PROCEEDINGS 



OF 



THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIEXy 



OF LONDON. 



SESSION 1856. 



Eighth Meeting, April 14, 1856. 



Rear-Admiral F. W. BEECHEY, President, in the Chair. 



Mr. James Hogg, Jun., was elected a Fellow. 



Announcements. — The President announced the appointment of 

 Mr. Andres Poey as director of the Meteorological Observatory at the 

 Havanna, and read a letter from Mr. Frere on the progress of Mr. 

 Hahn. Mr. Hahn, the Rhenish missionary, had left Cape Town for 

 Walfisch Bay, with the intention of proceeding thence, overland, to 

 Mossamedes. Letters had been written to the Portuguese governor of 

 that province, recommending Mr. Hahn to his Excellency's care and 

 protection. 



Mr. Galton remarked that the embouchure of that river, which forms the 

 northern boundary of the Ovampo, had recently been explored ; and it was Mr. 

 Hahn's desire to settle near it, and thence to make such expeditions along its 

 course as might be found practicable. This river appears to offer the shortest 

 and healthiest high road to the interior, the whole coast on either side of its 

 mouth being entirely free from fever. Mr. Halm had been a missionary among 

 the Damaras and Namaquas for about ten years, and there is perhaps no one 

 person in South-West Africa, who has had more personal influence over the 

 natives, or who has done more to repress their barbarous outbreaks than he. 



Dr. Hodgkin announced the death of Philip Schonlein, Ph. Dr., the only 

 son of the physician to the King of Prussia, one of the most distinguished 

 Professors of Medicine in Europe. The young man was devoted to travel ; his 

 chief object was to explore the eastern part of Africa, but having come to this 

 country to further this object, he thought it might be well to take advantage 

 of an opportunity which arose of visiting the West coast. He therefore went 

 to Cape Palmas, a colony of the Maryland Colonization Society, where he died 

 on the 8th of January of the present year. He had been there a few months, 

 and has sent an interesting account of the state of the colony. 



The Papers read were — 



1. Letter from Dr. Sutherland to the Secretary. 



Dr. Sutherland remarks that he had visited the whole district of 

 Natal while employed as Government geologist ; that he has for ten 

 months been fulfilling the duties of surveyor-general ; that the S. W. 



