430 
VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. 
CHAP. XV. 
dent had left the capital; and perhaps I ascribed some portion 
of the encomiums he passed upon England to his own po¬ 
liteness, and the circumstance of my being an Englishman, 
probably the first Englishman with whom he had become 
personally acquainted. I asked what had caused him to 
form so favourable an opinion of the English, and he said 
it was because, according to what he had heard, they were 
such as, in his own heart, he should like to be— true , just , 
humane, and watchful over human life. When I thus found 
that it was not the greatness of the nation, but the reported 
goodness of the people which had prepossessed him in their 
favour, it greatly enhanced my estimation of his own cha¬ 
racter. And though to me he thus expressed his opinion of 
the English, he said he desired to be friendly with all 
foreigners who came to his country for honest and honour¬ 
able purposes. 
I regretted exceedingly the prince’s want of a good educa¬ 
tion, as I could not help surmising that, if the page of history 
had presented its noble and distinguished characters to his 
contemplation, the morally great would have been his heroes. 
His love of justice and fair open dealing appeared constant 
and strong. He seemed to have an intuitive repugnance to 
deception, treachery, and cruelty, and to regard human life 
as a sacred thing. Thus he frequently spoke of his admira¬ 
tion of the English on account of the humanity of their laws, 
and their respect for human life in all circumstances, even in 
war; offering remarks suggestive of the idea that in war sub¬ 
mission was the end, never the beginning of slaughter,—one of 
the most striking contrasts between the revolting wars of his 
own country and those of civilised nations. These were with 
the prince not mere theories. He had often interposed not 
only, by his advice or authority, to settle disputes, to insure 
justice, and to reconcile differences, but to save life, and pre¬ 
vent suffering; and I heard from more than one source that. 
