MADAGASCAR. 



493 



are two classes of slaves, those of the King and 

 those of private individuals. The royal slaves 

 are of two races negroes from the continent, 

 and the dark Malagassy natives. The latter 

 perform lighter services, and are permitted to 

 marry free women. The black slaves serve in 

 the army, and sometimes attain military rank 

 or fill important civil posts, but they are not 

 allowed to marry out of their class. Private 



slaves are either Hovas, debtors, or criminals, 

 Malagassy natives, or Africans. The yoke of 

 slavery is very easy, no master exacting any- 

 thing which he would not do himself. The 

 Hovas are more energetic than the other tribes, 

 and less addicted to drunkenness. They are a 

 little below the medium height, broad-shoul- 

 dered, olive-complexioned, have smooth, coarse, 

 thick hair, aquiline noses, eyes slightly inclined, 

 and high cheek-bones. The national costume, 

 consisting of a large square piece of cloth, 

 usually white, draped over the figure, is grad- 

 ually giving place to European vestments. 

 Polygamy is permitted but rarely practiced. 

 The people marry and divorce themselves with 

 but little trouble or ceremony. The Mala- 

 gassy religion is gross fetichism and belief in 

 sorcery. 



. Coal and iron abound in Madagascar. There 

 are ninety-six species of woods, among them 

 iron-wood, veck-wood, and rose- wood. Cotton 

 and rice yield one crop a year. Sugar-cane, 

 coffee, tobacco, and spice-trees thrive wonder- 

 fully. Cattle are abundant and cheap, the 



usual price for a head of horned cattle being 

 five dollars, for a sheep two shillings. The 

 climate of the interior is wholesome for Euro- 

 peans, but the fevers of the coast are deadly. 



English missionaries Presbyterians, Meth- 

 odists, and Quakers have long been active in 

 their efforts to evangelize the people. The 

 Hovas rulers have promoted their efforts, and 

 officially adopted Christianity of the Protestant 

 form for political reasons, desiring to escape 

 the territorial claims of France to the island, 

 and raise up allies for their cause. The French 

 Jesuits who preceded the English are for the 

 same reason discouraged . The British Govern- 

 ment have sometimes encouraged these political 

 objects of the missionary societies. 



The French counted Madagascar among their 

 possessions when they established colonies in 

 these seas, and under Eichelieu the monopoly 

 of its trade was given to a company. In 1810 

 the chief of the Hovas subjugated all the tribes 

 of the island, and assumed the title of King 

 Radama I. He entertained relations with the 

 British Government; but these were inter- 

 rupted for a long time after the accession of 

 Queen Ranavolo I to the throne in 1828. She 

 was succeeded by her son, Radama II, with 

 whom Lambert concluded a treaty in the name 

 of France. In 1865 she concluded treaties of 

 amity and commerce with England and the 

 United States. Ranavolo II, the present Queen, 

 succeeded to the throne in 1868. She con- 

 cluded another treaty with France in that year. 

 The tribes on the western side of the island, 

 with the aid and encouragement of the French, 

 threw off the yoke imposed upon them by 

 Radama I. These Sakalava tribes stand under 

 a French protectorate, by virtue of treaties. 

 Queen Ranavolo recently conceived the design 

 of re-establishing the Malagassy kingdom in all 

 parts of the island. A dispute arose with the 

 commander of the French naval squadron, 

 who laid an embargo upon a ship belonging to 

 the Malagassy Government in the port of Ta- 

 matava and pulled down the Malagassy flags 

 displayed on the west coast. A special embassy 

 was dispatched in July to Europe to appeal to 

 the different governments, and endeavor to 

 bring the French to grant the position taken 

 by the Malagassy authorities. The embassy 

 found the public in Great Britain strongly 

 prejudiced in their favor, but the British Gov- 

 ernment was not disposed to seek a new cause 

 of difference with France and officially resist 

 the French pretensions. The French Govern- 

 ment assumed the same arrogant tone as its 

 agents, Commander Le Timbre and Consul 

 Baudrais. It pretended to jurisdiction over 

 the whole island, threatening to recall the acts 

 recognizing the independence of the Hovas, 

 unless they respected the territory of the Sa- 

 kalavas, over whom the French Government 

 exercises a protectorate. The envoys were 

 finally dismissed brusquely and virtually driven 

 out of Paris. They visited Germany, and sub- 

 sequently came to the United States, offering 



