While our midday meal was preparing, we went into the chapel, which we found full of people, and very gladly gave them a service. As elsewhere during this journey, Mr. Sibree kindly acted as our spokesman, and gave them the instruction they desired. It was pleasant, yet it was painful, to see the eager look on the faces of the many respectable women, the bright young men and the intelligent children, who had been waiting for us two or three hours. We heard many of them read, examined them as to their knowledge of the Scriptures; and when they had sung a hymn, Mr. Sibree gave them an address, dwelling on the prime truths of Christianity, especially those connected with the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Ill do those understand Christian missionaries, who imagine that in instructing simple converts like these, we dwell on the outside questions of denominational organisation and worship. It is the Lord himself whom they need. It is the Lord alone who can satisfy their soul’s hunger and who does satisfy it, when once they find Him. The more simply, the more completely, we bring them to Him, and bring Him to them, the more truly is our work accomplished. We want not to make proselytes: we want these ignorant wanderers to become Christians. We observed that the house in which we dined was unusually large and substantial: and Mr. Sibree kindly pointed out to us those peculiarities, which proved it to be fashioned not after the Hova system, but after that of the Betsimisárakas. The Hova house has one post at each end and one in the centre: it has one door and one window on the west side; the bed-stead is fixed in the north-east corner; and the hearth is in the north-west corner, with a two-storied frame, covered with soot, on which the cooking pots are usually laid. Our present house had three well carved posts in the centre and at each end: the west side of the house had two doors; there was a window in the north-east, the bed-stead was in the south-east, and the fire and the saucepan-frame were in the south-west: the floor was nicely covered with very fine mats. We saw many such houses in the province: and in them all is still preserved the traditionary use of wood. Even in the Capital, the erection of brick houses, within the city-proper, only dates back a few years.