CHAPTER II.

PUBLIC RECEPTION AT ANSAH — DESCRIPTION OF AN ASSIN HOUSE — EFFECTS OF

NEGRO WARFARE — STATE OF HEALTH OF THE PARTY — AKROFROOM — SUPERSTITION

OF THE INHABITANTS WITH REGARD TO WHITE TRAVELLERS — BEASTS OF PREY —

ELEPHANTS — MOISY — FRONTIER OF ASHANTEE — THE RIVER BOHMEN — SABLE

NAIADS — CHUSAH — FOMANAH — DOOMPASSY — OFFERING TO A HOUSEHOLD GOD —

DATCHASOO — MESSAGE FROM THE KING OF ASHANTEE — ADADWASY — AMOAFO —

VISITS FROM THE KING’S SON AND DAUGHTER — BEQUA — ASSIMINIA — BOPOSSO —

AGEMUM — SARASOO — PROCESS OF CLEARING LAND FOR CULTIVATION IN FANTEE

AND BARBARY — FIRST SIGHT OF COOMASSY — PUBLIC RECEPTION BY THE KING —

SPEECH OF THE KING OF BANNA — CEREMONIES — OBSERVATIONS ON THE JOURNEY

AND CLIMATE.

Desolate as the land is on both sides of the Praa, with the exception

only of Prassoo, Kikiwhary, and Ansah, I had, nevertheless, deemed it

expedient, in support of my public character, to announce the approach

of the mission with all becoming solemnity. A description of the

ceremonies practised at Ansah, as they bear a relation to the usages

elsewhere observed, may not be displeasing to the reader. The road-flag

with which I travelled through the woods, and which was simply a small

union-jack, was, on our approach to the town, dismissed to the rear, its

place being supplied by a more brilliant suit of colours. Such of the

escort as were in attendance joined in embodied ranks equal to the

limits of the path, while one of my soldiers who had practised the

bugle, blew a blast or two on that instrument, which, coupled with the

shouts and songs of my attendants, never failed to collect from the

houses a numerous concourse of spectators, who, it may be said, strove

in emulation to pay that respect to the British flag, and to white men,

and Englishmen, which it was my pride to witness. At Ansah, every

countenance was stamped with those genuine feelings of respectful

admiration which it was my object to excite. Crowds followed us to our

quarters, bestowing occasionally some flattering commendations upon the

objects that interested their attention.

As the day declined, drums were beat and horns sounded throughout the

town, to give notice to the chief and elders to assemble with their

retainers, in the market-place, to receive the public visit they

anticipated. On our side, I gave instructions to the officers to equip

themselves in uniform, and the people to dress in clean apparel, &c.

Thus arrayed, we sallied forth, at a sort of funeral pace, preceded by

the colours. On turning an angle leading to the market-place, we were

suddenly saluted by the beating of drums, but after awhile the discord

ceased. The Caboceer, whose name was Coinin Akim, (deputy Viceroy of

Assin under Amon Koitea) was encompassed by all the principal male

inhabitants of the town, headed by their respective chieftains. An

avenue between this mass of human beings was left sufficiently wide to

permit us to approach in the order of single file; and through this

space I advanced, touching hands with the Caboceer and the other chiefs,

while a number of boys waved short scimeters, chopping bills, and

swords, over my head, as they yelled out the “_strong names_” of their

patron, descriptive of his rank, heroic achievements, &c.

At the conclusion of this ceremony our party retired to the shade of a

tree, where, when we had taken our seats, the Assin chief and his party

advanced in turn, preceded by the band of performers, whose overture was

of a character still more inharmonious. Indeed the flutes and some of

the smaller horns only, when they could be distinguished in the medley

of sounds, softened to a degree of tolerance the harsh barbaric clamour.

One instrument, resembling the horn of an enormous buffalo, which was

decorated with a profusion of human jaw-bones, uttered abrupt and

incessant blasts of the most dismal howling that can be imagined. Others

of similar dimensions ornamented with the like brutal trophies, produced

a lengthened distressing tone, something resembling the moderate cry of

hyenas. Some small elephants’ teeth, hollowed into form, were rather

more melodious, excepting when they chimed with the concert. The large

drums were carried on the heads of men, and beaten in that posture; but

the small ones were slung as kettle drums. These added to calabashes and

gourds filled with shot or small stones, concave bits of iron, and

striking sticks, will give an idea of the national taste in harmonic

matters. As the chieftain advanced to take my hand, a number of

parasites rushed before him holding their noses, as the custom is, and

recapitulating his “_strong names_,” with vociferous, and, as it would

appear to a stranger, offensive intrusion; for these flatterers,

notwithstanding they were gently pushed aside, returned to the charge as

boisterously as before. On a sudden he burst from the crowd, and as he

took me by the hand, perfect order and silence ensued.

The Caboceer was followed successively by the captains, elders, and

ordinary class of inhabitants; but the latter did not presume to offer

their hands for acceptance, a compliment which was expected by the

Caboceer and chief officers only; all others were happy in being

permitted to pass in the pompous line, to wave their hands, and pay the

compliment of a welcome.

I had scarcely returned to the quarters when a file of men entered

profusely laden with provisions. The present consisted of a sheep, a

goat, a quantity of yams, eggs, fowls, plantains, and palm wine, besides

fire-wood, cankey bread, sugar cane, and some honey in the comb. Indeed

I never before witnessed hospitality, even among Mussulmen, who are

religiously scrupulous of that virtue, equal to this, which in fact was

a private present. My acknowledgments were accompanied by a trifling

return of rum, and a piece of British manufactured cotton.

The plantations of plantains, yams, and cassada, are very extensive in

the vicinity of Ansah, and large tracts of land were then in a state of

preparation for the reception of grain. This, which is now the

metropolis of Assin, is a large compact town full of houses and hovels

of all classes, from the quadrangular inclosure of four, six, or eight

apartments, to the small bamboo hut. The quarters assigned for the

reception of the Mission belonged to a wealthy inhabitant, who, to

accommodate us, was unceremoniously compelled to turn out, with his

wives and children. As the house I occupied at Ansah is at least equal

to some of the best in Coomassy and elsewhere, I shall digress a little

in particularizing its “architecture” and conveniences. It was a square

enclosure with a recess behind, forming two apartments, besides the four

contained in the quadrangle itself. Opposite the door was a narrow

passage, leading to the retired part of the building, and which the

natives appropriate to the use of the women and juvenile branches of the

family. The rooms were elevated two or three feet from the ground, and

the ascent was marked by two steps, which, as well as the lower walls,

were simply plastered with red clay, rudely sculptured indeed, but still

with some regard to order. Little buttresses here and there surmounted

with ornamental carving in “_alto relievo_” decorated the sides of the

rooms, the dimensions of which were about nine feet by six or seven, and

roofed with a sloping thatch of palm.

Ansah has also one broad street only, leading north and south through

its centre. The avenues, or lanes, right and left, besides being of

extreme narrow limits, exhibit a variety of unsightly obstructions. This

place, having formerly been the seat of government of Amoo and the party

attached to Ashantee interest, was respected during the war by the

forces of the empire. Its population is estimated at twenty-four

thousand souls.

Coinin Akim, it may be observed, besides his deputy viceroyalty of

Assin, is also Caboceer over the desolate forests of Fantee; his

jurisdiction extends from Moisy in the north, down to the sea-coast, and

eastward from the province of Akim to the limits of Denkera. Akassy, the

Caboceer of Kikiwhary, who supports a secondary dignity in Assin,

governs all the adjacent towns and villages, as the representative of

Coinin Akim, to whom he is immediately answerable.

It will not be deemed extraordinary, by those who are acquainted with

African maxims and prejudices, that all Fantee, excepting the few towns

on the coast, and the far greater portion of Assin should be found in

the state I have described; the population extinct, the plantations more

or less destroyed, and the forest relapsing to its original growth. In

the wars of the negroes, a few of the subjugated are reserved to grace

the victor’s triumph; but slavery, or death, is most frequently their

final doom. Little kingdoms have been thus annihilated, as in the case

of Denkera, Akim, Warsaw, and many others, whose names have almost

become obsolete. The importance of these dreary regions is, therefore,

trifling, when compared with a surface of such extent; and particularly

so, when it is considered that where a population amounting, it is

supposed, to something between three and four millions occupied the

districts of Fantee and Assin, the inhabitants now scarcely amount to as

many hundred thousands, after the most liberal calculation, including

even the Fantee towns on the sea side.

The march from Kikiwhary to Ansah was comparatively the most moderate

and least fatiguing of any of our journeys. The Anana still flourished

luxuriantly in the woods, and the bamboo and ground palm covered many

acres, with a most impenetrable thicket. The high palm which towered

here to an elevation rivalling the more gigantic productions of the

earth, increased the wild beauty of the surrounding scenery, for this

class had been rarely met with on the road.

The thermometer in the forest varied between the hours of ten and two,

from eighty-one degrees to eighty-three. In our quarters at Ansah, at

one o’clock, the quicksilver stood at eighty-seven, and two hours after

sunset, sunk as low as seventy-seven.

From Kikiwhary to Ansah it is ten miles, horizontal distance, and the

average of a long list of courses gave N. half W.

The health of the officers at this time was good, excepting that of Mr.

Collins. In justice to the gentlemen who accompanied me, I ought to

acknowledge the fortitude which marked their characters, and stifled

every complaint, during a laborious course of service, and under

circumstances not far removed from severe hardship.

The Ashantee guides or captains, belonging to my retinue, wished me to

remain at Ansah, until the king should be apprised of my arrival; but,

as I preferred a station nearer to the capital, I again issued orders to

resume the journey in the morning.

Accordingly, on the 18th, I quitted this town, attended by a group of

spectators, who, on the verge of the forest, exchanged a parting

farewell, and returned to their homes. The umbrageous covering of the

trees was again a grateful relief from the sensation of extreme heat.

