"Ramseyer to Basel"

Concerning the proposed settlement at Kumasi. Recites the reasons for this step which he set out in the commentary to his proposal (No 243 above). His forecasts concerning the future trend of Kwahu politics is still written in a positive way – ‘it is always possible that’ - adding that the repeated refusals by the British government to do anything about the Kwahu application to be included in the Protectorate is causing restiveness. The latest case of this was in February, when an embassy sent to Accra came back with nothing but the proclamation of Rowe's being appointed Governor. He now has further grounds for thinking that this is the time to go forward in this direction. David Asante has heard from a minor Asante chief who stayed with him, and who in his turn heard it from the Asante ambassador recently in Cape Coast (Boakye Tenten, the step-father of the king) that the Asantehene has asked the Governor for a mission or missionaries. This Ramseyer thinks the final evidence that the time is ripe. Much of the letter further discussion of the financing of a Kumasi mission - Ramseyer proposing a cheap mission house, and pointing out how questionable a decision it was to build the Begoro stations out of Asante Mission funds. He is alarmed about reports that the Kibi station is thinking of staring a new full-scale station in Anum - surely another Asante station should come before another Akim station. A postscript (after tough bargaining with the Mpraeso chief that lasted for several weeks – see No 258 above), the Mpraeso land has been bought and the Abetifi people are sawing timber for it, and making shingles

10.06.1881

10.06.1881

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