toms.'

practice whenever the king returns to his the King of Dahomey are one. The queen capital. Eight heads were in the doorway is the greatest sovereign in Europe and I am of the palace on the following morning, and king of the blacks. I will hold the head of more of these trophies were inside. Mr. the kingdom of Dahomey, and you shall hold Wilmot and his companions remained in the tail." Mr. Wilmot then gave him a Abomey five weeks, and daily witnessed few small presents from himself, with which scenes of a very extraordinary character, such he was very much delighted and grasped him as the dancing of the Amazons, their warlike warmly by the hand. His council particisongs, the dancing and songs of the soldiers, pated in these feelings, and said, "At last the distribution of presents to the princes, good friends have met." Then commenced chiefs, captains, and head men of the troops, the delivery of the message which the comthe "passing" of the king's drummers, of modore thought it his duty to lay before the the captains of the Amazons, of the king's king. The first subject was the slave trade, jesters, and a variety of other people which on which he argued apparently at great length. appear before the king during the "cus- He then gave the king an admonition about human sacrifices, and the threatened occupation of Abbeokuta, winding up with the suggestion of an embassy, an extension of trade and missionary schools. The king listened attentively to the message, and made several remarks during its delivery. The usual ceremony of drinking was not forgotten, and he accompanied Mr. Wilmot through the gates of the palace far on the road to his quarters, amidst the cheers of the soldiers and people. They remained a month in Abomey after the delivery of this message, in consequence of the "customs" going on. Nothing could persuade the king to let them go until this was over, as he was most anxious that they should see everything and report it.

Upon the last day but one of the "customs," late in the afternoon, a large body of soldiers, with their attendants carrying their camp equipage, made their appearance from a place about three days' journey in the interior, belonging to the king. These men had been sent to the assistance of a small town belonging to a chief on friendly terms with the king, who had been threatened by the Abbeokutans, and who had applied to Abomey for assistance. The king had granted the assistance required, and despatched two of his head warriors with about six hundred men for this purpose. When these men arrived at the town, they found that the Abbeokutans, hearing of their approach, had run away, and hence their return to Abomey. As usual, on their return the king made them a long speech, and gave them presents.

On the Saturday, six days after the English party's arrival at Abomey, the king saw them privately in his own palace, and they gave him the presents brought up for the occasion. He was attended by six of his Privy Council, his most trusted friends; also by five of his principal wives. He would only receive the presents from Mr. Wilmot's hands. He gave him first the picture of the queen, saying that her majesty had sent this out as a mark of her friendship, and her wish to be on good terms with him. He took it in his hands and admired it very much. In this picture the queen is represented in her coronation robes, with crown on her head and sceptre in her hand. The frame is very handsome, and the picture is a large one. After looking at it attentively, he asked many questions concerning the dress, and then said, "From henceforth the Queen of England and

They saw the royal treasures pass round in the interior of the palace, preceded by all the principal ministers, princes, and chiefs, in their court costume. The captains of the Amazons passed round in the same way. The costume worn, the different colors displayed according to etiquette, the ornaments of silver round the necks, with an occasional skull at the waist-belt of the Amazons, and the half-savage appearance of all, notwithstanding their good manners and modest behavior, were peculiarly interesting. It was during the procession of the king's treasures, that the "human sacrifices" came round, after the cowries, cloths, tobacco, and rum had passed, which were to be thrown to the people. A long string of live fowls on poles appeared, followed by goats in baskets, then by a bull, and lastly half a dozen men with hands and feet tied, and a cloth fastened in a peculiar way round the head.

A day or two after these processions, the king appeared on the first platform: there were four of these platform, two large and

saved:very

The "customs" were concluded by a day of firing, when all the soldiers, under their different leaders, marched past the king in review order. The king danced with his Amazons, and invited the visitors to join. While the "customs" last the king does not transact any public business.

