40 



ASH A STICK. 



with England. According to Dupui*'* 

 Journal of a Residence in A*tiantee " . 

 don, Ii7). the country at hi* time constated 

 of forty -wren statr* united by conquest, some 

 of which have since cat loose from the king- 

 dom, whilo others hare been added. The 

 frontier line I* constantly undergoing change*. 

 In 1871 it extended from the Assinieh River 

 (Tando) in the west to the Volt a in the east; 

 northward it extended to the so-called Kong 

 M.xintain*; in the south Ashantee demanded 

 the coast of the ocean a* frontier, but the Kng- 

 lih were only willing to concede to them the 

 land a* Car sooth a* the Busemprah River. 

 Within the borders mentioned the kingdom ha* 

 an area of about (8,000 square miles, with a 

 population estimated at from 2,000,000 to 3,- 

 000,000. The country, on the whole, u level ; 

 only in the east and northeast, especially in the 

 district* of Aqnapim, A kirn, and Aquamo, it 

 hae a moontainoa* character. The larger por- 

 tion of the plain is covered by an impenetrable 

 forest with extensive marshes, in which tho 

 traveller U confined to the unimportant ' 

 paths of the natives, or the trails of wild ani- 

 mal*. It U one of the most luxuriant speci- 

 mens of African primitive forest*. Wagon* are 

 entirely unknown, a* our domestic animals, 

 horses sad cattle, cannot exist in this destruc- 

 tive climate. The capital. Coomassie, is sit- 

 uated in latitude V 51 north, and longitude 1' 

 tt' west, on the slope of a huge rock of iron- 

 ore, and U surrounded by an extensive marsh. 

 According to Bowditch (" Mission to Ashan- 

 tee." London. 1819), the town had in 1819 a 

 .' f.nir Knglish miles, and a 

 d population of about 15.000; later eati- 

 i of missionaries give to it about 100,000 

 Eight larger roads, which, how- 

 iftg the rainy isasoo are impassable, 

 converge her* sad make the town tho com- 

 mercial centre of the country. The nil 

 the king. tiNMgh despotic, is in some respects 

 controlled by the aristocracy, and mill m.ire 

 the customs of the country, to which 

 hare to bow. The king, according to an 

 custom, has 8,833 wire*, but the throm- 

 bi not inherited by any of his children, hut 

 by a brother, or a son of hi* lister; for as 

 the was*** sre supposed to be generally un- 

 faithful, this law erf succession, it i. thought, 

 will keep the royal family on Iho throne. The 

 forte of Usionsrlss. espViidlr Gorman, to 

 tntrwUce Christianity, have been unsuccessful ; 

 white on the other hand it seem* that Moham- 

 medanism, which is steadily advnn, i, 

 the Mtth. will x become the predominant 

 of this, u It Is of many other 



It already ha* a number of large 

 a* it admit* polygamy and d. - 

 rr than the recognition ofAl- 

 M negrrue* readily accept It, and It i* 

 and MOTS gaining a flrro fooling in 

 ta*. At least six disJeote are spok. n ; 

 the Ingiiii U esjphoniosjs. in consequence of 

 of vowel. nd the rarity of 



aspirants. The chief industrial products of 



tlu- country are wv-n culton stutl's, which 

 t'li-n iiitcrw<H.-ii with Mlfc. AMUHI^ tlm 

 artic. -rt, gold is proiniiit-nt. It i* ii't 



only found in the rivers hut in tin- hills, and 

 the gold-mines of Uamun (in Norilnvc>ti-rn 

 Ashantee) are clasued iuun^ tin- rii-ln-~t .it' 

 .1. (iold is iu MI ciiiiiinon u^-<- tluit .VIM 

 slaves wear it as an ornament. (...M.hist is 

 used as money. The AshanUi-s. who. until the 

 c.iiiiiin-n. -i-nii-nt of the present n-utury, wi-re 

 unknown to the Europeans, wen- repeatedly 

 involved in war with the English in 1$07, 

 in 1816, in 1824, and again in )ht-T4. At 

 tin time were tin- Kiitrlish suooesfiful. In 

 1898 they undertook to advance in to the coun- 

 try. and t'nr this purpose sent a large num- 

 ber of troops from the West Indies to Wt-.-t- 

 i-rn Africa; but, before one warrior of the 

 Ashantees had lieeu st-cn. the frightful tiKirtal- 

 ity among the troops compelled the English 

 (iov.-rnmeiit, in May, 1NC.4, to discontinue the 

 which hud cost them more than 



The war of 1873 arose from the sale of the 

 I'utch colonies on the western coast of Africa 

 tn Kn^'land, by the treaty of February 25, 1871. 

 The King of Ashantoe claims tin- 1 ant. .- 

 negroes, who live near the coast in the former 

 I '-.iti-h posm-sgions, as tributary, and the Dntoh 

 had recoiniize<l his claims by paying him an 

 annual tribute. They had, moreover, it n\*\' 

 Ixuight from him liis ]irisoiiersof war. in onler 

 to cui|iloy tin-in H8 soldiers in their Indian 

 colonies. No mention had been made of this 

 relation by the I 'utrh while concliidint.' their 

 treaty with England. The latter, therefore, 

 when taking possession of tin- country, alto- 

 gether ignored the claims of the King of 

 Ashantee, who on that account took to anus 

 and surprised the Fantees who were living near 

 the coast under British protection. The Kan- 

 tees, nnalde to cope with the braver and more 

 num. TOIH Ahantccs. withdrew nearer to the 

 coast, and the same was done by other native 

 trili. -, friendly to the English. Gradually the 

 advancing A-haiitecs crowded their opponents 

 into a narrow circle around the two fort* of 

 Cape Coast Castle and Klminn. On .tune 4tli 

 a hot battle WBH fouirht between the Asliantees 

 and the Fantees near Donquah, the most im- 

 portant place of the Denkern country, ami 

 about i:t miles from Cape Coast Castle." After 

 n_ content lasting two days the Kantees wero 

 dislodged from all their positions and driven 

 Cape Coast Castle. On .Tune Kith 

 Colon,.l Festing and Captain Freemantlo in a 

 gun-boat Killed from Cape Const to Klmina, 

 which fort was l,,-sieg,-(l by the Ashai 

 but they returned on the same day to Capo 

 Coast, Colonel Festing. at the head of his 

 marines and a strong detachment of HOURS* 

 police, now undertook a forced march to Kl- 

 mina. As ho learned that the inhabitant ~ had 

 openly shown their sympathy with tin- Ashan- 

 tees and supplied them with arms and am- 



