492 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
heart, that I may die before that evil day comes . 99 On 
hearing these reports, it is stated that the queen was so 
strongly excited with grief and rage, that she wept repeat¬ 
edly, and remained silent for a cooking of rice (about half 
an hour,) and then declared that she would put an end to 
Christianity, if it cost the life of every Christian in the 
island. The most profound silence reigned in the palace, 
and throughout the court; the music was ordered to cease, 
all amusements, dancing, &c. in the court-yard discontinued 
for about a fortnight, the whole court appeared as if over¬ 
taken by some great national calamity, while consternation 
and alarm was visible among all classes of society. During 
the fortnight above referred to, edicts were issued and mea¬ 
sures taken, to destroy, as far as human power could destroy 
it, the existence of Christianity in the country. 
The first communication was made to the Missionaries 
and other foreigners, on Thursday, the 26th of February, 
1835. As they were about to proceed to worship with the 
congregations already assembled, they were summoned to 
receive a message from the sovereign. On reaching the 
place appointed, the communication from the queen, which 
at once terminated all their labours, was read, and delivered 
by the chief officers in a manner that left them no reason 
to expect any relaxation of its injunctions. The following 
is a copy of the edict issued on this occasion. 
“ Antananarivo, 26th Feb. 1835. 
“ To all the Europeans, English and French : 
“ I inform you, my friends and relations, with regard to the dispo¬ 
sition that you have manifested towards my country, in teaching 
the good disposition, and knowledge, I thank you for that; it is 
highly acceptable to me, for I have observed the disposition mani¬ 
fested by you to Radama, and also to me, that you have not 
changed. 
