| Show LOVE FOR ti nix I 1 co 0 L 0 q it arenen inhabitants of mauritius ask that island be returned to france IS NOW UNDER BRITISH RULE f that their request will be granted as a matter of sentiment spot made famous by paul and virginia i news from the peace conference has told nothing of 0 the nationalistic movement in the little half forgotten island in the indian ocean known as mauritius but the movement there is something new in the realm of international complications tile the inhabitants have asked to be restored by the british empire to france find the french tire are anxious to have hare the island back because it Is tile scene ocene of paul et Virgin le published in 1787 by jacques henri bernardin de saint pierre the islanders have a now new claim in that they say ray they bl belong to the domaine doni dom alne sentimental of I 1 prance mauritius since 1810 lias has been a british colony before that hat for a century it had been french and known as lie he de france lr ance the name it now bears Is in honor of the dutch maurice given to it by his faithful subjects in the seventeenth century it was however discovered by the portuguese it has thus passed through the cycle of colonization and exploitation and n now ow n R committee of 0 delegates in paris has IRS addressed a double memorial to cle mence all and lloyd george saying that they wish to return to the lie french family tribute to british rule and here again is a new note for tho he Maurit ians inns have n not ot drawn up lip a bill of complaints against england nor organized a sian feln on the IN contrary they say that they line have only gratitude and respect for great grea t for her generous treat treatment ment of them and their island objections to this transfer there woold certainly be the government of I 1 1 century Is not easily switched and under finder the english tw understand better than any other nation how to govern colonies since the lesson of 1770 1776 the island lias has prospered steadily the most striking feature of the ille development has boon been the great influx nuu of east radians indians where there vere erd formerly only french settlers tind and their black slaves now the white descendants mostly of the french colonists number et en 70 I 1 OW and while the indians a anra 3 four times their number and have got into control of most of the bu business Iness of the capital rort port louls louis but the old F rench french families who have gone ox ou with own language laws and cu CUT tonis toms thanks to the kindly british rule still consider the island as theirs and bot not the hindus all very much in earnest at once after tile the signing of the armistice a demonstration was held before the french consulate in me capital where the chief speakers demanded ded 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 object of interest was a statue of the immortal lovers paul and virginia the work of the sculptor prosper dEp delinay inay draped in the tricolor of france the guests at the ban banquet sang the marseillaise Marseil Marselli laise alse which was taken up by the crowds outside after 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 Iti lUv lere viere has been active in propaganda at home and in france the french writer cahouet in puts the case for the french Maurit ians lans as follows the elite of the population of tile tho island of mauritius Is made mada up ot of the descendants of the former french colonists having piously preserved the integrity of their souls and their national culture and who in spite of all th the immigration have remained the exclusive possessors of the soil and the agricultural riches in vain lifts has been the influx indus of indigenous races negroes negro cs hindus mongols and arabs which has swelled the he figure of the general population the little primitive 1 kernel to innab inhabitants 1 in has kept its derance |
