nours you, king; we cannot hear this and sit upon our stools, for the people will laugh at you and us; it is a very bad thing: you must have satisfaction.' Then the king sent down another messenger and gave him the book, that the governor might see what was true with his own eyes; and say whether he wanted peace or war. governor refuses satisfaction; and yet he says the book is right.

But still the

"The king is sorry for the sake of the old men, and women, and children, but then he cannot help it, if the governor will have war; the king has nothing to do with white men; but if they choose to make palavers with him, it is not his fault. He knows that they come to trade in his country, and they have a great king of their own in the land of the white men. This is all true; but then the king (of Ashantee) is a great king too, for all the black countries, and the people must serve him ; and if they will not serve him, but are foolish, and do evil, they must die. Now the governor knows that Cape Coast is very insolent, and when the king complained to the castle, the people were told to build a wall and fight him. Is that like good friends, as the book says ? The other towns of Fantee do what is right, and the king has no palaver with them, and he is unwilling to make war for one town only. And now he sends to the governor to ask, if he will settle that palaver or not? because, otherwise, the army will certainly go down and destroy the place; for it is a great palaver, and the king and all his captains are very angry, because they believe that Aggry and De Graaf cheat them, and tell the governor lies; therefore, the king says they had better look to it, and take care what they do, for he is not a king to play the fool with.'

"Here the ambassador paused, or was interrupted by Aggry, De Graaf, and others, who felt interested in the censure. Some confusion ensued, and when order was again restored, the linguist declared that there was something more important" in the budget." This was signified to the ambassador, and he proceeded to say, that in consequence of the provocation that had been given to the king by the town of Cape Coast, he, as ambassador, was authorised to demand from the inhabitants a fine of 1600 ounces of gold* And as regarded the conduct of the governor, he was desired to make the same demand of 1600 ounces from him-making collectively 3200 ounces, and unless these payments were complied with, he was instructed to say the king would grant no peace; nor would he desist until he had taken ample satisfaction.

"Confusion and discord again predominated, every tongue was put in motion, coupled with such gesticulation and contortion of the muscles as a subject of that interest may be supposed to have created. The anxiety of the town chiefs was extreme in proportion to their fears." p.xxviii.

On a former occasion, the Consul had suspected the veracity of the interpreter: lest he might be now deceived, "he stationed a linguist in the hall," to report to him faithfully what might fall from the lips of the Ambassador. To his indignation, he

Equivalent to 6,4007. currency, the two demands, making 12,800, together.

discovered that a long complimentary message from the King to himself had been totally suppressed in the interpretation; and he resolved instantly either to proceed to Coomassy at all hazards, or to quit the Coast, and lay his complaints before government. With this determination, he wrote to the Governor and Council, on the 8th of January a letter, from which the following are

extracts.

"Having learned, after leaving the hall yesterday, that the linguist had not made a just interpretation of the message sent down by the King of Ashantee, particularly as regarded that part of the message wherein he sends his best compliments to me.' I was induced this morning to send the messenger a present, coupled with a request that he would pay me a visit, &c. What he declared was as follows:The king desired his best compliments, and would be very glad to see me in the capital, and accordingly a person appointed by the king accompanied him for the purpose of conducting me to court immediately, and without regard to existing disputes, which he, on the part of the king, would remain here to settle. The king says, moreover, he is very much hurt to hear I have been so long detained at Cape Coast.

"From the impression made upon my mind by this conversation as now stated to you, and particularly as my belief is that the demand on the Fort will be abandoned, it is my earnest desire to lose no further time in proceeding to the discharge of my duties at Coomassy, and as the king's messenger with his retinue are to remain here, you' can, if you think proper, (although it is by no means my wish) detain them as hostages," &c.

" "Under all circumstances, and as I am firmly persuaded the king has no hostile intention, &c. I must entreat you, in the name of his majesty, to fix upon an early day for my departure to the Ashantee capital, being determined to proceed thither alone, if the other gentlemen are not disposed to accompany me.'

