Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 13.djvu/231

* MAURITIUS. 203 MAURY. Cane sugar 1ms been the staple of the island for a very long period, and it is niainl' by the sugar crop that the ecunoiiiie condition of the islan<l is determined. Formerly nearly all the e.xport sugar went to Europe, but this outlet has been largely closed in recent years by the com])etition of Eni'opean beet sugar. If the East Indian markets had not been opened in the last decade of the nineteenth century, the sugar industry would have been ruined. Other products of minor im- portance are cereals, cotton, pepper, indigo, drugs, and tea. The commerce of JIauritius is cliietly with Great Britain and the British colonies. The annual value of the total commerce during 1805- 90 tluctuated lietween 44.000,000 rupees and 51,- 000.000 rupees, the exports usuall^y exceeding the imports bv several million rupees. Of exports to the value 'of 24,745,000 rupees for 1899, over 23,- 000.000 rupees represented sugar, and the rest rum. vanilla, aloe fibre, and cocoanuts. The chief imports are cotton goods, provisions, coal, machinery, and fertilizers. The chief article of «xport from Mauritius to the United States is sugar. Port Louis is connected by steamship lines with JIadagascar. Eeunion, and British India. It is to the great advantage of the colony that nearly all vessels between Europe and India via the Cape of Good Hope touch at Port Louis. The colony has railroad lines along the west and north coasts and crossing the island from cast to westj with a total length of 105 miles. Together with the Rodrigues, Cargados, Cha- gos, and Oil Islands, etc., Mauritius forms a Crown colony of Great Britain, which is ad- n:inistered by a Governor, assisted by an execu- tive council of five members and a legislative council of twenty-seven, including ten members elected on a property qualification. The repre- sentative form of government was introduced in 1SS5. Primary education is mostly provided by tlic Government. The population of Mauritius, according to the census of 1891, was 371,655; according to that of 1901, 378,195, consisting chielly of African races and some Chinese. The European population is mostly French. Port Louis iipv.) had a ]iopulation of 52,740 in 1901. .Mauritius was discovered by the Portuguese in l.jO.") and remained in their possession until 1598, when it was ceded to the Dutch, who gave it its present name. Aside from erecting a fort at (irand Port, one of the smaller trading ports, the Dutch did no more for the settlement of the island than their predecessors, and finally aban- doned it in 1710. The island was soon taken over by the Frcncli and under their rule began to develop, especially during the second half of the eighteenth century. During the war between France and England at the beginning oi the nine- teenth century, the island was captured by Eng- land and was formally ceded by France in 1814. Consult: Martin, TItc British I'osscusions in Af- licd. vol. iv. (London, 1834); Unienville. .S7«- tixtiijiir dc Vile Mriurice et ses deprndanres (Mauritius, 1880) ; Epinay, ifoLsfif/HCDirii/s pour svnir a riiintoirc dc I'ilr dc Fmiicc (.Mauritius, 1890) ; Uccotlcr, Vcoyidphic dc Maurice ct dc scs dcpcndnnces (Mauritius, 1891); Chalmers, A Hixtor:/ nf Ciirrcncii in the British Cnlonies (Lon- don. ISO."!) ; . deVson. The finf/ar Industri/ of Mnnritiiis (London, 1899) ; Keller, Madnfiuficar. Vnuritins. and Other East African I.ilntid/t (Lon- don, 1900) : The Mniiritius Almiinnc (Mauritius, anmial) ; Annvnl Colonial Reports (London) ; Vol. XIII. -h. The Mauritius Ciril List (Port Louis, semi-an- nual ) . MAURITIUS AND LAZARUS, Ordf.e of. An Italian order of merit with five classes, originally an ecclesiastical order founded by Amadeus VIII. of Savoy in 1434. It was sup- pressed in 1802, restored by Victor Emmanuel of Sardinia in 1810, and reconstituted by Victor EmmaiuKd II. in ISOS. MAUROCORDATOS. See Mavrocobdatos. MAUROMICHALIS, mav'ra-md-KJi'les. See M.WKO.MIl IIALIS. MAURUS, ma'rus, Sain't (494?-584). He was liorn in Rome about 494. He was of a noble family, and was placed by liis father, Eutychius, under the tutelage of Saint Benedict, under whom he became a model of virtue. Benedict sent him to Gaul, where he founded the monas- tery of Glanfeuil. or Saint-Maur-sur-Loire, in 543, over which he presided for forty years. He died in 584, and his day is January 15th. The Congregation of Saint-Maur has done a great work in reforming the monastic orders and in ecclesiastical literature. MAU'RUS, R.ba'n'US. A German theolo- gian. See RABANU.S Maubus. MAURY, ma're. D..bxey Herxdon (1822- 190(1). An American soldier and author, born at I'redericksburg. Va. He studied law for a time at the L'niversity of Virginia, graduated at West Point in I84G, served in the Jlexican War, and was brevetted first lieutenant for gallantry at Cerro Gordo. From 1847 to 1850 he was assistant professor of geography and ethics, and from 1850 to 1852 of infantry tactics at West Point. He then served in the West, and was superintendent of cavalry instruction at Carlisle Barracks in 1858. While serving as assistant adjutant-general in New Mexico in 1801, he was discharged from the army and entered the Con- federate service as colonel. After the battle of Pea Ridge he was promoted to be brigadier- general and opposed Grant during the Van Dorn raid. He also met Sherman in his attack on Vicksburg in 1862. Later he was promoted to be major-general, and was placed in command of the Department of Tennessee. At the end of the war he was in command of the Department of the Gulf, and surrendered on May 24, 1805. He or- ganized the Southern Historical Society. From 1880 to 1889 he served as Jlinister to Colom- bia. His writings include: .Skirmish Drill for Mounted Troops (1859); Recollections of a ^irffinian in the Memcan, Indian, and Civil ^Vars (1894). MAURY, m.Vrd', Jean Siffbein (174G-1817). A French prelate, the son of a shoemaker, born at Valreas, in the Department of Vaucluse, France. He studied for the priesthood at Avi- gnon, and went to Paris at the age of twenty as ahhf precepteur. He soon made himself known as an eloquent panegyrist, became a favorite preacher at the Court and was appointed to the abbey of Frenade. He was elected also to a .seat in the French .cademy. In 1789 he was chosen deputy of the clergy to the States-General, where he was prominent in defense of the Church and royalty; and with great vigor, skill, and elo- qvience opposed the revolutionary measures until the flight of Louis XVI.. matching himself fre- quently and successfully against Mirabeau. At