See also:

• DAHOMEY (Fr. Dahome)

DAHOMEY (Fr. Dahome)  , a See also:

• COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country of See also:

• WEST
• WEST, BENJAMIN (1738-1820)
• WEST, NICHOLAS (1461-1533)

West See also:

• AFRICA
• AFRICA, ROMAN

Africa, formerly an See also:

• INDEPENDENT

independent See also:

• KINGDOM

kingdom, now a See also:

• FRENCH
• FRENCH, DANIEL CHESTER (1850– )
• FRENCH, NICHOLAS (1604-1678)

French See also:

• COLONY (Lat. colonia, from colonus, a cultivator)

colony . See also:

• DAHOMEY (Fr. Dahome)

Dahomey is bounded S. by the Gulf of See also:

• GUINEA

Guinea, E. by See also:

• NIGERIA

Nigeria (See also:

• BRITISH

British), N. and N.W. by the French possessions on the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle See also:

• NIGER
• NIGER, GAIUS PESCENNIUS

Niger, and W. by the See also:

• GERMAN
• GERMAN, DUTCH AND SCANDINAVIAN

German colony of See also:

• TOGOLAND

Togoland . The French colony extends far See also:

• NORTH
• NORTH, BARONS
• NORTH, MARIANNE (1830—1890)
• NORTH, ROGER (1653-1734)
• NORTH, SIR THOMAS (1535?-16o1?)

north of the limits of the See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

ancient kingdom of the same name . With a See also:

• COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

coast-See also:

• LINE

line of only 75 in . (1° 38' E. to 2° 46' 55" E.), the See also:

• AREA

area of the colony is about 40,000 sq. m., and the See also:

• POPULATION (Lat. populus, people; populare, to populate)

population over 1,000,000 . As far as 9 ° N. the width of the colony is no greater than the coast-line . From this point, the colony broadens out both eastward and westward, attaining a maximum width of 200 M . It includes the western See also:

• PART

part of See also:

• BORGU, or BARBA

Borgu (q.v.), and reaches the Niger at a spot a little above Illo . Its greatest length N. to S. is 430 M . See also:

• PHYSICAL

Physical Features..—'-=The littoral, part of the old Slave Coast (see GUINEA), is very See also:

• LOW, SETH (1850- )
• LOW, WILL HICOK (1853- )

low, sandy and obstructed by a See also:

• BAR
• BAR (0. Fr. barre, Late Lat. barra, origin unknown)
• BAR, CONFEDERATION OF
• BAR, FRANCOIS DE (1538-1606)
• BAR, THE

bar . Behind the seashore is a line of lagoons, where small steamers can ply; See also:

• EAST
• EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

east to west they are those of - See also:

• PORTO

Porto Novo (or See also:

• LAKE
• LAKE, GERARD LAKE, 1ST VISCOUNT (1744-1808)

Lake Nokue), Whydah and See also:

• GRAND

Grand Popo . The Weme (300 M. See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long), known in its upper course as the Ofe, the most important See also:

• RIVER

river See also:

• RUNNING

running See also:

• SOUTH
• SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

south, drains the colony from the Bariba country to Porto Novo, entering the See also:

• LAGOON (Fr. lagune, Lat. lacuna, a pool)

lagoon so named .

The Zu is a western affluent of the Weme . Farther west is the Kuffu (150 M. long), which, before entering the Whydah lagoon, broadens out into a lake or lagoon called Aheme, 20 m. long by 5 M. broad . The Makru and Kergigoto, each of which has various affluents, flow north-east to the Niger, which in the part of its course forming the north-east frontier of the colony is only navigable for small vessels and that with See also:

• GREAT

great difficulty (see NIGER) . For some 50 M. inland the country is See also:

• FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat, and, after the first mile or two of sandy See also:

• WASTE (O. Fr. wast, guast, gast, gaste; Lat. vastus, vast, desolate)

waste is passed, covered with dense vegetation . At this distance (5o m.) from the coast is a great swamp known as the Lama See also:

• MARSH (O. F. mersc, for merisc, a place full of "meres" or pools; cf. Ger. Meer, sea, Lat. mare)
• MARSH, ADAM (ADAM DE MARISCO) (d. c. 1258)
• MARSH, GEORGE PERKINS (1801-1882)
• MARSH, HERBERT (1757–1839)
• MARSH, NARCISSUS (1638-1713)
• MARSH, OTHNIEL CHARLES (1831-1899)

Marsh . It extends east to west some 25 M. and north to south 6 to 9 M . North of the swamp the See also:

• LAND

land rises by See also:

• REGULAR

regular stages to about 165o ft., the high See also:

• PLATEAU (a French term, older platel, for a flat piece of wood, metal, &c., from plat, flat)
• PLATEAU, JOSEPH ANTOINE FERDINAND (1801-1883)

plateau falling again to the See also:

• BASIN, or BASON (the older form bacin is found in many of the Romanic languages, from the Late Lat. baccinus or bacchinus, probably derived from bacca, a bowl)
• BASIN, THOMAS (1412—1491)

basin of the Niger . In the north-west a range of hills known as the Atacora forms a See also:

• WATERSHED

watershed between the basins of the Weme, the Niger and the See also:

• VOLTA
• VOLTA, ALESSANDRO (1745-1827)

Volta . A large part of the interior consists of undulating country, rather barren, with occasional patches of See also:

• FOREST

forest . The forests contain the See also:

• BAOBAB

baobab, the coco-See also:

• NUT
• NUT (0. Eng. knutu, cf. Dutch noot, Ger. Nuss; allied with Gael. cno; it is not of the same form as Lat. nux)

nut See also:

• PALM (Lat. palma, Gr. iraX6.jn )
• PALM, JOHANN PHILIPP (1768-1806)

palm and the oil palm . The See also:

• FAUNA

fauna resembles that of other parts of the West Coast, but the larger See also:

• WILD, JONATHAN (c. 1682-1725)

wild animals, such as the See also:

• ELEPHANT

elephant and See also:

• HIPPOPOTAMUS (" river-horse," Gr. lames, horse and aoraµbs, river)

hippopotamus, are rare . The See also:

• LION
• LION (Lat, leo, leonis; Gr. Mew)

lion is found in the regions bordering the Niger .