Within the compass of an hour’s walk from Ansah, we crossed the bed of

the Foum, a fine little rivulet running easterly, and uniting, it is

said, with the Prapong and the Praa. The margin of this stream is

profusely covered with a shrubbery of a beautiful character. The water,

at this time, was knee deep, although the width of the channel could

scarcely be more than three fathoms. At the distance of a mile and a

quarter more, we came to the Parakom, another little rivulet,

proportionate in dimensions to the Foum, of which it is a branch, and

flowing at this part of its course in the same direction as the former.

Another little stream intersected the path about half a mile beyond the

Parakom, but was too unimportant to have a name.

The rustling of the branches above our heads, and a deeper gloom,

combined with the distant sound of thunder, announced, about this time,

an approaching tornado; but no rain fell. The thermometer sunk from

eighty to seventy-six. At an early hour in the day, we arrived in the

neighbourhood of Akrofroom, where a concourse of spectators had, as

usual, assembled, in the main avenue, to greet our entrance. At my

request, the Caboceer, who had already set the gong-gongs at work,

deferred the ceremonies of an interview, until the sun had sunk below

the visible horizon (the tops of the adjacent trees.) The rights of

hospitality were, in the meantime, lavished upon us with liberality,

equal to what we had before experienced; and our quarters were stored

with yams, cankey bread, cassada, eggs, oil, fuel, and a sheep. The

distress I felt for the females, who resigned their apartments for our

use, (some of whom had infants at their backs) was quickly removed by

the cordial welcome that animated their looks. A superstitious belief

was entertained by those to whom the lot of sheltering white men had

fallen, that their lives in future would be prosperous. The house itself

was passably well built in the form of one we occupied at Ansah, but

superior in size and sculptural ornaments, both of red clay and grey.

The Caboceer, of this town, whose name was Tako Dooney, happened to be

at Ansah, when we made a public entry there; after the ceremony there,

he was dispatched, by Coinin Akim, to repeat the honours at his own

government. As the sun declined, the jarring discord of drums, gong-

gongs, &c. announced the assemblage in the market-place. It will be

unnecessary, however, to relate a ceremony, which did not materially

differ from what has been described at Ansah. The parasites of this

chief, it may, however, be told, desisted sooner, and were not quite so

outrageously indecorous as those of Coinin Akim.

My people now fared sumptuously, yet there were ten men on the sick

list, besides as many more lame or bruised; several of whom were in a

state requiring rest, as well as wholesome food; but as our journies

henceforward were likely to be short ones, I did not think proper to

detain the mission; although my own servants were both incapable of

exertion, one from the Guinea worm and fever, and the other from severe

lameness.

Akrofroom covers a large tract of land, and is built in a straggling

manner. It is not so large as Ansah, and its population is numerically

inferior. The avenues intersecting the main street east and west, like

all others of the class, are either exceedingly confined, or, where the

space is more than sufficient to accommodate one or two passengers

abreast, the waste ground is generally appropriated to the reception of

offal, dirt, and rubbish; which, as in that part of the city of Morocco

inhabited by the Israelites, accumulates from time to time into little

mounds, or hillocks, sufficiently elevated to afford a prospect over the

walls and even the roofs of low built houses. The main street, however,

is exempt from these nuisances, and the market places, both here and

elsewhere, are never polluted by dirt or litter of any description. The

favourable impression of Ashantee cleanliness, was checked by the

exposure of nuisances in bye streets, in the environs of the town, and

the backs of the houses, where it became difficult to select a foot way

free from excrement and filth. Yet decency in compliance with natural

calls was not by any means unobserved by the inhabitants, who erect

sylvan temples in retired spots, at the outer boundary of the

plantations, by excavating the earth, and erecting a platform on the

upper surface, or by placing a number of fallen trees in parallel

positions.

The number of small ill-constructed hovels at Akrofroom probably

exceeded the more commodious buildings as fifty to one; and the grey

clay plaster, or wash, here, indicated no distinction between rich or

poor, master or slave. The plantations, however, are extensive, and

yield more than sufficient for the consumption of the inhabitants; yet

those of corn are very limited even here, although the population is

estimated at eighteen thousand souls.

At the distance of one day’s journey and a half westward, are the ruins

of a large town called Boyabo, formerly the seat of Apoutey’s

government. The average course from Ansah to Akrofroom was N.NW. the

distance amounted to eight miles and a quarter, horizontally computed.

We quitted this place on the following day, the nineteenth. The path in

its vicinity is broad and open, but this is characteristic only of the

first half furlong, beyond which the forest relapses to its usual form

and aspect.

This tract is said to be occasionally infested by the superior beasts of

prey, such as lions, panthers and leopards; but none of these animals

met our sight, nor had we ever distinguished their cries, although we

were frequently disturbed by the plaintive screechings of the sloth, and

the howling of hyenas, jackalls, &c. Amidst the boughs of a kind of

cedar, I noticed several grey squirrels, who regarded my approach with

great indifference. Here also, some of the party picked up a good number

of quills that seemed to have belonged to a porcupine of the largest

size.

At no great distance from Akrofroom we again fell in with the Prakoom

rivulet, as at this time it swept to the west of south. On the opposite

bank the path was open, leading over a thick bed of loose sand that

covered the surrounding surface. Many lofty trees, and some of the

smaller sorts of shrubs, were sapless and barren, with naked limbs and

blighted foliage.

In the midst of a thicket, at the distance of four miles from Ansah, an

elephant’s tooth of moderate size was discovered; but the enamel being

cracked into gashes, it was deemed of little or no value. It is affirmed

by the Ashantees that elephants never herd in these forests, although

very frequently stragglers are shot on this parallel as also on the

confines, two journies north of Coomassy. Yet these wanderers are young,

and as my informer described it, “foolish.” The old elephants herd in

Banna, Coransah, and some in Bouromy; they are numerous only in Sarem.

We shortly arrived at a little stream shaping a course to the S.SW.;

another of the same size, and running in the same direction, intersected

the path a quarter of a mile beyond this; but they were both unimportant

and nameless. At the end of ten miles (by the path) we discovered a gap

that admitted the cheerful light of day, the surface of which was, as

usual, covered with jungle and rank weeds. We were now in the vicinity

of Moisy, a small croom on the frontier of Assin, and which we entered

about noon, but made no stay there.

This village, like other places of greater importance, can claim but one

avenue deserving the name of a street, although it has several leading

to the huts in the back ground. It is inhabited principally by

mechanics, as weavers, potters, smiths, &c. and may be called a place of

wretchedness; yet it is notorious for excellent palm wine, and a

superior growth of cotton. The habitations, even in the main street, are

mean, notwithstanding the grey clay wash and plaster are more commonly

in use here than elsewhere. The main avenue terminated in a pretty

shrubbery, whose limits stretched away to the neighbouring plantations.

Through this we journied some hundred paces until the little rivulet

Bohmen, which sparkled in the front, gave notice of our approach to the

hilly barrier that separates Ashantee, properly so called, from the

province of Assin. The stragglers being numerous at this time, I thought

fit to alight on the margin of the stream. My guides, (the Ashantee

captains Ado and Quako,) were the first who approached, and with anger

in their countenances, reprobated the conduct of the Caboceer, at Moisy,

in not having prepared the honours due to a public reception. “He will

lose his head for this neglect,” added they, uniting their voices, “for

we must tell the king the truth.” I vindicated the unfortunate chief, by

alledging my disinclination to alight. It mattered not, was the reply,

the Caboceer alone was to blame, because the most positive orders had

been given by Coinin Akim, that he should assemble the townsmen to greet

me in passing.

We stood in need of rest, and as the hills lay exactly on the opposite

bank of the stream, I delayed prosecuting the journey to give time for

the people to recruit their strength. Our weariness was, indeed,

universal, and we reposed in sullen lassitude on the margin of the

romantic Bohmen; the river, according to Mr. Bowdich’s information, so

gifted by Providence, as to deserve the name of the “_Water of

Eloquence_.” The fairy virtue of this stream recurring to my memory, I

demanded a calabash of water. In short, its efficacy was put to the

trial, by many who required to slake their thirst, and be it recorded,

failed in working its usual miracle. These symptoms of lassitude and

silence were, however, quickly interrupted, by the arrival of a large

pot of palm wine, and a message of exculpation from the Caboceer, who

extenuated his neglect by alledging that he had expected me to have

slept in town, rather than crossed the mountains that afternoon. The

wine was of a growth recommended by the Ashantees as particularly

nourishing and grateful to the palate, and was, they said, the best in

the kingdom. But it did not need many encomiums, so acceptable was this

description of beverage. Indeed, the far-famed excellence of the “Water

of Eloquence” itself, would bear no competition with the wine. Its

invigorating powers won it the palm of supremacy, without a single

dissenting voice, for the faculty of speech which before was chained up

within us, resumed its function with an effort powerful enough to banish

the memory of past fatigue.

Upon making enquiries of the Ashantees, respecting the alledged virtue

of the water, I had some difficulty in persuading them that it was a

serious question. When assured of that fact, they declared they knew the

water to be sweet, and, perhaps, it was good for sick people; but they

did not know that it was capable of prompting speech, nor did they ever

hear that it was visited on that account by parties of their countrymen.

The Bohmen is a very inconsiderable upland stream, gliding in its

descent, between the vallies of Moisy, and slanting in its course to the

southward of west, until it connects its waters with those of the

Prakoom. It is almost embowered in shrubbery, overtopped by high trees,

whose branches locking together in each others embraces, give it, in

imagination, the semblance of a fairy grot; for its bed is studded with

brilliant little rocks, and shelving slabs of granite, iron stone, and

mica, mixed with clear white sand, and yellow gravel, glittering, as it

may be said, poetically, with a golden refulgence, where the meridian

sun-beam here and there penetrated the vegetable arch.

