HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
145 
CHAP. VI. 
Manners and customs of the Malagasy—Their general uniformity through¬ 
out the different tribes—Observances connected with the birth of children 
—Attentions shewn to the mother—-Ceremonies observed on first taking 
the infant out of the house—Employment of the sikidy to ascertain its 
destiny—Proportion of the sexes—Practice of scrambling—Bestowment 
of names—Fearful prevalence of infanticide—Motives to its perpetration 
—Means by which it is effected—Circumstances in which it differs from 
the infant-murder formerly practised by the South Sea Islanders—Fond¬ 
ness of parents for the children that are spared—Amusements of child¬ 
hood—Occupations of youth—The custom of betrothing—Ages at which 
marriages are celebrated—Ceremonies observed—Parties between whom 
marriage is prohibited—Polygamy; its extent and disastrous effects— 
Divorce ; its frequency—Usual mode of proceeding in divorce—Disposal 
of the children—Degraded condition of the female sex. 
Next to the physical, moral, and intellectual peculiarities 
of the Malagasy, their manners, customs, institutions, and 
usages are subjects of inquiry and interest; and in pro¬ 
ceeding to offer a brief sketch of the more conspicuous and 
remarkable of these, it may not be improper to observe, 
that the accounts refer chiefly to the customs and usages 
which obtain amongst the inhabitants of the interior 
provinces. A description of the peculiar observances of 
the different tribes would be as uninteresting as it is unne¬ 
cessary, since a general resemblance is manifest in all. If, 
however, the inhabitants of different parts of the island 
have not respectively their own customs, they have their 
modes of observing the national customs. In the 
general character of their usages there is great uniformity; 
i. 
L 
