220 ON THE MALAYAN AND POLYNESIAN 
ly, utterly out of the question as means of conveying any portion of 
the Malayan language to Madagascar. 
There remains, then, but one way in which this could have taken 
place—the fortuitous arrival on the shores of Madagascar of temp¬ 
est-driven Malayan praus. The south-east monsoon, which is but 
a continuation of the south-east trade-wind, prevails from the 10° 
of south Iat. to the equator, its greatest force being felt in the Java 
Sea, and its influence embracing the western half of the Island of 
Sumatra.* This wind blows from April to October, and an easter¬ 
ly gale during this period might drive a vessel off the shores of Su¬ 
matra or Java, so as to make it impossible to regain them. In such 
a situation she would have no resource but putting before the wind, 
and making for the first land that chance might direct her to ; and that 
first land would he Madagascar. With a fair wind and a stiff breeze, 
which she would be sure of, she might reach that island without dif¬ 
ficulty in a month. 
Two or three such adventures are known to have taken place 
since our own occupation of the Mauritius, and, consequently, more 
frequent intercourse with Madagascar. Earl Grey, at my request, 
has most obligingly written to the Mauritius for the particulars of 
these strange adventures; and I am only sorry that the replies have 
not arrived in time to lay the information before the Association. 
The accident of praus being tempest-driven from the shores of 
the Malay Islands, is probably one of not unfrequent occurrence,, 
although few of them may reach Madagascar. Shortly after the 
restoration of Java, in 1816, the late Captain Robinson, of the In¬ 
dian Navy, picked up a small fishing-boat, having on board two Ma¬ 
lay men and a woman, 800 miles from the nearest Malay shore ; 
and being a gentleman well acquainted with the Malays and their 
language, he could have made no mistake about nationality, 
The occasional arrival in Madagascar of a shipwrecked prau, 
might not, indeed, be sufficient to account for even the small por¬ 
tion of Malayan found in the Malagasi; but it is offering no violence 
* See the Directory of my greatly respected friend, the late Capt, Hors- 
burgh. 