Romantic as this may be pronounced, it was something heightened in

effect as we crossed the rivulet, by the appearance of a party of women

and young girls, skipping over the rocks, and laving their limbs in the

current; but, for whose jetty complexions, the fancy might in reality

have conceited them a group of Naiads. Nor were the nymphs of the

African wilderness wanting to themselves in the decorum of the sex, for

they modestly screened their persons amidst the foliage.

Immediately after this, we commenced ascending a lofty hill, at first by

a gradual slope; but on a sudden it became abrupt, rugged, and washed

into gullies. Huge pieces of rock, in overhanging precipices, opposed

our steps, and as we were early compelled to clamber with hands and

feet, our progress was attended with difficulty, and great physical

exertion. The path, near the summit of the hill, was bare of its leafy

canopy, and here the rays of the sun darted fiercely down upon a surface

already scorched beyond a moderate glowing heat. This, added to the

increased action of the vital organs, rendered our distress complete,

and it was with incredible difficulty we journied up the acclivity,

nearly a mile to the summit.[21] A contracted gap, or aperture on the

left hand, afforded an indistinct prospect to the westward, of the top

of another hill connected with this chain. It was, in truth, the

greatest scope our eyes had been permitted to range over throughout the

whole journey; and although the horizontal distance would barely have

exceeded a mile and a half, its novelty was equally delightful and

transitory.

Mr. Bowdich says, he observed several eminent points from this station,

in the hope of being able to check his computed distance by paces. No

such land marks were visible to me, or any eminence, excepting the peak

of the hill already described, the utility of which, for mathematical

calculations, it was surely absurd to suggest; for the visionary glance

was so imperfect, and the uniformity of its clothing so characteristic

of the land throughout, that had it been perceptible a second time,

(which it was not) I am convinced it would not have been recognized with

any certainty.

For some hundreds of yards beyond the summit, it was a sort of table

hill, gently incurvated with slopes and ridges. The sound of a waterfall

on our left hand indicated, however, that the path lay over a

precipitous ridge, terminating below in a deep valley. Yet the forest

was so opaque, that nothing was visible (except the stems of trees)

beyond the circumference of a few yards.

This chain of hills, according to native authority, commences on the

north-west side of Bequa, From thence inclining easterly to Datiasso and

Doompassy, where it forks off in two branches, the one leading NE. to

the Echouy Lake, the other inclining south of east, through Assin and

Akim, to Aquamboe, and the neighbourhood of Accra, where it unites to

the chain that may be seen at the distance of twenty miles from the

British fort at that place. The height of Moisy Hill may be about

sixteen hundred feet perpendicular elevation. The north side of the hill

is less steep and rugged, so that the descent is not attended with much

inconvenience. A small ravine gave a passage to a little stream, flowing

westerly with a rippling noise; but it was said to bear no name. The

land beyond the hills is evidently much higher than that of Assin.

The sight of a patch of jungle indicated our approach to the first

Ashantee village: this was a miserable place containing about thirty

hovels, called Chusah, whose inhabitants lived by the trade in palm wine

and nuts. The track over the hills is capricious, but the course, after

having passed Chusah, inclines again north. We traversed the brink of a

chasm or pit of great depth, said to have been excavated for gold; but

latterly neglected, notwithstanding the mine was believed to be rich.

Three quarters of a mile beyond Chusah is Fomanah, another little

village, containing about a hundred and fifty inhabitants. Mr. Bowdich’s

assertion, that Fomanah was once a very considerable town, is

contradicted by the natives, who, while they admit that it was formerly

more populous than at present, declare it always to have been a

foresters’ village, and a place of insignificance upon the frontiers.

The Caboceer, who was seated in the main opening, very courteously

tendered an offering of palm wine and eggs.

Beyond Fomanah for about half a mile, the path was good, exhibiting a

clean swept surface, with burning stubble on each hand. Doompassy was

now distant only an hour’s march, and as we approached in sight of the

town, the greetings of the spectators, who were numerous, indicated the

utmost cordiality. The Caboceer, a middle aged man, named Soabin,

received me very courteously in the market place, and in due formality

conducted me to the house designed for my reception. It was a sort of

double house, neatly constructed, and ornamented with the rude sculpture

of the country. The family (one of the first rank in the place) were all

employed in removing their utensils. The landlord politely told me it

gave him pleasure to shelter white men, as it would bring upon him a

blessing from the gods. The distance from Akofroom to Doompassy is

eleven miles and a half horizontal distance; by the path it is nearly

fifteen. The average course was north, inclining half a point to the

west. Mr. Collins here suffered a relapse of fever.

Our journies, it may be seen, were comparatively rapid, and really so in

such a country, for we generally travelled as long as the day-light

lasted, excepting the two or three last stages. Our halt, however, at

Doompassy was imperative, for many more were afflicted with lameness and

inflammatory disorders, of which the Guinea-worm and boils were the most

prevalent.

The tall and stunted palms form the most interesting, and the doom,

mahogany, and silk cotton trees, the most majestic objects in the

neighbourhood of the plantations hereabouts. These, blended with fibrous

and thorny plants capriciously threading the branches in festoons, or

entwining in snaky wreaths round the trunks of trees, give that

singularly wild aspect to vegetation in the torrid zone which, perhaps,

is only to be witnessed within the limits of the first and second

parallels of climate in continental Africa. The Anana still skirted the

path, and a few cocoas both male and female, increased the variety.

Among the plantations I discovered a grovelling sort of palmeta or small

ground palm, called by the Arabs asha, whose fibres they interweave with

goats’ hair in the manufacture of their tents. Among the trees and

shrubs of small growth were cotton in abundance, some indigo, coffee,

arrow-root, and the gooro or war nut, a species of betel, which the

natives masticate as they do in India.

Hyenas, civet cats, baboons, monkeys, porcupines, ant-eaters, wild hogs,

sloths, and squirrels, are said to abound greatly, besides deer, in this

part of the forest. An animal which, from description, answers to the

cameleopard, it is affirmed, sometimes visits these regions, and there

are many to be found both in Sarem and Ghunja; but they are sacred

quadrupeds, and although they herd with the elephants, they are never

destroyed by the hunters.

At this elevation from the sea coast, much is left behind of the gloom

and solitude of one of the greatest wildernesses south of the Niger; but

this impression originated perhaps in the knowledge, that although it

was still a waste, it now contained the cheerful habitations of men.

A serpent, agreeing with the _constrictor_ of the class I met with on

the road to Doonqua, but larger, was said to be occasionally seen here;

it was dreaded by the traveller more than either the lion or panther,

and would attack men as well as the most powerful animals in the

creation, the elephant only excepted.

Red ants were very rarely seen here or on the road; but others were as

numerous and troublesome as ever, a fact of which they gave us many

painful proofs.

My guides suggested to me the propriety of halting a few days at these

quarters, adding that they durst not approach nigher the capital, for

fear of giving offence to the king, by permitting me to travel like a

common messenger, and by approaching the court before the necessary

arrangements were completed for my reception. I was prepared to stop a

day, to allow time for the return of an express messenger I had sent to

the king from Kikiwhary.

I was roused from sleep at a very early hour on the following morning,

(the 20th,) by the entrance of a man, whom I discovered to be the

proprietor of the house, with an offering for his tutelary god, and

which he was about fixing to the sacred tree, at the door of my

apartment. The tribute, which consisted of the legs and head of a white

speckled fowl and a small calabash containing a little corn and

plantain, steeped in a fluid looking like blood, was placed on the

ground at the root of the tree; but afterward, the members were severed,

and suspended by a piece of cotton-yarn upon one of the lower branches.

Another calabash containing a blackish fluid, served to water the roots,

by being poured upon the ground, as a libation, during the recital of

certain mystical words in prayer. The ceremony concluded by washing the

stem of the tree with a colouring, made from the white or grey clay. On

the route, particularly in the vicinity of towns, these offerings were

very common, and in some spots, on which superstition had stamped a

particular veneration, a numerous collection of pots and pans, although

commonly broken ones, were deposited with their tributes to the gods of

the forests and highways. Like the Greeks and heathen tribes of Egypt,

Syria, and Arabia, the Ashantees, (who may rival or even excel the

ancients in the practice of their orgies and rituals) provide their

δειπνα, or highway suppers. Among the tribes of negroes hereabouts, they

are, however, family offerings, and not public or national.

Doompassy, it is said, contains a population of fifteen thousand

inhabitants. It has but one avenue deserving the name of a street, for

those which intersect it, right and left, are only a confused number of

openings of width barely sufficient to allow free ingress. Near the

market-place are many decent-looking houses, of which the Caboceer’s is

by far the best. The plantations, which are flourishing and extensive,

it would seem, are adequate to the supply of a population infinitely

greater. Several large corn plats were enclosed, with tolerable fences

of bamboo, to preserve the grain from the incursions of wild animals,

and of pigs, which are here permitted to rove at liberty about the

suburbs.

In the forenoon, I sent out a hunter, who, in less than two hours,

returned successful from the chase, bringing with him a deer, of the

antelope kind, a civet cat, and several birds.

The detention at Doompassy was particularly salutary to Mr. Collins. Mr.

Salmon complained of the return of former symptoms, augmented, perhaps,

by the passage over the hills. For my own part, I rapidly gained

strength every journey, so that even at Doompassy, after a night’s

repose, I found myself in a state of health equal, perhaps, to the best

I ever enjoyed in tropical Africa.

As the expected messenger had not yet returned, I gave instructions to

renew the march on the 21st, to the great disappointment of my escort;

but, as I hoped to meet the messenger on the road, I deemed it advisable

to halt at a station more convenient to the capital.

At Doompassy, the thermometer, at eight A.M. stood at 81, at twelve, 86,

and at seven P.M. 82, in the shade. In the evening, distant peals of

thunder and a rustling breeze from the east denoted a tornado at no

great distance, but no rain fell in the town.

