200 MEMORIES OF MY LIFE 



brought back, as purely his own work, a most 

 elaborate account of all the tribes he had met by 

 the way, the close accuracy of which has been testified 

 to by succeeding travellers. Only one of his numerous 

 notebooks came under my own careful examination, 

 as already mentioned, and I was astonished at its 

 minuteness. I may mention the occasion, which was 

 this. 



The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel 

 were considering the propriety of establishing a 

 mission station at Zanzibar, and desired fuller 

 information about the island than they possessed. 

 In the end they invited me to give a lecture, to which 

 I consented, after talking with Burton, who had been 

 asked and refused, but who very kindly offered me 

 the full use of his original notebook written when in 

 Zanzibar. An elaborate account which he had based 

 on it for publication had been lost. I had no first- 

 hand information about the place, but had known 

 Erhardt and others who knew it well, so was able 

 to compile a respectable description, which was 

 published in the Mission Field, June i, 1861. 

 The notes made by Burton were written in a fine 

 clear hand and most elaborate in detail. He told me 

 that he often used a board with parallel wires, such as 

 are made for the use of the blind, to write notes, 

 unseen, in the night-time. 



The next expedition was under Captain Speke, 

 with whom Captain Grant (1 827-1 892) was associ- 

 ated. They were to take up the quest at the 

 point on the Victoria Nyanza where Speke had 

 reached it, and to travel onwards. This was done, 

 and I may say that the attachment of Grant to 



