THE KING OF DAHOMEY.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 108, 30 October 1863, Page 3

THE KING OF DAHOMEY.

The following- letter has. been receivj^H by the Duke of Wellington from the ce^H brated lion-hunter, M. Jules Gerard:— j^| " Monsieur ie Due—^Your Qrabe^SH well aware .that few men gainby bei^^B seen close, unless they are men of intelj^H gence and merit. The King of Dahdroa^M despite his cognompn, which signifies t^H 4 Eternal ' or the ' Infinite,* fully justin^H that rule, to which he is no exceptio^H Physically, he is similar to Ihe other blacJ^H of his country — tall, well-built, ahead lifj^M a bull dog. The .most usual expressionf^H his countenance is that of cunning af^H cruelty. His moral qualities' are o in p|^| feet keeping with Ins physical conforn^^H tion ; he is more gracious than the icia^M who have preceded him, , fanatical forM|^M traditions and customs. The traditi^^H of that microscopic court are to turn J^M whites to the best possible account (f^H plotter les blancs), but especially to indif^H them to make presents. It is thecustf^H to excite the people with sanguinary sp^^H tacles, so as to be able to carry off f^H neighboring population when a slave de^^H makes an offer to the King, and also at i^^J annual custom of human sacrifices. J^^H "I hare just spent 20 days at"X(^^H where the king was* staying for the c^^H bration of the lesser ceremonies. On f^H day of my presentation I was condue^^H across the market place, where 12 cprji^H were exposed to view on separate si^^H Six were bung up by the feet, tlie^^H others were upright like men abotK^^| walk. Those whom J saw close' were I§^^| ribly mutilated and not beheaded. f^^| enormous pool of blood covered thegr6|^^| beneath the scaffold, giving uninistakt|^^| evidence of previous sacrifices and of§^^| ■ tortures which accompanied them. reception by the King was brilliant-— f^^H cordial for myself as weil as for the Fre|^^H Consul ; but we were soon able to convj^^H ourselves that this was but a corned J^^| ways performed by this poor Faladii^^H get the presents brought by the whl^^M Born and brought up in the midst of t^^H spectacles, which would be ridiculoj^^H they were not horrible, the present R^^H is actually more fond of them thaf^^H subjects. Ifsawhitn on that day admfj^^H with^the delight of a child the grotej^^H dances and ridiculous pantoc^^^| of his Ministers, and then °f §|^^| Princes, and then of all present, forJl^^M amusement. |A most infernal music, w^^H nearly deafened us, delighted the ij^^l wlio seemed to be in a state of ecstl^^H and this, M. le Due, lasted for six hl^^H On the following day hip Majesty inj^^H us to witness a procession of the Rji^^^l riches. On reaching the square 6l^^^| palace (reed huts) an agreeable s ur^^^^H had been prepared for us. The cnt^^^H gate was flooded by a pool of blooc^^^H yards in widtli, and on each side a co^^^H of recently-decapitated heads adorne<|^^^| immense chaplets. It is true that oj^^^^l day the King wore the emblem °f (|^^^| on bis breast. It must be presumed^^^^f it was the crossof execution that he il^^^B to imply by this ornament. As rc^^^H the procession ot his' wealth, it con^^^^| of a few old carr'ages, bath chairs, c |^^^| by men with figures like Policli One thousand women carried each a of liquor on her head ; a brass basin shape of a foot-bath to receive the l^^^H of the human \ictims on the day < f^^^H King's banquet ; an image of the V various baskets full of human skulls j^^^| image of St. Lawrence, large aij^^^l carried by black-s ; finally, the dr|^^^H death. I^^H vAt another festival the Kingf^^^H manded on foot his Acazqns, who i^^^^l vred with the precision of a sheep. On the market-place alread;^^^H tioned, each step was ornamentec dead body ; and the King came an< in the midst of pools of blood* j^^^H fragments of human flesh in a s putrefaction. On this occasion, he. c j^^^H his face with coal. The ceremony j^^^H nated by a mad dance, in whicKth< |^^^^| took pait, dancing vis-a-vis to di |^^^^| soldiers and musicians. Such are, Due, the man, the- Government, a: people whom we have hitherto ho turn into a path less contrary to tlf^^^H of humanity. I regret that ton should have arrived at Kana'|^^^H moment of the. King's depafture^^^H might have been enabled to sec ahq^^^^| of all these things. • . '^^^^H <l I am, M. le Due, j^^^H *• Jules Gjgf^^^H " P.S.— On the day of Ms dep'arffl^^^H King invited us to a review of hi^^^^H prepared for war. It was from' 14 ,000 strong; comprising 12,000 Aif^^^H 1 0"0 men of the body guard, al|^^^^H archers." ' - f^^^^l