430 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. chap. xv. 



dent had left the capital ; and perhaps I ascribed some portion 

 of the encomiums he passed upon England to his own po- 

 liteness, and the circumstance of my being an Englishman, 

 probably the first Englishman with whom he had become 

 personally acquainted. I asked what had caused him to 

 form so favourable an opinion of the English, and he said 

 it was because, according to what he had heard, they were 

 such as, in his own heart, he should like to be — true, just, 

 humane, and luatchful over human life. When I thus found 

 that it was not the greatness of the nation, but the reported 

 goodness of the people which had prepossessed him in their 

 favour, it greatly enhanced my estimation of his own cha- 

 racter. And though to me he thus expressed his opinion of 

 the English, he said he desired to be friendly with all 

 foreigners who came to his country for honest and honour- 

 able purposes. 



I regretted exceedingly the prince's want of a good educa- 

 tion, as I could not help surmising that, if the page of history 

 had presented its noble and distinguished characters to his 

 contemplation, the morally great would have been his heroes. 

 His love of justice and fair open dealing appeared constant 

 and strong. He seemed to have an intuitive repugnance to 

 deception, treachery, and cruelty, and to regard human life 

 as a sacred thing. Thus he frequently spoke of his admira- 

 tion of the English on accoimt of the humanity of their laws, 

 and their respect for human life in all circumstances, even in 

 war ; offering remarks suggestive of the idea that in war sub- 

 mission was the end, never the beginning of slaughter, — one of 

 the most striking contrasts between the revolting wars of his 

 own country and those of civilised nations. These were with 

 the prince not mere theories. He had often interposed not 

 only, by his advice or authority, to settle disputes, to insure 

 justice, and to reconcile differences, but to save life, and pre- 

 vent suffering; and I heard from more than one source that, 



