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informed Nielsen that he was planning to sail about mid- July, the 

 date being dependent upon the delivery of a large deep-freeze 

 essential to my requirements. He stated that the route would be 

 via the Cape. 



Although the date of sailing had been moved from the first week 

 in July to mid-July, this still fell within my time-limits, but all 

 my anxieties were aroused by a letter from Stuttard dated the 

 2nd July 1953, in which he stated that he had reluctantly come 

 to the conclusion that it would be out of the question to come via 

 the Cape if he could not leave before the 15th July. He undertook 

 to try to decide early the following week and to advise me by cable, 

 so that I could get all my stuff up to Mozambique if he had to come 

 via the Mediterranean. When this issue had arisen earlier, on the 

 1 2th May 1953, I had written to Stuttard as follows: 



I am indeed pleased that you have abandoned the Mediterranean 

 approach. Not only would it have caused me endless difficulties 

 at this end, but for you to have gone battling into a four- and some- 

 times five-knot current against a southerly monsoon as well would 

 certainly not have been pleasant. It will be quite bad enough going 

 up the Madagascar Channel against the current, though you will 

 have the wind with you in the southerly part, and proper use of 

 eddies can avoid a good deal of trouble (north of Madagascar the 

 current runs north). All that we can go into here, and it may be 

 possible to arrange for you to have a discussion with the Captain or 

 Mate of one of the Portuguese Coasters at Louren9o Marques. 

 Regarding the explosives, I have heard from the Portuguese Authori- 

 ties, who state that it will be almost impossible to arrange for them 

 to be sent to Port Amelia. I think it will be quite clear for them to go 

 to Louren^o Marques and be stored in the Government magazine 

 there, and the Port Captain has promised every facility and aid in 

 this matter. So after what you say I am going ahead. 



I wish to emphasise again that as far as we are concerned, it will 

 suit us quite well if we get to the Comores by the beginning of 

 September. The four best tides of the year for reef work are the 

 24 August, 8th and 23rd September, and the 9th October. If we 

 can contrive things so that we do the circumnavigation of Madagascar 

 in November, that will probably be best of all, as we can expect the 

 least wind and slowest current at that time. 



In South Africa both persons and firms had donated a wide 

 variety of goods and supplies for the expedition, and it had been 



