chap. i. GOOD EFFECTS OF ALLIANCE WITH THE ENGLISH. 3 
tians. Within the same period, amongst the 1000 or 1500 
youths who had been placed as apprentices under the mis¬ 
sionary artisans, some had been taught to work in iron, 
which abounds in the country; others had been trained to 
be carpenters, builders, tanners, curriers, shoemakers &c. 
These were some of the most satisfactory results of the king’s 
alliance with the English, and the settlement of English mis¬ 
sionaries in his country; and although the advantage of so 
sudden and large an increase of firearms amongst a people 
very partially civilised may have been questionable, the sub¬ 
stituting of legitimate and honourable commerce for the de¬ 
grading traffic in slaves, the opening of a way for frequent 
and friendly intercourse with foreigners, the teaching of use¬ 
ful arts, the introduction of letters, with the knowledge of 
Christianity by which this was followed, will ever cause the 
treaty between Sir Eobert Farquhar and the King Eadama 
to be regarded as one of the most important events in the 
modern history of Madagascar. 
To his own people, Eadama’s reign was one of unprece¬ 
dented prosperity, though of comparatively short duration. 
He was a ruler greatly in advance of his time and his people; 
but he died in the year 1828, at the early age of thirty-six, 
and the enlightening and humanising influences which were 
so full of promise for the nation appear in a great measure 
to have terminated with his life.* The amiable and intelli¬ 
gent Prince Eakatobe, eldest son of Eadama’s eldest sister, 
was nominated by the king successor to the throne, but on 
the death of Eadama he was assassinated, and the present 
ruler, widow of the late king, was raised to the supreme 
authority. For a time the schools and the religious teaching 
of the missionaries were allowed, but it soon became evident 
that the policy of the government was changed; the influence 
* A slight sketch of the life and character of Radama will be found in the 
Appendix, p. 453. 
