this hut, or little temple, or house of worship, the Pagan natives resort, to pray, or to give thanks, when they are to venture upon the water, or when they have landed in safety; and, here, bundles of wood, earthenware, or other articles of property will be seen deposited around, for temporary stay; because, near these consecrated walls, and upon this consecrated ground, they are believed to be under divine protection; and because (such is the reverence for the house and place) scarcely ever is there heard-of an individual, profane, as well as dishonest enough, to steal or do them damage, whatever length of time they may remain. You will forgive my remarking upon the kindred feelings, upon those points, exhibited by mankind in many, and, as it might be hoped, in most parts of Europe. In the south of France, though there is much poverty, and though many crimes of violence and other sorts are committed, yet the silver balls, which are the customary ornaments of the funeral monuments of the rich, stand unmolested in the churchyards; and, in parts, and perhaps the whole, of Roman Catholic Switzerland, whatever other features may disfigure that division of the Helvetic body, it is usual for such as find any thing lost (money itself inclusive) to place it upon the large crucifix which is seen in every churchyard, and to leave it there to be owned; and there is no example in remembrance, of any thing thus placed being taken away, except by the right owner!"

"I begin to be enchanted," said Mrs. Paulett, "with the little kingdom of Badagry!"

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"Aye, there it is," continued Mr. Hartley; we are all of us in such haste to come to our conclusions ! Well, let us pass this sacred edifice (for such is the English of the term 'feteesh-hut'), and cross this little

river, and keep along the beach; and, now, an hour or two will bring us to the banks of the greater river, named, by the Portuguese, Formosa, or the Beautiful; a mile in width, and upon the opposite side of which stands the city, such as it is--the royal city-of Badagry. In that city we shall find a daily market, tolerably supplied with small and lean cattle, and sheep; and with goats, swine, poultry, maize, palm-wine, country cloth, and other goods; as well as a multitude of houses, all (except the king's) constructed of bamboo cane, and of but one storey. The king, perhaps, as we are English`men, will send us a present of a bullock, a fat pig, and some fowls; and, perhaps, he will condescend also, in honour of our country, to make us a visit, in all the pomp of his best, but yet small magnificence. In this part of my description, I must forewarn you, that, here, we are upon a spot frequented by Europeans, and where certain sorts of European merchandise are commonly carried; so that, far more than in the interior, Badagry will display to you a worse than barbarous, because incongruous mixture of native and foreign productions and things, such as are out of all harmony with each other. We shall see the king (the name of the present king is Ado'ly) come mounted upon a diminutive black horse, and followed by about a hundred and fifty of his subjects, dancing and capering before and behind him; while a number of musicians, performing upon native instruments of the rudest description, increase considerably the animation and vehemence of gesture of these loyal attendants. He will be sumptuously arrayed, in a scarlet cloak, literally covered with gold lace, and white kerseymere trowsers, similarly embroidered. His hat (for he will appear hatted) will be turned up in front with rich bands of gold lace,

and decorated with a splendid plume of ostrich feathers, waving gracefully above. Close to his horse's head will march two boys or pages, each carrying a musket in his hand, and dressed in plain scarlet coats, with white collars, and large cocked hats, tastefully trimmed with gold lace; which costly material all classes of Badagrians exceedingly admire. Two fighting-chiefs will accompany the king on foot, familiarly chatting with him as he advances."

You astonish us,” cried Mrs. Paulett.

"Yes," pursued Mr. Hartley; "and I shall astonish you still more, when I tell you, that your next sight will be that of this gorgeously attired monarch alighted from his black pony, and squatted upon the ground, outside your house, with an umbrella spread over his head, and a dozen natives fanning the air around him. After this, if one of our party should place himself behind him, hoisting the English union-jack above all; then, seated upon the ground, his equipments glittering in the sun, his warriors, his pages, and his women disposed about him, and the English flag, held by a white man, waving in the wind, and music inspiring all; then, there will be no bounds to the personal joy of the prince, looking and speaking, for that moment at least, as the happiest man in the universe; while the equal rapture of his people, shouting, chattering, cracking of fingers, clapping of hands, singing, dancing, jumping, and indulging in every species of delighted antic, will go far beyond my powers of description. Alas! that I must add, that the beloved liquor of rum will be passing freely, all this time, among every rank, and adding not a little to the noise and tumult of the hour; and that the king of Badagry, first abandoning all pretension of rank and birth, and

then growing as cheerful and as merry as the meanest and most jovial of his subjects, will hardly depart before the rum is all consumed, and his kingship grown a little tipsy! When he goes, however, the procession, the dances, and all the cries and songs will be resumed as at his coming.—King Ado'ly has the reputation of being a friendly, good sort of man. He is of the middle size, inclining to corpulency, and was, when I saw him, about forty-five years of age. He has the utmost respect for English arts, manufactures, and inventions. Once, when the use of the telescope was experimentally shown to him, he confessed his unfeigned astonishment, and that he could scarcely believe the maker to have been no more than mortal. Upon being shown a collection of English productions, intended for trade and presents in the interior, he minutely examined every article, without, however, expressing the slightest inclination to reserve any thing for himself."

"That speaks much in his praise," remarked Mrs. Paulett, "considering his rude condition, and that every thing, no doubt, was, for the moment, in his power!"

"Yes," returned Mr. Hartley, "all this is very well; but, if I were to go on, and to tell you half the horrors, that in spite of what I have said, are practised in Badagry, and to which even Ado'ly is personally a party, you would almost rush back into your first ideas of what Africa and her people are! Africa, in short, is a land of the most violent contrasts, physical and moral; barrenness and fertility, sands and verdure, droughts and gushing streams, ferocity and mildness, humanity and barbarism; but, above all, (and this we may charge exclusively upon that part

of Africa which is Negroland,) it is a land of blood. It is here, in the most especial manner, that we might be tempted to cry out

'There is no flesh in man's obdurate heart,

It does not feel for man!'

What may have been the case with all the world in former ages; what may have been the case with even the north of Africa in former ages (for we know that even Pagan Rome waged a religious war against the human sacrifices of the Carthaginians); what depths of gratitude we may owe-what crowns of amaranth and hallowed glory-may be due to those successive legislators (among them the four-and-twenty Budhas of the East), who, step by step, have weaned both civil and religious life at large from sanguinary rites and practices, I do not undertake to say; but this, I believe, is certain, that after contemplating at least the Asia, Europe, America, and even all the rest of Africa, of the present day, we may challenge the globe to produce any other country, including even cannibal countries, in which human blood is so prodigally, and so unpityingly shed, as in Negroland, or Central Africa! It gives its peculiar lustre to modern Christendom, that (though the date of such an improvement is but little removed from us) it has at length brought, even into national practice, the treating of all men with humanity, be they friends or foes, or denizens or aliens. Descending lower, we find crowds of nations, inhuman indeed to enemies, and sometimes even to aliens; but still tender of the lives, and of the comforts, and especially of the blood, of all their friends and countrymen. It is reserved for the Negro nations to afford the contrast even to this latter class. With them (and the seeming