Some kinds of antelopes are See also:

• COMMON

common; the See also:

• BUFFALO

buffalo has disappeared . See also:

• CLIMATE

Climate.—The climate of the coast regions is very hot and moist . Four seasons are well marked: the See also:

• HARMATTAN

harmattan or long dry See also:

• SEASON (0. Fr. seson, seison, mod. saison, Lat. satio, sowing time, the spring, from serere, to sow; in Late Lat. the word is found with its present meaning, the spring being considered as particularly the season of the year)

season, from the 1st See also:

• DECEMBER (Lat. decent, ten)

December to the 15th See also:

• MARCH
• MARCH (1) (from Fr. marcher, to walk; the earliest sense in French appears to be " to trample," and the origin has usually been found in the Lat. marcus, hammer; Low Lat. marcare, to hammer; hence to beat the road with the regular tread of a soldier: cf.
• MARCH, AUZIAS (c. "1395-1458)
• MARCH, EARLS OF
• MARCH, FRANCIS ANDREW (1825– )

March; the season of the great rains, from the 15th March to the 15th See also:

• JULY

July; the See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short dry season, from the 15th July to the 15th See also:

• SEPTEMBER (Lat. septem, seven)

September; and the " little rains," from the 15th September to the 1st December . Near the See also:

• SEA (in O. Eng. sae, a common Teutonic word; cf. Ger. See, Dutch Zee, &c.; the ultimate source is uncertain)
• SEA, COMMAND OF THE

sea the See also:

• AVERAGE

average temperature is about 8o° F . The harmattan prevails for several days in See also:

• SUCCESSION (Lat. successio, from succedere, to follow after)

succession, and alternates with winds from the south and south-west . During its continuance the thermometer falls about 1o°, there is not the slightest moisture in the See also:

• ATMOSPHERE (Gr. fir µ6r, vapour; orkaipa, a sphere)

atmosphere, vegetation dries up or droops, the skin parches and peels, and all woodwork is liable to warp and crack with a loud See also:

• REPORT (O.Fr. report or raport, modern rapport, from O.Fr. reporter, mod. rap porter, Lat. reportare, to bring back, in poetical use only, of bringing back an account, news, &c.)

report . Tornadoes occur occasionally . During nine months of the See also:

• YEAR

year the climate is tempered by a sea-See also:

• BREEZE

breeze, which is See also:

• FELT (cognate with Ger. Filz, Du. vilt, Swed. and Dan. fill; the root is unknown; the word has given Med. Lat. filtrum, " filter ")

felt as far inland as See also:

• ABOMEY

Abomey (6o m.): It generally begins in the See also:

• MORNING

morning, and in the summer it often increases to a stiff See also:

• GALE
• GALE, THEOPHILUS (1628-1678)
• GALE, THOMAS (?1636-17o2)

gale at sundown . In the interior there are but two seasons: the dry season (See also:

• NOVEMBER (Lat. novem, nine)

November to May) and the See also:

• RAINY, ROBERT (1826-1906)

rainy season (See also:

• JUNE

June to See also:

• OCTOBER

October) . The rains are more scanty and diminish considerably in the See also:

• NORTHERN

northern regions . Inhabitants.—The inhabitants of the coast region are of pure See also:

• NEGRO (from Lat. eager, black)

negro stock . The Dahomeyans (Dahomi), who inhabit the central part of the colony, See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form one of eighteen closely-allied clans occupying the country between the Volta and Porto Novo, and from their common See also:

• TONGUE (O. Eng. lunge)

tongue known as the See also:

• EWE

Ewe-speaking tribes .

In their own tongue Dahomeyans are called Fon or Fawin . They are tall and well-formed, proud, reserved in demeanour, polite in their intercourse with strangers, warlike and keen traders . The See also:

• MINA, FRANCISCO ESPOZ Y (1781-1836)

Mina, who occupy the See also:

• DISTRICT

district of the Popos, are noted for their skill as surf-men, which has gained for them the See also:

• TITLE (0. Fr. title, mod. titre, from Lat. titulus)

title of the See also:

• KRUMEN (KROOMEN, KROOBOYS, KRUS, or CROOS)

Krumen of Dahomey . Porto Novo is inhabited by a tribe called Nago, which has an admixture of Yoruba See also:

• BLOOD

blood and speaks a Yoruba See also:

• DIALECT (from Gr. Sia stcror, conversation, manner of speaking, &aXeyec6at, to converse)

dialect . The Nago are a peaceful tribe and even keener traders than the Dahomi . In Whydah and other coast towns are many mulattos, speaking Portuguese and bearing high-See also:

• SOUNDING (for derivation see SOUND above)

sounding Portuguese names . In the north the inhabitants—See also:

• MAHI

Mahi, Bariba, Gurmai,—are also of Negro stock, but scarcely so civilized as the coast tribes . Settled among them are communities of See also:

• FULA (FULBE, FELLATAH or PEULS)

Fula and Hausas . There are many converts to See also:

• ISLAM

Islam in the northern districts, but the Mahi and Dahomeyans proper are nearly all fetish worshippers . See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

Chief Towns.—The chief See also:

• PORT

port and the seat of See also:

• GOVERNMENT
• GOVERNMENT (0. Fr. governement, mod. gouvernement, O. Fr. governer, mod. gouverner, from Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, guide, rule; cf. Gr. xv(3epvav)

government is Kotonu, the starting-point of a railway to the Niger . An See also:

• IRON [symbol Fe, atomic weight 55.85 (0=16)]

iron See also:

• PIER (older forms per or Pere, from Med. Lat. pera; the word for piers out of water. For river piers, where a firm, watertight is of obscure origin, and the connexion with Fr. Pierre, Lat. stratum is found at a moderate depth below the river-bed, the pctr

pier, which extends well beyond the surf, affords facilities for See also:

• SHIPPING

shipping . Kotonu was originally a small See also:

• VILLAGE

village which served as the seaport of Porto Novo and was burnt to the ground in 189o .

