Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1852-06-21

them. After marriage great care should b Ia
ken. az they are apt to turn sosr"
From fhe London Times
A King with 1890 Wives.
Since the romance Of History"is is beginning
TO pail upon the taste olthe reading public. We
some entefprisng bibliopole to try
" hat can be made out Of the Romance Of
the Blue-book;" and he cannot do better than
commence with tho "Papcvs relative to tie ~
dxctios Of Lagos" which have just appeared.
Their contents arc positively astounding and
when We read of an African Sovereign with ,
$4,000 wives. and with we'll appointed regi.
ments Of female soldiers. we know not wheth-
e we canpersist, as heretofore. in treating the
ancient Amazons as myth. 9f A
The King having expressed strong desire
to tocommunicste in his capital With British ua-
val officer. Lieut. Forbes was despatched to
Dahomey, [stuated on the West coast Of Af-
rica;l and It's from his journal that wecollect
the most curious and instructive detail concern
ing the sovereign. the people and the place.
preaching the metropolis.-"Oct ~. Started
in ull uniform for the capital. distant ten miles.
Having entered the gate Of the city, which is
WIFI uut1uu bhuios uuO III tuo VI
cinity ofthe principal Fetish house, we halted
and taking position in chairs across the road.
waited for the ceremony Of being met by the
Caboceers. In q short time, IN immense
crowd advanced towards Us. with banners 6y-
ing among them. At some distance they halt.
cd. and the Governor Of the city. at tho head
of few soldiers, advanced. When arrived in
front of our position. he countermarched, and
made circle from right to left three timcs
around our seats. bowling each time when he
came in front. On the last timc he fred of
a musket, and danced before us, then. having
shaken hands, he took a seat" Mr.. Forbes
proceeded to stntc that the square in front Of
the palace. though extremely large was dense
ly crowded with armed men and women,
squatted ON their hams their long Danish musk.
cts, standing up like miniature forest. Ban
ners abounded; those Of the King being UNI
formly surmounted by skull. This ghast.
ly style tournament appeared 10 be particular
ly in request in Dahomey. "The palace walls
Of red clay" says Mr.. Forbes. "standing y
bout twenty FIVE feet high. extending over
more than square mile. was ono continued,
line Of human skulls; yet it might be remark.
ed that. where decay had destroyed them,
these ghastly ornaments were not replaced
On the thresholds and sides ofthe portals Of
the palace, were also human skulls; but the
practice of human sacrifice is fast vanishing
from the kingdom Of Dahomey." Some ofhis
subsequent revelations, however. lead to an op.
poste concluson. For instance, we are told
that ten prisoners Of rank. bound with ropes,
were led round the town, compelled to danes.
and then uncerimoneously dccaPitated with
large knives, before his eycs,and in spite Of his
remonstrances.
Tho King. (Guezo by name. is described ~
about forty eight years and good looking, with
nothing Of the negro cnst Of countenance, and
"f stern commanding presence. He has .
Cabinet as complete as Lord Derby's. "The
king"-thus runs Mr.. Forbes next entry
''now introduced me to his ministers Mayo.
Prime Minister; Eelgua, Of Police; Campo
dee. Treasurer; Mghmpsh. Justice; Toonoo-
moo. Eunucl,.in- Chief; then to an elderly lady,
called the English mother. named Yawae."
one of the matrons Of the harem. who provides
food for the English visitors. Next all tho
Cabooceers were Introduced. The King theu
expressed a wish should witness revive OF
the female troops, and two regiments were At
once paraded. but not before the ground was
shifted and marked out for the man@uverinR.
The officers (frmale) were distinguished BY
armlets Of silver reaching from tho wrist 10 the
elbow. and carrying each a small whip. Tho
whole were uniformly dressed in tunics Of
blue and white. armed with a muskct, club
and short sword, carried cartouch boxes. and
went through several evolotions diminishing.
firing volleys. &c, with much precision"
After the review. the officers ware introduc.
ed and complimentcd. and the King proposed
the Queen Of England's health, which he said,
he know the English would prefer to drink in
champagne, They assented to this. and the
champagne was procured, ':but, a. the King
drank it, several screens were held before him,
as mortal may not gaze on his Majesty. either
in the act Of eating or drinking" IN our opin.
ion, King Guezo's mode Of keeping up the
prestige ofroyaiy is. at all events, preferable
to that Of the Gyande Monay4xe, who sum
moned all h.s courtiers about him, in tho largest
room Of his palace. TO witness his exploits q
GOsrmSxd. In the article of wives. or concu.
bines. the African autocrat must be allowed to
exceed any monarch recorded in history, o.
cred or profane. "After drinking her Msja-
ty's health" continues tho Lieutenant. ''the
troops hurraed, and the salute commenced; out
before it was half over. we were all obliged to
scamper after the Prime Minister. and hide our
faces against the wall, as portion cf the 49,
600 sDyal wives were passing. ringing small
bell, - these sable ladies' are all over tho town
at all times. and no male may gaze on them
unpunished." The writer. however, subse-
quently expresses an opinion that this number
10 an exaggerated estimate. unless. indeed, the
whole Of the female soldiers are enumerateds.
mongst the Kings wives. They are desoribsd
a. remarkable for their military powerss-
Whenever the royal Civil List runs low, or
money il required for an extraordinary emer.
gency. war Is declared against one OF snoSher
Of the neighboring malone. and what d termed.
in African language 'slave hunt. is pro.
claimed. "Thess hunts" writes Mr.. Forbes,
''the King always superin'ends. and in order
TO excite emulation. gives the Semsls regiments
. different portion to overrun from tho male; in
the performance Of which duty heismalcs al.
most always excel"
When Mr.. Forbes journal was written No
vember; 1S49.) his Majesty vas preparing Tor
. slave hunt; but he wss uncertain IN what d.
rection to let loose his (fsmale) dogs og gwsr, ~
almost all lis peighbors were already seejsc-
ted to his rule. and his usual reserved were Or
haussed. At lsnght he gave the pstfstsnceso
tho Ansgoos. on the ground that they had 10.
jured the Dahomisns during ths reign Of his
grandfather. and had not a. yetbsen suf6ciSue.
" punished The scale Of his opsfations nay
L. Il "a