  think  me  impertinent  if  I  acquaint  him  with 
what  I  have  observ'd  there  during  a  year's  Eesidence, 
without  having  any  regard  to  what  Descriptions  have  been 
made  by  others. 

^  The  best  account  of  the  foundation  and  rise  of  Batavia  is  that  in 
Franpois  A^'alentyn's  great  work,  entitled  Oud  en  JS'icnw  Oost  Indie.  It 
was  iu  1619  that  the  Governor-General*  took  the  town  of  Jaccatra, 
which  he  in  a  great  measure  destroyed,  and  founded  another  city,  not 
exactly  on  the  same  spot,  but  very  near  it,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of 
Batavia  ;  though  it  is  said  that  he  much  wished  to  have  called  it  New 
Horn,  from  the  place  of  his  nativity,  Horn  in  North  Holland.  Although 
then  an  inconsiderable  place,  iu  point  of  strength  and  beauty,  he 
declared  it  the  capital  of  the  Dutch  settlements  in  India ;  his  choice  of 
the  situation  was  so  just,  his  plan  so  well  contrived,  and  everything 
throve  so  fast  under  his  care,  that  Batavia  rose  with  unparalleled 
rapidity  to  that  magnificence  and  importance  which  have  rendered  it 
both  the  admiration  and  the  dread  of  all  the  more  eastern  nations  of 
the  Indies  ;  and  which  still  dazzle  and  overawe  them,  although  the  city 
has  for  these  last  fifty  years  (1748-98)  greatly  declined,  both  as  to 
opulence  and  poiiulatiou.     (Wilcocke,  op.  at.,  i,  250.) 


*  Ian  Pieterszoon  Koen,  whose  likeness  is  portrayed  by  Valentyn. 
"The  inestimable  work  of  Valentyn",  wrote  Wilcocke,  in  1793,  to 
which  the  reader  is  so  frequently  referred,  "is  scarce  even  in  Holland  ;  it 
consists  of  five  large  folio  volumes,  containing  upwards  of  l,U00cop2)er- 
plates.''  Mr.  Wilcocke  was  in  possession  of  a  copy  which  he  procured  at 
much  pains  and  expense  ;  and  he  says  that,  "  would  his  limits  allow  it, 
he  would  be  more  copious  in  his  extracts  from  it,  as  it  is  a  treasure 
locked  up  in  a  chest,  of  which  few  have  the  key,  no  translation  having 
ever  been  made  of  it."  (Slavorinns,  vol.  ii,  p.  351.)  There  is  a  good 
copy  of  this  valuable  work  in  the  London  Library. 


\ 


1 697-]  THE    CITY    OF    BATAVIA.  221 

This  City  is  so  fine,  and  so  considerable  in  all  Respects, 
that  it  may  well  furnish  new  Subjects  of  Observation  to 
every  Traveller,  and  especially  to  the  New-comers,  who 
shall  not  fail  to  meet  with  continual  Changes  and  Altera- 
tions. 

It  lies  in  a  ilat  Country,  in  the  Island  of  Java,  in  the 
sixteenth^  Degree  of  South-Latitude,  and  is  built  altogether 

1  Batavia  Observatory  is  in  6°  7'  36"  lat.  S.,  106°  48'  7"  lonp;.  E.,  of 
Greenwich.  In  orig. :  "  an  sixieme  dcyre  de  Latitude  Meridionalc.'" 
The  town  was  surrounded,  as  Leguat  observed,  by  a  rampart  faced 
with  stone  and  fortified  with  twenty-two  bastions.  The  rarajDart  was 
environed  by  a  ditch  about  forty-five  yards  over,  full  of  water  at 
spring  high  tides,  but  nearly  dry  and  stinking  at  low  water  during 
certain  seasons.  The  approaches  to  the  town  were  defended  by  several 
detached  forts.  In  virtue  of  which  prudent  measures  it  was  supposed 
that  no  enemy  could  ever  surprise  the  city. 

The  city  of  Batavia  might  well  obtain  the  appellation  of  being  the 
Queen  of  the  East,  on  account  of  the  wealth  of  its  inhabitants,  the 
grandeur  of  its  buildings,  and  the  vast  extent  of  its  commerce.  This 
wiis  indeed  the  heart  of  the  Dutch  empire  in  India,  as  the  island  of  Java 
itself  constituted  the  principal  source  of  all  its  opulence  and  strength. 
By  the  annexation  of  Holland  to  France  the  Dutch  were  deprived  of  the 
protection  afforded  by  their  alliance  with  Great  Britain,  and  Batavia 
was  captured  by  Sir  Samuel  Auchmuty,  in  August  1811,  and  relinquished 
to  the  Dutch. after  the  fall  of  Napoleon,  1816. 

The  fortifications  of  Batavia  were  destroyed  before  the  arrival  of  the 
British,  by  General  Daendels,  with  a  view  to  rendering  the  city  more 
healthy.  The  toAvn,  says  Thorn,  has  certainly  a  fine  appearance,  and 
contains  many  substantial  houses.  "  The  streets  are  broad,  with  canals 
in  the  middle,  on  each  side  of  which  is  a  gravelled  road  for  the  use  of 
carriages,  etc.,  and  on  the  side  next  to  the  houses  is  a  pavement  six  feet 
in  width,  for  foot  passengers.  Eows  of  trees  run  along  the  sides  of  the 
canal,  and  the  edge  of  each  footpath,  consisting  principally  of  the 
Inophyllum  and  Calaba,  the  Canary  Nut-tree,  and  the  Guettarda  Spe- 
ciosa  with  its  odoriferous  flowers.  The  canals,  which  have  numerous 
bridges  over  them,  are  'generally  of  the  same  breadth  as  the  carriage- 
roads."     {Vide  Thorn,  /.  c.,p.  252.) 

"  The  castle  at  Batavia",  says  Thorn,  "is  very  spacious,  and  contains 
a  number  of  buildings  and  extensive  warehouses,  in  the  construction  of 
which  prodigious  labour  and  expense  must  have  been  incurred.  Such, 
however,  was  tl)c  unhealthincss  of  the  jilace  to  the  troops  that  they 
were  withdrawn,  and  the  spot  converted  into  a  depot  for  naval  and 


222  STREETS  AND  CANALS.  [1697. 

after  the  manner  of  HoUand,  but  with  white  Stone.  Its 
form  is  an  oblong  Square,  and  in  an  Angle  towards  the 
Xorth-West  is  the  Sea,  and  the  Fort  or  Citadel.  Its  Length 
is  about  two  Thousand  common  Paces,  and  its  Breadth  about 
fifteen  Hundred.  The  Houses  in  general  were  formerly  low 
built,  but  now  they  have  got  a  Custom  of  building  them 
higher,  no  more  Hurricanes  being  to  be  fear'd,  so  that  the 
City  is  become  much  finer  than  it  was  at  first.  The  Streets 
are  straight  and  large,  and  have  for  the  most  part  Canals 
running  through  them,  with  tall  Trees  on  their  Banks,  like 
those  of  Holland,  but  with  this  Difference,  that  the  Trees 
here  are  always  green. 

The  Canals  are  fill'd  with  clear  Water  from  a  certain 
Elver,  which  having  run  thro'  the  City,^  discliarges  it  self 
into  the  Sea.  The  City  is  surrounded  with  strong  Walls, 
and  flank'd  with  many  good  Bastions  well  furnish'd  with 
Cannon. 

The  Citadel  is  a  Fort  with  four  Eoyal  Bastions,  fac'd  with 
large  square  Stones,  and  built  level  with  the  Ground  without 
any  Ditch/  and  consequently  without  Water,  whatever  the 

military  stores,  magazines  for  spices  and  other  valuable  articles." 
(L'.  253.) 

"  The  city,  however,  is  now  much  deserted,  and  all  the  wealthy  inhabit- 
ants live  in  the  environs,  priucipally  on  two  roads  leading  to  AA'elter- 
vrceden  ;  the  one  east  called  the  Jacatra  road,  the  other  west  through 
Molenvliet  and  Ryswick,  These  two  elegant  roads  are  planted  with 
shady  trees,  and  exhibit  all  along  a  number  of  very  handsome  houses, 
with  beautiful  gardens  and  plantations  round  them,  thus  forming  a  very 
agreeable  excui-sion  of  about  six  miles."     (P.  252.) 

1  In  orig.  :  "  en  se  commuuiquant  9^  &  lii,"  omitted  by  translator. 

2  There  is  an  observable  discrepancy  in  the  different  accounts  as  to 
the  presence  of  a  ditch  to  the  citadel.  The  East  India  Officer  [1747- 
48]  says  the  fort  has  "  four  royal  bastions  faced  with  stone,  but  no  other 
moat  than  the  canals,  which  lie  at  some  distance  from  the  ramparts,  are 
about  twenty  feet  broad,  and  fordable  in  most  places."  (An  almost  exact 
copy  of  Leguat's  words  !)  Stavorinus,  on  the  other  hand,  later,  distinctly 
states  of  the  castle  or  citadel,  that  the  walls  and  ramparts  are  built  of 
coral-rock,  and  are  about  twenty  feet  in  height.    "  It  is  surrounde<l  by  a 


i6gy.]  THE  FORT.  223 

Abbot  de  Choisy^  may  say  to  the  contrary,  whose  Voyage,  in 
other  respects,  is  good  enough.  At  a  certain  distance  from 
the  Eampart,  which  is  not  equal  on  every  side,  there  are 
indeed  Canals  of  twenty,  and  twenty-five  Foot  broad,  which 
defend,  in  some  measure,  the  approaches  to  the  Fort,  altho' 
they  are  fordable  almost  every  where,  as  I  can  well  affirm 
who  have  often  sounded  them.  You  cross  the  Fort  from 
North  to  South,  there  being  in  the  middle  of  the  two  Cur- 
tains two  Gates  which  look  upon  one  anotlier.  As  they  have 
no  reason  to  apprehend  a  sudden  Siege,  they  have  taken  no 
care  to  leave  the  place  of  Arms  as  open  as  it  ought  to  be, 
but  on  the  contrary,  have  crouded  it  with  Houses,  for  'tis 
there  the  General,  the  Director-General,  the  ordinary  and 
extraordinary  Counsellors,  and  the  other  Officers  and  People 
belonging  to  the  Comjyany,  live.  This  Fort  commands  both 
tlie  Haven  and  the  Town,  and  is  mounted  with  about  sixty 
Pieces  of  Cannon,  fifteen  or  sixteen  whereof  have  the  Arms 
of  France  on  them,  having  been  taken  from  the  French. 
The  four  Bastions  have  the  names  of  the  Diamond,  Euhy, 

wet  ditch,  over  wliich  on  the  south  side  lies  a  drawbridge.  Between 
the  moat  and  the  buildings  within  the  fort,  on  this  side,  there  is  a  large 
area  or  esplanade."  {Op.  cit.,  i,  225.)  Captain  Parish's  account  of  this 
fortress,  in  Macartney's  Embassy  to  China,  1793,  is  as  follows  :  "  A  little 
above  was  the  castle  ;  a  regular  square  fort,  but  without  ravelins  or 
outworks.  It  had  two  guns  mounted  on  each  flank,  and  two,  or  some- 
times three,  on  each  face ;  they  were  not  en  harhctle,  nor  properly  en 
embrasure,  but  in  a  situation  between  both,  having  both  their  disadvan- 
tages, without  the  advantage  of  either.  The  wall  was  of  masonry 
about  twenty-four  feet  high.  It  had  no  ditch,  but  a  canal  surrounded 
it  at  some  distance.     It  had  no  cordon.'''     (Stavorinus,  vol,  i,  p.  256.) 

"  In  the  middle  of  the  city  there  is  a  large  square  which  is  used  as  a 
garrison.  On  the  west  side  of  this  square  stands  a  great  clnirch,  whose 
cupola,  though  not  so  large,  yet  resembles  that  of  St.  Paul's  at  London 
so  much,  that  the  English  sailors  commonly  give  it  that  name."  (  Voyage 
to  East  Indies,  1747-48,  p.  79.) 

'  "  La  citadelle  est  batie  sur  pilotis  :  elle  est  de  quatre  grands 
bastions  avec  un  bon  foss^  d'eau  vive."  {Journal  du  Voyaye  dc  ,Si(un, 
par  ]\I.  I'Abbe  dc  Choisy,  2nd  edit.,  p.  223.) 


224  FINE   PUBLIC    BUILDINGS.  [1697. 

Pearl,  and  Saphire}  Between  the  Town  and  the  Fort, 
Southerly  of  the  latter,  there  is  a  considerable  large  Field 
where  Sheep  feed,  which  is  travers'd  by  a  fine  row  of  Trees 
that  lead  to  the  Fort-Gate,  within  which  is  a  Corps  de  Guard} 
You  may  there  see,  between  four  Pallisadoes,  a  great  num- 
ber of  Cannon  for  the  Ships.  Almost  in  the  middle  of  the 
City  there  is  a  large  square  Place,  where  the  Garrison  is 
commonly  drawn  up,  being  about  1,000  Men.  Myn  Heer 
Greverihrook,  a  very  good  Man,  and  an  Officer  of  this  Garri- 
son, was  so  kind  and  generous  to  me  on  all  Occasions,  that 
I  am  glad  of  having  here  an  opportunity  to  make  my 
Acknowledgments  to  him.  On  one  side  Westward  of  this 
Place  stands  the  great  Church,  Southerly  the  Guild -Hall  or 
Town-House,  jSTortherly  there  is  a  long  range  of  fine  Houses, 
and  Easterly  there  runs  one  of  the  great  Canals.  Over  and 
above  this  great  Church,  where  Divine  Worship  is  exercis'd 
in  Dutch,  there  is  another  in  the  Citadel. 

The  reforni'd  Portugueses  have  two  Churches,  one  in  the 
City  and  another  in  the  Suburbs ;  and  these  Congregations 
are  very  Numerous,  because  they  consist  of  divers  Foreigners 
that  speak  the  Portuguese  Language.  The  both  Proselite 
and  Reforni'd  Malays  have  also  a  Church  in  the  City,  where 
the  Service  is  in  their  Language :    This  is  a  Translation  of 

1  "  Besides  the  forts,"  writes  Smollett,  "  there  is  the  famous  citadel  of 
Batavia,  which  is  a  very  fine  regular  fortification  situated  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  facing  the  city,  and  planted  with  four  bastions,  two  of 
which  command  the  sea, 'and  the  other  two  the  town."  {Op.  cit.,  x,  cap.  i.) 

Valentyn,  in  his  Life  of  Cornelis  Spcelman,  Governor-General  of  the 
Indian  Ncderlands,  gives  the  number  of  guns  in  these  bastions,  with 
their  names,  Diamant,  Rohyn,  Sapphier,  and  Paarl.  The  same  author 
also  gives  engravings  of  the  buildings  within  and  without  the  citadel. 

"  This  citadel",  writes  Smollett,  "  hath  two  great  gates,  the  one  called 
the  Company's  gate,  built  in  1G30,  with  a  bridge  of  square  stone,  of  four- 
teen arches,  each  twenty-six  yards  long."    {Universal  Hint.,  vol.  x,cap.  i.) 

2  "  On  the  left  side  of  the  gate  is  a  large  building,  which  serves  as 
a  corps-de-garde,  having  in  front  a  long  gallery,  resting  upon  a  row  of 
pillars.  A  captain's  guard  of  grenadiers  are  generally  posted  here." 
{Stavoriniis,  vol.  i,  p.  257.) 


1 697-]  SUBUEBS  AND  GABDENS.  225 

the  Holland  Liturgy.  This  Church  is  large,  and  has  a  very 
numerous  Congregation.  The  Roman  Catholicks  have  also 
Liberty  of  Conscience,  and  do  what  they  please  in  their  own 
Houses,  without  the  Magistrates  intermedling,  hut  they  are 
to  have  the  exercise  of  no  Publick  Worship. 

The  City  is  surrounded  with  an  universal  Suburh  which 
extends  above  half  a  League  into  the  Country,  and  which 
forming  a  second  City  much  larger  than  the  first  contains 
likewise  a  greater  number  of  Inhabitants.  It  is  here  the 
Chincses  live,  on  account  of  their  Burial-Places  and  Pagodes. 
They  have  also  a  Eesidence  in  the  City  and  even  an  Hos- 
pital. The  Suburbs  have  likewise  Canals  of  divers  sizes, 
witli  double  rows  of  Trees.  Besides  the  great  Canal  in  the 
middle,  there  are  two  smaller  on  each  side,  about  fifteen  or 
twenty  foot  broad,  which  wash  the  Foundations  of  the 
Houses,  insomuch  that  you  can't  enter  them  but  over  a 
Draw-Bridge :  Behind  are  large  Gardens  and  Orchards, 
which  furnish  Batavia  with  Pulse  and  Fruits.  The  Gardens 
of  the  City  are  small  and  few  in  number.  The  Houses  of 
Gardiners,  and  other  such  like  mean  People  in  the  Suburbs, 
are  for  the  most  part  built  with  Bamboos,  which  are  a  sort 
of  hollow,  light,  and  very  hard  Canes  as  large  as  one's  Thigh, 
and  commonly  forty  or  fifty  foot  long.  These  Bamhoos  are 
very  beneficially  made  use  of  divers  other  ways,  because 
they  for  a  long  time  resist  the  injuries  of  the  Air.  They 
have  here  likewise  divers  other  sorts  of  Canes :  'Tis  very 
common  to  find  a-top  of  these  Canes  large  Ant-Nests,  made 
of  a  fat  Earth,  which  these  Animals^  carry  up  in  the  inside 
of  the  Canes.  In  these  Nests  every  Ant  has  its  little  Coll 
apart,  not  unlike  those  the  Bees  make.  'Tis  here  they  have 
their  Eesidence,  during  the  violent  and  frequent  Rains  wliich 
over-flow  the  Country  for  four  or  five  Months  in  tlie  year, 
and  which  would  certainly  drown  them,  if  they  had  not  this 
Secret  to  preserve  themselves  from  Danger. 

'  Termites  or  white  ants. 

Q 


226  THE   GENERAL  MAGAZINE.  [i'^97- 

The  Bay  of  Batavia  is  the  finest  and  most  secure  of  any 
in  the  World :  Ships  ride  there  without  any  danger  all  the 
year  round;  for  that  Sea  is  hardly  ever  agitated,  as  well 
because  there  are  a  great  number  of  little  Islands  that  break 
the  Waves,  as  because  the  Winds  there  are  never  Violent. 
Every  day,  without  ever  failing,  there  rises  about  ten  a 
Clock  in  the  Morning  a  Sea-gale,  which  serves  to  carry  the 
Chaloupes  into  the  City,  and  at  ten  at  Night  there  comes 
one  from  the  Land,  that  carries  the  same  Chaloupes  out 
again  to  Sea.  One  belongs  to  the  North,  and  the  other  to 
the  South.^ 

These  Chaloupes  and  some  Fisher-boats  go  and  come  by  a 
streight  Canal  that  comes  out  of  the  Paver,  and  which  is 
form'd  by  two  Paralel-Lines  supported  by  Piles,  and  fill'd 
with  Earth,  in  like  manner  as  the  Dikes  in  Holland,  or  rather 
those  of  BmikirW-  are. 

This  Canal  is  twelve  hundred  common  Paces  long,  and 
each  Dike  is  about  five  and  twenty  foot  broad.  They  would 
be  wonderful  fine  Walks,  if  they  were  shaded  with  a  double 
row  of  Trees.  As  there  are  no  bad  Winds  there,  those  Trees 
w^ould  undoubtedly  grow  well,  and  I  fancy  their  Eoots  would 
bind  the  Earth  of  the  Dikes  together,  rather  than  loosen  it. 

Batavia  being  not  only  the  general  Magazine  of  the 
Company,  and  the  Place  from  whence  she  sends  most  of  her 
Fleets  to  all  Parts  of  the  World ;  and  being  likewise  the 
place  of  Eefuge  and  oftentimes  the  Asylum  for  the  ships  of 
other  Nations ;  it  is  easie  to  imagine  that  the  view  of  this 
Bay  fill'd  witli  so  many  large  Vessels  must  be  wonderfully 
pleasant,  especially  if  you  consider  that  you  see  at  the  same 

1  The  regular  tropical  land  and  sea-breezes. 

2  Diinl-irk^  in  1702,  was  thus  described  by  Dr.  John  Northleigh  : 
"Its  situation  is  on  the  North  side  of  the  Canal,  environ'd  by  the  Sea  in 
form  of  a  Halfmoon,  the  Breach  of  which  is  us'd  to  fill  the  Works  Avith 
Sand,  but  this  is  resisted  now  by  a  long  Bank  of  Timberwork,  Faggots, 
and  Fascines,  that  run  for  half  a  mile  into  the  Sea."  (Harris's  Voyages, 
vol.  ii,  p.  721.) 


1 697-]  A   SUPPORTABLE    CLIMATE.  227 

time  fifteen  or   twenty  little  Islands  always  cover'd  with 
green  Trees. 

The  Company  builds  its  Slii^DS  at  a  small  Island  call'd 
Onrut}  about  two  Leagues  from  Batavia.  It  is  well  fur- 
nish'd,  and  provided  with  a  good  Artillery. 

Altho'  Batavia  be  far  in  the  Torrid  Zone,  the  Heats  there 
are  very  Supportable,  because  the  Sea- Winds,  of  which  I 
have  already  spoken,  refresh  the  Air  extreamly,  and  render 
it  temperate  even  at  Noon-day.^ 

The  Eains  also  are  very  frequent  from  the  Month  of 
November,  to  that  of  April,  which  is  the  time  the  Heats 
ought  to  be  most  Violent,  because  they  are  the  six  Summer 
Months  of  this  Country.^  In  truth,  the  Days  being  almost 
equal  to  the  Nights  all  the  year  round,  and  the  Cold  being 
in  a  manner  unknown,  we  may  say  the  Summer  here  is 
Perpetual.  One  judges  of  the  Harvest  by  the  Eain  that 
falls  more  or  less  during  these  six  Months ;  for  when  it  does 

^  The  works  on  the  island  of  Onrust  for  building  and  repairing  ships 
of  all  sizes  were  destroyed  by  Sir  Edward  Pellew  ;  but  previously  ships 
were  here  hove  down  by  cranes  erected  upon  the  wharves,  when  they 
required  repairs.  This  little  island  was  strongly  fortified,  and.  had  a 
handsome  church  and  large  warehouses,  being  the  great  marine  depot ; 
it  was  crowded  with  inhabitants,  and  was  celebrated  in  Dutch  poetry  as 
one  of  the  wonders  of  the  Eastern  world.  (Cf.  Thorn's  Conquest  of 
Java,  p.  251.) 

2  Admiral  Stavorinus  writes  :  "  What,  however,  is  the  most  disagree- 
able circumstance  attending  a  residence  at  Batavia,  is  the  insalubrity  of 
the  climate,  and  the  great  degree  of  mortality  which  prevails  there." 
Stavorinus  goes  on  to  attribute  this  unhealthiness  to  the  low,  swampy 
land,  overgrown  with  trees  and  underwood,  the  neighbourhood  of 
morasses  and  stagnant  water,  the  "  stinking  mud-banks",  "  filthy  bogs", 
and  the  slime,  moUusca,  dead  fish,  mud,  and  weeds  thrown  up  along  the 
shore,  which,  putrifying  with  the  utmost  rapidity,  load  the  air  with 
miasmata.  Already  in  the  time  of  Stavorinus  all  who  could  afford  it  had 
deserted  the  town  to  reside  in  the  country  higher  up,  whilst  the  numerous 
canals  by  neglect  had  become  mere  sewers.     {Op.  cit.^i  vol.  iii,  chap,  vi.) 

3  From  October  to  April  the  north-west  monsoon  of  the  Indian 
Ocean  prevails  on  the  coasts  of  Java  and  Sumatra,  with  bad  weather 
and  heavy  rains. 

q2 


228  MUM   AXD   KXIP.  [1697. 

but  Eain  little,  or  not  at  all,  the  Earth  abounds  so  with 
Insects  that  the  Fruits,  Herbs,  Pulse,  and  particularly  the 
Eice  are  so  eaten  by  them,  that  they  are  altogether  spoil'd. 

Eice  is  so  common  throughout  all  this  Island,  which  has 
about  two  liundred  Leagues  in  Length,  to  fifty  in  Breadth, 
that  a  Man  can  hardly  eat  a  Farthings-worth  in  a  Day,  altho' 
great  quantities  are  eaten  there,  Kice  being  the  ordinary 
Bread  of  this  Country.  No  other  sort  of  Corn  will  grow 
here.  That  which  they  have  is  brought  from  Bcngala,  where 
it  costs  but  a  Farthing  a  Pound.  There  is  a  great  deal 
brought  to  Batavia,  from  that  Province  of  the  Great  Mogul ; 
and  Wheat-Bread  is  not  sold  dearer  here  than  in  Holland. 
The  Natives  do  not  at  all  care  for  it. 

There  are  no  Vine-yards  in  any  part  of  Java ;  but  at 
Batavia,  and  thereabouts,  there  are  a  great  many  Vine- 
Arbours,^  whose  Grapes  are  good  enough  to  eat,  but  'tis 
observ'd  they  come  to  no  great  jSIaturity.  These  Vines  produce 
Fruit  seven  times  in  two  years.  As  soon  as  the  Grapes  are 
gathered  you  cut  the  Vine,  and  in  about  three  Months  and  a 
half,  you  will  have  new  ones,  that  will  be  as  ripe  as  can  be 
here.  These  Vines  bear  Grapes  the  first  year  they  are 
planted,  and  shoot  more  in  one  year,  as  do  likewise  all  other 
Trees,  than  they  would  do  in  eight  in  Europe.  For  all  this 
no  Wine  is  made  here,  and  that  which  is  drunk  comes  either 
from  Persia  or  Spain,  and  costs  near  a  Crown  a  Pint.'^ 
Beer  from  Brunswick,  call'd  also  Mum,  is  very  dear  here, 
but  there  is  a  sort  made  in  the  Country,  which  is  tolerably 
good,  that  does  not  cost  above  a  Penny  a  Pint.  The  Soldiers 
drink,  for  the  same  Price,  a  sort  of  Liquor  call'd  Knip, 
made  of  Brandy  distill'd  from  Fruit  and  a  certain  Sea-froth. 
This  is  a  more  pernicious  Potable  than  Araquc  at  Isle 
Maurice,  especially  when  it  is  new. 

The  ordinary  Drink  at  Batavia,  and  the  most  cheap,  is 

^  In  orig. :  "  Yignes  en  treilles." 

2  Fn  orig.  :  ("  la  quarte  d'Angleterre),"  omitted  by  translator. 


l6gy.]  TEA   AND   COFFEE   EOOMS.  229 

Tea,  which  the  Chineses  sell  for  the  most  part  in  Eooms^  for 
that  purpose.  For  two  Dutch  Pence,  they  give  you  four 
different  Cups  of  Sweet-Meats,  containing  each  half  a  Pound, 
and  another  like  Cup  of  White- sugar-candy ;  besides  which 
they  bring  you  as  much  Tea  as  four  People  can  drink.  They 
use  ordinarily  the  best  common  Tea,  which  is  sold  at  ten 
Pence-  a  Pound.  Imperial  Tea  is  worth  twice  that  Money. 
In  these  same  Places,  you  may  likewise  have  Coffee,  but  it  is 
sold  a  Penny  a  Dish,  as  in  Eiigland  and  Holland. 

They  have  at  Batavia  divers  sorts  of  excellent  Fruits,  of 
which  Grapes  only  and  Water-Melons  are  known  in  Europe. 

Tlie  Ananas,  Coco's,  and  Bana7ics  are  to  be  met  with  in 
great  abundance. 

Every  one  knows  what  the  i>c/c^-Leaves,  and  Arcqna  Nuts 
^re,  which  all  the  Natives  of  this  Island,  both  Men,  Women, 
and  Children  chaw  incessantly  to  fortifie  their  Gums  and 
Stomach,  for  sometimes  they  swallow  the  Juice.  This  Juice 
is  as  red  as  Blood,  and  gives  a  like  Tincture  to  the  Spittle, 
which  it  provokes  abundantly,^  so  that  all  who  use  this  Drink 
have  their  Lips  continually  bloody  as  it  were,  which  is  no 
pleasant  sight  to  look  upon.  When  you  are  not  accustom'd 
to  this  Drug,  you  find  its  Tast  insupportably  sharp,  but 
otherwise  it  becomes  like  Tobacco,*  and  you  find  it  difiicult 
to  leave  it.  If  this  Betel  strengthens  the  Gums,  as  all  say  it 
does,^  with  all  my  Heart,  but  I'm  sure  at  the  same  time  it 
blackens  the  Teeth  in  that  frightful  manner,  that  these 
People  must  needs  be  ignorant  of  the  sweetness  and  charms 
of  a  fair  Mouth.  Betel  is  a  Shrub,  shap'd  somewhat  like  a 
Pepper-Tree,  but  has  triangular  Leaves^  and  is  green  all  the 

1  In  orig.  :  "  &  ce  sont  les  Chinois  qui  tienneut  ces  sortes  de  cabarets." 

2  In  orig.  :  "dix  sous"  =  bil, 

3  In  orig,  :  "  qu'il  faut  perpetuellement  craclier,"  omitted  by  trans- 
lator. 

4  In  orig, ;  "  quand  une  fois  on  en  a  pris  I'habitude,"  omitted  by  trans- 
lator. 

^  In  orig, :  "  j'y  consens  &  je  m'eu  rapportc  a  ce  qui  cu  est." 


230  AREQUA   AND   MANGOS.  [1697. 

year  round.  The  Tree  that  bears  the  Nut  call'd  Arcqua,  is 
very  tall  and  straight.  They  commonly  wrap  up  a  quarter 
of  an  Arcqua-'KviV'  in  some  Betcl-LQa.\cs,  and  so  chaw  them 
together :  Some  add  a  little  Slack'd-Lime,  but  that  is  not  in 
use  at  Batavia. 

Mango  is  a  Fruit  of  the  Country,  which  passes  for  very 
good  and  very  wholsom.  It  is  commonly  about  the  bigness 
of  an  Egg,  but  longer,  and  a  little  crooked  like  a  Gerkin 
Cucumber.  Its  Eind  is  green  and  thick,  and  I  have  heard 
some  say  they  have  seen  red  of  them.  The  inside  is  white, 
and  tasts  somewhat  like  a  Muscat-Gr^-^o, :  It  is  very  fast  ty'd 
by  its  Fibres  to  the  Stone,  which  is  large.  This  Fruit  grows 
upon  a  great  Tree,  very  proper  for  the  Carpenter.^  There  is 
a  sort  of  Mango  without  a  Stone,  which  is  pickled  in  Vinegar 
like  this,  with  Garlick,  Anuiseed,  and  some  other  Ingre- 
dients. 

The  Gardens*  of  Batavia  furnish  the  Inhabitants  with 
Herbs  and  Pulse  of  the  Euroioean  kind,  from  whence  the 

1  "  Pinang  is  the  name  of  the  kernel  of  the  areca-nut  {Areca  cathecn)  ; 
but  it  seems  likewise  to  mean  the  mixture  of  the  ingredients  they  use 
for  mastication."     (Wilcocke,  I.  c,  vol.  i,  p.  78  ;  vide  ante,  p.  197.) 

"  The  betel  is  a  plant  which  produces  long  rank  leaves,  in  their  shape 
resembling  those  of  a  citron  ;  in  taste  they  are  of  an  agreeable  bitter. 
The  fruit  grows  in  the  shape  of  a  lizard's  tail,  about  two  fingers' 
breadth,  very  long,  of  an  aromatic  flavour,  and  in  its  smell  extremely 
grateful.  The  Indians  carry  with  them  continually  the  leaves  of  betel 
at  all  visits  ;  they  are  presented  in  ceremony,  and  the  natives  are 
ahuost  perpetually  chewing  them.  As  the  taste  is  very  bitter,  they 
for  the  most  part  qualify  them  with  araca  fauful  (a  kind  of  nut  some- 
thing smaller  than  the  nutmeg,  without  taste,  and  yielding  when 
chewed  a  red  juice),  or  the  powder  of  calcined  oyster-shells.  Thus 
prepared  they  have  a  very  agreeable  flavour.  After  they  have  chewed 
the  juice  out  of  them,  they  spit  forth  the  dry  mass.  There  are 
some  who  mix  their  betel-leaves  witli  lime,  amber,  and  cardamom- 
seeds,  others  with  Chinese  tobacco."     {Universal  Hist.,  vol.  ix.) 

2  In  orig. :  "  dont  le  bois  est  propre  pour  la  charpente." 

3  The  handsome  country  houses  in  the  environs  of  Batavia,  with 
beautiful  gardens  aud  plantations  around  tbem,  extended  for  miles 
to  the  east,  west,  aud  south  of  the  city.     (Cf.  Thorn  aud  Stavoriuus.) 


l6gy.]  BEEF,  GAME,  AND    DHUGS.  231 

Seed  has  been  brought.  This  Island,  moreover,  as  you  may- 
very  well  imagine,  has  its  own  particular  Plants.  Here 
follow  two  of  them,  which  one  of  my  Friends  who  has 
apply'd  himself  to  that  Study,  has  curiously  design'd  for  me  : 
I  think  they  are  little  known ;  they  say  they  only  grow 
naturally  in  some  of  those  little  Islands  which  lie  between 
Borneo  and  Java} 

Beef  and  Buffalo  cost  two  pence  a  Pound,  and  are  not 
much  better  one  than  the  other.  This  Country  abounds 
with  a  sort  of  wild  Boars  or  Hogs,  which  you  may  have  at 
very  cheap  rates.  Mutton  is  extreamly  dear  here,  and  to  be 
seen  only  at  the  best  Tables.  The  Eeason  is  that  sheep  are 
not  rear'd  without  great  difficulty,  the  pasture  being  not 
proper  for  them,  and  the  Dew  besides  rotting  them^ :  They 
swell  and  die  in  a  short  time.  China-'PoYk,  so  call'd  because 
the  Hogs  come  from  that  Country,  is  sold  at  six-pence  a 
Pound  :  They  have  Pullets,  Ducks,  and  Pigeons,  which  are 
sold  very  near  as  dear  as  they  are  in  Europe.  Hunted 
Game  is  scarce,  except  Pintado'' s,  of  which  I  have  already 
spoken,  and  whereof  there  are  two  or  three  kinds:  You 
have  abundance  of  Fish  here,  and  that  almost  for  nothing. 
There  is  but  one  reigning  or  common  Distemper  in  the 
Island  of  Java,  but  which  is  very  dangerous,  and  extreamly 
painful.  The  French  at  Batavia  call  this  Disease  Lc  Perse  : 
It  is  a  continual  Bloody  Flux.  As  there  is  no  known  Ptemedy 
for  it,  the  Patient  must  wait,  live  sparingly,  and  let  Nature 
act,  the  surest  and  safest  Method  in  most  sorts  of  Maladies. 
One  may  truly  say,  according  to  the  Etymology  of  the  Word, 
that  the  Drugs  which  Pharmacy  is  compos'd  of,  generally 
speaking  are  rather  a  parcel  of  Poysons  than  Eemedies,  and 
they  believe  in  Java,  among  the  Islanders,  that  almost  all 

1  The  plates  of  these  two  extraordinary  plants  hardly  suffice  to  give 
means  of  identification,  and  are,  therefore,  not  included  among  the 
illustrations  of  this  edition. 

2  In  orig. :  "  &  la  rosee  sur  tout  leur  ctant  fort  coutraire." 


232  COCK-FIGHTING.  [l(^97- 

those  that  prescribe  them  in  Europe  (much  more  blamable 
than  those  that  sell  them)  are  the  Pests  of  Mankind.  The 
common  opinion  is  that  Buffalo-Yl&sh.  and  Fruit  contribute 
much  towards  causing  this  Distemper,  and,  nevertheless,  that 
is  the  Flesh  which  is  most  sold  at  the  Butchers. 

To  speak  Truth,  Batavia  is  not  a  Place  of  very  good 
Cheer.  They  want  a  great  many  Things,  and  what  they 
have  in  common  with  us  are  scarce,  high  priz'd,  and  bad,  in 
comparison  of  Ours.  China-Voxk,  which  I  spoke  of  not  long 
since,  is  luscious  and  insipid :  The  Poultry  is  not  much 
better,  and  consequently  the  Eggs.  The  Pasture,  quite 
different  from  ours  of  Europe,  occasions  bad  Flesh,  bad  Milk, 
and  bad  Butter,  but  all  these  are  to  be  had  in  small  quan- 
tities. 

What  I  have  just  now  said  of  the  Poultry,  brings  into  my 
Piemembrance  tlie  Sport  of  Cock-fighting,  which  is  one  of 
the  greatest  and  most  common  Diversions  of  this  Island. 
They  breed  up  great  numbers  of  these  Animals  on  purpose, 
and  arm  them  with  sharp  Iron  Spurs,  which  they  made  use 
of  with  greater  Dexterity  than  Force.  The  Javans  are  the 
Managers  of  these  Sports,  and  whoever  will,  may  come  to 
them  Gi'atis :  Almost  every  Body  is  concern'd  in  Wagering 
more  or  less,  and  somtimes  considerable  Sums  are  lay'd. 
Whereas  in  England,  where  this  Diversion  is  likewise  com- 
mon, they  disfigure  their  Cocks  by  cutting  off  their  Tails,  and 
plucking  out  Feathers  out  of  other  parts  of  their  Body,^  they 
here  leave  them  in  their  natural  State.  'Tis  true  they  are 
not  so  nimble  as  the  English  Cocks,  but  that  Inconvenience 
being  equal  on  both  sides,  it  is  no  advantage  to  either,  and 
the  Combatants  appear  Nobler  and  more  fierce.  Some  of 
these  Cocks  have  greatly  enrich'd  their  Masters. 

There  are  very  fierce  Beasts  in  this  Island,  such  as  the 
lihinoccros  and  T?/gcr  :  These  last  are  of  a  prodigious  bigness. 

1  In  orig. :  "  coinine  los  Athletes  ont  accoutuim'  dc  se  dcbai'casscr  de 
icurs  habits  pour  ctrc  phis  agilcs,"  omitted  by  translator. 


1 697-]  CROCODILES.  233 

For  Wolves  they  are  altogether  unknown  in  this  Country,  as 
well  as  Foxes. 

There  are  abundance  of  Deer  and  Apes  of  all  kinds. 
Crocodiles  are  extreamly  dreaded  here,  insomuch  that  the 
Company  give  thirty  Florins  for  every  one  that  is  kill'd  ; 
some  have  been  seen  of  twenty  or  thirty  foot  long  :  The  com- 
mon Opinion  in  this  Country,  as  it  has  always  been  among 
the  Naturalists  is,  that  this  Animal  grows  as  long  as  he  lives, 
which  nevertheless  seems  a  Fable.  I  omit  other  Stories  that 
are  told  of  this  Creature ;  even  a  Musket-ball  can't  enter  its 
Back,  you  must  shoot  at  its  Belly.  He  is  very  swift  in 
running,  and  when  you  are  pursu'd  by  him  you  must  fly 
dodging,  because  his  Body  being  very  long,  and  not  at  all 
flexible,  must  have  time  to  turn,  when  you  may  gain  Ground 
and  get  easily  from  him  :  He  is  a  great  lover  of  Dog's-flesh, 
and  as  'tis  said,  no  less  greedy  of  Man's,  but  care  is  taken  he 
seldom  meets  with  the  last.  These  Creatures  are  sometimes 
taken  with  a  large  Hook,  fasten'd  to  the  end  of  a  Chain,  and 
baited  with  a  piece  of  Dog's  or  Sheep's  Flesh.  I  have  seen 
one  taken  in  a  Net  at  Sea,  about  half  a  Mile^  from  Batavia  : 
He  was  thirty-  foot  long.  His  flesh  was  white,  and  smelt  a 
little  Mustish^ :  It  is  wholsom  enough  to  eat.  Some  Persons 
who  liv'd  a  long  time  at  Batavia  assur'd  me  there  is  a  sort 
of  Crocodile  which  is  a  particular  Enemy  to  the  Poultry. 
These  Animals  live  for  the  most  part  in  the  Sea,  or  in  the 
disemboguing  of  Rivers  :  There  are  likewise  Serpents  in  this 
Island.  One  day  as  the  Sieur  dc  la  Case  was  hunting  in  a 
Wood  near  Batavia,  he  perceiv'd  one  coming  down  from  a 
Tree  hissing :  It  was  as  large  as  his  Arm,  and  seven  or  eight 
foot  long.  As  this  Serpent  approach'd,  and  began  to  come 
furiously  at  him,  he  killed  him  with  a  Fusee."*     He  had  a 


'  In  orig. 
^  In  orig. 
3  In  orig. 
*  In  oriL'. 


"  a  cinq  cens  pas." 
"  treize." 

"  un  pen  musquee." 
"  (Vun  coup  de  fusil." 


234  THE  SEurENT-STONE.  [1697. 

sort  of  Hood  upon  his  Head,  much  like  that  meiition'd  Ly 
]\Iousieur  Tavcrnicr.  j\I.  dc  la  Case  was  so  terribly  frightened 
at  this  Serpent,  and  dreaded  so  much  to  meet  with  another 
of  them,  that  he  did  not  mind  looking  after  the  Stone  they 
say  they  have  under  their  Hoods,  which  is  an  admirable 
Antidote.^  There  are  another  sort  of  Serpents,  which  are  at 
least  fifty  Foot  long.  They  preserve  at  Batavia  the  Skin  of 
one  that  devour'd  a  young  Girl,  and  which  was  not  above 
twenty  foot  long. 

Whilst  I  am  upon  this  Article  of  Animals  in  Java,  I  shall 
speak  something  concerning  an  extraordinary  Ape,  which  I 
my  self  have  often  seen  on  the  Point  of  the  Bastion  call'd 
Sajyhire,  where  she  had  a  little  house.  It  was  a  Female,  very 
tall,  and  who  walk'd  upright  on  its  hind-Legs,  It  conceal'd 
the  Parts  that  distinguishes  the  Sexes,  by  one  of  its  Hands, 
which  was  neither  hairy  without  nor  within.  Its  Face  had 
no  other  Hair  upon  it  than  the  Eye-brows,  and  in  general  it 
much  resembled  one  of  those  Grotesque  Faces  which  the 
Female  Hottentots  have  at  the  Cape.  It  made  its  Bed  neatly 
every  Day,  went  into  it,  laid  its  Head  upon  a  Pillow,  and 
cover'd  its  self  with  a  Coverlet,  after  the  manner  practis'd 

1  "  The  Serpent-stone,  which  is  about  the  Bigness  of  a  Double,  is 
ahnost  Oval,  thick  in  the  Middle  and  thin  about  the  Sides  ;  the  Indians 
say  'tis  bred  in  the  Head  of  certain  Serpents,  but  'tis  more  probable, 
'tis  a  Composition  of  certain  Drugs,  because  they  are  to  be  had  of  the 
Bramines  only ;  but  however  it  be,  it  is  of  excellent  Virtue  to  drive 
away  venom  from  such  as  are  bitten  by  venomous  beasts ;  for  being 
laid  to  the  Wound,  'twill  not  come  off  till  it  has  drawn  out  all  the 
Poison,  and  being  steep'd  in  Women's  or  Cows'  Milk  like  Corruption. 
There  is  another  Stone  called  the  Serpent-Stone  with  the  Hood,  because 
that  kind  of  Serpent  has  a  Hood  hanging  down  behind  the  Head,  in 
which  this  Stone  is  found.  It  is  many  times  as  big  as  a  Pullet's  Egg, 
but  it  is  not  found  in  any  less  than  2  foot  long.  .  .  .  This  Stone  being 
rubb'd  against  another  Stone  yields  a  Slime,  which  being  drunk  in 
Water  by  the  Person  that  is  poisou'd  powerfully  expels  the  Venom. 
These  Serpents  are  found  only  on  the  Coasts  of  Mclinda,  but  the 
Stones  are  bought  of  the  Portuguese  INlariners  and  Soldiers  that  come 
from  Mozambique."     (Tavcrnier,  Harris's  Voyar/cs,  vol,  ii,  p.  375.) 


1697-]  PARTICULAR   SPECIES    OF   APE.  235 

among  us.  When  it  had  the  Heacl-Ach  it  bound  its  Head 
with  a  Clout,  and  'twas  pleasant  to  see  it  so  coif'd  a-bed.  1 
could  tell  you  several  other  odd  Stories  of  this  Animal  which 
seem'd  extreamly  singular,  but  as  I  could  not  admire  them 
so  much  as  others  did,  because  I  knew  she  was  to  be  sent  to 
Europe,  and  for  that  reason  might  have  been  taught  all  these 
Tricks,^  I  did  not  deduce  the  same  Consequences  from  them  : 
In  a  word,  this  Ape  died  at  last  off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
in  one  of  the  Ships  belonging  to  the  Fleet  I  was  in.  This 
Creature  had  much  of  a  Human  Figure,  and,  as  'tis  said,  was 
of  a  particular  Species  of  Apes,  to  be  found  only  in  the  Island 
of  Java,  but  all  were  not  of  this  Opinion,^  and  some  believ'd 
this  Beast  was  begot  between  an  Ape  and  a  Woman.  When 
any  Female  Slave  has  committed  a  great  Fault,  and  has 
reason  to  apprehend  being  severely  chastiz'd  for  it,  after  the 
Custom  of  the  Country,  she  commonly  flies  to  the  Woods 
as  a  frighted  Beast,  and  lives  there  much  like  one.  And 
Nature,  who  does  not  oppose  the  Copulation  of  Horses  with 
Asses,  may  well  admit  that  of  an  Ape  with  a  Female- Animal 
that  resembles  him,  especially  where  the  latter  is  not 
restrain'd  by  any  Principle.  An  Ape  and  a  A^c^ro-Slave 
born  and  brought  up  out  of  the  knowledge  of  God,  have  not 
less  Similitude  between  them  than  an  Ass  and  a  Mare.^ 

1  In  orig.:  "  que  le  peuple  regardoit  comme  lui  etant  naturell es  :  h,  la 
verite,  c'etait  une  supposition,"  omitted  by  translator. 

2  In  orig. :  "  Mais  il  y  avoit  peu  de  gens  de  ce  sentiment,  &  I'opinion 
commune  etoit  que  cette  bete." 

3  A  similar  experience  is  related  by  an  officer  in  the  British  East  India 
Company's  service  in  1747  :  "  There  is  an  animal  here  which  I  had  the 
curiosity  to  view  very  attentively.  It  resembled  the  human  form  much 
more  than  any  creature  I  had  ever  seen.  It  was  young,  had  a  melan- 
choly look,  the  face  almost  bare,  but  the  head,  eyebrows,  and  chin  very 
rough.  It  made  little  noise,  showed  great  fondness  in  grasping  me 
around  and  squeezing  me  ;  and  sometimes  made  a  low,  pensive  sound 
as  if  whining  and  crying.  It  walked  upright  with  great  ease,  and  was 
about  three  feet  and  a  half  high.  It  had  no  tail,  and  was  very  often 
found  in  the  woods.  Some  people  not  considering  in  the  scale  of  being 
what  an  almost  imperceptible  gradation  is  constantly  observed  between 


23G  DIVERS   NATIONS.  [1697, 

I  shall  add  to  the  figure  of  this  Ape  that  of  a  small  Lizard 
ia  the  Isle  of  Gilolo,^  which  one  of  my  Friends  drew  according 
to  the  natural  Bigness,  and  presented  to  me.  This  pretty 
little  Animal  has  the  Bill  and  Feet  of  a  Bird :  Its  Head  is 
of  a  lightish  green,  its  Back  of  a  brownish  red,  and  its  Belly 
Limon -colour  spotted  with  Violet-blue.  Its  Tail  has  marks 
like  Rings  round  it :  It  is  a  lively  Creature,  and  very  swift : 
It  catches  and  greedily  devours  Flies.  This  is  the  Account 
that  has  been  given  me  of  this  Animal. 

Batavia,  including  the  City  and  Suburbs,  is  inhabited  by 
divers  Xations,  viz.,  Dutch,  French,  Germans,  Portugueses, 
Javans,  Ghineses,  and  Moors.  The  Languages  most  in  use 
are  Dutch,  Malcuj,  Portuguese,  and  Chinese? 

one  species  of  animal  and  that  which  is  next  to  it,  and  struck  with  the 
near  resemblance  of  this  creature  to  the  human  kind,  both  in  form  and 
sagacity,  have  accounted  for  its  production  in  the  following  manner : 
that  the  cruelty  of  the  Dutch  to  their  Malayan  female  slaves  often 
obliged  them  to  fly  into  the  woods  to  escape  the  cruelty  of  their  tyran- 
nical masters ;  and  being  forced  to  live  there  solitarily,  it  was  thought 
that  they  might  by  length  of  time  turn  mad  or  insensibly  brutish,  and 
might  have  yielded  to  an  unnatural  commerce  with  some  animals  in  the 
woods,  by  which  this  strange  animal  was  produced.''  {A  Voyage  to  the 
East  Indies  in  1747-48,  p.  62.     London,  1752.) 

1  "  Gillolo  Island,  partly  tributary  to  Teruate  and  partly  to  Tidore,  is 
of  considerable  extent  and  well  inhabited.  Oxen,  buffaloes,  goats,  deer, 
and  wild  hogs  abound  in  this  island,  but  sheep  are  very  few.  The 
sago  and  bread-fruit  trees  flourish  here  in  great  abundance.  Ossa  town, 
situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  great  bay  of  that  name,  in  lat.  0°  45'  X., 
long.  128°  22'  E.,  affords  every  convenience  for  ships  touching  here, 
either  for  water,  provisions,  timber  for  spars,  or  other  necessary  articles. 
There  are  several  villages  in  this  bay,  but  that  of  Golonasy  was  destroyed 
by  the  Dutch,  on  the  25th  January,  1808."     (Thorn,  I.  c,  348.) 

The  lizard  described  by  Leguat  is  probably  intended  for  the  Tacluj- 
dromus  sexlineattts,  not  solely  confined  to  this  island,  but  found  thi'ough- 
out  the  neighbouring  Archipelago,  Malaya,  and  China. 

2  "The  population  of  Batavia",  according  to  IMajor  Thorn,  in  1811, 
'•  is  divided  into  the  following  classes.  Next  to  the  Dutch  burghers, 
come  the  Portuguese  or  half-castes,  and  other  Indian  Christians  ;  next 
to  them  are  the  Papangars  or  Mardykears,  who  are  emancipated  slaves  ; 
the  Moors  and  Arabs.    The   other  classes  arc  distinguished  into  the 


1697.]  THE   EMPEROR   OF   JAPAR.  237 

The  Company  is  as  it  were  Absolute  in  this  Island,  a  great 
number  of  petty  Sovereigns  reigning  there  under  their 
Protection  :  Nay,  the  Emperor  of  Japar,  who  is  by  far  the 
most  Potent  of  any  of  them,  cannot  be  said  to  be  entire 
Sovereign  of  his  Country,  since  the  Hollanders  have  divers 
Forts  and  Garrisons  in  it.  As  for  the  Natives  of  those 
Provinces  that  retain  their  antient  Dominion  they  are  so 
great  Slaves  that  they  choose  rather  to  obey  the  Hollanders, 
who  treat  them  more  courteously  and  politickly  than  their 
own  Princes.^ 

The  GeneraP  of  this  Company  is  in  effect  King,  tho'  he  has 

Javanese,  the  Baliers,  Bougginese  or  Buggese,  Macassars,  Amboynese, 
Boutonneers  or  INIadurese,  ]\Ialays,  Sambawaurese,  and  the  Parnakan 
Chinese  ;  these  last  are  the  most  numerous  and  most  useful  of  all  the 
foreign  adventurers  settled  in  Java."     (Thorn,  /.  c,  p.  239.) 

The  entire  population  of  the  island  of  Java  was  estimated  by  INIajor 
Thorn,  in  1811  (p.  232),  at  five  millions;  of  which  the  European 
colonists  formed  comparatively  a  small  number.  "  The  burgher  class 
comprehends  what  is  called  the  Dutch  population  at  Batavia,  but  they 
can  hardly  be  termed  Europeans,  so  completely  are  they  intermixed 
with  the  Portuguese  and  Malay  colonists." 

"  Few  of  the  Batavian  women",  remarked  Thorn,  "  were  Europeans 
by  birth :  their  features  and  the  contour  of  their  faces  may,  indeed, 
indicate  that  origin,  but  their  complexion,  character,  and  mode  of  life 
approach  nearest  to  those  of  the  natives.  Though  fair,  they  have  none 
of  that  rosy  tint  which  distinguishes  the  sex  in  Europe  ;  but  a  pale,  sickly 
languor  overspreads  their  countenances."     {Ihkl.) 

1  "  The  island  of  Java  had  been  anciently  under  the  power  of  a  single 
monarch,  sometimes  styled  by  the  Dutch  simply  emperor,  and  at  others 
King  of  Japara,  from  whom  the  Governor  of  Bantam  revolted,  assumed 
the  title  of  king,  and  was  supported  in  this  quality  of  an  independent 
prince  by  the  Dutch.  It  was  by  a  dexterous  management  of  these 
divisions  that  they  maintained  their  own  power ;  for  whenever  the 
Emperor  of  Java  attempted  anything  to  the  prejudice  of  Batavia,  the 
King  of  Bantam  was  sure  to  take  arms ;  as,  on  the  other  hand,  whenever 
the  King  of  Bantam  took  the  field  against  them,  they  never  failed  to 
have  recourse  to  the  Emperor  of  Java."  {The  Modern  Part  of  an 
Universal  History,  vol.  ix,  p.  3.) 

2  In  orig. :  "  Le  General  de  cette  Compagnie,  est  un  Roi  qu'on 
n'appelle  pas  Roi.  mais  General:  car  Roi  est  un  mot,  &  General  eu  est 
uu  autre,  coiume  Dnr,  Doge,  Prince,  &c.     Tout  ces  llonunesla  sont  dos 


238  THE   GOVERXOR-r.ENERAL.  [1697. 

not  that  Title.  He  Governs  with  more  or  less  Authority, 
according  as  the  People  have  conferr'd  on  him  more  or  less 
Power,  The  General  of  Batavia,  King  or  Viceroy/  or  what 
you  please  to  call  him,  is  chosen  by  the  Company  by 
plurality  of  Voices,  and  tho'  his  Power  be  subject  to  be 
revok'd  by  his  Electors,  in  like  manner  as  the  Emperor  of 
Germany's  is,  yet  he  generally  enjoys  his  Office  for  Life^ : 

Chefs  qui  gouvernent  avec  plus  ou  moius  d'autorit<?,  selon  que  lea  Peuple 
leur  cuont  plus  ou  moinsconfere,  ou  queles  Chefs  en  ont  plusou  moius 
usurpe.  Et  il  y  a  une  difference  moins  essentielle,  dans  le  fait,  entre  le 
Due  de  Savoye^  par  exam^jle,  &  le  Roi  de  Portugal,  qu'il  n'y  en  a  entre 
le  Roi  de  France  &  le  Roi  de  Pologne,  quoique  ces  deux  derniers  portent 
le  mC'ine  nom  de  Roi,  mais  revenons  a  nos  moutons."  Evidently  this  is 
aji  interpolation  of  ]\Iisson's  writing. 

The  Gouverneur- General  van  Nederlands  Indien  at  this  period  was 
Heer  Willem  van  Outhoorn,  whose  portrait  is  engraved  in  the  folios  of 
Valentyn,  from  the  picture  in  the  Great  Hall,  at  Batavia.  He  was  at 
the  head  of  affairs  from  1691  to  1704. 

"  The  authority  of  the  Governor- General  is  almost  unbounded  ;  and 
although  he  is  obliged  to  give  cognizance  to  the  Council  and  consult 
them  on  some   matters,  he  possesses  a  most  arbitrary  and  independent 

power  in  all His  Excellency  usually  resides  at  his  country-seat, 

called  Weltevreeden,  about  an  hour  and  a  quarter's  walk  from  Batavia, 
and  which  is  a  superb  mansion.  When  the  Governor  rides  out  he  is 
always  accompanied  by  some  of  his  horse-guards.  An  officer  and 
two  trumpeters  precede  his  approach,  and  every  person  who  meets  him, 
and  happens  to  be  in  a  carriage,  must  stop  and  step  out  of  it  till  he  has 
rode  by.  A  company  of  dragoons  always  mount  guard  at  Weltevreeden. 
He  has  besides  some  halberdiers,  who  are  employed  in  carrying 
messages  and  commands,  and  who  always  are  attendant  on  the  Gover- 
nor's person  wherever  he  goes.  They  are  dressed  in  short  coats  of 
scarlet  cloth  richly  laced  with  gold,   and  follow   in   rank   upon   the 

junior  ensign  in  the  Company's  service His  lady  receives  the 

same  honours,  and  is  equally  escorted  by  a  party  of  horse-guards  when 
she  rides  out."     {Stavorhnis,  vol.  i,  p.  278  ct  scq.) 

1  In  orig.  :  "  Viceroi  ou  si  I'on  veut  Vice-IlepubU<jue T 

2  In  orig. :  "  D'un  Cote,  la  Politique  raisonable  veut  qu'il  soit  revoca- 
ble ou  deposable,  de  peur  qu'il  ne  s'emancipe  selon  les  demangeaisons 
ordinaires  de  ceux  qui  ont  un  grand  pouvoir  :  &  d'un  autre  cote  aussi, 
cette  meme  bonne  politique  veut  qu'on  le  laisse  dans  son  emploi,  aussi 
longtemps  qu'il  est  possible  :  parce  que  commc  il  ne  rend  aucun  conipte, 
&  qu'il  ade  grands  raoyens  de  remplir  scs  coffres,  il  y  a  moins  d'incon- 


1 697-]  THE  general's  state.  239 

He  has  a  King's  Table  and  Train.  His  Coach,  which  is 
always  drawn  by  six  Horses,  is  preceded  by  a  Company  of 
Horse-Guards  with  Trumpets,  and  follow'd  by  one  of  Foot, 
which  are  often  oblig'd  to  run.  Before  and  on  each  side  the 
Halberdiers  attend  and  follow  very  close,  and  these  Guards 
are  no  less  spruce  and  finely  set  out  than  the  Eoyal  Swisses. 
When  I  am  speaking  of  Coaches^  I  must  tell  you,  by-the-by 
that  altho'  they  have  Horses  here  in  plenty  enough,  yet 
their  Coach-Horses  generally  come  from  Persia  :  They  are 
smaller  than  ours,  and  very  strait  before,  yet  of  incredible 
Swiftness  and  Spirit.  The  General's  Lady's  train  is  not 
altogether  so  Magnificent  as  that  of  her  Husband,  yet  she 
has  likewise  her  Halberdiers,  and  makes  a  very  fine 
Figure. 

Here  it  would  be  proper  to  speak  something  of  the  other 
great  Officers,  and  the  different  Courts  of  Justice,  but  I 
understand  it  has  been  already  done,  and  therefore  shall 
omit  it. 

Of  all  Nations  that  are  settled  at  Batavia  the  Europeans 
are  the  Eichest^ :  Coaches  are  very  common,  and  exceeding 
fine.  The  Houses,  as  well  of  the  City  as  the  Suburbs,  and 
even  those  in  the  Country,  are  at  present  large  and  well 
built,  and  most  of  them  exceeding  finely  furnish'd.  The 
Gardens  are  adorn'd  with  Canals,  Arbours,  Parterres,  etc., 
and  filled  with  all  sorts  of  Flowers  and  the  best  Fruits  of 
that  Country. 

venient  a  n'enrichir  qu'un  homme,  qu'a  en  enrichir  plusieurs,"  omitted 
by  translator,  and  evidently  another  interpolation. 

1  "  The  coaches  used  at  Batavia  are  small  and  light.  No  one  is 
restrained  from  keeping  a  carriage,  but  all  are  limited  with  respect  to 
its  decoration  and  painting.  These  are  scrupulously  regulated  accord- 
ing to  the  respective  ranks.  Glass  windows  to  coaches  are  alone 
allowed  to  the  members  of  the  Government,  who  have  also  the  privilege 
of  painting  or  gilding  their  carriage  agreeable  to  their  own  taste." 
{Ihid.,  p.  323.) 

'^  In  orig.  :  "  &  mcme,  il  y  en  a  qui  font,  comme  on  dit,  Stores,''' 
omitted  by  translator. 


240  JAVAX    WOMEN.  [1697. 

In  general  I  may  say  the  "Wonicn^  are  extreamly  lazy  here, 
for  as  they  enjoy  great  Plenty,  and  by  a  sort  of  Custom  are 
become  more  Mistresses  than  any  where  else,  they  mind 
nothing  but  tlieir  Pleasures,  and  are  moreover  so  haughty 
and  revengeful  that  it  is  dangerous  to  offend  them. 

When  the  Comjjani/  first  establish'd  themselves  here,  the 
Women  were  so  scarce  that  even  the  Principal  Officers  were 
obliged  to  marry  Indians,  which  no  doubt  has  been  the 
occasion  of  the  Pride  of  that  Sex  in  this  Country.  At  present 
there  is  great  plenty  of  tliem ;  they  have  multiply'd  exceed- 
ingly, and  considering  that  many  arrive  frequently  from 
foreign  Parts  there  are  more  than  sufficient  for  such  as 
require  but  a  moderate  use  of  them.  As  they  not  only  suffer 
no  Beggars  here,  but  considerably  relieve  such  as  fall  under 
any  Necessity,  the  poorest  of  all  the  Women  has  when  she 
goes  abroad  at  least  one  Slave  that  carries  an  Umbrello  over 
her  Head?  'Tis  the  same  with  the  Men,  except  those  that 
belong  to  the  Troops,  and    are   above    the    quality  of  an 

1  "  Most  of  the  -wliite  women  who  are  seen  at  Batavia  are  born  in 
the  Indies.  .  .  .  These  are  either  the  offspring  of  European  mothers  or 
Oriental  female  slaves,  who  having  first  been  mistresses  to  Europeans, 
have  afterwards  been  married  to  them,  and  been  converted  to  Christi- 
anity. .  .  .  Children  born  in  the  Indies  are  nicknamed  Uphtps  by  the 
Europeans,  although  both  parents  may  have  come  from  Europe." 
{Ihiil,  p.  315.) 

"  They  are  commonly  of  a  listless  and  lazy  temper  ;  but  this  ouglit 
chiefly  to  be  ascribed  to  their  education,  and  the  number  of  slaves  of 
both  sexes  that  they  always  have  to  wait  upon  them."     (P.  317.) 

"  In  common  with  most  of  the  women  in  India,  they  cherish  a  most 
excessive  jealousy  of  their  husbands  and  of  tlieir  female  slaves.  If  they 
discover  the  smallest  familiarity  between  them,  they  set  no  bounds  to 
their  thirst  of  revenge  against  these  poor  bondswomen,  who  in  most 
cases  have  not  dared  to  resist  the  will  of  their  masters  for  fear  of  ill 
treatment."     (P.  319.) 

2  "  When  they  go  out  on  foot  they  are  attended  by  a  slave  who  carries 
a  sunshade  (called  here  samhrccl  or  paijanfj)  over  their  heads  ;  but  who- 
ever is  lower  in  rank  than  a  junior  merchant  may  not  have  a  slave 
behind  him,  but  must  carry  a  small  sunshade  himself."  (Stavorinns,  /.  c, 
p.  314.) 


1697-]  CHINESE   IN   JAVA.  24:1 

Ensign.  The  Soldiers  being  for  the  most  part  Insolent,  and 
the  Company  desirous  that  all  their  Colonies  should  enjoy  an 
entire  Liberty,  thought  fit  to  bridle  those  that  carry'd  Arms 
and  reduce  them  to  a  state  of  Humility  ;  so  that  upon  this 
occasion  a  Cobler,  for  example,  may  have  a  Slave  to  carry  an 
Umhrcllo  over  his  Head,  whereas  an  Ensign  of  the  Garrison 
is  not  allowed  the  same  Privilege. 

The  Europeans  do  not  make  the  hundredth  part  of  the 
Inhabitants.  Next  to  them  the  Chincses^  are  the  Richest, 
and  make  the  greatest  Figure :  Altho'  the  Pictures  we  have 
from  China,  and  the  Relations  are  given  us  of  that  Country, 
always  represent  the  Inhabitants  Tawny  and  large  Visag'd, 
with  flat  Noses,  and  little  Eyes,  yet  I  can  assure  you  I  have 
observ'd  no  such  thing  of  that  People  at  Batavia,  where 
there  are  above  ten  thousand  of  them  setled,  and  many  more 
that  come  from  time  to  time  occasionally  from  China  to 
Trade. 

Generally  speaking,  those  l*eople  are  all  as  white-  as  the 
Ewopeans,  and  have  Faces  of  the  same  form.     This  is  what 

1  "  The  number  of  Chinese  inhabitants  at  Batavia  alone  exceeds  (in 
1811)  a  hundred  thousand.  There  were  also  many  dispersed  throughout 
the  island,  in  the  interior  as  well  as  along  the  coast.  .  .  .  Without 
thera,  indeed,  the  island  of  Java  would  be  an  unprofitable  colony,  as  in 
their  hands  are  all  the  manufactories,  distilleries,  and  potteries.  They 
are  also  the  principal  traders,  smiths,  carpenters,  stonemasons,  shoe- 
makers, shopkeepers,  butchers,  fishmongers,  greengrocers,  and,  in  fact, 
the  whole  retail  trade  of  Java  is  in  their  hands." 

"  The  Chinese  Company  at  Batavia  comprizes  the  whole  of  the  South- 
western suburbs,  and  is  very  extensive.  Every  house  is  a  shop,  and 
the  streets  being  constantly  crowded,  exhibit  a  constant  scene  of  noise 
and  bustle."     (Thorn,  I.  c,  p.  243.) 

2  "  The  Chinese  in  Java  are  very  fair.  They  dress  in  long  silk  gauze 
gowns  and  loose  pantaloons,  generally  white,  black,  or  blue,  with  cotton 
stockings  and  high  raised  shoes  or  boots  ;  a  small  black  cap  is  fitted  to 
their  heads,  which  are  shaven,  except  on  the  back  part,  where  is  a  small 
tuft,  having  attached  to  it  an  enormous  long  tail,  for  which  they  pay  a 
tax  ;  so  that  by  this  capitation  impost,  the  number  of  Chinese  in  the 
island  can  be  pretty  correctly  ascertained."     ( riiorn,  /.  c,  p.  244.) 

li 


2i2  MANNERS  AND   CUSTOMS.  [l^O?- 

I  have  seen  and  observ'd  a  hundred  timeSj  in  spite  of  my 
former  Prejudice :  'Tm  computed  there  are  forty  Thousand^ 
Chineses  in  the  whole  Island.  They  pay  a  Crown  a  Head 
2>ci'  Month  as  a  Tribute  to  the  Comjmny,  and  those  who  have 
a  mind  to  wear  one  or  more  Gold  Bodkins  in  their  Hair, 
pay  moreover  a  Crown  for  each  Bodkin,  Policy  obliges  the 
Comijany  to  afford  them  divers  Honours,  and  to  grant  them 
great  Privileges.  They  have  a  Head  who  has  a  place  in  the 
Council,  and  a  right  to  Vote,  where  any  Person  of  their 
Nation  is  to  be  try'd  for  his  Life  :  And  'tis  not  without  great 
reason  they  are  thus  distinguish'd,  since  without  them, 
the  City  of  Batavia  would  not  be  worth  half  what  it  is. 
They  are  not  less  Laborious,  Industrious,  and  adroit^  in 
Commerce,  than  ingenious,  and  of  a  prudent  and  peaceable 
Teuiper.  They  observe  much  upright  Dealing  among  them- 
selves, but  play  tricks  with  Strangers,  and  cheat  them 
without  scruple  whenever  it  lies  in  their  way.  They  Game 
exceedingly,  and  do  it  with  so  equal  a  Countenance  that  you 
can't  tell  when  they  win  and  when  they  lose.  The  good 
understanding  they  have  with  one  another,  can  never  be 
enough  commended  nor  admir'd :  They  look  upon  each  other 
as  Brothers,  and  never  suffer  any  Quarrels  or  Differences 
that  may  arise  between  them  to  last  loug.  Mediators  soon 
interpose,  and  all  Matters  are  quickly  reconcil'd.  Where 
any  one  happens  to  lose  what  he  has  by  Shipwreck,  or  other 

1  "  The  ninnber  of  the  Chinese,  Avho  live  both  within  and  -without  the 
walls  of  the  city,  cannot  be  determined  with  precision  ;  but  it  must  be 
very  considerable,  as  the  Company  receive  a  poll-tax  from  them  of  more 
than  forty  thousand  rix  dollars.  Every  Chinese  who  has  a  profession 
is  obliged  to  pay  a  monthly  poll-tax  of  half  a  ducatoon"  (a  ducatoon  == 
six  shillings).     (Stavorinus,  /.  r.,  vol.  i,  p.  268.) 

^  "  Like  the  Jews  in  Europe,  they  are  very  cunning  in  trade,  both  in  tlie 
largest  dealings  and  in  the  most  trifling  pcdlcry.  They  are  so  desirous 
of  money,  that  a  Chinese  will  run  three  times  from  one  end  of  the  city 
to  the  other,  if  he  have  but  the  prospect  of  gaining  one  penny.  Jn 
doing  any  business  with  them,  the  greatest  cai'e  must  be  taken,  to  avoid 
being  cheated."     (Stavorinus,  I.  c,  vol.  i,  p,  268.) 


1697.]  HOANGTI-XAO.  243 

Accident,  an  Assessment  is  innnediat^ly  laid  according  to 
each  Man's  Ability,  in  order  to  restore  the  unfortunate 
Person  to  his  former  Condition. 

The  charitable  and  speedy  manner  with  which  these 
People  relieve  each  other  when  in  Want,  insomuch  that 
there  is  neither  a  Beggar,  nor  a  dissatisfy'd  Person  among 
them,  has  somewhat  so  surprizing  and  astonishing  in  it,  that 
we  must  own  it  is  a  Eeproach  to  the  greatest  part  of  us 
Christians.  And  as  the  Principles  of  the  C/iinescs  concevning 
this  sort  of  Charity  are  very  near  those  of  Moses}  according 
to  whose  Laws  there  was  to  be  no  needy  Person  in  Israel, 
and  the  same  likewise  that  are  establish'd,  and  so  often 
repeated  in  the  GosikI,  I  thought  I  could  not  any  ways 
disoblige  the  Eeader  if  I  gave  him  an  Extract  of  some 
Sentences  out  of  the  Book  entituled  The  Golden  Bool',  or 
the  Golden  Sentenees  of  Iloawjti-Xao,  one  of  the  Lxxii  most 
excellent  Disciples. 

It  is  their  celebrated  Confucius  whom  they  commonly 
stile  the  Snge  King  of  Letters,  and  they  say  he  had  lxxii 
principal  Disciples,  of  which  number  was  Hoangti-Xao? 

The  Golden  Book^  contains  Political  and  Moral  Maxims, 
which  having  for  the  most  part  coherence  with  one  another 
not  unlike  that  Book  of  Solomon,  wliich  it  has  pleas'd  our 

1  Deut.  XV. 

2  "It  is  true  that  among  the  multitude  of  Confucius's  disciples 
seventy-two  are  enumerated  as  'scholars  of  extraordinary  ability';  but 
there  was  no  Hoangti-Xao  among  them.  At  the  earliest  periods  of 
Chinese  history  there  are  placed  two  sages,  Hoang-ti  (b.c.  2697),  and 
Ydo  (B.C.  2357)  ;  and  if  we  were  to  read  after  '  disciples',  '  and  his 
doctrines  were  those  of  Hoang-ti  and  Yao',  the  statement  would  be 
correct."     {J.  Legrje.) 

3  "  The  Golden  Book  and  Golden  Sentences  of  Hoangti-Xao  are  also 
coinages  of  Leguat's  own.  You  illustrate  the  'sentences'  by  quota- 
tions from  the  writings  of  Chuang  Tsze ;  and  this  has  made  me  think 
that  Hoang-ti  Xao  maybe  misprints  for  Chuang Tze  and  Sao  ;  but  then 
Chuang  Tszc  and  SAo  were  neither  of  them  disciples  of  Confucius,  but 
the  chief  writers  of  the  school  antagonistic  to  his."     {J.  Lerjcfc.) 

\l  2 


244  GOLDEN   SENTENCES.  ['Cq/. 

Translators  to  give  the  name  of  Proverbs  to,  instead  of  that 
of  Sentences. 

As  the  Emperors  of  China,  as  well  as  the  other  Eastern 
Monarchs,  have  made  themselves  absolute  over  their  People, 
from  whom  they  have  extorted  a  kind  of  Adoration,  the  Sar/es 
have  sometimes  artfully  oppos'd  so  pernicious  a  Doctrine, 
and  so  contrary  to  Justice  and  Reason.  The  Author  of 
these  Golden  Sentences  not  only  fulminates  against  Tyrants,^ 
who  imagining  themselves  form'd  of  other  Matter  than  the 
rest  of  Mankind,  look  upon  them  as  Eeptiles,  whom  they 
may  either  spare  or  destroy,  but  also  against  all  Governors 
in  general,  whatever  Titles  they  bear,  providing  they  do  not 
at  the  hazard  of  their  Lives,  if  occasion  be,  maintain,  defend, 
and  make  their  subjects  happy.  He  says,  that  the  first 
thing  a  Prince  ought  to  do  upon  his  ascending  the  Throne, 
should  be  to  inform  himself  diligently  of  the  Condition  of 
his  People,  to  the  end  he  may  be  ready  to  relieve  them 
upon  Necessity.  He  ranks  Generosity,  with  Prudence  and 
Courage,  among  the  Chiefest  Virtues,^  that  ought  to  adorn  a 

'  In  the  divine  classic  of  Nan-IIua,  written  by  Clmang  Tsze,  tlie 
Taoist  philosopher,  fourth  century  B.C.  :  "  The  men  who  were  princes 
over  the  empire  in  the  days  of  yore  remained  perfectly  inactive,  caring 
for  nothing  but  heavenly  virtue.  Speaking  of  nothing  but  Nature,  the 
princes  of  the  empire  were  upright.  Fulfilling  their  duties  by  the  aid 
of  Nture,  the  virtue  of  both  princes  and  ministers  became  illustrious. 

....  It   is  by  Nature   that  all  created  things  progress Virtue 

embraces  Nature  ;  and  Nature  embraces  Heaven The  world  was 

prosperous  in  all  respects  ....  the  people  were  settled  in  tranquillity.'' 
(The  Nan-IIua  of  Chuang  Tsze.,  Ileuveu  and  Earth,  by  F.  II.  Balfour, 
p.  135.) 

"Chuang  Tsze  was  the  contemporary  of  IMencius.  It  is  towards  the 
trivialities  of  life  that  his  keen  satire  is  principally  directed.  He  is 
the  hero  of  the  celebrated  story  in  Sir  John  Davis's  work  on  China, 
known  as  the  '  Philosopher  and  his  Wife'."  {Ibid..,  Pref.  by  F.  11. 
Balfour,  1881.) 

"  Chuang  Tzii,  a  most  original  thinker,  whose  writings  are  tabooed  aa 
heterodox,  an  advanced  exponent  of  the  doctrines  of  Lao  Tzu.''  (Giles, 
Gems  of  Chinese  Literature.,  p.  19.) 

-  In  orig. :    "  II  met  la  Lihcraf>l(',  avec  la  Prudence,  Sc  le  Conracjc,  au 


1697.]  MORAL   LAWS.  245 

generous  Breast,  inasmuch  as  the  immense  Suras  which  are 
brought  from  the  Provinces  into  his  Coffers,  are  only  de- 
posited there,  that  he  may  distribute  them  according  to  the 
occasions  both  of  publick  and  private  persons. 

"  Eemember,"  says  he  in  one  Place,  "  0  Xa7itung  !  That 
the  chief  and  fundamental  Law  of  all  is,  that  every  one 
should  live,  and  if  possible,  live  happy.  .  .  . 

"  Piemember  that  the  Privilege  of  every  Creature  which 
has  receiv'd  the  Gifts  of  Life  from  the  high  and  adorable 
Creator,  is,  That  they  should  enjoy  all  that  good  and  wise 
Nature  has  produced,  that  is  beneficial  for  them  both  above 
and  below  the  Moon,  .  .  . 

"  Piemember  that  the  sole  great  and  adorable  Power  has 
made  every  good  thing  for  us  all,  to  sustain  and  divert 
every  living  Soul.  .  .  . 

"  Why,  then,  O  Xantung !  Hast  thou  reserv'd  Peacocks 
and  Sturgeon  for  thy  self,  whilst  poor  Kcu-Han,  a  very  good 
man,  tho'  born  of  Parents  as  poor  as  himself,  is  sometimes 
reduc'd  to  browze  on  the  Mountains  with  wild  Goats  ?  Is 
it  that  you  believe  that  good  Venison,  good  Fruit,  and  good 
Fish,  were  made  only  for  you,  and  by  no  means  for  him  ? 
Why,  I  beseech  you,  do  not  you  likewise  appropriate  to 
yourself  all  the  Salubrious  Air  that  blesses  the  Coasts  of 
Honan,  to  the  end  the  unhappy  may  not  be  permitted  to 
breath  it,  till  such  time  as  it  has  refresh'd  the  Lobes  of 
your  Lungs,  by  which  you  seem  to  desire  that  these  poor 
People  should  subsist  only  upon  your  Excrements  ?  And 
why,  again,  have  not  you  shut  up  the  fair  and  vivifying  Sun 
within  the  Walls  of  your  Park  or  Palace  for  your  sole  use, 
not  suffering  the  vile  Populace,  whose  Blood  is  not  of  the 
same  colour  with  yours,  to  have  any  other  Light  than  the 
faint  glimmerings  of  a  lesser  Planet  ?     I  know  it,  0  Xantung  ! 

premier  rang  des  vertus  de  celui  qui  a  etc  cleve  a  V office  de  Gouverneur ; 
par  le  raison  que  de  graudes  sommes  d'argeiit  ne  sont  aportees  de  toutes 
les  Provinces,  dans  les  cofrcs  de  ce  Haut-Officier,  que  pour  Ten  faire  le 
Distributcui-,  selou  les  besoius  publics  &  particulieis." 


246  CHARITY   INCULCATED.  [1697. 

AVhy  liast  not  thou  made  all  these  things  ?  It  was  because 
it  was  altogether  out  of  tliy  Power.  Tliy  long  Hands  have 
prov'd  too  short  for  tliat  Work.  Thou  seizest  bravely  all 
that  is  within  thy  reach,  and  generously  leav'st  that  which 
is  too  high  for  thee  to  arrive  at,  .  .  .  Kcu-Han  is  both  hungry 
and  cold ;  he  has  neither  Money,  Employment,  nor  Health  : 
All  reject  him,  all  abandon  him.  Tell  me,  thou  that  art  at 
the  Helm  of  the  Government,  Thou  whose  Duty  it  is  to 
take  care  of  the  Peoj)le,  and  that  art  paid  for  it  to  boot,  why 
dost  not  thou,  I  say,  make  hast  to  relieve  him  ? .  .  .  .  Prisons 
abound  with  such  wretches  as  he ;  both  they  and  their 
Patliers  have  been  render^l  poor  and  miserable,  either  by 
publick  or  private  Tyranny.  They  suffer,  they  languish, 
they  faint ;  their  Wives  and  their  Children  are  in  Despair ; 
why  delay st  thou,  then,  Governor  of  thy  People,  to  deliver 

these  afflicted  Creatures  ? Kcu-Uan,  thus  reduc'd  to 

Extremity,  yielded  to  a  natural  Temptation,  rather  than  die 
with  Hunger  ;  To  free  himself  from  it,  he  took  a  Loaf  of  a 
Paker,  and  you  have  thus  rigorously  punish'd  him  for  it.^ 
But  you  have  committed  a  Double  Sin,  you  who  bear  the 
fine  Title  of  Father  of  your  Country.  You  have  not  relieved 
the  wretched  ready  to  drop  into  the  Ground,  but  have  us'd 
him  without  all  Manner  of  Mercy.  .  .  . 

'•Make  so  good  Laws,  that  nobody  may  be  in  danger  of 
perishing  with  Hunger,  and  then  freely  execute  severely  the 

other  Laws  against  all  Usurpers But  what  is  this 

Hunger  and  Want  ?  You  know  nothing  of  it,  you  that  roul 
in  Delight  and  Abundance,  and  you  believe,  doubtless,  that 
he  alone  is  miserable  who  appears  to  you  to  be  famish'd  and 
starv'd  with  Cold.  You  may  nevertheless  believe  likewise 
that  a  poor  Nourishment  not  extraordinary  good,  and  the 
want  of  Relief  in  great  Necessity,  weaken  the  Poor  INlan, 
sadden  his   Soul,  nmke  him   cruelly  languish,  and  lead  him 

,1  "If  a  man  steals  some  trinket,  he  suffers  death  for  tlic  crime  ;  but 
if  he  steals  a  kingdom,  he  becomes  a  feudal  prince."  (^lUlfour,  op.  cil., 
p.  113.) 


1 697-]  OPPRESSION   REPROBATED.  247 

slowly  to  liis  Grave,  .  .  .  Wicked  Governors  !  You  are  often- 
times guilty  of  the  Sins  of  the  Poor,  as  you  are  the  occasion 
of  their  Misfortunes.  .  .  } 

"  There  is  a  necessary  Coherence  and  Dependance  between 
certain  Laws.  As  one  is,  so  you  must  suppose  the  other  to 
be,  and  tliat  one  cannot  subsist  unless  the  other  be  main- 
tain'd.  Now,  the  Law  which  forbids  anyone  to  appropriate 
to  himself  what  belongs  to  another  Man  is  founded  upon 
another  Law,  according  to  which  no  Man  is  to  perish  by  un- 
happy Poverty.  .  .  ." 

"  High  and  Mighty  Lords  !"  says  elsewhere  this  Chinese 
Philosopher,  "  inexorable  and  Fleshly-minded  Eobbers  !  Ob- 
stinate and  insatiable  P)lood-suckers !  High  and  mighty 
Thieves  that  you  are,  who  haughtily  seize  upon  what  does 
not  belong  to  you,  but  to  others !  Or  who  do  not  restore 
that  which  your  Ancestors  have  usurp'd  without  Pity  or 
Justice  !     By  what  Law  of  Nature  or  Equity,  think  you,  all 

belongs  to  you,  and  nothing  to  anybody  else  ? You  are 

at  present  applauded,  most  illustrious  Wretches,  and  the 
good  Men  whom  you,  or  the  Villains  whose  Heirs  you  are, 
have  robb'd,  fall  now  prostrate  to  the  Ground  when  you 
pass  by  with  your  gilded  Palanquin.  But  soon  your  worth- 
less Souls  shall  be  of  no  other  use  than  to  swell  the  backs 
of  Toads,-  and  the  poor  Man,  who  is  of  much  greater  worth 
tho'  at  present  oppress'd,  shall  crusli  you  to  pieces.  .  .  . 

"  Whether  it  be  that  thy  Eapins,  or  those  of  thy  Fathers, 
have  enrich'd  thee,  0  Ti-Fa  !  (for  of  a  thousand  rich  Men 
there  is  hardly  one  that  is  not  either  wicked  himself  or  an 
Heir  to  one  that  was  so),  whether  it  may  be  thy  good 
Fortune  or  thy  Industry  have  heap'd  on  thee  Gold   and 

1  "All  this  is  something  like  passages  in  Chuang  Tsze's  writings  ;  but 
I  cannot  identify  Xantung  or  Keu-Han  with  any  names  to  be  found  or 
likely  to  bo  found  in  him.  Tlie  fact  is  Leguat  was  writing  about  what 
he  knew  very  little  about,  and  wrote  therefore  loosely  and  incorrectly." 
(J.  Legge.) 

-  This  indicates  a  belief  in  the  doctrine  of  the  uictompsychofeis. 


248  UXOKIOUS   PRODIGALITY.  [1697- 

Pearls,  know  that  thy  Abundance  does  not  belong  to  thee 
alone,  and  that  tlie  rich  Man,  he,  I  mean,  that  is  lawfully 
so,  becomes  a  Thief  when  he  suffers  the  poor  Man  to  want. 
...  Oh,  how  great  is  my  Concern,  when  I  contemplate  that 
lofty  and  rich  Mountain  of  Keuanqsi,  wdiich  fronts  the  Cell 
whither  I  am  retir'd!  That  excellent  part  of  the  Terrestrial 
Globe  is  all  cover'd  with  fine  Pastures,  Golden  Wheat-Ears, 
Flax,  Ginger,  Cedars,  and  Aromatick  Plants,  in  the  middle 
of  wliich  the  finest  and  best  tasted  Birds  make  their  Nests. 
The  pcrfum'd  Civet-Cats  run  about  in  great  numbers,  to- 
gether with  the  swift  wild  Goats,  and  the  bounding  Eoe- 
Bucks :  Nay,  the  Entrails  of  this  wonderful  Mountain  en- 
rich the  West  with  Eubys,  Amethysts,  and  Saphires.  But 
who  is  it  that  is  in  possession  of  this  fine  little  World  ? 
Alass  !  Three  hundred  Families  that  were  formerly  dis- 
pers'd  throughout  it,  divided  it  between  them,  till  the  Noble 
High-way-man,  Xao-ti-cao,  under  pretexts  that  easily  cor- 
responded with  his  Rapaciousness,  found  means,  to  his 
Glory  be  it  spoken,  to  reunite  to  his  ancient  Demesns, 
eighteen  or  twenty  of  these  poor  Inheritances.  Ye-vam, 
his  Son,  seiz'd  upon  thirty  more,  and,  in  the  space  of  sixty 
years,  the  sad  Eemains  of  these  three  hundred  ruin'd,  outed, 
vagabond,  and  unfortunate  Families,  saw  this  Mountain 
entirely  in  the  possession  of  Ti-Hohai,  who,  for  reasons  of 
State  and  Avarice,  has  svvallow'd  up  all.^ 

"  What  use  does  the  Illustrious  Ti-IIohai  make  of  all 
tliese  Ptiches  ?  He  entertains  Magnificently  his  Dogs,  his 
Concubines,  and  his  Friends.  He  lavislies  exceedingly,  he 
is  prodigal  without  Consideration,  towards  certain  Itascals 
that  are  continually  about  him,  and  all  this  without  hearken- 
ing to  either  the  cries  of  the  Poor,  the  just  demands  of  his 
Creditors,  or  the  wants  of  good  Men.  Ti-Hohai  has  a  great 
Soul ;  he  hates  all  sorts  of  Baseness,  and  pillages  only  like  a 
great  Lord.  .  .  . 

1  "  A  petty  thief  is  clapped  in  jail  ;  a  big  robber  becomes  a  feudal 
prince.''     (The  Nan  Ili'n,  op.  r'tt.) 


i6gy.]  A  philosopher's  retreat.  249 

"  0  fertil  and  delicious  Mountain  !  My  Eyes  cannot  look 
towards  tliee  without  shedding  Tears.  But  whither  shall  I 
then  carry  them,  these  Eyes  Avhere  you  may  see  \Yonder 
painted  with  Grief  ?  See  on  the  other  side  the  vast  and  gay 
Plain  of  Ocomsiao,  of  which  an  agreeable  winding  of  the 
Eiver  Hoang  makes  a  Peninsula,  which  is  likewise  the  Prey 
to  a  most  Noble  Lord,  the  Lord  Kiumfa,  who,  altogether 
opposite  to  the  generous  squanderer  Ti-Hohai,  digs  Gold 
out  of  the  Mines  of  Sighcm,  for  no  other  Eeason  but  to 
raise  new  ones  in  his  Coffers  of  Iron :  See  the  frightful 
Carcasses  that  drag  along  his  old  dislocated  Chariot.  See 
him  himself,  with  his  mean  Aspect  and  frighted  Air,  as  if 
the  pitiless  Tartar  was  ready  to  seize  on  his  Treasure.  The 
Noble  Kiumfa  has,  in  a  word,  totally  possess'd  himself 
within  these  five  years  of  the  excellent  Country  of  Ocomsiao, 
and  the  Fatal  Executioner  has  already  expos'd  divers  un- 
happy Wretches  to  the  Crows,  who,  having  been  despoil'd 
of  all  they  had  by  the  Conqueror,  dar'd,  in  their  extream 
Necessity,  to  resume  but  a  small  Portion  of  what  had  been 
taken  from  them. 

"  Shall  I  mount  to  the  top  of  Vigean,  or  transport  myself 
to  the  forked  Brow  of  Canghehu  ?  And  shall  I  from  thence 
contemplate  the  rich  Provinces  that  extend  themselves  even 
to  the  Sea  ?     But   I  shall  everywhere  meet  with  the  like 

Couqiiests Thou  art  too  small,  0  universal  Earth  !  To 

satisfie  the  boundless  Desires  of  one  proud  Mad-Man.  .  .  . 

"The  Philosopher  Ycmam-Xilin,  Temo\'d  from  cruel  and 
pressing  Necessity,  would  pass  a  retir'd  Life  in  Tran- 
quillity, would  willingly  cultivate  some  agreeable  Garden  to 
breath  the  fresh  Air,  under  the  shade  of  a  Eig-Tree  that  he 
liimself  had  planted,  and  to  hear  at  certain  times  the  sweet 
and  innocent  Notes  of  the  harmonious  Nightingale.  He 
would  willingly  adorn  this  little  Paradise  with  some  borders 
of  Elowers,  raise  a  Hive  of  Bees  there,  and  turn  in  some 
clear  Spring  that  might  serve  him  to  bath  in,  and,  in  Recom- 


250  CHINESE   LIBERALITY.  [1697. 

pence,  he  would  never  destroy  the  Fish  that  Nature  had 
plac'd  there.  .  .  . 

