No. 288.
General Schenck to Mr. Fish.
Legation of
the United States,
London, October 4, 1873.
(Received October 17.)
No. 496.]
Sir: It is probable that you already have knowledge
of a blockade of all that part of the Gold Coast which extends from Cape
Coast Castle to the river Assinee, which appears to have been declared on
the 1st day of September, by the British naval officer in command on the
west coast of Africa. Official notice, however, of this declaration of
blockade having been promulgated here last evening by Her Majesty’s
government, I have thought it better to transmit to you at once, extracted
from the Gazette, a copy of it as thus published.
It may be of interest to Americans engaged in African trade to have notice of
this proclamation from the State Department.
No communication on the subject has been made to me.
I am, &c.,
The Ashantee War.
[From the Times, Saturday, October 4, 1873.]
The board of trade have received through the colonial office the
following copy of an official notice by the senior naval officer on the
west coast of Africa:
“I hereby declare that on the 29th day of August last the Gold Coast,
from Cape
[Page 489]
Coast Castle, in
latitude 5.6 north, longitude 114 west, to the river Assinee, in
latitude 5.8 north, longitude 3.23 west, was placed in a state of
blockade by a competent force of Her Majesty ships, and is now in such
state of blockade, and that all measures authorized by the law of
nations and the respective treaties between Her Majesty and the
different neutral powers will be enforced on behalf of Her Majesty
against all vessels which may attempt to violate the blockade.
“Given on board Her Majesty’s ship
Barracouta, at Cape Coast Roads, this 1st day of
September, 1873.
“E. R. FREMANTLE,
“Captain,
&c.”
