The Express.
London, England, 1861-05-13 00:00:00

THE WEST INDIA AND PACIFIC MAILS.

SOUTHAMPTON, MONDAT.
The Royal Mail steam-ship Ls Plat,' arrived here
at 9.15 a.m. with the above mails.
She brings 196 passengers, 42:1,230 dole. in specie, and
1,800 packages of cargo.
By the earthquake at Mendoza 8,000 lives were lost.
Whide families were swept into eternity, and those who
escaped are left homeless and atsrving.
The catastrophe cast a gloom over the whole of Chili, as
many of the leading families of Santiago, who had gone to
reside at Mendoza for political reasons, hays perished.
The commercial community of Valparaiso will suffer
heavy losses, as a large trade was carried on between the
two places.
The commerce of Valparaiso is recovering from the recent
heavy failures ; but confidence is far from being restored.
The news from Bolivia is discouraging, the country
having been very unsettlod since the departure of Linarez.
Peru was in en exceedingly unsettled and disorganised
state. A revolution was hourly expected to break out.
Business was dull in Lima ►nd (Ulla°. The difficulty of
procuring exchange caused great trouble to merchants.
American gold was selling at 30 per mat. premium, sod
drafts on England were not to be had. In Valparaiso bar
copper was quoted at 18 dollars.
Exchange on London, 60 to 00 days, 44d. ; freights,
675. to 755.

The ship Novo Polo, boars! from Audralia to England
with 200 passengers and 6,000 on. of gold dust, put into
Valparaiso on the 2nd of April, in a very badly damaged
state. She was struck by un iceberg, which dismasted her
and mused other damage . . .

At Jamaica the Cotton Growing Company had determined
to plant several thousand acres immediately, so that the
crop might be in Manchester before the close of the year.
The legislature had been prorogued by proclamation to
the Dith of May.
Trade was exceedingly dull. Coffee was quoted 42a. to
445.; sugar, 13s. to 20s. Exchange, 90, 60, and 30 days'
sight, I. and 14 per cent. prom.
Al Demerara the weather was fine foe the crops. The
market remained much in the same state as the last mail.
The Clairmont and lied Riding Hood had arrived from
China, with nearly 600 emigrants.
The weather at Bsrbadoea continued wet, retarding the
reaping of the old cane crop. The market was well supplied
with breadstuffs.
Exchange on Lawton, 30 days' eight, 490 dollars.

The Lahore Muni,* publishes the annual list
of victims to the wild beasts of the Punjab jungles. In 1860
there were 9 men, 4 women, and 432 children killed, and 55
persons *lured, by wild beasts, chiefly wolves. In 1859
sad 1860 government paid 14,386 rupees as rewards for the
destruction of 4,225 wild beasts end their cubs, and yet in
the same period one thousand children were destroyed.

The Portuguese Chambers will be opened on the
20th inst. MI question of the Sisters of Charity continual
undecided. It was probable that the Portuguese government
would issue a decree dissolviog this religious body, and
ordering the French Sisters to leave the country.

WEST COAST OF AFRICA.
THE MASSACRE AT DAHOMEY.
The Royal Mail steamship Armenian, Wild,
commander, arrived at Liverl on Saturday morning with
the maths from the West African Coast, Madeira, and
Tape 'riffs.

A native missionary, who witnessed the " grand custom"
of the King of Dahomey, mays that mom than 2,000 male
human beings were slaughtered, and about as many females
and young children, besides enormous numbers of deer, tur.
key, buzzards, and other fowL In a commercial point
view it has also been productive of evil. The West Afrinen
Herald says :—" We learn that besides the terrible sacrifice
of human life caused by the Dahoman ' grand custom', it
has also had the effect of, in a great measure, putting a stop
to trade in that part of the country. All the principal
people have been compelled to repair to the capital
ydborney), and remain there to witness thia custom. In
ah, we understand there were, when our informant left
that town, few people but women cud slaves. The palm
nuts were rotting on the trees ; commerce and agriculture
were languishing grievously. It will be a mercy, indeed,
when some civilised power shall undertake to put down this
abominable kingdom of Dahomey, the terror and scourge of
one of the finest portions of Africa. We learn that the British
government are sending 200 men to Abbeokuta to assist
the natives of that town in defending themselves against
an apprehended attack from the King of Dahomey. This
will have a great effect, and if followed up properly will re.
suit in the destruction of the Dahoman power. There la roi
doubt all the surrounding tribes fear and detest Dahomey,
she will not let anybody alone. Without even the shadow
of a pretext she invades the territories of her neighbours at
pleasure, ravaging the country, burning the villages, and
carrying away the unoffeoding and unprepared inhabitants
to death or slavery. The kingdom of Dahomey is the main-
stay and 'support of the slave trade in the Bight of Benin.
Her wars are predatory excursions to keep the slave market
constantly supplied. The Dahomaus live entirely by war.
They are essentially a nationof plunderers and warriors. They
cultivate little ; their commerce is insignificant, they soloist
altogether on the proceeds of their predatory excursions.
Let us be rid of Dahomey, and the slave trade will receive a
blow which will go far towards destroying it in the Bight of
Benin." The article then proceeds to enumerate the various
customs (including the King and all his retinue) which ought
to be abolished in the kingdom of Dahomey, and in their
place
it says make factories and government stations in the
Bight of Benin. You (the English government) will soon be
to take away your cruisers ; you will no longer turn
pale at the failure of the cotton crop in America ; and
millions of the African race will bless the band that brought
them freedom and regeneration.
Among the King of Dahomey 's army there is a troop
called the Amazon Guards. The West African Herald
thus deeribes them :—" The Amazon Guards, as they have
sometimes been styled, are the most extraordinary troops
that we have ever heard or read of. They are :LOW in
' number, all females, and display such a degree of ferocious
bloodthirstiness and hardihood as to bear a greater resem-
blaoce to a host of mad tigresses than to human creatures.
They utterly despise death; they show no mercy to any
living being in war; they are mad after blood, and seem
not to know what fear means. They are in fact a troop of
devils, so to speak, whose hideous wildness of manner, and
the savage madame of whose demeanour in times of excite-
ment is so appalling and inhuman, as to have led many
well-judging persons to opine that these dreadful crea-
tures are periodically subjected to the influence of
some speciesof drug which has this effect. The dress of
the Amazons consists of a pair of loose trousers, an upper
garment covering the breast, and a cap. They are armed
with a gun, knives, and daggers ; some have blunderbusses,
others long elephant guns, while the remainder merry the
ordinary musket. In their military exercises they display_
good discipline, as wall as wonderful dexterity and agility.