206 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
General Hall; he discouraged their design of proceeding 
to Madagascar, on the ground of the treaty with Radama 
for the abolition of the slave-trade being broken, the 
extent to which the slave-trade was then maintained, the 
recalling of the British agent from the island, and the 
acknowledged insalubrity of the climate. 
The information Messrs. Jones and Be van also obtained 
from other persons acquainted with Madagascar, was highly 
discouraging; and Mn Hastie, the late British agent, 
strongly recommended them not to make the attempt under 
existing circumstances. 
It was, however, at length determined, with the con¬ 
currence of the governor, who furnished the Missionaries 
with two servants to act as interpreters, that they should 
go over to Madagascar in a private capacity, with the view 
of making their own observations upon the actual circum¬ 
stances of the people on the coast, ascertaining the state 
of the interior of the country, and judge for themselves 
of the probability of establishing a mission in any part 
of the island with safety and success. Having also been 
furnished in a very kind manner by two medical gen¬ 
tlemen, Drs. Burke and Sibbald, of Port Louis, with 
instructions as to the treatment of the Malagasy fever, and 
with appropriate medicines, they sailed from Port Louis on 
the 8th of August, and touched at the Isle of Bourbon on 
their way. On arriving at this place, his excellency the 
governor-general Lafitte, having heard of them as Mis¬ 
sionaries on their way to Madagascar, sent a polite message 
to them by Mons.Roux (afterwards governor of St. Mary’s), 
inviting them to the government-house. General Lafitte 
received them with great urbanity, and after putting various 
questions to them respecting their mission, and the Society 
by whom they were authorised in their proceedings, gave 
