VISIT TO THE COURT OF THE HOVAS. 127 
1883, of Mojanga and Tamatave, and the occu¬ 
pation of portions of the island by the troops of 
the Republic. It appeared to us that a very 
valuable addition to the exports of the country 
would be found in the mahogany, camphor-wood, 
ebony, and rosewood which abound in the Ala- 
mazaotra forest, if once a good road could be 
opened up between the sources of supply and the 
harbours on the east coast. 
The last place of importance before entering 
the capital is Amoromanga, a busy town which 
stands in the centre of a broad and level plain of 
that name. The Tankay, a harmless and indus¬ 
trious, but still densely ignorant and supersti¬ 
tious tribe, occupy the district around and along 
the basin of the Mangoro river, which flows 
through the plain. They are rather lighter and 
more refined in features than the provincial 
Malagasy generally, and wear silver dollars in 
their ears and strung about their necks and 
wrists. They come up in great numbers to the 
weekly market, Alakamisy , held at Amoromanga, 
and appear to possess all the genial qualities of 
the other tribes, without their sagacity and weari¬ 
some duplicity and cunning. It was a great 
relief to find ourselves once more on level ground, 
after days spent in ascending and descending, 
and precarious journeying along the edges of 
jagged ravines and precipitous mountain-passes ; 
