334 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



the country was annexed. I believe the term to 

 be simply a distinction without a difference, al- 

 though by treaty we profess only to claim the rock 

 on which the castle stands, and as much territory 

 as the cannon on the ramparts will command. 

 The River Prah separates " the Protectorate " 

 from the territory of the Kings of Ashantee, whose 

 capital, Koomasi, is some days' march in the in- 

 terior. 



The chief trade of Cape Coast is in gold, of 

 which two sorts are obtainable — rock-gold, found 

 in the shape of nuggets, dug out of the earth, and 

 gold-dust, which is simply the washings of river- 

 sand, that is everywhere more or less impregnated 

 with the precious metal. The yield is very uncer- 

 tain, and the natives are not very scientific miners, 

 and even when they strike a vein are not very 

 clever in following it up. If the Government 

 wished to do the settlement a service, they would 

 send a few miners of Australian or Californian ex- 

 perience to survey the ground and show the natives 

 the most likely places to sink their pits. But this 

 is scarcely to be expected, as all that energy and 



