128 
VISITS TO MADAGASCAR, 
CHAP. Y. 
houses. Both the bathing and the lighting of fires are 
necessary parts of the usages connected with this great annual 
festival. These ceremonies are commenced by the sovereign 
at the capital, and followed by the people throughout the 
country. 
Early the next morning a messenger, followed by a slave, 
entered my house and presented me with a large shoulder of 
beef, as a present from the son-in-law of my host. Soon 
after another messenger entered, followed by two slaves, one 
of them bearing the hinder leg of a bullock, with the skin 
and hair on, as a New Year’s present. About a quarter of 
an hour after this, an aide-de-camp of the captain of the 
port arrived, followed by a slave bearing a choice piece of 
beef as a present from his master; and shortly afterwards 
the same young man came again, followed by his servant with 
an excellent piece from himself. The supply was far beyond 
my wants, but it was intended by the donors as an expression 
of respect, and to my servant who found a great number of 
relations here, and the slaves living on the premises, with 
others in the immediate neighbourhood, it was, I have no 
doubt, very acceptable. 
My house was thronged with visitors during the whole of 
the day, and as there was one amongst them who could speak 
a little English, having formerly been a pupil for a consider¬ 
able time in one of the best of the schools at the capital, I 
not only received much interesting intelligence, but was able 
to communicate important information to the friends who 
came, and remained, some of them, until a very late hour. 
Many of these were exceedingly delighted and deeply affected 
in looking over some of the illustrated English books which 
I had with me, and often expressed their earnest wishes to 
be able to read English. I encouraged them to try, but they 
shook their heads, and seemed to think it hopeless, especially 
as they had no books. 
