Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-11-21
BEAUTIES OF MADAGASCAR.
Lieut.. ShufeIdt Tells the story of His
Journey Across the Island.
New York Tribune.

New York Tribune.
Lieut.. Shufeldt, of the United States
navy, who recently crossed the NADIA
gascar from east to west, accomplish
ing what few white men and no
American had done before, told large
audience at Chickering hall last
night something about the island and
his explorations there. The lecture
was given under the auspices of the
American Geographical society, and
was illustrated with stereopticon
views.
Madagascar, he said, lis the third
largest island on the globe. Its area
covers $4,000 square miles; being
1000 miles long and averaging in
breadth $50 to 400 miles. 1t Is four
times the size of Great Britain. The
interior gives the observer a potent
sense of silent and majestic vastness
1t exhibits some of the grandest speci-
mems of natures handi work, consist
ing of mountain peaks, plains and
forests, cataracts and waterfalls.
Around the seacoast stretches dense
belt of tropical forest, tie home of
malarias and deadly fever, the abiding
place of savage and barb'arous people,
and ricnly-plumaged birds. The chief
river, the Sizebouge, is the size of the
Ohio, and shows some of the most
magnificent river scenery in the world,
thunderous waterfalls and cataracts
bordered by primeval forests"
The speaker thought this river
would prove navigable and might be
made the highway for the products of
the interior of the country, ebony,
sugar. rice, and other articles of com
merce, in quantities sufficient to make
it 1.-The Ell Dorado of the eastern seas. "
The climate is described as variable.
In the interior it is equable and tenn
perate, frequently reminding one of
New England autumn, but about the
seacoast it is always warm and un
wholesome. He estimated the popu-
latlon at 5 700, 900, embracing many
races of men varying in color, ply
sique, and civilization. The principal
tribe, the Hovas, are men OF Malay
origin, with fair complexion, black
and sparkli ling eyes, aquiline noses,
numbering about 900, 600, and far IN
advance of the rest of tAc inhabitants
in intelligence and the art of clvlliza-
ton. The women are often hand
some. Some of these advantages can
be attributed to climate, the region
inhabited by them averaging 4 $50
feet above the sea level, and atfordlng
a bracing atmosphere. Next IN i'm
portance and intelligence he placed
the Betsileo tribe, the men possessing
1.-the and active frames, but the women
anlike the Hoya women are seldom
or never handsome. The Barra peo-
pie, ID the southern part of the island,
are distinguished by tfeir utter lack
of ennobling qualities. The morality
OF the Barra, said Lieut.. Shufeldt,
might thus be summed uo: Give me
my gun and my spear, my rum and
my oxen, let me steal plunder, and
destroy everybody; let no one modest
me, and l care not who is my king.
Lieut.. Shufeldt then described his
journey across Madagascar. After
many vicissitudes, and by dint of
perseverance, he made landing at
town on the southeastern side Of the
island April 8, this year, and soon
after began his journey across the
island. He reached the capital with
out escounterlng many dangers.
There he was presented to the queen,
whom he thus describes: "She is a
Young woman of medium height, of
1.-the figure and graceful movements,
and distinguished by majestic bearing,
though girlish in appearance. She has
dark waving hair, light complexion,
and black lustrous eyes. She dresses
in modern Partisan female custume,
Her husband is the prime minister,
and is 60 years old" According to
royal custoH, she never left the palace
without a large retInue and muU.
ceremony. When royal property was
carried through the streets, the people
were expected to keep themselves
within their houses If anybody was
met in the street who had no time to
run to his house he had to PROSTATE
himself upon the ground until sthe
queens goods had passed. When
Li-ut Shufeldt was presented to the
queen, she was seated at the top of
throne with thirty steps. On the first
step on each knee with hand extended
toward the young queen was her hus-
band, the prime mlnister-a dark com
plexioned, gray haired man. She
was dressed in light pink satin dress
and on her head she wore gold crown
studded with diamonds. | bowed on
being presented to her, but she grace
fully extended her hand. l ascended
the throne and shook her extended
hand, aRd the first white man to grasp
it."
The journey across the island occu-
pied about four months. The travellers
started out with $50 natives and three
white men, and when he reached the
western coast there were $50 of the
islanders remaining, and he himself
the sole surviving white man.