It has consequently the See also:

• ADVANTAGE

advantage of being a See also:

• TOWN

town laid out by Europeans on a definite See also:

• PLAN
• PLAN (from Lat. planes, flat)

plan . Situated on the See also:

• BEACH

beach between the sea and the lagoon of Porto Novo, the See also:

• SOIL

soil consists of heavy See also:

• SAND
• SAND, GEORGE (1804-1876)

sand . See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

Good hard roads have been made . Owing to an almost continuous, cool, See also:

• WESTERLY

westerly sea-breeze, Kotonu is, in comparison with the other coast towns, decidedly healthy for See also:

• WHITE
• WHITE, ANDREW DICKSON (1832– )
• WHITE, GILBERT (1720–1793)
• WHITE, HENRY KIRKE (1785-1806)
• WHITE, HUGH LAWSON (1773-1840)
• WHITE, JOSEPH BLANCO (1775-1841)
• WHITE, RICHARD GRANT (1822-1885)
• WHITE, ROBERT (1645-1704)
• WHITE, SIR GEORGE STUART (1835– )
• WHITE, SIR THOMAS (1492-1567)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM ARTHUR (1824--1891)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1845– )
• WHITE, THOMAS (1628-1698)
• WHITE, THOMAS (c. 1550-1624)

white men . Porto Novo (pop. about 50,000), the former French headquarters and chief business centre, is on the northern See also:

• SIDE
• SIDE (mod. Eski Adalia)

side of the lagoon of the same name and 20 M. north-east of Kotonu by See also:

• WATER

water . The town has had many names, and that by which it is known to Europeans was given by the Portuguese in the 17th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century . It contains numerous churches and mosques, public buildings and merchants' residences . Whydah, 23 M. west of Kotonu, is an old and formerly thickly-populated town . Its population is now about 15,000 . It is built on the north See also:

• BANK

bank of the coast lagoon about 2 M. from the sea . There is no See also:

• HARBOUR (from M.E. hereberge, here, an army; cf. Ger. Heer and -beorg, protection or shelter. Other early forms in English were herberwe and haiborow, as seen in various place names, such as Market Harborough.. The French auberge, an inn, derived through

harbour at the beach, and landing is effected in boats made expressly to pass through the surf, here particularly heavy . Whydah, during the See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period of the slave-See also:

• TRADE (O. Eng. trod, footstep, from tredan, to tread; in M. Eng. the forms teed, trod and trade appear, the last in the sense of a beaten track)
• TRADE, BOARD OF

trade, was divided into five quarters: the See also:

• ENGLISH

English, French, Portuguese, Brazilian and native .

The three first quarters once had formidable forts, of which the French fort alone survives . In consequence of the thousands of See also:

• ORANGE
• ORANGE (Citrus Aurantium)
• ORANGE, HOUSE OF

orange and citron trees which adorn it, Whydah is called " the See also:

• GARDEN (from O. Fr. garden, mod. Fr. jardin; this, like our words " garth," a paddock attached to a building, and " yard," comes from a Teutonic word for an enclosure which appears in Gothic as gards and O. H. Ger. gart, cf. Dutch gaarde and Ger. .garten)

garden of Dahomey." West of Whydah, on the coast and near. the frontier of Togoland, is the trading town of Grand Popo . Inland in Dahomey proper are Abomey (q.v.), the ancient See also:

• CAPITAL (i.e. capital stock or fund)
• CAPITAL (Lat. caput, head)

capital, Allada, Kana (formerly the country See also:

• RESIDENCE (Latin residere, to remain behind, to dwell, reside)

residence and See also:

• BURIAL

burial-See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place of the See also:

• KINGS, FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF

kings of Dahomey) and Dogba . In the See also:

• HINTERLAND (German for " the land behind ")

hinterland are Carnotville (a town of French creation), Nikki and Paraku, Borgu towns, and Garu, on the right bank of the Niger near the British frontier, the See also:

• TERMINUS

terminus of the railway from the coast . See also:

• AGRICULTURE
• AGRICULTURE (from Lat. ages, field, and colere, to cultivate)
• AGRICULTURE, BOARD OF

Agriculture and Trade.—The agriculture, trade and See also:

• COMMERCE
• COMMERCE (Lat. commercium, from, cum, together, and rnerx, merchandise)

commerce of Dahomey proper are essentially different from that of the hinterland (Haut Dahome) . The soil of Dahomey proper is naturally fertile and is capable of being highly cultivated . It consists of a See also:

• RICH, BARNABE (c. 1540-1617)
• RICH, CLAUDIUS JAMES (1787-1821)
• RICH, JOHN (1692-1761)
• RICH, PENELOPE, LADY (c. 1562–1607)
• RICH, RICHARD, 1ST BARON RICH (1490?-1567)

rich See also:

• CLAY (from O. Eng. claeg, a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Klei)
• CLAY, CASSIUS MARCELLUS (1810-1903)
• CLAY, CHARLES (1801–1893)
• CLAY, FREDERIC (1838–1889)
• CLAY, HENRY (1777–1852)

clay of a deep red See also:

• COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour . Finely-powdered See also:

• QUARTZ

quartz and yellow See also:

