BENIN', a state in Guinea, Africa, above the mouth of the river Niger, situated in 4° to 9' n. hit., and 4° to 8' e. long. It takes its name from the western arm of the Niger— formerly supposed to be a main river, and styled Benin or Forinowx—which leaves the Niger at Kirii, and, after a course of about 115 m., forms an embouchure two in. wide. The country of B. is bounded on the n.e. and the c. Niger; on the s. by the bay of 13enin, into which cape Formosa Is projected; on 'the w. by Dahomey; and on the n.w. by Yariba. The coast is indented Icy- numerous estuaries, and is generally level; hut the land gradually rises towards the north, until it reaches an elevation of 2500 feet in the Kong Mountains. The soil is very fertile, producing rice, yams, palms, sugar, etc. The animals are the same es those in other states of Guinea, hut the hippopotainus is mote cominon. The population is so dense that the king—who is wor shiped as a great fat:VI—could, in it; most flourishing days. bring into the field an army of 100,000 men. The government, customs, and superstitions of B. are like those of Ashantee. The kingdom has long been declining, and is now much broken up into independent states. The capital, Benin, situated in hit. 6'20' n., long. 5° 50' c., with about 15,000 inhabitants. has a considerable trade. Messrs. Smith and Moffat, who
visited it in 183S, describe its market-place as very offensive, from the effluvia rising from a heap of human skulls; while in the outskirts of the town they were still more revolted by the sight of turkey-buzzards feeding on bodies of men recently decapitated. At Gatos a harbor lower down the river, where the traveler Belzoni died, European mer chants formerly had factories. Warren is another principal place. The export trade of B. consists of palm-oil, salt, blue coral, jasper, wild-beast skins, slaves, etc. B. was discovered by the Portuguese Alfonso (le Aveiro, 1466. In 1780, the French founded settlements 21 t the mouth of the river, which were destroyeteby the British in 1792.
Bro•r os.. that portion of the gulf of Guinea (q.v.) extending from cape Formosa on the e. to cape St. Paul's on the w., a distance of about 390 m., with a coast-line of 460 miles. Several rivers empty themselves into the B. of 13., the three prin cipal of which, Benin. Escardos, and Forcados. arc accessible to shipping. The Coast along the Hi nit teas blockaded in 1851 by the British fleet engaged in the suppression of the slave-trade. Palm-oil and ivory are the principal articles of trade at the towns on the coast.