Feb. 8, 1858.] JOURNEY ALONG THE ORANGE RIVER. 
161 
phenomenon. I am glad Mr. Hamilton asked the question, in order that we 
should completely understand the case. 
The President, in calling attention to the next subject on the paper, 
“ The Preparations for the Departure of the Livingstone Expedition,” reminded 
the Society that this was probably the last occasion they would have of meeting 
the distinguished traveller in that room. He then read the following Letter 
agreed to by the Council of the Society : * 
To the Earl of Shelburne, Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 
15, Whitehall Place, 13th January, 1858. 
My Lord, — In reply to your letter of the 19th December last, in which, by 
the desire of Lord Clarendon, you ask the Council of the Royal Geographical 
Society to furnish his Lordship with any suggestions they may have to 
make in respect to the scientific portion of the labours of the expedition of 
Dr. Livingstone, I beg to offer the following statement. 
At the last Meeting of the Council, held oh Monday last, your Lordship’s 
letter was read, and Dr. Livingstone was then called upon to explain his own 
views and wishes. Thereon he informed us as to the proposal which he had 
sent in to Lord Clarendon, after consultation with those men of science on 
whom he could best depend. 
Having duly considered the subject, the Council passed the following 
Resolutions unanimously : — 
1. The Council of the Royal Geographical Society having received from 
Dr. Livingstone an account of the proposal made by him to the Earl of 
Clarendon in reference to the expedition up the Zambesi river, beg to express 
their entire approbation of the project and of the persons recommended to be 
the scientific companions of the leader — these persons being Commander 
N. B. Bedingfeld, f.r.g.s., Dr. J. Kirk, f.r.g.s., as naturalist, Mr. R. Thornton 
as mining geologist, Mr. Thos. Baines, f.r.g.s., as artist, draughtsman, and 
storekeeper, and the Rev. C. Livingstone as general assistant. 
2. The Council engage to furnish Dr. Livingstone with various suggestions 
concerning the observations to be made, and the best method of registering 
them. 
3. That considering the well-known unhealthiness of the delta of the Zambesi 
below Tete, the Council earnestly recommend to Her Majesty's Government 
that Dr. Livingstone and his associates be forwarded (if practicable) from the 
mouth of the river to Tete in a decked steam vessel of light draught with as 
much celerity as possible, and that the steam-launch in preparation be 
employed solely for the navigation of the stream above Tete. 
I have the honour to be, 
My Lord, 
Your Lordship’s obedient servant, 
(Signed) Rod. I. Murchison, 
President Royal Geographical Society. 
Dr. Livingstone. — When 1 left the Makololo to go to Loando, I was in very 
much the same position that I find myself in now. I had been talking a great 
deal about the white mail’s country and about our ways to the Makololo, and 
a party of twenty-seven accompanied me to the west coast. When they came 
back, I said to my friends the Makololo, “ Here are your own countrymen ; 
let them speak ; I intend to be silent now.” I go out this time with several 
scientific gentlemen, and I hope, if it please God to spare us to return, to be 
VOL. II. 
See Proceedings, No. II., vol, ii., p. 82 . — Ed. 
0 
