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Nong fond of the residence at the fort. The colonists 
earnestly intreated them to prolong their stay, but in 
these requests the governor did not deign to unite; 
and his subsequent conduct appears to have been dic¬ 
tated by a spirit of malice, excited by his envy : for 
no sooner were La Case and his wife departed, than he 
sent a detachment of two hundred men to levy con¬ 
siderable imposts in the province of Anossi, and to 
subject them to laws that they had never heard of 
before. This occasioned a fresh war, the conse¬ 
quences of which were rendered more fatal and per¬ 
manent by a fresh circumstance which took place, 
the particulars of which are as follow:— 
Dian Manangue, the sovereign of the province of 
Mandrarey, a high spirited and powerful chief, and a 
faithful ally of the French, had given a most cordial 
and distinguished reception, in his dorac, to Father 
Stephen, an ecclesiastic of the order of St. Lazar, and 
a superior of the mission to Madagascar. This repre¬ 
sentative of infallibility shewed himself but ill qualified 
for the important concern that was assigned to him. 
Seeing the good qualities and disposition of the worthy 
chief, he thought it would be impossible for him to 
hear his representations of the Catholic faith, without 
being struck with their propriety, and embracing it. 
Fully convinced that it was an affair which only 
wanted introduction, he began, in somewhat of an 
abrupt manner, by requesting him to repudiate all his 
wives but one, and then to embrace the Catholic reli¬ 
gion. The good chief perceiving what he was aiming 
