NEW GROUND. 
193 
amongst their pleasant hills. The simple, farm¬ 
like homes in which they reside are peculiar to 
the people, and are seen nowhere else in the 
island. The inhabitants of some of the more 
remote villages were found to be very shy, and 
fled at the approach of the white stranger and 
his retinue. The climate on the higher terraces 
of the district is cold, and hoar frost is not 
unfrequently seen on the ground in the early 
morning. It appears that of the twenty-nine 
different tribes which form the Malagasy nation, 
several are comprised under the title of the 
Betsileo. 
These people acknowledge the supremacy of 
Ranavalona III., and are governed by chiefs, 
who are descendants of the old independent 
princes. These have, however, to swear fealty 
to the Hova sovereign. In this the dominant 
Government shows a sagacious spirit, as it thus 
secures the allegiance of these distant clans by 
means of the very men who would otherwise 
probably only incite to rebellion and disorder. 
As to the question whether a Hova supremacy 
over the entire island would be a desirable con¬ 
dition of things, opinions are divided. I give 
mine in favour of the supreme authority being 
vested in the Hovas, as they are undoubtedly 
the most intellectual and competent of the native 
races. It is supposed that at present the Queen 
