For more than a century remains unsolved mystery Etienne Batted lived on the island of Mauritius in the second half of the XVIII - the beginning of the last century.

Bottino Etienne was born in Santoso (Department of Ren-et-Loire 1739. Died in Mauritius on may 17, 1813 at the age of 74. A young man went to Nantes, where he served on the island... It is a line "in Dictionary of the Mauritius biographies"published in Port Louis in a small circulation. And most importantly: "In 1762 onboard one of the Royal Navy court he came up with the idea that a moving vehicle must produce in the atmosphere some effect. Some time after the training, he already was able to determine the appearance of the ship on the horizon. But he was wrong so often that soon stopped his experiments...".

But only for a time. In 1763 Bottino arrived on the island has received a post of the engineer. Good weather for most of the year, the fact that many of the court passed Mauritius, not bad, in port, allowed him to practice. After some time Bottino had made a bet. "He made a lot of money, because three days before the occurrence of the vessel on the horizon, no optical tubes, foretold his coming. In 1780 Bottino wrote about his amazing abilities then Minister of the Navy of France de Castries. And he ordered within two years to record all observations obscure sluzashsego from Mauritius.

They're officially started on 15 may 1782. Bottino reported that three vessels are approaching, and there are 17, 18 and 25 may. June 20, he foretold of the coming "many ships", and on may 29 appeared the first ships of the French squadron detained by calm.

Bottino asked the Governor of 100 thousand livres prize and an annual pension of 1300 livres, because he will reveal his secret, reminding that from 1778 in 1782 he foretold of the coming 575 courts for a few days before they appear on the horizon. But the Governor did not hurry to part with money.

And so resentful of Bottino went home. Audience with the Minister of marine, he was not achieved, but he sought recognition of the public of the city of Lorient, showing her his abilities. Then, in 1785, in the paper "Mercure France" published "Excerpts from the memoirs Etienne, Bottino about nascopie" - the name he gave his gift. Judging by reports in the press of that time, ability, colonial officials were interested in himself Jean-Paul Marat, who was then just wrote a treatise on physics. But to meet them, apparently failed.

In 1793 Bottino returned to Mauritius and persisted in his experiments. June 15, he said that soon there will be 20 vessels, but none of them did. Over Bottino began to laugh. But soon the scoffers had to apologize, because it became clear that the Admiral squadron decided not to go to Mauritius and went to India.

What else is known about Bottino? Besides the above mentioned certificates, a new stroke, elucidated only recently: some time he lived in Ceylon, Colombo, there he saw one of the editors of the book "New biography contemporaries", published in 1827. In the third volume of its States that Bottino studied there "animal magnetism" - basics of hypnosis. Add to this: he studied in the school of animal magnetism, communicated with the Indians that "could work wonders" (from the memoirs of Bottino). And here is what he wrote about himself:

"The audience can remember about my experiments done in June 1793, at the big congestion of people, and in may 1794-th organized by the city Council. This does not have saved me from the attacks of individuals, namely, mocked me when I predicted the presence of vessels near the island, but they never came. The solution is simple: they were directed not on our island. These people, who Have neither a flash of thought, believed nothing, doubted in General, saying that I was a fraud and that it can't be. I am forced to live among this stupid crowd, blunt and cruel people, steeped in truth, hostility perceiving any opening, iota different from their sobstvennym primitive understanding of the world...".

What a gift was Etienne, Bottino? He is his secret so no one opened. Except that two of the disciples, and that not everything. But in Mauritius preserved his letter to Marat, in which, in particular, said:

"Vessel approaching the shore, produces a certain effect on the atmosphere, resulting in the approach can and should be identified by an experienced eye, before the vehicle reaches the limit of visibility. My predictions favored the clear blue sky and atmosphere... I've been on the island for only six months, when convinced of his discovery, and had only to gain experience so that nakosaja became a true science".

Perhaps it was because of mirages, so frequent in the sea? Or is the subject of a relatively young science of biolocation? But historians haven't written anything about whether Bottino any devices...

He died in 1813, taking with him to the grave the secret of nascopie. In Mauritius remember him. The monument, of course not, but the mountain Mentarang (Long)towering above the blue surface of the ocean, where he made his observations Etienne, Bottino, reminiscent of modern scientists about their duty to science to reveal the secret of his gift.