ASHANTEE. 



small tribe, the city of Cooruassie, and a few 

 plantation villages. 



On July 10th a messenger arrived from the 

 King of Ashantee to the administrator of the 

 protectorate, to inform him that the Kings of 

 Djuabin and Becqua were in revolt, and re- 

 fused to ^attend Oal-Calli's summons to view 

 his return to the capital, and further, that they 

 threatened to attack him if he attempted to 

 use force. The King of Ashantee therefore 

 sent down to the administrator, asking for his 

 interference, as peace was what he wanted, 

 and the attack, if carried out, would possibly 

 lead to a lengthy war, and effectually destroy 

 trade. The administrator questioned the ein- 

 bassadors, and, after a good deal of fencing on 

 their part, drew from them that which led him 

 to think the King of Ashantee had been en- 

 deavoring to put some pressure on Djuabin 

 and Becqua, thus bringing about the present 

 crisis. The administrator at once sent Cap- 

 tain Lees to Coomassie to act as peace-maker 

 between the tribes, and so prevent the threat- 

 ened outbreak. 



Shortly before being sent to Ooomassie, Cap- 

 tain Lees had convoked a very important " pa- 

 laver " to induce the Awoonahs to sign a treaty 

 of peace with the Accras and Addahs. The 

 former had been the allies of the Ashantees in 

 the late war, but it was now thought desirable 

 to establish cordial relations between all the 

 tribes of the coast. A meeting having taken 

 place between the hostile parties for this pur- 

 pose, the interpreter standing' forth delivered 

 the administrator's message to the Awoonahs, 

 and said : " You have not now the Ashantees 

 to protect you, and we want you to be our 

 allies. If such does not please you, there is no 

 need to conceal the fact that we think it ne- 

 cessary for us to take an active part in protect- 

 ing our interests, and showing that we intend 

 to maintain our rights and enforce our power. 

 Do you doubt there are Ashantees present? 

 for I will call them, and you will hear what 

 they have to say." Then there stood in the 

 open space an Ashantee messenger, bearing 

 his emblematic two-handed sword, who told 

 the Awoonahs his people were at peace with 

 the English, and to be their friends forever. 

 After some trouble, " fetich " was eaten by 

 those who had lately been foes, and a binding 

 peace was effected between them. 



Interesting information, on the introduction 

 of slaves by Ashantee traders to the British 

 protectorate on the Gold Coast, is contained 

 in dispatches published by the English Govern- 

 ment in August, 1874. The first is dated as 

 far back as the beginning of 1866, and is from 

 Mr. Cardwell to Governor Blackall, then re- 

 cently appointed. In it the Secretary for the 

 Colonies notifies the disallowance of the colo- 

 nial ordinances which recognized the existence 

 of slavery within- the British colony at Lagos 

 and the towns of Badagry, Palma, and Lec- 

 kie ; suggests the prescription of a punishment 

 for subsequent violence on compulsory deten- 



tion, and gives instructions to warn the neigh- 

 boring chiefs against permitting their slaves to 

 enter British territory, lest they should be lib- 

 erated or prevented from returning. The sec- 

 ond dispatch was sent by the Earl of Kitnber- 

 ley, in the beginning of 1872, to the Governor 

 of the West-African settlements, and briefly 

 indicated the difficulty of dealing in a mere 

 protectorate with people who are not British 

 subjects ; but at the same time urges that every 

 means should be taken to induce the natives 

 to desist from their nefarious practices. At 

 the same time it was suggested that the proper 

 course would be to endeavor to come to an 

 understanding with the chiefs of the protected 

 tribes to forbid the slave-trade within their 

 separate districts, and to persuade them to en- 

 ter into agreements with the Gold-Coast gov- 

 ernment to this effect, when the government 

 would be in a position to enforce these semi- 

 treaty agreements. The Earl of Kimberley 

 specially called attention to the fact that any 

 slave imported into what was strictly British 

 territory must at once be set free, and request- 

 ed the "West- African governor to forward his 

 ideas as to the best mode of giving effect to 

 the propositions which he had made. A note 

 stated that no reply was received to this dis- 

 patch. 



During the presence of Captain Lees at Coo- 

 massie, the King of the Ashantees made the 

 utmost efforts to obtain the support of the 

 English for the reunion of the tribes which 

 since his defeat had rebelled against him. 

 Captain Lees, however, refused to interfere, 

 and it was, therefore, believed probable that 

 the kingdom of the Ashantees would fall to 

 pieces. 



On November 3d an important meeting of 

 all the kings and chiefs of the western and 

 central positions of the Gold Coast was held 

 at the Castle of Cape Coast, in the Palaver- 

 hall. Governor Strahan made an address to 

 them, in which he reviewed at-length the for- 

 mer relations of their districts to the Ashan- 

 tees, the wrongs which had been inflicted upon 

 them by the Ashantee kings, and the aid and 

 benefits they had received from England. He 

 then announced to them, that now the Gov- 

 ernment of England, in return for these bene- 

 fits, requested their aid in putting an end to a 

 thing the Queen and her people abhorred. 



Governor Strahan said : " This thing is 

 against a law which no King or Queen of Eng- 

 land can ever change. I have pointed out to 

 some of you' that the English people buy sheep, 

 fowls, and other live-stock, but not men, wom- 

 en, and children. The Queen is determined to 

 put a stop at once to the buying and selling 

 of slaves, either within or without the protec- 

 torate, in any shape, degree, or form ; and she 

 will allow no person to be taken as a pawn 

 for debt." (This last passage was repeated with 

 considerable emphasis.) "The Queen desires 

 to make you as happy as her own people. This 

 buying, selling, and pawning of men, and worn- 



