Despatches from the Gold Coast were published in London on
Tuesday announcing a victory over the Ashantees at Abra- krampa, where a gallant little force of 50 Marines and Blue- jackets, 96 negroes of the 2nd West India Regiment, 75 Houssas, and 431 natives of sorts, commanded by Major C. B. Russell, were attacked on 5th November by an army of Ashantees, which they totally routed, before Sir Garnet Wolseley, with 300 Blue-jackets and Marines, could arrive to their assistance. We have tried to explain the great importance of this affair elsewhere, but may add that the "native allies," the Fantees, proved useless ; but the Houssas and Koasos, the latter a fierce tribe from Sierra Leone, who go at their work with steel alone, behaved as bravely as the whites. In a reconnais- sance executed by Colonel Festing from Dunquah, on November 3, he reports the grossest cowardice on the part of the native allies ; but still, with 80 of the 2nd West Indians, 9 men of Rait's Artil- lery, 12 policemen, and 1,100 of the said cowards, he defeated the Ashantees so far that they broke up their camp and fled towards the Prah, the Colonel losing only one officer, Lieutenant Eardley-Wilmot, The fact appears to be that none of the native allies will move without white leadership, and that consequently till the soldiers arrive the officers have to do more than they can per- form, are, in fact, expended like shells to clear a way for the men. The first two regiments were not expected to arrive till December 12, and the "Black Watch" only sailed on Thursday, an arrange- ment having been made with General Wolseley not to land them till the healthiest season. It now appears that the Marines do not suffer in the bush, but only on the coast, and only there probably from bad sanitary arrangements.
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