The New York herald., 1873-12-15
-rne Ashantee War-What 1t Means
The Herald's Special Correspond
ence from the Gold Coast.


the seat Of war between the great British
Empire, on one side, and the barbarous
African kingdom of Ashantee, on the other.
In order that our readers may become ac-
quainted with the geographical features of the
debated land we publish splendid map OF
the entire Gold Coast, with the tribal divis-
ions of the British protectorate and the land OF
the Ashantees. We submit these things to
| the American public in the certainty that, as
piece of journalistic enterprise, this latest
HERALD expedition will be appreciated, and
that its live interest will well repay perusal
of its chapters. The day has long since passed
when first class American journal can afford
to rely on second hand sources of informa-
ton. If England undertakes ''little war
or France big one American journals, hop
ing to be considered first class must have
their hardy specials along with the van Of the
army. 1t would never do to take our informa-
ton on such subjects as the war in Abyssinia,
or the present war on Ashantee, from the
printed reports of English journals. In the
Abyssinian war HERALD special despatch
from Magdala first gave the news of the fall of
King Theodorus to England itself With this
brief introduction we commend the CORE
spondence to the American public.
The English, in attempting the reduction of
Ashantee, have certainly undertaken serious
task. Near the Gold Coast Of Africa, away
from the shore about thirty miles, there
stretches to the northward and eastward the
land of King Coffee Kalcalli, the predatory
monarch, whose warlike subjects number over
three millions of souls. His domain, besides
being the most densely populated portion of
Africa, is rich in agricultural products, as it
is also fruitful in gold and ivory. Over two
hundred years ago the progenitor of the pres
ent race of kings made conquest of all the
neighboring tribes and consolidated the gov
ernment of Ashantee, until, in the later
times, it has become a sort of Prussia
among kindred peoples. The descendants of
the noble Sal Tootoo, whose deeds of valor
are the inspiration Of Ashantee song and his
tory, have never revered English rule,
and they have always resisted it successfully
and to the death. We need not
detail the awful record of slaughter and bar
British Crown to reduce this singular people
to submission. In 1916, when the Ashantees
could not be beaten with arms, they were quite
willing to sign articles of peace in considera-
ton of presents of value. The unhappy ex-
pertinent was tried again in 1924, when Sir
Charles Mccarthy lost his head, and the Brit
ish forces retired precipitately, overwhelmed
with defeat and disease. English critics, in
drawing the grim picture of another possible
defeat point to the skull of Sir Charles McCar-
thy, from which the young King on every
feast day still drinks his potion of native
wine. Those were sad days for England's
braves-when officer after officer was put to
death in the most barbarous manner and when
the one remaining prisoner was marched back
to Coomassie, distant one hundred and thirty
miles, and compelled to exist on ration of
snail soup daily. The Ashantees have never
given quarter to the English, whom they
despise more than they fear.
1t becomes question, therefore, as to how
far the present expedition of the English is
founded on good sense. -Four times they have
been shamefully defeated, and now the War
Office fits out an expedition under the CON-
mand of a brave young English General, Sir
Garnet Wolseley, pointed personal sketch of
whom will be found in our correspondence.
This expedition is to embrace fifteen thousand
men, armed with the best rifles and furnished
with mountain howitzers, mitrailleuses and
all the implements for fighting in the bush.
The original plan for the reduction of
the Ashantee capital is that one base of
operations is to be at the delta of the
Volta, while another will push forward from
Accra and the main body will proceed from
Cape Coast Castle, going in a straight line
towards Coomassie. These three lines of ap-
proach on the barbarian capital will converge
at point about fifty miles from Coomassie,
whence the whole expedition will move for
ward on the Kings city and despoil it Of all
the riches which are reputed to be stored
in its palaces. The principal obstacle
to the success Of this plan is the
densely overgrown and malarial country out
lying the coast for distance of thirty miles
toward the interior The terrible difficulties
of building a road through this jungle are
described by our correspondent The lazi-
ness and cowardice of the native allies joining
to the fever, which makes it forbidding to the
whites, show that even this early stage of the
operations is fraught with danger. There
are also river approaches toward Coomas-
sic by the Prah and Volta, though by the
latter river the arm of the expedition under
Captain Glover will be obliged to traverse
distance almost as great as that from the
coast to the capital Such, in effect, is the ex-
petition which has attracted the attention of
all Britain during the past two months. In
Importance it was not exceeded by the Abys-
sinian war, which was conducted with rare
skill by Lord Napier to brilliant victory.
Ashantee, however, is a different country.