WI: British Madagascar

What if, for other reasons (the French did colonise it rather late, in the late 1800's after all). The British where able to establish a colony in Madagascar first (and lets say all that was french madagascar, so that includes Comoros and the other little islands)?

What would modern Madagascar look like today (other than English being the main colonial language other than French) and what does its history from the late 1800's to modern day look like? What differences occur (does the British send indentured Indian Labourers to Madagascar instead, does the Cape Colony get as much attention, does Madagascar get built up as a major launching point in the second boer war etc).
 
The only reason for the British to colonise Madagascar is as a penal colony like Australia.

Maybe something like that..?

Could be too, maybe they could set it up initially like that.

Though I'm sure they could have grown some cash crops there as well and there are resources like gold and copper which I'm sure they'd want.
 
The only reason for the British to colonise Madagascar is as a penal colony like Australia.

If we assume this as the PoD does this mean it get chosen instead of Austrlia, or a substitute when Australia becomes a settler colony?

If we go with the latter we're looking at a PoD sometime in the 1800s, maybe shortly after the Napoleonic Wars.
 
How about an attempt at settling Madagascar while it's part of the Pirate Round?
After the Crribeanis cleared up in the 1720s and a few survivors escape, Britain takes Madagascar on the pretext of scattering the last organised pirates?

British Madagascar fro the 1730s or 40s.
 
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