The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-11

ing from the Gold Coast of Africa is not of a
character to decide the fate of an empire.
STILL it has an interest worth considering in
this busy, moving world. For long time the
eyes of civilized men have been fixed on the
Ashantee country with curious, perplexed
half doubling interest, wondering In
their inner thoughts what possible vaiue
O distant and forlorn African coast could
have to civilized nations with coasts OF their
own. We only know the Ashantee country as
we know the name of planet or some heather
god and there are many well educated men
who walk down Broadway this morning and
do not know whether it is on the east or west
coast of Africa whether it is an island or
continent And as for the cause OF the war,
few of us know that it ever had cause-very
few, indeed, that there has been a war. Asian
tee might be patent medicine in state of
extreme advertising or comedy running to
its one hundredth night for all that the aver
age intelligence of New York would know or
care.
Even thinking men have learned to despise
the whole Ashantee business. Englishmen
have had SO many strange adventures in
various continents-Asia, America, Australia,
even in Africa-that their history has lost it's
interest. Locked up in their densely packed
islands, with nothing to do but build manu-
factories and enclose deer parks, the spirit of
adventure has asserted itself in new countries
like Africa in the settlement of islands in the
Pacific, in endeavoring to discover con-
tinents contiguous to the North and South
Poles. Although we are informed by con-
sentative statesmen at every session OF Par
Lament that the time has come for England
to compress her sovereignty and not expose
the integrity of her empire by settlements or
conquests in countries that could not possibly
be defended by military or naval force, yet
the indomitable, ambitious Saxon tempera-
ment will conquer worlds wherever there are
worlds to conquer, in lands of sun as well as
lands of snow. The invasion Of Abyssinia
under Lord Napier of Magdala was an
exceptional event. There was nothing
in Abyssinia to tempt even the most
sanguine Englishman. The invasion was
simply to compel the savage King
to atone for his indignity to the British flag
zens. 1t must be remembered to the credit of
England that, although there were many temp
tations to establish an empire in Abyssinia,
and the defeat of the King was SO overwhelm-
ing that an empire could have been founded
by an order Of the day from Lord Napier, sus-
tanned by regiment of British troops, the
English were true to their purpose and closed
the war when the prisoners were released
We suppose the precedent established in
Abyssinia has controlled the military move
ments in Ashantee. So far as we understand
the Ashantee people they are among the high
est results Of African civilization. The coun-
try is tropical and produces Indian corn, cot
ton, indigo, yams and kindred crops. The
people have q rude civilization and are
skilled in the working of leather, iron and
clay. Their principal commodity is gold
dust, which is their currency as well as their
chief article Of commerce. In population they
are said to be three millions; but this we pre-
sumo to be guess, as Ashantee census returns
cannot be accepted az altogether trustworthy
The capital is called Coomassie, and English
travellers differ as to its population, estimates
ranging from fifteen thousand to one hundred
thousand people. The history Of the Ashantee
country does not 60 beyond the present CEN
fury. We first hear of it as nation in 1907.
There was then king, rude phase Of patri-
archal government, what was called an
''army," and ambitions that would not have
discredited more famed nations; for
the '.king' and his ''army'' were found in
vading the neighboring Fantee country about
seventy years ago. At this time British
settlement had taken root on the coast, and
the British troops were allies Of the Fantees.
The result was that the Ashantees were too
powerful, and the British were COM
PEELED to withdraw their troops and
sue for peace. Ten years later, in
1917, Waterloo having been fought and
British troops being available tor eccentric
enterprises there was another alliance with the
Fantees and another attack upon the Ashantee
country but without result. In 1924 Sir
Charles McCarty, who commanded the British
colony, made third attack upon the Asian
tees; but, despising and undertaking the
strength Of his savage foe, he was led into an
ambush and destroyed, together with his COM
mand.
This terrible example had its effect. For
the last fifty years the shantees have lived in
peace as result of this victory; but they
have never been thoroughly friendly with the
English. There have been all manner of dis
putes. Resting upon the traditions of these
early victories the Ashantee King has rather
despised his English adversary, and this con-
tempt has led from one feeling to another,
until England was compelled either to aban-
don the Gold Coast and permit the Asian
tees to impose their savage discipline upon
the Fantees and other friendly tribes, or to