The sick and lame were now twenty-three in number, of whom five were

cases of so much severity, that I left them in charge of the Caboceer,

with a supply of gold for their support, or to defray the expences of

their burial. Many others, indeed, required rest, but they were

obstinately bent on going forward, rather than remaining unprotected in

what they might conceive an enemy’s country.

The inhabitants, as the bugle gave notice of our departure (on the 21st)

flocked together in crowds, and with good-natured smiles bestowed their

parting farewell.

A mile and a half beyond the town is a little current of water called

Bahrein, running west, and a quarter of a mile beyond it is Carbouso, a

croom equal in wretchedness to whatever the imagination may conceive of

it. This we passed through, and beyond it the path was tolerably

inviting, leading on to the village of Sanquanta, another little dirty

croom, inhabited by forty or fifty families, who depend for their

support upon the range of the forest.

Adjoining to Sanquanta, is a little brook, whose course S.SW. unites it

to other little streams, that meander in the vallies of the hilly

barrier and fall into the Prakoom. The name of this stream is Injouma.

At the distance of a furlong, east from Sanquanta, is a large populous

croom called Meduma. The discharge of musquets was distinctly heard in

that direction. A little cross path to the westward led to a small

village called Baramken. At an early hour, we entered Datchasoo, a town

of some little importance, and took up quarters for the night in one of

the best houses the place contained. This was a small enclosure, with

four thatched rooms in a dirty and ruinous condition; but after a

diligent search, it appeared that this habitation was superior to any

other in the town.

Just at this crisis, two royal messengers arrived from Court, bearing

congratulations on the part of the king, and a present of two and a half

ounces of gold dust, enveloped in silk, a fat sheep, and an enormous

sow. My own messenger returned with the royal messengers, who thus

explained themselves:—“Sai (the king) hears you are come to see him, and

it gives him pleasure; he therefore sends his compliments to let you

know he will see your face on Monday (28th February) for that is a good

(auspicious) day.”

One of these messengers was a reverend looking negro, and a man high in

rank; the other was a sword bearer, also high in office, and a vassal of

Prince Adoom (the ambassador on the coast.) Having dismissed these

people with suitable presents, they returned to say, that the king had

ordered them to bear me company, and see that due respect was every

where paid to the white men.

The sow, which, as I before said, was of an enormous size, was lashed by

the legs to a bamboo pole, and had been transported, with great labour,

on the shoulders of men.

From Doompassy to Datchasoo, it is short of six miles horizontal

distance, or eight by the path. The average course by compass was N.NW.

It is a straggling town containing about four or five hundred houses and

hovels, most of which are in a very ruinous condition. The population is

given at two thousand souls, who subsist by spinning, dying, and weaving

of cotton, manufacturing pots, working in the forest, &c. The

flourishing state of the plantations here, bespeaks a rank which must

have belonged to former years. There were corn, yam, and cassada

enclosures, some of them tolerably extensive; and, in short, the people

did not appear to want the necessaries of life, although their domestic

comforts seemed so very limited in other respects.

We had been visited during the night by troops of rats, whose gambols

over the thatch threatened to renew the adventure at Akomfody.

On the 22d we left Datchasoo, launching into forest as before, but an

order from Court having been issued to remove obstructions and sweep the

paths, the inhabitants of Datchasoo were already occupied in that work,

and a number of fires were kindled on the sides of the pathway. We

travelled therefore at a brisk pace, occasionally passing over prostrate

logs of the most gigantic classes of timber, where the fire had severed

them into open breach, and others that were still in flames. The slave

population of each town and of both sexes, was employed in this work.

At half a mile distance from Datchasoo is a little croom called Ankoasy,

containing about seventy hovels, a mile beyond which we entered a better

looking place called Adadwasy. At half a furlong distance to the east is

a town of considerable magnitude called Madjoury, whose population is

rated at ten thousand.

The population of Adadwasy is said to exceed three thousand. The town is

constructed with tolerable regularity, and a growth of very fine trees,

of the class mimosa, flourished in the market place, affording an

agreeable shade for refreshment. The plantations were extensive and in

the highest perfection. Having passed a leisure hour on the spot, we

renewed the march, followed by a body of spectators to the opposite

confines of the forest. The land in the neighbourhood is rather more

hilly, but the risings are in long slopes easy of ascent. Aquamasy was

the next croom we entered, distant from Adadwasy about three quarters of

a mile. This is likewise a decent village of foresters, potters, and

weavers. Its plantation is not inferior to that at Adadwasy, although

the population is scarcely half as numerous.

Passing a ravine, at the bottom of which flowed a little rivulet to the

S.SW. of very inconsiderable dimensions, called Jonkaran, we came to a

place where a few wretched habitations were buried in a mass of jungle.

This village, if it may be dignified by that name, was called Safoo, and

a little beyond it was another brook called Yanasee, running NW. At a

mile and a half from this is a small croom named Coraman, here also is a

larger rivulet called Dansaboo, with steep banks on both sides

terminating in abrupt ridges. The water flowed in a gentle current to

the west. In three quarters of an hour more we entered Amoafo, where I

resolved to pass the night, and as it had been announced to me as a

place of importance, I thought fit to renew the ceremonies usual on such

occasions. We accordingly passed down the main opening, and were

conducted, after some formalities, to a very tolerable house, which had

been evacuated for our accommodation by the family of a captain named

Agado.

This journey was eight miles horizontal distance, the course N.

The curvature, or diagonal inclination of the path, if the reports of

the Fantees may be credited, does not arise from natural causes, but is

a political _ruse_ of the sovereign to bewilder the faculties of the

stranger, and create an exaggerated belief of the extent of the Ashantee

dominions. This opinion is, however, ridiculed by the Ashantees, and I

apprehend with justice, for the same rule could not possibly apply to

the forests of Assin and Fantee, particularly in that dreary track

between Mansue and the Praa; where the path, such as it is, appears to

have been entirely neglected since the subjugation of the southern

tribes.

Amoafo is a croom of the first class: it is a sort of military depôt,

and has a governor of rank. Some of the houses are tolerably well

constructed; but still the clay and bamboo hovels predominate, perhaps,

here, in the proportion of twelve to one, in the leading street. The

population is said to be upwards of seven thousand, many, however, were

Gaman prisoners of war, the property of officers and soldiers in the

army.

On the twenty-third, my second messenger returned from the capital, for

ceremonious courtesy being the _sine qua non_ of African diplomacy, I

endeavoured to neglect none of those outward forms which are so well

understood in private life. I was assured by the Caboceer that the

streets in Coomassy were by a royal edict ordered to be cleansed in

anticipation of my approach.

While the presents were housing, I received a visit from the king’s son,

a child about six years of age, who was brought to me by his nurse, and

several guardians, besides a courtly little troop of slaves and

playmates. The custom of Africa was not omitted even on this occasion,

for the visit was attended with a present of fowls, vegetables and wine.

A suitable return in sugar highly gratified the infant prince, who,

however, generously distributed a portion of the sweets among his

juvenile companions. I was next honoured with a visit by a female member

of the royal family, a daughter of the king, whose age was probably

about ten years. The retinue of this young lady was as numerous as the

former. A sugar offering to the princess, with the addition of a little

rum to the attendants, introduced us to a familiar acquaintance at

sight. The matrons endeavoured to win my notice to their ward, by

intimating that she was very fond of white men’s caresses; but her

timidity gave a flat contradiction to the assertion. I endeavoured to

soothe therefore, in language somewhat adapted to a female ear, but the

compliments I paid were unaccountably appropriated by my auditresses to

their own youth and beauty, or to other inclinations; for they assured

me by way of reply, that although the princess was young, yet in a very

few moons she would be ready to take to wife; and if I admired her, they

had no doubt the king would give her to me. At the same time the old

women, taking several of their youthful companions by the shoulders,

introduced them in a circle, desiring me to select a favorite without

scruple, and keep her as long as I thought fit.

On the 26th, I again resumed the journey, and at the distance of half a

mile, crossed the Bequa path. This is a very large town about three

miles westward of the spot. The first little croom on the northern track

is Gabin, adjoining to which is a small stream running west, to the

Souberry. The land hereabouts was swampy, and covered with thicket and

jungle. Beyond the swamps, is another superior little croom, named

Benichas, which has a population of eight or nine hundred inhabitants.

The village led on to the Souberry, a rivulet superior to the generality

of little currents. Its course is to the southward of west, in a channel

of the dimensions of twenty or thirty feet, and it is said to unite with

the Foom.

Assiminia was now distant about a mile only, and this being a town of

some distinction, the usual formalities occurred in the market-place.

The houses here, particularly those in the main avenue, are built with

regularity, and may possibly rival the best in Kikiwhary, Ansah, or

Doompassy. This appearance of comfort was also heightened by a number of

beautiful trees in the market-place.

Assiminia is stated to contain from seven to eight thousand inhabitants.

Its plantations encroach very extensively on the forest, and several

large fields were, at this time, well fenced round in a state fit for

the reception of corn and yams.

I delayed the march only to exchange compliments with the Caboceer, and

supply our party with wine. The next croom we came to was Boposso, a

mean dirty little place, seated on the top of a rising ground. The

population could scarcely exceed a thousand souls, if so many.

A small stream intersected the path near Boposso, tracking a course

westward, and a little beyond it we entered Agemum, a village of little

more importance than the former. Yoko is the name of a third croom of

this class, within the space of four miles; and short of a mile beyond

Yoko, is a pretty considerable croom, named Abointem, containing it is

said, three thousand inhabitants. Still, however, its construction was

mean, nor did any of the houses here bespeak a rank superior to the

ordinary class of crooms. A few hundred paces north of Abointem, a

little rivulet called Bequa, which gives its name to the large town

before-mentioned, flows to the S.SW. and falls into the Souberry. Two

miles beyond the Bequa is Potaiga, a croom rather superior in

construction to the others, and containing twelve hundred people. A mile

and a half beyond this is Fuiasso, a croom rather smaller than Potaiga.

