﻿318 
  

  

  REV. 
  K. 
  BARON 
  ON 
  THE 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  hardly 
  necessary 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  these 
  extinct 
  volcanoes 
  of 
  Man- 
  

   dridrano 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  activity 
  in 
  comparatively 
  recent 
  times. 
  

   Possibly 
  they 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  historic 
  period, 
  though, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  

   aware, 
  no 
  tradition 
  lingers 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  their 
  being 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  

   eruption 
  *. 
  That 
  they 
  are, 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  of 
  recent 
  date 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  

   almost 
  perfect 
  state 
  of 
  preservation 
  in 
  which 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  cones 
  are 
  still 
  

   found, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  undecomposed 
  (or 
  slightly 
  decomposed) 
  character 
  

   of 
  the 
  lava-streams 
  that 
  have 
  issued 
  from 
  them. 
  There 
  have 
  been 
  

   no 
  terrestrial 
  disturbances 
  or 
  modifications 
  of 
  any 
  magnitude 
  since 
  

   the 
  days 
  of 
  their 
  fiery 
  energy 
  ; 
  the 
  conformation 
  of 
  hill 
  and 
  dale 
  

   was 
  the 
  same 
  then 
  as 
  now, 
  for 
  in 
  every 
  instance 
  the 
  lava-streams 
  

   have 
  adapted 
  themselves 
  to 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  existing 
  valleys. 
  

  

  Another 
  feature 
  worthy 
  of 
  mention 
  in 
  this 
  volcanic 
  district 
  is 
  the 
  

   lakes 
  and 
  marshes 
  which 
  occupy 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  valleys. 
  Itasy 
  is 
  the 
  

   largest 
  of 
  the 
  lakes, 
  and 
  Ifanja 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  the 
  marshes. 
  Now, 
  

   most 
  of 
  these 
  lakes 
  and 
  marshes 
  have 
  been 
  doubtless 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  

   sinking 
  in 
  of 
  certain 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  district, 
  a 
  fact 
  made 
  evident 
  by 
  

   the 
  two 
  following 
  circumstances 
  : 
  — 
  (a) 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  Kasige 
  

   the 
  gneiss 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  sudden 
  dip 
  beneath 
  the 
  volcanic 
  

   pile, 
  showing 
  that, 
  as 
  the 
  matter 
  has 
  been 
  discharged 
  from 
  below, 
  

   there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  settling 
  down 
  of 
  the 
  cone, 
  a 
  fact 
  made 
  further 
  

   evident 
  by 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  sheet 
  of 
  water, 
  known 
  as 
  Bobo- 
  

   jojo, 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity. 
  But 
  (b) 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  side 
  of 
  

   Ifanja 
  marsh 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  pond 
  known 
  as 
  Mandentika. 
  In 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  King 
  Andrianampoinimerina 
  (i. 
  e. 
  before 
  the 
  year 
  1810) 
  

   there 
  was 
  a 
  headland, 
  so 
  the 
  people 
  say, 
  projecting 
  into 
  this 
  pond, 
  

   upon 
  which 
  were 
  situated 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  nouses. 
  On 
  a 
  certain 
  

   unhappy 
  day 
  the 
  foundations 
  of 
  this 
  headland 
  suddenly 
  gave 
  way, 
  

   and 
  down 
  it 
  sank 
  with 
  the 
  houses 
  and 
  their 
  occupants, 
  only 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  escaping. 
  From 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  pond 
  has 
  been 
  

   appropriately 
  termed 
  Mandentika 
  ("sinking"), 
  but 
  previous 
  to 
  

   the 
  catastrophe 
  it 
  was 
  known 
  as 
  Amparihimboahangy. 
  There 
  is 
  

   no 
  doubt 
  about 
  the 
  truth 
  of 
  this 
  story, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  myself 
  seen 
  traces 
  

   of 
  the 
  submerged 
  headland 
  and 
  houses 
  appearing 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  The 
  natives 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  sinking 
  

   was 
  caused 
  by 
  a 
  Fananimpitoloha, 
  a 
  seven-headed 
  mythical 
  animal 
  

   that 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  live 
  beneath 
  the 
  water. 
  

  

  Ifanja 
  marsh 
  is 
  some 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  miles 
  from 
  one 
  end 
  to 
  the 
  other, 
  

   and 
  perhaps 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  more 
  wide 
  in 
  its 
  greatest 
  width. 
  It 
  runs 
  in 
  

   a 
  northerly 
  and 
  southerly 
  direction, 
  with 
  its 
  southern 
  end 
  bending 
  

   round 
  towards 
  the 
  west, 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  volcano 
  of 
  

   Amboditaimamo 
  mentioned 
  above. 
  The 
  marsh 
  forms 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   depression 
  below 
  the 
  surrounding 
  country. 
  At 
  its 
  south-eastern 
  

   corner 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  hot 
  springs, 
  which 
  are 
  much 
  resorted 
  to 
  by 
  

   sick 
  people. 
  

  

  * 
  I 
  was 
  told 
  by 
  a 
  native 
  that 
  near 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Ambon 
  iriana, 
  north 
  of 
  

   Angavo, 
  and 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  Ingolofotsy, 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  emission 
  of 
  carbonic 
  acid 
  

   gas 
  (?) 
  (fofona), 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  people 
  say 
  that 
  formerly 
  fire 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  

   The 
  place 
  is 
  named 
  " 
  Afotrona 
  " 
  (afo, 
  fire 
  ; 
  trona, 
  grunting, 
  or 
  hard 
  breathing), 
  

   and 
  would 
  probably 
  be 
  worth 
  a 
  visit. 
  

  

  