Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1874-05-07

I'm &suAxrrs CapsrAE---I ssrsllea
un.,ud down the main street 81 cocases
sis far ! while. says = correspoodeol~
vr;tjue Of The capital before L vas burned.
"a make runway Of the place which the
Rr;e;sh IA come las miles 10 scs and
eoaquer. As the capital Of Ashsass:s
Coomassie may Be fairly said to have vcr,-
6ed the standard I had concesvcd-
vas situated on Z low eminenes enuPesc4
g reddish clay and roek. slrcasly impte9
ua1.f uisz ~ sbont hall snse y. -
.Sepe>ue - - snas ss6sut = unileEuess
Or wav. around the base Of which mean
dercd sluggish stream about eighty yards
eide. which had transformed its formcr
course into swamp. The circumference
Of the city might be traversed by mat.
on foot within an hour, or it pay DC sa.a
the ci,y was little over three miles round
The PRINCIPAL streets were extremely broad
aud tolerably straight. whereon process
sious of State. to which Ashantees ara
much attached, might be made with duo
form and ceremony. The main street
might easily contain $4,000 people. aud
other streets might contaia many thous-
ands in procession. Besides tho main
street, there were many lanes or alleys
running through the rears. and con'mun'.
eating one with another. The generai
aprearance of the main street was that OF
aris,ocra,ic Ashan,ee houses, with usuat
front Of arched porticos. whitewashed
and raised four or Eve feet above tho
ground and situated apart ono from Che
other. very pictures Of exclusiveness. Tho
whitewashed facades Of each house were
covered with the curious half Moorishs
native designs, worked in the plaster
{ made Of 6ne white clay, which when
re,ouched with a solution Of this clay ac-,
unired a glazed white color similar to
ta;ut. The lower half Of the front OF
each house was ola deep ochrish color.
obtained from the reddish clay. The
steps leading from the street into each
house and the Hoors Of the verandas worc
, colorcd and glazed with the same matcri-
y al
So that, looking up the main street at
s its width. tue glorious old pa.riarchaf
: trees which lowered at intervals along
I it. the long array Of picturesque and no.
/, vel porticoed houses. each appearing a
@ fit were newly whitewsshcd aud painted, !,
o The colors Of clean white and rcd ochrc
= strongly contrasting. the effect vas hne
y and gave one high idea Of the Asian
j. tees as a nation, Who thds eviuccd THEFT
,. a,taiumcnts in this ambitious cmbe!lish.
= mcut of their capital. have seen i
,e suggested somewhere that straigth. broad
streets mark young and growing ma
ton; instances. Washington and the CT
ties westward. What shall he said Q
, Coomassie, with streets from $50 to 20'
~ " feet widey The city Of magnificent dis
i, tanccs is cxcelled BY this capital Of sa
. bic nation enthroned amid fastncsses
n swamp, Jungle and forest. Behind eac
N, Of these white and red painted portieoe'
~ houses. which look out on the streets. tn
i'm houses Of the families and slaves belong
sr ing to the aristocratic propric,ors wcr
nd arranged in quadrangles. which durln
+, , neaceful times, must have been mode
A. of nea,ness ; but the hurried departure
n. the Inhabitants had Uttered these cour
and auadrangles. vcrandas and yarl
% with an indiscribable mass OF black ears'
-" enware crockery and miscellaneous
To- sor,mcut of gourds and stools. Cot,o'
now waste for pillows seemed also to be p'c'
Il. ,iful. for !. was s.rewed over the grour
like clots Of slushy. miry snow.
dr Among the strange. heterogeneous p'u
the der visible in the courtyard OF the cap,'
Of Ashantee. says correspondent, and
.w- the recessed apartments around it was
stool which, according to report, was ne
;sb. cr quite dry from human blood. That
had been lately dyed anew with the bio
Of some unfortunate victim to despc
caprice, or some barbarous custom
EVIDENT. for the fics had settled in h.
III grv myriads on it. Among the thousa'
of things. strange. antique. AID curio
.,, which were seen about were DOZEN or
80 of state umbrellas. leaning against n c
, >, ,er Of the wall and standing ten feet o
above the ground. When opened on'
,s,, these umbrellas gave one an idea O
r;,b large aud lofty circular tent OF ga'
colors. The major part of them
aoos made Of red. blue and black blanket ci'
others we're Of variga.cd. fine braadc!'
,r, with silver bcndic!cs ringing sweet chi
-. as soon as one touched thom; others v
and OF var'-eo'o'eu SIN :.
liz presumed, were the Kings own nmt
las or belonged to members OF his fan
In one Of the lower rooms were also TO
heaps Of faded tapestry. carpets. 81
=. =. cloths. worn ccuutepanes Of siiken da1
." -" II If st,nilap gsuffs