COXTRIB UXORS TO THE FIRST SERIES OF '^THE IBIS.' 203 



Capt. J. H. SPEKE. 



John Hanniiig Speke, the second son of William Speke, of 

 Jordans near Ilchester in Somerset, was born at that place on 

 the 4th of May, 1827. He was educated for the army, in 

 which his father had been a captain, and joined the 46th 

 regiment, Bengal Native Infantry, in 184J'. He served in the 

 Punjab campaign under Sir Hugh Gough, and in the Sikh 

 war under Sir Colin Campbell, becoming a lieutenant in 1850 

 and a captain in 1852. A good sportsman, as well as a 

 botanist and geologist, he visited both the Himalayas and 

 Tibet, while on his way home from India in 1854 he fell in with 

 an Expedition, which was then about to start for Somali-land 

 under the leadership of Lieutenant Burton, who afterwards 

 made the name of Sir Richard Burton so celebrated. Speke 

 became attached to this Expedition and was sent ahead to 

 examine the nearer portions of the district. Severe wounds 

 received in a skirmish with the Somalis, however, necessi- 

 tated a return on sick leave to England, which he left soon 

 afterwards, as a volunteer, for the Crimea, where he remained 

 at Kertcli with the Turkish regiment to which he was 

 attached until the Avar ended. 



Another African expedition was at this time being pro- 

 jected by Burton, and Speke was appointed a member at that 

 officer's suggestion. This expedition, though backed by the 

 Home and Indian Governments, took its instruction? from 

 the Royal Geographical Society, and the travellers were 

 ordered to proceed from Kilwa to investigate the report which 

 had reached Europe of the Lake Nyassa, and to explore the 

 intervening country. Starting from Bombay on December 

 3rd, 1856, and landing at Zanzibar, Burton and Speke skirted 

 the coast-lands and finally turned towards the interior at 

 Kaoli, proceeding by way of Zungonero, Ugogo, and Ukimba 

 to Kaze. Acting on information received from the Arabs, the 



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