52 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
tageous position as regarded their enemies, and were able 
to return home without any further resistance. 
The consequences of this event, as it respects the people 
of Madagascar, will hereafter be more fully described; but 
it is not unimportant to notice the manner in which the 
pirates were affected by it. They became great favourites 
with the European nations. The same men who, a few 
months before, were the scourge and the curse of the East 
India trade, who were looked upon with horror and detes¬ 
tation, and for whose destruction nations, otherwise adverse 
to each other, had united in forming a powerful armament, 
were now considered so important to their countrymen, 
that their protection was eagerly sought, and they were 
employed as factors or agents in the iniquitous traffic in 
slaves: the plan of providing a regular supply was thus in¬ 
troduced; all transactions of the kind in that quarter of 
the island passing through their hands. 
The sanguinary war commenced on this occasion was 
the origin of many which have stained with blood the north¬ 
east portion of Madagascar. Before that period, the trifling 
divisions amongst the natives, naturally arising out of their 
social but barbarous habits, never lasted long, nor left any 
traces of deadly animosity behind them; but by this 
double system of treachery and bloodshed, the whole 
country was involved in all the miseries of violently 
agitated and ferocious passions, which have since diffused 
over the entire population every species of suffering, out¬ 
rage, and crime. 
It is but too probable that the pirates did more than 
instigate the islanders to these intestine wars. In John¬ 
son’s account of the voyages of the pirates, numerous 
instances are related, in which they actually engaged in 
