240 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
a purpose. Radama then reverted again to the instruction 
of his people, stating with great emphasis, that nothing but 
instruction could alleviate their present misery. He said 
he would write to the governor on the subject, and on being 
urged not to trifle or delay, he left the assembly, declaring 
that he would write, and Mr. Hastie should have his letter 
on the morrow. 
Accordingly, on the following morning of October the 10th, 
1820, the British agent received an open letter from the 
king to his excellency Governor Farquhar, declaring that 
he was anxious to cement the proposed alliance; but as 
nothing but instruction could alleviate the circumstances 
of his people, he could comply with the treaty on one con¬ 
dition only, which was, that he should receive artificers, and 
be permitted to send some of his subjects to Mauritius and 
some to England, for instruction; and he required that Mr. 
Hastie should obtain the governor’s sanction to this impor¬ 
tant object. Mr. Hastie replied to the ministers who bore the 
letter, that he had orders to promise artificers, and to take 
his people to the Mauritius to be instructed, but his power 
was confined to that; at the same time Mr. Hastie requested 
to know how many persons the king wished to send. He 
answered in writing, that he would send twenty, and desired 
his ministers to inform Mr. Hastie, that if he could not agree 
to that, he would no longer argue on the subject, as instruction 
only could repay his country; and the security he offered in 
sending his subjects, would also induce those at home to 
conform to the proclamation, and abandon the traffic. 
It afterwards appeared that this measure had been pro¬ 
posed to the agent as a sort of test of the sincerity of the 
British government, of which the ministers and people still 
entertained considerable suspicion; and it is probable that 
Mr. Hastie, aware of their design, formed his determination 
