The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1863-05-28
DahOsnian Atrocities.

DalhOsnian Atrocities.
The commander of Her Maiesty's ship Griffin,
at Little Popo, on the coast of Guinea, has for
warded to the governor OF Lagos a horrible mar
I rative, which he took from the mouth of a trust
worthy witness, of certain sanguinary ceremO-
malls in which the King of Dahomey celebrated
his accession 10 the throne. Mr.. Euschart, 4
Dutch merchant. having gone on a business
errand 10 " hydah, a port on the coast which Is
a notorious resort for the slave-traders, was, in
June last, compelled to pay a visit 10 the King
of Dahomey, some eighty or ninety miles up the
country. On the 30th Of June, escorted by six
hammock men, after Il message from the King,
Mr.. Euschart entered a walled part Of the town
of AbOmev, which is a chief town in the interior
and here he was received by two head - cabO-
ceers, = who saluted him. saying, King had
never seen a Dutchman King father had never
seen 4 Dutchman and now they had plenty of
people to kill they were very glad to see a Dutch
man" We cannot undertake to interpret Mr..
Euschart's feelings at this peculiar greeting, but
We can conceive that his prospects in his own
mind were not of the pleasantest description.
His captors next babe him drink the Kings
health four times, after which the cahoceers
danced. sang, and fired up guns close to his ears.
On the next dav the Monarch received him, on a
raised dais, surrounded by his body-guard of
Amazons; the King and his prisoners shook
hands: the King said, - he was very glad to see
Il Dutchman," and conversed with him in Portu-
gueSe the best part OF a quarter of an hour.
Then his guards moved Mr.. Euschart TO his house,
where he was imprisoned three days. On the
following morning he was taken to the market
place, where there had been a wholesale slaughter
of the people on the previous evening, and where,
ranged before him, he saw the sickening sight of
Il row of human heads, fresh and CORY, stricken
from some unfortunate IShagga prisoners who
had been frightfully tortured before decapitation.
Here also a grotesque horror was presented to
him in the crucifed body of a Sierra Leone mis-
sionary, named Doherty, affixed to a large tree,
with Il nail through the forehead, one through
the heart, and one through each hand and foot;
the left arm being bent and %grasping in its hand
Il large cotton umbrella. In the market, where
he was next brought, Mr.. Euschart found the
King, seated on a raised platform, talking much
81 war palaver' to Il wild noisy multitude, and
promising them an attack on AbbeOkuta, the
capital of the adjacent fertile country, on which
doubtless the DahOmians have looked with long
ing eyes. Presents of cowries, the shells which
pass for money, cloth and rum We're handed
round. Again Mr.. Euschart was remanded to
his house, and ordered not to stir or look out
after sundown. Five days elapsed before he had
another interview with the King. During the
violent shocks of an earthquake he was taken
into the presence of this strange savage potentate,
who declared that his fathers spirit had shaken
the ground in anger ut the neglect of the becom-
ing rites or customs which should attend Il Royal
decease. Three captive chiefs were hidden by
the King to assure the uneasy spirit that Z" Gus
toms should be better than ever - and to each of
these miserable creatures was allotted a bottle Of
rum, a head OF cowrles (2S..) and the fate of de-
capitatiou. Then followed more massacres.
Twenty-four victims were brought out bound in
baskets their heads just appearing, who were
thrown down from the Kings platform into the
midst of the people, and beheaded amidst frantic
cries, songs, gesticulations, and savage dances.
heads were piled in one heap and the bodies
in another " every man who caught Il victim
cut off the head received one head of cow
Psi"
The grand customs,'' ten days afterwards,
which were the climax of these ferocities, were
solemnized at the Kings palace by Il sacrifice of
IL men and four horses placed on the platform,
whilst another was occupied by Is women, four
horses, and an alligator. They were captlves
from Sierra Leone, dressed in the European
and each gronp were bound in chairs,
placed round Il table, with glasses of rum before
them. Then the wretched monster who played
the chief part in these murderous mummeries
= assembled the PLATFORM, where he adOred the
Fetish" bowed to his agonized cap
ives, whose right hands were loosed that their
owners might pledge the Kings health. After Il
'cvicw of the troops, including 10, 900 AmazOns,
Ill well-disciplined TROOPS to the eye. the effects of
he late King were prepared and worshipped,
md the prisoners were beheaded, care being taken
hat the blood of the human and the animal vic
inns commingled. Then the unhappy spectator,
'lr. Euschart. was dismissed, and travelled away
rom this Aceldama as quickly as he could. We
recapitulated these monstrous sins against
'ur common humanity that our readers may see
We do not urge the teaching a stern lesson to
hese savages on light or trivial grounds. 1t is
We think, to awaken swift retributiOn,
hat any European should in these days, when
and distance have been bridged over by the
team engine, send us home such u string of
leaningless superstitious slaughters from "A coun-
ry only three or four days march from the coast
here the European flags proclaim that a Christ
In regard of life is observed. These wretches
ave introduced the Strrncr arts of civilization
and artillery are distributed amongst their
)ldiery is it too much 70 ask that they be
lught n respect for the lives and safety Of those
round them, especially when they seek to force
nc white man to share their wanton orgies
IA very sea of human blood?