The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-05-16 00:00:00

SUFFERINGS OF THE DRAWING ROOM.

. force& he landed
at Accra &deputation was sent to him from Salgts (the
most southern town of the Mohammedan country, and
which paid tribute to King Koffee), stating that if he
would only go up to that town the power of the king
would be broken. The result of the expedition had
been that the entire country to the north-east of the
Volta as far as Timbuctoo, and to the Niger on the
west, had given in its adhesion to the English govern-
ment, and refused its allegiance to King }Coffee.
Therefore if his Malady refused to complete the
treaty his power was gone, and the results to eiviliaa-
tion he need hardly point out. At Akropong the
country was mountainous, and was 1,600 feet above
the level of the aims, and the climate was suitable
for Europeans. Persons might walk out there with
their hats off. Further to the north-east there were
large forests and a plentiful supply of food; bul-
locks cost 4s. 6d. each, a sheep Cal., and a fowl
n peinny. When the country had become thoroughly
one
again the tribes would press down from those
districts to taste what they called the sweets of the
white man's trading. Among the native tribes the
science of agriculture was bad. They only cultivated
such land as they were absolutely compelled to do.
There was no trade with Coomassie except from Cape
Coast Castle, and that consisted of ruin and clothes.
There could be no question as to the richeess of the
country in gold, and the distance from Accra to the
gold regions was so small that it might almost be said
that it would be only a matter of time until we should
be eating with gold-handled knives and forks and off
gold plates. (Laughter). The expedition was accom-
panied by six horses and three mules, which lived until
they came to the forest march, where no grass could
be procured. If ever he should be called upon TRADE TROUBLES IN THE UNITED
again to organise an expedition of the same
character as the one he was dealing with he STATES.
would reeommetal that an army of Amazons "Capital and labour do not appear to be on plea-
should be raised. The women fought and worked Banter terms in the United States than in England,"
well, and nothing veceeded so well with the native remarks the Globs, and continues :—"While each
contingent under his command when anything went claims a greater proportion of profit than the other will
wrong as to threaten to send them home to their , allow, each in its turn has recourse either to strikes or
wonien. (Laughter). At Akropong there were large locks-out as the only means of terminating the die-
plantations of coffee and tobacco, and he was certain puts. But in some cases cup/eves in the United
there was a great future beim-it the natives of those States appear to adopt a more high-handed policy
parts when they became civilised anti Christianieed. than would be possible in England. A notable instance
Sir John acknowledged the great help which he had of this occurred lately at the great Cambria Iron
received from the Basle Mission at its different stations, Works, near Johnstovnie, in Pennsylvania. Tie
and told an amusing story of the Fetish superstitions magnitude of these works may be judged from tbe
which prevailed among the natives. At Anson one of fact that their daily production of iron and steel rails
his men discharged a gun on a Fetish day—they were is over 300 tons, while, when trade is brisk, 7,000 hands
nearly all Fetish days, certainly four days out of the are kept in constant employment. In order to avoid
seven—and the chief came into the camp and said be dissensions and quarrels about wages, Mr. Morrell, the
must find Sir John. Ultimately the matter was settled manager, some years ago introduced a sliding scale of
by his fining the chief fifty carriers, some of the best wages giving men pay according to the market price
of whom were women. In conclusion the speaker of rails. After considerable discussion this system
kindly offered to answer any questions. (('heers). was accepted as perfectly satisfactory by nearly
Sir Garnet Wobieley said that after the last speech all the hands, especially•by the miners. During
he felt that he had but little to say. He had often the last few years, when prices ruled high, this
since his return had to speak, but never till that night tiding scale worked very advantageously for
in the presence of ladies as well as gentlemen. The I employes, ninny of whom become owners of houses,
first maxim of a soldier he had ever learnt was that it and kept banking balances. But when the autumn
was the greatest misfortune for him to be taken by panic caused a heavy fall in prices, the sliding scale
sunrise, but he certainly had been taken by surprise operated to lower wages considerably, not altogether
in being asked to speak that night. As far as regarded to the contentment of the men. On the let of March
the supplies he could fully corroborate what the lad last, Mr. Morrell, seeing, as he imagined, some pro•
speaker had said. Indeed, the chief animal product of enema of recovery in trade, volunteered to raise wages
the country seemed to be snails, which, though they beyond the point strictly justified by the sliding
were certainly very large, were not exactly suitable or scale. To his astonishment, the coal miners declared
pleasant food for Europeans. The features if the themselves to be dissatisfied with this increase, and
country through which he hail marched were substan- demanded five cents extra per ton mined. Of course
tially the same as of that Sir John Glover had de- Mr. Morrell refused this ungracious request, and the
scribed. At first thick melerwoiel, where once had been men thereupon issued a notice, threatening a strike.
forest, growing to a height of often 20ft., and then the The manager did not allow time for this to be
primeval forest. Nothing but trees, huge trees, carried into effect. Seeing ore of these netices
mahogany and iron wood, of an enormous height, and on his return from Philadelphia, he immediately
with no branches until at the extreme top— in fact, he ordered the furnaces to be extinguished and the works
could compare them to nothing eo much as to Nelson's to be closed from that day. Public opinion supported
column in Trafalgar-square. The effect, at first him in this severe measure, and even among the men
grand, soon became monotonous in the extreme. They thenuielves a feeling prevailed that it was quite justi•
hardly ever saw the sun, nor, though they felt him, the tied. But alth ugh many are quite re Ay to resume
enemy. Wherever they went, all the country was work, they are prevented by Trade Unions, who con-
most carefully eurveye I, for which he and those with eider the quarrel to lie between themselves and the
him were most greatly indebted to a gallant officer, manager. The practical result of these complications
Captain Hewitt, of whose loss Sir Garnet spoke in most is that 7,000 men, previously content with a certain
feeling terms. All that had been said about the women scale of wages, are out of employ because they grumbled
was quite true; they were far superior to the men, both at an unsolicited advance."
as carriers and fighters, and lie could quite appeceiate
the wisdom id the King of Dahomey in keeping Ins
army of Antazints. The result ef the late war would
be. he believed, to open up the interior of Africa
as it hail never been opened before, and to give a free
passage to any explorer note to go wherever he pleased.
\Viten he and his army landed at Cape Cottat the name
of England was held in little account in the land • but
now he believed it stood higher than it had ever stood
before. He had not himself seen much gold, as he
had net been so much in the country for gold as had
the previous speaker; but he had seen in the town of
Cape Coast, after a heavy rain, old women saithing
the gutters for gold dust. With regard to the religion of
the people they seemed to entertain the idea chiefly of
an evil spirit, not a good deity, but they would worship
almost anything. He believed that the burning of
Ciximaasie, and consequent break up of the Ashantee
kingdom, would put a stop to the practice of human
sacrifices, which, before the English had taken over the
Protectorate, had been as common near Cape Coast an
in Ashantee. The latest news was that the King of
Ashantee had sent down one of his sons to be educated
at the Coast, and had promised to do all in his power
itowV"}teleonwl?titltetes ialc eth hOitunseco!ilibt'lime enagl. officerss cf
executioner, who told him that they had killed prob-
ably between 2,000 and 3,000 that year. "We kill,"
he said, much ass butcher might sp-ak, "from five ta
ten a day. every day in the week except Friday and
Sunday. The slaughter-house, a deep glen, choked
with bodies, in all stages of decay, he described as a
perfect Golgotha. In conclusion, Sir Garnet con-
sidered that the on'y way to stop all internal warfare,
and so the practice of slavery, from which that war-
fare rose, was entirely to prohibit the importation of
all arms and ammunition into the West Coast of
Africa.
Captain Freemantle next spoke. He could, he
said, speak most truthf ally as to what had been
said as to the want of animal life, as it had ap-
peared to him that there were no animals at
all on the coast but ante. Ile considered
the difference between the Fautees and Ashantees
hail been rather exaggerated. There was a treat shni-
larity between them, especially in their language,
which, save fir the difference of intonation, was aimed
alike. He described their mode of fighting, and was
net inclined to think quite so highly of the courage of
the Ashatitees as some other people did. Much sen-
timent, he believed, had been thrown away on the
noble savage, who must either be left the noble savage
he was, pure and simple or be thoroughly and effec-
tively civilized. A goi:cl deal had been done, much
blood and treasure spent, in the endeavour to establish
trade and civilization, but much still remained to do;
and though it would undoubtedly cost much money, it
could be and ought to be done. The climate was cer-
tainly as bad as bad could be, but it was far better
higher up the country, and he believed that by clearing
away the bush the atmosphere would also be cleared.
Mr. Hutchinson, the Secretary of the Church Mis-
sionary Society, next, at the request of the President,
addreesed the meeting. He said, that he believed from
what he heard, that Sir John Glover by his march
had been the means of keeping no less than 20,000
men off Sir Garnet Wolseley's hands. He was glad
to hear what had been said of the Basle missionaries,
and could tell his audience that the very men who had
been prisoners in Ciomassie were ready to go back
even there as soon as ever there was werk again for
them to do. He did not believe that the trade of
Ashantee was of much mpt,ri.,l benefit to us, but he
trusted that we would icto don the isimitry after
all we had done there.
Sir Bartle Frere, in thanking the speakers ter their
interesting words read an extract from one of the last
letters received from Livingstone, written only two
months before his death, in which he said that though
he hail long felt that he should never get to the end of
his journey, he was determined to go (in, as long as he
could, wlth the work before him. Such a feeling, said
the President, had animated our little army on the
Gold Coast, from the highest to the lowest. They had
done a great work, and he believed the day would come
when the people of Africa would bless the English
soldiers.

