HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
307 
obtained in the district of Ambatolehivy, about fifty miles 
from the capital in a westerly direction, and near the lake 
Itasy. 
When visited by the Missionaries, the natives have been 
found either gathering the ore from the surface of the 
ground, digging for it in the plain, or at the foot of a moun¬ 
tain, but seldom penetrating above five or six feet deep. 
Their method of smelting it is exceedingly curious. Their 
foundries, if such they may be termed, are always situated 
near the bank of a river, or running stream of water; sites of 
this kind are selected on account of the convenience of the 
water in washing and purifying as much as possible the ore 
before it is placed in the furnace. The ore is washed, and 
then broken into small pieces not larger than nuts ; it is 
then repeatedly washed in the river, for the purpose of 
separating, as much as possible, the earthy particles from 
the iron, which, after repeated washings, is gathered up 
in large coarsely-wrought baskets, and kept till submitted 
to the action of fire. The furnace and its appendages are 
exceedingly rude and simple in their construction; and the 
ore, at best, is but imperfectly smelted. In building the 
furnace, a hole about six feet in diameter, and one or two 
feet deep, is sometimes dug in the ground, at other times 
the earth is only levelled. The walls of the furnace are of 
rude stone-work, built up to the height of three or four feet, 
without mortar, and thickly plastered on the outside with 
clay. No aperture is left in any part of the wall for the 
purpose of drawing off the metal. The blast for the furnace 
is obtained by a singular and ingenious contrivance, very 
much resembling those in use in some parts of south¬ 
eastern Asia. Two rude cylinders, about five feet long, the 
aperture of each from four to six inches in diameter, are 
formed out of the trunks of trees of hard wood; these are 
