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THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — MAURITIUS

MAURITIUS.

Constitution and Government.

The governmeut of the British Colony of Mauritius, with its dependencies, Rodrigues, Diego Garcia, and the Seychelles Islands, is vested in a Governor, aided by an Executive Council, of which the officer in command of Her Majesty's troops, the Colonial Secretary, the Procureur-General, the Receiver- General, and the Auditor-General, and two elected members of the Council of Government are ex-officio members. There is also a Council of Government, consisting of the Governor and twentj^-seven members, ten being elected, eight ex-officio, and nine nominated by the Governor. The official councillors comprise the five Executive members, the Collector of Customs, the Protector of Immigrants, and the Surveyor-General. The constitution was altered by letters patent dated September 16, 1885, which introduced an elective element into the Legislature. Under a moderate franchise ten members are now elected, one for each of the following districts : — Moka, Plaines Wilhems, Grand Port, Flacq, Savanne, Riviere Noire, Pamplemousses, Riviere du Rempart ; and two for Port Louis.

Governor of Mauritius. — Sir Charles Bruce, K.C.M.G. The Governor has a salary of 5,000^., and the Colonial Secretary 13,500 rupees per annum.

Area and Population.

The island of Mauritius, lying in the Indian Ocean, 500 miles east of Madagascar, comprises an area of 705 English square miles. The following were the numbers of the population, according to the census taken in 1891 : —

Male

Female

Total 1

Total of resident population

Military in Port Louis and elsewhere.

Crews of mercantile shipping

Total of population

206,038 721 344

164,550

2

164,552

370,588 721 346

207,103

371,655

The estimated population at the end of 1897, was : — General population, 117,314 ; Indian, 260,542; total, 377,856. Two-thirds of the population consists of natives of African race, Chinese, mixed races, and whites. The number of Chinese was estimated at 3,389 on January 1, 1898. The birth- rate of 1897 was 35*5 per 1,000, and death-rate 29*5. Immigrants in 1897, 426 ; departures, 917. The capital of the colony, Port Louis, had, with its suburbs, an estimated population of 55,645 in 1897.

According to the census of 1891 there were 209,079 Hindoos, 115,438 Roman Catholics, 34,763 Mahometans, and 7,307 Protestants, State aid is granted to both Churches, the Roman Catholics receiving 102,520 rupees in 1897, and the Protestants 41,116 rupees ; the Indians are mostly Hindoos,

Primary education is conducted partly in government, and partly in State- aided schools, 180 in 1897. The total government expenditure on education in 1897, including the Royal College, was 473,365 rupees. In 1897 the average number of pupils on the roll in primary schools was 19,287, and the average attendance 12,204. At the Royal College \\\ 1897 the attendance was 207, and at the Royal College schools, 222,

The total number of convictions at the inferior courts in 1897 was 24,599, and at the Supreme Court, 48,