The 1971/72 budget showed a small deficit which was met from reserves. Development aid has been provided for a harbour, for a new hospital and a new school in addition to various minor works projects. Administrator: J. I. H. Fleming READING LIST ST HELENA, ASCENSION AND TRISTAN DA CUNHA ANONYMOUS. A Description of the Island of St Helena. London, P. Phillips, 1805. AUBRY, Octave. St Helena. London, Gollancz, 1937. BARNES, CAPTAIN JOHN, RN. A Tour through St Helena. London, J. M. BLAKESTON, OSWELL, Isle of St Helena. London, Sidgwick and Jackson, BROOK, T. H. A History of the Island of St Helena. 2nd edition. Publishers DARWIN, CHARLES. The Voyage of a Naturalist Round the World in H.M.S. GOSSE, PHILIP. St Helena, 1502-1938. London, Cassell, 1938. HUGHES, CLEDWYN. Report of an enquiry into conditions on the Island of KORNGOLD, RALPH. The Last Years of Napoleon: his captivity on St MARTINEAU, Gilbert. Napoleon's St Helena. London, John Murray, 1968. TAYLOR, MARGARET STEWART. St Helena, Ocean Roadhouse. Robert Hale, THOMPSON, J. A. K. Report on a visit to Ascension Island. St Helena TRISTAN DA CUNHA BOOY, D. M. Rock of Exile: a narrative of Tristan da Cunha. London, CHRISTOPHERSON, ERLING and others. Tristan da Cunha (translated by CHRISTOPHERSON, ERLING (editor). Results of the Norwegian Scientific EARLE, AUGUSTUS. Journal of a Residence in Tristan da Cunha. O. U.P., 1966. T SEYCHELLES HE Seychelles archipelago consists of a scattered group of 37 granitic and 49 coralline islands in the Western Indian Ocean. The islands take their name from the Vicomte Moreau de Séchelles, Controller General of Finance in the reign of Louis XV. The group also includes numerous rocks and small cays. The revised estimate of the land area of Seychelles is 107 square miles. The largest of the islands is Mahé, named after a former French Governor of Mauritius, which has an area of about 57 square miles and is approximately 17 miles long from north to south. Mahé lies 1,120 miles due east of Mombasa, 2,050 miles south-east of Bombay, and 680 miles north of Madagascar. Victoria, the capital of Seychelles and the only port of the archipelago, is on Mahé It is the only town in Seychelles of any size and has a population of about 14,000. The granitic islands, which are all of great beauty, rise fairly steeply from the sea and Mahé has a long central ridge which at its highest point, Morne Seychellois, reaches nearly 3,000 feet. Praslin, second largest island in the group is 27 miles from Mahé and the other granitic islands are within a radius of 35 miles. The coral islands are reefs in different stages of formation, rising only a few feet above sea level. The climate is tropical but for islands so close to the Equator not unpleasant. Maximum shade temperature at sea level averages 29°C (85°F) and during the coolest months, the average minimum temperature drops to 24°C (75°F). At higher levels temperatures are rather lower and the air fresher. There are two seasons, hot from December to May and cooler from June to November while the south-east trade winds are blowing. Rainfall varies over the group; the greater part falls in the hot months during the north-west trade winds and the climate then tends to be humid and somewhat enervating. The mean annual rainfall in Victoria taken over the past 67 years is 93 inches and the mean average temperature 27°C (80°F). All the granitic islands lie outside the cyclone belt. High winds and thunderstorms are rare. The total population of Seychelles on 5th May 1971 was estimated at 52,437. In 1971 there were 1,832 births and 462 deaths. The basis of the school system is a free, non-compulsory, six-year primary school education available to all children between the ages of six and twelve. At the age of twelve those children who do not gain admission to the Secondary Grammar Schools by competition are eligible to go to the Junior Secondary Schools (ages 12-14). At the end of the Junior Secondary course, pupils may apply for places in the vocational and prevocational training centres. Government controls and directs educational policy and is responsible for financing the educational system. The official language is English and state education at primary and secondary levels is in English. The family language is Creole, a patois of French. In all there are 35 primary schools with an enrolment figure for 1972 of 10,074, of whom 5,012 were boys and 5,062 were girls. In addition there are approximately twenty pre-primary infant and organised kindergarten schools. There are eleven junior secondary and two secondary grammar schools with a total enrolment of 1,181 boys and 1,333 girls. There are five technical and vocational training centres, whose enrolment in 1972 was 399 trainees (171 boys and 228 girls) and one teacher training college with 114 trainees (10 boys and 104 girls). The Seychellois are almost all