New-York tribune., 1897-01-31
IN THE KINGDOM OF BENIN
VISIT TO A WEST AFRICAN POTENIAIE
FINE EXAMPLES OF NATIVE
ART-ATROCIOUS CUSTOMS.
From The London Standard.

ciy "e Of Benn can be counted the fingers Il has
my good to De @ one ay oI no be- Without
}Saerest Ny diary describes the King one Of the
& %ser 10 Ashan King Sdoa died eighteen
Sbah mSn'hs or AdsboWa after sending 400
company his father to wherever ne might DC 10 10
arriving at Egwa,un we decided to ashore and In.
terview Ahoorakoo the Kings lieutenant The whole
sred wh M %ss chief sat in raised
Informed him TIA; we and nad hs Skrmn D VS would
help and that we had IN our % ov own
wOa that hf ssna se Rn WsheS tn h.
messengers m sa and carriers? Ahoorakoo would do
what wanted. but did not seem & 70 think that I've we
| sure OF a welcome. on arrival at Benin we were
to % ne to S' S %sfS
chief man OF yellow tint. Anything more m un-
the Saa m ea air of Of peffec d and
possession. combined with a manner or rather coId
close OF this Interview. darkness began to fall we
went to the house set apart for u.s. After dlsrac,eS @
! night. woke 10 find our apartment crowded win
visitors. who had come TO Inspect the white men,
THE KINGS PALACE.
When tho royal messengers arrived, four In
number. named Agbe Aguramasse Idehan.. and
M"o 5 hs ms and that Il Ss wshd to
h, must send some one who knew Enghsh We
sa5 al do Ss Su Or
waited the Kings good pleasure After breakfast
We're first taken 10 see an old chief named Arribo,
and afterward to another chief named EwaGwe'
We crossed kind OF common passed down some
streets. and finally arrived NJ courtya,a VIII a
way. and found ourselves in a large open court,
one end of which was covered over; and IN the
ing from heads as in Ewagwe's house. There
s sanaard rs of wa0Gn1 "p se on
Of the Kings plays. they facetiously call them,
he Il
We were led up to this lamp and told TO stop a.,
e OF Sc doT1red sea lane IN up ss
an arrangement Of red bait IKE the box aura 0
in large sGa,ta ha whch S we were told was King
We took off hats and bowed The messengers sanqS
II, that the King sent greeting; he was glad 70
see u.s. had been properly treated while IN ms ms
that the correct method of salutation in this coun,
Try raise the right hand sG Not Tishns hn we ye
had been well treated. and thanked him but w9ula QUO
like to His Majesty at closer auarterhs ar rs nter
view till tomorrow he finally agreed to less apa
oro ma, mesng M cch wh if its
dard lamp. and taken up to one or these "ne'e VIC
told TO wait.
COURTIERs IN UNDRESS.
BEING at last informed that the King was Teady'
we We're led through a gateway into what | sup
his house It WAS was, Of the ann o
number of natives assembled in the mrs. han ,
but we h sSene n'O wheh met our
view was weird and bizarre enough to be described
BY sze FaSr aS and the the oo @%
There large well or bath IN the cen're nrst U in
Ye the hazy light OF the smoky. pam-oiI cresses we
only noticed a large hall with people c,o%",Es w ,hs
1nI" haII we " saw the King standing raised step
with his arms supported by members OF MS Go1F IT.
personal attendants OF his household. None o,
cloth but all had necklaces Of Benin coral and
agate. ,,,,.. -, ., ,our+ ,h.,r
costumes OF silk and cotton skirts padded our 20
look big and the upper par OF tnr rd
'nRH Kigh9 fG' in nS 'front.' Of the King uu altar
composed of some WITHHOLDING compound. the top
OF these and smeared with red which we took TO
be blood. but found to be palm, OIL was was human
sde Of the altar painted % on the he 0O Msr Tss "d but u od
hS % r6 son up Bend 30 s ransed
Krooboys and the profanum vulgus which had en-,
did not address the King directly. He communi-
Gated with the four messengers. VINO passed on ms
speech to Of the big men, and the latter told 1t
His Majesty was dressed in cloth of gold tnsel.
ana covered with coral necklaces. He was man
of about thirty. with an intelligent or. rather, ami
able. face. Certainly to look at no one would sup,
people as a sacrifice to the shades OF his father lie
was very pressing for US 50 TO stay IN n,s ,a tGwn abo and
He wanted TO know The truth of the statement that
thing into his cwn hands We told him we were
forbidden by the big queen 10 carry tales, or make
mischief the natives. Finally we consented
10 stop over the morrow. when he promised to see
more privately. and then retired leaving us to
be RECALLED with the tombo
Jul" HOUSE.
Next morning We had many people to us. and
took US out to see the sights Of Benin Benin We
spirit Of which was contained in a pile of
old guns. which would: think be accept
early days of the discovery of the New World, the
pioneers. buccaneers, etc, used to sail down the
their ships. If so. this practice would account for
the presence IN this out-of-the-way place of guns
people evidently hold them in great veneration. as
the Kings messengers and Krooboys were made to
the two white men and the ''juju'' men were al
lowed to see them Tombo was produced: and kola
by being placed in the brceches of the rusty old
guns: We were rcgaled with the rest.
After sitting here some time taken to
visit the Kings courtyard and houses There were
2 o Of "e Of tho TO
royal family. The entrance was through gate
inside. the first objects TO attract attention were
much as twenty feet high and ornamented with
castings or hammered work: Close by. on the
ground a basin of bronze supported on a tripod
of twisted snakes. | do not for a minute pretend
,hat tn" workmanship was as perfect as that OF
nope. but it certainly was Very wonderful as the
work OF Benin black men.
After this we arrived at the covered shed which
ran along one side. with raised floor. The centre
of this was evidently the shrine. Instead of the
carved wood heads overlnid with brass there were
eight. nine or ten heads of cast brass each sup
porting tooth OF ivory some ten feet high. and |
covered completely with carvings OF men. horses
and crocodiles. in high relief. Between the teeth |
OF ivory were square shaped bells OF BRASS and |
iron castings Of men on horseback men In armOr
and other things of most minute and I think |
artistic workmanship. Ir the centre there was |
usually one larger head. surrounded by carved |
sticks like sceptrcs. the top OF which was n |
loose piece OF wood. which ratified when the stick |
was struck on the ground. and the noise the King |
told us In me evening. caused the 'juju to APP |
proach quickly.
HUMAN SACRIFICES
We were taken to the court dedicated to the late |
King. Terrible horrors must have taken place I'm |
the incosurc during the preceding twelve months
We had heard stories from the Jakrimen OF hun
dreds OF slaves being caught all the country
carried up to the capital and slaughtered by the
King. for the purpose OF what they call making
hi. father and also OF "chopping King" l. e.
ling be ran,raL hafor''