[Sidenote: Planting.] The French island of Madagascar lies to the southeast of the continent of Africa and has a Malay population of about four hundred thousand. Work was begun in 1818 by English missionaries with the approval of King Radama, who acknowledged the suzerainty of England. Interrupted for some months by the death of most of the pioneer party, the mission was recommenced in the year 1820, in the capital city, Antananarivo, in the interior highland, and was carried on with much success until the year 1835, when the persecuting queen, Ranavalona I, began severe measures against Christianity, and all the missionaries were compelled to leave the island. But during that period of fifteen years of steady labor, the native language was reduced to a written form, the whole Bible was translated into the Malagasy tongue, a school system was established in the central province of Imerina, many thousands of children were instructed, and two small churches were formed. About two hundred Malagasy were believed to have become sincere Christians, while several thousands of young people had received instruction in the elementary facts and truths of Christianity. That was the period of planting in Madagascar. [Sidenote: Persecution.] The second period in the history of Malagasy Christianity was that of persecution which continued for twenty-six years (1835-61). During this time persistent efforts were made to root out the hated foreign religion. But the number of the “praying people” steadily increased, and although about two hundred of them were put to death in various ways, the Christians multiplied tenfold during that terrible time of trial. The truly Christian death of these martyrs is described in a native account. “Then they prayed, ‘O Lord, receive our spirits, for Thy love to us hath caused this to come to us; and lay not this sin to their charge.’ Thus prayed they as long as they had any life and then they died--softly, gently; and there was at the time a rainbow in the heavens, which seemed to touch the place of the burning.” [Sidenote: Harvest.] In 1862 mission work was re-established, and then began the third period in the religious history of the country, emphatically that of progress. From that date until the present time Christianity has steadily grown in influence. A great outward impetus was given to the spread of Christianity in the early part of 1869 by the baptism of the queen, Ranavalona II, and her Prime Minister, and the subsequent destruction of the idols of the central provinces, and still more by the personal influence of the sovereign in favor of the Christian religion.[7] Footnote 7: The material for this account was gathered from the _Missionary Review of the World_--Article by James Sibree--June 1895.