WESTERN COAST OF AFRICA. 18? 



oi Dahomy, as known at present (according to the history of it by Mr, 

 Dalze., governor of Cape Coast Castle) is supposed to reach from the 

 sea-coast about 150 or 200 miles inland, though no European has pene- 

 trated above half that distance ; the capital, Abomey, lies in about 8 

 deg north lat. and 3 deg. 20 min. east Ion. The soil is a deep clay of 

 a reddish colour, with a little sand on the surface. In some places it 

 is a little light and graveily ; but there is not a stone so big as an egg 

 in the whoK country, so far as it has been visited by the Europeans, 

 It plentifully produces, according to the quantity of culture, maize and 

 millet, or Guinea-corn of different sorts, a kind of beans, or x'ather kid- 

 ney-beans, called calavances,and also a species of beans, called ground- 

 beans. The Dahomans likewise cultivate yams, potatoes of two sorts, 

 the cassada or manioka : the plantain and the banana, pine-apples, me- 

 lons, oranges, limes, guavas, and other tropical fruits also abound in 

 this fertile country. Nor is it destitute of productions adapted for 

 commerce and manufactures; such as indigo, cotton, the sugar-cane, 

 tobacco, palm-oil, together with a variety of spices, particularly a 

 species of pepper very similar in flavour, and indeed scarcely distin- 

 guishable from the black pepper of the East Indies. Dahomy abounds 

 with buffaloes, deer, sheep, goats, hogs both wild and domestic, poul- 

 try of various kinds, particularly pintadas, or Guinea-hens, and Mus- 

 covy-ducks. The elephant, though its flesh be coarse, is made use of 

 as food by the natives ; and dogs are reared for the same purpose. 

 The dress of the men in Dahomy consists of a pair of striped or white 

 ootton drawers of the manufacture of the country, over which they 

 wear a large square cloth of the same, or of European manufacture. 

 This cloth is about the size of a common counterpane for the mid- 

 dling class, but much larger for the grandees. It is wrapped about 

 the loins, and tied on the left side by two of the corners, the other 

 hanging down and sometimes trailing on the ground. A piece of silk 

 or velvet of sixteen or eighteen yards makes a cloth for a grandee. 

 The head is usually covered with a beaver or felt hat, according to the 

 quality of the wearer. The king, as well as some of his ministers} 

 eften wears a gold and silver laced hat and feather. The arms and 

 upper part of the body are usually naked : and the feet are always 

 bare, none but the sovereign being permitted to wear sandals. The 

 dress of the women, though simple, consists of a greater number of 

 articles than that of the men. They use several cloths and handker- 

 chiefs ; some to wrap round the loins, and others to cover occasionally 

 the breasts and upper part of the body. They adorn the neck, arms, 

 and ancles with beads and cowries, and wear rings of silver or baser 

 metals on their fingers : girls, before the age of puberty, wear nothing 

 but a string of beads or lis round their loins, and young women 

 usually expose the breasts .- iew. The general character of the 

 Dahomans is marked by a mixture of ferocity and politeness. The 

 former appears in the treatment of their enemies : the latter they pos- 

 sess far above the African nations with whom we have hitherto had 

 any intercourse ; this being the country where strangers are least ex- 

 posed to insults, and where it is easy to reside in security and tran- 

 quillity. The language is that which the Portuguese call Lingua 

 Geral, or General Tongue, and is spoken not only in Dahomy Pro- 

 per, but in Whidah, and the other dependent states ; and likewise in 

 Mahee, and several neighbouring places. With respect to the Daho- 

 man religion, it consists of a jumble of superstitious ceremonies, of 

 h it is impossible to convey any satisfactory idea- The govern- 



