320 



DR BEKE'S OPINION. 



pages — was organized wholly by myself, may 

 thus be briefly summed up. When ignorant of 

 the country and knowing little of its languages, 

 ]3receded only by a Erench officer, who was 

 murdered shortly after he landed, and under 

 other immense disadvantages, especially the 

 deaths of Sayyid Said and Lieut. -Colonel Hamer- 

 ton, I led the most disorderly of caravans into 

 the heart of Intertropical Africa, and succeeded 

 in discovering the Tanganyika, and the southern 

 portion of what is now called the Victoria Ny- 

 anza Lake. The road was thus thoroughly laid 

 open : those who would follow me had only to 

 read vol. xxxi. (Journal of the Royal Geographi- 

 cal Society) and the ' Lake Eegions of Central 

 Africa,' to learn all they require concerning sea- 

 sons and sickness, industry and commerce, what 

 outfit and material were necessary, what guides, 

 escort, and porters were wanted, what obstacles 

 might be expected, and what facilities would pro- 

 bably offer themselves. My labours thus ren- 

 dered easy the ingress of future expeditions, 

 which had only to tread in my steps. Dr Beke, 

 the traveller who deserves all praise for having 

 suggested a feasible way to explore the Nile 

 Sources, kindly found ' reason to call this em- 

 phatically a memorable Expedition.' My friend 



