The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-08-16 00:00:00

DR. DIXON, THE AFRICAN TRAVELLER.

Extract of a letter dated Cape Coast Castle, 28th April, 1833:
" I fear I have been guilty of great neglect in not sooner com-
municating to you the result of my inquiries respecting the fate
of Dr. Dixon. , These particulars I shall, however, now briefly
recapitulate to you, that you may be able to answer any in-
quiries on the subject: on their correctness I believe you may
perfectly rely.
" His Majesty's ship Brazen, having Captain Clapperton and
the expedition on board, on her voyage down the coast to
Badagry (from whence it was intended the expedition should
start,) touched at Whydah, a small town on the Dahomey coast.
Here the gentlemen of the expedition landed, and were hospi-
tably entertained by a Senhor de Souza, the most notorious and
extensive slave dealer on the coast of Africa. While here, Dr.
Dixon expressed a strong desire to penetrate into the interior
through Dahomey, so as to rejoin Captain Clapperton and his
companions at Katunga, or, as it is called on the coast. Eyeo.
M. de Souza readily offered his services, and actually accom-
panied the Doctor to the court of Dahomey, at an immense
expense to himself, being obliged, when visiting the King, to
make him very large and valuable presents. Dr. D. was well
received by the King, who swore not only to protect him while
passing through his own dominions, but to use his power and
influence to procure for 1 i n similar favour and protection from
those chiefs through whose dominions he must needs pass. The
Doctor, accordingly, left Dahomey, well escorted, and the king,
or chief, into whose country he was about to enter having also
sworn to afford him every protection and assistance, he had
every
.prospect of being able to reach Katunga long before
Captain Clapperton.
"There it was, however, that his ignorance of the customs of
the country, and impatience or irritability of temper, cost him
his life. When approaching the principal town, the King,
attended by his sons and chiefs, came out, as is customary, to
meet him ; and the King desired his eldest son to swear fidelity
to the stranger, after the fashion of the country. You will, per-
haps, recollect that this is done in this part of Africa by the
party drawing a sword, or kind of sabre, (more like a bill-hook
than anything else,) and making a long harangue, using all the
gestures,
while the most violent and angry-like and pushing the
point of the sword almost down the throat of the party in whose
favour the oath is taken ; in fact, they show their dexterity by'
cutting close to the face without actually touching it. Doctor
Dixon unfortunately misunderstood the meaning and nature of
the whole ceremony, and conceiving, from the gestures and
appearance of the King's son, that he meant to kill him, drew
his sword and plunged it into his body. Instantly all was up-
roar, and the Doctor would, of course, have been sacrificed on
the spot, had not the King interfered, and ordered him to be
guarded into the town, declaring that he could not break his
oath, even although his own son had been stabbed ; it was, be-
sides, against the fetish' of that country to shed blood in the
King's presence. Dr. D. was ordered to leave the country the
next morning, and, with an escort from the King, proceeded on
his journey accordingly. The instant, however, that he had
passed the boundaries of the King's dominions, (when, accord-
ing to their ideas, the King's oath was no longer binding,) his
escort fell upon him and murdered him. This, I have reason
to know, is a true and correct account of Dr. Dixon's lamenta-
ble fate."

Doctor Lawrence was promoted to the Archbishopric of Cashel
in the year 1822, since which period he has promoted twenty-one
Clergymen, whom he found in his diocese at the time of entering
upon its superintendence, totally unconnected with his Grace,
and unknown to him previously to his taking charge of the See.
POOR RATES.—A return has just been published of the amount
of poor rates levied in England and Wales in the year ending
25th of March, 1832, from which it appears that the total raised
in England was £8,255,315 125., and in Wales £367,60412s.—
During the same period 51,705 paupers were employed by the
overseers in repairing the roads within England, at an ex-
pense to the parishes of £261, :65 Bs. ; and 1,131 in Wales,
at a cost of £3,354 17s.
DUNBAR HERRING FISHING, Arc. 9,—The boats were in
general well fished this morning; and several additional boats
having arrived, it is fully expected that there will be a good
drave next week. Hitherto the supply has been mostly bought
up by the cadgers, but the additional boats will now enable the
curers to begin.
. _ _

We are sorry to learn that the cod and, ling' fishings in the
West Highlands have entirely failed this season. This will be
severely felt by the productive classes throughout the country,
who look for a part of their living from this source, as the price
of these fish has risen greatly this year. The Newfoundland
cod fishing has been pretty successful, and the fish of an ex-
cellent quality, which will in a great measure supply the want
caused by the defalcation in the Highland fishing.—Edin-
Advertiser.

