MADAGASCAR. 



443 



"3. The Government of the French Republic re- 

 B tin- right of maintaining in Madagascar the 

 military 1'" --ary for tlu' exercise of it* au- 



thority. 



"4. Tlie resident general shall control the inter- 

 nal administration of the island. Her Majesty the 

 Queen of Madagascar undertakes to proceed to the 

 reforms which the French Government shall judge 

 de-irable for the economic development of the island 

 and the progress of civilization. 



"5. The Government of her Majesty the Queen 

 of Madagascar debars itself from contracting any 

 loan without the sanction of the Government of 

 the French Republic." 



While the other governments represented by di- 

 plomatic and consular agents at Antananarivo and 

 Tamatave accepted the French view of the conse- 

 quences of the act described as a " taking of posses- 

 sion recognized by the Queen." including the aboli- 

 tion of extraterritorial consular jurisdiction, the 

 governments of the United States and Great Britain 

 asked for enlightenment regarding the interna- 

 tional and legal status of Madagascar and the exact 

 effect which France desired to give to the conver- 

 sion of the protectorate into a French possession 

 without annexation. The United States Govern- 

 ment declined to accept the notification as equiva- 

 lent to the annulment of the commercial treaties 

 made with the Hova Queen, and was prepared to 

 demand equal treatment under the favored-nation 

 clause if French products were admitted duty free. 

 The process of establishing French rule in Madagas- 

 car proceeded in rapid progression. When M. La- 

 roche first came he announced that gold-seekers of 

 all nationalities would be allowed to locate claims on 

 payment of a license fee of 25 francs. Soon after 

 American and British miners arrived he rescinded 

 the order and refused to grant prospecting permits 

 to any except French citizens. French officials ar- 

 rived by every steamer. Roads, of which the island 

 was totally deficient, were built on a large scale, 

 the Boras and Betsileo engaging willingly in the 

 work. A new telegraph line was erected, connect- 

 ing Antananarivo with Mojanga, on the west coast. 

 The French officials watched over the corvee and 

 the collection of taxes to see that no abuses were 

 committed by the Hova governors. When M. 

 Hanotaux returned to the Ministry of Foreign 

 Affairs he decided that complete annexation was 

 necessary in order to abrogate the commercial 

 treaties and secure for French traders and settlers 

 an exceptional position. On May :jO he introduced 

 in the French Chamber a bill declaring Madagas- 

 car and dependent islands a French colony. French 

 laws were to be extended to Madagascar according 

 to the common-law system in colonial matters, but 

 only by degrees, as they are made the object of 

 special promulgation. Meanwhile the individual 

 status of the inhabitants of the island and the laws, 

 customs, and local institutions would be preserved. 

 Queen Ranavalo would preserve her title, with the 

 advantages and honors that it confers, and the na- 

 tive chiefs with whom the French officials could co- 

 operate, would continue to govern the populations 

 not subject to the Hovas. The Chamber agreed to 

 the bill by a vote of 312 to 73 on June 20. The 

 United States Government had conceded that the 

 old treaties lapsed upon the island becoming a 

 French colony, having previously, on April 16, re- 

 ceived an assurance that France would extend to 

 American citizens all the rights enjoyed under the 

 conventions in France and French possessions. On 

 the insistence of the Socialists, but against the 

 wish of the Colonial Minister, who pleaded for time 

 and for compensation to owners, the Prime Min- 

 ister accepted and the Chamber passed by a unani- 

 mous vote a resolution declaring that, slavery hav- 



ing been abolished by the fact of Madagascar being 

 declared a French colony, the Government will 

 take measures to insure immediate emancipation. 

 The demand of M. Jatires and his followers ad- 

 mitted no postponement, because slavery wu de- 

 clared by an act nearly half a century old to be 

 entirely abolished in all French colonies. The bill 

 ' tie Senate on July 1. 



The spread of the rebellion in the central plateau 

 and the Mojanira valley gave an opportunity to the 

 Radicals, the Clericals, and others to attack the ad- 

 ministration of the Protestant Resident General, 

 M. Laroche, and to bring charges of political in- 

 trigue against the English Methodists. When the 

 French troops that formed the army of occupation 

 returned home in May and June the anarchy on 

 the island increased, as the llaiissas and Il'.va 

 forces that replaced them were insufficient to cope 

 with the growing rebellion. Hence the French 

 Government decided to replace M. Laroche with 

 Gen. Gallieni, in whom were united the functions 

 of governor general and commander-in-chief. M. 

 Laroche was not recalled till November, lest the 

 Malagasy should think the French inconstant. 



When Gen. Gallieni arrived, in September, he de- 

 clined to call on the Queen until she had made 

 the first call on the representative of France, and 

 when she finally presented herself, on Sept. 28, he 

 made it plain to her that Madagascar had another 

 ruler, telling her that it was now French territory 

 and its native inhabitants French subjects, who 

 would be treated with paternal mildness, severity 

 being reserved for rebels. On Sept. 27 the procla- 

 mation was issued declaring that all the inhabit- 

 ants of Madagascar were free. The military au- 

 thorities published a notice saying that slaves 

 could remain with their masters. The liberation 

 of upward of 1,000.000 slaves was not attended 

 with the disturbances that many apprehended, al- 

 though some proportion of the slaves went to re- 

 cruit the lawless elements. The Hova flag was 

 abolished, and the tricolor substituted as the only 

 emblem of sovereignty by Gen. Gallieni. 



Rebellion. The disarmament of the Hovas by 

 the French and the supplanting of their poweT en- 

 couraged various tribes whom they had held in 

 cruel subjection to take vengeance upon their 

 former masters or to break out in lawless disor- 

 ders and depredations. The Ambodirano tribes, 

 west of the capital, formed a league which con- 

 spired to kill all the Europeans and Christians in 

 the country. They planned an attempt to capture 

 the capital on Nov. 29. 1895, but fell to murdering 

 and plundering missionaries a week before that 

 day. A French force. of 300 men inarched out to 

 suppress the disorders. The tribes gathered in 

 great numbers and attacked the French with 

 fanatical fury, and continued their assaults when 

 mowed down with bullets until the French had to 

 fall back upon the capital as their ammunition be- 

 came exhausted. A considerable French force be- 

 ing stationed in their country, and Rainihanjalahy, 

 the commander-in-chief of the Hova forces against 

 the French, being placed as governor over them, 

 they attempted no further uprising. Later the 

 Betsimisaraka. a timid people whom the Hovas 

 have wantonly oppressed, rose against their op- 

 pressors. burned Anosibe, captured other towns, 

 and drove the II ova Governor and his soldiers and 

 all the Hova traders and teachers back to Imerina. 

 The Mavrongo. a turbulent tribe that joined the 

 rebellion, continued plundering merchandise on 

 the road between Tamatave and Antananarivo, on 

 which all traffic was suspended in consequence. 

 Other bands of robbers and insurgents gathered in 

 the south of Imerina. menacing the lives and prop- 

 erty of all Europeans. 



