fco_404458 - ILES DE BOURBON (ÎLE DE LA RÉUNION) 10 Cent. 1816

BOURBON ISLAND (REUNION ISLAND)

(1814-1848)

The Island is recognized by the Portuguese PedIro Mascarenhas in 1507 and visited by Domingo Fernandez in 1511. It is occupied by some French whose first settlers arrive in 1646. Under the Consulate and the Empire, the island took the name of "Ile Bonaparte" and an administrative and judicial organization was put in place. In 1810, the island was occupied by the English and was placed under the dependence of the English East India Company.. She was returned to France on April 6, 1815.. The royal government restores the administrative regime prior to the Revolution with a governor, an intendant and a Superior Council with the right of registration. The Royal Jurisdiction and the Terrier Tribunal are also restored on April 18, 1815. The system turns out to be completely anachronistic. The powers being poorly defined, the Superior Council was abolished on November 13, 1816 and replaced by a Royal Court. A second wave of reforms took place on March 11 and April 26, 1818.. all powers are handed over to the governor. The intendant is replaced by a naval commissioner. A council of government and administration is installed. The governor becomes omnipotent. This period of constitutional experiments ends with the ordinance of August 21, 1825.