, 1859-04-14

The London Morning -E,'rs Of the 22d ult.,
announced the tltuth IF II grrut sovereign, Us it
calls hin,-"A black WOOL y-headed potcntute,
and nevertheless i notable monarch 1 trained
and experienced warrior. and king whose
deeds had re:oundcd far md wide" 1t refers
to Geo, the slave king Of Dahomey, who cx-
pired lately, but at what time is not precisely
known, on the Western Coast Of Africa.
This Gezo, if we may judge by the facts Of
his life, Us detailed by 1hr -|twt, has done more
:'troc:ous evil that any sovereign Of his day:
Fer upwards Of TWENTY-FIVE years he supplied
shareholders whu infested the Blight Of Benin,
rasist,ing and devastating the interior far und
wide By his slave hunts, 10 obtain victims for his
European customers. lie organized nnd led
these Internal f,rays and crueltes on the largest
scale Africa has known, and annually snld. With
out rcnsor*c or scruple, his nwn countrsncn in
teas Of thousands, tor expectation. HIS lorr',
the wretcheduess and mortality Of the Middle
Passage, and by deIopu!atin:, Negrotana pro-
NOTED the immense material prosperity Of Gu
ba and Brazil. His pulley, and the wealth h.
derived from il. excited the cupidity Of his
| nci=hbors, and from Whydah to Lugos thc >lavr
trade became the business Of the whole popua-
tim. When ticzo succeeded to his patrimunial
| throne, the adjacent country was inhabited by
Independent communities of the Eybas, and it
WAS TN them he pcapciTatcd his earlier atFoci'
| ties. lie attacked them, burned their towns,
carried off their choicest people, and when his
uwn violence was unsuccessful, his intrigue in-
tr'duccd civil war. which completed their ruin.
AN American missionary, Mr.. Bowman, in u
| recent narrative, says:
~ have counted the sites Of eighteen desola-
| towns within Il distance Of sixty miles, be-
tween l'adagry and Abcoknta-thc legitimate
result uf tho Slave trade The whole iorubi
country is full If dcrolnlated towns, some of
ol, tk,rt a
sent; Of all tlle places visited by the l.anders,
unly 1shukki, lzLuLo, lkishi, and Il few village:
| remain, licnna WAS destroyed Il few weeks nj.
ter nv orriyal in the country Other anu stl!
lar.rr towns haze lately fallen. 1t one ot these
called Uke-Uddan. the l>ahomey army killed o'
captured :","r' n'llc, on wlnes' occasion tht
! King presented Domingo, the slarcr, with '''h
slaves The whole number IF people destroycG
in this section Of cunntry within the List mtg
| wears cannu1 be LESS than ;lH','H"t-
This would. appear 10 be incredible, but th'
facts are said su be well authenticated.
| For u time the towns raised upon the ch4St ~
the prosperity uf tho slave trade grew III nun
!nrs, c,,,nnlyrrr anil wealth. Why.la, Hatsa.ry
| porto Sono, lcca,nc The seat Of the most acty'
and tlo,,ri-hnv traffic. But thcr ill-gotten gain
;t ti,e terrible passions incident to The t1efari
.n,r business suon br":g!'t about their own rum
| They became mrcc nc>s and dclis OF rabocr'
| thieves a,ld pirates; scenes ot tunult. hsorue
a''a % '''.c. '.h;,.,, ,n..,nd NJ t.m th~sand nba
a'S' w. mst>1i ir,,, ,,yn i, rn, .,lrn,t nii,;
'...s' ~, -. 1',.r i,sI,.>s humiliation th, whoI
.. ~ :,'i, Hi ty tns1, cruiser.
,,, m,'n ,v,s .,rnyrJ hy = Hritish bon1burt
,,'. ,,".,t '''
,f.,r this p,.,,im or British r,wcr. and il
,nr,. ,.r,,,,nnt establishment in those par,
49,, ;,,,.nc.. If I,.y, declined. y.t hc was sutl
'!' .,;;, :, n,,;n,:,;,, HI: cnurt Ills trr
~, ~. ,r'nx and tn attract til. d;niu1nac
o";s .'';.' W.,,n,a:n WIN cnncInd.l n trr,tv
r';.nd'i,;,. g. ar'1 ..,,rrr,. viii, him in tn: il
..i" f,r cr;c,r ,,,,,rcu,cr,h h
;s'Sss ~ ~ prnm..,' n,s c,'1nn;c.
III -. ,.e 1,'.t ho,..,r.r ., tho on;,or ys,c. n
"a ~ ~. i,;.n'n1 r,.;,,n i ,,vrrN
se.s, ~. MI IL h;s ,1,'a,h has Been mourned and /,
f,,,rra' | c',chrn,"d }y t1,r entir. slaye trale
,sr..t If tl.r c"ast md tl,r interior. lis obs
.',';rs v.r,. ~ urrf"rm.I a, AbnuI;: nil the ia
Il ,Trndnrs If Whydah attended und insisted
; t,".n. .,ch rarr;c.I ,hithrr hi, rnntr;bu,iou
l. 'ta.,,. ~ i,s .,rr;t;crd IN h;s memory. md
!. ,na.oh,nd;7n r. In ,,rrsrn,rd f., his :ncccss,
+ !. ~ h.,'' ,,rn,os.i to cu.i1;t,t. i:r7n,s adm
"". 49,. H.. ,,,,.r vorli hx IN. ,1,ut,rr
", " AZ ,f,;c,v. Int w1hcr fron tl,. ,it'cn
,,fnr,,rnr;n,. t},a, nu,uler or from 1h.ir .r.a,