The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1920-02-04
French Inhabitants of MauritiuS
; Ask That Island Be Re-
turned to France.
IS NOW UNDER BRITISH RULE
Possibility That Their Request Will
Be Granted rs 4 Matter Of Senti.
ment-Spot Made Famous by
"Paul and Virginia."

AatAOAdAStAC "OVeueul Ill tuc uttle
Aalf-fOrgotten island in the Indian
ocean known as Mauritius. But the
movement there is something new in
the realm Of International complica-
fions. The inhabitants have asked to
be restored by the British empire to
France and the French are anxious
to have the island back because it is
the scene Of paul ct Virginie," pub
4ished in 1887, by Jacques Henri Ber-
nardin de Saint-Pierre. The islanders
have new claim in that they say they
belong to the "domaine sentimental"
of France.
Ma1ritius since 1910 has been Brit
tsh colony. Before that for century
1T had been French and known as lie
de France. The name it now bears
>4s In honor Of the Dutch Maurice, CIV
"en to it by his faithful subjects in the
seventeenth century. Tt was, however,
discovered by the Portuguese. It has
thus passed through the cycle Of COL
"onization and exploitation. And now
a committee Of delegates in Paris has
addressed double memorial to Ce-
menceau and Lloyd George saying that
they wish to return to the French fam
i3ly.
Tribute to Brltist, Rule.
And here again is a new note. For
the Aauritians have not drawn up a
SbM Of complaints against England nor
Organized Mauritian Sim Fein. On
the contrary. they say that they have
only gratitude and respect for Great
Britain for her generous treatment Of
them and their island.
Objections to this transfer there
would certainly be. The government
OF century is not easily switched.
And under the English, who under
stand better than any other nation how
t. govern colonies (since the lesson
OF 1776), the island has prospered
STEADILY. The most striking feature Of
ne Development has been the great
ln4ux Of East Indians where there
were formerly only French settlers
ana their black slaves. Now the white
Inhabitants, descendants mostly of the
French colonists, number between TO-
200 and $4,000, while the Indians are
Tour times their number and have got
Into control Of most of the business bf
the capital, Port-Louis. But the old
French families, who have gone on
With their own language, laws and GUS
toms, thanks to the kindly British rule,
stM consider the island as theirs, and
not the Hindus'.
All Very Much In Earnest.
At once, after the signing Of the
9armistice, a demonstration was held
before the French consulate in the
capital, where the chief speakers de-
manded that the island be turned back
to France, and in January Of last year
a banquet was held in the city hall in
honor of France, where the chief OBJ
1ect of interest was a statue Of the
immortal lovers, Paul and Virginia, the
work OF the Maurittan sculptor, Pros
per dEpinay, draped in the tricolor
OF brance. The guests at the banquet
sang the "Marseillaise," which was
taken up by the crowds outside. A.
ter the banquet a delegation was
named to take up the matter of the
transfer with the British and French
governments, and this commission,
headed by DR.. Joseph Riviere, has
heen active in propaganda at home and
in France.
The French writer, Alberto Cahuet,
in LI1lustration puts the case for the
French Maurltians as follows:
The elite Of the population of the
Island of Mauritius Is made up of the
descendants of the former French COL
ontsts, having piously preserved the
integrity Of their souls and their ma
tional culture and who, in spite Of all
the immigration, have remained the
exclusive possessors Of the soil and
the agricultural riches. In vain has
been the influx Of indigenous races
negroes, Hindus, Mongols and Arabs
which has swelled the figure Of the
general population. The little primi-
tive kernel, 10000 to $4,000 inhabi-
tants in 375.000, has kept its prepon-
derance."