What could the Arabs, Dutch, French and English all have in common as an interest to occupy the island of Mauritius if it was not for their own gain? The island’s strategic location in the South-West Indian Ocean as a port of call and a refuge in the event of bad weather was a vital stop on the sea route between India and Europe. The guests at Mon Choix can talk and discover more about this exciting time in history when the sight of sails on the horizon did not always bode peace and tranquility and talk more about Mauritius history, the Dodo, pirates, corsairs, ship models and museums

HISTORY

(Just imagine the British landing on this beach in 1810 and taking over the island from the French)

Mauritius has a very rich history. First the Arabs seafarers, then the Portuguese in 1511, the Dutch in 1598 and the French in 1715 followed by the British in 1810 before Independence in 1968 and becoming a Republic in 1992.

In a nutshell, the Portuguese (1511 - 1598) sailor Domingo Fernandez Pereira was probably the first European to land on the island in 1511. Another Portuguese sailor, Don Pedro Mascarenhas gave the name of Mascarenes to the group of islands now known as Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues. The Dutch (1598 - 1710) were the first settlers. They are known to have had two periods of settlement, introduced sugar cane and the javanese deer, cut the ebony trees, killed the famous Dodo and abandoned the island because of the rats. Their Admiral Wybrand Van Warwyck landed in Grand Port in the South-West and named the island "Mauritius" (many think in honour of Prince Maurice Van Nassau, "Stathouder" of Holland; but in reality, after his ship called "Mauritius"). They only tried to settle in 1638. And it was at this time and from Mauritius that the famous navigator Tasman set out to discover the Western part of Australia. As the Dutch had abandoned the island, the French (1715 - 1810) Guillaume Dufresne d'Arsenal took possession of this important port of call on the Cape to India route. He named the island "Isle de France". But it was only in 1721 that the French started their occupation. Only in 1735 with the arrival of the entrepreneur governor Mahé de Labourdonnais that the island's economic development really started. Mahé de Labourdonnais established Port Louis as a naval base and a ship-building / repair centre. Numerous building were erected and are still standing to-day, including part of Government House, the Chateau of Mon Plainsir at Pamplemousses, the Line Barracks, the French Hospital (near Appravasi Ghat), the police stations of Abercrombie and Trou Fanfaron and the building currently occupied by the Central Water Authority at the Caudan. During the Napoleonic wars, the Isle de France had become a base from which French Corsairs launched successful raids on the British commercial ships. The French also defeated the British in their first attempt in August 1810 to take over the island - the only naval victory "the Battle of Vieux Grand Port" by Napoleon as inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris). Being  fed up of the attacks on their ships plying between India and Europe via the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), in November 1810, the British decided to assemble near the island of Rodrigues (which they had captured in 1809) and from there to launch a new attack on Isle de France. The British landed in large numbers in Cap Malheureux on the island's North coast and rapidly overpowered the French troops who were forced to capitulate. In terms of the Treaty of Paris signed in 1814, Isle de France regained its former name "Mauritius" and was ceded to Great Britain together with its dependencies, including Rodrigues and the Seychelles. This important act of capitulation stipulated that the British would respect the language, the customs, the traditions of the inhabitants and the laws in force, including the guarantee to preserving the rights to private property. The British administered Mauritius accordingly until 1968 when the island was granted independence (within the Commonwealth with Queen Elisabeth II as Head of State) on 12th March. The British (1810 - 1968) administration which began with governor Robert Farquar was followed by rapid social and economic development. Slavery was abolished in 1835 and applied in Mauritius in 1936. The planters who had then received financial compensation turned to India from where they brought a large number of indentured labourers to work mostly in the sugar cane fields. Indian immigrants who were of both Hindu and Muslim faith were later joined by a smaller number of Chinese labourers who were not adapted to working in the fields and who became mostly traders. Cultivation of sugar flourished with exports mostly to England. And with it all the satellite industries and services were developed, as well as the means of communication and infrastructure. On 12th March 1992, Mauritius became a Republic with a democratic government based on the Westminster model and has remained a member of the Commonwealth.

You may also be interested in the history of "Vallée des Prêtres" where any visitor will feel the valley's strong historical and cultural heritage and vibration. There are plenty of stories, myths, facts, monuments and visible signs which together with the people's behavior create the mystique of the valley. If one is attentive enough, one can almost hear the comotion and the sound of gun-fire and clashing swords near La Rivière des Lataniers (lower Vallée des Prêtres) where a French column prevented temporarily the advancing British troops from entering Port Louis one night in November 1810.

To experience the comfort and peace of Mon Choix, discover the real, authentic island and fully enjoy your Mauritius Holiday and Water-Sports at a most competitive rate, contact: dodoisland@intnet.mu

Mon Choix is Mauritius Island's (Ile Maurice) first internationally graded ecolodge at Vallée des Prêtres near Port Louis business, shopping & leisure centre and the sea. COPYRIGHT: A.R.Jean-Michel de Senneville. Underwater pictures are by courtesy and Copyright to: Mr Eugène Vitry.