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CAPE COAST

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Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 225 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CAPE See also:

COAST , a See also:port on the See also:Gold Coast, See also:British See also:West See also:Africa, in 5° 5' N., 1° 13' W., about 8o m. W. of See also:Accra. Pop. (1901) 28,948, mostly Fantis. There are about See also:loo Europeans and a See also:colony of See also:Krumen. The See also:town is built on a See also:low See also:bank of See also:gneiss and micaceous See also:slate which runs out into the See also:sea and affords some See also:protection at the landing-See also:place against the violence of the surf. (This bank was the Cabo Corso of the Portuguese, whence the See also:English corruption of Cape Coast.) The See also:castle faces the sea and is of considerable See also:size and has a somewhat imposing See also:appearance. Next to the castle, used as quarters for military See also:officers and as a See also:prison, the See also:principal buildings are the See also:residence of the See also:district See also:commissioner, the churches and See also:schools of various denominations, the See also:government schools and the colonial See also:hospital. Many of the wealthy natives live in See also:brick-built residences. The streets are hilly, and the town is surrounded on the See also:east and See also:north by high ground, whilst on the west is a See also:lagoon. Fort See also:Victoria lies west of the town, and Fort See also:William (used as a See also:light-See also:house) on the east. The first See also:European See also:settlement on the spot was that of the Portuguese in 161o.

In 1652 the Swedes established themselves here and built the castle, which they named Carolusburg. In 16J9 the Dutch obtained See also:

possession, but the castle was seized in 1664 by the English under See also:Captain (afterwards See also:Admiral See also:Sir) See also:Robert See also:Holmes, and it has not since been captured in spite of an attack by De Ruyter in 1665, a See also:French attack in 1757, and various assaults by the native tribes. Next to See also:Elmina it was considered the strongest fort on the See also:Guinea Coast. Up to 1876 the town was the See also:capital of the British settlements on the coast, the See also:administration being then removed to Accra. It is still one of the See also:chief ports of the Gold Coast Colony, and from it starts the See also:direct road to Kumasi. In 1905 it was granted municipal government. In the courtyard of the castle are buried See also:George Maclean (See also:governor of the colony 1830-1843) and his wife (Laetitia See also:Elizabeth See also:Landon). The See also:graves are marked by two stones bearing respectively the See also:initials " L. E. L." and " G. M." The See also:land on the east See also:side of the town is studded with disused gold-diggers' pits. The natives are divided into seven clans called companies, each under the See also:rule of recognized captains and possessing distinct customs and fetish.

See A. Ffoulkes, " The See also:

Company See also:System in Cape Coast Castle," in Al. See also:African See also:Soc. vol. vii, 1908; and GOLD COAST. v.

End of Article: CAPE COAST

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