Evening Post. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1895. THE ASHANTEE DIFFICULTY.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 123, 21 November 1895, Page 2

Evening Post. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1895. THE ASHANTEE DIFFICULTY.

? To-day's cabled nowa from London brings the pleasant intelligence that Mr. Chamberlain has worthily austainod his great reputation by the avoidance of another little war. Aahantco is not to bo invaded by British troops, and the young bloods who lately crowded tho War Offioe to tender thoir swords to Lord Wolselet for another march to Coomassie will havo to wait for developments in tho East | or slako thoir appotito for slaughter by the destruction of the big f oar-footed game of Africa, rather than the dusky negro. The cable tells us that Mr. Chamberlain has acoepted the assurance of tho Ashantee KnvoyH that Great Britain's demands will be complied with ; tho King will pay tho cost incurred by our Government for military preparations, and troops will not be scut to tho capital of King Pkemi'EH ualeaa the term 3of the agreement are repudiates. Some light is thrown upon tho terms of this agreoment by recent mail advices, and thefi9 wo give. It waa but yesterday wo wore told that the King had flouted the ProConsul of the Gold Coast by sending two common persona at envoys to that representative of British power, and a little war waa imminent, in which event, m donbt, the negro notentato would have shared the fate of his predeoessor, while his te-ritory would bo exploited by tho Jlritit-li trader, if not annexed to the British Crown. It was in 1873-4 that tho British army entered the native empiroof Ashanteo, and left it a loose federation of disaffected States, tho atrongoßt of all being Kumaaai, to rule over which the British Government plaoed tho present King Preaxpeh, who waß put forward by the pooplo as tho rightful representative. Hu was at that time only 14 yi'ara of aj;o. but he waa accepted by tho more powerful faction in tho country fta

King of Kumasai, and has retained that position. Now, however, bo dvn 1 -" sovereignty over A a kinte(\aml indeed br had himself installed in tnat ambitiom ofhoe m June la3t This cremony was not. liowover, countpTianocl b- tbo B-iii«h (ine'T.menr, and it is aliened i-> equilly withoot sanction of local custom However, it | wou'il seem that young Kimr Pkfmi'lh anil the Governor ot the Hold Coift are at odd-i ns to various mattois Pnkmi'EH per-sist-i, it is sad, in cftciing occasional human saoiiliots, after the manner ot his fmcfatheri, and in making raid* for slaves, ail of which is opposed to thotieaty wade at the of the "year of 187t Last year Prempfh was asked to sign an agreement whioh would have placed a British Resident iv hid capital, prevented the conquest of adjoining States, and generally allowed a free hand to the British tracer, who in Africa is probably the most asgressivc rascal alive. The dusky young monarch, desirous to govern hi 3 subjects in hia own way, refused thoso ovortures, and until yesterday they were apparently to be enforced at the point of tho bayonet. All this readslikc the old story of tho untutored savago who relied npon hia bruto strength to repel the march ot civilisation, or British trade ; but, iv tho slang of tho time, King Prempeh " knows his way abo'it," for wo find him dospityhing an Embassy to London, whose legal adviser formulatod the following statement of his client's case :—'" According to my instructions, it would appear that Pkemprh was not elected to the throne of Ashantec by ns, so mneh so that we refrained to interfere with the Ashantee selection at all, but fully recognised their action by having present, onr official representative at the coronation, and acknowledged him as Kiugof Ashantee Thoro cannot bo any manner of doubt about this, as it ia borne ont by the Blue-book records from 1883 to 1801. I am told that whon tho British Government submitted the proposal that a British Resident should be received, tho King waa correctly designated by us as ' King of Ashantee,' although we were aware at that time of the fact now alleged ' that tho old Ashantee confederation had been broken up,' a confederation which I am instructed had nevor existed. My clients emphatically deny that the King has ever broken or violated any of his treaty engagements. They deny, too, that he has countenanced human sacrifice, a fact which, I am told, is negatived by our own records, nor has he, it is urged, hampored trade and attacked tribes under British protection. It is also denied that he has raided for slaves Ou the contrary, my clients inform mo that the King has cause to complain of want of frankness towards him, and that our representative on the Gold Coast, whilst professing friendship towards the King, has been acting contrary to his pledges. The King is prepared to open his country to British skill, and does not seek to hamper British trade, as ia suggested. Tho Ambaaaadora submit that the fact of Ashantee being ' within the Bphere of British influence' does not carry away tho King's independonoe as a Sovereign, nor justify the hostile attitude our Government are assuming. That the King ia an independent Sovereign there cannot bo any question, in the face of the reply of the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies given in F.obrnary last ; and if England claims tho right to aond a Mission to the King whenevor she feels inclined, my clients urge that the same privileges shonld be extended to their King when he is acting with bonn fide*, and in the honest belief that he is acting within his rights." If the statements of tho Envoys are to be relied upon, it would seem that the King had fouud it necessary to appeal from the ProConsul unto Caisar, and apparently Pre mpeh was astute enough to know that he could only obtain a fitting hearing in Downingatreet by expressing his intention to fight, and so have questions asked in the Honse of Commons, and get leading articles in Iho Tunis, and tho rest. All of whioh prepared the way for his Envoys, who yesterdiy came toafiiendly settlement with the Secretary of btato for the Colonies.