veral hundred men through
the Fanti country, burning, destroying, and slaying as usual, and had
taken refuge with his men in Elmina. From this time the desultory war
between the Elminas and their Ashanti allies, and the Fantis of the
neighborhood had never ceased. Our influence over our allies was
but small, for we in vain endeavored to persuade them to give up the
invasion of Elmina. We even cut off the supplies of powder and arms to
the Fantis, whose loyalty to our rule was thereby much shaken.

All these troubles induced the Dutch to come to the decision to
withdraw altogether, and they accordingly offered to transfer all their
possessions to us. The English government determined not to accept the
transfer if it should lead to troubles with the natives, and as a first
step required that the Ashanti force should leave Elmina. In 1870 the
King of Ashanti wrote to us claiming Elmina as his, and protesting
against its being handed over to us. According to native ideas the king
of Ashanti's claim was a just one. The land upon which all the forts,
English, Dutch, Danish, and French, were built had been originally
acquired from the native chiefs at a fixed annual tribute, or as we
regarded it as rent, or as an annual present in return for friendly
relations. By the native customs he who conquers a chief entitled to
such a payment becomes the heir of that payment, and one time the King
of Ashanti upon the strength of his conquest of the Fantis set up a
claim of proprietorship over Cape Coast and the other British forts.

Of a similar nature was the claim of the Ashantis upon Elmina. The Dutch
had paid eighty pounds a year, as they asserted, as a present, and they
proved conclusively that they had never regarded the King of Ashanti as
having sovereignty over their forts, and that he had never advanced such
a claim. They now arrested Atjempon, and refused to pay a further sum
to the King of Ashanti until he withdrew his claim. In order to settle
matters amicably they sent an envoy to Coomassie with presents for the
king, and obtained from him a repudiation of his former letter, and a
solemn acknowledgment that the money was not paid as a tribute. The
king sent down two ambassadors to Elmina, who solemnly ratified this
declaration.

The transfer was then effected. We purchased from the Dutch their forts
and stores, but the people of Elmina were told that we should not take
possession of the place except with their consent; bu