Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1854-06-27
Afrieans ID Horna.i

80 n
has is the subjectof an article in The last ,,,,m.
Ter OF the Southern Quarterly Review. Of stnb.
&c, aud lnte resting Character The writer eiyss
sketch OF The mofal and Social condition of ihe ne
sroes lnhabinng the Gold Coast, ona the ne;ph.
Hs's Sou,'tleS' complied from the accounts ofthe
ea,eSl fotuguese discoveries. and compares them
With tue recent report Of Mr. Beecsam Of The On.
you wesleyan Mission. The Result lii In chow
tnaS aer the lapse of near four Centuries in suite
y" lhe missionary efforts, zealousy and sacr,fi
,h;s anu theis intercourse throughout
~ ~ Mllole penod with civilized man. the peopIe
Vi aiiea lioccnpy the position OF the most saw
"se' uSgnsilng and degraded race know n TO histo-
~; n VIII be readily seer that,to do such subject
wi; lay bare in all their horrid and re-
Vollng truths, the habits and manners OF such
people wonld require vocabulary iniolefable to
polt'e eats, The writer has we think, tIeatedsthe
subject WITH all The delcacy it could well admit of
and Conclude the sketch thus. ssF
scarcely has one of their barbarous and bloody
customs peen abandoned, from the earliest period
Oh winch tanything is known oil them. They still
PaVe&ttieirs court yards, palaces, and even the
Sueets or market places of their villages and
towns with the skulls of those butcheredin wars,
at leasts, funerals, or as sacrificed TO Bossu.---
Sun their wives and slaves are buried alive, with
The deceased husband ur master. When Adahan-
zen died, two hundred and eighty of his wives were
butcheTed before the arriyalo his successor;
which put stop to it only to increase the flow Of
blood aud the number of deaths in other ways
The remaining wives were buried aiiyei amidst
dancing, singing and bewailing, the NOISE of
horns, drums, nuskeis, yells, groans and screech-
ihgsi me woTean marching by headiess trunks,
oedaubed themselves with earth and blood
Their victims wefe marched along with large
KNIVES passed through their cheeks. The execu-
TONERS Struggle for the bloody Office, while the VIC
tllns look on and endure with apathy. They were
100 familiar with the horid sacrifice to show ter.
tor or to imagine that all was not as il should bs
Their handSwe first chopped off. and then their
neaus were sdped OIL, to prolong the amusement.
Even some who assisted 10 fill the grave were hus-
tied IN alive, IN order To add 10 the snort or solemn
i lty OF the scene. Upon The deaih of kinp,s
brother, tour thousand victims were thus sacrificed
These ceremonies are oitenrepeated, and hundreds
slaughtered ut every rehearsal. Upon the death Of
King oil ASuantee, a general massacre took 1lnne
| m Which There can be no computation of the vic,
| Tins. 5tif - = = ~
..At their CYAN Customs" Mr. Bowditch wit.
messed speciacles of1he most appalling kind. Ev-
cry caooc"s OF noble sacrificed slave as he enter
ed The gate. Heads and skulls formed the oIna-
ments OF their professions. Hundreds were slain.
anu tue streaming aud steaming blood of the VIC
Tins were mingled in vast brass pan, with yati-
GUS vegetables and animal matter fresh as well ms
puirid, 10 compose a powerful Fetichs. AT these
customs The Same scenes ofbutchery aud Slaughter
occur The klng's txecutioneIs traverse the CITY.
killing all they meet. The next day desoIatlon
reigns over the land. The King during the bloody
saturnalia' locked on eagerly, aud danced in his
! chair with delight! -
"The King OF Dahomey payes the approaches to
nus ornaments the b; tesments of his
palace, with the skulls of his victims; and the
great Fetiehe Tree, at Badagry, has its wide spread
limbs laden with human caFcaSses aud iimbs.-
There the want of chastity is no disgrace, and the
press are employed as pimps. Murder, adultery
and thievery, says BOSNIAN, are here no sins.'s
B-A charming songstress indeed, must be she
who wins such tribute as this from one so keenl,
alive to the beautiful and lovely in nature aud art
For the 1ntelHsenoss
a Song for Minnie.
/. a darling little bird, Minnie.
| Was bling ona tree,
| 1t sang would a nightingale 5-
| But could not sing like thee. -
Music was'in itsevery note,
| And sweetness In its tone,
soft and plaintiye melody
Twas so much like thine own.
Twas singing in its pride of song, ~
| But stole away 10 hide, ''a
When't heard thee from ths easement sing
| "Lmu's our darling pride'' l-l-=
/ The music of thy voice, Minnie
Would sweden's Jenny shame, .
| And, floating on the air. we link
| 1t with an angels name 1 49, H.
Wheeling, June 9th. 1854. Ia
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