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Le Voyage Vers Les Mascareignes

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Le Voyage Vers Les Mascareignes 4 : Le voyage vers les Mascareignes. 4.1 : Les conditions de navigation : le vaisseau. Afin d'assurer la rentabilité du t ransport sur de longues distances vers l'Inde, il faut à la Compagnie des Indes disposer de bâtiments de 500 à 700 tonneaux, dont le tirant d'eau , ne dépassant pas 5 mètres, permette le franchissement du détroit de la Sonde et la navigation sur le Gange. I l lui faut aussi des vaisseaux construits pour affronter les fortes houles des mers australes et capables de porter des canons pour résister à d'éventuels abordages de forbans ou se défendre en période de guerres européennes. Pour assurer son rôle de compa gnie de commerce souveraine, la Compagnie fait construire ses navires selon une technique à la fois semblable à celle des vaisseaux de guerre : solide membrure de chêne, bordage de sapin, et à celle des navires de commerce : abaissement des parties saillan tes de l'étrave et de l'étambot pour permettre de donner la plus grande contenance possible à la cale, ce qui rapproche le bâtiment de la forme du parallélépipède rectangle. L’aménagement intérieur, cependant, diffère de celui des vaisseaux de guerre, en c e sens que, pour libérer l’espace de la cale, il n’y a pas ici de faux pont. Placés sous le premier pont, des barrots ou poutres assurent la cohésion du bâtiment . Tout ce qu’abrite le faux pont d’un vaisseau de guerre e st ici disposé dans l’entrepont qui , de ce fait , se trouve fort encombré. Dans ces conditions , l’artillerie est installée sur le premier pont et le pont supérieur. Les unités de 600 à 900 tonneaux prése ntent deux étages de sabords. C eux de l’entrepont sont fermés en service et sont utilisés, quand la mer le permet, pour l’éclairage et la ventilation. La vitesse n'ayant guère d'importance dans un système de monopole, les navires de la Compagnie sont des coffres » qui se veulent solides certes, mais lents et lourds , « qui naviguent durant une dizaine d'années et accomplissent quatre ou cinq voyages » 930. e Durant la plus grande partie du XVIII siècle, les méthodes de construction marine et de gréement furent les mêmes que celles employées au siècle précédent. Les vaisseaux de la Compagnie de Law p résentèrent, pendant longtemps, les mêmes défauts que ceux de la Compagnie de Colbert : « mêmes faibles tonnages, mêmes agencements défectueux et si fâcheux pour d'aussi longues traversées, même insuffisance au point de vue de la vitesse et de la solidité ». Ce n'est que dans la seconde moitié du siècle que la Compagnie des Indes utilisa les premiers effets des progrès importants qui devaient aboutir au triomphe de la marine à voile au XIX e siècle. E lle n'eut guère le temps d'en profiter. Ses vaisseaux étai ent chargés d'artillerie, ce qui réduisait l'espace disponible pour la cargaison, tout en augmentant, au delà du nécessaire, le nombre des membres d’équipage 931. Ce fut le cas, en particulier, pour les navires armés pour Madagascar et le Mozambique, à l'équi page duquel on adjoignait des troupes. En 1729 , l'embarquement 930 Ph. Haudrère. « Jalons pour une histoire d es Compagnies des Indes », p. 9 -27. In : J. Weber (sous la direction de...). Compagnies et Comptoirs. L'Inde des Français. XVII e - XVIII e siècle . Société Française d'outre -mer, Paris, 1991. Ph. Haudrère. La Compagnie française des Indes (1719 -1795), p. 512 -518, 542 - 545. 931 En somme, ces navires n'étaient ni adaptés au commerce, ni construits pour la guerre. H. Weber. La Compagnie des Indes , p. 515, 516, 519 et note 1, p. 519. 360 de 25 hommes de troupe sur la 0irène , trois mâts de 450 tonneaux, en sus de l'équipage habituel, contraignit le Conseil Supérieur de Bourbon à renoncer, en dépit de la disette de vivres que con naissait l'île du fait de l'épidémie de variole suivie d'une invasion de sauterelles, à ce que le navire traite des vivres en sus des esclaves à la côte est de Madagascar 932. Sous le commandement de Boulanger, une corvette comme la Ressource , se trouvait si imprudemment chargée de 98 personnes, que les ordres du Conseil de Bourbon, donnés à son capitaine étaient de les tenir enfermé es dans la cale, avec défense de stationner sur le tillac autrement qu'à tour de rôle, de peur qu'un « grain forcé » ne le retour nât. Pour fournir une escadre à La Bourdonnais, la Compagnie arma en guerre à deux reprises en 1741 et 1745, cinq de ses navires, « des coffres bourrés d'artillerie », aux dires du gouverneur, qui même du point de vue militaire ne donnaient pas