At last, then, the Council appeared to see the necessity of adopting conciliatory measures; and, in their answer to this letter of Mr. Dupuis, notified their intention of materially increasing the presents with which he had been entrusted for the King. They also superadded a volume of instructions by which Mr. Dupuis was to be guided in his diplomatic conduct at Coomassy. After a protest against this piece of assumed authority, and the experience of other petty vexations and interruptions, which detained him at Cape Coast till the ninth of February, Mr. Dupuis set forward for the interior.

His journey through a country presenting a succession of novelties to the European traveller, and exhibiting often some of the most stupendous wonders of nature in the vegetable kingdom, is described with much interest and minuteness of detail.

The journey was accomplished in nineteen days; the author's public reception at Coomassy was striking, we cannot refrain from giving a part of it.

"A prospect of the capital (if such it may be called) at last opened in front of us; it was a partial glimpse, at the distance of twenty or thirty paces, of a few mud built hovels, surrounded in part by plantations, and some straggling walls of the same material, covering a contracted space gained from the adjacent waste. As soon as we ar

rived at the outskirting houses, a portion of the city became visible; but its external aspect by no means promised any thing superior to the towns of Assin in general; and was, it must be told, foreign to those highly coloured plates and the description given to the world in Mr. Bowdich's work.

"The street we entered was a broad convenient space enough, leading nearly in a direct line, north, to the palace-gate; up this avenue we advanced through a crowd of spectators, of all ages and classes, and of both sexes. The clamorous songs of my people, as the procession moved on, joined to the novel sound of the bugle, appeared to animate every countenance with tumultuous joy, which was momentarily subdued only as a royal blunderbuss salutation burst full, as it may be expressed, in my face. The assemblage was too great to maintain an orderly deportment, and the soldiers were compelled to exert their authority to keep the people back. This, notwithstanding the commotion, was effected without difficulty, by flapping upon the ground small twigs of Bamboo, and sometimes striking the people lightly upon the legs.

My palanquin was on a sudden arrested in the main avenue by a deputation of Caboceers, who paid a formal congratulation on behalf of the king. It was Sai's desire, they added, that I should repair to the market place until the court assembled. Here, therefore, I alighted under the shade of some high trees, reposing for awhile from the scorching blaze of the sun, now about commencing his descent from the meridian. The atmosphere too, was in a manner stifled by the pressure of the multitude. A pause of twenty minutes sufficed for the approaching ceremony, and we again bent forward in orderly ranks to an angle that opened into the place of audience, from whence another salute was fired. A silence, however, like that of the forest, succeeded as the echoes died away; and as the smoke dispersed, the view was suddenly animated by assembled thousands in full costume, seated upon the ground in the form of an extensive semicircle, where the chiefs were distinguished from the commonalty by large floating umbrellas or canopies, fabricated from cloth of various hues. These officers, only, were seated upon stools that elevated their heads just above those of their attendants. An avenue not wider than the footway in the forest, was the space allotted for walking in the line of chiefs, leading to the station where the king was seated. The etiquette was of a character corresponding with other ceremonies.

All the ostentatious trophies of negro splendour were emblazoned to view. Drums of every size, from five or six inches in length to the dimensions of as many feet, occasionally decorated with human relics, abounded in all directions; and in some (although few instances) the sculls of vanquished foemen, and strings of human teeth were glaringly exposed on the persons of the youthful captains. Ivory horns similarly ornamented, reed flutes, calabash rattles, and clanking bits of flat iron, composed the various bands in front of the Caboceers. The salutation, as heretofore, was accompanied by an impulsive grasp of the hand with each Caboceer of rank, and a waving motion afterwards in compliment to his friends, retainers, and slaves. In the act of approaching these peers of the Ashantee realm, the solemn stillness was invaded at intervals by the full chorus of each band, beating in rotation the peculiar adopted air, whereby each noble is known from his compeer. A number of select young slaves, boys of fifteen or sixteen years old, stood before the war captains, and other chief officers, in the aspect of a guard of honour, waving short scimiters and knives, which they flourished in a threatening attitude. The deportment of the Caboceers was marked with gravity; not a smile nor a courtly glance illumined the asperity of their features, and the salutations were uttered in a low affected tone of voice. The crowd, however, did not consider themselves bound to imitate the dignified deportment of their lords: they breathed a welcome in the silent language of their features." P. 69.

