HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
87 
These constituted originally four distinct and independent 
kingdoms, or petty states, governed by their own chief¬ 
tains, but were united into one by Andriamasinavalona. 
At his death, the whole was again divided into four parts, 
as he had allotted one-fourth of his kingdom to each of his 
sons, whom he nominated to their respective shares of 
territory prior to his decease. By the father of Radama, 
these four subdivisions were again consolidated into the 
kingdom of Imerina. 
These lesser subdivisions of Imerina are again subdi¬ 
vided. Avaradrano contains, for example, 1. Voro-mahery ; 
that is, “ the powerful birdmeaning the eagle, or per¬ 
haps, more properly, the vulture : 2. Tsimahafotsy ; “ not 
turning pale”—courageous: 3. Tsimihamboholahy; “not 
turning the back”—undaunted: 4. Mandiavato; “ treading 
on stones”—firm, resolute, &c. For the sake of illustrating 
the nature of this smaller subdivision, we may take the 
first-mentioned, Avaradrano, especially as it also con¬ 
tains the capital. Avaradrano is the name of a cer¬ 
tain portion of country, a given district, and signifies, 
literally, “north of the water:” the names of the sub¬ 
divisions above-mentioned, as belonging to Avaradrano, 
refer rather to clans and divisions of people, than to 
place. 
The divisions are extremely numerous and intricate, in¬ 
volving not merely divisions of soil, but classifications of 
people and families; and it not unfrequently occurs that the 
same is applied both to place and people, though perhaps, 
as a general rule, it may be remarked, that names of villages 
belong to them strictly as such, but names of districts 
involve primarily the idea of clans, families, or classes of 
people. Sometimes the same clan occupies a portion of 
soil in different districts, and sometimes a district is desig- 
