The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-17 00:00:00

The King of Dahomey

Yesterday, at the meeting of the British Association,
Captain R. H. BURTON read a paper on " The Ethnology
of Dahomey," of which the following is a pretty full re-
port :

"In the year 1863 and 1864 I twice visited Dahomey,
a country the savage and somewhat peculiar customs
of which have made for it a name in Europe. My first
flying trip lasted one month—from May 18 to June 17. It
extended only to Kana, a ruined town where the King
Villagiatura was in country quarters. The second visit was
prolonged to nearly three months, between Dec. 8, 1863,
and February 26, 1861, and its length enabled me to learn a
modicum of the Ff on, or national language. lam induced
to offer the following remarks in the belief that my experi-
ence will rectify many popular fancies. Few places in
Africa have been more cepiously written of than Dahomey,
and yet so well informed a journal as the Satui day _Re-
view (July 4, 1863) gravely tells its readers that "the King
of Dahomey has letely been indulging in a sacrifice of 2,000
human beings, simply in deference to a national prejudice,
and to keep up the good old customs of tho•country."
It
will presently arpear how the reviewer misunderstood the
matter. And first of the word*Dahomey—not Daho'me.
The existence of this once great military empire was first
made known to Europe by a letter dated Aboney, Nov. 27,
1724, addressed by Mr. B. Lamb or Lambe, agent for the
English African Company, to Mr Tucker, the Commandant
of the English Fort Whydah. In it he describes, as an eye-
witness, the dreadful slaughter of the people cf
island and independent city, by the conquering King Aga-
gia Dosu cf Dahomey, "when there was no stirring for
bodies without heads. and had it rained blood it could not
have been thicker on the ground." Yet the Kings of the
rival settlements were Scotch cousins after the following
fashion; "About 1620, an old and wealthy chief of Allada
Proper, died, and left his dominions to his three sons. These
agreed that the eldest should reign in his father's stead,
which he did in peace and prosperity, under the name of
Allude Khosa, or King. of Allada. ' De' the youngest
or some say, the second, invaded the upper waters of
our charts, and founded Hwebona,' which we have since
known as Little Ardrah, or Porto Novo. Hence the Daho-
mien King still calls him of Hwebona brother, although
now under French protection. . . The little province of
Ukwaur belonged to a chief named Aursee, who allowed the
ambitious stranger to settle there, Dalto, by degrees be-
coming powerful, encroached upon a neighbouring king-
dom, Daub, meaning the shade in the rainbow. As his
followers greatly increased, and he was even seeking more
ground from Daub, the latter exclaimed in truth, ' Son,
thou wilt build upon my stomach.' Daula bided his time,
slew the king, and erected upon his corpse the old palace
of Dahore, meaning the Dauh's stomach. Hereupon the
Ffons changed their name to Dahomans, and thee., about
1625, arc se the once great military empire familiar to the
ears of Europe. The extent and population of Dahomey has
been grossly exaggerated. Its superficies cannot be more
than 4,000 square miles. Commissioner Forbes put its po-
pulation down at 200,000 ; M. Walloon, 900,000 ; Commo-
dore Wilmot, 180,000. I would reduce it to 150,000, of
whom perhaps four-fifths are women and children. The
population is not a third of what the country could support.
The annual withdrawal of both sexes from industry to slave
hunting and the customs of the capital, the lack of repro-
duction in Amazons, and the losses by disease, have made
the country in parts a desert. So contemptible is the Afri-
can Power which is perhaps the best known throughout
Europe. Capt. W. S, Cumming. is the first Englishrhan
that visited a Dahoman monarch. Since his day (1726) the
custom has been regularly kept np. . . The grand cus-
toms take placeonly after the death of a king. They cele-
brate the annual rites in splendour and in bloodshed. Tra-
vellers give terrible accounts of the slaughter which accom-
panies the rites. Dalzell (1791) said they lasted three
months, and were marked almost every day with human
blood. Capt. Taylor and Mr Hogg, Governor tf A.ppalonia,
were present, and both affirm that not less than 500 men,
women, and children, were sacrificed. The last grand cus-
toms were performed in November, 1850, by the present so,
vereign, in honour of the manes of his father. The horrors
of the rite were exaggerate I with ridiculous adjuncts: It
was reported that the King floated a canoe and 'paddled
himself in a tank full of human blood. Tho report arose
from the custom of collecting the gore of the victims in pits
about 2ft deep and 4ft diameter. The reports of Wesleyan
missionaries show that very little change has taken place in
regard to the number of victims. The yearly customs form
continuations of the grand custom, and periodically supply
a departed monarch with fresh attendants in a shadowy
world, The Dahomiane declare that this world is man's
plantation, and the next is his home. They of course own
no future state of rewards and punishments. The number
of victims has been greatly swollen by report. Mr James
at the beginning of the present century found the maximum
of three several years to be 65. Commissioner Forbes owns
that in the later years of the King's reign, not more than
36 heads fell. During try second visit 40 men were put to
death. I presume that an equal number of women were
sent to the next world, but if so the executions took place
within the place. The men were all criminal and war cap-
tives. No innocent Dahomian is ever killed on these occa-
sions, and the King imprisons those accused of capita'
offences. He is so particular about the lives of his subjects
that throughout the empire coroner's inquests must follow
every death, and certify that it has not been violent. The
time of execution is the hour of darkness. The public
stays within doors under pain of death. The King per-
sonally superintends the executions. Some are clubbed and
others aro beheaded by the Mingham, or Premier. The
second Minister also takes his part in the tragedy. After
death the bodies aro exposed in the market place for a few
days, after which they are thrown into the city ditch. It
is not, however, at the customs that the great loss of life
takes place. At in the city of Great Benin and at
Thomasi, the capital of Ashanti, almost every day wit-
nesses some deed of blood. Whatever action, however
trivial, is performed by the King, it must be reported to
his sire., A victim, almost always a war captive, is
chosen, the menage is delivered to him, an intoxicating
draught of rum follows it, and he is despatched in the best
of humours. I heard of only one case where the victim ob-
jected to lose his life; but those who were prepared for the
customs which I witnessed sat looking at the various cere-
monies beating time to the music, and eyeing all my move-
ments. At my request the King pardoned about half of
them, but no man thanked me. There are two ethnological
particulars in Dahomey which require notice—the corpo-
real duality of the King and the precedence of women over
men. The monarch is double, two kings in one. The King
has two courts, masculine and feminine, and the high offi •
cars of both courts correspond in name and dignity.
Of the Amazons about two-thirds are said to be maidens—
a peculiar body in Africa—the remaining third having been
married. The fighting are not de facto married to the Bing,
but it may take place at his discretion. The Amazons affect
male attire, especially when in uniform. There is nothing
savage or terrible in their appearance. When young they
are compelled to dance, to taxs violent exer,ise, which ren-
ders them somewhat lean. As they advance in years they
grow in weight, and many of them are subjects for the
treatment of Mr Banting. The soldiers are not divided into
regiments. There are, however, throe distinct bodies. The
King generally pays distinguished strangers the compli-
ment of placing them in command. I had this honour, but
was not entitled even to inspect my corps. In 1863 I saw
all their women troops marching on service out of Kann,
and a careful computation gave a grand total of 2,038 ; but
of these one-third or one-half were unarmed or half armed.
On Tuesday, March 16, 1864, the present King carried out
his favourite project—an attack upon Abeponta, where his
father had left name and fame. The attempt was contemp-
tible in the extreme, and resulted in a loss of 1,000 killed
and about 2,000 captured. Thus Dahomey yearly loses
prestige.

