| | |
| |
|
page I.85
| |
The river waters the fine vale of Betsimitatatra, which lies west of the capital. The vale itself reaches from thirty to forty miles, in a direction from north to south, varying in width from half a mile to four miles. It is, however, impossible, merely by specifying its length and width, to convey an accurate idea of the form or beauty of the Betsimitatatra vale.Its rich productions throughout its whole extent,its irregular outline, terminated by innumerable rising grounds and gently-sloping hills, covered with villages, or adorned with cultivation, continually present to the traveller new and varying scenes of tranquillity and loveliness. In the rainy season especially, Betsimitatatra, viewed from the capital, presents the most charming and delightful scenery. It is extensively cultivated, and the beautiful green of the rice plantations, in the early part of the season, is not surpassed by the finest herbage of the European landscape. |
| |
|
page 54
| |
In the foreground, stretching away many miles, is the great rice-plain of Betsimitatatra, from which numbers of low red hills, most of them with villages, rise like islands out of a green sea when the rice is growing; along the plain the river Ikopa can be seen, winding its way north-westwards to join the Betsiboka; the united streams, with many tributaries, flowing into the sea at the Bay of Bombetoka. This great plain, "the granary of Antananarivo," was formerly an immense marsh, and earlier still a lake; but since the embanking of the river by some of the early kings of Imerina, it has become the finest rice-plain in the island, and, with its connected valleys, furnishes the bulk of the food of the people of the central province. |
| |
|
page 148
| |
Il faut prendre le temps de parcourir ces collines et contempler du sommet d'Ambohidrapeto le spectacle inoubliable du coucher de soleil sur l'orgueilleuse Tananarive dont la muraille abrupte, scintillante de lumières, domine la vaste plaine du Betsimitatatra, tel un immobile vaisseau figé dans la nuit. |
| |
|
page I:521
| |
Andriantsitakatrandriana dit à Rafoloarivo: "Préparez-vous, car nous allons creuser des canaux qui feront produire du riz à ce marais enfoncé qu'est le Betsimitatatra". |
page I:522
| |
C'est Andriantsitakatrandriana qui fit aménager les premières rizières du Betsimitatatra. Autrefois il ne poussait dans le Betsimitatatra que des zozoro, des joncs et de la petite forêt; dans la suite, quand Andriantsitakatrandriana habita ici à Tananarive, il dit: "Nous habitons dans une île; faites produire du riz à ce Betsimitatatra". Et il réfléchit à ce qui pourrait lui en faire produire. Il fit trancher toute la forêt, le zozoro et les joncs et fit construire une digue du côté sud, en la faisant commencer à Andriantany; il transforma la partie du Betsimitatatra qui se trouve à l'ouest de Tananarive en rizière. Le reste continua à être un marais et ce fut sous les souverains qui suivirent que le tout fut ransformé en rizières. |
