406 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
queen, with the state of the town during the following 
week or ten days, rendered it inexpedient for the Mis¬ 
sionaries and their friends to assemble for public worship, 
until, after the funeral of his majesty, on the 12th of 
August. A funeral discourse was then preached in Eng¬ 
lish, at the chapel, by Rev. J. J. Freeman, from 2 Samuel, 
xxiii. 5. No public service could be held in the native lan¬ 
guage, on account of the national customs connected with 
the mourning on the death of the sovereign. 
The suspension of all public duties and services during 
the mourning, and especially daring the early part of it, 
was extended to all the schools, whether in town or country; 
in consequence of this, it appeared that nothing more could 
be done by Mr. Bennet in the investigation of that depart¬ 
ment of the Madagascar Mission. He was able, however, 
to hold several meetings with the Missionaries, for the 
arrangement of business relating to their affairs—an object 
to which Mr. Tyerman had been able to attend for three 
evenings prior to his decease. These engagements drawing 
to a close, a request was presented by Mr. Bennet, that he 
might be permitted to have an interview with her majesty. 
But this was declined, on the ground of its being contrary 
to the customs of the country, which required that a new 
sovereign should appear in public to the natives, before 
receiving a visit from a foreigner. 
As it appeared that no further benefit could be secured 
to the Mission by the sojourn of Mr. Bennet at the capital, 
he was desirous of proceeding to the coast on his way to 
Mauritius, and for this purpose, the usual application was 
made to the Malagasy government. Her majesty replied 
she was the sovereign of the time of his departure. It is 
believed that this decision arose out of some political 
arrangements which rendered it, in the view of her advisers. 
