The East Coast of the Island—The West Coast—Travels of M. Grandidier—Maps of Madagascar—Mr. Cameron’s Survey—Additions made by us—Size of Madagascar—The Mountain-mass along its centre—Terraces on all sides—The Malagasy people a single race—Their Three Tribes and their Sub-divisions—The Malagasy not an African race—Their Malay origin—Evidence supplied by their Language—New Words from Arabic, French and English—Reference to Madagascar by Marco Paolo—Early Navigation of the Eastern Seas very extensive—Phœnician, Hindu, Chinese and Malay—Madagascar colonised by Malays—Three independent Movements—Traditions of the Hovas—Their Arrival in Imerina—Conquest of the Vazimba—Increase in Imerina—Their recent History—Ralambo and his Descendants—Impóin and his consolidation of the Kingdom—Radáma—State of the Country, of Social Life and of the Sakalava Tribes in his day—The people still a federation of tribes—Their Institutions—Their steady growth in Civilisation, as well as in Religious Character. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER VI. THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE OF MADAGASCAR. COMPARATIVELY little has hitherto been written on the geography of Madagascar. French travellers and English officers, as well as missionaries, have landed on the east coast and have journeyed up to the Capital: and the character of the country along their route has been fully and frequently described. The eastern coast of the island has hitherto been better known to us than any other portion. The splendid Bay of Diego Suarez; the wooded promontory on the east of Antongil Bay; the colony of Benyowsky and the Isle of Ste. Marie; Foule Point and Tamatave; the lake of Nósibé and the lagoons which follow it; Andevoranto and Máhanóro and Mánanzára; the limestone cliffs of Anósy, the rich vale of Ambólo, and the settlement of Port Dauphin; these are the points referred to by successive writers from Flacourt downwards: and all that needs to be said about them will be found carefully compiled in Ellis’s History of Madagascar, written nearly forty years ago.