10 



LIEUT. SPEKE. 



ing us waiting from April 23, 1855, to June 13, 

 1857, the spoliator of Oude was pleased to inform 

 us, laconically and disdaining explanation, that 

 he 6 could not accede to the application.' 1 



Nothing could persuade the Court of Di- 

 rectors to dispense with the services of Lieut. 

 Speke, who had, like myself, volunteered for the 

 Crimea, and who, at the end of the War, had re- 

 solved to travel for the rest of his leave. I per- 

 suaded him to accompany me as far as Bombay, 

 trusting that the just and generous Governor, 

 the late Lord Elphinstone, who had ever warmly 

 supported my projects, and that my lamented 

 friend James Grant Lumsden, then Member of 

 Council, would enable us, despite official oppos- 

 ition at home, to tide over all obstacles. 



I have been prolix upon these points, which 

 suggest that the difficulty of reaching the Lunar 

 Mountains, or the 6 Invisos Pontes,' were in Lon- 

 don, not in Africa ; that the main obstacles were 



1 The losses of the Somali expedition (not including those 

 of the Arab and Somali attendants) were as follows : — 

 Lt. Stroyan, I.N. (killed), lost Co.'s Eupees . . 1750 

 Lt. Speke (wounded) do. . . 4100 



Lt. Burton (do.) do. . . 1950 



Lt. Heme do. . . 500 



Shaykh Ahmed do. . . 120 



Total, Company's Eupees 8420 



