HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
281 
materials, and rich in its appearance, being frequently of 
red silk, with beautifully variegated borders. Girdles of 
different patterns, and beautifully fine texture, are fre¬ 
quently made in the island. 
Coverings for the head do not seem to have been gene¬ 
rally used by the natives, and are now worn chiefly by the 
nobles and richer portions of the community at the capital, 
and at the ports on the coasts. On the coast, the chiefs 
and some of the people wear a sort of hat or cap of neatly 
woven rushes, or coarse grass. Caps of more costly and 
durable materials, of foreign manufacture, are used at the 
capital. Radama frequently wore a cap of velvet, with a 
band of broad gold lace; and many of the officers, following 
his example, wore a similar covering for the head. Hats 
of foreign manufacture are also in frequent use, the naval 
or military cocked hats being generally worn by the officers 
in the army or at the palace. A common red worsted cap 
is also very frequently used by secondary chiefs and others, 
in different parts of the country. Since the residence of 
the Mission families at the capital, ladies’ caps, similar to 
those worn by the wives of the Missionaries, or by females 
in Europe, have been adopted, to a limited extent, by the 
chief women of the capital. 
Excepting a rude kind of sandal made of bullock’s hide, 
and used when travelling over a rugged path, no covering 
or protection for the feet was used by the Malagasy; but 
shoes and stockings have been introduced, and are used by 
the officers and others who have the means of obtaining 
them. 
Furs of different kinds might be procured in the island, 
but they have never formed any part of the dress of the 
natives; nor do they seem to have used for purposes of 
clothing, at any period, the skins of animals either tanned 
