generous, and his humanity much superior to his superstition and policy:-He is considered to take better care of his treasury than any of his predecessors; he cautiously extends his prerogative, and takes every opportunity of increasing the number of secondary captains, by dignifying the young men brought up about his person, and still retaining them in his immediate service.

The king's manners are a happy mixture of dignity and affability, they engage rather than encourage, and his general deportment is conciliating though repulsive. He speaks well, and more logically than most of his council, who are diffuse, but his superior talent is marked in the shrewd questions by which he fathoms a design or a narrative. He excels in courtesy, is wisely inquisitive, and candid in his comparisons; war, legislature, and mechanism, are his favourite topics of conversations. The great, but natural fault of the king is, his ambition; it has, perhaps, his honour, but it certainly has, and that never proved superior to the pledge of frequently, to his sense of justice, which is repressed rather than impaired by it.

There are three estates in the Ashantee government, the king, the aristocracy now reduced to four, and originally formed of the peers and associates of Sai Tootoo, the founder of the monarchy, and the assembly of captains: the aristocracy interfere in all foreign politics, extending even to a veto on the king's decision, but they watch rather than share the domestic administration; they also assist the king in the exercise of his judicial authority, while the general assembly of the caboceers and captains only meet to give publicity to the will of the other two estates, and to provide for its observance. idea of the freedom of their constitution may be formed, from the following anecdote :

Some

A son of the king's quarrelling with a son of Amanquateä's (one of the four), told him, that in comparison with himself, he was the son of a slave: this being reported to Amanquateä, he sent a party of his soldiers, who pulled down the house of the king's son and seized his person. The king hearing of it sent to Amanquateä, and learning the particulars, interceded for his son, and redeemed his head for twenty periguins of gold.

The succession to the throne is hereditary; the course is the brother, the sister's son, the chief vassal or slave to the stool; the sisters of the king may marry or intrigue with whom they please, provided he be an eminently strong or personable man; the blood of the king's son, or any of the royal family cannot be shed, but

when guilty of a crime of magnitude they are drowned in the river Dah.

The following are some others of their laws:

To be convicted of cowardice is death. If any subject picks up gold dropped in the market-place, it is death, being collected only by order of the government on emergencies.

Theft of the king's property, or intrigue with the female attendants of the royal family, or habitual incontinence, is punished by emasculation; but crim. con. with the wife of a man who has been so punished is death, being considered an aggravated contempt of law.

Interest of money is 33 one-third per cent. for every forty days, which is accompanied after the first period by a dash of liquor. When the patience of the creditor is exhausted, he seizes the debtor, or even any of his family, as slaves, and they can only be redeemed by the payment: this barbarous law was nearly the same in Athens.*

In almost all charges of treason, the life of the accuser is at risk as well as that of the accused, and is forfeited on the acquittal of the latter. I understood this from the best authorities to be indispensible as a check on the palavers; envy, spleen, or covetousness, would

otherwise accumulate.

The accuser is never discovered or confronted to the accused, nor the evidence revealed, until the latter has fully replied to the charge, as outlined by the king's linguists.

No man is punished for killing his own slave, but he is for the murder of his wife and child.+ If he kills the slave of another, he must pay his value. If a great man kills his equal in rank, he is generally allowed to die by his own hands: the death of an inferior is generally compensated by a fine to the family equal to seven slaves.+

If a person brings a frivolous palaver against another, he must give an entertainment to the family and friends of the acquitted.

If an aggry head is broken in a scuffle, seven slaves are to be paid to the owner. Trifling thefts are generally punished

In Ahanta, all old debts must be paid within six weeks from the commencement of the coutoom, or harvest custom. The creditor can panyar or seize not only the family, but the townsmen of the debtor.

In the kingdom of Amanahea or Apollonia,

the tenth child is always buried alive.

A person accidentally killing another in Ahanta, pays five ounces of gold to the family, and defrays the burial customs. In the case of murder, it is twenty ounces of gold and a slave; or he and his family become the slaves of the family deceased.

by the exposure of the party in various parts of the town, whilst the act is pub. lished; but more serious thefts cannot be visited on the guilty by any but his fa mily, who are bound to compensate the accuser and punish their relative or not, as they think fit; they may even put him or her to death, if the injury is serious, or the crime repeated or habitual.