up, he

in his joy. The chiefs and people cheered me | people do? And besides this, I should be in as I passed through them with the late in- danger of losing my life." Being asked how tended victim behind me." much money he would take to give it replied, "No money will induce me to do so; I am not like the Kings of Lagos, Porto Novo, and Benin. There are only two kings in Africa, Ashantee and Dahomey; I am the king of all the blacks. Nothing will recompense me for the slave trade." He said there were plenty of blacks to sell, and plenty to reOn the afternoon of Friday, the 16th of main; and that the price of a slave was eighty January, the king asked the commodore to dollars, with four dollars custom on each. review his Life Guardsmen and women, and On most occasions he is paid before the slaves he then made him colonel over the whole of are taken away, but sometimes he risks the them, about one thousand strong each-an payment, and then he suffers by the caphonor for which the new colonel had to pay ture of the slave-ship. He said "I must dearly, according to the custom of the coun- go to Abbeokuta: we are enemies; they intry. Speeches were made by the captains, sulted my brother, and I must punish them. who were introduced separately, the whole Let us alone; Why interfere in black man's tenor of which was what they would do at wars? We do not want white men' to fight Abbeokuta, and the number of heads that against us; let every one go out of Abbeokuta, would fall to Mr. Wilmot's share. The fol- and see who will win. Let the white man lowing day, Saturday the 17th, the king saw stand by and see which are the brave men ! " them in private, as before, and gave his an- He spoke strongly of Porto Novo and said, swer to the message. He commenced by saying "If my friends the English had sent to me, how glad he was that a messenger had been sent I would have broke Porto Novo for them.” who by his patience and forbearance had shown He promised faithfully to spare all the himself a friend to the black man. He then en- Christians and send them to Whydah, and tered into a long history of his country in the that his generals should have strict orders to time of his ancestors, and stated how anxious that effect. When asked about the Chrishis father was to be friends with the English. tians at Ishagga, he said, "Who knew they He said that for many years past (he did not were Christians? The black man says he is know why) the English seemed to be hostile a white man, calls himself a Christian, and to him, and endeavored to make all nations in dresses himself in clothes: it is an insult to Africa fight against him. He said that the the white man. I respect the white man, but slave trade had been carried on in his country these people are impostors, and no better for centuries, and that it was his great means than my own people. Why do they remain of living and paying his people. He did not in a place when they know that I am comsend slaves away in his own ships, but "white ing? If they do so, I suppose they are takmen came to him for them, and was there ing up arms against me, and I am bound to any harm in his selling? We ought to pre-treat them as enemies. If a musket-ball vent the "white men " from coming to him; touches the white man at Abbeokuta, am I to if they did not come he would not sell. We blame if they will not go away when they had seen what a great deal he had to give know I am coming?" Mr Wilmot reasoned away every year to his people who were de- with him no longer on this subject, because pendent on him; and that this could not be he thought "his observations so thoroughly done by selling palm oil alone. If people just and honest." The next subject was the came for palm oil he would sell it to them;" human sacrifices." He said, "You have but he could not carry on his government seen that only a few are sacrificed, and not upon trade alone. If he gave up the slave trade, where was he to get money from? It was not his fault that he sold slaves, but those who made his fathers do it, and hence it became an institution of his country. He said, "I cannot stop it all at once; what will my

the thousands that wicked men have told the world. If I were to give up this custom at once, my head would be taken off to-morrow. These institutions cannot be stopped in the way you propose. By and by, little by little, much may be done; softly, softly, not by

threats. You see how I am placed, and the difficulties in the way: by and by, by and by." As to the embassy, he said he would send a prince to England, if Mr. Wilmot came again and gave him the queen's answer to what he had stated. With regard to the schools at Whydah, the king said, "Any of the mulattoes may send their children."

After the interview, which lasted some time, the king made several presents: namely, for the queen a large umbrella, made of different colored velvets, with the devices emblematic of their customs; a large carved stool, which no one but kings are allowed to possess; a pipestick and bag; a bag made from the leather of the country, with a lion worked upon it; a very handsome country cloth, and a long stick ornamented with silver, which can only be carried by the king; also two girls, one about twelve, the other sixteen, very pretty and intelligent. These last were left by the commodore at Whydah, in charge of the colored missionary's wife there, until the wishes of her majesty on the subject can be ascertained. The girls were taken at Ishagga, and seemed to be very interesting.

coming. They then wait till all have passed. The reason for this is, that if an accident were to happen to any one of these women, either by her falling down and breaking the water-jar on her head, or if the water-jar fell off her head, the unfortunate man who happened to be near at the time would be immediately seized, and either imprisoned for life or have his head taken off, as it would be supposed that he was the cause of the accident. No wonder, then, that they get out of the way as quickly as possible. The commodore and his friends were always obliged to follow this custom, but women are not expected to avoid them in this manner. All day long the sound of this bell is heard, and people are seen flying away. The Amazons seemed to enjoy it, and laughed heartily when the men stepped aside to avoid them.

