The Portuguese discovered Mauritius in 1510. The didn't set up a colony on Mauritius but used the island as a key point for supporting their boats and for their long travels till Asia.

The first colonialists to settle down in Mauritius were the Dutch, they set foot on the island in 1598. They named the island " Mauritius " after the Prince " Maurice van Nassau ". The Dutch brought sugarcane and deers from Java to Mauritius. The Dutch were also responsible for the extinction of the Dodos and nearly cut down all ebony trees that were available. After surviving many cyclones and a long drought, the Dutch decided to leave the island in the year 1710.

The French were the next ones to take over the island in 1715. The Island was renamed into " Ile de France ". Mahé de Labourdonnais, Governor of Mauritius from 1734 - 1746, set up the capital city " Port-Louis " and " St.-Denis ". He also set up the first sugar mill. The French imported slaves to work in the sugar cane fields. The slaves came from Africa and Madagascar.

In 1810, after a heavy war, the British Empire took over Mauritius. Slavery was abolished in the year 1835. After that, the Englishmen brought workers (coolies) from India to work in the sugarcane fields. In March the 12th, 1968, Mauritius gained it's Independence from Great Britain and is since then a member of the British Commonwealth. Since 1990 Mauritius is a Democratic Republic.

			Science and Power in Colonial Mauritius by William Kelleher Storey Hardcover : 248 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.00 x 9.50 x 6.50 Publisher : Univ of Rochester Pr; (January 1998) ... Order Now !