Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/514

 ^22 SOUTH AND EAST AFEICA. hood of the great island. After this first visit by Diego Dias in lo50, the island of &io.Louren90, as it was originally called by the Portuguese, received several other visits from explorers of the same nation, such as Fernao Suares, Uuy Pereira, and Tristao da Cunha, " whose name," says Camoens, " mil live et^'Hially in all that part of the ocean which washes the southern islands." But* finding neither gold nor silver in the new land, its discoverers soon abandoned it, Attracted towards India, the land of pearls, of diamonds, and costly stuffs. Not bi>ing numerous enough to hold possession of half the globe, the Portuguese were fain to relinquish the greater part of their conquests in order to concentrate their strength on those regions whence they derived most wealth. Hud their .Mozambique settlements become the centre of a considerable colony, no doubt the neighbouring island of Sao-Louren^o would have been brought within the sphere of Portuguese enterprise, if not actually annexed to the empire. The first map on which the outlines of Madagascar are figured with some approach to accuracy is that of Pilestrina, which bears the date of 1511. Early French Settlements. After the discovery nearly a hundred and fifty years elapsed before any serious attempt was made by Europeans to obtain a footing in the island. Flacourt relates that in I03o some Dutchmen landed on the shores of Anton-Gil Bay. Then in 1042 a French society, bearing the name of " I'Orient," received from Richelieu the concession of ^ladagasc^vr and the neighbouring islands, " in order to found settlements and trade." The following year a few settlers landed on the island, thus giving a first sanction to the " historic rights " over Madagascar claimed by the French Government in its subsequent discussions and negotiations with England One of the points at that time occupied was Anton-Gil (Antongil) Bay, a spacious harbour on the east coast. But the most important attempts at colonisa- tion in the strict sense of the term were first made on the south side, that is, the side lying nearest to Europe, by the Cape of Good Hope, the only route yet known to navigators. The French at first selected the bay of Manafiafa, or Saint Lucia, situated at the south-east angle of Madagascar; but they afterwards removed farther south to the peninsula of Taolanora, where they erected the stronghold of Fort Dauphin. The whole island even received the name of Dauphin, or East I"' ranee. By means of numerous foraging expeditions and occasional help from Europe, the French maintained their ground for some time at this point. Their forces would undoubtedly have sufficed to extend their power over all the southern part of the island, had the colonists not taken advantage of their ascendancy over the natives in order to convert them to Christianity, and afterwards incite them to war against each other. Slave-hunting expeditions were even organised against some of the surrounding tribes, and the unfortunate captives sold to the Dutch ])lanter8 of Mauritius Thus all the territory round about Fort Dauphin was at