322 
MISSION TO ASHANTEE. 
Bantama, (the back town,) half a mile distant, and formerly con- 
nected by streets with the city, as is evident from the numerous 
ruins of houses on the path. The slaughter of constant warfare, 
and the extinction or removal of several ill affected chiefs with their 
adherents, account for this even in a rising state. The ruins in the 
interval to Bantama were indeed accounted for by Amanquatea 
(who holds his court there, as Quatchie Quofie does at Assafoo) 
informing us, that almost all the Ashantees killed before Anna- 
maboe (about 2000 by the most moderate computation) belonged 
to him, as it was his division which marched along the beach from 
Cormantine, exposed to the cannon of the fort. Four of the prin- 
cipal streets are half a mile long, and from 50 to 100 yards wide. 
I observed them building one, and a hne was stretched on each 
side to make it regular. The streets were all named, and a superior 
.captain in charge of each ; ours for instance, was Aperremsoo, big 
gun or cannon street, because those taken when Dankara was 
conquered, were placed on a mound at the top of it, near Adoo 
Quamina's house. The area in which we had our first audience 
was called Daebrim, the great market, in distinction to a lower 
street called Gwaba, or the small market. The street above where 
we lived was called Osamarandidu dm, meaning literally, " with 
1000 mukets you could not fight those who live there." One street 
was named after Odumata, and there was another near it, whose 
title I forget, but it was equal to prison street. The palace was 
situated in a long and wide street running through the middle of 
the town, from which it was shut out by a high wall, terminating at 
each end at the marsh, where it was discontinued, that being a 
sufficient boundary. It included Odumata^s and the King's brothers 
residences, and two or three small streets, (besides the several areas 
and piazzas,) for the King's relief and recreation when the supersti„ 
tions of the country confine him to the palace. I reckoned twenty 
