396 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR chap. xiv. 



riments, having added to my other acids a bottle of weak 

 vinegar. About four o'clock M. Laborde and two officers 

 of the palace arrived. The officers had been sent by the 

 queen to invite me to see a bull-fight, in the courtyard of 

 the palace, that afternoon. I acknowledged the kindness of 

 her majesty in inviting me, but begged to be excused. At 

 sunset three officers came from the queen, to thank me for the 

 presents from the governor of Mauritius, and those from 

 myself. They said the queen was much pleased with the 

 portraits. They also brought a similar message from the 

 prince and princess. Wlien they returned, I repeated my 

 apology for not going to see the bull-fight. 



Soon after they were gone another party of visitors were 

 announced. When they entered, a respectable matronly- 

 looking woman said she had been waiting for an opportunity 

 of seeing me ever since my arrival, to ask if I had any medi- 

 cine I could give her for her son, now seventeen years of age, 

 who had been affiicted with leprosy five years. She added 

 that she had tried every kind of native medicine, but in vain. 

 I told her I sympathised with her in the affliction, but feared 

 I had no medicine that would cure that inveterate disease. 

 She wept much, and her husband was also greatly affected, 

 saying, " Then there is no remedy." At length she said she 

 must hope in the goodness of Grod, and be grateful that her 

 other three children were free. She left me soon afterwards ; 

 and in the evening the queen's secretary sent for the presents 

 for the other chiefs. 



Before making my appearance the next morning, one of 

 my patients was waiting outside in his palanquin ; yet all the 

 time I could secure I employed in trying, by experiments, to 

 find a substitute for the missing acid. I succeeded best with 

 the vinegar ; with tartaric acid I only obtained a faint reddish 

 image. 



Early the following morning an aide-de-camp of the prince 



