When this arrangement was finished the chief caboceer and attendants advanced and placed themselves before me, at the distance of about four yards. They then knelt down on both knees, my own captain or caboceer following the same example, accompanied by several of his principal officials and headmen. These, however, placed themselves in my front, facing the former party. The caboceer of Setta then commenced a very clever complimentary speech, declaring his own great satisfaction, as well as that of all his people, at being honoured with a visit from the King’s English stranger; and at the same time expressing a hope that I and other Englishmen might again frequently visit his country. Thanks were returned by the captain of my guard in the name of his Majesty the King of Dahomey. Both parties then prostrated themselves, kissing the ground and throwing dust over their heads, and rubbing themselves all over the head and arms with the same. Next he presented me with the food which had been sent, the tasters touching each dish as they were named, similar to the mode of touching and calling off messes in a soldier’s mess-room. The pots and calabashes amounted in all to thirty-seven in number, some containing as much as an English bushel. The natives are in general very good cooks, and contrive to make a great number of dishes from the same material. Of the animals cooked were bullocks, roasted and boiled, as well as stewed, sheep, goats, venison, and the young elephant, pork both roasted and boiled, fowls, Guinea fowls, Muscovy ducks, and turkeys; and of vegetables, yams, manioc, sweet potato, India corn or maize, with numerous varieties of underground peas, as well as many other sorts above ground. Their food is generally highly seasoned with pepper and palm-oil, which, when fresh, has an excellent flavour, and is very wholesome. It should always be remembered, that the palm-oil imported into England is not the same as that used by the natives. The oil sent to England is merely the outside of the nut, similar to the outside of a plum or any other stone fruit. The oil exported is extracted from this pulp, but the palm-oil used here in cooking is extracted from the kernel taken out of the stone of the palm-nut. It is equal to our best salad oil. A vegetable called _accro_, of great utility, is generally used in soups. It is boiled till quite stringy, and is given to invalids. It is said to be very strengthening. Shalots and different sorts of pepper are also much used, as well as bananas and plantains.