CIIAP. X. 
THE GOVERNMENT SEMPSTRESSES. 
271 
men had seized, and cast on the ground, a small box con¬ 
taining a stone bottle of sulphuric acid, which, when I saw 
them, they had tied horizontally to a short pole. The fluid 
was oozing from the box, which was already burnt black, and 
the hands of the men were affected in a manner they could 
not account for. On opening the box, I found that the stone 
stopper of the bottle had been broken. I showed them the 
bottle, and told them it contained strong water belonging to 
the machine for sending messages to a distance, and that they 
must be careful and not throw it down violently on the rocks, 
or turn it bottom upwards, lest it should run out. The men, 
who had burned their fingers, seemed rather unwilling to have 
anything more to do with the box; but on my screwing in 
the stopper, covering it over with melted sealing-wax, and 
then putting a mark upon the top of the box, that they might 
know the side which was to be always uppermost, they again 
took charge of it, and no further trouble occurred. 
All skilled labour in Madagascar, especially that which has 
been introduced by foreigners under the sanction and patron¬ 
age of the sovereign, is supposed to belong to the govern¬ 
ment ; and although the parties are allowed to exercise their 
skill for their own benefit, they are required to hold them¬ 
selves in readiness to undertake any work the government 
may demand. An unexpected and somewhat amusing illus¬ 
tration of this kind of government service occurred in the 
preparation of my outfit. The governor had sent for my 
service the day before I was to set out a light and convenient 
palanquin. The government smith had repaired the iron 
work, but it had no cover to keep out sun or rain, and I was 
a little amused when, soon after daylight the next morning, 
two middle-aged females, apparently superintendents of the 
rest, followed by three-and-twenty young women, came with 
sewing apparatus, to fit the covering on my palanquin. 
While the young women, under the direction of their 
