The East India Company

Between 1715 and 1764 the island was under the supervision of the French East India Company which had been created in 1664 by Colbert, principal adviser on commercial matters to Louis XIV. Since the introduction of coffee crops in Bourbon (Reunion), the sister island was considered to be more of a commercial success and, with no-one interested in her fate, Mauritius had to await the arrival of La Bourdonnais, as governor, before any improvement could be made in conditions here. As it was, the Company’s unique objective was the successful establishment of trade with Asia to the advantage of the Crown. Thus important administrative powers were delegated to its representative.

So, what exactly do we mean by a “Compagnie des Indes?” It was a “privileged association” of traders who had been granted the monopoly for trade between a European country and distant lands in America and Asia. From their trading posts (Canton in China, Pondichery in India for the “Compagnie des Indes Orientales”) the merchandise sought after by the Western world was shipped. There were several ports of call along the route—such as the Ile de France—Mauritius.
A typical homestead of the colonists of the time consisted of a small agricultural holding called “habitation”—granted to the white population for exploitation but whose produce went mainly to supply the company’s fleet. If the holding was unproductive it could be given to another person.
Some goods have retained an association with the Compagnie des Indes to this day—one thinks of some cotton prints still called “Indiennes” and of the much prized blue and white Chinese porcelain, and the sculptured furniture.