The New York herald., 1873-12-15


lures ofrural felicity.
| THE PRIMEvAL BUSH.
view from the top OF the Connors Hill win show
you what the English have left undone In the wide
prospect OF prmeval bush, which seems to
threaten to bury the town Itself In its widespread
ing arms.
| STRATEGY AND DIPLOMACY.
Why have the British landedat Cape Coast instead
OF at Elmina, where the boats could lie peace
ably at anchorage In the Beyah River, which with
| little dredging machine, might have been made
commodiOus harbor for lighters. boats and canoes
The blame is not in the country because 1t Is too
valuable TO be sighted Even with the very little
system which one sees here it has had always
surplus OF revenue, which one may
see. according to tho "Blue Books" has squan-
dered ill-advisedly ana irutlessy. Instead OF ex-
pending the surplus for the improvement or the
port and the construction OF roads into the In
terror 1t has been spent in sending presents to the
| King OF Ashantee and feastng his ambassadors;
stipending the fractious tyrant instead OF I'm
| proving and dscplining levies OF native troops
| against the emergency OF an invasion, which Is
now upon them.
The nvasions OF 1911, 1928 ian unfortunate one
for poor Sir Charles Mccarthy, 1S4o 1859. 1854 and
1859 have not taught the English that the time
had come for them to demonstrate to the Fantees
what object they had in holding any part or parcel
!
without any lesson being derived. So little did the
English government know what Cape Coast Castle
was. what had been done. what ought
and what might be done, that Sir Garnet
| Wolseley was despatched before the white
| troops to report to IL, and find out what
was to be done. Sir Garnet landed with one
| OF the most efficient STAFF that general could
be blessed with, and, anticipating doubtless, that
difficulties would be encountered, from sheer
despair OF ever being able do anything systema-
tic In time before the patience OF England was cx-
hausted, has determined upon accepting the dihi-
culties rs he inds them without losing time TO
remedy them.
The first act that Sir Garnet did was to accept
Cape Coast Castle as point OF departure for
Ashantee, though, as I say, he would have done
much better by making Elmlna the port-dredging
the Beyah River ana laying railway rom Elmina
| to Cape Coast along the smooth, sandy beach, o
4 work OF about three days.
| You have, doubtless, heard that Sir Garnets In
tentions are to send forward provisions and stores
OF war to the front, to stockaded posts along the
| main road to the Prah River, then to send for the
| white troops and on their arrival march them i'm
medlately to the interior, without tents. We will
! be best able to judge OF the wisdom of the plan
| after the plan has been tried but, judging from
| my experience OF Africa, think it very unwse
i
been carried away by an economic mania to permit
! even the experiment to be tried.
| DIFFICULTIES IN THE FIELD.
Instances not wanting to prove how the
| white troops have suffered already from sleeping
out OF doors one night in the open air. At the at
| tack Elmina in June, party OF 1o5
marines were landed. They were drenched
by the surf and pouring rain, and in this con-
| dtion were marched into the bush ard
| were soon involved in O stubborn fight. Three
days afterwards 20 out OF the 1o5 were laid up in
hospital with fever and dysentery. when death soon
ended three-fourths OF them. With which evidence
before OF ihe insalubrity of this maarious land,
| we may feel anxious as to the success OF the eX
| pertinent OF 1900 unacclimatized Englishmen
marching straight into the interior without pro-
| lection Irom night dews and foul stagnant mists
The excuse is that the expedition cannot be taken
to Coomasse by any other means, owing to the
want OF transport. They say no animals are avail
able. All animals die as soon as imported
/ ELEPHANTS WANTED.
This may be true Of the horse, the mule and the
] ass: but there is one animal not yet mentioned
which would leel quite at home in this country,
| and that is the elephant Any OF Englands troop
| ships are capable of conveying 100 elephants here
within 40 days. via the Suez Canal, from Ceylon or
| Bassein to Cape Coast Castle. We will say that
there are 5000 souls on this expedition, inclusive
OF Europeans, West India troops, Fantee laborers,
| servants and hammock bearers Each head, Wen
say, requires three pounds OF food OF all kinks per
] day, which will be equal to $1,000 pounds. Ele-
plants require 10 pounds OF rice or grain per day,
making 1000 pounds sor 100 elephants. Alter
making Prahsu depot tor supplies we should
want 20 days. supplies to march to Coomassie
| and back to Prahsu.
When reduced to tabular form the necessities OF
| the expedition. and the capabilities Of The trans
port will be viewed at glance, thus:-
Lbs.
5000 souls for day. IT, 900 lbs for 90 days. 3Oo 900
100 elephants for day l,ooobs for 20 days. 10000
Total. 320 900
| Capabilities OF 100 eephants:-
eggplant carries 1900 lbs, Tor 100 days.. 100000
1000 Fantec carriers at ~ lbs. per capita 900
1t will thus be perceived that an efficient trans
port train may be organized quickly and expedl-
tously, and transport train of 200 elephants would
| be far more compact and advantageous than
| transport train OF G00O Fantecs, which would bc
required to carry stores equivalent 10 the trans
porting powers OF q body OF 200 elephants. The
elephants, though rlmorous at the sound OF
| battle, would not be so tmorous as so
many unarmed Fantees; besides, the Ashan,ees
are not supposed to know that the ponderous
bru.es might be stampedcd by the strife OF battle.
certain lasting awe would be created in the
Ashantees' mind at the TACT that the white men
could compel the service OF so many lords OF the
| forest. Another benefit would accrue from the
| employment Of elephants They would tramp
road out Tor themselves 10 the use OF the troops-a
broad path three feet wde-and thus the long de-
lay oil cutting out road would be avoided. The
road also thus made might DO easily widened to
ten feet from the sea TO Prahsu, the central depot
and future outpost Of the protectorate.
THE PLAN OF RAILWAY.
When left England II was reported that a rail-
way was to be constructed from the sea to q point
40 miles inland. You will have heard long before
this letter sees the light that such project has
been abandoned, being impracticable, and that
traction engines have been adopted instead The
| railway was impractcabe from the nature OF the
J land. which Is very uneven; but II IL Was ever