Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1854-06-17
Africans nj Home

interesting character The writer the Mercury tells
us, gives graphic sketch of the moral and social
condition of the negroes nhabi,ing the Gold Coast
and the neghboring countries, compiled from the
counts of the earliest Portuguese dscoverers and
compares them with the recent report of Mr. Bee
CHAM Of the London Wesleyan Mission. 1t says the
result is to show that after the lapse of near four cen
turies in spite of al the missionary efforts zeaouSy
and sacrificngly put forth, and their intercourse
throughout this whole period with civilized men, the
people of Africa still occupy the position of the
savage, disgusting and degraded race known TO his
tory. 1t well remarks further that to do such sub.
ject full Justice to lay bare in all their horrid and
revolving truth, the habits and manners of such
people, would require n vocabulary intoerant TO po-
lite ears. The concluding portion of the writer's
SKETCH brutal and offensive as is the picture present
ed, will not be without interest to readers as
gives just idea OF the character of the African at
the present day in his own home:
Scarcely has one Of their barbarous and bloody Gus
toms been abandoned, from the earliest period OF which
any thing ia known of them They still pave their court
yards, palaces and even the streets market places
their villages towns with the skulls of those butcher
cd In mt feasts Funerals sacrifices Bossug
Still their wives and slaves are buried alive with the de-
ceased husband master. When Adahauzen died two
hundred and eighty OF his wives buchered before
the arrival OF his which put stop only
increase the flow of blood and the number of deaths in
other ways The remaining living wives buried
alive amidst dancing, singing aud bewailing. the noise
oil horns, drums muskets yes and screenings
the women, marching by headess trunks bedaubed them
selves with earth and blood Their victims marched
along with large knives passed through their checks
The execuoners struggle for the bloody Office while the
victims look on and endure with apathy They too
familiar with the hord sacrifice show terror or to
agine that all was not il should be. Their hands
first chopped off, and then their heads saced of to pro-
long the amusement Even who assisted ill the
grave were hustled in alive in order add to the snort
or solemnty of the Upon the death Of u king
brother four thousand victims thus sacrificed Thesc
ceremonies are ofsn repeated and hundreds slaughtered
every rehearsal Upon the King of Asian
tee general massacre takes place, in which there cen
be no computation OF the victims.
"At their Yam Customs Mr.. Bowdch witnessed
spectacles of the most appalling kind Every caboccer
noble sacrificed slave he entered the gate lIead>
and skulls formed the ornamans of their posscssinns.-
Hundreds were slain; and the streaming and seaniuc
blood OF the victims mingled in brass pan wi
various vegetables aud animal matter fresh we'll as
putrid TO compose powerful Fetche. At these Gus
toms the Of buchery and slaughter occur
The kings executioncs the city, killing all they
meet The next day desOlaiOn rcigns the land
The king during the bloody saurnaia looked eagerly
aud danced in his chair with delight!
The King of Dahomcy payes the approachs 10 his res
ideuce and ornaments the baements of his palace with
the skulls OF his victims; and the great Feche Tee,
Badagy, has its wide SPREAD limbs laden with human
cases and limbs. There the OF chastity is no dis
grace and the priests are employed pimps. Murder
adultery and thievery says Bosnian, here no sins
The case of Quaque, given by author shows how
vain the hope OF eectng national regeneration by
the education oil Africans To the Christian ministry In
fifty years residence Cape Coast Castle he gained
not one OF his countrymen aud dying showed his conf
dence still reposed in his Fctche and in Christian
rites Well might Mr. Beecham remark thai: the case OF
CHS individual furnishes for grave consideration on
the part Of those who anxious promote the cngh
eminent and elevation of Africa.
Such picture would seem to be enough TO cause
even Parker himself to quit shedding tears over the
condition Of the slave population of the Soutli-a
population which the peculiar institution" has res
cued from barbarism more horrid than death more
relentless than the grave
What is the value of that cantng philanthrophy
so prevalent at the North What has it ever effect
ed? What can it accomplish in the way of good /?
Has the negro even been benefited by it Is there
any prospect of its improving his condition ? l. he
physically, morally, socially, intellectually better
of, than he before his ofcious Northern friends
commenced agitation in his behalf? If he be. is II
at all owing TO their aid, counsels or sugges ions?
We have no patience with the fools hypocrites, and
madmen Of the North. They know not what they
doing They know not for what they are asking
when they desire the emancipation of Southern
slaves. They not to understand, what is clear
to all the world beside, that they mady invoke
curse, instead of blessing, upon the head of the
negro, in pleading for his freedom The negro is not
fit for freedom in its higher and nobler sense-not
suppose no will maintain in the face of such
overwhelming and constantly accumulaling evidence
to the contrary that any Of the atter-dly phanthro
piss are fit to go at large, unaccompaned by guar
dian or policeman. Their teachings their habits
their character the bitter fruits Of their aboTs as pro
fessional agators all give the lie to the assumption
that they either capable of self-governmcnt or
worthy Of the liberty they desearate and abuse Il,
is not for reckless, bad m;n, no matter what their
intellectual gifts what their atainmcnts even to
understand rightly the theory Of freedom much les
appreciate anl enjoy the blessing itself License i
not liberty-never was, and will be. And Ii.
cense TO bewa imaginary wrongs to agitatc to steal
TO incitc to blood she'd to commit treason TO render
themselves unhappy and inlict misery upon others,
comprehends the sum aud substance Of what modern
AbOltonists understand TO be meant by liberty And
yet they fOOlishly IL not maciousy desire others TO
share the with which they themselves are 50 ca.
lamitously afflicted.
But these hypocrticnl prccndcrs will learn nothing
from observation and experience. They willfnly
shut their eyes TO the effects Of emancipation in other
countries, melancholy and deplorablc those effects
are known to be, and ianatcally insist upon trying
an experiment which has so signay and disaslriousy
failed whenever it has been attempted. The spectn
rle exhibited by layti, which, from the effects Of this
Wild and perilous scheme Of emancipation, is fast re.
lapsing into the most debaSing barbarism and hea-
thensm, seems to excite attention, no thought no
inquiry nor to make the slightest impression upon
them. With its sad aud blasted condition full before
them, brought about too by the very policy they re-
commend, they still cry out Justify for cmancpa~
ton as IL it had proved an unmtgAlod blessing in
stead Of n whitening curse. With all the lights of
experience before Il en- and knowing as well as they
do, both the condition Of the native and emancipatei
African, il is illustration Of the most astonishing
faulty that ever exhibited, that they will not
believe in the language Of the Mercury that to
cipa,e tho negro, and send him back to his native
jungcs is to consgn him to the certain horrors from
which lac has been rescued, and TO which his nature
again leads him. while to declare him Free and leave
himin thscountry, is to subjecthm to a crushing
petition with superior race to be buFtted, Cypress
Cd, aud finally eKtermnatcd.