toute satis faction 933. D'après les travaux de Gaston Martin portant sur l'analyse de l'armement de 787 navires négriers, enregistrés pour la traite atlantique par l'Amirauté de Nantes entre 1715 et 1775, « le navire du type le plus courant était [... ] un très modeste b ateau de 80 à 90 pieds [26 à 29,25 m, le pieds à 0,325 m] de franc -tillac (d'un bout à l'autre du pont supérieur), 65 à 75 pieds de quille [21,12 à 24,37 m], 25 pieds de largeur [8,12 m], 10 à 12 pieds de cale [3,32 à 3,9 m], les dimensions d'un petit troi s mâts, ou d'une moyenne goélette de la pêche hauturière actuelle ». Principalement destinés au transport des marchandises, les vaisseaux de la Compagnie ne possédaient qu'une cale bondée d'eau et de nourriture, et des entreponts destinés aux marchandises. Il fallut les adapter à la traite des esclaves afin de les rendre aptes à charger leurs cargaisons humaines aux différents lieux de traite. La traite à Madagascar ou au Mozambique, plus proche des Mascareignes, ne nécessitait pas le même armement que cell e à la côte occidentale d'Afrique ou en Inde. La nature même du commerce mixte , auquel devaient se livrer les vaisseaux de la Compagnie armés pour l'Inde, obligeait « à des aménagements particuliers ; des faux - ponts, dans certains cas transformables : sou tes à marchandises de France en Guinée et des îles en France », « parcs » à captifs transportés du Sénégal, de Juda , du Mozambique, de Goa, de Pondichéry ou de Madagascar vers les Mascareignes. Il fallait un équipage plus nombreux pour e nrayer les fréquent es révoltes de captifs : 20 à 25 hommes par 100 tonneaux ou encore un marin pour dix captifs , des vivres en quantité considérables , en viron 40 kg par personne, pour assurer la subsistance de 3 à 600 personne et de l’eau, beaucoup d’eau. On estimait devoir embarquer 2,8 litres d’eau en moyenne par personne et par jour, soit 19 320 litres pour un équipage de 30 hommes et 200 captifs, par mois de trente jours ou 54 180 litres pour un équipage de 45 hommes et 600 captifs, pendant le même temps. Cette eau était conservée dans des bottes ou des futailles serrées dans la cale à eau, entre l’étrave et la cloison centrale, près du grand mat. Aussi , une longue traversée , un équipage renforcé, une accumulation exceptionnelle d ’eau, de victuailles et d’effets de traite caractérisaient les conditions de l'armement pour la traite des navires de la Compagnie armés pour l'Inde . C’est dire s i ces bâtiments devaient être dotés de calles importantes. D’autre part, ils devaient être en mesure de naviguer en haute mer comme de pr atiquer le cabotage et charger, ensemble ou séparément : riz, bétail, salaisons et esclaves ; effets de traite ou café et marchandises 932 ADR. C° 2518, f° 67, 68. Délibération du Conseil Supérieur de Bourbon du 2 juin 1 729. 933 ADR. C°2, f° 151. Ordres et instructions à Boulanger, en date du 19 mai 1725 . 361 d’ Europe ou de l’Inde 934. A partir de 1725, et durant tout le XVIII e siècle, la Compagnie mit en service une flottille de n avires spécialisés de petit tonnage, les vaisseaux de côte », de 50 à 300 tonneaux. Leur capitaine, souvent un ex -officier de la marine de guerre, avait sous ses ordres un équipage d'une vingtaine d'hommes , composé de blancs et de mozambiques libres ou e sclaves, « rudes gaillards », qui ne craignaient pas les rigueurs du voyage retour, la surcharge quasi permanente, la menace de révoltes. En raison de la brièveté de la traversée , 7 à 10 jours, Ces navires , armés pour la traite à la côte malgache, n'étaien t pas spécialement aménagés pour le transport des esclaves que l'on installait généralement sur le gaillard arrière, le reste du navire étant bondé de marchandises diverses. A cause de l'alizé, le trajet de retour dépendait de l'endroit de la côte malgache où l'on se trouvait. Au Nord du dix huitième degré sud, les navires remontaient jusqu'à la baie d'Antongil, puis rentraient vers Bourbon en approchant de l'île de Sable (Tromelin). Au Sud de ce parallèle, on longeait la côte malgache jusqu'au Fort -Dauphin pour descendre jusqu'au vingt huitième degré sud, afin de regagner Bourbon. Il fallait compter trois ou quatre mois pour une expédition complète. Durant la bonne saison, de mars à décembre, il n'était pas rare que le navire reparte sitôt après avoir mis à terre sa cargaison. On destinait les plus importants des vaisseaux de côte jaugeant 200 à 300 tonneaux (1 tonneau correspondant à l'époque à 1,44 m 3 ), à la traite sur le littoral oriental de l'Afrique, ce qui permettait d'y enlever jusqu'à 400 et 500 esc laves par voyage.
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