MADAGASCAR. 



505 



missions had contributed for all purposes the 

 sum of $96,544 ; 18 stations had been added to 

 the list of missions during the two years past, 

 15 had become self-sustaining, and three had 

 been discontinued. The Board of Foreign Mis- 

 sions had received $50,741, and reported an 

 increase of 65 per cent, in the contributions of 

 the preceding two years. Its missions were 

 in India, where the first native minister had 

 recently been licensed, and West Africa. The 

 mission in India (Guntoor) returned 6,813 com- 

 municants, 1,958 pupils in day-schools, and 

 4,111 Sunday-school scholars. The mission at 

 Muhlenberg, Africa, returned one ordained 

 missionary, one unordained missionary, and one 

 native licensed minister, 120 church-members, 

 70 of whom were communicants, 40 day-schol- 



3, and 150 Sunday-school scholars. 



A communication was received with favor 

 from the delegate of the General Synod, South, 

 and it was resolved to send a delegate to the 

 next meeting of that body. Satisfaction was 

 expressed that the Synod, South, had decided 

 to carry on its foreign mission work under the 

 auspices of the General Synod. The Synod de- 

 clared that it hailed as one of the most auspi- 

 cious outlooks of the Church in America the 

 prospect of securing a u common service " for 

 all English-speaking Lutherans, on the general 

 and definite basis of the common consent of 

 the pure Lutheran liturgies of the sixteenth 

 century, and expressed readiness to labor to 

 that end and to unite with the General Synod, 

 South, and the General Council in any judicious 

 movement to accomplish it. A committee was 

 appointed to have the charge, under the direc- 

 'ion of the Home Board, of the work of In- 



dian missions. Observances were recommend- 

 ed to be made on Nov. 10, 1883, in honor of 

 the birthday of Martin Luther. 



Norwegian Lutheran Synods. The Norwegian 

 Lutherans in the United States are represented 

 in four synods. The largest is the Evangelical 

 Lutheran Synod, which is characterized by the 

 strictness of its doctrine and rules of discipline. 

 It includes about 200 preachers, and has a col- 

 lege at Decorah, la., a theological school at 

 Madison, Wis., and several academies. The 

 Augustana Synod has between 80 and 40 preach- 

 ers, and a seminary at Marshall, Wis. The 

 Norwegian-Danish Conference originated in a 

 schism in the latter body, but has grown to ex- 

 ceed it, having 85 ministers and 24,000 commu- 

 nicants. Its college and seminary are at Minne- 

 apolis, Minn. Ilauges Synod originated in a 

 sect founded by Elling Eielson, a lay preacher, 

 includes 20 ministers, and has a seminary at 

 Red Wing, Minn. 



Movement for the Institution of Bishops. A feel- 

 ing has been growing among the Lutherans 

 of the General Council, especially among the 

 Swedish members, whose church in their na- 

 tive country is episcopal, in favor of the insti- 

 tution of bishops. A convention met at Eas- 

 ton, Pa., March 27th and 28th, for the consid- 

 eration of this subject. The Rev. John Koh- 

 ler, D. D., of Allentown, Pa., presided. Papers 

 were read on " The Episcopate in the Early 

 Church " ; " The Episcopate in the German Ref- 

 ormation " ; and " Should we have the Epis- 

 copate in the Lutheran Church in America? " 

 and committees were appointed to bring the 

 subject forward for discussion in the several 

 conferences of the Pennsylvania Synod. 



M 



MADAGASCAR, one of the great islands of the 

 globe. (For map, see " Annual Cyclopaedia " 

 for 1882.) 



Geography. It is southeast of the African 

 continent, from which it is separated by the 

 Mozambique channel, which varies in width 

 from 250 to 350 miles. It is 1,030 miles long, 

 and from 225 to 350 miles broad, having an 

 area of nearly 230,000 square miles, fully equal 

 to the combined areas of the New England 

 States, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 

 Delaware, and Maryland. It is almost entirely 

 within the tropics. The population is estimated 

 at 3,500,000. The capital, Antananarivo, in 

 the interior, contains between 70,000 and 80,000 

 inhabitants. The chief port is Tamatave, on 

 the east coast, which contains about 3,000 in- 

 habitants. 



A mountain-range, having a height of 3,000 

 to 4,000 feet, and rising occasionally into more 

 elevated summits (one of more than 11,000 

 feet), extends from north -northeast to south- 

 southwest through the whole length of the 

 island, though broken at three or four points 

 by broad, elevated plateaus, and in several in- 



stances by narrow, deep cafions. The mount- 

 ain-slopes were originally covered with heavy 

 forests, but considerable tracts have been 

 cleared. These forests contained many choice 

 woods, both for building and cabinet use, as 

 well as some valuable medicinal, resinous, and 

 dye-woods. The slopes are generally fertile. 

 Between them and the coast, both on the east 

 and west sides, are extensive marshy tracts 

 with some elevated bluffs, but also with nu- 

 merous small lakes and ponds, and generally 

 covered with a profuse vegetation. These dis- 

 tricts, though fertile when cultivated, are un- 

 healthful. The coast, for some distance from 

 the shores, is sandy, not fertile, and intensely 

 hot. There are two or three good harbors on 

 the east side, of which Tamatave is the best. 

 There are several harbors on the west side, but 

 none of them, except Majunga, is very safe. 

 There are numerous rivers, but those on the 

 east side have so rapid a descent that none are 

 navigable for more than six or eight miles. Of 

 those falling into the Mozambique Channel, 

 several have a navigable course of thirty or 

 forty miles, and one, the Betsibooka, is navi- 



