VOYAGE TO MADAGASCAR. 221 



du(^ of this brave foldier. That celebrated 

 adminiftrator, whofe fuffrages cannot be 

 fufpe£ted of prejudice or partiality, has 

 often^ in my prefence, paid the higheft com- 

 pliments to this man, whofe memory is 

 ftill refpe£ted amongft the iflanders of Ma- 

 dagafcan The influence which he had 

 over the minds of thefe people was, how- 

 ever, more owing to the goodnefs of his 

 character than to his eloquence. 



The fpeeches which he made to thefe peo- 

 ple, in their grand aflemblies called palabres^ 

 were not to be compared to thofe of the Ma- 

 legache orators. M. Poivre, who affifled at 

 feveral of thefe affemblies, often told rae, that 

 the natural eloquence of the Malegaches 

 was truly aftonifhing. Fie took delight in 

 relating even the moft minute particulars of 

 a gv3Lnd faln^re^ at which all the neighbour- 

 iDg chiefs, and an immcnfe multitude of 



people, 



