New-York tribune., 1873-12-24
THE AsHANTEE WAR.
THE GOLD COAST AND ITS INHABITANTS.
SAVAGE SPIRIT OF THE AsIIANTEEs- THEIR METHOD

-ApprARANcE OF CAPE COAST cAsTIR-UNrRusT-
WORTHY CHARACTER OF THE BRITISH ALLIES.
tynos THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSEl
CAPE CoAsT CASTLE, Nov. 3.-First and most i'm
pcrant s the consideration of the general prospects
cf this war upon which the British nation has en-
parkod IL ia evident that no course remained TO
England but retire altogether from this upon
which she has been settled for 800 years entirely
TO overthrow the power of the Ashantee empire.
This empire possesses large extent of country and
can place fighting force of 100000 for the pur
poses Of attack, and perhaps double that number
for the purpose of defense, in the field. 1t is an
aggressive power, and has, since il became first
known to Europeans. been occupied in swallowing
upher neighbors annexing their territories and re-
ducng their people TO slavery. Although perhaps
Just little lesisanguinary and blood-thrsty than
its neishbor Dahomey, the Ashantee kingdom may
Ae said to be eemented and watered by blood Blood
n shed in streams upon every pubic occasion,
whether 1t be coronation, birthday, funeral,
the declaration of peace There is one grand
custom" annually at which 1T is calculated
that 10000 slaves are put to death, and 1t is
probable that many more are slaughtered
upon the monthly and other minor customs" What
happens upon grand scale at ttuo capital, takes
place upon smaller scale elsewhere. If 10000 slaves
slaughtered at the funeral rites of king, 1000
are put to death at that Of great tributary. 100
or position. This is so well understood that when
ereat man dies bis slaves instantly take the bush
aud endeavor TO escape to avoid the doom which
they know awaits them Should slaves be short, any
one accused Of crime is seIzed and should maefac-
tors be wanting poor and Insignificant people arc
kidnapped with OF without pretext and made to
suffer Such is the power with which Great Britain
"a now involved in war. The natural features and
extent of Ashantee south of the capital Coomassie
4 .4,ll. .,1 49,
has AZ far is known, allowed a traveller white or
black. TO penetrate beyond the capital, and she al
lows no traffic passage whatever TO the tribe lying
beyond her. The Ashantees are fanatically brave.
II either a general OF q soldier away he is put
N death and the course of an Ashantee general,
when things are going definitely against him in a
battle is 20 sit upon powder barrel and fash his
gun into Il.
ASHANTEE soLDIERY.
Brave as the Ashantee is. he never fights in the
omen field: he viii hold the bush - has already
been proved in the skirmish with the British-with
soourage and tenacity unsurpassabe by any white
froops But his tradition is never to fight
uncovered In this he somewhat resembles
the Red Indian From this description of the Asian
tee il is evident that the task which England has
set herself is by means an easy one. Ia the PLAIN
the 1909 British soldiers could no doubt withstand
the onslaught Of the whole fighting force Of the
rifle would enable them to sweep away the Asian
tees without the latter being able TO approach within
range of their own firearms but between Cape
Coast and Coomassie there is not of open
ground The distance to be traversed Is $50 miles.
The River Prah, which forms the proper boundary
of the Ashantee Kingdom, is about 70 miles from
Cape Coast and as the Ashantees are breaking up
their camps within few miles Of this town, and
Tre retiring slowly bemeward, it is probable that
the British will be able to cut a road to the Prah
vide enough for four men 10 march abreast, and 1
that the troops will encounter no opposition upon
their upward march until they arrive on the banks of
the boundary river. Beyond that their task Will DE
arduous and dangerous enough to satisfy the most
adventurous spirit. They will have 10 fight their
xav iucessantly for eighty miles through dense
forest held by 10000 determined enemies and
through which they can only advance IN single tle
bv a path few inches wide, hampered by a crowd
of cowardly natives carrying provisions and spare
ammunition And yet with the calm selt-conhdence
recnar to the AngloSaxon race, there is not soul
b.re who doubts for an instant that Sir Garnet
Wolseley will reach Coomassie. If one were TO hInt
a the possibility of defeat he would be laughed ar
nav the suggestion would be treated as joke; and
VET the expeditions of Cortes and Pizarro to the
capitsl of the Incas were childs play to the work
winch these 800 British troops have set themselves
a. do There are no great induoemements before
them snch as those which animated the Spanish
sAyenturers. There is no new world to be won, no
sty of fabulous wealth to be Teached IT is purely
case of duty. If to say to any Of these officers
working unremittngly in a sun of 1902 OF heat,
Sir this is a great and glorious deed In which
Won are about to engage :" he would pause IN his
work look al me with open eyes and a smile on his
hps and say Really, il is too hot for ehaff Are
VOC disposed for anything 10 drink / can't get
away now but if yO1 go up to my quarters and
shout for my boy he will give you some claret and
water OF some cold tea, if you'd like that better"
Seeing then that no one here doubts, ! cease to
doubt myself but fear that those who return TO
the Prah viii be but a remnant of the gallant fell
lows who cross il on their advance. | have sald
nothing about climate because from all ! hear the
climate from the middle Of December to the middle of
February. is by no means highly injurious to Euro
peans and will be felt less than would other
wise be the case by men kept up by the stimulus Of
high excitement OF the officers now working here
to prepare the way for the troops it is probable that
few viii 20 right through the expedition. The eli
mate is already telling upon them. Although they
have been here but month, eight ten have al
ready been down with fever; and although the first
xttaeks have been, they usually are, slight, they
weaken the system and render it liable to other and
increasingly severe attacks. In order to complete
the picture Of the prospects of the expedition, L
should say that the l00 English troops viii be ac-
companied BY some 800 OF 400 natives, armed ~lth
breech- leaders and hastily disciplined drilled ana
led by English officers, and FORMING Naiuapio anu
Trustworthy skir1nishers; and by VVo OF ooV ua.'o
allies who will probably bolt at the hrss
rhot fired The advance VIII also DE sec
onsed ,by tue advance OF BODY OF @oo'
Heunas a Mohammedan tribe of great bray
in