XX.] THE OBJECT OF THE EXPEDITION. 721 



have their hair arranged. As the man did not appear to know 

 a word of English, it was impossible to enter into any closer 

 acquaintance with him. 



" At noon on the following day I found myself compelled, by 

 a quite unexpected occurrence, to return precipitately to the 

 coast again. Dr. Thwaites and I had been invited to dinner by 

 his Excellency the Governor. As I was still limping after my 

 long excursion on foot, and besides had not had the forethought 

 to take a dress-suit with me, I considered that, vexatious as it 

 was to decline, I could not accept this gracious invitation, but 

 instead went my way. Thus after six exceedingly pleasant days 

 I came back to Point de Galle and the Vega." 



CHAPTER XX. 



The Voyage Home — Christmas, 1879 — Aden — Suez — Cairo — Excursion to 

 the Pyramids and the Mokattam Mountains —Petrified Tree-stems — The 

 Suez Canal — Landing on Sicily by night — Naples — Rome — The Members 

 of the Expedition separate — Lisbon — England — Paris — Copenhagen — 

 Festive Entry into Stockholm — Fetes there — Conclusion. 



During our stay in Japan and our voyage thence to Ceylon I had 

 endeavoured at least in some degree to preserve the character 

 of the voyage of the Vega as a scientific expedition, an attempt 

 which, considering the short time the Vega remained at each 

 place, could not yield any very important results, and which 

 besides was rendered difficult, though in a way that was 

 agreeable and flattering to us, by I may almost say the tem- 

 pestuous hospitality with Avhich the Vega men were every- 

 Avhere received during their visits to the ports of Japan and 

 East Asia. It was besides difficult to find any new untouched 

 field of research in regions which were the seat of culture and 

 civilisation long before the time when the forest began to be 

 cut down and seed to be sown in the Scandinavian North, 

 and which for centuries have formed the goal of exploratory 

 expeditions from all the countries of Europe. I hope how- 

 ever that the Vega "will leave lasting memorials even of 

 this part of her voyage through the contributions of Stux- 

 berg, Nordquist, Kjellman, and Almquist to the evertebrate 

 fauna and the sea-weed and lichen flora of East Asia, and by 

 my collections of Japanese books of fossil plants from Mogi 

 and Laquan, &c. 



With the new overpowering impression which nature and 

 people exerted on those of us, who now for the first time 



3 A 



