CHAP. II. 
CONFERENCE WITH THE CHIEFS. 
29 
of the house excepting the chief officers, entered, in a low 
tone of voice scarcely audible, into a very grave and earnest 
conversation with Mr. Cameron. In reply to his inquiry as to 
the real object of our visit, he was informed that it was, as we 
had expressed in our letter to the queen and officers, to pay a 
friendly visit to the queen and chiefs, to converse about things 
for the good of the country. That if the queen chose to 
receive us, we should proceed ; but, if not, return in the same 
vessel. In reference to the attack on the country in 1845, he 
said. Why did the Queen of England treat them so, or allow 
them to be so treated ? and if it was done without her know¬ 
ledge, why not make some reparation ? Mr. Cameron replied 
that the Queen of England probably did not know what was 
done until some time afterwards, and had expressed her 
desire to be friendly by sending, in 1849, a British Admiral, 
Dacres, with a letter and presents, thus holding out the hand 
of friendship by the highest officer she could employ in such 
a service; and that, as both letters and presents had been 
refused, the English were waiting until the Malagasy should 
intimate some willingness to be friendly. He said they could 
not accept the terms on which the friendship was at that time 
offered; and he then asked what was the object of the mer¬ 
chants in sending the memorial to the queen, who had already 
stated the compensation she required for the injury done. 
He was told that we had no instructions from the merchants, 
but believed their object was to make known in the most 
honourable manner to the queen herself , their desires that 
the trade might be renewed, and to be made acquainted 
exactly with the wishes of her majesty. He said the queen 
had refused to entertain a proposal said to have been recently 
made from the island of Eeunion to receive a certain sum of 
money to open the ports. 
The judge then asked whether the English had any inten¬ 
tion of attacking Madagascar, as they had been informed 
