The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-11-17

the French irreveren:ly called hsFn4. or
dere1 that no one bar himself ia4 Asian
tee could wear a silk HAT.
Tais law has been u9iusainc.l bv his sue
ceSSoF. the present king. Who IS reported
u he even more Jealous than was Konee
Or ihe royal IreroE2tlves. a West caast
trader who recentlv returned to the Cane
from Co0massie said.
The king q Ashantee is attached 70 an
cid plug hat which somebody gave him.
Seated on the golden stool under the um-
pFellA of state. he presents q funny spec
tacle. wearing this ancient piece Of head
gear In war however. ne wears special
he8odFeSs. The negroes Of his kingdom
regard the six hat VITA awe. ANY com
missioner whom the British government
may send ont there should be equipped
with q silk hat Otherwise he would not
he IN u with thA king .n puhIsc regard
The neighboTing king Of pahomey used 70
wear an old hat or this kind"
The rest of the clothing Il the king II
AshaHtee is OF srAnt ana diapha1ous ma
ture. koGee generally wore a broad smile
ara a pair ct bracelets
The present king has more difference for
European customs. IS he wears sandals
and hreecb covering. besides short
cloak. one OF the charges against him is
that he ncslects the king business. leaving
the an1irs az state 70 his mother, and de-
Nfft+N 3tffNeA II p 4tkr OF ME tE2Fe.
ON the other hand 10 IS said that be i
anxious 10 make a record as a warrior
and VIII try u extend his territory and
jurisdiction. He is particularly sore against
the FaUtees. a tribe nearer the coast who
have allied themselves WITH the British
and when he takes the field Ct IS nj these
be Is expected % strike the first blow
Ashantoe lies hack Of the British gold
coast. near the Gulf of Guinea. I'm Western
nj ia far ,g 81 L
forest 50 dense that the sun seldom
p.erces IFS foliage, ard 50 sicklv that the
hardest European soon falls victim 70
lis deadly fevers. From C0omasSie. which
is In the center Of a uoisome swamp. this
forest stretches 40 miles south toward the
sea and how many hundreds If miles to
the eastward IS not known but its hound
aries TO the north and west are nearly 800
miles distant. The country is rich i'm gold
dust and other resources. and the people
are fine specimens of physical development
who have been quick To take advantage Of
their slight cont1ct with c.vliZ3 ton. that
is. as far as securing modern weapons Of
warfare.
England has had several Ashautee wars,
all OF them unsuccessful until the one in
1884. when the British forces. lcd by SIR
Garnet Wolseley now comm 3nder-in-chief
Of the army hewed their way through the
dense forest from the coast 90 the capital.
meeting with little opposition from the ma
t.Ves. but losing heavily from the ever
present and deadly masmas C3omaSsie
was carried by assault after a nve-days'
fight.
The British tarr.ed there but forty
eight hours. only long enough 10 sack and
burn the town. and then turned their faces
towards the coast The rainy season had
Just begun. and the tale of the return
march 10 the sea is one of the saddest
of lf pf
quest. for the number of soldiers that died
during the tolsome journey is appalling.
Twenty years ago the Ashautees We're
armed with nlEtlocks OF an ancient pat
term but now. owing 10 the enterprise Of
European traders. they have an ample
number of Snider rifles ana plenty Of ami
muuition. /, is no light task. therefore.
that the British viii have before Ions,
when 1t becomes necessary for them again
to establish their authority over this saw
age land.
The crown does not descend in the usual
way, from father 10 son, nut on the death
az monarch his brother or his sisters
eldest son becomes ruler. The King or
Ashantee IS an absolute monarch IN every
sense Of the word. and can cause thousands
Of his subjects to be put 20 death at Will
King Prempeh has discouraged the in
trusion of foreigners INFO his territory, 50
he has had a chance TO follow out Undts-
turbcd the customs of his ancestors. The
King Of Ashantee's S.333 lawful wives he
keeps in a vas. harem which is guarded
by several hundred eunuchs. large pro-
portion Of his wives serve IN mental ca
pacities about the palace. The women folk
of the common people. however, are sur
rounded by no such restrictions and so
about unclothed and unattended.
Human sacrifices. according 40 the latest
accounts. are going on AT about the same
rate as they have for years past. such
is the testimony. az least, OF an Asnan'ee
noble who was forced to foe the country
owing % his having los, favor with The
king This mobiles affidavit vas received
AZ the British foreign office a few days
ago and tells Of numerous executions which
he has with, ssed very recently.
Ii is az the kings hehcst that most
Of the human sacrifices take place, ana
the system as Draetised among the Ashan-
tees is founded on Wild idea of piety to-
wards parents and other connections. u
being believed that tho rank OF the dead
relatiyes VIII be measured hy the number
81 attendants sent after them. There are
TWO periods, called the great Adm and
"little Adai," succeeding c3ch other a; IN
teryals Of eighteen and tWenty-four days
after the death of some member Of tho
royal house. at whirh human victims,
chiefly prisoners Of war or condemned rr. M
mails are often inundated 90 a manstrous
extent.
ON the great Adal the king visits The
burial grounds OF the princes and the
roval mausoleum Al Bdntama. IN the lat
Ter Mace the skeletons ~ his predecessors
thcir bones held together ny links Of
g5Id-sit in grim mo~kery Of safe.