"  Tir'd  with  the  vanities  of  the  Workl,  which  he  had 
suthciently  experienc'd,  and  pleas'd  with  this  solitary  Grot, 
lie  might  go  and  divert  his  fatigu'd  Imaginations  in  the 
different  Paths  in  this  little  Enclosure,  and  there  repair  the 
loss  of  his  Spirits  wasted  by  Study,  and  so  make  himself 
amends  for  the  Misfortunes  of  this  Life.  Full  of  Contempt 
for  the  mad  multitude  which  runs  blindly  after  Chimera's, 
he  might  happily  enjoy  there  some  new  and  profitable 
Ueliuhts.  But  the  Earth  is  all  invaded  ;  all  is  seiz'd.  The 
Great  are  already  in  possession  of  it,  and  there  remains  no 
corner  for  him.  He  must  buy  that  dear  which  is  shortly  to 
serve  him  for  a  Grave.  .  .  ." 

Thus  the  Author  of  the  Golden  Sentences,  abandoning  him- 
self to  the  fury  of  his  Thoughts,  which  are,  he  says,  Oi'acles 
of  Confucius,  who  delivers  himself  oftentimes  like  an  Orator 
of  that  Country,  rather  than  either  a  Lawyer  or  a  Politician. 

Nay,  these  Maxims  have  seem'd  to  his  Country-men  so 
just  and  well-grounded,  that  on  one  hand  Terror  and  Custom, 
two  Terrible  Tyrants,  has  made  them  Slaves  and  Idolizers 
of  their  Kings ;  on  the  other,  the  Lessons  of  their  wise  Men, 
which  they  have  well  conceiv'd  and  digested,  has  inclin'd 
them  to  relieve  the  distress'd,  insomuch  that  there  is  not  a 
poor  Man,  as  I  have  already  observ'd,  to  be  found  amongst 
them. 

To  return  to  what  I  was  saying  of  the  poor  Chincscs,  I 
must  likewise  Piemark,  that  there  are  no  Beggars  neither  at 
Batavia  among  the  Euroiieans.  It  may  be.  Emulation,  in 
Conjunction  with  natural  Justice  and  Policy,  has  contributed 
to  the  establishing  of  this  good  Order  among  the  Fortii- 
f/neses ;  for,  as  for  the  Hollanders,  everyone  knows  that  even 
in  Holland  itself,  and  all  the  Provinces  belonging  to  that 
wise  and  powerful  Pepublick,  all  such  as  are  able  to  Work 
are  furnish'd  with  such  proper  Means  that  no  one  can  say 
with  Justice  that  he  has  been  forc'd  to  beg  his  Bread. 


1697.]  DRESS   AND   ETIQUETTE.  251 

The  Chincses  live  very  well,  and  eat  neatly,  altho'  without 
either  Napkin  or  Table-Cloath  :  They  do  not  take  the  Meat 
between  their  Fingers,  but,  as  it  is  serv'd  np  all  cut  to 
pieces,  they  carry  it  to  their  IMouths  with  two  gilded  Sticks 
about  five  or  six  Inches  long. 

They  wear  long  Gowns  very  light,  and  for  the  most  part 
white,  with  large  P.reeches  that  reach  even  to  their  Ancles. 
They  make  great  account  of  their  Hair,  which  is  exceeding 
long,  and  which  they  always  suffer  to  grow.  They  wreath 
it  in  Tresses,  and  twist  it  round  behind  their  Heads,  fasten- 
ing it  with  Bodkins,  as  I  have  before  mention'd.  I  can't 
remember  I've  ever  seen  any  fair  Hair  here ;  but  it  must 
not  be  concluded  from  thence  that  the  People  are  Tawny, 
for,  if  I  must  repeat  it  once  more,  they  are  generally  as  fair 
as  we  are. 

They  have  little  Beards,  and  esteem  them  so  that  they 
never  shave  them.  Nay,  they  have  no  less  value  for  those  of 
others,  for  if  any  Person  has  a  mind  to  run  the  risque  either 
of  his  Beard  or  his  Hair,  he  may  wager  it  against  a  con- 
siderable Sum,  and  being  won,  it  is  kept  as  a  precious 
Treasure  by  him  that  won  it ;  and,  on  the  contrary,  he  that 
lost  it  becomes  so  infamous  that  no  body  cares  to  deal  with 
him  any  more.  They  carry  a  great  Fan  in  their  Hands 
which  they  cover  their  Heads  with  from  time  to  time,  in- 
stead of  an  Umbrella,  which  the  Euro}Kans  only  make 
use  of. 

AVhen  they  Salute  one  another,  they  present  themselves 
with  their  Fists  clinch'd,  and,  afterwards  embracing  each 
other,  toss  up  one  of  their  Hands  as  the  People  do  in 
England. 

They  Trade  in  their  Country,  and  particularly  bring  from 
thence  Tea  and  Porcelain.  Those  among  tliem  Avhoui  I 
shall  call  Strangers,  that  is,  who  are  not  as  it  were  Natural- 
iz'd  at  Batavia,  cannot  continue  there  above  six  Months. 
These  have  their  Heads  all  sliav'd  after  the  new  mode  of 


252  MARRIAGE   CEREMONIES.  [1697. 

their  Country,  except  a  Lock  wliicli  tliey  reserve  in  the 
middle,  and  which  hangs  down  behind.  The  Tartar  who  at 
present  reigns  over  this  Nation  impos'd  this  Law  upon  them, 
being  what  is  practis'd  in  his  Country  by  his  natural  Sub- 
jects, but  which  serves  the  Chincses  for  a  badge  of  Slavery. 

These  People  in  general  have  somewhat  Noble  and  Mag- 
nificent in  them,  what-ever  they  do.  When  any  Chinese 
betroths  himself  at  Batavia,  after  the  Contract  is  sign'd,  he 
at  Night  goes  to  visit  his  Mistriss  in  a  Magnificent  Chair 
carry'd  by  four  Men,  and  preceded  by  three  or  four  hundred 
others,  either  Javans  hir'd  for  tliat  purpose,  or  Negro  Slaves, 
each  of  them  bearing  Light  at  the  end  of  a  Stick.  'Tis  true 
this  Light  or  Lanthorn  answers  little  to  the  Splendor  of  the 
rest,  being  only  a  Hog's  Bladder  upon  a  Pole,  with  a  piece 
of  Wax-Candle  in  it.  The  Chair  is  immediately  follow'd 
by  a  great  Number  of  that  Country  Musicians,  who  make 
between  them  a  very  odd  sort  of  Harmony. 

The  Priests  come  after  on  Horse-back  with  long  Violet- 
colour'd  liobes,  and  square  Bonnets,  about  which  march  on 
all  sides  before  and  behind,  a  great  number  of  the  Bride- 
groom's Friends,  who  incessantly  throw  up  into  the  Air 
Fire-works,  wliich  represent  divers  sorts  of  Animals.  The 
Gallant  goes  to  visit  his  Mistriss  with  this  Equipage, 
and  returns  after  the  same  manner.  When  they  walk 
together  the  same  Pomp  is  observ'd,  and  even  when  they  go 
to  be  marry'd,  with  this  difference  only,  that  the  Woman  is 
carry'd  in  such  a  Chair  that  she  can  see  whatever  is  done 
without  being  seen  her  self  When  the  Marriage  Ceremony 
is  ended,  the  Men  dine  together  in  Publick,  but  the  Women 
are  in  another  Chamber  by  themselves,  whither  the  Men 
never  come.  The  Tables  of  both  Chambers  are  so  order'd 
that  the  two  marryM  People  may  sit  that  Day  back  to  back, 
a  Wall  being  only  between  them.  At  Night  the  Husband 
does  the  honour  to  his  Wife  to  receive  her  to  his  Table,  a 
favour  she  never  afterwards  has  granted,  the  Men  of  this 


1(597.]  CHINESE  women's  feet.  253 

Nation  having  that  contempt  for  their  Wives  tliat  they  look 
upon  them  to  be  no  better  than  Slaves,  they  being  like 
other  Eastern  Nations  extreamly  jealous. 

There  were  but  three  Women  born  in  China,  at  Batavia 
when  I  was  there,  so  that  the  Chinescs  were  at  first  oblig'd 
to  marry  Javans}  but  their  Families  have  so  encreas'd  since 
that  now  they  have  enough  Daughters  for  their  Sons :  These 
People  are  exceedingly  addicted  to  that  abominable  Sin 
Sodom.  At  first  they  never  endeavour'd  to  conceal  it,  and 
when  they  were  indicted  for  it,  they  answer'd  it  was  an 
innocent  Action  and  what  was  allow'd  them  ;  many  of  them 
were  nevertheless  put  to  Death  for  it. 

Their  Wives  and  Daughters  are  Invisible,  at  least  they 
ai-e  never  seen,  and  they  never  go  abroad :  I  never  saw  but 
one  during  the  whole  year  that  I  was  at  Batavia,  and  that 
was  in  a  House.  The  Men  keep  Javan  and  Ac^ro  Women 
for  Concubines,  or  make  use  of  them  when  they  meet  them, 
Mdtliout  much  Ceremony. 

As  the  Smallness  of  the  Women's  Feet  is  one  of  tlieir 
greatest  Perfections,  and  which  most  charms  the  Men,  so 
soon  as  born  they  put  them  into  Iron  Moulds  whicli  hinder 
their  Growth,  so  that  when  they  go  to  walk  they  can  hardly 
keep  themselves  upon  their  Legs.^ 

For  six  Months  from  the  first  day  of  the  year  they  feast 
and  make  merry,  keeping  a  sort  of  Car  naval,  which  lasts 
Day  and  Night.  They  then  run  up  Theatres  on  which  tlieir 
young  People  act  a  kind  of  Comedies,  for  which  they  have 
odd  Cloaths  made  on  purpose  :  Their  common  subjects  arc 

1  Thorn  writes  :— "  As  no  woman  is  allowed  to  bo  exported   from 
China,  adventurers  from  that  country  intermarry  with  the  Javanese 
and  Malays,  or  purchase  slaves  for  their  concubines  and  wives  "   (Z  c 
p.  243.)  '         ■   ■' 

2  The  custom  of  compressing  the  feet  of  female  children  practised 
by  the  Chinese  is  supposed  to  have  originated  in  the  desire  to  mark 
the  difference  between  the  nomadic  Tartar  invaders  and  the  native 
patriotic,  children  of  the  soil.     (Cf.  Gray,  vol.  i,  p.  233.) 


254  FESTIVALS   AND    BURIALS.  [  1^)97- 

the  Lives  of  Histories  of  Great  Men.  At  Night  during  this 
Hepresentation,  they  pitch  Bamboo's,  of  forty  or  fifty  foot 
high,  before  the  Houses  of  tlie  most  considerable  of  their 
Nation,  to  which  they  affix  Fire-works  that  cost  a  great  deal 
and  last  most  part  of  the  Night.  This  is  one  of  the  principal 
of  their  Diversions.  These  People  are  very  Industrious, 
and  have  a  particular  Talent  for  making  these  Fire-works. 
Among  other  things  they  very  naturally  represent  by  them 
divers  sorts  of  Animals  :  Disguis'd  as  I  have  told  you,  they 
run  along  the  Streets  and  make  these  Animals,  compos'd  of 
Paper  and  Wild-fire,  fiy.  They  have  a  Feast  which  tlioy 
celebrate  on  the  Water  in  Memory  of  a  certain  Woman  of 
their  Nation,  who  drown'd  her  self,  and  of  whom  they  tell  a 
fine  and  long  Tale.  The  chiefest  Diversion  of  this  Feast 
consists  in  the  swift  Rowing  of  several  light  Boats  like  the 
GondolcCs  at  Venice,}  Divers  of  these  Boats,  equally  furnish'd 
with  Pvowers,  start  at  the  same  time  on  a  certain  Signal,  and 
they  that  arrive  first  at  the  Goal  obtain  the  Prize. 

The  Burials"^  of  the  Ghineses  are  perform'd  with  great  Cere- 
mony. When  a  sick  Person  is  at  the  point  of  Death,  all  his 
Friends  and  Relations  gather  about  him,  and  ask  him  frankly 

1  Anotlier  Venetian  allusion,  indicating  Misson's  pen  : — "  The 
Dragon  Boat  Festival,  held  in  memory  of  ^V  at- Yuen,  a  Minister  of 
State,  who  flourished  about  500  r.c,  and  who  drowned  himself.  A 
leading  feature  of  this  festival  is  the  races  which  take  place  between 
the  different  crews  of  long  boats  made  to  resemble  dragons."  (Cf. 
China,  by  Dr.  Gray,  vol.  i,  p.  258.) 

-  "Their  burials  are  the  next  great  pompous  exhibitions  of  the  Chinese. 
These  are  solemnised  agreeably  to  the  rank  of  the  deceased.  .  .  .  An 
immense  multitude  of  Chinese  attend  on  the  day  of  interment,  carrying 
images  of  men  and  women,  representing  the  deceased  members  of  the 
same  family,  with  wax  tapers  and  censers;  while  a  numerous  procession 
of  priests,  accompanied  with  musical  instruments,  precede  the  corpse, 
which  is  carried  in  a  huge  coffin,  slung  on  bars,  supported  on  the 
shoulders  of  sixteen  bearers,  in  pairs,  followed  by  the  relations  of  tlie 
deceased,  uttering  most  piercing  lamentations.  The  cemetery  of  the 
Chinese  extends  over  a  prodigious  deal  of  ground  on  the  south-cast  side 
of  Batavia."     {Thorn,  p.  240.) 


1697-]  IRISH  CATHOLICS.  255 

whither  he  is  going,  and  why  he  will  leave  them  ?  Questions 
very  edifying  and  much  to  the  purpose !  They  tell  him  he 
need  only  acquaint  them  what  he  wants,  and  assure  hini  very 
obligingly  he  shall  immediately  have  all  he  can  ask. 

When  he  has  render'd  i;p  his  poor  Soul  to  the  mercy  of  his 
Creator,  they  lay  his  Corps  in  a  bed  of  State,  the  Eichest 
and  most  Sumptuous  they  can  get.  Some  time  after  he  is 
carry'd  on  the  same  Bed  to  be  bury'd,  upon  the  shoulders  of 
twelve  Men,  in  such  manner  that  every  body  may  see  him  : 
A  great  number  of  People  march  confusedly  before  and  after 
the  Corps.  Immediately  next  to  it  go  the  Priests  on  Horse- 
back, Habited  as  I  have  told  you,  in  long  Violet-colour'd 
liobes,  and  after  them  come  the  hir'd  female  Mourners 
cloath'd  in  White,  and  walking  together  under  a  sort  of 
Linen  Tent  open  a-top.  These  ]Mourners  or  Weepers  torment 
themselves  incessantly,  and  at  every  step  almost  passionately 
demand  of  the  deceas'd  Person,  Why  he  would  so  abandon 
the  World  ?  What  he  wanted,  and  why  he  would  not  let 
it  be  known,  since  undoubtedly  he  would  have  receiv'd 
satisfaction  in  all  he  could  ask  ? 

These  Poolish  questions  surpriz'd  me  less  from  the  Mouths 
of  these  People,  than  they  did  from  the  Irish^  Catholicks, 

1  "  Of  these  original  Iriah  most  of  the  Persons  of  Quality  understand 
Eiiglhh^  and  lead  a  Life  totally  nnharhariz  d ;  but  the  counnou  People 
are  half  Savages,  and  differ  very  little  from  their  Ancestors  as  described 
sixteen  or  seventeen  hundred  years  ago  by  Straho,  Solinus^  Pomponhis 
Jlfihi,  and  the  most  remote  Authors.  Their  Religion  is  a  kind  of 
Popish-Christian  Religion  ;  but  the  Superstitions  and  Fooleries  of 
Popery,  which  they  have  adopted,  are  mix'd  with  such  a  Number  of 
other  Puerilities,  that  it  is  impossible  to  say  justly  what  the  Religion  of 
those  People  is.  .  .  . 

"...  When  any  among  them  is  sick,  they  never  talk  to  him  of  any- 
thing but  his  Recovery,  and  never  of  God  or  Salvation  ;  but  sometimes 
the  sick  Man  desires  the  Communion,  and  then  they  look  upon  it  that 
he  despairs  of  Life  :  li'rom  that  INIoment  they  expose  him  in  a  publick 
Place,  or  upon  a  great  Road  ;  they  call  cvei'y  Passenger  with  loud  Crio.s, 
and  each  Man  puts  a  luindred  impertinent  Questions  to  tlie  poor  dying 
Person  :    They  ask  him,  why  he  will  leave  this  World,  which  is  so  very 


256  CHINESE   SEPULTURE.  [^C^97- 

who  inhabit  a  part  of  Inland,  and  make  much  the  same 
ComiDlaints  on  these  Occasions.  'Tis  thus  the  Body  is 
carry'd  to  the  destin'd  place  of  Sepulchre,^  which  is  very  near 
half  a  League  from  Batavia.  They  bury  some  pieces  of 
Silver  with  the  Corps,  and  every  day  for  a  year  together 
carry  some  Viands,  and  present  them  at  the  Tomb  of  the 
Deceas'd,  with  design  to  do  honour  and  good  to  him.  It 
would  be  dangerous  to  taste  these  Viands,  since  oftentimes 
tliey  poyson  them,  in  order  to  revenge  the  Attempt  of  such 
as  should  presume  to  carry  them  away.-  Unriddle  who  will 
the  Notions  of  these  poor  Wretches,  who  treat  their  dearest 
Friends   with   the  same  Poyson  they  prepare  for  Thieves. 

pleasant?  In  what  Country  he  thinks  he  shall  find  better  Entertain- 
ment. If  he  had  not  a  good  and  a  handsome  Wife,  fine  Children,  good 
Relations,  good  Cows,  good  Milk,  good  Butter,  and  every  Thing  that 
could  make  Life  agreeable  to  him  ?  Then  they  apostrophize  his  Soul, 
which  they  call  cruel  and  ungrateful  for  leaving  so  handsome  a  Body 
that  has  charitably  found  it  such  a  good  Lodging  for  so  many  Years. 
.  .  .  ."     (]\Iax  Misson's  Memoirs  ;  Ozell's  translation,  op.  cit.) 

Compare  Dubois  (1674),  Relation  de  Vhk  Dauphine,  etc.  Of  the  Cape- 
Verdrain  he  writes  (pp.  23,  24) :  "  Quand  il  meurt  quelqu'un  d'eux  qui 
a  de  quoy,  ils  vont  pleurer  le  mort,  &  luy  demandent  pourquoy  il  les 
a  quittez,  &  s'il  luy  manquoit  quelque  chose,  luy  font  une  infinite 
d'autres  discours  pareils."     (See  also  Hisioire  dcs  Auiillcs,  p.  612.) 

1  "  The  Chinese  allot  a  separate  sepulchre  for  each  corpse,  over  which 
is  raised  a  high  circular  mound  of  earth,  like  a  crescent,  cased  with 
stone,  and  ornamented  according  to  the  wealth  and  importance  of  the 
deceased.  To  these  receptacles  of  the  dust  of  their  ancestors  the 
Chinese  pay,  as  a  sacred  duty,  an  annual  visit,  which  mournful  ceremony 
takes  place  in  the  month  of  April.  Stages  are  then  erected  in  various 
parts  for  the  priests,  who  deliver  from  them  orations  in  praise  of  the 
dead  there  deposited  ;  and  the  neighbourhood  of  ancient  Jacatra,  over 
which  their  principal  cemetery  extends,  exhibits  an  affecting  spectacle, 
of  multitudes  of  people,  prostrate  before  the  numerous  tombs,  which 
are  decorated  with  flowers,  spreading  viands  and  fruits  as  an  offering, 
and  bowing  their  heads  in  sorrow  to  the  ground."     (Thorn,  I.  c,  p.  24G.) 

-  Stavoriuus  writes  (vol.  i,  p.  272)  : — "  They  visit  the  graves  of 
their  ancestors  and  relations  from  time  to  time.  They  strew  them 
with  odoriferous  flowers  ;  and  when  they  depart,  they  leave  a  few 
small  pieces  of  silk  or  linen,  before  the  entrance,  and  sometimes  boiled 
rice,  or  other  victuals;  which  is  speedily  made  away  with  at  night." 


1 697-]  CHINESE    DEVOTIONS.  '  257 

'Tis  thus  Eeligion,  ill  understood,  oftentimes  degenerates  into 
Extravagance.  As  for  the  other  Presents,  I'm  well  assur'd 
they  poyson  them  likewise,  as  well  knowing  the  Motive 
of  Interest  frequently  prevails  over  that  of  Superstition.^ 
Among  their  Tombs  there  are  some  very  large,  and  finely 
set  off:  They  have  divers  Pagodcs  at  Batavia.'^  At  first 
sight  these  Temples  seem  much  to  resemble  the  Roman- 
Catholick  Churches.^ 

You  see  three  sorts  of  Chapels,  Altars,  Wax-Tapers, 
Lamps,  Holy-Water,  Pictures,  Statues  and  Images  of  a 
hundred  forms.  The  Priests  too  are  setoff  with  Ornaments, 
not  unlike  those  of  the  i?o/»rt;i-Catholick  Clergy.  They  wear 
at  their  Girdles,  or  on  their  Arms,  certain  Chaplets,  whose 
Beads  are  not  all  equal,  and  which  they  make  use  of  to  count 
certain  Prayers  which  they  repeat  machinally.  The  People 
have  also  their  Devotions  calculated,  rather  for  a  Monkey 
than  a  God,  and  wear  their  strings  of  little  Bullets,  in  like 
manner  with  the  Priests. 

When  these  last  celebrate  they  use  many  Genuflexions, 
turn  to  the  Ptight,  Left,  forwards  and  backwards,  one  making 
Invocations,  and  the  other  answering  him  ;  The  By-standers 

1  In  orig.  :  "  de  la  Superstition,  quelque  violent  qu'il  soit,  de  meme 
que  tou3  les  autres,"  omitted  by  translator, 

2  In  orig.  :  "  autour  de  Batavia." 

3  "In  fact,  though  these  people  have  temples  erected  in  various  parts 
of  the  Island  of  Java  and  one  at  Anjole,  close  to  Batavia,  the  structures 
seem  to  be  formed  more  out  of  comj^liance  witli  custom  than  for  any- 
serious  purpose,  since  religious  rites  are  hardly  ever  observed  in  them 
nor  is  anything  like  worship  practised  by  the  people  who  built  them." 
(Thorn,  I.  c,  p.  247.) 

"  An  image,  with  tapers  burning  before  it,  representing  either  a  good, 
or  evil  genius,  or  both  together  sometimes,  is  placed  in  every  Chinese 
dwelling.  This  idol  is  frequently  consulted  by  dropping  two  or  more 
sticks  before  it,  and  in  a  variety  of  other  ways,  which  the  Chinese  inter- 
prets according  to  certain  rules,  and  thus  determines  the  regulation  of 
his  trading  concerns  by  lot,  not  very  dissimilar  to  the  divination  of  the 
ancients,  and  the  practice  still  observed  by  the  modern  Arabians." 
(/iiW.,  p.  247.) 

S 


258  BOSSUET,  BISHOP   OF   MEAUX.  [1697. 

seem  to  afford  great  Attention.  Very  often,  and  especially  a 
Mornings,  a  Priest  walks  thro'  the  Street  carrying  a  little 
I  know  not  tvliat,  over  whose  Head  is  born  a  sort  of  Canopy, 
and  a  great  multitude  follows  this  Idol  very  devoutly.  They 
have  likewise  very  great  Processions,  in  which  they  carry  a 
sort  of  Cross,  and  Standards  of  divers  shapes  and  colours. 
These  are  things  which  I  have  often  seen. 

Furthermore  when  you  ask  tlie  most  Sensible  among  them 
what  they  Worsliip,  they  answer  very  well,  that  they 
"Worship  but  one  God,  no  more  than  the  Hollanders ;  that 
the  Human  Figures  you  see  in  the  Temples,  are  only 
Representations  of  Men  and  Women,  who  have  formerly 
liv'd  w^ell,  and  are  now  in  a  state  of  Happiness  ;  that  the 
Adoration  they  pay  them  is  not  of  the  same  kind  with  that 
they  pay  to  God ;  that  they  honour  them  only  on  God^s 
account,  because  they  are  his  intimate  Friends ;  and  as  for 
the  other  Statues  of  different  forms,  whereof  some  seem  to 
Strangers  so  ridiculous  and  ill  favour'd,  it  could  not  be 
thought  that  they  believ'd  them  to  be  any  thing  but 
inanimate  Matter,  however,  they  affirm'd  they  represented 
mysteriously  the  various  Virtues  or  Attributes,  as  we  speak, 
of  the  most  high  Power  which  has  made  the  World  ;  and 
that  these  Figures  were  very  proper  to  captivate  the  attention 
of  a  People,  who  could  not  be  extraordinarily  raov'd  at 
any  thing  but  that  they  fancy 'd  in  their  Imaginations,  and 
who  were  accustom'd  to  call  that  nothing,  which  was 
invisible :  That  a  Hieroglyphick,  for  Example,  with  an 
hundred  Arms  inspir'd  them  with  an  Idea  of  a  great  Power, 
and  dispos'd  them  to  the  profoundest  Acts  of  Humiliation ; 
and  that  it  w^as  the  same  of  the  rest.  This  brings  into  my 
JNIemory  the  Christian  Exposition,^  which  the  Learned  Bisliop 

1  Jacques- Beiiigne  Bossuet  was  born  at  Dijon,  28tli  September  1G27. 
When  Bishoj)  of  Condora,  in  1G71,  he  published  his  celebrated  Exposi- 
tion de  la  foi  Catholi(/ue,  after  he  had  succeeded  in  reuniting  M.  de 
Turenne  (the  great  Turcnne)  to  the  Catholic  Church.      This  book  of 


l6gy.]  FATHER   LE   COMTE.  259 

of  Meaux  has  given  us  of  the  Doctrine  and  Practice  of  his 
Eeligion.^  These  Idolaters,  wlioni  I  cannot  forbear  to  call  by 
that  Name,  notwithstanding  they  pretend  to  make  the  best 
use  of  their  natural  Light,"^  confest  they  pay  also  some 
Adoration  to  the  wicked  Spirits,  not  thro'  Love,  or  any  other 
Eespect  they  have  for  tliem,  but  for  the  same  reason  that 
you  stroke  a  surly  Dog,  that  he  may  not  bite  you,  or  that  a 
Man  of  mean  Condition  cringes  to  a  great  Lord,  and  that 
Lord  plays  the  same  part  over  again  at  Court. 

'Tis  certainly  true,  that  both  in  China  and  elsewhere 
among  the  Idolaters,  those  Persons  who  have  been  capable 
of  any  Reflection,  have  always  believ'd  that  there  was  only 
one  Almighty  Sovereign  Power,  the  truly  supream  and 
absolute  Authority  not  being  liable  to  Division.  But  the 
People  in  general  have  not  these  Ideas. 

When  these  Subaltern  Deities  have  obstinately  persisted 
to  refuse  those  things  that  were  reasonably  demanded 
of  them,  they  have  been  chastis'd  after  an  exemplary 
manner.  Sometimes  their  Temples  have  been  ras'd,  and 
their  Priests  driven  away  from  their  Idols.  Father  Le 
Comtek  displays  this  so  well,  that  I  cannot  help  making 
use  of  his  very  Words. 

the  Exposition,  writes  Father  de  Baupet  (Bishop  of  Alais)  in  1814,  has 
been  perhaps  the  most  useful  of  Bossuet's  works,  both  in  the  good  effect 
which  it  has  produced  and  by  the  general  attention  which  it  caused. 

1  "I  will  appeal  to  all  unbyaas'd  persons,  when  once  Posterity  shall 
read  the  History  of  the  Persecution  of  France,  as  represented  by 
Maimhourcj,  VariUas,  the  Bishop  of  Meaux.  and  others  of  the  same 
stamp,  I  say,  when  they  shall  read  the  same  in  these  Authors,  whether 
they  would  not  be  apt  to  imagin  that  these  poor  Wretches  were  used 
with  all  imaginable  moderation,  if  it  were  not  manifest  by  unquestion- 
able Authority,  that  these  unfortunate  Creatures  suffer'd  all  the 
Cruelties  that  could  be  invented  by  their  implacable  Enemies."  (Max 
Misson's  Voyage  to  Italy,  Letter  xxv.) 

2  In  orig  :  "malgre  les  subterfuges  de  ccux  d'entre  eux  qui  font  le 
mcilleur  usage  de  leur  lumiere  naturelle." 

3  Nouvcaitx  Me'nwires  stu-  Vetat  present  de  La  Chine,  par  le  P.  Loiiis 
Le  Comte,  de  la  Compagnie  de  Jesus,  Matheniaticien  du  Koy.      Tome 

s  2 


2G0  IDOLS   IN   DISGRACE.  [1697. 

"  AVlieu  the  People  are  tir'd,  they  Despise,  Revile,  and 
eveu  Beat  their  Gods.  Dog  of  a  Spirit,  say  they,  as  if  they 
were  speaking  to  a  bad  King,  we  lodge  thee  in  a  Magnificent 
Temple,  thou  art  well  gilt,  well  fed  and  incens'd,  and  yet 
thou  art  so  ungrateful,  as  to  refuse  us  the  things  we  ask  of 
thee,  and  which  are  even  necessary.  After  this,  adds  the 
Father,  they  bind  the  treacherous  God  with  Cords,  and  drag 
him  about  the  Streets  loaded  with  Dirt  and  all  sorts  of 
Filth,  to  punish  him  for  his  unkind  usage  of  them.  If  by 
chance  they  afterwards  obtain  what  they  sought  after,  then 
they  carry  their  Idol  with  great  Ceremony  back  again  to  his 
Niche,  after  having  well  wash'd  and  cleans'd  him.  They 
prostrate  themselves  also  before  him,  and  make  him  various 
Excuses.  To  speak  Truth,  say  they  to  him,  we  were  a 
little  too  hasty,  but  were  not  you  likewise  in  the  wrong,  to 

Second.  Troisieme  Edition.  A  Paris,  chcz  Jean  Anisson,  Uirecteur  de 
I'Iraprimerie  Royale,  rue  de  la  Harpe.  m.dcci.  Avec  privilege  du  Roy, 

Lettre  X.  A  Mouseigneur  Le  Cardinal  de  Boiiillon.  De  la  Religion 
ancienne  ^'  modcrnc  des  Chinois  (p.  127)  : — 

"II  est  vray  qu'on  n'a  pas  toiijonrs  pour  ces  Dieux  tout  le  respect  que 
semble  meriter  leur  qualite.  Car  11  arrive  assez  souveut  qu'apres  avoir 
este  bien  honorez,  si  le  peuple  u'obtient  pas  d'eux  ce  qu'il  demande,  il 
se  lasse  eufiu,  &  les  abandonue  couinie  des  Dieux  impuissans;  d'autres 
les  traitent  avec  le  dernier  mepris  :  les  uns  les  cbargent  d'injures,  &  les 
autres  de  coups.  Comment,  chioi  cPrspnt,  luy  discnt-ils  quelquefois, 
nous  tc  logeons  dans  un  Temple  magnifique,  tu  es  bien  dore,  bien  uourri, 
bien  enceuse,  &  apres  tous  ces  soins  que  nous  prenons  de  toy,  tu  es  assez 
ingrat  pour  nous  refuser  ce  qui  nous  est  necessaire  ? 

"  Ensuite  on  le  lie  avec  des  cordes,  &  on  le  traisne  par  Icsruiis,  charge 
de  bouii  &  de  toutcs  sortes  d'immondices,  pour  luy  faire  payer  les 
pastilles  dont  on  I'avoit  auparavant  parf  ume.  Que  si  durant  ce  tenips- 
h\  ils  obtiennent,  par  hasaid,  ce  qu'ils  soubaient ;  alors  ils  rapoitent 
ridole  en  cgremonie  dans  sa  niche,  apres  I'avoir  bien  lavee  &  bieu 
essuyee  :  ils  se  prosternent  mesme  en  sa  presence,  &  luy  font  diverses 
excuses.  A  la  verite,  luy  disent-ils,  nous  nous  sonunes  un  peu  trop 
pressez;  niais  au  fond,  n'avez-vous  pas  tort  d'estresi  difficile  ?  Pourquoy 
vous  faire  battre  a  plaisir?  Vous  en  cousteroit-il  plus  daccordor  les 
choses  de  bonne  grace  ?  Cependaut  ce  qui  est  fait  est  fait,  n'y  songeons 
plus.     On  vous  redorera,  pourvCi  que  vousoubliez  tout  le  passe." 


1 697-]  EXTERIOR  DEVOTION.  261 

be  so  unkind  to  us  ?  Why  would  you  suffer  your  self  to  be 
thus  us'd,  would  it  not  have  been  better  for  you  to  have 
granted  chearf ally  what  we  ask'd  ? " 

The  Ghincscs  have  a  great  share  of  exterior  Devotion,  some 
Instances  of  which  I  have  observ'd.  The  Butchers  bless 
their  Meat  before  they  expose  it  to  Sale,  and  every  one 
blesses  his  Victuals,  before  he  puts  it  into  his  Mouth.  The 
Master  of  the  House  repeats  divers  Prayers,  and  reiterates 
many  Genuflections;  after  which  he  offers  what  he  has  to 
those  that  are  present.  I  know  this  by  Experience,  and  I 
know  likewise,  they  would  take  it  for  an  unpardonable 
Affront,  should  any  one  refuse  to  eat  what  tliey  so  offer'd 
him. 

The  third  sort  of  Inhabitants  of  Batavia,  (and  who  might 
take  it  ill  for  not  being  nam'd  the  first,  were  it  not  that  'tis 
customary  to  prefer  the  Eicli  to  the  Poor,)  are  the  Javatis^  or 
Natives  of  the  Island.  They  are  Tawny,  of  moderate  Stature, 
and  well  shap'd. 

They  go  half-naked,  and  keep  part  of  their  Hair  under  their 
Turbants,^  but  let  fall  the  rest.  I  once  saw  a  Javan  Prince  at 
Batavia,  who  went  Habited  after  the  Holland  Fashion,  only 
he  kept  his  Turbant.  Their  Huts  are  made  with  Bamboos, 
and  cover'd  with  Leaves,  and  are  for  the  most  part  small  and 

^  The  Javanese  at  Batavia  occujiy  two  Campongs,  each  under  a  chief 
of  their  own  nation,  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  Great  River.  They  are 
principally  husbandmen,  and  cultivate  the  rice-fields  in  the  neighbour- 
hood ;  but  some  are  employed  in  fishing.  The  Javanese,  who  are  better 
featured  than  the  Malays,  arc  of  a  light  brown  colour,  muscular  and 
well  made.  The  women  also  have  a  more  pleasing  cast  of  countenance 
than  the  Malay  females,  and  hi  some  of  the  hilly  tracts  they  are  really 
beautiful.  They  generally  wear  a  long  black  gown,  with  a  cloth 
wrapped  round  to  serve  as  a  petticoat ;  and  the  men  a  black  cotton  frock, 
with  either  a  cloth  tied  round  the  waist  or  a  short  pair  of  drawers.  The 
higher  classes  are  very  partial  to  chintzes,  silks,  and  velvets,  which  they 
are  fond  of  embroidering  and  in  Avhich  they  generally  appear  on  all 
festivals  and  public  occasions.     (Thorn,  /.  c,  pp.  238,  2-10.) 

''■  In  orig.  :   '•  turban.'' 


262  DANGEROUS   MADMEN.  [1697. 

ill-built.^  The  whole  Family  lies,  if  I  may  so  speak,  in  one 
Chamber.  These  People  are  extreamly  sober,  and  have  no 
Appetite  to  eat  much.  They  oftentimes  content  themselves 
with  a  little  Rice,  Fruit,  and  dry'd  Fish,  Being  Mahometans 
they  use  no  inebriating  Liquors.  Tea,  or  pure  water,  is 
their  Ordinary  Drink :  They  have  the  Eeputation  of  having 
a  great  deal  of  Wit,  and  being  quick  of  Apprehension.  'Tis 
said  they  are  exceeding  faithful  to  one  another,  but  Strangers 
sometimes  find  they  are  not  the  same  to  them,  being  possess'd 
with  that  wicked  and  pernicious  IMaxim,  not  to  keep  Faith 
with  such  as  they  think  Hereticks,  neither  in  IJeligious 
Matters,  nor  anything  else.  They  are  Laborious,  and  above 
all,  good  Fishermen. 

They  all  wear  by  their  Sides,  and  in  Scabl)ards  Daggers 
poyson'd  half-way  with  a  most  subtil  sort  of  Poyson,^  which 
some  of  them  know  how  to  temper  so,  tliat  it  shall  never 
operate  but  when,  and  as  often  as  they  please.  The  most 
dangerous  of  these  Poysons  is  the  sap  of  a  Tree  which  grows 
in  the  Island  of  Borneo,  The  Inhabitants  of  that  Island 
make  use  of  it  to  poyson  their  little  Darts,  which  they  shoot 
out  of  Trunks.^  The  Javans  sometimes  use  a  certain  Drink 
to  make  them  furious,  and  when  they  are  so,  they  cry 
incessantly,  Amcrci,  Amerci,  which  in  their  Language 
signifies.  Kill,  kill.    They  then  run  about  like  Mad-Men,-*  and 

1  Both  Malays  and  Javanese  dwell  in  bamboo  huts,  divided  into 
different  apartments,  sometimes  plaistered  with  mud,  and  usually  raised 
two  or  three  feet  from  the  ground.  All  the  villages  are  surrounded  by- 
topes  of  cocoa-nut  and  other  favourite  fruit  trees,  encircled  round  with 
a  thick  bamboo  hedge,     (Thorn,  p.  238.) 

^  "  A  sap  extracted  from  the  juicy  leaves  of  the  Magas  or  Kiati  tree, 
is  held  in  high  estimation,  as  an  effectual  cure  of  wounds  made  by 
crisses  and  spears  that  have  been  dipped  in  a  poison  composed  of  the 
blood  of  the  Gekko  and  other  ingredients."     (Thorn,  /.  c,  p.  2  J  3.) 

3  In  orig.  :  '■'■  Sarbacanes,"  i.e.,  blow-tubes. 

*  In  orig. :  "  d'une  violence  effroyable,"  omitted  by  translator. 

This  peculiar  frenzy,  now  commonly  known  as  "  running  nmiik''\  is 
not  unusual  throughout  the  East   Indian  Archipelago,  and  indeed  is  a 


1 697-]  MACASSAR   AND    CELEBES.  263 

kill  whatever  comes  in  their  way  with  wonderful  Address 
and  Agility.  To  save  your  Life  at  that  Juncture,  there  is  no 
better  way  then  to  run  from  them  as  soon  as  you  see  them 
coming  at  a  distance,  but  this  is  in  case  you  are  not  in  a 
Condition  to  defend  your  self.^ 

These  Customs  they  have  in  common  with  the  People  of 
Macassar  their  Neighbours,  and  those  of  the  Isle  of  Celebes^  to 

characteristic  malady  among  the  Malays  everywhere.  Vincent  le  Blanc 
gives  a  name  to  the  Javanese  warriors  derived  from  this  source  :  "  Sa 
principalle  force  estoit  en  certains  soldats  appellez  Amocos,  c'est  a  dire 
determinez  &  mesprisans  leur  vie,  qui  auoient  coustume  de  s'oindre  de 
certains  confection  ou  huile  odorant,  pour  monstrer  leur  resolution  ^  la 
mort."     {Les  Voyages  dn  Sieur  Vincent  le  Blanc,  p.  149.) 

Sonnerat,  also,  makes  especial  mention  of  the  ferocity  of  the  Malays, 
stating  that  the  captains  of  ships  were  prohibited  from  embarkiug  any 
Malay  as  a  sailor  :  "  On  a  vu  quelquefois  de  ces  hommes  atroces,  em- 
barques  imprudemment  en  tres-petit  nombre,  attaquer,  dans  le  moment 
qu'on  y  pensait  le  moins,  un  vaisseau,  le  poignard  a  la  main,  et  tuer 
beaucoup  d'hommes  avant  qu'on  piit  s'en  rendre  maitre.  On  a  vu  des 
bateaux  malais,  amies  de  viugt-cinq  a  trente  hommes,  aborder  hardi- 
ment  des  vaisseaux  europeeus  de  quarante  canons,  pour  s'en  emparer 
et  massacrer,  avec  le  poignard,  une  partie  de  I'equipage.  L'histoire 
malaise  est  pleine  de  traits  semblables,  qui  tous  annoncent  la  ferocite 
la  plus  temeraire.  Le  malais,  qui  n'est  pas  serf,  est  toujours  arme  ;  il 
rougirait  de  sortir  de  sa  maisou  sans  son  poignard,  qu'il  nomme  crik. 
L'iudustrie  de  la  nation  s'est  surpassee  dans  la  fabrication  decet  instru- 
ment destructeur."     (Voyages  aiix  Indcs  et  a  la  Chine,  vol.  iii,  p.  363.) 

1  In  orig.  :  "  en  les  tuant  eux-memes,"  omitted  by  translator. 

2  "  The  Buggese,  or  inhabitants  of  Celebes,  are  trained  from  their 
childhood  to  martial  exercises ;  and  they  are,  in  consequence,  very 
dexterous  in  the  use  of  the  spear.  The  criss,  which  is  constantly  worn  by 
them,  too  often  proves  the  fatal  instrument  of  assassination.  Numerous 
instances  are  related  of  their  inflamed  passions  bursting  forth  in 
sudden  and  violent  starts  ;  and  sometimes,  without  the  least  provocation, 
they  are  known  to  have  attacked  persons  in  the  public  streets,  of  whom 
they  had  not  the  slightest  knowledge,  cutting  and  stabbing  them  to 
death,  from  no  other  motive,  frequently,  than  to  try  the  metal  of  their 
crisses  or  choppers.  An  occurrence  of  this  kind  was  very  recently 
witnessed.  While  a  Buggese  was  carrying  wood  through  the  town  of 
Macassar,  a  man  whom  he  had  never  seen  stabbed  him  in  passing,  with 
his  criss,  in  the  shoulder,  without  the  smallest  offence  having  been  given. 
The  person  attacked  turned  instantly  Avith  his  chopper  ;  and  after  a 


-G4  POISONED  wp:apons.  [1697. 

the  East  of  Java.  These  last  make  use  likewise  of  the  Crii  or 
Cric,  a  poyson'd  Ponyard^:  They  make  themselves  mad  in  like 
manner  with  the  Javans,  with  their  Liquid  Opium,  of  which 
they  take  a  certain  Dose  to  render  them  dauntless  and  furious. 
They  haul  out  Moka,  Moica,  as  the  Javans  do  Amcrci.  When 
they  are  in  this  Condition,  they  think  only  of  killing,  or  being 
kill'd  themselves.  A  single  Macassar  in  this  furious  Humour, 
would  attack  a  whole  Eegiment.  They  have  Iron  Corselets, 
and  with  their  Cric,  wear  likewise  a  Sabre  and  a  Zogay : 
They  also  shoot  Poyson'd  Darts^  out  of  a  Trunk.  Certain 
pieces  of  paper  with  Magick  Characters  which  they  carry 

desperate  battle,  at  noon  day,  in  which  no  person  interfered,  the  aggressor 
was  at  length  completely  cut  to  pieces."  (1  horn,  /.  r.,  p.  335.)  Major 
Thorn  also  cites  another  recent  instance,  equally  shocking  and  barbarous, 
in  which  an  escaped  criminal  killed  upwards  of  twenty  men  before  he 
fell  under  the  crisses  of  his  assailants. 

^  In  orig.  :  "empoisonne  avec  des  mani^res  sui^erstitieuses  &  dia- 
boliques." 

2  In  orig.  :  "  lis  souflent  aussi  de  petits  dards  envenimez  avec  la 
Sarbacane." 

Poisoned  weapons.  "  Antlaris  tox'icarkt  of  the  Siamese  countries 
and  Malayan  archipelago.  The  hohun  Upas  is  a  large  forest-tree, 
sometimes  called  "  antsjar'\  and  the  knowledge  of  its  exudation  seems 
implied  in  the  prohibition  against  poisoned  arrows  in  the  Institutes  of 
Manu.  Clasping  the  poison-tree  is  mentioned  by  Bhavahlutti.  A. 
toxicaria  is  known  to  grow  as  far  as  Lat.  19°  in  the  neighbouring  portion 
of  Burmah,  and  its  exudation  continues  to  be  used  by  the  Karens  to 
poison  arrows.  Further  South,  a  tree  in  the  Malayan  archipelago, 
according  to  Jordanus  (Col.  Yule's  edit.,  Hakluyt  Society,  vol.  xxxi),  is 
said  when  in  flower  to  kill  every  man  that  couieth  near  it :  an  account 
not  strictly  true,  but /I.  toxicaria  has  been  shown  by  Rumphius,  ii,  pi.  87, 
L.  de  la  Tour  and  Blume,  to  be  viruleutly  poisonous  ;  it  is  known  to 
grow  particularly  on  Java,  Baly,  and  Celebes."  (Dr.  Charles  Pickering, 
Chronological  Ilist.  of  Plants,  p.  422.) 

"The  Strychios  iicule  of  Java,  a  climber  120  feet,  or  upas  radja,  the 
bark  of  whose  root  yields  one  of  the  most  dangerous  poisons  known, 
acting  like  nux  vomica."     (^IbiJ.,  p.  445.) 

The  letel  palm  is  the  Areca  catechu  of  the  INIalay  archipelago,  said 
to  be  the  '■'■  petros"  of  the  Erythraean  Periplus,  and  its  nuts  have, 
according  to  Wilkinson,  been  exhumed  from  ancient  Egyi:)tian  tombs. 
(Pickering,  o;j   cit.,\).  331.) 


1 697-]  JAVAN   WOMEN.  265 

about  them,  are,  they  believe,  a  more  powerful  Preservative 
than  either  their  Arms  or  their  Armour. 

When  I  was  at  Batavia,  the  Cric  was  forbidden  to  the 
common  Javans,  and  only  Officers  and  other  Persons  of  Dis- 
tinction had  the  Privilege  to  wear  it.  They  were  distin- 
guishable by  this  Weapon, the  Hilt  whereof  was  massy  Gold, 
as  likewise  by  Guards,  which  the  People  of  Quality  were 
attended  by.  These  were  arm'd  with  Wooden  Half-pikes, 
which  they  carry'd  upright :  Princes  and  Ambassadors  have 
a  number  of  these  Guards  to  wait  on  them.  The  Princes, 
etc.,  are  carry'd  on  People's  shoulders  in  a  sort  of  Litter 
cover'd,  in  the  middle  of  which  they  sit  cross-legg'd  like  our 
Taylors.^ 

The  Javan  Women,  according  to  common  Report,  are 
extraordinary  amorous,  and  what  is  uncommon,  their  Passion 
is  no  less  constant  than  strong.  They  frecpiciitly  make  use 
of  Philtres,  which  I  have  been  assur'd  they  administer  to  their 
Lovers  with  Success-:  And  when  they  suspect  that  any  of 
them  have  been  faithless  to  them,  they  do  not  fail  to  regale 
them  with  such  a  Drug,  as  quickly  sends  them  to  the  King- 
dom of  Moles,^  so  that  it  requires  a  Mans  Consideration  twice, 
before  he  engages  with  those  sorts  of  Females  once.  There 
are  a  great  many  who  not  being  so  much  expos'd  to  fatigues 
as  the  Men,  are  not  near  so  Tawny,  and  who  might  pass  even 
in  Europe  for  Genteel."*  They  have  likewise  good  Paces, 
especially  the  younger  sort,  according  to  the  notion  we  have 
of  Beauty.     Their  pretty  swelling  Breasts  have  no  conformity 

1  In  orig.  :  "  dans  line  espece  de  brancart  convert,  an  milieu  diiquel 
ils  sont  assis  sur  une  planclie  traversante  large  d'un  bon  pied,  les 
jambes  croisees  comme  nos  tailleurs." 

■-2  In  orig.  :  "  d  leurs  Maris  ou  a  leurs  galans  afin  d'augmentcr  & 
d'assujcttir  de  plus  en  plus  leur  amour." 

3  In  orig.  :  "  qui  le  mine  peu-a-peu,  &  qui  I'envoyc  enfin  dans  le 
sombre  Pais,  que  plusicurs  appellent  aussi  bicn  que  nous,  le  Royaume 
des  Taupes.'' 

*  In  orig.  :  "  qui  seroicnt  troiivees  fort  gentilles  par  les  plus  delicats 
de  nos  Europeans." 


266  SUBMISSIVE  WIVES.  [1697. 

with  the  (langlhig  Duggs  of  the  homely  Africans  near  the 
Cape.  Their  Complexions  are  fine  and  good,  tho'  a  little 
brownish,  their  Hands  fair,  their  Air  soft,  their  Eyes  sprightly 
and  their  Laughing  agreeable  :  To  put  all  together,  there  are 
many  of  them  that  are  perfectly  handsom.  I  have  seen  some 
Dance  the  most  charmingly  that  could  be.  They  go  about 
Streets  with  a  sort  of  Drummer  after  their  mode,  who  beats 
time  to  their  Motions,  and  after  the  young  Wench  has  ended 
her  Dance,  one  gives  her  something  for  Encouragement. 
Another  Charm  they  have  is,  that  they  are  extreamly  neat 
and  cleanly,  their  Ileligion  obliging  them  to  wash  themselves 
all  over  several  times  a  Day,  and  their  Custom  being,  as  I 
have  already  observ'd,  to  clear  their  Skins  of  all  that  hinders 
them  from  being  extreamly  soft  and  smooth.  After  all 
this,  I  know  not  whether  Java  may  not  pass  for  a  gallant 
Country.^ 

But  after  I  have  commended  these  jolly  AYomen  so  mucli, 
I  can't  help  adding  to  their  Disadvantage,  that  if  all  I  heard 
be  true,  they  are  not  extraordinary  faithful  to  their  Husbands^; 
nevertheless,  they  seem  extreamly  Submissive.  They  lie 
groveling  along  upon  the  Ground  while  their  Husbands  sit, 
especially  if  there  be  any  Strangers  there,  (for  it  may  be 
inferr'd  from  all  I  have  said,  they  do  not  conceal  themselves 
like  the  Chineses,  or  other  Mahometans  of  Turkey,  Persia,  and 
elsewhere)  :  But  generally  speaking,  these  couchant  Postures 
signifie  little  to  their  Honesty,  and  are  of  no  more  Significa- 
tion, than  your  most  humble  Servant  at  the  end  of  a  Letter. 

These  Women  go  in  their  Hair,  and  have  for  Habit  a  short 
Wastcoat  with  little  Sleeves  lac'd  before,  which  sits  close 
without  joining,  and  being  cut  sloping  a-top,  discovers  great 

1  In  orig.  ;  "  je  ne  sais  si  apres  tout  cela  il  est  necessaire  de  dire  que 
risle  de  Java  n'est  pas  ua  pais  011  la  galanterie  soit  inconnue:  I'amour 
y  regne,  finement  niOiiie,  &  violumment." 

2  In  orig. :  "  n'ayent  pour  leurs  Maris,  la  fidelitu  qu'cUcs  veulont 
qu'ils  ayeiit  pour  elles." 


i6gy.]  DRESS  of  women.  267 

part  of  their  Breasts.  Under  this  Corselet,  which  hardly 
reaches  to  their  Hipps,  they  wrap  their  Bodies  in  a  sort  of 
Scarf  of  divers  Colours,  which  serves  them  for  a  Petticoat, 
and  which  being  light  and  thin,  requires  two  or  three  folds 
to  keep  them  warm.  This  covers  them  to  their  Ancles,  but 
as  they  wear  no  Smocks,  there  is  always  a  List  of  brownish 
Flesh  (which  it  may  be,  would  not  be  better  if  it  were  alto- 
gether white)  seen  between  the  bottom  of  the  AVastcoat,  and 
the  upper  part  of  the  Scarf.^  This  covering  fitting  close  to 
their  Bodies,  displays  the  bad  shapes  of  some  of  them,  as  it 
does  the  good  of  otliers,  which  last  has,  I  know  not  what 
bewitching  effect.  The  richest  of  Women  wear  Slippers, 
which  perhaps  may  be  a  mark  of  Distinction,  because  few 
wear  them,  tho'  they  cost  but  little. 

When  these  Women  marry  any  Hollanders,  or  other  Chris- 
tians, they  are  likewise  oblig'd  to  espouse  the  Christian 
Eeligion.^    God  only  knows  what  sort  of  Christianity  that  is, 

1  In  orig. ;  "  Cette  enveloppe  les  bride  devaut  &  derriere,  aux 
environs  de  ce  qui  est  au  dessous  de  la  ceinture,  &  fait  un  peu  trop 
voir  la  forme  du  corps  a  celles  qui  I'ont  mal  bati ;  mais  a  quelque  chose 
de  drOle,  dans  les  jolies  tailles." 

*'  Their  dress  is  very  light  and  airy  ;  they  have  a  piece  of  cotton  cloth 
■wrapped  round  the  body,  and  fastened  under  the  arms,  next  to  the  skin  ; 
over  it  they  wear  a  shift,  a  jacket,  and  a  chintz  petticoat ;  which  is  all 
covered  by  a  long  gown  or  Kubay,  as  it  is  called,  which  hangs  loose  ; 
the  sleeves  come  down  to  the  wrists,  where  they  are  fastened  close  with 
six  or  seven  little  gold  or  diamond  buttons.  .  .  .  They  all  go  with 
their  heads  uucovered  ;  the  hair,  which  is  perfectly  black,  is  worn  in  a 
wreath,  fastened  with  gold  and  diamond  hair-jaius,  which  they  call  a 
Conde ;  in  the  front,  and  on  the  sides  of  the  head,  it  is  .stroked  smooth, 
and  rendered  shining  by  being  anointed  with  cocoa-nut-oil."  (Stavori- 
nus,  I.  c,  p.  323.) 

2  Thorn  says  that  "the  professed  religion  of  the  INIalays  and  Javanese 
is  Mohamedanism,  but  mixed  with  many  superstitions.  They  seem 
indeed  to  be  so  very  careless  of  its  rites  that  it  would  be  difficult  from 
common  observation  to  ascertain  the  nature  of  their  faith  and  worship." 
(Op.  cit.,  p.  239.) 

Wilcocke  states  that  the  Cheik  Ibn  Molana,  an  Arabian,  came  to 
Java  in  1-406,   but  that  Mahomedanism  had,  according  to  Valentyn, 


208  JAVAX   MARRIAGES.  [1697. 

for  from  the  third  and  foiirtli  Generation,  the  Children  that 
are  born  of  these  Marria^t,^e.s,  always  go  after  the  Javan  ]\Iode. 
It  is  these  sorts  of  Converts^  that  generally  fill  the  Malay 
Church  before  mention'd  :  The  number  of  Converts^  is  much 
less,  in  that  the  Men  have  not  the  same  Motives  for  Con- 
version. The  Christian  Women^  being  but  very  few  for  the 
Christians  themselves,  the  Javans,  can  get  none  of  them,  let 
them  be  as  much  Converts  as  they  please,  whereas  the 
scarcity  of  that  Sex  oftentimes  occasions  the  Christian  j\Ien 
to  matcli  with  the  Javan  Women. 

The  Marriages  between  the  Javan  Men  and  Women,  are 
concluded  with  few  or  no  Ceremonies,  in  like  manner  as  their 
Burials  are.  They  call  themselves  of  the  Sect  of  Tommi,  and 
despise  the  other  Maliomdans,  altho'  they  are  all  of  the  same 
Sentiments  concerning  the  principal  Articles  of  their  Belief.'^ 

Before  we  leave  the  Island  of  Java,  I  will  observe  some 
Bavticulars  concerning  it,  slightly  touch'd  by  tlie  fomous 
Lodivoco  Vcrtomanni,''  of  whom  I  have  formerly  spoken.  In 
my  Opinion,  exact  and  faithful  Travellers  ought  not  only  to 

been  iutroduced  previously.  The  tomb  of  this  Cheik  at  Cheriboii,  with 
the  mosque  belonging  to  it,  are  magnificent  monuments,  to  wliich 
pilgrimages  have  been  performed  during  four  centuries.  (Cf.  Stavorinns, 
vol.  iii,  p.  372.) 

1  "  Converties,"  i  e.,  female  converts. 

-  "  Convertis,''  i.e.,  male  converts. 

3  "  Les  filles  Chretiennes." 

•*  In  orig.  :  "  Chose  dont  personne  ne  se  doit  pas  plus  ctonner  que  de 
voir  le  Christianisme  divise  comme  il  I'estjbieu  qu'il  soit  tres-vrai  que  tons 
conviennent  aussi  de  I'Essentiel,  ou  dcs  Points  Fondainentaux,  comme 
on  parle.  De  sorte  que  tons  feroient  une  nienie  profession  publique, 
si  la  pedanterie,  &  le  prejuge  n'en  empechoient  pas  :  &  si,  au  lieu  de 
tordre  I'Ecriture,  &  de  broder,  comme  on  fait,  Tancicn  Symbole,  en 
I'etendant  meme  a  droit  &  h,  gauche  connne  a  I'infini ;  on  s'en  tenoit, 
sagement  &  humblement,  aux  purs  &  simples  termes  de  la  Revelation 
proprement  dite,  dans  toutes  les  choses,  que  Ton  recounoit  unauime- 
ment  etre  mysterieuses,  comme  dans  les  autres."  The  whole  of  this 
paragraph  is  omitted  by  the  translator. 

*  In  orig.  :  "  Louis  Vertomaimi.''  (Cf.  Trarcls  of  Lialorico  dl  ]'ar- 
Ihima,  Hakluyt  edit.,  1864.) 


1 697-]  ABSENCE    OF    EMEKALDS.  269 

relate  new  things,  but  to  undeceive  the  Readers  in  the 
Errors  relating  to  old.  Vertomanni  says  of  Java,  "  'Tis  an 
Island  in  the  East  where  very  fine  Emeralds  are  found,"^ 
yet  1  that  liv'd  a  whole  year  there,  could  never  hear  of  any 
such  thing,  tho'  I  made  never  so  much  Enquiry.  Ikit  I'll 
oppose  Tavernier  to  Vertomanni :  "  Tis  an  ancient  Error," 
says  Monsieur  Tavernier,  "  that  a  great  many  People  have 
believ'd  that  Emeralds  were  found  originally  in  the  East. 
The  greatest  part  of  Jewellers,  as  soon  as  they  view  a  high- 
colour'd  Emerald,  are  accustom'd  to  cry,  see  an  oriental 
Emerald  !  But  they  are  deceiv'd,  for  I  am  as  certain  as  can 
be,  that  neither  the  Terra-firma,  nor  any  of  the  Islands  of 
the  East  ever  produc'd  any.  I  have  made  a  strict  Enquiry", 
said  he,  "  after  this,  in  all  my  Voyages." 

There  can  be  nothing  more  positive,and  Monsieur  Tavernier, 
an  Author  mean  enough  in  other  Eespects,  ought  certainly  to 
be  hearken'd  to  wdien  he  talks  about  precious  Stones  which 
he  dealt  in :  He  that  had  made  six  Voyages  by  Land  to  the 
Grand  Indies,  and  had  visited  the  whole  East  for  so  many 
years,  even  to  decrepit  old  Age. 

Vertomanni  adds  with  some  Assurance,  that  the  Island 
Java  has  Mines  of  Gold,  and  when  he  speaks  of  the  pre- 
tended Anthropo2^hagi  that  inhabit  it,  he  tells  you  exactly 
what  Diodorus  Siculus,  Mela,  Solimcs^  and  I  know  not  how 
many  other  Authors  have  related  of  divers  other  Countries, 
viz.,  that  they  carry  their  old  and  sick  People  to  the  Market 
to  sell,  and  deliver  them  from  their  Infirmities  by  eating 
them.     A  very  odd  sort  of  Food  ! 

As  I  have  never  seen  elsewhere  so  fine  Negro  Men  and 

'  "  Emeralds,  though  said  to  be  Oriental,  are  not  found  in  any  Part 
of  the  Eastern  Continent,  but  are  brought  from  Peru  to  the  Philippine 
Islands,  and  so  transported  into  Europe.''  (Tavernier,  Ilarr'is'sVutjages, 
vol.  ii,  p.  374.) 

^  Vide  ante,  p.  255.  Misson  never  tires  of  dragging  in  quotations 
from  these  old  Latin  authors,  a  method  apparently  deprecated  by 
Leguat  himself. 


270  ALBINOS   OR   CHACRELATS.  [1697. 

Women  as  at  Batavia,  I  am  apt  to  imagine,  for  I  forgot  to 
inform  my  self  of  it,  that  they  do  not  bring  all  those  Slaves 
from  the  Coasts  of  Guinea,  where  they  have  all  large  flat 
Noses,  and  thick  Lips ;  but  however  it  be,  I  met  at  Batavia, 
divers  very  pretty  i\^c^ro- Women,  with  Faces  much  like  ours 
of  Europe,  large  brilliant  Eyes,  wonderful  white  Teeth,  fine 
Shapes,  beautiful  and  soft  Breasts,  as  were  likewise  all  the 
other  parts  of  their  Bodies,  tho'  black  as  Jett.  If  one  would 
but  consider  that  this  Complexion  is,  in  a  manner,  un- 
alterable, not  being  subject  to  any  of  those  Palenesses, 
Eednesses.  Freckles,  and  the  like  disadvantages  which  the 
White  Women  continually  undergo ;  and  if  we  moreover 
remember  that  the  Black  Colour  has  its  Lustre  and  Value, 
as  well  as  any  other,  we  must  cease  to  wonder  at  their  Tast 
who  love  a  fine  i\^(?^?'o- Woman  as  much,  or  rather  more  than 
a  White  one. 

There  are  so  few  Moors  in  this  Island,  altho'  they  have  a 
Quarter  assign'd  them  at  Batavia,  that  it  is  hardly  worth 
speaking  any  more  of  them,  than  of  private  Persons  of  other 
Nations  who  come  to  Traffick  there,  or  to  accompany 
Ambassadors. 

I  have  been  very  sorry  for  forgetting  to  inform  my  self 
particularly  of  tlie  People^  call'd  Ghacrclats  at  Batavia,  of 
whom  I  have  seen  several,  both  Men  and  Women.  They 
are  white  and  fair,  but  what  is  most  Remarkable  in  them,  is 
that  their  Eyes  cannot  endure  the  Light,  and  they  always 
see  best  a-nights,  so  that  they  turn  Night  into  Day,  and  Day 
into  Night.  I  have  often  met  of  them  trudging  along  with 
their  Eyes  almost  shut,^  because  they  were  not  able  to  look 
on  the  Light. 

After  having  continu'd  near  a  year  at  Batavia,  we  departed 
from  thence  with  the  Holland  Fleet,^  consisting  of  seventeen 

1  In  orig.  :  "  la  Nation." 

2  In  orig.  :  "  qiioique  vers  le  soir,"  omitted  by  translator. 

3  "The  homeward-bound  Dutch  East  India  Company's  ships  were 


i6gy.]  PEACE  OF  ryswick.  271 

Ships,  Novemhcr  28,  1697.  We  caiiie  before  Bantam'^  the 
30th,  and  tarry'd  there  to  the  6th  of  the  following  ]\Ionth. 
We  were  eleven  days  in  passing  the  Streights  of  Suiult^ 
which  Seamen  call  the  Channel.  Sometimes  one  is  above  a 
Month  in  this  Passage,  by  reason  of  the  great  inconstancy  of 
the  Winds,  altho'  tliis  Streight  be  not  more  than  36  Leagnes 
thro'.3 

Nothing  Piemarkable  happen'd  to  us  till  we  came  to  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  unless  that  in  our  way  we  learnt  from  a 
Dutch  Sliip  that  was  going  to  Batavia,  that  the  Peace  of 
Reswick^  was  concluded  and  sign'd.     As  soon  as  the  Fleet 

divided  at  Batavia  into  two  fleets,  one  of  which  generally  left  India 
towards  the  end  of  the  year,  the  other  some  months  afterwards  ;  and 
some  days  before  the  departure  of  each  a  single  shijD  sailed  for  Europe 
whicli  was  called  the  voorzfUder,  or  forerunner.  Except  in  war-time 
their  ships  seldom  sailed  together,  though  they  usually  made  iheiv  rendez- 
vous at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope."  (Note  by  S.  H.  Wilcocke,  translator 
of  Admiral Stavorimi^  Voyages;  op.  cif.,  i.  p.  170.) 

1  Bantam  Bay  is  about  two  leagues  and  a  half  S  E.  from  St.  "Nicholas 
Point,  which  is  fifty  miles  west  of  Batavia.  The  bay  is  extensive,  and 
contains  several  islands,  of  which  Pulo  Panjaug  is  the  largest.  For- 
merly Bantam  was  a  fine  port,  but  it  was  monopolised  by  the  Dutch  in 
16<S3,  when  Fort  Spielwyk  was  erected.  The  natives  continued  bitter 
enemies  of  the  Dutch  until  1742,  when  they  were  completely  subdued. 
(Cf.  Thorn,  I.  c,  p.  262.)  Stavorinus  writes  that  ships  passing  out 
through  the  Straits  of  Sunda  often  anchor  in  the  bay  of  Anjer  to  take 
their  last  supply  of  fresh  water.     {Op.  cit.,  vol.  i,  p.  207.) 

2  The  Strait  of  Sunda. 

3  The  Strait  of  Sunda  is  sixty  miles  in  width  at  its  western  entrance 
between  Flat  Cape,  the  S.W.  extremity  of  Sumatra,  and  the  noble  Java 
Head,  the  western  extremity  of  Java,  but  the  main  strait  is  narrowed 
by  Princes  Island  on  the  south  side,  the  N.W.  point  of  which  is 
fifty-one  miles  from  Flat  Cape.     (Findlay,  op.  cit.,  p.  1228.) 

The  Strait  of  Sunda  is  subject  to  the  N.W.  monsoon  and  outside  the 
limits  of  the  south-east  trade  wind  during  November,  which  accounts 
for  the  delay  experienced  by  the  Dutch  at  this  season.  Stavorinus 
states  that  the  current  through  the  strait  changed  its  course  twice  in 
twenty-four  hours,  independent  of  the  wind.  (Cf.  op.  cit..  vol.  i,  p. 
207.) 

■*  In  orig.  :  "  que  la  paix  avoit  t'te  conclue  &  signce  h  Riswik." 
The  peace  of  Ryswick  concluded  the  wars  of  the  League  of  Augs- 


272  A  BLACK  SOUTH-EASTEH.  [1697. 

had  understood  this  News,  the  Cannons  began  to  roar  out 
our  Joy,  Doles  were  distributed  to  all  the  Ships  Crews,  and 
all  the  Seamen  embrac'd,  as  if  they  had  not  seen  one  another 
for  many  years.  Healths  went  briskly  round,  and  in  a  word, 
nothing  was  wanted  that  could  contribute  to  our  Eejoycing : 
But  withal,  we  could  not  help  thinking  that  this  Peace 
would  not  last  long.  Tlie  next  day  we  arriv'd  in  sight  of 
the  Cape,^  and  about  Noon  approach'd  tlie  little  Isle  Rohhcn, 
which  lies  at  the  entrance  into  the  Gulph. 

"We  then  saw  appear  upon  one  of  the  Neighbouring 
Mountains  call'd  the  Devils  Mount,  a  certain  Mist-  which 
Avas  an  infallible  forerunner  of  furious  Winds,  that  very 
much  incommode  Vessels  even  in  the  Bay,  and  our  Captain 
fore-seeing  what  was  like  to  ensue,  immediately  gave  out  his 
Orders  concerning  it.  But  hardly  were  matters  got  ready, 
before  we  were  oblig'd  to  drop  Anchor  to  prevent  our  being 
forc'd  out  to  Sea. 

The  Winds  blew  after  that  furious  manner,  that  our  Cables 
were  not  able  to  resist  them,  but  broke  like  so  many  Threads. 
There  was  hardly  one  Vessel  but  lost  one  of  its  Anchors, 
and  several  lost  three.  Four  of  the  hindermost  Ships  were 
driven  out  again  to  Sea,  and  the  Vice-Admiral  among  them. 
This  last,  who  had  some  private  Reasons  for  not  being 
extraordinary  well  satisfy'd,  made  use  of  this  Pretence  of 
the  Wind,  to  sail  directly  for  *S'^.  Helena^:     The  other  Ships 

bourg  (1688-1697),  when  Louis  XIV  acknowledged  "Williiuu  111  as 
King  of  England, 

1  "  In  their  return  to  Holland  they  [the  Dutch  Company's  ships] 
always  make  some  stay  at  the  Cape,  as  well  to  take  in  refreshment?,  as 
to  be  informed  of  the  Company's  orders  that  may  concern  any  of  the 
passengers  on  board;  some  of  wliom  perhaps  are  ordered  back,  that  their 
conduct  may  be  examined  in  the  Indies  ;  and  to  receive  the  news  of  the 
state  of  things  in  Europe,  as,  by  the  way,  they  carry  gazettes,  or  news 
papers,  home  with  them."  (Universal  History,  Modern,  I.  c,  vol.  ix,  p.  132.) 

-  A  peculiar  nimbus-tinted  canopy  of  cloud,  which  foretells  the 
south-east  gale.     {Findlaij,  p.  '212.) 

^  In  orig.  :  "  &  en  repartit  pour  continuer  sa  route  sans  nous 
attcndre,"  omitted  by  translator. 


1698.]  CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE.  273 

rejoyn'd  us  some  few  days  after  before  Isle  Rohhcn}  At 
length  the  Wind  being  appeas'd,  and  becoming  favourable, 
we  Anchor'd  in  the  Bay  the  12th  of  February  1698.  Next 
day  we  went  a-shoar,  and  every  one  provided  himself  with 
such  Eefreshment  as  the  time  would  permit  him  to  get. 

Since  we  are  happily  arriv'd  once  more  at  the  Gape  of 
Good  Hope,  I'll  keep  the  promise  I  formerly  made,  and  add 
some  Particulars  to  what  I  have  before  said.^ 

The  Point  of  the  Cape,  which  is,  as  every  one  knows,  in 
the  35th  Degree  of  Southern  Latitude,  advances  a  great  way 
into  the  Sea.  The  violent  Stoims^  that  reign  there  are  so 
terrible,  that  the  most  skilful  Mariners  are  at  a  loss  how  to 
manage  them,  so  that  the  Bay  which  seems  to  be  fine,  is 
render'd  disagreeable  by  these  Tempests.  The  Sea-Winds 
drive  in  such  prodigious  Surges,-^  that  no  Cables  hardly  are 
able  to  oppose  them. 

The  last  Fleet  had  a  sad  experience  of  this,  losing  many 
of  its  Ships,  and  if  the  Tempest  had  lasted  but  half  an  hour 
longer,  'tis  probable  not  one  would  have  escap'd,  since  those 
few  that  did  ride  it  out,  did  it  by  the  good  hold  of  their  last 
Anchor.^ 

1  Kobhen,  or  Seal  Island,  five  miles  N.  by  E.  from  the  Green  Point, 
at  the  west  side  of  the  entrance  to  Table  Bay.  An  infirmary  for  lepers 
and  lunatics  is  situated  on  the  south-east  part  of  the  island,  which  has 
recently  been  described  in  Blackwood's  Magazine  for  September  1889. 

2  Vide  supra,  p.  33. 

3  "  II  s'y  eleve  aussi  souvent  de  furieux  tourbillons,  qui  se  precipitent 
du  sommet  des  montagnes  &  du  milieu  des  nues  avec  tant  de  fracas, 
qu'on  diroit  que  le  ciel  va  s'abimer  &  la  mer  rompre  ses  bornes  & 
inonder  toute  la  terre.  11  n'est  par  sur  pour  les  vaisseaux  de  tenter 
I'abordage  de  cette  cote,  tant  que  cet  orage  dure."  (Dapper's  Africa^ 
French  edition,  1686,  p.  383.) 

*  In  orig.  :  ''  avec  taut  d'impetuosite,''  omitted  by  translator. 

6  "In  the  afternoon  of  the  24th  May  1697,  the  Company's  home- 
ward bound  ships  Waddingsveen  and  Oosterland,  with  valuable  cargoes 
on  board,  were  driven  ashore  at  Salt  River  mouth  in  a  great  gale,  and 
were  dashed  to  pieces  at  once.  Two  other  ships,  out  of  a  large  fleet  that 
was  lyicg  in  the  bay,  narrowly  escaped  the  same  fate.     Only  seventeen 

T 


274  TABLE    BAY.  [1698. 

This  Bay  seems  to  penetrate  far  into  the  Laud,  and  is 
about  three  Leagues  long,  and  two  broad.  Isle  Rohhcii  lies 
on  the  Larboard,  or  left  side  of  the  Ship.  It  is  very  flat, 
and  about  two  Leagues  about. 

I  say  Bohhen,  and  not  Robin,  as  it  is  written  by  the 
greatest  part  of  our  French  Travellers  and  Geographers, 
who  not  understanding  the  Word,  have  chang'd  the  Sence 
and  Orthography  of  it,  as  I  could  prove  by  a  great  many 
Examples.  When  the  French  Avrite  Robin,  they  imagin,  I 
suppose,  tliis  Island  had  its  Name  from  some  Robert,  whereof 
Robin  is  the  Nick-name,  but  this  is  grosly  erroneous.  The 
Isle  was  in  truth  so  call'd  from  certain  Fish  nam'd  in 
Flemish,  Robben.  They  are  a  sort  of  Sea-Dogs,  found  in 
great  abundance  about  this  Island.^ 

The  Fort  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  Bay  to  tlie  Right, 
and  almost  South-Eastward  of  this  little  Island  :  It  lies 
behind  some  Hills,^  so  that  you  cannot  see  it  till  you  are  got 
a  good  way  into  the  Bay.  It  does  not  command  all  of  it, 
as  many  have  unadvisedly  Written.  It  is  a  regular  Pentagon 
fac'd  with  Stone,  and  without  any  Ditches  or  Outworks. 
'Tis  well  pointed  with  Artillery,  and  has  500  Men  in  Gar- 
men  in  all  were  saved  from  the  two  wrecks."  (Theal's  History  of  Smith 
Africa,  vol.  ii,  p.  12.) 

1  Vide  suj>7-a,  p.  29.  In  French  edition  of  Dajiper's  Africa  (pp.  382-90) 
"  Rohben  Eilani"  is  translated  Vile  des  Lapins,  i.e.,  Rabbit  Island :  an 
obvious  mistake. 

This  island  is  thus  described  in  1771,  when  still  under  the  Dutch  : 
"Before  the  bay  lies  a  small  and  low  island,  of  something  more  than 
three  quarters  of  a  league  in  circumference,  called  llohhen,  or  Seal 
island.  It  is  a  barren  and  rocky  spot,  interspersed  with  patches  of 
sandy  ground.  It  serves  as  a  place  of  exile,  or  confinement,  for  criminals 
sent  hither  either  from  the  Indies  or  the  Cape.  These  are  obliged  to 
labour  for  several  hours  every  day,  in  the  service  of  the  Company, 
chiefly  in  hewing  and  transporting  of  lime-stone,  which  is  afterwards 
carried  by  small  vessels  to  the  Cape,  and  is  used  in  the  construction  of 
houses,  and  other  works  ;  they  are  allowed  the  necessary  provisions  by 
the  Company."     (Stavorinus,  I.  c.,  p.  536.) 

2  In  orig. :  "  II  est  couvert  par  une  hauteur." 


1698.]  CAPE   TOWN.  275 

rison.  In  it  the  Governor  and  all  the  Ofi&cers  of  the  Com- 
pany live.^ 

About  seven  or  eight  hundred  Paces  from  the  Fort,  and 
near  the  Sea,  there  is  a  little  Town  with  about  300  Houses 
in  it.  The  Streets  are  strait,  and  drawn  by  Line  ;  the  Houses 
are  built  with  white  Stones,  and  at  a  distance  it  promises 
much  more  than  you  find  when  you  come  near,  nevertlieless 
it  has  wherewithal  to  content  any  body,  and  you  observe  the 
Holland  neatness  enough  in  it.  There  are  a  great  many  Inns 
which  furnish  what  Provisions  you  have  occasion  for. 

Hard  by  is  the  Company  s  principal  Garden^:  It  is  about 
1,500  Paces  long,  and  250  broad,  but  to  deal  ingenuously,  I 
did  not  find  it  so  Magnificent,  as  I  have  seen  it  describ'd, 
'Tis  true,  you  see  there  most  charming  Walks  of  Orange  and 
Citron-Trees  of  all  kinds,  which  reach  to  the  end.  It  is  also 
furnish'd  with  Pear-Trees,  Apple-Trees,  Pomgranate-Trees, 
Fig-Trees,  Peach-Trees,  Quince-Trees,  and  all  other  Fruit- 
Trees,  as  well  European  as  Indian ;  but  all  these  grow  low 
without  being  Dwarfs,  yet  they  thrive  as  well  as  one  could 

1  HeiT  Simon  vau  der  Stel  was  the  Gomerncur  en  ExlraonUnaar  Raud 
at  the  Cape  at  this  date  {oide  supra,  p.  32)  ;  and  Olof  Berg  was  the 
MiUtaire  Hoofd,  in  command  of  the  troops,  with  Jan  Baptista  Duber- 
tinoas  his  Lieutenant.    (Valentyn,  1.  c,  p.  41.) 

2  "  One  of  the  most  beautiful  things  here  in  Table  Bay,  which  must 
be  mentioned,  is  the  incomparable  garden  of  the  East  India  Company. 
All  that  the  ancients  wrote  about  the  gardens  of  the  Hesperides  with 
its  pure  golden  apples,  of  the  gardens  of  Alcinous,  of  Adonis,  of 
Epicurus,  the  hanging  gardens  of  Babel,  about  those  of  Lueullus, 
Sallust,  Cicero,  and  others,  all  their  wonderful  descriptions  of  these 
can  hardly  approach,  in  the  slightest  degree,  the  matchless  gardens  at 
the  Cape."  (Valentyn,  /.  c,  p.  17.)  The  botanist,  Oldenland,  who  was 
superintendent  of  the  gardens  when  Leguat  visited  the  Cape,  had 
formed  an  extensive  collection  of  native  and  exotic  plants  which 
deserved  higher  praise  than  Leguat  was  disposed  to  accord.  Valentyn 
who  was  a  clergyman,  called  at  the  Cape  in  1685, 1695,  1705,  and  1714. 
He  has  given  an  admirable  description  of  the  Cape  Colony  in  his 
great  work  on  the  Dutch  Colonies.  (Cf.  Cape  Quartcrli/  Review,  vol.  i 
p.  411.) 

t2 


276  CONST  ANTIA.  [1698. 

expect.  A  certain  part  of  this  Garden  has  been  assign'd  for 
Muscat- Vines,  which  bear  good  and  fair  Grapes. 

It  has  likewise  in  great  abundance  almost  all  our  sorts  of 
Herbs,  Pulse,  Flowers  and  other  Plants.  It  is  water'd  by 
divers  Rivulets  whicli  fall  from  certain  Places  in  the 
Mountains,  and  are  distributed  into  several  artificial  Canals. 
All  about  this  Garden  there  are  a  great  many  thick  Trees, 
which  tho'  they  defend  it  tolerably  from  the  Wind,^  yet  they 
cannot  absolutely  do  it,  which  is  the  reason  that  things  don't 
thrive  there  wonderfully  well.  The  Trees  themselves  do  not 
also  grow  so  kindly  as  in  other  Places. 

A  little  farther  on  the  Declivity  of  the  Mountain,  you  see 
here  and  there  many  Houses  surrounded  with  Vines,  Gardens 
and  Groves,  which  together  have  a  very  agreeable  effect  on 
the  Eye. 

The  CompauT/  has  another  Garden  about  a  League  off, 
which  lies  in  a  better  Soil,  and  is  more  shelter'd  from  bad 
Winds.  You  have  there  long  Walks  of  Oaks,  as  far  as  your 
Eye  can  well  reach,  and  a  large  Wood  of  young  Trees  of  the 
same  kind  rais'd  from  Acorns.  One  day  they  may  likewise 
make  use  of  these  Trees  for  Houses  and  Ships.  At  present 
there  are  Trees  fit  for  the  Carpenter  only,  in  a  Forest  about 
two  Leagues  from  the  Fort. 

The  Governor  has  a  pleasant  House  call'd  Constantia,^ 
about  two  Leagues  from  the  Cape.  Here  he  lives  the  greatest 
part  of  the  year,  not  only  on  account  of  the  Air,  which  is 
Excellent,  the  fine  Prospect,  and  the  admirable  Soil,  but  also 
by  reason  of  the  great  quantity  of  Game  which  are  there- 
abouts. Hunting  being  the  greatest  and  most  profitable 
Diversion  of  this  Country. 

1  In  orig.:  "  a  l'(5preuve  de  ces  coups  de  vent  dont  j'ai  parle." 

2  In  1699,  Governor  van  der  Stel  retired  to  his  farm,  Constantia, 
■where  he  had  built  a  large  and  handsome  residence,  and  devoted  himself 
to  agriculture  and  cattle  rearing.  Practically  he  had  the  whole  peninsula 
as  a  cattle-run,  and  the  wine  which  he  made  was  the  best  in  the  colony. 
(Cf.  Theal's  Ilisionj.  I.  (•.,  p.  14.) 


1698.]  DKAKENSTEIN.  277 

Ten  Leagues  from  tlie  Gape  up  in  the  Country,  there  is  a 
Colony  call'd  Dragitestain}  It  consists  of  about  300  Souls 
as  well  Hollanders  as  French  Protestants,  which  last  fled  from 
France  upon  revoking  the  Fdict  of  Nantz. 

This  Colony  extends  eight  or  ten  Leagues  about,  because 
the  Soil  not  being  equally  good  everywhere,  they  were  fain 
to  cultivate  those  spots  tliey  found  to  be  good,  and  which 
occasion'd  them  to  scatter  themselves  abroad.  The  Earth 
produces  here  without  much  Labour,  Wlieat  and  other  Corn, 
which  yields  from  thirty  to  sixty  for  one.  As  every  Grain 
shoots  up  a  great  many  Stalks,  they  sow  here  very  thin  ;  the 
Harvest  is  in  the  Month  of  January. 

The  Vine  bears  Grapes  two  years  after  it  has  been 
Planted,  and  that  in  great  abundance  without  Cultivating, 
insomuch  that  in  some  Places  a  thousand  foot  of  Vineyard 
will  yield  six  Hogs-heads  of  Wine.  To  speak  Truth  the 
Wine  is  none  of  the  best,  being  apt  to  be  Green,  which  pro- 
ceeds partly  from  the  Peoples  not  giving  themselves  the 
trouble  to  chuse  such  Plants  as  are  most  agreeable  to  the 
Soil  and  Climate,  and  partly  in  that  they  are  not  accustom'd 
to  support  the  Branches  with  a  Vine-Prop.  They  are  like- 
Avise  wanting  in  not  leafing  the  Vines  well,  for  as  the  Soil 
is  Ptich,  they  shoot  forth  Wood  and  Leaves  in  such  great 
abundance,  that  the  Sun  is  not  able  to  penetrate  to  the 
Grapes,  and  this  Conjecture  is  the  better  grounded,  in  that  I 
my  self  have  frequently  seen  and  eaten  Grapes  here,  that 

1  The  first  party  of  Huguenots  left  the  Netherlands  in  July  1688,  and 
arrived  in  Table  Bay  in  January  1689.  Shortly  after,  the  refugees 
were  located  at  Drakeustein  and  Fransche  Hoek,  near  Stellcnboscb. 
They  were  without  goods  or  money,  and  the  board  of  deacons  at 
Batavia  sent  £1,200  to  be  distributed  amongst  them.  Among  the 
names  of  those  receiving  assistance  is  that  of  Isaac  Taillefer,  with  wife 
and  four  children,  who  is  mentioned  by  Leguat.  These  families  inter- 
married with  the  Dutch.  The  number  of  Huguenots  in  the  colony  is 
stated  to  have  been  at  this  time  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  souls.  In 
French  edition  of  Leguat  it  is  "  trois  mille  personnes."  (Vide  Cape 
(luarlcrbj  Review,  vol.  i,  pp.  395,  398.) 


278  COUNTRY   PRODUCE.  [1698. 

liave  been  incomparably  better  when  exposed  to  the  Sun, 
than  those  that  hiy  hid  under  the  Leaves.^ 

They  have  their  Vintage  ahoiit  the  end  of  Fchriiar)/ :  To 
this  Article  I  must  add,  since  the  occasion  presents  for  it, 
that  the  Company  buys  all  the  Wine  at  the  rate  of  twenty 
Crowns  the  Lcrjrc'^  which  contains  about  a  thousand  Mingles, 
only  furnishing  the  Cask,  so  that  there  is  none  sold  out  but 
what  comes  from  them,  as  is  the  practice  at  Genoa?  The 
First  Offence  against  this  Law  is  punish'd  with  a  Fine  of  a 
hundred  Crowns,  the  Second  with  Whipping,  and  the  Third 
with  Banishment :  This  makes  the  Wine  very  dear.  It  is 
worth  twenty  Som  the  Mlnyle,  which  is  near  the  Paris  Pint, 
and  Ewjlish  Quart.  You  have  likewise  in  this  Country 
Ananas,  Water  and  Land-Melons,  Pulse  and  all  sorts  of 
Eoots,  so  that  the  Inhabitants  would  have  nothing  to  com- 
plain of,  were  they  not  incommoded  with  tliose  bad  Winds 
before-mentioned. 

They  have  in  this  Country  a  prodigious  number  of  Deer, 
many  Oxen,  Sheep,  Eoe-Bucks,  and  Apes.  There  are  also 
Elephants,  Rhinoceros's,  Elks,  Lions,  Tigres,  Leopards,  Wild- 
Boars,  Antilopes,  Porcupines,  Horses,  Asses,  Dogs,  and  Wild- 
Cats.  But  the  most  fierce  of  these  Animals  retire  into  the 
Country,  so  soon  as  the  Countrymen  begin  to  till  the  Ground. 
The  Lions  and  Tigres  are  boldest  in  coming  to  search  for  Prey 
near  the  Habitations. 

1  In  orig. :  '•  On  peut  ce  me  semble  juger  que  ce  defaut  de  maturitc 
dans  un  pais  fort  pres  du  Soleil,  ou  on  ne  connoit  ni  neige  ni  glace, 
doit  etre  cause  par  les  raisons  que  j'ai  dites,"  omitted  by  translator. 

2  The  Dutch  Jifiger  of  wine  contains  4  aanis,  or  126  1-lUth  imperial 
gallons.     (Theal,  op.  cit.,  Pref.) 

3  "  The  Traffick  of  Genoua  consists  chiefly  in  Velvets,  Points,  Gloves, 
dry  Confections,  A  nchovies,  and  divers  sorts  of  Fruits,  but  is  much 
d,ecay'd  in  Trade ;  for  tho'  some  private  persons  are  exceeding  rich,  ye^i 
t)ie  generality  is  poor ;  the  Government  monoiDolisos  the  Trade  of  Wine 
and  Corn,  so  thixt  the  Tavern  and  Innkeepers  must  buy  their  Wines  out 
of  the  Cellar  of  the  State,  and  the  Bakers  fetch  their  Corn  from  the 
publick  Granaries."  (Misson,  Voyage  to  Itali/,  Letter  xxxii,  written  from 
Genoa,  1688.) 


1698.]  FABULOUS  ANIMALS.  279 

As  for  the  Unicorn^  there  is  no  such  sort  of  Beast.  The 
old  and  most  curious  Inhabitants  of  the  Gape,  are  well 
satisfy'd  with  it,  and  he  that  made  Omar's  Commentaries  was 
a  Lyar,  as  well  as  the  rest.  The  Ehinoceros  is  the  true  four- 
footed  Unicorn,  for  there  are  Fish,  Birds,  and  some  Insects, 
that  have  likewise  but  one  Horn.  I  could  heartily  wish  to 
have  seen  one  of  these  Ehinoceros's,  by  reason  of  the  many 
Fables  that  are  told  of  that  Beast,  as  well  as  of  the  Crocodiles, 
and  a  hundred  other  Animals.  My  Friends  that  had  seen  of 
them,  laugh'd  at  all  the  Figures  the  Painters  gave  of  them, 
and  which  arehere^  subjoin'd  for  Curiosities  sake.  Certainly 
nothing  can  be  more  Comical,  than  so  many  pretended 
Embossings;  all  which  however  is  fabulous.  The  true 
Rhinoceros  has  a  Hide  like  to  that  of  an  Elephant,  and  the 
older  he  is,  the  more  wrinkled  he  will  be  :  It  is  the  same 
with  us  in  that  Eespect.  We  may  very  w^ell  affirm  that  the 
Rhinoceros  has  but  one  Horn,  in  spite  of  all  the  fabulous 
Relations  of  those  we  call  Naturalists  :  This  Horn  is  at  the 
extremity  of  the  Nose.  He  has  a  sort  of  Hair  in  his  Tail  that 
is  black,  as  large  as  a  great  Knitting-Needle,  and  harder  than 

1  Unicorns'  horns.  "  There  are  three  or  four  pretended  Unicorn's 
Horns  in  this  Cabinet  (that  of  Manfredi  Settala,  at  Milan)  ;  for  tho'  it 
be  beyond  dispute  that  they  are  properly  no  more  than  the  teeth  of  a 
certain  Fish  found  in  the  Northern  Seas,  yet  here,  as  well  as  in  the 
Venetian  Treasury,  and  other  places  where  they  are  preserved,  they 
retain  still  tlie  Opinion,  that  they  grow  on  the  Head  of  that  imaginary 
four-legg'd  terrestrial  Creature.  There  are  also  some  Fossil  Horns 
exactly  like  those  that  grow  on  Fishes,  tho'  of  a  very  different  matter." 
(Max.  Misson,  Letter  xxxi.) 

"■  Est  bos  cervi  ligura,  cujus  a  media  froute  inter  aures  unum  coruu 
exsistit  excclsius,  magisque  directum  his,  quaj  nobis  nota  sunt  cornibus. 
Ab  ejus  summo  sicut  palmte  rami  quam  late  diffunduntur.  Eadem  est 
fseminte  marisque  natura,  eadem  forma  magnitude  cornuum."  {De  Bella 
Gallico,  lib.  vi,  cap.  26.) 

