Elizabeth-Town gazette. [volume] (Elizabeth-Town, N.J.) 1818-1821, 1820-05-09
From the New-York Daily Advertiser.
AFRICA.

A book was published in England 10 the
course of the past year, by Mr.. Bow
dich, containing an account of mission
from the British establishment at Cape
Coast, on the coast of Africa, to the
kingdom of Ashautee, situated about one
hundred and fifty miles inland. This, il
seems, was the first time that this nation OF
Africans had ever been visited by civil
lied men, and the account Of their Gus
toms, manners, aad government, from the
specimens OF the work that we have seen,
must be very amusing and instructive.
The Ashantees are powerful wsrlike
people, governed by despotic sovereign;
and they exhibit some striking evidences
of wealth and luxury, mingled with the
utmost barbarism. The mission went to
Coomassir, which is the capital of the
kingdom. This place was supposed by
the inIsabitants to contain 100 900 persons,
but the gentlemen who composed the mis-
sion concluded that in making this esti-
mate, they had reference to seasons when
they assembled on some great occasion,
rather than permanent residents, which
they Unsigned were about $4,000. Upon
entering it they we're met by 500 people,
most of them warriors, attended by great
variety of martial music, and dressed in
a very extraordinary manner. The Off
GERS wore war cap ornamented with
gilded rams horns 10 front, aud immense
piumes of eagles feathers on the sides
their vest was Of red cloth, covered with
felishes and saphies in gold and silver
they had small brass bells, the horns and
tails Of animals, and long leopards' tails
hug down their backs-they had loose
cotton trousers, (much such we presume
as our dandies wear, with very large boots
of red leather, coming half up the thigh,
aud faste0ed by small chains to their waist
belt-they were ornamented with bells.
horses tails, strings of amulets, aud shreds
of leather; culver of poisoned arrows
hung from their right wrist, and they held
a long iron chain between their teeth a
spear was 10 their left hand. Such fig.
ure, with their black faces, made truly
formidable appearance.
Those people practice the most extern
sive, inhuman. and shocking human sacri
fees. This takes place, more particular
ly, at the death of great personages. The
King, at his mothers death, sacrificed
three thousand victims. The manner il
as shockingIy cruel, as the custom is dia
bolical.-
Among this nation, the arts have mad
considerable progress. They use loon
lfrrmed on the same principles with tn
British; and "the fineuess, variety, bril-
fancy, and size of their cloths is astonish
ing. They paint white cloths not inele
gantly as fast as an European can write
They excel 10 pottery, aud are good gold
smiths. The Kings scales. blowpen, box
les, weights, and pipe tongs we're neatl,
made OF the pnrest gold. He appeared t
be about thirty years Of age--his manner
were majestic but courteous, and bis dres
magnificent. He wore fillet of aggr,
beads about his temples, had necklace {
gold cock-spur shells, aud over his RICH
shoulder red silk cord, suspending tire
sapphires cased ia gold--his bracelet
we're Of the richest mixture of beads an
gold; bis cloth was Of dark green silk
his knee bands Of aggry beads, his ankl
strings of gold ornaments of the most del
cate workmanship, aud his sandals Of
! soft white leather, embossed across the il
step band with small gold and silver case
;. of sapphire. He was seated on lo'