the Governor, who
pocketed the dollars and "fanomponed" the mail. But enough of this, as
it has a flavor of our "Star Route Mail" disclosures, which startled the
country some years ago, and conclude with a tribute to Tammany, as:

We arise to remark, and our language is plain,
That the Tweeds and the Crokers are of Malagash fame.

CHAPTER XXIII.

The introduction and perpetuation of the Christian religion in
Madagascar has been attended with vicissitudes, hopeful, discouraging,
and finally permanent. The Catholics were the first to attempt to gain a
footing on the southeast corner of the island. A French mission settled
and commenced to instruct the natives in the Roman Catholic faith, and
maintained a mission in spite of many discouragements for twenty years,
and then came to an end. Protestants who a century and a half later
carried the Gospel to Madagascar found it virgin soil. They found a
people without a written language or knowledge of the Christian faith.
Both in their literary and evangelical labors they had to revive a work
that was not dying out, but to start de novo, and the London Missionary
Society had to seek its own way to carry out its objects.

The men to whom it appears that the Madagascar people are indebted for
their written languages and the first translation of the Scriptures were
two Welshmen.

David Jones and David Griffiths--these two men were the pioneers of
Protestant missions in Madagascar--the first in 1820, the second a year
later. The main strength of these early missionaries was devoted to
educational work, in which they were vigorously supported by King Radama
I, and Mr. Hastie, the British agent. Besides this they began very early
to make a translation of the Scriptures, and in ten years after the
arrival of Mr. Jones in Antananarivo the first edition of 3,000 copies
of the New Testament was completed, in March, 1830. At this time much
progress had been made in the translation of the Old Testament. The
account of the completion of it is interesting. Soon after the death of
King Radama I, in 1828, the missionaries saw clear indications of the
uncertainty of their positions; ominous clouds began to gather until the
storm burst.

The edict of Queen Ranavalona I against the Christian Church was
published March 1, 1835. A portion of the Old Testament translation was
uncompleted. The missions were deserted by their converts, and they
could procure no workman to assist