Roman Catholics (more than 90 per cent of the population); there are small minorities adhering to the Anglican and other sects. Seychelles has very few of the diseases usually associated with tropical climates. There are no anopheline mosquitos and consequently no malaria. No cases of yellow fever or dengue have ever been reported although there are aedes mosquitos on most of the islands. Tuberculosis is now under control and there is a decline in the number of notified cases. The Public Health Service is organised under the Medical Officer of Health and the staff consists of one Chief Health Inspector and eleven Health Inspectors. A senior Public Health Sister was appointed at the beginning of 1965 and has nineteen Public Health Nurses in her charge. The main islands are reasonably well provided with hospitals and clinics. Mahé has the main hospital (135 beds) and the Bishop Maradan Sanatorium (82 beds) at Victoria, a small hospital (17 beds) at Anse Royale in the south of the island, and two clinics situated on the west coast. Praslin has a cottage hospital (28 beds) and two clinics; while at La Digue there is a small hospital with 6 beds. The main diet in the islands is rice, fish and lentils. Meat is eaten occasionally and local fruit and vegetables are available. The Port of Victoria, consisting of approximately one square mile of deepwater roadstead for ships of all sizes, and an inner harbour of about half that area, is protected by a chain of islands and coral reefs. Cyclones are unkown in the vicinity. Four ocean-going ships can be accommodated at any one time in the outer harbour, dependent on size. The Inner Harbour can accommodate one vessel up to 300 feet in length alongside the old jetty and one of similar size at anchor. Also one tanker of 300 feet moored stern to the tanker berth. Navigation lights are installed on the leading beacons and the fairway buoy is constantly lit, allowing shipping movement at night in the outer harbour. Extensive dredging was carried out in the Inner Harbour in 1970/71. The area dredged to a maximum depth of 35 feet gives a swing circle of 800 feet radius in the approaches to the new berth. This new berth, accommodating one vessel of around 500 feet and one tanker of 380 feet, is now under construction. It will have such facilities as cargo sheds, a passenger terminal, oil and cement pipes for bulk delivery, fresh water and bunkering points, Port and Customs Offices. A tanker berth at Seychelles International Airport supplies fuel to the Airport. Tankers make fast to mooring buoys and an under water pipe line is used for discharge. The number of vessels entered and cleared from Victoria in 1971 was 345. Tonnage handled in 1971 was 14,510 loaded and 83,789 unloaded. An international airport on Mahé was opened in July 1971. Mahé has an extensive road system of which 66 miles are now surfaced. On the island of Praslin the trans-island road from Grand 'Anse to Baie Ste Anne is also surfaced. A five-year plan of further road improvements is now in hand. Technical investigations are in progress with a view to expanding the treated water supply on Mahé. Electricity services are being generally extended on Mahé, total units generated in 1971 were 9,324,321 Kwh, an increase of 36% over the previous year. A new 5MW power station is due to be commissioned in December 1972. Radio Seychelles, a government owned and equipped sound broadcasting station opened in July 1965 and broadcasts in the medium wave band (225-4 metres, 1,331 KHZ) with an output power of one kilowatt. A five-hour programme T* including special programmes for schools are broadcast daily. Programmes are in English, French and Creole. Additional musical programmes are broadcast on Saturdays and Sundays. Plans are nearing completion to increase the output to ten kilowatts and broadcast several more programmes each day. The Seychelles fishing industry is for the most part undeveloped, the local fishermen relying solely on traditional methods and equipment for their livelihood. Fish being a staple food of the islanders, virtually the entire catch goes for local consumption, although a few tons of salted fish are exported every year, mostly to Tanzania. The main crops for export are coconuts, cinnamon, patchouli and vanilla; tea also is now being produced but so far primarily for local consumption. The Seychelles Tea Company has some 375 acres of tea planted of which 200 acres has been planted on behalf of the Seychelles Government for allocation in plots of about 5 acres to settlers. In early 1970 the first nine settlers were installed on their plots and others will follow in the future. The tea factory which started production on a small scale in August 1966 is expected to produce 35,000 Kgs. of tea in 1972 which will satisfy about two-thirds of total local consumption. Currency is the Seychelles rupee which is tied