3 66 



NATURE 



[Feb. 19, i < 



dwarf race with woolly hair, the Kimos ; and of still 

 another, the Bdhosy. There seems to be great uncer- 

 tainty as to the reality of these three races, and as to 

 whether any of them yet exist, as they are said by some 

 to do in the part of Madagascar as yet unexplored by 

 Europeans. It is quite possible that some people allied 

 to the Bushmen may have occupied the island in early 

 times. The main mass of the population is made up of 

 the lighter coloured more distinctly Malay races, and of 

 a much darker skinned race with frizzly hair, and of all 

 gradations between these two. The latter stock are 

 regarded by most ethnologists as of African affinity, 

 whereas the author thinks they may be Melanesians, 

 and have reached the island from the same source 

 as the Malays, a supposition which we can hardly 

 regard as probable. The Rev. W. E. Cousins con- 

 cludes from his researches that the Malagasy language 

 represents an ancient stage in the Malay tongue, now 

 so widely spread over the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and 

 thus, as far as philology is concerned, it is probable that 

 the emigration of the Malagasy tribes from the east took 

 place at a remote era. The author speculates from the 

 obscure evidence of certain lists of Hova kings as to the 

 date at which the Hovas arrived at the island, and con- 

 cludes that probably not much, if at all later than the 

 Norman conquest, perhaps much earlier, but he seems 

 unaware of a fact of some importance, namely, that in 

 an Arab account of the middle of the thirteenth century, 

 the inhabitants of Komr are spoken of as the " Brothers 

 of the Chinese," i.e., evidently Malays, whilst a town in 

 the island is mentioned by name as "Malay" both in 

 this later account and a century earlier by Edrisi. 



But the problem of the Madagascar population is still 

 further complicated ; Arabs visited the island from very 

 early times from the mainland, and constantly imported 

 African slaves by hundreds in their dhows, and continued 

 to do so until up to a very short time ago. They 

 settled in the country and mixed with the population, 

 and their influence is still in active operation on the 

 north-west of the island. On the eastern coast there is a 

 strong European mixture in the population, partly ancient, 

 partly modern, due to Creole settlers, and planters, and 

 sailors of all nationalities. There is, further, much Indian 

 blood in the country, derived mostly from Bombay. 



The influence of the missionaries has had the usual 

 effect upon the Malagasy language, numerous English 

 words connected with religious belief have been imported 

 into it wonderfully spelled. For example, " Jesosy Kraisty." 

 It is, perhaps, rather a pity, than a matter of congratula- 

 tion, as the author considers it, that the poor Malagasys 

 have learnt the English words "demon" and "devil," 

 which are in the list he gives. The account of the language 

 is full of interest. The names of villages show many 

 parallels to English names of places. There are, for 

 example, Oxfords, Holytowns, Kingstowns, Princetowns, 

 and Stonebridges. Divorce is delightfully easy in 

 Madagascar ; a tired or angry husband merely sends for 

 his wife and gives her a piece of money before witnesses 

 sa\ ing, " I thank you, madam," and the thing is done. 

 Divorce is hence termed "thanking a wife." Like the 

 New Zealanders, the Malagasys are beginning to give 

 up nose rubbing as a salutation, and are taking to our 

 important improvement on this ancient practice, kissing. 



In old times they used to lick the foot of a superior as a 

 salutation, a form which survives with us only in the case 

 of the adoration of the pope. 



The Hova girls plaster their faces with a white paste, 

 and thus make themselves fairer when it is removed ; 

 this is a novel suggestion for possible adoption in 

 Europe, a sort of putting the complexion in curl-papers. 

 The girls also wear black spots on their faces, corre- 

 sponding with our patches. The young men grow long 

 nails on their little fingers with great care, thus curiously- 

 imitating the Chinese. Curiously enough, no stone im- 

 plements or weapons have as yet been discovered in 

 Madagascar. It must be almost the only inhabited place 

 in the world where they have not been found. Probably 

 they will yet be discovered. Their absence would be 

 strong evidence against the former existence of the dwarf 

 aboriginal race in the island. 



In Chapter XVI., headed " New Light on Old Texts ; 

 Illustrations of Scripture from Malagasy Customs," the 

 author draws so many parallels between Malagasy cus- 

 toms and those of ancient Semitic and other races as 

 recorded in the Bible, that we feared greatly he was going 

 to discover the lost tribes ; but he is not a man to do 

 anything so foolish. Very likely, however, some one will 

 be found before long to do it for him with his data. 

 Madagascar is about the only place remaining in which 

 the discovery has not been made, now that Mr. McLeod 

 has published his "Japan and the Lost Tribes of Israel,"' 

 and identified Jin Mu Tenno's Samurai with these "wan- 

 dering Jews." 



In the concluding chapter of the book, on " Malagasy 

 Church Life as Illustrative of the History of the Apostolic 

 and Early Churches," some most interesting information 

 is given. It appears that the Malagasy people have 

 spontaneously developed by a process of reasoning nearly 

 all those brilliant innovations which it is the pride of our 

 own most advanced Ritualists to have copied from 

 others. Thus a story is told of a terrible case of sus- 

 pense in which baptism had been performed with water 

 in a sacramental cup in lack of some other suitable 

 vessel. What was to be done with the holy water ? It 

 would never do to throw it away ; so at last a good deacon 

 drank it. Stranger still, amongst Mr. Sibree's own people 

 at Ambohimanga, he found a notion springing up that 

 they ought to fast before communicating, and they 

 appealed to him as to whether he did not do so 

 and whether it was not improper to allow the elements 

 to mix with common food. They also had a strong 

 feeling that the ceremony should take place only in 

 the forenoon and only on the first Sunday in the 

 month. Further, some natives employed to make the 

 bread used in the Eucharist did so in secret after various 

 ceremonial ablutions, and explained that their reason was 

 that " they did not want unbelievers to know how the bread 

 was made for fear they should despise it." Any bread left 

 over they took to the Government House, and ate there 

 only after prayer. All these ideas have, according to 

 Mr. Sibree, been developed quite independently of the 

 Malagasys, though we cannot help suspecting them as 

 due, partly at least, to French Roman Catholic influence. 

 Only in the matter of vestments apparently do the Mala- 



' "Japan and the Lot Tribes of Israel. Epitome of ihe Ancient History 

 of Japan." By G. N'. McLeod. (Rs'ng Sun Office, Nagasaki, Japan. 

 .379.) 



