ON THE INVESTIGATION OJ? THE NATURAL HISTORY OF SOCOTRA. 213 



whose kindness I am much indebted, and with his aid I was enabled to 

 make a fair collection of the plants of Aden. Captain F. M. Hunter, 

 Junior Assistant Political Resident, a member of your Committee, was not 

 at Aden at this time, having gone to the interior a few days previously, 

 and as he had no prospect of returning to Aden before the expedition left 

 for Socotra, he had left for me a letter of instruction, giving valuable 

 information and bintg, the outcome of his personal experiences on the 

 island. In his absence Major Goodfellow, Senior Assistant Political 

 Resident, gave me evexy assistance, and the attainment of the object of 

 the expedition is in great pai't due to him. 



The official letters of recommendation to the authorities at Aden from 

 the Home Government, for which the Committee applied, had not reached 

 Aden at the date of our arrival, but having a private letter of introduc- 

 tion from General Strachey to Brigadier- General Locb, C.B., Political 

 Resident, I presented it. General Loch very cordially sympathised with 

 the object of the expedition, and promoted most materially the carrying 

 out of the work of the expedition. In defaiilt of instructions from the 

 Home Government he telegraphed to the Bombay Council asking for 

 authority to aid the expedition, and received a very gratifying affirmative 

 reply. He then at once placed the despatch boat Dagmar, of the Bombay 

 Marine, at our disposal to convey us to Socotra, and we were enabled 

 to obtain from the arsenal, tents and camp implements. He also very 

 kindly granted leave to Lieutenant Cockburn, 6th Royal Regiment, that 

 he might go with us to Socotra. Lieutenant Cockburn then joined the 

 expedition, and apart from the advantage and pleasui'e I derived from 

 having him as a companion, the excellent sketches ' he made will enable 

 the Committee to judge of how great an acquisition he was to the staff 

 of the expedition and of the valuable services he rendered. 



The P. & O. mail steamer arriving on January 26, brought the 

 promised official letters, one from the India Office to the Resident, and 

 another from the Admiralty to the Senior Naval Officer at Aden. As 

 a result of the latter letter. Captain Heron, of H.M.S. Seagull, called 

 upon me on the 27th and offered to take the expedition to Socotra 

 in his ship. It was subsequently arranged, therefore, that we should go 

 in the Seagull instead of the Dagmar, and the date of sailing was fixed 

 for February 2. 



The intervening days were occupied in obtaining stores and servants ; 

 the latter not easy to procure, especially a good interpreter, on account 

 of the very high rate of pay demanded. 



All our gear was shipped on the Seagull by noon on February 2, and 

 our party — composed of Europeans, — Lieutenant Cockburn, Alexander 

 Scott, and myself; and natives, — interpreter, cook, tent Lascar, general 

 servant, and two coolies— went on board later. Captain Heron purposed 

 to sail that day, but the monsoon blowing strongly up the harbour 

 a start was delayed until next morning. On the morning of the 3rd, 

 though the wind had not much lulled, anchor was weighed and the 

 Seagull steamed out of Aden harbour in the teeth of a stiff breeze. By 

 the afternoon we had made so little way against the wind and current, 

 and were pitching and rolling so gi-eatly, that Captain Heron determined 

 to put back and make for Aden again. The expedition at the outset thus 

 encountered annoying delay, for we remained in Aden Harbour until the 

 morning of February 6, when again the Seagull left for Socotra. Heavy 

 ' Some of the sketches were exhibited at the meetinsr. 



