During M. Laborde's lifetime matters proceeded smoothly enough, especially the relations between the French and English consulates, He, however, failed to obtain the consent of the Hova government to the freehold rights of his former residencies and plantations. But he seems to have realised the uselessness of pushing his claims to extremities, more especially he had become even more Bevan than the Hovas and had evidently made up his mind to end his days in the island. At his death, however, in. December, 1876, trouble at once began by the succeeding French Con sul pressing the claims of M. Laborde's two nephews as heirs tu his estate, which was estimated to be worth about £44,000, These claims were pressed with great vigor and it is somewhat extraordinary to_fi the imperious manner that the republican agents adopted, and the almost imperial powers they assumed to themselves. For instance, the French Consul in 1879 complained of the Hova Prime Minister having addressed the Consulate Secretary' as "A. Cwnpan" without any honorary title incivility that could not be overlooked" and. winds up a letter of frivolous complaint: "Youmust therefore entirely change your conduct towards us,-unless you wish ly, Mr, Prime' Minister, the reity of a rupture between the two govermuents." This same Secretary, who Was a nephew of Mr. Laborde's and one of the heirs, began to build on land which the Prime Minister declared he bad no Tight to well as they were not owners of the soil, whereupon the se was cancelled by mutual consent. The Consul then invited the Prine Minister to inspect the original title deeds, and he declared them to be forgeries. These title deeds purported to be signed by King Radama Il who it must be remembered was the Prince whom Laborde and Lastelle had endeavoured to set up a revolution for. This king reigned only a very short time, during which time had made Laborde's Malayan son Secretary for Foreign Athairs. Upon his deposi-tien and death young Laborde for a considerable time refused to give up the seal of the. Foreign: Office, so. that the. Prime Minister's accusation' had a considerable foundation to rest upon, A very acrid smonious correspondence now ensued over' this auntter between the Consul and the Misistor, an epitome of which is that even if the title deeds were not forgeries, the deeds themselves gave no entailed rights and were only grants during the Sovereign's pleasure, To prove this, similar deeds were referred to that had been given to the English artisans Brooks, Canham, -Chick, and Rowlands, and also to the "French architect Lo Gros, who had built the tea wood palace under the Cameron consulship, and who had actually occupied one of Ladorde's lat residences that were in dispute. In 'The Minister also pointed out that in all these deeds there was a certain clause which Lurred' any claims of tenant's entail: The "Consul's reply to: this was to give the Minister a grammatical lesson in his own Iaiiguage, assuring him that che (the Consul) knew the language best, and that that particular clause meant exactly the opposite. The Minister in despair then replied that, there were 29 such rights of tenant's entail eren- amongst the Malagasy themselves,. and that the Hova law. was exactly the same as that of an. old French Island: (Jersey) which was still governed by its old laws. This. was a clinching argument, and was bound: up with the polite request that the correspondence might now cease, and the matter referred to the arbitration of a neutral Power. The Consul, driven into a corner in argument, seized on the latter demand to get furiously angry.
The. Prime Minister refused to reply personally to any further of the Consul's letters, whereupon he removed: himself,, in high dudgeon, from the capital to Tamatave and sent an exhaustive report home to. Gambetta. The Home Ministry, however, quite failed: to support the Consul and sent out a man-of-war (La Clochelteric) whose captain officially declared "that all the French Government required was the maintenance of the status quo, and that France desired to preserve peace and the existing friendly relations at any price." On account of the Consul's indignant protest at this he was removed to Hongkong. The succeeding. Consul endeavoured to compromise matters and the Hova Prime Minister without allowing the validity of the claim, offered to pay 250,000 francs to settle the. matter. This, however, was refused as 300,000 francs was claimed by the heir. So that for " difference of 50,000 francs the first cause of the succeeding war held good.
