Adriaan van der Stel (-Ceylon, 25 May 1646) was the ''

opperhoofd ''Opperhoofd'' is a Dutch word (plural ''opperhoofden'') that literally translates to "upper-head", meaning "supreme headman". The Danish equivalent ''overhoved'', which is derived from a Danish pronunciation of the Dutch or Low German word, is als ...

'' of

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

from 1640 to 1645. He was succeeded by Jacob van der Meersch. Adriaan Van Der Stel succeeded Governor Cornelius Gooyer. He landed on the island with seventy men, of whom forty were invalids. The latter thought that they would recover their health. Twenty-three died and the rest returned to Batavia. Van der Stel brought with him various seeds and fruits including sugarcane saplings. He also brought rabbits, sheep, geese, ducks, pigeons and stags. After some years, these animals multiplied and were sources of fresh provisions to passing ships. A mineralogist was sent to the island to make a survey on the island and in 1641 the Company directors sent the ship with the orders to Van der Stel that he should cut all ebony trees on the island. To carry out the task, Van der Stel needed more men. He went to Madagascar where he obtained one hundred and five slaves. but within a few weeks, fifty-two ran away and only eighteen were caught. For about three years Van der Stel and his men were able to send six thousand pieces of ebony to Batavia. He also gave great attention to agriculture. Rice, indigo, tobacco and cane cultivation were started. Many fruit trees and vegetables were grown. But in spite of these efforts, their supply of food was not guaranteed. In 1644 a cyclone destroyed the fort and their cultivation. They had to wait for months for a ship from Batavia, and in the meantime they had to go in the woods to search for food. His son

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

would become the first Governor of the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

References

Dutch Governors of Mauritius 1646 deaths Year of birth unknown Assassinated Dutch politicians Slavery in Africa Dutch slave owners {{Mauritius-politician-stub