452 



MADAGASCAR. 



longed, questioned the completeness of his con- 

 version, or at least the propriety of administer- 

 ing extreme nnction to a convert who had not 

 yet changed his religion by formal act, and 

 was probably unconscious during his illness. 

 Lord Lyons was not a brilliant diplomatist, and 

 contributed little to the settlement of impor- 

 tant questions of European politics, yet his 

 shrewdness and caution preserved him from 

 errors, while with discretion, patience, and te- 

 nacity he labored for and secured many ad- 

 vantages for England in the settlement of 



diplomatic issues. His aristocratic exclusive- 

 ness prevented his becoming popular in re- 

 publican Paris, though the French people re- 

 membered with gratitude that he was one of 

 the first to procure provisions for the famished 

 inhabitants of Paris after the raising of the 

 siege in 1871. As Lord Lyons was a bachelor 

 and had no living brother, the baronetcy and 

 barony that he inherited from his father, as 

 well as the viscounty and earldom that were 

 limited to his own issue, became extinct at his 

 death. 



M 



MADAGASCAR, an island in the Indian Ojean, 

 opposite the coast of Mozambique, subject to 

 the Queen of the Hovas, who accepted the pro- 

 tectorate of France by the treaty of Dec. 17, 

 1885. The Government of the French Repub- 

 lic represents Madagascar in all its external re- 

 lations. A resident-general directs these rela- 

 tions, without interfering in any way in the in- 

 ternal administration, which is reserved to the 

 Queen of Madagascar. He resides at Antanan- 

 arivo, the capital, with a military escort, and 

 has the right of audience with the Queen. The 

 Hovas engaged to pay a war indemnity of 10,- 

 000,000 francs, and the French Government 

 reserved the right to occupy the Bay of Diego 

 Suarez and make installations there for its con- 

 venience. The Hova Queen is Ranavalo Ma- 

 janka III, born in 1862, who succeeded to the 

 throne in 1882. The Prime Minister and Prince 

 Consort is Rainilaiarivony. The Resident-Gen- 

 eral of France is M. Le Myre de Vilers, Minis- 

 ter Plenipotentiary of the first class. (For sta- 

 tistics, see "Annual Cyclopaedia " for 188R.) 



Commcrcet After the French war many Eng- 

 lish, but few French, went to Madagascar to 

 embark in business. About 60 per cent, of the 

 commerce of 1886 was British and a large pro- 

 portion American. Rum is the most impor- 

 tant article of import, after which come kero- 

 sene and American cotton stuffs, which are 

 preferred by the natives to English fabrics. 

 The indemnity for the war was advanced by 

 the Comptoir d'Escompte of Paris to the Hova 

 Government, and was secured on the receipts 

 of ten ports, which are collected by agents of 

 the bank. The British and American import- 

 ers avoided these ports, taking their goods to 

 the ports still under the control of the Hova 

 authorities, where they have the option of pay- 

 ing the 10 per cent, duty in money or in kind, 



Fresh Dispute with Francet The French troops, 

 according to agreement, evacuated Tamatave 

 in January, 1887, and the port wa.s reoccupied 

 by the Malasasy forces . on January 25. The 

 French recalled their troops subsequently from 

 all other parts of the island, excepting four 

 companies remaining at Diego Suarez. The 

 French Government appointed an indemnity 

 commission to pass upon the claims that had 

 been brought, chiefly by British subjects, for 



losses sustained through the war. The French 

 resident demanded that the exequaturs of for- 

 eign consuls should be presented to him for 

 approval. This the Hova Government refused 

 to do, and was encouraged in this attitude by 

 the British consul. The former British con- 

 sul, Mr. Pickersgill, had been recalled by his 

 Government at the request ot the French Cabi- 

 net. His successor, Mr. Haggard, on arriving 

 at Antananarivo, handed his credentials to the 

 Hova official, who granted the exequatur with- 

 out consulting M. Le Myre de Vilers. The 

 French Government immediately represented 

 the matter to the British Government, which 

 admitted the French position, but subsequently 

 Lord Salisbury declared that the question re- 

 quired more study, as it involved serious diffi- 

 culties. Eventually the French protectorate 

 was formally recognized, Great Britain con- 

 senting in principle that its consuls should re- 

 ceive their exequaturs from France. The Eng- 

 lish residents on the island prepared many dif- 

 ficulties for the French representative. The 

 Malagasy Government still persisted in refusing 

 to give up the exequaturs of the British and 

 American consuls. Another cause of differ- 

 ence arose from the arrest, trial, and banish- 

 ment for twenty years of Ravoninahitriniarivo, 

 the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, on 

 the charge of having in his possession seals of 

 the Government with treasonable intent, and 

 the appointment to the place of a young son of 

 the Prime Minister. The French resident ob- 

 jected strongly to this appointment, and an 

 under-secretary was provisionally appointed. 

 Mr. Campbell, the American consul, applied to 

 the French representative for his exequatur. 

 The Premier demanded the formal recognition 

 of the letter of Admiral Miot explanatory of 

 the treaty, which the Malagasy Government 

 considered a codicil and a part of the treaty, 

 but which the French Government persisted 

 in disavowing. Finally, the relations of M. Le 

 Myre de Vilers with the Hova Government be- 

 came so strained that on September 19 he hauled 

 down his flag and prepared to leave Antanana- 

 rivo. This decisive action had the desired ef- 

 fect on the Malagasy Premier, and in October 

 relations between the resident-general and the 

 Hova Government were resumed. 



