HINTS TO TRAVELLERS. 
295 
exact places inside the case from which they take 
them. But they must have £f experienceere 
that desirable condition of things is reached, and 
in this matter “ experience ” means, I fear, the 
destruction of many more watches, and their re¬ 
duction, as in the case of my own, to hopeless 
chaos. But why complain, if only the Hova 
rises upon our ruins, as it were : the loss of in¬ 
dividuals is the gain of the nation, and it will be 
some satisfaction for us to see some day, as the 
result of*all these disarrangements of our pro¬ 
perty, and perhaps in some cases our tempers, 
an accomplished band of artisans at the capital 
capable of repairing the watches and clocks of 
those who shall come after us. I must confess, 
however, that I still regret oftentimes that I had 
in this particular matter thought less of the 
technical improvement of my devoted friends the 
Malagasy, and more of the beautiful instruments, 
which were specially made for me when I went 
out to the island, and which now lie before me 
with pale and motionless faces, as if appealing to 
me, and saying, “ Why did you let the Hovas 
dismember us and slay us in love, when a few 
extra shillings, and a month or two of waiting, 
would have secured the happy restoration of our 
powers at the hands of a competent English 
workman ? ” The moral of this reflection, then, 
is, “ Send home your watches when they get out 
