HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
247 
who expended ten pounds of powder in announcing their 
approach. Upwards of a hundred and fifty Mozambiques 
were then at Tamatave on sale; and, by the confession of 
the chief, he had himself some time before offered the Arabs, 
who carried on this traffic, a situation for establishing a set¬ 
tlement on the coast. 
In a kabary summoned by the chiefs, at which fifty-five 
traders were present, and all the natives, including both 
the Hovas and Arabs then in the place. Prince Rataffe 
addressed the assembly, telling them in plain terms, that 
their lives should be the forfeit of any deviation from the 
king’s orders, whereby they were commanded that they 
should not, on any pretext whatsoever, sell slaves to any 
but natives of the country, and not for exportation; and at 
the same time the prince made known to them, that the 
person who should detect another violating this law, should 
receive the slave or slaves proposed to be sold, at a pre¬ 
mium, on the delivery of the criminal to the king. 
Jean Rene then addressed the assembly to the same 
effect; but the confused murmurs, which continued to 
increase amongst the traders, threatened no very amicable 
conclusion. He delivered his address, however, and main¬ 
tained his position with more firmness than had been 
expected from his well-known character; and when Rataffe 
desired that the accounts of the traders should, without 
delay, be furnished to the chief; and promised, that the 
king would liquidate all their debts, if not unlawfully con¬ 
tracted, something like order was restored; but the British 
agent still felt fully convinced, that if he had gone to 
Tamatave, unaccompanied by any persons of distinguished 
rank in the island, all his endeavours to enforce the new 
law would have been fruitless. 
