COMMERCE AND MODES OF COMMUNICATION 141 
special messengers. A telegraph line between Tamatave 
and Antananarivo was completed in 1887. 
The communication of Madagascar with the outside 
world is carried on regularly by European lines, and 
although the coast is not rich in harbours it affords good 
anchorage. The island is most easily reached by the 
steamers of the Messageries maritinies^ which sail every 
month from Marseilles by way of Suez to Aden and 
Zanzibar, and then call at Mayotte, Nossi-Be, Diego 
Suarez and Tamatave, Reunion and Mauritius. The 
English Union ” and “ Castle ” lines supply means of inter¬ 
course between the Cape and Tamatave on the east 
coast, by way of Fort Dauphin. Other means of transit 
by sailing ships and small coasting vessels present 
themselves at irregular intervals. 
Since the commencement of the last Franco-Malagasy 
war Madagascar has even gained admission to the net¬ 
work of subm.arine cables, a cable costing 3,000,000 francs 
having been laid from Majunga to Mozambique. 
One circumstance has often paralysed trade in Mada¬ 
gascar—namely, the want of any generally recognized 
coinage. Formerly, indeed, only French five-franc pieces 
found acceptance everywhere, but there was no small 
change. In its place came “axe money”; the five-franc 
piece was broken up with a hatchet into several pieces, 
(as many as sixty) and these pieces were used as money. 
Purchases were thus very tedious; if one wished to take 
a journey into the interior it was necessary to provide 
one’s-self with a quantity of “ axe money”, as well as 
weights and scales, the native dealers being very partic¬ 
ular as to the precise weight of the pieces of silver. 
This inconvenience will gradually disappear under the 
new arrangements. 
The productiveness of the island can doubtless be 
enormously increased under proper management, but as 
yet the export trade has not assumed any great dimen- 
