TEE JUDGMENT. 
297 
rooted at Cape Coast as in Ashantee. One of my military 
doctors was billeted in the house of the head executioner" 
(no doubt Agja Kese, alluded to in the journal) "and 
heard from him that during last year from two to three 
thousand human beings had been slain." " We slay," said 
he, in the tone of a butcher who speaks of his trade, 
" somewhere about from five to ten a day, and on every 
day of the week except Friday." It was a terrible sight, 
that deep pit (Apetisini) filled with human corpses, in all 
stages of decomposition. 
The last reports from the Gold Coast announce that 
the king has promised to do all in his power to abolish 
human sacrifices, and that he had sent one of his sons to 
the Coast to be educated there. 
E-especting this son, whom the king even wished to 
send to England for further instruction, a negotiation was 
commenced with the Colonial government, inasmuch as 
the latter wished to know first, whether the prince had 
any prospect of ascending the throne ; an embarrassing 
question, for the aforesaid throne has lately become very 
tottering, as might well be expected under the circum- 
stances. Ashantee owed much of its power to the close 
alliance of the neighbouring kingdoms, Dwaben, Kokofu, 
Bekwae, Mampong, and Adanse, whose princes paid 
tribute in Coomassie, stationed soldiers there, and them- 
selves assembled at all the great festivities and important 
meetings of the Ashantee council. Now, of course, there 
is a loosening of all these connections, if indeed they are 
not entirely broken up. 
In February last the prince of Adanse, " the custom- 
house officer" (Obeng), begged the British general to allow 
him and his people to emigrate to the Protectorate, that 
they might be able to appeal in future to Cape Coast 
instead of to Coomassie, where one was never sure of his 
Lead. He swore the great oath to unite and form one 
