following year, in which the king lost both crown and life; and it was
promptly repudiated by the new Sovereign and her Government, as a
virtual abandonment of the country to France. Threats of bombardment,
&c., were freely used, but at length it was arranged that, on the
payment of an indemnity of a million francs by the native Government to
the company, its rights should be abandoned. It is said that this
pacific result was largely due to the good sense and kindly feeling of
the Emperor Napoleon, who, on being informed of the progress in
civilization and Christianity made by the Malagasy, refused to allow
this to be imperilled by aggressive war. There would seem, then, to be
no ground for present French action on the strength of the repudiated
Lambert treaty.

3. As already observed, several French public prints have been loudly
proclaiming that France is resolved "to uphold the treaty of 1868 in its
entirety."[18] It may with the same emphasis be announced that the
Malagasy Government is equally resolved to uphold it, so far at least as
they are concerned, especially its first article, which declares that
"in all time to come the subjects of each power shall be friends, and
shall preserve amity, and shall never fight." But it should be also
carefully noted that this 1868 treaty recognizes unreservedly the Queen
as Sovereign _of Madagascar_, makes no admission of, or allusion to, any
of these alleged French rights, much less any protectorate; and is
simply a treaty of friendship and commerce between two nations,
standing, as far as power to make treaties is concerned, on an equal
footing. If French statesmen, therefore, are sincere in saying that they
only require the maintenance of the treaty of 1868 in its integrity, the
difficulties between the two nations will soon be at an end.

But it is doubtful whether the foregoing is really a French "claim," as
far more stress has been laid, and will still doubtless be laid, upon
certain alleged treaties of 1841. What the value of these is we must now
consider.

4. The facts connected with the 1841 treaties are briefly these:--In the
year 1839 two of the numerous Sakalava tribes of the north-west of the
island, who had since the conquest in 1824 been in subjection to the
central government, broke into rebellion. It happened that a French war
vessel was then cruising in those waters, and as the French had for some
time previously lost all the positions they had ever occupie