Sarasoo was now distant but an easy walk, and we accordingly entered

that village at an early hour. The horizontal distance from Amoafo to

Sarasoo, is ten miles and a half, and the average course north half

east.

The surface is of indurated high coloured clay, with now and then a

scattering of iron ore, and white sand. In the vicinity of Yoko, were

several very massive blocks of red and white granite. The high palm

became more conspicuous as we approached the metropolis, and where a

village, or open space, admitted a prospect of its upper limbs, added

that beauty to the landscape which gives so much grandeur to the scenery

of tropical Africa. The wild fig trees were still numerous, and some

cassia, entwined with various aromatic shrubs, and the trees producing

the kind of pepper called mallaguetta, or grains of paradise, were

occasionally seen in the openings.

On the margin of the Souberin, and also near Potaiga, I noticed some

large trees that yielded abundance of resinous gum in excretions of

several pounds weight. In quality it was inflammable, like camphor,

extremely light in weight, brittle, and emitting a strong odoriferous

scent, not very unlike gum benzoin. I recognized also, that particular

species of juniper, which produces the sandarach gum, and abundance of

fine white soluble gum upon a kind of shrub, very nearly similar to the

gum arabic tree. The genuine trees of these several classes named

grassa, and tolh, by the Arabs, the former, a particular juniper, and

the latter, what we term the gum arabic tree, were well known to me

during frequent excursive tours in those districts of northern Africa,

where they are indigenous. The soluble gum, which, for the sake of

distinction, I shall term Arabic, is of the finest quality I ever saw,

and is produced in crystalline globules, from the size of a pea to that

of a small walnut.

This part of the forest abounds greatly in civet or musk cats, besides

antelopes, ant-eaters, porcupines, wild hogs, sloths, squirrels, apes

and monkeys. Some of the latter are exceedingly diminutive, and

beautifully variegated with black and white stripes. Of the ape genus,

the natives describe a species which inhabits the more eastern district,

and walks erect, in which posture it will even attack armed men. It is

said also to ensnare women and young girls, whom it carries off to its

recesses, and is so nimble as to render abortive every attempt at

pursuit.

Sarasoo is a large compact village with one main opening, N. and S.

dividing the houses into two masses. The plantations are extensive, and

in an adjoining space were some small corn, yam, and cassada fields.

The difficulty of clearing spots, for the reception of grain, may well

be imagined, where vegetation, both above and below the surface, is knit

in such indissoluble bonds. In the Fantee country, where the produce of

the earth is naturally dwarfish, and, generally speaking, does not

exceed the elevation of common thickets, the process of clearing land is

infinitely more arduous than in the northern parts of the Ashantee

empire. The method which I have frequently seen employed in Fantee is as

follows:—When a suitable spot has been selected, the slaves are directed

to cut down the thicket, which is effected with the assistance of a

small bill-hook, and without any immoderate labour. In the course of the

operation, the few trees of a large growth are suffered to stand, after

the amputation of their upper limbs. Besides those which are from

necessity exempted, are also others which are suffered to remain from a

religious veneration, and these are of various classes. The loppings of

the boughs and thicket are then scattered over the surface in the most

exposed situations, in order to dry up their sap and moisture. The

reflected heat generally accomplishes this in two or three days, and the

dried bush is then piled up in heaps, at regular distances, where it is

fired and soon reduced to a burning pile, the ashes from which are

scattered over the field as manure. At this stage of the process the

preparatory labour is completed, for the plough is wholly unknown, nor

would it be of any avail in such a matted soil. The spot thus prepared

for the reception of grain, after the fall of the first rains, is

planted with the assistance only of a small hoe, at orderly distances;

but the land is never turned over, nor indeed do the natives give

themselves the trouble to grub up any of the roots, or the tendrils

branching from them, or even to lop away the woody stubble that may

obtrude above the surface.

In the more central parts of the kingdom, the features of the land

render the process of clearing it infinitely more complicated and

laborious, notwithstanding the method resorted to is the same. Here

trees of more than ordinary dimensions must necessarily be rooted out,

or felled with the thicket. The exempted trees are those which possess

useful qualifications, such as the high and low palm, bamboo, tamarind,

papa, cocoa, and some other kinds that yield valuable nuts. The sacred

kinds of vegetation of every growth, are religiously respected, and

suffered to exist; nor are they even mutilated like the trunks of those

giant-like classes whose tops soar to the elevation of one hundred and

thirty, and more feet, and whose ramifications are necessarily subjected

to the operation, in order to admit a free circulation of air. The

cumbersome growth of fibrous stems and vines, mixed with other plants of

a watery nature, requires much labour in hacking to pieces and in

removing. The time they take in drying augments the expence of the

operation; but this accomplished, the process is simply as in Fantee.

In Mauritania and other parts of Barbary, as well in the Berreber lands

as in those of the Arabs, I have seen tracts of many miles extent

cleared externally from a covering of thicket in the course of a single

day, simply by firing a quantity of stubble to windward in the dry

season, when there is sufficient air to give action to the fire. The

rapidity with which the crackling flames spread, is sometimes, although

rarely, disastrous to those who may have wandered too far in attempting

to cross to leeward of the body of fire. The thickets in these

countries, however, abound in vegetation of an inflammable character,

being chiefly composed of resinous trees, and dry combustible wood,

whose kindling properties are increased by six or seven months’ parching

drought during the absence even of a single shower.

So far nature contributes to the labour of the Arab, and aids in the

transformation of a wilderness into a fair open field, or space richly

manured with the still ignited embers. But what remains to be done

before the ground is capable of cultivation must yet depend upon extreme

bodily exertion. “The sweat of his brow,” as it is sacredly written,

must flow copiously ere that land can be rendered arable and fit for

tillage. His labour indeed only commences at the stage where the toil of

the negro has ceased, for every root and fibre must necessarily be dug

from the bowels of the earth, before the plough can be made use of. Thus

it would seem that Providence has duly portioned out the labours of the

field; and the distribution of toil, whether it be caused by obstruction

or sterility, will probably be found equal in all countries where waste

land may be taken into cultivation.

Ceremonies were not wholly neglected during my stay at Sarasoo, but the

nigher I approached to the metropolis the more deserted were the crooms

by their Caboceers and the agents of government, who, by a mandate of

the Sovereign, had been called in within the circumference of twenty or

thirty miles, to add splendour to the Court, on the day appointed for my

public entry. The deputies who governed in the absence of these chiefs

being men of inferior rank, it was only necessary to exchange

compliments with them by proxy, except when they met me in the market-

place, or visited me in my quarters, which was usually the case.

The 27th was spent in tedious preparations, and in visiting the

neighbourhood of the place. One of these excursions I directed to the

Dah, a river that runs W.SW. at two or three hundred paces north of the

town, from whence it tracks a course to the Souberin, with which it

unites, and not with the Foom as Mr. Bowdich was informed. The width of

the river was about fourteen yards, and the depth two or three feet at

the crossing place. The Dah rises in Akeyah.

Sarasoo is said to contain eight thousand inhabitants, who for the most

part are soldiers, slaves, and vassals, to Amon Koitea. Artificers,

however, are very numerous here, and the manufactures of cotton-cloths

are of the superior order.

Our detention at Sarasoo afforded leisure to the invalids to rejoin the

mission by slow stages; but, notwithstanding the general anxiety to do

so, twelve were still absent, when the muster was made on the night of

the 27th.

Early on the 28th, we crossed the Dah to a fine open path, that inclined

over a bed of coarse and very white sand, extending from the river many

hundred paces, and penetrating the forest as far as the eye could

compass, right and left. Parties of travellers were no longer a novelty;

we met many in the course of this morning journeying to and fro between

the capital and the maritime towns, Cape Coast excepted. We passed a

small croom two miles beyond the Dah, named Ayokoh, inhabited only by

foresters. Numerous parties of natives, women, as well as men and boys,

were briskly engaged, near the path, in lopping the boughs and enclosing

some large tracks for the reception of maize and yams. Agogo is another

croom of this class, and at a very inconsiderable distance from Ayokoh.

We were now, it may be said, in the immediate neighbourhood of Coomassy.

A Court messenger met me on this path, with a complimentary enquiry

after my health; and this man, being furnished with instructions from

the king, conducted me to a little village, about a mile and a quarter

SE. of the capital; the name of it was Ciry, a paltry little place,

containing about seventy inhabitants; here the party alighted, and

having exchanged road dresses for others suitable to the occasion, we

prepared to move forward; but my palanquin, for which I once more

exchanged the hammock, was so thoroughly dislocated, that it became

necessary to secure the parts with lashings extracted from the forest:

this accomplished, and the canopy being decorated with some gaudy yellow

and red silk, produced a courtly African effect. Indeed, every man

habited himself in his holiday apparel, and thus equipped, the march was

renewed in as close order as the path would admit of, serenaded by a

vociferous chorus of the Fantees. Upon turning an angle, whereby two

paths were connected, I was not a little surprised at coming directly in

contact with a party of soldiers habited and armed in British costume,

and headed by a white African (or, as it may be better understood, a

white negro) dressed _en bourgeois_, with the exception only of a

ponderous hat _en militaire_. These apish warriors, who formed a part of

the king’s body guard, fell into open ranks, and made some awkward

movements with their musquets, accompanying each caricature evolution

with a low submissive obeisance. They told me, that Sai had conferred

the honour of sending their troop to escort me to his presence; a

compliment which, perhaps, could not have been selected more

judiciously. My own soldiers, however, were jealously inclined to

preserve their station about my person; but this I opposed, from

political courtesy, and therefore placed myself under the protection of

the king’s guard, stationing the Fantees in the van as an equivalent. In

a quarter of an hour, we approached the swamp that environs the city on

the south and east sides. Even here, under the very walls of the

metropolis, the forest retained much of its characteristic gloom, and,

excepting on the line of path, its thickets and entanglements; no change

indicated an approach to a neighbourhood so highly populous as the

metropolis of Ashantee. The swamp itself would have passed for any other

of the same class in the wilderness. On the opposite margin of the

water, a good number of the town’s-people were stationed, waving to us,

and inclining their bodies in salutation as they perceived they were

observed. Several boys, who were here introduced to me by the Ashantees,

as sons of their monarch, pushed in amidst the guard, and kept pace by

the side of the palanquin.

