183].] African Tribes.— The Aihaniees, S^c. 415 



The melancholy catastrophe which befell Sir Charles Bl'Carthy, is 

 still so fresh in the memory of our readers, that we do not consider it 

 necessary to recapitulate at any length the circmnstances which pre- 

 ceded and attended it. That lamented officer arrived on the coast, 

 and took possession, in ]\Iarch, 1822, of the forts which, in consequence 

 of the clamorous and false accusations of the Sierra Leone saints, had 

 been ti-ansferred from the African Company to government. Two or 

 three years previously the savage chief of the Ashantees had attempted 

 to impose a tribute upon the people of the coast, which demand was 

 opposed, particularly at Cape Coast Castle; and, in 1821, the Governor, 

 assisted by certain of the natives under our protection, repelled a threat- 

 ened attack of the Ashantees and Fantees, who had murdered one of 

 our people ; the trade with the Ashantees was interrupted in conse- 

 quence, and Sir Charles found matters in this threatening and unsatis- 

 factory state on his arrival. Shortly afterwards a serjeant in the Royal 

 African Colonial Corps was kidnapped while on duty, and put to death 

 by order of the King, who liad the " jaw-bone, skull, and one of the 

 arms" of the victim, sent to him. An attempt made by Sir Charles, at the 

 head of a British and native force, to chastise this aggression, was unsuc- 

 cessful, and led to further pretensions. 



Sir Charles left Cape Coast for Accra, in April, 1823, but returned 

 in ]\Iay. The Ashantees, in the meantime, threatened to drive the 

 English into the sea, and prepared for hostilities by buying powder at 

 Dutch and Danish Accra, where some skirmishing with the British 

 troops and their adherents took place, and many lives were lost. 



Having organised a militia on the Gold Coast, Sir Charles returned 

 to Sierra Leone, and composed some differences amongst the contiguous 

 tribes ; but he was sliortly recalled to the Gold Coast by the hostilities 

 which had there continued. 



Captain Laing had successfully attacked one of the enemy's camps ; 

 but before the Ashantees fled, " they, with their accustomed cruelty, 

 massacred the unfortunate prisoners who had fallen into their hands, 

 whose bodies were found still reeking from the knives of their mur- 

 derers." 



A camp was established in the interior, to endeavour to prevent the 

 Ashantees from receiving gunpowder from the coast, and on Sir Charles's 

 return, in November, he was enthusiastically received by all classes. 

 He shortly received a visit from a neighbouring king, Avho exhibited 

 considerable pomp. His drums were covered with tartan plaid, " to 

 hide the skulls and jawbones of his conquered enemies, with which they 

 were decorated, according to the custom of the native chiefs on this part 

 of the coast ;"-hni this potentate had the good sense to know that such 

 a display would not be agreeable to the British. He afterwards visited 

 the camp at Yancoomassie, and received the voluntary oath of the chiefs, 

 to stand by him against their enemies, an oath which the Fantees, in par- 

 ticular, shamefully violated on the day of trial. " The person about 

 to swear took a sword in his right hand, and with great animation, wliilst 

 expressing his determination, called heaven to witness that lie would be 

 faitliful to the cause, continually pointing the sword upwards at the 

 gf)vcrnor's head, and flourisliing it round his own, so near at times, that 

 his excellency's eyes were frequently in imminent danger." 



The Ashantees now apj)roacliing the coast in great force. Sir Charles 

 ejuleavoured to introduce something like discipline amongst his allies, 