Then follows a description of the Mohammedan quarters, and those of the ministers, linguists, and other great officers of state, who occupied a pre-eminent rank in this ceremonial.

"At last I approached the avenue where the king was seated. The martial instruments surrounding the throne suddenly burst upon the hearing in heavy peals, and the household slaves advanced, flourishing their scimiters over my head with menacing violence. This threatening ceremony was directed with renovated vigour as I advanced to take the king's hand, but having as it were won the contested honour in the late struggle, my opponents quietly suffered me to enjoy the prize, for the music ceased, the guards retired from the presence, and I was quietly permitted to pay my respects. The king extended his hand with great complacency, yet with a dignity that created admiration and respect, for it was even more than national. The features of the monarch were placid, yet serious, with the exception of his eyes, which seemed rivetted in good-natured admiration, although they were not permitted to convey this feeling to the muscles of his face. The salutation murmured by the sovereign was re-echoed by an officer in attendance, and reported to me as follows: Sai thanks the gods he sees you, and the other white men. and all your people.'

"The royal chair was a specimen of some ingenuity, yet the workmanship was rude. Its arms and legs were carved from the solid into grotesque forms, and embossed with little ornamental casts of gold.

Several Caboceers in waiting were decorated with massive gold breastplates, chains of the same metal, and solid lumps of rock-gold, of the weight, perhaps of a pound or more each. The royal messengers stood behind the sovereign, shouldering by the blades large crooked sabres, the emblems of their offices, and displaying the reversed hilts, cased in thin gold sheathing. In another position, at the back of the king's chair, a select few stood erect as guards, and were armed with common English muskets in gold casing, and habited in grotesque apparel, which consisted of a large helmet or plume of feathers of the Argus bird, sloping backward over the head, in form not very unlike those which, according to history, were worn by the inhabitants of America, and particularly in the empire of Mexico, by the warriors of that nation. In front of the plume was an arching pair of ram's horns, cased in gold, and attached by the centre to several charms and amulets neatly sheathed in morocco leather. A skull-cap united the whole, and a long tiger's tail flowed down over a close-bodied jacket, that concealed every part but the arms, in a perfect mail of magical charms, also richly ornamented in gold, silver, or stained leather. A simple covering of cloth girded about the loins, fell half way down the thigh, and left the rest of the body bare. In addition to guns, the weapons and accoutrements of these officers were bows, and a quiver of poisoned arrows, suspended from the back by a belt, which at the same time supported the weight of a string of case knives and a large powder pouch. The most ludicrous part of the equipment consisted in a large gold, silver, or iron bell, suspended by a rope that girded the loins, and overhung the posteriors, causing at every movement a dull tinkling sound, like the pasturing bells used in Spain. Over these bells were suspended gold or silver epaulettes of European fabrication, more or less tarnished. Some of the officers wore small turbans of silk taffety, or figured cotton and muslin; and beside were decently dressed in robes of various striped cotton, folded round the loins, and gracefully turned over the left shoulder, exactly as the Hayk or Alhayk, is worn by the Arabs of the western and southern deserts. The king was modestly habited in a large cloth or Hayk of figured cotton, cast off from both shoulders, and resting negligently in loose folds, upon the loins and thighs. From his naked shoulder was suspended a thick silk plait or cord, to which were attached a string of amulets cased in gold, silver, and silk. A massive gold chain encircled his waist, in the form of a zone, below the navel; and a variety of clumsy gold rings covered his fingers, thumbs, and toes. On the left knee he wore a bandage, or fillet of silk, and plaited weed, interwoven with gold beads and amulets, terminating in a tasteful tassel, that hung as low as the calf of the leg." P. 73.

Two or three specimens of a royal audience in Ashantee must now bring our selections to à close: and first, the ceremony of the oath of friendship.

VOL. IT. NO. IV.