The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-04 00:00:00

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were not expected to take more than they liked ; and
when a visitor had drunk out of a vessel he could hand it
to one of a number of attendants who were always near,
and who were glad to finish off the contents. While all
this toasting was going on, 31 guns were fired in honour of
the visit ; and when Mr. Craft returned to Whydah he had
31 guns fired by way of returning the compliment. After
this entertainment the party were conducted to the other
side of the palace, where the Amazons were dancing.
There were 200 or 300 young women thus engaged, and
they danced very prettily, making very graceful figures.
Although the dancing was kept up all day, and the youug
women must have been very tired at night, somehow they
seemed quite as fresh as they were when they began
in the morning. There was also a grand review of the
Amazonian regiment, which marched about in various
directions, and went through all its evolutions. The
whole of the King's property was then brought forward
and exhibited to the visitors, thousands of men and
women being employed in carrying the articles backwards
and forwards. There were among these gold and silver or-
naments, and specimens of almost every kind of European
manufacture. By this time Captain Burton arrived at Da-
homey, and a grand review of the troops took place in
honour of them all. It was quite true that human sacrifices
took place, though not to the enormous extent that had been
painted. The King of Dahomey was quite black enough,
but not quite so black as he had been painted. The sacrifices
took place from three different causes. They were partly
religious, partly demonstrative of power, and partly festive.
Women and children were never sacrificed. When a num-
ber of women and children were captured, they were either
sold or given to the soldiers and others as 'wives. The chil-
dren were undisturbed ; the strong men were sold as well as
the women, if anybody would buy them; but the old men
and women and those that could not be turned to pecuniary
account were offered up in sacrifice. When he was at Da-
homey he saw a large number of children of different tribes.
The tribes were distinguished from each other by the tattOo,
marks, and almost every child he saw had a natural mark,
The people of Dahomey thought it rather against their
dignity to tattoo themselves much,and had only tattoo marks
on the temple, but other tribes were tattoed very much, and
in avariety of patterns. Thereason why they sold the young
men was that they considered it dangerous to have such a
strong antagonistic element in their midst. The King gave
him four boys for his friends and one for himself. The ages
of the boys varied from 9 to 12. They were captured by the
King in an expedition against a neighbouring tribe, and at
the same time he took a native missionary who had been
trained under the Church Missionary Society, and sent home
to teach his heathen brothers. The King of Dahomey, judg-
ing that this man was a native, and believing that he had
assumed the European garb for the purpose of deceiv..
ing him, thought it necessary to treat him with greater
severity than his other captives, and accordingly had
him crucified. But many of the chiefs expressed their
regret to Mr. Craft that this had occurred, and ex-
cused themselves by saying they did not know that
the poor man was under the protection of the English, The
boys whom the King presented to him he had given to his
friends, though, of course, they would not regard them as
slaves, but would educate them and bring them up as British
subjects. In reference to the sacrifices, M. Jules Gerard
made a mistake when he said that the King danced in pools
of human blood and fragments of human flesh. He was
there on the occasion to which M. Gerard referred, and could
positively declare that nothing so unseemly took place. lie
was very sorry to differ from M. Gerard, but a regard for
the truth compelled him to make those statements. He
regretted that Capt. Burton was not present to corroborate
his statements; but he had seen a letter from that. gentle-
man in the Anglo-African newspaper—a periodical pub-
lished weekly or monthly at Lagos by a coloured gentleman
—and in that letter the captain made no allusion whatever
to the horrible things which M. Gerard said he saw. There
was also a letter in the Times of Tuesday from a gentleman
waiting from Catherine-street, Strand, who stated that he
had received a:letter by the last mail from Capt. Burton, but
that in that letter there was nothing at all about the extra-
ordinary cruelties to which M. Gerard referred. Commo-
dore Wilmot had also given an account of Dahomey which
differed very much from that of M. Gerard; and he was
able to testify to the truthfulness of the commodore's state-
ments. There were only one or two other points to which
it was necessary for him to refer. With respect to the
agricultural capabilities of the country, he regarded it as a
cotton-growing region. Nothing could be said in defence
of human sacrifices, but there was no harm in stating that
the pecuniary element entered into the question to a very
large extent, and that if the natives could be brought to
believe that it was their interest to cultivate cotton and sell
it to Europeans they would abandon the slave trade. A
great deal had been said by Commodore Maury about
Africa not being a cotton-growing country. Now, Com-
modore Maury was a very high authority on winds and
tides, and so long as he kept to his own element he would
not interfere with him; but when ho landed at Natal,
and began to talk about cotton, he was very liable to find
his statements criticised. A lady who was in the room had
shown Mr. Craft some cotton which had been grown at
Natal, and very good cotton it was; the lady was Mrs.
Richardson. Commodore Maury seemed to be of opinion
that cotton world not grow well unless it was nipped by
frost every year, Now, Natal was in about the same latitude
as Egypt, and as Egypt could grow very good cotton with-
out frost, why, he asked, might not Natal, if care were
taken to cultivate it ? 'With regard to West Africa and
Thahorney, he could testify that cotton was grown there in
abundance. Abbeokuta joined Dahomey, and a very con-
siderable cotton trade had sprung up there during the last
few years. At the present time there was a blockade there
owing to some difference between the British Government
and the Abbeokutans, and consequently the cotton was not
exported; but he knew for a fact that merchants were buy-
ing it up in considerable quantities, and storing it up with
a view of sending it out of the country as soon as the blockade
was over. He believed that the slave6trade was carried on
by the people of Dahomey for the purpose of gain. Slave
dealers went to the chiefs of different tribes and induced
them to go to war with one another, and remained behind
the scenes for the purpose of buying up the slaves that were
captured in the war. In this way heathen captives were
found to supply the market created by these Christian dealers
in human flesh. Now, he thought that if the King of Da-
homey and his chiefs could be interested in the cultivation
of cotton, and could be brought to feel that it was more pro-
fitable than the traffic in slaves, they would give the latter
up altogether. 'Accordingly, he had told the king that the
demand for slaves would not exist for ever; that slavery
was becoming very unpopular; that the Americans were at
war, and that it might happen that before the war was closed
slavery would be abolished, in which case there would be
a very limited demand for slaves. (Hear, hear.) He
might state that the Americans had prohibited the slave
trade, but in spite of that a large number of slaves had
been taken to Cuba, smuggled across the Gulf of Mexico
into Florida, and carried thence into the interior of the
Southern States. He told the King he believed it would
pay him to attend to the cultivation of cotton, and not
only to its cultivation, but to its manufacture. The King
seemed interested in his statements, and replied that if he
could point him to a good market he would be very glad to
grow cotton on a large scale. The King also offered him a
large place for carrying on his business—a large square at
Wydah, surrounded by a mud wall about 20fc. high, and
containing several storehouses. He also offered to facilitate
his movements in any way, and gave him, moreover, about
300 samples of cloth of European manufacture, and said
that the people of Dahomey would readily purchase of that
kind if they were imported from Europe."