-  The  figures  of  the  rhinoceros  given  in  the  original  illustration 
which  accompanies  the  text  are  taken  from  an  illustration  used  by 
Father  Tachard,  before  quoted  (/.  c,  small  edition,  p.  82 ;  large  edition, 
p.  104),  which  is  exaggerated  in  Leguat's  reproduction,  and  from  other 
contemporaneous  works. 


280  GAME   AND   OXEN.  [1698. 

Whale-bone.  I'll  say  nothing  of  Camelions  which  are 
common  in  this  Country,  unless  that  it  is  not  true  that  they 
live  without  eatiuf»,  which  we  vulgarly  call  living  upon  the 
Air.     They  live  upon  Flies,  and  such  like  little  Creatures. 

The  ordinary  Game  here  are  Partridges,^  both  Red,  Grey, 
and  "White,  and  very  large  and  fat  Pheasants,  Woodcock 
and  Turtle-Doves.  On  these  for  the  most  part  the  Inhabi- 
tants Subsist.  The  New-Comers  to  the  Colony  are  forbid  to 
kill  any  of  their  Cattle,  till  they  have  paid  a  certain  Duty 
to  the  Company. 

The  Oxen  are  of  three  kinds,  all  pretty  large,  and  very 
swift.  One  sort  have  a  bunch  upon  their  Backs,  another 
have  their  Horns  hanging  down,  and  a  third  sort  have  theirs 
extreamly  elevated,  and  as  fine  as  I  have  seen  in  South- 
Britain  about  London, 

Some  years  before  I  came  to  the  Cape,  a  Lion^  of  mon- 
strous size  had  leap'd  over  into  a  wall'd  Enclosure  near  the 
Fort,  and  having  strangled  an  Ox,  carry'd  him  almost  whole 
over  the  same  Wall  to  the  Tahle  IMountain ;  I  say  almost 
whole,  because  I  dare  not  affirm  it  was  entirely  so,  tho'  I 
have  every  body's  word  for  it.     Next  day  they  went  to  hunt 

1  Governor  Wilhem  Adriaan  van  der  Stel  sucoessfuUy  acclimatised 
partridges  and  pheasants  in  Robben  Island  soon  after  Leguat  left. 
(Cf.  Theal,  /.  c,  p.  30.) 

'  With  respect  to  the  great  strength  of  the  lion  there  can  be  no  doubt. 
Livingstone  writes :  "  The  immense  masses  of  muscle  around  its  jaws, 
shoulders,  and  forearms,  proclaim  tremendous  force.  They  would  seem, 
however,  to  be  inferior  in  power  to  those  of  the  Indian  tiger.  Most  of 
those  feats  of  strength  that  I  have  seen  performed  by  lions,  such  as  the 
taking  away  of  an  ox,  were  not  carrying,  but  dragging  or  trailing  the 
carcase  along  the  ground ;  they  have  sprung  on  some  occasions  on  to 
the  hind  quarters  of  a  horse,  but  no  one  has  ever  seen  them  on  the 
withers  of  a  giraffe.  They  do  not  mount  on  the  hind  quarters  of  an 
eland  even,  but  try  to  tear  him  down  with  their  claws.  Messrs.  Oswell 
and  Vardon  once  saw  three  lions  endeavouring  to  drag  down  a  buffalo, 
and  they  were  unable  to  do  so  for  a  time,  though  he  was  then  mortally 
wounded  by  a  two-ounce  ball."  (Livingstone,  Travels  in  South  Africa, 
p.  Iu9.) 


1698.]  LIONS   AND    TIGERS.  281 

this  famous  Beast,  and  having  laid  a  Snare  for  him,  he  was 
taken  and  kill'd.  I  have  seen  his  Skin,  which  was  nail'd 
against  a  Board  as  one  enters  the  Fort.  There  is  kept  the 
Skin  of  another  Lion  who  was  found  dead,  having  four 
Porcupine's  quills  sticking  on  it ;  and  of  a  wild  Horse  that 
was  kill'd  in  the  Woods.  He  had  no  Tail,  and  was  spotted 
like  a  Leopard.^ 

The  Tigres  of  this  Country  are  very  small,  whereas  they 
are  exceeding  large  in  the  Island  of  Java.  The  Dogs  who 
tho'  never  so  strong  and  numerous,  dare  not  pursue  a  Lion, 
hunt  boldly  these  little  Tigres.  When  these  Beasts  can  get 
into  any  Park,  they  strangle  abundance  of  Deer,^  but  only 
suck  their  Blood,  unless  they  are  exceeding  hungry. 

The  Company  gives  twenty  Crowns  to  any  one  that  kills 
a  Lion,  and  ten  to  him  that  kills  a  Tigre,  which  has 
occasion'd  many  Stratagems  to  be  invented  for  taking  those 
Beasts.^     For  Example  one  is,  That  they  tie  a  piece  of  Flesh 

1  "  On  entering  the  fortress  through  the  Castle- gate  (where  there 
every  now  and  then  a  couple  of  lion's  skins  hang  up),  one  comes  upon 
a  large  courtyard."  (Valentyn,  /.  c,  p.  14.)  Valentyn  also  states  : 
"  Captain  Olof  Berg  has  told  nie  that  he  once  shot  a  lion  right  through 
the  heart,  which  lion,  however,  lived  several  hours  afterwards,  and 
dragged  itself  from  two  to  four  hundred  paces  from  the  spot  and  then 
died.  The  gentleman  followed  its  track  in  order  to  cut  it  up.  Its  fat 
is  a  splendid  curative,  and  its  flesh,  like  that  of  other  wild  animals 
(tigers,  leopards,  etc.),  is  said  to  taste  nice.  In  the  gate  of  the  Fort 
there  hangs  the  skin  of  a  huge  lion  with  five  quills  of  a  porcupine  stuck 
through  it."     {Ibid.,  I.  c,  p.  113.) 

"  In  May  1694  a  burgher  at  Drakenstein  was  killed  by  a  leopard, 
and  another  at  Stellenbosch  was  nearly  torn  to  pieces  by  a  lion.  On 
one  day  in  the  following  mouth  nine  cows  were  killed  by  lions  in  sight 
of  the  castle.  The  premium  for  killing  a  lion  in  Cape  peninsula  was 
£5  4s.  2d.  As  late  as  1702  an  elephant  was  killed  just  beyond  the 
Cape  fiats."     (Theal,  History  of  South  Africa,  vol.  ii,  p.  7.) 

=*  In  French  text:  "  Moutous." 

3  "A  tax  was  levied  by  the  Dutch  Company  under  the  denomination 
of  lion  and  tiger-money  ;  this  tax  was  paid  by  eacli  burgher,  at  the 
rate  of  four  rix-dollars  for  lion,  and  two  gildei-s  for  tiger-money  ;  out 
of  this  fund,  at  the  time  when  the  colony  began  to  extend  itself,  and 


282  •  FKEXCII    PROTESTANTS.  [1698. 

to  tlie  muzzle  of  a  Gun  with  a  brass  Wire,  and  the  other 
end  being  f\isten'd  to  the  Trigg,  as  soon  as  the  Beast  seizes 
the  Bait  the  Gun  goes  of,  and  either  kills  or  wounds  him. 

Bread  here  is  not  worth  a  Penny  a  pound,  although  the 
Bakers  are  oblig'd  to  buy  all  the  Corn  of  the  Company  in 
like  manner  as  they  are  their  Wine,  their  Beef,  tlieir  Mutton, 
and  their  Tobacco.  The  Comimny  for  three  Crowns  gives 
tlie  Inhabitants  a  measure  of  Corn,  that  weighs  a  hundred 
and  four-score  Pounds.  The  Price  of  Beef  and  Mutton  is 
setled  at  two  pence  a  Pouud,^  and  Tobacco  at  forty  Pence. 
Soap  is  sold  at  eighteen  pence  a  Pound,  and  Aqua-vitce  at  a 
hundred  Pence  the  Mingle.     Beer  is  exceeding  cheap. 

The  Slaves,  all  Negrds,  are  worth  between  three-score  and 
four-score  Crowns  a  Head,  according  to  the  Age  and  Con- 
dition of  the  Beast.  The  Crown  is  worth  eight  Skilling  as 
in  Holland,  and  the  Skilling  six  Sous.  The  Pound  is  of 
sixteen  Ounces.  The  least  piece  of  Money  at  the  Cajjc  is  a 
Sous,  as  at  Batavia. 

The  Colony  I  have  been  speaking  of,  which  is  about  ten 
Leagues  from  the  Cape,  has  been  frequently  augmented,  and 
is  almost  every  day,  by  a  considerable  number  of  French 
Protestants.  The  Company  maintains  a  Minister  and  Reader 
for  them,  and  affords  them  every  day  some  fresh  Tokens  of 
their  Eespect.'^ 

when  the  colonists  were  much  infested  by  wild  beasts,  a  certain  pre- 
mium was  paid  to  every  one  who  killed  or  caught  any  of  these  animals. 
At  first,  government  paid  sixteen  rix-dollars  for  a  lion  and  ten  gilders 
for  a  tiger,  after  which  the  sum  was  diminished  to  ten  rix-dollars  for  a 
lion's  and  six  gilders  for  a  tiger's  skin.  But  when  these  animals  were 
so  far  extirpated  that  seldom  any  were  to  be  seen,  the  premium  was 
discontinued,  excepting  in  case  they  were  brought  alive  to  the  Cape, 
which  is  hardly  practicable.  But  the  tax  remained  in  force,  and  assumed 
the  nature  of  a  permanent  impost."  (Wilcocke,  Stavor'uins'  Voyage,  iii, 
p.  400.) 

'  By  17U,  the  price  of  meat  had  risen  to  ;>{(/.  a  pound.  (Theal,  /.  c, 
p.  74.) 

"  The  Rev.  Pierre  Simond  (of  Dauphim''),  minister  of  the  Refugee 


1698.]  PSALMS   OF   MAROT    AND    BEZA.  283 

I  was  told,  if  I  remember  well,  while  I  was  with  those 
good  People,  that  the  Pastor  of  this  Church,^  a  very  honest 
and  sensible  Man,  was  making  a  new  Translation^  of  the 
Psalms  in  Verse,  or  at  least  correcting,  to  the  best  of  his 
Power,  that  of  Marot  and  Beza^  to  render  those  sacred 
Pages  more  intelligible,  than  they  were  in  this  Jargon 
which  is  now  become  Piidiculous,  Barbarous  and  Scan- 
dalous.'* 

Congregation  at  Zierickzee  (in  the  Netherlands),  was  engaged  by  the 
Company,  at  a  salary  of  seven  pounds  ten  shillings  a  month,  to  proceed 
to  the  Cape.  He  sailed,  with  Anna  de  Beront  his  wife,  from  IMiddle- 
burg,  in  1G88,  for  Table  Bay,  where  he  arrived  four  months  afterwards 
with  a  party  of  French  emigrants.  The  refugees  were  located  at 
Drakenstein,  Frausche  Hoek,  and  Stellenbosch.  {Cape  Q.  Eeview,  i, 
p.  393.) 

1  The  Rev.  Predikant  Petrm  Smonszoon  (as  the  Dutch  called  him)  was 
a  man  of  determined  will,  who  was  justly  regarded  by  his  flock  as  a  fit 
guide  and  counsellor  in  secular  as  well  as  in  religious  matters.  A 
quantity  of  his  correspondence  is  still  in  existence  at  the  Cape.  He 
gloried  in  having  suffered  for  his  faith,  and  for  those  of  his  own  religion 
there  was  no  sacrifice  which  he  was  not  capable  of  making.     (Ihid.) 

2  "  The  Rev.  Mr.  Simond  had  prepared  a  new  version  in  metre  of  the 
psalms  of  David,  which  he  was  desirous  of  submitting  to  a  synod  of  the 
French  churches,  as  great  interest  had  been  taken  in  the  work  by  the 
Huguenots  in  Europe.  He,  therefore,  tendered  his  resignation,  to  the 
regret  of  the  Drakenstein  people,  and  requested  permission  to  return 
to  the  Netherlands.  The  Assembly  of  Seventeen  consented  to  his 
request,  on  condition  of  his  remaining  until  the  arrival  of  the  Rev. 
Hendrik  Bek,  who  reached  the  Cape  in  1702."  (Theal,  Hist,  of  S. 
Africa^  I.  c,  p.  25.) 

3  Psalmorum  Davidis  et  alioruin  Proplwtamm  anjiiin.  et  paraph.,  par 
Theodor  Beza,  Londinura,  1580. 

''The  Psalms  of  INIarot  and  Beza  were",  says  a  writer  in  the  Edin- 
bar(jh  Puvifiv,  "recited  by  martyrs  in  the  midst  of  torments;  they  were 
the  battle-cry  of  the  Huguenots  atCourtras  ;  they  solaced  the  wounded 
Coligny  at  INloncontour  ;  they  were  the  '  Marseillaise'  of  the  Camisards; 
they  maintained  the  courage  of  the  '  Forjats  de  la  Foi'  in  the  living- 
death  of  the  galleys."  (Vide  Edinlmnjh  Pu'vicii\  vol.  clxxi,  p. 
391.) 

■•  In  orig.  :  "  C'est  une  chose  ctonnantc  &  deplorable,  pour  ne  pas  dire 
absurde,  &  crimiuclle,  ^\\\o\\  ait  tardc  si  long- temps  ;\  mettre  en  exccu- 


284  DUTCH    IMMIGRATION.  [1698. 

AVhen  our  poor  Brethren  of  the  Cape  had  form'd  a  design 
in  Holland  to  go  and  settle  in  that  Country,  they  had  a 
considerable  Sum  given  them  for  their  Encouragement,^  were 

tion  le  dessein  forme  en  Fratue,  dans  les  derniers  temps,  de  substituer 
enfin  une  Traduction  projDre  h,  odifier,  au  jargon  ancien,  dcvenu  ridicule, 
barbare,  &  scandaleux.  La  U(?cessite  de  cette  Reformation  est  si  grande, 
&  si  pali3able,  qu'il  faut,  pour  ne  la  pas  voir,  &  pour  u'y  pas  coder, 
ou  le  travers  d'esprit  le  plus  effroyable,  ou  quelque  secrete  raison 
d'orgueil,  ou  quelque  vilaiu  motif  d'iuteret,  ou  je  ne  sai  quoi  d'incom- 
prehensible.'' 

The  necessity  of  a  new  translation  of  the  Canticles  is  pointed  out  by 
the  author  of  the  Voyage  Litteraire,  p.  54  : — "  Je  trouvai  ce  jour-lJi,  au 
sortir  du  Convent  des  Barnabites.  un  Livre  dont  j'ai  promis  de  parler  a 
la  page  21.  C'est  du  Contre-Poison  desb'2  Chansons  de  Clement  Marot 
&  faulsemeut  intitulees  par  lui  Psalmes  de  David,  faict  &  compost  de 
plusieurs  bonnes  Doctrines  &  Sentences  preservatives  d'Heresie,  par 
Artus  Desire  (Paris,  1561).  N'avoit-il  pas  Raison  de  decrier  les 
Pseaumes  traduits  par  Marot,  puisqu'il  etoit  Athee  et  Manicheen?  II 
le  prouve  avant  que  de  versifier.  Marot  a  nie  la  Providence,  en 
disant  : 

'  Car  I'Eternel  les  Justes  connoit  bien, 
Et  est  soigneux  de  leur  faire  du  Bien, 
Pourtaut  auront  qu'il  n'a  ne  Soiug  ne  Cure 
Des  Mal-vivans.' 
Au  lieu  de  dire  au  Pseaume  viii — Tii  las  fait  moindre  un  pttit  que  les 
Anges,  se  Malheureux  diet : 

'  Tu  I'as  faict  tel,  que  plus  il  ne  lui  reste 
Fors  estre  Dieu.' 
Done,  fault  conclurre  par  ces  Mots  que  N6tre-Seigneur  Jesus  Christ  n'est 
point  Dieu." 

*  Captain  Symson,  in  his  relation  of  his  voyage  to  East  India  in  the 
year  1701-2,  aboard  the  Macklesficld  frigate,  writes  of  the  Cape  : — 
"  I  do  not  remember  in  other  Travellers  to  have  found  what  meaus  the 
Dutch  use  to  people  the  lands  about  their  Fort  with  Europeans,  and 
therefore  will  add  these  few  following  lines.  Such  as  desire  to  settle 
there  are  allowed  their  Transportation  from  Holland  (jrat'is.  At  their 
arrival  they  are  allowed  to  range  and  view  the  Country ;  and  having 
pitch'd  upon  some  place  that  is  not  cultivated,  they  may  take  to  them- 
selves as  much  of  it  as  they  are  able  to  stock  or  manage  for  the  main- 
tenance of  themselves  and  families ;  and  all  the  Land  they  can  so 
possess  and  improve  is  intailed  on  them  and  their  Heirs  without  paying 
any  Rent  or  Acknowledgement  for  the  same  to  the  Dutch  East  India 
Cottipauy,  or  any  other  person  whatsoever.     When  any  are  unable  to 


1698.]  HOTTENTOTS.  285 

transported  thither  without  any  Charge,  and  upon  their 
Arrival  had  as  much  Land  assigned  them  as  they  could 
Manure.  They  were  likewise  furnished  with  Husbandry 
Tools,  Victuals  and  Cloaths,  without  being  obliged  to  pay 
any  yearly  Tribute  or  Interest,  till  such  time  as  they  should 
be  in  a  condition  to  reimburse  their  Benefactors.  There 
was  also  a  considerable  Collection  made  for  them  at  Batavia} 
which  Sum  was  remitted  to  them  proportionably  to  their 
Occasions.  They  took  up  their  Provisions  on  the  prices 
before  mentioned,  which  are  highly  reasonable  considering 
the  Place :  Besides  it  was  a  very  advantageous  thing  for 
them  that  Slaves  were  not  dear.  Moreover,  they  have 
considerable  services  done  them  by  the  Natives  of  that 
Province,  whom  the  Hollanders  call  Hottentots,  because  they 
often  hear  them  pronounce  that  word.  For  the  same  reason 
the  Spaniards  gave  the  name  of  Peru  to  that  part  of  the 
World  which  they  had  invaded.^ 

stock  their  Land  the  Dutch  Governor  gives  them  Credit,  'till  such  time 
as  they  are  able  to  repay  him.  Notwithstanding  this  Encouragement, 
they  have  a  great  hardship  upon  them,  -which  is  that  they  must  sell 
their  goods  to  the  Governor,  and  at  his  price  ;  so  that  he  runs  away 
with  most  of  the  profit  arising  by  their  Labour  and  Industry  :  for  the 
Governor  buys  at  very  low  rates  and  sells  to  the  ships  that  come  in  as 
dear  as  he  pleases  ;  and  no  man  can  sell  anything  to  strangers  without 
the  Council's  leave.  Abundance  of  the  Planters  are  French  Refugees 
who  have  penetrated  almost  100  miles  up  the  country."  (^  New  Voyage 
to  the  East  Indies,  hj  Capt.  William  Symson,  1715,  p.  217.) 

1  Shortly  after  the  Huguenot  Refugees  arrived  in  South  Africa  the 
board  of  deacons  of  Batavia  sent  a  sum  of  money  equal  to  twelve 
hundred  English  sovereigns  to  be  distributed  among  them,  according  to 
their  needs.  The  money  was  distributed  in  April  1690,  and  a  copy  of 
the  list  of  distribution  is  in  the  archives  of  the  Hague.  It  forms  almost 
a  complete  list  of  the  Huguenots  who  settled  in  South  Africa  at  this 
period.     (Ca2:ie  Quarterly  Revieiv,  April  1882.) 

'^  •'  In  orig.  :  "  Et  il  y  a  beaucoup  d'apparence  que  ce  fut  de  la  meme 
maniere  que  le  pain  celeste  que  Dieu  donna  autrefois  a  son  Peuple  fut 
appelle  Maii,  ou  Manne  (Exod.  xvi,  17),  soit  dit  en  passant,"  omitted  by 
translator.  "  L'on  a  eu  dc  coustume  ordinairement  en  ces  descouuertures 
du  nouueau  monde,  de  donner  nom  aiix  terres  &  ports  de  mer,  selon  I'occa- 


286  SUCCESSFUL   COLONISTS.  [1698. 

Our  Refugees  niadc  the  Hottentots  work  in  their  Harvests, 
Vintages,  and  whatever  else  they  please,  for  a  little  Bread 
or  Tobacco.  As  they  have  leave  to  Hunt,  their  Victuals 
cost  them  little  or  nothing.  Hardly  any  thing  is  scarce 
among  them  but  Wood,  and  that  is  of  no  great  Consequence, 
because  the  Climate  being  Hot,  they  have  only  occasion  for 
it  for  the  Kitchin.  For  the  same  reason  they  are  put  to  no 
great  expense  for  Cloaths,  the  slightest  and  meanest  Stuffs 
being  good  enough.  They  buy,  moreover,  a  great  many 
things  at  very  cheap  rates  of  the  Sailors,  who  touch  at  the 
Cajte  from  all  quarters  of  the  "World.  'Tis  true,  to  sell  their 
Commodities  they  must  carry  them  to  the  Cape,  whicli  as  I 
have  already  told  you,  is  about  ten  Leagues  from  the  Colony ; 
but  this  Inconvenience  is  not  over  great,  because  the  way  is 
good  and  their  Oxen  will  easily  travel  it  in  a  day. 

Every  one  must  easily  conceive  there  are  no  beginnings 
without  Difficulties,  and  our  honest  Countrymen  did  not 
meet  with  a  few  at  first,  but  then  they  were  charitably 
reliev'd,  as  I  have  already  observ'd,  and  at  length  God  was 
pleas'd  so  to  bless  their  Labours,  that  they  are  at  present 
perfectly  at  ease,  nay,  some  of  them  are  become  very 
Kich. 

In  some  parts  of  the  Cape  the  Landskips  are  wonderful 
fine,  especially  where  our  new  Inhabitants  were  settled,  and 
tlie  Air  is  admirably  good.  Fine  and  large  Iiivulets  con- 
tribute to  the  fertility  of  the  Soil,  which  furnishes  Wine  in 
abundance,  with  all  sorts  of  Corn.  The  little  Hills  are 
cover'd  with  Vines,  expos'd  to  the  best  Sun,  and  shelter'd 

Bion  qui  se  presentoit  alors  de  l'arriu(?e,  &  croy  quo  le  noin  du  Peru  a 
este  aiusi  trouu^,  &  mis  en  vsage :  car  nous  teuons  icy  que  le  nom  a  este 
donne  a  toute  ceste  terre  du  Peru,  a  cause  d'vn  fleuue  ainsi  appell^  jmr 
les  naturcls  du  jiais,  auquel  les  Espagnols  arriucront  quand  ils  firent  la 
premiere  descouucrtc.  Et  de  la  nous  disons  que  les  mcsmes  Indiens 
naturels  du  Peru  ignorent,  &  ne  se  seruent  aucunement  de  ce  nom  & 
appellation,  pour  signifier  leur  terre.''  (Iliistoire  Natvrelle  et  Morale  dcs 
JiidcK,  par  Joseph  Acosta,  1G16,  liv.  i,  p.  25.) 


1698.]  ISAAC   TAILLEFER.  287 

from  the  bad  Winds.  Spring-water  flows  at  the  foot  of 
these  Hills,  and  waters  in  its  conrse  the  Gardens  and 
Orchards,  which  are  fill'd  with  all  sorts  of  Fruits,  Herbs, 
and  Pulse,  as  well  European  as  Indian. 

One  of  the  Refugees,  named  I'aillefer}  a  very  honest  and 
ingenious  Man,  and  curious  above  all  things  in  these  Par- 
ticulars, has  a  Garden  which  may  very  well  pass  for  fine. 
Nothing  there  is  wanting,  and  all  is  in  so  good  order,  and 
so  neat,  that  it  may  very  well  pass  for  Charming.  He  has 
likewise  a  great  Yard  very  well  fill'd,  and  a  large  quantity 
of  Oxen,  Sheep  and  Horses,  which,  according  to  the  Custom 
of  the  Country,  feed  all  the  year  without-doors,  and  find  so 
great  plenty  of  Nourishment,  that  they  have  no  occasion  for 
Winter-fodder.  This  generous  Man  receives  and  regales  all 
those  that  are  so  happy  as  to  come  to  see  him.  He  has  the 
best  Wine  in  the  Country,  and  which  is  not  unlike  our  small 
Wines  of  Chauipaf/nc. 

All  this  consider'd,  'tis  certain  the  Cape  is  an  extra- 
ordinary Refuge  for  the  poor  French  Protestants.  They 
there  peaceably  enjoy  their  Happiness  and  live  in  good 
Correspondence  with  the  Hollanders,  who,  as  every  one 
knows,  are  of  a  frank  and  down-right  Humour. 

The  Cafrc  Hottentots  are  extreamly  ugly  and  loathsom,  if 
one  may  give  the  name  of  Men  to  such  Animals.  They  go 
in  Companies,  live  in  Holes  or  vile  Cottages,  and  have  no 
other  care  than  to  rear  and  feed  their  Cattle,  of  which  tho' 
they  have  great  Numbers,  yet  as  I  have  been  credibly  as- 
sur'd,  they  will  kill  none  for  their  Use,  but  eat  such  as 
generally  die  of  Diseases.  They  are  extreamly  Lazy,  and 
had  rather  undergo  almost  Famine,  than  apply  themselves 
to  any  Labour,  contenting  themselves  with  what  Nature  has 
produc'd  of  her  self     They  set  great  store  by  a  Pioot  tliat 

1  Isaac  Taillefer's  name  is  second  in  the  list  of  distribution  before 
mentioned  (p.  284),  and,  witb  his  wife  and  four  children,  was  allotted 
720  gulden  of  Indian  currency  (each  equal  U.  id.  English). 


288  SAVAGE   MANNERS.  [1698. 

resembles  our  Skirrets.^  They  roast  it,  and  oftentimes  make 
it  into  Past,  which  is  their  Bread,  and  somewhat  like  our 
Chesnut.  They  eat  raw  Flesli  and  Fish,  finding  tliem,  it 
seems,  better,  and  more  savoury  so,  than  when  they  are 
boil'd  or  fry'd :  Nay,  they  trouble  tlie  Kitchin  so  little,  that 
when  they  find  a  dead  Beast  they  immediately  embowel 
him,  sweet  or  stinking,  and  having  press'd  the  Guts  a  little 
between  their  Fingers,  they  eat  the  remaining  Tripe  with 
the  greatest  Appetite  that  can  be. 

These  People  are  almost  all  of  that  Stature  which  we 
call  midling.  Their  Noses  are  flat,  their  Eyes  round,  their 
Mouths  wide,  their  Ears  the  same,  and  their  Foreheads  low. 
They  have  very  little  Beard,  and  that  whicli  they  have  is 
black  and  woolly.  Their  Hair  is  extreamly  frizled.  They 
are  not  born  very  Tawny,  but  they  quickly  besmear  them- 
selves so  with  Soot  and  Grease,  or  some  sort  of  Oil,  that 
they  become  black  as  Jet,  upon  which  they  lay  themselves 
on  their  Backs  expos'd  to  the  Sun,  that  the  Colour  may 
better  penetrate  and  dry  in.  This  Embellishment  renders 
them  so  noisom,  especially  when  it  is  hot,  that  one  cannot 
come  near  them  without  being  ready  to  Vomit. 

In  Summer  they  go  all  naked,  except  that  part  which  the 
Men  put  into  a  Case  made  on  purpose  for  it,  and  which 
hangs  to  a  thong  of  Leather  that  is  ty'd  about  their  Eeins. 
In  Winter  they  generally  cover  their  Shoulders  with  a  Sheep 
Skin.  They  never  wear  anything  upon  tlieir  Heads.  Their 
Hair  is  all  frizled,  greasie,  and  powder'd  with  Dust,  and, 
moreover,  matted  together  in  Tufts,  to  each  of  which  hangs 
a  piece  of  Glass,  or  some  small  bit  of  Copper  or  other  Metal. 
They  pass  thro'  the  lower  part  of  their  Ears,  which  are  broad 
and  large,  a  round  Stick  of  the  length  of  an  Inch,  and  much 
thicker  than  one's  Thumb.     About  this  Larding-pin  they 

1  Skirret  =  Siiim  sisarum,  the  "  siser"  of  Varro  and  Columella,  a  plant 
abundantly  cultivated  in  Europe  at  the  present  day.  ( Vide  Pickering, 
Physical  Hist,  of  Man,  p.  397.) 


1698.]  MYSTERIOUS    CEREMONIES.  289 

hang  Shells  and  such  like  Toys  as  they  weai-  in  their  Hair, 
which,  as  you  may  imagine,  occasions  a  pretty  Jingling,  such 
as  their  Horses  likewise  make  with  the  same  Materials. 
Strange  that  these  sordid  Creatures  that  live  like  Hogs 
should  have  any  notion  of  Ornaments  !  Tn  truth  they  have 
no  Religion,  yet  I  have  been  told  they  have  certain  mys- 
terious Ceremonies,  which  seem  to  denote  their  having  some 
Idea  of  a  sovereign  Being.  I  have  many  times  seen  them 
dance  and  clap  their  Hands,  looking  towards  the  Moon,^ 
which  I  know  they  salute  at  certain  Seasons,  from  her  Nevj 
to  her  Wane.  It  seem'd  to  be  a  ]<ind  of  Worship  they 
pay'd  that  Planet.  However,  it  might  be  only  a  simple 
demonstration  of  Joy,  on  account  of  the  Light  that  it 
brought  them. 

Some  take  for  a  sort  of  Circumcision  what  the  Mothers 
do  to  their  iSTew-born  Males,  whose  right  Testicle  they 
always  tear  away  with  their  Teeth  and  eat  it,  but  I  ratlier 
think  they  do  so  to  render  those  Children  more  nimble  and 
proper  for  Hunting.  However  it  be,  this  is  the  general 
practice  of  the  Hottentots^  at  the  Cajje.  After  these  bar- 
barous Mothers  have  thus  maimVl  their  poor  Children,  they 

1  "When  the  New  ]\Ioou  begins  first  to  be  discerned,  they  commonly 
in  great  Companies,  turn  themselves  towards  it,  and  spend  the  whole 
night  in  great  joy,  with  Dancing,  Singing,  and  Claj^ping  of  Hands." 
(Ogilby,  I.e.,  p.  595.) 

2  Leguat's  account  of  the  Hottentots  seems  to  follow  very  closely  that 
published  by  Ur.  O.  Dapper  in  Dutch,  in  1668,  and  followed  by  Ogilby 
in  his  English  Atlas,  vol.  i,  jx  591  : — "Their  food  consists  generally 
of  onely  a  sort  of  round  roots  of  the  bigness  of  Tiirnijis,  digg'd  out  of 
the  Rivers  ai)d  other  places,  and  then  boyl'd  or  roasted  to  eat.  They 
kill  no  great  Cattel,  but  such  as  either  by  sickness,  lameness  or  age 
are  unfit  to  follow  the  Herd;  nor  any  Sheep  except  at  a  Wedding. 
They  are  utterly  ignorant  in  all  sorts  .of  Cookery,  and  therefore  fall 
upon  dead  Cattel  like  Dogs,  eating  it  with  Guts  and  Intrails,  the  Dung 
only  thrust  out ;  ajid  when  they  can  find  no  defunct  Beast,  they  look 
out  dead  Fish  on  the  Shore ;  as  also  Snails,  Caterpillars,  and  Muscles." 
(Cf.  Dapper,  French  edition,  p.  387.) 

An  illustration  is  given  in  the  original  of  a  Hottentot  man,  in  his 

U 


'200  IXCKNTIVE   TO   AVORK.  [1698. 

give  them  Sea-water  to  drink,  and  put  Tobacco  in  tlioir 
Mouths,  believing  these  two  things,  in  conjunction  witli 
what  was  before  done,  would  render  them  so  robust  and 
supple,  tliat  they  might  overtake  a  Roe-Buck  in  his  full 
Course. 

For  all  this  nastiness  they  are  made  use  of  by  the 
Christians  of  these  Parts,  and  so  for  a  bit  of  Bread  or 
Tobacco,  may  be  made  to  work  a  whole  Day.  But  then 
care  must  be  taken  of  two  things.  First,  rather  to  promise 
than  threaten  them,  and  by  no  means  to  abridge  their 
Liberty^;  and  Secondly,  not  to  give  them  any  thing  to  eat 
till  after  their  Work  is  done,  this  same  Liberty  which  they 
are  so  fond  of  always  enclining  them  to  live  at  ease,  and 
Necessity  being  the  only  Spur  that  pushes  them  on  to  work. 

These  vile  Huts  which  I  have  before  spoken  of,  are  low 
and  almost  round.     They  are  compos'd  of  Earth,  Branches, 

suEinier  dress,  holding  a  skirret-root  iu  one  hand  and  the  liind-quarter 
of  an  antelope  in  the  other.  Th^  leaf  and  fruit  of  a  plant  in  the  fore- 
ground is  adapted  from  the  Danaidcr  figured  by  Rochefort.  (/ii.s\  Nat. 
des  Iks  Antilles,  p.  225.) 

"In  kindness  and  fidelity  towards  their  Neighbors,  they  shame  the 
Dutch,  and  all  the  other  Europeans,  because  whatsoever  one  hath,  they 
■willingly  and  readily  impart  it  to  others,  be  it  little  or  much." 

"  The  People  which  dwell  about  and  near  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
are  of  a  middle  Stature,  Slouch-body'd,  and  uncomely  of  Person  ;  of  a 
Tawny  colour,  like  Mulletto's.  .  .  .     The  Hair  of  their  Heads  in  general 

resembles  Lambs  Wool,  short  and  Curl'd They  pull  all  the 

Hair  out  of  their  Chins,  and  daub  their  Faces  with  Black,  and  then 
anoint  them  with  Grease  and  Tallow,  and  thereby  seem  as  if  they  never 
were  washed.  Those  which  dwell  close  by  the  Cape  on  the  Shore,  and 
come  to  the  NetJicrlandcrs  Ships,  presently  run  to  the  Cook,  Kettle,  or 
Pottage-pot,  and  anoint  themselves  with  the  Soot  thereof,  which  tlicy 
esteem  a  Princely  Ornament."     (Ogilby,  /.  c.,  pp.  589,  590.) 

1  In  orig.  :  "car  lis  ne  soufriroient,  disent-ils,  jamais  ces  sortes  de 
subordinations  inutiles  qui  au  lieu  de  servir  a  maintenir  la  justice  &  la 
paix  dans  la  Societe  (c3  qui  est  le  vrai  &  ancien  but  de  ccux  qui  ont 
etabli  les  Dignitez  &  les  Charges  publiqucs)  y  autorisent  en  quelque 
niaui^re  la  tyrannie  &  le  brigandage,"  omitted  l)y  translator. 


1698.]  BONDS    OF   MARraAGE.  291 

Leaves,  and  so  ill  built,  that  the  Eain  never  fiiils  to  pour  in 
on  all  sides.  Their  Fire  is  in  the  middle,  and  they  lie  all 
about  higledy  pigledy  in  the  Ashes.  I  will  not  affirm  that 
the  two  Sexes  are  always  chast  there,  but  'tis  certain  these 
Barbarians,  as  barbarous  as  they  are,  profess  not  only  to 
confine  themselves  within  the  Bonds  of  Marriage,  but  also  to 
punish  Adultery  severely.  They  cudgel  all  those  to  Death, 
that  have  been  taken  in  the  Fact,  as  they  likewise  do  Thieves 
and  Assassins.  I  have  read  somewhere,  that  they  cut  oft' one 
Joint  of  the  little  Fingers^  of  their  Women,  when  they  offer'd 
to  remarry,  and  so  continu'd  to  do  Joint  by  Joint  where  they 
marry'd  several  Husbands ;  but  Persons  worthy  of  Credit, 
that  had  liv'd  among  them  divers  years,  assur'd  me  the  thing 
was  somewhat  otherwise,  for  that  they  cut  oft'  only  one  Joint 
of  the  Women's  little  Fingers  when  they  first  marry'd,  and 
which  was  done  in  token  of  their  Subjection.  The  Men  may 
take  several  Women,  but  for  the  most  part  they  have  but  one, 
especially  about  the  Gape.  The  Wives  have  somewhat  yet 
more  ugly  and  more  forbidding  Phyz's  than  their  Husbands, 
for  over  and  above  that  they  are  to  the  full  as  black  and 
nasty  as  they,  they  have  moreover  the  loathsom  Custom  to 
wear  several  rounds  of  raw  Guts  about  their  Necks  and  Legs 
in  lieu  of  Necklaces  and  Garters,  which  being  green  and  cor- 
rupted, stink  abominably.^ 

They  wear  likewise  Cockle  shells,  and  bits  of  Coral  and 

1  "  AVhen  a  Man  or  \yoman  dies,  all  the  Frieuds  to  the  third  degree 
of  Consanguinity  miipt,  by  an  ancient  custom,  cut  off  the  little  Finger 
of  their  left  Hand,  to  be  bury'd  with  the  Dead  in  the  Grave  ;  but  if  the 
Deceased  liad  in  his  Life  any  Cattel,  and  leaves  some  Relations  to  whom 
they  might  come  by  Inheritance,  ihey  must  cut  off  a  Joynt  from  each 
little  Finger  before  they  can  take  the  Cattel  ;  for  the  Sick  cannot  give 
away  the  least  thing  on  his  Death-bed,  from  those  to  whom  it  falls  by 
inheritance."     (Ogilby,  /.  r.,  p.  693.) 

^  "  Many  of  them  wear  as  an  Ornament,  the  Guts  of  Beasts,  fresh 
and  stinking,  drawn  two  or  three  times  one  through  another,  about 
their  Necks,  and  tlie  like  about  their  legs."     (Ogilby,  /.  c.  }).  591.) 

U  2 


292  STUANGE    MADNESS.  [1698. 

(llass  fasten'd  to  tlu-iv  Hair  and  Fingers,  and  lart^fe  Ivory 
Kings  about  their  Elbows. 

Ikit  wliat  is  yet  more  frightful,  is  their  Necks ;  they  seem 
to  have  two  long,  half-dry'd,  and  half-fill'd  Hoggs  Bladders 
hanging  at  them.  These  nasty  Dugs,  whose  Flesh  is  black, 
wrinkled  and  rough  as  Shagreen,  come  down  as  low  as  their 
Navels,  and  have  Filleniot^  Teats  as  large  as  those  of  a  Cow. 
In  truth  these  swinging  Udders  have  this  commodious  in 
iliem,  that  you  may  lead  a  Woman  by  them  to  the  Right  or 
Left,  forwards  or  backwards  as  you  please.  For  the  most 
part  they  throw  them  behind  their  Shoulders  to  suckle  their 
(,'hild,  who  is  slung  upon  their  Backs.  Notwithstanding  all 
tliis,  the  vanity  of  these  ugly  Witches  is  incredible.  They 
fancy  themselves  the  finest  Women  in  the  World,  and  look 
on  us  from  top  to  bottom  with  their  Hands  to  their  Sides 
disdainfully.  'Tis  said,  they  are  of  a  strange  Temper,  and 
tliat  at  certain  times  have  a  Madness  come  upon  tliem, 
during  which  they  emit  as  strong  a  Vapour  from  their 
Pxjdies,  as  those  of  a  Hind  in  Season.  They  wear  a  sort  of 
Petticoat  which  covers  them  from  their  Wasts  to  their 
Knees,  which  however  is  not  necessary,  since  certain  Skins 
hanging  from  their  upper  parts  like  Furbelo's  are  suHicient 
to  do  that  Office.  Some  have  told  me  they  had  the  Curiosity 
to  look  under  these  Veils,  and  an  end  of  Tobacco  procur'd 
them  that  Liberty. ^ 

1  In  orig.  :  "  un  bout  fcuille-morte." 

2  In  orig. :  "chose  qui  ne  leur  feroit  pas  nrcessaire,  pour  couvrir,  ce 
que  des  peaux  pendantes  en  Falbala,  de  la  partie  superieure,  di-roberoient 
Ahsez  a  la  viio  des  passans.  Plusiours  m'oiit  (lit  qu'ils  out  oCi  la  curiosite 
de  voir  ces  voiles,  &  qu'on  peut  satisfaire  ainsi  scs  yenx  pour  un  boutde 
tabac." 

M.  Leguat  gives  an  engraving  representing  a  Hottentot  woman 
without  her  petticoat,  in  which  the  so-called  taldier  is  most  conspicuous. 
Ill  the  background  is  figured  a  papaye  tree,  undoubtedly  copied  from 
1).  1P)9  of  Kochefort's  book  on  the  Antilles,  from  which  so  many  other 
representations  of  plants  have  been  borrowed. 

M.    de    Pages,   who  visited   the   Cape  in    1773,    remarks: — "Des 


1698.]  CATTLE  TKADE.  293 

Men  do  not  intermix  with  Women  abroad  ;  each  Sex  has 
its  Affairs  apart,  and  go  in  diiTerent  Companies.  They 
neither  knew  what  Gold  or  Silver  was,  or  had  any  notion  of 
Money  till  the  arrival  of  the  Hollanders  at  the  Cape.  Their 
Humanity  towards  one  anotlier,  yields  in  nothing  to  that  of 
the  Chincses.  They  mutually  assist  each  other  in  their 
Necessities,  to  that  degree  that  they  may  properly  be  said  to 
have  nothing  of  their  own^ :  Their  Address  in  darting  their 
Zagayc  is  singular.  This  is  a  sort  of  Half-pike,  arni'd  at  the 
end  with  somewliat  that  is  hard  and  pointed.  They  are  so 
exact  when  they  throw  this  Pike,  that  they  will  do  it  within 
the  compass  of  a  Crown.  'Tis  with  this  they  dart  Fish,  so 
that  they  never  want  any  Edible  of  that  kind. 

The  Company  has  so  considerable  a  Trade  witli  them,  that 
they  have  almost  all  their  Cattle  from  them.  They  bring 
great  numbers  of  Oxen  and  Sheep  to  the  Cape,  and  the 
Company  gives  for  each,  as  much  roll'd  Tobacco  of  the  big- 
ness of  one's  Thumb,  as  will  reach  from  the  Beasts  Forehead, 
to  the  root  of  his  Tail,  or  else  they  have  for  each  Beast  a 
certain  measure  of  Aqua-vitm,  such  as  they  agree  upon. 
This  Commerce  is  rigorously  forbid  to  the  new  Inhabitants, 

personues  que  je  ne  pouvois  soup^ouuer  do  ii'etre  point  iustruites, 
m'out  assure  la  fausset^  du  tablier  que  I'on  prete  anx  femmes 
Hottentotes."     {Voijckjcs  autourdu  Monde,  ii,  p.  2b.) 

M.  Sonucrat,  who  landed  at  Cape  Town  subsequently  (1774-81), 
also  agrees  with  M.  de  Pages  in  this  respect  : — "  Lo  tablier  fabuleux 
qu'on  prete  a  leurs  fenimes,  et  qu'on  dit  leur  avoir  ete  donne  par  la 
nature,  n'a  point  de  realite  ;  il  est  vrai,  qu'on  aper^oit  dans  ccrtaiiies 
line  excroissance  des  nyniphes  qui  quelquefois  pend  de  six  pouces, 
niais  c'est  un  phenomeue  particulier,  dont  on  ne  pent  pas  faire  une 
rfegle  geuerale."  (Voi/atjc  anx  Judcn,  vol.  iii,  p.  oil).)  In  a  subse- 
quent note,  MM.  Peron  and  Lesueur  are  (juoted  as  observing  in  a 
memoir  read  at  the  Institute  of  France  that  the  tahUer  is  found 
throughout  the  African  tribes  to  the  north  of  the  great  Karoo  and 
the  mountains  of  Suewberg ;  and  controverting  the  opinions  of 
Levaillant  and  Barrow  on  the  subject. 

'  In  orig. :  "  Et  effectivement,  la  lumiere  naturelle  dcvroit  porter 
k'S  honnnes  a  en  user  ainsi,"  omitted  by  translator. 


294  KNOWLEDGE   OF    SIMPLES.  [1698. 

who  are  not  allowed  to  purchase  any  Cattel  of  the  Hottentots 
in  any  manner  whatsoever,  under  tlie  penalty  of  50  Sous'  for 
the  first  Offence,  200  for  the  Second,  and  being  whipp'd  and 
banish'd  for  the  third.2  The  Company  sells  every  Ox  again 
for  25  Florins,  and  every  Sheep  for  seven,  in  a  manner  that 
without  much  burdening  the  Buyer,  or  running  any  Risque, 
tliey  make  great  Profit. 

However  ignorant,  or  rather  how  bestial  soever  the 
Hottentots  are,  they  know  something  of  Simples,  and  make 
use  of  them  with  Success.  Let  one  be  bit  with  any 
venomous  Creature,  be  one  Wounded  or  Ulcerated,  or  let 
there  be  any  Swelling  of  Inflammation,  they  know  how  to  go 
exactly  to  the  Plant  that  will  cure  theui,  and  administer  the 
Eemedy  with  greater  Success  than  we  oftentimes  do  ours. 
The  Sick  that  have  been  brought  a-shoar  at  the  Gcqye  have 
often  experienced  this,  and  those  Wounds  that  very  skilful 
Surgeons  have  given  over,  have  in  a  short  time  been  cur'd  by 
these  People.  The  most  ordinary  way  is  to  pound  the 
Herbs,  and  apply  them  to  the  Wound,  but  the  Patient 
swallows  likewise  divers  Juices  press'd  out  of  the  same 
Herbs. 

Neither  this  Nation,  nor  any  of  the  others  of  the  Southern 
Point  of  Africa,  are  absolutely  witliout  Government.  They 
have  even  hereditary  Chiefs,  who  may  reasonably  be  call'd 
Kings,  because  they  wear  a  sort  of  Crowns  as  I  have  been 
often  inform'd  by  a  curious  Traveller,^  who  penetrated  two 
hundred  Leagues  up  into  the  Country.  But  altho'  these 
Chiefs  may  liave  a  general  Eight  to  inspect  the  conduct  of 
the  I'eople,  they  seldom  make  use  of  it  but  in  time  of  War, 

'  In  orig. :  "ecus,"  i.e.,  crowns  or  rix  dollars.     {Vale  mpra,  p.  154.) 
2  Ever  since  1658  trade  between  the  burghers  and  the  Hottentots  was 

strictly  forbidden,  and  on  the  19th  October  1C97,  four  months  before 

Leguat'a  visit,  (rovernor  Van  der  Stel  had  is.sued  a  wwve  jildcaul  on  the 

subject.     (Cf.  'i'heal,  /.  c,  p.  20.) 

^  Possibly  Captain  Willeni  Padt,  who  had  been  employed  in  reducing 

to  order  the  Chainoiuiua  and  Ilessequa  tribes.     (  Vide  Theal,  /.  c,  p.  4.) 


1698.]  HOTTENTOT    WARS.  295 

and  then  too  not  always.  The  Inhabitants  scatter'd  here  and 
tliere,  form  to  themselves  certain  sorts  of  little  Kepublicks. 
where  they  observe  Customs  that  have  in  time  become  Laws. 
I  have  already  told  you,  they  punish  severely  wilful  Murther, 
Adultery  and  Theft.  T]iey  have  divers  other  usages  founded 
upon  natural  Equity,  which  they  make  use  of  for  conserva- 
tion of  their  Kind,  and  the  liepublick. 

The  Covvpany  for  the  most  part  has  a  good  understanding 
with  these  different  Nations  ;  1)ut  as  there  are  some  of  them 
that  have  Wars  with  the  Hottentots,  Neighbours  to  the  Cape, 
so  the  HoUanders,  whose  Interest  it  is  to  protect  tliem,  think 
themselves  oftentimes  oblig'd  to  declare  on  their  side. 

As  we  touch'd  at  the  Gape  tlie  first  time  we  saw  a  Detach- 
ment of  thirty  or  forty  Dutch  Soldiers,  who  had  been  sent  by 
the  Governor  against  five  or  si.x  Thousand  Hottentots,  return 
iVom  that  Expedition.^  Thiiy  had  been  a  hundred  Leagues  up 
in  the  Country,  and  had  defeated  an  Army  of  8  or  10,000 
Enemies.  As  soon  as  the  Muskets  had  laid  some  few  upon 
the  Ground,  the  rest  began  to  parly,  and  promis'd  to  live 
peaceably.  The  Dutch  took  above  10,000  Oxen  from  tliem, 
but  restor'd  them  again  and  gave  the  Hottentots  withal  some 
Tobacco  and  Brandy  to  convince  them  that  this  was  a  Peace 
without  fraud. 

I  will  here  add  two  or  three  things  more  concerning  this 
Teople :  They  have  no  use  of  Eeading,  and  consequently  of 
Writing.  Some  Relation  which  I  remember  to  have  read, 
speaks  of  them  as  if  they  were  Astrologers,  but  then  their 
Astrology  must  be  no  great  matter,  at  least  I'm  assur'd  that 
they  make  no  Division  of.  Time,  nor  distinguish  either  by 
Weeks,  Months  or  Years.  The  greatest  part  of  tliose  that  are 
Neighbours  to  the  Cape,  have  learnt  to  speak  Dutch. 

1  In  December  1G96,  Ensign  Schryver  had  been  sent  with  thirty 
soldiers  and  twenty  burglicrs  against  the  Grigri(j[na  tribes  on  the  banks 
of  the  Ele[)hant  river ;  one  of  many  similar  exneditions.  (Cf.  Thea!, 
I.  c,  p.  6.) 


296  UNCEKEMONIOUS   MARRIAGES,  [1698. 

When  they  make  Merry,  their  Cries  or  Howlings  serve 
them  for  Songs.  They  Laugh  sometime  like  to  split  their 
Sides,  and  their  Dances  are  grotesque  and  indecent,  altlio' 
tlie  women  do  not  mix  with  the  Men,  but  Dance  by  them- 
selves. 

I  have  often  observ'd  young  People  among  them,  making 
Love  after  an  extraordinary  gallant  manner.  The  Lover 
approaches  his  Paramour,  who  expects  him  either  sitting  or 
standing,  and  without  saying  a  word  to  her,  presents  Smiling 
the  second  finger  of  his  Right  Hand  just  over  against  her 
Eyes,  as  if  he  would  tear  them  out.  After  he  has  mov'd  his 
Finger  about  for  a  quarter  of  an  Hour,  Laughing  all  the 
while,  from  one  Eye  to  another,  he  suddenly  turns  his  Back, 
and  goes  away  as  he  came.  Their  Marriages  are  without 
Ceremony. 

Sometimes  they  assemble  by  Dozens  or  Twenties,  and 
squat  down  upon  their  Heels  without  touching  the  Ground 
any  otherwise.  The  Circle  being  thus  form'd,  a  Pipe  of 
Tobacco  goes  round,  and  every  one  takes  a  whiff  till  the  Pipe 
is  out.  I  never  observ'd  that  this  good  Fellowship  was  ever 
interrupted  by  any  Quarrel,  and  to  say  true,  they  are  by  no 
means  Mutinous.  They  feed,  lie,  and  live  together  like  a 
Herd  of  Oxen  and  Cows,  doing  like  them  the  ordinary 
functions  of  Nfiture  with  all  manner  of  Simplicity.  As 
Avarice  is  no  reigning  Passion  among  them,  and  all  that 
come  to  Want  are  immediately  reliev'd  by  the  rest,  it  seldom 
happens  that  any  of  them  mind  Stealing,  so  that  the 
Christian  Inhabitants  let  them  come  and  go  without  fearing 
to  lose  any  thing  by  them. 

There  are  at  the  Cc/^ac  a  great  number  of  Negro's  that  are 
brought  from  Madagascar,  Ccilon,  and  other  Islands.  Those 
among  them  that  are  Slaves,  go  almost  JS'aked,  and  aie 
treated  as  you  have  heard  ;  l)ut  other  that  are  free,  have 
Horses  and  Coaches.^     They  say  they  worship  one  only  God, 

'  In  orig. :  "  niais  ceux  qui  sunt  librcs  out  des  maisons  a  eux,  &  sont 


1698.]  DEISTS   OR   ATHEISTS,  297 

Creator  of  all  Things,  and  that  they  likewise  have  a  great 
Veneration  for  the  Sun  and  Moon,  as  his  two  chief  Ministers, 
whose  principal  Commission  is  to  vivify  the  Earth,  and  all 
the  Inhabitants  that  inhabit  it ;  but  this  Adoration  is  Secret 
and  Interior.  They  have  neither  Images,  Ceremonies,  nor 
any  other  manner  of  sensible  Worship ;  and  admit  no  other 
Law  than  that  of  Nature.  If  they  Feast  and  Dance  at  the 
renewing  of  the  Moon,  it  is  not  to  show  any  respect  for  lier, 
but  like  the  Hottentots,  to  rejoice  at  the  return  of  the  Light. 
In  a  word  they  are  perfect  Deists,  whereupon  I  can't  forbear 
takhig  notice  by  the  by,  tho'  against  the  common  Opinion, 
that  there  is  no  real  difference  to  be  made  between  these 
People,  and  those  we  call  Atheists,  since  the  indolent  God  of 
the  Deist  is  no  God,  and  that  herein  they  are  less  Orthodox 
than  the  wicked  Spirits,  who  haveajuster  Idea  of  the  Divine 
Being. 

Moreover  to  say  that  we  worship  God  without  loving  him, 
without  fearing  him,  without  asking  any  thing  of  him,  or 
expecting  any  thing  fi'om  him  ;  without  caring  for  him  in  any 
manner  what  soever,  is  properly  speaking  to  have  no  God  at 
all,  and  to  have  no  God  is  to  be  an  Atheist. 

When  these  Negro-Slaves  obtain  their  Liberty^  it  is  a  fatal 
Happiness  for  them,  for  whilst  they  are  Slaves  those  that 
have  Authority  over  them,  take  care  to  instruct  them  in 
Ileligion,  and  teach  them  to  Eead  and  Write,  which  the 
French  Eefugees  above  all  employ  themselves  about  with  a 
great  deal  of  Earnestness ;  but  when  they  become  free,  while 
they  are  young,  they  become  at  the  same  time  Libertins.     It 

liabillez."  "  Horses  and  Coaches"  must  be  misprinted  for  "  Houses  and 
Clothes". 

1  Many  of  the  English  ships  which  put  into  Table  iJay  at  this  time 
were  engaged  in  the  slave  trade  between  the  West  Indies  and  Mada- 
gascar. Again,  Dutcii  people  proceeding  home  from  Ceylon  and 
Batavia  often  took  slaves  with  them,  who  were  left  at  the  Cape.  These 
last  w<re  treated  as  free  persons,  and  sent  back  to  their  own  countries. 
(Cf.  Thcal,  I.  c,  p.  60.) 


298  SAINT  HELENA.  [1698. 

seems  to  me  likewise  desirable,  that  the  same  care  were  taken 
of  tliose  Hottentot  Children  who  are  most  conversant  with  the 
Inhabitants  of  the  Cape. 

Shall  I  remember  the  Eeader,  before  I  leave  the  Cape,  that 
the  Continent  was  discover'd  by  Barthclcmi  Diaz,  a  Portu- 
guese, in  the  year  1493  ?^  He  had  undergone  a  prodigious 
Tempest  before  he  got  a-shoar,  whereupon  he  told  his  Master, 
(John  II)  at  his  Return,  that  he  had  namM  this  Territory  the 
Cape  of  Torments,  to  which  tlie  King  reply'd,  After  a  Storm 
comes  a  Calm,  therefore  you  ought  to  have  call'd  it  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope. 

After  we  had  refresh'd  our  selves  here  for  near  a  Month, 
we  departed  the  8th  oi  March,  1698,  and  sail'd  directly  for 
St.  Helena,  an  Island,  as  it  is  well  known,  belonging  at  present 
to  the  English.'^  We  got  sight  of  it  on  Easter  Day.  It 
seem'd  to  us  extreamly  high,  and  almost  inaccessible  on  that 
side  that  presented  it  self  to  our  View.-'' 

In  a  word  it  is  on  that  side  environ'd  with  extraordinary 
steep  Hocks  even  to  the  Sea  shoar.  About  a  quarter  of  a 
League  to  the  Southward,  you  discover  at  a  distance  a 
Mountain  of  white  Stone,*  on  which  nothing  grows ;  you  see 
there  an  infinite  number  of  Birds^  that  I  have  formerly  spoken 

'   Vide   ante,  p.  30. 

2  St.  Helena  had  been  captured  by  the  Dutch  in  1673,  and  retaken 
by  Sir  Richard  Munden  in  the  same  year.  The  governor  of  the  island 
at  this  time,  1698,  was  Captain  Stephen  Poirier. 

3  "  St.  Helena,  from  its  position  in  the  South  Atlantic  Ocean,  lies  in 
the  strength  of  the  S.E.  trade  wind,  and  is  usually  sighted  by  ships  at  a 
distance  of  sixty  miles,  rising  like  a  huge  fortress,  witli  pi-ecipitous 
sides  of  1,000  feet.  These  rampart-like  cliffs  are  intersected  with  ravines, 
but  the  island  is  almost  inaccessible  except  by  two  or  three  openings  to 
leeward,  at  James'  Town,  Rupert's  Valley,  and  Lemon  Valley." 

4  "The  mountain  of  white  stone  ("pierre  seche",  in  the  original 
French)  is  the  curious  rock  called  Lot,  a  pinnacle  which  rises  up  pro- 
minently in  the  extinct  crater-valley  of  Sandy  Ray,  portion  of  the 
great  disintegrated  dike  of  a  fine  hard  crystalline  greystone  which 
extends  four  miles."      (  Vide  Melliss's  St.  Ihlcna,  p.  60.) 

^  "Birds.'"     In  orig. :  '•  ces  Fous  &  de  ccs  Frcgates." — Noddies  and 


1698.]  ISLAND    PRODUCE.  290 

of:  We  Landed  at  the  Fort  built  not  long  since  on  the  shoar, 
at  the  foot  of  a  Eock.^  It  formerly  stood  on  a  steep 
Eminence,  to  which  you  were  oblig'd  to  mount  by  Stairs,  like 
a  Ladder,  for  a  considerable  while,  which  could  not  likewise 
be  done  without  some  Danger.  There  are  two  places  on  this 
side  where  one  may  cast  Anchor,  the  best  was  that  where  we 
were,  as  well  on  account  of  the  Bottom,  wliich  was  very 
sound,  as  by  reason  of  excellent  fresh  Water  which  falls  from 
a  Mountain  hard  by.^  On  this  side,  as  I've  already  observ'd, 
there  is  no  plain  Ground,  for  the  Mountain  whence  the 
Water  Springs  begins  at  the  brink  of  the  Shoar.  This 
INlountain  appear'd  to  us  at  a  distance  altogether  barren,  but 
wlien  we  came  near  it  we  perceived  it  had  some  Trees  a-top. 

The  other  Road^  is  not  near  so  good,  but  to  make  you 
amends  when  you  get  a-shoar,  you  come  into  a  fair  Plain, 
wliere  every  thing  tliat  is  sow'd  thrives  admirably  well. 

This  Island  lies  almost  in  the  16th  Degree  of  Southern 
Latitude,  aud  is  about  six  Leagues  in  Compass.  The  Air 
there  is  very  good,  and  the  Heats  of  the  Sun  are  temper'd 
by  refreshing  Winds,  in  like  manner  as  the  Drought  of  the 
Soil  is  render'd  fertile  by  the  great  Dews,  and  small  Showers 
that  fall  frequently  there.  Fruit-Trees,  Pulse,  Herbs,  and 
all  the  Plants  which  the  Portugueses  brought  thither  soon 
after  their  discovery  of  this  Island,  thrive  there  wonderfully 
well,  and  are  to  be  found  every  where  in  great  Abundance. 
Orange-Trees,  Citron-Trees,  Pomegranate-Trees,  Ananas, 
Banane-Trees,  Vines,  Melons,  Rice,  Peas,  Beans,  Radishes, 
Turnips,  etc.,  with  all  sorts  of  Corn.  These  same  Portugueses 
took,  likewise,  care  to  transport  thither  all  kinds  of  Cattle, 

Frigate  birds.  The  former  Terns  are  yet  numerous,  and  breed,  with 
the  Tropic  bird,  on  the  cliffs  :  but  the  Frigate  or  Mau-of-War  bird  has 
nearly  disappeared,  and  no  longer  breeds  in  the  island,  although  a 
certain  cliff  is  still  denominated  Man-of- War  Roost,  where  they  formerly 
frequented.     (Cf.  Alelliss,  /.  c,  p.  97.) 

1  At  lianks'  Fort,  under  Sugar  Loaf. 

*  James'  Valley.  3    Rupert's  Valley. 


300  ISLAND   OF   ASCENSION.  [1698. 

Avliicli  have  since  exceedingly  multiply'd,  such  as  Bulls  and 
Cows,  Goats,  Sheep,  etc.  The  Horses  are  become  very  Wild.^ 
You  find  there,  moreover.  Partridges,  Turtles,  and  divers 
other  sorts  of  Game.^  The  Sea  furnislies  a  great  deal  of 
good  Fish,  and  we  may  say  the  few  Inhabitants  of  this 
Island  might  live  much  better,  and  more  at  ease,  were  it 
not  for  a  prodigious  number  of  Eats  that  spoil  their  Fruit 
and  Corn. 

After  having  taken  on  Board  the  liefreshments  tliat  were 
necessary,  we  set  sail  Avith  a  favourable  Wind  the  2Gth  of 
Ajml  about  Noon,  but  did  not  lose  sight  of  the  Island  till 
we  were  got  eight  or  ten  Leagues  off.  We  contemjjlated 
with  a  great  deal  of  Pleasure  the  assembled  Mass  of  these 
steep  Rocks  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  extent  of  Ocean,  whose 
impetuous  and  terrible  Waves  seemed  to  have  a  mind  to 
absorb  it  every  Moment. 

Some  few  days  after  we  found  our  selves  off  of  the  Island 
of  Ascension'^  which  is  in  seven  Degrees  and  a  half  of  the 
same  Latitude,^  but  we  did  not  design  to  Land  there,  and  so 
steer'd  on. 

1  Island-bred  ponies,  remarkably  sure-footed,  are  still  extant  in 
St.  Helena,  and  number  now  about  250. 

2  The  partridge  of  St.  Helena  is  probably  the  Caccahis  clmkar  of 
Northern  India.  There  are  also  pheasants,  which  were  abundant  even 
in  1588,  when  they  are  mentioned  by  Cavendish.  The  only  indigenous 
peculiar  bird  is  the  Wire-bird,  yEgialiiis,  a  species  of  rail.  In  the 
French  edition  Leguat  also  mentions  "pintades",  guinea-fowl,  ami 
" tourterelles",  turtle  doves,  translated  "Turtles"  in  the  text.  (Cf. 
Melliss's  St.  Helena,  p.  95.) 

3  Ascension  is  the  next  isolated  spot  in  the  midst  of  the  Atlantic,  in 
8°  lat.,  and  its  highest  j)eak,  called  Green  Mountain,- is  visible  at  the 
distance  of  sixty-five  miles.  This  island  is  now  possessed  by  the  Admi- 
ralty, and  used  as  a  sanatorium  and  dep6t  for  the  West  Coast  of  Africa. 
The  best  description  of  it  is  that  written  by  the  wife  of  Dr.  Gill,  the 
well-known  Astronomer  Royal  at  the  Cajie,  after  the  Mars  expedition 
of  1877. 

■'  In  orig.  :  "  mais  nous  nc  raperrumcs  point,"  omitted  by  trans- 
lator. 


1698.]  THE  TORRID  ZONE.  301 

This  Island  has  neither  Water.^  Plants,  nor  any  other 
Quality  that  can  invite  any  body  to  inhabit  it.  It  is  all 
cover'd  over  in  a  manner  with  divers  sorts  of  Birds,  whose 
Flesh  is  exceeding  ill-tasted,  and  very  unwholsom.  Their 
Eggs  are  good  enough.^  One  sometimes  goes  a-shoar  there 
to  catch  Tortoises,  which  are  very  plentiful,  and  a  oreat 
llefreshment  to  the  Ships. 

We  repass'd  the  Line  with  a  good  Wind,  as  we  did  at 
first,  without  being  oblig'd  to  pull  oft^  our  Cloaths  on  account 
of  the  Heat.  We  have  experieuc'd  much  hotter  Weather  in 
other  parts.     This  depends  on  the  condition  of  the  Air. 

I  observ'd  also  that  our  Water,  no  more  than  our  other 
Provisions,  receiv'd  no  manner  of  Alteration  in  traversing 
all  that  Torrid  Zone,  which  by  no  means  agrees  with  what 
divers  Travellers  have  writ  on  that  Subject.  Altho'  each 
Ship  of  our  Fleet  had  two  Men  that  were  hir'd  to  make 
every  day  the  Sea-Water  fresh,  yet  we  found  that  Water  so 
maukish,  that  the  best  use  we  made  of  it  was  to  give  it  to 
our  Animals,^  and  to  boil  our  Meat  with  it. 

After  some  few  more  days  Sailing  we  came  to  a  flat  Shoar, 
where  the  Sea-*  was  all  cover'd  with  floating  Weeds,  whose 

1  Stavorinus  [1.  c,  i,  p.  191)  says  that  Ascension  affords  fresh  water. 
A  limited  supply  of  fresh  water  is  now  obtained  by  certain  drip-tanks 
on  the  sides  of  Green  Mountain,  whose  summit,  2,818  ft.,  arrests  some 
moisture  from  the  trade  clouds  that  drift  past  on  the  upper  surface  of 
the  trade  wind.  What  Leguat  notices  about  Ascension  was  merely 
hearsay,  as  he  did  not  siglit  the  island. 

2  Innumerable  noddy-terns  and  boobies  frequent  part  of  the  island 
where  their  nests  and  eggs  are  found  in  abundance.  From  the  noise 
and  multitude  of  the  birds,  this  locality  has  long  been  known  as  Wide- 
awake Fair. 

3  In  orig. :  "  aux  animaux,  veaux,  moutons,  cochons,  poulcs,  canards, 
&  peut-etre  s'cn  servoit-on  aussi  pour  faire  cuire  la  viande." 

*  The  Sargasso  Sea  lies  in  that  comparatively  quiet  space  of  the  North 
Atlantic  which  is  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Equatorial  current,  ou 
the  west  and  north  by  the  Gulf  stream,  and  on  the  east  by  the  Guinea 
current,  which  flows  southward.  There  are  two  principal  banks,  the 
larger  near  the  Azores,  and  a  smaller  one  near  the  Bahamas.     The 


302  THK    WKKI)    SKA.  [1698. 

Leaves  niucli  resembled  those  of  an  Olive  Tree.  You  always 
find  great  store  of  these  Weeds  in  this  Place  for  twenty 
Leagues  together :  Our  Pilots  had  inforni'd  us  of  it  l)efore 
They  call  this  Place  the  Weed-Sea.^  As  we  left  Baiavia  in 
a  good  Season,  we  met  with  Summer  every  where,  and  our 
Navigation  for  seven  Months  together,  till  our  arrival  in 
Holland,  was  perfectly  Pleasant  and  Successful.  We  had 
all  along  favourable  Winds,  no  Calms,  nor  no  Tempests. 
But  in  this  the  fairest  Weather  in  the  World,  there  happen'd 
an  Accident  to  us  tliat  was  like  to  destroy  our  Sliip  and 
another.  The  whole  Fleet  being  to  tack  about  upon  a 
Signal  the  Admiral  was  to  give  us,  every  Ship  was  preparing 
to  execute  that  Order,  and  all  did  it  punctually  upon  the 
Signal  given,  except  our  Ship.  While  we  were  bringing 
about  our  Tackle,  another  Ship  of  the  Fleet,  that  had  already 
tack'd,  was  coming  towards  us  with  full  Sails,  and  we  thought 
it  was  impossible  for  us  to  avoid  her.  The  Officers  cry'd 
out  on  one  side,  and  the  Crew  on  the  other,  but  for  all  that 
our  Vessel  did  not  obey,  although  the  Consternation  became 
general,  and  the  Danger  was  so  great  and  near,  that  the  chief 
Pilot  himself  judg'd  we  could  not  escape  it.     The  Captain, 

situation  of  the  banks  of  sea-weed  varies  according  to  the  prevailing 
winds.  Humboldt  quotes  a  description  from  the  Periplus  of  Scylax  : — 
"The  sea  beyond  Cerne  ceases  to  be  navigable  in  consequence  of  its 
great  shallowness,  its  muddiness,  and  its  sea-grass.  The  sea-grass  lies 
a  span  thick,  and  is  pointed  at  its  upper  extremity,  so  that  it  pricks." 

The  sargassum  (fucus  natans),  or  "gulf-weed",  which  forms  this 
weed-sea,  first  discovered  by  Columbus,  inhabits  the  tropical  and 
adjacent  seas  of  both  hemispheres,  and  the  genus  includes  many  local 
species.  In  the  Sargasso  Sea  plants  have  shorter  leaves,  the  branches 
more  contracted,  and  the  bristles  of  the  air-vessels  broken  off  shorter 
than  those  of  the  Indian  Ocean.  The  genus  sargassum  is  the  most 
highly  organised  of  the  melanospcrmex,  or  olive-coloured  sea-weeds 
possessing  root,  stem,  branches,  leaves,  air  vescicles,  and  distinct  organs 
of  fructification.  {Vide  Miss  Merrifield's  paper,  On  Gnlf-wccd,  in 
Nature,  xviii,  p.  709.) 

•  In  orig.  :  "  C'est  une  esprce  d'Algue  quo  Tagitation  des  ilots 
dctache  des  llochers,"  omitted  by  translator. 


1698.]  UNFORESEEN   DANCxER.  SOo 

liowever,  did  not  lose  his  presence  of  Mind,  wliich  was  so 
necessary  on  such  Occasions.  He  caus'd  the  Ship  speedily 
to  be  put  before  the  Wind,  and  the  Ship  that  came  against 
us,  running  consequently  the  same  Danger,  because  it  was 
of  the  same  Bigness,  we  manag'd  our  Tackle  so  successfully 
that  we  luckily  avoided  each  other,  which  Avas  the  greatest 
chance  in  the  World  :  We  then  began  to  search  into  the 
Cause  that  had  hinder'd  the  Ship  from  obeying  the  Signal, 
and  we  found  it  had  been  occasion'd  by  the  negligence  of  a 
Sailor  that  was  at  the  Helm,  who  had  not  put  the  Whip-staff 
on  that  side  it  should  have  been.  This  happen'd  either  by 
reason  he  had  not  heard  the  word  of  Command,  or  had 
slighted  it,  or  that  he  had  drunk  too  much  Araque.  The 
Sub-Pilot,i  whose  business  it  was  to  give  the  word  of  Com- 
mand, was  very  much  blam'd,  for  tliat  he  should  have  gone 
himself  to  see  whether  the  Sailor  had  obey'd  Orders.  See 
how  it  oftentimes  happens  that  you  are  at  the  very  brink  of 
Danger  when  you  least  think  of  it. 

Some  days  before  we  arriv'd  upon  the  Coast  of  Ireland, 
we  observ'd  the  Sea  seem'd  at  a  distance  extreamly  swell'd, 
which  gave  us  reason  to  believe  there  had  been  bad  Weather 
in  those  Parts,  and  which  was  indeed  true,  for  our  Vice- 
Admiral,  who  had  set  sail  two  days  before  us,  had  undergone 
so  great  a  Tempest,  that  he  had  lost  his  Main-Mast.^ 

We  were  afterwards  15  days  before  we  could  see  Land,^ 
by  reason  of  the  great  Foggs  which  environ'd  us  on  all  sides 
during  all  that  time.  They  were  so  thick  that  we  could  not 
only  perceive  no  Vessel  of  the  Fleet,  but  were  likewise  at  a 
loss  to  see  one  another  upon  Deck.  To  prevent  our  stragling 
from  one  another,  we  had  the  Precaution  to  fire  now  and 
then  a  great  Gun  Day  and  Night  from  each  Ship,  but  by 

1  In  orig. :  "  qui  etoit  de  quart." 
-  In  orig.  :  "grand Mat  de  Inine,"  i.e.,  main  top-mast. 
■"  In  orig. :  "  sans  pouvoir  prendre  hauteur," /.c,  without  being  able 
to  take  ob.servations. 


304  END    OF   VOVAOK.  [1698. 

reason  we  did  not  know  what  Latitude  we  were  in,  we 
stray 'd  towards  tlie  North  niucli  farther  than  Bungcsh)/- 
Head,  tlie  most  Northerly  Point  of  Scotland,  in  sight  of 
whicli  we  ought  to  have  sail'd.  At  length  Divine  Provi- 
dence causM  us  to  arrive  at  Flushing,  28th  of  June  1698. 
Our  voyage  had  lasted  just  seven  months  from  Boiavia,  and 
the  whole  course  of  my  Travels  were  eight  Years  wanting 
twelve  Days. 


A 

THANKSGIVING  HYiMN 

Menl'uiH\l  Pu(je  192,  o»iI  Cowpns''d  in  tJie  Ixland  of  St.  Mcamice,  upnn 
the  Occasion  of  the  li<ippy  Ncirs  of  mij  DcUrerance. 

F.  L. 

Let  us  ?ing  to  th'  Eternal  a  new  Song  ! 

Come !     Let  us  Rejoyce, 

In  the  Presence  of  th'  Eternal ! 

Let  us  bless  our  God, 

And  inake  the  sound  of  his  Praise  Eccho  ; 

For  he  comes  to  give  Life  to  our  Souls. 

He  delivers  our  Souls  from  Thraldom, 

To  the  end  that  we  may  bless  his  Name. 

Our  Dwelling  has  been  in  an  uncouth  Place  ; 

Our  habitation 

Has  been  in  the  Holes  of  Rocks : 

Tlie  Ijloody  Persecutor  has  pursu'd  our  Souls  ; 

He  has  Trodden  our  Liberty  under  foot! 

He  has  buried  us  alive, 

In  dark  and  gloomy  Places. 

But  th'  Eternal  has  deliver'd  Us 

From  the  hands  of  our  Enemy ! 

He  has  made  him  a-sham'd 

That  would  have  swallow "d  us  uji! 

Th'  Eternal, 

The  Rock  of  Ages, 

The  Rock  of  our  Salvation, 


HYMN    OF   THANKSGIVING.  305 

Has  been  to  Us  a  safe  Retreat 

In  the  Desart  of  our  Captivity! 

He  has  hid  us  in  his  Palace 

During  the  bad  Weather, 

He  has  been  both  a  Fortress  to  Us, 

And  a  Deliverer ! 

Come ! 

Ye  that  are  his  Well-beloved  ! 

Let  our  Mouths  relate  his  Wonders, 

And  let  them  bless  him  for  evermore  ! 

Come ! 

Ye  Inhabitants  of  Rocks, 

Let  us  Rejoyce  witli  Songs  of  Triumph ! 

Our  Days  had  almost  fail'd  Us : 

Our  Bones  were  in  a  manner  dry'd  up : 

We  were  become  like  Cormorants 

Of  the  Desart ; 

Like  Owls, 

That  retire  unto  wild  Places, 

We  were  lying  in  the  shadow  of  Death: 

We  were  loaded 

Both  with  Affliction,  and  Irons. 

But  th'  Eternal  has  broken  our  Bonds ! 

He  has  strengtheu'd  our  weak  Hands, 

And  our  trembling  Knees ! 

He  has  bid  those  that  had  afflicted  Hearts, 

Take  Courage,  and  fear  no  more  ! 

Come  then,  let  us  praise  th'  Eternal ! 

For  he  is  Good. 

Let  us  Magnifie  !     Let  us  exalt  his  Name  altogether  ! 

For  he  has  done  great  Things ; 

And  his  Goodness  lasts  to  all  Eternity ! 

The  Red  Dragon^  the  furious  Drai/ou, 

That  makes  War  upon  the  Saints, 

Is  come  down  against  Us 

To  devour  Us. 

We  fled  unto  the  Desarts, 

To  a  Place  preparVl  by  the  hand  of  God  ; 

His  Conii)assion  here  descended  among  Us, 

And  his  Bounty  has  comforted  Us. 


306  HYMN   OF  THANKSGIVING. 

The  profound  Gulfs 

Have  threatened  to  swallow  us  uj): 

The  Impetuous  Storms 

Have  caus'd  Us  to  mount  up  to  the  Clouds, 

And  then  descend  ajjain  to  the  lowest  Abyss. 

But 

Th'  Almighty  who  inhabits  in  the  Heavens, 

Has  been  more  powerful  than  the  unruly  Waters, 

Or  the  strongest  Surges  in  the  Ocean. 

Th'  Eternal  has  commanded  the  Winds  ; 

He  has  broken  the  Seas  ; 

He  has  turned  the  Tempest  into  a  Calm  ; 

And  the  roaring  Floods  are  appeas'd. 

Th'  Eternal 

Has  made  us  to  traverse  securely 

The  Desarts,  and  Seas. 

He  has  deliver'd  us  from  the  current  of  Waters 

That  bore  Us  away. 

Let  Us  bless  without  ceasing  his  Holy  Name  ! 

Let  Us  set  forth  his  Glory  ! 

'Tis  a  good  thing  to  praise  th'  Eternal ! 

He  abounds  in  Compassion  ; 

,  And  his  Goodness  lasts  for  ever  ! 

Rocks ! 
Bless  th'  Eternal ! 

Isles ! 

Bless  th'  Eternal ! 

Ocean,  Whirl-winds,  Waves,  Calms,  Tempests 

Bless  th'  Eternal ! 

Mountains,  Deeps  ! 

Bless  th'  Eternal ! 

Rivers ! 

Clap  your  Hands  !     Praise  th'  Eternal ! 

Fish,  Birds,  Insects  ! 

Whales,  Elephants  ! 

Praise  th'  Eternal ! 

Heavens,  Stars,  Moon,  Sun  ! 

Men,  Angels  ! 

Praise  th'  Eternal ! 

My  Soul  ! 

Bless  th'  Eternal ! 

Let  all  that  is  within  Me 

Bless  the  Name  of  his  Holiness  ! 


FINIS.  307 

I  will  bless  th'  Eternal  at  all  times : 

His  Praise 

Shall  be  continually  in  my  ]\Iouth. 

As  long  as  I  breath 

I  shall  praise  th'  Eternal. 

Let  us  Praise,  Bless  and  celebrate  th'  Eternal. 

Lord  ! 
Thou  art  worthy  to  receive 
Glory,  Honour  and  Power. 

Holy  !     Holy  !     Holy ! 
Is  the  Almighty  Lord  God  ! 

To  Him 

That  sits  upon  the  Throne, 

And  to  the  Lamb, 

Be  Praise,  Honour  and  Glory, 

And  Strength, 

For  ever  and  ever  ! 

Amen! 


FINIS. 


[The  above  hymu  is  omitted  in  the  Dutch  edition,  which  is  in  one 
volume  of  178  pages.] 


X2 


APPENDIX 


A. 

THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS.^ 

M.  Jules  Coding,  of  the  Socic'te  de  Geographic  at  Paris,  has 
succeeded  in  partially  unravelling  the  interesting  problem  as  to 
the  actual  date  of  the  discovery  of  the  several  islands  which 
compose  the  Mascarene  archipelago.  Absolute  certainty  as  to 
this  date  must  remain  in  obscurity  until  the  Portuguese  archives 
have  been  more  thoroughly  investigated. 

Tradition  assigns  the  first  discovery  of  these  islands  to  Masca- 
renbas,  but  M.  Codine  remarks  that  there  were  several  voyagers 
and  notable  persons  of  that  name  who  served  in  the  Indies  during 
the  sixteenth  century. 

Don  Joan  Mascarenhas  was  governor  of  Diu  in  1545,  and  M, 
Codine  points  out  that  as  Don  Joan  Mascarenhas  was  at  Diu 
throughout  the  year  1545,  it  could  not  have  been  that  adminis- 
trator who  discovered  the  islands  under  the  tropic  of  Capricorn  in 
that  year.  The  error  of  giving  this  date,  1545,  as  that  of  the 
first  discovery  of  Reunion  has  arisen  from  a  wrong  intcrjiretation 
given  to  certain  inscriptions  on  a  stone  pillar,  which  M.  de 
Flacourt  speaks  of  and  figures  in  his  Hlstorij  of  Madagascar.^ 

The  error  of  the  date  1545  is  proved  by  the  appearance  of  the 
names  of  the  three  islands,  Apolonia,  Mascarenas,  and  Domigo 
Friz,  on  the  chart  of  the  famous  pilot,  Diego  Ribero,  in  the  Atlas 
of  Santai'em,  under  date  of  1529. 

These  islands,  writes  M.  Codine,  have  on  several  maps  the 
ijeneric  name  "  Isles  Mascarenhas''.     This  generic  name  has  also 


1  Vide  Menioire  Geographique  sur  la  Mer  des  Indea,  par  J.  Codine, 
Paris,  18G8,  chap,  vii,  p.  188  et  seq. 
^  Vide  supra,  p.  41,  and  Addendum,  infra. 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS,  309 

been  given  to  some  island  situated  in  latitude  5°  S.,  or  thereabouts, 
of  which  Pere  Hardouiu  speaks  as  being  the  Cokmins  of  Ephorus. 
In  the  maps  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries  a  group  of 
islands  can  be  seen,  situated  to  the  east  of  the  Aniirantes,  with 
the  name  Islas  Mascarenhas.  There  are  some  technical  allusions 
to  these  charts  in  the  Voyage  of  Davis  to  the  East  Indies.  "  On 
leaving  the  Comoro  Islands  (in  1599),  the  islands  of  Mascarenhas 
were  passed,  without  fear  of  the  Amirante  shoals,  and,  the 
navigation  continuing  favourable,  on  the  23rd  May  the  Maldive 
islands  were  sighted." 

There  are  yet  again  other  islands  which  have  borne  the  name 
Jfascarenhas,  as,  in  the  map  given  by  De  Bry  in  IGOl,  this  name 
is  applied  to  islands  placed  between  Diego-Garcia  and  the 
Maldives,  The  same  appears  in  the  map  appended  to  the 
Voyage  of  Van-der-Hagen  (1612). 

Meanwhile,  it  is  especially  to  the  Seychelles  group  that  this 
denomination  has  been  given,  and  it  is  thus  that  Bellin,  on  his 
map  of  the  Eastern  Ocean  or  Indian  Sea,  in  1756,  has  designated 
that  group  of  islets — the  Isles  Mascarenhas.  Indeed,  Masca- 
renhas (Pierre?)  on  leaving  Mozambique,  could  not  have  taken  at 
the  same  time  the  direction  of  the  island  Amirante  and  that  of 
the  islands  Bourbon,  Maurice,  Rodrigues.  We  shall  solve  the 
difficulty  with  the  map  of  Ortelius,  in  1570,  where  these 
Mascarene  islands,  situated  to  the  east  of  Amirante,  are  desig- 
nated as  isles  de  Vasco  d'Aciigna;  and  we  find,  in  Ortelius, 
Martinez  de  la  Puente  saying :  "  At  one  hundred  and  forty 
leagues  to  the  north  of  Madagascar  are  five  small  islands  which 
Vasco  d'Acugna  discovered,  and  which  bear  his  name." 

Let  us  admit,  then,  that  the  islands  discovered  by  Pedro 
Mascarenhas  are  the  islands  of  Reunion  or  Bourbon,  Mauritius, 
and  Rodrigues.  .  ,  , 

Pedro  Mascarenhas  arrived  for  the  first  time  in  this  sea  in 
1512,  He  commanded  one  of  the  vessels  of  the  fleet  of  Garcia  do 
Noronha,  This  fleet  had  a  disastrous  voyage,  and  arrived  at 
Mozambique  the  11th  March  1512,  A  Portuguese  ship  just  come 
from  the  Indies  apprised  the  admiral  that  the  Viceroy,  Alfonso 
d'Albuqucrquc,  believed  that  his  fleet  was  destroyed,      Garcia  de 


olO  APPENDIX. 

Noroiilia,  not  judging  the  season  favourable  for  contiiniing  his 
voyage,  sent  on  immediately  to  India  Pedro  Mascarenhas.  The 
fifteen  years  which  this  captain  passed  in  Asia  were  occupied  in 
his  governments  or  military  enterprises,  whose  success  entaikd 
his  designation  as  successor  of  Henri  de  Mcnezes  to  tlio  govern- 
ment of  the  Indies.  He  passed  a  second  time  through  the  Indian 
Ocean  to  go  to  Portiigal,  and  set  sail  from  Cochin  in  the  last  days 
of  December  1527. 

Was  it  in  this  return  voyage  tliat  Pedro  Mascarenhas  might 
have  discovered  our  three  islands'?  That  is  not  probable,  for  he 
only  arrived  in  Portugal  at  a  date  closely  approximating  to  that 
of  the  publication  of  the  mappa  munch  of  1529,  by  Diego  Ribero. 
]\Ioreover,  this  mappa  mundi  bears  not  only  the  name  of 
Mascarenhas,  but,  as  well,  that  of  another  discoverer,  Doniigo 
Friz.  This  is  an  indication  that  these  two  names  date  in  carto- 
graphy from  a  previous  epoch  ;  besides,  there  is  on  this  mappa 
mundi  a  third  name,  Santa  Appollonia,  justified  by  a  map2)(t' 
mundi  of  1527 — carta  universalis — preserved  at  Weimar,  where  is 
to  be  found  a  copy  in  the  Santarem  Atlas,  and  upon  which  the 
three  islands  bear  the  genei'ic  name  of  Santa  Appollonia. 

Excluding,  therefore,  the  year  1528,  we  are  brought  back  to 
the  first  voyage  of  Alascarenhas  in  1512.  We  have  before  noticed 
on  what  account  this  captain  was  despatched  fi'om  Mozambique  to 
India.  In  1507  the  fleets  which  left  Portugal  about  the  month 
of  April  would  arrive  at  Mozambique  in  the  month  of  September, 
at  the  time  when  the  contrary  monsoon  was  just  commencing. 
First  and  foremost,  Ruy  Soares,  Commander  of  Rhodes,  was  sent  to 
India  in  a  ship  commanded  by  Pcro  Qnaresma.  Ruy  Soares  took 
his  course  towards  the  north  close  up  to  Cape  Guardafui  ;  from 
thence  he  crossed  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  was  driven  by  stress  of 
weather  to  Cape  Comorin.  It  is  impossible  to  suppose  that, 
judging  from  his  point  of  departure  (Cape  Guardafui),  the  bad 
weather  had  conducted  him  into  the  neighbourhood  of  our 
islands. 

Pedro  Mascarenhas,  having  a  similar  mission  to  accomplish, 
could  not,  witliout  doubt,  on  account  of  the  contrary  monsoon, 
proceed  north,  and  he  tried,  by  a  chance  navigation,  a  course  in 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS.  311 

which  he  knew  he  should  meet  with  the  islands  already  laid  down 
on  his  charts,  and  about  which  he  had  probably  collected  some 
information  from  his  predecessors.  The  fleet  of  Garcia  de 
Noronha  arriving  at  Mozambique  on  the  12th  March  1512,  it 
could  not  have  been  until  the  end  of  this  month,  or  in  the  month 
of  April,  that  Mascarenhas  was,  perhaps,  able  to  reach  two  of  our 
islands,  as  shown  him  by  the  chart  10  of  the  Geogi'aphy  of  Livio 
Sanuto,  of  1588,  where  Bourbon  and  Mauritius  are  thus  desig- 
nated :  Mascaregnce  insuloi  ditxe,  perhaps  our  three  islands,  of 
which  that  most  to  the  west,  Santa  Apollonia,  had  been  already 
known  by  the  Portuguese.  In  fact,  this  name  indicates  that  the 
island  which  bears  it  was  thus  named,  either  by  a  ship  of  that 
name  which  had  discovered  it — and  then  the  day  of  that  discovery 
would  bo  uncertain— or  because  the  ship  which  discovered  it 
arrived  there  on  the  9th  February  of  a  year  which  could  only  be 
either  1512,  or  a  year  previous  to  1512,  as  early  as  1506,  the 
year  of  the  discovery  of  Madagascar. 

It  was  not  the  year  1512.  The  fleet  of  Garcia  de  Noronha, 
leaving  Lisbon  in  1511,  arrived,  after  a  bad  passage,  at  the  island  of 
iSaint-Thomas  ;  the  pilot,  imagining  that  he  had  doubled  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  took  a  course  to  the  north-east  and  reached  the  west 
coast  of  Africa,  which  they  coasted  during  a  month  and  a  half 
before  doubling  this  cape.  The  Portuguese  historian  shows  us  the 
fleet,  passing,  half  lost,  between  Sofala  and  the  island  of  Saint- 
Lawrence  (Madagascar),  and  landing,  for  the  first  time  since  its 
dejoarture  from  the  island  of  Saint-Thomas,  at  Mozambique,  where 
it  ai-rived  on  the  11th  March  1512  ;  was  there  repaired,  and  when 
the  favourable  monsoon  commenced,  continued  its  voyage  on  to 
India,  During  the  stay  in  harbour  of  this  fleet  at  Mozambique, 
it  was  joined  by  that  of  Pedro  Mascarenhas. 

Going  back  to  previous  years,  we  can  eliminate  the  fleets  uf 
Gonzalo  de  Siipicira  and  of  Diogo  Mendez  de  Vasconcellos,  who, 
leaving  Lisbon  on  the  16th  Mai-ch  1510,  followed  the  ordinary 
track  ;  and  the  fleet  of  JoPio  Sorx-ao,  leaving  Lisbon  the  8th  August 
the  same  3'ear,  since  Joao  Serrao,  after  having  coasted  along  the 
island  of  Saint-Lawrence,  made  a  course  for  Goa,  by  the  north  of 
that  island,   during  which  voyage  Payo  de  Sa,  on  his   way  to 


312  APPENDIX. 

confer  with  Joao  Serrao,  was  driven  by  bad  weather  to  Mozam- 
bique. We  can  elimhiate  the  year  1509,  when,  on  the  10th  March, 
there  departed  from  Lisbon  the  fleet  commanded  by  the  Marshal 
Don  Fernando  Coutinho,  who  had  a  mission  to  put  an  end  to  the 
divisions  existing  between  Alfonso  d' Albuquerque  and  the  Viceroy 
Fran9ois  d'Almeida,  who  declined  to  resign  his  government.  We 
are  thus  brought  to  this  conclusion  :  that  the  islands  about  which 
we  are  discussing  were  discovered  under  the  government  of  the 
Viceroy  Frangois  d'Almeida. 

