The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-02-01

tan thou sa nd square miles of unbroken forest
This terrible region, known to the rest of the
world from the earliest period, has from that
period been the theatre Of crime and supersti-
ton: Of crime inconceivable to the differently
organized European, Of superstition revolt
ing beyond all that has ever revolted the soul
of man In the superstition Of other Chimes
1t has, from the earliest ages of the world,
been inhabited by a race of men far below the
average standard of intelligence; of men whose
fathers had possession Of the country when
ABRAHAM had not yet entered upon his divine
mission; Of men whose generations have lived
TO see the rise of the Jewish people from twelve
families into mighty nation, and their fall and
dispersion over the earth of man Of men
whose land supplied slaves to Egypt when
the earth trembled beneath the tread Of Sc
sOsrRIs, and the dumb idols of Egypt were
marvel whose significance was understood;
of men whose race has outlived, in the same
country, all the mighty empires Of antiquity,
and during all that time has not advanced one
single step in the arts in learning or in civili-
zatiOn, any more than the monkeys and Chin
panzees that dispute the forest with them
Their habitations are still as they were four
thousand years ago, rude huts constructed OF
reeds, and matched with mud. They have
not advanced one inch in the art of architec-
ture in all that time, this fact being literally
true, that CLAPPKRTON says the palace of one
Of their greatest kings would have been called
in Europe "a she'd" For clothing, they wear
the skins which God gave them at their birth,
or where they are more luxurious than COM
mon, Undue themselves in the hides of such
beasts rs they can capture with least trouble
to themselves. Their languages, amidst the
innumerable tribes and tongues which they
can boast, are distinguished by the popularity
which pervades them all, Of being q jargon
compounded of the gable of idiocy scarcely
articulate, and the cry of the wild animal,
when exasperated to the highest point of fury.
Alike, they spurn all law, and set at de-
1iance all attempts to reduce them to a
regular and grammatical consistency
There never has been, from the beginning Of
their existence, anything like an approach to
writing, or to hierogIyphics which in nations
not barred by the decree Of Providence from
all advance in the career Of improvement is
the drst step in the direction of civilization
Cut up into innumerable tribes, at war with
each other for four thousand years, they never
seem to have formed the most remote idea
of government that could really be called
such. War is their only serious occupation
as it is also their only pastime. Every city or
village is at war with every other city or viii
lage. Excursions constantly take place, and
then it is the rule to burn and murder or if
prisoners be taken. to reduce portion of them
to slavery, and sacrifice the rest to their gods
Occasionally warlike chief subjects several
tribes, and he uses the power thus acquired
for purposes Of further conquest Every man
in his dominions is his slave. Frequently
he takes it into his head to make a sacrifice to
the shades of his ancestors, and on such occa-
sions, IL his marauding parties should be I'M
able to bring him in prisoners enough, lie
sacrifices his own subjects. The subject never
gets out of the way. He considers himself
the absolute property of his master. If that
master wants his head he resigns it to him.
with the utmost equanimity. Human sacri-
fees are made to an appalling extent, when.
ever rich man dies. Three and four hundred
slaves have been frequently known to be slain
on such occasions. Sometimes great man
wants to send q message to an ancestor. lie
communicates it to the first slave he meets.
and cuts of his head on the spot Sometimes
1t happens that he omits something which he
wished to communicate, and then he slaugh-
ters another slave, that he may complete the
message There seems to be a sort of feudai
system existing in all parts of Africa, by
means Of which every man is a slave. 1t is
the normal condition of the race.
1t 10 - great mistake to suppose that the Euro
pean slave trade with Africa has or ever had.
any effect either in stimulating or depressing
thsslave hunts. The fact is, it has had no effec
at ALL or. ifany, beneficial effect. These slave
hunts are undertaken to obtain slaves for AT.
rican masters, who have their own uses for
them. The first Of these uses is for sacrifice
When the King of Dahomey died, last year or
the year before, a thousand human beings ere
slaughtered upon his tomb. If we remember.
tho slaves of the bark Wanderer came from
the country Of this chief. Their sojourn in this
country, no doubt, preserved their lives We
think we have seen it stated that the cargo
sent hack . few years ago, belonged also to the
King Of Dahomey. II So, the probability is
that they were sacrificed upon his tomb So
far from operating disastrOusly upon Africa.
the European slave trade was a blessing. 1t
rescued thousands upon thousands from i'm
minent death, and enabled them to exchange
their African bondage for q milder form of
slavery In the West Indies, or Brazil, or the
United States. The horrors of the Middle
Passage exhausted the eloquence of WuBER-
1oRcS, Fox, CLARKsON, and hundreds of
othsrs, two or three generations ago. What
WeFe they compared to the horrors Of African
slavery. where the master does not hesitate to
murder an hundred slaves when one OF his
kindred dies Z The European slave trade. bv
appealing TO the avarice Of slave hunters
and slave owners, had wonderful
eject In saving the lives of slaves
II did not stimulate slave hunting. because
that had always existed in such ACTIVITY. tina,
1t could not Be made more active. An African
king usually Inhabited a palace made OF reeds
And thatched with earth softeued with blood
instead Of water. When tho thatch fell ont
he would SAY 70 one Of his oGacer.. INV house
wants matching" and he, taking the hint
woaA start out npon slave hunt. The car.
tives hAd their throaN cut 70 furnish the
asSA ior moistsning the clay. The popuiace
Off, Royal village was, like every other popu.
Lace, fond OF anusements, and II was the habit
Of tue king to crafty = taste 90 laudab,e by
bleeding tbe victims after . prescribed fash
tSa-tAat u, By cutting OF their legs, and let.
ting tho blood run until enough had been oh.
ta1ned foS his architectural obiects. Jaw. bones
WeSo 1avorttp ornaments VI royal drawing
toeAs. Thsss the King ornamented, or furn-
ishsd aasw. whenever he built new palace,
- N sens approved fashion. Africa would
bee glesiens paace for young sawbones. He
coue4 - asy nsnbsr Of subjects without the
aseapsltyof . beSktng.~
u ~ - aetsd what offset have you. In
vieW. y Hah1lahdsg thsss stsseuentsi Are
yer tsdltisg ~ argument Ia favor Of reyt.
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