THE ASHANTEE AT HOME.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 35, 10 February 1874, Page 2

THE ASHANTEE AT HOME.

Mr Winwood Reade, in bis second letter to the 'Pall Mall G-sz-itte,' bas tbe following : — Tho King is allowed to have 3333 wives, but not to exceed tbat number. Some of these ladies are merely sl.ives, who work in tbe royal plantations nnd furnish the Court witb cassado and plantains; others reside in rooms luxuriously furnished, guarded by eunuchs, enjoying the delights of tobacco and palm wine in true Oriental style. Intrigue with a royal wife is punished by death; the executioners torture tbe offender from sunrise to sunset, leading bim about the town and performing fantasias upon his body with knives before the houees of all noted chieftains or strangers of distinction. Finally tbey lead the offender to the presence of the king, and literally cut hira to pieces before the throne. This horrible method of execution is only employed for the above-mentioned offence, and for the crime of mnrder. It is a curious custom in Ashantee that if the condemned man cries out a certain word or phrase be cannot ba killed, it gives him the right of sanctuary; the executioners, therefore steal upon their victim from behind, and begin proceedings by passing a dagger through both cheeks, whereby tbe mau is effectively gagged. When the king dies a number of lords in waiting kill themselves to serve as his escort to Shadow Land. These persons are called souls, ond wear a peculiar golil badge which indicates their office. At that time also a saturnalia nt blood is celebrated s hundreds of victims are sacrificed, and the young men of the royal house run about the town shooting whom they please — even the highest personages of the land. Thus the death of the King is a national misfortune, and that, perhaps, gives the only clue to the origin of these extraordinary customs. TbeAshanteea believe in Ufa after death, as we believe in the lands beyond the sea. Tbeir Ha les or Sheol is situated underground; there this life is continued, and becomes eternal. The King resumes his Royalty, and the slaves remain as slaves. Death, therefore, for them is only a migration, and they depart from life with equanimity. A womau slave, who was ono of those condemned to die, was stripped according to custom, and knocked on the bead, Being only stunned by the blow, she recovered her, senses, and saw herself surrounded by dead bodies. She ran into town, found the nobles sitting in Council, told them ehe had been to the land of the dead, and that she bad been sent back because she had no clothes. They must dress her finely ond kill her over again, which accordingly was done. This happened in a small kingdom adjoining Ashantee, the laws and customs of which are the same. One noble who had committed some crime offered a large ransom for his life, and finally his weight in gold. But the King cut off his head, aud also took possession of his gold, which just amounted in weight to tbat of the corpse. I bave myself seen a coast native of uo great importance with a j thousand pounds worth of gold upon him, ond most of that gold came from the mines of Ashantee. Finally, as to war. The Ashantee army is the nation. When the order

for the march is given nil the ablebodied men join their respective companies and leave the town, carrying a kind of meal as foo J. The women then parade the streets, and if they detect a man skulking behind, beat hira unmercifully. In tbe battle the generals occupy the rear, and cut down all those who retreat, If the battle is lost they kill themselves. One suicide of this kind I witnessed on the Volta. A battle took place between our allies and some allies of tho Asbantees. The latter wero defeated, and the Ashantee chief, who was present, threw the insignia of his rank into the river, nnd then sitting on a powder barrel, blew himself into tbe air.