• MICA

mica are met with, denoting the See also:

• DEPOSIT (Lat. depositurn, from deponere, to lay down, to put in the care of)

deposit of disintegrated See also:

• GRANITE (adapted from the Ital. granite, grained; Lat. granum, grain)

granite from the interior . The See also:

• PRINCIPAL

principal product is palm-oil, which is made in large quantities throughout the country . The district of Toffo is particularly noted for its oil-palm orchards . Palm-See also:

• WINE (Lat. vinum, Gr. oivos)

wine is also made, but the manufactureis discouraged as the See also:

• PROCESS

process destroys the See also:

• TREE (0. Eng. treo, treow, cf. Dan. tree, Swed. Odd, tree, trd, timber; allied forms are found in Russ. drevo, Gr. opus, oak, and 36pv, spear, Welsh derw, Irish darog, oak, and Skr. dare, wood)
• TREE, SIR HERBERT BEERBOHM (1853- )

tree . Next to palm-oil the principal See also:

• VEGETABLE

vegetable products are See also:

• MAIZE, or INDIAN CORN

maize, guinea-See also:

• CORN (a common Teutonic word; cf. Lat. granum, seed, grain)
• CORN (fromm Lat. corms, horn)

corn, See also:

• CASSAVA

cassava, yams, sweet potatoes, plantains, coco-nuts, oranges, limes and the See also:

• AFRICAN

African See also:

• APPLE (a common Teut. word, A.S. aepl, aeppel, O.H.G. aphul, aphal, apfal, mod. Ger. Apfel)

apple, which grows almost wild .

The country also produces ground-nuts, See also:

• KOLA

kola-nuts, See also:

• PINE (Lat. Pinus, Gr. srlrur)

pine-apples, guavas, spices of . all kinds, See also:

• GINGER (Fr. gingembre, Ger. Ingwer)

ginger, okros (Hibiscus), See also:

• SUGAR

sugar-See also:

• CANE

cane, onions, tomatoes and papaws . Plantations of See also:

• RUBBER, INDIARUBBER

rubber trees and vines have been made . See also:

• CATTLE (Norman Fr. catel, from Late Lat. capitale, wealth or property, a word applied in the feudal system to movable property and particularly to live stock, and surviving in its wider meaning as " chattel " or " chattle ")

Cattle, See also:

• SHEEP
• SHEEP (from the Anglo-Saxon sceap, a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages; e.g. the German Schaf)

sheep, goats and fowls are scarce . There is a large fishing See also:

• INDUSTRY (Lat. industria, from indu-, a form of the pre, position in, and either stare, to stand, or struere, to pile up)

industry in the lagoons . See also:

• ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

Round the villages, and here and there in the forest, clearings are met with, cultivated in places, but agriculture is in a backward See also:

• CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition . In the, grassy uplands of the interior cattle and horses thrive, and See also:

• COTTON
• COTTON (Fr. coton; from Arab. qutun)
• COTTON, CHARLES (163o–1687)
• COTTON, GEORGE EDWARD LYNCH (1813–1866)
• COTTON, JOHN (1585–1652)
• COTTON, SIR ROBERT BRUCE

cotton of a fairly good quality is grown by the inhabitants for their own use . The prosperity of the country depends chiefly on the export of palm-oil and palm-kernels . See also:

• COPRA (a Spanish and Portuguese adaptation of the Malay kopperah, and Hindustani khopra, the coco-nut)

Copra, kola-nuts, rubber and dried See also:

• FISH (O. Eng. fist, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dutch visch, Ger. Fisch, Goth. fisks, cognate with the Lat. piscis)
• FISH, HAMILTON (1808-1893)

fish are also exported, the fish going to See also:

• LAGOS

Lagos . The See also:

• ADULTERATION
• ADULTERATION (from Lat. adulterare, to defile or falsify)

adulteration of the palm-kernels by the natives, which became a serious menace to trade, was partially checked (1900-1903) by See also:

• MEASURES

measures taken to ensure the inspection of the kernels before shipment . Trade is mainly with See also:

• GERMANY
• GERMANY (Ger. Deutschland)

Germany and Great See also:

• BRITAIN (Gr. Hperavuml vi7vot, Bperravia; Lat. Britannia, rarely Britannia)

Britain, a large proportion of the See also:

• CARGO (Span. for " loading," from Lat. carries, car)

cargo passing through the British port of Lagos . Only some 25 % of the commerce is with See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France . Cotton goods (chiefly from Great Britain), machinery and metals, See also:

• ALCOHOL

alcohol (from Germany) and See also:

• TOBACCO

tobacco are the chief imports .

The See also:

• VOLUME

volume of trade,. which had increased . from £701,000 in 1898 to £1,230,000 in 1902, declined in 1903 to £826,000 in consequence of the failure of See also:

• RAIN (O.E. regn; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Regen, Swed. and Dan. regn; it has been connected with Lat. rigare, to wet, Gr. 13pixeav)

rain, this causing a decrease in the See also:

• PRODUCTION (Lat. productionem, from producere, to pro-duce)

production of palm-oil and kernels . In 1904 the See also:

• TOTAL

total See also:

• ROSE
• ROSE (Rosa)
• ROSE, GEORGE (1744-1818)
• ROSE, HUGH JAMES (1795—1838)
• ROSE, WILLIAM STEWART (1775-1843)

rose to £873,399 . In 1905 the figure was £734,667, and in 1907 £853,051 . By the Anglo-French See also:

• CONVENTION (Lat. conventio, an assembly or agreement, from convenire, to come together)
• CONVENTION, THE NATIONAL

Convention of 1898 the See also:

• IMPOSITION (from Lat. imponere, to place or lay upon)

imposition of See also:

• DIFFERENTIAL

differential duties on goods of British origin was. forbidden for a period of See also:

