CHAP. X. THE GOVERNMENT SEMPSTRESSES. 271 



men had seized, and cast on the ground, a small box con- 

 taining a stone bottle of sulphuric acid, which, when I saw 

 them, they had tied horizontally to a short pole. The fluid 

 was oozing from the box, which was already burnt black, and 

 the hands of the men were affected in a manner they could 

 not account for. On opening the box, I found that the stone 

 stopper of the bottle had been broken. I showed them the 

 bottle, and told them it contained strong water belonging to 

 the machine for sending messages to a distance, and that they 

 must be careful and not throw it down violently on the rocks, 

 or turn it bottom upwards, lest it should run out. The men, 

 who had burned their fingers, seemed rather unwilling to have 

 anything more to do with the box ; but on my screwing in 

 the stopper, covering it over with melted sealing-wax, and 

 then putting a mark upon the top of the box, that they might 

 know the side which was to be always uppermost, they again 

 took charge of it, and no further trouble occurred. 



All skilled labour in Madagascar, especially that which has 

 been introduced by foreigners under the sanction and patron- 

 age of the sovereign, is supposed to belong to the govern- 

 ment ; and although the parties are allowed to exercise their 

 skill for their own benefit, they are required to hold them- 

 selves in readiness to undertake any work the government 

 may demand. An unexpected and somewhat amusing illus- 

 tration of this kind of government service occurred in the 

 preparation of my outfit. The governor had sent for my 

 service the day before I was to set out a light and convenient 

 palanquin. The government smith had repaired the iron 

 work, but it had no cover to keep out sun or rain, and I was 

 a little amused when, soon after daylight the next morning, 

 two middle-aged females, apparently superintendents of the 

 rest, followed by three-and-twenty young women, came with 

 sewing apparatus, to fit the covering on my palanquin. 



While the young women, imder the direction of their 



