Ashantee proper is covered with almost impenetrable forest, the routes through which consist merely of narrow winding tracts, where, though it is possible for a man to ride, or a palanquin to be carried, no waggon of any description could pass. Many of the trees attain splendid proportions, but the monotony is oppressive, and is hardly ever relieved by the sight of either bird or beast. The country round the towns in the interior, however, is cultivated with care, the fields being kept clean, and yielding in abundance grain, yams, vegetables, and fruits. The territory yields also a considerable quantity of gold. The Ashantees are skilful in several species of manufacture, particularly in weaving the great African fabric of cotton. Their pottery and works in gold also show skill, though surpassed by those produced in the more southern countries. A large quantity of silver-plate and goldsmith’s work of great value and considerable artistic elaboration was found in 1874 in the king’s palace of Coomassie, not the least remarkable objects being masks of beaten gold. The influence of Moorish art is perceptible in everything.

The government of Ashantee is a mixture of monarchy and military aristocracy; the lower orders being held in complete thraldom, and liable to be put to death or sold into slavery at the will of the chiefs. The king carries on all the ordinary administration of the state; but in questions relating to peace or war he is bound to consult the council of the caboceers or captains. Each of these cabo-ceers keeps a little court, where he makes a profuse display of barbaric pomp. Polygamy is indulged in to an enormous extent, the king has a regular allowance of 3333 wives, but many of these are employed as guards or in menial services. The crown descends to the king’s brother, or his sister’s son, riot to his own offspring.

The dreadful system of human sacrifice, practised among the Ashantees, is founded on a wild idea of piety towards parents and other connections—the chiefs fancying that the rank of their dead relatives in the future world will be measured by the number of attendants sent after them. There are two periods, called the great Adai and little Adai, succeeding each other at intervals of eighteen and twenty-four days, at which human victims, chiefly prisoners of war or condemned criminals, are often immolated to a monstrous extent. On the great Adai, which always falls on a Sunday, the king visits the burial-grounds of the princes and the royal mausoleum at Bantama, where the skeletons of his predecessors—their bones held together by links of gold—sit in grim mockery of state. Still more dreadful is the “custom” celebrated after the death of the king, or any member of the royal house.

Early in the 18th century the Ashantees first came under the notice of Europeans, through their successful wars with the kingdoms bordering on the maritime territory. Osai Tutu may be considered as the real founder of the Ashantee power. He either built or greatly extended Coomassie, the capital; he subdued the neighbouring state of Denkera (1719) and the Mahometan countries of Gaman and Banna, and extended the empire by conquests both on the east and west. At last he was defeated and slain (1731); but his successor, Osai Apoko, made further acquisitions towards the coast.

In 1800, Osai Tutu Quamina, an enterprising and ambitious man, who appears early to have formed the desire of opening a communication with white nations, became king. About 1807 two chiefs of the Assins, whom he had defeated in battle, sought refuge among the Fantees, the ruling people on the coast. On the refusal of the Fantees to deliver up the fugitives, he invaded their country, defeated them, and drove them towards the sea. At length they reached the town of Annamaboe, where there was then a British fort. The governor exhorted the citizens to come to teπns, and offered to mediate; but they resolved to abide the contest. The resuit was the destraction of the town, with great slaughter of the inhabitants. The Ashantees failed, however, to storm the English fort, though the garrison was reduced from 24 to 8 men. A truce was agreed to, and the king refusing to treat except with the chief governor of Cape Coast, Colonel Torranne repaired to Annamaboe, where he was received with great pomp. A treaty was concluded by which the whole territory of Fantee, including Cape Coast Castle, was ceded by right of conquest to the Ashantee empire.

In 1817 the British Government sent Messrs James, Bowdich, and Hutchison on a mission to Coomassie. They were received with dignified politeness. After one or two harmonious interviews, the king advanced a claim for certain sums which the British were bound to pay to the native Governments, and which the Fantees had been accustomed to receive, for permission to hold fortified factories. Mr James proposed to refer this claim to the Government at Cape Coast Castle; whereupon the king broke out into uncontrollable rage, calling the deputies cheats and liars. Messrs Bowdich an<l Hutchison, thinking that the English interests and the safety of the mission were endangered, took the negotiation into their own hands. A treaty was concluded, by which all the king’s demands were satisfied; and, after a residence of several months, they returned to Cape Coast.

The Government at home, though they demurred somewhat to the course that had been pursued, saw the wisdom of cultivating intercourse with this powerful African king. They sent out, therefore, to his court, as a fixed resident, Μ. Dupuis, who arrived at Cape Coast in January 1819. By that time the British local Government had been gained over to the interest of the Fantees. An insurrection had arisen in the interior of the Ashantee territory, respecting which exaggerated rumours had been listened to with blind credulity. Insulting messages were sent to the king, who was also informed that the inhabitants of Cape Coast were setting his authority at defiance, and were forming a wall to defend the town. The governor, on various pretences, detained Μ. Dupuis for some time; but at length, on the arrival of more than one ambassador from the king, allowed him to proceed. Μ. Dupuis set out on the 9th February 1820, and on the 28th arrived at Coomassie. After several confidential meetings with the king, a treaty was drawn up, which adjusted all the differences between the two parties. The king dismissed Μ. Dupuis with many marks of esteem and kindness, sending along with him two natives of distinction, to proceed as ambassadors to England. On his return to Cape Coast he found that the governor disowned the treaty, as betraying British interests and transferring to Ashantee the sovereignty of the Gold Coast. At the same time the Fautee party persuaded Sir George Collier to refuse to transport the Ashantee ambassadors to Britain.

