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The Mauritius abolition of slavery is celebrated on every 1 st February; there is even a commemorative stamp for this event. The slavery has been present in Mauritius once with the colonisation of the island. The slaves were brought from Madagascar and from the East Indies by the Dutch settlers, in order to help the island’s development. And before the Mauritius abolition of slavery, the slaves indeed helped the development of the agriculture and infrastructure I the 17 th and the 18 th century. In 1715, the island got into the France’s possession and the French East India Company became the island’s administrator. They brought slaves from the Africa’s West Coast and in 1765 the slave trade was developed by the French colonists who imported slaves from the African East Coast.
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The Port Louis construction was possible with the help of the slaves during the time of the governor de La Bourdonnais, who also brought skilled labourers from India. The development of the slave trade from the 18 th century has to suffer because of the Britain reformers.
In 1787, was instituted an abolition society, in England and this was the beginning of the Mauritius abolition of slavery.
In 1892, the British Prime Minister William Pitt, had to table a motion for the gradual slavery abolition, as result of many oppositions against the slaves trade.
If in 1807, the slaves shipping to the British colonies ended, being forbidden, on year later the prohibition of slavery was a fact.
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In 1810, the island was taken over by the British and the slave trade was already illegal. Still, the complete abolition of the slavery took place in February 1835, after the Emancipation Bill from July 1833. The Mauritius abolition of slavery negatively influenced the Mauritius’ development.
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The manpower for plantations and constructions were found in other places. Indian convicts were brought to work in constructions, in 1816, by the governor Farquhar.
Other Indian labourers were brought in 1829 to help the sugar industry’s development, by the planters of Mauritius.
The government and the Indian labourers’ emigration set up administrative procedures, by 1833. In 1834, on August 1 st, the first important Indian labourers’ inflow came in Mauritius, with contract.
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Since the number of the malpractices was big, the Indian immigrants’ interests had to be protected by an order in council, issued in 1841. This offered protection to the immigrants that came in Mauritius and also for the Emigration Agents appointment in India.
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