the Assini River, also the outlet of enormous navigable lagoons, breaking
the continuity of forest-backed sands. It lies fourteen to fifteen miles
(which the chart has diminished to seven) west of the French settlement,
of old Fort Joinville. The latter shows a tiled and whitewashed
establishment, the property of M. Verdier, outlying the normal ant-hill of
brown huts. In 1868 Winwood Reade here found a _poste_ and stockade, a
park of artillery, a commandant, a surgeon, and a detachment of
_tirailleurs sénégalais_ levied amongst the warlike Moslem tribes of
Senegambia. Like Grand Bassam it was under the station admiral, who
inspected the two once a year, and who periodically sent a gunboat to
support French interests.

By night we passed New Town, not on the charts, but famed for owning a
fine gold placer north of the town-lagoon. After my departure from the
coast it was inspected by Mr. Grant, who sent home specimens of bitumen
taken from the wells. Then came the two Assinis, eastern and western, both
places of small present importance. The 'Assini Hills' of the chart lie to
the north, not to the south of the Tando water; and by day one can easily
distinguish their broken line, blue and tree-clad. The Franco-English
frontier has been determined after a fashion. According to Mr. Stanford's
last map, [Footnote: Gold Coast, November 20, 1873. A foot-note tells us,
'The whole coast belongs to the English, the French having withdrawn since
1870 from Grand Bassam and Assini' (Winwood Reade). This is obsolete in
1882. The limits of Ashanti-land are immensely exaggerated by this map.]
the westernmost point was in west long. 2º 55' (G.) Thus our territory
begins between Great Assini and New Town, the latter being included in the
Protectorate. This position would reduce the old Gold Coast from 245
direct geographical miles of shore-line between the River Assini (W. long.
3º 23') and the Volta mouth (E. long. 0º 42') to some 217 or 220 in round
numbers. Inland the limit should be the Tando valley, but it has been