HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
453 
vey himself and Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson, who had laboured 
as Missionaries in South Africa, direct to Tamatave. In 
the middle of July, the party embarked at the Cape, Mr. 
Freeman having taken on board a number of horses, sheep, 
and other valuable animals, with plants, roots, and seeds, 
of various kinds, which he hoped to succeed in conveying 
safely to the island. Mrs. Freeman, and two dear children, 
remained at the Cape, with a view of proceeding to Eng¬ 
land by the earliest conveyance. 
After a speedy and comfortable voyage, Mr. Freeman 
and his companions reached Tamatave on the 29th of 
August, 1831. There they were joyfully welcomed by 
Prince Corroller, and hospitably entertained by the Euro¬ 
pean residents. The eastern coast was in a state of tran¬ 
quillity, and the town of Tamatave appeared to be fast 
recovering from the desolation to which it had been reduced 
by the French. Mr. Freeman had taken Mr. and Mrs. 
Atkinson with him, in hopes of being able to induce the 
government to allow them to associate in Missionary work 
with the brethren already in the island. He had also with 
him five natives of Madagascar, who had been some years 
before taken from the island as slaves, captured afterwards 
by British cruisers, and taken to the Cape; these now 
returned in a state of freedom to their native land. 
As soon as the ship arrived, information was sent to the 
queen, and permission asked for Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson to 
proceed to the capital. This was granted; orders were 
also sent, that all the stores they had brought should 
be conveyed to Antananarivo free of expense to the Mis¬ 
sionaries. At Tamatave Mr. Freeman had the pleasure of 
meeting Messrs. Canham and Kitching, who came down to 
the coast to inform him of the prosperous state of the Mis¬ 
sion, and to aid him in his journey to Imerina. On the 
