The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-29 00:00:00

AFRICA.

The last accounts from the western coast of
Africa have brought the news of the death of Gueza,
King of Dahomey. The following are some details
concerning that country :
Dahomey is a military State, founded about
the commencement of the 17th century, and occu-
pies all the space comprised between the mouths
of the Niger and the Volta and the last slopes of
the Kong. Notwithstanding this important ex-
tent, it only contains 200,000 inhabitants, of whom
180,000 are slaves. At Dahomey the year is di-
vided into equal parts. The first half is taken up
with warlike operations, and the other part is de-
voted to fetes and public ceremonies. The war, pro-
perly speaking, is nothing but a hunt after slaves
made by a regular army of 12,000 soldiers, •of
whom 5,000 are women; but when the King leaves
his capital for the wa.! one-fourth part of the popu-
tion of his kingdom accompany him. The capital,
which is called Abomey, is about eight miles in cir-
cumference, and surrounded by a deep ditch.
There are six entrances, which are merely passages
of earth constructed across the ditch. One of them
is reserved for the exclusive use of the King, and
the others are open to all his subjects. Over each
gate are placed a number of human skulls, and in
the interior of the city there is a high pyramid
formed of the skulls of men and animals. The
King's palace is in the centre of the city, and the
houses of the inhabitants are scattered about here
and there without any order. The principal fete
is that called the Yqe-ah-ek-beh, or the payment of
the troubadours. There are at Dahomey a cer-
tain number of poets of either sex, whose only oc•
cupation is to sing the exploits of their Sove-
reign, and that employment, which descends
from father to son, is very lucrative. At the above
fete the King publicly distributes recompenses to
,the troubadours according to their respective merits.
All the fetes are attended by human sacrifices, which
take place on a large platform erected for the pur-
pose, and are ornamented with banners of different
colours."

AMERICA.

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)

SOUTHAMPTON, SATURDAY MORNING

The Teutonia, steamer, Captain Hen,len, from
New York, October 15, has arrived at Cowes, and
proceeded to Hamburg.
Her advices are anticipated.

She brings 764,316 dols. in specie for England,
69,000 dols. for France : and 4,000 dols. for Ham-
burg; 39 passengers for this port ; 102 for Ham-
burg.
On the 16th of October she passed the Ham-
monia, steamer, hence to New York, in lat. 40.26
N., long. 67.20 W., all well. On the 17th spoke
the British ship Flora, from Genoa, bound west, in
lat. 41.19, long. 63.17 ; and on the 27th spoke the
British ship Eleanor, from Bombay, for Liverpool,
15 days out, in lat. 49 28, long. 11.20.

Some insurances were effected at Lloyd's yester-
day on the bullion by the Royal Charter at 25 per cent.
THE AMERICAN ESTIMATE OF MACMAIIONISM.
—The " Committee," who(' -or they may be, of the
MacMahon testimonial humbug, have offered a reward of
£lO for a suitable design for their toy sword, with which
the descendant of the murderer of " St. Thomas, of Canter-
bury," is to be presented. In the meantime, a New York
newspaper thus gives us a clue to Brother Jonathan's
opinion of this precious torn-foolery :—" Blind Toadyism
—Our excellent adopted citizens, the Green Islanders have
one peculiarity—they annex every man of eminence who
happens to have a Mac or an oto their name. They even
swear that a Mac'erel is an Irish fish; an O'Nein is an
Irish vegetable. They have just discovered that the Duke
of Magenta, whose name is Macmahon, Macmahony, or
Make my honey, is an Irishman ; and though his fathers,
grandfathers, great grandfathers, and great great grand-
mothers into the bargain, have been Frenchmen (Paddy
says) for two hundred years so these poor infatuated Celts
will have it that MacMahon is a genuine Tipperary bog-
trotter. And the result is, that these silly fellows have sub.
'scribed 2,000 dollars to send to the Duke of Magenta a
horse. Far better to send him a jackass—it will be
cheaper, for they need. not go out of their committee for a
prize specimen 1"