163 
“ When they wished to raise palisades, and con¬ 
struct houses, have we not gone to the forests to 
procure timber for that purpose? 
“ Have those who have come hither before you, or 
those who are here now, ever had any cause of com¬ 
plaint against us ? Have they not drawn water from 
our fountains ?—Have they not cut down the trees of 
our forests, without any man of Foule Point asking 
them—Why do you so?—The people of the south, 
and those in the north, and more recently still, those of 
St. Mary, massacred the French, and made war upon 
them; but those of Foule Point never attacked any 
of them ; on the contrary, they have given them every 
assistance in their power; and they have at all times 
testified their kindness and friendship towards them. 
“ Are the chiefs of Foule Point, then, less powerful 
than their neighbours ? O, Bigorne ! more power¬ 
ful they are. Do they fear to carry on war against 
the whites?—No; who dares to make war on John 
Harre, the illustrious son ofTamsimalo, our sovereign 
and our father ? 
“ What are the white men, who would be rash 
enough to attack those formidable and invincible 
chiefs here present—Marouat, Ramisi, and Ramatoa ? 
Would we not shed even the last drop of our blood in 
their support ? 
“ It is to our friendship, therefore, and to our good¬ 
ness of heart alone, that the French are indebted for 
the kind treatment which they have experienced at 
Foule Point, since they first frequented that port. 
M 2 
