03056cam a22003733u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000450011324500550015826400510021330000470026433600260031133700260033733800360036349001170039950000310051650801400054752016030068753400610229065300150235165300120236665300360237865300340241483001170244885600550256585600430262099900190266378570UtSlPG20260610134825.0mcr n260607r20261864utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aDT1 aBurton, Richard Francis, Sir,d1821-189012aA mission to Gelele, King of Dahome, Vol. 1 (of 2) 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2026  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier1 aThe memorial edition of the works of Captain Sir Richard F. Burton, K.C.M.G., F.R.G.S., &c., &c., &c., vol. III.  aRelease date is 2026-04-29  aGalo Flordelis (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Smithsonian Institution Libraries)  a"A mission to Gelele, King of Dahome, Vol. 1 (of 2)" by Sir Richard Francis Burton is a travel narrative and ethnographic-historical account written in the mid-19th century. The work chronicles a British diplomatic mission to Dahomey, portraying the king, his female regiments, royal ceremonies, human sacrifices, and the coastal slave trade through first-hand observation. It blends statecraft with vivid reportage across West African locales, including Fernando Po, Lagos, Whydah, and the Dahoman interior.

The opening of the book frames Burton’s mission through Isabel Burton’s memorial preface and official Foreign Office letters directing him to promote lawful trade, curb the slave export, and discourage human sacrifices, while carrying specific royal presents. Before setting out inland, Burton sketches Fernando Po’s climate and the creation of a highland sanitarium at Santa Cecilia, then offers lively ethnographic notes on the Bubé people and his quiet life at Buena Vista. He departs aboard a naval steamer, gives a terse, unhealthy portrait of Lagos, and reaches Whydah, where he undergoes elaborate landings, toasts, and processions across the lagoon, complete with bands, salutes, and strenuous war dances. Formal receptions follow with local Dahoman officials—the Ka-wo, Ainadu, and others—who deliver the king’s messages and gifts, after which Burton begins a brief tour of Whydah’s layout, population, and history, noting its ruined state, origins of its name, and the legacy of Dahomean conquest and European forts. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  pOriginally published:cLondon: Tylston and Edwards, 1864  aBlack race  aAmazons  aBenin -- Description and travel  aRites and ceremonies -- Benin 0aThe memorial edition of the works of Captain Sir Richard F. Burton, K.C.M.G., F.R.G.S., &c., &c., &c., vol. III.4 uhttps://archive.org/details/missiontogelelek01burt40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78570  c119288d119288