747 THE FRENCH CONQUEST OF MADAGASCAR.

THE great island of Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa, is inhabited by a number of tribes who, till lately, were ruled by a race known as the Hovas, supposed to be of Malay origin. The Hovas had been for many hundred year- in theisland,but their sovereignty over the whole of it was established squadron,which landed a small force to occupy various points on the coast. The Hovas, after a vain attempt to obtain theintervention of Englandon their behalf, consented in1885 to sign a treaty by which the fine harbour of Diego Suarez was ceded to France ; a French resident was tobepermanentlystationedat Antananarivo, in the first part of the present centuryby their king, RadamaI. He wasrecognised by Great Britain as King of Madagascar. He died in 1829, and his widow, Ranavolona I., reigned in his stead till 1861. As long ago as 1642 the French King Louis XIII. had given a charter toa company which was to explore and colonise the great island, a grant which it was claimedhad received practical effect by certain treaties with local chiefs. This vague claim toFrench sovereignty was reasserted at various times in other the Hova capital, and the foreign relations of Madagascar were to becontrolled bytheFrench Government. By the Anglo-French agreement of 1890 the French protectorate over Madagascar was recognised by England ; but the Hova Government and the Hova Queen (Ranavolona III.) persisted in declaring that an undue extension had been given to the treaty* of ' towards the end of iSoj the constant disputes between the resident and the Hova PiimeMinister (who was also the husband of the Queen) ended GENERAL DUCHFSNE, IN COMMAND OF THE FRENCH FORCES IN MADAGASCAR.

in an open rupture, and the French Government resolved to finally break the power of theHovas and occupy their capital.

It wason October 27th, 1894, that the French resident, M. de Vilers, hauled down his flag at Antananarivo, and the staff of the residency*, with its French escort,began its march to the sea coast. The ordinary course would have been to take the roadthat descends by the steep eastern face of the plateau to Tamatave, but the muchlonger route was chosen that leads by the valleys of the Ikopa and Betsiboka to the port of Majunga in the extreme north-west of the island. The fact was that it had already been determined that if there was to be an expedition to Antananarivo, it should avoid the difficult ascent from Tamatave,and,making Majunga its base, should penetrate inland by the country between these rivers. The march of the resi dency escort thus gave an opportunity for a final grants and proclamations, but beyond occupying some small islands off the coast, and occasionally keeping up a short-lived trading settlement in one or other of the coast districts, nothing was really done to effectively occupy any territory in Madagascar. The Hova rulers of the island, however, had not always complete control of the districts on the coast. Their stronghold wasthecentral mountain plateau, but the tribes of the seaboard often successfully defied their authority. The Sakalavas especially wereready at French instigation to assert their independence of the Hovas, and the French Government alleged thatby recent treaties with the Sakalava chiefs, theirold claim tosovereigntyinMadagascarhadbeenrecognised, and that thisnumerous tribe was anxious for a French protectorate. In 1882 war broke out between the French and the Hovas. The operations were conducted by a blockading