CHAP. XIV PRESENTATION TO THE QUEEN. 377 



approaches the sovereign. The interpreters charged me to 

 speak sufficiently loud for all to hear my speech as well as 

 their interpretation. I first thanked the queen for having 

 invited me to her presence, and hoped that she and her 

 relations were Avell. \Mien this was interpreted, her majesty 

 spoke to a tall, grey-headed chief, the queen's speaker or 

 orator, who stood between her and Eainjohary, the chief 

 minister; and the orator replied that the queen was well, 

 and all her relations were well, and asked how I was after the 

 journey, and whether I had been ill with the fever. I thanked 

 the queen, saying I had been slightly indisposed, but was 

 now well ; adding, that I had heard much of Madagascar and 

 of her majesty in my own country, where I had had the 

 honour of being presented to my own gracious sovereign 

 Queen Victoria, of kneeling before her, and kissing her ma- 

 jesty's hand, the mode by which her subjects on some occa- 

 sions personally render their homage ; that I had wished to 

 visit Madagascar, and, now I had the honour of being pre- 

 sented to her majesty, I begged to repeat my thanks for that 

 honour, and to present my hasina in token of acknowledg- 

 ment. Taking a sovereign out of my pocket, and throwing 

 open my long loose robe in doing so, I handed the sovereign 

 to one of the officers. The hasina was acknowledged on the 

 part of the queen by a slight inclination of the head. I then 

 said that the English had long cherished sentiments of friend- 

 ship towards the Malagasy ; that forty years ago Greorge IV., 

 King of England, wished to be a friend to King Eadama, and 

 sent some of his officers to make a treaty of friendship with 

 him, and to engage with him not to export slaves from his 

 country ; that Eadama kept that treaty faithfully ; and that 

 her majesty had not deviated from what Eadama had engaged 

 to do, and did not allow slaves to be exported from her 

 country. That England did not change in its friendship 

 towards Madagascar; that after the death of Greorge IV,, 