Μ. Dupuis returned to England to represent the particulars to the Government; but an entire change meantime took place in the administration of British affairs in Africa. The African Company was abolished by Act of Parliament in 1821, and the forts and possessions transferred to the Crown. Sir Charles McCarthy was invested with the government of all this range of coast. On his arrival in 1822 he adopted the Fanteo policy, placed the town in a posture of defence, and formed alliances with the neighbouring tribes. It was hoped that the hostile attitude of the English would overawe the king, but lie speedily declared open war.

After one or two unimportant successes, the British force was completely routed in Essamaco, near the boundary stream of the Prah, by a native army of about 10,000 men. Sir Charles M*Carthy was slain, and only 50 men, including two officers, returned to the castle. On the very day of this defeat Osai Tutu Quamina died, and was succeeded by Osai Okoto. The Ashantee army now marched upon Cape Coast, laying waste the country with fire and sword. At that place, however, detachments of reserve had united with the wrecks of the main corps, and vigorously prepared for defence. The king made repeated and desperate assaults, but at last sustained a signal defeat at Dudowab, on the 7th August 1826. In 1828 all public establishments were withdrawn by the British Government, and the chief power was transferred to a company of African merchants. In 1831 the king was obliged to purchase peace at the price of 6000 ounces of gold, and to send his son as a hostage to Cape Coast Castle. Since this event the Ashantee power has become extinct on the coast. By the treaty concluded at the end of the war, the river Prah was fixed as the boundary of the Ashantee kingdom, and all the tribes to the south of it were placed under British protection.

In 1843 the Crown resumed the government of the Gold Coast. Towards the end of 1852 the Ashantee monarch seemed disposed to interfere with the states absolved from his jurisdiction. Two Assin chiefs, who had revolted from Ashantee and joined the Fantee alliance, were discovered to be intriguing with the king of Ashantee; and that monarch, under pretext of making “custom” for the late chief of Denkera, crossed the Prah with a force of about 7000 men. These warlike movements naturally excited much uneasiness at Cape Coast Castle, but the negotiations of the authorities were successful in averting the storm. From 1853 to 1863 there was peace between Ashantee and the Government of Cape Coast Castle; but in the latter year disagreements broke out on account of a refusal to deliver up certain Ashantee refugees. In 1867 it was agreed that all the Dutch forts to the east of the Sweet Biver should be handed over to Britain in exchange for all the British forts to the west cf that river. Unexpected difficulties, however, arose, which led the Dutch Government to offer all their possessions in that district to Britain, on certain commercial privileges being guaranteed to them. Hereupon the king of Ashantee objected to the transfer of Fort Elmiι∣a; but the superiority he alleged was completely disproved, and the proposal took effect on April 6,1872.

Meanwhile another matter of dispute arose between the king and the English. Messrs Kühne, Ramsayer, and Palmer, and a Frenchman named Bonnat, having been inveigled into captivity by an Ashantee chief, the British Government demanded their surrender; but this, on various pretexts, was obstinately refused by the king. War had for some time been imminent, and at length, on January 22, 1873, an Ashantee force crossed the Prah, and invaded. the British protectorate. The importance of the invasion was soon recognised, not only by the local authorities, but by the Government at home; and measures were taken for the defence of the territory and the punishment of the assailants, which ultimately culminated in the despatch of Sir Garnet Wolseley as her Majesty’s administrator, £800,000 being voted in parliament for the expenses of the expedition. On landing (October 2) at Cape Coast, he found that the Ashantee nation was in arms to the number of 40,000; the Fantee tribes were fragmentary and languid; and the country was extremely unhealthy for European troops. He determined, however, to march to Coomassie, and dictate terms to the king from his own capital. On January 20, 1874, the river Prah was crossed; on the 24th the Adansi hills were reached; on the 31st there was severe fighting at Amoaful; on the 1st of February Becquah was captured; and on the 4th the victorious army was in Coomassie. The town was full of Ashantee soldiers, but no attempt was made to turn the fortune of the war. As the rainy season was setting in, all possible haste was requisite; in two days, therefore, the homeward march was commenced, the city being left behind in flames. By the time that Fommanah was reached (February 13), the king sent his envoys to conclude a treaty, whereby he agreed, among other conditions, to pay 50,000 ounces of gold, to renounce all claim to homage from certain neighbouring kings, and all pretensions of supremacy over any part of the former Dutch protectorate, to promote freedom of trade, to keep open a road from Coomassie to the Prah, and to do his best to check the practice of human sacrifice. Besides coloured troops, there were employed in this campaign about 2400 Europeans, who suffered severely from fever and otherwise, though the mortality on the whole was slight. The success of the expedition was greatly facilitated by the exertions of Captains Glover, Butler, and Dalrymple, who effected important diversions with very inadequate resources.

Seethe works of Bowdich (1819), Dupuis (1824), Ricketts (1831), Beecham (1841), Stanley, Winwood Reade, Boyle, Brackenbury (1874).