If a man cohabit with a woman without the house, or in the bush, they are both the slaves of the first person who discovers them; but redeemable by their families.

It is forbidden, as it was by Lycurgus, to praise the beauty of another man's wife, being intrigue by implication.

If a woman involves herself in a palaver, she involves her family, but not her husband.

None but a captain can sell his wife, and he only, if her family are unable to redeem her by the repayment of the mar riage fee.

The property of the wife is distinct, and independent of the husband, though the king is the heir to it.

None but a captain can put his wife to death for infidelity, and even then he is expected to accept a liberal offer of gold from the family for her redemption. To intrigue with the wife of the king is

death.

If the family of a woman are able and willing, on the report of her dislike to her husband, or his ill-treatment of her, to tender him the marriage fee, he must accept it, and the woman returns to her family, but may not marry again.

If a husband is not heard of by his wife, for three years, she may marry again, and if the first husband returns, the claim of the second is the better; but, all the children of the after marriage are considered the property of the first husband, and may be pawned by him.

Those accused of witchcraft, or having a devil, are tortured to death.

The good treatment of slaves is in some degree provided for, by the liberty they have of dashing or transferring themselves to any freeman, whom they enjoin to make them his property by invoking his death, if he does not: an imperative appeal.

Such are the laws of the Ashantees, in many of which there is a near affinity to those of all rude and uncivilized states; and the same observation will apply to their superstitions :—

But the most surprising superstition of the Ashantees, is their confidence in the fetishes or saphies they purchase so extravagantly from the Moors, believing firmly that they make tnem invulnerable,

and invincible in war, paralyze the hand of the enemy, shiver their weapons, divert the course of balls, render both sexes prolific, and avert all evils but sickness (which they can only assuage) and natural death. The king gave to the king of Dagwumba, for the fetish or war coat of Apokoo, the value of thirty slaves; for Odumata's, twenty; for Adoo Quamina's, thirteen; for Akimpon's, twelve; for Akimponteä's, nine; and for those of greater captains in proportion. The generals being always in the rear of the army, are pretty sure to escape, a circumstance much in favour of the Moors. And such unbounded confidence have hey in these fetishes, that Mr. Bowdich relates, that,

Several of the Ashantee captains offered seriously to let us fire at them; in short, their confidence in these fetishes is almost as incredible as the despondency and panic imposed on their southern and western enemies by the recollection of them; they impel the Ashantees, fearless and headlong to the most daring enterprizes, they dispirit their adversaries, almost to the neglect of an interposition of fortune in their favour. The Ashantees believe, that the constant prayers of the Moors, who have persuaded them that they converse with the Deity, invigorate themselves, and gradually waste the spirit and strength of their enemies. This faith is not less impulsive than that which achieved the Arabian conquests.

The Yam custom of the Ashantees is a species of saturnalia held annually, just as that vegetable has arrived at maturity, which is generally in September; at this festival, neither theft, intrigue, or assault are punishable, but the grossest liberty prevails, and each sex abandons itself to its passions; all the caboceers, and captains, and the majority of the tributaries, are enjoined to attend, and the number, splendour, and variety of animals astonished our author, while the gratification was mixed with a most painful alloy, that of the principal caboceers sacrificing a slave at each quarter of the town, as they entered.

In the afternoon of Saturday, (the 6th of September) the king received all the caboceers and captains in the large area, where the Dankara canons are placed. The scene was marked with all the splendour of our own entrée, and many additional novelties. The crush in the distance was awful and distressing. All the heads of the kings and caboceers whose kingdoms had been conquered, from Sai Tootoo to the present reign, with those of the chiefs who had been executed for subsequent revolts, were displayed by

two parties of executioners, each upwards of a hundred, who passed in an impassioned dance, some with the most irresistible grimace, some with the most frightful gesture; they clashed their knives on the skulls, in which sprigs of thyme were inserted, to keep the spirits from troubling the king. I never felt so grateful for being born in a civilized country. Firing and drinking palm wine were the only divertissemens to the ceremony of the caboceers presenting themselves to the king; they were announced, and passed all round the circle, saluting every umbrella; their bands proceeded; we reckoned above forty drums in that of the king of Dwabin. The effect of the splendour, the tumult, and the musketry, was afterwards heightened by torch light. We left the ground at ten o'clock, the umbrellas were crowded even in the distant streets, the town was covered like a large fair; the broken sounds of distant horns and drums filled up the momentary pauses of the firing which encircled us; the uproar continued until four in the morning, just before which the king retired.

