THE FRENCH IN MADAGASCAR.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1160, 13 October 1883, Page 3

THE FRENCH IN MADAGASCAR.

(Prom the special correspondent of the Melbourne Argus.) (Continued.) Rev D. Shaw’s statement. “ My difficulty as regards my house, in its isolated position, commenced on the Wednesday, and on that day I asked the commandant to allow me to remove my furniture and effects to the town. But having only a few servants at my dis- , posa’ I was unable to remove more than a i portion of my goods, and the cellar and i dispensary —from the latter of which I i used to distribute medicines amongst the natives— were perforce left until the ■ next day. Between 5 and 6 o’clock on ■ the Wednesday evening the qoipmandant : sent word to say that according to our request he would send a picket to guard the house on the Thursday morning. During Wednesday night another European and I, together with a couple of natives, kept watch in the town as best we could, but ray house being a mile away was, of course, at the raeicy of the 1 1 marauders. On visiting it on Thursday 3 J morning wo found that it had been broken

into uni everything plundered. The cellar and dispensary had been thoroughly pillaged, and most of their contents removed, but a number of bottles from each place were strewed about in the adjoining grounds. My landlord and I set to work as quickly as possible to gather these remaining bottles before the promised picket arrived, and at 8 a.m. we had the balance collected ready for removal. When the picket at last came on the scene I told the officer on command what had happened, and asked him if he or his men should find anything of value to let me know. On the Thursday the British consul and all others were told to haul down their flags, and Tamatave was proclaimed a part of the French Republic, the French flag now for the first time being hoisted. The gentleman who up to now had been acting as French viceconsul was appointed maire. As soon as the French thus formally took possession r.f Tamatave, a number of decrees issued by Admiral Pierre were promulgated, notices being affixed to the trees, fences, and other conspicuous places. Amongst those decrees was one ordering all Europeans having native servants in their employment to send in the names of the said servants to the maire, offering at the same time a guarantee to be responsible for their good conduct, otherwise no person of Asiatic or African origin could be allowed to remain in the town. I duly prepared a list of my servants, and delivered it early on Saturday morning to the maire, who remarked that it was merely a matter of form, and if I would go to the fort, the commandant would complete the necessary formalities. I therefore proceeded during the day to the fort, where I found that the maire had preceded me, and had an interview with the commandant. No sooner had I arrived than I was accused of harbouring Hoovas. I protested against this accusation, and asked on what foundation it rested. I said that the only Hoovas on my list were the schoolmistress and her mother, the one being too ill and the other too old to leave Tamatave before the bombardment commenced. I was told, in reply, ‘ The persons on your list are Hoovas ; their names prove them to be such. If they had been Betsimasaraka (friendly tribe) natives their names would have been written in the Betsimasaraka fashion, and would have been lecognised.’ I replied that the natives whose names I had given were neither Hoovas nor Betsimasarakas, but belonged to the Betsilao or Betsileo tribe, inhabiting the table-land towards the south. The mistake on the part of the authorities, I pointed out, arose from the fact that, through long usuage of the Hoova language, I had written the names, without thinking, after the Hoova fashion. The commandant replied that, to settle the question, it would be necessary to produce the natives themselves, and asked where they were to be found. I said they were all in the town, where they had been with me since the day of the bombardment. The commandant, to my astonishment, placed me under arrest until the arrival of the natives. I immediately wrote a note to my landlord, bidding him bring the natives to the fort, and' this note I handed open to the commandant, I was then marched to a tent, where I was placed under a guard of five armed soldiers, with a threat that if I attempted to leave the tent I should be forthwith shot down, I was kept there until the evening, and this although I had seen that ray servants had arrived dnring the morning. During that day I really was afraid that they would shoot me under some pretext of myhaving harboured spies In the evening I was placed in the centre of a squad of soldiers, and marched down to the landing-place, from whence I was taken on board of the French man-of-war the Nievre. I was then confined in a small cabin, and treated like a common prisoner, with a sentry on guard at the door. My food was of the coarsest nature, similar to that of the sailors, and was served to me in a rough sort of a bucket, one utensil doing duty for the whole, and neither knife, fork nor spoon being given me. I eventually made friends sufficiently with my sentry to obtain the loan of an iron spoon, _ This and my bucket formed my table equipage. It was even difficult to get water to drink or to wash with. Several days of this hard treatment, during which my mental anxiety was even greater than my bodily discomforts, broughton an attack of fever, and it became necessary for the doctor of the vessel to attend me. He found me much prostrated, and suffering acutely. I appealed to him, and pointed out that while I retained myfhealth it was just possible for me to swallow the rude fare alloted to me ; but in my present state it was out of the question. I further said that 1 thought prisoners of war were allowed to purchase extras beyond the prison food ; but he replied such was not the case. However, he himself took the matter in hand, and at his insti-gation-while ill—l had daily a plate of better food from the officers’ cook, and this helped to pull me round. I was 15 days recovering from the attack of fever. During this time ray wife, whom I had not seen for two years, arrived at Tamatave in the steamer Taymouth Castle Finding that the war had broken out, and hearing of my imprisonment she proceeded 0 to the commandant at the fort and begged to be permitted to see me, or to share my imprisonment with me, but her request was refused. She then came in a boat near the ship where I was detained, but they refused to let her see me, and even declined to allow me to go on deck and wave my handkerchief to her. She was afterwards prevented from remaining on shore to be near me, and had to proceed—in great agony of mind—to Mauritius, where I believe she gave the first news of my detention. At the expiration of this time 1 was interviewed by an officer and inspector of police. They wrote down a series of questions to which I replied, also in writing. The inspector asked me, amongst other things, if I knew for what I was imprisoned. I said 1 had no idea, for ray servants had duly been found, and had been brought on board, so that my innocence of the charge of harbouring spies could easily have been proved. The inspector then said that the charge upon which I was now kept imprisoned, was that of having placed near my house a number of bottles containing poisoned wine. To this villainous accusation I replied most indignantly, and pointed out that it was impossible for mo to have done such a thing without the knowledge of nil those with whom I had always been together both in watching and removing my effects. I asked him if these witnesses

