Mauricius
Emperor of Constantinople; born in Cappadocia, in A. D. 539. MAURITANIA His reign of 20 years was occupied almost constantly with wars-wars with the Persians, terminated by the defeat of Bahram, and the restoration of Chosroes in 591; and wars with the Avars, which lasted from 592-599. In 599 Comentiolis was defeated, and an immense number of his troops captured by the Avars, who, on the refusal of Mauricius to ransom them, put them all to death. In 602 a mutiny broke out in the army on the Danube, Phocas was proclaimed emperor, and Mauricius, with his five sons, was murdered at Chalcedon.
MAURITANIA (-tā'ni-ä), in ancient history, a country or kingdom of northern Africa, embracing nearly all the points now known as Fez, with parts of Algeria and Morocco; bounded on the N. by the Mediterranean; S. by Getulia or Libya; E. by Numidia; and W. by the Atlantic Ocean.
MAURITIUS (mâ-rish'ius), or ISLE OF FRANCE, an island in the Indian Ocean, a colony of Great Britain, 500 miles E. of Madagascar; of an oval form, about 40 miles long from N. E. to S. W., and 25 miles broad, and surrounded by coral reefs; area, 713 square miles; pop. about 380,000, two-thirds originally coolies imported to work the sugar estates.
It is composed chiefly of rugged and irregular mountains, the highest, the Montagne de la Rivière Noire, 2,700 feet, and the isolated rock Peter Botte, 2,600 feet .
Between the mountains, and along the coast, there are large and fertile plains and valleys, having a rich soil of black vegetable mould or stiff clay. The climate is pleasant during the cool season, cool season , but oppressively hot in summer, and the island is occasionally visited by severe epidemics. In its vegetation Mauritius resembles the Cape in the number of succulent plants, cactuses, spurges, and aloes. The principal objects of cultivation are sugar, rice. maize, cotton, coffee, , cotton, coffee , manioc, and vegetables. The exports in- The exports in clude sugar (much the largest), rum, largest), rum , vanilla, aloe fiber, cocoanut oil. The imports consist of rice, wheat, cattle, cotton goods, haberdashery. hardware, etc. The exports and imports are each valued at over $10,000,000 annually; the revenue is about $3,500,000. The government is vested in a lieutenant-governor and legislative council. The island has two railways crossing it, in all 87 miles. Mauritius was discovered in 1505 by the Portuguese. The Dutch took possession of it in 1598, and named it after Prince Maurice. After occupation by the French it was captured by Great Britain in 1810. Principal towns, Port Louis and Mahébourg. May, 1892, it was visited MAUVE by a terrible hurricane, one-third of Port Louis being destroyed.