216 Life and Letters of Francis Galton 



as showing the approach to Livingstone's ground that Galton made in 

 his journey to 'Tounobis. The Geographical Society's Journal gives 

 also his astronomical observations for six longitudes and the latitudes of 

 53 stations. The map was based chiefly on triangulation with an azimuth 

 compass. The positions thus obtained were tested with the longitudes 

 and latitudes taken astronomically. The agreement was on the whole 

 fair, the longitudes (by lunars with a small circle) being least satisfac- 

 tory; a result which will not surprise those who have used this method 

 and remember that Galton's experience was chiefly, if not wholly, 

 gained on board ship after sailing for the Cape. Galton's diaries, 

 sketchbooks and observation books are now in the Galton Laboratory', 



' Among the books in the Galton Laboratory are (i) a small note-book with MS. 

 native grammar, abstracts of Vardon's and Oswell's travels, lists of right ascensions 

 and declinations of stars, a small table of logarithms, etc. It records that Professor 

 Owen wanted the heads of wart-hogs of various ages to study their teeth, also dried 

 heads of ostriches, especially young ones. Receipt for preserving skins and note for 

 making experiments why a water bird's plumage gets immediately wet after being shot, 

 etc. (ii) A quarto book of triangulations, also latitudes and longitudes. It is started 

 by a pen and ink sketch of a saddled ox, "Ceylon — the best hack in Africa." (iii) A 

 folio book containing route distances, bearings, itineraries, sketches. History of the 

 Namaqua atrocities before arrival of Galton; letters to or from Jonker, Swartboy, 

 Amiral, Cornelius and other Hottentot and some Damara leaders. Jonker's signature to 

 his "Apology," and the laws laid down for him, both in Dutch; fragments of diaries and 

 other notes. A good deal might be of service to a future historian of German South- 

 west Africa. There is a fairly extensive vocabulary, (iv) Ten small pocket note 

 and sketch books. Sketches of native women and utensils, rough bearings and 

 itinerary notes, journals, notes of necessaries, of talks, further vocabularies, rough 

 drafts for Galton's law-code for the Namaquas, etc., etc. (v) A tracing of a map of 

 which the original was said to have been left at the Cape " 7 years before," by the 

 Rev. Mr Hahn of New Barmen, missionary. It shows a big lake, the "Demboa Sea," in 

 Lat. 18° S. and about Long. 18° E. This is the lake to which Galton's letters several 

 times refer but which he never really identified. If we were to trust the missionary's 

 map, it would be as large as Lake Nganii itself! In a letter to Lord Campbell he 

 supposes it Omanbonde, which is too far south. It might represent the Elosha salt- 

 pan in the wet season, then "a rather pretty lake," much displaced and immensely 

 exaggei-ated in area, but it was probably Onondova. 



In (iii) is a loose pencil sketch of a small lake with steep cliff-like banks surmounted 

 by trees, and entitled: Omutehikoto, JmvK 25, 1851. This must be, I think, the 

 Otchikoto, of Galton's map, r'eached at that date on the return journey. It is noted 

 on the map as a small pond 400ft. in diameter and 180 ft. deep. Galton writes: 

 "There we took a day's rest, and amused ourselves in bathing. I made some fish- 

 hooks out of needles, and caught about a hundred small fish, which we eat " {Tropical 

 South Africa, 1st edn. p. 238). Otchikoto was reached on May 26, 1851, on the 



