498 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
message. Acknowledging that these things had been done, 
many of them with the express sanction and encouragement 
of Radama, which had been confirmed publicly by the queen, 
he added, that the people had not thus acted from any 
unfriendly intention towards the queen or the government. 
Some of the chiefs therefore proposed to present an acknow¬ 
ledgment and a peace-offering to the queen, on condition that 
the operation of the edict was not retrospective, and that 
no self-accusation should be required. The judges agreed 
to convey the proposal of the chiefs to the queen, and the 
people were dismissed till the following day, to await her 
decision. 
The firing of cannon the next morning announced to the 
multitudes in the capital, that a message would be delivered 
from the sovereign; and in the afternoon the judges and 
military officers, supported by a large number of troops, 
repaired to the place of meeting. After a short pause, the 
officers announced to the multitudes convened, that the queen 
refused their general acknowledgment and peace-offering, 
insisted that every one who had engaged in any of the 
forbidden acts should confess the same, allowing one week 
only, instead of a month, for this purpose, and threaten¬ 
ing with death any who might afterwards be found guilty, 
but had not accused themselves. 
All further expostulation was forbidden, and the people 
had no alternative but compliance or death. The powers 
of darkness were permitted to triumph. The native Chris¬ 
tians acknowledged having learnt to read—engaged or united 
in prayer—observed the Sabbath, &c.: they now abstained 
from these observances, and numbers of them gave up, 
to the officers appointed to receive them, in obedience to 
most positive orders on the subject, the copies of the sacred 
Scriptures, and other books in their possession; many evi- 
