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10 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR, CHAP. I. as active and steady, and with fellow-passengers as agreeable and kind-hearted as those on board the “Indiana.” The earliest efforts of Mr. Cameron and myself were di rected to ascertaining the actual state of Madagascar; and although, in reference to some objects of inquiry, the infor mation we obtained was distinct and conclusive, with respect to others, we found the most contradictory reports. Amongst the rumours current at the time, was one in which it was unhesitatingly affirmed that the queen of Madagascar was dead, and that her son had succeeded her; another stated that the queen had abdicated in favour of the prince, who had renounced Christianity as the condition of his receiving the crown. Other reports represented things as much in the same state in which they had been for some time, excepting that the people, though not inhospitable to foreigners ship wrecked on their coast, were increasing their defences as if apprehensive of foreign attack. Next to Messrs. Le Brun, the devoted missionary pastors in the island of Mauritius, the Christian refugees from Mada gascar hastened to bid us welcome, and to give us all the information they possessed respecting their country. From them we learned that the young prince steadily maintained his profession of the Christian faith; that the Christians in the country, though subject to great privation and suffering, maintained their steadfastness and increased in numbers. We examined very carefully all the letters which had been recently received from Madagascar, and found that the expec tations of a beneficial change, slightly indicated as in progress during the previous year, had not been realised; and that the favourable tidings forwarded to England had not been con firmed by those subsequently received. We had not the slightest reason to doubt the veracity of the native Christians in either island with regard to the accounts they had trans mitted. They had themselves received these reports, and