• THIRTY

thirty years from that date . Communications.—The Dahomey railway from Kotonu to the Niger is of See also:

• METRE ((terpuc?, sc. rFxvf, from Gr. Or poi', measure)

metre See also:

• GAUGE, or GAGE (Med. Lat. gauja, jaugia, Fr. jauge, perhaps connected with Fr. jale, a bowl, galon, gallon)

gauge (3.28 ft.) . See also:

• WORK

Work was begun in 1900, and in 1902 the See also:

• MAIN (from the Aryan root which appears in " may " and " might," and Lat. magnus, great)
• MAIN (Lat. Moenus)

main line was completed to Toffo, a distance of 55 M . Some difficulty was then encountered in See also:

• CROSSING

crossing the Lama Marsh, but by the end of 1905 the railway had been carried through Abomey to Pauignan, 120 M. from Kotonu . In 1907 the rails had reached Paraku, 150 M. farther north . A See also:

• BRANCH (from the Fr. branche, late Lat. branca, an animal's paw)

branch ;railway from the main line serves the western part of the colony .. It goes via Whydah to Segborue on Lake Aherne . Besides the See also:

• RAILWAYS

railways, See also:

• TRAMWAY

tramway lines exist in various parts, of Dahomey . One, 28 m. long, runs from Porto Novo through the See also:

• MARKET (Lat. mercatus, trade or place of trade)

market-town of AAdjara to Sakete, See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close to the British frontier in the direction of Lagos .

This line serves a See also:

• BELT (a word common to Teutonic languages, the Old Ger. form being bale, from which the Lat. balteus probably derived)
• BELT, THOMAS (1832-1878)

belt of country rich in oil-palms . Kotonu is a regular port of See also:

• CALL (from Anglo-Saxon ceallian, a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch kallen, to talk or chatter)

call for steamers from See also:

• EUROPE

Europe to the . West Coast, and there is also regular steamship communication along the lagoons between Porto Novo and Lagos . There is a steamboat service between Porto Novo and Kotonu .. A See also:

• TELEGRAPH (Gr. Tike, far, and rypaq5eiv, to write)

telegraph line connects Kotonu with Abomey, the Niger and See also:

• SENEGAL

Senegal . See also:

• ADMINISTRATION (Lat. administrare, to serve)

Administration.—The colony is administered by a See also:

• LIEUTENANT

lieutenant-See also:

• GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

governor, assisted by a See also:

• COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

council composed of See also:

• OFFICIAL (Late Lat. QJicialis, for class. Lat. apparitor, from officium, office, duty)

official and unofficial members . The colony is divided into territories annexed, territories protected, and " territories of See also:

• POLITICAL

political See also:

• ACTION

action," but for administrative purposes the See also:

• DIVISION (from Lat. dividere, to break up into parts, separate)

division is into " circles " or provinces . Over each circle, is an See also:

• ADMINISTRATOR

administrator with extensive See also:

• POWERS, HIRAM (1805-1873)

powers . Except in the annexed territories the native states are maintained under French supervision, and native See also:

• LAWS

laws and customs, as far as possible, retained . Natives, however, may place themselves under the See also:

• JURISDICTION
• JURISDICTION, CRIMINAL LAW, DIVORCE

jurisdiction of the French See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law . Such natives are known as " Assimiles." In See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general the administrative See also:

• SYSTEM

system is the same as that for all the colonies of French West Africa . (q.v.) .

The chief source of See also:

• REVENUE
• REVENUE (0. Fr. revenu, from revenir, to return)

revenue is the customs, while the capitation tax contributes most to the See also:

• LOCAL

local See also:

• BUDGET (originally from a Gallic word meaning sack, latinized as bulga, leather wallet or bag, thence in O. Fr. bougette, from which the Eng. form is derived)

budget . See also:

• HISTORY

History.—The kingdom of Dahomey, like those of See also:

• BENIN

Benin and See also:

• ASHANTI

Ashanti, is an instance of a purely negro and See also:

• PAGAN
• PAGAN (Lat. paganus, of or belonging to a pagus, a canton, county district, village, commune)

pagan See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state, endowed with a highly organized government, and possessing a certain amount of indigenous cibilization and culture . Its history begins about the commencement of the 17th century . At that period the country now known as Dahomey was included in the extensive kingdom of Allada or Ardrah, of which the capital was the See also:

• PRESENT

present town of Allada, on the road from Whydah to Abomey . Allada became dismembered on the See also:

• DEATH

death of a reigning See also:

• SOVEREIGN

sovereign, and three See also:

• SEPARATE

separate kingdoms were constituted under his three sons . One state was formed by one See also:

• BROTHER

brother round the old capital of Allada, and retained the name of Allada or Ardrah; another brother migrated to the east and formed a state known under the name of Porto Novo; while the third brother, Takudonu, travelled northwards, and after some vicissitudes established the kingdom of Dahomey . The word Dahomey means " in Danh's belly," and is explained by the following See also:

• LEGEND (through the French from the med. Lat. legenda, things to be read, from legere, to read)

legend which, says See also:

• SIR

Sir See also:

• RICHARD
• RICHARD (d. 1184)
• RICHARD, FRANCOIS MARIE BENJAMIN (18,9-1908)
• RICHARD, HENRY (1812-1888)
• RICHARD, ST

Richard See also:

• BURTON, JOHN HILL (1809–1881)
• BURTON, ROBERT (1577-1640)
• BURTON, SIR FREDERICK WILLIAM (1816–f goo)
• BURTON, SIR RICHARD FRANCIS (1821-1890)
• BURTON, WILLIAM EVANS (1804-1860)

Burton, " is known (1864) to everybody in the kingdom." Takudonu raving settled in a town called Uhwawe encroached on the land of a neighbouring chief named Danh (the snake) . Takudonu wearied Danh by perpetual demands for land, and the chief one See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day exclaimed in anger " soon See also:

• THOU, JACQUES AUGUSTE DE [THUANUS] (1553-1617)
• THOU, NOM

thou wilt build in my belly." So it came to pass . Takudonu slew Danh and over his See also:

• GRAVE

grave built himself a See also:

• PALACE (Lat. Palatium, the name given by Augustus to his residence on the Palatine Hill)

palace which was called Dahomey, a name thenceforth adopted by the new See also:

• KING
• KING (O. Eng. cyning, abbreviated into cyng, cing; cf. O. H. G. chun- kuning, chun- kunig, M.H.G. kiinic, kiinec, kiinc, Mod. Ger. Konig, O. Norse konungr, kongr, Swed. konung, kung)
• KING [OF OCKHAM], PETER KING, 1ST BARON (1669-1734)
• KING, CHARLES WILLIAM (1818-1888)
• KING, CLARENCE (1842–1901)
• KING, EDWARD (1612–1637)
• KING, EDWARD (1829–1910)
• KING, HENRY (1591-1669)
• KING, RUFUS (1755–1827)
• KING, THOMAS (1730–1805)
• KING, WILLIAM (1650-1729)
• KING, WILLIAM (1663–1712)

king's followers . About 1724–1728 Dahomey, having become a powerful state, invaded and conquered successively Allada and Whydah . The Whydahs made several attempts to recover their freedom, but without success; while on the other See also:

• HAND
• HAND (a word common to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Hand, Goth. handus)
• HAND, FERDINAND GOTTHELF (1786-185r)

hand the Dahomeyans failed in all their expeditions against Grand Popo, a town founded by refugee Whydahs on a lagoon to the west . It is related that the repulses they met with in that See also:

• QUARTER (through Fr. from Lat. quartarius, fourth part)

quarter led to the See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order that no Dahomeyan See also:

• WARRIOR

warrior was to enter a See also:

• CANOE (from Carib. candoa, the West Indian name found in use by Columbus; the Fr. canot, boat, and Ger. Kahn, are derived from the Lat. canna, reed, vessel)

canoe .

• Porto Novo at the beginning of the 19th century became tributary to Dahomey . Such was the state of affairs at the See also:

• ACCESSION (from Lat. accedere, to go to, to approach)

accession of King Gezo about the year 1818 . This monarch, who reigned See also:

• FORTY

forty years, raised the See also:

• POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power of Dahomey to its highest See also:

• PITCH
• PITCH, MUSICAL

pitch, extending greatly the border of his kingdom to the north . He boasted of having first organized the See also:

• AMAZONS

Amazons, a force of See also:

• WOMEN

women to whom he attributed his successes . The Amazons, however, were state soldiery long before Gezo's reign, and what that monarch really did was to reorganize and strengthen the force . In 1851 Gezo attacked See also:

• ABEOKUTA

Abeokuta in the Yoruba country and the centre of the Egba power, but was beaten back . In the same year the king signed a commercial treaty with France, in which Gezo also undertook to preserve " the integrity of the territory belonging to the French fort " at Whydah . The fort referred to was one built in the 17th century, and in 1842 made over to a French See also:

• MERCANTILE (or COMMERCIAL) AGENCIES

mercantile See also:

• HOUSE
• HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

house . See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England, See also:

• PORTUGAL

Portugal and See also:

• BRAZIL
• BRAZIL, or BRASIL

Brazil also had " forts " at Whydah—all in a ruinous condition and ungarrisoned . But when in 1852 England, to prevent the slave-trade, blockaded the Dahomeyan coast, energetic protests were made by Portugal and France, based on the existence of these " forts." In 1858 Gezo died . He had greatly reduced the See also:

• CUSTOM (from O. Fr. costume, costume or coustume; Low Lat. costuma, a shortened form of consuetudo)

custom of human See also:

• SACRIFICE (from Lat. sacrificium; sacer, holy, and facere, to make)

sacrifice, and See also:

• LEFT

left instructions that after his death there was to be no general sacrifice of the palace women . Gezo was succeeded by his son Glegle (or Gllele), whose attacks on neighbouring states, persecution of native Christians, and encouragement of the slave-trade involved him in difficulties with Great Britain and with France .

It was, said See also:

• EARL

Earl See also:

• RUSSELL (FAMILY)
• RUSSELL, ISRAEL COOK (1852- )
• RUSSELL, JOHN (1745-1806)
• RUSSELL, JOHN (d. 1494)
• RUSSELL, JOHN RUSSELL, 1ST EARL (1792-1878)
• RUSSELL, JOHN SCOTT (1808–1882)
• RUSSELL, LORD WILLIAM (1639–1683)
• RUSSELL, SIR WILLIAM HOWARD
• RUSSELL, THOMAS (1762-1788)
• RUSSELL, WILLIAM CLARK (1844– )

Russell, See also:

• FOREIGN

foreign secretary, to check " the aggressive spirit of the king of Dahomey " that England in 1861 annexed the See also:

• ISLAND (O.E. ieg =isle, +land')

island of Lagos . Nevertheless in the following year Glegle captured Ishagga and in 1864 unsuccessfully attacked Abeokuta, both towns in the Lagos hinterland . In 1863 See also:

• COMMANDER

Commander See also:

• WILMOT
• WILMOT, DAVID (1814-1868)

Wilmot, R.N., and in 1864 Sir Richard Burton (the explorer and orientalist) were sent on See also:

• MISSIONS (Lat. missio, a sending)

missions to the king, but their efforts to induce the Dahomeyans to give up human sacrifices, slave-trading, &c. met with no success . In 1863, however, a step was taken by France which was the counterpart of the British See also:

• ANNEXATION (Lat. ad, to, and nexus, joining)

annexation of Lagos . In that year the kingdom of Porto Novo accepted a French See also:

