Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-08-23
TIE FRENCH IN MADAGASCAR
A MaE.Of-War Sent 10 Haul Down
the Queens Flag and Take Posse
ION OF Islands on the C0aar.

Special Correspondence ~ Y. World
diplomatic and friendly relations between
the Malagasy Government and the French
Republic are broken off. month ago Nh
Baudais, Consul and Commissioner for the
French Republic, hauled down his fac
withdrew with his family from the capital
Antanansrivo. and came here to await the
| nnal Instructions he has asked from HIS
| government. The causes for this rupture
go as fsr back as five years ago, since which
time the retrograde party, the old
regime, has been gradually closing
| upon the Prime Minister and finally
brought him to issue a code of laws on the
295h OF March last, wherein several clauses
In open violation Of treaties We're inserted.
| aiming directly at the exclusion of foreign
ers from all pursuits except commerce Ar
ticle s. of the code says that no Malagasv
shall, under penalty Of ten years in the
State prison, lease any property to foreigners,
and the penalty for selling land is imprIson-
/ ment for life, for all the land is the exclu
sive property of the Queen. AS regards
the recovery OF goods stolen by the
nobilitY-bV the high caste Hovas-all sorts
| OF impediments are put in the way of OBJ
tanning justice, with view OF wearing out
the patience Of the plaintiff and compelling
him to desist. The French Consuls have
Vainly applied for redress In such cases, and
| giving up hope of succeeding bv peaceful
| About nine months ago French
| dhow, manned by four Arabs from Mayotte.
and trading on the northwest coast. was
| attacked by a party of SakalSvas, the four
men massacred and the cargo piundered.
A French man-of-war succeeded in recap
turing the dhow. but its cargo had been
looted. On the presentation of a complaint
by the French Consul the Malagasy Govern
ment made many promises of investigating
the case, of having the murderers arrested
and punished, and OF returning the goods
il found. But it went no further, and the
promises proved empty words. After re-
peated inquiries from the Consul, to which
plausible answers were given, about the
middle of May the Prime Minister,
upon an energetic threat made by Mr..
Baudais, consented TO pay an indemnity of
SO, 740, of which So 900 was for the families
of the crew and the balance to pay for the
vessels cargo. But this settlement was
only made two or three days before the
rupture, and the money may not be paid at
all. The late French Consul, Mr. Laborde,
had received from the late Queen a grant of
land as remuneration for some good office
performed by him. At his death, four
years ago, his heirs wished to sell it, and were
opposed by the government, under a pre-
tense that the Queen had granted the life
use of it only; that the heirs might take
away all the buildings erected on It, but no.
the Law forbade expressly the sale OF landed
property, and that consequently it could not
be sold.
But the most serious feature of the trou-
BILE is that France having bought, in 1S4l,
some points facing the islands of Nossibeth
and Nossi Mitsioo on the northwest coast,
from the petty chiefs, the possession OF
these points was not contested by the NAL
agasy government until recently, when it
has claimed that by virtue of the treaty of
1868 with France, whereby the whole Island
OF Madagascar is recognized as under the
Queens government, France had renounced
the possession of all the points In litigation,
and the Queen accordingly sent few sol
diers to hoist her flag (Which is a single
white flag containing the Sovereign's name.
in black letters) on the points alluded to-
The French Consul at once sent man-of
war to haul it down and order the garrison
to withdraw.
The Queens sovereignty is not recognized
on nearly the whole of the west coast, south
and southeast coasts, and by arming the re-
bellious tribes against her France would in
f1ct upon gher great blow and soon bring
her to terms. 1t will be interesting to watch
events during this month, for 1t will proba-
bly, be determined within that time whether
foreigners are to be excluded from engaging
in the cultivation of sugar cane, coffee, va
nilla and other products of the island.