e, tobacco, and to engage
in other labours, formerly performed by the negro slaves. Port Louis is
a well-built town, and has a bustling and gay appearance, from the
number of traders from all parts of the East, who appear in their
various and picturesque costumes. Our stay here was short.

We were next bound to the coast of Madagascar, Captain Frankland having
instructions to endeavour to open up a trade with the people, and to
gain all the information he could collect regarding them. Madagascar is
larger than Great Britain and Ireland combined, and contains three
millions of inhabitants. In 1817, a treaty was entered into between the
governor of the Mauritius and Radama, who was king of part of the
country. The king consented to the abolition of the slave trade; and in
return, he was supplied with arms and ammunition, and military
instructors were sent to drill his army. The London Missionary Society
also sent over a body of highly intelligent men, some to instruct the
people in Christianity, and others more particularly in a variety of
useful arts. A considerable number of Malagasy youths were sent on
board English ships of war to be instructed in seamanship, while others
were carried to England to receive a more finished education. It is a
remarkable fact, that, although when the missionaries arrived in 1818
letters were totally unknown, in ten years from 10,000 to 15,000 natives
had learned to read, many of them to write, and several had made some
progress in English. This speaks well for the zeal and excellence of
the system employed by the missionaries, and for the talent of the
natives.

King Radama, after considerably extending his dominions, died in 1828,
when the policy of his successor towards the English considerably
changed. The Malagasy government having resolved to impose their own
laws on foreign residents at the port of Tamatave, an English and two
French ships of war went there to try and settle the questions at issue.
Failing to do so, they attacked the port, which, however, was so well
defended, that they were compelled to retire, leaving several of their
number behind, whose heads were stuck upon poles on the shore. In
consequence of this untoward event, all intercourse with the English
ceased for eight years. Before that time the government had commenced a
cruel persecution of the Christian natives, and numbers were put to
death. The effect, however, was very different from what was e