The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-16 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, MAY 16, 1853,

was detained for 17 days and a half, not being able
to get a sufficient supply of fuel ; she left for the
Cape, but on the IGth of February was compelled
to make for St. Helena., which she reached on the
20th ; here also no coals were to be had, and, after
a second detention of 14 days, she left for the Cape
with a supply of wood ; she has found an ample
stock of coal here, and the passengers hope that
the rest of her voyage will be more favourable.

THE WESTERN COAST OF AFRICA.

CAPE COAST CASTLE, APRIL 13.

The colony of Cape Coast has been threatened by the
Ashantees, they having crossed the river Praa, the Eng-
lish boundary, for the purpose of making a descent on
the neighbouring town, and eventually marching on
Cape Coast Castle, to attempt the liberation of two
chiefs of the Ashantee nation, who, with between 200
and 300 of their followers, were imprisoned in the castle,
having some months ago been taken in the act of making
a small " border war' of their own. The following is
just an outline of the particulars :
On the morning of the 30th of March a fast-sailing
English schooner, the Aurora, arrived at Lagos, and
delivered dispatches from the Governor of Cape Coast
Castle to Captain Heseltine, of the Britomart, senior
officer, requesting immediate aid, as the Ashantees, to
the number of 10,000 or 12,000, were within three days'
march of the castle.

The Alecto, lying at Lagos, with the Britomart, was
ordered to get her steam up immediately, and both ves-
sels started—Britomart in tow of Alecto—for Cape
Coast, where they anchored on the evening of the Ist of
April. The arrival of the two men-of-war evidently
inspired the natives with great confidence.
The Ashantees to the number before mentioned (10,000
or 12,000), on finding about 140 officers and men of the
Gold Coast Corps, together with about 6,000 Native
Auxiliaries, prepared to check their further progress,
came to a halt. One of the English officers (Lieutenant
Brownhill), who had full powers from the Governor to
enter into negotiations, very gallantly gave himself up
to the Ashantees as a hostage for the prisoners confined
in the castle.

On this being communicated to Governor Hill,
the two Ashantee Chiefs, with their followers, were
immediately liberated and escorted to the Ashantee
camp ; but the Ashantees were not so ready to give
back Lieutenant Brownhill, and several days' tedious
negotiation was the result. The Governor, however,
seeing nothing could be done in that way, sent and
called out the neighbouring tribes under British protec-
tion to his assistance, and in the short space of 48
hours an addition was made to our auxiliary force of
nearly 8,000 men. A message was then sent to the
head chief of the Ashantee army, informing him that if
he did not within 24 hours liberate Lieutenant Brown-
hill, and express proper contrition for their aggressive
act, war would be formally declared, and immediate
measures taken for overrunning their country and
marching on Coomassie, their capital.
The Ashantees, finding, for once, the English " deter-
mined," and not inclined to put up with their vacilla-
tion, thought discretion the better part of valour, and
not only immediately liberated Lieutenant Brownhill
with all honours and everything else required of them,
but commenced their immediate march into their own
country. So at present rests the affair.
The chiefs of tribes under our protection pronounce
this ready obedience of the Ashantees as only a blind
to measures ultimately intended, and disappointment
rather than exultation at the pacific result appears to
prevail.
Could Coomassie, the Ashantee capital, be taken, the
greatest highway to the civilisation of Africa would be
opened, and it could be done much more easily than is
generally imagined.
It must have been very gratifying to the Governor of
Cape Coast to find the summons he sent to the few
tribes
thee so
oursereoafditly obeyed,
woni and
months
safoirteeis wellorreg known
olaroertaitohlayt)ionf
30,000 men would be ready to act in concert with the
English.
The country about and beyond Coomassie is rich in
gold, and the climate is spoken of as most salubrious.
e rtsheed
presentin
chTarhaecteprevailingthese
ebelief
pleamios,ngthtairsaeftevr
the Ashantees will make another and more or-
ganised descent. Should they do so, their re-
peated aggressions will certainly deserve punish-
ment, and should the opinion of the present energetic
Governor of the colony have its due weight three
months will see Coomassie ours. The King of Daho-
mey, with less powerful, but not less troublesome,
chiefs, will, on finding us so determined, be too ready to
act in concert with us for the amelioration of Africa, if
they do not actually place themselves under the British
flag.. _

