16 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. chap. i. 



as active and steady, and with fellow-passengers as agreeable 

 and kind -hearted as those on board the " Indiana." 



The earliest efforts of Mr. Cameron and myself were di- 

 rected to ascertaining the actual state of Madagascar; and 

 although, in reference to some objects of inquiry, the infor- 

 mation we obtained was distinct and conclusive, with respect 

 to others, we found the most contradictory reports. Amongst 

 the rumours current at the time, was one in which it was 

 unhesitatingly affirmed that the queen of Madagascar was 

 dead, and that her son had succeeded her ; another stated 

 that the queen had abdicated in favour of the prince, who 

 had renounced Christianity as the condition of his receiving 

 the crown. Other reports represented things as much in the 

 same state in which they had been for some time, excepting 

 that the people, though not inhospitable ■ to foreigners ship- 

 wrecked on their coast, were increasing their defences as if 

 apprehensive of foreign attack. 



Next to Messrs. Le Brun, the devoted missionary pastors in 

 the island of Mauritius, the Christian refugees from Mada- 

 gascar hastened to bid us welcome, and to give us all the 

 information they possessed respecting their country. From 

 them we learned that the young prince steadily maintained 

 his profession of the Christian faith ; that the Christians in 

 the country, though subject to great privation and suffering, 

 maintained their steadfastness and increased in numbers. 

 We examined very carefully all the letters which had been 

 recently received from Madagascar, and found that the expec- 

 tations of a beneficial change, slightly indicated as in progress 

 during the previous year, had not been realised ; and that the 

 favourable tidings forwarded to England had not been con- 

 firmed by those subsequently received. We had not the 

 slightest reason to doubt the veracity of the native Christians 

 in either island with regard to the accounts they had trans- 

 mitted. They had themselves received these reports, and 



