HISTORY OF EUROPEAN COLONIZATION 117 
The Queen gave way to the inevitable. She was at 
first left in the enjoyment of her dignity, but her husband, 
as being too dangerous a prime minister, was deposed 
and banished to Algeria, where he died shortly after. 
The royal lady, who does not seem to have been so 
very tenderly attached to him, did not shed too many 
tears on the occasion. 
It had been left undecided whether a simple protec¬ 
torate would be considered enough, but in view of the 
great sacrifices involved, the French Chamber did not 
find a Protectorate sufficient, and decreed the complete 
annexation of the island. In the spring of 1897 the Queen 
was simply deposed, and to avoid further intrigues or 
revolutions in the palace was banished to the Island of 
Reunion. Here she lives, the last to wear the Crown 
of Madagascar. 
Now that the old dream of the French patriots in 
Madagascar has been realized, it remains to be seen what 
is to become of this island—so highly blessed with the 
treasures of nature—now a French colony. A tough battle 
will doubtless rage in the future between French Jesuits 
and English Methodists, in which the former will take 
the utmost advantage of the nev/ly created political situation. 
If France is able to win over the gifted and active Hova 
there is little need to be anxious for the future. In the 
interest of the prosperous development of the economical 
conditions of the island it is matter for congratulation that 
the petty jealousies of the European powers have come 
to an end. 
Opinions as to the productiveness of the island are 
extraordinarily contradictory. While some voices express 
themselves with reticence, and bring into prominence the 
wide stretches of barren country, others praise the land 
for its inexhaustible fertility. To form an impartial 
judgment as to the actual facts it is well to remember the 
nature of the various zones described in an earlier chapter. 
