partments. In the outer were calves, lambs,
and fowls. In the inner, at one end was a bed, and at the foot of it a
fireplace, over which a man was cooking a pot of rice. His wife sat
before a loom, consisting of four upright sticks fixed in the ground,
with rods across. At the distance of seven feet were two short sticks
driven into the ground, connected by a bar, over which was stretched the
woof of silk to be woven. On this simple apparatus the most beautiful
and rich patterns are worked. Silk-worms abound in some of the
provinces, and a very large amount might be produced and form an
important article of trade.

As we approached the capital we found the villages of the Hovas all
strongly fortified on the summits of hills or rocks. They have but one
narrow and difficult entrance, and are surrounded by one or more deep
ditches, every ridge at the side of the hill being cut through. Great
care, indeed, has been shown in their construction, showing that they
were a warlike and marauding people, and found it necessary to guard
against reprisals from the neighbours they have attacked.

Antananarivo, the capital, at which we at length arrived, after a
journey of three hundred miles, is a very curious place. It is built on
an oval hill, nearly two miles in length, rising four or five hundred
feet above the surrounding country, and is seven thousand feet higher
than the level of the sea. On the highest part of the hill, and forming
a conspicuous object, is the palace of the queen. It is sixty feet
high, with a lofty and steep roof, with attic windows, and is surrounded
by balconies, one above, the other. The top is surmounted by a huge
golden eagle, with outspread wings, which looks as if able to have a
tough fight with the one which overshadowed the articles from the United
States at, the Great Exhibition.

The palace of the prince, which is smaller, is on one side, and has also
a golden eagle over it. The dwellings of other members of the royal
family and chief nobility are on either side, while the rest of the
houses, which are only of one story, clothe the sides of the hill,
standing generally on small terraces, wherever the ground has allowed
their formation. The houses are of plain unpainted wood, which gives
them a somewhat sombre and dilapidated appearance. The interiors are,
however, very comfortable, and admirably suited to the climate.

Captain Frankland had the honour of an audience with the quee