§ MR. LOUGH (Islington, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether there has been any cause for the recent rising in Ashanti except the attempt of the Governor to seize the golden stool, and why it was necessary to take that step; and whether he can state what 692 has been the total loss of life to our forces in and the cost of the expedition up to the present, and whether any estimate has been formed of the numbers of natives killed.
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAIN(1) It is impossible to ascribe the war with certainty to any definite act, but I am convinced that the cause lay far deeper than, the trivial incident to which the hon. Member refers. (2) The total loss of life in our forces is nine Europeans and 103 natives killed, and five Europeans and thirty-one natives died of disease. The cost of the operations has not yet been ascertained, but, so far, £132,300 has been expended out of the £200,000 voted by Parliament as a loan to the Gold Coast. It has not been possible to form an estimate of the number of Ashantis killed.
§ MR. LOUGHHas the golden stool been obtained, and is there any reason to insist on the natives giving it up?
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAINIt has not been obtained, and I am not aware of any insistence of the kind.