ePub Religious Processes: The Puranas and the Making of a Regional Tradition by Kunal Chakrabarti in History

Description

The Vice-Consulate in the coastal port of Ouidah; in the kingdom of Dahomey; West African (now in the modern Republic of Benin) was established in1851-2 as part of the British government's efforts to suppress the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In particular it was hoped to persuade King Gezo to accept a treaty banning exports of slaves from his dominions.Louis Fraser proved a poor choice as Vice-Consul: he was no linguist; abrasive with naval colleagues and arrogant towards the king and people of Ouidah. However; his shortcomings as a diplomat do not detract from the value of his account as a historical resource.The documents collected here comprise principally the journals of the Vice-Consul; Louis Fraser; together with letters and other reports by him; a selection of the documents referred to in his journals; and letters and reports by other British officials (especially officers of the navy's West African squadron) which refer to his activities. These documents are valuable sources; not only for the history of British policy on the slave trade; but also for the history of Dahomey; which was one of the most important indigenous states in coastal West Africa in the nineteenth century.Fraser was one of a number of British visitors to Dahomey in the mid-nineteenth century; many of whom left published accounts. Fraser's account; in contrast; was never published; and so has remained less known. Its publication now brings it more effectively within the public domain.