The above has been the state of affairs at Cape Coast
for the last three weeks. Three English men-of-war are
lying off the place, but they now disperse to their dif-
ferent stations—Britomart and Alecto to Ascension,
and the Polyphemus, lately arrived, to Lagos.
The slave trade is evidently showing signs of returning
animation. The Ferret took a prize a week or two ago ;
no slaves, but about 200 doubloons on board. Several
vessels are reported to have got away with slaves—not
from any want of activity among the cruisers, but be-
cause they come over fully protected, by flying the
American flag and having American papers. They are,
on their arrival, sold to the slave dealers ; the American
portion of the crew are landed, others take their place,
and a vessel that at 8 o'clock in the morning was a bona
fide American, at 8 o'clock in the evening is a Brazilian
with 400 slaves on board, and starting on her voyage.
As a case in point, the captain of a vessel called the
Jasper, under American colours, sold his vessel, and
took his passage in the last packet (the Faith) for
England.
LAGOS, 11,11-acH 28.

Lagos at present has quite an animated appearance.
There are nine sail of merchant vessels lying here, al-
though where the palm oil that they say they are come for
is to be procured I know not.
The late misunderstanding between the Abeyakoutan
chiefs and missionaries on one side, and the political
measures of the senior officer of the Bights' division on
the other, was very happily settled by the timely arrival
of the admiral.

A large town, about 60 miles from Abeyakouta, called
Accha, has been made a missionary station, the Rev. Mr.
Hinderer with his amiable wife having taken up their resi-
dence there. Three missionaries were landed from this
last packet. One remains at Lagos, one goes to Abeya-
kouta, and one to Accha. The Rev. Mr. Golmer, resi-
dent missionary here, is most indefatigable in his ardu-
ous duties, and we cannot but admire men who give up
all for the good cause.
Mr. Fraser, the present Vice• Consul, is to be super-
seded by Mr. Benjamin Campbell, a resident of 20 years
on the coast, and a gentleman every way conversant
with the native character, who will doubtless prove him-
self a very valuable acquisition to this rising town and
its dependencies.

THE ARMY.

CIRCULAR MEMORANDUM.

Horse Guards, March 28, 1853.
In reference to article 2, page 91, of the Queen's
regulations and orders for the army, commanding-officers
of regiments and depots are requested, in making appli-
cations for the exchange of arms, &c., to transmit dupli-
cate returns in the prescribed form to the Adjutant-
General, instead of sending one to the agents, as has
hitherto been the practice ; and, in the case of drums
and bugles, it is to be particularly stated whether they
are required in kind, or whether the allowance in lieu
thereof is desired.

By command,
G. BROWN, Adjutant-General.

THE CAMP AT CHomiAm.--100 men of the 95th Regi-
ment of Foot, stationed at Chatham, left their barracks
there on Friday last, and came up by the North Kent
Railway from Strood to London, and thence to the
Waterloo terminus, en route to the station at Chertsey,
being the nearest station of the railway to Chobham-com-
mon. The company of Sappers, who arrived on the
same day, and the detachment of the 95th, slept under
canvas on the common.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

CIJSTOM-110IISE, MAY 14.

ENTERED INWARDS.—The Amphitrite, from Sarpsborg ;
Krageroe, Krageroe ; California, Rotterdam ; Sara, Aal-
borg ; Pilgrim, Gothenburg ; Jacob, Stromstad ; Dorothea,
Thalewalla ; Sjofina, do. ; Ariel, Caen ; Sir George Ander-
son, Mauritius ; Peter Johansen, Aarhuus ; Daring, Rot-
terdam ; Ve Vrow Laktje, Ditzum ; Svalin, Aarhuus ;
Christian, Tjellbacha.
ENTERED OUTWARDS FOR LOADING.—The Charlotte, for
Hamburgh ; Tiger, do. ; Eliza and Roster, San Francisco ;
Christiania, Constantinople, &c. ; Sir George Anderson,
Mauritius ; Ellenborough, Sydney ; Johanna Fredrika,
Altona ; Julia, Now York ; John Lawson, Hobart Town ;
Twelling Brodrene, Korsoer ; Calypso, Stavanger ; Ca-
tharina, Hamburgh.
CLEARED OUTWARDS WITH CARGO.—The Isabel, for
Fayal ; Venus, Gothenburg ; Graf von Bulow, Stettin ;
David, Dantzic ; West, Batavia ; Rufina, Bilboa ; Ame-
rican Eagle, New York ; Garland, Jamaica ; Lagston,
Frederickswierk ; Citizen, Bordeaux ; Calcutta, Boston ;
Lady Katharine Barham, Jamaica ; Charlotte, Hamburgh ;
Joseph Friedlander, Rio Janeiro ; Accra, Port Adelaide.