Star.
London, England, 1821-04-21 00:00:00

• MISSION OF THE PRINCE RATAFE.

We mentioned' yesterday the arrival of Prince
RATAre, of Madagascar, on a mission to this Go.

vernment respecting the abolition of the Slave Trade.
We now subjoin an extract of a letter from the Mau-
ritius, containing some interesting info: mation on the
object with which his Highness has visited this coun-
try. The letter is dated Nov. 18(20.
" I gate you an account in my letters, as far back as the rear

1817. of the efforts of this Government to put a stop to the
Slave Trade, by a Treaty for that purpose with RAI/AMA, King
of Ovals. This Chieftain was at that time the principal Sove-
reign in Madagascar, and, from what I can learn, has since
extended his dominions, which now comprise the larger half of
that country, independent of the authority and influence which
he exercises over the petty Chiefs of the Eastern and Western
coasts. The population of Madagascar is composed of various
tribes, differing greatly amoegst themselves in character and dis-
position. Among the tribes to be found on the coast, some there
are perhaps of a vindictive and treacherous disposition; but the
great mass of the interior population, and more especially the
Ovals people, are a quiet, inoffensive, pains-taking race, exhi-
biting in a variety of instances no inconsiderable portion of
talent and ingenuity in various branches of manufacture.
" They who imagine that the Island of Madagascar is peopled
by ferocious and barbarous savages are strangely mistaken.—
Though they have not made that progress which entitles them
to rank with civilised nations, the advancement to which they
have attained in many of the useful arts, is of itself a sufficient
proof of the aptitude of their disposition to receive and retain
the best lessons of civilisation ; and I am fully convinced, that
if the British Government avail itself of the present opening fur
cementing a friendly alliance with the principal Power on that
Island, millions now living (for the population of Madagascar
is estimated at four millions), and millions yet unborn, will owe
the blessings of religion, and the incteasing comforts of civilisa-
tion to that alliance, whilst the more immediate effect will be to
shut up at once and for ever one of the principal sources from
whence has been derived the largest supply of human victims
for those nefarious slave markets in this hemisphere.
" RADADIA, Yang of the Ovahs, though an unlettered man,
appears to possess a sound and discriminating judgment, and
might hold out useful lessons to many Sovereigns better skilled
than himself in what are termed the arta ingenua,, upon the
soundest principles of Government for the happiness of his sub-
jects. The character of this Chief, and his mode of governing
his people, was well known from the frequent resort of traders
to his capital ; and from the sources of information it was not
difficolt to calculate the extent of the traffic in Slaves carried on
directly with his and the States tributary to him.
" The absolute inspossibility of opposing any adequate check
to the Slave Trade its these Seas, where we were left without
any sufficient practical means of capturing the smugglers, deter,
mined the Governor (Mr. FAIMI'MAII) to attempt a negotiation
with the King of OVAH, in the hope that it might be possible to
impress upon the mind of this Chief, that the services of his
people might be rendered more advantageous to him than the
sale of their persons. With this view, a correspondence was
sopened with Raroista, in which, without holding out any specific
purpose, an offer of friendly intercourse and mutual good will
was tendered and accepted. Some trifling presents were sent
and accepted; and RADAMA, the whole bent of whose mind ap-
pears to be directed to the improvement of his people, readily
accepted an invitation from the Governor to send two of his
brothers to the Mauritius, with a view to their attaining the
first rudiments of education.

" The youths arrived in August, 1816, at which time they
appeared to be about twelve and thirteen years of age ; they
wen, taken by the Gevernpr into his family, and every neces-
sary means adopted to give them the benefit of Mr. FARQUHAR'SI
intentic•ns. RADAMA desired their return at the end of twelve
months, and it was upon this occasion that the first treaty with
him was entered into for suppressing the exportation of slaves
from Aladagascar. • There is no doubt but that the treatment of
these boys, who bad been constantly under the Governor's eye
like his children, and the reports which they would make of I
that treatment, must have greatly influenced the mind of
ItAnAmA, and disposed him to that full, I may fairly say, affec-
tionate confidence in the English Government under Mr. FAR-
QUHAR'S administration, which, though checked for a time by
the measures adopted on his departure for England, has, I am
convinced from recent events, revived again in all its force upon
Mr. FARQUHAR'S return here.
" This Treaty Was made in October, 1817, and its leading fea-
ture was, that for certain supplies, which we undertook to fur-
nish, the exportation of Slaves from his dominions, or any of the'
territories tributary to him, was made a capital offence. I t would
seem that RADAMA effected this change of system, not without
opposition, and his sincerity and good faith upon the subject was
certainly put to a very sufficient test, when he ordered the exe-
cution of individuals of near alliance with himself, for opposing
him in the faithful performance of the contract he had entered
into ; and it is a well-known and well-ascertained fact, that fur
twelve months after the signing of this Treaty? not an individual

of his country was carried into slavery, and that the practice in
Ovate only recommenced, when the non-performatlce of the sti-

pulations of this Government released hint from the tie by which,
to that time, ItAnASIA considered himself religiously bound ; nay,
so unwilling was he to believe that it was not Intended to fullll
the Treaty, that the prohibition was only withdrawn upon the
sending back to him of six boys, who had been sent up here to
learn music, in order to qualify them as a band for a regiment,
which he had bad drilled after the English fashion.

" The unhappy effects of this Measure may be estimated from
the following facts, which I have from an eye-witness, who,
passing from Ovals to the Mauritius, seven months after the
Treaty was concluded, found only four traders at Tamatare:
while he was there, vessels arrived from the Mauritius, bringing
the news that the Government of the Mauritius would not exe-
cute the Treaty, and having on board more than twenty traders,
hturning to their old employment ; and I have it from the same
person, and from anothes of equal credit, that when they returned
to Tamatare upon a public mission, in September last, they found
upwards of one hundred and twenty of these miscreants establish-
ed there. Madagascar and its concerns have, I believe, occupied
the public attention so little, that I much doubt if it has ever
given rise to discussion or observation in any way before the
Public; but now that, happily, the same good effects have
been reproduced by the prompt and vigorous measures which
have been adopted by Governor FAZQUHAII, on his return,

I sincerely hope that no future difficultie► will occur, and that
as the measure has been once approved by the Ministers, so
its beneficial re-establishmefit will be so decisively supported by
the% a► to leave no room for future doubts or cavils, as to the
policy of the proceeding, or of their intentions. RADA MA, though
an unlettered man, has within him principles of integrity and
good faith which might adorn the highest situation, and add
grace to the most polished education ; and thr difficulty of re-
viving his confidence, I may say so injudiciously destroyed, was
rendered doubly difficult from R.►vasss's natives unsophisticated
notions of good faith, coupled with a less chivalrous feeling of the