A prospect of the capital (if such it may be called) at last opened in

front of us; it was a partial glimpse, at the distance of twenty or

thirty paces, of a few mud built hovels, surrounded in part by

plantations, and some straggling walls of the same material, covering a

contracted space gained from the adjacent waste. As soon as we arrived

at the outskirting houses, a portion of the city became visible; but its

external aspect by no means promised any thing superior to the towns of

Assin in general; and was, it must be told, foreign to those highly

coloured plates and the description given to the world in Mr. Bowdich’s

work.

The street we entered was a broad convenient space enough, leading

nearly in a direct line, north, to the Palace-gate; up this avenue we

advanced through a crowd of spectators, of all ages and classes, and of

both sexes. The clamorous songs of my people, as the procession moved

on, joined to the novel sound of the bugle, appeared to animate every

countenance with tumultuous joy, which was momentarily subdued only as a

royal _blunderbuss salutation_ burst full, as it may be expressed, in my

face. The assemblage was too great to maintain an orderly deportment,

and the soldiers were compelled to exert their authority to keep the

people back. This, notwithstanding the commotion, was effected without

difficulty, by flapping upon the ground small twigs of Bamboo, and

sometimes striking the people lightly upon the legs.

My palanquin was on a sudden arrested in the main avenue by a deputation

of Caboceers, who paid a formal congratulation on behalf of the king. It

was Sai’s desire, they added, that I should repair to the market place

until the court assembled. Here, therefore, I alighted under the shade

of some high trees, reposing for awhile from the scorching blaze of the

sun, now about commencing his descent from the meridian. The atmosphere

too, was in a manner stifled by the pressure of the multitude. A pause

of twenty minutes sufficed for the approaching ceremony, and we again

bent forward in orderly ranks to an angle that opened into the place of

audience, from whence another salute was fired. A silence, however, like

that of the forest, succeeded as the echoes died away; and as the smoke

dispersed, the view was suddenly animated by assembled thousands in full

costume, seated upon the ground in the form of an extensive semicircle,

where the chiefs were distinguished from the commonalty by large

floating umbrellas or canopies, fabricated from cloth of various hues.

These officers, only, were seated upon stools that elevated their heads

just above those of their attendants. An avenue not wider than the

footway in the forest, was the space allotted for walking in the line of

chiefs, leading to the station where the king was seated. The etiquette

was of a character corresponding with other ceremonies.

All the ostentatious trophies of negro splendour were emblazoned to

view. Drums of every size, from five or six inches in length to the

dimensions of as many feet, occasionally decorated with human relics,

abounded in all directions; and in some (although few instances) the

sculls of vanquished foemen, and strings of human teeth were glaringly

exposed on the persons of the youthful captains. Ivory horns similarly

ornamented, reed flutes, calabash rattles, and clanking bits of flat

iron, composed the various bands in front of the Caboceers. The

salutation, as heretofore, was accompanied by an impulsive grasp of the

hand with each Caboceer of rank, and a waving motion afterwards in

compliment to his friends, retainers, and slaves. In the act of

approaching these peers of the Ashantee realm, the solemn stillness was

invaded at intervals by the full chorus of each band, beating in

rotation the peculiar adopted air, whereby each noble is known from his

compeer. A number of select young slaves, boys of fifteen or sixteen

years old, stood before the war captains, and other chief officers, in

the aspect of a guard of honour, waving short scimiters and knives,

which they flourished in a threatening attitude. The deportment of the

Caboceers was marked with gravity; not a smile nor a courtly glance

illumined the asperity of their features, and the salutations were

uttered in a low affected tone of voice. The crowd, however, did not

consider themselves bound to imitate the dignified deportment of their

lords: they breathed a welcome in the silent language of the features.

In turn the quarters of the Moslems opened to view, where about three

hundred people of that faith (including slaves) were seated round their

Bashaw. No drums or warlike instruments of any kind were in the retinue

of this chieftain, nor was the avenue leading to his person guarded by

steel. A dignity and decorum of the soberest cast distinguished the

followers of the prophet from the tumultuous din of Ashantee custom.

Policy at this time forbade my giving the salutation in a language known

to them; still the reception I met with was courteous but dignified.

[Illustration: Moslems of Dagombah and Salagha in the Costumes of their

Countries]

The dress of these people corresponded better with the costume of Egypt

or Tripoli, than it did with that of western Barbary; yet it was a

medley of several nations; but the privileged classes were handsomely

habited in robes of Turkish or Indian cut silk, called _cofatten_,

trousers of native cotton, with turbans of the same, and a small body

vest richly braided with silk twist. This was perhaps the prevailing

mode of dress, but other fashions, not less graceful, denoted the

foreign traders; and in some instances, it was a mixture of Indian and

Turkish habits, in which the loose flowing shirts with long and broad

sleeves, formed the whole attire. I recognized also the common dress of

the Arabs and mountaineers of Atlas: this was simply a sort of tunic

without sleeves, falling down to the knee, and called in Arabic

_kussabi_. The chief, however, was a solitary instance of deviation from

every national mode. This man, who was far advanced in years, was

decorated in yellow damask robes, something of a theatrical cut,

although rich in faded embroidery and braiding. A muslin turban,

preposterously studded with pieces of looking glass, charms, bits of

unwrought coral, and glass beads, enveloped his head, which was covered,

besides, with a damask scarf that fell over his shoulders in many ample

folds, and united with a cumbrous load of apparel of various colours.

A full share of reserve, not untinctured with fanaticism, appeared at

first sight to distinguish the conduct of this follower of Mohammed’s

law. When I approached to receive his hand he hesitated, and in a tone

of low rapid utterance, recited those beautiful lines of the Koran,

called al Fathiat.[22] The ceremony was novel, and courtly in the

extreme; for in Morocco and other Mohammedan states, this form of

introduction is only adopted on particular occasions, where the parties

are both brethren of the same faith.

From the Mohammedan quarters I advanced towards those of the ministers,

linguists, and other confidential officers in whom the king reposes

trust. Their superior rank was conspicuous in the number of their

attendants, in the superior construction of the enormous floating

canopy, in the reiterated discordance of the bands of musical

performers, and in personal decorations, consisting in general of a

profusion of gold ornaments suspended from the wrist and ancle, to

distinguish the favourites of Royalty.

At last I approached the avenue where the king was seated. The martial

instruments surrounding the throne suddenly burst upon the hearing in

heavy peals, and the household slaves advanced, flourishing their

scimiters over my head with menacing violence. This threatening ceremony

was directed with renovated vigour as I advanced to take the king’s

hand, but having as it were won the contested honour in the late

struggle, my opponents quietly suffered me to enjoy the prize, for the

_music_ ceased, the guards retired from the presence, and I was quietly

permitted to pay my respects. The king extended his hand with great

complacency, yet with a dignity that created admiration and respect, for

it was even more than national. The features of the monarch were placid,

yet serious, with the exception of his eyes, which seemed rivetted in

good-natured admiration, although they were not permitted to convey this

feeling to the muscles of his face. The salutation murmured by the

sovereign was re-echoed by an officer in attendance, and reported to me

as follows: “Sai thanks the gods he sees you, and the other white men,

and all your people.”

The royal chair was a specimen of some ingenuity, yet the workmanship

was rude. Its arms and legs were carved from the solid into grotesque

forms, and embossed with little ornamental casts of gold. Several

Caboceers in waiting were decorated with massive gold breast plates,

chains of the same metal, and solid lumps of rock-gold, of the weight,

perhaps, of a pound or more each. The royal messengers stood behind the

sovereign, shouldering by the blades large crooked sabres, the emblems

of their offices, and displaying the reversed hilts, cased in thin gold

sheathing. In another position, at the back of the king’s chair, a

select few stood erect as guards, and were armed with common English

muskets in gold casing, and habited in grotesque apparel, which

consisted of a large helmet or plume of feathers of the Argus bird,

sloping backward over the head, in form not very unlike those which,

according to history, were worn by the inhabitants of America, and

particularly in the empire of Mexico, by the warriors of that nation. In

front of the plume was an arching pair of ram’s horns, cased in gold,

and attached by the centre to several charms and amulets, neatly

sheathed in morocco leather. A scull-cap united the whole, and a long

tiger’s tail flowed down over a close-bodied jacket, that concealed

every part but the arms, in a perfect mail of magical charms, also

richly ornamented in gold, silver, or stained leather. A simple covering

of cloth girded about the loins, fell half way down the thigh, and left

the rest of the body bare. In addition to guns, the weapons and

accoutrements of these officers were bows, and a quiver of poisoned

arrows, suspended from the back by a belt, which at the same time

supported the weight of a string of case-knives and a large powder

pouch. The most ludicrous part of the equipment consisted in a large

gold, silver, or iron bell, suspended by a rope that girded the loins,

and overhung the posteriors, causing at every movement a dull tinkling

sound, like the pasturing bells used in Spain. Over these bells were

suspended gold or silver epaulettes of European fabrication, more or

less tarnished. Some of the officers wore small turbans of silk taffety,

or figured cotton and muslin; and beside were decently dressed in robes

of various striped cotton, folded round the loins, and gracefully turned

over the left shoulder, exactly as the Hayk or Alhayk, is worn by the

Arabs of the western and southern deserts. The king was modestly habited

in a large cloth or Hayk of figured cotton, cast off from both

shoulders, and resting negligently in loose folds, upon the loins and

thighs. From his naked shoulder was suspended a thick silk plait or

cord, to which were attached a string of amulets cased in gold, silver,

and silk. A massive gold chain encircled his waist, in the form of a

zone, below the navel; and a variety of clumsy gold rings covered his

fingers, thumbs, and toes. On the left knee he wore a bandage, or fillet

of silk, and plaited weed, interwoven with gold beads and amulets,

terminating in a tasteful tassel, that hung as low as the calf of the

leg.

