Boyal Geographical Society.

1830.

Prospectus for the Establishment of the British Geographical Institution.As a few of us had agreed in London that a Geographical Society was absolutely necessary, and there were volunteers enough to commence with, the moment of getting home I wrote this notice, had it printed in Bedford, and circulated it to the amount of 350 copies. The desired Society was immediately formed, and has on the whole proved eminently useful, though bordering too much on a mere travellers' institute. But this will be again referred to anon, when upon the autobiography of the late Sir John Barrow.

1831.

On the Columbretes, Volcanic Rocks on the Coast of Valencia in Spain.-This paper was read to the newly-formed Society on the 10th of January, and published, with a plate, in the first volume of the Geographical Journal. My main object in writing it, was to shew that we ought not to take everything for granted; for here, on a coast known from pre-historic times, and supposed to have been well surveyed by Tofiño, we find a singular group of volcanic formation, one a distinct crater of elevation, hitherto undescribed. In fact, on making a survey of them, I assumed the right of a discoverer, by naming the islets and rocks after Spanish officers of eminence in nautical science.

1850.

Allocution on the Presentation of the Royal Awards for the Encouragement of Geographical Science and Discovery.-The first of these was to Colonel J. C. Fremont, in recognition of his masterly journeys over the Rocky Mountains to California; the second to the Rev. David Livingston, for his discoveries in the interior of South Africa, and especially of the large lake of Ngami. Then the

Anniversary Address to the Royal Geographical Society of London.-In this address I endeavoured, to the best of my ability and means, to show the Society what the practical geographers were doing in all parts of the world.

1851.

Allocution on the Presentation of the Royal Premiums for the year 1851.-Of these the first was awarded by the Council to Dr. George A. Wallin, of Finland,

in approbation of his travels in Arabia, and the second to Mr. Thomas Brunner for his arduous, and dangerous, exploration of the Middle Island of New Zealand. These notices were followed by the

Anniversary Address to the Society. This in tenor resembled my last address, but was summed up by the apparent state, and advanced prospects, of the science of Geography; and its several branches.

In each of those annual addresses to the Geographical Society I distinctly alluded to the probable springs of the Nile as to be expected somewhere at the back of Mombas, and in the second was even rather brusque upon some of those persons, who had fallen into the heresy of that river's source having been recently detected, about seven or eight degrees north of the line. I had been drawn towards this inquiry ever since my own journeys in North Africa, as far back as 1816; and in 1837 endeavoured to promote an expedition from the east coast of Africa to the reported extensive lake in the interior. This was to be undertaken by my friends Captain W. Turner, R.N., and Mr. W. Bollaert; the first having been seasoned on the African Station, and the second trained in South America, both were known to be admirably adapted for the enterprise. It did not, however, from causes over which I had no control, take effect.

Thus the matter rested till the stirring announcement of the discovery of snow-capped mountains inland of Mombas; in which latitude, the line of constant low temperature being estimated at 17,000 feet, made it almost patent that the affluents of the Nile would be thereabouts. My words were: "These intelligent and persevering missionaries were rewarded with the discovery of Killimandj-aro; and, since I last addressed you, with Kenia, another stupendous eminence crowned with eternal snows. Now, though Ptolemy's data-grounded on Herodotus, Marinus Tyrius, and the reports of merchants and travellerscannot be greatly relied upon, these elevated ranges appear to be in the vicinity where the source of the Bahr-al-Abyad, or White Nile, will be found." This conviction, be it known, was entirely my own, and was entertained by me, many years before Dr. Beke had taken the field in which he has made so meritorious a stand * In continuation my avouchment ran: "I shall not here allude to the controversial disputes which have so greatly mystified the rise and course of that

* See my official letter to Rear-Admiral Sir C. V. Penrose, from Tripoli, 7th April 1817, in "The Mediterranean," page 486.

TRUE SOURCE.

wonderful river, the Nile, but most unhesitatingly express my own conviction that NO EUROPEAN TRAVELLER, FROM BRUCE DOWNWARDS, HAS YET SEEN ITS It still remains an important geographical problem, one which will never be satisfactorily solved till successive explorations have shown which is the main stream that gave birth to that mighty river. Till then we must still say, "Ignotum, plus notus, Nile, per ortum."

Such were our ponderings in 1851, and the recent splendid achievement of Speke and Grant has shown that we were nearing the mark. But, while rejoicing at their safe return to England, and rendering all honour to their great discovery of the main outfall of the Nile, we cannot but remark, that there are yet laurels to be gathered in ransacking that very promising mountainous district for the source, or sources, of the most interesting stream in the world.

1854.

Hints to Travellers.—As I have ever held that all travellers, worthy of the designation, would furnish themselves according to what they would feel to be their capacity, these hints are not intended to teach the use of instruments, or the art of surveying. They were written at the request of the Council, and chiefly contain some matters springing from experience, and therefore perhaps worth the Tyro's knowing. They appear, together with similar papers by my friends and colleagues, in the twenty-fourth volume of the "Geographical Journal."