The next morning the king ordered a large quantity of rum to be poured into brass pans, in various parts of the town, the crowd pressing around and drinking like hogs; freemen and slaves, women and children, striking, kicking, and trampling each other under foot, pushed head foremost into the pans, and spilling much more than they drank. In less than an hour, excepting the principal men, not a sober person was to be seen, parties of four reeling and rolling under the weight of another, whom they affected to be carrying home; strings of women covered with red paint, hand in hand, falling down like rows of cards; the commonest mechanics and slaves furiously declaiming on state palavers; the most discordant music, the most obscene songs, children of both sexes prostrate in insensibility. All wore their handsomest cloths, which they trailed after them to a great length, in a drunken emulation of extravagance and dirtiness.

From this disgusting scene, we turn to one of the most sanguinary cruelty :

About a hundred persons, mostly culprits reserved, are generally sacrificed in different quarters of the town, at this custom. Several slaves were also sacrificed at Bantama, over the large brass pan, their blood mingling with the various vegetable and animal matter within (fresh and putrified) to complete the charm, and produce invincible fetish. All the chiefs kill several slaves, that their blood may flow into the hole from

whence the new yam is taken. Those who cannot afford to kill slaves, take the head of one already sacrificed, and place it on the hole.

A few other traits are worthy of notice :

The decease of a person is announced by a discharge of musketry proportionate to his rank, or the wealth of his family. In an instant you see a crowd of slaves burst from the house, and run towards the bush, flattering themselves that the hindmost, or those surprised in the house, will furnish the human victims for sacrifice, if they can but secrete themselves until the custom is over. The body is then handsomely drest in silk and gold, and laid out on the bed, the richest clothes beside it.* One or two slaves are then sacrificed at the door of the house. I shall describe the custom for Quatchie Quofiè's mother, which we witnessed, August the 2d, it was by no means a great one, but it will give the most correct idea of these splendid, but barbarous ceremonies. The king, Quatchie Quofie, and Odumata each sacrificed a young girl, directly the deceased had breathed her last, that she might not want for attendants until the greater sacrifice was made. The retainers, adherents, and friends of the family then sent contributions of gold, powder, rum, and cloth, to be expended at the custom; the king as heir, exceeding every quota but that of the nearest relative, who succeeded to the stool and slaves. The king also sent a sum of gold, and some rich clothes to be buried with the deceased, in the basket or coffin.

On the death of a king, all the customs which have been made for. the subjects who have died during his reign, must be simultaneously repeated by the families, (the human sacrifices as well as the carousals and pageantry) to amplify that for the monarch, which is also solemnized independently, but at the same time in every excess of extravagance and barbarity. The brothers, sons and nephews, of the king, affecting temporary insanity, burst forth with their muskets, and fire promiscuously among the crowd; even a man of rank, if they meet him, is their victim, nor is their murder of him or any other, on such an occasion, visited or Tum membra toro defleta reponunt, Purpureasque super vestes, velamina nota. Conjiciunt. En. VI.

In Fantee they dress the body richly, and usually prop it erect in a chair, exposing it until it is dangerous to do so any longer; they hang it in their house, with as many gold ornaments as they can afford to dedicate. The men called the town drummers are only allowed to die standing, and when expiring are snatched up and supported in that posture. In Ahanta they frequently exhibit the body chalked all over.

prevented; the scene can scarcely be imagined. Few persons of rank dare to stir from their houses for the first two or three days, but religiously drive forth all their vassals and slaves as the most acceptable composition of [for] their own absence. The king's Ocras, are all murdered on his tomb, to the number of a hundred or more, and women in abundance. I was assured by several, that the custom for Sai Quamina, was repeated weekly for three months, and that two hundred slaves were sacrificed, and twentyfive barrels of powder fired each time. But the custom for the king's mother, the regent of the kingdom during the invasion of the Fantee is most celebrated. The king of himself devoted three thousand victims, (upwards of two thousand of whom were Fantee prisoners) and twenty-five barrels of powder. Dwabin, Kokoofoo, Becqua, Soota, and Marmpong, furnished one hundred victims, and twenty barrels of powder each, and most of the smaller towns ten victims and two barrels of powder each.