Mr. Ciaft then exhibited several articles of native
manufacture which he had brought from Dahomey ;
among these were two cushions made of native
leather, and having a sort of embossed surface of a
gay pattern. These formed the principal furniture
of a Dahomey dwelling. There were also several
specimens of native manufactured cloth, which was
made of narrow strips dyed in gay colours principally
yellow and red. Another article was an amazonian
sword, made apparently of very good steel, pro-
duced in the country. Mr. Craft also exhibited
a cartridge-box, ornamented with cowries, or
native coin, and pouches or bags of different kinds,
all more or less ornamented. There was also the
backbone of a boa constrictor, which, it was said.
was a very useful thing tc keep off evil spirits, and
also to cure people of the back-ache. Other articles
were exhibited, such as beads of bone, and bamboo
baskets, made with great ingenuity to fit into one
another. Mr. Craft concluded by saying the, he
did not think that the King of Dahomey or his
people would grow cotton from any high Christian
motive, at least in the first instance, but that he
was convinced that if they saw that they could do
it profitably they would cultivate it upon a very
large scale. Mr. Craft was very warmly cheered
in concluding his address, which, however, scarcely
excited the discussion in the section it is likely to
do elsewhere.

Dover and Calais are now within hours of each other.
The "James Penn " crosses the Channel in that time. This
rapidity is due to improvements in the marine engne. Grey
hair is restored to its natural colour, and tic doloreux and
nervous headache cured by Herring's magnetic brushes.
Their undeviating success is due to late imi,rovements by
the inventor. I\.l;.—Counterfeits are being made. Offices,
32, Basiughall-street, London.

THE NEW GOVERNMENT OFFICES.—The con-
tract for the new India and Foreign offices to be
erected by Mr. Scott, the architect, has been let to Messrs.
Smith and Taylor, whose tender, £195,573, being the
lowest, was accepted. The other tenders, making 11 in all
were Messrs. Little, £2o9,6ls—Messrs. Higgs, £206,669—
Messrs. Rigby, £2o6,lo9—Messrs. Piper and Wheeler,
£200,335 —Messrs. Myers and Son, £198,560—Messrs.
Holland and Hannen, £l97,4B7—Messrs. Cubitt, £196,750
—Messrs. Kirk, £l96,soo—Messrs. Lucas, 4196,270—and
Messrs. Baker, £195,800. The foundations for the entire
building in 14 feet of concrete are all finished, and that por-
tion of the structure intended to be appropriated for the use
of the India-office has just been commenced.

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