2G0 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR chap.x. 



A day or two after I received a visit from the governor, the 

 chief judge, and a number of other officers. The governor 

 wore scarlet embroidered pantaloons, a green coat, a laced 

 hat, and was carried in a palanquin preceded by a band of 

 music, and attended by a guard of eighty or a hundred men 

 bearing muskets or spears. He said the wet weather had 

 prevented his coming earlier, expressed his pleasure at my 

 arrival, asked the objects of my visit, and inquired if I knew of 

 any hostile intentions in Europe against Madagascar. I in- 

 formed him that my visit was, as I had stated in my letter 

 sent to him from Mauritius, a visit of friendship ; that I was 

 the bearer of letters and presents for the queen, and of a 

 message of friendship from the English government, who had 

 no hostile intentions towards Madagascar, He expressed his 

 pleasure at learning that the English were friendly towards 

 Madagascar, and delivered to me a letter from the secretary 

 of the government at the capital, authorising me to proceed 

 thither on my proposed visit without delay, and remain there 

 a month. He said he was anxious to afford every facility for 

 my journey, and would furnish bearers to carry my packages 

 as soon as I should be ready. 



During my previous visits the chiefs had made a number 

 of inquiries, both of Mr. Cameron and myself, about the elec- 

 tric telegraph, the reported achievements of which, they said, 

 were to them utterly incomprehensible. I already possessed 

 a general knowledge of the theory of telegraphic communica- 

 tion, and had often witnessed the working of the instrument. 

 After I had received the last application from the native 

 government to repeat my visit to Madagascar, it appeared to me, 

 on reflection, that if I could show them the apparatus and some 

 of the simplest modes of operation by which this wonderful 

 application of modern science is now performing so important 

 a part in human progress, it would gratify the more intelligent 

 amongst them, and increase the attractions of knowledge ; 



