382 Notices respecting New Books. 
Castle, and proceeded to Annamaboe, whence it struck into the 
interior. 
The account which Mr. Bowdich has now presented to the 
public of the progress and successful result of this mission is not. 
only extremely satisfactory, but possesses a degree of interest and 
novelty not often equalled by books of travels. We propose in 
our subsequent numbers to gratify our readers with some valuable: 
extracts from it on matters peculiarly within the sphere of this 
work ; but at present we shall confine ourselves to a single ex-. 
tract from the chapter on the architecture of the Ashantees, which 
serves to show, as much as any other part of their domestic ceco- 
nomy, the advanced state of civilization to which they have 
reached. 
‘¢ The construction (says the author) of the ornamental archi- 
tecture of Coomassie (the capital of Ashantee) reminded me 
forcibly of the ingenious essay of Sir James Hall (in the Edin- 
burgh Philosophical Transactions) tracing the Gothic order to an 
architectural imitation of wicker-work. The character of their 
architectural ornaments is various and uncommon, adopted from 
those of interior countries, aud confessedly in no degree origi- 
nating with theinselves. } 
“¢ In building a house a mould was made for receiving the swish 
or clay by two rows of stakes and wattle-work placed at a di- 
stance equal to the intended thickness of the wall, as two mud 
walls were raised at convenient distances to receive the plum- 
pudding-stone which formed the walls of the vitrified fortresses 
in Scotland. The interval was then filled up with a gravelly clay 
mixed with water, with which the outward surface of the frame’ 
or stake-work was also thickly piastered, so as to impose the 
appearance of an entire thick mud wall. The houses had all 
gable ends, and three thick poles were joined to each; one from 
the highest point forming the ridge of the roof, and one on each 
side from the base of the triangular part of the gable: these sup- 
ported a frame-work of bamboo, over which an interwoven thatch 
of palm-leaves was laid and tied with the runners of trees, first 
to the large poles running from gable to gable, and afterwards 
(within) to the interlaying of the bamboo frame-work, which was 
painted black, and polished so as to look much better than any 
rude ceiling would, of which they have no idea. The pillars 
which assist to support the roof and form the proscenium or open 
fronts (which none but captains are allowed to have to their 
houses) were thick poles afterwards squared with a plastering of 
swish. The steps and raised floor of these rooms were clay and 
stone, with a thick layer of red earth which abounds in the neigh- 
Lourhood ; and these were washed and painted daily with an in- 
fusion of the same earth in water ; it has all the appearance of 
red 
