ciur. ii. CONFERENCE WITH THE CHIEFS. 29 of the house excepting the chief officers, entered, in a low tone of voice scarcely audible, into a very grave and earnest conversation with Mr. Cameron. In reply to his inquiry as to the real object of our visit, he was informed that it was, as we had expressed in our letter to the queen and officers, to pay a friendly visit to the queen and chiefs, to converse about things for the good of the country. That if the queen chose to receive us, we should proceed ; but, if not, return in the same vessel. In reference to the attack on the country in 1845, he said, Why did the Queen of England treat them so, or allow them to be so treated ? and if it was done without her know ledge, why not make some reparation ? Mr. Cameron replied that the Queen of England probably did not know what was done until some time afterwards, and had expressed her desire to be friendly by sending, in 1849, a British Admiral, Dacres, with a letter and presents, thus holding out the hand of friendship by the highest officer she could employ in such a service; and that, as both letters and presents had been refused, the English were waiting until the Malagasy should intimate some willingness to be friendly. He said they could not accept the terms on which the friendship was at that time offered; and he then asked what was the object of the mer chants in sending the memorial to the queen, who had already stated the compensation she required for the injury done. He was told that we had no instructions from the merchants, but believed their object was to make known in the most honourable manner to the queen herself, their desires that the trade might be renewed, and to be made acquainted exactly with the wishes of her majesty. He said the queen had refused to entertain a proposal said to have been recently made from the island of Bourbon to receive a certain sum of money to open the ports. The judge then asked whether the English had any inten tion of attacking Madagascar, as they had been informed