The Dutch
The Dutch sought to establish settlements in Mauritius on two occasions, though both instances were ultimately unsuccessful. On 17 September 1598, under the direction of Admiral Wybrandt Warwijck, the Dutch took possession of and gave the island the name āMauritiusā, in honour of their Stadtholder, Mauritius Van Nassau,[111] later known as the Prince of Orange.
In 1638 the first settlements were erected and Governor Cornelius Gooyer took his position with 24 men under his command.[112] While initially administered from Batavia,[113] Mauritius later fell under the control of the Dutch Cape Colony after its establishment in 1652.[114] In 1658,Historical background 33 however, the island was abandoned, only to be re-settled in 1664, and remained from that point on a Dutch possession until 1710.
Historians generally frame the Dutch period in exceedingly negative terms, not least because their final abandonment of the island, as on the first occasion, involved the demolition of all constructions that could have been of use to later inhabitants.[115] The settlement attempts are regarded as having damaged MauriĀtiusā ecology irremediably, for several parts of flora and fauna became extinct.[116]
While the Dutch along with the French are the only Europeans to have attempted settlements in Mauritius, their experience contrasts significantly with the latter. The encounter is however reflective of the wider Dutch colonial ambiĀtions at the time and must be understood in that context.
The United Netherland Chartered East India Company (known as VOC), formed in 1602, held the monopoly for trading east of the Cape, while its body of directors, the Heeren XVII, possessed treaty-making and defensive war-waging powers.[117] The latter were particular employed against the Portuguese, as the Dutch took issue with their proclaimed eminence over the East and therefore focused on Portuguese occupied territories in the region.[118] The prior Portuguese presence in Mauritius may have thus formed a relevant part of the attraction to the Dutch.
Crucially, the Dutch endeavour did not contain political aspirations and was conducted exclusively for commercial purposes.[119] They pursued āno idea other than that of buying cheap and selling dearā,[120] an approach certainly evident in their colonization of Mauritius.
There was a shortage of investment, in both material and human terms,[121] and when it became evident that their occupation was unprofitable, losses were cut unapologetically. The Dutch attempt to settle in Mauritius can be therefore characterized as one essentially lacking commitment.The Dutch are, nevertheless, responsible for introducing sugar cane to MauriĀtius, the crop so significant to the islandās development since, as well as installing the first African slaves. Having struggled considerably with marronage, it has been suggested that some slaves were indeed left behind after the final Dutch abandonĀment, who may have survived until the arrival of the French five years later.[122]
In summary, Dutch occupation effectively started various processes that would be the leading themes in the island's history for the next centuries.[123] Along with the introduction of sugar cane, cultivated under the Dutch solely for the purpose of producing rum and arrack, a need for workers to cultivate the island became established, which the was met by importing slaves as well as Batavian convicts.[124] This points to an early development of the slave trade in the region, establishing the first labour flow to this strategically important island in the Indian Ocean which was next coveted by the French.
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