HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
99 
The partiality of the people of this part of the country 
for English manners and customs, is fully confirmed by the 
narrator of the loss of the Winterton; who states, that 
<c they shewed a warm attachment to the English, and 
appeared very anxious to speak the language so as to make 
themselves understood. Like the inhabitants of Johanna, 
one of the Comoro islands, they had much delight in assum¬ 
ing the titles of English princes and noblemen.” During 
their stay, no less a personage than the Prince of Wales 
died at St. Augustine’s Bay, where he was governor. He 
was nearly allied to the king, and died at an advanced age. 
Many of the people shewed some acquaintance with the 
English language; and one, whose name was Tom Bush, 
and who acted as interpreter to the party, spoke it with 
tolerable ease. 
To the character of the natives in this district, the writer 
bears a high testimony; and it is more than probable that 
the peaceful and amiable behaviour of the soldiers and 
sailors, who knew themselves to be thrown entirely upon 
the mercy of the natives, tended to obtain their confidence 
and good-will. 
“ In the various movements,” says this writer, “ which 
took place from Tolia to St. Augustine’s Bay, and to other 
parts, no outrage of a personal kind, that I remember to 
have heard of, was ever offered or received. This con¬ 
duct was in a high degree creditable to them, as the greater 
part of the people had no love for us, because they consi¬ 
dered, perhaps with justice, that the bullocks and gifts 
which the king bestowed upon us, was so much taken from 
them. There were one or two besetting sins to which our 
Madagascar friends were certainly particularly prone ; the 
first was, the desire of intoxication, from which few, from 
the highest to the lowest rank, were exempted; and the 
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