Whatever may be the object in thus keeping up such a large body of "women soldiers," there is no doubt that they are the main stay of the kingdom. Mr. Wilmot put down the number at 5,000; and besides these there are numerous women to attend upon them as servants. He saw 4,000 under arms at Abomey, and there are more in other parts of the kingThey found the population very scanty. dom residing in the royal palaces. He thinks After they had left Whydah, every soldier in they are far superior to the men in everythe place went on to Abomey to swell the num-thing-in appearance, in dress, in figure, in bers there. There was not a man to be seen activity in their performances as soldiers, and on their return, none but women and children. On the whole, there are far more women than men, probably three to one, which may be the reason why the Kings of Dahomey, who are always at war, are obliged to raise and keep up the Amazons, or "women soldiers," to the extent that they do.

in bravery. Their numbers are kept up by young girls of thirteen or fourteen years of age being attached to each company, who learn their duties from them; they dance with them, sing with them, and live with them, ," but do not go to war with them until they have arrived at a certain age, and can handle a musket. These women seem to be fully aware of the authority they possess, which is seen in their bold and free manner, as well as by a certain swagger in their walk. Most of them are young, well-looking, and have not that ferocity in their expression of countenance which might be expected from their peculiar vocation.

The Amazons are everything in this country. The king lives with them and amongst them; they are only to be found in the royal palaces. When they go out to fetch water, which is every day and nearly all day, the one in the front (for all follow in single line) has a bell round her neck much like a sheepbell in England, which she strikes whenever any person is seen approaching. Immediately the men run away in all directions, and clear the road by which the Amazons are

This report on Dahomey is one of the most curious bits of reading produced during the London season.

From The Saturday Review.
PRECURSORS.

since it fairly took hold, not merely of the understanding, but of the imagination of the world at large, a wonderful power of comprehending the questions which interested past times, and a strong propensity to pry into those which will interest our descendants, have been observable. One marked illustration-though not, perhaps, a very important one-is to be found in the growth of histori

THERE is a class of writers who are distinguished by the special gift of being able to understand, before other people, the signs of the times. To use an unsatisfactory phrase, they are in advance of their age, and show in all their works a sense of the fact that the course of events is bringing up for solution a set of questions the character of which they appre-cal novels. Such a book as Ivanhoe could not hend, very often indistinctly enough, but have been written before the French Revolustill long before their neighbors. One of the tion. This power of sympathizing with the first features of the literature of the last cen- past involved the power of looking beyond tury which strike a reader of the present day the present, and to specify the remarkable is the general air of satisfaction which per- writers in whom it has shown itself would be vades a great part of it. Innumerable writ- to criticise all the most remarkable works of ers, especially in our own country, seem to the last sixty years. A few names may be have felt and written as if the course of af-mentioned as examples. One of the earliest fairs had produced a state of stable equili- and most striking instances of the peculiar brium both in politics and society. It was temperament which belongs to precursors was so in poetry, it was so in art, it was so pre-afforded by Joseph De Maistre. It is diffieminently in history. Hume, Gibbon, Rob-cult to believe, in reading the Soirées de St. ertson, and the other great men of that age, Petersbourg, that it was written half a cenwrote history with a serene, untroubled, and unsympathetic air, which looks as if they had never seen great events, and did not know how to understand descriptions of them. It is only in a few detached instances that the coming events cast their shadow over the minds of the great writers of that day, and that they show a dim forecast of the convulsion in which the century was to end. Here and there, however, such feelings may be traced -more frequently in France than in England, for obvious reasons. The deepseated abuses, and the enormous masses of lying and corruption in high places, which made French society a whited sepulchre, did act upon the imagination of some of those who lived amongst them, and did lead them Of precursors in the modern history of our to foresee some great change in the state of own country, none was more conspicuous, or the society in which they lived. The reader on the whole less understood, than Dr. Newof the most characteristic works both of Rous-man. Whenever the history of the moveseau and Voltaire, to say nothing of less il- ment in which he was by far the most relustrious names, finds himself at once in a markable agent comes to be written by a permodern world. The questions considered, son capable of understanding it, the facts and the spirit in which they are dealt with, that he influenced deeply many of the most are to a great extent those of our own time powerful minds of his generation in their and country; and the books in which they most vital part, and that he foresaw the great are contained constitute, though with re- religious controversy now beginning a quarmarkable exceptions, a series of protests ter of a century earlier than the rest of the against the order of things in the midst of world, will be invested with the prominence which the writers lived. The French Revo- which they deserve. The famous sermon lution gave an extraordinary impulse to what which declared that in science the earth might may be called sympathetic literature. Ever move round the sun, but that in theology the

tury ago. The tone, the temper, the arguments are all those of a later period. Large parts of the book read as if they had been written expressly to anticipate Dr. Newman, whilst others sound like a refutation of Comte. Indeed, this eminent person observed, with some truth, that if Aristotle and St. Paul had done something in the way of heralds to Auguste Comte, his immediate precursor was De Maistre. Lamennais was a man not, indeed, of the same order, but with the same prospective turn of mind; and the history of French Socialism on the one hand, and of one component element of Italian Liberalism on the other, testifies to the influence which he exerted over his generation.