We  take  notice  of  three  circumstances  when  the  Portuguese 
ships  could,  by  the  date  of  their  voyage,  satisfy  the  conditions  of 
finding  themselves  in  the  neighbourhood  of  our  islands,  in  the 
month  of  February,  or  in  having  traversed  the  Indian  Ocean  by 
the  eastward  of  Madagascar. 

The  three  circumstances  are  as  follows.  First,  Diego  Lopez  de 
Siipieira  sailed  from  Lisbon  the  5th  April  1508,  and  arrived  at 
Madagascar  on  the  4th  August.  He  employed  the  end  of  the 
year  in  examining  the  east  coast,  and  set  sail  for  India,  anchoring 
at  Cochin  on  the  20th  April  1509. 

Barros  states  that  this  captain  did  not  arrive  at  Cochin  direct, 
but  by  way  of  Cape  Comorin,  and  he  adds  that  he  only  reached 
this  cape  with  much  trouble.  It  is,  therefore,  evident  that  Diego 
Lopez,  not  being  able,  on  account  of  the  north-east  monsoon,  to 
reach  India  by  the  north  of  ^ladagascar,  directed  his  course  more 
directly  from  Madagascar  to  Cape  Comorin,  and  thus  made  from 
west  to  east  a  course  similar  to  that  which,  in  January  150G, 
Fernand  Scares  had  made  from  east  to  west.  Lopez  do  Castanheda 
says  that  Diego  Lopez,  on  leaving  the  island  of  Saint-Lawrence, 
took  his  course  towards  the  island  of  Ceylon. 

In  this  route  Diego  Lopez  could  have  met  with  our  three 
islands;  meantime,  his  name  is  borne  on  the  charts  of  the 
sixteenth  centur}',  under  the  corruptions,  Don  Galojyes  and  don 
Galope,  which  are  seen  on  the  maps  of  Mercator,  of  Ortelius,  of 
Petrus  Plancius,  and  on  that  appended  to  the  India  Orientalis  of 
dc  Bry,  and  only  applying  to  the  island  of  Rodriguez ;  so  we 
ouuclude  that  Diego  Lopez  really  discovex'ed  only  the  island  of 
Uudrigucz.     Perhaps,  indeed,  he  saw  it  again  or  discovered  it  on 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS.  313 

his  return  from  India,  for  when  ho  arranged  to  return  to  Portugal 
and  had  reached  Sumatra,  at  Cape  Cory,  learning  that  Francois 
d' Almeida,  whose  part  he  had  taken  against  Alfonso  d 'Albu- 
querque, had  set  out  for  Portugal,  and  fearing  the  indignation  of 
the  new  Viceroy,  Maffee  says,  "  he  set  sail  from  Travancore,  in 
January  1510,  and  keeping  away  from  the  west  coast,  he  left  on 
the  right  hand  India  and  Arabia,  and  passed  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope."  Castauheda  says  likewise  that  Diego  Lopez  sailed  direct 
to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  passing  to  the  south  of  the  Maldives. 

Unless  we  had  for  the  island  of  Rodrigues  other  motives  for 
conclusions,  yet  more  valuable  than  those  we  have  just  stated,  we 
should  say  that  this  island  was  discovered  by  Diego  Lopes  de 
Siqueira  at  the  conmiencemeut  of  the  year  1509,  or  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  year  1510. 

In  spite  of  this  consideration,  exclusive  of  every  other  island,  we 
cannot  prevent  ourselves  from  remarking  that  the  9th  February, 
tiie  day  of  Sainte  Appoline,  could  be  included  in  the  time  of  this 
voyage  of  Diego  Lopes,  either  by  Madagascar  to  Cape  Comorin,  or 
from  Travancore  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

The  Second  Circumstance. — The  fleet  of  Fernand  Soares,  as  we 
have  said,  left  Cochin  in  December  1505  ;  arrived  incidentally  at 
the  Island  of  Madagascar  on  the  1st  of  February  1506.  During 
its  passage  it  would  have  been  possible  to  meet  with  our  islands  ; 
but  the  9th  February  is  beyond  the  limit  of  the  time  indicated, 
and  according  to  the  narration  of  Fernand  Lopez  de  Castanheda, 
Fernand  Soares  and  Ruy  Freirio,  who  arrived  at  Madagascar  on 
the  1st  February,  were  still  on  the  south  side  of  that  island,  which 
they  had  not  left  on  the  1 7th  of  that  month. 

Was  there  a  delayed  ship  which,  separated  from  its  consorts, 
might  have  discovered  the  island  Santa  Apollonia  on  the  9th 
February,  and  again  rejoined  Fernand  Soares  on  his  way  to 
Lisbon  %  For  it  sliould  be  remembered  that  Castanheda  and 
Osorius,  in  their  account  of  the  discovery  of  Madagascar,  only 
mention  two  ships,  that  of  Fernand  Soares  and  that  of  Roderic 
Freirio  ;  although,  according  to  Barros,  there  should  have  been 
three  of  which  he  names  the  captains,  and  the  name  of  Frederic 
Freirio    docs  not  appear  among  them.     The  silence  of  the  his- 


314  APPENDIX. 

torians  docs  not  permit  us  to  fix  precisely  anytliing;  hut  there  is 
here  a  conjecture  whereby  the  truth  may  he  founds  for  the  year  of  this 
discovery  is  restricted  between  the  year  1506  by  the  voyage  of 
Fcruand  Soares,  and  the  year  1 507  by  the  voyage  of  Tristan  da  Cunha. 

The  Third  Circumstance. — The  fleet  of  fourteen  sail  of  Tristan 
da  Cunha  and  of  Alfonso  d'Albuqucrque  arrived  at  Mozambique 
in  November  1506,  consequently  at  the  commencement  of  the 
contrary  (North-East)  monsoon,  which  prevented  him  from  fol- 
lowing his  course.  We  find  again  a  part  of  these  fourteen  ships 
at  Madagascar  on  the  Sth  December  1506. 

Some  days  afterwards  Alfonso  d' Albuquerque,  ne.xt  Tristan  da 
Cunha,  returned  to  Mozambique.  The  dates  fail  to  fix  the  time 
that  each  of  them  stayed  thei'e  before  proceeding  to  Melinda,  for 
commencing  together  their  operations.  Osorius  fixes  one  useful 
date;  they  arrived  at  Brava  "at  a  time  when  the  wind  arose  and 
a  fierce  hurricane",  which  indicates  the  time  of  the  change  of 
monsoon,  about  the  1st  May  1507.  If  we  calculate  back,  before 
the  1st  May,  the  time  necessary  to  visit  the  King  of  Melinda,  and 
the  expedition  against  the  cities  of  Oja  and  Lamo,  in  estimating 
fully  this  time  at  two  months,  it  is  seen  that  we  can  only  follow 
the  Portuguese  fleet  to  the  beginning  of  March.  Castanheda  says 
that  Alfonso  d' Albuquerque  left  Mozambique  in  February  ;  and 
considering  the  adverse  monsoon,  the  more  we  dismiss  this 
juncture  the  more  we  shall  be  in  the  truth.  Let  us  admit,  then, 
the  end  of  February.  Until  the  month  of  March  the  Portuguese 
historians  only  relate  the  most  important  of  the  cruises  of  some 
ships  ;  they  say  nothing  of  the  less  important  incidents  which  are 
wanthig. 

BaiTos  mentions  three  ships,  named  Galega,  Santa-Maria,  and 
Cirne, 

The  ship  Galega  is  mentioned  (Decade  II,  liv.  7,  chapter  2) 
as  having  arrived  from  India  at  Mozambique  in  \^^\'2,  ;  it  had 
remained  there  in  the  impossibility  of  sailing.  This  sliip  was  per- 
haps one  of  the  fleet  of  Tristan  da  Cunha. 

The  Santa-Maria  des  Virtudes  was  the  ship  commanded  by  Jean 
Comes  d'Abrcu.  There  was  again  in  this  fleet  another  ship,  the 
Santa-Maria,  commanded  by  Alvaro  Fcrnaniles. 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS.  315 

The  Cirne  was  the  ship  commanded  by  Alfonso  d'Albuquerque. 
His  pilot  was  Diogo  Fernandes  Pereira,  who,  in  1503,  when 
captain  of  the  ship  Setuhal,  in  the  fleet  of  Antonio  de  Saldanha, 
had  distinguished  himself  by  his  numerous  captures  and  by  the 
discovery  of  the  island  of  Socotora. 

In  regard  to  the  three  names  of  ships,  let  us  place  the  three 
islands  of  the  Indian  Ocean  which  bear  them,  where  they  derived 
the  same  names:  Galega,  Santa-Maria,  or  Sainte-Marie,  and 
Girne. 

The  islands  Galega  and  Sainte  Marie  yet  figure  on  our  modern 
charts  ;   Cirne  is  the  name  which  various  islands  have  borne  viz. 
]\Iauritius,  llodrigues,  besides  a  little  island  situated  to  the  north 
of  Madagascar,  and  which  corresponds  to  the  islet  called  Jean  de 
Nova. 

Can  it  be  admitted  that  there  has  been  in  this  triple  coincidence 
the  simple  effect  of  chance  ?  Is  it  not,  on  the  contrary,  natural  to 
suppose  that  these  islands  have  been  discovered  by  the  ships 
Galega,  Santa-Maria,  and  Cirne,  which  have  given  them  their 
names  ? 

Rodrigues  is  figured  on  the  chart  of  1529  of  Diego  Ribero, 
under  the  name  of  Domigo  Friz.  According  to  M.  d'Avezac 
Friz  is  an  abbreviated  form  of  Fernandes.  By  adoptiu"-  the 
abbreviation  for  Friz,  and  the  alteration  Domigo  in  place  of 
Diogo,  it  may  be  conjectured  that  the  two  denomiuations,  Cirne 
and  Domigo  Friz,  applied  to  the  island  Mauritius  and  to  the 
island  Rodrigues,  proceed  from  the  same  conjunction  of  discovery. 
The  ship  Cirne  having  discovered  both  the  two,  Mauritius  had 
been  named  Cirne  from  the  name  of  the  ship  ;  and  the  island 
Rodrigues  has  been  named  Diogo  Fernandes  from  the  name  of  the 
ctlebratcd  pilot  of  the  ship  Cirne. 

It  can  be  objected  that  the  ship,  the  Cirne,  had  on  board  of  her 
Alfonso  d'Albuquerque,  the  Captain-General  of  one  of  the  two 
squadrons  placed,  until  after  the  projected  expedition  against  tiie 
island  Socotora,  under  the  superior  orders  of  Tristan  da  Cunha  ; 
that  Alfonso  d'Albuquenpie  left  Mozambique  with  Tristan  da 
Cunha,  who  accompanied  him  to  Madagascar,  and  that  he  only 
left  him   to  return   to   Mozambique,  when   he  awaited   until  the 


316  APPENDIX. 

month  of  March  an  opportunity  favourable  for  continuing  his 
voyage  to  the  north  and  along  the  east  coast  of  Africa. 

Ijideed,  Barros  {Decade  IT,  liv.  1,  ch.  1)  furnishes  a  useful 
indication.  Tristan  da  Cunha  had  learnt,  without  doubt  by  the 
information  of  Ruy  Pereira,  that  the  coasts  of  Madagascar  were 
much  indented,  that  the  waters  of  its  harbours  had  little  depth ; 
judging  therefore  that  his  ship  the  San-Iago,  was  too  great 
fur  the  exploration  which  he  projected,  he  gave  over  the  command 
of  it  to  Antonio  de  Saldhanha,  and  went  on  board  the  Santo- 
Antonio,  couniianded  by  Juao  da  Veiga. 

This  detail  has  been  brought  forward  by  Barros,  because  it 
concerns  the  principal  personage  of  the  expedition  ;  but  it  is 
evident  that  the  same  measure,  prompted  by  the  same  motives, 
would  have  been  taken  for  the  vessel  of  Alfonso  d'Albuquerque, 
tlie  Cirndy  of  which,  at  various  times,  there  is  question  in  this 
historian. 

From  thenceforth  the  objection  which  we  have  raised  ceases  to 
exist ;  and  there  is  nothing  impossible  in  the  supposition  of  some 
cruises  undertaken  by  Diogo  Fernandes  Pereira,  captain  of  the 
Cirne. 

According  to  what  we  have  said  as  to  the  date  of  the  wintering 
of  the  fleet  of  Tristan  da  Cunha  and  of  Alfonso  d'Albuquerque  at 
Mozambi(}ue,  it  appears  that  the  island  of  Santa-Apollonia  could 
be  discovered  on  the  9th  February  1507. 

So,  then,  if  the  island  Santa-Apollonia  was  not  sighted  in  1506, 
the  islands  of  Reunion,  Mauritius,  and  llodrigues  were,  in  all 
probability,  discovered  by  Diogo  Fernandes  Pereira.  Reunion,  on 
the  9th  February  1507,  and  called  Santa-Apollonia;  Mauritius 
and  llodrigues  at  some  days'  interval  from  the  9th  February 
1507.  From  this  year,  1507,  dates  the  name  of  Cirne  given  to 
Mauritius,  and  that  of  Diogo  Fernandes  given  to  the  island 
llodrigues  under  the  alteration  Domigo  Friz. 

At  tlie  commencement  of  1509,  Diogo  Lopes  de  Siqueira  saw 
the  island  Rodrigues,  to  which  his  name  was  applied  under  the 
alteration  Don  Galopes  or  Don  Galope. 

In  April  1512,  Pierre  Mascarenhas,  provided  with  information 
fiuiiishcd   by    the    preceding   expedition,    discovered    them    (the 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLAXDS.  317 

islands)  afresh.  In  fact,  they  were  again  met  with  by  other 
navigators,  amongst  others  by  the  pilot,  Jean  de  Lisboa,  and  by 
the  brother  of  the  pilot,  as  several  maps  will  show. — J.  Codine. 


Addendum  to  Appendix  A. 
M.    DE    FLACOURT'S    PILLAR.^ 

M.  Codine  notices  that,  when  Flacourt  wrote  the  passage  quoted 
by  Du  Quesnc  and  Leguat,  he  is  on  the  eve  of  undertaking  his 
return  to  France,  and  is  at  Fort  Dauphin  : 

"  Before  leaving,  I  caused  to  be  set  up  in  my  garden  a  large  pillar 
of  white  marble,  which  I  had  brought  from  the  islet  of  the  Portu- 
guese, upon  which  were  cut  the  arms  of  Portugal,  and  on  the  other 
side  I  had  engraved  the  arms  of  his  most  Christian  :Majesty,  and 
on  the  base  these  words,  which  are  in  this  figure,  ..."  (Here 
follows  the  inscription  given  in  the  illustration.) 

In  order  that  the  explanation  of  Du  Quesne,  of  Leguat,  and  of 
those  who  have  copied  them  may  be  plausible,  it  is  necessary  that 
the  islet  of  the  Portuguese  should  be  the  island  of  Mascarenhas, 
which  these  authors  have  supposed,  having  given  only  a  very 
superficial  attention  to  Flacourt 's  work. 

Yet  the  islet  of  the  Portuguese  is  not,  in  this  historian,  a  vague 
denomination  which  can  be  applied  to  any  locality,  and  above  all, 
to  an  island  at  a  long  distance  from  Madagascar,  it  is  a  place  well 
identified,  situated  at  a  few  hours'  march  only  from  Fort  Dauphin, 
and  of  which  Flacourt  speaks  repeatedly,  notably  in  the  chapter 
xxxiv  of  his  narrative,  and  in  the  chapter  xii  of  his  descrip- 
tion of  Madagascar.  This  old  governor  of  the  French  establish- 
ments  in  that  island  has  given  the  plan  of  it,  which  he  has  in- 
serted in  his  work.  In  fact,  the  islet  of  the  Portuguese  is  shown 
as  well  in  his  general  map  of  Madagascar.  The  fate  of  the 
Portuguese  who  selected  that  spot  as  a  settlement  in  1545,  and 
who  inhabited  it  a  little  time,  is  recorded  in  detail ;  and  it  might 


Viilc  ante,  p.  41,  and  map  of  Isle  Bourbon,  PI.  iv 


318 


APPENDIX. 


be  said  tliat  the  islet  of  the  Portiigiicse  is  the  part  of  Madagascar 
best  described,  and  whose  position  it  is  impossible  to  misunder- 
stand. Yet  the  description  of  the  Portuguese  and  the  date  1545 
are  foreign  to  the  island  Mascarenhas  or  Mascareigno. 

As  to  the  inscription  of  the  French,  and  the  date  1653,  the  text 
of  Flacourt  is  quite  clear;  this  stone  had  been  placed  by  him  in 
his  garden  at  Fort  Dauphin.  To  account  for  this  inscription  being 
made  on  the  occasion  of  the  taking  possession  of  the  island 
Mascareigne,  it  would  be  necessary  that  the  date  should  l)e  1649, 
the  year  of  the  taking  possession  by  Lebourg,  under  order  of 
Flacourt,  and  Flacourt  would  not  have  omitted  in  his  story  so 
interesting  a  detail  as  that  of  this  stone,  in  place  of  simply  saying 
"  the  taking  of  possession  was  fastened  to  a  tree  below  the  arms 
of  the  King".  But  this  is  only  a  gratuitous  supposition.  The 
date  1653  agrees  with  the  text  and  meaning  of  Flacourt.  The 
last  words  of  the  inscription,  which  would  be  very  strange  if  it 
had  applied  to  a  desert  island  like  Mascareigne,  form  an  incon- 
testable proof  of  it :  "  0  advena,  lege  monita  nostra,  tibi,  tuts,  vitcc- 
que  tuo;  profuUira  ;  cave  ah  incolis  !  vale  /"  and  Flacourt  ends  the 
chapter  Ixvii  by  the  following  explanation  of  this  inscription : 
"  Which  I  caused  to  be  done  to  warn  the  first  captains  of  Christian 
ships  who  should  come  from  Europe  to  beware  of  treason  of  this 
nation,  in  case  on  arrival  in  our  absence  and  that  of  the  ship,  and 
that  the  French  getting  impatient  should  go  away  to  live  before- 
hand inland." 

As  consequent  to  this  description,  we  may  remark  that  the 
vulgar  error  as  to  the  discovery  of  the  island  of  Reunion,  in  1545, 
proceeds  from  the  wrong  localisation  of  the  stone,  of  which  we 
have  just  spoken,  at  the  island  of  Mascareigne. 

In  glancing  at  the  plate  of  Leguat,  representing  :  in  the  centre, 
the  shape  of  the  island  Mascareigne  ;  to  the  right,  the  inscription 
of  the  Portuguese,  with  the  date  1545  ;  to  the  left,  the  inscription 
of  the  French^  and  the  date  1653,  and  the  whole  on  the  same 
sheet,  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  the  facility  with  which  the 
eye  could  deceive  the  mind,  indeed,  without  the  knowledge  of 
the  misleading  text,  of  which  the  plate  is  only  a  material  repro- 
duction.— J.    CODINE. 


Gi-a%'«epai'F,rtui<d.S(ilii»Ur.rne  Ronapttric  4^ 


Pari»-Iuip.LeineiTiri-.rwf  di"  Seine  57 


BIRDS   IN   BOURBON.  319 

List  op  Birds  in  Bourbon,  referred  to  at  p.  45. 
After  Maillard. 

Perruche,  Poliopsitta  cana. 

Perroquet  noir,  Coracopsis  vaza. 

Petite  Salangane,  Collocalia  esculenta. 

Hirondelle  Salaugane,  Collocalia  francia. 

Hiroudelle  des  bles,  Phedina  borUotiica. 

Huppe,  Fregilupus  capensis. 

Martin,  Acridotheres  tristis. 

Oisoau  de  la  Vierge,  Mtiscipeta  borhonica. 

Merle,  Ilypsipetes  olivaceus. 

T  u  i  t  u  i  t,  Oxynotus  ferruginncs. 

Tec-tec,  Fratincola  sybilla. 

Oiseau  blauc,  Zosterops  borbonica. 

Oiseau  vert,  Zosterops  hesitata. 

Calfat,  Munia  oryzivora. 

Co  u  til,  Maja  jiunctidaria. 

Senegali^  Estrelda  astrild. 

Bengali,  Estrelda  amandava. 

Cardinal,  Foudia  madagascariensis. 

Moutardicr,  Chlorospyza  chloris. 

Moiueau,  Passer  domestictcs. 

Tariu,  Serinus  ictericus. 

Pigeon  marron,  Golumba  Schimpcri. 

Tourterelle  malagache,  Turtur  picturatus. 

Tourterelle  du  pays,  Geopelia  striata. 

Caille,  Margaroptrdrix  striata. 

Caille  de  Chine,  Excalfadoria  chinensis. 

Perdrix,  Francolimts  perlatus. 

Aigrette,  Ilerodias  calceolata. 

Poule  d'eau,  Gallinula  chloropus. 

Fou  ou  Fouqnet,  Pterodroma  aterrima. 

Hirondelle  de  mer,  PiiJ/imis  ohscurus. 

Macoua,  Ahous  tenuiostris. 

Paille  en  queue,  Phaeton  candidus. 

Courlis,  Numenitcs  j)h€eo2ms. 

Alouette  de  niei',  Pelidna  cincltts. 


B. 

RELATION  DE  L'lLE  EODRIGUE. 

^I.  ALrii.  Milne-Edwards  presented  to  tlie  Section  of  Anatomy 
and  Zoology  of  the  French  Academy  of  Sciences,  on  the  10th  May 
1875,  his  Observations  on  the  Epoch  of  the  Disappearance  of  tlie 
Ancient  Fauna  of  the  Island  Rodriguez,^  in  which  he  announced 
the  discovery  by  M.  Rouillard,  a  magistrate  of  Mauritius,  among 
the  archives  of  the  Ministry  of  Marine  at  Paris,  of  a  manuscript 
entitled  Relation  de  Vile  Rodngue,  reported  to  him  by  Professor 
A.  Newton,  of  Cambridge,  who  requested  him  (M.  Milne-Edwards) 
to  make  further  investigation  to  fix  the  epoch  when  this  manu- 
script was  written  ;  for  it  bore  no  date  or  name  of  author,  but  had 
been  found  bound  up  in  tome  xii  of  the  Corresjwndence  of  the  He 
de  France,  a.d.  1760.  Was  this  date  exact  as  regards  the  manu- 
script, and  was  it  to  be  concluded  that  from  this  MS.  narrative 
that  the  birds  in  question  were  still  alive  in  1760 — that  is  to  say, 
almost  after  a  century  from  the  time  that  Leguat  wrote  ? 

M.  Milne-Edwards  was  able  to  convince  himself  that  this 
document  was  of  older  date  than  that  of  the  correspondence  with 
which  it  was  bound  up ;  and,  although  he  was  unable  to  discover 
the  name  of  the  author,  he  was  able  to  fix  the  date  when  it  was 
written.  In  fact,  he  found  in  tome  i  of  the  correspondence  an  old 
inventory  of  the  reports  and  letters  from  1719  to  1732,  enclosed 
in  the  files  of  the  office  before  they  had  been  arranged  and  bound 
in  volumes.  In  this  enumeration  he  found  mentioned  this 
Relation  de  Vile  Rodrigue  interpolated  between  documents  dated 
from  1729  to  1730-31.  Its  index  number  corresponded  exactly 
with  that  now  on  the  Relation  itself.  It  is  No.  1  of  the  file 
(carton)  29.  This  indication,  therefore,  enabled  him  to  establish 
with  some  accuracy  the  period  when,  if  it  was  not  written,  at  all 
events  it  was  transmitted  to  the  Compagnie  des  Indes.     It   is, 

1  C'omptes  rendus  des  seances  de  CAcademie  dcs  Sciences,  tome  Ixxx, 
1875,  p.  1212. 


RELATION   DE    L'ILE    RODRIGUE.  321 

therefore,  posterior  to  1730/  and  it  is  by  mistake  that  it  has 
become  mixed  up  with  the  correspondence  of  1760. 

M.  Milne-Edwards  also  remarked  that  this  Carton  29  originally 
included  a  Deliberation  dii  Conseil,  of  the  20th  July  1725, 
on  the  proposed  taking  possession  of  the  Island  of  Diego  Ruys, 
i.e.,  Rodriguez.  There  is  reason,  therefore,  to  suppose,  he 
adds,  that,  as  the  result  of  this  deliberation,  the  Company  dis- 
patched one  of  its  officers  to  study  the  resources  of  this  island, 
and  report  if  it  was  fit  for  an  establisliment  to  be  formed  thei'e. 
The  report,  forwarded  four  years  later,  appears  to  correspond 
perfectly  with  the  questions  of  this  order  for  inquiry.  The 
anonymous  author  of  the  following  Relation  gives  all  the 
necessary  information  for  faciUtating  a  disembaication  ;  he  details 
all  the  islets  and  reefs,  and  then  reviews  the  animal  and  vegetable 
productions,  not  forgetting  the  examination  of  the  soil  and  its 
arable  qualities. 

M.  Milne-Edwards  states  that  the  report  is  evidently  the  work 
of  a  practical  marine  surveyor,  but  not  of  a  literary  man, 
acquainted  with  the  rules  of  orthography.  M.  Edwards  has  not 
published  that  portion  of  the  report  dealing  with  sailing  directions 
and  economic  questions,  confining  himself  solely  to  the  descriptive 
parts  relating  to  the  fauna  and  flora  of  the  island  ;  moreover,  he 
has  corrected  the  grammatical  faults  in  the  original  manuscript. 

RELATION    DE    l'iLE    RODRIGUE.^ 

There  is  so  great  a  quantity  of  fish  within  the  reefs  and  about 
them,  that  if  a  morsel  of  food  is  thrown  into  the  sea,  at  once  some 
thirty  fishes  appear,  and  immediately  swallow  it  up.  There  are 
all  sorts,  of  which  I  proceed  to  give  the  names  of  a  few  known  to 
me. 

1  It  may  be  recollected  that  Leguat  did  not  die  until  1735.  Vide 
ante. 

2  Nouveaux  Documents  sur  VEpoque  de  la  Dit^parit'ion  de  la  Faune 
ancienne  de  Vile  Rodricjne,  par  M.  Alph.  Milne-Edwards,  in  the  Annates 
des  Sciences  Natarelles,  Zoologie  et  Paleontologie,  6me  Serie,  tome  ii, 
p.  133  ct  scq.,  1875. 


322  APPENDIX. 

The  shark,'  among  others,  is  of  a  prodigious  size,  and  there  arc 
some  up  to  twelve  feet  in  length.  There  are  a  quantity  of  small 
ones  of  different  sizes,  which  are  so  hungry,  that  if  a  man  liad  the 
misfortune  to  fall  into  the  water,  they  would  tear  hiiu  with  tlieir 
teeth  ;  a  proof  of  which  is,  tluit  the  day  following  our  disembai'ca- 
tion,  when  proceeding  to  take  soundings,  they  snatched  the  oars 
from  the  rowers,  and  gave  us  a  good  deal  of  trouble.  We 
experienced  suchlike  during  all  the  time  we  remained  in  tlie 
island. 

There  is  a  fish  of  a  size  nearly  equal  to  that  of  the  shark,  and 
of  the  same  form,  which  they  call  at  Bourbon  E?i(Iormi,~  an 
appropriate  name,  for  it  sleeps  in  the  water.  If  they  wish  to 
capture  it  they  pass  a  rope  ai'ouud  the  tail,  and  haul  it  on  shore ; 
when  it  awakes,  and  does  not  attempt  to  bite,  but  tries  to  escape. 
The  skin  is  very  like  shagreen,  and  of  the  same  colour  as  that  of 
the  shark. 

The  Caranfjtie^  there  is  excellent;  the  largest  I  have  seen  was 
three  feet  and  a  half  in  length.  The  Caranr/nes  pursue  the  other 
small  fish  wliich  fly  to  escape  them,  and  fall  afterwards  into  the 
jaws  of  the  sharks,  who  show  them  no  more  mei'cy  than  the 
former. 

The  Mullets^  are  in  quantity  ;  the  largest  that  I  have  seen  are 
of  two  feet  and  a-half  in  length.  There  are  many  Rnys,^  and 
numbers  of  some  fish  they  call  CapitanesS'  I  have  taken  a  fish  of 
the  shape  of  a  Lamprey,  having  the  mouth  of  a  serpent,  with 
teeth  very  sharp  ;  I  did  not  think  it  prudent  to  eat  it,  not  know- 
ing it  at  all.     {Vide  ante,  p.  174.) 

The  Rougets^  are  common,  besides  numerous  other  fisli  whose 


'  Le  Reqnin.     Carcharodon  sp.     Carcharias.     V'ule  aiik\  p.  9G. 

2  Basking  Shark,  Cetorhimis. 

3  Cobbler,  or  Cordonnier  Horse-mackerel,  Caranx  sp.     A  species  of 
Jlynnis  is  also  called  Carangue. 

*  Miujil  sp.     MiKj'il  axillaris,  etc.     The  Mulct  vokur  of  tlie  Creoles  is 
the  best  for  eating  of  the  mullets. 
"  Raid  sp. 

"  Capitaine  =  Pentapus  dux. 
^  lloui'ette  =: /Sc?Trt//^fs.     Cardinal  =  rriacaitllnis. 


RELATION   DE   L'ILE   RODPJGUE.  323 

names  I  do  not  know.  The  Lamantins^  are  abundant,  especially 
at  the  time  they  are  breeding.  I  have  seen  thirty  or  forty  in  a 
herd  grazing  on  the  weed,  in  two  or  three  feet  of  water.  They 
are  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet  long.  The  females  suckle  their 
little  ones  in  the  same  fashion  as  a  woman  ;  I  have  only  seen 
them  nurse  one  at  a  time.  They  have  two  kinds  of  paws  or 
hands,  with  which  they  hold  their  little  ones  ;  they  have  not  fins ; 
their  tail  is  large  and  horizontal  when  the  Lamantin  is  on  its 
belly.  The  skin  is  hard,  and  nearly  an  inch  thick.  The  flesh 
tastes  something  like  that  of  veal,  and  the  fat  is  firmer  than  that 
of  pork. 

The  sea-turtle-  is  in  such  great  abundance  that  a  quantity  of 
them  is  found  stranded  on  the  reefs  when  the  tide  is  low,  and  not 
at  all  seasons.  It  is  at  the  time  of  their  laying  and  of  their 
cavelage  (calfatage  ?),  that  is,  of  the  coupling  of  these  animals, 
which  remain  in  this  manner  for  nine  days  ;  afterwards  their 
eggs  develop ;  but  I  have  not  been  able  to  know  how  many 
they  bear,  whatever  trouble  I  have  taken.  I  have  only  remarked 
that  two  or  three  days  before  laying,  they  come  to  taste  the  sand, 
and  if  they  find  it  good  and  properly  warmed,  they  come  to  lay  ; 
in  this  fashion,  they  dig  a  hole  in  the  sand  where  the  sea  does  not 
reach,  about  three  feet,  and  there  put  their  eggs,  from  which,  at 
the  end  of  thirty-one  days,  issue  all  the  little  turtles  by  the  same 
hole.  I  have  remarked  an  extraordinary  circumstance,  which  is, 
that  if  these  little  animals  are  placed  at  half  a  league  from  the 
sea  they  always  find  it  ;  and  immediately  they  reach  it,  unless 
they  are  careful  to  hide  themselves  under  some  rocks,  the  fish, 
especially  the  sharks,  destroy  many  of  them.  The  sea-turtles  are 
"caught  easily  by  the  hand,  and  without  any  instrument,  or  even  a 
boat ;  they  watch  for  them  the  night  they  come  to  lay ;  when 
they  turn  them  on  their  back,  they  remain  there.  I  have  seen 
sea-turtles  which  laid  upwards  of  2,000  eggs. 

There  are  crabs  of  five  or  six  species.'^  I  have  not  seen  either 
lobsters  or  prawns,  whatever  pains  I  have  taken. 


^   Vide  ante,  p.  74.  ^   yi,jf,  aiiic^  p.  72. 

3   Vide  ante,  p.  93. 


Y  2 


324  APPENDIX. 

The  islet  which  we  liave  named  {FUe  mix  Foh)  Booby  Island,^ 
is  a  rock,  with  its  summit  pointed,  something  like  a  cone  of  iron, 
Avithout  soil  or  grass  ;  it  may  be  about  a  quarter  of  a  league  in 
circumference.  This  rock  is  covered  with  birds,  which  are  called 
Fols,"  and  which  lay  three  times  in  the  year  ;  these  creatures  are 
of  the  size  of  a  young  pigeon  ;  they  kUl  them  with  stones  and 
sticks.  They  do  not  lay  from  the  month  of  January  until  April. 
Their  eggs  are  of  the  size  of  those  of  a  hen,  and  are  very  good  to 
eat,  and  even  served  us  as  soap  for  washing. 

Diamond  Island  ^  {Vile  aux  Diamants),  which  is  to  the  south 
of  the  preceding,  is  almost  of  the  same  form,  of  the  same  size,  and 
of  the  same  material ;  there  are  also  (Fols)  boobies  upon  it,  who 
live  on  fish.     There  are  no  land  turtle  on  these  two  islets. 

The  two  {ties  cle  sable)  sandy  islands,**  which  are  to  the  north- 
west of  the  island,  are  covered  during  severe  hurricanes  ((/rands 
coups  cle  vent),  excepting  the  larger,  which  is  most  to  the  west, 
which  is  full  of  {Chiendent)  short  grass,  as  well  as  Shearwaters 
[Fouquets).      There  are  no  land-tortoises,  either  on  one  or  the 


1  Booby  Island,  a  conical  mass  of  basalt  rock  fifty  feet  high,  forms 
one  of  the  marks  for  vessels  entering  and  leaving  Matlmrin  Bay  ;  it  is 
one  mile  inside  the  reef  bordering  Mathurin  Bay.  {Vide  Chart,  p.  49  ; 
ct.  Finlay,  I.  c,  pp.  515,  516.) 

2  Foh.  "  These  birds",  says  ]\I.  Milne-Edwards,  "  are  evidently  not 
boobies  (Fous),  but  probably  belong  to  a  species  named  I'tcrodroma 
(ilerrima  (Verreaux),  which  to  this  day  frequent  the  coasts  of  the 
Mascarene  Islands.''     {Vide  ante,  82,  178.) 

3  Diamond  Island,  a  similar  basaltic  rock,  is  a  little  more  than  a  mile 
south  of  Booby  Island,  at  a  cable's  length  from  the  headland,  west  of  Baie 
aux  Hinircs^  and  forms  a  conspicuous  sea-mark  fifty  feet  in  height. 

*  Sandy  Island,  only  fifteen  feet,  opposite  the  opening  in  the  reef, 
Pas.se  Dem'ie,  and  Cocoa  Island,  south  of  it,  are  mere  sand-kays,  near 
the  western  edge  of  the  encircling  reef,  nearly  two  miles  west  of  Ptc.  de 
la  Ponce.  The  name  Cocoa  Island  seems  to  indicate  that  cocoa-nut 
trees  have  grown  there,  and  the  Chiendent  growing  on  it  is  a  species  of 
herb,  Cynodon  Dactylon.  A  low  scrub  grows  on  both  islands  now  {ihid., 
p.  514).  The  Tie  de  Fouquets,  here  mentioned,  must  not  be  confounded 
with  Booby  Island,  which  is  bare  rock,  but  refers  to  the  islet,  to  the 
south-east,  hereafter  mentioned  as  the  hie  anx  Fob  et  Fouquets,  near 
Passe  Platte  (cf.  Balfour,  I.e.,  p.  ^65). 


EELATIOX   DE   L'ILE   EODRIGUE.  325 

other  of  these  two  islands.  Frigate  Island^  (Vile  Fregates)  must 
be  nearly  a  mile  in  circuit  (un  bon  tiers  de  lieite).  There  are 
some  trees  upon  it,  which  grow,  so  to  speak,  in  the  rock,  there 
being  but  very  little  soil.  There  are  some  tortoises  on  it,  and  it 
is  full  of  frigates,  which  lay  there  twice  in  the  year,  and  it  is  the 
only  place  where  they  lay.  These  frigates  ai'e  all  so  lazy,  that 
they  perch  by  day  on  the  trees,^  at  the  edge  of  the  sea,  awaiting 
the  other  birds  who  go  to  fish.  They  make  them  disgorge  ;  after 
an  ineffectual  resistance,  they  are  constrained  to  vomit  the  fish 
which  are  in  their  gullets  when  the  frigate  devours  it  before  it 
I'caches  the  water.  But  when  the  largest  of  these  birds  are  four 
or  five  together,  the  frigates,  however  strong  and  agile  they  may 
be,  do  not  attack  them,  and  thus  they  can  feed  their  little  ones 
who  wait  for  them  above.  The  males  of  the  frigates  have 
beneath  the  throat  a  red  skin,  which,  when  they  are  breeding, 
is  swollen,  and  becomes  round  and  as  large  as  a  chopine  bottle, 
and  red  as  scarlet,  and  at  other  times  this  skin  is  quite  flat. 

The  little  islct^  which  is  to  the  N.N.E.  of  Frigate  Island  is  a 
rock  without  soil  on  it,  on  which  there  are  some  shearwaters. 
There  are  some  land-tortoises,  but  very  few,  because  the  islet  is 
not  large. 

The  little  islet^  which  is  to  the  E.  of  Fte.  du  Pahiier  is  a  rock 
where  there  are  some  Fouquets.  LHle  Desiree^  may  have  nearly  a 
twelfth  of  a  league  in  circuit  [in  coi)j  :  p^'escVune  douzaine  de  lieues 
de  tour  ;  this  is  impossible  :  the  writer  must  have  meant  iwes  d'un 
doutieme  de  Heue  de  tour .?].  There  is  little  wood  upon  it,  and 
tortoises  are  found  there,  as  well  as  upon  the  sister  islet,  and  they 
are  of  some  elevation. 


1  Frigate  Island  is  of  basaltic  rock,  120  ft.  high.  The  Frigate, 
according  to  M.  Edwards,  is  Taclnjpctes  minor. 

2  ISIapou  trees  {vide  Balfour,  ?.f.,  p.  365). 

•■5  The  little  islet  to  the  N.N.W.  of  Frigate  Island  must  be  Catharine 
Island,  75  ft.  high,  and  the  little  islet  to  the  W.  of  Lascar  Bay  is, 
apparently,  Marianne  I. 

*  Vile  Desiree  is  the  sister  islet  {camaradc)  of  Frigate  I,,  and  about 
half  its  size. 


326  APPENDIX. 

The  great  island^  is,  perhaps,  about  a  league-and-a-half  in  circuit, 
with  very  little  soil  ;  there  arc,  nevertheless,  some  trees  on  it, 
almost  as  fine  as  those  on  the  main  island.  There  is  no  water  on 
it  in  the  dry  season,  nor  is  there  upon  the  others.  It  is  high  in 
the  middle,  and  its  two  ends  are  flat.  Tliere  is  no  lack  of  land- 
tortoises  there. 

The  seven  islets,-  which  are  to  the  south  of  the  main  island,  are 
all  small  and  flat,  the  largest  having  only  a  quarter-of-a-league  in 
circumference.  Upon  the  largest  there  are  some  tortoises  and 
some  small  shrubs  without  water,  and  they  are  formed  of  sharp 
pointed  coral  fragments. 

Mast  Island  {Vile  au  Jfdt),^  thus  called  because  we  found  there 
a  top-mast,  fifty  feet  long,  which  was  of  pine,  and  which  had 
never  been  fitted.  This  islet  is  at  least  a  league  in  circumference, 
with  a  little  scrub  upon  it,  as  well  as  tortoises,  but  without  water, 
because  it  is  quite  flat,  and  is  almost  wholly  composed  of  lime- 
stone. It  IS  also  full  of  (Fuls  and  Fotiqnets)  Noddies  and 
Shearwaters. 

Noddy  and  Shearwater  Island  {i'tle  aux  Fols  et  FouquetsY  is 
one  league  in  circuit ;  it  is  flat,  and  composed  of  limestone  ;  there 
are  some  shrubs  upon  it.  The  Noddies  and  Shearwaters  are  here 
in  great  quantity,  as  also  {Eqiierets)  Terns.'  It  is  covered  with  the 
eggs  of  these  birds. 


1  The  graude  tie  is  now  known  as  Crab  Island,  which  rises,  in  its 
centre,  120  ft.  west  of  Coral  Point.  All  these  islets  are  near  the  main 
island  to  the  S.  \V. 

-  The  seven  small  islets  include  those  named  Pianqui  I.  and  JMiscl  I., 
and  various  small  uncovered  rocks  south  of  the  former.  The  largest 
would  be  Pianqui. 

3  L'ileau  Mat,  now  marked  on  the  chart  as  Gombrani  Island,  perhaps 
meant  at  one  time  as  Gouvernail  I.  Tliis  is  the  longest  of  all  the  islets, 
and  now  has  some  huts  on  it  ;  at  the  southern  end  it  rises  about  twenty 
feet. 

4  Vile  aux  Fuls  et  Fomjuets,  now  known  as  Pierrot  I.,  a  broader  islet 
than  Gombrani,  of  the  same  altitude,  and  -with  some  fishermen's  huts 
thereon,  with  coco  palms.  Its  modern  name,  Sparrow  I.,  denotes  that 
small  birds  frequent  it. 

^  Equertls,  probably  OitycJwprion  ancifitlueluiy,  Edwards  ;  riile  infra. 


RELATION    DE    l'ILE    KODRIGUE.  327 

Flat  Island  (Vile  Plate),^  which  is  to  the  south  of  the  last ;  there 
is  nothing  on  it,  and  it  is  also  of  limestone  and  very  small.  There 
are  meanwhile  some  small  birds  which  live  on  fish. 

Rocky  Island  (I'Ue  de  Roche)"  is  thus  named  because  there  is  no 
soil  upon  it;  there  are,  nevertheless,  some  shrubs  which  grow  on 
the  rocks ;  there  are  some  tortoises  also,  as  well  as  sea-fowl 
(oiseaux  j^^cheurs) ;  it  is  slightly  elevated,  and  may  be  a  quarter- 
of-  a-1  eag  u  e  round. 

Of  the  birds  which  live  on  fish  there  are  thirteen  sorts,  to  wit : 

The  Frigate,''  which,  when  it  goes  to  fish,  which  does  not  often 
happen,  goes  to  a  great  distance,  "20,  25,  30  leagues  away. 

The  Ox-birds  {Ba'v.fs)^  are  of  the  size  of  a  large  capon  ;  their 
plumage  is  all  white,  excepting  some  feathei'S  of  the  wings  and 
tail,  which  are  black  ;  it  has  a  beak  about  five  inches  in  length, 
and  which  conies  to  a  point  at  the  end,  and  within  it  is  like  a  saw. 
They  call  it  Bauf  because  it  cries  like  an  ox ;  it  often  makes  a 
noise  with  its  wings  in  flying,  that  one  would  say  it  was  a  hurri- 
cane if  he  continued  it  as  he  is  passing.  They  lay  generally  on 
the  branches  of  trees,  where  they  make  their  nests,  and  the  male 
and  the  female  sit  on  the  egg  in  turn — for  they  only  produce  one 


1  South  of  Pierrot  I.  lies  Flat  Island,  at  the  entrance  of  Passe  Platte, 
one  of  the  several  narrow  openings  in  the  edge  of  the  reef,  wliich 
are  used  by  fishermen  to  get  to  the  deep  water  fishing-grounds.  Cotton, 
Gossypinm  harhadcnse,  introduced  from  the  wreck  of  an  American  ship, 
now  almost  covers  this  islet  ;  also  Balfour  mentions  Stcnotaphruin 
stiblatum  as  only  growing  on  Gombrani  and  Pierrot  Islands.  Zoysia 
pungens  is  also  noticed  as  common  on  the  sandy  and  coral  islets  on  the 
reef  .  .  ..  {I.  c,  p.  384).  Such  plants  also  as  Surianamaritima,  Pcmphls 
ac'ulula,  Oldenlandia  Sieberi,  Tourncfortia  arycntia,  Ipoimsa  fragrant, 
I.  kiicaiilha,  Lycium  teniie,  Myopornm  Maiiritiannw,  specially  occur. 

2  L'llede  Roche,  now  called  Hermitage  Island,  described  by  Finlay  as 
small  and  rocky,  stands  in  the  centre  of  the  harbour  of  Port  South- 
East.  The  highest  point  of  the  south  end  is  80  ft.  high,  and  one  of  the 
Transit  stations  was  established  on  the  north  part  of  it. 

3  Vide  supi-a,  p.  325. 

■*  This  bird,  writes  Milne-Edwards,  is  probably  a  Fan  (booby), 
perhaps  the  S>da  Cajjensis.     There  is  a  sandpiper  called  Ox-bird, 


328  APPENDIX. 

The  Tra-tra  (Booby), ^  so  called  because  it  always  cries  thus, 
is  a  bird  which  is  uot  so  large  as  the  Boeuf,  aud  has  a  beak 
approaching  that  of  the  Bocuf;  it  is  of  grey  colour,  a  little  white 
under  the  belly.  It  roosts  and  makes  its  nests  in  the  trees,  and 
sits  in  turn  ;  but  it  is  in  greater  numbers  than  the  Booufs.  When 
they  are  small  they  are  all  white,  and  the  beak  all  black  ;  and 
when  they  are  full-grown,  they  are  grey  and  the  beak  greenish. 
The  Frigate  does  not  approach  them  when  they  are  settled  on  the 
ground,  or  on  the  trees,  or  in  the  water,  when  they  defend  them- 
selves; and  when  they  are  refreshed,  they  take  tlieir  flight  to  go 
to  the  spot  where  their  nest  is,  and  scarcely  ever  make  a  mis- 
take when  they  arrive.  One  sees  them  come  in  prodigious 
numbers,  from  four  o'clock  in  the  evening  until  night. 

The  Noddy  {FoVf  is,  as  I  have  said,  of  the  size  of  a  small  pigeon  ; 
it  goes  to  fish  at  two  leagues  distance  at  the  farthest. 

The  Shearwater  is  of  the  same  colour  as  the  Noddy,  but 
a  little  larger,  and  has  the  beak  longer  and  hooked,  like  the 
Frigate.  It  does  not  go  far  to  fish,  and  generally  does  not  go 
except  at  night.  There  ai-e  some  who  affirm  that  it  cannot  fly  be- 
cause the  light  dazzles  its  sight.  I  have,  indeed,  seen  them  by  day 
fly  about  without  taking  their  direct  way.  They  are  in  the  holes  of 
the  rocks,  and  they  cry  like  small  infants.  At  night,  when  they  go 
to  fish,  I  have  knocked  over  many  on  shore  in  this  manner ;  when 
they  come  out  of  their  hole,  aud  one  hears  them  cry,  he  must 
have  a  dry  branch  of  palm  and  all  of  a  sudden  set  alight  to  it,  and 
when  they  see  the  light  they  tumble  on  the  ground  ;  on  the  other 
hand,  if  they  do  not  see  it  they  continue  their  way. 

There  are  Hill-shearwaters  (Fouquets  de  moniagne),^  but  very 
few  ;  I  have  only  seen  them  flying,  therefore  I  cannot  speak 
particularly  of  them  ;  they  nest  in  the  holes  in  the  ground  and 
on  the  top  of  the  mountain. 

The  Terns  {Mauvettes)  are  in  small  numbers,  and  do  not  go  to 


1  Tra-tra,  perhaps  the  Sttla  i>iscator. 

2  Probably  the  Aiwus  stolid tm;  vide  supra. 

^  These  birds  arc  probably  auotlicr  species  of  shearwater. 


RELATION    DE   L'ILE    HODPJGUE.  329 

fish  at  more  than  a  league  away.     I  have  not  been  able  to  discover 
where  they  lay  their  eggs. 

There  are  many  Boatswain  birds  {Paille-en-queicey  which  are  all 
white,  and  others  of  white  red.  The  Boatswain-birds  nest  or- 
dinarily in  the  holes  of  the  cliflF  or  in  the  hollow  trees  which 
abound,  especially  the  Benjoin.^ 

There  ai'e  some  Curlew  (Corlieux),^  which  fish  along  the  shore 
and  at  low  tide  on  the  reefs,  where  there  remain  some  pools  of 
water  and  small  fishes.  I  have  not  killed  any  of  them,  because 
they  do  not  let  one  approach  them  ;  on  the  contrarj'-,  when  they 
see  people  they  take  their  flight,  uttering  cries. 

There  are  also  some  birds  which  they  call  in  France  Equerets^ 
They  are  of  the  size  of  a  pigeon  ;  beneath  the  belly  it  is  white  as 
well  as  under  their  wings ;  the  back  is  black,  and  the  coverts  of 
their  wings  the  same;  the  beak,  two  or  three  iuchcs  long,  is 
pointed.  They  are  on  the  islets  which  are  to  the  south  of  the 
main  island,  and  there  lay  their  eggs. 

There  is  another  small  bird,^  which  is  of  the  size  of  a  hoopoe, 
which  is  quite  white,  and  the  back  black.  They  are  also  on  the 
islets  to  the  south  of  the  island  ;  they  ai'e  but  few^  in  number. 

The  bird  which  we  have  named  Sentinelled  :  it  is  one  in  fact, 
for  directly  it  perceives  any  one  approach,  it  takes  to  flight,  crying 
without  cessation.  It  is  not  possible  to  approach  nearer  than 
sixty  paces.  It  fishes  on  the  bank  of  the  streams  and  marshes  ;  it 
is  of  dark  colour  mingled  with  light  grey  ;  it  is  a  little  larger  than 
a  hoopoe,  and  is  not  in  great  numbers. 

1  Phaeton  plioenicurus  et  Phaeton  Jiavirostris. 

2  Bois  charron,  Terminalia  Benzoiu,  an  endemic  IMascarene  species, 
occurs  abundantly.  (Balfour,  I.  c,  p.  340.)  Balfour,  writing  of  the 
Nyctaginacex,  describes  the  Bois  mapou  as  a  tree  very  abundant  on  a 
small  ledge  of  coralline  limestone,  on  the  west  side  of  Frigate  Island, 
where  it  is  the  favourite  nesting-place  of  the  Fou  (J.  c,  p.  365  ;  vide 
fSiipra,  p.  326). 

^  Curlew.     Couvlis,  Numenius  j^hasopus  {^colopax  phxopus,  Linn.). 
•*  Equcrets^   or  QuerclSj  possibly  the  Ferrets  mentioned  by  Leguat. 
Probably,  says  Milne-Edwards,  VOnijchoprion  anasthatus. 
»  Oyyis  Candida,  Wagl. 
<*  Sentlnclle,  a  species  of  Heron  ;  Butoridcs  atricapilla,  perhaps. 


330  APPENDIX. 

There  are  some  soa-larks  {Aloudtes  tie  mer),'^  but  very  few. 

The  eggs  of  all  these  birds  are  very  good  to  eat,  as  also  their 
flesh,  but  it  has  an  oily  taste. 

The  land-tortoise  is  very  abundant.  It  is  not  very  fat,  owing 
to  the  great  number  of  them  and  the  dearth  of  grass ;  it  eats 
leaves  and  the  fruit  of  the  trees,  which  the  wind  causes  to  drop  on 
the  ground.  Tliere  are  tortoises  of  three  species,  and  the  largest 
which  I  have  seen  are  from  three  feet  to  three  feet  eight  inches  in 
length  of  shell.  They  are  not  so  common  in  the  heights  as  in  the 
ravines,  on  account  of  the  dearth  of  water  in  dry  seasons. 

The  island  is,  as  I  have  said,  mountainous  on  the  east  side  and 
in  the  middle  ;  but  ou  the  west  side  it  is  flat.  The  mountains  are 
intersected  by  valleys  and  ravines,  which  have  a  winding  course  of 
a  league  within  the  mountains,  and  which  widen  towards  the  sea- 
coast,  on  v.'hich  account  the  fresh  water,  in  the  dry  seasons,  is  lost 
before  reaching  the  lower  end,  and  there  is  no  water  but  above  in 
the  pools.  There  is  very  little  cultivable  soil ;  all  the  ravines 
which  are  around  the  island  share  in  it,  some  more,  others 
less ;  and  of  almost  all  these  recesses,  thei'e  are  scarcely  any 
but  are  inundated  by  fresh  water,  and  sea  water  in  the  hurricane 
season.  It  would  be  possible,  however,  to  prescribe  limits  to  the 
sea  and  prevent  it  coming  within  these  localities  with  a  little 
trouble.  The  most  considerable  of  these  valleys,  in  the  first  place, 
is  half-a-league  to  the  west  of  the  Pointe  du  Sel,  which  has  perhaps 
about  fifty  toises  in  area.  The  soil  in  this  locality  is  about  five 
feet  in  depth. 

The  large  valley  has,  perhaps,  about  thirty  to  forty  square 
toises  of  good  soil ;  the  sea  comes  up  \QYy  far  in  high  tides,  gales, 
and  hurricanes. 

The  habitations  of  Fran9ois  Leguat^  may  have  about  forty 
toises  square.  I  speak  of  square,  although  the  ground  is  not  so  ; 
it  is  only  the  estimate  that  I  make.  Quite  close  to  the  settle 
ments  which  I  have  just  named  is  a  flat  piece  of  land  to  the  south 
of  a  sandbank,  which  is  near  the  settlements. 

Aloueite  de  met;  a  term  applied  to  all  small  sea  sandpiper  or  plover, 
so  called.  ^   Vide  s'ljna,  pp.  50,  64. 


RELATION   DE   l'ILE   KODRIGUE.       '  331 

\Here  folloiv  details  on  the  localities  ivhere  cultivable  ground  exists."] 

Large  timber  is  not  common  in  Rodrigue  island,  for  the  finest 
are  not  more  than  fifty  feet  high,  and  most  of  them  are  not 
straight.  I  here  give  their  names  as  they  arc  called  in  Bourbon, 
and  commence  with  those  which  are  in  the  greatest  number,  to 
wit : — 

Bois  roxuje^  which  is  very  lai'go,  but  it  is  not  high,  and  bcai'ing 
branches  fit  to  make  ships'  timbers  (menibres  de  vaisseaujc,  perhaps 
membni7'€s  ?). 

£ois  jj?<a?i^^  is  neither  large  nor  high,  but  throws  out  its 
branches  below ;  then,  growing  upward,  it  forms  an  agreeable 
shade.  This  is  the  wood  most  fit  for  making  the  ribs  of  ships. 
I  have  seen  one  of  these  trees  cover  w-ith  its  branches  nearly  sixty 
paces  of  ground. 

Benjoin^  is  in  large  numbers,  and  exudes  gum  like  that  of  ile 
Bourbon.  The  largest  which  I  have  seen  are  from  forty  to  fifty 
feet  in  length,  and  two  fathoms  and  a  half  in  circumfei'ence ;  but 
these  are  rare,  considering  that  they  are  for  tlie  most  part 
twisted,  and  rotten  at  the  heart,  whilst  there  arc  plenty  of  other 
small  Benjoins,  which  grow  even  in  the  rocks. 

There  are  numbers  of  trees  which  they  call  Afotiche*  (Afourche?). 
These  have  no  trunk,  and  are  full  of  strong  branches  :  they  have 
a  gum,  white  as  milk. 

Tliere  is  a  large  quantity  of  Bois  d'ebene^^  about  thirty  to  forty 
feet  high,  and  one  fathom  and  a  half  in  thickness  (in  circum- 
ference 1). 

There  is  a  little  Bois  de  fer^;  it  is  neither  high  nor  straight, 
and  is  not  found  everywhere. 

1  Bois  rouge.,  probably  the  5o2s  d'olive  rouge  (Elaeodendron  orientale) 
{Balfour,  p.  334.) 

^  Bois  puant ;  the  modern  hois  puant^  is  the  Fcelidia  mavritiana. 
{Balfour,  p.  341.) 

3  Benjoin.     Terminalia  mauritiana. 

*  AjI'ouchr.  La  fouclie  romje,  or  La  fouchc  petite  feuillc.  Ficus 
rubra,  var.  amblyphylla.     {Balfour,  p.  368.) 

s  Bois  d'ebeiie.     Diospyros  divcrsifolia.     {Balfour,  p.  355.) 

"  Bois  de  fer.     Eugeuia  cotinifolia.     {Balfour,  p.  341.) 


332  APPENDIX. 

Bois  de  sentexir^  is  here  in  small  quantity. 

Bois  de  Neff'^  is  found  in  great  nunibei's,  and  more  commonly 
on  the  mountains  than  elsewhere;  it  is  not  large,  and  is  all 
twisted. 

A  tree  is  found  which  they  call,  at  Bourbon,  La  Face  de  Judas^ 
in  small  quantity. 

The  Bois  de  Buis*  is  common  here,  and  very  small ;  the  parrots 
eat  its  seeds. 

There  is  not  much  Bois  de  2)om})ie,^  and  it  is  good  for  nothing. 

There  are  some  Bois  de  Benette,^  which  are  small  tufted  shrubs, 
the  highest  of  which  may  be  four  or  five  feet. 

There  are  very  few  trees  fit  for  building;  some  rafters  of 
moderate- sized  houses  aud  some  poles,  and  they  are  not  very 
straight. 

There  are  Lataniers"^  tlji'oughout  the  island,  and  more  frequently 
in  the  valleys  and  in  the  ravines  ;  there  are  three  sorts. 

The  Palmistes  are  in  greater  quantity  than  any  one  of  the 
other  trees,  as  well  as  the  Latauiers ;  both  one  and  the  other  are 
everywhere. 

There  is  another  species  of  Pahniste,  which  they  call  at  Bourbon 
Falmiste-poison.  ^ 

A  quantity  of  sn)all  trees  is  found,  which  they  call  at  Bourbon 
Plns,^  W'ith  which  they  make  mats  and  bags.  These  trees  ore  in 
height  about  ten  feet,  and  which  form  a  round  parasol  (^xtr  en 
haul),  which  they  seem  to  have  shaped  expressly,  for  one  leaf  does 

1  Bois  de  sentitr.  Modern  Bois  senli^  Scutia  Commcrsonii.  {Daljoiir, 
p.  334.) 

2  Bois  de  Nfff,  or  Bois  de  Nefle  ;  Labourdounaisia  revoluta. 

3  La  face  de  Judas.     Professor  Balfour  cannot  identify  this  tree. 

■*  Bois  de  Buis.  Murraya exotica,  or,  perhaps,  Bois  de  quivi,  Quivisia 
laciuiata,  now  Bois  halais.     (Balfour,  p.  333.) 

^  Bois  de  pomme,  Sideroxijlon  sp.,  one  of  the  Sapotaccse.  {Dalfoar,  p. 
355.) 

6  Bois  de  Reiictte,  Bois  de  nalte.     Imbricaria  maxima. 

7  Lalaniers.     Vide  anle,  p.  62. 

*  Palmistes.  Vide  ante,  p.  62.  Areca  jauuatre  {A.  lulesceifi)  was 
considered  poisonous  at  Bourbon. 

^  Pins,  i.e.,  screw- pines.     Paudani  various.      Vide  supra,  p.  103. 


RELATION   DE   l'ILE   RODRIGUE.  333 

not  go  beyond  another.  One  is  able  to  shelter  oneself  beneath, 
the  snn's  rajs  not  being  able  to  penetrate  below,  so  tufted  are 
they,  and  their  leaves  so  well  arranged. 

Bois  blanc  et  rouge^  are  rare. 

Boisi  d'epongt^  is  not  altogether  so  rare  as  the  preceding. 

There  are,  besides,  other  trees  and  shrubs  of  which  I  know  not 
the  names. 

There  is  found  a  little  Chiendent,^  and  also  Capillaire. 

Buis  de  demoiselle*  is  rather  rare.  The  small  birds  cat  the 
seeds  of  it. 

There  is  found  a  little  of  the  Bois  de  Lostan,^  which  strongly 
resembles  the  Bois  de  coudre,^  which  is  in  France. 

[This  Belafion,  proceeds  M.  IMilne-Edwards,  enables  me  to  deter- 
mine that  forty  years  after  the  de})arture  of  Leguat,  the  fauna  of 
Rodriguez  still  included  all  the  ornithological  types,  so  interesting 
to  science,  described  by  that  traveller,  and  that  their  extinction  is 
posterior  to  that  date.  It  gives  us,  as  well,  details  of  the  manners, 
forms,  and  colours  of  several  species  whose  existence  I  had 
ascertained,  with  their  zoological  affinities,  from  their  bone  remains 
alone,  and  it  confirms  the  results  at  which  I  had  arrived.  It  deals 
successively  with  the  Solitaires,  and  the  birds  which  I  have  made 
known  under  the  names  Erythyomachiis  Leguati,  Ardea  megace- 
phala,  Athene  nnirivora,  and  of  Necroiisittacus  rodericanusj^ 

LAND    BIRDS. ^ 

The  Solitaire  is  a  large  bird,  which  weighs  about  forty  or  fifty 
pounds.     They  have  a  very  big  head,  with  a  sort  of  frontlet,  as  if 

'  J3ois  blanc,  et  rouge. 

2  Bois  il'eponye.    Gastonia  cutispougia.     (Dal/our,  p.  344.) 

3  Chiendent.  Cynodon  Dactijhn.  Capillaire.  Adiantuin  CapiUus 
Veneris.     {Balfour,  pp.  384,  386.)     Vide  supra,  p.  324. 

*  Bois   de   demoiselle,    Kirganelia   virgiuea.      Pliyllanthus   Casticns, 
now  called  castique.     (Balfour,  p.  3C9.) 
5  Bois  dc  Losta.     Nuxia  verticillata. 
^  Coudricr,  the  filbert  or  hazel. 

7  Annates  des  Sciences  Naturelles. 

8  Vide  Translation  and  Coaimonts  of  Professor  Alfred  Newton, 
F.R.S.,  in  Proceedings  of  Zoological  Society,  1875. 


334  APPENDIX. 

of  black  velvet.  Their  feathers  are  neither  feathers  nor  fur  ;  they 
are  of  a  light  grey  colour,  with  a  little  black  on  their  backs. 
Strutting  proudly  about,  cither  alone  or  in  pairs,  they  preen  their 
plumage  or  fur  with  their  beak,  and  keep  themselves  very  clean. 
They  have  their  toes  furnished  with  very  hard  scales,  and  run 
with  quickness,  mostly  among  the  rocks,  where  a  man,  however 
agile,  can  hardly  catch  them.  They  have  a  very  short  beak,  of 
about  an  inch  in  length,  which  is  sharp.  They,  nevertheless,  do 
not  attempt  to  hurt  anyone,  except  when  they  find  some  one 
before  them,  and,  when  hardly  pressed,  try  to  bite  him.  They 
have  a  small  stump  \_sicoty  chicot .?]  of  a  wing,  which  has  a  sort  of 
bullet  at  its  extremity,  and  serves  as  a  defence.  They  do  not  fly 
at  all,  having  no  feathers  to  their  wings,  but  they  flap  them,  and 
make  a  great  noise  with  their  wnngs  when  angry,  and  the  noise  is 
something  like  thunder  in  the  distance.  They  only  lay,  as  I  am 
led  to  suppose,  but  once  in  the  year,  and  only  one  egg.  Not  that 
I  have  seen  their  eggs,  for  I  have  not  been  able  to  discover  where 
they  lay.  But  I  have  never  seen  but  one  little  one  alone  with 
them,  and,  if  any  one  tried  to  approach  it,  they  would  bite  him 
very  severely.  These  birds  live  on  seeds  and  leaves  of  trees, 
which  they  pick  up  on  the  ground.  They  have  a  gizzard  larger 
than  the  fist,  and  what  is  surprising  is  that  there  is  found  in  it  a 
stone  of  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg,  of  oval  shape,  a  little  flattened, 
although  this  animal  cannot  swallow  anything  larger  than  a  small 
cherry-stone.  I  have  eaten  them ;  they  are  tolerably  well 
tasted. 

[Professor  Newton  remarks  that  between  the  time  of  Leguat 
and  that  of  the  writer  the  ill-fated  bird  seems  to  have  leai-nt  to 
resent  injurious  treatment  by  biting,  and  that  the  black  velvet- 
like frontal  band  is  a  feature  not  mentioned  by  the  older  author.] 

[Compare  above  with  Cauchc's  account.] 

GBLINOTTE. 

There  is  a  sort  of  bird,  of  the  size  of  a  young  hen,  which  has 
the  feet  and  the  beak  red.  Its  beak  is  a  little  like  that  of  the 
curlew,  excepting  that  it  is  slightly  thicker  and  not  quite  so  long. 
Its  plumage  is  spotted  with  white  and  grey.     They  generally  feed 


RELATION   DE   L  ILE    RODRIGUE.  335 

on  the  eggs  of  the  land  tortoises,  which  they  find  in  the  ground, 
which  inakes  them  so  fat  that  they  often  have  difficulty  in 
running.  They  are  very  good  to  eat,  and  their  f\xt  is  of  a 
yellowish  red,  which  is  excellent  for  pains.  They  have  small 
jjinions,  without  feathers,  on  which  account  they  cannot  fly ;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  they  run  very  well.  Their  cry  is  a  continual 
whistling.  When  they  see  any  one  who  pursues  them  they 
produce  another  sort  of  noise,  like  that  of  a  person  who  has  the 
hiccup. 

[From  the  similarity  of  coloration  we  may,  I  think  (saj's 
Professor  Newton),  without  much  risk  of  error,  identify  the  bird 
of  which  these  particulars  are  given  with  the  Gelinotte  of  Leguat, 
Erythromaclms  Legnati  of  Milne-Edwards,  and  proved  by  Sir 
Edward  Newton  to  belong  to  the  Rallidai — a  determination  which 
possibly  may  explain  its  unexpected  egg-eating  propensities.] 

There  are  not  a  few  Butors,  which  are  birds  which  only  fly  a 
very  little,  and  run  uncommonly  well  when  they  are  chased. 
They  are  of  the  size  of  an  egret,  and  something  like  them. 

[These  bitterns  arc,  no  doubt,  the  Ardea  megaccphala  of  M. 
Milne-Edwards,  and  the  passage  is  a  remarkable  corroboration  of 
that  naturalist's  opinion  that  the  species  was  brevipcnnate, 
though  it  had  not  entirely  lost  the  power  of  flight.  (See  p.  81.) — 
A.  N.] 

A  little  bird  is  found  which  is  not  very  common,  for  it  is  not 
found  on  the  mainland.  One  sees  it  on  the  islet  au  Mat,  which  is 
to  the  south  of  the  main  island,  and  I  believe  it  keeps  to  that 
islet  on  account  of  the  birds  of  prey  which  are  on  the  mainland, 
as  also  to  feed  with  more  focility  on  the  eggs  of  the  fishing  birds 
which  feed  there,  for  they  feed  on  nothing  else  but  eggs  or  some 
turtles  dead  of  hunger,  which  they  well  know  how  to  tear  out  of 
their  shells.  These  birds  are  a  little  larger  than  a  blackbird,  and 
have  white  plumage,  part  of  the  wings  and  tail  black,  the  beak 
yellow  as  well  as  the  feet,  and  make  a  wonderful  warbling.  I  say 
a  warbling,  since  they  have  many  and  altogether  different  notes. 
We  brought  up  some  with  cooked  meat,  cut  up  very  small,  which 
they  eat  in  preference  to  seeds. 

[I  am  at  a  loss  to  conjecture  what  these  birds  were,  unless^ 
possibly,  of  some  form  allied  to  Fregihipus. — A.  N.] 


33G  APPENDIX. 


PARROTS  AND  SMALL  RIRDS. 

The  parrots  ai*e  of  three  kinds,  and  in  numbers.  The  largest 
are  larger  than  a  pigeon,  and  have  a  tail  very  long,  the  head 
large  as  well  as  the  beak.  They  mostly  come  on  the  islets  which 
are  to  the  south  of  the  island,  where  they  eat  a  small  black  seed, 
which  produces  a  small  shrub  whose  leaves  have  the  smell  of  the 
orange  tree,  and  come  to  the  mainland  to  drink  water.  The 
second  species  is  slightly  smaller  and  more  beautiful,  because 
they  have  their  plumage  green  like  the  preceding,  a  little  more 
blue,  and  above  the  wings  a  little  red  as  well  as  their  beak.  The 
third  species  is  small  and  altogether  green,  and  the  beak  black. 
[Of  these  three  species  of  parrot,  the  first  can,  without  danger  be 
referred  to  the  NecropsiUacus  Rodericanus,  determined  by  M. 
Milne-Edwards  from  bones  sent  him  by  my  brother  (Sir  E.  Newton) 
[see  p.  85],  and  doubtless  quite  extinct ;  the  second  is  unques- 
tionably Paheornis  exsnl,  described  by  myself  (see  p.  84),  which 
has  lingered  into  our  own  times ;  and  the  third  is  the  species  of 
Agapornis,  known  still  to  exist  in  Rodriguez,  and  thought  by  my 
brother  to  be  A.  cana.     (Ibis,  1865,  p.  149.)^] 

The  doves  there  are  in  great  numbers,  but  on  the  mainland 
very  few  are  seen,  because  they  go  to  feed  on  the  islets  to  the 
south,  as  well  as  the  parrots,  and  come  to  drink  likewise  on  the 
mainland.  A  bird  is  seen  which  is  very  like  the  brown  owl,  and 
which  eats  the  little  birds  and  small  lizards.  They  live  almost 
always  in  the  trees  ;  and  when  they  think  the  weather  fine,  they 
utter  at  night  always  the  same  cry.  On  the  other  hand,  when 
they  find  the  weather  bad  they  are  not  heard. 

[This  is  evidently  the  Athene  murivora  of  Milne-F^d wards.] 

There  are  plenty  of  goldfinches,  which  have  a  sweet  warbling. 
Some  wagtails  are  to  be  seen,  with  some  other  small  birds,  which 
have  very  sweet  notes,  but  they  are  ever  on  the  look-out  for  the 
birds  of  prey,  which  are  the  owls  of  which  I  have  before  spoken, 

[The  goldfinches  may  well  be  referred  to  Foudia  Rodericana, 

*  Professor  A.  Newton,  in  Pr.  Zool.  Society,  I.  c. ;  also  7/y/,s,  1872,  p. 
33.     Vide  post,  p.  337.     Ann.  des  Sc.  Nat.  Zool,  Ser.  5,  viii,  pp.  145-56. 


RELATION    DE   l'ILE    EODEIGUE.  337 

discovered  by  Mr.  Newton  (vide  infra) ;  and  among  the  other  little 
birds  was  probably  included  Drymceca  flavicans  (?).] 

PAL.EORNIS  EXSUL. 

Professor  Newton  refers  in  the  Ihis^  to  "the  passage  in  Leguat's 
narrative  (see  ante,  p.  53),  where  he  mentions  the  consolation  that 
traveller  and  his  companions  found  in  the  abundance  of  Per- 
roquets.  In  the  first  passage  he  records  their  predilection  for 
the  nuts  of  a  tree  somewhat  like  an  olive ;  in  the  second  (i,  p.  84), 
he  speaks  of  their  being  '  verds  c&  hletis,  sur  tout  de  mediocre 
&  d'egale  grosseur',  and  having  flesh  not  less  good  than  that  of 
young  Pigeons  ;  in  tlie  third  (p.  105),  he  states  that  some  of  them 
were  instructed  by  his  companj',  and  that  they  took  one,  which 
spoke  French  and  Flemish,  with  them  to  Mauritius. 

"  The  second  of  the  passages  is  so  vague  as  to  raise  the  question 
whether  there  were  green  parakeets  and  blue  parakeets,  or  only 
parakeets  possessing  a  combination  of  both  colours,  and  the 
solution  of  the  doubt  would  require  the  discrimination  of  keen 
judges.  .  .   . 

"  Pingre,  who  was  in  Rodriguez  in  1761,  writes  (p.  195)  :  '  La 
perruche  me  semblait  beaucoup  plus  delicat.'  [He  had  just  been 
mentioning  the  esculent  qualities  of  a  species  of  Pferojms.']  *  Je 
n'aurais  regrette  aucuu  gibier  de  France,  si  celui-ci  eut  ^te  plus 
commuu  a  Rodrigue  :  mais  il  commence  a  devenir  rare.  II  y  a 
encore  moins  de  perroquets  quoiqu'il  y  en  ait  eu  encore  autrefois 
en  assez  grande  quantite,  selon  Fr.  Leguat,  et  en  effet  une  petite 
isle  au  sud  de  Rodrigue  a  encore  conserve  le  nom  d'Isle  aux 
perroquets.'  It  would  hence  appear  that  there  was  a  "■  perruch^ 
and  a  ^  perroquet'',  though  unfortunately  Pingre  does  not  say 
what  either  was  like. 

"In  1864  Mr.  Edward  Newton  observed  a  flock,  and  obtained  an 
example  of  what  he  believed  to  be  Agapornis  carta  (vide  infra), 
a  species  introduced,  no  doubt,  since  Leguat's  time.  In  1867 
M.  Edwards  described  a  fragment  of  a  parrot's  OTrt.r?7/a  found  with 

1  "  On  au  Undescribed  Bird  from  the  Island  of  Rodriguez,"  by  Alfred 
Newton,  M.A.,  F.R.S.     (Ibis,  1872,  p.  31.) 

Z 


338  APPENDIX. 

the  bones  of  the  Solitaire  (vide  infra).  The  large  size  of  this 
bird  {PsittacAis  rodericanusl),^  equally  with  the  small  size  of  the 
Af/apornis,  precludes  cither  from  being  the  '2)erroqnet'  charac- 
terised by  Leguat  as  of  '  mediocre  grosseur\  and  again  mentioned 
by  Pingro. 

In   1871  Mr.   Newton  received  from  Mr.  Jenner,  the  magistrate 

of  Rodriguez,  an  example  of  a  '  parrot'  preserved  in  spirit 

and  Professor  Newton,  in  full  confidence  that  it  had  never  been 
named  or  described,  characterised  it  as  Pahenmis,  thus : 

"'Pal^ornis  ^^^Mh,  sp.  n.  Diagn.  (foimince).  P.  mediocris 
griseiglaucus,  vitta  menii  obscura  nigra,  remigihus  externe  caruleo 
lavatis,  interne  nigris.     Hub.  in  insida  Rodericana ' 

"  In  the  belief  that  in  this  glaucous  bird  we  see  one  of  the 
'  Perroquets  verds  <b  hlciis'  of  Leguat,  1  have  chosen  a  name  for 
it  which  may  help  to  commemorate  the  first  writer  who  seems  to 
have  observed  it,  and  in  bestowing  upon  it  the  appellation  of 
Palceornis  exsid,  have  had  in  my  mind  the  exile  through  whose 
means  we  arc  in  some  degree  acquainted  with  the  marvellous 
original  fauna  of  the  island  which  was  to  him  productive  of  so 
much  happiness,  as  a  i^relude  to  so  much  misery." 

To  continue,  however,  the  remarks  of  M.  ]\Iilnc-Ed\vards  : — 

"  The  liehitioa  MS.  distinctly  indicates  that  the  ornithological 
fauna  of  Rodriguez  had  not  undergone  any  notable  modification 
during  the  first  part  of  the  eighteenth  centurj^  since  the  species 
noticed  by  Leguat  still  existed  in  1730.  We  know,  on  the  other 
hand,  that  when  the  astronomer  Pingre  stayed  in  this  island  in 
1761,  the  Solitaires  there  had  become  so  rare  that  that  savant 
only  spoke  of  them  from  hearsay,  not  having  observed  any  him- 
self."    M.  Milne-Edwards  adds,  that  "he  (Pingre)  gives  no  in- 


1  "  The  pcrruche  of  Pingro  may  be  set  down  as  the  sjiccics  indicated 
by  M.  INIilne-Edwards.  The  naturalists  attaclied  to  the  Transit  Expe- 
dition having  returned  from  Rodriguez  without  procuring  a  specimen 
of  the  cock  bird  of  this  species,  although  one  was  seen  by  Mr.  Shiter, 
which  will  be  found  to  have  a  red  bill  and  a  red  star  patch,  according 
to  the  manuscript  Relation  de  Vile  Itodrigue,  already  cited."  A  plate 
showing  the  characteristics  of  the  hen  bird  was  i^ublished  by  Professor 
Newton  in  the  Jbis  for  July  1875,  which  is  reproduced  at  page  85. 


RELATION    DE   l'iLE   EODRIGUE.  339 

formation  about  the  other  land -birds.  There  is  reason,  then^  for 
supposing  that  the  extinction  of  these  species,  which  probably 
commenced  at  the  date  of  Leguat's  stay,  progressed  with  an  ever- 
increasing  rapidity,  and  attained  its  maximum  between  1730  and 
1760. 

"  The  documents  forwarded  to  the  Minister  of  Marine  leave  no 
more  doubt  on  this  subject^  and,  thanks  to  them,  not  only  can  we, 
so  to  speak,  assist  at  the  destruction  of  one  of  the  animals  which 
was  formerly  in  abundance  at  Rodriguez  (I  mean  the  terrestrial 
tortoises),  but  render  as  well  a  fair  account  of  the  causes  for  their 
disappearance.  The  causes  which  have  led  to  their  extinction 
are,  in  all  probability,  those  which  have  also  extirpated  the 
birds. 

"  We  see  in  the  reports  addressed  to  the  Compagnie  des  Indes, 
and  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  Ministry  of  Marine,  that  the 
Island  Rodriguez  was  considered  as  a  sort  of  magazine  of  supplies, 
not  only  for  the  Isles  of  France  and  of  Bourbon,  but  also  for  the 
ships  which  frequented  these  seas.  They  came  regularly  to  find 
the  tortoises.  Already,  in  1726  or  1727,  M.  Lenoir,  during  his 
visit  to  the  Isle  of  France,  wu-ote  to  the  Council  of  the  French 
East  India  Company  : — 

"  '  It  cannot  be  permitted  that  ships  going  to  the  Indies,  and 
returning  thence,  should  go  without  hindrance  to  despoil  the 
neighbouring  islets  of  the  land-tortoises ;  and  it  is  necessary  to 
prohibit  captains  from  sending  their  boats  to  take  them,  unless 
the  commandant  of  the  island  gives  permission,  and  gives  the 
number  wliich  they  may  take  away.'  ^ 

*'  Butchers'  meat  is  often  scarce  in  the  Isle  of  France,  and  we 
find  that  by  degrees  a  regular  service  of  supply  from  Rodriguez 
was  organised.  The  different  Governors  frequently  despatched  ships 
which  returned  laden  with  tortoises,  and  which  had  no  other 
destination.  In  1737  M.  de  la  Bourdonnais  organised  expeditions 
of  this  kind  ;  but  he  has  not  left  an  exact  account  of  them,  and 
wc   cannot  judge   of  their   importance.      On    the   other   hand, 

1  Manuscript  documents  collected  under  the  title  of  Code  of  the  hie 
of  France,  1556  a  1768.     {Archives  de  la  Marine.) 

Z  2 


340  ATI'ENDIX. 

M.  Desforges-Boncher,  in  liib  reports  addressed  to  the  Company 
from  1759  to  17G0,  enumerates  not  only  the  ships  employed  in 
this  service,  but  also  the  number  of  tortoises  received  and  carried 
away  by  each  of  them.  Four  small  vessels — la  'Mignonne, 
VOiseau,  le  Volant,  and  la  Penelope — were  at  this  time  almost 
universally  employed  for  transporting  tortoises,  and  an  officer 
resided  at  Rodriguez  for  superintending  them." 

M.  Milne-Edwards  had  not  space  to  reproduce  at  length^  the 
reports  of  M,  Dcsforges-Bouclier,  in  which  he  speaks  of  these 
expeditions.  It  is  sufficient  for  him  to  tell  us  that  he  has  calcu- 
lated, from  the  incomplete  accounts  of  these  importations,  that 
M.  Boucher  exported  from  Rodriguez  in  less  than  eighteen  months 
more  than  thirty  thousand  (30,000)  land-tortoises.  When  we 
consider  the  small  extent  of  this  islet,  it  is  not  wonderful  that 
these  animals,  formerly  so  plentiful,  have  completely  disappeared  j 
in  spite  of  their  fecundity,  they  could  not  resist  such  means  of 
destruction. 

What  M.  Milne-Edwards  states  about  the  tortoises  equally 
applies,  he  says,  to  the  land-birds.  "  It  is  evident  that  the  sailors 
were  not  sparing  in  following  and  killing  them.  These  species, 
the  capture  of  which  was  rendered  easy  by  the  small  develop- 
ment of  their  wings,  at  the  same  time  that  the  delicacy  of  their 
flesh  made  them  sought  for,  tended  to  their  speedy  extinction. 
In  order  to  explain  their  extirpation,  it  is  not,  then,  necessary  to 
invoke  changes  in  the  biological  conditions.  The  action  of  man 
has  amply  sufficed;  it  has  been  there  exercised  without  hindrance, 
and  with  greater  facility  than  anywhere  else  ;  it  continues  on 
many  other  points  of  the  globe,  and  at  the  present  day  one  can 
foresee  the  period  when  many  apterous  birds  and  large  cetaceans, 
and  certain  species  of  Phocse  and  Otaries,  will  be  extinguished  by 
man." 

1  Some  extracts  from  the  reports  are  given  in  a  note,  an  example  of 
which  will  here  suffice  :— "  1751),  IG  Dccbr.,  the  raiclupe  arrives  from 
Rodriguez  with  1035  land  tortoises  and  47  turtles.  The  cargo  was  of 
5,00(1  of  the  former  and  50  of  the  latter  ;  but  a  passage  of  eight  days 
reduced  the  number  to  the  f(;w  which  she  brings.'' 


c. 

NOTES    FROM   A    MEMOIR    ON    THE  ANCIENT  FAUNA 

OF   THE    MASCARENE   ISLANDS/ 

By  M.  a.  Milne-Edwards. 


M.  Milne-Edwards'  remarks  on  the  ancient  fauna  of  Eodriguez 
are  so  important,  as  confirming  and  illustrating  Leguat's  veracity 
and  exactitude,  that  they  cannot  well  be  omitted.      He  wi-ites  : — 

"  The  Island  of  Rodriguez,  although  inhabited  at  the  time 
when  Leguat  lived  there,  seemed,  from  his  accounts,  to  have  a 
rich  vegetation  and  a  varied  fauna,  whereas  to-day  the  animals 
there  are  almost  entirely  wanting,  and  its  products  hardly  suffice 
for  the  need  of  a  small  number  of  negroes  whom  the  traders  of 
Mauritius  keej")  there  for  their  fishing  operations.  A  change  so 
completely  effected  in  less  than  two  centuries  appeared  im- 
probable, and  the  veracity  of  Leguat  was  doubted. 

"Nevertheless,  the  assertions  of  this  naturalist  deserve  to  be 
received  with  confidence ;  for  the  remains  belonging  to  some 
extinct  species,  and  discovered  a  few  years  ago  in  the  cave  eai'ths 
of  the  island,  must  be  considered  as  so  many  irrefutable  witnesses 
of  the  exactitude  of  his  observations. 

"The  interesting  investigations  of  MM.  Strickland  and  Melville, 
in  1848,  and  next  of  Messieurs  Newton  on  the  bird,  which  Leguat 
called  the  Solitaire,  initiated  the  scientific  rehabilitation  of  this 
travellei",  and  in  a  memoir  published  some  years  since  I  have 
shown  that  conformably  to  his  assertions  there  has  formerly 
existed  at  Rodriguez  some  great  parrots,  of  which  the  species  at 
the  present  day  exists  neither  in  this  island  nor  on  any  other 
point  of  the  globe.  .  .  . 

"  The  diggings  carried  out  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Edward 
Newton  have  brought  to  light  many  other  analogous  remains, 
and  from  their  examination  I  am  enabled  to  declare  that  besides 
the  Solitaires  and  the  great  parrots,  of  which  I  have  just  sjjoken, 
there  existed  many  other  birds  corresponding  with  the  zoological 

'  Ann.  Sc.  Nat.  Zool.,  Ser.  5,  viii,  pp.  145  et  scq. 


342  APPENDIX. 

types  which  Leguat  observed  at  Rodriguez  in  1G9],  but  wliich  no 
louger  exist  in  our  days." 

Among  the  bone  and  fragments  found  in  the  caves  side  by 
side  with  the  remains  of  the  Pezophaps  or  Solitaire,  M.  Milne- 
Edwards  discovered  "  portions  of  the  skeleton  of  a  small  fowl,  some- 
what resembling  the  wingless  rail  [Ocydromi)  of  New  Zealand,  and, 
like  that  bird,  incapable  of  flying,  of  which  the  metatarsus  more 
resembled  that  of  Aphanapteryx  of  Mauritius  than  of  Tribonyx. 

"At  the  present  day  there  does  not  exist  at  Rodriguez  any 
bird  having  the  least  resemblance  with  the  Ocydromi,  or  the  other 
species  of  the  same  family  ;  but  all  the  osteological  characters 
which  I  have  just  pointed  out  agree  very  well  with  the  idea  that 
can  be  formed  of  certain  birds  which  inhabited  this  island  in 
great  numbers  some  two  centuries  ago,  and  which  Leguat 
noticed  under  the  name  of  Gelinoles. 

"  These  were  evidently  not  moor- hens,  and  they  could  not 
belong  to  this  zoological  grouj),  for  they  had,  according  to  Leguat, 
their  beak  long  and  straight  and  pointed,  something  like  that  of 
the  Ocydromi,  and,  like  those  rails,  they  were  hardly  able  to  fly  ; 
a  peculiarity  which  is  not  observable  with  any  other  bird  whose 
beak  is  shaped  in  this  form.  They  also  resembled  the  Ocydromus 
by  a  physiological  singularity.  '  If  you  offer  them  anything 
that  is  red,  they  are  so  angry  that  they  will  fly  at  you  to  catch  it 
out  of  your  hand,  and  in  the  heat  of  the  combat  we  had  an 
opportunity  to  take  them  with  care.'      {Vide  ante,  p.  81.) 

"  Now,  I  have  observed  the  same  instinct  w-ith  the  Ocydromi 
of  the  menagerie  at  the  Museum  of  Natural  History,  and  an 
English  traveller,  who  has  lived  a  long  time  in  New  Zealand, 
Mr.  Strange,  informs  us  that  the  best  manner  of  catching  these 
rails  is  to  place  oneself  right  in  their  sight,  holding  in  the  hand  a 
piece  of  red  stuff;  for  as  soon  as  they  perceive  it,  they  throw 
themselves  upon  it,  and  allow  themselves  to  be  killed  rather  than 
be  driven  from  the  object  which  excites  their  anger.  I  should 
add  that  this  instinct  has  been  established  and  utilised  in  the 
same  manner  with  the  Aphanapteryx,  which  bird  towards  the  end 
of  the  17th  century  was  living  in  Mauritius,  but  the  species  of 
which  has  nowadays  disappeared. 


ANCIENT  FAUNA  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS.  343 

'*  It  seems  to  me,  therefore,  very  probable  that  the  rail  whose 
bones  are  yet  found  at  Rodriguez  is  the  same  bird  as  that  which 
Leguat  designated  under  the  name  of  Gelinote ;  and  as  its 
anatomical  characters  do  not  allow  of  classifying  it  in  any  of  the 
genera  formerly  established,  I  shall  denote  it  under  the  name  of 
Erythromaclms,  in  order  to  record  one  of  its  peculiar  manners 
noticed  by  this  traveller.  The  description  which  Leguat  gives 
tells  us  also  that  Erythromachm  had  a  grey  plumage  for  both 
sexes,  and  a  red  border  around  the  eye. 

"  The  different  bones  which  we  have  been  able  to  study  indicate 
to  us  the  relative  proportions  of  the  principal  jiarts  of  the  body,  and, 
thanks  to  the  description  of  Leguat,  we  can  fill  in  the  gaps  which 
pala3ontological  science  alone  finds  wanting,  and  thus  characterise 
the  bird  of  Rodriguez  : 

"Family,  oi  Ocydromidce  ;  Genus,  Erythromm-lnii^ ;  sp.  Erythro- 
machus  Leguati  .  .  .  This  bird  ought  to  feed  on  worms,  insects, 
and  molluscs. 

"  The  difl'erence  of  beak  prevents  Erythromachus  being  placed  in 
the  same  genus  as  Apkcmapferyx,  as  well  as  the  height  of  its  feet. 
From  other  considerations  the  vague  genus,  Aptoruis,  advocated 
by  M.  de  Selys-Longchamps,  cannot  be  adopted." 

Butors  or  Herons.— "  The  fossil  remains  submitted  to  my 
examination,"  writes  M.  Milne-Edwards,  "  by  Professor  A.  Newton, 
enable  me  to  determine  also  that  the  family  of  Herons,  at  tlie 
present  day  unknown  at  Rodriguez,  was  formerly  represented  by 
a  singular  species  with  a  large  head,  massive  beak,  and  short 
feet :  I  have  been  able,  almost  entirely,  to  reconstruct  the  skeleton 
of  this  wader,  and  I  do  not  doubt  that  this  bird  was  that  wliich 
Leguat  mentions  under  the  name  of  Etitor."  (Vide  ante,  p.  210.) 
"  This  bird  is  not  a  veritable  Butor ;  but  its  head  is  so  large  and 
Its  feet  so  short  that  one  understands  how  Leguat  had  referred  it 
to  this  species.  .  .  . 

"  The  fossil  skull  of  this  Rodriguez  bird  presents  the  character- 
istics of  the  Herons,  but  it  is  distinguished,  by  its  massive 
appearance,  from  all  the  other  known  species. 