[Illustration: Priests or Magicians of Ashantee invoking the National

deities.]

Monday being a day of religious importance, the king, I was privately

informed, had been engaged in the forenoon in the rituals of his faith,

and three human victims, in addition to cattle, had been offered to the

favoured deities; but their lives, as I afterwards found, were already

forfeited to the law. The chief priest, or, according to the phraseology

of Cape Coast, the head fetische-man, occupied a position on one side of

the throne, and was surrounded by a group of aged disciples, and

youthful attendants, disfigured with stripes of white clay upon their

faces, breasts and legs. In the midst rested an earthen pot and a small

box, containing, as it was imagined, relics, or offerings for the

tutelary deities of majesty.

As I was about retiring, the king motioned with his hand to impede me,

and by a significant nod indicated his wish that I should still remain.

In the meantime, the other gentlemen who were following my steps and

actions, came to the spot, and were in turn saluted by his Majesty with

equal serenity, his eyes all the while rivetting themselves upon the

persons and features of every stranger; while tranquillity beamed from a

countenance that never even for a moment underwent the slightest

alteration. At last I retired amidst renovated peals of drums, horns,

rattles, and other mellifluous instruments of the kind.

As the position occupied by the king stood nearly in the centre of a

large semi-circle, above a moiety of the ceremony was still in reserve.

The king, or tributary chief of Banna, a monarch subordinate to the

sovereign of Ashantee, happened to be at this time at Coomassy, and was

stationed at no great distance from his liege lord. His retinue was

splendid and numerous, comprising, besides his own people, several

moslems of inferior rank, and their slaves. The vassal prince was simply

attired in an African cloth, decorated with amulets, &c. sheathed in

gold and the skins of beasts. Gold rings ornamented his fingers and

toes, and little fillets of gold and aggry beads encircled the thick

parts of each arm. The incessant din that occasionally reigned in all

parts, naturally gave rise to a feeling of sincere contempt—disgust I

may say, for the music of Ashantee, however grateful it would seem to

have been to the auricular organs of Mr. Bowdich, whose harmonic taste

is upon record in his work. The illustrious negro prince was seated upon

a chair studded with silver coins, such as dollar and half dollar

pieces, which were riveted against the frame work, none being permitted

to sit enthroned in gold but the “King of Kings.”

A warlike band, who guarded the person of this tributary, were martially

habited in the skins of beasts, chiefly the hides of leopards, and

panthers; their weapons were bows and poisoned arrows, javelins guns,

sabres, clubs, and case-knives. Many were in a state of nudity,

excepting the shim or girdle, three or four inches wide, that passed

between the thighs, bracing round the loins and under the posteriors.

Chieftains of rank, governors of provinces, and allies of the Ashantee

empire, were next in order to the King of Banna, and the intervening

space was occupied by caboceers, captains, and other officers of less

note. At the expiration of two hours, I had the happiness to arrive at

the extreme end of the crescent, where several of the king’s ministers

stood in waiting to receive and conduct me to a resting place: this was

a spot of clear ground shaded on the margin by some tall trees.

After a suspense of some minutes duration, the renewed discord of drums,

gong-gongs, &c. in full concert, announced a movement on the part of the

court. The clamour became more and more general, and its effect, for an

interval, deafening. The chiefs advanced at a tardy pace, followed in

successive ranks by their vassal captains, personal attendants, and

slaves, armed and equipped in their full military habits; some with iron

chains suspended round the neck, others round the body in the form of a

zone, while the men at arms, belonging to the household establishments

of each Caboceer, brought up the rear in close embodied masses.

To prevent interruption, the leading ranks were compelled to use a

moderate share of dispatch, and to induce this promptly, my guards armed

themselves with palm boughs, which they flapped upon the ground,

sometimes threatening, and at other times striking the twig on the naked

legs of those who were too tardy in their movements. The principal

performers in this discipline were the two captains, Ado and Quako,

aided by the whole troop in British uniform. Yet some of the people were

a little indignant at the harsh reception they met with, although the

far greater part capered along in merry mood.

Chiefs of the first class now arrived on the spot, and saluted with

courtesy; the reserve of a first introduction was banished from every

countenance. The band of each of these officers preceded the march, and

was followed by a group of parasites, whose business it was to proclaim

in boisterous songs the strong names of their masters. The bellowing of

these heralds, the discordant din of war instruments, and the clamour of

my guards produced a chaos of harsh sounds that would baffle the efforts

of the pen to describe. The feelings of many of the caboceers, and

especially those of a youthful deportment, were conspicuous, in defiance

now and then of an affected serenity: their countenances from composure

relaxed into smiles, and even a stifled laugh was more than once exacted

by the persevering adulation of their attendants; but not wholly

forgetful of what was due to their own dignity, they frequently affected

displeasure at the unblushing flattery with which they were assailed. As

it may not be uninteresting to the reader, I shall give the translation

of one of these songs as my linguist interpreted it.

“Where shall we find such a warrior as the strong and beautiful Apacoo

Kudjo, whose eyes are like the panther in fight? O great slave of the

king, how you are beloved! your victories delight his ears. Who fought

the Gamans and killed their Caboceer Adouai? Apacoo Kudjo! Where are the

women and the gold? Apacoo Kudjo has them. He is a rich man; a mighty

man! His enemies die when he is angry. He is invulnerable, his fetische

(amulet) no man can look upon and live.”

The evening began to close in apace, yet still the pageant displayed

unbroken ranks, and no movement had yet taken place in the king’s

retinue. The Moslems, accompanied by their captains, and headed by the

Bashaw under his canopy, advanced in order and gave the salutation with

a decorum peculiarly korannic. No barbarous music, no osseous relics; no

gambols of the war dance; no sycophants to sound poetic titles and

achievements; even the courtly strut was softened down to a character

modest and reserved. The contrast was thus favourable to education, and

the superior rank of these people in the classes of African society

could not be more pre-eminently contrasted.

As the king of Banna approached, he silenced his band and sycophants

together, by an authoritative wave of the hand. Then advancing until he

had gained a position exactly opposite to me, he snatched a scimiter

from a youth in attendance, while his people formed a silent and distant

circle. He then commenced an harangue, which, by progressive degrees,

degenerated into the most furious utterance, associated with rapid and

vehement gestures, and flourishings of his weapon, within two or three

paces of my feet. The bystanders, during the pause, gave a respectful

attention to the discourse, frequently sympathised in the feelings of

the orator, and oftentimes used soothing epithets, while the very eye

balls of the royal chief glanced with real, or affected malignity; and

the foam spurted from his mouth as from that of an enraged maniac. At

last he ceased speaking, and his countenance subsided into tranquillity,

as he cast the scimiter upon the earth. His relaxed features even wore

the semblance of a smile, while he held me by the hand, saluted and

retired. The interruption gave no satisfaction to my guards, who, after

this shadow of royalty was again fairly obscured in the crowd, applied

their twigs very smartly to his peoples’ shoulders and legs, in revenge

for the detention, for we were by this time almost enveloped in

darkness. The anxiety I felt to know the substance of the speech could

not be gratified at the moment; but subsequently I minuted down the

following particulars from the memory of the linguist, which I introduce

in this place from its obvious connexion.

“Ashantees, who is there so great, so good as Sai? No where can you see

such a king. He says, destroy this country,—and it is a desert; the

people are killed with his shot and his powder. When he makes war, he is

like the tiger. Can any one fight the tiger? How foolish, then, are

those who say they hate this great king, and speak with arrogance; for

if they cannot fight, what will become of them. They cannot go in the

bush, (northwards) for there is my country, Coransa, Takimah, and

Bouromy: all this belongs to Sai, he is king over all the kings, and all

the people, and his foot stands upon every one’s neck. If they run to

Adirai river, it is the king’s fetische, and will kill them. They cannot

pass Tando river. What then? there is only the sea. Will not that kill

them too? You know I fight for the king; he is my master, and I love

him. I fought with Dinkera (late king of Gaman) and he died, and the

people died. If the king bid me make war on any country, I must obey; he

is the master and I am the slave. If he desire me to go to Fantee, I

swear the great oath, I will kill them all; I will cut up their bodies

in pieces, and take out their hearts, and I will not let one live,

because they are an insolent people. Now they hear Dinkera is dead, and

they are frightened, and want to make a palaver between white men and

the king, because they think he cannot then catch them. Is that

reasonable? This white Caboceer comes up to talk the palaver. If he

comes with truth in his heart, and with friendly intentions, it is well;

but if he tries to deceive and dishonour the king, it cannot be

suffered; and I shall kill all these people[23] and drink their blood,

because they forget that they are the king’s slaves,” &c.