had been examined, and if not, urged him to examine them, but I afterwards ascertained that he had no power to undertake such an examination. Two or three days later —on the 4th July—l was removed to the French flag-ship La Flore, and there nil the restrictions which had before proved so detrimental to my health were renewed with even greater harshness and stringency. I was placed in a small, ill-lighted cabin on the lower deck, with the door closed, and guarded by an armed sentry. I was only allowed to leave this cabin for an hour each day, nor was I permitted to speak to anyone. My arrangement with the cook was forbidden, and I was once more served with the coarsest food. The effect of all this was most painful to both mind and body. Twenty-two days passed after my first examination without my hearing a word, when I was re-examined by another officer styled the reporter to the Government. My witnesses were not examined on oath, but I found that the charge against me had been once more changed. I was now accused of having imprudently allowed certain bottles to lie about containing a poisonous mixture. I replied, pointing out that, for want of a proper guard, which I had asked for in due time, my cellar and dispensary had been rifled of their contents, and the fact of certain bottles being strewed about was, therefore, more to the discredit ot the authorities than to my blame. It was stated that one of the French soldiers had taken a drink from a bottle found near my house, and had speedily become insensible. The contents of the bottle, on being analysed, showed a trace of laudanum. Surely there would have been more than a 1 trace ’ if the mixture was strong enough to render a man ‘ speedily insensiblewhile a mere ‘trace ’ might be found in a bottle after its contents had been tasted by some one with laudanum in an aching tooth. My own theory is that the ‘ poisoned soldier ’ was simply drunk. Eleven days after this I was informed that, if I applied to the admiral in writing for my liberty, I would probably be released on parole, and allowed to proceed to Mauritius, on a distient understanding that I would return, when so called on, to appear before a court-martial. I was the more willing to obtain rav release on these terms, as I was told that if I stayed I should still have to go before two more officers before the court-martial could be held ; and, judging by the time already absorbed between my two examinations, I dreaded the continued confinement and strain on my health. I according wrote a formal application to the admiral to be released on parole. Three days later I asked the officer if the admiral had not yet replied, and if not, whether he was sure my letter had reached the proper hand. The officer replied that the admiral would not reply until the last minute meaning just before the sailing of the Nihvre, by which vessel 1 might go on to Bourdon, but he (the officer) was quite sure liberty on parole would be granted; so sure was he of this that he, it any rate, would at once make the necessary arrangements for my passage by the Nihvre, which was to sail on the morning of the second day from then. On the following night, the eve of the toievre’s departure, a form was brought up to me filled up to the effect that as sufficient evidence to warrant an inquiry before a court-martial had not been forthcoming, and taking into consideration my nationality and other circumstances outside the case, I was to be set at liberty. ‘ The bottom,’ to use an enpressive Americanism, ' had dropped out of the whole affair.’ To make assurance doubtedly sure, I said, ‘ Why, this is not a release on parole,’ and was informed that it was an unconditional release. You can go where you like. ‘ Even on shore ?’ I asked. ‘ Yes, certainly;’ was the answer. But they had taken good care to render my going on shore impossible, for had 1 done so that night, I could not have caught the Nihvre in the morning, seeing that she left an hour before boats were allowed on the harbor. So I had to leave without going on shore.

(To he Continued.)