64 
or “ the God above.’* * They believe him to pos¬ 
sess infinite power, but consider him too great a 
Being, and too powerful, to condescend to attend 
to the concerns of mortals, or to reveal himself to 
any of his creatures : they therefore suppose, that 
four inferior spirits are appointed, to whom are 
delegated the affairs of this world. These are de¬ 
nominated the Lords of the North, South, West, 
and East. The last is supposed to be the dispenser 
of plagues and miseries to mankind, by the command 
of the Great God—the other three are employed in 
the dispensation of benefits. Believing that these 
four spirits are powerful intermediate beings, pos¬ 
sessing great influence with the Deity, they profess a 
high veneration for them, and recommend themselves 
to them in their prayers and sacrifices ; but they by 
no means worship them, or any other being, except 
the Deity, who alone is the object of their prayers 
and sacrifices.* 
Besides these four, they have great faith in a world 
of spirits, and believe that every family has its guar¬ 
dian angel, which is generally supposed to be the 
soul of a particular ancestor: these are considered as 
omitted, or slightly slipped over at the beginning of the French 
word, they would pronounce it nearly the same as we pronounce 
TJnghorray; and the orthography of the latter is more agreeable 
to that of the Madecasse language in general. 
* This circumstance is worthy of particular notice, as it is, we 
believe, unparalleled in the history of the heathen world ; and it 
greatly heightens the interest their present critical situation, with 
respect to religion, is calculated to excite. 
