There and Back Again
Dear History class...
Like any other person, I have learned about the history of my country in primary school. Wherever you are in the world, you must have had to endure history classes growing up. Sitting at your desk and staring at the teacher that would go through the important dates, years, and events of the past. Maybe you were listening, trying to remember the small details that he or she said, liking the fact that you were learning something new. Maybe you weren't listening, or maybe you were thinking of lunch break or about that one student that stole your pen. For my part, I loved my history classes. I was always fascinated by the people of the past. I would imagine the way they would live, dress, talk, act...
In any case, during those particular classes, I learned that the Dutch abandoned Mauritius because of two particular reasons: rats and cyclones. I've always wondered how these two factors pushed them to abandon the island completely. I mean, Mauritius was not the only country infested with rats or that was faced with natural calamities. There must have been more to it, right? What could have possibly gone wrong?
At some point, the Dutch East India Company decided that they would no longer keep Mauritius as a Dutch property. They packed up their things, burned everything, and left. There are many reasons that explain why they decided to leave. It was not a sudden decision, this idea of leaving has been lingering in the minds of both the settlers and those at the head of the company years prior. In fact, the Company abandoned Mauritius twice; first, in 1658, and second in 1710.
It is interesting to note that both times they left was for the same reasons, The only reason they decided to come back after their first attempt was because of their feared competition. The English and the French were becoming a threat to their spice and ebony trading market. Mauritius lied in a strategical place that facilitated the trade. Instead of traveling all the way back to the Netherlands from East India, they could stop on the island, store their cargo there and go then back to the east for more. It was faster and safer. That is why they decided to come back to Mauritius in 1664.
Digging one's grave - Rat invasion
The fact that rats were one of the main factors is deeply amusing, ironic even. Let's go back into the timeline of Mauritius, shall we? Before humans settled in, Mauritius did not have rats on its lands. These rats came from deep within the ships as the sailors would come and go in the port of Grand Port.
"La vermine ne crève pas"
There is no denying that rodent multiplies at alarming rates. It was so easy for them to reproduce on the island. The land was covered with a thick forest overflowing with food, there was no proper sanitary in the few villages, and Dutchmen and women were not well-equipped to deal with these nuisances. They were everywhere! Apart from the Ebony export, Mauritius was used for agricultural purposes. As I mentioned in a previous post, the main crop was sugar cane. But the settlers also grew other crops such as rice, tobacco, oranges, mangoes, etc. The rats would feast on these crops, the stored grains, and the food. Two things arose from that:
Both the food and stored grains got contaminated and gave rise to rat-born diseases when consumed;
The rats had bacteria that would affect and deteriorate the crops when they bite, urinate or excrete.
The people had to throw away the contaminated food, which drastically reduced the stock. They quickly ran out of provisions. Think about it, during that era medicines were not as developed as it was today. Besides, they were more than 8,000 miles (12,874.75 km) away from their mainland. It took months for doctors or any source of aid to come. One can imagine the difficulty that they had to face. If you look at it in such a way, you can understand how rats were one of the main reasons why they decided to leave in 1658, only 20 years after they tried to settle.
Tropical Cyclones
"We cannot stop natural disasters, but we can arm ourselves with knowledge: so many lives wouldn't have to be lost if there was enough disaster preparedness."-Petra Nemcova
Mauritius was also hit by tropical cyclones from time to time (still the case). At that time, the houses were not built to resist cyclones and so whenever one would come, the houses were blown away by the strong winds. The heavy torrential rain would drown away the crops, the houses, and stock.
The passage of a cyclone is always very difficult, especially when the population is not prepared, but the aftermath is even worse. Water accumulates everywhere, which leads to the proliferation of mosquitoes. The land becomes muddy, causing landslides. Not to mention that the rivers, which were the main source of freshwater, become muddy too. How can the colony progress in such an environment, The island was not profitable? They lost more than they gained.
Due to all these problems, the Dutch East India Company decided that settlement was no longer needed on the island. And so, they left.
There are other factors that have made them leave for good. Guess that will be for another post, huh?
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