JOHN FROST, THE CHARTIST.—Mr John Frost
the welt known Chartist leader of Monmouthshire

has lately reappeared in public. Since his return to this
country through the Queen's clemency he has lived in re-
tirement at Stapleton, near Bristol. In his 84th year, as he
tells us, a halo and hearty man, he is now engaged in writ-
ing a series of letters to a Newport contemporary, the Star
of Gwent; and it is curious to see how the opinions of this
once formidable leader of the mob have been toned down by

time and circumstances. Adversity has, no doubt, done
much, and it is not presuming to believe that the gradual,
safe, and satisfactory progress of our political system has
not left even for Chartism, at least in its formidable guise,
a leg to stand upon. In one of his letters Frost gives
interesting details of his life after he was convicted.
On his way to Van Diemen's Land in the Mandarin convict
ship, he was asked to join a mutiny. " When we were
within a few days' sail of the Cape of Good Hope a prisoner
brout,
-ht me a letter. The writer was a prisoner, a smart
He had been a mate of a ship, and was pretty
little man.
• "` was handed to me with great caution,
well educated, .
a. to be known to me only. I read
as it it contained sometn.,_ " that it was the determine.

it, In this letter I was informets
Um of the far greater part of the prior).._ to take possession
they begged
of the ship; that, having great confidence LLle'
that
mo to join in the plan; and the writer assured me any
orders should be obeyed.' This letter put me into an awkeid
position. To conceal it from the superintendent, should the
fact come to his knowledge, would have been deemed a crime,
and of the worst sort. On tho other hand, I dii not like
to betray the writer. I showed the letter to Mr Williams.
He seemed to favour the experiment. ' Let us look at the
matter carefully,' said I. ' Suppose this should be a trap.
We have made one mistake ; do not let us make another.
Suppose we should attempt and be killed, it would not be
a very honourable death I Suppose we should succeed, do
you think that we should exercise authority over the
oy prid
-
soners I will have nothing to do with it. I destr.e
the letter." On arriving at their destination the superin
ss.
-
tendent intercedes with the Governor, but without succe
" When the superintendent returned' on board ho repeated
to us the conversation which he had had with the
Governor, and he assured us—and I believe sincerely—that
ho was sorry he had not succeeded. Frost,' said he,
'we are about to part in souility for ever. lam
happy to tell you that since yhave been under my corn.
mend you have acted the part of a gentleman; and mark,'
said he, looking at me very significantly, nothing that you
said, nothing that you did, was unknown to me; and with
this knowledge I again repeat that you have acted the part
, of a gentleman. I address the same language to you, Wil-
liams."rhis language set me thinking, and it confirmed
suspicions which I had previouly formed. ' Nothing that
you said, nothing that you did, was unknown to me. Then
• he must have been acquainted with the affair of the letter.
No doubt of it,l