QUESTION. (Hansard, 20 May 1873)

THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE
asked the Colonial Secretary, Whether native troops are to be sent to the coast of Africa from the West Indies; also, whether any explanation has been received from the Administrator as to his mistaken estimate of the Ashantee power? Sufficient precautions did not seem to have been taken by the Administrator against the Ashantee attack. Re-inforcements ought to have been there four months ago, and the Ashantees, after burning the villages, and murdering or making slaves of the people under the British Protectorate, must now be only a few miles from Cape Coast Castle. Another point was that the natives depended entirely upon the British Government for ammunition, but they had not been supplied with an adequate quantity. What they wanted, also was a few European Officers to lead them. With ammunition and proper leaders they seemed to behave very well in action.

THE EARL OF KIMBERLEY
said, he would inform the noble Earl in a few words what was the drift of the last news received from the Gold Coast. It amounted simply to this—that since the battle in which the Fantis had, on the whole, the worst of it—although he believed they need not have retreated had they not been seized with a panic—the Ashantees had not, at the date of the last advices, made any further advance. That was the sum total of the news, which was dated the 24th of last month. He purposely omitted to mention the various rumours which prevailed, because, as the truth of them had not been ascertained, they would only mislead 165 their Lordships. The Ashantees, however, had made no forward movement since the last battle. He admitted that sufficient importance had not been attributed to the attack of the Ashantees, and that in the report which had been received by the Government, in the first instance, the numbers of the attacking force had been under-estimated. Allowance, however, must be made for the difficulty of procuring trustworthy information. Every measure had, however, been taken to secure the safety of the settlement. Colonel Harley, the new Administrator, had from the first attached great importance to this invasion. He knew that Colonel Harley had written to Governor Hennessey in this sense, and as he had at that period been a very short time on the Coast, Colonel Harley had shown himself by no means deficient in insight and prudence. With regard to the measures taken for the protection of the Settlement, the Government had sent out about 100 men—50 Marine Light Infantry and 50 Marine Artillery—not to form an expedition, but that they might assist in holding the forts and in protecting the coast towns. It was, as the noble Earl was aware, convenient under such circumstances to have men who could remain on board ship when they were not urgently required on land. The rainy season had now commenced, and that would impede the Ashantees in their movements. The West India troops would be re-in-forced by between 200 and 300 men, so that the whole regiment would be on the Coast. The reinforcements were the reliefs that would have been sent later, but had been despatched in anticipation. But while the Government had thought it right to send an additional body of troops to the Gold Coast, he admitted that the most efficient force was the native police. Mr. Hennessey recommended some time ago that a larger force of Houssa police should be substituted by degrees for the troops. This suggestion had received his approval; and although the increase of the native police had been somewhat impeded by recent occurrences, he had been so convinced that for all purposes of efficiency and economy it was better to have native police than West India troops on this coast, that he had communicated with the War Office requesting that four or 166 five officers should be selected and sent out to the Coast expressly to discipline and lead the native police. It seemed desirable that the force to be raised on the Gold Coast should be formed partly of Houssa police and partly of Fanti police, forming, however, distinct bodies of men, as it was not desirable to mix the two races, and he might mention that police who were present in the recent engagement behaved in a manner worthy of disciplined troops. Lieutenant Hopkins commanded the whole, and he was glad to find that the Administrator had reported that the behaviour of Lieutenant Hopkins, of Mr. Rowe, the second in command, and of all the white officers, was excellent in every respect. It had been stated that last week a rocket battery was sent out. It might be inferred thence that there had been no rocket battery on the Coast; but a rocket battery was used against the Ashantees, and had done severe execution against them. Indeed, if the Fantis had had the courage to advance when the Ashantees were thrown into disorder by the rockets, the result of the engagement might have been different. The Government had since sent out a further supply of rockets. With regard to the supply of powder, he was afraid it was used so recklessly by the natives, that it was almost impossible to supply their demands; but the Administrator had no instructions to limit the supply. He exercised his own discretion, and, no doubt, it was a sound one. Large supplies had been sent out, and the Government would take all the necessary steps herein. The last point to which he would advert was the discrepancy between the earlier and later statements of Colonel Harley as to the number of the Ashantees forming the army of invasion. Upon this point he would read the explanation of the Administrator, Colonel Harley, in a despatch dated Cape Coast Castle, April 12, 1873, said— I fear there can be little doubt now that the Ashantees are in considerable force. I had not thought so, and my conclusion was not without some reason, as knowing something of the resources of the food supply in the districts they occupy, I imagined they could not maintain so large a force as has been variously represented at 12, 15, 20, 25, and as much as 40,000 men; but from reliable and intelligent evidence this is said to be the whole fighting strength of the Ashantee Power. It appears, however, from the evidence of prisoners that large supplies of food were brought with the army from Coomassie, 167 carried by slaves, and that the supply is so continued. Prisoners also state that they have suffered severely in the last engagement, and that they have lost some of their head men or generals. There is no doubt their casualties must have been large, if any comparison may be drawn from our own. This was, no doubt, a serious state of things; but the Administrator had taken prompt and active measures, and it was only due to Colonel Harley to state that, so far as he was aware, the Colonial Office had great reason to be satisfied with his proceedings.

THE EARL OF CARNARVON
said, he feared we had embarked in another African war, of a costly, doubtful, and hitherto unsuccessful character. He should be glad to know whether any Papers could be laid upon the Table which would give their Lordships some clue as to the nature and causes of this war.

THE EARL OF KIMBERLEY
said, there might be a difficulty in presenting all the Papers at this moment, as some of thorn might affect individuals, but it was the intention of the Government to lay the Papers on the Table. Meanwhile, he might refer the noble Earl to the Correspondence already published relating to the transfer of the Dutch forts to this country, which threw considerable light on the pretensions of the King of Ashantee to the territory in question.

THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE
said, he would have deemed the noble Earl's remarks more satisfactory if he had held out hopes that some 5,000 men would be collected on the spot as soon as possible. He hoped the noble Earl would urge upon those who had the direction of the war the necessity of seeing that the natives had a reasonable supply of ammunition.