These particulars were repeated to me with evident reluctance, and under

a promise of secrecy, as it was feared I might be offended, or the king

himself be displeased; I learned, moreover, that this tributary had

recently arrived at court, to claim his proportion of spoil from the

sacking of Bontoko and Houraboh, the two capital cities of Gaman, which

fell under the power of Ashantee, after the decisive battle that cost

the life of the sovereign. The king of Banna had been extremely active

during the campaign, particularly on one important occasion, when

Dinkera, the king of Gaman, was on the point of gaining a decided

advantage over his enemies. It was whispered that this ebullition arose

out of circumstances connected with interest and policy, in what

regarded his situation at court and his expectations. A division of the

unfortunate captives taken in the Gaman war had already occurred, when

it appeared that four thousand seven hundred people of that nation,

(men, women and children), were awarded to the king of Banna, as his

share of living plunder. The gold palaver, or in other terms, the spoil

of the enemy’s government and towns, remained still in statu quo,

subject to the award of the king of Ashantee; and although several

conferences had taken place on the subject, yet each time the assembly

had broken up without coming to a decision.

Several ministers and officers of high rank followed the petty

sovereign, and darkness rapidly increased before there was a visible

diminution in numbers. At last the ranks thinned; a few stragglers only

came forward to warn me of the approach of the sovereign. On a sudden a

number of blazing torches were seen in the distance, and a burst from

the king’s band announced his approach. Hitherto the preservation of our

ranks had been attended with little difficulty, notwithstanding the

tumultuous movements; but now I was to be initiated into a novel scene

of regal splendour. By the time the foremost torches had advanced within

fifty paces of the spot where I was seated, a most harsh discordance of

yells, shouts, and howls, assailed the ears in a sudden peal, heightened

by a re-animated burst of instruments. It naturally occurred to me that

the impression was intended to paralyze the senses, by contributing to

magnify the man of royalty. Thus ended a moment’s reflection; for on a

sudden my guards were forced by a rush of the king’s guards,

notwithstanding the most vigorous efforts they made to oppose the

intruders. A rally was then made round my chair, to screen my person

from the rude buffets of the warlike mob, but all efforts proved

ineffectual, and another rush knocked over my seat, and almost threw me

upon the earth. With some difficulty, aided by the bodily exertions of

my friendly guard, who it appeared had suffered in an equal proportion,

I recovered my feet, but with the temporary loss of sword and hat. The

king’s guards were now in the midst of our party, some with large ivory

horns and wooden drums, chiming together the most _excruciating_ harmony

I ever heard in my life; others with burning vegetable torches and

crooked sabres, which they flourished in attitudes of defiance and

threat; yet it was evident they wielded their weapons with caution. The

other gentlemen were at this time separated from me, I knew not how far,

and the noise and confusion were unabated. My soldiers at last rallied

again, and by dint of main strength forced a passage through the crowd,

and gained for me a more secure station behind a tree, where I met

Messrs. Collins and Salmon, who had been swept away in the boisterous

eddy, and had suffered as much jostling as myself. The torches threw a

brilliant stream of light on all around, and increased the savage

splendour of the scene. The king’s canopy was already within a few paces

of the spot, and still the buffetting continued; but at this time we

were effectually relieved by the exertions of the guard, for the Fantees

were appalled, and made no effort for themselves. A number of warriors

bedecked with argus plumes, gold ornaments and bells, preceded the

canopy; performing certain evolutions representing the invocations and

inspirations blended in the war dance; twirling also their gold-mounted

guns, and screaming in terrific transports. A gigantic negro followed in

the train, bearing the execution stool, encrusted with gore, and howling

the song of death. The heralds, (for I have too much respect for kingly

rank to class them with the parasites of the captains), followed next,

announcing the monarch’s high titles and deeds in arms. The conquest of

Fantee and Gaman were enumerated in the list; but it was remarkable that

these royal _trumpeters_ observed a greater decorum in their approaches

to the person of the king. They did not press upon him rudely, and never

presumed to venture under the canopy. Upon a given signal, while I was

still compelled to use some exertion in maintaining my ground, the

confusion subsided into a respectful silence. The king’s canopy at the

same time stood before me, and this redoubtable monarch again appeared

with the same unruffled aspect, and with features rather more relaxed

than before. He gazed a few moments with a penetrating glance, as if

contemplating the effect created by the first impressions. He then took

me by the hand in the most affable manner, and pronounced a laconic

welcome: after which he saluted the other gentlemen, and the Fantees,

and immediately moved off the ground.

Some of the king’s torch bearers were ordered to shew the way to the

quarters. The king, it seemed, had allotted the house of prince Adoom

for my separate use: thither I was conducted, and an adjacent house was

appropriated to the joint use of the officers. I had scarcely crossed

the threshold of the enclosure, before a party of slaves, headed by a

captain, entered the place, loaded with a present from the king, of wine

and honey, coupled with a complimentary enquiry whether I felt fatigued.

[Illustration: The Palace of Ouso Adoom, the King’s Nephew; the Author’s

temporary residence at Coomassie.]

The building assigned for my use stood nearly opposite the palace, and

consisted of two apartments thirteen feet long by seven in breadth, with

a wall and fence, besides a long gallery or corridor, that served me as

a sleeping place for guards and servants. Without the enclosure,

opposite the entrance, was another recess belonging to the building,

designed for the dispatch of public business. Rude as the fabric was, it

was tolerably commodious, for the roof was well thatched, and the whole

was perfectly secure against wind and rain, except when they happened to

beat in the direction of the door-ways, or from the NE. Its

architectural beauties may be classed with those of our own well

thatched barns. It should be remembered, however, that under the torrid

zone a barn is better suited to the climate, and certainly more adapted

to the habits of the people than a more confined habitation would be.

The annexed engraving is copied from a correct external view of the

palace, representing that sort of hieroglyphical sculpture, in relief,

which is characteristic of the style of decorating the houses of

chieftains, and which, it would seem, Mr. Bowdich has so highly improved

upon. The foreground represents the etiquette of forwarding messages to

the king. As the flag departs, some Ashantees are saluting it with

discharges of musketry.

Thus terminated the journey from the sea coast to the capital of

Ashantee, a tract which is formidable to the traveller, not as it

regards distance, but from its natural obstructions. From Sarasoo to

Coomassy the distance is six and a quarter horizontal miles, and the

course north. The distance from Cape Coast to Coomassy, it will be seen,

is rather short of one hundred and thirty-three miles horizontal; or one

hundred and eighty-seven by the path.

As regards climate or atmosphere, the Gold Coast and places adjacent to

the settlements, are more or less known to be unhealthy. But I will

hazard an opinion that the countries inland are infinitely more

salubrious, the air more pure, and the soil less humid and vaporous than

at any station upon the Coast, between Cape Palmas and the Gaboon River.

At Doonqua, at Mansue, and on the banks of the Praa, the temperature

seldom varied much (except when tornados checked the heat), and the air

was pure and exhilarating; for notwithstanding sickness tracked our

steps from stage to stage through the wilderness, it must be allowed

that the diseases of our party (unless, indeed, we include lassitude and

lameness) were engendered at Cape Coast Castle. Mr. Collins and myself

were more severely afflicted than the other Europeans; many of the

natives laboured under attacks of fever, Guinea-worm, and inflammations;

but it was clear to me that these distempers, and our own complaints

also, were either the associates of our outset, or arose from the

malignant germs which, lying torpid in the constitution, were

stimulated, by exertion, into life. It would seem, however, that a

country so intersected by watercourses, so humid and swampy, and withal

so surcharged by forest trees and thickets, where noxious exhalations,

oozing from the decay of vegetable substances, are likely to condense,

could scarcely deserve the character I have given it for salubrity. Be

this as it may, I leave it to others who are better able than myself to

account for apparent contradictions: I speak only of the reality of the

fact, from personal experience, and the effect I witnessed on the

constitutions of the party under my command. The deadly effluvia of

African vapours are in general well known, for the rivers upon the

western coasts of this continent have recorded but too many fatal proofs

to leave the matter in any doubt. The Callebar, the Cameroon, the Logos,

that of Sierra Leone, and the Gambia rivers, become the sepulchres of

hecatombs of the human species. Whole ships’ crews have even been

ingulfed in these waters, and the assigned cause is the pestilential

exhalations of the air. These facts it would be superfluous to question,

as indeed it would be a difficult matter to refute them by force of

argument. May it not, however, be enquired, whether local circumstances

are not connected with these cruel calamities; whether these noisome

vapours do not imbibe a mortal venom from the putrefaction of vegetables

indigenous to the sea coast, or to a mixture between salt and fresh

water? Where the mangrove (for instance) is found—and it is presumed

that this is the case not only in the rivers above-named, but at the

mouths of every petty stream in tropical Africa—the infection is

considered more contaminating, more pernicious in quality, and its

action more deadly in effect to the constitutions of Europeans.

In reference to this hypothesis, I shall only observe, that the mangrove

was rarely or never seen inland, and that the waters of the rivers, with

few exceptions, are limpid, and sweet flavoured. I conceive, therefore,

that the dry season of Ashantee is, beyond a doubt, equal in salubrity

to what is experienced in any tropical country; and that the climate

itself is superior to that of the Guinea Coast; and particularly so

during those seasons of rain, mist, and earthy exhalations which prevail

for eight months out of the twelve.

[Illustration: A Specimen of Ashantee Sculpture.]

[Footnote 21: Our sufferings on this march were necessarily greater than

what the former party endured, because we crossed this barrier at the

time of the greatest daily heat, and after a moderate journey, whereas

the others traversed it in the cool of the morning.]

[Footnote 22: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله رب العلمين

الرحمن الرحيم ملك يوم الدين اياك نعبد واياك نستعين &c.

“In the name of God the merciful, the compassionate. Glory be to God the

Lord of the creation and the universe—the most merciful King of the day

of Judgment. Thee do we worship and Thee do we supplicate. Direct us in

the right way; in the way of those to whom thou hast been gracious: not

of those against whom thou art incensed, nor of those who are ill

directed.”

The Lord’s Prayer is certainly not more venerated by Christians than is

the Fathiat of the Arabs by the worshippers of Islam, and hence it is

selected as the standard for attesting public and private faith, or for

any particular emergency in joy, tribulation, or doubt, between the

interests and feelings of opposite parties.]

[Footnote 23: The Fantees.]