• PROTECTORATE

protectorate, and an Anglo-French agreement of 1864 fixed its boundaries . This protectorate was soon afterwards abandoned by See also:

• NAPOLEON

Napoleon III., but was re-established in 1882 . At this period the rivalry of See also:

• EUROPEAN

European powers for possessions in Africa was becoming acute, and German agents appeared on the Dahomeyan coast . However, by an arrangement concluded in 1885, the German protectorate in Guinea was confined to See also:

• TOGO, HEIHACHIRO, COUNT (1847– )

Togo, See also:

• SAVE, or SAVA (Ger. Sau; Hungarian Szdva; Lat. Savus)

save for the town of Little Popo at the western end of the lagoon of Grand Popo . In See also:

• JANUARY

January 1886 Portugal—in virtue of her ancient rights at Whydah—announced that she had assumed a protectorate over the Dahomeyan coast, but she was induced by France to withdraw her protectorate in December 1887 . Finally, the last See also:

• INTERNATIONAL, THE

international difficulty in the way of France was removed by the Anglo-French agreement of 1889, whereby Kotonu was surrendered by Great Britain . France claimed rights at Kotonu in virtue of See also:

• TREATIES

treaties concluded with Glegle in r868 and 1878, but the chiefs of the town had placed themselves under the See also:

• PROTECTION

protection of the British at Lagos . With the arrangements between the European powers the Dahomeyans had little to do, and in 1889, the year in which the Anglo-French agreement was signed, trouble arose between Glegle and the French .

The Dahomeyans were the more confident, as through German and other merchants at Whydah they were well supplied with See also:

• MODERN

modern arms and See also:

• AMMUNITION

ammunition . Glegle claimed the right to collect the customs at Kotonu, and to depose the king of Porto Novo, and proceeded to See also:

• RAID

raid the territory of that potentate (his brother) . A French See also:

• MISSION

mission sent to Abomey failed to come to an agreement with the Dahomeyans, who attributed the misunderstandings to the fact that there was no longer a king in France ! Glegle died on the 28th of December 1889, two days after the French mission had left his capital . He was succeeded by his son Behanzin . A French force was landed at Kotonu, and severe fighting followed in which the Amazons played a conspicuous part . In October 1890 a treaty was signed which secured to France Porto Novo and Kotonu, and to the king of Dahomey an See also:

• ANNUAL

annual See also:

• PENSION (Lat. pensio, a payment, from pendere, to weigh, to pay)

pension of Boo . It was unlikely that See also:

• PEACE
• PEACE, BREACH OF THE

peace on such terms would prove lasting, and Behanzin's slave-raiding expeditions led in 1892 to a new See also:

• WAR
• WAR (O. Eng. werre, Fr. guerre, of Teutonic origin; cf. O.H.G. werran, to confound)

war with France . General A . A . See also:

• DODDS, ALFRED

Dodds was placed in command of a strong force of Europeans and Senegalese, and after a See also:

• SHARP, GRANVILLE (1735-1813)
• SHARP, JAMES (1618-1679)
• SHARP, JOHN (1645-1714)
• SHARP, RICHARD (1759-1835)
• SHARP, WILLIAM (1749-1824)
• SHARP, WILLIAM (1856-1905)

sharp See also:

• CAMPAIGN

campaign during September and October completely defeated the Dahomeyan troops . Behanzin set See also:

• FIRE (in O. Eng. f j'r; the word is common to West German languages, cf. Dutch vuur, Ger. Feuer; the pre-Teutonic form is seen in Sanskrit pu, pavaka, and Gr. irup; the ultimate origin is usually taken to be a root meaning to purify, cf. Lat. purus)

fire to Abomey (entered by the French troops on the 17th of November) and fled north .

Pursued by the enemy, abandoned by his See also:

• PEOPLE

people, he surrendered unconditionally on the 25th of January 1894, and was deported to See also:

• MARTINIQUE

Martinique, being transferred in 1906 to See also:

• ALGERIA
• ALGERIA (Algerie)

Algeria, where be died on the loth of December of the same year . Thus ended the independent existence of Dahomey . The French divided the kingdom in two—Abomey and Alladaplacing on the See also:

• THRONE

throne of Abomey a brother of the exiled monarch . Chief among the causes which led to the collapse of the Dahomeyan kingdom was the system which devoted the See also:

• FLOWER (Lat. flos, floris; Fr. fleur)
• FLOWER, SIB

flower of its womanhood to the profession of arms . Whydah and the adjacent territory was annexed to France by General Dodds on the 3rd of December 1892, and the See also:

• REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest of Dahomey placed under a French protectorate at the same See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time . The See also:

• PRINCE
• PRINCE (Lat. princeps, from primus capio, " I am the first to take "; Ital. principe, Fr. prince)

prince who had been made king of Abomey was found intriguing against the French, and in 1900 was exiled by them to the See also:

• CONGO

Congo, and with him disappeared the last vestige of Dahomeyan See also:

• SOVEREIGNTY

sovereignty . Dahomey conquered, the French at once set to work to secure as much of the hinterland as possible . On the north they penetrated to the Niger, on the east they entered Borgu (a country claimed by the Royal Niger See also:

• COMPANY

Company for Great Britain), on the west they overlapped the territory claimed by Germany as the hinterland of Togo . The struggle with Great Britain and Germany for supremacy in this region forms one of the most interesting chapters in the See also:

• STORY, JOHN (c. 1510-1571)
• STORY, JOSEPH (1779-1845)
• STORY, ROBERT HERBERT (1835-1907)
• STORY, WILLIAM WETMORE (1819—1895)

story of the See also:

• PARTITION

partition of Africa . In the result France succeeded in securing a junction between Dahomey and her other possessions in West Africa, but failed to secure any part of the Niger navigable from the sea (see AFRICA: History, and NIGERIA) . A Franco-German convention of 1897 settled the boundary on the west, and the Anglo-French convention of the 14th of June 1898 defined the frontier on the east . In 1899, on the disintegration of the French See also:

• SUDAN (Arabic Bilad-es-Sudan, country of the blacks)

Sudan, the districts of Fada N'Gurma and Say, lying north of Borgu, were added to Dahomey, but in 1907 they were transferred to Upper Senegal-Niger, with which colony they are closely connected both geographically and ethnographically .

