Middlesbrough & Stockton Gazette and General Advertiser. — 1874-02-05 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

PEBRUARY 5 1874.  THE WAR ON THE GOLD COA,T.  THE BRITISH ADVANCE TO THE FRAIL LETTERS FROM THE KING OF ASHANTEE. The Cope Coast Castle correspondent of the Weste,n -Wising News lia4 !omit !wane a letter by the Manitehan tro,m• ship, dated Jaoluary 10. The bri !ge across the Pratt having been finished on the sth January, the Naval Brigade, with detachments of the Rifles and India!' troops, epistle' over the river and procseded four Miles north of the river, returning to their old 041110 at night. The army moved across the Ptah on the 7th ult., the Rifle Brigade and 42nd Highlanders following up the troops above named. The health of the Highlanders is not so good as that of the wirer regi. mews, they having suffered from erysipelas, but no deaths have 'been upon-ed. The great diffi. eulty, and that a very 'serious one, arose out of the utter unroliableueas of tire Fantce carriers. So soon as the Ashautees had giat's ovcr the Prsh, and the Fantees were afraid ef being killed, they ran into the bush, the whole them, awl their recapture is almost hopeless. The chief transport work has been done by Eroomer. from Sierra Leone; but although bountiee evil to a small tortune to such men were offered, the Adela transport, which hial been sent to Sierr.. Leone to fetal, more, only succeeded in bringing back 50. The trans,lort met with a difficulty, which very ',early caused a serious disaster in the case of the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusilier., the left wing of which disent. barked and marched off to the front, followed by carriers, some bearing their arms, baggage, ammunitioe, and provisions. When they had got a little way from te coast the Fautees threw down their burdeus pa the ground, and hotted into the bush.Directly news e this reacned Brigadier-Geaeral Sir Archibald Allison, ire stopped the landing of the right wing. and tiespaterted a native inees-nger to recall the left wb,g This messenger appears never te) live retutlied his destination, and the reginient marched on to Atter...too, the second halting place. The men, however, had found out that their baegage was not following them, and had themselves taken it up and carried it on. During this march the regiment sustained a loss which was greatly lamented. Ttie noble goat whiN has - many ye ire marched at the ha 1 of the rejni..it died quite suddenly when close tc Accrafoo, probably having eutea poisonous herbage. For want of transport tae right wing of the 23rd were still reluctantly remaining on board ship and also the two hundred Marines brought up by the Dromedary transport ship. Sir Garnet Wolseley's head quarters were at Mansu, and thither just before the crossing of the Push by the Naval BrUade arrived ambassadors from King Koffee, having been sent to negotiate peace. The King had commissioned them to say that he was very sorry for what had taken place, that he had never meant to fight the white man. that he should have sent to make peace long age only that his general who had been in chief emu. ...  mend of his army sent messenger after messenger hack to the King, saying that in every engagement be and his army had beaten the English, and that he was now withdrewing from the coast. That was because the English had the small-pox among them so badly, that he was afraid his army would take it. General Wolseley, through Colonel Graves, replied that all ' negotiations with the King must be made at Coomassie, or at all events with the King himself. Be. tore sending the ambassadors away, they were shown some practice with the Gatling gun. The storm of lire which shot, from it seemed to astonish and appal them. During the night the camp was aroused by the sound of a shot, and it was jound that the chief ambassador had committed suicide, probable thinking that lie might as well puthiroself out of existence then as be killed alum he returned to the King with the bad news. The other ambassadors were escerted severai miles on their w across the Ptah by toe Naval Brigade. The Peals has proved a different sort of river to what had [seen described by anticipation. It Was fully sixty yards across, and the pontoons fell short, but the bluejackets and natives extemporised a bridge which they are daily engaged in strengthening, in the immediate vicinity, which will be made a strong position to serve as a plan of operations when once on the quiet side of the Prah. The carriers are thus kept in good order, as they march between detachments of soldiers, and dare not run away into the bush, because it is the.enemy'a &unary. There was some smut skirmishing osi .the north of the Prali soon after the first white troops crossed: None of our men arc badly wounded, hut one Ashantes was found dead, and two were taken prisoners. The wounded were got away. The .13arracouta' concerning the absence of which some anxiety had been felt, had returned from her sanitary cruise. She had called St. Helena and Asceneien, and been delayed beyond her time. The Simoom was te proceed on the 11th to Cape de Verde Islands, and take up her stadou there as a hospital ship. The last news of the Volta expedition was not very satisfactory. Captain Glover's army started in three divisions, leaving 300 men at his camp to protect stores. The natives in the neighbourhood, however, have given much trouble, and in consequence her Majesty's ships, Amethyst and Decoy, had been detained atiAccrefoo to resider assistance. Captain Glover's men had several skirmishes, but without serious loss to our side; the loss of the natives being unknown. The Chiama men are quieter since their town was 'destroyed. Her Mejesty's ships, Encounter, Coquette, and Merlin, are stationed at Maxim and Apploine, to prevent any further landing of contraband stores.  A