South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1874-03-13
About the King of Ashantee.

Tue New York Herald publishes long
letter purpor'ing to be from the seat Of war
10 Africa, from which We extract the fol-
lowing relative to the Kirg of Ashsutee
and his dynasty:
The King Of Ashantee is a young man thirty
i've or thiriy-six years old strongly pitJed with
traces Of smallpox, possessing some natural 4
biity, but which has been warped by the asjd-
uous and constant Aattery OF his parastical and
trembling subjects. The adulatory cries of the
town crier OF the capital are more than Sufficient
to transform any man, white or black into a
vain, iocarnate despot. They are generally in
the strain Of 30 king, thou art the king above
all kings Thou art great Thou art mighty :
Thou art strong Thou hast done enough The
princes OF the earth bow down TO thee and hum
Die themselves in tie dust before thy stool =
Who is like unto the King Of all tie Ashantecs9''
King kofee, though arrogant and vain aud cru
ei oeyond measure, has the eye of King, which
means thatit is the eye of one possessing unlim-
i'ed power over life and death So little does
ne value human life that he frequently says.
"By the slaughter of one hundred shall be able
TO produce thousand" The King is placed
:.
but Immediately he is seated, in him becomes
vested tae supreme power over life and death
Inc King palace is large hut, after the ma
i've style of architecture and adjoining i, is ano-
ther residence, the two-storied stone house com
structed for him by Dupins, a traveller who Wis
tied Ashantec about 1920. The missionaries
have lately constructed another house for him
foIty-four feet long, twenty feet wide and two
stories high, of brick which they themselve,
manufactured for their King.
Ashartee lies in the same la.itu5s with
AeyssiniI, the latter being on the east side
and the former on the west Of pol3 coos,
and both almost under the equator A.
sbantee Is IN Upper Guinea, not far from
Hoena. The capital of the warlike and
poPuIous State Is near Cape Coast Castle.
the capital OF the British setilemon, on the
gold coast; and battles have before occur-
req between the two powers, in one of
"n Gu the English were sounily thrashed,
captured, aud afterwards eaten by the can ID.
nIbaliSh conqu rors.
me government is complete despo,ism.
The King exercising complete control ~
yer the lives and property of al classes.
lie Is the legal heir TO all the property of
his subjects, but usually bstains from TAX.
ing but the uuwrought gold found omoDp
the effects of the deceased Slavery pre
walls on large scale, many of the c bo-
ceers, as the oristocratic gentlemen of color
are called, owning ono thousand negroes
each. Slaves have rapidly accumulated
sIoce the suppression Of the slave trade
but the masters arc generally afraid to
abuse their power, believing that If thew
do the slaves will bewitci them Pclyoa.
my Is another favcrito institution, mas
Importance being rated according to The
number of bis wives. The King is limited
to three thousand three hundred and tbir
ty-threc wives, and IS said 10 have a com t..
PIGMENT.
ooIdhe population is estimated at SO ,OOl,-
QUO and CoomusSie is city of pr6pabiv
1900 people. The sol is fertile. produc-
lDg sugar cane and all kinds of iropieaI
fruits The gold miocs are very rich. and
the principal exports are gold dust, igory,
and the jura nut.
Like many of the negro nations in West.
ern Africa, the inhabitants Of Asbantee
seem to delight iu the shedding of Blood
and human sacrifices ore part Of their relip.
lous observan2es. At two other festival,
human blood constantly flows. -1yach.
Republican.