United Service Journal.

1829.

Letter from Archytas, on the existing state of Hydrography.-My view herein was mainly to correct the impressions which might have been made by a paper in the first number of the new periodical, at a time when the readers were alert-erectis auribus-for information on the subject.

On Telegraphic Communication. These remarks from Archytas were advanced when it was a matter of pride that the Admiralty, by means of semaphores, could send a message to Portsmouth, and receive an answer back in thirty-three seconds of time. But about that epoch, a really marvellous application of abstract science to practical uses, was casting its shadow before. This was

the sagacious course of experiment which resulted in the electric telegraph, a wondrous means by which information can travel with the swiftness of thought, from place to place, whether over the land or under the sea!

Reflections by Archytas on the British Navy.-These are merely some cursory remarks arising from reading two interesting naval letters of 1513 sent to me by Mr., now Sir Henry, Ellis, of the British Museum.

1. A popular View of Meteorology and its Practical Uses to the Seaman. 2. Disasters at Sea, and their Prevention. 3. On the Use and Importance of the Barometer at Sea.-These are three papers in which Archytas attempted to draw the attention of navigators to a very important branch of physics, for which he was personally thanked by Beaufort, Heywood, Franklin, Parry, and other naval officers, as the nomme de plume was not meant as a disguise.

Among the peculiar local winds, between the mention of the harmattan and the typhoon, the South American blast ought to have been inserted. This is the noted Pamparro, a violent gusty wind in the vicinity of the Rio de la Plata. It is so named from the interminable plains called pampas, over which it sweeps from the Andes, acquiring strength as it passes till it becomes a very hurricane. It may be guarded against by watching the oscillations of the barometer, which always experiences a precursory fall. During the Pamparro's advance the air is dry and oppressive, the atmosphere turbid, and dense clouds are gradually rolling onwards. Its general direction is from the south-west, and its continuance very irregular; but, while its fury lasts, clouds of dust, enveloping innumerable winged insects, are carried out to sea. So, in the account of the typhoon off Manilla in 1805, where "swarms of flies" are mentioned, the words "followed by a dense cloud of locusts" ought to have been added to complete the picture.

Discovery of the Fate of La Perouse.-These additional particulars of the celebrated French navigator were warmly received by the maritime community, for the loss of his ships possessed a similar interest to that, which we have had cause to feel recently with regard to Franklin's hapless expedition. The materials for drawing up this account were lent me, for that purpose, by Captain Dillon, the navigator who made the discovery.

The United Service Museum.-This paper was intended to further an object

which I had long held in view, having written to Mr. Croker so far back as 1819 on the eligibility of adding a museum to the Admiralty library, instancing the East India House as a precedent. The proposal was kindly received, but fell to the ground. The scheme, however, had been somewhat matured when this paper was published - several minor "agitations" took place, a formal meeting was called on the 19th of December 1829, and the UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION was founded. The following were the officers present:

Major-General Sir Howard Douglas, Bart.

Lieutenant-General Sir Herbert Taylor

Captain Francis Beaufort, R N.

Captain W. H. Smyth, R.N.

General Sir Samuel Bentham.

Lieutenant-Colonel G. C. D'Aguilar.
Lieutenant-Colonel Grey.

Sir Robert Kerr Porter.

Captain Garvock.

Commander Downes.

Captain Cooke.

Captain Shadwell Clerke.

Lieutenant W S. Hall.

Sir Herbert Taylor commenced by stating "That, having by the desire of the original proposers of an United Service Museum had the honour of submitting to his Majesty the objects of this Institution, he had been honoured with his Majesty's commands to signify to this Meeting, and to those who might become Members of the Institution, his Majesty's gracious and high approbation of the undertaking, and of the principles on which it was proposed to conduct it." The following resolution was therefore most respectfully agreed to: "That Sir Herbert Taylor be requested to convey to his Majesty the humble, dutiful, and deep-felt acknowledgements of this Meeting for the additional mark-just made known to them by his first Aide-de-Camp-of his Majesty's most gracious and paternal consideration." The Sovereign's good will was a powerful lever.

At the close of this meeting a nucleus was at once formed for the goodly project, in the presentation by Commander Downes of 60 cases of Natural History specimens, and my own gift of rare and useful professional books, models, antiquities, minerals, fossils, arms, and other curiosities. Some of the minerals, as the block of sulphate of strontian, the crystallized yenite, and the varieties of the pietra dura, were probably unique in state; while among the shells, the British Museum could not show a specimen to vie in perfection with our paper nautilus.

On the Maritime Supremacy of Great Britain.-The opinions here vented were in consequence of some inchoate meddlings in naval affairs, by power without knowledge-an element often pregnant with mischief.