to sterling at the rate of 7p to one rupee. Total exports in 1971 were valued Rs. 8,026,272. Britain is the most important supplier of imports, and exports go principally to the U.S.A. (cinnamon bark) and India (copra). Some of the main items imported in 1970 (latest available figures) by quantity where appropriate and approximate value were: rice, 3,102 long tons, Rs. 1,909,000 (£143,000); sugar, 1,640 tons, Rs.1,095,000 (£82,000); flour, 1,662 tons, Rs.965,000 (£72,000); tinned milk, 514 tons, Rs.989,000 (£74,000); vegetables, Rs.694,000 (£52,000); other foodstuffs, Rs.4,234,000 (£318,000); beverages Rs.5,199,000 (£390,000); tobacco and cigarettes, Rs.749,000 (£56,000); petroleum products, Rs.5,451,000 (£401,000); road motor vehicles, Rs. 3,190,000 (£239,000); metal manufactures, Rs.5,817,000 (£436,000); other items, Rs.15,873,000 (£1,192,000); total imports, Rs.55,924,000 (£4,194,000). The principal form of direct taxation is income tax. This is chargeable on all earned or investment income arising in or derived from the territory. In addition tax is payable by residents on investment income arising in Seychelles or on earned income remitted thereto, the basis of assessment being income arising in the calendar year preceding the year of assessment. Rates of tax, after deduction of allowances, are: 4 per cent on first Rs. 1,000 of chargeable income Companies, partnerships, etc, pay a flat rate of 35 per cent. Allowances made to resident taxpayers are: Children: Dependent relative: Rs. 800 for the first child; Rs.700 for each child thereafter (maximum Rs. 3,000). Additional allowance of Rs. 3,500 may be claimed for child studying abroad (maximum Rs. 7,000). Rs.750 (limited to one relative). In addition, allowances may be claimed in respect of life insurance, superannuation, alimony and deduction against plant and machinery owned and operated by the assessee. A land tax of 40 cents per acre is charged. The principal sources of indirect taxation are customs duties at varying rates. Licensing exists for most trades and professions. There is also a succession duty at a graduated scale. The territory's recurrent revenue for 1972 (estimated) was £2.56 million which included £0.14 in Budgetary Aid from the U.K., the total recurrent expenditure in 1972 (estimated) was £2.91. The capital expenditure (estimated) for 1972 which was to be met by U.K. Government grant was £4.32 million. HISTORY There is some evidence to suggest that the Seychelles Islands were known and visited in the Middle Ages by traders from Arabia and the Persian Gulf sailing to and from ports in East Africa with the monsoons; they are clearly associated with the great Portuguese voyages in the Indian Ocean. The Amirantes group was sighted by Vasco da Gama on his second voyage to India in 1502. The first map showing what is thought to be the main group of islands was drawn at about the same time. However, the first well-documented voyage of discovery to the archipelago was made by the English seaman Alexander Sharpeigh. Commissioned by the East Indian Company, Sharpeigh's expedition visited the main granitic group, including Mahé and nearby islands, in 1609, ante-dating the first French visit, with an expedition under Lazare Picault, by almost a century and a half. A circumstantial account of Sharpeigh's voyage is to be found in the Journal of John Jourdain, published by the Hakluyt Society. It was that greatest of all French Governors of Mauritius, the Vicomte Mahé de Labourdonnais, who briefed Picault in 1741 to explore Seychelles. Had Labourdonnais not fallen victim to base intrigues, it is possible, even probable, that he would have turned Mahé into a formidable naval base against Britain at a time when French and British interests were clashing in India. For fifteen years Seychelles remained forgotten and then, on intelligence that the British were seeking uninhabited islands in the Indian Ocean, France decided to annex Mahé and seven other islands of the group. To that end Captain C. N. Morphey was despatched with orders to set up on Mahé a 'Stone of Possession' engraved with the arms of France. He did so at an impressive ceremony at sunrise on 1st November 1756, whereafter he set sail leaving the islands still uninhabited. By 1763 the French East India Company, owing to mismanagement, had lost most of its possessions in India and disrupted the economy of Mauritius. It was wound up and its remaining assets, including Mauritius and its dependencies, lapsed to the King of France. The transfer was not completed till 1767 when two official Administrators were sent to Mauritius-Jean Dumas in charge of naval and political affairs, and Pierre Poivre in charge of finance and agriculture-to develop the islands and prepare for further hostilities with Britain in the East. Both men soon turned their eyes to Seychelles. Dumas' interests were to find a |