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If you have never been to Mauritius, or have no interests acquainting you with the Island, it is not unlikely that you cannot, without hesitation, locate its position on the map of the world; and, indeed, it may be that you cannot tell in which hemisphere it lies. Geography is not a subject in which the average person is very proficient, and Mauritius is synonymous with some vague far-distant place in the minds of many whose knowledge in other directions is both extensive and profound. The scenery of Mauritius is of remarkable variety and beauty, and upon the great plains covered with the sugar-cane, with the mountains, blue and magnificent, hiding the sapphire sea. Probably in no other place in the world is there greater diversity of landscape and seascape of mountain, forest, river and waterfall loveliness — within so small a compass as in Mauritius.This book gives a compressive over view of the Island. The chapters form a series of essays written by distinguished gentlemen who have had a long serving redaction with Mauritius. The chapters cover the history, geology and topography, the extinct birds, the fauna, the economic flora, the Creole folklore, people and politics, scenery, sports, fishes, climate, the chamber of agriculture, the sugar industry, the aloe fiber industry, the ream industry, law and government, railways, ecclesiastical, education, architecture and the commercial Port Louis of Mauritius. The book is full of photographs that well illustrate the essays. Whatever may be the merits or demerits of this book, it is the first of the kind ever published concerning the Island, and is a conscientious effort to present, in as interesting and useful a form as possible, all that relates to the colony and its people.