From 1894 onward the French devoted great See also:

• ATTENTION (from Lat. ad-tendo, await, expect; the condition of being " stretched " or " tense ")

attention to the development of the material resources of the country . The " Customs."—Reference has already been made to the Dahomey " Customs," which gave the country an infamous notoriety . The " Customs " appear to date from the middle of the 17th century, and were of two kinds: the grand Customs performed on the death of a king; and the See also:

• MINOR
• MINOR (Lat. for smaller, lesser)
• MINOR, ROBERT CRANNELL (1839-1904)

minor Customs, held twice a year . The horrors of these saturnalia of bloodshed were attributable not to a love of See also:

• CRUELTY (through the O. Fr. crualte, mod. cruaute, from the Lat. crudelitas)

cruelty but to filial piety . Upon the death of a king human victims were sacrificed at his grave to See also:

• SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)

supply him with wives, attendants, &c. in the spirit See also:

• WORLD

world . The grand Customs surpassed the annual See also:

• RITES

rites in splendour and bloodshed . At those held in 1791 during January, See also:

• FEBRUARY

February and March, it is stated that no fewer than 500 men, women and See also:

• CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children were put to death . The minor Customs were first heard of in Europe in the See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early years of the 18th century . They formed continuations of the grand Customs, and " periodically supplied the departed monarch with fresh attendants in the shadowy world." The actual slaughter was preluded by dancing, feasting, speechmaking and elaborate ceremonial . The victims, chiefly prisoners of war, were dressed in See also:

• CALICO

calico shirts decorated round the See also:

• NECK (O. Eng. hnecca; the word appears in many Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch ride, Ger. Nacken; in O. E. the common word was heals; cf. Ger. Hals)

neck and down the sleeves with red bindings, and with a See also:

• CRIMSON

crimson patch on the left See also:

• BREAST (a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. the Ger. Brust, possibly connected with an O. Sax. brustian, to bud)

breast, and wore long white See also:

• NIGHT

night-caps with spirals of See also:

• BLUE (common in different forms to most European languages)

blue ribbon sewn on . Some of them, tied in baskets, were at one See also:

• STAGE (Fr. 6/age; from Lat. stare, to stand)

stage of the proceedings taken to the See also:

• TOP (cf. Dan. top, Ger. Topf, also meaning pot)

top of a high See also:

• PLATFORM (Fr. plateforme, i.e. ground plan)

platform, together with an See also:

• ALLIGATOR (Spanish el lagarto, " the lizard ")

alligator, a See also:

• CAT
• CAT, CIVET
• CAT, HOUSE

cat and a See also:

• HAWK (O. Eng. hafoc or heafoc, a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch havik, Ger. Habicht; the root is hab-, haf-, to hold, cf. Lat. accipiter, from capere)

hawk in similar baskets, and paraded on the heads of the Amazons . The king then made a speech explaining that the victims were sent to testify to his greatness in spirit-land, the men and the animals each to their See also:

• KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind .

They were then hurled down into the middle of a surging See also:

• CROWD, CROUTH, CROWTH

crowd of natives, and butchered . At another stage of the festival human sacrifices were offered at the See also:

• SHRINE (Lat. scrinium, a case or chest for books, hence a casket; from scribere, to write, Fr. ecrin, Ital. scrigno)

shrine of the king's ancestors, and the blood was sprinkled on their See also:

• GRAVES, ALFRED PERCEVAL (1846— )

graves . This was known as Zan Nyanyana or " evil night," the king going in procession with his wives and officials and himself executing the doomed . These semi-public massacres formed only a part of the slaughter, for many women, eunuchs and others within the palace were done to death privately . The skulls were used to adorn the palace walls, and the king's sleeping-chamber was paved with the heads of his enemies . The skulls of the conquered kings were turned into royal drinking cups, their See also:

• CONVERSION (Lat. conversio, from convertere, to turn or ,change)

conversion to this use being esteemed an See also:

• HONOUR (Lat. honos or lwnor, honoris; in English the word was spelled with or without the u indifferently until the 17th century, but during the 18th century it became fashion-able to spell the word " honor "; Johnson's and Webster's Dictionaries stereoty

honour . Sir Richard Burton insists (A Mission to Gelele, King of Dahome) that the horrors of these rites were greatly exaggerated . For instance, the story that the king floated a canoe in a tank of human blood was, he writes, quite untrue . He denies, too, that the victims were tortured, and affirms that on the contrary they were treated humanely, and, in many cases, even acquiesced in their See also:

• FATE

fate . It seems that See also:

• CANNIBALISM

cannibalism was a sequel of the Customs, the bodies of the slaughtered being roasted and devoured smoking hot . On the death of the king the wives, after the most extravagant demonstrations of grief, See also:

• BROKE, or BROOKE, ARTHUR (d. 1563)
• BROKE, SIR PHILIP BOWES VERE, BART

broke and destroyed everything within their reach, and attacked and murdered each other, the uproar continuing until order was restored by the new sovereign . Amazonian See also:

• ARMY
• ARMY (from Fr. armee, Lat. armata)

Army.—The training of women as soldiers was the most singular Dahomeyan institution .

About one-See also:

• FOURTH

fourth of the whole See also:

• FEMALE

female population were said to be " married to the fetich," many even before their See also: