Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-03-02
DA FL K
PlST- INTELLIGENCER.
MlDAG ASCAR.

fe,ted in the continent-lIke islanu Oh
Madagascar, from the present attempts
of the French government to sub1ueat
Il. and a brief account of it and OF the
controversy now on hand, from TINS
New York Sun, will be read with pleas
ure. The only European nations wnich
seem fully to appreciate the opporsuhi
ties for industrial and commercial en-
terprise presented by Madagascar ere
France and England. A pretty constant
intercourse has been long maintained
be.weeu the coast districts Of the larger
island and the planters and trader
settled in Mauritius and Reunion ano
in this way the natural resources OF tns
country became tolerably well kne"n'
It is, however, to English missionaries
who during the last half century have
been remarkably successful in ciyilizins
the people of the. interior, that We are
indebted for full and Trustworthy in
formation relating to the character and
aptitudes, the institutions, customs and
manners Of the Malagasy tribes.
There are two or three features o.
Madagascar to be distinctly kept il
view if we would measure the tempta'
ton which it offers to the colonist. Geo
graphically it is rather continent than
an island; for it stretches north and
south for upward OF thousand miles,
and has an area of nearly a quarter OF T.
million of square miles. In other words,
it represents about AZ much land AZ THO
inhabited part of the thirteen Ameri-
can colonies at the time of their separ-
alton from Great Britain. As regard
climate, it travcrses tropic, sub
tropic, and a temperate belt, and com
bines the products Of those zones. IN
like, moreover, Australia and South AZ
RIGA, large part of whose surface con-
sists OF treeless and arid plains, 1t IL ev-
erywhere we'll watered and well wooded,
and there is scarcely any portion of it
territory which il not susceptible OF
being made profitable TO man. Most OF
the precious and useful metals aud min
erals arc to DO found in he mountain
range which forms the backbone Of the
country; some of the best passurage III
the world is furnished by the slopes
and valleys of the upland region; forest
products of the kinds most coveted for
export purposes are supplied III quaint
ties seemingly. insxhaustible by the
dense bolt of woods from fifteen to forty
miles wide, which literally girdles the
whole island; and the lowlands border
ing upon the coasts have proved admir-
ably adapted to the culture OF sugar,
cotton and rice. One other point !:
Ethnographically, Madagascar belongs
rather to the Malaga Polynesian world
than to the African continent. Al
though there survive some traces of alb
original tribes, the Malagasy peoples
who now occupy the country are ind.s.
putably Of Malay descent. This is clear
from their physical type, their mental
characteristics, their customs, and their
language. The only negroes in NADIA
gascar are slaves imported from the
mainland, most of whom, however,
through the influence of the English
missionaries, have now been emanci-
pated.
The present kingdom of Madagascar,
which embraces the whole island with
the exception of n short strip of the
southwestern coast, is of comparatively
modern formation. About the begin
ming Of this century the Hoys tribe,
which occupied the central portion OF
tho highlands, acquired predominance
over the peoples of the interior and the
east coast, and by 1924 they had sue
ceeded in conquering tho Sakalava
tribe, which more than a century before
had created two powerful kingdoms on
the west coast. The Malagasy sover-
eign, Radama l., had received indirect
ly a good deal of assistance from Eng
land in his wars, in return for which he
permitted English missionaries to la.
Dor in the central provinces. Between
1920 and 1895 they had managed to
teach the natives many of their useful
arts, and had signally mitigated the
ferocity Of their laws and customs; they
had also reduced the Malagasy laneu-
age to u written form and had given
the people vernacular versions of the
Bible and OF some other books. Be
tween 1885 and 1861, however, inter.
vened period Of violent reaction and
persecution; but on the death OF Queen
Ranavalena l., ut the last named date.
the island was reopened to trade and
Christian teaching, and such rapid pro-
Rress was now made by the missiona-
ries that the present Queen on ascend
ing the throne in 1865 made public
profession of Christianity. Since then
numerous enlightened and humanizinr
measures have been taken by the gov
eminent, which has shown itself almost
AZ receptive OF civilizing Influences AZ
that OF Japan. Roads have been OPEN
ed. various European industries intro
duced, and the chief towns have been
rebuilt in the European fashion; idola-
try has been completely extirpated
from the central provinces; the laws
have been remodelled and codified, cap
ital punishment being abolished for all
Grimes except treason and murder; the
planting of the poppy is prohibited.
and u strong effort has been made to
prevent the importation of ardent spir.
Its; and. what is mos. surprising. edu-
cation has been made compulsory in
the mere civilized districts, and the
army has been reorganizsd on the Ger
man principles of universal conscrip-
ton and short service. When the sig
niicance of such facts is duly weighed.
We shall acknowledge that there was
nothing ridiculous in the attempt OF the
Malagasy ruler to enter into diplomatic
relations with European States by the
dispatch of an embassy 10 Paris and
London, and that the treatment which