HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
321 
and in the following month Mr. Jeffreys and family com¬ 
menced a new missionary station, and opened a school at 
Ambatomanga. This village, about twenty miles to the 
east of Tananarivo, had been fixed upon by the king, who 
sent a message to its numerous population, stating, that as 
he wished them to learn and become wise, he had sent 
them a white man to live amongst them, and teach them. 
Some of the people expressed much pleasure in receiving 
this message, but others said they were poor, and could not 
afford to clothe their children; to which the king replied, 
that the children might have a piece of cloth tied round 
them, and then come and learn the book. 
About this time a public examination of the schools took 
place, of a highly gratifying nature to all who were inte¬ 
rested in the improvement of the scholars. Radama at¬ 
tended on the occasion, when the advantage of having a 
printing-press attached to the Mission was submitted to his 
consideration, and the desirableness of extending the 
benefits of education still more widely, as well as the 
propriety of conferring honours only on those who could 
read and write, were suggested for his consideration. To 
both these propositions the king promised to attend. 
A favourable reply was also granted to a more distinct 
application, made through Mr. Hastie, for permission to 
open additional schools in the neighbourhood of the 
capital; and seven villages were consequently selected for 
this purpose, with permission to appoint some of the best 
scholars as teachers. 
As in the former instance, some of the people of these 
places were pleased with the prospect of having their 
children instructed, while others appeared extremely unwil¬ 
ling that their children should be taught the manners and 
customs of the foreigners. By this class, numerous objections 
ii. 
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