"  This  new  species  has  been  named  Ardea  viegacephala. 

"  A  fresh  proof  of  the  veracity  of  Leguat,  and  of  the  considerable 


344  APPENDIX. 

cliange  which  has  taken  place  in  the  avifauna  of  Rodriguez  in  the 
course  of  only  two  centuries,  has  been  furnished  by  the  bones  of 
some  nocturnal  birds,  whose  existence  I  have  determined.  At 
the  present  time  no  bird  of  prey  is  known  in  tliis  locality ;  but 
when  Lcguat  resided  there,  the  nocturnal  rapacious  birds  were  in 
sufficiently  great  numbers  to  assist  actively  in  the  destruction  of 
the  rats  witii  whicli  the  island  was  infested.     (See  p.  212.) 

"  Mr.  E.  Newton  has  recovered  in  the  caves  of  Rodriguez  some 
bones,  by  whose  help  we  can  describe  the  size  and  affinities  of  these 
Strigides,  These  bones  belong  to  two  species;  one  of  these, 
sufficiently  characterised  by  a  tibia  and  metatarsus,  appears  to  me 
to  belong  to  the  genus  sparrow-owl,  or  Athene.  The  bones  do  not 
quite  correspond  with  those  of  Athene  superciliaris  of  Madagascar 
(Vieillot),  or  A.  Polleni  (Schlegel),  or  Ninox  madagascariensu. 
This  owl  probably  constitutes  a  new  species  (it  is  possible  it  yet 
survives  at  Rodriguez  ?),  and  I  projjose  to  give  it  the  name  of 
Strix  [Athene')  murivora. 

"  Another  species,  less  well  characterised  .  .  .,  I  am  disposed 
to  consider  as  approaching  the  Eagle  Owls  (Grands  Dues). 

"  The  other  terrestrial  birds  of  which  Leguat  makes  mention  as 
living  at  Rodriguez  are  :  Pigeons,  parrots,  and  a  unique  species  of 
the  group  of  sparrows.  If  the  pigeons  have  not  entirely  dis- 
appeared from  this  island,  they  have  become  extremely  rare,  for 
Mr.  Newton,  in  spite  of  his  investigation,  has  not  been  able  to  see 
a  single  individual  of  them ;  but  their  former  existence  is  de- 
monstrated by  the  bone  fragments  which  have  been  found  associated 
with  those  of  the  Solitaire  Erythromachus,  the  herons  and  the 
owls,  of  which  I  have  just  spoken.  These  remains  permit  me  to 
declare  that,  formerly,  there  were  two  species  of  pigeons.  One 
is  evidently  Turtur  ^jiduratus,  which  at  present  inhabits  Mada- 
gascar and  Mauritius,  and  it  is  probably  to  this  which  the  passage 
()f  Leguat  refers,  where  this  traveller  says :  '  the  Pigeons  here  are 
somewhat  less  than  oui-s,  etc.  .  .  ."  (Vide  ante,  \i.  82.) 

The  second  species  of  Pigeon  has  not  been  recorded  by  Leguat; 
but,  from  the  study  of  a  sternum  in  good  preservation,  M.  Milne- 
Edwards  finds  it  was  different  from  TuHur,  Vinago,  and  Erythrtjena. 
It  belongs  to  a  species  of  small  size,  hardly  larger  than  Culomba 


ANCIENT  FAUNA  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS.  345 

tymfanistria,  but  evidently  fixr  better  formed  for  flight.  He  has 
named  it  Cohimba  rodericana.  ^ 

Parrots. — "The  parrots  observed  by  Leguat,"  writes  M.  A. 
Milne-Edwards,  "  were  of  moderate  size  ;  their  plumage  was  green 
and  blue.  They  were  very  abundant,  and  the  flesh  of  the  young 
ones  had  an  agreeable  taste.  I  have  been  able  to  see,  according 
to  the  manuscripts  of  Pingre,  preserved  in  the  library  of  Saint 
Genevieve,  that,  iu  1761,  the  date  when  that  astronomer  visited 
the  Island  of  Rodriguez  to  observe  the  passage  of  Venus,  these 
birds  had  commenced  to  become  rare.  Nevertheless,  they  do  not 
seem  to  have  entirely  disappeared,  for  lately  M.  Newton  has 
succeeded  in  procuring  a  parrot  which,  in  all  probability,  is  a 
rejiresentative  of  the  species  observed  by  Leguat,  for  very  many 
bones  found  in  the  caverns  of  the  island  evidently  correspond 
with  it. 

"  This  bird,  tpiite  distinct  from  all  existing  Psittacians,  has  been 
described  by  M.  New  ton  under  the  name  of  Palceornis  exsid. 

"The  same  ornithologist  has  ascertained  that  the  Agapornis  cana, 
a  small  parroquet  common  to  Madagascar  and  Mauritius,  inhabits 
at  the  present  moment  Rodriguez,  but  the  colonists  assert  that  it 
is  of  foreign  origin,  and  add  that  it  had  been  brought  by  an 
American  ship  coming  from  Madagascar.  As  to  the  fossil  great 
parrot  of  Rodriguez,  which  I  have  already  made  known  under 
the  name  of  Psiitacus  rodericanus,'   it  cannot  be  connected   either 

1  Professor  Newton  described,  iu  1879,  three  skins  of  the  Alcctoroenas 
nitidissima,  the  extinct  pigeon  of  Mauritius  (the  Pigeon  Hollandais  of 
Sonnerat,  so  c;dled  from  its  colours — red,  blue,  and  white),  which 
remain  in  the  museums  at  Paris,  Port  Louis,  and  Edinburgh.  He  says  : 
"  Allied  to  this  are  three  species  which  still  survive,  and  are  nutivcs  of 
^ladagascar,  the  Comoros,  and  the  Seychelles.  ...  It  is  possible  that 
Rodriguez  once  possessed  another  member  of  the  group,  the  Colnmha 
rodericana  of  M.  A.  Milne-Edwards  ;  but  we  have  not  received  sufficient 
remains  of  that  species  (which  is  certainly  extinct)  to  decide  the  point, 
and  the  older  voyagers  give  us  no  help  here,  as  they  do  iu  many  other 
cases."     {Pro.  ZooJ.  Soc,  1879,  p.  2.) 

2  Puittacus  rodericanus. — Among  the  bones  extracted  from  the  recent 
earthy  deposits  of  the  caves  in  Rodriguez  (1861)  was  found  the  frag- 
ment of  a  mandible,  which  was  submitted  by  Sir  Ed.  Newton  to  Pro- 


346  APPENDIX. 

with  Agaj)ornis  cana  or  Palceornis  exsul,  and  furnishes  one  proof 
the  more  of  the  changes  wrought  in  the  fauna  of  this  island." 

Small  Birds. — "  It  is  difficult  to  know  if  the  little  birds  which 
Leguat  corapares  (p.  8-4)  to  the  canaries  still  live  at  Rodriguez. 
Mr.  E.  Newton  has  o)ily  met  with  two  sparrows  in  this  island, 
which,  although  much  resembling  the  Malagasy  species,  differ 
sufiBciently  frum  them  to  be  inscribed  in  our  catalogues  under 
separate  names.  One  of  these  species  or  particular  races  is  a 
Foudia  (F.  fiavicans),  the  other  a  Drymceca  (Z>,  rodericana),  and 
thev  are  both  remai'kable  for  a  most  pleasing  song.  Indeed, 
Leguat  states  positively  that  the  little  birds  of  his  island  do  not 
sing.  It  seems  to  me,  then,  probable  that  there  was  not  either 
Foudia  Jlavicans  or  Drymceca  rodericaiui.  The  introduction  of 
these  birds  must  be  of  recent  date,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  the  sparrows  observed  by  Leguat  have  undergone  the  same 
fate  as  the  Solitaires  and  Erythrornachi.'''' 

Ou'nea-Fowls. — "  The  guinea-fowls  did  not  exist  in  Rodriguez  at 
the  time  when  Leguat  made  known  to  us  with  such  exacti- 
tude the  productions  of  that  island  ;  but  since,  these  birds  have 
been  iutroduced  there,  and  now  they  live  there  in  a  wild  state. 
Thus  Colonel  Dawkins  reports  that  he  found  only  parrots 
and  a  guinea-fowl.  But  we  are  ignorant  to  what  species  this 
last  bird  belonged.  However,  the  bones  discovered  by  Mr.  Newton 
permit  me  to  solve  this  pi'oblem  ;  and  I  am  disposed  to  believe 
that  it  is  the  Nuraida  mitrata  of  Central  Africa,  and  not  JViiriiida 
tiarala,  which  now  lives  in  Rodriguez." 

Flying  Foxes.- — "  In  order  to  finish  with  what  is  relative  to  terres- 
trial animals  whose  remains  have  been  found  in  the  caverns  of 


fessor  Alph.  Milne-Edwards.  This  naturalist  easily  recognised,  at  first 
glance,  that  this  fragment  belonged  to  a  parrot,  a  genus  of  birds  which 
appeared  no  longer  to  exist  in  Rodriguez.  The  anterior  and  middle  por- 
tions of  the  upper  mandible  sufficed  for  the  determination  of  the  cha- 
racteristic type.  From  the  difference  of  conformation,  ]\I.  ]\Iilne-Edwards 
concluded  that  it  was  extremely  probable  that  this  parrot  of  Rodriguez, 
or  Psitlacus  rodericanus,  like  that  of  Mauritius,  was  allied  to  the  Loris, 
and  has  become  extinct.  (Vide  Memoir  on  a  Fos.sv'Z  Psitiacian  of  the 
Jkiaiul  of  Rudriyuez,  by  M.  Alph.  Milne-Edwards,  Paris,  186G.) 


ANCIENT  FAUNA  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS,  347 

Eodriguez,  I  ought  to  mention  some  bones  of  mammals.  I  have 
recognised  the  domestic  cat,  a  very  young  pig,  a  rat  (not  the 
brown  rat,  but  the  ^fus  Alexandrinus) ,  and  numerous  (^roussettes) 
flying  foxes. 

"  Legaat  speaks  of  them  (vide  ante,  p.  85). 

"  Pingre,  who  touched  at  Rodriguez  in  1761  on  his  voyage  for 
the  observation  of  the  transit  of  Venus  has  given  some  details 
of  these  animals:  'The  bats,'  he  wrote,  'are  placed  by  natu- 
ralists among  the  quadrupeds ;  those  which  I  have  seen  at 
Kodriguez  were  of  the  size  of  a  pigeon,  but  longer.  The  head 
I'esembles  somewhat  that  of  a  fox.  The  coat  is  reddish  brown 
(roux),  darker  on  the  head  and  neck  than  on  the  rest  of  the  body. 
The  wings  are  of  a  dark  grey  colour ;  extended  or  stretched  out, 
they  perhaps  have  from  a  foot  to  a  foot-and-a-half  in  length. 
Tiiese  bats  otherwise  resemble  our  European  bats ;  they  are 
very  fat.' 

"  These  animals  still  live  in  Rodriguez.  They  are  not  Pteropns 
Edivardsii  of  Madagascar,  which  is  much  larger,  or  Ptcrojms 
vtdgaris  of  Mauritius,  whose  remains  are  found  with  the  Dodo, 
and  is  also  much  larger.  The  flying  fox  of  Rodriguez  is  a  smaller 
animal,  probably  Ptei-oincs  rubricollis." 

Sea  Fou'l. — "  The  sea-birds  which  frequent  the  coasts  of  Rod- 
riguez are  the  same  which  have  been  there  during  the  last  two  cen- 
tiiries.  We  see,  as  in  the  time  of  Leguat,  the  Frigates,  the  Boobies, 
the  Boatswains,  and  the  Petrels.  The  collection  of  Mr.  E.  Newton 
includes  a  considerable  number  of  the  bones  of  the  Boatswain 
bird  (PaiUe-en-queue),  Phaeton  candidus. 

"  Leguat  describes  with  great  exactitude  these  birds  (vide  ante, 
p.  83). 

"  Mingled  with  the  bones  of  the  Phaetons  are  found  numerous 
remains  of  (Procellaria)  Petrel,  and  some  bones  of  a  Shearwater, 
probably  not  different  to  Pujfinus  aterrimus. 

"  Only  one  fragment  of  the  humerus  of  a  Frigate  and  a  Cannet 
(Sula  piscator).  These  birds  abound  in  these  seas,  and  Leguat 
mentions  them  "  (ante,  p.  82). 

Extinction  of  Species. — "  It  is  by  comparing  the  sedentary 
fauna,"   writes  M.  Milne-Edwards,   "  such  as  it  is  at  the  present 


348  APPENDIX. 

clay,  with  the  species  wliich  are  revealed  by  the  bones  dug  out  of 
the  earth  of  the  caves,  and  which  Leguat  observed,  that  it  is 
possible  to  determine  that,  in  less  than  two  centuries,  very  con- 
siderable changes  have  taken  place  in  tlie  composition  of  this 
fauna,  formerly  so  rich,  and  now  so  remarkably  poor.  The  vege- 
tation there  has  changed  also  its  character,  for  the  fine  trees  of 
which  Leguat  speaks  have  for  the  most  part  given  place  to  brush- 
wood. But  these  modifications  are  not  due  either  to  a  geological 
catastrophe  or  to  special  meteorological  phenomena,  for  the 
climate  has  not  varied.  The  local  traditions  attribute  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  woods  to  great  fires  occasioned  by  human  agency  ;  and 
it  is  also  human  influence,  either  direct  or  indirect,  which  seems 
to  me  to  have  brought  about  the  extinction  of  the  animal  species 
which  I  have  described. 

"  Leguat  was  one  of  the  first  who  landed  at  Rodriguez  ;  the 
aboriginal  animals  were  then  multiplying  in  peace  :  they  as  yet 
had  no  enemies  but  the  rats,  whose  introduction,  due  to  sailors, 
was  probably  recent ;  and  the  birds  were  so  little  shy  that  they 
let  themselves  be  taken  hy  tlie  hand.  Besides,  the  sailors  of  the 
ships  which  put  in  to  Rodriguez  did  not  fail  always  to  hunt  them 
down.  In  fact,  the  work  of  destruction  commenced  by  the  sailors, 
and  by  the  i-odents,  which  our  ships  carried  everywhere,  was 
completed,  without  doubt,  when  the  Europeans  established  at 
Rodriguez  a  small  colony  of  negro  slaves,  meagrely  supplied. 

"  The  climate  of  Rodriguez  has  not  become  unfavourable  for  the 
propagation  of  animal  species,  since  the  domestic  fowls,  the 
Guinea-fowls  introduced  by  the  colonists,  breed  well,  and  thrive 
even  in  a  wild  state. 

"  The  disturbance  due  to  the  presence  of  man  seems  to  have 
sufficed  to  cause  the  disappearance  from  the  surfiice  of  tlie  globe 
for  the  most  part  of  the  sedentary  birds,  to  whom  Rodriguez  was 
probably  the  last  refuge.  Elsewhere  man  has  been  the  cause, 
direct  or  indirect,  of  many  other  phenomena  of  the  same  order, 
and  the  influence  which  he  has  exercised  upon  the  geographical 
distribution  of  animal  species  is  more  considerable  than  is  gene- 
rally supposed. 

"  I    have   already    had  occasion  to   state    how    the    islands  of 


ANCIENT  FAUNA  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS.  349 

Mauritius,  Reunion,  and  Rodriguez,  at  the  date  when  our 
navigators  first  landed  there,  were  in  possession  of  a  special 
fauna,  very  remarkable  by  the  great  wingless  birds,  unknown  in 
the  rest  of  the  world,  by  gigantic  tortoises,  by  saurians  and  many 
other  terrestrial  animals  which  could  not  have  arrived  there  by 
sea,  and  which  lived  there  in  great  numbers. 

"  This  zoological  population,  so  rich,  so  varied,  does  not  seem  as 
if  it  could  have  been  born  on  lands  of  so  restricted  an  extent ;  and 
considerations,  on  which  I  have  already  insisted,  have  led  me  to 
think  tliat  these  islands  must  be  considered  as  the  remains  of  a 
continent  whose  inhabitants,  before  completely  disappearino-  from 
the  surface  of  the  world,  have  found  on  the  culminating  points 
sunk  almost  to  the  level  of  the  sea  a  last  refuge. 

"  Indeed,  from  the  general  character  of  the  aboriginal  founa  of 
the  Mascarene  Islands  we  can  be  assured  that  these  presumed 
lands  never  connected  any  of  these  stations  either  witli  Mada- 
gascar or  Africa,  or  with  India  or  Australia,  for  tliere  is  not  seen 
any  one  of  the  animals  deprived  of  wings  which  characterise  the 
animal  populations  of  these  countries.  The  Malagasy  founa  is 
altogether  special,  but  it  has,  nevertheless,  with  the  New  Zealand 
fauna  and  that  of  the  Antarctic  region,  certain  points  of  resem- 
blance, such  as  we  need  not  hesitate  to  class  among  the  southern 
fauna.  It  is,  then,  possible  that  formerly  it  might  have  extended 
more  to  the  south,  and  we  find  ourselves  brought  to  the  idea 
of  a  great  land  formerly  existing  in  the  part  of  the  Antarctic 
Ocean  occupied  at  the  present  day  by  the  immense  banks  of 
marine  plants,  which  are  designated  under  the  common  name  of 
Kelp. 

"  In  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge,  only  most  vague  con- 
jectures can  be  formed  relating  to  the  ensemble  of  the  fauna  of 
which  the  animal  population  of  the  Mascarene  Islands  affords  us  a 
specimen  ;  but  it  is  to  be  hoped  that,  when  the  travelled 
naturalists  shall  have  explored  the  marshes,  the  caverns,  and 
sedimentary  deposits  of  the  islands,  Crozet,  Kerguelen,  St.  Paul, 
and  other  points  of  the  same  region,  they  will  discover  there  some 
fossil  remains  analogous  to  those  found  at  Rodriguez  or  Mauritius, 
and  that  by  the  help  of  these  remains  it  will  be  possible  to  recon- 


350  APPENDIX. 

struct  more  completely  the  extinct  population  of  this  region,  and 
to  estimate  its  relations  witli  the  New  Zealand  fauna,  of  which  it 
is,  perhaps,  only  a  branch." 


MR.  EDWARD  NEWTON'S  VISIT.i 

Mr.  Edward  Newton,  after  a  short  visit  to  Rodriguez, 
October  30,  1^64,  in  H.M.S.  Rapid,  wrote  : — "  The  country  was 
covered  with  grass  pi'etty  well  eaten  down  by  cattle ;  here  and 
there  were  scrubby  trees — mostly  the  resinous  hois  cV Olive;  a 
Vacoa  (Pandanus  sp.),  different,  of  course,  from  anything  in 
Mauritius  ;  and  an  acacia,  very  like  A.  lehbek.  The  island  is  very 
■well  depicted  in  ]\lr.  Higgins'  drawings,^  engraved  in  The  Dodo 
and  its  Kindred  (Plates  iii  and  iv).  It  may  be  generally 
described  as  a  long-backed  range  of  hills,  running  from  east  to 
■west,  and  sending  out  spurs  to  the  sea-coast.  The  height  in  the 
centre  may  be  from  1,000  to  1,500  feet. 

"  There  is  no  forest,  so  far  as  I  could  learn  ;  and  the  tradition 
is  that  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  some  forty  or  Mty  years  ago;  but 
this  story,  I  think,  must  be  incorrect,  as  otherwise,  in  so  short  a 
time,  there  would  surely  be  some  traces  of  it  left,  whereas  thei-e 
are  none.  Moreover,  I  cannot  find  that  Leguat  speaks  of  it  as 
being  anything  then  beyond  what  it  now  is  ;  and  the  place  of  his 
settlement,  with  the  trees  dotted  about,  as  drawn,  barring  the 
Solitaires,  just  as  it  is  now. 

"  I  soon  saw  the  '  yellow  bird',  -which  a  negro  who  was  with  me 
called  a  '  zozo '  (i.e.,  oiseau)  '  du  ^Jays',  and  declared  at  first  to  be 
the  only  bird  in  the  island.  He  afterwards  admitted  the  existence 
of  a  Perruche,  but  that,  he  said,  was  all."  (The  yellow  bird 
was  perfectly  tame,  and  a  distinct  and  well-marked  species  of 
Foudia,  F.  flavicans,^  with  a  very  pretty  song  not  unlike  that  of 
the  goldfinch.)     "  It  is  exceedingly  numerous,  and  I  saw  a  flock 

1  Ihiii,  1865,  p.  166  et  scq. 

2  See  photo-lithograph  reproduction  at  p.  4C. 

3  Pro.  Zoo.  Sue,  18G5,  p.  46  et  scq. 


MODERN  FAUNA  OF  THK  MASCARENE  ISLANDS.  351 

of  at  least  one  hundred.  ...  I  shot  two  pah-,  and  had  them 
skinned 

"  Soon  after  I  came  upon  a  small  flock  of  Perncches.  This  was 
to  all  appearance  identical  with  the  Madagascar  species,  Agapornis 
caiia,  and  as  the  bird  is  said  to  have  been  introduced  into  Rod- 
riguez, I  have  no  doubt  it  is  so. 

"  Going  on  to  a  hill  where  the  negro  said  there  were  wild  Gruinea- 
fowl,  I  heard  a  melodious  whistle.  On  my  asking  the  Creole 
what  the  bird  was,  he  said,  '  Ca  memo  zozo  du  pays  avec  le  bee 
et  le  queue  long-long.'  I  killed  a  specimen  which  I  have  little  doubt 
is  a  new  species  {Drijmoica  rodericana).  If  my  supposition  (that 
it  is  one  of  the  Drymgecina)  is  right,  it  will  be  satisfactory  as 
affording  another  proof  of  the  connection  between  the  Mascarene 
Islands  and  India  ;  and  this  will  be  the  case  should  Rodriguez, 
the  easternmost  of  them,  be  found  to  possess  an  Indion  form  which 
the  more  western  members  are  without 

"  I  saw,  as  I  think,  a  Curlew  {Numenms  arquaUis),  and  I  had  a 
shot  at  a  Turnstone  (Stre^ysilas  interpres.) 

"On  the  2nd  November  we  went  inside  the  reef  to  the  cave  on 
the  south-west  side  of  the  island.  Towai'ds  daylight  we  passed 
by  some  islets,  from  one  of  which  proceeded  a  clamour  like  that 
of  a  distant  crowd — produced,  we  were  told,  by  the  Fotiquets 
{Puffinus  clilororynclms) ;  and  as  the  day  dawned,  I  saw  several 
Shearwaters.  .  .  .  From  another  islet  harsher  sounds  were  heard, 
and  these  w^erc  from  the  Boobies  {S%da  inscator),  just  waking  up. 
I  could  see  them  sitting  on  the  low  bushes,  while  others  were 
starting  off  for  their  day's  fishing.  .   .   . 

"  About  six  o'clock  we  landed,  and  at  once  walked  up  to  the  first 
cave,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  inland.  This  part  of  the  island 
appears  to  be  quite  flat,  and  one  mass  of  rock.  The  cave  was 
much  the  same  as  all  other  caves — plenty  of  stalactites  and 
stalagmites  ;  the  width  about  fifty  feet,  the  height  from  twenty 
to  seventy  feet,  the  floor  nearly  flat,  and  generally  covered  with 
a  fine  deep  sand,  perfectly  dry.  Near  the  entrance  were  a  few 
crumbling  pieces  of  land-tortoise  shells,  which  fell  to  pieces  on 
being  jjicked  up.  .  .  We  then  sailed  back  some  three  miles,  and  : — 

"  About  eleven  o'clock  we  started  for  another  cave.     We  went 


352  APPENDIX. 

up  a  small  rivulet  with  steep  sides,  the  water  in  which  was 
brackish  and  quite  undrinkable  by  itself,  and  amid  a  grove  of 
thick  fan-palms.  Here  I  saw  the  only  forest  trees  I  came  across  ; 
they  were  hois  cVoUve,  and  perhaps  sixty  or  seventy  feet  high, 
and  three  or  four  in  circumference  at  six  feet  from  the  ground. 
I  picked  up  a  shell  or  two  of  a  land-tortoise  and  two  bones.  .  .  ." 
Mr,  Newton  heard  of  a  Serin,  a  Bengali,  and  a  Dove.  Tliere  were 
certainly  no  hawks,  or  "  merles,"  or  swallows.  Of  sea  birds  there 
were  Noddies  and  Sooty  Terns,  Shearwaters,  Boobies,  and  Frigate- 
birds.  Wild  Guinea-fowls  were  common.  "  Of  Dodo's  remains,  no 
one  knew  anything  more  than  that — '  long  temps  passi,  di  monde, 
n'a  pas  conne  qui,  fin  viui  rode  pour  li' — which,  being  inter- 
preted, means  '  in  long  time  ago,  someone,  I  know  not  who,  came 
and  looked  for  it'  — and  this  was  all  the  information  that  could  be 
got." 


Notice  of  a  Memoir  on  the  Osteology  of  the  Solitaire,  or  Didine 
Bird  of  the  Island  of  Rodrigxiez,  by  Professor  Alfred  Keivton, 
F.li.S.,  and  Mr.  Edward  Newton,  M.A.,  Auditor -General  of 
Mauritius.      (Proceedings  of  the  Royal  Society,    No.   103,   p. 
428;  1868.) 
"  The  Solitaire  of  Rodriguez  was  first  satisfactorily  shown  to  be 
distinct  from  the  Dodo  of  Mauritius  (Didns  ineptns)  by  Strickland, 
in  1844,  from  a  renewed  examination  of  the  evidence  respecting 
it,  consisting  of  the  account  given  by  Leguat  in  1 708,  and  of  the 
remains  seat  to  France  and  Great  Britain.     Strickland,  in  1848, 
further  proved  it  to  be  generically  distinct  from  the  Dodo.     The 
remains  existing  in  Europe  in  1852  were  eighteen  bones,  of  which 
five  were  at  Paris,  six  at  Glasgow,  five  in  possession  of  the  Zoolo- 
gical Society, and  two  in  that  of  Strickland,  who,  at  the 

date  last  mentioned,  described  them  as  belonging  to  tu'o  species, 
the  second  of  wliich  he  named  Pezophaps  minor,  from  the  great 
difference  observable  in  the  size  of  the  specimens.  In  1864,  Mi*. 
E.  Newton^  visited  Rodriguez,  and  there  found  in  a  cave  two  more 

1  One  of  the  authors. 


OSTEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOLITAIRE.  353 

bones  ;  while  a  third  was  picked  np  by  Captain  Barclay  at  the 
same  time.  Mr.  Newton  urged  Mr.  Jenner,  the  magistrate  of 
Rodriguez,  to  make  a  more  thorough  search  of  the  caves,  and  in 
1865  this  gentleman  sent  no  less  than  eighty-one  specimens  to 
Mauritius.  News  of  this  find  reached  England  during  the 
meeting  of  the  British  Association  at  Birmingham,  and,  prompted 
by  Mr.  P.  L.  Sclater,  that  body  made  a  grant  to  aid  further 
research,  and  in  1866  a  very  large  collection  of  the  bones  of  this 
bird,  amounting  to  nearly  two  thousand  s^ijccimens,  was  obtained. 

"  Fezophaps  differs  from  Didunculus  quite  as  much  as  Didiis 
does,  but  it  is  nearly  allied  to  the  latter 

"  In  Pezophaps  the  bones  of  the  wing  are  made  massive  and 
smoother  than  in  Didus.  The  most  remarkable  thing  about  them 
however,  is  the  presence  of  a  bony  knob^  on  the  radial  side  of  the 
metacarpal,  unlike  what  is  found  in  any  other  bird.  It  is  large 
in  some  of  the  specimens,  supposed  to  have  belonged  to  old  males, 
but  very  little  developed  in  the  presumed  females.  It  is  more  or 
less  spherical,  pedunculate,  and  consists  of  a  callus-like  mass 
with  a  roughened  surface,  exceedingly  like  that  of  diseased  bone, 
and  was  probably  covered  by  a  horny  integument.  It  is  situated 
immediately  beyond  the  proximal  end  and  the  index,  which  last 
would  appear  to  be  thrust  away  by  it  to  some  extent.  It  answers 
most  accurately  and  most  unexpectedly  to  Leguat's  description  of 
it :  '  L'os  de  I'ailei'on  grossit  a  I'extremite,  et  forme  sous  la  plume 
une  petite  masse  ronde  comme  une  balle  de  raousquet.'  {Vide 
ante,  p.  78.)  ...  . 

"  A  comparison  of  the  entire  skeleton  shows  that  Pezophaps  is 
in  some  degree,  and  perhaps  on  the  whole,  intermediate  between 
Didus  and  the  normal  Cohimb(V 

"  Strickland  was  amply  justified  in  arriving  at  the  conclusion 
that  the  Solitaire  was  generically  distinct  from  the  Dodo " 

Professor  A.  and  Sir  Edward  Newton  remark  upon  the  different 
causes  of  extinction  of  species  within  historic  time.  This,  when 
effected  by  men's  agency,  is  seldom  done  by  man's  will ;  and 
various  cases  are  cited  to  support   this   opinion.      In  extirpating 


See  photograph  of  skeleton,  frontispiece 

A  A 


354  APPENDIX. 

species  man  generally  acts  indirectly ;  and  the}'  snccnnib  to 
forces  set  in  motion  indeed  by  him,  but  without  a  thought  on  his 
part  of  their  effect.  In  the  case  of  the  extinction  of  the  Solitaire 
of  Rodriguez,  the  cause  ixsually  suggested  seems  inadequate  ;  and 
the  authors  consider  it  was  probably  effected  by  feral  swine,  and 
quote  a  remarkable  passage  from  an  old  French  Voyage,  showing 
the  extraordinary  abundance  of  these  creatures  in  Mauritius, 
where,  in  or  about  the  year  1708,  above  fifteen  hundred  had  been 
slain  in  one  day.  It  is  plain  that  where  these  pigs  abounded, 
inactive  birds  could  not  long  survive.  It  is  su2)posed  that  the 
case  was  the  same  in  Rodriguez  as  in  Mauritius  ;  for  in  every 
countiy  newly  discovered  by  Europeans,  it  has  been  the  almost 
miiversal  custom  to  liberate  pigs,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  believe 
that  this  island  was  an  exception  thereto. 

The  extraordinary  fidelity  of  Leguat's  account  of  the  Solitaire 
is  next  considered.  It  is  borne  out  in  every  point  save  one,  per- 
haps, by  a  study  of  the  remains.  The  rugose  surface  at  the  base 
of  the  maxilla,  tlie  convexity  of  the  pelvis,  the  somewhat  lighter 
weight  of  the  Solitaire  than  of  the  Dodo,  its  capacity  for  running, 
and  above  all,  the  exti-aordiuary  knob  on  the  wing,  all  agree  with 
the  description  he  has  given  us.  The  authors  attempt  also  to 
account  for  the  origin  of  this  last,  by  observing  that  its  appear- 
ance is  so  exactly  tliat  of  diseased  bone,  that  it  may  have  been 
first  occasioned  by  injuries  received  by  the  birds  in  such  combats 
with  one  another  as  Leguat  mentions,  and  aggravated  by  the 
continuance  of  their  pugnacity.  The  authors  remark,  also,  that 
it  is  the  habit  of  pigeons  to  fight  by  buffeting  with  their  pinions. 

The  particular  in  which  Leguat  may  have  erred,  is  in  the 
assertion,  or  perhaps  inference,  as  to  the  monogamous  habits  of 
the  Solitaire  ;  and  the  cause  of  the  error  (if  such  it  be)  may  be 
ascribed,  without  derogating  from  his  truthfulness,  to  his  anxiety 
to  point  a  moral,  which  may  have  led  him  to  imagine  he  saw 
what  he  wished  to  see.  He  especially  mentions  that  one  sex 
would  not  fight  with  the  other,  which  is  just  what  takes  place 
among  polygamous  birds.  The  case  of  a  very  well-known  bird 
{Otis  tarda)  is  cited  to  show,  that  even  now,  after  centuries  of 
observation,   it  is  doubtful  -whether  it  be  monogamous  or  poly- 


OSTEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOLITAIRE.  355 

gamons.  Leguat,  therefoi'e,  may  easily  have  been  mistaken  iu 
his  opinion,  even  setting  aside  his  evident  leaning  iu  the  matter. 
The  notion  of  Pezophaps  having  been  j^olygamous  was  before 
entertained  by  one  of  the  authors,  and  arises  from  a  consideration 
of  the  great  difference  iu  the  size  of  the  two  sexes,  which,  in 
birds,  is  generally  accompanied  by  polygamous  habits  ;  but  the 
question  is  now  not  likely  to  be  solved. 

The  amount  of  variability  which  every  bone  of  the  skeleton  of 
this  species  presents,  warrants  the  conclusion  that  as  much  was 
displayed  in  those  parts  of  its  structure  which  have  perished, 
letting  alone  Leguat's  direct  evidence  as  to  the  individual 
difference  iu  the  plumage  of  the  females. 

"  If  such  a  process,  therefore,  as  has  been  teruied  '  natural 
selection',  or  'survival  of  the  fittest',  exists,  there  would  have 
been  abundant  room  for  it  to  operate;  and  there  having  been 
only  one  species  o^ Pezophaps  might  at  first  sight  seem  an  argument 
against  the  belief  in  such  process.   .   .   ." 

Messrs.  Newton  proceed  from  arguments  to  show  that  "a 
believer  in  Darwin's  theory  would  be  inclined  to  predicate  that, 
when  a  small  oceanic  island  like  Rodriguez  is  found  tenanted  by 
a  single  species  subject  to  great  individual  variability,  it  would 
be  just  under  such  circumstances  that  the  greatest  amount  of 
variability  would  be  certain  to  occur.  In  its  original  state, 
attacked  by  no  enemies,  the  increase  of  the  species  would  only 
be  dependent  on  the  supply  of  food,  which,  one  year  with  another, 
would  not  vary  very  much,  and  the  form  would  continue  without 
any  predisposing  cause  to  change,  and  thus  no  advantage  would  be 
taken  of  the  variability  of  structure  presented  by  its  individuals. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  we  may  reflect  on  what  certainly  has  taken 
place.  Of  the  other  terrestrial  members  of  the  avifauna  of 
Eodriguez,  but  few  now  remain.  A  small  Finch  and  a  ^\'arblcr, 
both  endemic,  are  the  only  two  land-birds  of  its  original  fauna 
now  known  to  exist.  The  Guinea-fowl  and  Love-bird  have,  in  all 
probability,  been  introduced  from  Madagascar  ;  but  the  Parrots 
and  Pigeons,  of  w  hich  Leguat  speaks,  have  vanished.  The  remains 
of  one  of  the  first,  and  the  description  of  the  last,  leave  little  room 
to  doubt  but  they  also  were  closely  allied  to  the  forms  found  iu 

A  A  2 


356  APPENDIX. 

Madagascar,  and  the  other  Masearenc  islands  ;  and  thus  it  is 
certainly  clear  that  four  out  of  six  indigenous  species  had  their 
natural  allies  in  other  species  belonging  to  the  same  zoological 
province.  It  seems  impossible,  on  any  other  reasonable  suppo- 
sition than  that  of  a  common  ancestry,  to  account  fur  this  fiict." 
The  autiiors  are  compelled  to  the  belief  that  there  was  once  a 
time  when  Rodriguez,  Mauritius,  Bourbon,  Madagascar,  and  the 
Se3'chelles  were  connected  by  dry  laud,  and  that  that  time  is 
sufficiently  remote  to  have  permitted  the  descendants  of  the 
original  inhabitants  of  this  now  submerged  continent  to  become 
modified  into  the  many  representative  forms  which  are  now 
known.  Whether  this  result  can  have  been  effected  by  the 
process  of  "  natural  selection"  must  remain  an  open  question  ; 
but  that  the  Solitaire  of  Rodriguez  and  the  Dodo  of  Mauritius, 
much  as  the}'  eventually  came  to  differ,  sprang  from  one  and  the 
same  stock,  seems  a  deduction  so  obvious,  that  the  authors  can 
no  more  conceive  any  one,  fully  acquainted  with  the  facts  of  the 
case,  hesitating  about  its  adoption  than  that  he  can  doubt  the 
existence  of  the  Power  by  whom  these  species  were  thus  formed. 

"  We  are  not  aware",  write  MM.  E.  Newton  and  Clark,  "that 
the  osteology  of  any  vertebrate,  other  than  man,  has  been  studied 
with  the  same  wealth  of  materials  as  that  of  the  Solitaire."'^ 

As  soon  as  Rodriguez  had  been  selected  as  a  transit  station  in 
1874,  it  was  suggested  that  a  thorough  examination  of  the  caves 
should  be  initiated,  in  the  hojDc  of  obtaining  skeletons  of  Pezo- 
phaps.  Mr.  Slatei',  one  of  the  naturalists  of  the  expedition, 
deputed  for  the  purpose,^  accordingly  examined  the  caves  in  the 
tract  of  coralline  limestone  overlying  the  basalt  rock  on  the  south- 
west side  of  the  island.  In  these  caves  was  found  a  deposit  of 
earth,  varying  from  six  inches  to  three  feet  in  depth — in  some 
places  even  to  nine  feet ;  but,  as  a  rule,  no  bones  were  found  below 
two  feet. 

Mr.  Slater  supposes  that  the  Solitaire  resorted  to  the  caverns 

1  See  also  Fi-oceedings  Zool.  Sue.,   1871,  p.  474,  and  Art.   "Fossil 
Birds",  in  Eiinjrloji.Tdia  Jirilaiivica,  by  Professor  A.  Newton. 
^  See  Introduction. 


STONE  FOUND  "WITH  REMAINS  OF  SOLITAIRE.  357 

in  case  of  fire  in  the  island,  which  has  been  known  to  have 
denuded  it  several  times  of  its  trees  ;  more  so  as  he  found  in 
several  cases  nearly  perfect  skeletons,  which  lay  evidently  as  they 
died.  This,  he  adds,  precludes  the  idea  that  they  were  carried 
there  by  wild  cats. 

It  is  more  likely  that  the  birds  took  refuge  in  the  caves  during 
hurricanes,  and  were  then  overwhelmed  by  torrents  of  water  and 
mud. 

The  attention  of  Mr.  Slater  was  drawn  to  the  statement  of 
Leguat,  as  to  the  stone  found  within  the  Solitaire,  before  he  went 
to  Rodriguez  in  1874  ;  but  notwithstanding  his  examination  of 
the  caves,  he  was  unsuccessful  in  finding  anything  bearing  out 
the  strange  report.  Shortly  after,  however,  Mr.  Caldwell  visited 
the  island  and  obtained  three  of  what  he  believed  to  be  the  stones 
mentioned  b_v  Leguat.^  One  is  figured  in  the  Philosophical  Trans- 
actions, Y\,oy.  Soc,  vol.  clxviii.  It  weiglied  a  little  over  1|  oz.  It 
is  brown,  somewhat  rough,  heavy,  and  hard.  It  can  scarcely, 
however,  be  called  flat  on  one  side,  but,  in  connection  with  this 
fact,  it  may  be  remarked  that  the  bird  with  whose  remains  it 
was  associated  appears  to  have  been  young. 

Frangois  Cauche,  describing  the  birds  of  Madagascar  and 
adjacent  islands  (1638),  mentions  somewhat  similar  stones. 

"  La  figure  de  cet  oiseau  est  dans  la  2  nauigation  des  Hollandois 
aux  Indes  Orientalles,  en  29  dice  de  I'an  1598.  lis  I'appellent  de 
nausee. 

"  J'ay  veu  dans  I'isle  Maurice  des  oiseaux  plus  gros  qu'vn  cj'gne, 
sans  plumes  par  le  corps,  qui  est  couuert  d'un  duuet  noir,  il  a  le 
cul  tout  rond,  le  cropion  orne  de  plumes  crespues,  autant  en 
nombre  que  chaqne  oiseau  a  d'annees,  au  lieu  d'aisles  ils  out 
pareilles  plumes  que  ces  dernicrs,  noires  et  recourbees,  ils  sont 
sans  langues,  le  bee  gros  se  courbant  un  pen  par  dessous,  liauts 
de  iambes,  qui  sont  escailloes,  n'ayant  que  trois  ergots  a  chaque 
pied.  II  a  vn  cry  conime  I'oison,  il  n'est  du  tout  si  sauoureux  a 
manger,   que   les  fouches  ct  feiqucs,  dcscpielles  nous   venous  de 

^  One  of  these  stones  is  shown  in  the  photograph  of  the  skcluton 
in  the  Cambridge  Musouiu.     Vkk  froiilispiccc. 


358  APPENDIX. 

parler.  lis  no  font  qu'vn  anif,  blanc,  gros  commc  vn  pain  d'vn 
sol,  coutve  lequel  ils  nictteiit  vnc  pierrc  bhuiche  de  la  grosseur 
d'vu  anif  de  ponies.  Ils  ponncnt  siu*  de  I'heibe  qu'ils  aniassent, 
ct  font  Icurs  nids  dans  les  forests,  si  on  tuii  Ic  petit,  on  tronue  vne 
pieiTe  grise  dans  son  gcsier,  nous  les  appellions,  oiseanx  de  Nazaret. 
La  graisse  est  excellcnte  pour  adoucir  les  muscles,  et  nerfs. 

"  Peut-estre  que  ce  nom  leur  a  estd  donn6  pour  auoir  estc 
trouuez  dans  I'islc  do  Nazare,  qui  est  plus  haut  que  cello  de 
Maurice,  sous  le  17  degre  dela  L'Equateur  du  coste  du  Sud."^ 

Strickland  and  Melville  also  quote  Carre,  who  visited  Bourbon 
in  1GG8,  and  Dubois  who  followed  in  1GG9  : — 

"J'ay  vii  dans  ce  lieu  une  sorte  d'oiseau  que  je  n'ay  point 
trouve  ailleui's  :  c'est  celuy  que  les  habitans  out  nommc  TOiscau 
Solitaire,  parce  qu'efFectivement  il  aime  la  solitude,  et  ne  se 
plait  que  dans  les  endroits  les  plus  ecartez  ;  on  n'en  a  jamais  vu 
deux  ni  plusieurs  ensemble  ;  il  est  toujours  seul.  II  ne  ressem- 
bleroit  pas  nial  a  uu  Coq  d'Inde,  s'il  n'avoit  point  les  jambes  plus 
hautes.  La  beaute  de  son  plumage  fait  plaisir  a  voir.  C'est  une 
coulcur  changeante  qui  tire  sur  le  jaune.  La  chair  en  est  exquise  : 
elle  fait  un  des  raeilleurs  mets  de  ce  pais-la  et  pourroit  faire  les 
delices  de  nos  tables."  {Voyages  des  Indes  Orientales,  par  M. 
Carre,  vol.  i,  p.  12) 

In  the  year  after  Carre's  visit,  Sieur  Dubois  described  these 
same  birds: — "  Solitaires :  Ces  oiseaux  sont  nommes  ainsi  parce 
qu'ils  vont  toujours  seuls.  Ils  sont  gros  comme  une  grosse  Oye,  et 
out  le  plumage  blanc,  noir  fl  I'extremitc^  des  ailes  ct  de  la  queue. 
A  la  queue  il  y  a  des  plumes  approchantes  de  celles  d'Autruclie, 
ils  out  le  col  long,  et  le  bee  fiiit  comme  celui  des  B(^casses,  mais 
plus  gros,  les  jambes  et  pieds  comme  poulets  d'Inde.  Cet  oiseau 
se  pi-end  a  la  course,  ne  volant  que  bien  pen."  [(Dubois)  D.  B., 
Voyage  ct  Madagascar,  Paris,  1674.-] 

'  Jieladons  J'erifalles  et  Cvricvscs  Je  VIsle  de  Madagascar,  ct  dn 
Bre'sd,  Paris,  1651,  p.  130. 

2  The  Doilo  and  ils  Kindred,  pp.  58-59. 


D. 

ON  EXTINCT  BIRDS  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS. 

A  VALUABLE  papci'  was  contributed,  31st  October  18-37,  to  the 
Royal  Academy  of  Sciences  of  Amsterdam  {Verslagen  en  Mededee- 
lingen  der  KoninkUjhe  Akademie  van  Wetenschaiypen.  Afdeeling 
^^  Nahmrlcunde",  vol.  vii,  p.  116,  wliich  was  originally  written  in 
Dutch  ;  but  a  translation  into  German  of  part  of  it  appeared  in 
the  Journal  fur  OrniihoJogie  for  1858)  by  Professor  H.  Schlegel, 
the  Director  of  the  National  Museum  of  the  Netherlands,  "On 
Extinct  Gigantic  birds  of  the  IMascarcne  Islands."  The  transla- 
tion of  Schlegel's  paper  by  ]\Ir.  Hcssels  was  forwarded  by  Professor 
Newton  of  Cambridge  to  Dr.  Sclater  for  reproduction  in  the  pages 
of  the  Ibis,  where  it  appeared  in  A])ril  18G6,  shortly  after  the 
discovery  of  the  Didine  remains  near  Mahebourg.  (Vide  Ihii>, 
New  Series,  vol.  i,  pp.  14G-168.) 

Professor  Schlegel  announced  that  hitherto  the  recent  investi- 
gations respecting  the  large  birds  which  had  become  extirpated  in 
Eourbon,  Mauritius,  and  Rodriguez  had  entirely  overlooked  some 
species,  one  of  which,  in  height  at  least,  equalled  the  African 
Ostrich,  and  which  did  not  belong  to  the  Dodos,  but  to  quite 
another  order  of  birds. 

"Remams  of  these  birds  have  not  hitherto  been  found  ;  but  we 
know  them  from  descriptions  and  a  representation,  which  perhaps 
may,  if  rightly  understood,  give  a  better  and  more  complete  idea 
of  these  beings  than  the  obscure  sketch  which  can  be  obtained  of 
the  New  Zealand  Moas  through  their  numerous  remaining  bones. 
The  description  and  representation  of  the  largest  species,  called 
by  Leguat  '  Geant',  is  given  by  that  traveller  in  his  narrative. 
{Vide  ante,  pp.  209,  210.) 

"Among  naturalists  Leguat  has,  hitherto,  been  known  only  by 
his  account  of  the  Solitaire  of  Rodriguez,  but  everyone  has 
accepted  it  without  hesitation,  and  the  remains  of  that  bird, 
since   discovered,  have  proved  the  exactness  of  his  statements. 


3  GO  APPENDIX. 

Besides  this,  it  appears  also,  from  the  numerous  observations 
which  he  communicates  on  known  natural  objects,  that  he  was, 
as  an  amateur  and  for  his  time,  an  attentive  and  accurate 
observer,  that  he  consulted  in  his  investigations  a  multitude  of 
works  on  natural  history,  that  by  comparing  them  mutually,  and 
with  nature,  he  tried  to  arrive  at  truth,  and  tluit  he  was  anything 
but  a  servile  repeater  of  another's  words." 

After  having  placed,  as  he  thinks,  the  truthfulness  of  Leguat 
beyond  all  doubt,  Professor  Schlegel  describes  the  bird,  which 
he  takes  to  be  an  unknown  gigantic  species,  quoting  from 
Leguat :  "  On  voit  beaucoup  de  certains  oiseaux  qu'on  appelle 
G^ans,  etc "  (see  p.  210).  This  description  is  accom- 
panied by  a  figure  which  represents  the  bird  at  about  one  twenty- 
fifth  of  its  natural  size.  He  further  explains  this  description  and 
figure,  and  proceeds,  as  follows  : — 

"Let  us,  meanwhile,  first  examine  what  has  been  the  opinion 
of  other  naturalists  about  this  bird.  Hamel  and  Strickland  are, 
so  far  as  I  know,  the  only  persons  who  have  offered  their  opinions 
on  the  subject.'  They  had  not  the  least  doubt  as  to  the  existence 
of  this  large  animal  ;  nor  can  such  be  possible,  since  the  accounts 
of  Leguat  are  too  precise,  and  he  observed  it  on  two  islands  at  a 
considerable  distance  from  each  other;  but  they  have,  in  our 
opinion,  completely  mistaken  this  bird, 

"  Hamel^  takes  it  for  a  struthious  bird,  which,  as  well  as  the 
Solitaire  of  Rodriguez,  has  been  exterminated  since  Leguat's 
time.  Our  reasons  why  this  opinion  is  entirely  incorrect  are  the 
fullowing  : — 

"  1st,  because  the  G'eant  of  Leguat  has  a  perfect  tail  with  quills 
and  under  tail-coverts,  which  reach  to  its  end,  and  that  this  tail  is 
carried  erect,  which  is  never  found  among  the  struthious  birds. 

"  2nd,  that  the  toes  are  extraordinarily  long  and  slender,  and 
not  short  and  very  thick  as  in  all  known  struthious  birds. 

1  We  find  also  in  Valentyn  (v.  ii,  p.  152)  some  remarks  on  the  Geant 
of  Leguat,  evidently  derived  from  that  author  himself.     {Ante,  p.  210.) 

2  Der  Dodo,  die  Kindnlbr  nnd  dcr  crdichtctc  Nazarvoge!,  in  Bulletin 
PJnjs.-Math.  de  V Academic  de  St.  Petershoiirf/,  1848,  vol.  vii,  Nos.  5,  6, 
pp.  Go-9G. 


ON  EXTINCT  BIRDS  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS.  361 

"  3rd,  that  the  gape  by  no  means  extends,  as  in  the  struthious 
birds,  vmder  the  eye. 

"  4th,  that  the  feet  are  covered  over  their  ^vhole  length  and 
breadth  with  large  plates,  and  not  partially  or  entirely  with  scales, 
as  seen  in  the  struthious  birds. 

"  5th,  that  in  Leguat's  description  and  figure  there  is  no  appear- 
ance of  the  peculiar  form  of  the  featliers  of  the  struthious  birds, 
whereas  he  makes  this  to  be  so  distinctly  seen  in  his  Solitaire. 

"6th,  that  this  bird  lived  in  marshy  places,  where  struthious 
birds  do  not  abide. 

"  7th,  that  it  could  fly. 

"  8th,  that,  lastly,  one  had  been  carried  away  by  a  storm  from 
Mauritius  to  Kodi-iguez,  more  than  a  hundred  (about  three 
hundred  English)  miles  distant — a  sea-voyage  which  such  heavy 
birds  as  the  Striithiom'dce  could  not  possibly  perform. 

"  Strickland^  has  perpetually  expressed  the  opinion  that  this 
bird  has  simply  been  a  Flamingo,  although  the  description  of  it 
gave  him  the  impression  of  a  Stork.  This  opinion  is  really  as 
strange  as  that  of  Hamel ;  for,  1st,  the  physiognomy,  or,  if  you 
will,  the  habitus  of  the  bird  is  quite  different. 

"2nd.  Neither  the  figure  nor  the  description  of  the  bill  show  any 
resemblance  to  that  of  the  Flamiugo.- 

"  3rd.  The  neck  of  the  Flamingo  is  much  longer,  and  very  much 
thinner  than  in  our  bird. 

"  4th.  Flamingos  have  a  tail  which  is  much  shorter,  has  a  dif- 
ferent shape,  and  is  never  carried  erect. 

1  The  Dodo  and  its  Kindred,  etc.,  pp.  60  and  64.  Strickland's  own 
■words  are  :  "  The  fact  is  that  these  Gem^sare  evidently  (notwithstanding 
the  Stork-like  aspect  of  Leguat's  plate  at  p.  171)  Flamingos." 

2  Leguat's  expression,  "  ils  ont  un  bee  d'oye",  should  evidently,  and  es- 
pecially from  tlie  addition  of  "  mais  un  peau  plus  poiutu".  be  understood 
as  having  reference  to  the  form  in  general,  and  not  to  the  lamelhe,  wliich 
the  bill  of  the  Flamingo  has  in  common  with  that  of  tiie  Geese.  When 
Leguat  says  of  his  Solitaire  (i,  p.  98),  "  les  males  ont  les  piods  de  coq  d'Inde, 
et  lebec  aussi",  we,  in  like  maimer  do  not  conclude  that  these  parts  were 
formed  exactly  as  in  the  Turkey,  but  that  they  had  a  general  resem- 
blance. [May  not  Leguat  have  meant  that  these  birds  had  feet  like 
the  Avis  Jndica,  as  represented  by  Collacrt?     Vide  Infra. — S.  V.  O.] 


3G2  APPENDIX. 

"5th.  The  legs  in  the  Flamingo  are  much  longer,  and  for  the 
greater  part  bare,  whereas  in  our  bird  they  are  covered  with 
feathers  pretty  nearly  as  far  as  the  tarsus. 

"  6th.  The  Flamingo  has  much  shorter  fore-toes,  united  by  a 
swimming-membrane,  and  an  extremely  small  hind-toe,  whereas 
in  our  bird,  both  according  to  the  figure  and  to  the  description, 
the  toes  are  extraordinarily  long,  and  quite  free. 

**  7th.  The  colour  of  the  Flamingo  is  in  the  young  grey,  in  the 
old  more  or  less  generally  red,  and  never  white,  as  in  our  bird. 

"8tli,  and  lastly,  the  whole  of  Strickland's  supi)ositiun  fails, 
seeing  that,  as  we  have  mentioned  above,  Leguat  knew  very  well 
what  sert  of  appeai'ance  a  Flamingo  had. 

"  For  ourselves,  we  do  not  hesitate  a  moment  to  declare  that  this 
Gdant  of  Leguat's  was  a  Waterhen,  and  this  for  the  following 
reasons : — 

"  1st.  This  bird  has  the  h'lhitus  of  the  Waterhen  to  such  a 
degree  that  anybody  who  has  a  little  experience  in  the  recognition 
of  animal-forms  will  take  it  for  one. 

"  2nd.  The  extraordinarily  long  toes  argue  to  the  same  conclu- 
sion. 

"  3rd.  The  form  of  the  tail,  w  ith  the  under-coverts  reaching  to 
its  end,  and  its  erect  attitude,  is  exactly  as  in  the  Waterhens. 

"  ith.  Leguat's  figure  shows  distinctly  that  the  upper  mandible 
was  prolonged  in  a  kind  of  rounded  plate,  which  extended  over 
the  forehead  and  eyes,  just  as  we  see  in  the  typical  Waterhens, 
namely,  Gallimda,  Porphyrio,  and  Fulica. 

"  5th,  and  lastly,  Leguat's  expressions,  'gibier'  and  'asscz  bon', 
can  also  be  applied  to  the  Waterhens. 

"  When  we  have  agreed  that  this  bird  belongs  to  the  family  of 
Waterhens — and  I  really  do  not  know  in  what  other  group  we 
could,  with  any  probability,  place  it — then  arises  the  (piestion, 
Under  what  genus  of  this  family  could  we  more  positively 
arrange  it?  That  it  cannot  be  regarded  as  a  Coot  (Fulica),  its 
toes,  not  box'dered  by  lobed  membranes,  show.  It  should, 
therefore,  be  assigned  rather  to  the  genus  rorpliyrio  or  Gallimda  ; 
for  one  could  not  account  it  a  Hail  {liallus),  as  it  carries  its  tail 
erect  and  has  a  frontal  plate,  any  more  than  a  Crane  (Grus),  which 


ON  EXTINCT  BIRDS  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS.  303 

genus  is  most  allied  to  Rallus.^  The  genus  Porphyrio,  though 
zoologically  and  geographically  very  natural  and  so  very  conspicuous 
by  the  more  or  less  fine  blue  colour  of  the  feathers,  differs,  really, 
from  Gallimda  in  no  respect  than  in  the  higher  bill  and  oval 
nostrils,  whilst  these  in  Gallimda  are  more  elongated.  Since, 
then,  the  figure  of  our  bird  shows  elongated  nostrils,  and  also  a 
bill  (so  far  as  oue  can  determine  its  form  in  the  plate,  where  it  is 
represented  as  seen  from  aliove)  which  seems  to  have  been  less 
high  than  in  rorphi/rio,  and  finallj',  since  its  colour  is  very 
ditiercnt  from  that  of  Forphyrio,  we  must  accordingly  I'ange  it 
under  the  genus  Gallinula. 

"  We  will  now  examine  how  far  the  exact  proportion  of  the 
various  parts  of  our  bird  is  observed  in  Leguat's  figure.  Since 
even  in  our  own  day,  except  Wolf,  artists  can  hardlj'  be  found 
who  are  without  failings  in  this  respect,  so  can  we  much  less 
expect  that  the  contrary  has  been  the  case  at  the  time  Leguat 
lived,  and  with  a  mere  amateur- — especially,  too,  as  his  figui-e 
represents  the  object  in  such  a  remarkable  reduction  as  one 
twenty  fifth.  We  have  already  remarked,  in  our  treatise  on  the 
Dodos, -*  that  in  the  existing  rude  drawing  of  that  bird  from 
Mauritius,  in  Van  Neck's  Voyage,  it  is  much  more  naturally  and 
truthfully  delineated  than  in  the  figures  of  all  European  artists 
up  to  this  time,  by  whom  the  poor  Dodo  has  been  transformed 
into  a  real  monster,  and  wherein  the  hind-toe  of  the  foot  in  the 
foreground  is  alwa3's  wrongly  attached,  and  stands  in  a  crooked 
direction. 

''  Now  although  the  habitus  of  the  Geant  in  Leguat's  figure  is 
very  well  drawn,  although  the  attitude  of  the  feet,  especially  of 
the  toes  (notwithstanding  the  representation  in  perspective), 
in  this  plate  betrays  much  more  study  from  nature  and  more 
attention  than   the  painters  of  the  Dodo  liked  to  give,  yet  the 

1  Cf.  Ilns,  1865,  p.  533.     (Dr.  Sclater.) 

2  Professor  Newton  has  remarked  on  the  origin  of  Lcgnat's  rejire- 
sentation  of  the  Gcant  being  derived  from  the  print  of  Avis  Iiidica  in 
A.  Collaert's  Avimi  vivx  Icones,  1590  {Pro.  Zool.  Soc,  1873),  repro- 
duced in  facsimile  at  p.  210. 

3  Versel  en  Mcd'idi'cl.     Kouiulc.  Akad.  Amsterdam.,  185-4,  p]i.  232-250. 


364  ♦    APPENDIX. 

drawing  of  Leguat  also  has  its  evident  fjiults.  In  inspecting 
my  copy  of  this  figure,  enlarged  to  the  natural  size,  it  is  directly 
obvious  that  the  body,  instead  of  being  the  size  of  that  of  a 
Goose^  (as  Leguat's  description  says),  almost  equals  that  of  an 
African  Ostrich.  It  is  quite  possible  that  the  head,  which  is 
very  often  represented  by  the  best  artists  as  too  big  proportion- 
ately, is  also  too  big  here,  and  consequently  that  tlie  neck  should 
be  thinner.  The  same  remark  is  perhaps  to  be  made  with 
regard  to  the  feet,  which  should  be  longer  just  as  much  as  the 
body  is  too  thick.  As  it,  however,  would  be  very  presumptuous 
to  make  further  inferences  iu  this  respect  from  pure  analogies, 
we  limit  ourselves  here  to  these  remarks.  But  in  order  to  make 
them  more  obvious  to  the  eye,  we  have  prepared  a  new  drawing 
of  this  bird  of  the  natural  size,  iu  wliich  we  have  introduced  the 
corrections  just  mentioned.  AVe  have  here  represented  the  bird 
in  profile  (see  fig.  p.  365),  that  one  may  gain  a  better  idea  of  this 
animal — especially  as  Leguat  has  so  drawn  the  tail  (apparently 
that  it  might  be  better  shown),  and  not  half  or  three-fourths 
turned,  as  are  the  remaining  parts. 

"  When  we  compare  this  bird  with  other  species  of  the  Water- 
hen— (or  Rail) — family,  we  shall  observe  that,  although  con- 
structed precisely  on  their  ground-plan,  it  difters  from  them  in 
several  respects,  especially  in  its  gigantic  size,  its  tall  figure,  its 
long  neck,  its  proportionally  very  small  body,  and  its  white 
colour.  One  might,  for  the  first  three  reasons,  principally, 
regard  it  as  representing  the  Crane-form  among  the  Waterhens. 
Notwithstanding  that  it  far  exceeded  in  height  even  the  largest  of 
marsh-birds,  its  weight  would  yet  be,  in  proportion  to  this 
extraordinary  height,  but  very  little,  and  with  the  help  of  its 
long  toes  it  would  consequently  be  able,  as  the  Water-hens  do, 
to  run  over  marshy  plains  without  sinking. 

1  "  There  arises,  however,  with  me  the  question  whether  in  this 
coniiDarison  Leguat  meant  the  body  with,  or  (as  sportsmen  often  do) 
without  the  feathers.  In  the  last  probable  case,  the  body  will  have 
had,  as  occurs  in  the  Waterhens,  from  their  long  and  loose  feathers,  a 
much  more  considerable  bulk  than  that  of  a  Goose,  the  feathers  of 
which  are  short  and  closely  compressed." 


ON  EXTINCT  BIRDS  OF  THE  MASCAHENE  ISLANDS. 


365 


"  Althougli  it  could  fly  it  bad  much  trouble,  according  to 
Leguat,  in  rising  from  the  ground,  and  its  flight  was  doubtless 
slow  and  difficult,  owing  to  the  shortness  of  its  wings  and  the 
length  of  its  legs  and  neck.  It  is  probable  that,  like  all  Water- 
hens,  it  could  run  fast,  though  not  fast  enough  to  escape  from 
dogs,  as  Leguat  states  that  they  could  catch  it,  and  that  it  tried 
to  save  itself  by  flying   up.     As  all  marsh-birds,  at  least    when 


Le  G^ant. 


they  are  obliged,  can  swim,  and  Waterhens,  in  particular,  swim 
voluntarily  and  even  very  much,  so  this  bird  also  will  have  swum 
regularly,  and  probably  very  well,  owing  to  its  light  weight  and 
the  extraordinary  development  of  its  legs  and  long  toes  servino- 
as  oars.  There  is  also  no  reason  to  suppose  that  its  food  and 
way  of  breeding  would  have  been  very  diff'crcnt  from  that  of  the 
Waterhens.  It  was  doubtless  a  stationary  bird,  being  unfitted 
for  migration  ;    and  there  was   no  occasion  for  it  to  undertake 


366  AprEXDix. 

voj'ages.  This  seems  to  be  all  that  one  can,  with  any  probability, 
guess  concerning  its  mode  of  life.  Wliy,  however,  was  this 
Waterhen  so  gigantic?  Why  was  this  gigantic  animal  just 
destined  for  such  a  small  place  on  our  globe — a  place  wlioi-e  arose 
iieither  great  rivers  nor  extensive  marshes  ]  Why  should  it  be  in 
colour  entirely  white,  and  diifer  in  that  respect  from  all  the 
species  of  the  family  ?'  Human  knowledge  fails  to  answer  these 
questions,  and  they  will,  accordingly,  it  is  probable,  always 
remain  riddles  to  ns,  the  more  so  as  this  magnificent  creature, 
like  so  many  others,  is  withdrawn  for  ever  from  our  gaze. 

"  We  have  still  another  question  to  decide  :  How  comes  it  that 
Leguat  is  the  only  writer  who  has  observed  this  gigantic  Water- 
hen  of  Mauritius,  while  the  voyagers  who  visited  the  island 
before  him  speak  of  several  other  most  remarkable  birds  which 
they  met  with,  but  not  this  one?  To  explain  the  fact,  one  must 
evidently  infer  that  the  voyagers  only  made  mention  of  the 
productions  whicli  they  met  with  in  the  neighbourhood  of  their 
anchoring-places,  and  that  the  giant  bird  of  Leguat  did  not 
frequent  those  places,  because  there  were  no  marshes.  This  is 
no  doubt  the  case  with  the  harbour  on  the  south-east  coast,  where 
the  ships  regularly  come  to  land,  and  where  stood  in  Leguat's 
time,  and  long  after,  the  only  port  in  the  island. 

"All  travellex's  report  that  the  ground  then  was  stony  and 
uiifriiitful.      It   was  at  this  place   that  the    comj^anions  of  Van 


1  Since  Professor  Schlegel's  paper  was  written,  attention  Las  been 
called  to  the  White  Galhnule,  figured  in  Philhys  Voijarje  to  Botany 
Bay,  London,  1789  (p.  273),  and  in  ]Vliite's  Journal  of  a  Voyayc  to 
New  South  Wales,  London,  17s)0  (p.  238)— a  bird  which  is  said  to 
have  formerly  inhabited  Lord  Howe's  and  Norfolk  Islands.  This 
species  Dr.  Von  Pelzeln  refers  (Sitz.  Akad.  Wien.,  xli,  p.  331) 
to  the  genus  Notornis  (cf.  Ibis,  1860,  pp.  422-423)  ;  and  Mr.  G.  K. 
Gray  {Ilns,  1862,  p.  240)  to  that  of  J\irphyno.  We  know  of  only  two 
specimens  still  existing,  one  at  Vienna,  obtained  from  the  Leverian 
]\Iuseuni,  the  other  in  the  Derby  JNluseum,  at  Liverpool,  from  Bidlock's 
collection.  (This  last  example,  according  to  Professor  A.  Newton, 
seems  to  be  an  albino  of  the  ordinary  Australian  Porjihxjno.)  It 
would  be  very  interesting  to  know  if  the  bird  is  still  found  on  either  of 
the  islands  named.  It  is  the  Galliuula  alba  of  Latham.  (Editor  of  Jbis, 
Dr.  P.  L.  Sclutcr.) 


ON  EXTINCT  BIRDS  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS.  367 

Neck  and  his  successors  observed  the  Dodo  and  the  other  birds 
Avhich  they  describe.  One  must,  therefore,  suppose  that  Leguat 
and  his  comrades,  who  passed  through  the  wilderness  lying  on 
the  other  side  of  the  island,  where  fowling  furnished  them 
■without  trouble  with  abundant  food  (seep.  147),  met  with  our 
gigantic  bird  by  the  rivers  and  mai'shes  of  these  districts,  while 
they  were  unknown  to  those  who  from  time  to  time  landed  and 
again  departed,  as  well  as  to  the  Europeans  dwelling  in  the  fort. 
In  Leguat's  time,  however,  there  were,  besides  the  Europeans 
dwelling  in  the  fort,  from  thirty  to  forty  Dutch  families  scattered 
over  the  island  and  tliore  established.  They  lived  partly  by 
hunting,  and  had  dogs  expressly  for  this  purpose.  These 
Europeans  living  apart,  the  dugs  (which,  as  we  have  seen  from 
Leguat,  easilj'  overpowered  the  gigantic  birds),  the  cats,  and 
later,  perhaps,  the  runaway  negroes,  have  probably  thus  silently 
continued  the  work  of  destruction,  and  also  completelj^  extirpated 
this  remarkable  animal.  How  quickly  and  secretly  such  a 
destruction  can  be  effected  is  proved,  among  other  instances,  by 
the  history  of  the  different  species  of  Dodo  on  the  Mascarene 
Islands.  Even  the  great  Dodo  of  Mauritius,  first  made  known  in 
1598,  was  no  more  mentioned  by  any  traveller  after  1681  (see 
Strickland,  p.  30)  ;  and  Leguat,  who  recorded  so  many  observa- 
tions on  the  productions  of  the  countries  which  he  visited 
(1690-98),  makes  no  mention  of  this  strange  bird.  It  must, 
therefore,  be  inferred  that  the  Dodo,  when  Leguat  was  in 
Mauritius,  was  already  extirpated,  at  least  in  the  inhabited  and 
accessible  districts  of  the  island.  Perhaps  also  the  abode  of  this 
bird,  in  contradistinction  to  that  of  the  gigantic  Waterheu,  was 
limited  to  the  stony,  dry  places  which  are  round  the  south-east 
harbour,  where  it  was  observed  in  great  numbers,  and  at  W'hich 
spot  all  the  accounts  of  this  bird  were  obtained." 

[Leguat  himself  speaks  of  the  extraordinary  decrease  of  the 
animals  of  the  island,  see  p.  209.] 

[The  remains  of  the  Dodo  have  been  since  found  in  the 
Mare  aux  Songes,  a  marsh  near  Pte.  d'Esny,  close  by  Jslahebourg. 
The  remains  of  the  Gcant  shuuld  be  sought  for  in  the  Mare  aux 
Vacoas,  or  Grand  Bassin  nearer  the  Riviere  Noire  (Zwarte  lliver), 
where  Leguat  landed  in  1093. — S.  P.  0.] 


368  APPENDIX. 

"  It  remains  for  us  to  inquire  whether  the  Geant  of  Leguat 
was  also  found  in  the  neighbouring  ishxnd  of  Reunion  or 
elsewhere.  The  onl}-^  writer  who  makes  mention  of  a  gigantic 
marsh-bird    in    Reunion,    and    this    under    the    self-same    name 

of    Geant,    is    the    Marquis    du    Quesne In    his    work, 

according  to  Leguat,  the  Geants  are  named  among  the  birds  of 
Bourbon.  (See  ante,  p.  44.)  That  by  these  Geants  the  Solitaires 
of  Mascaregne  (Reunion)  cannot  be  meant,  appears  by  their 
manner  of  living,  and  by  the  taste  of  their  flesh.  To  determine 
them  more  precisely  is  not  very  possible  on  account  of  the 
incompleteness  of  Du  Quesne's  account ;  but  this  still  shows  that 
there  lived  in  Bourbon  a  gigantic  marsh-bird,  which,  like  the 
Dodo,  has  long  ago  vanished,  and  which  probably  was  of  the 
same  S2:)ecies  as  the  Geant  of  Leguat,  or  related  to  it,  since  it 
lived  by  rivers  and  lakes  ;  and  these,  with  marshes,  form  the  abode 
of  Waterhens." 

Professor  Schlegel  thus  places  in  the  system,  with  the  follow- 
ing attributes,  the  gigantic  birds  he  has  described  : — 

"  Gallinula  (leguatia)  gigantea.  *  Le  Giant,'  Leguat,  Voyage^ 
ii,  p.  72,  fig.  '  Le  Geant,'  Du  Quesne,  apud  Leguat,  op.  cit.,  i, 
p.  55.  (V)  '  Straussartiger  Vogel,'  Hamel,  Bulletin  Acad.  St. 
Petersh.,  viii,  Nos.  5  and  6  (pp.  65-96).  '  Flamingo,''  Strickland, 
The  Dido  and  its  Kindred,  p.  50,  note, 

"  Statui'e,  six  feet  high.  Body,  not  heavier  than  that  of  a  goose. 
Wings  pretty  short,  but  fit  for  flight.  Feathers  of  the  tibia, 
reaching  pretty  close  to  the  tarsus.  Toes  long  and  quite  free, 
those  in  front  about  as  long  as  the  tarsus.  Upper  mandible 
extended  in  a  plate  reaching  beyond  the  eye.  General  colour 
white,  with  a  reddish  spot  under  the  wing.  Colour  of  the  feet 
and  bill  unknown,  but  probably  not  very  remarkable,  as  the 
description  does  not  mention  it. 

^^ Hah.  Mauritius,  perhaps  Reunion  (Bourbon);  once  accidentally 
met  with  in  Rodriguez. 

"  Observed  with  certainty  only  by  Leguat  in  1694,  Since  that 
time  not  remarked  again,  and  evidently  long  ago  completely 
extirpated. 

"  Seems  to  represent  the  Crane-type  among  the  Waterhens." 


ON  EXTINCT  BIRDS  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS.         369 


FuLiCA  Newtonii. 
JS'^otes  from  a  '■'■Memoir  on  ati  Extiiict  Species  of  the  Genus  FuUca, 
which  formerly  inhabited  the  Island  of  Maiiritiiis" ,  by  !M.  A. 
Milne  Edwards.* 

The  species,  which  M.  Mihae-Ed wards  notices  in  his  memoir, 
belongs  to  the  division  of  water-hens  and  to  the  genus  Coot 
(Foulqiie),  birds,  rather  runners  and  swimmers  than  fl^-ers,  and 
which  never  wander  far  from  lakes  or  watercourses,  on  tlie  borders 
of  which  they  construct  their  nesis,  and  easily  find  their  food. 

(The  bones  which  were  examined  seem  to  have  belonged  to 
several  individuals,  and  some  were  black  and  others  brown,  like 
the  debris  of  the  Dodo  exhumed  from  the  deposits  in  the  marsh 
at  Mauritius,  known  as  the  Mare  aux  Songes.  .   .  .) 

It  is  interesting  to  ascertain  if  the  travellers  who  visited  the 
Mascarene  Islands  at  the  time  when  the  Dodo  still  existed  had 
any  knowledge  of  the  FuUca  Netctonii,  Newton's  Coot.  The  most 
precise  information  which  we  have  upon  the  fauna  of  these  islands 
has  been  transmitted  to  us  by  Dubois,  who  visited  this  region 
from  1669  to  1672. 

This  author,  in  his  description  of  the  river-birds  of  the  island 
of  Bourbon,  speaks  of  "■  Water-hens,  which  are  as  large  as  fowls  ; 
they  are  all  black,  and  have  a  large  Avhite  crest  on  the  head." 

These  characteristics  do  not  apply  to  the  Coot,  which  is  met 
with  at  the  present  day  in  the  same  localities,  that  is  to  say,  the 
Ftdica  cristata,  for  this  species  is  not  only  smaller  than  an 
ordinary  fowl,  but  is  remarkable  for  the  frontal  plaque,  which  is 
of  a  deep  red,  whilst  with  the  bird  of  which  Dubois  speaks,  the 
rostral  p/rt^we  was  entirely  white. 

From  an  examination  of  the  bone  of  the  foot  of  FuUca 
Newtonii,  the  size  of  the  entire  animal  can  be  judged,  it  would  be 
very  near  the  size  of  a  large  fowl.  These  indications  permit  the 
supposition  that  the  FuUca  Netvtonii  could  well  be  the  species 
described  by  Dubois,  and  which,  instead  of  being  specially  localised 
in  Bourbon,  also  inhabited  Mauritius. 

1  Ann.  Sc.  Nal.,  5  Ser.  Zoo).,  viii,  pp.  194-220. 

B  B 


370  APPENDIX. 

There  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  work  of  Legiiat  any  passage 
which  can  be  applied  with  certainty  to  this  bird,  for,  when  he 
says,  "  The  island  (Mauritius)  was  formerly  filled  with  Geese  and 
with  Wild  Ducks,  AVater-hens,  Wood-hens  {Gelinottes),  Turtles, 
and  Tortoises,  but  all  that  is  become  rare,"^  there  is  nothing  to 
prove  that  these  Water-hens  were  Coots ;  and  if  they  belonged 
to  this  genus  it  would  be  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he  here 
spoke  of  the  Fulica  cristata. 

M.  Milne-Edwards  then  proceeds  to  explain  how  the  disappeai'- 
ance  of  such  a  bird  can  be  accounted  for,  in  the  same  manner  as 
other  unwieldy  birds  which  cannot  fly  well  soon  become  extinct 
when  brought  into  contact  with  man  and  carnivorous  beasts. 
So  the  giant  Coot  of  Chili,  the  Dinornis  of  New  Zealand,  and  the 
JSpyornis  of  Madagascar,  the  Dodo  of  Mauritius,  the  Solitaire  of 
Rodriguez,  and  even  the  Great  Auk,  despite  its  rapidity  in 
swimming  and  the  bad  flavour  of  its  flesh.  So  also  the  Aptcryx 
of  New  Zealand  and  the  Rhinochetus  of  New  Caledonia  are 
becoming  daily  more  rare ;  and  if  the  Cassowai-ies  and  the 
Ostriches  are  yet  common,  it  is  only  attributable  to  the  immensity 
of  the  desert  plains  where  they  dwell. 

M.  j\lilne-Ed  wards  continues:  "  The  Mascarene  Islands  are  of 
so  inconsiderable  extent  that  they  have  not  been  able  long  to 
serve  as  a  refuge  for  birds  of  massive  form,  which  lived  there  in 
great  numbers  at  an  epoch  when  nian  had  not  yet  penetrated  to 
them. 

"  The  Coot  of  Newton  formed  part  of  this  ancient  and  so 
remai'kable  fauna,  which  also  counted  among  its  representatives 
the  Dodos  of  Mauritius  and  Bourbon,  the  Solitaire,  the  Geant 
{Legiuitia  Gigantea),  the  Blue-bird,  which  Mr.  Schlegel  refers 
without  doubt  to  the  genus  Notornis,  and  two  extinct  species  of 
parrots.  Several  of  these  birds  have  been  only  met  with,  and 
some  are  only  known  by  a  fragment  of  skeleton,  the  others  by  a 
short  description  or  an  imperfect  drawing  :  there  are  yet  thei'efore 
many  discoveries  to  awaken  the  attention  of  all  zoologists,  and 
ought  to  incite  them  to  combine  their  efforts  to  lift  the  veil  which 

'  See  ante,  p.  200. 


ON  EXTINCT  BIRDS  OF  THE  MASCARENE  ISLANDS.  371 

hides  from  us  the  greatest  part  of  these  forms  so  curious  of  a 
population  now  disappeared  entirely." 


Addendum  to  Appendix  D. 

By  the  courtesy  of  Professor  Newton  a  facsimile  is  here  given 
from  Plate  II,  of  Part  V,  de  Bry's  India  Orientalis}  which  well 
illustrates  the  life  and  surroundings  of  the  first  Dutch  colonists 
when  they  settled  in  Mauritius  in  1598.  The  title  of  the  first 
copper-plate  engraving  is  : — "  Delineatio  insula)  Docerne,  alias 
Mauritius  dicta." — And  the  second,  here  reproduced,  is  entitled  : 
— Quae  ab  Hollandis  in  insula  Mauritii,  turn  visa  turn  gesta  sint." 
— Here  are  shown  the  land-tortoises,  the  dodo,  the  Latanier  palm, 
the  Rahos  Forcados,  the  Indian  Crow,  so  called  (but  which 
Professor  Newton  considers  to  be  intended  for  the  Psittacus 
Manritianus,  whose  most  extraordinary  feature  is  the  singular 
frontal  crest  {Ihis,  18G6,  p.  168),  on  account  of  which  he  pro- 
poses to  name  the  group  of  Parrots  of  which  it  is  the  type, 
Lophopsittams),  the  heraldic  insignia  on  a  wild  tree,  the  cabbage 
palm,  the  flying-fox,  the  smithy,  the  huts,  the  preaching  and  the 
fishing,  etc.  In  ftict,  the  quaint  engraving  does  not  inaptly 
represent  the  first  operations  of  colonists  in  the  Mascarene  islands 
up  to  the  time  when  Leguat  and  his  companions  landed  in  them 
a  hundred  j^ears  later. 

Mr.  Strickland, 2  in  his  history  of  the  extinct  brevipennate  birds 
of  the  Mascarene  Islands  (at  page  26)  quotes  a  MS.  document  in 
the  British  Museum,  entitled  "  A  coppey  of  Mr.  Benj.  Harry's 
Journall,  when  he  was  chief  mate  of  the  Shippe  Berkley  Castle, 
Captain  Wm.  Talbot  then  Commander,  on  a  voyage  to  the  coste 

1  CoIIccliones  Peregrination  nm  in  Indinm  Oricntalem  Sf  I)idiam  Occi- 
dentalcm  XXV  partihus  comprehcnsae  ;  Opus  iUnstratiini  f [juris  fends 
fratrum  de  Bry  ^-  Meriani.  Francofurti  at  Moeuum  1590,  &  ann.  seq. 
ad  ann.  1634,  7  vol.  in  foL     Pars  quinta. 

2  The  Dodo  and  its  Kindred,  or  the  History,  Affinities,  and  Osteology 
of  the  Dodo,  Solitaire,  and  other  Extinct  Birds  of  the  Islands  Mauritius, 
liodriguez,  and  Bourhon,  by  H.  E.  Strickland  and  A.  G.  Melville, 
Part  i,  by  II.  E.  Stricklaud. 

B  B  2 


372  APPENDIX. 

and  bay,  1G79,  which  voyage  they  wintered  at  the  MauiTJsahes" 
{fourteen  years  before  LeguaCs  arrival  in  Mauritius). 

"After  all  these  turmoyles  and  various  accidents,  wee  the 
beginning  of  7ber.  brought  all  to  a  period  :  one  parte  of  our 
misery  wass  that  that  time  wee  designed  for  I'ecreation  wee  were 
fore*  imp''  in  Labour. 

"  The  ayre  whilst  wee  have  been  hci'c  hath  been  very  temperate, 
neither  over  hott  nor  over  cold ;  itt  hath  been  showery  3  or  4  Days 
sucksessively,  and  showery  in  the  night,  sometimes  a  Sea  Brees, 
little  wind  morning  and  evenings. 

"  Now  having  a  little  respitt  I  will  make  a  little  description  of 
the  island,  first  of  its  Producks  then  of  itts  parts  :  Ffirst  of 
winged  and  feathered  ffowle,  the  less  passant  are  Dodos  whose 
fflesh  is  very  hard.  A  small  sort  of  Gees,  reasonably  good  Teele, 
Curleves,  Pasca  flflemingos,  Turtle  Doves,  large  Batts,  many 
small  Birdes  which  are  good. 

"  The  Dutch  pleading  a  propriety  to  the  island  because  of 
tlieir  settlement  have  made  us  pay  for  goates  \d.  per  pound  or  ^ 
piece  of  8  per  head,  the  which  goates  are  butt  reasonably  good, 
these  wild,  as  allso  the  deer  which  are  as  large  as  I  believe  any 
in  the  world,  and  as  good  fflesh  in  their  seasons ;  for  these 
3  pie  of  8  i^er  head,  Bullocks  large  6  pie  of  8  per  head  :  (that) 
3'S  for  victualling,  heer  are  many  wild  hoggs  and  land  turtle 
which  are  very  good,  other  small  creators  on  the  Laud,  as 
Scorpions  and  Musketoes,  these  in  small  numbers,  llatts  and 
ffleys  a  multitude,  Munkeys  of  various  sorts. 

"  Li  the  woodes  Eaboney,  Box,  Iron  wood  blacke  and  read,  a 
false  but  not  lasting  fire,  various  sortes  of  other  wood,  though 
heavy  yett  good  for  fiering. 

"  In  ye  Sea  and  River,  green  tortoise  very  good,  Shirkes, 
Doggs,  Mulletts,  Jackabeirs  (butt  nott  good  though  some  70  lb.), 
Breams,  Pomfletts,  Plaise,  a  ffish  like  a  Salmond,  and  heer  soe 
called,  but  full  of  small  Boanes  forked,  severall  sortes  of  read  filsh 
butt  nott  houlsome,  various  sortes  of  small  ffish  for  the  Pann, 
good  oysters  and  Crabes,  Ells  large  and  good. 

"  Herbage  ffruite  and  Graine  ffrench  or  Ciduey  Beans,  Patatoes, 
sallating  ;  Pumplemuses,  oranges " 


E. 

THE  GIGANTIC  MASCARENE  TORTOISES. 

For  many  years  Dr.  xVlbert  Giinther,  of  the  British  Museum, 
informs  us,  naturaUsts  were  much  exercised  in  curiosity  by 
the  shells  of  tortoises  of  enormous  size  that  were  brought  home 
in  vessels  coming  from  India. ^  "  From  the  greater  convexity  of 
tlieir  shell,  these  animals  were  known  to  be  terrestrial  av.d 
distinct  from  the  marine  turtles.  From  the  accounts  of  voyagers 
of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  century  it  was  found  that 
these  huge  individuals  of  the  Chelonian  order  existed  in  two 
widely  separated  regions,  one  being  the  Galapagos  group  in  the 
Pacific,  the  others  being  certain  islands  in  the  Indian  Ocean  ; 
yet,  curiously  enough,  it  does  not  appear  that  the  intervening 
lands  have  contained  within  the  historic  period  similar  creatures. 
Leguat  (vide  ante,  p.  70)  mentions  the  immense  numbers  of 
land  tortoises  he  and  his  companions  found  in  Rodriguez ;  and, 
indeed,  when  we  consider  that  tlie  helpless  creotures  lived  for 
ages  in  perfect  security  from  all  enemies,  and  that  nature  had 
endowed  them  with  a  most  extraordinary  degree  of  longevity,  so 
that  the  individuals  of  many  generations  lived  simultaneously 
in  their  island  home,  we  can  well  account  for  the  multitudes 
found  by  the  first  comers.  For  a  period  of  more  than  a  century 
they  afforded  wholesome  food  to  the  crews  of  passing  ships  ;  for 
these  animals  could  be  carried  in  the  hold  of  a  ship  without  food 
for  many  months,  and  could  be  slaughtered  as  occasion  required, 
each  tortoise  yielding  from  80  to  300  pounds  of  fresh  meat,  and 
we  read  that  ships  leaving  Mauritius  were  wont  to  take  on  board 

upwards  of  400  of  these  animals 

"Down  to  1740  tortoises  continued  to  be  numerous  in  'Mau- 
ritius, as  Baron  Grant  writes  {History  of  Mauritius,  p.  194): — "  If, 

1  PhiloiiopMcal  Transucliom^  paper  read  before  Koyal  Society,  Juue 
1874. 


374  APPENDIX. 

however,  we  are  not  rich  in  cattle,  we  possess  a  great  abundance 
of  fowl  as  well  as  both  land  and  sea-turtle,  which  are  not  only  a 
great  resource  for  the  supply  of  our  ordinary  wants,  but  serve  to 
bai-ter  with  the  crews  of  the  ships  who  put  in  here  for  refresh- 
ment in  their  voyage  to  India."  But  they  appear  to  have  been 
much  more  scattered  in  the  larger  islands  of  Mauritius  and 
K^union,  than  in  the  smaller  island  of  Rodriguez,  for  in  1761 
Admiral  Kempenfeldt  writes : — "  The  best  production  of  the 
island  is  the  land  turtle,  which  is  in  great  abundance.  Small 
vessels  are  continually  en)ployed  in  transporting  them  by 
thousands  to  the  Isle  of  Mauritius,  for  the  service  of  the  hospital."^ 

Their  number,  Dr.  GUnther  goes  on  to  tell  us,  "  rapidly  dimi- 
nished owing  to  their  consumption,  as  above  evidenced,  as  well 
as  by  the  wide-spread  and  frequent  conflagrations  of  the 
woods,  by  which  the  island  has  been  well-nigh  disforested, 
so  that  early  in  the  present  century  the  work  of  extermina- 
tion was  accomplished,  and,  so  far  as  is  known,  there  is  not 
a  single  living  example  left  alive  at  the  present  day.  In  the 
small  island  of  Aldabra  alone  there  still  linger,  in  a  wild  state,  a 
few  representatives  of  this  ancient  Chelonian  race,  the  contem- 
poraries of  the  Dodo,  the  G^ant,  and  the  Solitaire.  Even  here 
the  animals  are  constantly  destroyed  by  the  whalers,  and  the 
young  tortoises  and  eggs  are  eaten  up  by  the  pigs  which  have 
been  left  there,  and  which  have  multiplied  rapidly." 

Leguat's  account  of  the  land-tortoises  at  Rodriguez  corresponds 
closely  with  the  experiences  of  the  Dutch  at  Mauritius  as  re- 
corded in  their  second  voyage  of  1598.  Professor  Newton 
furnishes  a  quaint  copper-plate  engraving  which  well  illustrates 
the  ponderous  size  of  these  huge  chelonians,  taken  from  de  Bry's 


1  "The  principal  point  of  view  (in  Rodriguez)  is  first  the  French 
Governor's  house,  or  ratlier  that  of  the  Superintendent,  appointed  by  the 
Governor  of  the  Isle  of  France  to  direct  the  cultivation  of  the  gardens 
tlierc,  and  overlooks  the  park  of  laud  turtles.  Secondly,  the  park  of 
land-turtles,  which  is  on  the  sea-shore,  facing  the  house."  (Admiral 
Kempenfeldt's  Iteport,  quoted  by  Viscount  de  Vaux,  op.  cit.,  p.  101.) 


THE    GIGANTIC   MASCARENE   TORTOISES.  375 

well-known  India  Orientalis  before  mentioned. ^  The  title  to  this 
drawing,  a  facsimile  of  which  is  hei'c  given,  runs  thus  : — 
"  Quomodo  Hollandi  in  Mauritii  insula  ingentes  Testudincs 
inuenerint."  And  the  description  as  follows  :  "  Cum  Hollaudit  m 
naues  An.  159S,  in  Indiam  expedirentur,  in  transitu  lusuUim 
quandam,  Mauritij  dictam  occuparunt :  qnte  testudines  peltatas 
tarn  grandes  ferebat  ut  super  una  duo  insidentcs  Hollandi,  non 
secus  ac  ne  minimu  graues,  citra  omne  impedimentuni  longc, 
proferrentur.  Illarum  uonnulla;  ad  earn  usque  magnitudine 
crescunt,  vt  in  vnius  auulsa  testa  decern  viri  commode  sedere  & 
epulari  potuerint.  In  eadem  Insula  psittacorum  columbarumque 
numerum  quoque  maximum  repererunt  tarn  cicurura,  ut  fustibus 
eas  prostrauerint.  Sed  et  alios  ibidem  aves  visa)  sunt,  quas 
'V^'alckvogel  Batavi  nominarunt  et  unam  secum  in  Hollandiam 
importarunt." 

A  large  example  of  what  was  probably  one  of  the  last  of  the 
Kodrigucz  species  was  imported  more  than  half  a  century  ago  to 
England,  and  kept  at  the  Zoological  Gardens,  where  it  was  living 
when  described  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Zoological  Society 
(1833,  p.  81).  It  weighed  289  lbs.,  the  shell  being  4  ft.  i\  ins. 
in  length  (over  the  curve),  and  4  ft.  9  ins.  in  width. 

