Another party, who call themselves English, or belonging to the English fort, consist of some very old men, who formerly were slaves in the fort, and some of them soldiers. These poor old men are quite delighted when mention is made of their early days, and express the happiness they then enjoyed in comparison to what they now experience. Their sons and daughters also consider themselves as belonging to the English. Many years ago the King of Dahomey issued an order that all the people who acknowledged themselves to belong to the English fort should from time to time assist in repairing the fort, and he placed one man (formerly a corporal in Governor James’s time) in charge of the fort; but, like most Africans, when left to himself, he displayed but little conscience, and let the fort go to ruin, except that part occupied by himself and wives. However, Mr. T. Hutton, of Cape Coast, has now established a tolerable factory in the old fort, and has put the place into a considerable state of repair, although more is required to be done. Another party here is that of the French, which is very small, having chiefly turned over to the Portuguese. Some few have again attached themselves to the French fort, now occupied by a French merchant, who is doing a profitable business in the palm-oil and ivory trade. The military resources of the settlement of Whydah are very deficient, having no regular trained army, but only a few standing or permanent troops. They are chiefly composed of slaves, who are summoned to assemble when a slave-hunt is contemplated, and during this service are compelled to maintain themselves, of course, by plunder. When the war or hunt is over, the rabble receive each a piece of cotton cloth to wrap round his loins. They are then dismissed to their homes, where they remain till their services are again required. The few constant attendants as soldiers are people who are serving for punishment for offences of various descriptions. For instance, if a man commits adultery with the wife of another, and the case is laid before the King, the offender is doomed to serve so long as he is able in the capacity of a soldier, and when unfit for that service, was generally offered as a sacrifice at one of the King’s annual customs; but the latter part of this cruel sentence has been abolished by the present King of Dahomey, who is much more merciful than his predecessors. Polygamy is here unlimited, and depravity of every description to an extraordinary extent. The longer I reside here, the more am I convinced, however, that the most predominant passion of the African is theft. The more they are taught, the more accomplished rogues they become; and this is one of the most civilized settlements on the whole of the western coast of Africa, from the number of liberated slaves who have settled here, and who become themselves slave-dealers and farmers. In fact, with the exception of Europeans, these are the only people who