About this time the feeling against the English missionaries in the island was getting to avery acute stage. The success of these men was very great, so much so that they are generally considered the most successful in the world. The principal cause of embitterment was that the Queen and Court and principal notables were converts to the English, who had been first in the field. This therefore caused the French Jesuits to have less power than they generally have in most other places, where they have been the pioneers. "What'good work these Eoglishmen did is best shown in the opinions of eminent Frenchmen. M. Jules Delafosse in the Chamber of Deputies in July, 1884, after the war had broken out said "It was certain that the English missionaries had conquered for the most part the island, and were slowly.but surely absorbing all Madagascar." He also hoped "that should the French advance to Antananarivo, they would hold the English missionaries responsible in their property and persons for the acts of war with which they bad mixed themselves up, and that they would be tried as belligerents." We will show later on what the "acts of war" were. Another Frenchman, M. Saillens, in his book Nos Droits sur Macigascar remarks: The only causes of the present war are first and foremost, the jealousy of the French Jesuits, who cannot forgive the Protestants for having been the. first to arrive, and for having obtained the preponderating influence at, the Court and in the country." Considering the authority this emanates from, this is frankly. explicit. This jedousy unfortunately did not rest only. with the missionaries, but. conununicated itself tothe actions of the French officials, and caused. examples of, diplomatic bad faith, which in private actions between private persons. would be called by a much harsher name, and.which we will give in detail in connection' with the incidents attached to them.
The second cause of.the first French war was the affair of the French dhow Toale.
'April, 1881, this French vessel had been attacked' at first presumably by pirates, and the captain and four French subjects killed. In reparation for. this insult a French gunboat proceeded to the spot and called upon.the Governor to arrest and punish the offender This the Governor, with oriental duplicity, promised to do, but pnt promptly, asthe tribe "matter was pressed' withthe central government, who also promised enquiry and speedy redress. However, on enquiry. this redress was greatly delayed as it tumed out that the master of the vessel was smuggling arms into the country, and on being ordered to desist his men had first fited upon the Governor's men, and killed one, whereuyion the fire had been' returned andthe vessel subsequently looted, when deserted,. by' local characters. Matters were now fast coming to. a, crisis, Now the treaties between the French and, the Malagasyjare mayy and varied, aid range from the opera bouffe order, by which two Fiench mercantile skippers obtained the Fole mentioned ratard our tactical concession of the whole island, ices, to, formal documents "To his most. Christian Majesty King Louis XIV" which is to. be found in De. Clerq's Recueil des Traites de ta France (page '594)," in, which Carditial Richelieu grantd to Capiain Rigault'a mouipoly of trade for ten years. But a remarkable fact about these treaties, including. this due, is that none of the original documents were forthcoming when the Malagasy Envoys, seeking for porce in Paris, in 1882 santed to see them. Monsieur de Lanessan who reported specially to the, French Government on all these treaties makes the following, exceedingly pertinent retinark "All these treaties were made with the sufficiently powerful protection to enable object of affording the tribes ai the coast them to resist effectually the, frightful tyranny of.the Hovas. Unfortunately France has not kept, those engagements, which she had made and her protely suffered treatment so nitich the more rigorous on the part.of the Hovas, because they had made such efforts' to escape from their domination." -"All these: treaties the Hovas claimed were annulled by subsequent ones, such as for instance those made with Napoleon III in 1863 and again in 1868, under which latter treaty France fully ised, Ranaviloiia TI ds Queen of In, reference to the, autliority of, the Hovas in the north-west, provinees,' the French Consul's final, letter is, worthy of the most imperial of the Crsars, and demanded an answer whether the "Hovas would haul down their flags, yes or no, with Ju twenty-four hour of recent. "Shortly afterwards the Corisil hauled down. the French flag and left the capital, anid vinnised himself during the time he thought war would be declared, by cruising along the coast in a gunboat, and,.pulling, down, two, Hova flags' and chopping up the flag-statis into firewood. The. Hovas, however, had another card to, play, arid demanded to be allowed to send envoys to Paris to, settle the matter. This somewhat staggered the Consul, and after some opposition he had, to- let' them go,"They! arrived in Paris and in November, 1882 agreed to the withdrawal of the Hova gar sons, theFrenchagreeingthat "undérreserss of its rights, the -Hova militar thus evacuated should riot. be re the present, by French troops, ment of the Republic also has tio di declaring. that it has no intention. sess itself of; Madagascar.", Haying given in on the point they went to France to discuss, they were: then asked to sign a document assenting to the ' general rights over the whole of Madagascar." This they te-fused todo, and their flag was hauled down from their. hotel, by an official, and they were informed that they were no longer to consider. themselves the guests of France., 'They left the same night. for London and appealed..to the English, Government to niediate on their behalf, Karl Granville consented to do this on' the grounds that "Tu 1853 and 1854 there, were discussions between the. two governments, which ré- ted in: the understanding that neither would take action with reyarid to Madagascar
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.