[3] Upon the death of Radama I in 1828, the accession of his wife, Queen Ranavalona I, to the throne, and her subsequent attempt to rid the island of foreign influence, Christian proselytizing was forbidden and those practicing the new faith were actively persecuted.
[4] According to a speech delivered at Cameron's funeral, it was thanks to his intervention that the LMS was able to maintain a presence on the island until 1835, restricted though it might have been: The missionaries were called together and asked whether they could not teach the people something more useful, such as soap making from materials found within the country.
It was then to Mr. Cameron that the missionaries looked for help; and taking a week for considering and studying the matter, he was able to meet the messengers of the government with two small bars of tolerably good white soap, with a promise of being able to continue its manufacture...
Ranavalona's death in 1861 and her succession by her son Radama II reopened Madagascar to foreign influence and the activities of Christian missionaries there.
He constructed several buildings on the Rova compound in Antananarivo, including the Manampisoa (1866), a royal tomb (1868) and the stone shell of the Queen's Palace (the Manjakamiadana) in 1869.