X BOTANY OF SOCOTRA. 



" There remains, therefore, only £25 requisite to complete the sum of £300 which the 

 Committee consider will be required for the expedition. 



" The Committee request that the Committee for the investigation of the Natural History 

 of Socotra may be reappointed, with the additional name of Colonel H. H. Godwin- Austen, 

 and that the balance of £25 necessary to complete the estimate of expenditure may be placed 

 at their disposal." 



On the 20th December 1879, Sir Joseph Hooker wrote to me that Colonel 

 Godwin- Austen had not been able to go to Socotra as he had intended, and 

 asked me to undertake the exploration. I had at that time just taken up 

 the work of the Professorship of Botany in the University of Glasgow, and 

 could not enter upon an enterprise which would involve my being away from 

 Glasgow after the middle of April, and it was hardly possible to be at Socotra 

 before the beginning of February. I could not, therefore, hope to have more 

 than two months at the most for exploration. Sir Joseph Hooker was, 

 however, satisfied that the time would allow of my obtaining sufficient 

 insight into the natural history of the island to make such a raid justifiable, 

 and accordingly, nothing loath to be the first to unravel some of the mystery 

 which for so long had clung around Socotra, I agreed to start upon a rapid 

 pioneer expedition. There was little time to make any great preparations for 

 the exploration, and many things which under more leisurely conditions would 

 have been done had to be left undone, but having made such arrangements as 

 were possible, I left London on the 9th of January 1880. 



How Socotra was reached and the narrative of our movements there will be 

 learned from the subjoined Report, which is taken from that published in the 

 volume of British Association Reports for 1880. 



" Report of the Committee, consisting of Mr Sclater, Dr G. Hartlaub, Sir Joseph Hooker, 

 Captain F. M. Hunter, and Lieut.-Col. H. H. Godwin- Austen, appointed to take steps 

 for the Investigation of the Natural History of Socotra. 



" Colonel Godwin- Austen having been unable to carry out his intention of going to 

 Socotra, the Committee were fortunate enough to obtain the services of Dr I. B. Balfour, 

 Professor of Botany in the University of Glasgow, for this purpose. Prof. Balfour left this 

 country on January 9, for Aden, and returned home on April 21. As his report of proceedings, 

 &c. (appended), will show, he has, considering the short time (only six weeks) that could be 

 devoted to the investigation of the island, and the inevitable delays and difficulties always 

 attending the first exploration of an unknown country, not only achieved a remarkable amount 

 of success, but has proved how much more rich the island is than was anticipated, and how 

 much is left for future explorers. 



" The total expenditure of Prof. Balfour on his expedition amounted to about £420. 

 The Committee having received £100 from this Association, and £300 from the Government 

 Grant Fund of the Royal Society, there remains a debt of about £20 due to Prof. Balfour. 



" The Committee request that a grant of £50 may be made to them to enable them to 

 discharge this debt. The balance they propose to devote in aid of the publication of the 

 results obtained by the expedition. 