FRAUD OUTIVITTED.—On Wednesday week, Lewis Thomas
and Evan Evans set off from Merthyr to take thea. passage for
America, Thomas leaving a wife and six children, and Evans a
wife and eight children behind them. These honesLmen, in all
probability, expected that the parish of Merthyr, rather than be
encumbered with the permanent burden of maintaining their
families, would defray the expense of their conveyance also to
America. It turned out, however, that application was made
on the following day to J. B. Bruce and William Thomas,
Esquires, to grant a warrant for their appiehension. On Friday
the warrant was put in force by George Thomas, constable, ap-
prehending them at Newport, with eleven pounds in their pos-
session. Out of these eleven pounds the constable defrayed the
expenses of their conveyance on Saturday to Merthyr, where
they were brought before W. Thomas, Esq., Magistrate, andby
him committed for three months to the house of correction at
Swansea, to which place they were conveyed (there to expe-
rience the instruction of the tread-mill,) at their own proper costs
and. charges.—Merthyr Guardian.
MANNER OF. NAMING COUNTRIES.—The origin of the word
Canada is curious enough. The Spaniards visited that country
previous to the French, and made particular searches for gold
and silver, and, finding none, they often said among themselves,
" Aca nada," (there is nothing here.) The Indians, who watched
closely, learned this sentence and its meaning. After the de-
parture of the Spaniards the French arrived, and the Indians,
who wanted none of their company, and supposed they also were
Spaniards, come on the same errand, were anxious to inform
them that their labour was lost by tarrying in that country, and
incessantly repeated to them the Spanish sentence, " aca nada."
The French, who' knew as little of Spanish as the Indians, sup-
posed this incessantly-recurring sound was the name of the
country, “nd gave it the name of Canada, which it has borne
ever since.

THE NEW STAGE COACH ACT.—The bill for the amendment
of the act of the 2d and ad George IV., which was read a third
time in the House of Commons on Thursday week, and passed,
repeals so much of the same as relates to the number or distri-
bution of outside passengers, or as requires a separate division
for luggage on the roof of a stage carriage, and enacts that car-
riages from wheel to wheel must be 4 feet 6 inches wide, carry-
ing nine passengers, not more than five to be outside ; if allowed
to carry twelve, not more than eight outside ; if allowed to carry
fifteen, not more than eleven outside; if allowed to carry eighteen,
not more than twelve outside; if more than eighteen, not to take
more than two additional outside passengers for every three ad•
ditional allowed for the whole. Penalty for carrying a greater
number than licensed to carry, £5. Driver, conductor, or guard,
and children in lap, not to be counted as passengers, and two
children under seven years of age to be reckoned as one pas-
senger. No person shall sit on luggage on the roof, nor more
than one besides the driver on the box, (offences subject to a
penalty of £5.) Penalties shall be deemed as part of his Ma-
jesty's revenues, and that the Ist and 2d of William IV., relating
to hackney carriages, &c., shall not extend to steam carriages.
ATTACHMENT OF
,A MAGPIE.—About three leagues from
Nantes is a very pretty village called Thouare. In this village
flourished, a few vears ago, a magpie, whose memory deserves
to be cherished. -Her master was a justice of peace, and Mag
lived on excellent terms both with him and his maid-servant.—
The justice, who was a great epicure, had a brood of ducks,
which were daily taken to the fields for food and exercise. The
servant always conducted them, and Mag accompanied her.
The maid remarked that, at the hour fixed- for their walk, the
magpie regularly placed herself in readiness at the hen-house
door. One day, just as she had let them out, she was suddenly
called away, when, to her great surprise, she saw the cavalcade-
on its way' to the field, under the sole guidance of Mag, who, with
her beak, was urging on those who lagged behind to mend their
vice. Next dap the servant purposely let her go alone, when,
she again took ihe command of the flock, and from that time the
whole charge was left to her, of conducting them, and bringing
them in at night. But the justice did not keep ducks for the
mere pleasure of looking at them ; his views were towards the.
spit ; and, as they had now attained proper fatness, Queen Meg
saw the number of her subjects gradually diminish. She bore
up with firmness against these trials, and when only a solitary
duck remained, she led it to and from the field with her usual
punctuality. At length the cruel order *as issued; the last
duck was to follow its companions, and appear at the justice's
table. The maid caught the poor victim, and was about to exe-
cute her master's commands, when Mag, giving way to her fury,
flew upon her, tore her face with her talons and beak, till she
left her streaming with blood, then took her flight, and never
returned.

Emporto.

AFRICA.
William, Sproul. fm Africa, with abt 275 csks palm oil, 408 ele.
phants' teeth, 15 ek, pepper, 1 csk retd goods, J J Hamilton and co
—KIZ