The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-12-27

every well regulated mind will admire exceedingly,
but regret to say, that the final clause which we
have marked in italics strikingly recalls one
of those changes which used to be common to
Christmas pautomimes-when the pantomme was
more in vogue than it is now-and in which
grave a'd reverend seignior, "full of wise saws
"and modern instances" is suddenly transform
ed by the magic of Harlequins wand iuto a
sharp.eyed shopkeeper.
Majesty BADAHUNc is further told that he makes
war that he may take slaves and sell them on the
Coast, and that this lis very bad :" tn t he sold
ten thousand captives last year, and only received
for them the paltry sum of fifty thousand dollars,
which he is assured, with the utmost solemnity
"is doing great many bad things for a very lit
tie money" From this we are led to infer that
whilst TO sell captives into slavery for FIVE dollars
a head is very henous crime, sale
at fifty dollars a head would have as
sumed the color Of a yirtuous action. BADAHUNG
is next indoctrinated with the elementary princi-
pies Of political economy. lie is requested not to
take his people to war, but to set them to work
and tax the proceeds of their industry. The So
cety benevolently advises him to say to his people;
Cotton-itis easy to get-you can make it grow every
where One hundred and fifty thousand of you call
your King. l am your King. must hare dollar
north Of Cotton every gear from erery one Of my people
A IL the rest you grow you bring and sell for your
selves and so you may all get rich-you may all get
many dollars.'
There are only two difficulties in the way of car
rying out this very pretty programme The first
is, that the people Of Dahomeyland are incurably
lazy; and the second, that his Majesty BADAHUNG
: II
| claims the privilege of taking from them when
ever it suits his humor to DO so and ignorant and
debased as they are, they have yet the sense TO
know, that so long as they are fortunate enough
TO escape immolation at the annual festival and to
keep their heads from being used to pave the royal
courtyard, or TO decorate the royal Hall of Audi
ence the poorer they in worldly estate the more
likely they will be to evade special notice. The
Society, nevertheless imagines that by
course of easy lessons, such rifing difficulties may
be readily obviated; so it continues, in the most
delicious baby talk, to assure BADAHUNG that if he
will only make his people grow Cotton and sell it
to England, they will speedily become rich. The
consequences of his adopting the suggestion are
thus charmingly summed up:
'You will be more rich than any King in Africa. All
round they will say: There is no King wise,
good, great King, his Most Excellent Majesty
BADAHUNG the King of Dahomey, who will not let the
men and women of Africa be sent out the as
slaves; but who makes his people rich and makes them
happy who does not let them be killed in wars, that
year they more and more and they will all grow
cotton. The people of Dahomey happy-they have
great and good King-he is rich and strong-we will
have his Majesty BADAHUNG for our King that we NAV
be rich and happy
'Majesty BADAHUSG-Then the great English people
will love you. And to show you how glad they
you wise, and good, and great King, we will send
you from the great English people each year that you do
this and do not sell any slaves let any slaves be sold
sent Off from all your coast-we will send you each
year present of love to you of - dollars, in silver
money in all sorts of beautiful and useful goods which
your cotton at fair price, if you will be such good and
such great King"
After all this petting, and dandling, and infan-
tile ondling; this pretty display of tenderness and
affection, and the solemn promise of "a present Of
Glove in silver money, or in all sorts of beautiful
''and useful goods" BADAHUNG certainly ought
not to do naughty any more-especially as ''the
'great English people are very sad" and their
sadness can only find permanent relief from an
ample supply of Dahomey cotton. Moreover, Ma
jesty BADAnUNG may continue, before, in the en-
joyment of all his pleasant vices. He may retain his
Amazonian body-guard Of five thousand concu-
bines; ravage the neghborng tribes with fire aud
| slaughter; add the captives taken in war to the
thousands already in bondage throughout his do
minions; sacrifice hundreds of human victims an
nualy the graves of his ancestors, that their
spirits may battle in the blood; make Golgotha
of his palace at Abomey and uphold fetch wor-
ship as the religion Of the land-all these things
he may do with impunity, and yet be "a great
''and good King, if he will only condescend to
put stop to the expectation of Slaves and con-
vert the fertile lands Of the sea coast into cotton
plantations, at the request of the African Aid As
ISOLATION, and for the benefit of the manufacturers
| of Lancashire.