86 
VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. 
CIIAP. IY. 
purpose of preaching the Gospel to a few poor labourers and 
other people of colour gathered together in a hired room. The 
recollection of this explained to me the cordial greeting which 
he and his son received after the interesting services were over. 
Grande Riviere is an important suburb of Port Louis, 
the residence of several merchants and others whose places of 
business are in the port. A number of Creoles reside here 
in the capacity of servants, mechanics, or small shop-keepers; 
and it was gratifying to see any efforts made for their moral 
and spiritual benefit, especially as those efforts appeared to 
be attended with evidence that good was done. As an 
instance of this, I must mention that about a month after the 
anniversary, my friend M. Le Brun, senior, was agreeably sur¬ 
prised one morning by a coloured man coming to him and 
informing him that he and another man had made up their 
minds to build at Grande Riviere a substantial stone chapel, 
fifty feet long and twenty or twenty-five feet wide; that he 
possessed a piece of ground in an eligible place, which he 
would give for the purpose; and that when the chapel was 
finished he would at once give him possession of it. When 
I left for my second visit to Madagascar, the ground was 
marked out, and preparations for a commencement made. 
Before I finally left the colony the chapel was finished, and 
was filled with hearers every Sunday. 
Besides my interest in the religious improvement of the 
people, other objects sometimes led me to Grande Riviere. 
Soon after my arrival at Mauritius, I had made the acquaint¬ 
ance of Dr. Powell, who had charge of the Lunatic Asylum 
at Grande Riviere and resided there. He was familiar with 
chemistry, and had recently commenced the practice of 
photography. As I had brought out the requisite apparatus, 
and had attempted to take some of the more striking views 
in the neighbourhood, as well as portraits of individuals, 
especially such as were good specimens of the different races 
