DAMARAS, OVAMPO, AND NAM AQUAS 151 



plished that which every geographer in this room 

 must feel is of eminent advantage to the science in 

 which we take so deep an interest. Accept, with 

 these expressions, my belief that, so long as England 

 possesses travellers with the resolution you have 

 displayed, and so long as private gentlemen will 

 devote themselves to accomplish what you have 

 achieved, we shall always be able to boast that 

 this country produces the best geographers of the 

 day." 



The Geographical Medal gave me an established 

 position in the scientific world. In connection with 

 subsequent work, it caused me to be elected a 

 Fellow of the Royal Society in 1856, and to 

 receive in the same year the very high honour of 

 election to the Athenaeum Club under Rule II., 

 which provides that the Council may elect not more 

 than nine persons in each year on the ground of 

 distinction in Science, Literature, Art, or Public 

 Service, being at the average rate of a little more 

 than two elections annually, under each of these 

 four broad heads. The recipient is thereby saved 

 many, sometimes sixteen or more, years of waiting, 

 before his turn would arrive to be balloted for in 

 the ordinary course of election. So I have much 

 to be grateful for to the Royal Geographical Society, 

 and I loyally did my best to promote its interests 

 during the many years that I served on its Council 

 in various capacities. 



