PREFACE. disciples of the Son of God, himself the bright example of all the charities which his religion teaches. The history of the "faith and patience" of any portion of the suffering church, enduring, as in days of old, a "great fight of affliction," may not be without utility to those who, under circumstances far less appalling, are striving for the faith of the gospel. They will find in the meekness and constancy of modern martyrs new illustrations of the life and power of the gospel. They will see that its principles, embraced by faith and operating by love, produce the same holy results as in apostolic times, and that they have lost none of their vital energy by the lapse of centuries. Truth is immortal; and its Divine Author attests its divinity, as revealed in the Gospel, by the purity it creates, the elevation of character it sustains, and the holy consolations it yields, even amidst the terrors of martyrdom itself. The results of modern missions furnish important links in the chain, the unbroken chain of evidence, by which the truth of Christianity is attested to the world from age to age. It is hoped this narrative may deepen the interest already cherished in the bosoms of British Christians on behalf of Madagascar, and may excite them to more importunate prayer in its favour, so that its wounds may be healed and its captivity turned. Names, dates and places have been specified with considerable caution; occasionally they have been concealed or stated ambiguously, in order to avoid the danger of the narrative ever being made a clue in the hands of the native government, where it may perchance fall, to assist in the apprehension and condemnation of any parties in the island, yet exposed to the malice and fury of their rulers; and hence, should some circumstances mentioned seem to require further elucidation, the reader will candidly excuse the seemingly incomplete or obscure passage, by regarding it as one of those cases where it might have been cruelly hazardous to have been more explicit. If any profits arise from the sale of this volume they will be applied to the relief of Madagascar Christians, who are still suffering there for Christ's sake, and in part to those who have effected their escape and found an asylum either in Mauritius, or in England, a land where liberty and charity love to dwell. The first and second chapters of the narrative contain a brief account of the island, of the state of the country, of the late King Radama, and of the accession and government of the Queen. The third chapter is devoted to an exhibition of the native religion, and the fourth to an outline of the operations of the mission established there by the London Missionary Society. These chapters have been introduced in order to render the whole narrative the more complete, and especially for the sake of such readers as may not be in possession of the more ample sources of information already adverted to. Walthamstow, near London. May 22, 1840. J. J. F. D. J. CONTENTS. Commercial value of Madagascar-Population, extent, pro- ductions, trade-Origin of inhabitants-Independent provinces-Semi-civilization-Capacities-The Capital- Radama-British connexion with Radama-His illness and death-Accession of the Queen-Her origin and claims-Murder of Rakotobe, of Ratefy, and others- Starving to death-Treachery-Ramanetaka's escape- GENERAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY SINCE THE ACCESSION OF Proportion of the country under the Queen's government— Standing army-Bourgeois-Extermination of the male population-Expeditions-Hova troops self-destroyed at Ikongona-Crucifixion-Carnage-Near escape of two boys-Sale of captive children-Native letter describing a campaign-American whalers-Embassy to England- Barbarous cruelty-Civil service to the government- Practice of district betting-Villages deserted-Modes of Outline of the Operations of the London Missionary Society Unfavourable circumstances affecting the progress and prospects of the Mission, and indicating the spirit and Events occurring in the history of the Mission from the From the Martyrdom of Rafaralahy to the Escape of Journey of the Refugees from Tananarivo to the Coast, where they embarked for Mauritius; including various NARRATIVE, &c. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. Commercial value of Madagascar-Population, extent, productions, trade-Origin of inhabitants-Independent provinces-Semi-civilization-Capacities-the Capital - Radama -British connexion with Radama-His illness and deathAccession of the Queen-Her origin and claims-Murder of Rakotobe, of Ratefy, and others- Starving to deathTreachery-Ramanetaka's escape-Andriamihaja, his melancholy fate-Queen's dreams about him-His successors in office-Despotism. It is one of the most singular circumstances connected with the modern history of European enterprise, that Madagascar has never been subdued, and colonized, by any European state. The French have had the earliest and largest connexions with that island, but have scarcely ever exercised the sovereignty over any extensive portion of its territory. Its value has been unaccountably overlooked, and its insalubrity greatly overrated. It was justly regarded by a French writer at the close of the last century, as capable of indemnifying France for the loss of St. Domingo; and, with equal propriety, it has been represented by an English gentleman, intimately acquainted with this subject, as having capabilities to render B |