When  Mauritius  was  surrendered  to  General  Abercrombie,  in 
1810,  among  the  ordnance  stores  handed  over  to  and  taken  in 
charge  by  the  Royal  Artillery  there  was  a  huge  land  tortoise  which, 
not  improbably,  may  be  a  Kodriguez  animal,  as  from  its  size  it  must 
certainly  have  been  living  in  the  days  of  Leguat.  It  is  still 
alive,  and  has  been  a  denizen  of  Artillery  Place  and  the  barracks 

1  Pars  quarta.  After  the  text,  which  finishes  at  p.  iii,  are  to  be 
found  the  plates  which  belong  to  this  part,  entitled: — "  Icones  sou 
genuinse  et  expressse  delineationes  eorum  omnium  quae  in  hac  quarta 
Jndise  orientalis  description e  siugularia  offeruutur.  Vbi  peregrinorum 
quorundam  animalium,  arborum,  fructuum,  plantarumque,  &c.  alias 
non  visorum  viva  effigies  exhibetur.  Qua3  omnia  et  sumptuosis 
impensis,  &  opera  accurata  in  aes  incisa,  publicreque  luci  com- 
municata  sunt  a  Joanne  Tlieodorico  et  Joanne  Israelo  dc  Pry  fratribus 
&  ciuibus  Moeno  P'rancofurteusibus.  Francoforti  Imprimebat  Matthjeus 
Becker.     Anno  Muti." 


370  APPENDIX. 

in  Port  Louis  ever  since,  having  survived  many  accidents  and 
cruel  experiments.  Its  shell  is  9  ft.  3  ins.  in  circumference,  and 
it  stands  2  ft.  6  ins.  high.^ 

Measures  have  been  taken  to  preserve  the  tortoises  in  Aldabra, 
and  some  of  these  chelonians  have  been  introduced  into  Flat 
Island  near  Mauritius,  by  the  Mauritius  Acclimatisation  Society, 
and  are,  it  is  said,  thriving  if  not  multiplying.  They  lay  their 
eggs  three  times  in  the  year. 

In  the  Botanical  Gai-dens  of  Pamplemousses,  in  Mauritius,  are 
two  tortoises,  of  which  one,  measuring  7  ft.  2  ins.  in  circumference, 
stands  1  ft.  8  in.  in  height ;  and  there  are  others  at  Eiviefe  Seche, 
belonging  to  M.  Caste],  and  another  to  M.  Daruty,  at  Mou  Tresor, 
near  Mahebourg,  in  Mauritius. 

Tliere  are  others  in  the  Seychelles  Islands,  whence  two  fine 
specimens  have  been  brought  to  the  Zoological  Gardens ;  and 
there  were  for  a  long  time  till  lately  (dating  from  before  the  days 
of  Napoleon)  two  fine  specimens  in  the  grounds  of  Plantation 
House,  at  St.  Helena,  where  one  died  in  1877.'^ 

The  osseous  remains  of  the  Rodriguez  tortoises,^  which  Dr. 
Giinther  has  examined,  and  for  which  he  was  indebted  to  M. 
Bouton  and  the  Trustees  of  the  Glasgow  Museum,  were  found  to 
include  some  exceedingly  large  bones,  larger  than  any  of  those 
from  Mauritius,  and  they  must  have  belonged,  he  states,  to 
individuals  of  the  size  of  the  large  living  males  of  Aldabra. 
From  the  perforation  of  tiie  neural  arch  of  the  sixth  nuclial 
vertebra  Dr.  Giinther  determines  that  these  animals  had  the 
habit  of  bringing  the  neck  in  a  vertical  position,  so  that  these 

1  See  memorandum  by  Mr.  Littleton,  in  Nature,  Aug.  23,  1883, 
p.  308. 

2  Three  enormous  tortoises  were  brought  fi'om  the  Seyclielles  Islands 
to  the  Jardin  d'Accliuiatisatiou  at  Paris,  in  July  1878.  The  largest 
weighed  no  less  than  187  kilogrammes  (nearly  4  cwt.),  arid  measured 
1.17  metres  in  diameter,  about  46  inches,  and  in  1883  some  large 
Aldabra  tortoises  were  placed  on  Flat  Island,  by  the  Mauritius 
Acclimatisation  Society. 

3  See  G'Kjdiitic  Laml-Tortoises,  Living  and  Extinrt,  in  the  Collection  of 
the  British  Museum,  by  A.  C.  L.  G.  Giinther,  M.D.,  F.R.S.,  Keeper  of  the 
department  of  Zoology,  1877,  p.  52. 


THE   GIGANTIC    MASCAEENE   TORTOISES.  377 

two  vertebra3  were  standing  nearly  at  a  right  angle.  It  Avill  be 
remembered  that  Leguat  mentions  {ante,  p.  71) — "There's  one 
thing  very  odd  among  them  ;  they  always  place  Sentinels  at  some 
Distance  from  their  Troop,  at  the  four  corners  of  their  Camp,  to 
which  the  Sentinels  turn  their  Backs,  and  look  with  the  Eyes  as 
if  they  were  on  the  Watch."  This  habit  of  raising  their  necks 
nearly  perpendicular  must  have  greatly  aided  the  capability  of 
seeing  to  some  distance  around  them  which  these  animals  seem  to 
have  possessed. 

Dr.  Giiuther  assumes  that  "some  land  tortoises  were  carried 
by  stream  or  current  from  Madagascar  or  Africa  to  the  Mascarenc 
Islands,  in  preference  to  assuming  a  former  continuity  of  land 
between  the  Mascarene  Archipelago  and  Africa";  but  the  direction 
of  the  great  equatorial  current,  and  prevailing  south-east  trade 
wind,  militate  considerably  against  the  theory. 

"With  this  hypothesis"  (of  submergence  of  land  between  the 
Mascarene  Islands),  writes  Dr.  Giinther,  "  we  should  be  obliged  . 
to  contend  for  this  animal  type  an  age  extending  over  enormous 
periods  of  time,  of  which  the  period  required  for  the  loss  of  power 
of  flight  in  the  Dodo  or  Solitaire  is  but  a  fraction."  (See  Nature, 
vol.  xii,  1875,  ijp.  238,  259,  296.) 

Of  the  remains  from  Rodriguez,  the  species  Testtido  Vosmoeri 
can  alone  be  distinguished ;  of  this  reptile  an  extensive  series  is 
preserved  in  the  Cambridge  Museum,  from  N'ewton's  find. 


SUPPLEMENTARY  NOTE. 

(See  pp.  74-75.) 


THE  DUGONG,  HALICORE  DUGONG,  LEGUAT'S 
"  MANATl". 

Leguat  was  the  first  Europeau  to  record  the  existence  and  observe 
the  habits  of  the  remarkable  animal  forming  the  subject  of  this 
note.  During  the  nearly  three  years'  stay  he  and  his  companions 
made  on  the  island  of  Rodriguez,  they  used  it  as  their  principal  food, 
and  had  unexampled  opportunities  of  observing  it.  The  account 
he  gives  of  it  is  in  the  main  quite  in  accord  with  the  investigations 
of  modern  naturalists.  I  must  premise  these  remarks  by  saying 
that  the  whole  subject  of  the  Sirenia  has  been  treated  in  an  ex- 
haustive way  in  the  Proceedings  of  learned  societies,  and  there  is 
really  nothing  new  to  add  ;  but  the  readers  of  our  books  like  to 
have  before  them  the  opinions  of  modern  authorities  on  points  of 
interest  touched  upon  by  the  early  travellers. 

The  geographical  distribution  of  the  Sirenia,  as  Dr.  H.  Woodward 
has  shown  in  his  treatises,^  extended  in  pre-historic  times  over  a 
very  wide  area,  fossil  remains  of  no  less  than  twenty-seven  species 
having  been  discovered  in  Tertiary  strata  as  far  north  as  lat. 
60°  N.,  and  as  far  south  as  the  tropic  of  Cancer.  These 
earlier  species  may  be  considered  the  ancestors  of  existing 
forms,  differing,  however,  so  much  from  them  as  to  suggest  inter- 
vening links  which  have  not  yet  been  found  ;  though  it  has  been 
ascertained  that  when  changes  took  place  in  the  physical  con- 
ditions  of  European  seas  the  genus  Ilalitherium  prevailed.^ 


1  Geol.  Mag.,  1885,  Dec.  3,  vol.  ii,  pp.  412-25  ;  and  Quart.  Jo 
Geol.  Soc.  LoncL,  1885,  vol.  xli,  pp.  457-72. 

2  H.  Woodward,  op.  cit. 


urn. 


THE  DUGONG.  379 

•  The  Sirenia  are  allied  to  various  orders  of  Mammalia,  viz.,  to 
the  Cetacea  or  whales,  to  the  pachyderms,  according  to  de  Blaiii- 
ville  and  others,  and  possibly  to  the  Ungulates ;  but  they  have 
peculiarities  which  distinguish  them  from  all  these  orders.  Tlieir 
external  appearance  naturally  suggested  an  affinity  with  the 
•whales,  but  a  closer  examination  showed  striking  points  of  con- 
trast. The  whale,  with  his  huge  jaws  and  enormous  head, 
is  carnivorous  in  its  diet,  while  the  Sirenia  are  herbivorous,  their 
food  consisting  of  aquatic  plants,  or  of  marine  algee  growing  in 
shallow  waters.  Unlike  the  whales,  their  heads  are  small  in 
proportion  to  their  bodies,  and  rounded  rather  than  elon- 
gated. They  have,  too,  this  distinguishing  peculiarity,  that 
the  cervical  vertebrse  (only  six  in  number  in  the  American 
species)  are  free  and  movable  and  form  a  neck  enabling 
the  animal  to  turn  its  head  about,  while  in  the  case  of  the 
whale,  the  head  and  body  are  united  together  in  one  compact 
mass,  the  neck  being  almost  immovable.  Another  pecu- 
liarity is  the  formation  of  the  fore-limbs.  These,  instead  of 
being  pectoral  fins,  as  in  the  wliale  tribe  generally,  have  the 
character  of  the  arm  and  hand  of  the  higher  mammalia,  whence 
the  name  "  Manatee",  from  Mamis,  given  to  the  best  known  of 
the  living  species.  The  digits  of  the  Manus  are  not,  however, 
separate,  but  there  is  evidence  of  nails  on  the  end  of  the  fingers, 
which  are  united  to  form  a  flipper  or  paddle-like  organ.  This 
foi'e  limb,  capable  of  being  moved  at  the  elbow  joint,  is  used  by 
the  animal  to  assist  in  bringing  food  to  its  mouth,  and  in  the 
case  of  the  females,  to  hold  their  young  to  the  breast.  Their  fish- 
like form  and  peculiarly  human  way  of  suckling  their  young, 
suggested  to  the  early  navigators  the  idea  of  Sirens  or  mermaids, 
Avhence  the  name  given  to  the  order.  Tliey  have  also  a  few  hairs 
on  their  thick,  wrinkled  skins,  as  Leguat  correctly  observes,  while 
the  whale  has  a  perfectly  smooth,  glistening,  hairless  skin. 

It  is,  howevei',  in  their  dentition  that  the  Sirenia  differ  in  the 
most  marked  way  from  the  whales,  and  approach  the  elephant 
and  hippopotamus.  The  adult  Dugong  has  a  pair  of  tusk-like  in- 
cisors in  the  upper  jaw,  and  two  (rarely  three)  molars,  separated  by 
a  wide  interval,  on  each  side,  above  and  below,  making  fourteen 


380 


SUPPLEMENTAIJY    NOTE. 


teeth  in  all ;  the  Manatee  has  forty-eight  teeth  altogether,  viz.  :  4 
iiiilk-incisors  (which  speedily  disappear),  and  44  molars  and  pre- 
molars, resembling,  in  pattern,  the  same  teeth  iu  the  Hippopo- 
tamus, but  very  much  smaller.  The  extinct  edentulous  Rhytina  is 
uearer  the  Dugong  than  any  other  living  species,  having  only  two 


Manatee. 


milk  incisors,  the  absence  of  teeth  being  supplied  by  a  horny  cover- 
ing on  the  jaws,  gums,  and  palate,  of  peculiar  structure,  enabling 
the  animal  to  masticate  its  food.  Tliese  distinctions  betweeu  the 
three  genera  of  Mauatee,  Dugong,  and  Rhytina,  are  illustrated  in 


Dugong. 


the  accompanying  woodcuts,  drawn  from  skulls  preserved  in  the 
British    Museum    of    Natural    History,    Cromwell   Road,    where 


THE   DUGONG.  381 

also  a  complete  skeleton  of  Rhytina,  from  the  peat  of  Beh- 
ring's  Island,  is  exhibited.  The  skeleton^  of  all  the  varieties  is 
remarkable  for  the  massiveness  of  the  bones,  especially  of  the 
ribs,  which  are  intensely  hard,  and  it  is  doubtless  owing  to  the 
specific  gravity  of  these  that  the  animals  are  enabled  to  keep 
their  bodies  much  below  the  surface  in  shallow  waters  whilst 
feeding  on  the  marine  vegetation. 

Turning  now  to  the  literature  of  the  subject,  we  find  a  curious 
figure  of  the  killing  of  the  Manatee  by  the  natives  in  America  in 
De  Bry.2  One  is  represented  astride  of  the  animal,  di-iving 
wooden  plugs  into  its  nostrils,  while  another  is  towing  it  behind 
his  canoe.     Another  curious  illustration  may  be  seen  in  a  Spanish 


Rhytina. 

work  on  the  Orinoco  by  Father  Joseph  Gumilla.'  In  it  the 
Manatee  is  represented  on  its  back  suckling  two  young,  one  under 
each  flipper. 

But  our  first  real  knowledge  of  this  group  of  animals  dates  from 
the  time  of  the  German  naturalist  Stellcr,  who,  with  the  Russian 
captain  and  celebrated  navigator  Vitus  Behring,  were  cast  on  an 


1  H.  Woodward,  Geol.  Mag.,  1885,  p.  422. 

2  Frankfort,  1602.     America,  part  9. 

3  El  Orinoco   illnstrado   y    defendido,   Historia  natural,    Civil  y  geo- 
graphica  de  este  gran  Rio  ;  Madrid,  1745,  vol.  ii,  p.  112. 


382  SUPPLEMENTARY   NOTE. 

islaud  in  Behring's  Straits  in  1741,  where  the  latter  died.  Steller 
saw  vast  numbers  of  the  Rhytiua,  called,  after  him,  Steller's  sea- 
cow,  or  vache  marine,  pasturing  in  the  shallows  along  the  shore 
and  collected  in  herds  like  cattle.  As  they  fed  they  raised  their 
heads  every  four  or  five  minutes  to  breathe,  before  descending  to 
browse  on  the  thick  beds  of  seaweed  surrounding  the  coast. 
^Vhen  full-grown,  Steller  says  they  attained  a  length  of  thirty-five 
feet  and  a  weight  of  three  or  four  tons,  so  that  it  required  forty 
men  to  drag  the  body  of  one  to  land.  Steller's  report  of  their 
being  good  for  food  led  to  their  complete  annihilation,  within  the 
short  space  of  forty  years,  1741-1781  ;  for  when  subsequent 
investigators  visited  Behring's  and  Copper  Islands  for  the  pm-pose 
of  securing  specimens,  they  did  not  find  a  single  living  one,  or  any 
of  its  bones.  It  was  not  till  nearly  a  century  later  that  a  skull 
was  obtained  for  the  Imperial  Academy  of  Sciences  in  St.  Peters- 
burg, enabling  Brandt  to  write  his  masterly  monograph,  entitled 
Symbolce  SirenologicceA  So  little,  indeed,  was  known  of  the  animal 
at  this  time,  that  we  find  naturalists  describing  the  Rhytina  as  a 
gigantic  Manatee,  giving  it  the  name  of  "  Le  Grand  Lamantin  de 
Kamschatka".  Cuvier  was  the  first  to  distinguish  it  as  a  separate 
species,  j^reserving,  however,  the  name  Lamantin,  and  calling  it 
Lamantin  dti  nord ;  while  Illiger  groiiped  these  animals  apart, 
and  distinguished  the  three  species.  Manatee,  Halicore,  and 
Ehytina,  placing  them  between  the  seals  and  Cetacea. 

Within  the  last  few  years  two  living  Manatees  have  been 
brought  to  this  country^;  one  lived  in  the  Zoological  Gardens, 
where  it  died  in  1889  ;  the  other  flourished  for  several  months  at 
the  Westminster  Aquarium,  till  one  cold  day  in  March  its  keeper 
carelessly  left  the  plug  of  its  tank  drawn,  the  water  drained  away, 
and  the  poor  animal  caught  such  a  severe  chill  that  it  never 
recovered. 

Dr.  Woodward,  who  has  kindly  revised  this  note,  adds  the 
following : — 

1  Mem.  Imp.  Acad.  Sci.  St.  retershnrc/,  1846,  vi^e  s6rie,  pt.  ii  ;  Sci. 
Nat.,  vol.  V,  livr.  iv,  pp.  1-160,  tab.  i  v. 

2  See  the  admirable  IMemoir  by  Dr.  J.  Marie,  F.L.S.,  Trans.  Zool. 
Svc,  vol.  viii,  p.  167,  1872. 


THE   DUGONG.  383 

The  Manatee  still  inhabits  the  east  coasts  and  the  great  rivers 
of  South  America,  such  as  the  Orinoco,  the  west  coast  of  sub- 
tropical Africa,  the  Gaboon,  and  adjacent  shores.  The  Du- 
gong  occupies  the  east  coast  of  Africa,  from  the  Red  Sea  to 
the  tropic  of  Capricorn  ;  also  the  coasts  of  the  East  Indies  and 
as  far  south  as  tlie  north  and  east  coasts  of  Queensland,  Australia. 
But  within  late  historic  times  the  geographical  distribution  of  the 
living  Sireuia  has  everywliere  become  more  and  more  restricted, 
and  their  extinction  by  man  seems  imminent,  owing  to  the  narrow 
limitation  of  their  feeding-ground,  which  is  confined  to  those 
spots  in  comparatively  shallow  water  along  those  coasts  only 
where  marine  algoe  occur  in  most  abundance. 

E.  D.  M. 


INDEX/ 


Abbe    de   Choisy,  Intro,    xxx,   Pref. 

Ixxvli,  223 
Abbe  Pi:.gr^,  xl,  337,  347 
Abbot  Amiot,  version  of  Plutarch  by, 

145 
Abercronibie.   General,    surrender    of 

Mauritius  to,  xlvii,  375 
Abomiuable    crimes,    absolution    for, 

131 
Abrahr^m  Du  Quesne,  2 
Abreu,  Gomes  d',  314 
Absolution,  sale  of,  131 
Abundance  of  variety,  105 
Acacia,  A.  lebbek,  850 
Academic     des     Sciences,     Comptes 

Rendus,  320  et  seq.;  Memoires  de  1', 

xli,  xliv  ;  Histoire  de  1',  xli 
Academie   de   St.   Petersbourg,   360, 

3o8,  382 
Academy,  Royal,  of  Amsterdam,  359 
Academy  of  Vienna,  366 
Aranthophoenix,  rubra,  et  crinita,  200 
Accents,  Greek,  antiquity  of,  81 
Accident  (an),  like  to  have   proved 

fatal,  302  et  seq. 
Acclimatisation,     Jardin     d',     376  ; 

society   of,  in    Maurilius,  376  ;  of 

game   in   Robben  Island,  280  ;  of 

plants    in    Bourbon,    44  ;    at    the 

Cape,    275  ;     in    Java,     228  ;    at 

Mauritius,  206,  207  ;  at  Rodriguez, 

.')6  ;  at  St.  Helena,  299 
Accomodeurs,  or  Botchers,  1 01 
Acoruis,    oaks    raised    from,   at    the 

Cape,  276 
Acosta,  Joseph,   "  Histoire  Naturelle 

et  Morale  des  Indes",  by,  286 
Acre,  38 

Acrklotheres  trislis,  starling,  211 
Actiniid(e,  coraXs,,  110 
Actium,  battle  of,  97 
Acts,  Book  of,  quoted,  101 
Acugna,   Vasco  d',  navigator,   309  et 

seq.  ;  cape  of  the  island  of,  21 
Acunha,  Tristan  d',  Isles  of,  21,  26  et 

seq. 
Adam  and  Eve,  121  et  seq. 
Adam's  fig-tree,  199 


Adanson's  "Voyage  au  Senegal,"  110 

Adders,  in  America,  90 

Adeodatus,  Pope,  158 

Adiantum  Capillus  Veneris,  333 

Administration  of  Dutch  East  India 
Company,  192 

Administrator,  the,  Don  Joan  Masca- 
renhas,  308 

Administrators  of  grain  magazines, 
190 

Admiral,  Bertie,  xlvi,  xlvii;  Boscawen, 
xxxix,  34  ;  Cornish,  xlv  ;  Kempen- 
felt,  70  ;  Stavorinus, 271  et  seq.;  see 
Stavoiiuus. 

Admiral,  vice,  the  Dutch,  272,  303 

Admiralty  Charts,  xvii,  1,  48 

Adonijah,  by  the  stone  of  Zoheleth, 
190 

Adonis,  gardens  of,  275 

Adoration,  secret  and  interior,  of  sun 
and  moon,  297 

Adrian  VI,  Pope,  5 

Adultery,  punished  severely  by  the 
Hottentots,  291,295 

Adventurers,  their  names,  etc.,  6, 
135  ;  arrive  in  the  Island  Rodrigo, 
48  ;  a  plan  of  their  habitations,  50; 
their  occupations,  99;  their  religion, 
100  ;  propose  to  quit  that  island, 
105,  106  ;  build  a  bark,  107  ;  go  on 
board,  111  ;  are  shipwrecked,  113  ; 
return  to  the  island,  turn  physi- 
cians, Ho  ;  have  a  mind  to  embark 
a  second  time,]  19, 12f);  the  author's 
re.ison  for  disswading  it,  ib.;  lose 
their  title  of  free  men,  127;  leave  a 
monument  in  the  Island  Rodrigo, 

135  ;  are  kings  of  that  island,  129  ; 
have  great  respect  for  the  Jesuits, 

136  ;  why  they  quitted  their  coun- 
try, 135  ;  dei)art  again  from  their 
island,  139  ;  care  not  for  women, 
147  ;  are  in  great  distress,  arrive 
at  Isle  Maurice,  145  ;  prefer  a  rock 
to'  a  woman,  are  rob'd  by  the 
governour  of  that  island,  etc.,  155  ; 
put  in  irons  there,  and  wherefore, 
158  ;  pillag'd  by  the  governour,  159; 
are  sent  to  a  desart    island,   160  ; 


1  N.B. —  The  entries  in  the  "Table"  of  the  original  version  are  distinguished 
by  heavy  type- 


INDEX. 


385 


undergo  a  thousand  miseries  for 
three  years,  161  ct  seq.  ;  two  of 
them  venture  to  Isle  Maurice  ou  a 
float,  163  ;  aie  carry'd  back,  165  ; 
write  into  Holhind,  ih.  ;  carry'd 
back  to  Isle  iVciurice,  189  ;  their 
departure  for  Batavia,  191,  215  ; 
present  a  petition  in  vain  to  the 
Council  of  State  of  the  Indies,  to 
demand  justice  against  the  Gover- 
nor of  Isle  Maurice,  216,  219  ;  their 
continuance  at  Batavia,  ih.  ;  their 
departure  from  thence,  270  ;  their 
arrival  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
273  ;  their  departure,  298  ;  their 
arrival  at  Flushing,  304 
^f/ialitis,  the  Wire-bird  of  St.  Helena, 

300 
^neid,  of  Virgil,  36, 136 
^pi/ornis,  370 
\^sculapius,  ministers  of,  115 
Affbuche,  .331 

Africa,    30,    34  ;  Belisarins    in,    134  ; 
continent  of,  298  ;  "  Dapjier's  His- 
tory of,  273  ;  Huguenot  settlers  in, 
285  ;    Ogilby's    history    of,     289  ; 
southern   point   of,   294  ;  southern 
promontory  of,  30  ;  central,  346 
Africans,  near  the  Cape,  266,  267 
African    tribes,    287,    289    et    seq.  ; 
Chainouqua,  294  ;  Grigriqua,  295  ; 
Hessequa,     294;      Tablicr     found 
among,  293 
Agnlega,  Island  of,  66 
Af/apornis  cana,  24,  336,  337,  338 
A(/at/ioph)/llmn  aroniaiicum,  201 
Ages  of  the  author,  Francois  Leguat, 

and  his  companions,  6,  121 
Agesingue,  the  Cape,  30 
Agulhas,  Cape,  34  ;  or  Cape  Needles, 

ih. ;  current  and  bank  of,  ih. 
Ain,  the  dejiartmeut  of,  xvii,  1,  127 
Air,  healthy,  of  the  Isle  of  Bdcn'sd; 
of  Isle  Eodri'jo,   99,    129  ;    of    the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  276,  286  ;  of  St 
Helena,  299 
Alais,  Bishop  of,  259 
Albino  of  the  Australian  PornJivrio 
366  ^    J      ' 

Albinos,  270.      Vide  Chacrelats 
Alboquerque,  Alfonso  d',  319  et  seq. 
Alcinous,  g.ardens  of,  200,  275 
Alcyone  and  Ceyx,  Dryden's,  112 
A/ri/nniid(v,  corals,  110 
Aldabra,  Tortoises  of  the  Island   of 

70,  374 
Alectorernas  nitidissima,  345 
Aleman,  Mateo,  author  of  "  Guzman 

d'Alfarache",  178 
Alexandre,  Histojre  d',  68 
Alcxandrcis,  Ixxxii 


Alfarache  {Guzman  d'),  178 
Algiers,  Mahometan  of,  191 
Algue,  espece  d'.  Gulf-weed,  302 
Aliz^,  espece  de  Vent,  111 
Alligator  pear,  201 
Allowance,  short,  of  meat  and  drink 

160 
Almanacks,  unknown  to  the  Hotten- 
tots,  295 
Almeida,   Viceroy    Frau9ois    d',    312 

et  seq. 
Aloes,  44,  199 
Alouettcs  de  Mer,  8,  330 
Altars,  in  Chinese  temples,  257 
Altars,    wax-tapers,     images,    holy- 
water,  etc.,  in  the  P.igodes  of  the 
Chinese  at  Batavia,  257 
Alva,  Duke  of,  136 
Amalfis,  city  of,  108 
Ambassadors     (Begging)     make    a 

sorry  figure,  130 
Ambassadour,  P>ench,  135 
Amber,  yellow  and  grej-,  87  ct  seq. ; 

at  Mauritius,  153,  214 
Ambergreece,  43,  87  et  seq.  ;  a  fatal 

jiiece,  152  ct  seq.,  181 
Ambergris,  found  in  Mauritius,  153, 

181,  214  ;  iu  the  Maldives,  ib. 
Amboyna,    government     of    an    out 

station  at,  192 
Amboynese,  237 
Ambre,   Isles   d',   on    N.E.   coast   of 

Mauritius,  153,214 
Amelot,  Mr.,  xxix 
Amerci,  the  Ja  van's  Cry,  when  they 

are  mad,  262 
America,  continent  and  islands  of,  67  ; 
voyages  to,  96  ;  M.  de  la  Case  in' 
xxxiii,  53;  hurricanes  in,  46;  natives 
of,  382  ;  rattle-snake  in,  174 
American,    consul,    N.     Pike,     173  ; 
islands,    89  ;  Lamentin,   74  ;    shiii' 
wreck  of,  327 
Amiot,   the    Abbot,  version  of    Plu- 
tarch by,  145 
Amirantes  Is.,  309 
Amour  me'decin,  1',  of  Molifere,  115 

162 
Amphitheatres,  81 

Amsterdam,  xxxiv,  Ixxv,  2,6,54,  108  • 
magistrates  of,  192;  Royal  Academy 
of  Sciences  of,  359 
Amu  I;     the    peculiar    frenzy    amon? 
Malays,  262  ^ 

Am;,/,  wreck  of  the,  193 
Anacardlum  sp.,  201 
Anacharsis,  xxxv 

Ananas,  44, 152 ;  common  nt Batavia 
229  ;    at    Mauritius,    198  ;    at   the 
''  ape,  278  :  at  St.  Helena,  299 
An.ina.sse  Kivier,  Mauritius,  146 
CO 


386 


INDEX. 


Anchor,  at  Diego  Ruys,  48  ;  jiroinised 
but  not  found  at  N.W.  Port, 
Mauritius,  149 

Anchors,  lost  in  Table  Bay,  272 

Anchovios,  at  Genoa,  278 

Ancienism,  pedantry,  133 

Ancient  fauna  of  Isle  Rodriguez,  320 
et  seq. 

Angelus,  at  Rodriguez,  the,  xliii 

Anglo-Indian  glossary,  69 

Angnfcum  fmf/rans,  87 

Angnille  Morcle,  a  savage  eel,  174 

Anguilles,  Riviere  des,  146 

Animals,  of  the  same  kind  vary,  9  ; 
in  the  Isle  of  Salt,  11,  14  ;  of  the 
Isle  of  Eden,  44,  45  ;  of  Isle 
Maurice,  2'  8,  209  ;  of  Java,  232, 
233  ;  of  the  Cax>e  of  Good  Hope,  278 

Animals,  in  ship,  given  condensed  sea- 
water,  301 

Anisson,  Jean,  Director  of  Royal 
Press,  Paris,  260 

Anjer,  P>ay  of,  in  Java,  271 

Anjdle,  near  Batavia,  Chinese  temple 
at,  257 

Anuabuu,  island  of,  197 

"Aunales  des  Sc.  nat.  Zool.",  81  et  seq. ; 
96,  333,  341,  369 

Anniseed,  230 

Anona  squamosa,  200 

Anonymous  Dedication,  Ixxi 

Anselin  (Jtobert)  6,  52,  54,  135,  156 

Antarctic  Ocean  and  region,  349 

Antelopes,  at  the  Cape,  278 

Anthropophagi  of  Java,  269 

Antiaris  toxicaria,  or  Antsjar,  poison 
of,  264 

Antidote,  serpent- stone,  234 

Antilles,  Uistoirc  naturcllc  des  iles,  by 
Rochefort,  17,  69,  90,  94,  256,  290, 
292  ;  manatees  in  waters  of  the,  74 

Antipodes,  14  ;  islands  of  the,  119 

Antiquaries,  wretched  set  of,  133 

Antiquities,  Roman,  Ixxx 

Anti-trades,  or  passage  winds,  in 
Indian  Ocean,  111 

Ant-nests,  of  fat  earth,  or  canes,  in 
Java,  225 

Antony's  ship,  97 

Ants,  that  have  their  nests  a-top  of 
the  bamboos,  225  ;  white  or  ter- 
times,  225 

Apes,  of  divers  kinds  204 

Apes  at  the  Cape,  278  ;  at  Mauritius, 
204 

Aphmwptcryx,  allied  to  Gelinotes  of 
Rodriguez,  81 

Apolliue,  St.,  or  Santa  Appollonia, 
309,  310,  313 

Apology,  John  Bunyan's,  Ixxvi 


Appeal  from  sentence  of  Council   to 

Bativvia,  182 
Appendix  A.,  xxxvii,  308  ;  Ai>peudix 

B.,  xxxix,  320  ;  Appendix  C,   77, 

341    ;     Appendix    D ,    210,    358  ; 

Appendix  E.,  70,  369 
Apple,  200  ;  custard,  ih. 
"  Apprenti    Moine",   Philosophic    d', 

176 
Apr^s  de  Mannevillette,  M.  d',  66 
Apricock,  an,  199 
Apteryx,  370 
Aqua-vitcp,     bottles      of,     given     to 

prisoners     166;    price   of,    at   the 

Cape,  282  ;  given  in  exchange  for 

cattle,  293 
Aqiiileia,  Church  of,  Ixxxi 
Arabians,  modern  divination  of,  257 
Arabic  term,  Amhcr,  87 
Arak,  bottle  of,  153 
Araque,    a  strong   liquor  made   of 

sugar,  198,  200 
Aracjue,  too  much  drunk  by  sailor  at 

the  helm,  303 
Arbour,  a  fine,  67,  104 
Arhrc,  d  Pa;/odes,  67  ;  Pavilion,  103; 

de  Reys,  68  ;  des  Bauianes,  ib. 
Arcadia,  136 

Archbishop  Gerbert,  132 
Archipelago     Mascarene,    377 ;     dis- 
covery of  i-slands  of,  308 
Archives,    Portuguese,    308  ;    de   la 

Marine,  339 
Ardea  megarcphala,  335,  343 
Areca,  catechu,  or  betel  palm,    230, 

264  ;  Arcca  jaunatre,  332 
Arequa,  nuts,  229 
Aristotle,  on  the  rcmora,  97 
Arithmetic,  Arabian  skill  in,  132 
Arms  of  Portugal,  41,  317.     See  map 

of  Bourbon 
Arms,  of  jiriests,  chaplets  of  beads  on, 

257 
Arms,  heraldic  of  Le  Gnat,  xvii 
Ai'ms,    inspector    of,     for     King    of 

England,     148  ;     of     adventurers 

seized,  159 
Arms  of  France,  erected  in  Rodriguez, 

xxxviii 
Army  of  Hottentots,  defeated,  295 
Arrows,  poisoned,   used  by  Karens, 

264 
Arsenal  at  Paris,  library  of,  xxxv,  2  ; 

librai-ian  of,  x 
Artichokes,  44,  56 
Artiktl-hricf,   of    Dutch   East   India 

Company,  167 
Artillery,  good  at  island   of    Onrut, 

227  ;  Artillery   Place,  Port  Louis, 

375  ;  Artillery,  Royal,  375 


INDEX. 


387 


Artocarpus  intcf/rifolia,  201 

Artuve,  island  of,  66 

Ascension,  island  of,  Mars  expedition 

to,  300  ;  sea  elejihauts  of,  74 
Ascension,  particulars  of  that  island, 

301 
Asliburnham  MSS.,  38 
Ashes,  natives  lying  in,  at  the  Cape, 

291  ;  used  to  fructify  seed,  57 
Ashmolean  museum,  xlix,  1 
Asliuiolean     Society,     President     of. 

Dr.  Strickland,  1 
Asiatic  Journal,  1 
Assassins,      punished     with      death, 

among  the  Hottentots,  291 
Assemblies  of  Hottentots,  296 
Assembly  of  Seventeen,  the,  192,  283 
Asses,  wild,   at  the    Cape,   278  ;  at 

Island  of  Salt,  12;  in  Mauritius,  209 
Association,  British,  at  Birmingham, 

3.53 
Aston,  Sergeant,  liii 
Astncida;,  corals,  110 
Astree,  1',  49 
Astrologer,  Archbishop  Gerbert,  an, 

132 
Astrology  of  the  Hottentots,  295 
Astronomer     Royal,    at    the     Cape, 

Dr.  Gill.  300 
Asylum,  and  refuge,  for  ships  of  all 

nations,  Batavia,  226 
Atheists  and  deists,  297 
Athene  iniirivora,  333,  336,  344 
Atlantic    Ocean,  North,  301  et  seq.  ; 

South,  298 
Atlas,  English,  by  Ogilby,  289  ct  seq. ; 

of  Santarem,  308,  310 
Atte  Atticr,  200 
Aubonne,  near  Berne,  2 
Auchmuty,  Sir  Samuel,  221 
Auditor  General  of  Mauritius,  li 
Augsberg,  league  of,  164,  271,  272 
Auk,  the  great,  370 
Australia,  384 

Auteur  qui  Texplique,  1',  46 
Author  (The)  of  this  relation  aban- 
dons his    country,  and  wherefore, 

1,  127  ;    his    character,  Pref. ;  I'ich 

without      riches,     ih.  ;      makes    a 

good    cheer    without    bread,    105  ; 

0])poses  a  second  embarking,  119  ; 

his  country,  6, 127  ;  his  age,  6,  121  ; 

is  very  sick,  161  ;  recovers  himself 

because  there    is    no   phj^sician  in 

his   island,  162  ;  his    thanksgiving 

hymn,  304 
Author,  life  of,  introduction,  xvii 
Author's  preface,  Ixxv 
Authors,     whether    they    ought    to 

name  themselves  so,  Pref.  Ixxxiv 


Avare,  1',  of  Moli6re,  46 

Avarice,  root  of  all  evil,  190  ;  a  vice 

unknown  to  the  Hottentots,  296 
Avenue,  natural,   102  ;  at  the  Cape, 

275,  276 
Avezac,  M.  d',  xxxix,  315 
Avis  Indica,  by  CoUaert,  361,  363 
Avium  Vivcp  Ironcs,  363 
Avoca,  pear,  201 
Azores,  the,  301 


B. 

Babol,  hanging  gardens  of,  275 
Backgammon,  trictrac,  104 
Back-yards,  of  Dutch,  at  Black  River, 

147 
Budamicr,  201 
Badge  of   slavery  and   subjection   to 

the  Tartars,  252 
Baggs,  gunny  and  vacoa,  188 
Bahamas,  the,  301 
Bale  aux  Huitres,  324 
Bale  de  I'ile  Furneaux,  146  ;  du  Cap, 

ibid. 
Bakej-,   J.,  Mr.,  on    Mascarene   flora, 

xiii,  62,  67,  70,  201 
Balais,  bois,  332 
Baleine,  or  Whale,  a  Syriaque  word, 

25 
Balfour,  F.  H.,  on  the  Chinese  classic, 

Nan-Hua,  244 
Balfour,    Professor  I.,  Pref.,  xiii,  li, 

52,  53,  57,    61,  65,  67    ct  seq.,  87, 

202  ;  Introd.,  325,  327  ct  seq. 
Baliers,  inhabitants  of  Baly,  237 
Balk,  or  Balken,  stocks  or  "  stombs", 

158 
Baly,  Island  of,  264 
Bamboo  mountains,  Mauritius,    147, 

206 
Bamboos,  very  large  in  the  Island  of 

Java,    225  ;    huts   made    of,    261  ; 

stages  of,  for  fireworks,  254 
Banana,  52 
Bananetrees,  sent  from  Mauritius  to 

IJoilriguez,  152  ;  in  St.  Helena,  299 
Bananes,  of  Batavia,  229  ;  of  Boitr- 

bon,  44  ;  of  Mauritius,  198  ;  of  St. 

Helena,  299 
Bauanier,   figured   by   Leguat,    after 

Rochefort,  290 
Banians,  Banians'  Tree,  or  I'arbre  des 

Banianes,  68 
Banishment,  penalty  of,  at  the  Cape, 

278 
Banks'  Fort  in  St.  Helena,  299 
Bantam,  237 
Bantam  Bay,  271 
Banyan,  the,  xiv,  67,  68 


388 


INDEX. 


Baobab,  iuscriptiou  ou  trunks  of, 
110 

Baptism,  a  Ceremony  us'd  by  the 
tSeameu  upon  cutting  the  Line  or 
Tropicks,  19  ct  scq. 

Bar  of  Batavia,  the,  216 

Barbarians  at  the  Cape,  291 

Barbier,  M.,  xxxii 

Barclay,  Captain,  352 

Bark,  a  singuhir  sort,  105,  107,  113, 
12(3  ;  weather-beaten,  146 

Barkly,  Sir  Henry,  67 

Barley,  44 

Barn- Rats,  46 

Barometer,  usefulness  of,  treatise  ou, 
Ixxi 

Baron  Grant,  "  History  of  Mauritius," 
by,  XXXV  ;  <S'ee  Grant 

Baronius,  130 

Barracks  of  Artillery,  in  Port  Louis, 
375 

Barrel,  without  a  head,  165 

Barriques,  163 

Barrier  reefs,  of  coral  islands,  109 

Barrow  and  lievaillaut,  MM.,  ou  the 
"tablier",  293 

Barros,  quoted,  316 

Basking  shark,  322 

Bassin,  Grand,  Crater  Lake  of,  146 

Bass's  Straits,  otaries  of,  74 

Batavia,  Bay  of,  226 

Batavia,  41,  182,  190,  191,  216  ; 
situation  and  description  of  that 
city,  225  et  seq.  ;  of  the  citadel,  222; 
the  place  of  arms  fiU'd  with  fine 
houses,  223  ;  churches  of  Batatia, 
224  ;  extent  of  its  suburbs,  225  ; 
its  garden,  ih.  ;  its  harbour  very 
fine,  226  ;  this  city  the  general 
magazine  of  the  Company,  ih.  ; 
the  Asylum  of  ships  of  all  other 
nations,  ib.  ;  temperateness  of  the 
climate,  227  ;  ordinary  drink  of  the 
inhabitants,  228 ;  the  fruits,  229  ; 
the  animals  eaten  there,  231  ;  little 
game  there,  ib. ;  a  great  deal  of 
fish,  ih.  ;  Batavia  is  no  city  of 
good  cheer,  232  ;  inhabited  by  divers 
nations,  236  ;  languages  spoken 
there,  ih.  ;  manners  and  customs 
of  the  inhabitants,  239-261 

Council  of  .1  ustice  at.  1 93  ;  fish 

from,  2ii5  ;  sharks  at,  96  ;  collec- 
tion at,  for  French  refugees  in  Cape 
Colony,  285  ;  Diodati  in,  148  ;  im- 
palement of  a  Macassar  slave  at, 
182  ;  length  of  voyage  from,  304  ; 
voyage  to,  216;  from,  302 

Battery,  on  He  de  la  Passe,  159  ; 
Queen's,  209 


Batts,  as  large  as  hens,  in  the  Isle  of 
Eden,  and  withall  good  to  eat,  54  ; 
they  are  likewise  in  the  Island  of 
Rodrigo,  85  ;  they  are  not  over  good 
to  eat,  45,  85  ;  delicate  food  iu  Isle 
Maurice,  211,  347,  372 

Bau])et,  Father  de.  Bishop  of  Alais, 
259 

Baj',  of  Anjer,  271  ;  of  Batavia,  226  ; 
of  Bantam,  271;  Both's,  172;  Ma^jou, 
173 

Bayeux,  18 

Bayle,  M.  Pierre,  "  Nouvellcs  de  la 
Ropublique,"  par,  xxxi 

Beads,  chaplets  of,  worn  by  Chinese 
])riests,  257  ;  by  devotees  at  Loretto, 
132 

Bcaylc,  voyage  of  the,  66,  91 

Beak-head,  of  the  ship,  right  of  cut- 
ting off,  21 

Beam  of  oak,  found  at  Rodriguez,  107, 
150 

Beans,  at  Eden,  44  ;  St.  Helena,  299 

Beans,  kidney,  372 

Beards,  valued  by  the  Chinese,  251 

Beaulieu,  General,  161 

Beauty,  frail,  122 

Beauvais,  Viuceut  of,  132 

Beaux- Esprits,  191 

Becassines,  85 

Beckmann,  Jean,  xxxiii 

Bed-cloaths,  taken  from  adventurers, 
159 

Beds  of  State  iu  China,  255 

Beef,  buffalo,  231  ;  sold  by  Dutch 
Company  at  the  Cajjo,  282 

Beer,  from  Brunswick,  or  Mum,  228  ; 
cheai)  at  the  Cape,  282 

Beetles,  46 

Beggars,  none  at  Batavia,  240 

Bohring,  Vitus,  382 

Behring's  Island,  74,  382  ;  Straits,  383 

Bek,  the  Reverend  Heudrik,  succeeds 
Mr.  Simoud,  283 

Belchei-,  Sir  E  ,  66 

Belisarius,  Justiuian's  general,  134 

Bell,  glasses,  95 

Bellin.  map  by,  309 

Btmediction,  song  of,  22,  191 

Beneile  (I'aul),  one  of  the  adven- 
turers, xxvii,  xxxiii,  121,  122.  135  ; 
his  country,  6,  53;  his  eulogium.  54 
[he  at  present  lives  at  Amsterdam], 
218 

Bengal,  bulls  from,  208  ;  birds  from, 
210  ;  ship  going  to,  213 

Bengala,  228 

Bengali,  352 

Benjamin,  Rabbi,  Ixxix 

Bcnjoin,  329 


INDEX, 


.".89 


Berg,  Olof,  Commandant  of  Fort  at 
Cape  Town,  32,  275,  281  ;  shoots  a 
lion,  ibid. 
Berg,    de    Zaal,   a    remarkable    bluff 

mountain,  162 
Berkeley,  Mr.,  lii 
Berkley  Castle,  the,  371 
Berlin,  2 

Berne,  Manufactory  Hall  at,  2,  135 
Bernard  THermite,  213 
Bernard,  M.  Jacques,  Bayle's  succes- 
sor, xxvi,  xxxiii,  Ixxxviii 
Berne,  xxiv 

Bessin,  in  Calvados,  Normandy,  18 
Bestel  Cove,  Mauritius,  148,  197 
Betel,  the  leaf  of  a  shrub  much  in 

use  at  Batavia,  229,  264 
Betrothal,  ceremony  of,  Chinese,  252 
Beza,  Theodore,  Psalms,  version  of,  by 

Marot  and,  12.  283  ct  seq. 
Bhavabhuti,  264 
Bible,  translation  of,  into  Italian,  148; 

Le  Bible  de  Guyot,  1U8 
Bibliography  of  works  mentioned  by 

author,  xviii 
Bibliothcque  d'aventures,  xxxvi 
Bibliotlu'que  Auglaise,  xxxii 
Bibliotheque  Britimnique,  xxiv,  xxxii 
Bibliothcque  de  la  Marine,  catalogue 

de  la,  xxviii 
Bibliothcque  Nationale,  xi 
Biche-en-rut,  175 
Bieli  Tsar,  Belisarius,  134 
ISigots  of  the  Cal/tolirk  religion,  5 
Bigottry  and  superstition  dishonours 

religion,  131 
Bilged,  or  bulged  on  the  sands,  ship, 

150 
Billets  and  magick  characters,  264 
Biographic  Uuiverselle,  xxiv 
Bird  fauna  of  Rodriguez,  ix 
Bird  I.,  159 

Birds,  of  the  Isle  of  Eden,  44, 49. 319  ; 
of  Isle  Maurice,  178  ;  of  the  Rock, 
176  ;  of  St.  Helena,  298,  300 
Birds  of  Ascension    Island,    301  ;  of 
Bourbon,  45,  319 

of  Mauritius,  present  avifauna, 

178  ;  extinct  avifauna,  320  ct  neq. 
of    Rodriguez,    present     avi- 
fauna, 49  ;  extinct  avifauna,  49,  77 
ct  seq.,  320  et  scq. 
Birds,  land,  45,  77 

sea,  21,  82,  176 

Binjus  latro,  91 

Birmingham,      British       Association 

meeting  at,  353 
Biscuit,  55,  105  ;  white,  166 
Bishop  of  Alais,  259 ;  of  Condom,  258; 
of  Grasse,  22;  of  Meaux,  258  ct  seq. 


Bitterns  or  Butors,  44, 81,  210,  335, 343 
Bitumen,  black,  87 
Bivar,  Rodrigue  Diaz  de,  the  Cid,  121 
Blaauwberg,    beach.    Penguin   island 

near,  29 
Black-backs,  whales  so  called,  22 
Black,  Captain,  xlix 
Black,  that  colour  hath  its  beauty,265 
Blackbirds,  44,  211 
Black  Lion,  the,  a  Dutch  ship,  31 
Black  River,    Mauritius,  146    ct  seq 

174,  193,  207,  208,  209 
Black  South-Easter,  a  peculiar  mist 

272 
Blackwood's     Magazine,    account    of 

Robben  Island  in,  273 
Blainville,   de,    Sirenia   classed    with 

elephants  by,  75,  380 
Blanche  M(juntains,  206 
Blanfort,  M.,  xxxiii 
Bloc,  or  estrapade,  stocks,  158 
Blockade  of   the  Mascarene   Islands 

xlvi 
Blood  of  deer,  sucked  by  tigers,  281 
Blood,  flux  of,  161,  220  ;  letting  with 

a  pen-knife,  170,  171 
Blue-bird  of  Bourbon,  370 
Blume,  the  author,  264 
Boa  Esperau(ja,  30 
Board  of  Deacons,  at  Batavia,  285 
Boars,  wild,  in  Maurice,  208;  in  Java 

231 
Boats,  races  of  light,  at  Batavia,  254 
Boatswain  bird,  329 
Bochart,    quoted,    25  ;     Bochartus, 

S^'.muel,  his  Hierozoicon,  ib. 
Bodkins,  ornaments  to  the    Chinese 

heads  at  Batavia,  242 
Boen,  49 

Boeuf,  bird  named,  327 
Boh  tin.  Upas,  the  poison  tree  of  Java 

264 
Boileau,  Ixxix 

Bois,  cabri,  69  ;  d'olive,  53,  110,  350  ; 
puaut,  69  ;    jasmin,  201  ;    mapou,' 
201 ;  tambour,  202  ;  deTierle.  202  ; 
Bois,  various,   named  in   "  Jiclation 
de  Rudrigue",  331  ct  seq. 
Bois,  Gros,  the,  203 
Bonaparte,  He,  xlvi.  3 
Bonavista,  Island  of,  15 
Bonds     of     marriage,     observed     by 

Hottentots,  291 
Bongart,  Christiaan,  dedicatory  letter 

to,  Ixi 
Bonitos,  fish.  10,  17 
Bonne  Vue,  Isle  de,  14 
Boi>bics,  and  noddy-terns,  82,  8^,301, 

326,  347,  352 
Booby  Island,  88,  324 


!0 


INDEX. 


Book  (Tlie  Gulden),  the  work  of  one 

of  the   Disciples  of  Confucius,  243 
Borneo,    a   poisonous    tree    of    that 

islaml,  262 
Boscawen,  Admiral,  passage  of,  xxxix, 

84 
Boscobel,  51  ;  remains  of  the  Royal 

Oak,  where  K.  Charles  II   hid  him- 
self,  respected,   51   (tobacco  boxes, 

etc.,  made  of  them,  5 1 ) 
Bossuet,  Biijhop  of  Meaux,  258  ct  scq. 
Botanical  gardens  of  Pa-mplemousses, 

376 ;  at  the  Cape,  275 
Botany  Bay,  Phillip's  voyage  to,  366 
Botany  of  Uodriguez,  Hi 
Both's  Bay,  near  Grand  Port,  172,  206 
Botos,  vessels  of  goatskin,  166 
Boucane',  108,  141 
Boucher,  M.  Desforges,  xxxix,  344 
Boughs,  float  of,  IfciS 
Bouggiuese,  237 
Bouhier,  M.  le  President,  xxvi,  xxxi, 

Ixxxviii 
Bouillon,  Cardinal  de,  260 
BouUaye  le-Gouz,  Sieur  de  la,  68 
Bourbon,  Island  of,  or  Eden,  xviii,  3, 

41, 156,  201,  317,  319,  322,  339,  356, 

359,  369 
Bourbon,  Port,  or  Grand  Port,  148 
Bourgogne,  province  of,  1 
Buurguignois,  xli 
Boussole,  comjjass,  108 
Boutonneers,  or  Madurese,  237 
Bouton,  M.,  376 

Bouttats,  Gasjjar,  an  engraver,  178 
Bowls,  game  of,  104 
Box  Wood  in  Mauritius,  372 
Boyen,  Florent,  father  of  Adrian  VI,  5 
Boyer  (Isaac),  xxvii,  his  country,  6, 

63,  115,    135  ;  his  death,  116  ;  his 

epitaph,  116,  117,  129 
Braam,  van  J.,  Kaart  van  liet  Ejdand 

Mauritius,  by,  146,  172,  197,  206 
Brahma,  or  Rama,  68 
Brain  of  shark,  96 
Bramens,  68 
Bramines,  234 

Branches,  chapel  made  of,  180 
Brande,  Ste.,  an  island,  65,  66  ;  St. 

Brandon,  lb. 
Brandenburgh,  Army  of  Elector  of,  6, 

53 
Brandt's  monograph  on  Sirenia,  383 
Brandy  and  tobacco,  in  token  of  peace, 

295 
Brandy,  distilled  from  fruit,  228 
Brasilo,  Ananas  of,  199 
Brava,  the  port  of,  314 
Breaches,  channels  through  the  reef, 
112,  119 


Bread,  ordinary  of  rice,  228 

Bread,  57;  value  of,  at  the  Cape,  282; 

given  to  Hottentots  to  work,  286 
Bread-Fruit  Trees,  236 
Breakers,  Brisans,  47,  76,  113,  140 
Breams,  372 

Breasts  of  the  Hottentot  women, 
292 

Bresil,  14 

Bresse,  province  of,  xvii,  1  ;  good  and 
little,  127  ;  obtained  from  Savoy, 
ib. 

Brewer,  Dr.,  Diet,  of  Phrase,  69 

Bridet,  Lieut.,  meteorologist  at  Bour- 
bon, 36 

Brisans,  quatre-vingt,  the  name  of  a 
reef,  140 

Brisans,  what  they  are,  47,  76  ;  trans- 
lated shelves,  47,  76,  113,  139 

Brisson,  M.,  xliv 

British  Association  at  Birmingham, 
353 

British  Museum,  373,  381 

Britain,  south,  oxen  of,  280 

Broedelet,  publisher,  Ixi 

Broken  alive  on  the  wheel,  slave,  181 

Bromdia,  ananas,  198,  199  ;  fastuosa, 
199 

Brook,  a  great,  in  Rodriguez,  50 

Broth  refused  to  sick  prisoner,  161 

Briiggemann,  Dr.,  on  corals,  lii,  110 

Brunswick  Beer,  228 

Bubble,  to,  93 

Bubo  madayascariensis,  344 

Buccaneers,  108,  193 

Buckler,  glass  bells  a  good,  95 

Buffaloes,  at  Java,  commonly  sold 
by  the  butchers,  231,  232 

Butfettiug  of  pigeons  and  solitaire, 
lii 

BufFon,  45  ;  Leclerc  de,  xxi 

Bufo  mclanostictus,  214 

Bugey,  et  Bresse,  xvii 

Buggese,  inhabitants  of  Celebes,  237, 
263 

Buildings,  solid,  overturned  by  hurri- 
cane, in  Mauritius,  170 

Buis,  Bois  de,  332 

Bulg'd,  or  bilged  on  sands,  ship,  150, 
152 

Bullet  (of  a  cannon)  sing'd  a  ser- 
geant's beard  at  the  Cape  without 
hurting  him,  32  ;  another  like  acci- 
dent, ib. 

Bullets,  55  ;  little  strings  of,  worn  by 
Chinese,  257 

Bullock's  collection,  at  Liverpool, 
366 

Bullocks,  oxen,  372 

Bulls,  St.  Helena,  300 


INDEX. 


191 


Banyan's  Apology,  Ixxvi 

Burgher,  at  Drakenstein,  killed  by  a 

leoj-ard,  281 
Burghers,  at  Mauritius,    153  ;  under 

Ensign     Schryver,     sent     against 

Hottentots,  295 
Burgundy,  Province  of,  6 
Burial-places  of  Chinese,  225;  burials 

of  Chinese,  254  ct  seq. 
Burniah,  264 

Burners,  liine,  on  Robben  Island,  29 
Burning-glass,  105  ;  taken  ashore  by 

Testard,  187 
Burnt  country,  pays  hruU,  206 
Butchers,  Chinese,  bless  their  meat, 

261 
Butler,  Mr.,  Hi 
Butors.  or  Bitterns,  in  Rodriguez,  81, 

335  ;  in  Mauritius,  210 
Byron,      Lord,     the      "  Prisoner     of 

Chillon",  by,  170 


C. 

Cabbage  of  a  palm  tree,  Q\  ct  seq- 

Cabbage  palm,  371 

Cabbages,  Charibbean,  in  Eden,  44 

Cabbins,  in  Rodriguez,  52,  69 

Cables  of  ships  broken,  272 

Cabo  de  Boa  Esperan§a,  30 

Cabo  tormentoso,  30,  298 

Cabot,  a  fish,  205 

Cacao,  201 

Caccabis  chukar,  the  Indian  partridge, 
in  St.  Helena,  300 

Cachots,  translated  dungeons,  133 

Cadatnusto  (Aloi/sio)  afraid  of  the 
whales,  23,  25;  history  of  his  naviga- 
tion, ib. 

Caen,  General  de,  147,  148 

Ctvlestina,  a  celebrated  tragi-comedy, 
by  Mateo  Aleman,  178 

Ca;sar's  Commentaries,  authors  of, 
Ixxviii,  279 

Cafres.     Sec  Hottentots,  287  ct  seq. 

Caille,  M.  de  la,  195,  214 

Cake  and  a  die,  game  with,  176 

Calaba,  221 

Calappus,  casimrina,  197 

Caldwell,  Mr.,  357 

Calf ats,  210 

Caliph  Hakim  II,  132 

Calm,  comes  after  a  storm,  30,  298 

Calm,  profound,  in  midst  of  a  hur- 
ricane, 95 

Calms,  196 

Calophnllum,  203 

Calvados,  Normandy,  Bessin  in,  IS 

Calves,  sent  to  Rodriguez,  151 

Calvinists,  1 


Cambridge  Museum  of  Anatomy  and 

Zoology,  frontispiece,  introduction, 

xii,  357,  377 
Camelions,    common   at  the   Cape, 

280 
Camisards,  the  psalms,  chanted   by, 

283 
Camp,  Dutch,  at  Noort  Wester  Haven, 

Mauritius,  149 
Campbell,    T.,    the    poet,    lines    on 

"Napoleon   and  the   Sailor",  163, 

164,  185 
Campongs,  occupied  by  Javanese,  at 

Batavia,  261 
Canaan,  134 
Canals,    at   Batavia,   222,    225 ;    at 

Cape  Town,  276 
Canaries,  islands  of  that  name,  8, 11 
Canary  birds,  84 
Canary  nut  tree,  221 
Cancer  sanyuinolcntus,  213 
Cancer,  tropic  of,  379 
Canes,    bamboos,   as    large   as   one's 

thigh,  225  ;  other  sorts,  ih. 
Canghehu,  a  forked  mountain  top  in 

China,  249 
Canopy  over  idol,  258  ;  of  cloud  on 

Table  Mountain,  272 
Canticle,  191,  192,  304 
Canticles  of   David,   36  ;  translation 

of,  284 
Cap,  Bale  du,  146 
Cape,  a  large,  144 
Cape  Colony,  described  by  Valeutyn, 

275 
Cape  Coraorin,  310,  313 
Cape  Cory,  313 
Cape  Guardafui,  313 
Cape  Malheureux,  xlvii 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  ix,  4,  26,  29,  30 

ct  seq.  ;  70,  105,  182,  188,  216,  271 

ct    seq.  ;  discovered    by    Diaz,    30, 

298,  311 
Cape  of  Torments,  30,  290  ;  Needles, 

or  Agulhas,  34 
Cape  Pigeons,  28 

"Cape  Quarterly  Review",  275,  285 
Cape  Verde  Islands,  11 
Cape  Verdrain,  256 
CapUlaire,  333 
Capitaine  Anglois,  150 
Vnpitainc,  the  fish,  322 
Capitation    impost    on    Chinese    in 

Jara,  241 
Cajjitulation  of  Mauritius,  xlvii 
Capoc,  a  sort  of  cotton,  65,  120 
Capricorn,  trojne  of,  21,  308,  384 
Capsicum  cordiformc,  65 
Captain-General,      Alfonso      d'Albo- 

querque,  315 


392 


INDEX. 


Captain,   presence   of   mind   of   the, 

303;  Valleau,  49,  150,  151 
Captains     of     Dutch      East     India 

Company,  166 
Capuchin    Christians   at   Rodriguez, 

xliii 
Capuchin  monk,  Pere  Hyacinthe,  3 
Caraib  Indians,  rats  unknown  to,  90 
Carangue,  caranx,  322 
Carapaces  of  tortoises,  71,  373  et  scq. 
Carcluirias,  322 
Carcharodon,  322 
Cardinal,  the  bird,  210,  322 
Cardinal  de  Bouillon,  260 
Cardinal  de  Luynes,  xli 
Cardinal  Richelieu,  xvii,  22 
Cardinal,  Tournou,  98 
Careless  (Captain)  in   an  oak  with 

Charles  II,  51 
Cargados  Carajos,  the  Abbe  Rochon 

on  situation  of,  xxxix,  66 
Carica  papaya,  201 
"  Carmiuum,      Liber",      Horace     ad 

Virgilium,  118 
Carnaval  of  the  Chinese,  253 
Carp,  205 
Carre.  JI.,  Voyaye  des  Indcs  Oriental cs, 

358 
Carta      universalis,       preserved 

Weimar,  310 
Cartridge,  powder  for,  133 
Casarea,  python,  214 
Cascades,     at      Rodriguez,     59 

Tristan  d'Acunha,  27 
Case    (Jacques    de    la),    one  of    the 

adventurers,  xxxiii,  6,  53,  135, 194, 

203,  218,  220,  233  ;  is  at  present  in 

America,  53 
Case  (A.)  for  the  Hottentot's  tools,^ 

288 
Cashew-nut,  201 
Cassowaries,  370 
Ca.stanheda,  Lopez  de,  312 
Castel,  M.,  376 
Caste  tree,  Kasta,  69 
C'astifjue,  333 
Castle-gate,  in  fortress  at  Cape  Town, 

lion's  skins  in,  281 
Castleton,     Captain,    of    the    Pearl, 

^•isits  Mascaregne,  Ivi 
Castor  and  Pollux,  35,  38 
Casuarina,  filao,  197 
Catalogue  Gdue'ral  de  la  Bibliotheque 

de  la  Marine,  xxviii 
Caterpillars,  45,  95,  212  ;  eaten  by 

Hottentots,  290 
Catharine  islands,  325 


at 


at 


Catholic    churches,  Chinese   temples 

resembling,  257 
Catholicks  (, Roman)  have  liberty  of 
conscience    at   Patavia,    225  ;    but 
they  are  to  have  no  publick  exer- 
cise of  their  religion,  ih.;  Irish,  255 
Cats,  Jacob,  emblems  of,  116 
Cats,  90  ct  scq.  ;  wild,  at  the   Cape, 
278  ;    destruction  of    birds  by,  in 
Rodriguez,  347 
Cattle,    black,    in    Eden.    44  ;    new- 
comers  forbidden    to    kill,  at    the 
Cape,  280 
Canche,    Fran9ois,    voyage    de,    110, 

334,  357,  358,  xxxviii 
Cave  in  the  rock,  refuge  in,  170 
Cavclaye  (calfatage),  323 
Cavendish,  the  voyager,  300 
Caves,  Pointe  aux,  174 
Cavities  of  the  mountains,  95 
Cedars  in  Eden,  43 
Ceilou,  island  of,  296 
Celebes,    an   island,    263,    264  ;   in- 
habitants of,  263 
Celibacy,  constraint  of,  effect  of,  124 
Cellar  of  the  State  at  Genoa,  278 
Cellar  rats,  46 

Cemetery,  of  Chinese,  at  Batavia,  254 
Censure,  on  tj-rauts,  unjust  judges, 
false  nobles,  wanderers  in  religion, 
impertinent      heterodox      persons, 
blockheads  that  pretend  to  preach, 
sacrilegious    villains,  false  zealots, 
pedants  of  all  sorts,  verse  makers, 
admirers    of  the    ancients,    honest 
murderers,    etc.,   makers  of  visits, 
etc.,  130,  131;  and  on  impious  per- 
sons, 191 
Ceremonies  (funeral)  of  the  Chinese, 
256    et  se>/.;   none   at    marriage  of 
Javans,  268 
Ceremonies,  mysterious,of  Hottentots, 

289,  297 
Cerue,    the    sea   beyond,    302  ;    dis- 
covered by  Portuguese,  195 
Cetacea,  22,  75,  380 
Cetorldnus,  322 
Ceylon,  island  of,  312  ;  natural  history 

of,  67,  75,  86,  296 
Ceyx  and  Alcyone,  by  Dr3^den,  112 
Chacrelats,  a  people  that  can't  bear 
the  light,  270  ;  they  are  white  and 
fair,  ib. 
Chainouqua,  tribes,  in  S.  Africa,  294 
Chains,  or  reefs  of  rocks,  109 
Chair,  magnificent,  of  Chinese  fiancd, 
252 


1  Sic,  in  English  version,  in  the  French  original,  "  Mui  des  Hottentots". 


INDEX. 


393 


Challenrjer,  H.M.S.,  at  Tristan  d'A- 
ciinba,  26  ;  exi)editiou,  109 

Chaloupe,  of  Eugli.sh  captaiu,  150  ;  of 
company,  156,  165 

Chaloupes  and  iisher-boats  at  Batavia, 
226 

Chamberlain,  Dr.,  Present  State  of 
England,  bj"^,  51 

Chamberlain,  Lord  High,  Ixxi 

Chamisso,  66 

Champion  of  the  party,  M.  Benelle,!  11 

Channel,  buoyed,  119;  the  English,  16 

Chansons,  de  Cleineut  Marot,  284 

Chapel  of  branches,  burnt,  180 

Chapell,  Wm.,  39 

Chapels  of  Chinese,  257 

Chaplets  of  beads,  worn  by  Chinese 
priests,  257 

Charibbcau  cabbages,  44 

Charity  of  Chinese,  243  ;  of  Hotten- 
tots, 293 

Charron,  Bois,  329 

Charles  I,  Ivi;  Charles  II,  51 ;  Charles 
V,  Emperor,  Ixxxi 

Charts  of,  Diego  Kibero.  30S  ;  Diego 
Ruys,  1  ;  Grand  Port,  161  ;  Masca- 
reneA.rchipelago.309 ;  MathurinBay, 
48  ;  Ri'union,  319  ;  Rodriguez,  xx 

Charybdis  upon  Scylla,  Ixsxii 

Chasse-maree,  119 

Cheer,  good,  without  bread,  at  Ro- 
dri'jiie,  Ixxxvi,  105 

Cheik,  Ibu  Molana,  an  Arabian  in- 
vader of  Java,  267 

Cheloniau  order,  373  ;  ancient  race, 
374,  375 

Cheribon,  magnificent  tomb  at,  268 

Chess,  game  of,  104 

Chests,  in  the  bark,  113 

Chicoree,  Cichoriwm,  56,  57 

Chief  Justice  of  Bourbon,  3 

Chiefs,  hereditary,  or  kings  of  South 
Africa,  294 

Chiefs  :  The  chiefs  of  the  people  are 
jxiid  for  endeavouring  to  make  them 
happy.  They  are  oftentimes  occa- 
sions of  the  sins  and  misfortunes  of 
the  people,  244,  245 

ChicndaU,  a  herb,  333 

Child  of  Geneva,  191 

Children,  Hottentot,  instruction  of, 
desinible,  298 

"  Chillon,  rrisoner  of,"  by  Byron,  170 

Cliiuiene,  la  belle,  121 

China,  pictures  from,  241 

China  gold  fish,  205 

China  pork,  231 

Chinese  in  Java,  225,  236,  211  ;  com- 
l)any  at  Batavia  occupies  a  suburb, 
ib.  ;  capitation  impost  on,  241 


Chineses,  have  burying-places  and 
pagodes  at  Batavia,  225,  227  ;  they 
make  a  great  figure  there,  241 ;  there 
are  above  ten  thousand  of  them, 
ib.  ;  they  pay  a  crown  a  month 
to  the  company,  242  ;  have  a  chief 
who  sits  in  the  council,  and  has  a 
vote  in  case  of  the  condemning 
of  any  of  that  nation,  ib.  ;  their 
character,  ibid.  ;  are  very  politick, 
ib.  ;  their  maimers  and  customs, 
tlieir  ijrinciples  about  charity,  ai-e 
conformable  to  those  of  our  Saviour, 
243  ;  an  extract  of  one  of  their 
l)()()ks,  intitled  "  The  Golden  Book", 
ib.  ;  their  tables,  252  ;  their  man- 
ner of  dressing,  251  ;  their  trade, 
ib.  ;  their  marriages,  252  ;  their 
divertisements,  253  ;  make  no 
scruple  of  sodomy,  ib.  ;  their  bu- 
rials, 256  ;  absurd  questions  they 
ask  those   that    are  about  to    die, 

255  ;  carry  presents  to  their  tombs, 

256  ;  their  pagodes  much  like  Ro- 
man Catholick  churches,  as  well  as 
the  ornaments  of  their  priests,  257  ; 
their  worship,  258  ;  their  bead  rolls, 

257  ;  they  worship   but   one   God, 

258  ;  cha.stise  their  subaltern  dei- 
ties when  they  don't  do  their  duty, 

259  ;  Chineses  that  are  not  settled 
at  Bataria,  can't  stay  there  but 
six  months,  251  ;  why  they  wear 
a  tuft  of  hair,..  251  ;  the  opinion 
of  the  Chinese  philosopher  con- 
cerning the  duty  of  great  men  and 
of  those  that  govern'd  the  people, 
224 

Choisy,  Abbe  de,  xxx,  Ixxvii,  Ixxviii 
223 

Chopsticks  of  the  Chinese,  251 

Christian  converts,  male  and  female, 
in  Java,  268 

Christian  inhabitants  at  the  Cape, 
296  _ 

Christianity,  in  what  it  consists,  242, 
243  ;  is  unhappily  divided,  although 
all  agree  in  fundamental  points, 
268 

Christians,  successors  to  the  Israel- 
ites, 129 

Chronological  History  of  Plants,  by 
Dr.  Pickering,  264 

Chronology  of  events,  1 

Chuang  Tze  and  Sao,  Chinese  sages, 
243 

Church,  Malay  converts  in,  268  ; 
French,  at  Drakenstein,  283  ;  pas- 
tor of,  ibid,  ;  Walloon,  at  Leydeu 
148 

DD 


394 


INDEX. 


Churches,  French,  xxii 

Cicero,  Pref.,  Ixxviii  ;  gardens  of,  275 

Cid,  the,  121 

Cinnamon,  201 

Cintra,  Pedro  de,  23 

Circumcision,  289 

Circumference  of  Mauritius,  mcasui-ed 

by  Lamotius,  151 
Cirne,  314  ct  scq.  ;  vide  Cerne,  Ivi 
Cirques,  42,  195 

Citron-trees,  151 ;  citrocn-boomen,  1 97 
Citrons,  hurtful  in  Isle  Maurice,  175; 

of  Isle  Maurice,  197 
Citrons,   Cape,  275  ;  Mauritius,    151, 

175,  197  ;  St.  Helena,  299 
Citronilles,  175 

Clapping  of  hands  by  Hottentots,  289 
Clark,  J.  W.,  M.A.,  on  the  Solitaire, 

Introduction,  Hi,  356 
Clas,  a  surgeon,  150,  152 
Clcrodendron  lanciniatum,  69 
Cliffs  of  St.  Helena,  298 
Climate,  at  Batavia,  227  ;  at  Bourbon, 

39  ;  at  Cape,  276,  286  ;  Mauritius, 

215;  Rodriguez,  58;  St.  Helena,  299 
Clove,  spice,  201 
Clover-grass,  56 
Clytemnestra,  38 
"Coaches  and  Horses",  a  misprint  for 

"  Clothes  and  Houses,"  296,  297 
Cobbler,  horse  mackerel,  322 
Cobler,  Dutch,  with  slave  and   um- 

brello,  in  Java,  241 
Cochin,  310 
Cochon  marrou,  208 
Cockle-shells,  worn  by  Hottentots,291 
Cocks,  cock-fighting,  the  people's  di- 
version at  Java,  232 
Coco  Island,  6Q,  334 
Cocos,  or  cocoes,  65  et  scq.,  199,  229 
Cocos   nucifera,  nuts  of,   thrown    on 

coast  by  the  sea,  65  ct  scq.,  199 
Code  of  the  Isle  of  France,  339  ^ 
Codine,  M.   Jules,  of  the  Societe  de 

Geograjjhie,  on  the  Mascarene  Is., 

X,  41,  308  ctscq.,  317 
Coffee,  56,  229 ;  as  dear  at  Batavia 

as  in  Holland,  229 
Coghlan,  Lieut.,  chart  of  Grand  Port 

by,  vii,  ICl 
Coin  de  Mire,  island  near  Mauritius, 

214 
Cold,  unknown  at  Batavia,  227 
Coligny,  wounded  at  Moncontour,  283 
Collaert,  viii,  361,  363 
Collection  of  rooney  at  Batavia   for 

P'rench   refugees   in   Cajie    colony, 

285 
"  Collectiones  Peregrinationum  in  In- 
dian! Uricntalem,"  371 


Collet  rouge,  or  flying  fox,  45 

Colonic,  Point  de  la,  Mauritius,  148 

Colonies,  Dutch,  jn.stice,  administra- 
tion of,  in,  181,  182  ;  described  by 
Valcutyn,  275 

Colony,  propos'd  for  the  Isle  Eden, 
or  Mascavcjiia  ;  2.  Projection  for 
that  colony  ;  3.  Of  the  French  re- 
fugees at  the  Cape,  277 

Coluphanc  Mauritiana,  a  large  tree  of 
Mauritius,  152 

Columha  rodcricana,  82,  345 

Columbvis,  weed-sea  discovered  by,  302 

Columella,  the  "  siser"  of,  288 

Column  and  inscription  left  at  Isle 
Rodrigo,  135 

Column,  found  in  Numidia,  134 

Columns  of  Hercules,  135 ;  of  Ephorus, 
309 

Colville,  Sir  Charles,  Governor  of 
Mauritius,  xlviii 

Combats,  of  male  and  female  Soli- 
taries, lii,  79 

Comedies,  or  Farces,  and  shows  of 
the  C'hincscs,  253 

Commanders,  Dutch,  36 

Commandeur,  Pieter  de  Goj^er,  148  ; 
Hubert  Hugo,  151 

Commentaries  of  Caesar,  commen- 
ded by  Cicero,  for  the  simplicity  of 
their  stile,  Ixxviii  ;  criticiz'd  upon, 
279  ;  unicorn  mention'd  in,  ib. 

Commentary  on  the  Testament,  a 
large,  99 

Commerce  in  cattle,  forbidden  to  new- 
comers at  the  Cape,  293 

Commerson,  the  father  of  Mascarene 
genera,  202 

Common  Hall  (Hotel),  52 

Comorin,  Caj)e,  310 

Comj^aguie  des  ludes  Orientales,  xix, 
xxxviii,  339 

Company  (the  Dutch)  of  the  Fast 
Indies,  xvii,  xxiii,  181, 182,  216,  217, 
absolute,  in  the  Island  of  Java,  237; 
the  Gitiercd  of  that  Company  and  his 
lady  make  a  great  figure  at  Batavia, 
239  ;  the  Company  keeps  the  sol- 
diers under,  for  preservation  of  the 
liberty  of  their  colonies,  241  ;  keeps 
up  commerce  with  the  Hottentots, 
293 

Compass,  the,  invention  of,  108  ;  sub- 
stitute for,  ihid.,  142 

Complements,  133 

Compression  of  feet  of  Chinese  child- 
ren, 253 

Comptes  rendus  des  seances  de  I'Aca- 
ddmie  des  Sciences,  320  et  scq. 

Comte  {Pirc  Ic)  quoted,  259 


INDEX. 


395 


Comte  cV Anjcnson,  the,  xl 
Concubines,  Javan  and  negro  women 

as,  253 
Coude,  a  so-called,  267 
Condom,  Bishop  of,  Bossuet,  258 
Confections,  at  Genoa,  278 
Confidant,  the  reader,  128 
Confinement  of  Italian  ladies,  124 
Conflagrations  of  woods  in  Rodriguez, 

:-574 
Confucius,    stil'd  the  wise  King  of 

Letters,  243 
Congregation,  of  French  refugees,  at 

Zierickzee,  2.^3 

of  Malaj's  at  Batavia,  225 

Conington,   Professor,   translation  of 

Virgil  by,  136 
Consanguinity,  friends  by,  custom  of, 

in  Africa,  291 
Conscience,  freedom    of,    denied    to 

Huguenots  in    France,  1 ;  allowed 

to  Roman  Catholics  by  the  Dutch, 

225 
Constantia,  a  ]ileasure-house  of  the 

Governour  at  the  Ca)>e,  276 
Consul,    American,    148,    174,    179  ; 

British,  at  Reunion,  174 
Consumption,  a  lingering,  171 
Contentious  women,  124 
Continent  of   Africa,   discovered   by 

Diaz,  298 
Continent  persons,  124 
Controversies,  101 
Convict  establishment  for  Batavia,  at 

Mauritius,  xxi,  147 
Comvlvulus  Batatas,  207 
Conway,  H.M.S.,  xlix 
Coots,  44  ;  Geaut  compared  with  Coot, 

362 
Copemau,  194 

Copper  Island,  Rhytiua  on,  383 
"  Coiire,"  a  French  ]>rivateer  or  corsair, 

Dutch  term  for,  7 
Copyist,  unskilful,  131 
Coq  de  bois,  211 
Coq  d'Inde,  358 
Coracopsis  raza,  210 
Coral,  43  ;  point,  326  ;  reefs,  47,  109, 

114,  119  ;  bits  of,  worn  by  Hotten- 
tots, 291 
Corbeau,  xliv 
Cordage,  111 

Codonnicr,  horse  mackerel,  322 
Cordova,  132 
Corlieux,  curlew,  329 
Cormorant,  329 
Corn,  at  Batavia,  228  ;  at  Bourbcm, 

44  ;    Cape,    277  ;    Maiirice,    207  ; 

Rodriguez,  57  ;  St.  Helena,  299 
Corn,  bought  by  the  State,  278,  2S2 


Corn,  33;  carrj-'d  from  Holland  to  Isle 

Rodrigo,  does  not  thrive  there,  57 
Corneille,  Le  grand,  "Le  Cid,"  by,  121 
Corneille'.s  "  Dictiouuaire  des  Arts  et 

des  Sciences,"  74 
Cornish,  Admiral,  xlv 
Corps  de  Guard,  224 
Correspondence   of    Pastor    Simond, 

extant  at  the  Cape,  283 
CorresiJondeuce  of  the  He  de  France, 

320 
Corsair,  or  "  copre"',  7 
Corselets,  iron,  of  the  Macassars,  264 
Corypha  mahracuUfcra,  52 
Cossigny,  M.  de,  211 
Costentin,  in  Normandy,  18  {sec  Coten- 

tin) 
Costume,    summer,     of    Hottentots, 

288  ;  winter  ditto,  ih. 
Cotentin,     in     Normandy,     18     {see 

Costentin) 
Cotes,  Professor  Roger,  Ixxxi 
Cotton,  in  Rodriguez,  327 
Cotton,  44  ;  mill,  204 
Cotton,    of    the    Latanier,    65  ;    of 

Plantaiics,  120  (.see  Ca|)Oc) 
Coudrier,  333 
Council  of  justice,  at  Batavia,  Cape, 

etc.,  xxi,  182,  183 
Council  of  naval  officers,  167 
Council  of  Trent,  131 
Country  of  delight,  Edeu  or  Masca- 

regne,  41 
County  of  Hereford,  Ixxi 
Coup  d'e'tat,  at  Bourbon,  effected  by 

the  Curd  of  St.  Paul,  3 
Courlis,  329 

Courtras,   the  battle-cry  of  the  Hu- 
guenots at,  283 
Coutinho,    Don    Fernando,    Marshal, 

312  c<  scq. 
Cove,  Bestel,  Mauritius,  148 
Covetousness  the  root  of  all  evil,  190 
Cow  (A  Sea),  28 
Cows,  Kentish  and  Middlesex,  9  ;  at 

Mauritius,  208  ;  at  St   Helena,  300 
Coi/anq,  a  measure  of  rice,  189 
Criib  island,  88,  326 
Crabs  (land),  91  ;  sea  crabs,  93,  323  : 

carry  away  a   purse,  ib.  ;  land  and 

sea-ciabs  at  Isle  Maurice,  213,  372 
Crater-cirques  iu  Reunion,  42,  195 
Crayfish,  213 

Creole  patolc,  or  snake  gourd,  175 
Creoles,  69 

Crest  of  parrot,  fiontal,  371 
Cric,  or  crit,  a  poisou'd  woniard  us'd 

by  the  Javans,  264  ;  those  of  Ma- 

cassra*  and  the  Island   of  Celebes, 

263 


396 


INDEX. 


Cries  of  Hottentots,  29f) 

Criminal   affairs  in    Dutch   colonies, 

182  et  sc(j. 
Crocodile's  head,  serpent  with  a,  174 
Crocodiles,  common  iu   tbe  Isle  of 

Java,  233  ;  what  is  said  of  them, 

ilj.  ;  a   reward  given  by  the   Com- 

pany  to  those  that  kill  them,  ib.  ; 

the  flesh  is  good  to  eat,  ih.  ;  fables 

related  of  thcui,  ib. 
Croker's      edition    of      Boullaye-Le- 

Gouz,  68 
Crombie,  Mr.,  lii 

Cross  and  thorns  of  tribulation,  135 
Crow,  Indian,  represented  in  De  Bry's 

engiaving,  371 
Crowns  of  chiefs,  or  kings,  in  S.  Africa. 

295 
Crowns,  or  ecus,  Dutch  money,  equiva- 
lent of,  154,  282,294  ;  ^jremium  in, 

for  lion-killing,  281 
Crozettes,    Islands,    74  ;     Crozet    I., 

349 
Cruelty  to  French  prisonei'S,  161 
Cucumbers,  in  Eden,  44 
Cucurbita  potcria,  175 
Cunha,  Tristan  da,  314  ;  see  Tristan 

d'Acuuha,  21,  26 
Cuuuiughame,  Mr.,  xlix 
Cups,  shells  used  as,  179 
Cure  of  malady  by  nature,  161,  162 
Cure    of    St.    Paul,    Bourbon,    Pere 

Hj^acinthe,  3 
Curiosity,  pernicious  in   matters  of 

Religion,  100  ;  prurient,  292 
Curlew,  8,  351,  372 
Currency,  Dutch  and  Indian,  287 
Current,  rapid,  139,  168  ;   Equatorial, 

377 
Custard,  ajiple,  200 
Custom  :  Custom  is  a  tyrant,  133  ; 

Custom  becomes  laws,  2^5 
Cuvier,  M.,  xlix 
Cycle  of  sun  spots,  215 
Cyclones,  36,  lii 
Cyclopccdia,  Rees',  65 
Cyproea,  sp.,  179 


D. 

Dactylopterus,  9 

Daendeis,  Ceneral,  221 

Dal'-ymjJe's    "  Oriental    Repositorj-," 

xl,  xlv 
Damhoi'der,    Joost     de,    on     Dutch 

criminal  jurisprudence,  158 
Dampier,  voyages  hy,  112 
Dances,  of  the  Hottentots,  289,  296  ; 

.super.stitious  dances  of  the  Neyrocs 

at  the  Cape,  289,  297 


Danger  of  collision  between  ships  of 

Dutch  fleet,  302 
Danish  ships  at  the  Cape,  31 
Dapi)er's  History  of  Africa,  xxxiii,  273, 

289  ct  seq. 
Darmigeaux,  M.,  xxxiii 
Darting  fish,  w-ith  a  pole,  173 
Darts  ( poison'd),  264 
Daruty,  M.,  376 
Darwin,  66,  9]  ;  theory  of,  105 
Date  tree,  200 
Dates,  61  ;  of  plantane,  64 
Daubertin,  45 

Daughters  of  Chinamen,  invisible,  253 
Dauphin,  Fort,  317 
"  Dauphine,   Relation    de  I'lsle,"    by 

Dubois,  Ixi,  45,  256 
Dauphind,  Reverend    P.  Simoud   of, 

282 
David,    Psalms    of,    12  ;    in    French 

metre,  36,  283 
Davis,  Sir  John,  his  work  on  China, 

244 
Davis,  voyage  of,  to  East  Indies,  309 
Dawkins,  Colonel,  xlviii,  346 
Days  and  nights  equal,  at  Batavia,  227 
De    Bry,    illustrations    from  "  India 

Orieutalis'",    371,    374,    381  ;    map 

given  by,  309 
Deacons,  Board  of,  at  Batavia,  285 
Dead    Hottentots,  fingers  of    friends 

buried  with,  291 
Dearness    of  provisions   at  Batavia, 

231,  232 
Death,  a  messenger  of  good  news  to 

tbe    faithful,    101  ;    necessity     of 

death,  1(;2 
Death  of  Chinese,  questions  asked  at, 

255  ;  punishment  of,  253 
Deccan,  68 
Dedication  of  Dutch  Edition,  Ivi  ;  of 

English  Edition,  Ixii 
Deer,  blood  of.  sucked  by  tigers,  281  ; 

flesh     of,    in    rutting     season,    at 

Mauritius,  177  ;  at  the  Cape,  278  ; 

sent  to  Rodriguez,    151  ;  iu   Java, 

233. 
Deer-skins,  180 

"  Deianara  Herculi,"  Ovidii,  171 
Deists  and  atheists,  297 
Deia.  city  of,  192 
Delirious,  Isaac  Bover,  116 
Delon,  Dellon  or  Dillon,  39 
Deluge  of  salt  water,  raised  by  \viud, 

in  hurricane,  95 
Demons,  ador'd  by  the  Chiueses,  259 
Denis,  St.,  36 

Denmark,  King  of.  Cabinet  of,  10 
Dei)arture,  from  Cape,  34,  298,  from 

Rodriguez,  xxxvii,  139 


INDEX. 


397 


Dependencies  of  Mauritius,  Pridbara 
on  the,  144 

Deputies',  148 

Derby  Museum,  366 

Desart  Rock,  at  Mauritius,  159 

Desarts  of  Rudrigo,  146 

Desire,  Artus,  pubbsber,  284 

Desiroe,  I'isle,  325 

Desires,  insatiable,  of  ambitious  and 
covetuus  men,  249 

Desjardins,  M.,  xlviii 

Deuteronomy,  Book  of,  quoted,  243 

Device  of  Pope  Adrian  IV,  5  ;  of  the 
adventurer,  Frigat,  ib.  ;  moral  de- 
vices, 116 

Devil's  Mountain,  30,  272  ;  point,  163 

Devotees  at  Loretto,  131  ct  sc/. 

Devotions,  Chinese,  257  ct  scq.  ; 
Romanist,  132 

Dews,  great,  at  Rodriguez,  58  ;  at  St. 
Helena,  299 

Dial,  pocket,  108  ;  in  lieu  of  compass, 
142 

Diamond,  Bastion,  223  ;  Diamond 
Island,  324 

Diarium,  of  Montfaucon,  Ixxx 

Diary,  Hedges',  ix,  153 

Diaulus,  xxix 

Diaz  (Barthelemi),  discovers  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  30,  298 

I  lice,  remarkable  passion  for,  182 

Dickie,  Mr.,  lii 

Dictiounaire  des  Arts  et  des  Sciences, 
by  T.  Corneille,  74 

Dictitmary,  Brewer's,  69 

Dictionary  of  English  Etymology,  93, 
120 

Dictionary,  Geographical,  of  Bruzen 
de  la  Martiniere,  xxvi 

Dictyospcrma  albam,  62,  200 

Didunculus,  353 

Didus  ineptus,  the  Dodo,  352 

Die,  game  with  a,  176 

Diego  Garcia,  island  of,  309  ct  scq. 

Diego-Ruys,  island,  xxxvii,  4,  41, 
47,  50,  110,  315,  321  ;  its  situa- 
tion, extent,  etc.,  50.  See  Rodi-igo, 
xxxviii 

Diepe  Rivier,  146 

Dieppe,  xxxviii 

Diet,  bad,  in  Mauritius,  161 

Dieu-doune,  skit  on  Diodati,  65,  158 

Dikes  in  Holland,  and  at  Dunkirk,  226 

Dilemma,  of  life  and  death,  144 

Diuoruis,  of  New  Zealand,  the,  370 

Diodati  (liodolfo),  Governour  of  Isle 
Maurice,  Ivii,  65,  148  ;  loves  Am- 
bergreece,  154  ;  a  person  civil  and 
rude  according  to  his  interest,  149, 
156  ;    a   great    robber,    155  ;   acts 


treacherously,  158  ;  pillages  the  ad- 
venturers, 159  ;  argues  impertin- 
ently, 164  ;  devilishly  malicious, 
169  ;  has  a  heart  of  Iharoah,  171  ; 
isaBusyris,  171  ;  a  tyrant,  127, 188; 
a  Nejro  would  have  burnt  him, 
181 ;  is  an  endless  persecutor,  191  ; 
stole  the  value  of  2,000  crowns,  219 

Diodati,  Roelaf,  127,  145,  148  ct  scq.; 
child  of  Geneva  191,  193  ;  escape 
from  paws  of,  215 

Diodorus  Siculus,  a  fabulous  his- 
torian, 269 

Diogo,  or  Domigo,  315 

Dioscorides,  110,  199 

Diospyros  melanida,  197  ;  tessdaria, 
r6.,*33l 

Directors-General,  in  Holland,  192 

Directors  of  the  East  India  Company, 
2,  33 

Directory,  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  see 
Findlay,  p.  17  ct  scq.,  33,  111,  etc. 

Disappearance  of  ancient  fauna  in 
Rodriguez,  320 

Dishes,  made  from  palm  bark,  64 

Dismahiess  of  night,  140 

Disputes,  of  words,  common  and 
dangerous,  131 

Disputes  and  false  Divines,  100 

Distemjjer,  or  dysentery,  161,  162 

Din,  Mascarenhas,  Governor  of,  308 

Divine,  a,  of  divines,  117 

Division  (unjust),  of  the  goods  of 
this  world,  189 

Division  of  time,  not  made  by  natives 
in  S.  Africa,  295 

Docerne,  i.e..  Do  Cirne,  name  of 
Mauritius.  371 

Doctor,  more  a,  than  the  doctors,  117 

Dodo,  xii,  350,  353,  356,  360,  367  ; 
and  its  kindred,  introduction,  xlix, 
361,  374 

Dog,  (if  a  spirit,  260 

Doggs  (sea),  372 

Dogs,  11  ;  do  not  dare  pursue  a  lion, 
281  ;  hunt  little  tigers,  ib.  ;  sub- 
ject to  falling  sickness,  209  ;  catch 
geants,  210  ;  make  war  on  rats,  90  ; 
follow  a  stag,  96 

"  Doigt,  lire  du,"  123 

Doles,  distributed  to  ships'  crews  at 
peace  of  Ryswick,  272 

Dolphin,  17,  22 

Domigo  Friz,  or  Fernandes,  315  ; 
ancient  name  of  Rodriguez,  ib. 

Don  Galopes,  or  Don  Galope,  a  name 
of  Rodriguez,  Ivi,  312  ct  seq. 

