Another town, said to have been named Johanna, stood on the eastern coast seven leagues from Machadou, in a pic turesque situation. It was sacked in 1790 by the natives of Madagascar, who make frequent descents on ve Como- h ' ro islands, and always commit ten ible ravages. I ry name makes the inhabitants tremble, and in general they ? never go unarmed.
Very different statements have been given of the po lation of Johanna. Grose states it at 130,000, which c cecds all probability. Captain Williamson, in 1810, com putes it at 90,000 or 100.000, which at a medium al low 581 persons to cacti square mile ; and Sir William Fal% s speaks of taxes being levied from 200 % itiages. But late calculations, apparently much more authentic, reduce the population to 6000 or 7000.
1 lie history of Junanna is obscure. It is supposed that 1 the Comoro islands were peopled originally from Africa, ( and that the Arabians established themselves here in the I twelfth century. In the year 1600, Captain John Davis I found Johanna governed by a queen ; and fifteen years la- I ter, Sir Thomas Roe and Captain Peyton remarked, that the dominion of a female extended over all the islands ; but he seems to place her residence on Mohilla, one of their ! number. Sidi Ahamed ruled Johanna m 1783, probably the
same Sultan who, in 1788, is represented as being 65 y ears of age, and having occupied the government for 40 years. His manners were dignified, and his courtesy to strangers of the most engaging description ; but the island was visit ed by many misfortunes during his reign, and he is sup posed to have survived the sack of Johanna only a short time. Ile was succeeded by his eldest son Missolin, who died in the year 1797, leaving a son Ahmed under the re gency of his brother. During the minority of this prince, 33 Frenchmen, some of whom had distinguished them selves in the revolution that agitated their own country, were banished hither, and landed under the ostensible pre tence of assisting in the defence of the island. In 21 days no less than 20 died : the survivors embarked for Comoro, 25 leagues distant; but owing to accidents and other causes, they successively perished, so that not one survived in 1804, only a year after their first arrival. The regent hav ing formed a plan for the destruction of the young prince, which proved abortive, fled to Muskat, where he in vain sought the aid of the Imam. Lat. 12° 4' N. Long. 44° 34' E. (c)