Sir

NOME!
'ink=

AGRICULTURAL LABOURER'S DWELL-
INGS IN IRELAND.

Mr. Bruen, Viscount Crichton, and Mr. Kavanagh
have brought in a Bill to encourage the erection and
improvement of dwellings for agricultural labourers in
Ireland. It provides that every tenement registered
under this Act as an improved agricultural labourer's
tenement shall, so long as it continues to be so regis-
tered, be exempt from all rates, taxes, dntiee, and
assessments whatsoever, whether pubbc, general, or
local. Any tenement which satisfies all the following
requisites may be registered as an improved argicultural
labourer's tenement under this Act : —Such tenement
shall be in good repair. Such tenement shall contain a
sufficient number of rooms, and of a sufficient size, to
accommodate the persons actually occupying such tene-
ment without ox ercrowding, and to provide for the
due separation of tbc sexes at night. Such tenement
shall contain such aceommodation as regards ventila-
tion, drainage, and all other matters as is sufficient to
provide for the wholesome occupation of such jene-
ment by the inmates. Such tenement shall be let to
and be in the occupation of a tenant gaining his living
wholly or mainly as a Labourer upon land which is agri-
cultural or pastoral in its character, or partly agricul-
tural and partly pastoral. The amount of land in-
cluded in any such tenement shall not exceed half an
acre. Provided always, that in estimating the amount
of land included in any such tenement, any land not
exceeding half an acre in extent held in conacre, and
used exclusively for the growing of potatoes or other
green crops, shall not be reckoned.