CHAP. XVI. KINDNESS EXPERIENCED AT TAMATAVE. 445 



answer by the time it took to cook a pan or pans of rice, 

 saying, it will require as long as one cooking of rice, or two 

 cookings of rice, each cooking of rice being from twenty 

 minutes to half an hour; and I was much struck with the 

 similarity of customs prevailing among people in the early 

 periods of their social organisation, though placed in cir- 

 cumstances otherwise different and exceedingly remote, by 

 reading, in that most interesting account of the arctic regions 

 by Dr. Kane, that the Ostiaks, in Liben, measure time by the 

 time of cooking a kettle of food or a meal. Few, if any other, 

 coincidences i)robably exist between the customs of the arctic 

 regions and those of Madagascar. 



Nothing could exceed the kindness manifested towards me 

 during my stay at the coast. A bullock was presented by the 

 prince's friends, and was killed for the people living with me, 

 and poultry and other articles were brought every day. One 

 man would bring as much fuel as was needed for the day, 

 and would receive no payment in return. I took his likeness 

 with a couple of bundles of firewood on a pole over his 

 shoulder, and left it with him as a memorial of his generous 

 consideration. While remaining here, I had one very sharp 

 attack of illness, which, however, did not last long, and, 

 under no circumstances, could I have been more carefully 

 watched and attended to, than by my friends at Tamatave. 



At length the "Castro" arrived, bringing me a note from one 

 of the owners, W. L'Estrange, Esq., generously offering me a 

 passage to Mauritius, which I gratefully accepted. 



I had spent many hoiirs in very pleasant conversation with 

 friends from the capital and the neighboiu-hood; and as these 

 seasons now drew to a close, they seemed to be more interest- 

 ing and valuable. WTien the ship was ready to take in her 

 cargo, the governor sent me the ten oxen which the queen 

 had ordered him to give me as her present. They were fine 

 animals, and were taken on board with those for the governor 



