150 MEMORIES OF MY LIFE 



I began this chapter by showing how largely the 

 Geographical Society aided me in preparing for the 

 journey. I conclude it by showing how still more 

 deeply I became indebted to it for its approbation. 

 The Society awarded to me one of their two annual 

 gold medals in 1854, "for having at his [my] own 

 cost and in furtherance of the expressed desire of 

 the Society, fitted out an expedition to explore the 

 centre of South Africa, and for having so successfully 

 conducted it through the countries of the Namaquas, 

 the Damaras, and the Ovampo (a journey of about 

 1700 miles), as to enable this Society to publish a 

 valuable memoir and map in the last volume of the 

 Journal, relating to a country hitherto unknown ; the 

 astronomical observations determining the latitude 

 and longitude of places having been most accurately 

 made by himself." 



The President, Sir Roderick Murchison, in pre- 

 senting the medal to me at the Anniversary Meeting 

 (I quote from the Times), having read the above 

 paragraph in the Report, said that Mr. Galton had 

 a distinct claim on the Society before all other African 

 travellers, because he had fitted out the expedition at 

 his own expense in furtherance of their expressed 

 wishes, and had zealously accomplished that which he 

 had so disinterestedly undertaken. Then, turning to 

 Mr. Galton, he added : " It is now my pleasing duty 

 to place in your hands this testimony of the appro- 

 bation of the Royal Geographical Society. I am 

 sure you will receive it, as we intend it, as the 

 highest honour which we can possibly confer. You 

 left a happy home to visit a country never before 

 penetrated by a civilised being. You have accom- 



