273 
Europe, that useful creature, the horse, now appears among 
the domestic cattle, and is extensively bred in this vast island. 
Besides the missionaries and several artizans sent with 
them from London, many young men of different trades have 
come over from Mauritius and from France, and are now 
established at 'l'annanarivoo, where they work under the pro- - 
tection of the King; who daily becomes more enlightened, 
and transmits to his subjects a similar taste for our customs: 
his mind chiefly aiming at the aggrandisement of his own 
power, and the subjection to his government of the entire 
island of Madagascar. Thus his attention is principally 
turned to the formation of an army, as is evidenced by his - 
numerous and well-appointed troops, who accomplished the 
subjugation of the Saccatawa. In 1822, a levy of 13,000 
men was raised, who were put under the management of 
able officers, long furnished by the English. "These soldiers 
are now capable of executing all the manceuvres, and ere long, 
it is to be feared that we may see them march in swarms like 
ants to war, or rather to the desolation of a province, and carnage. 
The royal guard is well kept up, clad in an English uniform, 
and very correctly disciplined. The other soldiers are nearly 
naked, being only girt round the middle with a thin cloth. 
The generals, captains, &c. wear an uniform and epaulettes, 
according to their rank. The exercise and manoeuvres are 
English. The art of making cartridges being yet unknown, 
they put the requisite quantity for each charge into a small 
bamboo and pour it into the gun. Though these troops be 
but in their infancy, they cannot be compared to the troops 
of earlier days. ‘Then the whole nation rose and hurried to 
arms; multitudes of from 200 to 200,000 men might be 
seen, undisciplined and without order, marching against their 
enemies, with assagays and bucklers. So numerous an army 
soon used to exhaust all the provisions of the country, and 
a famine was the consequence, accompanied by fever, which 
committed such fearful ravages, that the roads were covered 
vith the dead and dying. pigu arot hieu re Yo 
_ Perhaps we may be under some error in the character which 
we shall now give of the population of Emerina, when we speak 
VOL. III. T s 
