6 



MUSEUMS. 



It is impossible to express fully the grateful thanks of the Mem- 

 bers of the Expedition to General Creagh for his personal hospitality 

 and for his great kindness in doing everything possible to make the 

 days of the enforced stay of the expedition in Aden of profit to it. 

 The Government bungalow at Sheik Othinan, some twelve miles 

 north of Aden, was generously lent to the expedition by him, and 

 later, through his recommendation, an invitation was received from 

 the Sultan of Lahej, in South Arabia, for the expedition to visit his 

 dominions. His Highness met the members of the party at his 

 boundary, conveyed them to the capital, hospitably entertained 

 them, and assisted them in every possible way during their stay. 



The Expedition has to express its obligations to the military 

 authorities in Aden in lending for this journey baggage anil 

 riding-camels from the garrison establishment/ and' also the 

 attendance upon them as a guard of a native officer (jemadar) 

 and one sowar. The helpful aid of the First Political Assistant. 

 Captain Jacob, in all these arrangements must also be very cordially 

 acknowledged. A most profitable stay could undoubtedly have been 

 made at Lahej, which is a very little explored region, had the expedi- 

 tion been eventually prevented from visiting Sokotra. It had only, 

 however, begun what was proving to be a very interesting collection 

 when intimation was received from General Creagh that authority 

 had been obtained from the Government of India for the expedition 

 to proceed to its destination. A speedy return having therefore been 

 made to Aden, where eight Somali servants were engaged to accom- 

 pany it in various capacities, the expedition embarked on December 

 1st, 1898 W1 th its stores and baggage, on board the Eoyal Indian 

 Marine Steamer Elphinstane, which the Indian Government had 

 very generously placed at its disposal to carry it to and from the 

 island. Authority had also been obtained from General Creagh to 

 break the voyage for several days at Abd-el-Kuri, an island lying 

 between Sokotra and Cape Guardafui on the Eastern Horn of Africa 



t> I" 11 T UeVei ' befWe been sci - tificall .v examined ; and during 

 he short stay made there several species of plants and animals new 

 to science were discovered, among them a new Salsola, a new Con- 

 groins, and a new species of Euphorbia (Euphorbia abdelkuri), 

 belonging to a family of plants of which many singular forms occur 





