HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
193 
Phseton, Captain Stanfell, to Tamatave, to join Mr. Pve, who had 
resided there as agent since the departure of Captain Le Sage: 
there they met Radama, who had descended to the coast, from his 
capital in the interior of the island, to receive his brothers. 
“ The treaty was concluded at Tamatave, on the 23d of Oct. last. 
“ This treaty I immediately ratified, and returned, and com¬ 
municated to Radama that it should continue to be binding until 
the pleasure of his majesty’s ministers should be known. 
“The expense which this government incurs by this treaty, may 
be estimated at about £2000 sterling, per annum, payable quar¬ 
terly, upon the certificates of the British agent; so that no expense 
can be incurred, without a certainty being at the same time 
acquired, that the object itself is attained; and I trust that your 
lordship will consider this expense as comparatively trifling, when 
weighed with the magnitude of the object of the treaty. 
“ It was impossible to obtain such a treaty, without giving to 
Radama that equivalence in power which the treaty went to de¬ 
prive him of; he could not long have retained his preponderance 
in Madagascar, had he been deprived of the great source of his 
supply of money, arms, and ammunition, which arose exclusively 
from that trade. 
“ The funds which I have effected for the discharge of this sub¬ 
sidy, arise from sources independent of the colonial revenue, viz., 
the profits on the supply of gunpowder to merchant-ships trading 
in these seas; so that, in fact, the colony incurs no charge for the 
fulfilment of this treaty on our part. 
“ I beg leave to express my humble hope, that your lordship 
will be pleased to approve of these peaceful and unambitious mea¬ 
sures ; the success of which, by finally closing the market for 
the slave-traffic, and thus abolishing a great source of crime in 
these seas, must have the effect of promoting the industry of the 
natives, and quicken their pace in the career of general improve¬ 
ment ; at the same time that it provides for the safety of inter¬ 
course, and facility of trade, with a country on which this island 
depends for its subsistence, and which has arrived at that point of 
civilization that affords a growing and extensive market for barter¬ 
ing its valuable produce, the richest articles of tropical growth, for 
the manufactures of England and British India. 
II. 
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