10 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
or range of mountains, called Ankaratra, and situated to 
the south of the capital, is supposed to be the highest, 
and is said to cause, for a distance of thirty miles on its 
eastern side, an artificial twilight, of ten minutes or a 
quarter of an hour’s duration. 
The following account of the appearance of the Ankaratra 
mountains, and of the country in their immediate neigh¬ 
bourhood, is given by Mr. James Cameron, an intelligent 
and scientific artisan, who was for many years connected 
with the mission at the capital of Madagascar. 
“ Southward of Imerina, there is an elevated cluster or 
range of mountains, called Ankaratra : they are not higher 
than the hills in Imerina, but the ground whence they rise 
is high, so that at a distance they appear like the highest 
range of an exceedingly elevated chain of mountains. The 
face of the country continues to rise in a southern direction 
for a distance of probably forty miles, after which the 
ascent becomes more steep for the next ten miles. On 
this elevated ground is situated a chain of hills, called 
Vava vato, or Stone Mouth. This is still a continuation of 
the same chain as Ankaratra, but is the most rugged of 
any in the country. To the south of this ridge spreads the 
lower, though still hilly country of Betsileo; and to the 
west, the district of Mandridrano. 
<{ The summits of Ankaratra are generally basalt in 
various stages of decomposition, many of them hard and 
solid within, while the external surface is soft and earthy, 
and evidently losing a portion every year, from the action of 
the atmosphere, rains, &c. Several of the smaller hills 
also, in this place, approach more to the sugar-loaf form— 
in these, granite predominates. It is on the north side of 
this range that the iron pyrites are found, from which 
sulphur is extracted at Tananarive.' 
