HISTORY OF EUROPEAN COLONIZATION 
109 
the old noble families, who had been deprived of their 
influence by this powerful king, set up a kind of oligarchy, 
and made themselves masters of Radama’s widow; she 
had to marry one of their number and ascended the 
throne under the name of Ranavalona 1 . This suspicious, 
miserly and cruel woman had an antipathy to Europeans, 
and soon, evidently influenced by the Hova nobility, took 
up a hostile attitude even to the English, who had gained 
considerable influence through their missionaries. (They 
numbered 4000 believers in their congregations at the 
death of Radama I.) At first the English mission was 
tolerated, but afterwards, at a great popular assembly in 
March 1835, the command was issued that all Christian 
officers should be cashiered. 
The English mission left the capital, as their continu¬ 
ance there was to no purpose. A law of 1845 put 
Europeans on an equality with natives, they might be 
drawn for forced labour, they had to submit to the 
tangen-trial, and in case of condemnation might be sold 
as slaves. Practically the Europeans were thus shut out 
from the island. 
In spite of Queen Ranavalona’s dislike to the whites, 
two Erenchmen, Lastelle and Laborde, succeeded in 
obtaining an extraordinary influence over her; the 
former made himself useful by founding a great agri¬ 
cultural undertaking as well as by introducing European 
fire-arms; Laborde gained the sympathy of the court 
by his skill in industrial matters. He conducted iron 
foundries, and factories for the production of indigo, 
sugar and rum, the profit from which was pocketed 
with delight by the avaricious queen; besides this he 
had a fatherly affection for Prince Rakoto, the heir to 
the throne, in whom he placed the greatest hope for 
the future development of Madagascar. Lastelle and 
Laborde were able to gain a powerful influence over 
the receptive mind of the prince, and they had the idea 
