188 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. chap. vii. 



tendants, came at an early hour to see me again. He said he 

 had not been able to sleep all night, and we continued talking 

 until the bearers were all gathered at the door, when, taking 

 leave of him and the many friends who had come to bid me 

 farewell, I set off before seven o'clock, accompanied by my 

 host, and expecting to be followed in a day or two by the tall 

 friend who had been my companion from Tamatave. 



The air was fresh and cool after the rain, and the morning 

 unusually pleasant. We passed Sakondro, the picturesque 

 scene of which I had intended to take a view, but having 

 been detained by the rain a day longer than I had expected, 

 we could spare no time there. By half-past ten we reached 

 Ifotsy, where we halted for breakfast. At this place we were 

 overtaken by the mate of the wrecked vessel, who was pro- 

 ceeding to Tamatave, in the hope of obtaining a passage to 

 Mauritius. After resting about two hours we resumed our 

 journey through the same delightful country, and between 

 five and six reached Ivoidotra, fifteen miles from Tamatave. 

 As the officers of this place objected to our proceeding farther 

 until the next morning, I set out to look for plants, and before 

 dark found a number of good specimens, with which I re- 

 turned to my lodgings about dusk. I ultimately succeeded 

 in adding some of the plants obtained in this remote region 

 to my own collection at home, and one, a fine Angrcecum 

 supey'bum, which I recently exchanged for a plant from India 

 with a nurseryman near London, bore during the present 

 spring a number of large pure white flowers, which I have since 

 been informed were selected on account of their rarity and 

 beauty to form part of the bridal bouquet on the occasion of 

 the recent nuptials of the Prince of Prussia with the Princess 

 Eoyal of England, — an honour which few could have supposed 

 a plant originally growing in a Malagasy wilderness ever 

 would attain. 



After supper I lay down on a mat to rest until about four 



