and which was always to accompany him; but he acquainted me, that he only had with him one small keg of ball and one of powder, which was immediately issued to the men, but which, it may be supposed, did not last very long. The enemy perceiving that our fire had become slacker, attempted to cross the river, and succeeded; they had frequently attempted the same thing before, but were repulsed with great slaughter; they at the same time sent a very considerable force round our flanks to cut off our retreat, which they completely succeeded in doing, from their superior numbers: the whole now became one scene of confusion, the enemy having intermixed with us. In my retreat I observed His Excellency a cousiderable distance before me, soon after which some guns were fired from the direction in which he was going, and there was a general rush back of the people who were following him, but after which I saw no more of His Excellency; the people took different directions, and a number of the wounded men followed me into the thickest parts of the woods, through which, with the assistance of a Wassawman, who undertook, for a reward, to guide us. We travelled the whole of that night and half the next day, frequently going a considerable distance through a stream of water, for the purpose of hiding our track. When we got into the wood leading to Assamacow, and proceeded about five miles, a party of the enemy was reported to be before us, we therefore retreated and got into another path leading to the same place, but we had not proceeded above three miles, when we had again to retreat, as a party of the enemy was just before us. Just about sun-set I fortunately fell in with a party of Wassaws, who were in search of their wives and children, whom the Ashantees had taken; they said they were going towards the Boosom-pra, and that they would conduct me 1824. S over over to it. We, however, slept in the woods, and about three o'clock in the morning we commenced our march. We observed a number of infants lying in the bush gasping for breath, the Ashantees having taken their mothers to carry their plunder, and obliged them to throw their children away; we, however, recovered a number of the women, and killed about twenty of the enemy. I unfortunately lost my shoes in the mud on the 22d, and had to travel the whole of the 23d without shoes, a distance of about thirty miles. I shall say nothing of the hardships I underwent, as you could be able to judge from the state in which you found me on the 24th. Before I close this, I conceive it my duty to state, that the conduct of the company of the Royal African Colonial Corps, the volunteers, and militia, was highly creditable, in short-they behaved bravely. It was reported, that Quashie Yaccoom's people (the Wassaws) left the field early in the action. Annexed is a return-of our loss in killed, wounded, and missing. The enemy's loss must have been very great, as one of our balls, from their crowded state, must have killed and wounded two or three at a time. The force we had engaged (including the Dinkeras and Wassaws) did not amount to two thousand. The Commendas were not in the action. I have, &c. (Signed) H. J. RICKETTS, Captain Major James Chisholm, R A. Col. Corps Re Return of the Killed, Wounded, and Missing of the Regular and Militia Force in the Action with the Ashantees, on the 21st January 1824, in the West Warsaw Country KILLED. Officers. Captain Heddle, Royal Cape Coast Militia, Men. Number not ascertained (see return of missing). WOUNDED. Officers. Captain Ricketts, 2d West India Regiment, Brigade Major to the Forces, slightly. Ensign Erskine, Royal African Colonial Corps, slightly. Men. 2d West India Regiment, orderly serjeant to Commander of the Forces Royal African Colonial Corps Royal Cape Coast Militia Royal Volunteer Company 58 14 His Excellency Brigadier-General Sir C.1 Ensign Wetherill, 2d West India Regiment. T. S. Buckle, Esq. Colonial Engineer and Captain Jones, Royal Cape Coast Militia. Supposed to have been killed. 1 41 81 54 (Supposed to have been killed or lost in the woods.) West Westminster, June 17, 1824. THIS day, the Lords being met, a message was sent to the Honourable House of Commons by the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, acquainting them, that The Lords, authorised by virtue of a Commission under the Great Seal, signed by His Majesty, for declaring His Royal Assent to several Acts agreed upon by both Houses, do desire the immediate attendance of the Honourable House in the House of Peers to hear the Commission read; and the Commons being come thither, the said Commission, empowering the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, and several other Lords therein. named, to declare and notify the Royal Assent to the said Acts, was read accordingly, and the Royal Assent given to An Act to amend an Act, of the third year of His present Majesty, for enabling His Majesty to lease lands belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall, and to authorise the sale and purchase of the prisage and butlerage of wines in the ports of the county of Cornwall, and in Plymouth. An Act to amend the Acts for the issue of Ex chequer Bills for public works. An Act to decrease the duty on cocoa nuts imported, to exempt certain goods from payment of auction duties, to provide that the parish of Saint Pancras shall be under the inspection of the Head Office of Excise, and to amend certain laws of Excise relating to maltsters in Ireland, to the drawback on beer exported from Great Britain, and to-the duty on draining tiles. An Act to amend the several Acts for the encouragement and improvement of the British and Irish fisheries. An: |