During our journey we looked everywhere for columnar basalt: but failed to find it. We saw abundance of lava, great and small, and of volcanic earth: but of columnar rock there seemed to be none. At last we found a single patch of it, about fifteen miles north of Voto Vorona. It covered a space of thirty feet by twenty: the columns were, as usual, six-sided: and the pillars exposed on the edge of a low ridge were four feet long. It is in the neighbourhood of these volcanoes that all the metals and peculiar earths in the island are said to be found. A district south-east of Sirabe and near to the Mania, is said to possess copper. Sulphur in small quantities is found at the south end of Ankárat. The lime is in Sirabe and a little of it north of Ankárat. Iron is found in abundance in the hills of Amoronkay, fourteen miles from the Capital and to the east of Ankárat. It is also abundant in the lofty mountain of Ambóhimiangára on the north-east corner of Lake Itasy. On the whole the native metallic supply in Madagascar seems poor and scanty. Journeying from Betafo to the Capital, we paid a brief visit to the mission at Másinandráina; skirted the little lake of Iraikiba, the scene of a local legend of the Hero and Leander type; exhibited the bubbling well to our astonished bearers; and a second time enjoyed the hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Rosaas at Sirabé. Thence we journeyed east over new ground to the broad level valley of the Lávadráno, “hollows with water;” and received a kind welcome from Mr. and Mrs. Nilsen at Lóharáno. With Mr. Nilsen, we climbed VOTOVORONA, and from the summit carefully surveyed the country on all sides. The clear view furnished us with several connecting links of great value to the lists of observations taken hitherto. We saw far to the south the hill overhanging Ambositra: we saw Ivohibe to the west; and to the north had several lofty hills of known position a few miles south of the Capital. Votovorona is a noble conical hill, of most striking appearance. It is 844 feet in height, and stands on a broad base, 900 feet across. The base is gneiss: the cone proper is of lava rocks; one stone of which was clinkstone with a decided metallic ring. From Votovorona we had a clear view of several horse-shoe craters on the neighbouring moor: and the long valley of the Lavadrano was beneath us in all its length and breadth. The great granite mass of Ibety, south of Sirabe, towered high over the country.