102 
CHAP. X. 
Civil Arts—Iron Foundry — Goldsmiths — Carpenters — 
Potteries—Weaving — Making of Wines — Indigo ■— 
Paper — Ink — Pens—Trade carried on by Barter — 
Weights and Measures—Articles of Commerce — 
Resources — Foreign Trade — Future Prospects — 
Reflections on the Failure of the French to Establish 
Colonies in Madagascar . 
The civil arts have not yet made any great progress in 
Madagascar; notwithstanding which, they have some 
artificers who are very expert, especially those who 
work in iron and steel, which are obtained from their 
own mines, and are very excellent in quality: their 
method of working the ore is as follows;—they first 
reduce it to powder by burning it upon coals when 
brought from the mine; they then place it between 
four large stones, clayed round for the purpose, and, 
by continual blowing underneath with bellows, made 
in shape of a gun-barrel, and worked like a common 
pump, the ore runs in less than an hour; the metal is 
afterwards extracted, and, by means of great heat, 
formed into bars of four or five pounds weight: these 
are afterwards wrought into the various implements 
used by the natives, such as hatchets, hammers, 
shovels, knives, razors, nippers, gridirons, forks, 
javelins, darts, &c. 
