Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-09-07
Africans At Home.

e the ncighborng countries, compiled from II
accounts of the earliest Portuguese diScovrrcr
: and compares them with the recent report
: Mr. John Beecham, Of the London Wcsiryl
t Mission. The result is to show that after til
t lapse of near four centuries in spite of all tn
missionary efforts zealousy and slcrifcingIy pr
: fourth, and their intercourse throughout th
: whole period with civilized man, the people {
= Africa still occupy the position of The mos
savage, disgusting and degraded race known t
l histnry. 1t will be readily seen that TO do sue
subject full justicc-to lay bare in all thri
: horrid and revolving truth, the habits and man
ners Of such people, would require vorabuIar
inrolcrant to polite ears. Tie writer, has "
think, treated the subject with all the drlcac
it could well admit of, and concludes his skelcl
thus:
Scarcely has one of their barblrous arc
bloody customs been Abandoned from the earIi
esl period Of which any thing is known of them
They III pave their court yards, palaces, anc
even the streets or market places of their villa
gcs or towns, with the skulls of those butcher
in wars, ut feasts, funerals or rs sacrifices tt
BoSHm. Still their wives and slaves are buricC
alive, with the deceased husband or master
When Adahanzen died, two hundred and eighty
of his wives were bulcIrrcd before the arrival
OF his Successor; which put Il stop to il only to
increase the flow Of blo"d and the number OF
deaths in other ways. The remaining living
wives were buried alive amidst dancing. singing
and bewailing the noise of horns, drumS mus.
kets, ycs, groans and screenings; llfes& women
marching by headess trunks, bedaubrd them
selves with earth and blood. Their victims
were marched along with large knives PASSED
through their cheeks. The executioners strug-
gle iur The bloody office, while the victims look
on and endure with apathy. They were too
iamar with the lorrid sacrifice to show terror
or to imagine that all WIS not us it should be.
Their hands were first chopped of, and then
their heads saiced off, to prolong the amusement.
Even some who assisted to fill the grave were
hustled in alive to add to the sport or snlemnIy
Of the scene. Upoa the death of king :
brother. four thousand victims were thus sacri-
llced. These ceremonies are often repeated,
and hundreds slaughtered at every rchrarscI.
Cp1n the dcale of King of Asan'ee. Il gencr-
| al massacre takes place, in which there can be
no computation Of The Victims
At their " Yam Customs" Mr. Bowdi.rn
witnessed spectacles Of the most appalling kind
Every cabVceer or noble sacrificed Il slave as he
entered at the gate. Heads and skulls formed
the ornaments OF their procession. Hundreds
were slain. and the streaming and slcaming
blood OF the victims was ming led in vast brass
pan, with. various vegetables and animal matter
trash asLSnl tnntrid. 10 compose IL powerful
bu;chrry and slaughter occur. The K1tEy r"r-
cutioncr traverse the city, killing nil they meet.
The next dry desoIalon reigns over The llnd.
The king during The bloody saIurnalia looked
on eagerly, and danced in his CHAIR with delight.
The King Of Dahumey paves the approaches
to his residence. and ornaments the balIIrTcnls
of his palace. with the skulls of his victims: /:
and the great Feiiche Tree, ut Badagry, has It's
widespread limbs laden with human carcascs
and limbs 1hern the want Of chastity Is no
disgrace, and the priest are employed as pi!nps
Murder, adultery and lheycry, says Bosm#l!,
are here no sils.
The case of Quaquc, given by our author,
shows how vain is The hope OF clftc!ng 4 ua-
tunal regeneration by the education OF Africans
to the Christian ministry. In fifty years resi-
| dence at Cape Coast Castle, he gained over not
one of his countrymcn: aud dying, showed his
confidence still rcposed in his Fctiche and not in
Christian rites We'll might Mr. Brccham re-
mark, that the case of this individual furnishes
matter for grave consideration on the part OF
those who are anxious to promote the enIIght-
ment and elevation of Africa.
Here is picture which may well atlnrd mcd-
taion to the statesman and philanlhroPist.-
View it in connection with the spectacle which
! IIayl presents, of fast relapsng into barbarl-n
and heathenisln, and The melancholy disclosures
made 10 the General Assembly of the New
School Presbyterans at their sessions last year
by their Missionary TO Liberia, who stated that
all that preserved even this colony from return
to pagansrn, was the accession OF coIonisis from
the United States, bearing with them The seeds
| implanted here, but that even this eiemeni uIi-
less some new and superior system was adopted
by the Church, would soon be inadequate. to
| stay the dcplorabe tendencies OF things. view
all these facts together, and with what hopeless
ness and despair do they not blacken The dreams
of negro civilization, linked with independence
To cmancipate the negro, and send him back 10
his native iungles, is to consign him to the GER
tain horrors from which his nature again leads
him: willie to declare him free, and leave him
in his country, is 10 subject him 10 crushing
connection with superior race. to be bnilctcd,
oupresscd, and finally cxrrminated-Thcse are
uu new thoughts to Southern people: but there
!, danger from their very familiarity, and the
wide assent which they command. that they may
be linhtly estimated A writer i'll the National
Inclirencer. whu urges emancipation, ana TIC
hir. of Chinese emigranls in the place of slaves
saws that there arc both Northern and S"u'll'
ern men in our halls of Congress, who in PR,
yate conversation, now hail this suggeslion:"-
1t is a part of the project that the proceeds OF
the public lands are to be appropriated to the ne
remuneration of the masters. With such ndi
cations. il is proper therefore that we should
constantly keep before us such facts as are
bronpht out in the article under notice; facts
which apart from considerations OF interest
make emancipation Il terrible curse TO the object
upon whom it would spend its false phllan
thropy. -,
Sad as these facts are, how unqurstionabI'
and proud is the vindications they afford Of lht
institution of Southern slavery Let the mos
nrriudiced and hostile make the contrast whcl
is exhibited between them, and the condition
the negro here, and tax his best wits to frame
: system which will accomplish for him more hen
efcent results than slavery, or one which ra'
heap upon him heavier load of misery an'
vice than ncipalion-NatcheS Free 1raasr
THE YOUTH OF BALTIMoEE.-ln Baltimore
few days since, a cuuuryman was passing DOW
f North street with his wagon, when one OF ~
wheels came off, and he discovered that his li!'c'
pin was gone After searching for II some III tiihe
, he offered the boys who congregaed s'i',in'
4; TO whoever would lind it. They then Jolnco II
the search, aud ina few minutes one OF ~, tn n
: boys brou ght him what he supposed 10 D
: the pin. Having adjusted The wheel, ne n pa,
!. the shilling and started off, but mad not not g0n n
e more than half block before Il wheei i, o.
Q the other side came off, when he discovered tia
o the young rascal had stolen the pin from one
the other wheels to obtain the reward.