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MADAGASCAR.

CHAPTER I.

Madagascar--Its Geographical Position-Known to the AncientsMarco Polo Pedro de Covilham Bartholomew DiazVasco de Gama-Fernan Suarez-Rodrigo Pereira Coutinho— Admiral Da Cunha-Camöens-Diego Lopez de SiqueraMacinorbé-Destruction of the Portuguese-English Settlement in St. Augustine Bay.

MADAGASCAR, called the Great Britain of Africa, is the principal island in the group known as the Ethiopian Archipelago. It is separated from the East Coast of Africa by the Mozambique Channel, and is distant from the nearest part of that continent 100 leagues, from the Cape of Good Hope 600 leagues, from Arabia 550 leagues, and from the continent of India 700 leagues.

The commentators of ancient geographers have recognised the Island of Madagascar under the respective names given to it by the writers of bygone ages; for, although the ideas entertained by them of its position were by no means definite, still they all agree that it was the largest island in the west part of the Erythrean or Southern Sea; and we find it known to Pliny as Cerné, to Ptolemy as Menuthias, and to Edrisi as Zaledz.

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