( 39o ) 



VI. 



ON THE GEOGRAPHY OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS. 



i. The Acclimatisation of Various Domestic Animals 

 in the Equatorial Nile Eegion. 



(Letter to Professor G. Schiveinfurth, dated Lado, 

 December 25, 188 1.) 



You ask after the elephants.* There are three of them, and 

 they are stationed in Makraka, but are scarcely used for trans- 

 port at present, for want of fit persons to attend to them. It 

 was the greatest mistake that Gordon could have committed, 

 for the sake of a few guineas, to send back the attendants 

 that came with the elephants from India, before they had 

 trained other proper attendants, and to entrust them to Shiluk 

 soldiers, who, like all Negroes, have no interest in animals 

 except as articles of food. Besides, the elephants arrived here 

 at the time of the block in the river, when I was cut off for 

 eighteen months from all communication even with Khartum, 

 and had quite enough to do to preserve myself and my people 

 from destruction. In spite of most liberal promises to the 

 Negro chiefs, I have not yet been fortunate enough to procure 

 any young animals. I have no doubt that, with sufficient care 

 and a staff trained for the purpose, elephants would save us 

 much of the continual annoyance from porters. 



The camels are doing well, and keep up the postal service 

 between Lado and Rejaf. They will be useful to me in those 

 districts where there are tracts without much water. Donkevs 

 can only be used for a few years ; even those from the Lango 



* The Indian elephants (six in number) were sent by the Khedive Ismail from 

 Cairo to the Sudan. They travelled the long distance of two thousand miles 

 uninjured, swimming the Nile six times. — G. S. 



