16 
VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. 
CHAP. I. 
as active and steady, and with fellow-passengers as agreeable 
and kind-hearted as those on hoard the “ Indiana.” 
The earliest efforts of Mr. Cameron and myself were di¬ 
rected to ascertaining the actual state of Madagascar; and 
although, in reference to some objects of inquiry, the infor¬ 
mation we obtained was distinct and conclusive, with respect 
to others, we found the most contradictory reports. Amongst 
the rumours current at the time, was one in which it was 
unhesitatingly affirmed that the queen of Madagascar was 
dead, and that her son had succeeded her; another stated 
that the queen had abdicated in favour of the prince, who 
had renounced Christianity as the condition of his receiving 
the crown. Other reports represented things as much in the 
same state then as they had been for some time, excepting 
that the people, though not inhospitable to foreigners ship¬ 
wrecked on their coast, were increasing their defences as if 
apprehensive of foreign attack. 
Next to Messrs. Le Brun, the devoted missionary pastors in 
the island of Mauritius, the Christian refugees from Mada¬ 
gascar hastened to bid us welcome, and to give us all the 
information they possessed respecting their country. From 
them we learned that the young prince steadily maintained 
his profession of the Christian faith; that the Christians in 
the country, though subject to great privation and suffering, 
maintained their steadfastness and increased in numbers. 
We examined very carefully all the letters which had been 
recently received from Madagascar, and found that the expec¬ 
tations of a beneficial change, slightly indicated as in progress 
during the previous year, had not been realised; and that the 
favourable tidings forwarded to England had not been con¬ 
firmed by those subsequently received. We had not the 
slightest reason to doubt the veracity of the native Christians 
in either island with regard to the accounts they had trans¬ 
mitted. They had themselves received these reports, and 
