In 1829 the French took possession of Tamatave, but it is well known that it was taken from them in 1830 by Admiral Schomberg. A claim was afterwards preferred, as stated by the Rev. Wm. Ellis, in his History of Madagascar, vol. ii., p. 316, but it was denied by Radama.
The reasons for Great Britain not asserting the sovereign rights which she obtained from France by the capture of the French settlements on the east coast of Madagascar are obvious.
In the first place, the claims of France were neither founded in reason nor in justice.
And in the second place, when Captain Lesage—the British agent—was sent into Madagascar for the adjustment of these claims on the part of Great Britain, he found, A.D. 1816, at the capital of the island, a great and successful warrior king, who had established himself as supreme chief, and proclaimed himself sovereign of the whole island.
It was at once seen that, by supporting this prince, who possessed a liberal and enlightened mind, the great object of Great Britain in establishing relations with Madagascar, namely, the suppression of the slave-trade, would be most readily carried out; and, therefore, the support of the British government was given to Radama, the great king of Madagascar; and during the whole life-time of that prince he was acknowledged by England as Radama Manjaka.
He became the undisputed king of the whole island, and lowered the French flag wherever the folly of a few employés dared to hoist it—replacing it with that of the Ilovas, the dominant race, whose chief he was, and whose valour gave to him the sovereignty of Madagascar.
On the death of Radama, and the accession of Ranavola Manjaka, one of the first acts of the queen was to annul the treaty made by Radama with Great Britain. The British agent, Mr. Lyell, was insulted and obliged to retire from the court of Antananarivo, and Great Britain has not since that period had a representative in Madagascar.
Although diplomatic relations have ceased between the courts of St. James’s and that of Antananarivo since the retirement of the British agent, in 1831, still commercial intercourse has been maintained between the islands of Madagascar and Mauritius; the east coast of the former, from Tamatave southward, plentifully supplying the ever-increasing demand of Mauritius.
Sixty-seven thousand head of cattle, and from three to four hundred tons of rice, were by one merchant annually imported into Mauritius from Madagascar previous to 1845.