230 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. [chap. xi. 



Dr. Livingstone had said at Quilimane that if it were 

 the will of God that he should do the work of exploration 

 and settlement of stations which was indispensable to the 

 opening up of Africa, but which the Directors did not 

 then seem to wish him to undertake, the means would 

 be provided from some other quarter. At the meeting 

 of the British Association in Dublin, a movement was 

 begun for getting the Government to aid him. The pro- 

 posal was entertained favourably by the Government, 

 and practically settled before the end of the year. In 

 February 1858, Dr. Livingstone received a formal com- 

 mission, signed by Lord Clarendon, Foreign Secretary, 

 appointing him Her Majesty's Consul at Quilimane for 

 the Eastern Coast and the independent districts in the 

 interior, and commander of an expedition for exploring 

 Eastern and Central Africa. Dr. Livingstone accepted 

 the appointment, and during the last part of his stay in 

 England was much engaged in arranging for the expedi- 

 tion. A paddle steamer of light draught was procured 

 for the navigation of the Zambesi, and the various 

 members of the expedition received their appointments. 

 These were — Commander Bedingfield, B.N., Naval Officer ; 

 John Kirk, M.D., Botanist and Physician; Mr. Charles 

 Livingstone, brother of Dr. Livingstone, General Assis- 

 tant and Secretary ; Mr. Richard Thornton, Practical 

 Mining Geologist ; Mr. Thomas Baines, Artist and Store- 

 keeper ; and Mr. George Bae, Ship Engineer. All 

 these, and whoever afterwards might join the expedition, 

 were required to obey Dr. Livingstone's directions as 

 leader. 



" We managed your affair very nicely," Lord Palmer- 

 ston said to Livingstone at a reception at Lady Palmer- 

 ston's on the 12th December. "Had we waited till the 

 usual time when Parliament should be asked, it would 

 have been too late." Lord Shaftesbury, at the reception, 

 assured him that the country would do everything for 



