196 HANDICRAFTS. 



word denotes strictly that which is its literal meaning, " done 

 by hand" and not by machinery, as the vast majority of our 

 so-called manufactures are produced. Almost every Mala- 

 gasy woman, from the sovereign down to the slave, can spin 

 and weave ; the spindles are simply a long piece of the tough 

 wiry bark of the anivona palm, to which is fitted a circular 

 piece of bone to fix the cotton wool or silk cocoons ; and the 

 looms are the rudest possible contrivances, these being only 

 four stout pegs stuck in the rough earthen floor of the house 

 with some slight connecting pieces, a few hanks of yarn, of 

 course a shuttle, and a long piece of smooth wood to tighten 

 up the woof, and that is about all. And yet with these simple 

 means the women contrive to produce strong and durable and 

 often very beautiful stuffs made from hemp, rofia-palm fibre, 

 cotton, aloe and banana fibre, and silk. 



In platting mats and baskets, the ingenuity and dexterity 

 of the women is also very apparent. In the coarser of these 

 the tough peel of the zdzoro or papyrus is employed, and in 

 the finer ones a variety of the numerous beautiful grasses of 

 the country are used. The smallest of the fine straw baskets 

 are minute boxes of about three-quarters of an inch cube, in 

 which the plait is like the finest thread, and both the basket 

 and its cover have a double thickness of straw. 



But in metal-work the men are no less ingenious and 

 skilful than the women. All kinds of iron, copper, and brass 

 wrought work can be produced with as neat a finish as can be 

 desired ; and the goldsmiths make minute silver chains of 

 wonderful fineness, as well as filigree silver ornaments some- 

 thing like Maltese work. In one of the royal palaces is 

 a set of large silver vases of classic design, all made by native 

 workmen from one sent from Europe. There are many indi- 

 cations that there is no lack either of manual skill, or of 

 ingenuity, contrivance, and inventive genius among the Mala- 

 gasy, and with the gradual lightening and eventual > removal 

 of the fdnompdana or forced service system, great results for 

 the future advancement of the people may be expected. 



