ernment, with capable governors representing its
authority over the other provinces. But for many years past the French
have depreciated and ridiculed the Hova power; and except M. Guillain,
who, in his "Documents sur la Partie Occidentale de Madagascar," has
written with due appreciation of the civilizing policy of Radama I.,
there is hardly any French writer but has spoken evil of the central
government, simply because every step taken towards the unification of
the country makes their own projects less feasible. French policy is,
therefore, to stir up the outlying tribes, where the Hova authority is
still weak, to discontent and rebellion, and so cause internecine war,
in which France will come in and offer "protection" to all rebels. Truly
a noble "mission" for a great and enlightened European nation!

After acknowledging again and again the sovereign at Antananarivo as
"Queen of Madagascar," the French papers have lately begun to style Her
Majesty "Queen of the Hovas," as if there were not a dozen other tribes
over whom even the French have never disputed her authority; while they
write as if the Sakalava formed an independent State, with whom they had
a perfect right to conclude treaties. More than this: after making
treaties with at least two sovereigns of Madagascar, accrediting consuls
to them and receiving consuls appointed by them, a portion of the French
press has just discovered that the Malagasy are "a barbarous people,"
with whom it would be derogatory to France to meet on equal terms.[21]
Let us see what this barbarous Malagasy Government has been doing during
the last few years:--

i. It has put an end to idolatry in the central and other provinces, and
with it a number of cruel and foolish superstitions, together with the
use of the _Tangena_ poison-ordeal,[22] infanticide, polygamy, and the
unrestricted power of divorce.

ii. It has codified, revised, and printed its laws, abolishing capital
punishment (formerly carried out in many cruel forms), except for the
crimes of treason and murder.

iii. It has set free a large portion of the slave population, indeed
all African slaves brought from beyond the seas, and has passed laws by
which no Malagasy can any longer be reduced to slavery for debt or for
political offences.

iv. It has largely limited the old oppressive feudal system of the
country, and has formed a kind of responsible Ministry, with departments
of foreign affairs, war, justice, revenu