Madagascar

mad-a-gas'kar, the one large island of Africa. It is a possession of France. It lies in the Indian Ocean, about 230 miles from the southeast coast of the African mainland. It is about twice as large as Great Britain and Ireland and somewhat smaller than Texas. The coast has few bays; the shore is low and comparatively level. The interior rises into a rough region of rocks and moors, 3,000 to 5,000 feet above the sea. The lower region is well watered, fertile, and well wooded. While the high interior has a temperate climate, the coast regions are sultry, swampy, and malarial. The season from November to April is hot and rainy, especially on the eastern coast; with terrific hail storms, thunder storms, and hurricanes every year or two. No snow falls on the island. About 4,000 plants have been described, including species of palm, bamboo, tree fern, baobab, tamarind, orchis, and others, many of which are not found elsewhere. Many curious animals are found in the woods and water, including the lemurs or long-tailed monkeys, the aye-aye, and bats and chameleons without number. The remains of a bird larger than the ostrich have been found. Its egg was over twelve inches long. Over 125 birds not found elsewhere may be seen in the island.

The inhabitants number about 2,500,000. The original negro population was subjugated at some time by a warlike tribe of Malay invaders, called Hovas. They are now a third of the population. They made the French no end of trouble until their last queen was banished, 1899, to Algiers. The island is now recognized as a possession of France, and is ruled by a French governor.

Between Protestants and Roman Catholics about one-fifth of the people have been converted to Christianity. Hospitals, schools, and orphan asylums are maintained in connection with the missions. The French have established courts and a system of public schools with instruction in the French language. Tamatave, the principal seaport, has one short railroad. Postal service is maintained all over the island, and is supplemented by 2,850 miles of telegraph lines and a cable to the mainland. A few wagon roads have been built, but, for the most part, goods are transported inland by canoes or on the shoulders of carriers. Over 13,000 ships, chiefly French and British, call at the ports to bring cotton cloth, coal, rice, wine, hardware, crockery, brandy, and flour, to the amount of $8,000,000 a year. They carry away shiploads of hides, cattle, beeswax, hemp, rubber, ebony, raffia, and gold.

The interior is believed to be rich in mines of gold, copper, iron, lead, sulphur, and graphite. It is as yet unexplored. The forests abound in valuable woods that may some day be needed by the outside world. The people are engaged chiefly in a rude sort of agriculture, raising cattle, rice, manioc, sugar, coffee, cotton, coca, vanilla, tobacco, and sweet potatoes. The domestic animals include 3,000,000 cattle, 330,000 sheep, 500,000 swine, and 66,000 goats.

Mad Anthony. See Wayne; Anthony