The laws of Ashantee allow the king three thousand three hundred and thirty three wives, which number is carefully kept up to enable him to present women to those who distinguish themselves, but this number being considered a mystical one, is never exceeded; but the king has seldom more than six resident with him in the palace.

The population of Ashantee cannot easily be ascertained, but Mr. Bowdich, from the military force, which amounted to 204,000, does not think the population of the whole can be less than a million; of these Coomassie, the capital is. bv the Ashantees, said to contain 100,000 on Mr. Bowdich thinks the average numper of residents does not exceed 15,000; this city is built upon the side of a large rocky hill of iron stone, and is nearly four miles in circumference; the markets which are held daily from eight in the morning until sun set, are abundantly supplied with meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, &c., and their principal articles of their commerce.

For fame, and thumps, and broken noddle, Though oft, hard fate, on wooden pin they toddle;

Turn grey in service---for battles fit no more, And reck'ning back, they find in days of yore, They were much younger, stronger and the like, But now old pensioners, with long rusted pike, Telling the youth, of battles, glories bought At too high price, if one might judge;

Or that the prize, the veteran's life had sought,

Withheld by jealous fortune, as a grudge
She owed him, for his daring her in strife
Of arms, heedless of gift from her---or life.
Well, as I said, Pat Murragh was hard up;

He fought, and lustily, for his own dear safety,
And hard about the Tartar's head did larrup,
Wid a shelaleh, which he had from Rafety.
But all no use, for Paddy's fate I reckon
Was fixed before---for pris'ner he was taken;
But thought he'd rather be at large, he vowed
With all his might, to call some comrade of his

horde :

"Holloa,"---he cried, "my lads, I've caught a Tartar!

Than he, my sprigs, there's scarcely any smarter."

'Bring him along,” cried one, who heard the

noise;

"And so I would," said Pat," my hearty joys, Only the divil will not stir a peg;

Come here, my boys, and pull him by de leg."
"Och! no, Pat Murragh, 'tis only one man's
work,

Bring him yourself---for as I came from Cork,
I know too well when I've got clean out
Of bodder!---So, dear honey! I'd have ye come

wid out."

"Och! so I would," cried Pat," wid all my will,

Ounly you see, my boy, I'm boddered still;
He will not come himself---now this will fret ye,
I'd come to you---ounly he will not let me."
Marylebone.
B. Wt.

My Common Place Book,
No. L.

CHOICE SPECIMENS OF THE
BATHOS PRECIPITATE.

Sir Edmund Gulley.-Became possessed of a handsome property on the death of his uncle, February 7th, 1818.Sat down to Rouge et Noir, February 14th, 1818, twelve o'clock, P. M.-Shot himself through the head, February 15th, 1818, two o'clock, A. M.

Lord F. Maple.-Acquired great eclat Horsewhipped for a scoundrel at the in an affair of honour, March 2nd, 1818. second Newmarket meeting, 1818.

Mr. G. Bungay.-September, 1819 Four in hand.-Blood Horses.-Shag coat-pearl buttons. October, 1819, plain chaise and pair.

Sir Diddle Hodiddle.-Lauded at a public dinner as a tip-top Philanthropist and friend of suffering humanity.-Arrested same evening, on returning home bill. muzzy, for non-payment of his tailor's

A POET.

IN the highest and strictest sense of that word, is he who is a maker, an inventor, whose imagination, or shaping things unknown, and can create realities power, can and does embody the forms of out of airy nothings. This energy, which is the highest heaven of invention in a poet, is not, however, peculiar, in an exclusive manner, to a writer of verses; it may exist as vitally and essentially in prose; rhythm and meter, are to this power, as two wings to a soul, investing it with the robes and resemblances of a Seraphim; therefore the wise man of Israel was a poet, when he burst forth, «Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah; comely as Jerusalem; terrible as mosthenes was a poet, when, by an inan army with banners:" therefore Destantaneous effort of his power, he evoked the canonized shades of his ancestors, and spell-bound mob around him: therefore caused them, as it were, to flit over the Jeremy Taylor was a poet, when he prayed for humility," And yet I know that thou resistest the proud, and didst cast the morning star, the angels, from Heaven, into chains of darkness, when they, giddy and proud, walk upon the battlements of