Hubert Hugo
Encyclopedia
Hubert Hugo was a merchant in Dutch Suratte, a privateer
on the Red Sea, and governor of Dutch Mauritius
from 1672 to 1677.
. In 1639 he joined the Dutch East India Company
. Around 1641 he arrived in Batavia and soon he was appointed in Dutch Suratte. There he was stationed twelve years. In 1654 he returned to the Dutch Republic
as a vice-admiral.
In 1661 he sailed on the Black Eagle to Le Havre
and hired forty sailors. Via Torbay
, and Madagascar
he arrived at Mocha
in the Red Sea
and succeeded to capture four Arab ships. In 1662 on his way to France, he paid a visit to Mauritius. There 34 Dutch sailors from the sunk ship Arnhem joined him. He promised to drop them on Saint Helena
, but the sailors decided not to leave and Hugo sailed to the West-Indies. In 1665 he seems to have been back in the Red Sea.
In 1671 he wrote a letter to the Lords XVII, the managers of the VOC, and proposed to organize (slave)trade on India and Africa from Mauritius. They accepted his proposal within a few days, because Wreede, while drinking too much, should be replaced. Hugo insisted on becoming independent from the commander on Cape of Good Hope
.
Hugo left the Republic in December 1671 with his wife Marie, five children and fifty soldiers. In February 1673 he arrived on Mauritius, unsuccessful in buying slaves on Madagascar. Hugo noticed the vegetable garden was in a deplorable state. On the first night he hardly slept because of all the rats walking around in the attic. He organized agriculture quickly and a road was built in order to remove the ebony trees. In February 1674 the island was hit by a heavy storm and all the buildings were destroyed.
In September 1677 Isaac Johannes Lamotius arrived on Mauritius. Hugo left the island disappointed and sailed to Batavia and asked the Company to pay his salary to his mother-in-law.
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
on the Red Sea, and governor of Dutch Mauritius
Dutch Mauritius
Mauritius was an official settlement of the Dutch East India Company on the island of Mauritius between 1638 and 1710, and used a refreshing station for passing ships...
from 1672 to 1677.
Life
Hugo was born in DelftDelft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
. In 1639 he joined the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
. Around 1641 he arrived in Batavia and soon he was appointed in Dutch Suratte. There he was stationed twelve years. In 1654 he returned to the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
as a vice-admiral.
In 1661 he sailed on the Black Eagle to Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
and hired forty sailors. Via Torbay
Torbay
Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998...
, and Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
he arrived at Mocha
Mocha
-Computing:* Mocha , a Java decompiler* JavaScript, an object-oriented scripting language originally distributed under the name Mocha* Mocha, a mock object framework for Ruby-Biology:...
in the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
and succeeded to capture four Arab ships. In 1662 on his way to France, he paid a visit to Mauritius. There 34 Dutch sailors from the sunk ship Arnhem joined him. He promised to drop them on Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
, but the sailors decided not to leave and Hugo sailed to the West-Indies. In 1665 he seems to have been back in the Red Sea.
In 1671 he wrote a letter to the Lords XVII, the managers of the VOC, and proposed to organize (slave)trade on India and Africa from Mauritius. They accepted his proposal within a few days, because Wreede, while drinking too much, should be replaced. Hugo insisted on becoming independent from the commander on Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
.
Hugo left the Republic in December 1671 with his wife Marie, five children and fifty soldiers. In February 1673 he arrived on Mauritius, unsuccessful in buying slaves on Madagascar. Hugo noticed the vegetable garden was in a deplorable state. On the first night he hardly slept because of all the rats walking around in the attic. He organized agriculture quickly and a road was built in order to remove the ebony trees. In February 1674 the island was hit by a heavy storm and all the buildings were destroyed.
In September 1677 Isaac Johannes Lamotius arrived on Mauritius. Hugo left the island disappointed and sailed to Batavia and asked the Company to pay his salary to his mother-in-law.
Sources
- Stapel, F.W. (1930) Hubert Hugo (Een zeerover in dienst van de Oostindische Compagnie).http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:leLoT-xif3MJ:www.kitlv-journals.nl/index.php/btlv/article/view/7351/8118+Hubert+Hugo&cd=5&hl=nl&ct=clnk&gl=nl&client=firefox-a&source=www.google.nl
- Allister Macmillan, Mauritius illustrated: historical and descriptive, commercial and industrial facts, figures, and resources., London : W.H. & L. Collingridge, 1914