Dorado's  tish,  16,  17 

Dordrecht,  148 

Doret,  Capt.,  xlvii 


598 


IXDEX. 


Dort,  148,  192 

Doves,  44,  336,  352,  372 

Double,  a  coin,  234 

Douglas,  Professor  R.  K. ,  xiii 

Drafts,  a  game,  104 

Dragou,  killed  by  St.  George,  174 

Dragonnades,  1.  135,  136 

Dragons,  watery,  16;  Dragous  d'eau, 

46  ;  Dragon-boat  festival,  234 
Dragooning,  133 
Dragoons,  133,  135 
Draguestain,  a  colony  of  the  Dutch 

and  French  Protestants,  about  ten 

leagues  from  the  Cape,  277 
Drakensteiu,    burgher    at,  killed    by 

leopard,  281 
Draught,  a,  of  a  pillar,  135 
Dream,  eflects  of  a,  128 
Dress,  of  Chinese  in  Java,  251  ;    of 

Javaus,    261  ;  of  Hottentots,   288, 

292 
Dressing  box,  powder  for,  133 
Dreyfus,  Maurice,  publisher,  xsxvi 
Drie  Gebroeders,  the  islets,  depicted 

by  Valeutyn,  162,  164 
Drift,  trade,  in  Indian  Ocean,  1  41 
Droitc,  La,  the    biggest  ship  of   Du 

Quesue's  squadron,  4 
Drosts,  or  sheriifs,  for  arresting  crimi- 
nals, 182,  183 
Drought  of  soil,  at  St.  Helena,  299 
Druggist,  Testard  a,  6,  154 
Drugs    (Apothecaries),    55  ;    poison, 

231  ;      administered      by      Javau 

women,  265 
Drums  of  Java,  266 
Drunk,  too  much  araque,  303 
Dryden,  John,  47,  112 
Drymoeca  rodcricann,  84,  337,  346 
Dubertino,  J.  B.,  Lieutenant,  275 
Dubois,  "  Voyage  a  Madagascar,"  358, 

369 
Dubois, "Relation  del'Isle  Dauphinc." 

Ivi,  45,  256 
Due,  Doge,  Prince,  237 
Ducks,  44  ;  sent  to  Rodriguez,   151  ; 

in  Mauritius,  209 ;  .in  Java,  231  ; 

wild,  370 
Ductur,  naucratcs,  the  pilot-fish,  97 
Dugong,  Halicore,  viii,  xiv,  74 ;  sup- 
plementary note  on,  by  E.  Delmar 

Morgan,  379  ct  scq. 
Dugs,   nasty,   of   Hottentot   women, 

292 
Duif,  the  ship  (fluit),  151 
Duke  of  Alva,  136 
Duke     of      Edinburgh,     at     Tristan 

d'Acunha,  26 
Duke  of  Kent,  Ixxi  et  seq. 
Duke  of  Luxembourg,  164 


Dungeons,  176;  or  cachets,  133 

Dungesby  Head,  northernmost  point 
of  Scotland,  ;i04 

Dunkirk,  dikes  of  timber  at,  226 

Du  tjue.;ne  Guiton,  2 

Du  Quesue,  Henri  Marquis  of,  x, 
xvii,  2,  3,  33,  39,  41,  54,  105,  368  ; 
Abraham,  ib. 

Dust  to  dust,  117 

Dutch  camp  at  Noort  Wester  Haven, 
149 

Dutch  colonies,  147,  148  ;  convict 
establishment  at  Mauritius,  xxi 

Dutch  in  Mauritius,  372 

Dutch,  commanders,  directions  to,  36 

Dutch  criminal  jurisprudence,  158 

Dutch  cruelty  to  prisoners,  161 

Dutch,  East  India  Company,  2  ;  con- 
stitution of,  216,  217,  237  et  srq. ; 
administration  of,  ix,  ib.  ;  captains 
of,  167  ;  power  granted  by,  216  ; 
premises  of,  burnt,  at  Mauritius, 
181 

Dutch  families  at  Black  River,  147  ; 
in  Maurice  Island,  85 

Dutch,  hatred  of,  for  the  French,  164 

Dutch  fleet  leaves  Batavia,  270  'jt 
scq. 

Dutch-men,  names  of,  on  tree,  110 

Dutch  pence,  229 

Dutch  pigeon,  211 

Dutch,  Lautore  taken  by  the,  161 

Dutch  language  spoken  by  Hottentots, 
295 

Dutch  seat  of  Government  in  Mau- 
ritius, 147 

Dutch  ships,  2,  4,  5,  31  ;  squadron,  8, 
273 

Dutch,  the,  St.  Helena  captured  bj"^, 
and  taken  from,  298 

Dutch  edition,  title  to,  xxiii;  dedica- 
tion of,  Ivi 

Duty  of  kings,  244  ;  are  high  officers 
and  occonomists  of  the  pnblick 
treasure,  ih. 

Duty  on  cattle  at  the  Cii]ie,  280 

Dysentery,  or  flux  of  blood,  101,  220 


E. 

Earl  of  Harold,  Ixxi 

Ear- Rings  of  the  Hottentots,  288 

East    India  Compnny,   Dutch,  2,  33, 

37  ;  captains  of,  167  ;  French,  3 
East  Indies,  2.     Sec  Indies,  ix 
Easter  Day,    St.  Helena  sighted  on, 

298 
Eastern    Ocean,    map  of,    by  Bellin, 

309 
Euu-dc  vie,  or  aqua  vitro,  166 


INDEX. 


399 


Ebene  blanc,  et  noir,  197,  331 

Ebony-Trees  in  Isle  Maurice,  181, 
1911,  372;  in  Eden,  43;  in  Rod- 
riguez, 59,  331 

Ecclesiasticus,  122 

Echevin,  of  Dordi-echt,  Sebastien 
Fraucken,  148 

Erhincis  rcmora  ;  E.  naucratcs,  96,  97, 
144 

Ecus,  crowns  or  rix-dollars,  Dutch 
currency,  154,  282,  294 

Eddy,  dangerous,  or  rndroit,  139 

Eden  (Isle  of),  2.  33,  41,  81,  123  ; 
description  of  that  island,  etc.,  41 
ct  seq. ;  it  is  a  pleasant  country, 
ib. 

Eden,  xviii;  M(5moires  on  Island  of, 
by  Du  Quesne,  2,  41 ;  a  little.  61 

Edibles,  not  wanting  to  Hottentots, 
293 

Edict  of  Nantes,  revocation  of, 
jireface,  xvii,  1,  277 

Edinburgh,  Duke  of,  26 

Edinburgh,  museum  at,  345 

"  Edinburgh  Review,"  the,  283 

Editor's  jireface,  xiii 

Edwards,  Alph.  Milne,  81  ct  scq.; 
324,  337  ct  scq.  Sec  Iklilne- 
Edwards,  xi 

Eel,  devoured  raw  by  Sieur  La  Case, 
189  ;  or  lamprey,  173 

Eels,  of  prodigious  size,  in  Eden,  43; 
in  Rodriyo,  59,  60  ;  sea,  76  ;  in 
Mauritius,  372 

Eggs  of  divers  sorts  of  birds  a  great 
relief  to  the  adventurers  on  their 
rock  of  exile,  176  ;  a  fricassee  of 
hatch'd  cgi/s  excellent,  178 

Eggs  of  land-turtle,  71,  376  ;  of  sea- 
turtle,  73  ;  of  sea-fowl,  83.  177 

Egypt,  Busiris,  King  of,  171  ; 
Oanaanite  nations  in.  135 

Egyptian  tombs,  Areca  nuts  found 
in,  264 

Einsiedler,  die,  xliv,  360 

Ela-odendron  oricntah,  53,  203,  331 

Elephants  at  the  Cape,  278  ;  one 
killed  beyond  Cape  Flats,  281 

Elks  at  the  Cape,  278 

Elliott,  Mr.  Scott,  on  the  T  tree, 
xiii,  201  ct  seq. 

Elme'.s,  St.,  fire,  37 

Embellishment,  noisome,  of  Hotten- 
tots. 288 

Embellisseur  de  crc^ance,  132 

Emblems  of  Jacob  Cats,  116 

Embossings,  fabulous,  of  rhinoceros' 
hide,  279 

Emeralds,  none  to  be  found  in  all 
the  East  Indies,  269 


Eme'raud,    verd    d',    Turtles'    water 

colour  of,  72 
Emigration,  encouragement  of,  284  ; 

prohibition  against,  1 
Eminence,  fort   on,    at    St.    Helena, 

299 
Emperor  of  Japan,  237 ;  of  Java,  ib. 
Emperor  of  Russia,  134 
Encouragement  of  French  emigration 

in  Holland,  284 
"  Encyclopaedia  of  the  Middle  Ages," 

132  ;  "  E.  Britannica,"  356 
Endormi,  Y,  322 
Enfoncement    de    Francois    Leguat, 

Introduction,  xiii,  102 
England,     1  ;    a    fine     and    good 

country,    Pref.,    ixxxviii  ;    present 

state  of,  51 ;  women  in,  124 
"  England's    Colonial     Empire,"    by 

Pridham,  xxiv,  67,  144,  149 
England's  forest,  3,  Ivi 
English  Atlas,  by  Ogilby,  account  of 

Africa  in,  289  et  scq. 
English,    they    love     cock-fight'ng, 

232 
English  edition,  title  to,  Ixi 
"English    Intercourse    with    Siam," 

153  ;  English  crabs,  92 
English,  two    ships  arrive  at  Mau- 
ritius, 183;  English  trade  inferior 

to  the  Dutch,  ib. 
English    factors   cruelly  treated   by 

Dutch,  161 
English  ships,  6  ;  at  Table  Bay,  31, 

297  ;   St.  Helena  belongs   to   the, 

298 
Enkhuisen,  chamber  of,  192 
Enlargement,  an,  from  confinement, 

165 
En-rogel,  stone  of  Zoheleth  by,  190 
Ensign,  an,  in  Batavia,  not  allowed 

an  umbrella,  241 
Ensign  Schryver's  expedition  against 

Hottentots,  295 
Ephorus,  columns  of,  309 
"  Epistolaj  Heroidum,"  Ovidii,  171 
Epitaph  on  Isaac  Boyer,  116  ct  scq. 
Epoch  of  disappearance  of  fauna  from 

Rodriguez,  320  et  seq. 
Equatorial  current,  301 
Equerets,  326,  329 
Equipage   of    great   people    in   the 

island  of  Jara,  239 
Error  (a  vulgar)  corrected,  25,  269 
Errors  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  100 
Erythrajan  periplus.  the,  264 
Erythromachus,  hostile  to  red,  name 

given  to  Gelinotes,   81,   333,  335, 

343 
Escalier,  1',  203 


400 


IMJi:.A. 


Escurial,  jaw  of  whale  preserved  in 

the,  24 
Essential  points  of  Christianity,  268 
Essex,  the  whaler,  charged  by  a  sperm 

whale,  25 
Estrapade,  or  bloc,  158 
Etymology,  English,  Diet,  of,  120 
Eudes,  M.,  xlviii 
£uycnla  cotinifolia,  331 
Euphorbiace(e,  201 
Europeans  in  Java,  241 
Europe,  restorers  of  liberty  in,  129  ; 

fish    of,   76  ;    driven   out   of,    54 ; 

corn  of,  57 
Evauder,  King,  136 
Evangelical  doctrine,  100 
Eve,  the  cause  of  many  evils,  121  ; 

was  not  created  to  remain  a  virgin, 

125 
Events,  chronology  of,  1 
Ex-Benedictine  monk,  Ixsv 
Execution  of  negro  slave,  182 
Exhort  itious,  pious,  to  companions, 

Leguat's,  162 
Exile,  rock  of,  164 
Exocoetus,  flying  fish,  9 
Expedition  against   the    Hottentots, 

Dutch,  295 
Exposition     de    la    foi    Catholique, 

Bossuet's,  258 
Extermination  of  marine  mammalia, 

73 
Eyland    Mauritius,    Kaart  van    het, 

146 
Eyri5s,  M.  J.  B.  Benoit,  xxiv,  Ixxv, 

Ixxxviii 

F. 

Face  de  Judas,  332 

Factor,  or  copeman,  194 

Factors,  British,  beaten  at  Lantore, 

161 
Fair,  wide-awake,  301 
Falbala,  en,  292 
Falling-sickness,  209 
Falmouth   Bay,  Tristan  d'Acunha  I, 

26 
Fan,  great;  used  by  Chinese,  251 
Fancy,  without  example 
Fan  palm,  63 
Faquors,  68 

Fat  of  lion,  a  splendid  curative,  231 
Father  de  Comte,  259 
Fathers  of  their  country;  the  duty 

of  such  as  pretend  to  be  so,  244 
Fauna,  ancient,  of  Mascarene  islands, 

80  ;  disappearance  of,  320  et  seci- 
Fautes  b,  corriger,  148 
Feast    of    Lanterns,    at    Batavia,  by 

Chinese,  254 


Feet,     how    those    of    the    Chinese 

women  are  rendered  small,  253 
Fellowship,  good,  among  Hottentots, 

296 
Female  slaves,  flogged,  181  ;  hanged, 

1«2 
"  Femmes  savautes,  les,"  46 
Fer,  bois  de,  331 
Fernandes,  abbreviated  to  Friz,  315; 

Alvaro,  314 
Ferrets,   birds,  176.     See  Equerets, 

326,  329 
Festival  of  Dragon  boats,  in  honour 

of  Wat- Yuen,  254 
Feuille  morte,  uu  bout,  292 
Feurs,  on  the  R.  Loire,  49 
Fever,  fit  of,  175  ;  epidemic  in  Mauri- 
tius, 175 
Fibre-palm,  rabanues  of,  188 
Flcus  relijiosa,  69  ;  rubra,  var.,  331 
Fig,  fruit  of   kastas  like  a,  69  ;    fig 

trees,  43 
Filao  tree,  or  casuarina,  172 
Filioque,  in  the  creed,  131 
Fillemot  teats,  292 
Finch,  355 
Findlay's  Indian  Ocean  Directory,  34, 

66;  111,  113  et  seq.,  140,  271,  324 
Fingers,  joints  of,  cut  by  Hottentots, 

291 
Fire,  at  I-^le  Maurice,  180,  181 
Fire,  St.  Elme's,  37 
Fii-es,  great,  as  signals,  120,  185,  189; 

as   cause  of    destruction   at   Rod- 
riguez, 357 
Fireliii,  the   Sieur,  Commissioner  at 

Bourbon,  3 
Fire-'works,  artificial,  254 
Fish,  darted  by  Hottentots,  293 
Fish,  with  horns,  279 
Fish    (flying)    of    divers    kinds,    9  ; 

number  of  fish  in  Eden,  i,  43 
Fish,  at  Batavia,  231  ;  Bourbon,  43  ; 

Mauritius,     205  ;    Rodriguez,     64, 

331  ;  St.  Helena,  300 
Fishery,  sea-turtle,  xl 
Fishes,  study  of,  Giinther's,  97 
Fishing,  nets  for,  160  ;  and  lines,  55, 

173,  209,  371 
Fi.?kin,  211 

Flac,  what  it  is,  149,  205 
Flacour  (Monsieur  de)  planted  the 

French    standard    in    the    Isle    of 

MaxcMregne,  and  gave  it  the  name 

of  the  Isle  of  Bourbon,  41,  317 
Flacourt,   M.    de,    Ivi,    28,    41,    303; 

pillar  of,  317 
Flak,  Flacq,  or  Flac,  149,  196,  205 
Flamans,     or     flambeaux    (blazing) 

birds,  why  so  called,  114 


INDEX. 


401 


Flamingo,  361,  363 

Flanders  cloth,  sails  made  of,  155 

Flanjourin,  a  liquor  made  from  sugar, 

198 
Flat   Cape,    the   S.W.    extremitj-   of 
Sumatra.    271 ;   Flat    Island,    327, 
376 
Flats,  Cape,  elephant  killed  beyond, 

281 
Flavio   Gioia,    the    inventor   of    the 

compass,  108 
Fleet,  Dutch,  217,   219,   270  et  scq.; 

302  ct  scq. 
Flemish    provinces,     persecution    in 

the,  136 
Fleurus,  victory  at,  164 
Flies   which  turn  to  living  worms, 
4.').  89,  372  ;  the  food  of  camelions, 
280 
Float  of  chests,  168 
Float  of  poles  and  weeds,  constructed 

by  Testard.  184,  186 
Floating  bridge  of  weeds  and   hogs- 
heads,  made   by   Beuelle   and  La 
Haye,  163 
Floggings  of  slaves,  dreadful,  181,  182 
"Flora  of  Mauritius,  Rodriguez  and 
Seychelles,"  by  J.  G.  Baker,  62,  67 
Florins,  and  Dutch  currency,  294 
Flower,  odoriferous  at  Rodri/jo,  87 
Flushing,  arrival  at,  xxi,  xxxiv,  Ixvii, 

304 
Flute,  Peter  Thomas  plays  the,  52 
Flux    of   Blood,    161  ;    a   common 

malady  at  Batavia,  220 
Flying-Fish,  9,  160 
Flying  foxes  in  Edeu,   45  ;   iu  Rod- 
riguez, 85,  346;  in  Mauritius,  211, 
371 
Foetidia  Mauritiana,  69,  331 
Fogs,  great,  off  coast  of  Ireland,  303 
Fools,  11  ;    birds,  44,  72,  83,  176  ; 
or  Fous,    178,  or  Fols,    298,    319. 
324,  319,  326,  328 
For§ats  de  la  Foi,  in  the  galleys,  283 
Force-put,  a,  or  "  faire-le  faut,"  150 
Forerunner,    shiji,    271  ;    of    furious 

winds,  272  ;  of  misfortunes,  149 
Forest,  England's,  3 
Forest  (A),  consisting   of  one  tree, 
etc.,    67  ;  a    very    thick   and    dan- 
gerous one,  203 
Forest,    in  Mauritius,   150,    203  ;  at 

the  Cape,  276 
Foret  tr^s  ejiaisse,  203 
Forez,  hills  of,  49 
Forge,  built  by  de  la  Haye,  52 
Fort,  Banks",  in  St.  Helena,  at  foot  of 

a  rock,  299 
Fort  Dauphin,  317 


Fort,  in  Table  Bay,  pentagonal,  274 
Fort  Fredeiik  Heudrik,  vii,   65,  148, 

161,  164,  180,  181,  195,  196 
Fort  St.  George,  Madras,  153 
Fort,  the,  tyrannize  over  the  weak, 

11 
Forteventura,    Island  of,  one  of  the 

Canaries,  8,  9 
Fossil  Birds,  Art.  in  "  Encyclopaedia 

Britaunica",  356 
Fossil    Horns,    mentioned    by    Max 

Misson.  279 
Fou,  or  Fouquet,  birds,  11,  178,  324 

ct  scq. 
Fondia   Bruantc,  sparrows  with   red 

breasts,  45  •.flavicans,m  Rodriguez, 

84,  346  ;  Madagascariciuis,  weaver 

birds,  in  Eden,  45,  210  :  rodcricana, 

336 
Foug^re,   Le    Sieur   Le  Guat   de   la, 

xvii 
Foulque  (coot),  369 
Fountains,  fine,  in  the  Isle  of  Eden, 

42,  43 
Fouquets,  He  aux,  159,  178,  324,  347, 

351 
Fouquier  I.,  ibid. 
Fournier    {P.     Gecrge),     a    learned 

Hydrographer,  quoted,  24,  108 
Fous  I,  159 
Fowl,  44 
Foxes,  whether  it  be  true  they  eat 

men,  12 
France,  1,  18,  glorious,  formidable, 

desolate,  129  ;   religion  in,  1 
France.  He  de,  41,  161,  317,  339 
France,  Institute  of,  memoir  read  at, 

293  ;  melons  in,  56 
Francken,    Sebastien,    of    Dordrecht 

148 
Frankfort,  xxiii 
Franks,  the,  69 
Fransche,  Hoek,  Huguenot  colony  at 

the  Cape,  277 
Frederic  Henry,  a   colony  of  some 
Dutch  families  in  Isle  Maurice,  1 48 
Frederik  Hendrik,  Fort,  65,  148,  164, 

180 
Freemen,  titles  of,  lost,  127 
Fregats,  birds,  13,  72,  298,  299 
Frqiibqius,  335 
Freirio,    Ruy,  313  ;  Frederic,  313  c< 

scq.  ;  Roderic,  ib. 
French,  hatred  of  Dutch  for  the,  164  ; 

in  Batavia,  236 
French  books,  Latin  in,  not  loved  by 

Leguat,  137,  plain  Fieneh,  Ixxxi 
French  Church  at  the  Ca])c,  232 
French  Churches,  Synod  of,  in  Euroiie. 
283 

EE 


402 


INDEX. 


French  East  Indian  Company,  3,  33, 

339 
French  Huguenot  emigi-ation,  ix 
French  ])risoners,  cruelty  to,  161 
French    Protestants,    colony    of,   at 

Cape,    276 ;    settlers  become  rich, 

2S6 
French  Refugees,  prayer-book  of,  125  ; 

Kobinson,  xxiii 
French  squadron,  sailing   of,    i  ;    at 

Mascaregue  I.,  33  ;    standard,    41, 

317 
.French  version,  "  Fautes  h  corriger," 

in,  148  ;   pages  in,    137  ;  title   of, 

xxii 
French   version   of    the   Bible,    123, 

125 
French  way  of  conversion  by  dragoon- 
ing, 133 
Frenchmen,    malady   called    by,    Le 

Perse,  161 
Freschot,  Casimir,  xxviii,  xxxi,  xxxiii, 

Ixxix,  Ixxxv 
Fricassee     (A),     of    hatch'd    eggs, 

excellent,  178 
Frieslaud,  192 
Frigat  (A),  call'd  the  Swallow,  sent 

to  the  East  Indies,  by  the  Marquis 

du  Quesne,  5  ;  orders  given  it,    7  ; 

its    flag,    8  ;    its    departure    from 

Amsterdam,  9 
Frigate-birds,  11,  44,  72,  83,  298,  299, 

325,  346,  352 
Frigate  Island,  88,  325 
Friperie,  Ixxviii 
Frise,  38 

Friseland,  cows  of,  9,  192 
Friz,    abbreviated    from    Fernandes, 

315  ;  Domigo,  an  island,  315 
Frogs  and  Toads  (none)  now  in  Isle 

Maurice  or  Jlodrigo,  214 
Frontispiece  of  original  version,  Ixix 
Fruits,  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 

275,  287  ;  of  Eden,  44  ;  Java,  228  ; 

Isle  Maurice,  206,  207  ;  Rodriguez, 

56,  65  ;  St.  Helena.  299 
Fucus  vatans,  or  gulf-weed,  302 
Fulica  Newtoui,  362,  369  et  seq. 
Fundamental  points  of  Christianity, 

26-^ 
FuntjidfC,  corals,  110 
Furbelos,  certain  skins  like,  292 
Furneaux,  Baie  de  I'ile,  146 
Fury,  extravagant  and  cruel,  of  the 

Javans,  262 
Fuzees,  55 

Q. 
Gabillon,  Fr(5d(5ric  Augustc,  xxv,  Ixxv, 
Ixxxviii 


Gaboon,  384 

Galapagos  I.slands,  373 

Gale,  a  small,  139 

Galega,  a  ship  ;  an  island,  314  et  seq. 

Gallantry  among  the  Hottentots,  296 

Galleys,  the,  176 

Gallia  Lugdunensis,  127 

aallinula,     362,     363  ;     alha,     366  ; 

Lc'juatia  yii/antea,  368 
Gaily,  poor,  139 
Galope,    or     Galopcs,     a     name     of 

Rodriguez,  312  et  soq. 
Galterius,  Ixxxi 

Gambling,  exces.sive,  of  Chinese,  242 
Game,  a,  with  cake  and  a  die,  176 
Game,  at  the  Cape,  280  ;  at  ICdcn,  44, 

45  ;    at   Java,  280  ;    at  ^lauritiu.s, 

210.;  atRodrigo,  81;  at  St.  Helena, 

300 
Gannet,  or  booby,  82,  347 
Ganseu  Spruj^t,  146 
Garden,   of    the   Company,   in    Lsle 

Maurice,  150  ;  at  the  Capeoi  Good 

Hope,    275,    287  ;    fine  gardens  at 

Butavia,  225 
Gardeners,  houses  of,  at  Batavia,  225 
Gardens,    at   Black    River,    147  ;  in 

Rodriguez,  52 
Garlick,  230 
Garnsey,  xxii 
Garonne,  R.,  18 
Garrison,  of  the  fort,  195 
Gascon,  an  honest,  Boyer,  116 
Gastonia  cutispowjia,  333 
Goants,  359   et  se^.,  370  ;   translated 

peacocks,  44,  45  ;  translated  giants, 

viii,  210 
Gebroeders,  Drie,  the  islets,  depicted 

by  Valentyn,  162,  1G4 
Gecko  Newtonio,  86 
Geese,  44  ;  wild,  209,  370,  372 
Gelastes  Hartlauhii,  328 
Gelinotes,  or  wood-hens, 81,  334  c^scg., 

342,  370 
Gemini,  constellation  of,  38 
Gems  of  Chinese  Literature,    by   H. 

Giles,  244 
General  Abercrombie,  xlvii 
(idncral  de  Caen,  147 
General,   of   the  Company  makes  a 

great  figure  at  J3atavia,   238  ;  his 

ladj''s  equipage,  239 
Genesis,  book  of,  quoted,  124 
Geneva,    148;    Genevan    theologist, 

ib.  ;  child  of,  191 
Geneve,  Crdole,  liii 
Genevieve,  Ste.,  Library  of,  at  Paris, 

345 
Genoa,  gloves   at,    278  ;   practice   in 

wine  trade  at,  278  ;  mission  at,  il>. 


IXDEX. 


403 


Genti],  M.  Le,  voyage  of,  161,  205 
Geniiflpxious,  of  Chinese  priests.  257  ; 

of  Master  of  Cliiuese  House,  261 
Geographical  Dictionary,  xxvi 
Geographical  Society,  Royal.  70 
Geograjihie,  Socio'te  de,  x,  308 
Geography  of  Livio  Sanutu,  311 
"  Geological     Magazine    and    Quart. 

Journal  of  Geological  Soc,"  xiv,  379 
Gerbert,  Archbishop,  132 
Gergesites,  134 
Gerkiu  cucumber,  230 
Germain,  Michel,  companion  of  Mab- 

illou,  Ixxix,  l.'cxxi 
German  edition,  xxiii 
German  quarrel,  Ixxix,  Ixxxi 
Germans,  236 
Germon,  sort  of  fish,  18 
"  Gestis  Odonis."  de.  133 
Ghost,  Holy,  proceeding.s  of,  131 
Giants  or  Geants,  big  birds  mounted 

on  stilts,  44,  210  ;  see  appendix  D 
Gil  Bias,  romance  of  Le  Sago,  178 
Gilders,    Duti^h    coins,   two    paid    as 

tiger  mouey^,  281 
Giles.  H  ,  on  Chinese  Literature,   244 
Gill,  Dr.  D.,  Astronomer  Royal  at  the 

Cape,  his  wife's  book  on  Ascension. 

300 
Gilly-flowers,  56 
Gilolo,   or    Gillolo,    Island   of,   236 

lizard  of,  ib. 
Gioia,  Flavio,  inventor  of  the  compass, 

108 
Giraffe  and  lion,  280 
Girandoles  of  flowers,  201 
Gizzards  of  solitaires,  stone  found  in, 

78 
Glasgow,     remains     of     solitaire     in 

Museum  at,  352,  376 
Glass  bells,  95 
Glass,  burning,  105,  187 
Gloves  at  Genoa,  278 
"  Glossary,"  Nares',  93 
Goa,  68 
Goats,  on   Sal  Island,   11  ;  in   Eden, 

44  ;    at   St.  Helena,  300  ;    sent  to 

Rodriguez,  151  ;  in  Mauritius,  207, 

208 
Goatskin,  vessels  of,  166 
Gobert,  Salomon.  110 
God,  beaten  by  Chinese,  260 
God,  indolent,  of  the  Deist  is  no  God, 

297 
God,  one  worshipped  by  the  Chinese, 

258  ;  by  the  negroes,  296 
God,  will  be  worshi^j'd  with  humility 

and  sim]ilieit}^  of  heart.  101 
Godeau,  Moiisignor  de,  22 
Goderich,  Viscount,  Ixxi 


Gold,  unknown  to  natives  at  Cape,  293 

Golden  Book,  or  Sentences  of  Hoangti- 
Xao,  243 

Goldfinches,  336 

Goldfish,  10,  16,  205 

Gold  hilt  of  Javan  eric,  265 

Gold-smith,  John  de  la  Haye,  152  ;  a 
Dutch,  ih. 

Golonasy,  village  of,  destroyed  by 
Dutch.  236 

Gombrani  Island,  327 

Gomrn  of  the  Maldivians,  or  amber- 
gris, 153 

Gon.lolas  at  Venice,  119,  254 

Good  Hope  (Cape  of),  30,  273  ;  why 
so  call'd,  30,  298  ;  when  di.scover'd 
and  by  whom,  ih. ;  the  bay  greatly 
expos'd  to  winds,  30,  273  ;  its  fort, 
274;  the  companj^'s  gardens,  275  ; 
the  governour's  pleasure  -  house, 
276  ;  fertility  of  the  soil,  277  ;  ani- 
mals at  the  Cape,  278  ;  the  French 
Minister  of  the  Cape  at  work  upon 
translating  the  Psalms  anew  into 
verse,  283 

Goodness  of  women,  worse  than 
men's  malice,  123  ;  a  false  thing, 
124 

Gordon,  Sir  Arthur,  governor  of 
Mauritius,  70 

Gormaz,  Couut  Lozano  de,  121 

Gory,  M.,  xlviii 

Gospel,  the,  quoted,  243 

Gospel  of  at.  Mark,  or  the  autient 
MS.  that  bears  that  name  at  Venice, 
was  not  written  in  Latin,  but  Greek. 
("  It  will  be  made  out  to  Father 
Moutfaucon  that  the  reasons  he 
brings  for  proving  that  MS.  to  be 
Latin  are  not  worth  a  farthing.") 
Pref.  Ixxxi 

Gossijplmn  harhadcnsc,  cotton,  327 

Gottingen,  xxxiii 

Goubert,  Alonso,  xxxviii 

Gouda,  city  of,  192 

Gourami,  2' '5 

Gourds,  various,  175 

Gouvernail  I.,  326 

Governor,  Dutch,  at  the  Cape,  32, 
151,  275  ;  General,  in  Java,  238  ;  in 
Mauritius,  151  ;  marriage  of,  169 

Governors  of  nations  are  not  heirs 
to  the  people,  13U;  ought  not  to 
Buck  their  blood  nor  gnaw  their 
bones,  ih.  ;  are  only  to  procure 
peace  and  i)rosperity  to  the  people 
whereof  they  are  members,  244 

Goyer,  Pieter  de,  Commaudeur  at 
Mauritius,  148,  Ivi 

Grahi,  wheat  or  milJet,  57 


404 


INDEX. 


"  Grains,"  French  term  for  squalls,  ITi 
Graiiimagaziues,   administrators   of, 

190 
Granaries,  public,  at  Genoa,  278 
Grand  Basin,  crater  lake  of,  146,  206, 

207,  367 
Grand  Canary,  Island  of,  8 
Grand  Port,  or  Warwick  Haven,  147, 

159,  1C2,  193,  2  i-J,  206 
Grande  Riviere,  204  ;  ditto,  Sud-Est, 

206 
Grands  Gosiers,  21 
Grant,  Baron,  History  of  Mauritius, 

by,  XXXV,  70,  109,  172,  177,   179, 

198,  214.373 

map  of  Mauritius,  by,  172 

Grapes,  29,  33,  44,  206,  228 

Grass,  clover,  56 

Grasse,  Bishopric  of,  22 

Graves  of  French  and  English  soldiers 

on  He  de  la  Passe,  159 
Gray,  Archdeacon,  on  China,  253,  254 
Gray,  Mr.,  note  by,  on  ambergris,  153 
Gray,  G.  R.,  art.  on  Porphyrio,  366 
Great    Craws    (pelicans),    21  ;    great 

gullets,  ib. 
Great  men,  lives  of,  histories  cf,  in 

Chinese  theatres,  254 
Great  Mogul,  Province  of,  228 
Great  Port,  197 

Great  Throats,  sort  of  birds,  21 
Greek  and  Latin  poets,  36 
Greek,  of  Montfaucon,   Pref.  Ixxxi  ; 

accents,  antiquity  of,  80 
Greek  and  Roman  churches,  131 
Green  mountain,  at  Ascension,  300, 

301 
Green  Point,  Table  Bay,  29,  273 
Greenwich,  Palace  of,  salute  to  Queen 

Mary,  32 
Gresse,  38 

Grevenbrock,  an  officer  of  the  garri- 
son in  the  citadel  of  Batavia  com- 
mended for  his  Generosity  to  the 

Author,  224 
Grey,  Henry  de,  Duke  cf  Kent,  Ixxi 
Grigriqua  tribes,   expedition  against, 

295 
Grissards,  28 

Groete  Limoen  Booms  Rivier,  97 
Gros  Bois,  203 
Grot  in  the  rock,  186 
Grube,  M.,  Hi 
Gryll  as  Capensis,  211 
Guard-house  of  stone  at  Fort  Frederik 

Henry,  180 
Guardafui,  Cape,  310  ct  scq. 
Guava,  201 
Guelderland,  192 
Gueltarda  S][)eciosa,  221 


Gnichenon,  Samuel,  xvii 

Guiguer  (Jacques),  6,  55,  150,  152 

Guild  hall,  224 

Guinea  fowl,  wild,  300,  346,  351,  352 

Guiton,  Du  Quesne,  surnamed,  2 

Gulden,  Dutch  and  Indian  currency, 
287 

Gulf-stream,  the,  301  et  scq. 

Gidf-weed,  sargassum,  302 

Gullets,  great,  21  ;  sec  Great  Throats 

Gulliver,  Mr.,  on  corals,  li,  110  ;  on 
Crustacea,  91 

Gulls,  326 

Gum  (A)  unknown,  causes  great  mis- 
fortunes, 87,  152  et  scq.,  190 

Gum  of  the  bois  d' olive,  53 

Gumilla,  Father  Joseph,  382 

Gun,  a  great,  fired  day  and  night,  303 

Gunny  bags,  for  sugar,  1 88 

Giinther,  Professor  A.,  xiii,  lii,  70,  81, 
82,  97,  373  ct  scq. 

"  Gust,"  relish  or  taste,  95 

Gusts,  or  temijests,  16,  27 

Guts,  serve  for  necklaces  and  brace- 
lets to  the  Hottentot  ladies,  289, 
291 

Guyot,  la  Bible  de,  108  ;  the  poet,  ih. 

Guzman,  d'Alfarache,  the  famous,  178 

Gjjyis  Candida,  329 


H, 

Haarlem,  192 

Habitations,  disposition  of,  in  Rodri- 
guez, 50  ;  plundered,  128 

Habitus  of  the  Geant,  compared  to 
that  of  Waterhen,  362 

Hadrianus  VI,  Ivi,  5 

Hague,  the,  archives  of,  285  ;  council 
of  directors  at,  192 

Hair  of  Chinese,  251  ;  of  Hottentots, 
288,  290 

Hakim  II,  Caliph,  132 

Hakluyt  Society,  ix,  xiv 

Hakluyt  edition  of  Jordanus,  264  ; 
of  Yarthema,  208  ;  of  Pyrard  de 
Laval,  153 

Hale,  to,  the  ship,  112 

Halicore  Duf/ony,  74  et  scq.  ;  taberua- 
culi,  75,  379  ;  see  Morgan 

Halitherium,  379 

Hall,  great,  at  Batavia,  238  ;  manu- 
factory, at  Bern,  135 

common  (Hotel)  at  Rodriguez, 

52 

Haller,  Baron  de,  xxiv,  52 

Hamel,  Dr.,  xliv,  360,  368 

Hammers,  55 

Hand,  a,  lost  by  a  Maldivian  who 
ai)proiDriates  ambergris,  153 


INDEX. 


405 


Happiness,   Liberty   fatal  to  slaves', 

297 
Harbour  of  Mauritius,  the  principal. 

162 
Hardouin,  Pere,  309 
Harn,  chamber  of,  192 
HarjJngons,  46 

Harping  iron,  or  harpoon,  GO 
Harris's  Voyages,  Beaulieu,  161  ;  Ta- 

vernier,  269  ;  Dr.  Northleigh,  226 
Harrokl,  Earl  of.  and  Duke  of  Kent, 

Ixxi  ;  Willoughby,  166 
Harry's  Journal,  371 
Harvest,   judged    by  fall   of   rain,  at 

Batavia,  227 
Harvest,  productive,  at  the  Cape,  277 
Hatchets,  55 
Hatred  of  the  Dutch  for  the  French, 

164 
Hats,  made  of  leaves,  a  new  sort  of 

manufacture,  54,  64,  180 
Haven,   uoort    wester  or  north-west, 
146, 14S,  183  ;  zuyd  ooster  or  south- 
east, 147,  148,  162 
Haven,  Warwick,  or  Grand  Port,  147 
Haye  {Jean  dc  la),  6,  52,  107,  135, 

152  ;  his  death,  220 
Haye,  M.  de  la.  Viceroy  of  the  French 

Indies,  xviii,  3,  Ivi 
Hay- Hill,    Captain,    Consul    at    Re- 
union, 174 
Head,  the  Lion's,  Mauritius,  162,  163 
Health,  altered  by  ill-usage  and  bad 

diet,  161  ci  scq. 
Hearts  of  oak,  118 
"  Heaven   and   Earth",   the    Chinese 

classic,  244 
Hedges'  Diary,  ix,  153 
Helena  and  Clytemnestra,  38 
Helena  (the  Island  of  St.),  belongs  to 
the  Ewjlish,  298  ;   its  descri^itiou 
and  situation,  299 
Ilclianthus  tuber osus,  207 
Helm,  sailor  at  the,  drunk,  303 
Helmsley,  "  Vegetation  of  Diego  Gar- 
cia," by,  67 
Hemelvaard's  Eyland,  or  Ascension, 

1  xviii 
Heudrik,  Frederick,  Fort,  148,  180 
Henri  IV,  49 
Heui'i  Du  Quesne,  2 
Henry,  Marquess  of  Kent,  Ixxi 
Heraldic  insignia  on  tree  in  Mauritius, 

371 
Heraldic  arms  of  Marquess  of  Kent, 

Ixxiii 
Herbs,  at  Rodriguez,   70  ;    at  Cape, 

276 
Herbs,    pounded  and   given   to    sick, 
294 


Hercules,  slays  Busiris.  171  ;  pillars 
of,  135 

Hereford,  county  of,  Ixxi 

Heretical  ideas,  101 

Hermite,  Bernard  1',  213 

Hermitage  island,  327 

Herodotus,  68 

"  Heroidum,  Epistolaj,"  Ovidii,  171 

Herons,  night,  or  bitterns,  44,  210, 
343 

Hervagius,  the  Aovus  Orbis  of,  24 

Hesperides,  gardens  of,  257 

Hessels,  Mr.,  359 

Hessequa  tribes,  in  S.  Africa,  294 

JJeurcux,  crew  of  the,  213 

Hides,  ox,  180 

Hieroglyphic,  an,  258 

Hierozoicon  of  Bochart,  25 

Higgins,  Mr.  E.,  drawings  of  Rodri- 
guez, viii,  46,  50,  350 

Highnesses,  133 

Higledy-pigledy  intercourse  in  Hot- 
tentot huts,  291 

Hindustan,  absence  of  lizards  in,  86 

Hippopotamus,  28,  381 

Uirondelle,  the,  or  Bicallow,  Captain 
Valleau's  ship,  xviii,  151 

"  Histoire  d'un  Voyage  Litt^raire," 
xx.xii 

"  Histoire  Naturelle  et  Morale  des 
ludes,"  by  Acosta,  286  ;  "  des  lies 
Antilles,"  by  de  Rochefort.  1 7,  69, 
90,  199,  292 

"  Histoire  des  Savants,"  xxxii 

"  Histoire  Litteraire  des  Voyages," 
xxxiii 

"  Histoire  de  I'Acaddmie,"  xli 

"  History  of  Africa,"  by  Dapper  ;  273, 
289 

,  by  Ogilby,  289 

"  History  of  Mauritius,"  by  Baron 
Grant,  xxxv,  70,  109,  172,  177, 
179,  198,  214,  373 

"  History  of  South  Africa,"'  by  Theal, 
169,  181 

Hitlaud,  or  Schetland.  Ixiii 

Hoang,  a  liver  in  China,  249 

Hoangti-Xao  of  the  LXXII  Dis- 
ciples of  C'oiifueius,  243 

Hogs,  44 ;  sent  from  Mauritius  to 
Rodriguez,  151  ;  wild,  207,  231 

Hogsheads  of  wine  at  Cape  vineyards, 
277  ;  of  water  on  the  rock,  163 

Holcroft's  translation  of  Procopius, 
135 

Hole  in  the  rock,  or  cave,  170 

Holland,  arrival  in,  1,  302,  304  ; 
Diodati's  migration  to,  148,  217, 
219 

Holland,  a  free  and  happy  country, 


400 


INDEX. 


1  ;  a  republick  bless'd  by  Heaven, 
128 ;  a  wise  and  powerful  republick, 
250 

Holland,  letters  sent  to,  55;  memorial 
forwarded  to,  KiS  ;  admini.stratiou 
of  E.  I.  Co.  in,  192  ;  seeds  brought 
from,  56 

Holland  liturgy,  Malay  translation 
of,  225  ;  orders  given  in,  33 

Holland  neatness,  at  Cajje  Towna, 
275 

Holland,  New,  65 

Hollanders,  a  frank  and  obliging 
peoi'le,  250,  2S7  ;  Batch  families 
settled  at  Isle  Maurice,  371  ;  at 
Cape,  277,  293 

Hollands,  aqua-vita),  166 

Holy  Ghost,  proceeding  of  the,  131 

Holy  house,  at  Loretto,  131 

H  oly- water  of  the  Chinese,  257 

Homagium  diabolo,  132 

Homer,  132 

Hoods,  serpent's,  234 

Hoofd  Militaire,  Olof  Berg,  at  Cape 
Town,  275 

Hooker,  Sir  J.,  61 

Hoopoe,  93,  319 

Houan,  coasts  of,  in  China,  245 

Horace,  "ad  Virgilium",  xxix,  118 

Horizon,  144 

Horn,  fishes'  fossil,  279  ;  rhinoceros', 
279  ;  unicorn's,  ih. 

Horn,  city  of  North -Holland,  220 

Horse  (A)  very  fine  in  the  Island  of 
Salt,  12  ;  a  wild  horse,  281  ; 
horses  that  have  the  tallijig- sickness, 
209 

"  Horses  and  Coaches,",  misprint  for 
"  Houses  and  Clothes",  296,  297 

Horses,  wild,  at  Mauritius,  209  ;  at 
St.  Helena,  300 

Hospital  of  Chinese,  in  Batavia,  225 

H6tol-de-Ville,  52 

Hottentots,  natives  of  the  Cape  of 
Guud  Hope,  285;  etymology  of  that 
name,  ib. ;  they  are  made  to  work 
for  small  matters,  286  ;  they  are 
very  ugly  and  lazy,  287 ;  their 
manners  and  customs,  288  ;  their 
figures,  ib.;  their  manner  of  dres- 
sing, ih. ;  their  religion,  289  ;  cir- 
cumcision, ih.;  what  must  he  done 
to  make  them  woi'k  to  purpose, 
29  1;  their  habitations,  291;  they 
punish  adultery,  theft  and  murder 
severely,  ib.,  295  ;  have  a  great 
deal  of  humanity  for  one  another, 
296;  their  address  at  darting  their 
Zajuye,  293;  the  trade  which  the 
Coitipany  maintains  with  them,  ib. ; 


they  are  skilled  in  simples,  and 
make  use  of  them  successfully  in 
curing  of  wounds,  294  :  they  have 
hereditary  chiefs,  ib.;  these  chiefs 
only  exercise  their  offices  in  time 
of  war,  and  that  too  not  always, 
ib  ;  they  have  divers  customs  lor 
the  conservation  of  their  kind  and 
the  Republick,  295  ;  they  have  no 
knowledge  either  of  reading  or 
writing,  nor  make  any  division  of 
time,  ib.;  tlieir  merry-makings  and 
dances,  296  ;  the  manner  of  the 
young  people's  making  love,  their 
union,  ib. 

Hottentot  women,  292  ;  curious 
treatment  of  male  children  as  soon 
as  they  are  born,  by,  289  ;  why 
they  give  them  sea-water  to  drink, 
and  put  tobacco  in  their  mouths, 
ib. ;  they  are  generally  more  homely 
than  tlieir  husbands,  291  ;  wear 
raw  guts  about  their  necks  and 
legs,  ib.  ;  their  head-dresses,  ib.  ; 
their  character  and  figure,  292  ;  be- 
lieve themselves  the  finest  women 
in  the  Universe,  ib. ;  their  con- 
stitution and  manner  of  dressing, 
ib. 

House,  Holy,  at  Loretto,  131 

Houses  or  hutts  of  Isle  Rodrigo,  50, 
-  65  ;  houses  of  the  Javans,  261 

Howe,  Lord,  Island  of,  366 

Howlings  of  Hottentots,  295 

Hroswitha,  132 

Hudibras,  158 

Huesca,  wine  at,  166 

Hugo,  Hubert,  Commandeur  of  Mau- 
ritius, Ivi,  151 

Huguenot  prayer-book,  125 

Huguenots,  1,  135,  136  ;  list  of,  at 
the  Hague,  285 

Humanity  of  Chinese,  243  ;  of  Hot- 
tentots, 292 

Humboldt,  on  gulf-weed,  302 

Hunger  is  the  best  sauce,  178 

Hunters  in  Mauritius,  155,  184 

Hunting  at  the  Cape,  276  ;  in  Mau- 
ritius, 146  ;  by  the  Hottentots, 
286 

Hunting,  Hottentot  children  ren- 
dered nimble  for,  289 

Huntsmen  of  Governor,  at  Mau- 
ritius, 155,  184 

Hurricane,  furious,  at  Mauritius,  170; 
in  Rodriguez,  94,  95 

Hurricanes,  an  Indian  wind  (word), 
36,  46  ;  rare  in  Isle  Maurice,  214  ; 
some  pretend  that  they  come  only 
on  the  9th  February,  169,  170,  214 


INDEX. 


407 


Hurricane  time,  floods  in,  46,  51,  94, 
95;  season  of,  160,  169,  170 

Husbandry,  furnished  to  refugees  at 
Cape,  285 

Husbandry-tools,  taken  from  adven- 
turers, 159 

Husbands,  jealousy  of  Chinese,  253 

Huts,  vile,  of  the  Hottentots,  291 

Hutt,  vile,  on  rock  of  exile,  160; 
overturned  by  hurricane,  170 

Hutts,  maisonettes,  52  ;  of  Dutch  in 
Mauritius,  371 

Hyaciuthe,  Pore,  Ivi.  3 

Hydre,  1',  the  constellation,  xliv 

Hydrographer,  xi 

Hydrography,  of  George  Fournier, 
24,  108 

Hymn,  a  thanksgiving,  304 

J/ynnis,  Carangue,  322 

Ilijophorhe  Indira,  200  ;  amaricaulis, 
ib. :  Verschdffcltii,  species  of  fan 
palm,  62  c<  sen. 

Hypothesis  of  submergence  of  Mas- 
carene  islands,  377 


"Ibis,  the,"  plate  of  Palaomis  Exsid, 
from,  359,  366 

Icones  avium,  CoUaerts',  363  ;  Icoues 
genuina)  of  De  Bry,  375 

Idolaters,  Eastern,  67 ;  in  China, 
259 

Idols  with  a  hundred  arms,  -where- 
fore, 258  ;  Chinese  idols  repri- 
manded, 259;  chastiz'dand  dragg'd 
in  the  dirt  when  they  have  not 
done  their  duty,  260 

Ignis  Fatuus,  34,  37 

He,  d'Ambre,  153  ;  de  France,  xl  ; 
Bonapai"te,  3  ;  Desirde,  325  ;  aux 
Diamants,  324  ;  aux  Fols  et 
Fouqueta.  324,  326;  aux  Fouquets, 
159,  324;  de  France,  161,  339; 
Frigates,  325:  au  Mat,  326;  de  la 
Passe,  159,  163  ;  de  la  Perle,  3; 
Plate,  327  ;  de  Roche,  327 ;  de 
Sable,  324;  Vacoas,  159  ;  aux  Per- 
roquets,  337 

Jlliger,  classification  of  Sircnia,  3S3 

Illustrations,  list  of,  xi 

Illyria,  Belisarius  born  in,  134 

Image  of  good  or  evil  genius  in 
Chinese  houses,  257 

Images  not  worshi[iped  by  negroes 
297 

Imhricaria  maxima,  332 

Impalement  of  a  Macassar  slave,  182 

Imperial  tea,  229 

Indes  Orientales,  357 

ludex  Expurgatorius,  131 


India,    67,    93 ;  English    ships   sent 

yearly  to,  183;  Dutch  wealth  drawn 

from  219 
"  India  Orientalis",  the,  of  De  Bry, 

312  ct  sc(j.,  371,  375 
Indian,  Archipelago,  66 ;  fruit  of,  197; 

word  "hurricane",  36 
Indian  ocean,  373 ;  Fiudlay's  Directory 

of,     140,    199;    sea-weeds  of.  302; 

mousoou  in,-227  ;  hurricane  in,  94, 

214 
Indian  Sea,  18;  map  of,  by  Bellin,  309 
Indians,  68 

Indice  Annorial  of  Bresse,  xvii 
Indies,   Council  of  State  of  the,  216; 

French  squadron  to  the,  33 
Indies,  West,  197;  island  in  the.  91 ; 

palm-wine  in  the,  62;  East,  14,  65 
Indigo,  in  Bourbon,  44 
Industries,  French,  seriously  injured 

b\'  Huguenot  emigration,  1;  estab- 
lished at  Berlin,  2 
Inhabitants,  few,  at  St.  Helena,  300 
Iniquity  and  pride  of  great  men,  244 

ct  scq. 
Inophjillum,  221 
Inscription    left    in   the    Island    of 

Rodriijo,  127  ct  scq. 
Insects,  bred  out  of  corruption,  90  ; 

in  Java,  228 
Insignia,  heraldic,  at  Mauritius,  371 
Insolence  of  soldiers  in  Java  reduced 

to  humility,  241 
Inspector  of  arms,  for  King  of  Eng- 
land, 148 
Instinct  of  beasts,  foresees  storms,  95 
Institute  of  France,  memoir  on  tablicr 

read  at,  293 
Institutes  of  Manu,  264 
Instruction  in  religion  to  slaves,  297 
Instrument's  taken  from  de  La  Haj'e, 

the  goldsmith,  159 
Interpreter,     Paul    Benelle    the,    or 

hai-angueur,  141 
Introduction,  xvii 
Inundation  of  the  Nile,  171 
Invocations  of  Chinese  priests,  257 
Ipomcca  fragrans,  327 
Ireland,    town    in,    68  ;  coast  of,  sea 

swell  near,  303  ;  potatoes  of,  207 
Irish  horses,  9 
Irish,     st)me     ridiculous     questions 

which  the  Irish   Catholics   put  to 

their  dead,  255,  256 
Iron-wood,  at  Maiu-itius,  372 
Irons  of  thirty  pounds  weight,    158, 

165,  171 
Iseland,  or  Iceland,  9 
Island,  Ascension,  300  ;  of  Bourbon, 

41  ;    of    Crozet,  349  ;  of   Eden,  3, 


408 


INDEX. 


41  ;    Java,  281  ;    Mauritius,  195  ; 

Rei'miou,    42  ;     of    Salt,     11  ;     of 

Kerguelen,  349  ;  of  St.  Paul.  349  ; 

St.  Helena,  298,  299 
Islamls  :  Mascarene,  first  discovery  of, 

41,  308  ct  seq.  ;  the  Comoro,  309  ; 

ancient  fauna  of,  341  ;  Seychelles, 

34.1 
Isle  (a  floating),  23 
Isle,  or  rock  of  banishment,  1.59  ;  a 

sad  place,  160  ;  two    little  islands 

on  each  side  of  it,  172 
Israel,  no  needy  person  in,  243 
Italian  ladies,  confinement  of,  124 
Italian,  translation  of  Bible  into,  148 
Italy,  New  Voyage  to,    xxix,  Ixsxiii ; 

Misson's   allusions,  xxxiii ;    letters 

from,  259 
"  Itiuerarium     Curiosum",     of     Dr. 

Stukeley,  51 

J. 

Jaccatra,  ancient,  in  Java,  220,  222, 
2.56  ;  Chinese  cemetery  near,  ib. 

Jack  fruit,  201 

Jackabeir  (fish),  372 

Jackson,  M.  James,  Librarian,  Soc. 
de  Geog. ,  x 

Jacotet  River,  146 

Jagers,  Spruyt  de,  146 

Jambosa,  201 

James,  St.,  Palace  in  London,  24 

James  (St.),  Park,  belonging  to  the 
palace  of  that  name  at  London,  102 

James  Town,  in  St.  Helena,  298 

James'  Valley,  299 

Jamrosa,  201 

Japan,  Diodati,  Governor  in,  151 

Japanese  Archipelago,  ambergris 
found  in,  153 

Japar,  the  most  potent  prince  iu  the 
island  of  Java,  237 

Japara,  237  ;  King  of,  ib. 

Jardiu  d'acclimatisation,  376 

Jargon,  ridiculous,  of  old  version  of 
Psalms,  283 

Java  (the  Isle  of),  65,  221  ;  see 
Batavki,  216  ;  animals  of  that 
island,  etc.,  2.S2  et  scq. ;  the  Com- 
pany is  absolute  there,  237  ;  the 
gi-eatest  part  of  the  kings  there  are 
under  their  protection,  i6.  ;  temples 
in,  257 

Javans  chuse  rather  to  depend  on 
the  Company  than  their  Kings,  237  ; 
their  customs,  261  ;  are  Mahome- 
tans, 262  ;  go  half  naked,  ib.  ;  are 
sober,  ib.  ;  men  of  wit,  ib.  ;  cheats, 
ib.  ;  wear  poison'd  poniardS,  ib.  ; 
render  themselves  furious  by  drink- 


ing a  certain  drink,  ib.  ;  their  great 
men's  equipages,  265  ;  their  mar- 
riages, 268  ;  are  of  the  sect  of 
Tomais,  ib.  ;  do  not  eat  their  old 
peoiile,  269 

Javan  Women  are  naturally  very 
amorous,  265  ;  and  revenge  them- 
selves cruelly  on  those  whose 
fidelity  they  suspect,  ib.  ;  they  are 
very  jolly  and  neat,  ib.  ;  what  is 
reproachable  in  them,  266  ;  their 
manner  of  dressing,  267  ;  they 
cannot  marry  Christians  without 
embracing  the  Christian  Keligion, 
ib.  et  scq. 

Jaw  of  whale  in  St.  James's  Palace 
alluded  to  by  Misson,  24 

Jean  de  Nova,  islet  called,  315 

Jebusites,  134 

Jeman-Xilin,  a  philosopher,  censures 
ambition  and  injustice  in  wicked 
rich  men,  laments  disorders  in  the 
world,  249 

Jenner,  Mr.,  magistrate  at  Rocb-iguez, 
li,  338,  353 

Jeremy  the  prophet,  quoted,  76 

Jersey,  xxiii 

Jerusalem  artichokes,  207 

Jessamine,  Spanish,  87 

Jesuits,  Voyage  de  Siam,  by  the,  31, 
259;  Venerable  Society  of  the,136 

Jet,  black  bitumen,  or  amber,  87 

Jewels  of  the  Hottentots,  289,  291 

Jews,  76  ;  marry  young,  79  ;  in 
Europe,  242 

John  III,  John  IV,  41 

John  II,  King  of  Portugal,  30 

Jonas  swallow'd  by  the  whale,  24 

Jong,  Maximilian  de,  Ivi,  148 

Jonson,  Ben,  "  Neptune's  Triumph", 
by,  87 

Jordan,  Chas.  Etienne,  xxxii 

Jordanus,  Hakluyt  Society's  edition 
of,  by  Colonel  Yule,  264 

Joshua,  the  Great  Robber,  134 

"Journal  de  Voyage  de  Siam,"  by 
A.hh&  de  Choisy,  Ixxvii 

"  Journal  fur  Ornithologie,"  359 

"  Journal  of  Voyage  to  New  South 
Wales,"  White's,  366 

Journal  of  Trevoux,  xxx 

Journal  or  Diary  of  Montfaucon,  a 
book  stufl'd  with  errors,  trifles, 
fulsome  rejietitions  and  injurious 
expressions,  which  he  ought  above 
all  have  foreborne,  Prcf.,  Ixxix,  Ixxx 

Joy,  too  excessive,  tempered,  189 

Judas,  Face  de,  a  tree,  332 

Juices,  jn-essed  from  herbs,  given  to 
sick,  294 


INDEX'. 


409 


Justice  (common)  is  notliing  but  dis- 
cord, rapine  and  iuiqiiitj',  130 
Justinian,  Belisarius,  general  of,  131 
Juvenal,  Iviii 


Kaap    der  Goedc   Hoope,   Valentyu's 

description  of,  151 
Kaart  van  het  P'jOand  Mauritius,  by 

Van  Braam,  14(3 
Kabay,  a  gown  of  Javan  women,  267 
Kamschatka,  Le  Grand  Laraeutin  de, 

383 
Karens,  of  Burmah,  use  of  poisoned 

arrows  by,  264 
Karoo,  the  great,  in  S.  Africa,  293 
Kasta,   a  singular   sort   of   tree,   67 

Ct  Sf(/. 

Katties  Rivier,  206 

Keating,  Mr.,   65 

Keating,  Lieut. -Colonel,  xlvi 

Keeling  Islands,  66,  91 

Keernan,  Heer  ISTatelief  van,  197 

Kelly,   Capt.  of   H.M.S.   Vonwny,  xli.x 

Kelp,  349 

Kenipenfelt,  Admiral,  70,  374 

Kent,  17,  82 

Kent,  Marquis  of,  dedication  to,  Ixxi  ; 

Duke  of,  ib.  ct  scq, 
Kentish  cows,  9 
Kerguelen,  Island,  349 
Keu-Han,  a  poor  Chinese  thief,  245 

tt  SCff. 

Kevangli,  a  rich  mountain  inhabited 
by  300  families  united  under  the 
noble  robber,  Xoa-tl-cao,  248 

Kew  Gardens,  103,  201 

Kiati  tree,  poisonous  sap  of,  262 

King  of  Denmark,  10  ;  of  England, 
William  III,  129,  148  ;  of  the 
Maldives,  153 

Kingdom  of  Moles,  265 

Kings  are  sometimes  afraid  like 
other  men,  51  ;  this  wotyI  has  some- 
times the  same  signification  with 
those  of  Duke,  Doge,  or  Prince, 
237  ;  they  are  not  sovereigns  of  the 
people  to  govern  them  at  pleasure, 
244  ;  are  made  of  the  same  clay  as 
other  men,  ib. 

King's  Arms,  erected  in  Rodriguez, 
xxxviii 

King-s  of  China,  tyrants,  244 

Kings,  or  chiefs,  in  South  Africa,  294 

KirganeUn  vircjinca,  333 

Kitchin-Utensils,  taken  from  adven- 
turers, 159 

Kiumfa,  a  wicked  and  covetous 
prince,  249 

Klapper-boom,  or  filao  tree,  172 


Knip,  a  strong  liquor  at  Batavia,  228 
Knobel,  M.,  xliv 
Koen,  Jan  Pieterszoon,  220 
Kotzebue's  first  voyage,  Chamisso  in, 
66 


La  Boulaye  le  Gouz,  68 

La  Bourdonnais,  Governor  of  I'lle  de 

France,  149,  339 
Labourdonna S'a ,  332 
La  Case,  the  Sieurde,  6,  52,  13.5.  156, 
162  ;  his    malady    increases,    188  ; 
his  escape,  189  ;  recapture  of,  ib., 
218,  220 
Ladder,  dangerous  stairs  like  a,  in  St. 

Helena,  299 
Ladder,  slaves  bound  naked  to  a,  181 
Laeda,  twins  of,  38 
La  Haye,  the  Sieur,  6,  52,  135  ;  irons 

put  on  the  legs  of,  188 
Lais  incdites,  par  M.  Michel,  39 
La  Manche,  18 

Lamantin,  broiled  flesh  of,  141 
Lamantin  de  Kamschatka,  Lamantin 

du  Nord,  383 
Lan\barde's,       "  Perambulation       of 

Kent,"  Ivi,  32 
Lamentations,  Book  of,  76 
Lamentin's,  a  sort  of  fish,  74  et  seq., 
108,  129,  209,  323.     Vide   supple- 
mentary note  by  Delmar  Morgan, 
378 
Lamo,  city  of,  314 
Lamotius,  Isaac  Johannes,  Governor 

of  Mauritius,  Ivii,  151,  153,  204 
Lamotius  Rivier,  146 
Lamprey,  or  eel,  of  60  pounds,  173, 

322 
Lamps,  fed  by  the  fat  of  tortoises,  105 
Land  assigned  to  French  refugees  at 

Cape,  285 
Land-birds,  36 
Land,  breeze,  226  ;  winds,  196  ;  gale, 

226 
Land  crabs,  88,  213 
Landmarks,  144 
Land  melons,  273 
Landskips,   at    the  Cape,    wonderful 

fine,  286 
Land  turtles,  43,  70  ct  scq.,  209,  331, 

374 
Languages  (common)  at  Batavia, 
236  ;  French  language  famous  and 
universal,  129  ;  Zrt^tn  tongue  serves 
to  cover  a  great  many  things  of 
small  worth  in  some  treatises  of 
the  moderns,  Pre/.,  137,  2(;9 
Lnnthorns,  120 

Lantoro,  sack  of,  by  the  Dvitch,  101 
F  F 


410 


INDF.X. 


Lao-Tzfi,   doctrine   of,  by  H.  Giles, 

244 
Lapins,  lie  rles,  188 
La    Perruke,  or  table  cloth    )>heno- 

menon  on  Table  Mountain,  31 
Larboard,  or  left  side  of  ship.  274 
Larding  Pins  (gallant),  268 
Lascar  Bay,  325 
Latanin,  52,  02,  63  et  seq.,  200 
Latanier,  Toile  de,  188 
Lataniers,  sort  of  trees,  52,  59,  61, 

63,  120,  332 
Latham,  Gallinida  aJhn  of,  366 
Latin  autliors  deprecated  by  Leguat, 

Ixxx,  36,  137,  269 
Latitude,  ignorance  of,  303,  304 
Laughter  of  Hottentots,  side-splitting, 

296 
Laval,  Pyrard  de.  Voyage  of,  153 
Lave  water  out,  to,  i.e.,  hale  a  boat,  112 
La'w  (the  radical)  among  men,  245  ; 

the  law  of  Nature,  is  the  only  one 

the  Negroes  at  the    Cape    observe, 

295,  297 
Lawrence,  Rev.  John,  Ixxi 
Laws,  Divine  and  Humane,  81  ;  pre- 
cautions    against     disorders,    ih.  ; 

laws  are  not  efficaciously  favourable 

to   the   poor,    246  ;     laws    of    the 

Hottentots,  295 
Laws,  from  customs,  ih. 
Leaf-hatts,  180 

League  of  Augsbourg,  164,  272 
Leaves,  plantane,  52,  62  et  seq.,  188  ; 

chapel  made  of,  180 
Le  Bourg,  Ivi 
Le  Clerc,  M.,  xxv 
Le  Gentil,  M..  Voyage  of,  161 
Legge,    Professor,  on  Chinese  philo- 
sophers, xiii,  243 
Legger,   or  Legre,  a  Dutch  measure 

of  wine,  278 
Leguat,  Fran9ois,  the  author,  6  ;  his 

inscription,  127,  321,   330,   337  et 

seq.  ;  354  et  seq. 
Lcguatia  Gif/antea,  368,  370 
Leguat's     Manati,      379,      Solitaire, 

Front. 
Le  Guat,  Pierre,  xvii 
Le  Guat  de  P^oug^re,  xxxv;  arms  of,  ib. 
Leipsic,  xxiii 

Leniou  valley,  St.  Helena,  298 
Lemons,  197 
Le  Monnicr,  xli,  xliv 
Lenoir,    M.,    report    to     Council    of 

French  East   India  Company     by, 

339 
Leopards,  at  the  Cape,  278  ;  horse 

spotted  like,  281  ;  kills  a  burgher, 

281 


Le  Sage,  author  of  "Gil  Bias",  178 
Lesueur,    and    Peron,    MM.,   African 

travellers,  298 
Letters,    sent    to    Holland,    not    de- 
livered, 55 
Levaillant,  and  Barrow,  MM.,  on  the 

"tablier",  293 
Leverian  Museum,  366 
Leviathan,  of  Milton,  23  ;  of  Cada- 

musto,  25 
Leybourn,  51 
Leyden,  Walloon  church  at,  148  ;  city 

of,  192 
Libertas,  sine  Liceniid,  a  device  of 

the  Colony,   and  of  Pope  Adrian 

VI,  6 
Libertins,  free  slaves  become,  297 
Liberty,  Sweetness  of,  1 ;  of  conscience 

to  Roman  Catholics  at  Batavia,  225  ; 

of     Hottentots,   unabridged,    290  ; 

a  fatal  happiness  to  negroes,  297 
Libra,  the  constellation,  xliv 
Librarian  of  Arsenal  in  Paris,  x,  xxxv 
Librarian  of  Soc.  de  Geogr.,  Paris,  x 
Library,  London,  xiv,  145  ;  of  Arsenal, 

Paris,  2 
Lice  and  fleas,  85 
Light,  insupportable  to  the  Chacre- 

latcs ;    they  turn   night  into    day, 

270 
Lighthouse,  on  He  aux  Fouquet.s,  159 
Lignon,  the  famous,  49 
Lime-buruers,  29,  274 
Limestone,  274 
Limon,  Mount,  120 
Limons,  39,  44 
Limon-trees,  grove  of,  197 
Line  (The),  baptism  or  a  ceremony 

observ'd  in  cutting  it,  19 
Line,  gusts  near  the,  15 
Line,  repassing  the,  301 
Lines,  fishing,  55 
Linnean  Soc.  Journal,  67 
Lion,  of  monstrous  size,  carries  off  an 

ox,  280  ;  fat  of,  a  curative,    281  ; 

flesh    of,     good     eating,     ib.  ;  shot 

through  heart,  by  Olof  Berg,  281 
Lions,  at  the  Cape,  278,  280  ;  a  re- 
ward given  by  the  Company  to  those 

that  kill  them,  281 
Lion's    Head,  a   mountain,    30,    102, 

163 
Liplaps,  240 

Liquor,  a  river  of  Forez,  49 
Licpior,  delicious,  of  the  palm,  62 
"Lire  du  doigt",  123 
Lisboa,  Jean  de,  317 
Lisbon,  30,  312 

List  of  illustrations  and  maps,  viii 
"  Literary  Anecdotes,"  Ixxi 


INDEX. 


411 


Litter,  covered,  for  cairiage  of  Japan 

princes,  265 
Littleton,  Mr.,  376 
Littrd,  39 

Liturgy,  the  Holland,  225 
Liverpool,  Derby  Museum  at,  366 
Livingstone,  David,  on  the  Lion,  280  ; 

Travels  of,  in  S.  Africa,  ib. 
"  Livre  des  Poisson.s,"  97 
Lizard  (a  curious)  of  Oilolo,  236 
Lizards  of  Isle  Rodriyo,   70,  86  ;  of 

Isle  Maurice,  211,  214 
Loaches,  fish,  in  England,  24 
Loadstone,  solar  quadrant  of,  108 
Lobster,  213 
Lock  of  hair,  hanging  down   behind 

Chinamen,  252 
Locusts,  211 
Lodge,    the     Governor's     house,     at 

Mauritius,  149 
Lodovico  Vertomanni,  268 
Loire,  K.,  18,  49 

London,  French  churches  iu,  xxii 
London,  1,  24,  51,  91  ;  cattle  about, 

280  ;  library,  xiv,  145 
Lone  one,  the,  or  Einsiedler,  .xliv 
Longevity  of  land  tortoises,  373 
Long-tails,    i.e.,  boatswain    or   tropic 

birds,  see  Paillc-en-qucue,  11 
Longue,  Isle,  214 
Lopez,    Diego,    discovers    Rodriguez, 

see  Siqueira,  312  et  scq. 
Lophopsittaeus,  parrot,  210,  371 
Lord  Chamberlain,  Ixxi 
Lord  Howe,  Isle,  366 
Lord  Lieutenant,  Ixsi 
Loretto,  Holy  Hou.se  at,  131 
Loris,  Psittacus  rodericanus,  allied  to 

the,  346 
Lot,  a  pinnacle  of  greystoue  iu  St. 

Helena,  298 
Louis,  Port,  144,  183 
Louis  XIII,  xvii 
Louis  XIV,  1,  41,  164,  272 
Louis  Vertomanni,  268 
Louvres,  133 

Loyola,  Ignatius  de,  the  Great,  136 
Love-bird,   855 

Low  Countries,  the  war  iu  the,  104 
Lubiu,  205 

Lucullus,  gardens  of,  275 
Ludovico       di     Varthema,     Hakluyt 

Society's  edition  of,  268 
Lugdunum  Batavorum,   17 
Luillier,  Sieur,  183,  217 
Lul,  a  singular  sort  of  tree,  67,  68 
Lump  of  ambergris,  152 
Luther,  Martin,  5 
Luxembourg,  Duke  of,  1G4 
Lyciwm  tcnue,  327 


Lyon,  xvii 

Lyon's  Mountain,  Cape  of  Good  Hope 

30 
Lyons,  6  ;  Gulf  of,  10 


M. 

Mabillon,  Jean,  Ixxix 

Macassar,    182  ;    impalement   of   a 

slave,  182  ;  ferocity  of  iuhabitauta, 

237,  264 
Mackerel,  a  fish  to  be  met  with  only 

in  certain  jilaces,  18 
Markiesficld  frigate,  the,  284 
Macratons,  46 
Madagascar,  34,  36,  41,  82,  110,  141, 

195,  296,  297,  312  et  scq.,  344,  345, 

357 
Madness  of  Hottentot  women,  292 
Madraporidoe,  corals,  110 
Madras,  Fort  St.  George,  153 
Madurese,  or  Boutouners,  237 
Mafiee,  313 

Magas  tree,  poisonous  sap  of,  262 
Magazine  burnt,   180  ;  of   the    Com- 
pany, Batavia,  226 
Magdalene,  Is.,  110 
Magick  characters,  264 
Magistrates,    intermeddling,    not    iu 

Batavia,  22 '> 
Magnati,  Mr.,  108 
Magnetis  usum,   108 
Mahe'bourg,  iu    Mauritius,  359,    367, 

376 
Mahometan  of  Algier.s,  191 
Mahometans,  of  the  Sect  of  Tommi, 

2(38;  Javan,   262 
Mai,  Iledu,  14 
Maillard,  45,  201 
Maimbourg,  259 
Maiutenon,  Madame  de,  1 
Main-Mast,  lost  by  Vice-A.lmiral,  303 
Main-top-mast,  or  grand  mat  de  huue, 

303 
Malabar,  68 

"  Malade  Imaginaire,  Le,"  46 
Malady,  sort  of,  Le  perse,  161 
Malayan    Archipelago,    200  ;     poison 

tree  in,  264  ;  lizards  in,  236 
Malay,  language,  236  ;  colonists,  237 
Malaj's,    houses    of,    in    Java,    262 ; 

ferocity  of,  263 
Malayses,  Protestant  proselites,  that 

have  a  church  at  Bafavia,  224 
Maldives,    Pyrard  de   Laval    in    the, 

153  ;  sighted  by  Davis,  309 
Maldiviaus,  the  <jomin  of  the,  153 
Males,  new-born  of   Hottentots,  mu- 
tilation of,  289 
Malheui'eux,  Cape,  xlvii 


412 


INDEX. 


"  Mammalia,  Keceut  and  Extinct,"  by 
Mr.  Scott,  74  ;  marine,  extermina- 
tion of,  ih. 
Man,  sent  back  to  the  school  of  beasts, 
SO  ;  man  was  made  for  woman,  and 
woman  for  man,  121  ;  men  alone 
and  women  alone  are  but  part  of 
themselves  and  imperfect,  125 
Man,  or   Manue,    Manna,    celebrated 

ii>(u\  of  Israel  in  the  desert,  285 
Manati,  see  Lamcntin,  74,  379,  380, 

3S:j 
Man  die.  La,  18 
Mandarin  orange,  197 
Mauevillette,  M.de,  thehydrographer, 

66 
Mango,  200,  230;  without  a  stone,  230 
Mangos,  a  fruit  of  the  Isle  of  Java 

of  divers  kinds,  230 
Mangosteen,  201 
Mangrove,  le  paletuvier,  69 
''Maniere  de  celebrerle  Mariage",  125 
Man-of-war  bird,  or  frigate  bird,  83, 

299  ;  roost,  ib. 
Manu,  Institutes  of,  264 
Manuscripts,    those    whereof    cata- 
logues are  to  be  seen  in  the  Uiarium 
Itulicum  of  P.  de  Alontfaucon,  are 
but  of  small  consideration,    Prcf., 
Ixxsi 
Mapou  Bay,  173 
Mapou  tree,  201,  202,  325 
Mappa  mundi,  310 
Maps,  list  of,  ix 
Maps  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 

centuries,  309  et  scq. 
Marcel,  M.  Gabriel,  x,  18 
Mardykears,  or  Papangars,  236 
Mare  aux  Songes,  367,  369 
Mare  aux  Vacoas,  367 
Marechal,  the  Duke  of  Luxembourg, 

164 
"  Mariage,  mauifere  de  celebrer,"  125 
Marianne  I.,  xxxiv,  xxxix,  159,  325 
Marine  library,  xxxiii 
'•  Maiine    Mammalia,    Extermination 

of,"  Newton  on,  74 
Marine  office,  xxxix 
Mariners,  Portuguese,  234 
Marinette,  or  Boussole,  108 
Markham,     Clements    R.,    President 

Hakluyt  Soc,  xiv 
Maroon  negroes,  203 
Marot  and  de  B6ze,  version  of  Psalms 
by,   12,  283  et  seq.  ;  Clement,  ac- 
cused of  atheism,  284 
Marquis  du  Quesne,  xvii,  2 
Marriage,    at    Java,    267,    268  ;  of 
Chinese, 2^2  ;  at  the  Cupc,  296  ;  of 
solitaires,  80 


Marriage,  a  divine  institution,  125 
Mars,  the  expedition,  at  Ascension, 

300 
"  Marseillaise",  of  the  Camisards,  the 

283 
Marshall,  Capt.,  1 
Marsh- birds,  gigantic,   of  the  Masca- 

rene  Is.,  359  ct  scq. 
Marsh-birds,  red  flamingos,  15,   365, 

368 
Martin,  the  [Acriclotheres  tristis),  211 
Martinez,  Pico,  11 
Martiniere,  Bruzen  de  la.  Geographical 

Dictionary  by,  xxvi 
Martin- Vas's  Isles,  4,  15,  21 
Mary,  Queen,  at  Greenwich,  32 
Mascaregna,    desciii)tion     of    that 

Island,  2,  4,  33,  39,  41,  45  et  seq.,  55, 

156 
Mascaregne,  xviii 
Mascarene  genera,  201,  324 
Mascarene,  Islands,   discovery   of,   3, 

41,   308  ;  frogs  or  toads   in,  214  ; 

tortoise,  71 ;  waters,  73 
Mascarene,  Islands,  ancient  fauna  of 

the.  Appendix  C,  341  ;  Appendix 

D.,  359 
Mascarenhas,    Don    Pedro,    41,    308  ; 

Las,  xviii,  Ivi 
Mascarille,  46 
Maskelyne,  Prof.,  lii 
Mass  of  steep  rocks   at   St.    Helena, 

300 
Mast  Island,  326 
Mat,  grand,  de  hune,  main  top-mast, 

303 
Mathurin  Bay,  324 
Mathurin  Port,  in  Rodriguez,  xxxviii, 

10,    102,    113    et    seq.  ;    Mathurin 

Sanson,  a  famous  pilot,  10 
Mats,  vacoa,  for  packing  sugar,  188 
Matthew,  St.,  quoted,  139 
Matting  of  rofia  palm,    or  rabannes, 

188 
Mattresses,  186 
Maurice,   33,  34,  36,    41,   215  ;  the 

island  of  that  name  is  above  160 

leagues   from    Isle    Rodriyo,    106  ; 

description  of    Isle  Maurice,  195  ; 

few  tortoises  at,  184 
Maurice,  Prince  of  Nassau,  195 
Mauritius,  Pref.  xxi,  34,  41,  60,  65, 

67,  70,  81,  141, 144, 148,  337  et  seq.  ; 

Governor,  of,  127 
"  Mauritius  and  its  Dependencies",  by 

C.  Pridham,  144 
Mauvettes,  328 
Meal,  of  rice,  175 
Measurements  of   gigantic    tortoises, 

376 


INDEX. 


413 


Meat  and  drink,  short  allowance  of, 

160 
Meaux,  Bishop  of,  258,  259 
Mediterranean,  a  pilot  of  the,  10 
Medlar,  200 

Mela,  Pomponius,  255,  269 
MdanosiKrmeos,     olive-coloured      sea 

weeds,  302 
Meldrum,     Dr.,     meteorologist,      in 

Mauritius,  94,  214 
Melinda,  234  ;  King  of,  314 
Melliss,  monograph  on  St.  Helena,  by, 

298  et  seq. 
Melons,   excellent,  44,    56,   129  ;  of 
two  kinds,  44,  56  et  seq.,  105,  108  ; 
at  the  Cape,  278 
Melville  and  Strickland,  on  the  Soli- 
taire, xii,  1,  341,  352,  371 
"  Memoire  sur  un  Psittacus,"  85,  346 
"  Memoires  de  TAcadtmie,"  xli 
Memoirs,   on    China,    by   the   Jesuit 
priest  Le  Comte,  259  ;  on  ancient 
fauna  of  Alascareue  Is.,  341 
Memoir  on  osteology  of  the  solitaire. 

352 
Memoires,  Misson's,  24 
Memorial,  forwarded  to  Holland,  165  ; 

left  in  island,  52 
Menagerie  at  the  Museum  of  Natural 

History,  Paris,  342 
Men,  are  commoulj'  the  corrupters  of 
women,  123  ;  inhuman  men,  worse 
than    brute  beasts,   171  ;    all   men 
have  an  equal  right  to  the  goods  of 
Nature,  245  ;  all  are  equal,  244 
Men-of-war,  Dutch,  chase  by  squad- 
ron of,  8 
Mencius,      the       contemporary       of 

Chuang-Tsze,  244 
Menezes,  Henri  de,  310 
Mercator,  map  of,  312  ct  seq. 
Mermaids,  or  Sirens,  380 
Merritield,  Miss,  paper  on  Gulf-weed, 

by,  302 
Merry-makings  of  Hottentots,  296 
Messias,  the  coming  of  the,  1 29 
Messieurs  les  Beaux-Esprits,  191 
Me'taphrasts,  46 
Metz,  Paul  Benelle    a  townsman  of, 

xxxiii,  6 
Mice,  212 

Michel,  M.,  "  Lais  inedits"  par,  39 
Middleburg,  192,  283 
Middlesex  cows,  9 
Miers,  M.,  Hi 
Mignonne,  La,  xli,  340 
Milan,  Unicorns'  Horns  in  cabinet  at, 

279 
Militairo  Hoi.fl,  Willem  Padt,  32 
MilleporUlca,  corals,  110 


Millet  seed,  44,  57  ;  sent  to  Rodri- 
guez, 152 
Mills,  for  sawing  boards,  205 
Milman's  "Latin  Christianity,"  132 
Milne-Edwards,    A.,    on     Mascarene 

fauna,  xi,  81,  82  ct  seq.,  320  et  sen., 

341,  369,  370 
Milton,  "  Paradise  Lost,"  by,  23,  68  ; 

"  Paradise  Regained,"  87 
Mine     and     Thine,    two    unhappy 

words,  SO 
Mines  of  Gold ;    none  to  be  found 

in    the    Isle    of    Java    whatever, 

Vartomanni  says,  269 
Mingles,  number   of,   in  a   Lcgre   of 

wine,  278,  282 
Minister,  French  Protestant,  at  the 

Cape,  282 
Minister  of  Marine,  339 
Misel  Island,  326 
Misers,  46 
Missou,  Henri  de  Valbourg,  Memoirs 

on  England,  xxii 
Missou,    Maximilien,     Prcfnrc,    xxii, 

xxxiii,  Ixxx,   5,    24,   51,    108,  124  ; 

Memoirs  of,  254,  256  ;  Letters  of, 

130,  166,  259 
Missy,  M.,  xxxiii 
Mithridatca,  202 
Mitten,  M.,  lii 
Moas,  New  Zealand,  359 
Mogul,  the  Great,  228 
Moka,  Moka,  a  Cry  of  the  People 

of  Macassar,  264 
Molana,  an  Ai-abian  Chiek,  267 
Molenvliet,  222 
Moles,  the  kingdom  of,  265 
Moli^re,  quoted,  46,  115,  162 
Molluscs,  variety  of,  in  Indian  Ocean, 

179 
Moucontour,    Coligny    wounded    at, 

283 
Monej^,  adventurers',  seized,  159 
Money  of  the  Cape,  282 
Monimia  rotundifvUa,  201,  202 
Monk,  rascally,  130 
Monkeys,  372 

Monoceros,    a    name    common    to 
divers  sorts  of  animals  that  have 
but  one  horn,  279 
Monopoly,  Government,  at  Mauritius, 
206  ;  at  Batavia,  239  ;  at  the  Cape, 
278 
Monsoons,  60,  66  ;  N.W.,  227 
Monsters,    title  of,  given  to   Popes, 

130 
Montac,  a  large  worm,  212 
Montague,  des  Cre'oles,  303  ;  Loiiguo, 

196 
Moutanus,  Ixxix 


414 


INDEX. 


Moutfaucon,  Dum.  Bernard  de,  xxxi, 
Ixxix 

Monticola  eremita,  xlv.  See  Solitary 
Thrush 

Montpellier,  University  of,  Rondelet 
at  the,  98 

Mon  Tresor,  in  Mauritius,  376 

Monument  (A)  left  by  the  Hollan- 
ders iu  Isle  Bodri'jo,  52,  110  ;  by 
the  Adventurers,  127;  bj'^  the 
same  upon  their  Ilock  of  Banish- 
ment, 190 

Moon  (The)  worshipp'd  by  the  Ne- 
groes at  the  Cape,  289,  297 

iMoor-hens.  209 

Moors  (The)  at  Batavia,  236,  270 

Morality,  Principles  of,  inculcated  by 
Chinese  Philosophers,  246  ct  scq. 

Morgan,  E.  Delmar,  xiv,  Ixxi;  25,  51, 
55,  56,  59,  60,  61,  62,  65.  66,  67,68, 
69,  70,  74,  78,  81,  82,  85,  86,  90,  91, 
93,  95,  96,  97,  98, 101, 103, 104, 107, 
108,  109,  110,  112,  115,  120,  134, 
140,  143, 150  ;  Supplementary  Note 
on  the  Dugong,  379  ct  seq. 

Morgan,  Sylvanus,  his  ''  SjAere  of 
Gentry,"  51 

Morne  Brabant,  the,  S.W.  Cape  of 
Mauritius,  144 

Moses,  laws  of,  concerning  Charity, 
243 

Mould  of  Iron,  into  which  the  female 
children  of  the  Chinese  have  their 
feet  put  as  soon  as  they  are  born 
to  hinder  their  growing  large, 
253 

Mount  Limon,  in  Rodriguez,  120 

Mountain,  Green,  at  Ascension,  300, 
301 

Mountain,  of  the  Devil,  30,  31,  272  ; 
of  white  Stone,  in  St.  Helena,  298 

Mountains,  Bamboo,  147  ;  Tamarin 
and  Savanne,  146 

Mourners  {Chinese)  at  Funeral 
Ceremonies,  255 

Mozambique,  seipent  stones  from, 
234  :  Portuguese  navigators  at,  309 
et  scq.,  314 

Muddiuess  of  the  sea  beyond  Cerne, 
3U2 

Mu[/il,  322 

Mules,  209 

Muller  Eugene,  Librarian  of  the 
Arsenal,  Paris,  xxxv,  2,  6,  22,  45, 
49,  74,  115, 123,  145 

Mullet,  10,  205,  322 

Multitude  (The),  a  wild  Beast,  Ixxv 

Mum,  or  Beer  from  Brunswick,  228 

Muuden,  Sir  Kichard,  St.  Helena 
recaptured  by,  298 


Munia  oryzirora,  rice-birds,  210 
Murie,  Dr.  J.,  Memoir  on  Sirenia,  383 
Murray,   Mr.   John,  on   Coral  Reefs, 

109 
Mil, •ray a  exotica,  332 
Murther,    punished    by    death,   295  ; 

with  a  slow  fire,  171 
Mus  Alexandrinus,  347 
Musa  paradisiaca,  199 
MusKum  Italicum,  Ixxix 
Muscat  Vines,  at  the  Cape,  276 
Muscles,  eaten  by  Hottentots,  290 
Mu.seum,  British,  371,  376 
Museum,  of  Anatomy  and  Zoology  at 

Cambridge,     Frontispiece,      Pref., 

Introduction,  357 
Derby,    at    Liverpool,    366  ; 

National,  of  the  Netherlands,  359  ; 

Leverian,  366 
Muskets,  55;  Hottentots  killed  by,  295 
Musketoes,  372 
Musick     of     the     Chinese    perfect 

Discord,  252 
Mustard,  56 

Mutinous,  Hottentots  not,  296 
Mutton,  extremely  dear  at  Batavia, 

231 
Myoporum  Mciuritianum.  327 
Mysticctcs,  true  whales,  22 


N. 
Nails,  55 
Namur    (John),    a    soldier   of     the 

Garrison  of  Isle  Maurice,  157 
"Nan-Hua,"  the,  a  Chiue.se  classic,  214 
Nantes,  edict  of,  and  revocation  of,  1 
Najioleon,  376 
Napoleon  and  the  British  sailor,  164, 

185  ;  fall  of,  221 
Nares'  "  Glossary,"  93 
Nassur  Sultan,  wreck  of  the,  1 
Nasty  tree,  the,  69 
National  Museum  of  the  Netherlands, 

359 
Nations  which  inhabit  iJatoria,  236; 

different  at  the  Cape,  295 
Natte  de  toile  de  Latauier,  188 
Natural   History,  of  the  Antilles,  17, 

69  ;  of  Bible,  76  ;  of  Ceylon,  75 
Natural     History     Museum,     South 

Kensington,  97,  381 
Naturalists,  commonly  so-called,  24 
"Naturalist's  Voyage,"  Darwin's,  109 
Nature  effects  a  miraculous  euro,  162 
"  Nature,"'  the  journal,  39,  74,  109 
Naucrates  ductor,  97 
"  Navigatio  Vartomanni,"  24 
Navigation,    successful,      for     seven 

months,  302 


INDEX. 


415 


Nazare,  Isle  de,  358 
Nazaret,  oiseau  de,  358 
Nazarvogel,  xliv,  360 
Necessity  does  all,  106;  a  spur  for 
work,  290 ;  assisted  by  Hottentots, 
293 
Neck,  Jacob  van,  210 
Necropsittacus  rod<ricanus,ZZZ,  336 
Needles,  Cape,  or  Cape  Agulhas,  34 
Neerwindeu,  victory  at,  164 
Neff,  Bois  de,  332 
Negligence  of  purveyors,  160 
Negro,  10  ;  slaves  set  fire  to  the  fort, 

181  ;  price  of,  282 
Negro  Slave  (A),  being  about  to  be 
executed,  desires  to  have  one  cast 
at  dice  before  he  dies,  182  ;  Liberty 
fatal  to,  297 
Negro  Women  have  good  features 
at  Btitavia,  according  to  the  notion 
we    have  of    beauty,    270  ;     their 
complexion  is  subject  to  none  of  the 
inconveniences  the  white  are,  270 
Negroes  at  Bata^^a  are  fine  men,  269; 
of   Madagascar,    Ceylon    and    the 
Oape,  282,  296;  their  customs,  ihid. 
They    say   they  worship  but    one 
God,  yet  they  pay  adoration  to  the 
sun  and  moon,  297 
Neighbours  to  the  Cape,  Hottentots, 

295 
Neptune,  son  of,  171 
Nerac,  Jacques  de  La  Case,  a  towns- 
man of,  6 
Nests  of  pigeons  in  Rodriguez,  82 
Netherlands,    ....  Huguenots    from 

the,  277,  283 
Netherlands,    National    Museum    of 

the,  358 
Nets,  for  fishing,  55,  160,  173,  209 
Neural  arch  of  vertebra  in  tortoise, 

perforated,  376 
New  Caledonia,  370 
New  Horn,  220 
"  New  Voyage  to  Italy,"  A,  by  Max 

Misson,  5,  51,  108 
New  Zealand,  342,  359,  370 
Newton,  Professor  A.,  Preface,  xii,  li, 
74  ;    notes    by,  178  ;  on    fauna  of 
Rodriguez,    319   et    seq.,  336,  337 
et  seq.,  352,  371 
Newton,  Sir  E.,  Preface,  xii,  li  ;  notes 
by,  45,  90  ;  on  fauna  of  Rodriguez, 
Appendix,    319    et    seq.,   336,  337 
ct  seq.,  352,  369 
Nichols,  Ixxi 

Nieuland,  Adriaan,  Ivi,  148 
Night  herons,  81,  210 
Nightingale  Island,  Tristan  d'Acunha 
group,  26 


Nights    and  days  equal   at  Batavia, 

227 
Nile,  inundation  of ,  171 
Ninox  madagnscaricnsis,  344 
Nobility,  ihid^ 
Noble,  Chas.  F.,  xl 
Nobles,  False  Nobles,  1 30 
Nocturnal  lizard,  86 
Noddy-terns,  or  Noddies,  29S,  301 
Noire,  Riviere,  Piton  de  la,  146 
Noort  Wester  Haven,  149 
Norfolk  Island,   Oalliniila  of,  366 
Normandy,  coast  of,  mackarel  on  the, 

18 
Noronha,  Garcia  de,  309 
North  Holland,  220 
North,    Sir  Thomas,    translation    of 

Plutarch  by,  1 45 
Northleigh,  Dr.  John,  description  by, 

226 
North-west   Port,     afterwards     Port 

Louis,  149,  188,  195,  196 
Xotornis,  366,  370 
"Nouveau  Voyage  eu  Italic,"  xxxi, 

xxxiii 

"Nouvelle  Relation  de  la  VilleVenise," 
xxxii 

"Nouvelles  de  la  R^publique  des 
Lettres,"  Introduction,  xxvi,  59 

Novice  in  Convent,  176 

"  Novus  Orbis,"  the,  by  Hervagius, 
24 

Nuchal  vertebra  of  tortoise,  376 

A^umcnivs  arquatns,  351  ;  phcconus, 
329 

Numidia  mitrata,  346 

Numidia,  stone  pillars  in,  134 

Nutmeg,  200 

Nuts,  of  the  Bois  d'Olive,  53,  337 

Nuxia  verticillata,  333 

Nux,  M.  de  la,  161 

Nux  vomica,  264 

NyctaglnaceeP,  329 

Nyciicorax,  tneyaceplialus,  a  night- 
heron  of  Rodriguez,  81 


0. 

