102 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
king himself is but a ceremony,” resolved, that “ those 
who could see, and would not, should be made to see,” and, 
accordingly, ordered the house to be instantly taken down, 
and directed that, in future, all causes should be tried, and 
awards given, “ sub dio” in broad day-light, that the admi¬ 
nistration of justice might be open, and no one find excuse 
for not paying due respect to majesty. 
At a short distance from the palace, proceding north¬ 
ward, and immediately opposite the great path on the 
eastern side of the hill, is a spacious piece of ground, 
called Antsahatsirba, where kabarys, or public assemblies, 
are frequently held, where the town-watch assembles every 
evening, waiting till gun-fire as the signal for proceeding 
to their respective wards; and where also a considerable 
market is held for provisions, &c. during the time of mourn¬ 
ing for the sovereign. 
A little to the west of Antsahatsiroa is the spot to 
which “ strangers,” viz. all who are not natives of Ankova, 
are taken, to swear allegiance. It is a small pond, some¬ 
times fed by a spring, or, in case of drought, supplied by 
a few buckets of water. The oath taken here is called 
mively ratio, “ to strike the water,” a name taken from 
a part of the ceremony, which consists in striking the 
water with boughs of trees and a spear. 
At a little distance from this spot is the top of the 
Tarpeian rock of Madagascar, where criminals convicted 
of witchcraft, sorcery, and similar offences, are executed 
by being hurled headlong down the tremendous precipice. 
The fall of the unhappy victim may be about sixty or 
eighty feet; when he is inevitably killed, being dashed 
amid the scattered masses of broken rock lying at that 
distance: the fall is then from three to four hundred feet 
further to the base of the hill, from the edge of which 
