The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1873-09-23 00:00:00

A BRUSH WITH THR ASHANTRBS.

REPULBII OF BRITISH EXPIDITION.
On the 14th August a boat eapedltion, commended
by Commodore c,iomstetsll, v.a, C.R, Aide-dc-Cacop :
to the Queen, started from lier Majesty's ship Rattle- •
snake up the Prab, which flows etrsight down from the •
Ashantce frontier. Chienah, at its mouth, consists of .
fort and town, and the Commodore held • " paaver "
with the king to secure his ariatanco, but he said he
should remain neutral, and artvised the rommodore to !
keep on the Clinnisb side of the river. It turned oat, ;
h01m.... that during the " palaver " he gave informe-
don to the enemy. Not suspecting claimer, the part,
started op the river, in two steam launches, • ship a
gig, and surf boats. The batiks of the river were dense
with brushwood. They had not gone many yards
before tie lounta broke down, and the gig reams:lei
behind to tow her over the bar if necessary. The
remaining boat' bad sot goo. • mile andea-balt up the
river • hen • heavy volley was fired upon them from the
left bank. At the first dieoharge, which appeared tuba
principally directed against the galley, Commander
Laminae, Certain Holden, and four out of the or•er
were wounded. The Commodore Immediately stood up
in the Aare aheeta and rang out to the enass.ain for his
rid-, at the same time telling the Lieutenant in com-
mand of she pinnace not to turn until he ordered him,
also shooting to the boats to return Om fire. The
bosh was so dense on both sides Chit there was
nothing to be seen except puffs of white smoke. Hardly
• minute reould have 'lapsed before the Commodore
we. struck and toll bank in the boat, and shortly after-
wards gave the orlon to turn and tow the horde out of
the river. The firing continued for about five minute.,
and was perfect hail of hullers. Commetder Lug.
m,.re Ives sumult in five places. C.ptain Hokum In four,
aud the Coatoodere had three slugs through his helmet.
One must heve parsed tight through it, as when it was
takt•a nut it had some of his hair atiokiug to it. How
It ls any one bas escaped with his life Is • wonder, for
the first volley could not have been fired at more than 15
yards. Out of sine people in the galley seven were
wounded, several in tour or five plead, and out of
seven in the whaler four were wounded To ey were •
MU« totter cif in the coalli pi , aa Ot• oars in the
InurSx irons afford., I them mc protection. All the ,
beats were more or less r!drilod Out of ours side of
the galley alone they took 27 slop. The lung
continued for about live 00111 lied SliGOOt
as suddenly as it had oomniveoed—wlitt the sound
of • hugle. Ticie boats crossed the bar Og&iti
shout Ire o'clock one made for the sh‘p whieb bad
arrived sod anchored off Chaniati during the afternoon.
A ballet entered the Commodore's right side • little
below the fifth rib, sod passed downws-ds and back-
wards, a.,? firod from a trio of from some ti.riler elev..
Roo thin what the Commodore WM stauding lo when
ha was hit. 'l'be ball cannot be found, tlc ugh every
effort has been made. Tho doctors seem to think that
it has alumni off the rib into the mewl. of the back,
Of soother supposition ill that it may hay* worked Waif
out with the exam, ton of moving about in the boat.
The doctors life Gifer? hope of his meovery. While
the boats were away up the river the Rattlesnake tried
to land 10 native policomeu they had, so. n..t knowing
thy Mattis iuteutimis, sent • boat in unarmed, which
unfortunately c.psized le the scut The natters then
opened fire open them in the watrr. Some of the
pollee got ashore and instantly two had their heads
shopped off. One blue jark-t, too, named Woodsook,
got washed adion, aud they out off his head and stunk
it on • pd., and ran 6110Utilig shout with it. They did
it In the us .t brutal manner reasible—kuslt on lira chest
and sowed off t e head. T.le people in time water
were about 3i) yard, off trying to right their boat, and
heard his cries, but Gould not do anything. Theo the
ship came nearer and shelled turret, killing any amount.
The Hattleatuke bombarded and destroyed the town of
Cbarnah : It is bdieved, however, that before the
bombardment occurred, all the fighting men in the town
bad tubed refuge in the bush. It is extraordinary that
the boats escaped without even heavier lose. They
were for the time completely at the mercy of
their assailant,. Had the Ashantees been armed with
coweapons, not • mat, would have escaped alive.
tl mat,Ashanteee appear deficient in ammunition. They
used slugs and small Itolle, instead of bullets What
surprised oar troops most waste hear the enemy's bogie
sound the mauler Inilish calla, taro.
moose firing,' he. Somebody moat have been drilling
them.

0, the 18th of August Her li• jut)'. ship Barra-
mu* Ceptain Froemantle, sad Her Majesty's ship
Argue, with Lientenent Young la oonsiumit, owing to
Contain Luso:loons, her c .ptot., baying been seriously
wounded to t • • dwastrous boat expedlim to the Preis
under CA:motors Commerell. were Oeva•ched from
Ceps Coast to bombard and destroy T•oorady and th•
willsges alrng the eosat between it and Charnel, is
they bad all revoltod. It is reported that strict orders
west, given by the Commodore before the veamle left
that no men were to, be iauded. However, when the
weasels were off tie otaiy, and alter two sh3re h.d
brea bombard for bona* Lima, as eerie taunterr of
native Panora wore .ii.covere I IrLig on the beeo`i,
Lieutenant 1%u:4 v.,:uote•red to land with • party of
emcos and dos r.o Huns. It was thought that al tim
nativel bad 1••• n ct li.. sway by the ire of the abipt„
dial Captain Vre,susodm amainitel t 3 tho 'sadists
beirg made. Lieutsnant Young, at the head o, a port,
campy. dof merman from the mows GI the Argus and
Birracoute, proc..ded ia boats to the shore They
had he'd:7 lauded whin a arge body of :lathes, who
bad been u owea.ed I. a fri.ge of bo.h Izoluediat•ly
along the Numb, clamed a situp fire on ttlein. They
were compelieol t., mak.. • preeipitate re,reat to tho
boats. Lieutenant Young cud 11 stamen wer• wonodod,
memo of them severely. It appears that most of the
robot sod Abell from the ships fell too far inland, sad
that the satins awed injory by koeVog close ti the
eta beech.