The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-11 00:00:00

SHIPPING-THIS DAY,

LONDON, Oct. 11.—Wind this day at noon—North-
Westerly; moderate breeze and fine weather, but rather
cloudy.

PLYMOUTH, Ocr. Id.—Wind N.E.—Arrived—Burean,
from Monte Video.

OFF PORTLAND, Oct, 9.—Arrived—St. Dunstan, from
London for Adelaide.

OFF NOLINT'S BAY, Oct. 11,—Arrived—Isabella Blythe
from Mauritius—Georgia, from Monto Video for Havre—
Elizabeth, from New York for Antwerp.

TnooN, Oat. 11.—Wind N.B.—Arrived—Enterprise,
from Valparaiso.

CARDIFF, Oct. 9.—Wind Ee— Arrived—Helen, from
Jamaica.

(BY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Tuesday Morning.
ArrivoJ, Oct. 10—Rovers, from Archangel—James and
Eleerz, from Cronstadt—Josephine, from Landscrona—
Norden, from Beory—Donina Kertina, from Randers--
Jane Cerne, from Stockholm—Ann Jones, from Dantz!c—.
Veritar, from Guernsey.

Arriied, Oct. 11—May, from Gothenburg.
DEAL, Tuesday Morning.
Off Dovor—Hercules, from Quebec, for London.
Passed—Mane.lto, for Algoa Bay—Cid, screw steamer,
for Bilboa—both from London—Otherwiso, from SJields,
for Rio Janeiro.

A NLIV ARM OF WAR.—Let me inform the
A.ln::rnlty of a new arm which in extremity—for
°therm ite it would be the sacrifice of too many combatants
—may be used in naval warfare. But perhaps Lord C.
Paget may find some difficulty in securing its adoption. A
small privateer with 40 or 50 men, having on board some
hives full of bees, was pursued by a Turkish galley manned
by 500 seamen and soldiers. As soon as the latter camo
alongside the crew of the privateer mounted the rigging
with their hives and hurled them down on the deck of the
galley. The Turks, astonished at this novel mode of war-
tare, and unable to defend themselves from the stings of the
enraged bees, became so terrified that th'y thought of no-
thing but hew to escape their fury, white the crew of the
small vessel, defended by masks and gloves; flew upon their
enemies sword in hand, and captured the vessel almost
without resistance. But, as many of my correspondents are
clergymen, I can recommend to the ministers of Belfast an
admirable prescription for the extreme case of a Belfast
mob sacking their rectories and manses. The Mayor of
Belfast also might take it into his grave consideration,
should the citzons, instead of trying to convert each other
by arguments or Scripture, have recourse to those fashion-
able weapons which they lately wielded with so much
effect. During the confusion occasioned by a time of war
a mob of peasants, assembling in Hohnstein, in Thuringia,
attempted to pillage the house of the parish minister,
who, having in vain employed all his eloquence to dissuade
them from their design, ordered his domestics to fetch his
beehives, and threw them in !he middle of the furious mob.
The effect was what might be expected—they were imme-
diately put to flight, and happy to escape unstung.—
Beekeeping, by the Imes " Beemaster."

THE KING OF DAHOME'S SPOUSES.—A throng
of unarmed women, the royal spouses, sat in a
semicircle behind the Kivg under the same thatch, the
warrioresscs being on stools, or at squat outside, and through
the open entrance slave girls peeped at the proceeding. I
regret to say that not a pretty face appeared, Must of the
" fair sea" had sooty skins, and the few browns showed
negro features. They atoned for this homeliness by an ex-
treme devotion to their lord and master. Woman's position
on earth, say Easterns, is to look up to somebody, and these
certainly do, so far, their duty. It is no wonder that the
King of Dahome's soul, like my "Lord Keeper's," lodges
well. If perspiration appears upon the royal brow it is in-
stantly removed with the softest cloth by the gentlest hands;
if the royal dress be disarranged, it is ut once adjusted; if
the royal lips move, a plated spittoon, which Mr
Norris wrote, was gold, held by ono of the wives, is moved
within convenient distance; if the King sneezes, all present
touch the ground with their foreheads; if he drinks, every lip
utters en exclamation of blessing. The intense personal
veneration reminded me of the accounts of Mahomened the
apostle and of his followers lett by contemporary writers.
But without analysing too far, I suspect that in Dshome it
is rather the principle than the person that is respected,
the despotism more than the despot, the turban rather
than the wearer; that were the King to be succeeded on
the morrow, the same semi-idolatry would be heaped
upon his successor. However that may be, the Dahcman
King must only condescend to live, all, save what must
necessarily be done by himself, is dune for him. Such a life
appears wearisome ; but lings are unlike common men, and
the ways of princes are mysteries to the multitude. To
this exceeding care only can be attributed the protracted
reigns of a dynasty
whose eight members have sat upon the
throne 252 years, thus rivalling the seven Roman monarchs
whose rule extended over nearly the same period, and has
caused them to be held fabulous or typical,—Burton's
lliis-
L'ioti Eifrig of Dahme.