The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-11-10

most STEADY slave-export trade is carri
5 on. 10 counteract this trade, the Britt
| Government as is well known, incurs
large annual expense, and practically fai
in lis object. Thus disconnected, our go
eminent has made the attempt to persnac
The king of DaAomey to abandon the trac
in slaves; and he history of this attemp
drawn from a parliamentary paper, we no
propose to give, The particulars are COZ
tanned in report by B. Cruickshank, ESQ
respecting his mission to Dahomey.
The writer of tie report begins by glant
ing at the present state Of this nelariou
traffic. For aPeri,d, sayshe, 'extendin
over the last twelve years, the ANNUAL g,
portation OF slaves from the territory of tn
king Of Dahomey las averaged nearl
5000. In addition this number, anothe
thousand at least are annually brough
down from the interior, and are, kept in sla
very in the towns and sinsgss upon tn
coast, where they enioyls.'Shsn well con
Quoted, a very considerable share of lber
ty, and all the necessarieso life in appar
ent comfort and abundance; but they ar,
subject to expectation for acts Of gross dis
obedience. as well as for so.ial offences O
ar aggravated nature.
'lt appears TO be generd practice will
the masters Of the slaves to PERMIT them to
prosecute their own affairs, nd to receive
IN exchange for this concession OF their
time stipulated monthly sun derived from
their labor owing to this arrangement, an
industrious slave is sometints enabled to
acquire his freedom by obtaining funds ne.
cessay for the purchase Of two slaves,
which will generally be accepted as the
price Of his redemption. Tbs annual sup.
ply of 5000 slaves is chiefly, l may say
entirely derived from a systematic course
Of slave-hunting; for the number paid TO the
king by the Mahees and other tributaries,
together with the criminal offenders who are
exported, forms but a small item in the
qoss amount.
The king generally accompanies his ar
my TO these slave hunts, whichhe pursues
Tor two or three months every year It's
miserable objects are weak AMI detached
tribes, inhabiting countries adjacent to his
iominions, and at distance: from his capital
varying from twelve to tventylour days
march. A battle rarely occurs and the
loss in killed in such expeditions is not so
great as is generally believed in England.
The ordinary plan is to send Out tIaders to
act as spies; these carry their petty mer-
chandise into the interior towns, and make
their observations upon their means Of de-
Tense.
The trader returns after the lapse OF
some months, guiding the kings army, and
the leaders how they may sur,
round and surprise the unsuspcting inhabi-
tants, who are often thus captured on
awakening in the morning, AS resistance
is punished by death, they generally prefer
to yield themselves prisoners, and thus the
kings victories are often bloodleS. 1t is
only when African kings, Of neahy equal
power, are ambitious to try their Srehgth,
that those wholesale slaughters tahe place
which only terminate in the determination
OF people. Such contests, however, are
rare; the African chief having much great
err relish for an easy and unresisting prey,
whom he can convert into money, than for
the glory of victory which costs him the
lives Of his people; so at least It is with the
king Of Dahomey, who often returns to bis
capital without the loss Of man either Of
his own party or that Of his enemy. He
has on more than one occasion been repul-
sed by the Akus and the people OF Aber-
koutah but IN these and similar cases,
where the resistance is likely TO be strong
and determined, his troops are led away be-
fore much slaughter has been done.
AFTER the surrender OF a town, the prisO-
ners are presented to the king by their cap.
tors, who are rewarded by the payment of
cowries, Of the value Of couple OF dollars
for each captive, who is hsncelorth the
kings slave; but on his return to his CAPT
tai after successful enterprise, heis in the
habit Of distributing number Of these un-
fortunate creatures among his head men,
and at the same time bestowing large sums
as bounty to bis troops. a selection is
then made Of portion of the slaves, who
are reserved fo the Kings employment;
and the others are sent down to the slave
who not unfrequently has already
sold{his goods on credit in anticipation of
their arrival.
AN export duy Of five dollars is paid
upon each slave shipped from the kings
dominions, even although the port OF EN-.
barkation may not belong to him. 1t is Il
frequent practice to convey them by the la.
COON either to the eastward, as Little Popo,
or to westward, as Porto Nuovo, neither Of
which towns are subj.ctto the king. He,
however, has command o. the lagoon lead
ing to thooo plaoes, and the duty must ha
paid previous to their embarkation upon IL;
so that from the export duty alone the king
derives an annual sum Of 10000 dollars.
But this is not all. The native dealer,
who brings his slave to tae merchant, has
also to pay duties on each slave at the dill;
ferent custom.house stations on their road
to the barracoons. The AMOUNT paid at
these stations it is more difficult 10 ascer-
tain, as many of the slaves are the kings
own property. A sum, however, of not
less than 10000 dollars may be set down
for this item. If We estimate the annual
number Of slaves sold by the king himself
at 5000, and reckon them al the present
price of eighty dollars, we have an addi-
tional item of GAG, 900 dollars, thus making
in all revenue Of 30O,0 dollars derived
annually from the slave trade. ,a f
But this calculation, whichis near ap
Il II - = ,,,lar rai al,