The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-11-10
LOUISVILLE KY: SATURDAY NOVEMBER TO- 1919

j VI uuSt ara emolument, 10 Stiinoidte 70 II
I dusirious exertion the principal men of h
Kingdom. These appointments, moreove
become hereditary. and their holders for
! an aristocracy. with sufficient privileg,
to induce the ambition of entering i
ranks
In the circumstances here stated, il wi
, no; appear surprising that Mr.. Cruickshan
had undertaken an impossibility. On b
ing introduced to the king Of Dahomey, an
expressing hope that he would assen. to
treaty to extinguish the slave trade on hi
coast, his majesty was very much at . loo
how TO reply. He was anxious TO concili
ate the British government, but on the othe
hand the abandonment OF the slave trad
was pretty nearly equivalent TO fnancia
ruin. His majesty's excuses are admirable
HIS chiefs had had long and serious con
situations with him upon the subject am
they had come 10 the conclusion that ali
government could not be carried on withou
it. The state which he maintained wal
great; bis army was expensive. the cefe
monies and customs 10 besobserved annu
ally, which had been handed down 10 him
from his forelalhers, entailed upon him O
vast outlay Of money. These could not bt
abolished. The form of his government
could not be suddenly changed without
ceuslng such revolution as would deprive
him of his throne, and precipitnte bis king
dom into state Of anarchy. He was vesy
DESTROYS Of acquiring the friendship oil
England. He loved and respected the
English character, and nothing afforded him
such high satisfaction as TO see an English.
man in his country, and to do him honor.
tie himself and his army were ready a, all
times TO fight the Queens enemies, and to
do anything the English government might
ask OF HIM, but to give up the slave trade.
No other trade was known 10 his people
Palm-oil, il was true, was now engaging
the attention of some of them; but il was a
slow method Of making money. and brought
only very small amount Of duties into his
Golfers. The planting Of coffee and cot
ton had been suggested to him, but this was
slower still. The trees had to grow, and
be himself would probably be in his grave
before he could reap any benefit from them.
And what TO do in the meantime? Who
would pay his troops, or buy arms and clo-
thing for themi Who would buy dresses
for his wives Who would give him sup
plies Of cowries, Of rum, Of powder, and Of
cloth 10 perform his annual customs9 He
held his power by an observance Of the
time-honored customs of his forefatheTs;
and be would forfeit il. and entail upon
himself a life full Of shame, and death
full Of misery, if he neglected them. 1t
was the slave trade that made him terrible
to his enemies, and loved, hono,ed, and re.
spected by his people. How could he give
IL up! Ii mad been the ruling principle OF
action with himself and his subjects from
their earliest childhood. Their thoughts.
their habits, their discipline, their mode OF
life, had been formed with reference to this
all-engrossing occupation; even the very
songs with which the mother stilled her
crying infant, told OF triumph over foes re.
Guced to slavery Could he by signing
this treaty change the sentiments of a whole
peoplei Ii could not be. A long series OF
years was necessary to bring about such a
change He himself and his people must
be made to feel the superior advantages Of
another traffic in an increase Of riches, and
Of the necessaries and luxuries OF life, be-
fore they could be weaned fror1 this trade
The expenses Of the English government
are great; would it suddenly give up the
principal source Of its revenue without
some equivalent provision for defraying its
expenses He could not believe so. No
more would he reduce himself to beggsIy.
The sum offered him would not defIay his
expenses for a week: and even if the
English government were willing to give
him an annual sum equivalent to his pres
ent revenue, he would still have some diff
Guilty in employing the energie, Of his peo-
pie in a new direction Under s1ch cir
cun1slances, however, he would consider
himself bound to use every exertion to
meet the wishes Of the English govern.
ment.
Such were the arguments which the
king used in justification Of his refusal TO
sign the treaty; and much regret did he ex-
press that the object which the English gov
eminent had in view was Of such vital i'm
portance to him that he could not possibly
comply with its request.
although inwardly acknowledging the
force of his objections, | did not give up
the subject without endeavoriny to convince
him that in the course of few years, by
developing the resources Of his rich and
beautiful country, he would Be able to in
crease his revenue tenfold; and that the
slaves whom he now sold for expectation,
if employed in the cultivation Of articles
Of European consumption, would be fan
more valuable to him than they now were.
endeavored to make HIM comprehend this,
by informing him Of the price Of slave in
the Brazils, and asking him if he thought
the Brazilian would give such price for
him, if he did not find himself more than
repaid by his labor? He believed this to
be the case; but the length OF time required,
the whole process of an entirely new sys
tenn, and want Of skill among mis- people to
conduct such operations, appear to him in
surmountable difficulties. He was willing,
however, to permit Englishmen to form
plantations in his country, and to give in.
shuctions to his people. -tr
AT last the king appeared anxious to Is.
cape from this harrassing question: and by
way Of closing the interview, invited me to
accompany him to witness review of his
troops. What principally struck me upon