Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-10
THE KING OF ASHANrEE.

OF the responsibility attached to the part for
which he was cast.
TIE KING OF ASHANrEE.
The laws of Ashantee allow the king thirty
three hundred and thirty three wives, which
number is carefully kept up, to enable him 10
present women to those who distingu sh them
selves, but never exceeded, being in their eyes
mystical one Many of these reside in
secluded part of the kings Groom, or country
residence, at BaIramang; n greater number in
q Groom at the back of the palace, Immediately
in the marsh; and the remainder in two streets
of the capital. Many, probably, the king has
never teen. The streets as well as the Groom
are inhabited by them exclusively, and never
approached but by the kings messengers,
their female relatives, who only cOmmu-
nicate with them at the entrances, which are
closed at each end with bamboo doors, where
there is always guard. If the king consGWs,
or marries an infant at the breast, which is
not unfrequent, she Is thencefOrth confined
to the house, and vigorously secluded from the
sight of any but the female part of her family.
The king has seldom more than six wives resi-
dent with him in the palace. On the occasion
of signing the treaty, about three hundred were
assembled, and meme but the kings chamber
lain, and the deputies of the parts of the gov
eminent, were allowed to be present. They
were addressed through their own lnguist,
very decrepIt old man. Many OF them were
very handsome, and their figures exquisite.
When they go out, which is seldom, they are
encircled and preceded by troops of small boys
with thongs of whips of ELEPHANTS hide, who
lash every one severely who does not quit their
his hands before his eyes; and sometimes the
offenders are heavily fined besides. The scramb-
ling their approach occasioned in the more pub
lie parts OF the city was very diverting-cap-
talDs, cdbOceerS, slaves, and children, tumbling
one over another. 1 was told what it cost the
king daily to support them, but il has escaped
me; they are said TO live as dainty himself.
None but the chief eunuch, an immense crea-
ture, is allowed to bear mess2 20 to the king
wien in the seraglio ofthe palace.
1t has been mentioned before, that the kings
with any handsome subject, but they are al
lowed TO choose one eminently so (however in
teTior otheTwise), as husband, who is present
ly advised by the king OF his good fortune; thus
they consider they provide for a persOnal supe-
IiOTlty IN their monarchs. But il the royal
bride dies before the husband, unless his rank
be originally elevated, he is expected to kill
himself on the occasion, and also if the only
male child dies. II he hesitates, he is peremp-
tOriy reminded that as either are his superiors,
10 whom he is to be considered IS a slave, so he
must attend them wherever they go; and when
male child Is born the father does IL homage,
and acknowledges his vassalage in tie most alb
iect manner.
The Ocras are stnguished by large circle
OF gold suspended from the neck; many of them
aIe favorite slaves, many cOmmoners who have
distinguished themselves, and who are glad TO
stake their lives on the kings, to be kept free
from palayers and supported by his bounty,
which they are entirely; some few are relatives
and men of rank. All the two former classes,
excepting only the two or three individuals
known to have been intTusted with the kings
state secrets, are sacrificed on his tomb. The
roy al messengers and others of the suite have
been described in the professions; they are
sometimes fed in the palace, but they have a
free seat at the table of every subject.
The king has troop Of email boys who carry
the fetch bows and arrows, and are licensed
plunderers; they are go sly and tnimble that It
is very diyerting to watch them in the market
place, which they infest every morning. What
ever they can carry of is fair game, and can
not be required or recovered; but the loser, if
be can catch them before they arrive at the
palace, may beat them es severely as he pleases
short OF mortal injury; however, they bear it as
obdurately as young Spartans. Sometimes one
party trips up person with a load of provis-
ions, while another scrambles them up. The
anxious alarm OF the market people, sitting
with sticks in their hands, and the comic
archness OF these boys threading the crowd
in all directions, is understandable. Some OF
the earliest European travellers in Abyssinia
met with similar troop of royal plunderers,
and believe suffered from them. Our property
was always respected by them, but they used to
entertain themselves with mImicking cur COM
mon expressions and our actions, which they did
inimitably. While sketching, they buzzed
about me like mosquitoes. The Ashantees are
without exception the most surprising mimcs
have ever heard. / have known q captain,
called Adoo Quamina, repeat a sentence after
had finished II, ofat least dozen words, which
he knew nothing about, and had not heard
before. The king has sort OF buffoon, whose
movements were as irresistibly comic as those of
Grinaldi.
The king appeared to have nearly hundred
negroes OF different G0lors, through the shades
of red and pink to white; they were COLLECTED for
state, but were generally disgusting objects,
diseased and emaciated; they always seemed az
If going to shed their skins, and their ewes
mept.
About twenty pots of white soup and twenty
pots of black made with palm nuts are cooked
daily at the palace (besides those for the con.
sumption of The household y for visitors of con-
sequence, and periguin OF gold is given daily
10 YokokrokO, the chamberlain, for pale wine.
This would have appeared to be a large sum.
had not witnessed the vast consu mption and
waste of it; for the rgor of an Ashantee being
estimated by the measurement of the draught
he can drink Oft, nearly half is split over his
beard, which it is his greatest pride and luxury
to draw through his fingers when it is wet. The
king was very proud of the superior length OF
his beard. large quantity Of palm-wine is
dashed to the retinues of all the captains at
tending in the course of the day; much is ex-
pendedin the almosttdaily ceremony of drinking
it in state in the market place, and our party
was always well provided for in the course of
the evening. The palm-wine at the palace was
seldom good, but a Zest was excited by the ex-
quisite polish of the plate in which II was served
Boicdtch's Mission TO 4Shdntee.