139. Answer to Mr. Crawford's Letter. 



Madagascar in 1816 and 1817, a period when the Ovah 

 race, already firmly established in the Kingdom, had com- 

 menced under their young chief Radama, to extend their 

 conquests, through all the neighbouring tribes, and to con- 

 solidate their empire over the whole of Madagascar. 



» Mr. Bojer who travelled on several occasions in Mada- 

 gascar and who resided for a long period at the Court of 

 Radama at Tannanarivou, has expressed this opinion, that 

 the individuals of the Malay race, who, without any doubt 

 on his part, gave rise to the caste of the Ovahs, could have 

 been introduced into Madagascar, by Arab merchants during 

 the period of the immense slave traffic which they carried 

 on, and who sought their slaves from the coasts of India, 

 and in various other parts of Asia ; and this fact which Mr. 

 Bojer specifies, though unabled to support it by positive 

 proofs (for at this period of the question all is pure conjec- 

 ture) is coupled with certain circumstances so corroborative 

 as to be able to throw considerable light on the important 

 linguistic question raised by Mr. Crawford. » 



Such is the opinion of Mr. Bojer, whose high reputation 

 as a Botanist, and whose acquirements in the various bran- 

 ches at science are so well known and appreciated, will at 

 once guarantee that it has not been formed without due 

 consideration. 



The Committee also begs -to state that it has been informed 

 by a respectable Malay sailor, a native of Bali who has even 

 traded to Europe, and who for twenty years was accustomed 

 to navigate from Bali to Java, that it was the usual habit 

 of their mariners never to lose sight of land. In his opi- 

 nion, it was absolutely impossible for Malay Proas from 

 Sumatra, Bali, etc., to reach Madagascar on account of 

 ther inability to carry sufficient food and water. The same 



