Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-09-14
SAVAGE SPLENDOR.
Description of a Banquet Held in
 Barbary.
Tables Covered with Dishes and Orna- ments of Solid GoId-A Sight tS Delight the Heart of a
 Pawnbroker.

The following letter has been for warded to us, says the Pan Mall Ga zette, by a gentleman who has com mercial relations with the gold coast:
 CAPE COAST CASTLE, June 8, 1891.- Dear -: have just got down to the coast after an unusually long trip in land. The region have travelled over I will call Barbary for short, because it is due south-though long way south of the strip of coast that used to frighten our forefathers. All this is. now French polished, and there is' nothing to be seen there except the re- dection of ourselves. Inland there is. still some interest. The tribes are in dependent and keep their own customs. They are prosperous, too, many of them, and have acquired ideas of luxurious living that one would not ex- pect to find in the heart of Africa Just before making my way down. to the gold coast I was present at most interesting function that would have given your pressmen ''copy" for a week. It was a gigantic banquet given by the ancient chief of the tribe among whom l was staying to young warrior, the ruler of neighboring tribe. All the swells of the tribe were there, of course-the chiefs sons and daughters and other kinsmen, and the principal counselors and fighting men. Some of them had their too, wives, and they were very much got up. Not being a professional reporter I cannot describe the costumes, except to say that there was barbaric profusion of gold. But the gold worn by the guests was a mere speck of dust compared to the gold displayed by the old chief. There must have been enough gold in that African hall to buy up the Bank of England. Where 1t all came from I have no notion, but our pioneers in south Africa, now that they have been busted from the Transvaa1, had better make trip to my Barbary.
 To begin with, all the vessels out of which the guests ate and drank were of solid gold. The table, too, was thickly covered with the quaint ornaments that savages delight in. Some of them were cleverly wrought, so far as the art of the people goes, but for the most part their only merit, If 1t be one, was their solidity. It was the style of thing that would have delighted a flash pawn broker from WhitechapeL The most gorgeous object of all was a golden bird. The body of the bird was solid gold, and its feathers were built up with precious stones. am not good at guessing values, and will not try; but could guess nearly enough to know that if I could have carried off that bird, or even bit of one of it's wings, my fortune would have been made for life. Apparently the old chief had a notion that such calculations might pass through the minds of his guests, for he took care that the bird was not brought out till he was there to watch it, and had it shut up again in a strong chest directly his back was turned. The golden bird, was told, had been originally taken in war from distant tribe, and another trophy taken from a tribe in the same region was produced to show the guests what mighty sov- ereign they were dining with This was a lions head, also of solid gold, with diamonds for the teeth and eyes. But it is no good continuing'this list. l think you would have felt, as l did, more disgust than pleasure. And as I came away after really good dinner, but with my pockets empty-on my word of honor I hadn't lifted even a salt spoon-my principal feeling was one of qualification that in Europe we | Lol n%of