26 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. chap. ii. 



myself more at home iu answering his questions, and those of 

 others who spoke in French, respecting the missionaries who 

 had formerly been in Madagascar. In the meantime, they 

 freely answered the questions asked by Mr. Cameron in the 

 native language respecting the officers and others he had 

 formerly known, and the general state of affairs at the capital. 



After remaining here some time, the harbour master in- 

 vited us to his own dwelling, a short distance further from the 

 shore. On arriving, we entered a large enclosure formed with 

 sticks, or small poles, about an inch and a half in diameter, 

 and eight or nine feet high, fixed upright in the ground and 

 fastened together with a tough and fibrous species of creeper. 

 Part of this large enclosure was fenced off as a cattle fold ; 

 other parts were occupied by the dwellings of some of his 

 assistants and the huts of his slaves ; while the rest was under 

 cultivation. In this garden a few plants of tobacco, some pine 

 apples, and a large quantity of sweet potatoes were growing, 

 and looked remarkably well. Besides some very tall and grace- 

 ful cocoa palms and one or two species of pandanus, there were 

 some fine trees in the enclosure covered wdth fresh and shining 

 leaves, which added greatly to the charm of the place, not only 

 by their beautiful appearance, but by the depth and extent of 

 shade they afforded. One of these, apparently a Zizyphus 

 jujuba, bearing a small edible fruit, was remarkably fine, as 

 was also a species of betonica, and an indigenous citron, of 

 which there are two kinds peculiar to Madagascar, with rich 

 glossy foliage. 



The house of the harbour master was a well constructed 

 native dwelling, about forty feet long and between twenty and 

 thirty feet high, with a door in the centre and a window on 

 each side, the whole front shaded by a broad verandah, and 

 the house thatched mth the leaves of the traveller's tree. 

 The floor of the verandah, as well as the house, was formed of 

 thick planks or boards neatly joined, and raised a foot and a 



