354 VISITS TO MADAGASCAE. chap. xiii. 



spectacles, which a friend in London had confided to my care 

 for his acceptance. He expressed himself much gratified by 

 this token of remembrance, and said he would write to the 

 donor. The next morning early, the chief whom I had met at 

 Tamatave came with his wife and a little boy, their son, to 

 pay me a visit ; bringing the acceptable present of a bottle of 

 fresh milk, which they afterwards sent every morning as long 

 as I remained at the capital. 



In the afternoon of the same day, a number of high 

 officers from the palace were announced. I sent to bid them 

 welcome, and immediately nine officers were introduced by 

 the queen's secretary. One of their number having been 

 educated in England, spoke the English language well. Two 

 or three were of the thirteenth honour, the rest of somewhat 

 lower rank. They were dressed in uniform trowsers of blue 

 cloth with gold lace up the sides, and wore over their shoulders 

 the brown and purple silk lamba or scarf, with yellow borders. 

 Some wore heavy gold chains round their necks, and large 

 bracelets of the same material. One of them wore a short 

 yellow coat with slashed sleeves. After inquiries respecting 

 my health, accommodation, &c., they said they had been sent 

 by the queen to inquire the object for which I had come to 

 the capital. I replied that my visit was what I had stated it 

 to be in my letter to the government when I asked permission 

 to visit the capital, viz, a visit of friendship, not for purposes 

 of commerce, but of friendship only, to her majesty and the 

 government ; to talk about things for the good of the kingdom ; 

 and that I was the bearer of a message of friendship from 

 England to the government of INIadagascar ; that as there had 

 been reports that the English were not friendly to the 

 Malagasy, and that English ships would come to attack their 

 country the Right Honourable the Earl of Clarendon, the 

 chief minister of Queen Victoria for foreign affiiirs, when he 

 lieard that I was about to return to Madagascar, to visit the 



