Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
only transformed Port Louis into a thriving seaport, but also built the first sugar mill and
established a road network.
It was around this time that Mauritius' best-known historic event occurred when the
St
Géran
went down during a storm off the northeast coast in 1744. The shipwreck inspired
Bernardin de St-Pierre's romantic novel
Paul et Virginie,
an early bestseller. For more on
this legend, see the boxed text on
Click here
.
As the English gained the upper hand in the Indian Ocean in the late 18th century, Port
Louis became a haven for pirates and slightly more respectable corsairs - mercenary mar-
ines paid by a country to prey on enemy ships. The most famous Franco-Mauritian corsair
was Robert Surcouf, who wrought havoc on British shipping.
In 1789, French settlers in Mauritius recognised the revolution in France and got rid of
their governor. But they refused to free their slaves when the abolition of slavery was de-
creed in Paris in 1794.
British Rule
In 1810, during the Napoleonic Wars, the British moved in on Mauritius as part of their
grand plan to control the Indian Ocean. Things started badly when they were defeated at
the Battle of Vieux Grand Port. Just a few months later, however, British forces landed at
Cap Malheureux on the north coast and took over the island.
The new British rulers renamed the island Mauritius, but allowed the Franco-Mauri-
tians to retain their language, religion and legal system, and the all-important sugar-cane
plantations on which the economy depended. The slaves were finally freed in 1835, by
which time there were over 70,000 on the island. They were replaced or supplemented by
labour imported from India and China. As many as 500,000 Indians took up the promise
of a better life in Mauritius, often to find themselves living and working in appalling con-
ditions on minimum pay.
By sheer weight of numbers, the Indian workforce gradually achieved a greater say in
the running of the country. Their struggle was given extra impetus when Indian political
and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi visited Mauritius in 1901 to push for civil rights.
However, the key event was the introduction of universal suffrage in 1959, and the key
personality Dr (later Sir) Seewoosagur Ramgoolam. Founder of the Labour Party in 1936,
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam led the fight for independence, which was finally granted in
1968.
