246 VISITS TO MADAGASCAE. chap. ix. 



of commerce, is gathered by the natives of Bethelsdorp, and 

 sold to the traders. I had also sketched a zamia tree, grow- 

 ing near the Gramtoos river. Leaving Zuurbraak I proceeded, 

 in company with Messrs. Helm and Anderson, to Swellendam, 

 where, after a short rest under the hospitable roof of Dr. 

 Robertson, I was able, notwithstanding some indisposition, to 

 continue the journey with my friends to Cape Town, which 

 place we reached in safety on the 19tli of May, thankful for 

 preservation throughout our wanderings and for the many 

 blessings by which the joui'ney had been attended. 



Amongst the many impressions which the journey now 

 closed has left upon my mind, few are more agreeable than 

 those produced by the hospitality which we almost invariably 

 experienced. With the families of the missionaries at the 

 various stations I naturally felt at home ; but at other places, 

 especially amongst the Dutch boers, or farmers, we were 

 perfect strangers, and, excepting in one or two instances, 

 when the companionship of a missionary from the neigh- 

 bourhood indicated in some degree the object of our journey, 

 we appeared as ordinary travellers, yet we were always re- 

 ceived courteously, and kindly helped on our way. 



Our journey was in furtherance of a religious object, and 

 our intercourse chiefly with the coloured people. The Lon- 

 don Missionary Society, by which I had been requested to 

 undertake this journey, had been for many years engaged in 

 endeavours to effect the conversion of the heathen races in 

 the country by educating them and teaching them in the 

 simplest manner the truths of the Christian religion. These 

 endeavours had not been in vain. In the several places 

 occupied by the missionaries numbers of the coloured people 

 were now united in organised Christian communities, having 

 respectively their churches or chapels, schools, and other 

 means of religious and social improvement. The efforts 

 directed to the accomplishment of these ends had been 



