Consul John Beecroft's journal of his mission to Dahomey, 1850 / edited by Robin Law.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Beecroft, John, author.

Contributor:

Law, Robin, editor.

Series:

Fontes historiae Africanae ; new ser. 17.

Fontes historiae Africanae = Sources of African history ; 17

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Beecroft, John--Diaries.

Beecroft, John.

Diplomatic and consular service, British--Benin.

Diplomatic and consular service, British.

Slave trade--Benin--History--19th century.

Slave trade.

International relations.

History.

Great Britain--Foreign relations--Benin--Sources.

Great Britain.

Benin--Foreign relations--Great Britain--Sources.

Benin.

Diplomatic relations.

Genre:

Diaries.

History.

Sources.

Physical Description:

xlix, 250 pages : maps ; 25 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Published for The British Academy by Oxford University Press, 2019.

Summary:

Consul of John Beecroft's Journal of his Mission to Dahomey, 1850' features diary entries made by John Beecroft whilst he was British Consul in West Africa. His diplomatic mission to the kingdom of Dahomey (in what is today the Republic of Benin) in 1850 was part of the British government's efforts to suppress the trans-Atlantic slave trade. He sought (unsuccessfully) to persuade the Dahomian king, Gezo, to accept a treaty to ban the export of slaves from his dominions. 0This journal is a valuable source, not only for the history of British policy towards 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. This edition includes additional documents relating to the mission, including the journal of Beecroft's co-envoy, the naval officer Lieutenant F.E. Forbes. Comparison between Beecroft's and Forbes's accounts reveals numerous discrepancies, which raise important methodological issues, relating to the evaluation of such European reportage of African societies.0The edition includes an editorial introduction and extensive annotation, which supplies the contextualization necessary for full understanding of the text, including cross-referencing to and comparison with other contemporary accounts of Dahomey and its dealings with the British.

Contents:

Consul Beecroft's Journal p. 1.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-241) and index.

ISBN:

9780197266533

0197266533

OCLC:

1086567053