England began to notice the Ashantees.  They had proven themselves to be a most heroic, intelligent, and aggressive people.  The Fantis lay stretched between them and the seacoast.  The frequent invasion of this country, for corrective purposes as the Ashantees believed, very seriously interrupted the trade of the coast; and England began to feel it.  The English had been defeated once in an attempt to assist the Fantis, and now thought it wise to turn attention to a pacific policy, looking toward the establishment of amicable relations between the Ashantees and themselves.  There had never been any unpleasant relations between the two governments, except in the instance named.  The Ashantees rather felt very kindly toward England, and for prudential and commercial reasons desired to treat the authorities at the coast with great consideration.  They knew that the English gave them a market for their gold, and an opportunity to purchase manufactured articles that they needed.  But the Fantis, right under the English flag, receiving a rent for the ground on which the English had their fort and government buildings, grew so intolerably abusive towards their neighbors, the Ashantees, that the British saw nothing before them but interminable war.  It was their desire to avoid it if possible.  Accordingly, they sent an embassy to the king of the Ashantees, consisting of Gov.  James, of the fort at Akra, a Mr. Bowdich, nephew to the governor-in-chief at Cape Coast, a Mr. Hutchinson, and the surgeon of the English settlement, Dr. Teddlie.  Mr. Bowdich headed the embassy to the royal court, where they were kindly received.  A treaty was made.  The rent that the Fantis had been receiving for ground occupied by the English—­four ounces of gold per month—­was to be paid to the king of Ashantee, as his by right of conquest.  Diplomatic relations were to be established between the two governments, and Mr. Hutchinson was to remain at Kumasi as the British resident minister.  He was charged with the carrying out of so much of the treaty as related to his government.  The treaty was at once forwarded to the home government, and Mr. Dupuis was appointed consul of his Majesty’s government to the court of Ashantee.  A policy was outlined that meant the opening up of commerce with the distant provinces of the Ashantee empire along the Kong Mountains.  In those days it took a long time to sail from England to the Gold Coast in Western Africa; and before Consul Dupuis reached the coast, the king of Ashantee was engaged in a war with the king of Gaman.  The Ashantee army was routed.  The news of the disaster was hailed by the Fantis on the coast with the most boisterous and public demonstrations.  This gave the king of Ashantee offence.  The British authorities were quite passive about the conduct of the Fantis, although by solemn treaty they had become responsible for their deportment.  The Fantis grew very insulting and offensive towards the Ashantees.  The king of the