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MADAGASCAR. 



gable for 160 miles. The climate varies with 

 the elevation. On the coast it is hot, moist, 

 and unhealthful, and malarial fevers prevail. 

 On the mountain-slopes the climate is mild 

 and delightful, the temperature seldom exceed- 

 ing 85. In the rainy season there is some 

 malarial fever, even in these mountain-slopes. 



Productions. The flora, sylva, and fauna of 

 Madagascar are in marked contrast with those 

 of the African continent across the Mozam- 

 bique channel, and have an equally marked 

 general resemblance to those of the Eastern 

 Archipelago. The ravenel, or " traveler's tree " 

 ( Urania speciosa), from whose trunk a sweet 

 and wholesome beverage is obtained by in- 

 cision, is peculiar to the island ; while ebony, 

 mahogany, different kinds of gam-trees, cocoa- 

 nuts, figs, and other valuable and ornamental 

 woods, and medicinal shrubs, are indigenous 

 here. Among the plants peculiar to the island 

 is the zozero, a species of papyrus, and a lichen 

 which makes a powerful dye-stuff. The flora 

 is of wonderful beauty, and many of the flow- 

 ers are very fragrant. The silk- worm is indi- 

 genous, and its cocoons when fresh are often 

 eaten by the natives. * Sheep with hair, instead 

 of wool, and with large, fat tails, have been in- 

 troduced from the Cape of Good Hope ; cattle 

 from India, domestic swine, and horses from 

 other countries, and dogs and cats. The crops 

 are cotton, sugar, coffee, rice, yams, arrow- 

 root, bread-fruit, plantains, bananas, and figs. 



Commerce. Commerce is chiefly carried on in 

 English ships with Mauritius. One of the most 

 important articles of import is rum. The ex- 

 port commerce, which is inconsiderable, con- 

 sists of cattle, hides, wax, gum-elastic, gum, 

 tallow, oleaginous seeds, etc. The value of 

 imports from Mauritius in 1873 was estimated 

 at 145,000; of exports to Mauritius, 155,000 ; 

 of exports and imports to and from all other 

 countries, 100,000. 



History. Madagascar was first mentioned by 

 Marco Polo in the thirteenth century, but was 

 not visited by Europeans till 1506, when the 

 Portuguese attempted to plant a colony on the 

 island, but failed. The French made a similar 

 attempt in 1642, and indeed undertook to take 

 possession of the island, but after some years 

 the hostility of the natives, and the climate of 

 the coast, compelled them to abandon it. 



At the beginning of the present century, 

 Madagascar was divided among several native 

 tribes, of which two were the most active and 

 powerful. These were the Sakalavas, the prin- 

 cipal tribe of the western part of the island, and 

 the Hovas, who held the east and northeast. 

 The Sakalavas were the darker and taller, but 

 the Hovas were quicker and more active men- 

 tally. Neither these, nor any of the other 

 tribes of Madagascar, had any affinity with the 

 negro races of Africa. They rather resembled, 

 both physically and intellectually, the natives 

 of the Philippines and of the Polynesian islands. 

 The other tribes submitted to the rule of these 

 two. In 1808 Radama, a Hova prince, became 



King of Imerina. He was only sixteen years 

 of age, but soon engaged in war with the Sa- 

 kalavas, and obtained control of much of the 

 eastern coast and the port of Tamatave. In 

 1816 he was visited by British agents, and the 

 next year he made a treaty with Great Britain, 

 agreeing to abolish the slave-trade and other 

 wrongs, on condition that he should receive 

 a stipulated quantity of arms and ammunition 

 every year, and men to instruct his people in 

 military tactics. He faithfully observed his 

 treaty, abolishing the slave-trade, though not 

 slavery, and with the arms and instructors in 

 military science received from Great Britain 

 he soon had a fine and well-disciplined army, 

 with which he subjugated the Sakalavas and 

 the other tribes, and became King of Mada- 

 gascar. In 1818 the London Missionary So- 

 ciety established a mission at Antananarivo, 

 Radama's capital, founded schools, translated 

 the Scriptures, and made great progress in civ- 

 ilizing and Christianizing the people. Com- 

 merce increased, manufactures were intro- 

 duced, and agriculture was greatly improved. 

 Slavery, however, still existed, infanticide was 

 not checked, and the cruel trial by ordeal was 

 not abolished. The idols were not destroyed, 

 and many of the people worshiped them. Still 

 the Christians were in the ascendency. 



In 1828 Radama died, and his queen, Rana- 

 valena Manjaka, became the ruler of Madagas- 

 car. She had courage, executive ability, a 

 knowledge of state affairs, and a capacity for 

 controlling her people; but she was a bigoted 

 heathen, and bitterly hostile to all Europeans. 

 She had one son, then very young, and was 

 tenderly attached to him. She began by re- 

 storing the idols and the idol -keepers to their 

 old places in the capital, and restricting the 

 Christians in their worship. In 1831 she ban- 

 ished the French, who had obtained a consid- 

 erable foothold, from the island, and in 1835 

 compelled the English missionaries and teach- 

 ers to go also. Ere long she prohibited all 

 Christian worship, condemned to death all 

 who avowed themselves Christians, and en- 

 deavored to extirpate Christianity from the 

 island. When her son, then a youth of seven- 

 teen, avowed himself a Christian, tenderly as 

 she loved him, she was with difficulty re- 

 strained from putting him to death. Thou- 

 sands did suffer martyrdom by her orders. 

 Yet at this very time she maintained a vigor- 

 ous foreign policy. When, in 1845, English 

 and French cruisers attempted to break her 

 authority, and bombarded and burned Tama- 

 tave, and landed their troops to attack the 

 fort, they were repelled with such vigor by 

 the queen's troops, and so thoroughly defeated 

 and routed, that they were glad to escape to 

 their ships. For eight years neither nation 

 attempted to enter a Madagascar port, and 

 when they sought, in 1853, to renew commer- 

 cial relations, the queen demanded and ob- 

 tained an indemnity for her losses. 



In 1862 the queen died, when her son, Rada- 



