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040			_aUtSlPG
041		7	_aen _2iso639-1
050		4	_aDT
100	1		_aBurton, Richard Francis, Sir, _d1821-1890
245	1	2	_aA mission to Gelele, King of Dahome, Vol. 1 (of 2)
264		1	_aSalt Lake City, UT : _bProject Gutenberg, _c2026
300			_a1 online resource : _bmultiple file formats
336			_atext _btxt _2rdacontent
337			_acomputer _bc _2rdamedia
338			_aonline resource _bcr _2rdacarrier
490	1		_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.
500			_aRelease date is 2026-04-29
508			_aGalo Flordelis (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Smithsonian Institution Libraries)
520			_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.)
534			_pOriginally published: _cLondon: Tylston and Edwards, 1864
653			_aBlack race
653			_aAmazons
653			_aBenin -- Description and travel
653			_aRites and ceremonies -- Benin
830		0	_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.
856	4		_uhttps://archive.org/details/missiontogelelek01burt
856	4	0	_uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78570
999			_c119288 _d119288