3-065-859 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Inner courtyard of the King of Ashantee's Palace, 1874. The British plundering in West Africa. Extract from 'Mr. Stanley's volume, "Coomassie [Kumasi] and Magdala"...The first half of Mr. Stanley's volume is occupied with the more recent Ashantee War [Third Anglo-Ashanti War]: "On proceeding finally to the stone structure, which is the King's private residence, we found the interior court and the rooms opening upon it filled with curious, but intrinsically valueless, articles; while the upper story contained much valuable plunder...The lower part of the lofty walls of stucco was painted red, the upper part white. The designs, diamond-shaped, scrollwork done in alto-relievo, were bolder than anything of the kind we had yet seen...During the day the prize agents went into the palace and the principal chiefs' houses, and proceeded to pack up the most costly things they could discover to sell for the benefit of the army after its arrival at Cape Coast. The trophies were sold at Cape Coast, and netted about £5000".' Henry Morton Stanley was the journalist famous for his exploration of Central Africa and search for missionary David Livingstone. The Aban Palace at Kumasi, royal residence of the Asantehene, was destroyed during the British invasion. From "Illustrated London News", 1874.