MISSION TO ASHANTEE, 
83 
raging to myself; the King ordered me to take his hand, in His 
sensibihty to the strong appeal of the several paragraphs, and again 
at the conclusion, as a pledge of his cordial satisfaction of the 
whole ; his linguist followed his example, (as did the whole council) 
when he laid his fore-finger on his head and breast, as the invoca- 
tion to Heaven for the vouchsafement of your several good wishes, 
as I concluded with them. I was reluctantly compelled to yield 
a minor object to a custom consecrated by their constitution. The 
laivs of the three first Kings (who were brothers, and cotemporary 
leaders of the colony, whose conquests established the Empire) are 
sacred; and it was a law of Sai Cudjo, the younger brother, and 
the grandfather of the present King, which granted to particular 
captains the honourable patent of receiving the pay of small forts, 
distinctly, each being responsible for his separate duties to his 
settlement. If this law were not inviolable, the King pleads, that it 
would be an invidious act, and unjust to the merits of the Captain 
of English Accra, (Asquah Amanquah) to remove the payment of 
the Accra note to Cape Coast; but as the other appointments 
originate in him, he will respect your wish, by constituting one 
paptain to receive both the Abra and Annamaboe notes at Cape 
Coast He enquired if it was your wish that no Ashantee trader 
should go to Accra? I rephed no! you were only desirous to 
induce as many as possible to come to Cape Coast. 
The Cape Coast linguists, and our guide, Quamina Bwa, con« 
firmed your report of the conduct of Quamina Bootaqua, the 
captain now at Payntree, in the negociation of the notes; it excited 
the greatest surprise and indignation ; his interception of letters 
was disclaimed, and will be done away with. I submitted to the. 
King, on retiring, that in my next audience, I should be desirous 
of declaring the purport of the official instructions transferred to 
me (which had jiot been yet avowed) with other credentia]s> 