Oak,  beam  of,  found  at  Rodriguez, 
107,  150  ;  hearts  of,  118  ;  King 
Charles',  51 

Oaks,  at  Cape  Town,  276 

Oars,  139 

Oats,  44 

Observatory  at  St.  Denis,  Re'uuion,  36 

Ocean,  Indian,  shells  of,  ]  79 

Ocean,  South  Atlantic,  298 

Ocomsiao,  a  rich  plain,  the  prey  of 
a  noble  lord,  249 

Orydromus,  342 


416 


INDF,X. 


Odontoceti,  or  toothed  whales,  22 
Oilour,  delicious,  of  island,  39 
Ogilby's    account    of     Africa,    after 

Dapper,  289  et  seq. 
Oil  of  turtle,  43,  120 
Oiseau  du  pnj's,  3r)0 
Oiseaux  de  Nazaret,  358 
Oja,  city  of,  314 

Oldenlaud,  Dr.,  the  botanist,  superin- 
tendent of  gardens  at  Cape  Town, 

275 
Oldcnlandia  Sicberi,  327 
Old  Rock,  the,  Sermons  on,  99 
Olearius,  9 
Olive    Tree,    200  ;  leaves  of  seaweed 

resembling,  302 
Olof  Berg,  Lieutenant,  at  Cape  Town, 

275,  281 
Onderkoopman,  148,  151,  181 
Onrust,  description  of  Island  of,  by 

Thorn,  227 
Onrut,    a  small  island,  two    leagues 

iroia  Batavia,  where  the  Company 

builds  ships,  227 
Onydioprion  anasthfPtus,  326,  329 
Oostcdand,  wreck  of  the  shijj,  273 
Opium,   taken  by  Javans  and  other 

islanders  to  render  them    fearless, 

264 
Opperhoofd,  148,  151,  181 
Oracle,  question  decided  by  an,  126 
Oranges  in  Eden,  39,  43  ;  Mauritius, 

175,  197  ;  at  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 

275  ;  at  St.  Helena,  299 
Orange-trees,  sent  from  Mauritius  to 

Rodriguez,  152 
Orchards,  outside  Batavia,  225 
OrchidacecP,  87 
Orient,  L',  xl 

Oriental  Emerald,  so  called,  269 
Oriental  Greek  and  Roman  Churches, 

131 
"  Oriental  Repository,"  Dalrymple's, 

xl 
"  Oriental  Series,"  Triibner's,  153 
Oriental  slaves,  182 
"  Origin  of  Coral  Reefs  and  Islands," 

by  J.  Murray,  109 
Orinoco  River,  382,  384 
Ornaments  of  natives  at  the  Cape,  289 
"  Ornithologie,  Journal  fur,"  359 
Ornithology  of  Willoughl)y,  15,   166 
Ortelius,  map  of,  309 
Orthodox,    Deists,    less  than    wicked 

spirits,  297;  fool,  130 
Oeorius,  his  account  of  the  discovery 

of  Madagascar,  313  ct  seq. 
Ouphromcnus  olfax,  205 
Osseous   remains   of  Rodriguez   tor- 
toises, 376 


Osteology  of  the  Solitaire,  Jlemoir  on 
the,  352 

Ostrich,  African,  Gigantic  birds 
equalling  the,  359 

Oswell's  account  of  lions,  280 

Otaries  of  Bass's  Straits,  74,  340 

Otho  the  Great,  132 

Otho's,  musty  (Othons),  132 

Otis  tarda,  354 

Ounces,  sixteen  to  the  pound,  282 

Ouragan,  or  hurricane,  an  Indian 
word,  36 

Ourlet  rouge,  81 

Outhoorn,  Willem  van,  216,  238 

Ovidius  Naso,  171;  lib.  Tristium,  Ile- 
roidum,  Deianara,  Metamorj)liosen, 
ibid. 

Owls,  82;  make  war  upon  rats,  90, 
336,  344 

Owners,  blindness  of,  140 

Ox,  an,  strangled  and  carried  off  by  a 
lion,  280 

Oxbirds,  327 

Oxen  of  three  sorts  at  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  278,  280 

Oxen,  captured  and  restored  by 
Dutch,  295 

Oxford,  xlix 

Oxford,  shipwreck  of  the,  1 

Ox-hides,  180 

Oysters  at  Rodriguez,  76;  at  Mauri- 
tius, 372 

Ozell,  his  translation  of  "  Max  Mis- 
son's  Memoirs,"  xxii,  xxxv;  Intro- 
duction, 24,  256 


Pacific  0(?ean,  373 

Padt,  Willem,  Captain,  32;  expedi- 
tion of,  294 
Page's,    M.  de,  "Voyages  autour  du 

Monde,"  by,  292  et  seq. 
Pagni  (John),  6;  his  death,  47 
Pagodes,  at  Batavia,  225,  257;    of  the 

eastern  idolators,  67 
Paille-en-queue,  11,  82,  329,  347 
Pails,  pitched  with  gum,  153 
Painesuyt,  Seigneur  de,  xvii 
Paint  of  the  Hottentots,  288 
Palace  of  St.  James's,  in  Loudon,  24, 

102 
Paltcographia  Grtcca,  Ixxx 
Palceornis  exsul,  84,  85,  336,  337,  338 
Palanquins,  lined  with  capoc,  65 
Paletuvier  (the  mangrove),  69 
Paling  Rivier,  146 
Palm  fibre,  188 

Palm,  Latanier,  61,  63,  120;  cabbage, 
77 


INDEX. 


417 


Palui.a,  Island  of,  8 

J'alniiste  inurron,  62,  332 

Palms,  Isle  of,  213 

Palm-trees,  in  Eden,  43;  in  Maurice, 

200  ;   in  Rodru/uez,  52,  59,  61,  86, 

332  et  seq.  ;  Bctd,  264 
Palm-wine,  62,  105,  129 
Pamplemousse,   197,  372;    Botanical 

gardens  of,  376 
Pan,  the  god,  68 
Pandanus,  xiv,  103  et  scq.;  332,  350 

screw-pine  on  Vaqnoas  I.,  172 

Panormita,  verse  of,  108 
Papangars,  or  Mardj'kears,  236 
Papaj-e-tree,  201,  292 
Paradise,  an  earthly,  49 
"Paradise  Lost,"  quoted,  23;    "Re- 
gained," 87 
Paradise,  terrestial,  Bourbon  I.,  41 
Parallel    lines    of   piles,   at    Batavia, 

226 
Parasols,  64 
Parat,  M.  de,  xxxviii 
Paretuvier,    a    particular    tree,    68, 

69 
Paris,  Museum  at,  345,  352;    Mena- 
gerie at  Museum  of  Natural  History 

in,  342 
Paris  pint,  the,  278;  Treaty  of,  42 
Parish,  Captain,  account  of   Batavia 

by,  223 
Park  of  land-turtle,  70,  374 
Parnakan  Chinese,  237 
Parnassus,  Plains  of,  Ixxii 
Parroquet,  green,  xli,  53,  210,  337 
Parrots,  great  numbers  of  them  at 

Isle  Rodrigo,  53,  84,  105;  the  flesh 

of  the  young  ones  is  good  to  eat, 

85 
Parrots,  in  Eden,  44;   in  Rodriguez, 

53,  84;    brought  to  Mauritius,  105, 

338,  341,  345;   in  Mauritius,  210, 

336,  372 
Piirthcnope  spinosissima,  213 
Partridges,  red,  grey  and  white  at 

the  Cape,  280;  in  Eden,  44;   at  St. 

Helena,  300 
Pasca  fflamingos,  372 
Passe  Demie,  324 
Passe,  Isle  de  la,  159,  163,  178,  179, 

209 
Passe  Platte,  324,  327 
Passes,    or   channels,  breaks   in    the 

reefs,  breaches,  112,  113  ci  scq. 
Pastor,    of    French   Church   at   the 

Cape,  283;  of  Walloon  Church  at 

Leydcu,  148 
Patates,  or  yams,  152,  207 
Paternosters,  muttering,  132 
Patole,  or  snake-gourd,  175 


Patricius  Vartomanni,  Ixvii,  269;  Re- 
lation of,  24 

Patrick  (St.)  has  banished  venomous 
creatures  from  Ireland,  214 

"  Paid  et  Virginie,"  by  Bernardin 
de  St.  Pien-e,  147 

Paul,  St.,  Island  of,  349 

Paul,  Saint,  quoted,  61,  122,  124,  190 

Paulist  Christians,  xliii 

Pavilion,  Arbre,  103 

Payang,  or  sambrcel.  sunshade,  240 

Peace  of  Ryswick,  xxi,  271 

Peace  without  fraud,  295 

Peach,  200 

Peacocks,  wrongly  translated  from 
Giants,  44 ;  great  birds  on  stilts, 
45 

Pear,  200 

Pea7-l,  the,  Castleton's  ship,  Ivi;  bas- 
tion of  citadel  at  Batavia,  223 

Pease  in  Eden,  44 

in  St.  Helena,  299 

Pedant,  mad,  133;  Pedants,  36 

Pedro  de  Cintra,  23 

Peerage  of  England,  Nichols',  Ixxxi 

Pclidna  ciiiclus,  330 

Pellew,  Sir  Edward,  227 

Pelzeln,  Dr.  von,  366 

Pemphis  acidula,  327 

Penal  colony,  181 

Penalties,  severe,  for  buying  amber- 
gris, 153 

Penalty  of  illicit  trade  at"  the  Cape, 
294 

Penderell,  John,  51 

Penelope,  La,  340 

Penguin  or  Robben  Island',  29 

Pen-knife,  blood-letting  w-ith  a   170 

Pcntapus  dux.  322 

People  that  love  images,  257;  have 
no  ideas,  259 

Pepper- tree,  xiv,  65 

"  Perambulation  of  Kent,"  Lam- 
bard's,  32 

Pere  Hardouin,  309 

Pere  Hyacinth,  3 

Pereira,  Ruy,  or  Diogo  Fernand'es, 
314,  315 

Periijlus,  the  Erythriran,  264;  of 
Scylax,  302 

Perle,  He  de  la,  Ivi,  3 

Perou,  74;  and  Lesueur,  MM.,  African 
travellers,  293 

Perroquetts,  Ixi,  53.  210,- 337 

Perruche,  337,  350 

Perse  (Le),  a  flux  of  blood,  161,  231 

"  Perse,  Voj'age  en,"  by  Tavernier, 
68 

Persecution,  of  France,  259;  of  Hu- 
guenots, 1 

G  (1 


418 


INDEX. 


Perseverance,  the  Dutch  ship,  162  ct 

seq. 
Persia,  banyan  in,  67;    coach  horses 

from,  239 
Persian  wine,  228;  voyages,  68 
Persians,  the,  68 

Pertz,  chronicle  recovered  by,  132 
Peru,  269 ;  why  so  called,  285 

Account  of,  by  Acoata,  286 

Perugino,  Ixxx 

Peter  Thomas,  51,  55,  135,  156 

Petition  or  memorial  sent  to  Holland, 

165 
Petrel,  black,  178;  petrels,  347 
Petrology  of  Rodriguez,  lii 
Petticoat,  unnecessary,  of  Hottentot 

women,  292 
Pezophaps    minor,    352 ;     Solitarius, 

viii,  1,  342,  353 
Phaeton,   several    species    of,   83,   84, 

329,  347 
Pharaon,  Crenr  de,  171 
Pheasants  at  the  Cape,  2^0  ;    at  St. 

Helena,  300 
Phehuma,  86 

Philippe  II,  King  of  Spain,  136 
Philippe  Diodate,  148 
Philippine  Islands,  269  ;  the  Solitary 

Thrush  of  the,  xliv,  xlv 
Phillip's    Voyage    to    Botany    Bay, 

366 
Philosopher  and    his   Wife,    Chinese 

storj',  liy  Sir  John  Davis,  244 
Philosophers,      according      to     the 
common  signification  of  the  word, 
are     prov'd    foolish    fellows     and 
talkers  to  no  purpose,  37 
Philosopher's  Stone,  132 
Philosophical      Trans.      Roy.       Soc, 
Intro,,  lii,  53,  67,  70,  81  ct  x>a»sim 
Philosophie  d'Aprenti-Moine,  176 
Philtres,  Love  potions  given  by  the 

women  of  Java,  265 
Phlebotomists,  or  vein-cutters,  115 
Phocce,  340 
Phoenician  Tongue,  inscription  in  the, 

134 
Phyllanthus  Casticus,  333 
"  Physical  History  of   Man,"  by  Dr. 

Pickering,  288 
Physicians  are  in  perpetual  contra- 
diction among  themselves,  from 
whence  we  may  conclude  they 
rather  act  by  chance  than  by 
knowledge,  115  ;  their  tragi-comi- 
cal  consultations,  ibid.  ;  quarrel 
and  tiglit,  cannot  decide  their 
differences  without  drawing  cuts, 
ihid.  ;  Physicians  that  are  not  skil- 
ful, 133  ;  those  of  Europe  look'd 


upon  as  pernicious  to  the  country 
by  the  islanders  of  Java,  231, 
232 

Physick  (common)  a  pure  cheat, 
and  more  destructive  than  service- 
able to  mankind,  115 

Physiognomy,  of  the  Chinese,  241  ; 
^  of  the  Hottentots,  238,  291 

Phyz's  of  Hottentot  women,  291 

Pianqui  I.,  326 

Picardy,  6,  154 

Pickeriug,  Dr.  Charles,  "  Chrono- 
logical History  of  Plants,"  by,  264, 
288 

Pico  Martinez,  in  Sal  Island,  11 

Pictures,  in  Chinese  Temples,  257  ; 
of  Chinese,  241 

Pidgeons  of  Isle  Rodrigo  are  smaller 
and  tamer  than  ours,  82 

Pierrot,  one  of  the  adventurers,  6, 
55  ;  Island,  88,  326 

Pig,  347 

Pigeon,  Dutch,  211  ;  Hollandais,  345 

Pigeons,  44,  82,  231,  344  ct  seq. 

Pigot,  Governor,  xl 

Pike,  Colonel  N.,  "Sub-tropical 
Rambles,"  by,  66,  148,  179,  203 

Pikes,  fish  with  sharp  teeth,  174 

Piles,  parallel  lines  of,  at  Batavia, 
226 

Pillar,  draught  of,  135  ;  ingraved, 
134;  of  M.  de  Flacourt,  41,317 

Pilot,  51;  Pilots,  302;  Sub-Pilot, 
3(i3 

Pilot- Fish,  97 

Pinang,  kernel  of  the  areca-nut, 
230 

Pine  apples,  104,  197 

Pingre,  the  astronomer  at  Rodri- 
guez. Introduction,  xi,  337,  338 

Pinnacle,  called  Lot,  in  St.  Helena, 
298 

Pins,  pandani,  332 

Pint,  the  Paris,  equivalent  to  the 
English  quart,  278 

Pintades,  28,  300 

Pintado's  of  divers  sorts,  at  Batavia, 
231 

Pipe  (an  Ambulator),  296 

Piper  betel,  264 

"  Piscibus  Marinis,  de,"  Rondelet's,  98 

Pisang,  197  ;  see  Pinang,  239 

Pisonia,  201 

Pitch,  152,  180 

Piton,  de  la  Riviere  Noire,  146 

Pitt,  Thomas,  at  Madras,  153 
Pitts,  or  pools,  on  the  reef  at  Mauri- 
tius, Fish  in,  173  et  seq. 
Placaat,   severe,   against   illicit  trade 
at  the  Cape,  294 


INDEX. 


419 


Plaine  des  Caffres,  201,210 

Plaise,  372 

Plancius,  Petrus,  map  of,  312 

Plank,  found  at  Rodriguez,  107   150 

Plantane,  or  Latanier,   52  et  seq.,  fil 

et  seq.,  147,   172,    200  ;    cotton   of, 

120 
Plantane-leaves,  Huts  of,  99  ;    mats 

of,   188;    roofs    of,    147  ;    hats   of, 

172 
Plantane-trees,   43  ;  on    island,   176  ; 

in  Mauritius,   200  ;  Rodriguez,   52, 

59,  61,  86 
Plantation     House     at    St.    Helena, 

376 
Plantations   in    Mauritius    destroyed 

by  hurricane,  170 
Planters    at    the    Cape    are    French 

refugees,     285  ;    at    Black    River, 

147 
Plants  and  trees  of  the  Isle  of  Eden, 

43.       Two    curious     plants,     231. 

Medical  Plants  at  the  Cape,  294 
Plants   at    Batavia,    229  ;    Bourbon, 

43  ;    Cape,    275  ;    Mauritius,    147  ; 

Rodriguez,  57  ;  St.  Helena,  299 
Plants  of  the  Indies  at  Black  River, 

147 
Plaque,  frontal  and  rostral,  369 
J'liKjucniinier  inclanidc,  197 
I'lataJca  oj<ija.  Spoonbill,  15 
Plates  of  fialm  bark,  64 
Pliny    the    Natnroligt,    a    fabulous 

Author,  24,  67,  97,  199 
Plovers  or  purrs,  85 
Plunkett,  Mr.,  1 
Plutarch's    account  of  Themistocles, 

145 
Pluto's   Birds  whose  flesh  stinks,  84, 

178 
Poccia,  pozza,  101 
Pods  or  schools  of  whales,  22 
Poetaster,  132 

Poincy  and  de  Rochefort,  17,  90 
Point,  the  Devil's,  163  ;   Point  Diable, 

209 
Pointe  d'Esny,  367 
Pointe  du  Palmier,  325 
Pointe  du  Sal,  330 
Pointe  de  la  Pouce,  324 
Points  (laces)  at  Genoa,  278 
Poirier,   Captain    Stephen,   Governor 

of  St.  Helena,  298 
Poison  in  Java,  262  ;  kcc  Poi/SDn. 
Poisoned  weapons,  264 
Poisonous  fish,  174 
Poivre,  M.,  200 
Pole,  artick,  68 
Pole  Star,  38 
Poles,  180 


Poliojisitta  cana,  parrot,  210 

Pollu.x,  Castor  and,  St.  Pollux,  35,  38 

Polygamy  of  the  Cafres,  291 

Pomegranates,  at  St.  Helena,  299 

Pomfflets,  372 

Pomjies  d'eau,  water-spouts,  16 

Pomponius  Mela,  255,  269 

Pondicherry,  199,  xliii 

Ponies,  island-bred,  at    St.    Helena, 

300 
Pont  volant.  128 
Ponyard,  poyson'd,  or  Cric,  264 
Poop,  Trade- wind  blown  in  our,  140 
Pope,    Adeodatus,    158  ;    Adrian    VI, 

5,    Hadrianus,  ihid.  ;    Innocent  XI, 

133  ;  Vitaliauus,  158  ;  Sylvester  II, 

132 
Popes,  diatribe  against  the,  130,  131 
Porcelain,  trade  in,  by  Chinese,  251 
Porcolaines,  species  of  Cy2^i'(ea,  179 
Porcupines,  at  the  Vaj^,  278  ;  quills 

of,  in  lion's  .=<kin,  281 
Porj)hyrio  3Iad/i;/a.iraricnsis,  210 
Porpoises    have    hot    blood  ;    carry 

their  young  like  whales,  Lamentius, 

etc.,  8,  10,  22 
Port  Bourbon,  105 
Port-en-Bessin,  18 
Port,  Grand,  Warwick  Haven  or,  147; 

see  Grand  Port 
Port   Louis,    xl,  144,  146,  149,   183, 

195,  345,  375 
Port  Mathurin,  xxxviii,  10,  102,  113, 

119 
Port     North-west,    or     Port     Louis, 

Noort  Wester  Haven,  149 
Port  Santa  Maria,  1 1 
Port,  South-east  ;  sec  Grand  Port 
Port  Souillac,  145 
Portrait  (A)  of  the  noble  Binonfa, 

247  ;  of  the  nolile  Ti-Hokai,  248 
Portugal,  King  of,   John  II,  30,  298  ; 

John  III,  IV.  41 
Portuguese,  archives,  309  ;  discoveries 

in  the  Indian  Ocean,  ibid.,  41,  44 
Portuguese,  15,   U8  ;    transport   fruit 

and  cattle  to  St.  Helena,  299 
Portugueses  (Protestant)  have  two 

churches  at  Batavia,  224,  250 
Portuguses,    Maurice    discovered    by 

the,  195  ;  in  Batavia,  236 
Portulnca    oleracca,    "  Pourpier",    or 

purslane,  56,  70,  95 
Poste,  Riviere  du,  146 
l^ostulant,  or  novice  in  convent,  176 
Potatoes,    sent    to    Rodriguez    from 

Mauritius,  152  ;  good  for  nothing, 

189 
Potatos,  abundance  of,    at  Batavia, 

207,  230  ;  iu  Eden,  44 


420 


INDEX. 


Pottage-pot,  soot  from,  faces  of  Hot- 
tentots daubed  with,  290 
Poule  Sultane,  210 
Poulet  d'lude,  35S 
Poult,  to,  an  old  hawking  term,  174 
Poultry,  at  Black  Kiver,  147  ;  sent  to 

Rodriguez,  151 
Pound  of  sixteen  ounces,  282 
Pourpier,  70 

Powder   for   cartridge,   for  dressing- 
box,  133 
Power     (Arbitrary)     good     lessons 

against  all  such  power,  244,  245 
Poj'son    (see  Poison)   tried   on   rats, 
40  ;  in  presents  ou  Chinese  tombs, 
257 
Poysoned  daggers  in  Java,  262 
"Practycke    in     Crimiuele     saecken 

gehemaeckt",  158 
Prayer-Book,  187 
Prayers,  Machinal,  257 
Pr;eluilium,  unpleasant,  20 
Preachers   (modern)  of   the  Gospel 
will  needs  explain  mysteiies,  101  ; 
they  ought  not  to  do  so,  132 
Preaching  at  Mauritius,  371 
"  Precieuses  Ridicules,  les",  by  Moli^re, 

46 
Predikaut,    Petrus    Simonszoon,    at 

Drakenstein,  283  ;  Friars,  136 
Preface,    Author's,    Ixxv ;     Editor's, 

xiii 
Prefaces,  Their  benefit ;    see  Pre/., 

Ixxxviii 
Prejudice,  popular,  133 
Premium  for  killing  lions  and  tigers 

at  the  Cape,  281 
"  Present  State  of  England",  51 
Presents,  often  beneficial,  how  small 

soever,  172,  173 
Preservative,  magic,  in  Macassar,  265 
Presidial  Chamber,  11)2 
Pretence     of    Vice-Admiral    at    the 

Cape,  272 
Priacanthus,  322 

Price  of  provisions,  fixed  by  Govern- 
ment, 189  ;  at  the  Cape,  282 
Pridham,  C,  on   Mauritius,    67,   144, 
149;  "  England's  Colonial  Empire", 
by,  xxiv 
Priests  (Chinese),  257  et  seq. 
Princes  in  Java,  265 
Prior,  Flacq  described  by,  150 
Prisoners,  adventurers  made,  156 
Prisoners,  cruelty  to  French,  161 
Privateer,  French,  7 
Privilege,  of  Chinese,    242  ;    of  civi- 
lians   in    Java,   241  ;      of    Javans, 
wearing  the  Cric,  265 
Procellaria  atcrrinut,  Plutos,  178,  347 


Processions  (Chinese),  252,  255,  258 
Procopius,  quoted,  134,  135 
Produce  of  the  earth,  without  labour, 

at  the  Cape,  277 
Projet  de  Republique  k  1'  He  d'Eden, 

by  Sauzier,  xviii,  xxviii,  xxxvi 
Promulgation    of    Edict    of    Nantes, 

original,  1 
Pronis  takes  possession   of  Bourbon, 

hi 
Proposition  to  gain  time,  126 
Protestants  (French)  have  a  Church 

at  the  Cape,  283 
Protestants,     French,     follow     their 

pastors  into  exile,  xxii,  1 
Proverb,  French,  121 
Proverbs,  a  word  ill  apply'd  to  the 

sentences  of  Solomon,  244  ;  quoted, 

122 
Providence,  Divine,  Preface,  liv,  1,  49, 

145,  156.  304 
Province  of  Bresse,  1, 127  ;  Introduc- 
tion, xvii 
Provinces,  the  United,  195 
Provisions,    price    of,     189  ;    at    the 

Cape,  282  ;   boiled,  full  of  worms, 

141  ;  scanty  supi)ly  of,  160 
Pruderice,  a  cr(iole,  liii 
Prussia,  1 
Psalms  of  David,  an  admirable  book, 

36,    52  ;      newly    translated     into 

French  verse  at  the  Cape,  283   ct 

seq. 
Psalms,    version    of,    by    Marot    and 

Beza,  12,  36,  283  et  seq. 
Psittaciens,  345 
Psittacus,    species    of,    85,    371  ;    P. 

rodericanus,  338,  345 
Pterodroma    aterrima,   black    Petrel, 

178,  324,  328,  347 
Pteropus  Edwardsii,  flying  fox,  45,  85, 

337  ;  P.  ruhricolUs,  347 
Public  Worship  of  Roman    Catholics 

disallowed    at    Batavia,     225  ;     at 

Rodriguez,  xliii 
Puente,  Martinez  de  la,  309 
Puets,  44 

Puffinns  chlororynchus,  178 
Pugnacity  of  Solitaire,  li,  79 
Pullets,  231  ;    Pullett's   egg,   serpent 

stone  bigger  than  a,  234 
Pvilo  Panjang,  in  Bantam  Baj\  271 
Pulse,   £it   the    Cape,    276,    278  ;    at 

St.  Helena,  299 
Pumpkins,  44 
Punishments,    of    slaves,    181    ;     of 

Ranishmeut,  278  ;  of  whipping,  ih. 
Purchas'  Pilgrims,  Ixxix 
Purgon,  46 
Purs  or  Purrs,  plovers,  8,  85 


INDEX. 


421 


Purse,  story  of  a  purse  stol'u  by  the 

crabs  or  rats,  '.^'2,  93 
Purslaiu  seed,  56,  70,  95 
Purslane,   the  only  European  herb 

found     by     the      adventurers     at 

Rodrigo,  70,  95 
Purveyors,    negligence    of,    160,  175, 

180,  183,  188 
Puttooren,  210 
Puvigne,    M.     de,    Commandant    at 

Rodriguez,  xliii 
Pyrard  de  Laval,  Voyage  of,  153 

Q. 

Quadrant,  solar,  of  loadstone,  108 

Quails,  water,  208 

Quales,  44 

Quaresma  Pero,  310 

Quart,  the  English,  equals  the  Paris 

pint,  278 
Quatre  vingt  Brisans,  or  eighty  break- 
ers, name  of  a  reef,  xlix,  140 
Queen  Anne,  Ixxi 
Queen  Marie  of  England,   32  ;  Queen 

Victoria,  the    wreck  of  the,  xlix 
Queensland,  Australia,  384 
Querets,  176  ;  sec  equerets  and  ferrets, 

329 
Quesne    {Ilcnry,    Marquis    of),    his 
design  to  form  a  colony  of  French 
refugees,  Pre/-,  2  et  seq. 
Questions,  put  to  the  Chinese  dead, 

255  ;  put  to  the  Irish  dead,  ib. 
Quills  of  porcupine  in  lion's  skin  at 

Ca[)e  Town,  281 
Quilles  au  baton,  or  ninepins,  a  game, 

lOi 
Quilts  (matelas)  of  Capoe,  65 
Quimper,  Monk  of,  Pere  Hyacintlie,  3 
Quintus  Curtius,  68  ;  Quincurse,  ib. 
Quirisia  laciniata,  332 
Quolibcts,  the  reign  of,  121 

R. 

Rabannes,  of  Rofia  palm,  188 
Rabbi  Benjamin,  a  bad  author,  Pref. 

Ixxix 
Rabbit  Island,  or  Robben  Eilant,  274 
Rabos  Forgados,  371 
Radishes  at  St.  Helena,  299 
Rafales,  high  winds,  27 
RatHc,  a  ghastly  game  at,  182 
Raft,  or  float,  of  chests,  168 
Ragouts  of  the  Hottentots,  288 
Jiaia,  322 
Rail,  wincfless,  342  ;  Goaut  comjtared 

with,  362 
Rain,  salt,  in   hurricane,  37  ;  seldom 

occurs  in  Bourbon,  58 


Rains  frequent  at  Bataria,  between 

the     months    of     November     and 

April,  225,  227  ;  in  Eden,  58 
Rallidcp,  a  form  of  Gelinotes,  81,  335 
Ralluit,  Gallinula  Lcyuatia,  compared 

with,  362 
"  Rambles,  Subtropical",  see  Pike 
Rambouillet,  Hotel,  22 
Jiapid,  H.M.S.,  350 
Rates    of   the    Apostolical    Chamber, 
Rats,    a  great   number    of    tliein   at 

Bodrigo,  70,   89,  90.  126,   346  ;  at 

Mauritius,  212  ;  at  ^t.  JIdcna,  300 
Rattan,  split,  for  flogging  slaves,  181 
Rattle-snake,  174 
Ravin sara,  201 
Rays,  322 
Raz  de-marce,  113 
Reader,    French    Protestant,    at    the 

Cape,  282 
Reading     and     writing      useless     to 

Hottentots,  295  ;  taught  to  Negro 

slaves,  297 
"  Recherches     sur   la  fauue   des   iles 

Mascareignes,"  81 
Red  Sea,  Dugong  in  the,  76,  384 
Reef.s,  origin   of    Coral,    109  ;   chains 

or  reefs  of  rocks,  ib. 
Rees'  Cycloptedia.  65 
Eeflcxions  sur  V Euchariste,  by  Henri 

Duquesne,  2 
Refreshments,  at  Cape,  33  ;  at  Mau- 
ritius,   146  ;     at    St.    Helena,    300 

ct  seq. 
Refugees.    French,    earnest   to   teach 

Negro  slaves,  297  ;  jilanters  at  the 

Cape,    285  ;  Huguenots  settled  iu 

S.  Africa,  284,  285 
Reins      of      Hottentots,      thong      of 

leather  about  the,  288 
"Relation  de  I'lle  Rodrigue",  320  et 

seq. 
"  Relation  "  de  M.  Delon,  39 
Relations    of     Voyaijcs  ;     of    what 

materials   they   ought  to   be   com- 

posd,  they  that  write  them  ought 

to  know  themselves,  I'rrf.  Ixxvi 
"Relations  Veritables  et  Curieuses  de 

de    risle     de     Madagascar    et    du 

Bresil",  358 
Religion,     instruction    iu,    given    to 

Negro  slaves,  297 
Religion    (vulgar)   full    of   fruitless 

and  rash  things,  101  ;  in  France,  2  ; 

Chinese,  257  ;    of   Iloltcntuts,   289  ; 

of  Javans,  268 
Remarks,     historical    and     critical, 

made   in  a    voyage    from   I(<dii    to 

Holland  in  1704,  xxviii;  a  book  full 

of  Falsities,  Pref.  Ixxxv 


422 


INDEX. 


"  Remarques  Historiques,"  par  Fres- 

chot,  xxviii,  Ixxix 
Remedies,  simi^le,  of  natives,  294 
Rcmora  Echincis,  the  sucking-fiish,  97 
Renewing    of    the    Moon,    feast   and 

dance  of  Negroes  at,  297 
Rent,  none  imposed  on   refugees  at 

the  Cape,  284 
Reprisal,  133  ;  for  vessel  and  sails,  156 
Republick  blest  by  heaven,   Holland 

a,  138 
Republick  of  Letters,  xxx  ;  its  in- 
habitants imitate  the  brokers,  Pref. 
Republick  in  Rodriguez,   52 
Republics,  little  sorts  of  in  S.  Africa, 

295 
Requins,  fish  ;  the  vulgar  opinion  of 

this  tish  criticiz'd  upon,  97,  322 
Reserves,  the,  203 

Resinous  gum  of  the  Colophane,  152 
Restoration  of  Solitaire,  li  ;  of  Geaut, 

359 
Reunion,  Island  of,  xviii,  3,  34,  36,  42 

et  seq.,  82,  178,  195,  210,  349,  368, 

373;  Consul  at,  174;  discovery  of, 

308  et  scq. 
Revelation,  268 

Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  1 
Revolution  at  Bourbon,  3 
Rhc,  Isle  of,  5 
Rhinoceros,  in  the  Isle  of  Java,  232  ; 

at    the    Cape,    279  ;     is    the    only 

unicorn,  ib.  ;  fables  told  of  it,  ib.  ; 

its    shape   like   an    elephant's,   ih.  ; 

has  but  one  horn,  ib.  ;  the  hair  of 

its  tail  is  black,   harsh    and   large, 

lb. 
Rhinochetus,  370 
Rhodes,  commander  of,  310 
Rhone,  the  river,  xvii,  127 
Rhytma,     of    Behriug's    Island,    viii, 

xiv,  74,  381  :  skull  of,  382 
Ribero,    Diego,     famous     pilot,    308 

et  seq. 
Rice,    common,    and    the    bread    of 

Java,    228 
Rice,  at  Bourbon,   44  ;  Batavia,  228  ; 

the  Cape,  Mauritius,  Rodriguez,  St. 

Helena,    299  ;    sent    to    Rodriguez, 

152 
Rice,  supplied  by  sea-ofRcers,  166.  175 
Rice  birds,  210 
Richelieu,  Cardinal,  xvii,  22 
River  birds,  369 
River,  Black,  146,  174 
River    entrances    in     Mauritus,     six 

enumerated,  146 
River,    great,    at    Batavia,    Javanese 

campongs  on,  261  ;  little,  in  Rodri- 
guez, 50 


Rivers  so  filled  with  fish  that  one 
can't  swim  over  them  without 
touching,  43,  59,  60 

Rivier,  Anauasse,  Dieppe,  Paling,  and 
Swarte,  146,  148 

Riviere  Chaux,  147 

Riviere,  des  Anguilles,  du  Post,  146; 
Tabac,  203;  Profonde,  206;  Noire, 
367 

Riviere  Noire,  Piton  de  la,  146 

Rivulets  in  Rodriguez,  59 

Rixdollars,  Dutch  money,  equiva- 
lent of,  154;  four  paid  as  wild- beast 
tax,  281 

Road,  old  Dutch,  from  Port  Louis  to 
Flacq,  149 

Roads  for  shipping,  at  St.  Helena, 
299 

Roan,  or  Rouen.  6 

Robben  (Isle),  its  situation,  29,  272 
et  seq. ;  improperly  nam'd  by  the 
French,  274  ;  Origin  of  its  name,  ib. 

Roche,  Michael  de  la,  xxxii 

Rochefort,  criticis'd  upon,  15,  16, 
17,  68,  89;  "  History  of  Antilles," 
by,  199,  292 

Rochelle,  18 

Rochon,  the  Abb '  Alexis,  on  position 
of  Ste.  Brande,  66 

Rock  of  Exile,  159,  165,  172  ;  of 
Zochelot,  190 

Rocks  and  Shoals  passed  safely,  139 

Rocks,  chains  of,  109;  and  reefs,  ib. 

Rocky  Island,  327 

Rod  of  reeds  for  flogging  slaves,  181 

Rodolfe,  Roelof,  or  Rudolj^he  Diodati, 
148 

Rodrigo  the  Cid,  121 

Rodrigo  (Isle),  4;  its  situation  and 
extent,  48,  50  ;  a  plan  of  the  ad- 
venturers' habitation,  ib.;  tempe- 
rateness  of  the  air,  57;  description 
of  that  island,  ib.,  etc.  ;  though 
there  was  neither  bread  nor  wine, 
yet  we  made  good  cheer  there,  105; 
memoirs  at,  190;  eight  kings  of, 
129 

Rodriguez,  xix,  xxxvii;  discovery  of, 
47,  308;  tortoises  at,  184,  378;  ex- 
tinct fauna  of,  320  et  seq.;  ge'ant  in, 
210;  rats  and  mice  in,  212  ;  reefs 
of,  109;   Relation  de,  320  et  seq. 

Roe-buck,  at  the  Cape,  278;  in  full 
course,  290 

Roman  Cathcjlics;  Clergy,  257;  Errors 
of,  100;  Liberty  of  conscience  to, 
225;  public  worship  by,  disallowed 
at  Batavia,  225 

Rome,  54,  124 

Ronde  Island,  214 


INDEX. 


423 


Rondeletius,  or  Rondelet,  16,  17,  97, 
98 

Roots  eaten  by  Hottentots,  289 

Ropes,  64 

Rorquals,  22 

Rost,  Dr.  R..  xiii 

Rotterdam,  17,  158,  192 

Rouget,  Rougette,  322 

Rouillard,  M.,  a  magistrate  of  Mau- 
ritius, xxxix,  320 

Round  Island,  84,  200 

Rousseau,  J.  J  ,  49 

Roussettes,  347 

Rowley,  Captain,  xlvi,  xlvii 

Royal  Academy  of  Sciences  of  Am- 
sterdam, 359 

Royal  Oak,  51 

Royal  Society,  li 

Royal  Society,  Philosf)pliical  Trans- 
actions of,  xiii,  ct  paxtsiiii 

Ruby  bastion,  the,  223 

Rumphius,  the  botanist,  on  poison- 
tree,  264 

Rupert's  Valley,  in  St.  Helena,  298, 
299 

Riippell,  habitat  of  Halicorc  taherna- 
culi,  according  to,  76 

Russia,  Emperor  of,  134 

Rye,  on  the  Kentish  shore,  18 

Ryswick,  Peace  of,  xxi;  news  of,  271 

Ryswick,  suburb  of  Batavia,  222 


Sa,  Payo  de,  311  c<  srq. 

Sabercanes,  one  sort  of  the  Javan 
arms,  or  blow-tubes,  262,  264 

Sabre  worn  by  Macassars,  264 

Sack,  and  Loaches  in  England,  24; 
yellowish  wine  like,  166 

Sack  of  Lantore  by  the  Dutch,  161 

Sage  King  of  Letters,  sec  Confucivis 

Sages  iu  China,  244 

Sago-tree,  the,  236 

Sail,  mat  used  as  a,  188 

"  Sailing  Directions" ;  sec  Findlay 

Sailors,  convalescent,  as  iervauts,  156 

Sails,  rendered  useless,  139;  of  ad- 
venturers' vessel  given  away,  155 

St.  Alexis,  xxxviii 

St.  Autoine,  M.  de,  xlv  {see  p.  133) 

St.  AppoUouia,  Ivi,  3,  310  ct  scq. 

Saint  Benoit,  Ixxix 

Saint  Brande,  65,  66 

St.  Denis,  3;  Observatory  of,  36,  41 

St.  Elme,  St.  Helme,  or  Saint  Telme, 
fire  of,  phenomenon,  34,  35 

St.  George,  Fort,  at  Madras,  153;  and 
the  Dragon,  174 

St.  Helena  Bay,  34;  Island  of,  272, 
298  et  seq.,  3?  6 


St.  James's  Palace,  24;  Park,  102 

St.  Lawrence,  Island  of,  or  Mada- 
gascar, 311  c<  scq. 

St.  Marie,  or  Santa  Maria,  Island  of, 
315  ct  scq.  ;  Maria  Rotunda,  Ixxx 

St.  Mark,  MS.,  Ixxxi 

St.  Maur,  Congregation  of,  Ixxix 

St.  Maurice,  Island  of,  304 

St.  Nicholas'  Point,  in  Java,  271 

St.  Paul,  3,  38,  41,  190;  Island  of, 
349;  Church  of,  xliii 

St.  Paul's,  Bourbon,  xlvi 

St  Pierre,  Bernardin  de,  "  Paul  and 
"Virginia,"  by,  147,  196,  200,  209 

St.  Quentin,  in  Picardj',  6,  154 

St.  Thomas,  Island  of,  at  Mozam- 
bique, 311 

Sal  Island,  11 

Salaiy  of  French  pastor  at  the  Cape, 
283 

Salt,  87;  desci-iption  of  the  Island 
that  l)ear8  that  name,  11 

Salt  edibles,  on  the  rock,  173 

Salt-Hind,  175 

Salt  of  Isle  Rodrigo,  87 

Salt-flesh,  corrupted,  as  food  for 
prisoners,  160 

Saltpetre,  206 

Salutation  of  a  bullet  at  Greenwich,  32 

Salutation,  of  the  Chinese,  251 

Salute,  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  32; 
in  honour  of  treaty  of  Ryswick, 
272 

Sambawaui-ese,  237 

Sambreel,  or  payang,  a  sunshade,  240 

Sauaturiuni,  at  Ascension,  300 

Sandpiper,  85 

Sands,  shipwreck  on,  150 

Sandy  Island,  324 

Sanson  Mathurin,  the  pilot,  10 

Sansonnet,  Indian,  211 

Sans  Soucy,  Captain,  51 

Santa  Maria  des  Virtudes,  314  et  scq. 

Santarem,  Atlas  of,  308  ct  scq. 

Sanuto,  Livio,  Geography  of,  311 

Saoue,  River,  xvii.  127 

Saphire  bastion,  the.  216,  234 

SapotacccP,  332 

Sardis,  Themistocles  at,  145 

Sargasso  Sea,  the,  301  etscq. 

Sarr/assum,  or  gulf-weed    302 

Satyrs,  anti-Christian,  131 

Saucepan,  or  skillet,  187 

Saucers,  64 

Saumatre,  the  River,  60 

Saurians,  349 

Sauzier,  M.  Th.,  Preface,  xviii,  xxviii, 
xxxvi,  2,  40 

Savage  Irish,  255 

Savanna  River,  Mauritius,  146 


424 


INDEX. 


Savanne  Mountain,  146 
Savoy,  127 

Savoyard  frontier,  xvii 
Saws,  55 

Scales,  or  Quilles,  nine-pins,  104 
Schah,  Empire  du,  68 
Schetland,   one  of  the  Islands,  be- 
lieved to  be  the  ancient  Thule,  7 
Schism,  created  by  dispute  on  a  word, 

131 
Schlegel,  Professor  Herman,  9,  15;  on 

the  Geant,   359  ct  seq.;  Appendix, 

344,  370  et  seq. 
Schools,  or  pods,  of  whales,  22 
Schreber,  202 
Schryver,    Ensign,    his      expedition, 

295 
Sclater,  Dr.   P.  L.,  editor  of  "Ibis"', 

366  _ 
Scorpions,    not    dangerous,   in   Isle 

Rodrigo  ;    none  found  in  Eden,  39, 

40,  95 
Scotland,  northernmost  point  of,  304; 

Union  of  Parliaments  in.  Ixxii 
Scott,  A.  W.,  on  Mammalia,  74 
Scott  Elliot,  xiii,  202 
Scottish  Estates,  Ixxii 
Scourging  of  slaves,  181 
Screw-pines,  prevalence   of,  in   Rod- 
riguez, 103,  332.     See  Pandanus. 
Scurvy,  33 

Scutia  Commcrsonii,  332 
cylax,  Periplus  of,  302 
Scylla,  Charybdis  upon,  Ixxxii 
Sea-animals,  209 
Sea-birds,  82,  176 
Sea-bream,  17 

Sea-cow,  28,  210;   Steller's,  383 
Sea-crabs,  93,  213 
Sea-dogs,  or  seals,  274 
Sea-eels,  76 

Sea-froth,  knip  distilled  from,  228 
Sea  gale,  or    sea-breeze,  at    Batavia, 

226 
Sea-grass,  302 
Sea-larks,  330 

Sea-marks  at  Rodriguez,  139 
Sea-officers,  1 75 

Sea-sick  adventurers  in  boat,  141 
Sea,  Sargasso,  301,  302 
Sea-serpent,  eel,  or  lamprey  of  601bs., 

173,  322 
Sea-swallow,  or  flying-fish,  10,  16 
Sea-tortoise,   or  turtle,   43,   72,   179, 

209,  323 
Sea-water  made  fresh  by  condensing, 

301 ;  .salt  from,  87 
Sea- weeds,  302;  float  of,  163 
Sea-winds,  273;  in  torrid  zone,  227 
Sea-wolfs,  at  Tristan  Island,  27 


Seal  Island,  or  Robben  Island,  273  et 
seq. 

Sebusiens,  127 

Secretaire  du  Due  de  Savoye,  xvii 

Sect  of  Tommi  Mahometans  in  Java, 
268 

Segusiani,  127 

Seigneur  de  la  Fougere,  xvii;  de  Pai- 
nesuj't,  xvii 

Seligny,  M.  de,  cotton  mill  of,  204 

Selys-Longchamp,  M.  de,  343 

Senegal,  Voyage  au,  110 

Sentences,  proj^er  name  of  Proverbs, 
244 

Sentier,  Bois,  332 

Sentinelle,  329 

Sepoys,  xlvi 

Sepulchres,  place  of,  for  Chinese, 
256 

Serin,  352 

Sermons  on  the  Old  Rock,  99 

Serpent,  description  of  a  sea-serpent, 
whose  flesh  was  venomous,  173; 
no  serj^euts  in  Isle  Maurice,  214; 
Hood-serpents  in  the  Lsle  of  Java, 
234;  a  serpent  50  foot  long,  234 

Serpent,  stone  of  the,  190,  234 

Scrranits,  322 

Serrao,  fleet  of  Joao,  311 

Settala  Maufredi,  cabinet  of,  in  Milan, 
279 

Settlement,  removal  of  Dutch,  in 
Mauritius,  147 

Sctubal,  the  ship,  315 

Seventeen,  the  Assembly  of.  Directo- 
rate of  the  Dutch  Company,  192, 
283 

Sexes  do  not  intermix  abroad,  at  the 
Cape,  293 

Seychelles  Islands,  the,  67,  110,  309, 
345,  356, 376 

Shaddocks  in  Mauritius,  175,  197 

Shagreen,  Dugs  wrinkled  like,  292 

Shakespeare,  81 

Shallop,  from  Chaloupe,  156 

Sharks,  96,  166,  174,  209,  322 

Sharpe,  Mr.,  lii 

Sheaa-waters.  347,  351 

Sheep,  at  the  Cape,  278 ;  at  St. 
Helena,  300 

Sheep-skin  covers  shoulders  of  Hot- 
tentots, 288 

Sheers,  55 

Shell-fish,  209 

Shells,  very  fine  at  the  Isle  of  Salt, 
14  ;  others  very  fine  in  Eden,  14,  43, 
136, 179  ;  in  Mauritius.  179  ;  worn 
in  hair  of  Hottentots,  289 

Shells  of  tortoises,  enormous,  373 
et  !teq. 


INDE.V. 


425 


Shelves,    or    ledges    of    rock,    reefs, 

translated  from  "  Brisans",  47;  ex- 

]iression  used  by  John  Dryden,  47 ; 

by  Southey,  139,  145 

Shi[)'s  crew,  letters  read  to,  150 

Slii|>s    of    iJutcli    Company   built   at 

Onrut,  227 
Ship-wreck  on  sands  of  Rodrigo,  150 
Shoals,  the  Aniirante,  309 
Shoar,  a  flat,  301 
Shoes  of  skin,  ISO 
"  Shooe  piuch'd,  where  the",  proverb, 

121 
Showers,  small,  at  St.  Helena,  299 
Shufeldt,  Mr.,  viii,  xi,  358 
"  Siam,  Journal   du  Voyage  de,"   by 
Choi^.y,  Ixxvii,  33,  153;    "English 
Inteiciiurse  with',  153 
Siamese  countries,  poison-tree  in,  264 
Sick  brought  ashoar  at  the  Cape,  294 
Sidiroxylon,  332 

Sigheni,  gold-mines  of,  in  China,  249 
Signal,  185  ;  to  tack,  disobeyed,  302 

ct  seq. 
Silver,  unknown  to  natives  at  Cape, 

293 
Silversmith,  52,  see  Haye 
Siuon  van  der  Stel.  Governor,  32,  275 
Simond,  Reverend  rierre,of  Dauphiue, 

282,  283 
Sinionetta  Anastasius,  Ixxx 
Simples,  knowledge  of,  by  Hottentots, 

294 
Simplicity  of  Hottentots,  296 
Sinte  Helena,  Ixviii 
Siqueira,   Gouzalo     de.    311  ;    Diego 

Lopez  de,  312  et  seq. 
Sirenia,  75,  379  ei  seq. 
Sirens  or  Mermaids,  380 
^'imn  Sisarum.   288 
Skates,  fish,  209 

Skeleton  of  Solitaire,  restoration  of,  1 
SkitFof  skins  sewed  together,  ISO 
Skillet,  or  saucepan,  187 
ISkilling,  eight  to  the  crown,  Dutch 
money,     282  ;     equivalent    to    six 
sous,  ib. 
Skiuks,  86 
Skins,  deer,  180 
Skins,  of  lions  in  fort  at  Cape  Town, 

281  ;  like  Furbelo's,  292 
Skirrets,  Siuvi  Sisarui/i,  288  ;  root  of, 

represented,  290 
Skulls,  of  Manatee  and  Dugong,  xiv, 

381;  of  Rhytina,  xiv,  382 
Slack'd  lime,  with  areca  and  betel,  230 
Slater,  Mr.  H.  H.,  li,  85,  110,  338,  357 
Slave  of  Othos,  133 
Slaverv,    133  ;    Chinese  tail   a  badge 
of,  252 


Slaves,  treatment  of  in  colonies.  181; 
from  coast  of  Guinea  270  ;  price  of, 
at  the  Cape,  282  ;  not  dear  at  the 
Cape,  285  ;  go  naked,  296  ;  freed, 
become  Libertius,  297 
Slippers    of   the    ladies    of    Jam,  a 

mark  of  distinction,  267 
Sloane,  Dr.,  xxiv 
Smaragd,  Ixvii 
Smient,  Dirk  Janozoon,  Governor  of 

Mauritius,  Ivi 
Smith,  Jlr.,  lii 
Smithsonian  Institution,  Washington, 

xi 
Smollett's  "  Universal  History",  Mo- 
dern Part,  224,  230,  272 
Snails,  eaten  by  Hottentots.  290 
Snakes,  absence  of,  in   Bourbon,  43  ; 

in  Mauritius,  214 
Snake-gourd,  175 
Suewberg,  mountains  of,  293 
Snipe,   sea-fowl  in   colour   and    taste 

like,  177 
Snuff-box,  51 

Suai>,  price  of,  at  the  Cape,  282 
Soares,  Ruj',  310  et  srq. 
Societe  de  Geographi^,  x 
Socotoia,  Island  of,  315 
Sofala,  311 

Soil   of  Isle  Maurice  almost   every- 
where reddish,  196 
Solar  quadiaut  of  loadstone,  108 
Soldiers  as  servants,  156 
Soldiers,  Dutch,  in  Java,  bridled  by 
the  Company,  241  ;  at  the  Cape, 
295 
Solinus,  a  fabulous  author,  24,  255, 

269 
Solitaire,  the.  xii.  xx,  44,  333  et  seq., 

337,341  ct  seq.,  352  et  seq. 
Solitaries,  64,  129 

Solitary  (the),  a  particular  sort  of 
bird,  77,  88  ;  has  a  stone  in  its 
throat,  79  ;  never  lays  but  one  egg, 
79,  88 ;  ceremony  of  its  marriage, 
79 
Solitary  Thrush,  of  the  Philippines, 

xiv 
Solomon,  Book  of,  2 13  ;  Proverbs  of, 

quoted,  122 
Song  of  Thanksgiving,  191,  204,  304 
Songs  of  Hottentots,  296 
Sonnerat,  M.,  his  "Voyage  aux  Indes'' 

263,  293,  345 
Soot  and  gr(  ase,  Hottentots  besmeared 

with,  288,  290 
Sooty  terns,  352 
Sourat,  68 

Sous,   the   French   money,   278  ;  six 
sous  equivalent  to  a  skilliug,  282 
II  H 


426 


INDEX. 


South-east  Tort,  107,  209 

Southej',   Ilobert,   his    Thalala,   139, 

145 
Spain,  coast  of,  24 ;  wine  from,  228 
Spaniards,  give  name  of  Peru  to  part 

of  America,  2S5 
Spanish  wine,  166,  228 
Sparrows,  344 
Sparrow  Island,  326 
Sparrow-owl,  344 
Sperm-whale,  22,  23 
"S[(here    of    Gentry",    by    Sylvauus 

Morgan,  51 
Sj)ice-trees,  201 

Spielwyk,  Fort,  at  Bantam,  Ivii,  271 
Spirits,  wicked,  their  idea  of  a  Divine 

Being,  297 
Spitaltields,  1 
Spoonbill,  15 
Spring  tides  at  Port  Mathurin,  113, 

126 
Spring-water,  plentiful  at  the   Cape, 

286 
Spurway,  Mr.,  account  of  Lautore  by, 

161 
Squadron,    French,    at    Mascaregne, 

33 
Squalls,  or  grains,  15 
Stadt-House,  52 
Staij,  96 

Stahlin,  M.,  xxxiii 
Standards,    in    Chinese    processions, 

258 
Standard  of  France  erected,  41 
States-General    of    Holland,    xvii,    2, 

182,  192 
Stations,  or  touchings,  146 
Statues  in  Chinese  Temples,  258 
Stavorinus.   John   Splinter,  Admiral, 

quoted,  182,  216,  222,  227,  271 
Steinkerk,  victory  at,  164 
Steller,   the  German  naturalist,   sea- 
cows  observed  by,  383 
Stellenbosch,    at   the    Cape,    French 

refugees   near,    277  ;    Burgher   at, 

torn  by  a  lion,  281 
Stenotaphrum  mthlatum,  327 
Sterna  anefgtheta,  176 
StUlingia,  201 
Stink   wood,  69,  70  ;  stinking  wood, 

mapou,  201 
Stocks,  or  Stombs,  158,  165,  171 
Stombs,    what   they   are,  158,    165, 

171 
Stone-houses,  hardly  secure,  iu  hur- 
ricane, 170 
Stone,  in  Solitaire,   xx,  xxi  ;    of  the 

serpent,  190,  234 
Storm,  off  the   Cape,  34    et  scq.  ;  at 
Alauritius,  169  ;  at  Cape,  273  ctscq. 


Stork,  the  Geant  compared  to  a,  361 

Storms,  Cape  of,  30  ;  off  the  Cajie,  273 

Strabo,  255 

Sti-ait  of  Sunda,  or  Suudt,  271 

Strange,  Mr.,  342 

Strasburg,  IVIisson  at,  135 

Stratagem  for  taking  lions  and  tigers, 

281 
Straussartiger  Vogel,  368 
Strawtail,  bird,  84.     Sec  Paille-en- 

queue 
Stri'psihis  intci-pres,  351 
Strickland,    Dr.,    President    of    Ash- 

moleau  Society,  Introdncti<in,  45  ; 

Appendix,  341,  352  ct  scq.,  371 
Strvjkles,  344 

Strix  {Athene)  murivora,  90,  344 
Stront-boom,    a   stinking   tree,  201 

ct  scq. 
Structure,  an  admirable.     See  trees, 

and  origin  of  coral  reefs,  109 
Struthious    birds,    Geant    compared 

with,  360  et  seq. 
Strychnos  tieute,  of  Java,  264 
Stryrhnos  vontac,  in  Mauritius,  175 
Stukeley,      Dr.,      his     "Itiuerarium 

Curiosum",  51 
Sub-pilot  blamed,  303 
Subaltern  Deities  iu  China,  259 
Subjection,  token  of,  among  Hotten- 
tots,   291  ;  among  the  Maldivians, 

153 
Subjects,  natural,  of  Tai-tar  sovereign, 

252 
Submarine  volcanoes,  109 
"  Subtropical   Rambles",  by  Pike,  66, 

148 
Suburb,  universal,  of  Batavia,  225 
Succet  or  Remoia,  pretended  Pilot  to 

the  Shark,  96 
Succorj'  (chicory),  56,  95 
Sugar-canes,  in  Isle  Maurice,  197  ; 

in  Eden,  44 
Sula  cufcnsis,  327 
Sula  piscator,  82,  328,  347,  351 
Sumatra,  227,  271,  313 
Summer  di-ess  of  Hottentots,  290 
Summer  perpetual,  at  Batavia,  227 
Sun-dial,  with  compass,  108 
Sun,  veneration  for  the,  297 
Sunda,  or  Suudt,  strait  of,  271 
Sundt,  the,  a  streight,  ib.  ;  change  of 

currents  in,  ib. 
Superstition  of  Chinese,  257 
Suraagf,  a  Dutch  vessel  that  came  to 

deliver  the  adventurers,  ]  92 
Surat,  Jean  Diodate  dies  at,  148 
Surgeon,  Clas,  150 
Surges,  prodigious,  273 
Suriana  maritima,  327 


INDEX. 


427 


Suney.  105 

Swallow,  the  name  of  the  adven- 
turers' frigate,  Ixxv,  5,  13,  34,  47  ; 
see  Frigate 

Swallows  in  Rodriguez,  85  ;  at  the 
Canaries,  11 

Swarte  Rivier,  de,  or  Black  River, 
146,  148 

Sweet-meats,  221 

Swimmers,  good,  Beuelle  and  La 
Haye,  164 

Sword-tish,  209 

Si/vibulce  Sirtnologicce,  Brandt's  mouo- 
*  graph,  383 

Synison's  translation  of  Luillier's 
Voyage,  183,  284 


T. 

T-tree,  the,  201 

Table  Bav,  29,  273,  275,  283,  297 

Table-cloth,  the  31 

Table  linen,  taken  from  adventurers, 

159 
Tnble  Mountain,  30,  272,  280 
Tablier,  curious,  of  Hottentot  women, 

292,  293 
Tachard,  P^re  Guy,  28,   29,    31,    97. 

279 
Taehtjpetcs,  aquila,  83  ;  minor,  325 
Tacky dromus  scxliueatus,  236 
Tack    about,    manoeuvre    of     Dutch 

fleet,  302  et  scq. 
Tag,  the,  a  sea-bird,  84 
Tail,  worn  by  Chinese,    a    badge    of 

subjection.  252 
Taillefer.  a  French  Protestant  living 

at  the  Cape,  277,    287 
Talbot,  Capt.,  371 
Tiunarin  mountains,  146 
Tamarind  tree,  201 
TamJiouvina.  202 
"  Taming  of  the  Shrew,"  81 
Tanks,  drip,  at    Ascension,    301  ;  on 

the  aux  Fouquets,  159 
Taoist  philosopher,  244 
Tapers,  in  Chinese  temples,  257 
Tares,  degenerate  seed,  57 
Tarter,  noble,  in  China,  249 
Tartars,  imjiosition  of  law  by,  252  ; 

invaders,  253 
Tatamaka,  203 
Tavernier  (The  Sieur),  Ixviii,  68, 234 ; 

a  good  jeweller,  but  a  poor  author, 

made  six  voj'ages  to  the  Eaat- Indies, 

68,  269  ;  his  property  of  Aubonnr, 

2  ;    declares    emeralds    not   to    be 

Oriental,  269 
Tavern-keepers  at  Genoa,  27S 
Tax,  for  lion  and  tiger  money,  281 


Tea,  common  and  imperial,  229 
Tea,  houses  of  Chinese  at  Batavia,  2, 

29  ;  trade  in,  251  ;  ordinary  drink 

of  Javaus,  262 
Teal,  372 

Telfair,  Mr.,  xlviii,  xlix 
Telme,  Saint,  35 

Tempest,  dreadful,  at  Mauritius,  170 
Temjiests,  gusts,  or  grains,  15 
Temples  ought  not  to  be  turn'd  into 

dens  of  thieves,  131  ;  Chinese.  257 
Tenneut,    Sir    Emmerson,    "Natural 

Historj-  of  Ceylon,"'  by.  75,  86 
Tent  or  Pavilion  Tree,  104 
Tent,  linen,  at  Chinese  funeral,  25.'> 
Tcrebnithaccce,  Colophane  Mauritiana, 

one  of  the,  152 
Terminalia  Catappa,  201  ;  T.  Bcnjoin, 

329 
Termites,  white  ants,  225 
Ternate,  236 
Terns,    88  ;    noddy-terns,    298,    299, 

301  ;  sooty,  352 
Terrestrial    avifauna    of    Rodriguez, 

355 
Testament,  a  commentary  on  the,  99 
Testard  (lohn),  6,  26,  52,  135,  154, 

156,  162,  171   tt   sc(/.  ;  ventures  to 

Sea  on  a  float,  and  was  never  heard 

of  after,   184  ct  seq.  ;  his   letters, 

187 
Tcstudo,   elcphantina,    70 ;   imhricata, 

179 
Texel  Road,  xix,  6,  31 
T/iitlaba,  Southey's,  quoted,  139,  145 
Tlieal,  "  History  of  South  Africa,"  by, 

169,  181,  276,  280,  294 
Thcatins,  Ixxxviii 
Theatres,  Chinese,  253 
Thee,  the  best  not  worth  al)ove  20 

pence  a  pound  at  Batavia,  229 
Theft     punish'd     severely     by    the 

Hottentots,  295 
Theinistocles  at  Sardis,  145 
Tlnohroma  cacao,  201 
Thomas  (Peter),  51  ct  m/.,  l;{5.  156 
Thong,    leather,   about    the   reins  of 

Hottentots,  288.  .see  Case 
Thorn,  Major.  "  History  of  the  Con- 
quest of  Java,"  by,  221,  236,  241 

ct  scq.,  262  rt  scq. 
Thrasius,  burnt  by  Busiris,  171 
Thread  of  Palm  fibre,  64 
Thrushes,  44;  Solitary,  of  the  Philip- 
pines, xlv 
Thuillier,  M.,  xl 
Thule  (Isle),  7 
Thunder,      never     heard     in      Isle 

Ixodriijn,  58  ;  rare  in  the  region  of 

the  trade- winds,  58 


428 


INDEX. 


Thunderer,  H.M.S.,  144 

Tibia,  of  owl,  90 

Tiile,  at  Mauritius,  145 

Tidore,  236 

Ti-Fa,  a  Chinese  noble,  247 

Tigers,  very  large  at  Java,  232,  281  ; 
some  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
278  ;  but  they  are  very  small, 
281  ;  reward  given  by  the  Com- 
pany to  those  that  kill  any  of 
them,  ih. 

Tigisis,  city  of  Numidia,  135 

Ti-Hokai,  a  great  extravagant  Lord, 
248 

Timber,  for  carpenters  in  Eden,  43  ; 
trees  of  India,  67 

Time  ;  no  division  made  of  it  bj'  the 
Hottentots,_  295 

Tingis,  city  in  Numidia,  134 

Titmouse,  in  Mauritius,  210 

Tobacco,  44,  52  ;  not  to  be  bought 
at  the  Cape  but  by  the  Company, 
282 

Tobacco,  planted  in  Mauritius,  147, 
197;  sent  to  Rodriguez,  152  ;  and 
brandy,  in  token  of  peace,  295  ; 
and  bread  given  to  Hottentots  for 
work,  286  ;  given  to  Hottentot 
children,  289  ;  exchanged  for  cattle, 
293 

Toile  de  Latanier,  Vacoa  matting, 
188 

Token  of  subjection,  remarkable,  291 

Tombs,  of  the  Chineses,  257 

Tommi,  Mahommedan  sect  of,  268 

Tools,  furnished  to  refugees  at  the 
Cape,  285  ;  at  Rodriguez,  55 

Tormentado,  the  Tempestuous  Cape, 
30 

Torrent  in  Rodriguez,  94 

Torrid  Zone,  Batavia  in  the,  227  ; 
water  in  the,  301 

Tortoises,  Extinct  Gigantic,  of  the 
Mascarene  Islands,  Appendix  E, 
372  et  seq. 

Tortoises  (Land),  70  ;  there  are 
throe  kinds  of  tliem,  ib. ;  their  fat 
is  white,  71 :  it  never  thickens,  and 
it  is  better  than  our  best  butter  in 
Europe,  ib.  ;  their  liver  is  excel- 
lently well  tasted,  ib.  ;  their  bones 
have  no  marrow,  ib.  ;  their  eggs 
are  round  and  very  good  to  eat,  71  ; 
few  in  Maurice,  184 ;  Appendix, 
339  ;  terrestrial,  339 

Tortoises  (Sea),  72  ;  their  fat  is 
green,  good  to  eat,  purging,  and 
will  never  coagulate,  73  ;  some  of 
them  have  weighed  500,  ib.  ;  how 
to  caich  them,  ib.  ;   when  they  lay 


their  eggs,  ib.  ;  these  eggs  are  not 
so  good  as  those  of  Land  Tortoises', 
ib.  ;  their  livers  are  very  unwhole- 
some and  ill-tasted, /6.;  their  feeding 
ib. ;  their  blood  is  cold,  ib.  ;  but  very 
few  of  them  at  Isle  Maurice,  179, 
184 

Tortoises,  sea.  plentiful  at  Ascension, 
301 

Tory  opposition  to  Whig  faction, 
Ixxii  et  seq 

Tuuchings,  or  stations,  146 

Toulouse,  Ixxix 

Tour,  M.  de  la,  on  Antiaris  Toxicaria, 
264 

Tourlouru,  94,  213 

Tourncfortia  arjcntca,  327 

Touruou,  Cardinal,  98 

Tourtei-elles,  turtle-doves,  300 

Town  (A)  of  300  houses  at  the  Cai)e, 
275 

Town-fops,  46 

Trade  clouds,  at  Ascension,  301 

Trade  drift,  in  Indian  Ocean,  rate  of 
current,  141 

Trade  in  cattle,  at  the  Cajje,  280, 
293 

Trade  in  tea,  at  Batavia,  229 

Trade-wind,  8,  19,  106,  111,  141, 
298,  301  ;  disturbances  of  regular, 
141 

Tramontana.  Tramontane,  3^^,  39 

Trans.  Norfolk  and  Norvv.  Nat.  Soc, 
45 

Transit  of  A'^enus  Expedition,  to 
Rodriguez,  Introduction,  xiii.  xli, 
61,  70,  85,  327,  338 

Transported  to  a  rock,the  adventurers, 
159 

Translation  of  "Relation  de  Rodrigue" 
321 

Translation  of  Leguat's  work  by  Mis- 
son  or  Ozell,  XXXV  ;  of  Psalms,  new, 
283  f<  seq. 

Ti'ansportation,  grafls,  from  Holland 
to  the  Cape,  of  French  refugees, 
284 

Tra-tra,  328 

Travados,  or  storms,  34 

Travancore,  313 

Traveller,  curious,  in  S.  Africa,  294 

Travellers,  in  South  Africa,  bj^  Liv- 
ingstone, 280 ;  whole  course  of 
author's,  304  ;  of  Rabbi  Benjamin, 
Ixxsix 

Treachery  of  Diodati,  158  ;  of  Valleau, 
150,  151 

Treasury,  Venetian,  279 

Treatment  of  slaves,  181 

Treaty  of  Paris,  42 


INDEX. 


429 


Trees  and  Plants  of  the  Isle  of  Eden, 

43  ;    of    the    Banians,    67  ;    of    an 

admirable  structure,  102  ;    of    Isle 

Maurice,  200  ct  se(i. ;  Venomous,  of 

the  Island  of  Borneo,  262 
Trees,    fruit,   of  the    Cape,   275 ;   at 

St.  Helena,  299 
Trees,  xiv  ;  cedar,    ebony,    fig,    plan- 

tane,    orange,    lemon,     etc.,     44  ; 

pepper,   65  ;    rotten,    58  ;    ebony, 

59  ;    olive,    ib.  ;     palm,    ib.  ;    torn 

up   by    hurricane,    170  ;    plantane, 

176 
Trevoux,  Journal  de,  xxix,  Ixxxi 
2'richosantcs  au'/uina,  175 
Trictrac,  game  of  backgammon,  104 
Trigg  of  gun,  arranged  for  a  trap,  282 
Tringa  cinclu.i,  330 
Trinidad,  21 
Trissotins,  46 
Tristan,    an  Ireland,  4.  27  ;  Tristran 

d'Anunha,  21,  26,  48;  sea-elephants 

of.  74 
"  Tristium",  Liber,  Ovidii.  171 
Tristram,    Canon,  "  Natural    History 

of  the  Bible",  by,  76 
Triton  ruticulum,  179 
"Triumph,      Neptune's",      by     Ecu 

Jonson,  87 
Trompes  d'eau,  16 
Tropic  bird,  the,  or  Boatswain  bird, 

83.     Sec  Paille-en-queue 
Tropick  of  Capricorn,  21,  308 
Triibner's  "  Oriental  Series",  153 
Trunks,    sabarcanes,   or    blow-tubes, 

262 
Trunks  of  plantanes,  52 
Tsar,  Bieli,  Belisarius,  134 
Tubifora  musica,  66 
Tudela,  Jonas  of,  Ixxix 
Turba    Eruditorum,    not    well    in- 

form"d    by    P.   Montfaucon,   Pref., 

Ixxx,  Ixxxv 
Turbans,  or  turban ts,  261 
Turenne,  Marshal.   Ixxix,  reunited  to 

Catholicism,  258 
Turkeys.  77,  361;   sent  to  Piodriguez 

from  Mauritius,  151 
Turks,  9 
Turn- broach,  55 
Turnips,  at  Isle  Rodrigo,  56 ;   at  St. 

Helena   299 
Turtle-doves  at  the  Cape,  280  ;  at  St. 

Helena,  300 
Turtle-land,    on    Mascaregua    Island, 
43  ;  on  Rodriguez,  7'  ;  stc  Tortoises 
Turtles,  99  ;  fat  of,  105 
Turtle  sea    on    Sal    Island,    13  ;    on 
Rodriguez,  72  ;  on  Mascaregne,  43, 
179  ;  see  Tortoises 


Turtiir  picturatus,  Dutch  pigeon,  82, 

344,  345 
Tyranny,  characters  and  censure  of, 

244 
Tyrant,  Diodati  a,  171 


U. 

Udders,  swinging,  of  Hottentot 
■women,  292 

Umbrello,  allowed  to  a  cobler,  not 
to  an  ensign,  240,  241 

Umbrellos,  64 

Ungulates,  380 

Unicorn  (A),  a  Chimera,  279  ;  horns 
of,  ib. 

Unicorn,  true  fourfooted,  the  rhi- 
noceros ;  see  Mouoceros,  279 

Union  of  English  and  Scottish  Par- 
liaments, Ixxii 

Upas  tree,  of  Java,  264 

Urfe  (Honore  d"),  author  of '' Astrpca," 
quoted,  49 

Usage,  ill,  and  bad  diet,  161  ;  in- 
human, 165 

Utrecht,  xsiii,  I.kI,  5  ;  Dutch  version 
published  at,  xxiii 


V. 
Vacca,     Flamiiiius,    a   poor   author, 

P)-ff..  Introduction,  Ixxx 
Vache-Marine,     of      Pere      Tachard, 

figured,  28  ;  of  Steller,  3S3 
Vacoa,  350  ;  sec  I'amhnus 
Vacoa,  mats,  leaves,  103,  188,  200 
Vacoas  I.,  159 
Vacquois  or  vacoa  trees,  103,  200.     See 

Pundanus 
Valentia,  on  the  coast  of  Spain,  24 
Valentyn,    Francois,   the    author,    xi, 

148,    151,     153,    162,     164.    198, 

216,      220,      224,     267,     275  ;  ^  a 

clergyman,    visits   the   Cape,    275, 

360 
Valleau,  Master  of  a  Frigat,  xix.  5  ; 

a    glozing    rascal,    40,     150,    151  ; 

deceives   the    adventurers,  40,    48, 

5.5,  150 
Valleys,  58 
Van   Braam,  Kaart  of  Mauritius   liy, 

146 
Vandals,  war  with  the,  by  Procopius, 

134, 135 
Van  Campen,  S.  R.,  xi 
Van    de   Velde,    Abraham    Jlommer 

148,  181 
Van  der  Haagen,  voyage  of,  309 
Van  der  Stel,  Adrian,  Ivi,  118 
Van  der  Welde,  lix 


430 


INDEX. 


Vandorous,  M.,  open  boat  voyage  of, 

liii 
Vaugassaj'e,  Citrus  van'jussaye,  175 
Vanity   of  the   world,   Pref.  Ixxxvi, 

Ixxxvii 
Van  Neck's  voyage  to  Mauritius,  363, 

367 
Vapour   from    bodies    of    Hottentot 

women,  292 
Vaques,  He  des,  172 
Vardeu's  account  of  lions.  280 
Variety,  a  mistranslation  of  Vauite, 

Ixxx,  Ixxxvi 
Varillas,  259 
Varro,  288 

Vartomanni  Patricius,  relation  of,  24 
Varthema,     Ludovico    di,     Hakluyt 

Society's  edition  of,  268 
Vasco  d'Acugna,  isles  de,  309  ;  navi 

gator,  ib.  et  seq. 
Vasconcellos,  Diogo  Mendez  de,  311 
Vaiiboulon,     M.     de.     Governor     of 

Bourbon,  xix,  3 
VauX;  Viscount  de,  70, 374.    <SVe  Grant 
Veal  marrow,  fat   of  sea-turtles  like, 

72 
Vegetation  of  Diego  Garcia,  67 
Veils,   natural,  of  Hottentot  women, 

292 
Vellom,  in  a  vial,  draught  of  a  pillar 

on,  135 
Velvets  at  Genoa,  278 
Venalia,  purchase  of  absolution,  13] 
Veneration  of  the  Sun  and  Moon,  297 
Venereal  disease,  72 
Venice,  allusions  to,  279  ;    doges    of, 

xxix,  2.") 4.     Sec  Misson 
Venise,  38;  "Nouvelles  Relations  de," 

xxviii 
Venison,  at  Mauritius,  177,  209 
Vents     Malgaches,     disturbances     of 

regular  trade-winds,  141 
Venus,  shells  so  named,  179 
Venus,    Transit    of,     expeditions    to 

Rodriguez  for.  Introduction,  xli.  61, 

85,  338,  345 
Verd  d'omeraude,  see  turtles,  72 
Verdrain  Cape,  Cape  de  Verde,  256 
Vermeulen,  chart  of  Table  Bay  by,  31 
Verreaux,  178 
Verschafeltii,  Latania,  or  Ilijophorhc, 

52,  63  et  seq. 
Verse,    writing   in  verse   sometimes 

puts    people    upon     Satj-r,     Pref. 

Ixxix 
Versions   of   Leguat's    book,  original 

French,    137  ;    Dutch,    xxiii,    Ixii, 

Ixiii,  307 
Vertebra,    perforation  of    nuchal,    of 

tortoises,  376 


Vertigo,  after  landing,  146 
Vertoirann:,  Lodovico,  Ixvii,  268 
Vertue    alone    makes    true  nobility, 

130 
Vertues  (Royal),  244,  246 
Vessel,  account  of  a  vessel  cast  away 

near  Isle  Rodriqo,  150 
Vessel,  the,  of  the  adventurers  seized, 

155  ;  burnt,  ib. 
Vessels  to  catch  rain-water,  161 
Vesuvius,  crater  of,  visit  to  the,  127 
Vial,  inscribed  vellom  in.  135 
Viands(Funeral)  among  the  CMneses, 

at  Bataria,  256  ;  viands  not  good 

at  Batavia 
Vicenza,  collection  of  voyages  b^',  23 
Viceroi  des  Indes,  xviii 
Victoria,  Queen,  wreck  of  the,  xlix  ; 

pinnace,  liii 
Victories  at  Fleurus,  Steiukerk,  and 

Neerwiuden,  164 
Victuals  furnished  to  refugees  at  the 

Cape,  285  ;  cost  nothing  to  Hotten- 
tots, 286 
Vieille,  214 
Vienna,  specimen  of  white  gallinula 

at,  306 
Vigean,  a  mountain  in  China,  249 
Vignes  en  treilles,  228 
Vigoureux,  M.,  of  St.  Malo,  198 
Vinuijo,  344 

Vincent  le  Blanc,  voyage  of,  263 
Vincent  of  Beauvais,  132 
Vine  arbours,  228 
Vine-plants,  sent  from    Mauritius  to 

Rodriguez,  152 
Vines  at  the  Cape,  276  ;  at  St.  Helena, 

299  ;  at  Mauritius,  206 
Vines     bear    seven     times    in    two 

years  at  Batavia,  228  ;  What  at  the 

Cape,  276  ct  seq. 
Violet  robes  of  Chinese  priests,  255 
Virgil,  ideas  of,  on  a  storm,  36 ;  two 

verses  out  of,  136 
"  Virginie,  Paulet,"  by  St.  Pierre,  147 
Virgo,  constellation  of,  xliv 
Viscount  de  Vaux,  Baron  Grant,  70 
Visits,  trifling,  133  ;  the    visit    of  a 

married  Chinese  to  his  mistress,  252 
"  Vit.  Pontif.  Ravennat,"  132 
Vitalianus,  Pope,  158 
Vitis  mappia,  201 
Vlissingen,  Ixviii 
"  Voiage  des  Hollandois",  15 
Voiliers,  bons,  S3 
Volant,  le,  340 

Volcano,  42,  127  ;  submarine.  109 
Vomica,  nux,  264 
Vomit  of  fire,  127 
Von  Pelzehi,  Dr.,  366 


INDEX. 


431 


Vontac,   Strycltnos  r-ontac,  175 
Voorzeilder,  the,   or  forerunner,    the 

vanguard  of  a  Dutch  fleet,  271 
Vosmoeri,  Tcstudo,  377 
Vows,  for  Isle  Kodrign,  127  ct  seq. 
"  Voyage  au  Senegal",  by  Adanson, 

IIU 
Voyage   of    M.  Le  Gentil,  161  ;   Mr. 

Beaulieu,  ih.  ;  Delon,  39,  40 
"  Voyage  of  Leguat'", Dutch  version  of, 

xxiii,  Ixii  ;  English  version  of ,  178  ; 

French,  xxii 
"  Voyage  of  the  Beagle",  66 
"  "^'oyage  de  Siam",  16,  28,  35 
"Voyage,  Litti'-iaire",  2^14 
"  Vf)vage,  Phillip's,  to   Botany   Bay", 

366 
"  Voyage      through      Spain",      Wil- 

loughby's,  166 
"  Voyage  to  Italy",  bj'  Max.  Missou, 

xxix,  136.     iSce  Misson 
"  Voyage     to    New    South    Wales", 

White's,  366 
"  Voj'ages  ti  Madagascar",  by  Alexis 

Rochon,  66  ;  autour  le  Monde,  293 
Voyages,  Dampier's,  112 
Voyages,    collection   of.    by  De    Brj', 

309  ;  Harris,  161,  166,  269 
"  Voj'.ages  et   Observations   dii  Sieur 

de  la  BouUaye-le-Oouz",  68 
Voyages    (Anonymous)    to    be    sus- 
pected.   Pre/.  ;  false    voj'ages,    ib.  ; 

character  of  a  good  voyage,  Prif.  ; 

character  of  this,  (7;.  ;  living   testi- 
monies of  what  is  advanced,  ib. 


W. 

Waddinjsi'cen,  wreck  of  shijD,  273 

Wade,  Sir  Thos.,  xiii 

Wagtails,  336 

Walg-vogel,  the,  of  Van  Neck,  210  ; 

or  Walckvogel,  375 
Walks    of    oak,    at    the    Cape,    276  ; 

wonderful  fine,  by  canals  in  Batavia, 

226 
Walloon  Church  at  Leyden,  148 
Wane    of   the   Moon,   observance    of, 

289 
Want  relieved  by  Hottentots,  296 
War  of  the  League  of  Augsbourg,  164, 

271,  272 
Warbler,  small,  in  Rodriguez,  355 
Wars  with  the  Hottentots,  295 
Warwick    Haven,    or     Grand    Port, 

147 
Washington,  U.S.,  Smithsonian  Inst., 

xi 
Water,  fresh,  excellent  in  St.  Helena, 

299  :  none  at  Ascension,  301 


Water  Hen,  gigantic,  362  et  scq.,  369, 

370 
Waterhouse,  Mr.,  lii 
Water,  in  Torrid  Zone,  ill-tasted,  301  ; 

in  Mauritius,  160 
Water,  sea,  condensed,  301 
Water-melons.  56  et  seq.,  108,  229 
Water-quails,  209 
Waves,  34,  35  ;  like  mountains,   94  ; 

impetuous  and  terrible,  300 
Wax-tapers  in  Chinese  temples,  257 
Weakness,  strange,  174 
Weather-beaten  bark,  146 
Weaver-bird,  45 

Wedgwood's  "  Diet,  of  Eng.  Etymo- 
logy." 93,120 
Weed-sea,  the,  302 
Weeds,  floating,  301 ;  float  of,  1 85,  1 SS 
Weeks,  months  or  years,  unknown  to 

natives,  295 
Weepers,    or    Mourners,    at    Chinese 

funerals,  255 
Weight  of  gigantic  tortoises,  376 
Weimar,  Mappa  Mundi  preserved  at, 

hi,  310 
Weise,  "  The  Discoveries  of  America," 

by  A.  J.,  30 
Weiss,  "  Biographie  Universelle,"  Art. 

bj^,  xxiii 
Weltevreeden,  238 
West    Indies,    .slavers    to,    put    into 

Table  Bay,  297 
Whalebone,  25 
Whales,    22  ;     a   whale's    jawbone 

hung  upon  the  wall  of  the  palace  at 

St   James',    London,    24  ;    another 

jawbone  kept  at  the  Escurial.  ih.  ; 

signification  of  the  woni  ]\'/ialc,  25 
Whales,    380  ;    black- back,     22  ;     at 

Mauritius,  209  ;  spermaceti,  87 
Wharton,  Captain,  viii 
Wheat,  44,  56  ;  bread,  228 
Wheat -corn  turns  to  tares,  57 
Wheel,    Oriental  slaves  broken   alive 

on  the.  182 
Whiff' of  tobacco,  296 
W^hig,  opposition  to  Tory,  Ixxii 
Whipping,  pimishment  of,  at  Mauri- 
tius, 181  ;  at  the  Cape,  278 
Whip-staff-,  303 
Whirlwinds,  15,  37,  170.  273 
White     Gallinula    of    Lord    Howe's 

Lsland,  366 
White  Prince,  the  Emperor  of  Russia, 

134 
White  Sugar  Candy,  229 
White's  "Journal  of  Voyage  to  N.  S. 

Wales",  ^m 
Whittington     (Richard),     how     he 

made  his  fortune  with  a  cat,   91 


432 


INDEX. 


Wicked  Rich  People.  The  CJdnescs 
believe  that  wicked  rich  people 
turn  to  toads,  and  that  the  poor 
tread  thera  under  foot,  247 

Wide-awake  Fair,  at  Ascension,  301 

Wilcocke,  S.  H.,  traiLslation  of  Sta- 
vorinus'  Voyages,  167,  182,  ct  scq., 
267,  282 

Wild  asses,  12,  278  ;  boars,  278  ;  cats, 
278  ;  dogs,  278  ;  goats,  12  ;  horse, 
spotted,  281,  300 

Wild  Boars  at  the  Cape,  278 

Wild-fire,  animals  made  of  paper 
and,  254 

Wilkinson's  "  Egypt",  264 

William  III,  Ivi,   J  29,  148,  272 

William  and  Mary,  King  and  Queen 
of  England,  129  ;  their  eulogium, 
ib. 

William  of  Malmesbury,  132 

Willoughby  quoted,  14,  15,  166 

"\Mnd,  favourable,  2>referied  to  finest 
woman,  139 

Wind,  violent  gales  of,  170 

Winds  (Trade),  19  ;  regular  winds 
at  Mascaregne,  140  ;  at  Batavia, 
226  ;  furious,  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  272,  276 ;  in  Strait  of 
Sundt,  271 

Wine  (Palm),  wine  not  good  at  Isle 
Maurice,  206  ;  wine  of  the  Cape, 
277  ;  brought  there  of  the  Com- 
pany, 278,  282  ;  why  dear  iu 
price,  278 

AVine,  Spanish,  166  ;  yellowish  white, 
ih.  ;    in  Eden,  44 

Wines,  small,  of  Champagne,  Cape 
wine  like,  287 

Wire  bird,  the,  of  St.  Helena,  300 

Witches,  vanity  of  ugly,  292 

Witnesses,  Ixxxii  ct  seq. 

Wives,  discussion  on,  121 

Wives  of  Chinese  invisible,  253 

Wolf,  the  artist,  drawings  of  birds 
by,  363 

Wolves  and  Foxes  unknown  at 
Jam,  233 

Woman,  Chinese,  who  drowned  her- 
self, Feast  in  memory  of,  254 

Woman  is  made  for  man,  and  man 
for  woman,  125 

Women,  amiable  objects,  first  seen 
at  Black  River,  147 

Women  {African)  are  very  ugly  at 
the  Cape,  291  ;  not  true  that  the 
joint  of  their  little  finger  is  cut  off 
when  they  remarry,  291  ;  Are 
more  noisome  than  their  Husbands, 
ih.  ;  their  figuie,  292  ;  their 
character,  ib. 


Women  (Mahometan)  keep  them- 
selves closely  concealed,  253,  266 

Women  necessary,  123  ;  are  the 
most  amiable  half  of  the  world, 
123  ;  their  best  i)art,  123  ;  wiser 
than  men,  ih.  ;  theii-  eulogium, 
123  ;  ordain'd  to  perpetuate  the 
work  of  the  Creation,  124 

W^omen,  proud,  voluptuous,  and  lazy 
at  Batavia,  240  ;  formerly  scarce 
there,  ih.  ;  slaves  in  China,  253  ; 
Chinese  women  have  very  little 
feet,  253  ;  Javan  unfaithful  to  their 
husbands,  266 

Wood  scarce  at  the  Ccq^e  of  Good 
Hope,  276  ;  a  large  wood  of  young 
trees,  ib. 

Wood  Island  at  Mauritius,  176 

Woodcock,  bird  like  a,  16;  in  Eden,  44 

Woodcocks  and  Hens  of  Isle  llo- 
drigo,  81  ;  at  the  Cape,  280 

Wood-hens,  370 

Wood- pigeon,  44 

Woodward,  Dr.  H.,  xiv  ;  on  geogra- 
phical distribution  of  Sirenia,  379 

Worcester,  battle  of,  51 

Word,  schism  created  by  dispute  on 
a,  131 

Worship  (divine)  of  the  f'/tiiicscs, 
257  ;  of  the  Hottentots,  289 

Worship,  public,  of  Roman  Catholics, 
disallowed  at  Batavia,  225 

Wounds,  ulcerated,  healed  by  native 
simples  at  the  Cape,  294 

Wreck  of  American  ship  on  Flat  Is- 
land, Rodriguez,  327 

Wreede,  George  Frederick,  Governor 
of  Mauritius,  Ivi 

Writing  and  reading  useless  to  Hot- 
tentots, 29a 


X. 

Xantung,  a  tyrant  of  China,  245 
Xao,  a  Chinese  sage,  243 
Xao-ti-cao,  a  rapacious  Chinese  noble- 
man, 248 
Ximena,  in  the  Cid,  121 


Yam,  species  of,  152 

Yao,  a  Chinese  sage,  243 

Years,  months,  or  weeks,  unknown  to 

natives,  295 
Yellow-bird,  350 
Yemam-Xilin,  a  Chinese  philosophic 

hermit,  249 
Ye-vam,  son  of  Xao  ti-cao,  248 


INDEX. 


Your  most  Humble.  That  expres- 
sion for  the  most  part  signifies 
nothing,  266 

Yule,  Colonel,  his  Hakluyt  edition 
of  Jordanus,  264  ;  Anglo-Indian 
Glossary,  69  ;  "Hedges'  Diary",  ix, 
153 


Za.ga.je,  an  Indian  poniard,  264  ;  an 
African  pike,  293 

Zandplaat  met  een  Klapper  boom,  172 

Zealand,  192 

Zierickzee,  in  the  Netherlands,  con- 
gregation of,  283 


Zochelot,  the  rock  of  exile,  190 

Zoholoth.  ib. 

Zone,  siiuthern,  temperate,  21 

Zone,  torrid,  227,  301 

Zoological  Gardens,  large  tortoises  in 
the,  375 

Zoology  of  Rodriguez,  Hi 

Zoology,  professor  of,  xii 

Zoological  Society's  proceedings.  Ap- 
pendices, B.  C.  D.  E.,  passim 

Zoysia  puivjcns,  327 

Zozo  (oiseau)  du  pays,  350 

Zuyd  Ooster  Haven,  \AS,  162 

Zwarte  Rivier,  367 


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