272 
MADAGASCAR. 
ample room for improvement still in this direc¬ 
tion, the advance in the way of social refinement 
and home comfort has been marked and satis¬ 
factory. From the hides of their oxen they soon 
learned to make useful and even elegant boots. 
Cotton, hemp, and flax, as well as a certain 
quantity of silk,, were cultivated with success, 
and made up into cloth of great durability and 
cheapness. Of course these productions lack the 
finish of Manchester cloths, and also that decep¬ 
tive lustre, I may remark, which is imparted to 
this class of goods by some English firms of high 
standing in the social and even religious world 
at home, by the use of China clay. The Mala¬ 
gasy have not yet reached that stage of civilisa¬ 
tion which enables them to palm off inferior 
calico, deftly loaded by a special process with 
this chalk or clay, as a superior and high-priced 
article. The native iron is worked up in a 
variety of ways, and in the markets specimens 
of Malagasy cutlery may now be purchased. 
The food-supply is more than ample for the 
needs of the inhabitants, and a considerable 
revenue is derived by the native Government 
from the export of rice, hides, and formerly 
india-rubber. 
The great stride, however, has been taken in 
the matter of legal reform and the treatment of 
criminals. Co-extensive with the progress of the 
