In that year the trade of Madagascar was put a stop to by the unfortunate interference of H.M.S. “Conway” and two French ships of war; and, for the space of eight years, commercial relations ceased, and were only renewed in 1853-54 in consequence of the Mauritius merchants paying the queen of Madagascar an indemnification of fifteen thousand dollars.
The government of Madagascar is anxious to be on the most friendly terms with Great Britain; and, as the Rev. Mr. Ellis says in his recent work on that interesting island, “the Madagascar people will never forget that the King of England and the people of England have been their best and constant friends.”
How different is the view presented by France to the Malagasy people. Ever bent on conquering the great island, the bravery of whose sons has baffled her for more than two and a half centuries, she has seized upon every pretext for obtaining possession of neighbouring small islands, from which she could harass and irritate the natives of Madagascar.
These possessions have been obtained in the most illegitimate manner—native princes springing up and ceding to the great French nation territory which does not belong to them.
Madagascar and its dependencies belong to Ranavola Manjaka, who inherits them by succession from her predecessor, Radama, who obtained them by right of conquest over all the native princes; and yet we hear of ex-kings of the Sakalaves and different people ceding to France territory which they have no more right to than to the tin mines of Cornwall.
Nevertheless, the French have established themselves in Mayotte, Nossi-bé, and St. Mary’s by means of such claims.
The first-named of these islands, Mayotte, in the time of Louis Philippe, was strongly fortified, with the intention of making it the Gibraltar of the Indian Ocean. It is surrounded by a reef, in which it was supposed, when these fortifications were built, there was only one narrow entrance, which was completely commanded by the powerful batteries raised at that time; but subsequent experience has proved that these are entirely useless, as that enterprise which particularly distinguishes the British seaman has found a passage through these reefs safer than the narrow entrance commanded by the French cannon, by which vessels of the largest draught of water could enter and shell the French Gibraltar, while the breeches of the guns of this formidable battery were pointed towards the foe. On this island they have no water, and are obliged to obtain it from Madagascar. The soldiers die, as the French say, “like rotten sheep.” Within the last twelve months large quantities of coal have been collected at Mayotte, and no doubt that island would be the centre of operations on Aden, Bombay, Natal, the Cape of Good Hope, and Ceylon; but it is satisfactory to know that the party most deeply interested is fully prepared for any contingencies which may arise.
The island of Nossi-bé (the meaning of the native name by which it is known being “large island”) has upon it, including the small garrison kept there by the French, about 150 Europeans. The town on this island is called, after one of the late governors of Réunion, Hell Town; and it is by no means a misnomer, for the deeds enacted there throw those perpetrated at Otaheite, on the bosom of the beautiful Pacific Ocean, entirely in the shade. The native population, including that of the small islands of Nossi Comba and Nossi Fali, is, according to the census recently taken, 26,700 souls. These people have been principally employed by the French to attack the Hova forts and settlements in the former Sakalave districts, but as they found that the garrison of Mouransung were rather their superiors in incendiary expeditions, the small French settlement has been glad to cry “Pax!” of late.
At other places in Madagascar, the French have their agents in the Jesuits. Two of these priests, represented as very intelligent men, are located in St. Augustine Bay; and so much is the government of Réunion interested in them, that every two months a government schooner communicates with them, to attend to the wants of the holy fathers.
The Jesuits have a very extensive school at Réunion for the education of Malagasy children, whom they obtain principally from the French settlements of Nossi-bé and St. Mary.