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 Guezo,
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
i year is di-
vided into equal parts. The first half s 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 wae• 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 Heneen, from
New York, October 15, has arrived at Cowes, and
proceedei 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.
TIIE AMERICAN ESTIMATE OF MACMAIIONISM.
—The " Committee," whoever 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 tom-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 bow-
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"

7HE NAVY.

It is expected that the vessels fitting out at Ports-
mouth to reinforce the squadron in China will sail
for their destination about the 2d of November.

The Mars, 80, screw, Captain Strange, got under
weigh yesterday morning from Spithead, and stood
out to the south-east, but was recalled by signal,
and shortly afterwards re-anchored at Spithead.
The Ringdove, 6, screw despatch vessel, Com-
mander Craigie, steamed out of Portsmouth Har-
bour yesterday to the measured mile in Stokes Bay
for the purpose of testing her altered screw. On
this occasion the screw had its edges or corners re-
moved from each side of the blades, rendering the
latter parallel. On the last trial with the screw in
its common form the results gave a speed to the
vessel of 10385 knots, with 86 revolutions, while
the results of the present trial, with a greater num-
ber of revolutions, gave the ship less speed, the re-
volutions reaching 921, while the speed of the ship
was a trifle over 101 knots. The vibration, with
the engines running at 921 revolutions, was greater
than on a former trial ; but on reducing the number
of revolutions to that made on the former occasion
the vibration was about the same. At the conclu-
sion of the trial the Ringdove returned into the
harbour to complete for sea.
Her Majesty's line-of-battle steamer Irre6istable,
80, which was launched at Chatham on Thursday,
is ordered to be fitted with her engines and machi-
nery at Sheerness. The interior of this vessel had
been undergoing preparations for the reception of
the machinery for some time previously to her
launch, so that little time will be lost in getting her
engines on board, a considerable portion of the ma-
chinery having already arrived from the factory.
The Scylla, 21, Captain Rowley Lambert, left
Gibraltar on the 18th of October, for Tangier, and
on the 20th embarked Jewish families, in all 250
people, and conveyed them the same day to
Gibraltar. Tangier was nearly desolate, the in-
habitants all leaving, as the Kabyles were ex-
pected to make a descant on the town ; and, if so,
there would be a general massacre. Off Tangier
were the Vulture, Quail, and Cadmus. At Gibraltar
were the Marlborough, Conqueror, Centurion, Ed-
gar, Orion, Victor Emmanuel, Neptune, Scourge,
James Watt, Doris, Lapwing, Wanderer, and
Scylla.
The screw steamship Hero, 91, bearing the flag
of Rear-Admiral Elliot, the Algiers, 91, Trafalgar,
91, Aboukir, 91, and Melpomene, 51, arrived at
Portland on Wednesday afternoon from the west-
ward.

The Vulcan, screw troopship, Commander Strode,
in Portsmouth Harbour, has sent down her topsail-
yards, an order having been received from the Ad-
miralty to have them fitted with Cunningham's
topsails, and his patent reefing gear.
The Stork, gunboat, tender to the Excellent,
gunnery ship at Portsmouth, has been taken into
the steam basin at that port to be fitted with one
of the cupola furnaces for the filling of hollow shot
with molten iron.

The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—G. B. Newton, assist.-
surgeon, to the Woolwich division of Marines ; W.
H. Cruise, assist.-surg., additional, to the Fisgard ;
C. B. Lamb, assist.-surgeon, to the Illustrious ; J.
F. Stoddart, assist.-surgeon, to the Nautilus; Alex.
Wilson, acting third-class assist.-engineer, to the
Royal Albert; and G. E. Foote, third-class assist.-
engineer, to the Simoom as supernumerary.