The French are beginning to grow angry at the non-success
of the expedition to Madagascar. Every precaution has been taken by General Duchesne to prevent information from the front from reaching Paris ; but nevertheless letters from officers are beginning to appear. They all tell the same story. The troops have been detained in the malarious region on the coast in order to make roads on whioh artillery could travel, until their hearts have been broken by malarious disease. Of the Engineers, 800 strong, 680 are in hospital ; of the 200th Regiment, which formed the vanguard of 2,000 men, only 400 are fit for duty ; and of the Chasseurs, 50 per cent. are known to be in the ambulances. It is calculated that 40 per cent. of the whole expedition is unfit for work, and but for the black troops (Senegalese) and a seasoned Algerian regi- ment, the advance would be nearly impossible. There has been no fighting as yet of the slightest importance ; but the expedition is still more than fifty miles from Antananarivo, the severe passes leading to the city have still to be scaled, and it is still uncertain whether the Hovas will resist in the narrow gorges, or whether they will burn the capital and retreat to the " sacred city," Imerina. On the other hand, the best accounts represent the Govern- ment as utterly disorganised ; General Duchesne's few telegrams are still confident ; and it is possible that the expedition, arrived on the plateau, may receive the Queen's submission and forget its sufferings. It is characteristic that the longest letter yet published from the front complains, first of all, of the absence of amusement. A theatre would keep the conscripts out of hospital.
