158 
MADAGASCAR 
In clear weather one can descry the prominent point of 
Ankify in the island of Madagascar. Altogether it 
affords a most effective landscape. 
The little colony with its dependencies has belonged 
to the French since 1841. Admiral Hell sent the man-of- 
war “ Colibri ” to the Madagascan waters under the com¬ 
mand of Capt. Passot, who appeared before Nossi-Be 
in September of the same year, and the Sakalava, op¬ 
pressed by the Hova, welcomed the French as deliverers. 
The formal surrender took place in 1841; the princess 
Tsihomeka received an annual pension of 1200 francs. 
In its first years the colony had many difficulties to con¬ 
tend with. The emancipation of the slaves in 1849 led 
to serious disorders, as the well-to-do slaveholders lost 
their property. The Sakalava were not quieted till the 
French Government agreed to pay something over 
100,000 francs as compensation. 
The little colony has never been able to make much 
advance towards a prosperous development, in spite of 
having received a special Resident from the French 
Minister of Marine. In 1886, however, this Resident 
was transferred to Diego Suarez. 
The inadequate means of communication with the 
outside world and the difficulty in obtaining cheap labour 
have hindered all undertakings. Of the 14 sugar plan¬ 
tations which formerly exported a thousand tons annually, 
some are no longer carried on, as the planters have 
failed. The cultivation of coffee made a successful start 
thirty years ago, so that over 14 tons were produced; 
it had, however, to be given up owing to the devasta¬ 
tions of the coffee fungus [Hemileja vastatrix). 
For political reasons France never gave up the island, 
as it formed a point of support for the acquisition of 
the Comoro Isles on the one hand, and for subsequent 
operations in Madagascar on the other. 
In commercial matters, things have improved, for 
