CUSTOMS. 289 
mentioned presently, are all murdered on his tomb, to the number 
of a hundred or more, and women in abundance. I was assured 
by several, that the custom for Sai Quamina, was repeated weekly 
for three months, and that two hundred slaves were sacrificed, 
and So barrels of powder fired, each time. But the custom 
for the King's mother, the regent of the kingdom during the inva- 
sion of Eantee, is most celebrated. The King of himself devoted 
3000 victims, (upwards of 2000 of whom were Tantee prisoners) 
and 25 barrels of powder.* Dwabin, Kokoofoo, Becqua, Soota, 
and Marmpong, furnished 100 victims, and 20 barrels of powder, 
each, and most of the smaller towns 10 victims, and two barrels of 
powder, each. The Kings, and Kings only, are buried in the 
cemetery at Bantama, and the sacred gold buried with them ; (see 
Laws ;) their bones are afterwards deposited in a building there, 
opposite to which is the largest brass pan I ever saw, (for sacri- 
fices,) being about five feet in diameter, with four small lions on 
the edge. Here human sacrifices are frequent and ordinary, to 
water the graves of the Kings. The bodies of chiefs are frequently 
carried about with the army, to keep them for interment at home, 
and eminent revolters or enemies also, to be exposed in the capital. 
Boiteam, (the father of Otee the fourth linguist,) who accompanied 
the army of A biniowa in his political capacity, dying at Akrofroom 
in Aquapim, during the campaign, his body was kept with the 
army two months before it arrived at Coomassie. I could not get 
any information on their treatment of the corpse, beyond their 
invariable reply that they smoked it well over a slow fire. 
I'he laws of Ashantee allow the King 3333 wives, which number 
is carefully kept up, to enable him to present women to those who 
* Suetonius tells us that Augustus sacrificed 300 of the principal citizens of Perusia, 
to the manes of his uncle Julius. We read in Prevost, that 64080 persons were sacri- 
ficed, with aggravated barbarity, in the dedication of a temple in Mexico. 
P p 
