The Sun.
London, England, 1824-05-19 00:00:00

CERTIFICATES, JUNE 8.

--- - - -
I. Holmes, Liverpool merchant—T. Atwood, Stelling-Min-
nis, Kent, dealer_mr.
Emsley, Pudsey, Yorkshire, clothier—
W. Penkett and L. Mackinnon, Liverpool, merchants—S.
Wray, Skin-market, Stones'-end, Southwark, builder—C.
Hooper, M arston.
Bigott, Somersetshire, edge-tool-maker—J.
Duncan; sen., Donnington-Wood-Mill, Shropshire, miller.

PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED.
razor-manu-
facturers—P. Falter, and S. Whymanl NeW Bond-street, dress-
G. Addy, 3. Addy, and J. Cocker, Sheffield,
Leeds, York, dm-
makers—B. Peacock, Son and Company,
ber merchants--T. Hulse, C. Shaw, and G. Daniel, Lane-end,
Stafford, manufacturers of earthenware--J. Hoyle, jun., and
T. Haworth, Haslingden Lancaster, cotton-manufacturers—
J: Boyce and J. Wood, Birmingham, brass-founders—W. Tel-
far and A. Mitchell, Wigan, Lancaster, drapers—J. Jones and
R. Sainsbury, Liverpool, tobacconists—J. Champion, S. Hor-
ton, and T. Cnsworth, Manchester, machine-makers—T. Bot.
terill, sen., W. H. Botterill, and T. Botterill, jun., Northum-
berland-place, Commercial-road, feather-bed manufacturers,
so far as respects the said T. Bottordl, Jun.--F. Webb and L.
Partridge, Paddington, ladies' seminary—J. Heywood and W.
Stott, Liverpool, pawnbrokers—R. S. Ashby, R. Osborne, and
1-1. R. Rowland, Lombard-street, engravers.

FOR THE SUN.

ASIJANTEE.

Mr. EDITOR-The late unfortunate events that
have occurred in Ashantee, induce me to send
you the following account of that people, chiefly
extracted from Mr. Bowmen.
This Monarchy, which has now attained con-
siderable power, is supposed to have been founded,
towards the close of the seventeenth century, by
Sui Tootoo, the first word of whose name, is that
of the family of the Kings of Ashantee. This
Prince commenced building the capital, Coomas-
sie, but was slain before it was finished. In
the year 1720, Sui Apokoo, brother of the
late King, ascended the throne, or rather
the stool, this being here the title of every
great man's possessions. This mode of suc-
cession is adopted to preserve some of the
royal blood undefiled ; hence when the deceased
King has no brother, the sister's son is called to
the throne. Sai Apooko, after extending his do-
minions, was succeeded in 1741, by his brother
Sui Aquissi, during whose reign Akim became a
province of Ashantee. The Akim, however,
often rebelled, and waged frequent wars with
the successors of Aquissi, Sui Cudjo, and Sui
Guanima. The latter added Banda to his do-
minions, but wasting his time in the arms of a
mistress, far from his capital, he was dethroned
by his subjects, and in 1799, Sui Tooto Quanima,
the present King, ascended the throne. At the
period of Mr. Bowditch's visit, this prince seem-
ed well affected towards the subjects, having
often said to him, 64 I like you, I like English
very much, they are a proper people."
This Prince has greatly increased his political
influence, and especially by his successes against
the Fantees, a powerful nation of the Gold
Coast, whose capital, Abrah, lies rather to the
.N.E. of Cape Coast Castle. The number of his
subjects is supposed to exceed one million, and
he is capable of bringing 200,000 men into the
field. The natives are well-made, industrious,
and brave. They readily put to death their
slaves, particularly at the funeral of any person
of distinction, yet Mr. Bowdich does not believe
them to be so sanguinary as many of their prac-
tices might lead one to imagine. Apollo°, the
King's General, boasted of having himself con-
quered five nations, and that not less than 21 now
acknowledged the supremacy of his Sovereign.
The General is appointed to the command of an
army, by receiving from the hands of the King on
his gold handled swords, which he promises upon
oath, to return incrusted with the blood of the
conquered foe. The hording on the troops is the
duty of the secondary Captains. The Generals,
along with some select individuals, always stand
in the rear, and there urge their men onwards,
by cutting down all those who turn their backs
upon the enemy, until absolute necessity compels
them to abandon the enterprize. Their mode of
fighting •is peculiar. The Ashantee fires, and
then rushes forward to seize his enemy by the
throat. To advance every shot he fires, is not
with him a matter of choice, but one of absolute
necessity, for if he were not to do so, he would
certainly be cut in pieces by his Commander
after the battle. Hence one of their most
popular songs quaintly says, " If I fight, I die,
if I run away, I die ; better I go on and die."
During the time of the battle, the general sits
under his umbrella, and to chew the contempt he
feels for the enemy, he plays at some game. and
coolly receives the heads of the hostile chieftains
who may be slain, which are brought to him in
succession, and placed under his feet. The so.
vereign affects an indifference equal to that of his
General. 'While he awaits intelligence of the re-
sult of any important battle, it is customary for
him to sit in public, playing with some of his
courtiers.

The Fetish men who follow the enemy, cut
out the hearts of the enemies, and having mix-
ed the pieces with the blood, a portion of the
disgusting mess is given to be eaten to every
Ashantee, that has not yet slain an enemy
in battle. This horrid practice originates in
the idea, that if any one omitted eating a por-
tion of a foe, his strength and his courage
would be marked by the spirit of the deceased.
—ln battle, there is always a body of re-
cruits in the train of the army, whose busi-
ness it is to dispatch with a knife, all those
who have not been deprived of life by the mus-
ket; and who are thus familarized with the shed-
ding of blood, and trained up to become one day
worthy of taking a more active part in the
contest. During the most active period of the
campaign in which the Ashantees may be en-
gaged, the troops subsist merely upon meal.—
Each soldien carries along with him his provisions
in a small bag, which hangs at his side, and the
only preparation his food requires is to be mixed
in his hands with a little water, when it is ready
to be eaten.

Men thus abstemious, and impelled forward
in action by the certainty of death if they fly from
the enemy, are necessarily formidable in battle,
and to this must be attributed the numerous con-
quests they have made, as well as the successes
that have unfortunately attended their arms
even against Europeans. If it be true that they
•considered the English as the first among the
white people, how elated must they not feel
at the victory they have been able to obtain over
them ? This misfortune is deeply to be lamented,
not only on account of the loss of so many truly
valuable lives, but still more by reason of the
confidence such an event must give to the barba-
rians in their own valour, and thereby encourage
them to exile all the Europeans from the Coast
of Guinea. If, therefore, the British settle.
ments on that coast be of any considerable ad-
vantage to the county, it must be hoped that a
force sufficient will be sent there to convince the
Ashantees of the power of Great Britain, and to
punish them for their late attack upon our
colony.
A. P.

THE LATE LUKE WHITE, ESQ.—The night .be-
fore the death of this highly-gifted and truly patriotic gentle-
man, he took up a pen, and wrote on a slip of paper the follow..
ing words :—Catholic Emancipation must be granted—there is
nothing else by which Ireland can be tranquillized.—This me-
morandum he placed upon the chimney-piece, where it was
found the next morning.—(Dublin Morning Post.)