The Sun.
London, England, 1824-08-16 00:00:00

which might he assumed as a full equivalent for
the loss of British life and the dangers of a
still extending territory. Much has been said
in relation to the war with the Ashantees, and
many topics have presented themselves for in-
quiry in connexion with that unfortunate con-
test. It is known, that to immense numbers, the
Ashantees join the most intrepid bravery, and
a degree of skill in warlike discipline and
movements which would be formidable to the
best organized military power. Against these ad-
vantages the success of the British arms has been
such as the enemies of England can look upon
without reluctance ; but we confess that a highly
important consideration for Englishmen is, if the
present war with Ashantee be one in which they
deserve to succeed. To our minds, the injustice
of a quarrel would be more disgraceful than any
other calamity attending it. We are therefore desi-
rous to have it explained whether the Ashantees
have been really in this instance the aggressors. It
behoves the Government to inform the people ge-
nerally, whether the Colonial Authorities of Eng-
land have been forced by the Negroes into a war
of self-defence ; or whet her the latter have not been
driven into hostilities with us, first by the continued
selfishness, duplicity, bad faith, and insolence
of the agents of the Commercial Company, and
afterwards by the rashness of our military admi-
nistrators on the African coast, who, conceiving
that justice was not a reciprocal obligation, and
next, that power, like justice, existed on one
side only, made a false estimate both of the duties
which they had to fulfil towards other States,
and of the means possessed by those States for
the redress of their own injuries. We have
been led into these suggestions, as well by what
has been verbally communicated to us, by persons
no less familiar with African politics, than soli-
citous for the honour and welfare of Great Bri-
tain, as by a cursory perusal of a work placed be-
fore us within these few days, the production
Mr. Dupuis, late British Consul accredited to
Coomassee by the British Government, which
we have looked into with lively, and sometimes
painful interest. From the statements of this
gentleman, it is not easy to rise without strong
doubts of the case to be established, more es-
pecially by the civil and commercial officers of
England on the coast of Africa, when the condi-
tion of our affairs on that Continent shall come
to be strictly investigated. Lt is satisfactory ,to
infer from Mr. Dupuis's representations, that
whatever may have been the prudence or lute-
grity of Englismen in their concerns with Ashen-
tee, the candid and friendly proceedings of the
Dutch Authorities towards us ought to be
held above all reasonable reproach. But under
the circumstances into which we have been
dragged with the most formidable of the native
Powers of Africa, and after the little that we can
show of actual or prospective good, from the waste
of health and life, and the expenditure of money,
which so many years' occupation of that horrible
region has cost us, it becomes, we repeat, a grave
and anxious question, whether we ought not to
withdraw from the fatal scene at once.