96 PROCBBDINGS OP SOCIETIES. 



hundred drawings illustrative of the character of the country and its 

 productions, of the manners, costumes, and social condition, and of 

 the religious ceremonies of the inhabitants. 



This valuable and curious collection is the property of a society 

 which exists in South Africa, under the title of " The Cape of Good 

 Hope Association for Exploring Central Africa." It was formed in 

 1833, by the first party sent into the interior from that Association, 

 soon after its institution. The collection has been sent to England, 

 first for exhibition and then for sale, in the hope that the proceeds 

 will materially add to the very small fund arising from the voluntary 

 contributions of a few colonists, and thereby render it practicable to 

 dispatch in the course of next year a second expedition to resume an 

 exploration of the country at lat. 23° 28', where the investigations of 

 the first party were discontinued. 



Having no view beyond the advancement of knowledge and the 

 benefit of mankind, the Association appeals to the best feelings of a 

 highly-intelligent nation for that degree of support which cannot be 

 expected from a few colonists, however zealous and liberal ; and that 

 they have been both the one and the other, is clearly manifested in 

 the fact of their having contributed, in the course of a few months, 

 the sum of nine hundred pounds, exclusively for the encouragement 

 of discovery. With this and the sum of three hundred pounds, which 

 was nobly placed at the Society's disposal by Mr. M'Queen, of Glas- 

 gow, so well known for his writings on colonial affairs, the directors 

 of the institution have hitherto been enabled to defray all its ex- 

 penses. 



Although descriptive of a portion of the collection, this catalogue 

 is not intended to ofl'er any details beyond such as it may be reason- 

 ably supposed will be both intelligible and interesting to visitors in 

 general : more important and strictly scientific remarks are necessa- 

 rily reserved for publication in another form. The Association can- 

 didly avows a special anxiety to interest the public in its proceedings, 

 as its objects are not likely to be accomplished without a more ex- 

 tended patronage. With a view, therefore, to make known the ori- 

 gin of the Society and its projected enterprize, with the steps already 

 t^iken for accomplishing the latter, a series of extracts from the 

 Records of the Association are prefixed to the Catalogue, by way of 

 introduction. Among others passed by a general meeting held at 

 Cape Town on the 19th of May, 1836, Sir John Herschell in the 

 chair, is the following resolution : — " That the successful return of 

 the expedition holds out so favourable a prospect of future discovery, 

 that it is expedient that this Association should not be dissolved, but 

 should continue to exist as a permanent institution for the further 

 prosecution of its original object." 



Three hundred and thirty-nine zoological articles are specified on 

 the pages of this Catalogue ; and of that number forty-seven were 

 first discovered by the expedition, and subsequently described in a 

 separate publication. Among these fruits of the Society's researches 



