'588 Adams's Account of the 



of a piece of silk damask, a few yards of 

 scarlet cloth, and some strings of coral. 

 Soon after my arrival, tlieiefoie, and 

 while my health yet permitted it, I got 

 into my hammock ; and, at tlie end of 

 the second day, I arrived at the capital 

 of Benin. 



The course of the road from Gatto to 

 the capital is about NE. by N. and the 

 road passes over a country nearly level, 

 intersected with deep woods and 

 swamps ; the distance I estimated to be 

 about forty miles. 



The face of the country surrounding 

 Scnin bears much the same character as 

 that of Ardrah and Grcwhe, except that 

 it is more thickly wooded. The town 

 is large and populous, and contains pro- 

 bably 15,000 inliabilants; it is built very 

 irregularly, the houses being ])laccd 

 "without any regard to order, and de- 

 tached ; consequently occnp3ing a large 

 space ofgrouuil. 



The King of Lenin is fetiche ; and, as 

 such, the princijjal object of adoration 

 in his dominions. He occupies a 

 higher post here than the pope does in 

 catiiolic Europe; for he is not only God's 

 •vicegerent upon earth, but a god him- 

 self, whose subjects both obey and adore 

 liim as such, although I believe their 

 adoration to arise rather from tear than 

 )ove; as cases of heresy are tried before 

 a much more summary, though a more 

 merciful, tribunal than the inquisition, 

 and is punished promptly by the delin- 

 quent receiving the coup de tete. 



King Bowarre is now about forty-five 

 ye^rs of age; the day following my 

 arrival, I had the honour of an inter- 

 view with him; he received me with 

 much politeness, particidarly after the 

 fine llashy piece of red silk damask, 

 which I had brought with me as a pre- 

 sent for him, had been unfolded. The 

 conversation was carried on with the 

 aid of the king's trader, vho resides at 

 Gatto, and who had accompanied mc 

 from thence to act as my linguist. Trade 

 was the principal, indeed (he only, sub- 

 ject discussed ; for King Bowarre, 

 although he is both a god and a king, 

 trades, nevertheless, in slaves and ivory. 



The king and his principal courtiers 

 are ostentatious in their dress, wearing 

 damask, taffily, and cuttanee, after the 

 country fashion. Coral is a very fa- 

 vourite ornament in the royal seraglio, 

 which is always well filled ; and the 

 women, like those of the Hccbo nation, 

 wear a profusion of beads, if they can 

 by any means obtain thcni. 



Country extending from 



DANCING. 



There are in Benin a number of itJnc- 

 rant dancing-women, who werCsent to 

 amuse me, and whose performance be- 

 fore the house constantly attracted a 

 crowd of i)crsons of both sexes, who 

 conducted themselves with great deco- 

 rum during the exhibition. The ladies 

 danced in tiie fandango stjle, perhaps 

 not quite so modestly as our fashionablo 

 belles, allhnugh more in character, by 

 holding in Iheir hands excellent substi- 

 tutes for castanets, with which they kept 

 time admirably. These consisted of 

 small hollow gomds, over wliieli are 

 spread nets having small jiease strung 

 on the sides of the nicslics. Holes at 

 the top icceivcd the forefingers of (heir 

 right hands, with which tlie gt.urds 

 were shaken, and occasionally struck 

 against the palms of their left hands, 

 beating responses to the tunes sung by 

 the dancers. 



KING OF WARRi. 

 Being desirous of paying the King of 

 Warre a visit, I left my vessel early in 

 the morning, in the month of February, 

 having Waeoo as my guide anil pro- 

 tector. As the journey to the ca|)i(al 

 Would occupy two days and one night, 

 wc took every (hiiig requisite to render 

 ourselves comfortalile during (lie (iino 

 we should be in (he canoe which con- 

 veyed us, and which had over it an awn- 

 ing made of mats, that protected us 

 from the intensity of the rays of the sun, 

 and the heavy dews of (he night. Our 

 canoe proceeded at about the rale of 

 four miles an hour, taking an east course 

 along the creeks, some of them both 

 wide and deep, and others barely of 

 snlficienl magnitude to allow our small 

 bark to navigate them. 



During our passage to Warr6, we 

 crossetl two rivers, which join (he sea (o 

 the northward of Cape Formosa ; and wc 

 only saw two small villages on the 

 whole extent of the road to that town. 



'I'his coun(ry is covered with an im- 

 penetrable forest, which grows upon 

 land that seems composed of alluvion ; 

 and, even in the midelleof the dry season, 

 water covers a large portion of its sur- 

 face nearly (o the depth of a foot. 



Wc arrived at VVarr6 about five 

 o'clock the following day. This town is 

 situaied on a beautiful island, about five 

 miles in circumference, and which might 

 have fallen from the clouds in Ihemielst • 

 of a d(5sert ; for it is a liltlc elevated 

 above the surrounding counlry before 

 described, is well cultivated, and has 



much 



