Coomassie and Magdala Author:Henry Morton Stanley Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: have a rich and generous nation to treat with, which is among the most skilful and industrious in the world, and stands higher than Ashantee even in its love for... more » trade. Central Africa would soon be benefited, and the inhabitants around Lake Tchad would in time come to marvel at the palatial houses of the white merchants whose kafilahs ranged through the untrodden wilds of the interior. The people of the Protectorate think that this is as much England's war as their own ; and the British Government is now inclined to their way of thmking—hence the expedition to Coomassie. It is now nine months since the war began. Another month will probably roll by before the white soldiers will come and take up their line of march. England wasted time in talking and negotiating ; but she might have learned a lesson of promptitude from the savage Ashantees, who, quick as were the Prussians to invade France, were quicker and more expeditious than even they in their invasion of Fanteeland. The English have been twice unsuccessful in their war with Ashantee. In 1823 Sir Charles McCarthy and 600 gallant fellows perished before the furious onset of the Ashantees, and that brave soldier's skull, gold rimmed and highly venerated, is said to be still at Coomassie, used as a drinking-cup by King Coffee. In 1863-64 the English suffered severe loss. Couran marched to the Prah, 80 miles from here, and marched back again, being obliged to bury or destroy his cannon and hurriedly retreat to Cape Coast. I have not the information by me to give you the details of the disaster, but all the coast men speak of that expedition as ill-fated. It is now Sir Garnet Wolseley who is to try his fortune with the Ashantees. His antecedents lead us all to expect that it will be as successful as Napier's march to Magda...« less