130 
MADAGASCAR. 
nearer and nearer to it, are very striking and 
picturesque. The town stands upon an elongated 
hill or ridge about a mile and a half in length, 
and is plainly visible at a distance of about four¬ 
teen miles. When the first view is caught of 
the lofty buildings which comprise the rova or 
royal precincts, shouts of exultation burst forth, 
and even tears of joy are seen upon the faces of 
the bearers, who now suspend their labours for a 
moment to congratulate the strangers and each 
other upon the successful accomplishment of their 
long and toilsome journey. The city presents 
a very imposing appearance when seen from this 
point, with the sun lighting up its spires and 
palaces, and gleaming upon the windows and 
glass decorations in the balconies of the residences 
of the nobles and the various buildings of state 
grouped about the rova, which itself occupies a 
wooded knoll almost in the centre of the hill upon 
which it stands. The irregular outline of the still 
distant but strangely familiar capital, the mixture 
of old and new materials and styles in a peculiar 
harmony of colour and design, the towering roofs 
and the huge dome of the prime minister s resi¬ 
dence, with the towers of the churches and the 
white cliffs and crags towards the south, gave to the 
view quite a majestic and regal appearance, which 
surprised and pleased us. As we drew nearer, the 
view was lost at times in the descent of the valleys, 
