Ashantee, the most notable of the existing savage kingdoms on the W. coast of Africa. Its boundaries are not accurately defined; but approximately the kingdom may be considered the region fronting the Gold Coast, between lat. 5° and 10° N. and Ion. 1° and 6° W. Until the commencement of the present century Ashantee was unheard of by Europeans, for the Fantees, a hostile tribe, occupied the coast. In 1807 Osai Tutu was king of Ashan-tee. He appears to have subjugated many of the neighboring tribes. Two of his tributary chiefs having lied to the Fantee country, Osai demanded that they should be given up to him. The demand was refused, and the Ashantee messengers were put to death. Osai thereupon made an incursion into the Fantee country, which he ravaged down to the coast. The British, who had a fort at Anamboe on the coast, undertook to shelter the flying Fan-tees. The Ashantees invested the fort and compelled the British governor to ask for peace. This peace was of brief duration. In 1817 the Ashantees again invaded the Fantee country, and took possession of it, their acquisition by right of conquest being recognized by the British governor of the fort. In 1823 the Fantees, encouraged by the British, rose against the Ashantees, who again marched into their country.

Sir Charles McCarthy, the British governor of the Gold Coast, undertook to chastise the invaders. A sharp action took place, Jan. 21, 1824, in which the British were defeated, the commander and nearly all his officers being killed. The victorious Ashantees came near capturing the British stronghold of Cape Coast Castle; but sickness coming on, they were obliged to withdraw to their own country. Since that time the Ashantees have kept aloof from the seaboard, but appear to have extended their dominion into the interior. Now and then travellers have made their way to Koomassie, the Ashantee capital, in lat. 6° 51' N., Ion. 2° 16' W. They report that the government is an absolute despotism. The king is the great property owner, and is the legal heir of all his subjects. Slavery exists on a large scale, many of the nobles having as many as 1,000 slaves. Up to within a few years the slave trade prospered and gave a large income to the masters; but now that the trade has declined, slavery seems likely to die out. Polygamy may be considered the special institution of Ashantee. The importance of a man is measured by the number of his wives; for these are the cheapest laborers. The king, it is said, is limited to 3,333 wives, who during the working season are scattered over his plantations.

While at home in the capital they occupy two streets, where they are secluded from all but the king and his female relatives; any other person who looks upon one of them, even by accident, is punished by death. As to their religion, human sacrifices seem to constitute the distinguishing feature. The soil is fertile, producing every kind of tropical grains and fruits. The abundance of gold displayed as ornaments shows that mines are common; many of the richest, however, are held sacred to the divinities, and so not worked. Among the special industries may be mentioned a beautiful fabric of cotton, woven in strips four inches wide, and afterward sewn together. A considerable commerce is carried on between Koomassie and Hoossa, Bornoo, Timbuctoo, and other points in the interior; the principal exports are gold dust and ivory. The population is estimated to reach, or even to exceed, 3,000,000. (See Gold Coast.)