356 SABBATH OBSERVANCE. 



In the observance of the Sabbath the appearance of the 

 capital city and of the central provinces generally compares 

 very favourably with that of most English towns. The 

 Government deserve praise for having, immediately upon 

 their adhesion to Christianity, stopped all public work on 

 that day, and closed all markets, thus giving a legal day of 

 rest ; and a considerable proportion of the people of Im^rina 

 attend public worship. Not unfrequently the Government 

 has given a rebuke to the representatives of so-called Christian 

 powers, who wished to transact public business on the Lord's 

 Day. 



The native authorities also merit the commendation of 

 every right-minded person for their persistent endeavours to 

 keep temptations to drinking out of the way of their people. 

 In almost every part of Madagascar, except Imerina, drunken- 

 ness is a fearful source of degradation to the people, threaten- 

 ing the very existence of some of the coast tribes ; but, 

 owing to the very stringent laws against the manufacture or 

 importation of ardent spirits into the central province, a 

 drunken man is there very rarely seen in public, so that 

 Imerina is one of the most temperate countries in the world. 

 Most devoutly it is to be wished that the Government could 

 enforce similar laws on the eastern coast, where, to their 

 shame be it said, English and French traders yearly pour into 

 the country thousands of gallons of rum, to the ruin of the 

 weak and ignorant coast population. To these poor people, 

 as yet unfortified against temptation by Christian teaching, 

 civilisation without religion means rum, and rifles, and the 

 vices of the Europeans, which often sweep them away, before 

 they have a chance of learning what true civilisation means. 



The influence of Christianity upon public feeling in Mada- 

 gascar has also been strikingly shown in the abolition or 

 disuse of the cruel punishments formerly inflicted for political 

 and other crimes. Up to a recent period certain military 

 offences were punished by the frightful penalty of burning 

 alive, but in later cases this has been substituted by fine and 

 loss of rank. During the writer's first stay in Madagascar 

 (i 863-1 867), he was frequently shocked and pained by the 

 utter disregard for human life and suffering shown by the 



