128 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. CIIAl'. V. houses. Both the bathing and the lighting of fires are necessary parts of the usages connected with this great annual festival. These ceremonies are commenced by the sovereign at the capital, and followed by the people throughout the country. Early the next morning a messenger, followed by a slave, entered my house and presented me with a large shoulder of beef, as a present from the son-in-law of my host. Soon after another messenger entered, followed by two slaves, one of them bearing the hinder leg of a bullock, with the skin and hair on, as a New Year’s present. About a quarter of an hour after this, an aide-de-camp of the captain of the port arrived, followed by a slave bearing a choice piece of beef as a present from his master; and shortly afterwards the same young man came again, followed by his servant with an excellent piece from himself. The supply was far beyond my wants, but it was intended by the donors as an expression of respect, and to my servant who found a great number of relations here, and the slaves living on the premises, with others in the immediate neighbourhood, it was, I have no doubt, very acceptable. My house was thronged with visitors during the whole of the day, and as there was one amongst them who could speak a little English, having formerly been a pupil for a consider able time in one of the best of the schools at the capital, I not only received much interesting intelligence, but was able to communicate important information to the friends who came, and remained, some of them, until a very late hour. Many of these were exceedingly delighted and deeply affected in looking over some of the illustrated English books which I had with me, and often expressed their earnest wishes to be able to read English. I encouraged them to try, but they shook their heads, and seemed to think it hopeless, especially as they had no books.