The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-10 00:00:00

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.

The 33d session of this learned society com-
menced last evening at Burlington-house.
Sir It. MURCHISON, the president, having con-
gratulated the society upon the fact that a larger
number of candidates for fellowship had presented
themselves that evening than had ever before been
known, then proceeded to notice the special business
before the meeting. While, said Sir Roderick, they
were all waiting with impatience for the issue of
that work which would bring out the interesting
details of the great and successful adventures by
which our countrymen, Speko and Grant had de-
termined the scurces of the Nile, they were called on
to do honour to the Hanoverian nobleman, then
present—Baron von Decken—who, fitting out a
scientific expedition at his own cost, had explored
the loftiest mountain known to us in Eastern
Africa. The German missionary Kebrnann had
declared that that mountain was capped with snow,
but his statement was received with scepticism by
many persons, including himself (Sir R.Murchison).
Baron von Decker, however, after two ascents, had
by his perseverance and energy swept away those
doubts, as, after examining the flanks of the moun-
tain and laying down its geographical features, he
had ascended it very nearly 14,000 feet above the sea,
and having determined by trignometrical measure-
ment that the summit exceeded 20,0001 t. in height,
that the snow line descended to below 16,000 feet,
he had satisfactorily established a grand and new
phenomenon in the physical geography of Africa.
Before beginning his journeys to K.ilimanjora Baron
von Decken endeavoured to proceed from Kiloa and
to reach the spot in the interior where Roscher was
murdered, with the hope of obtaining the papers
of that intrepid traveller, but was compelled
to relinquish his object, owing to the deser-
tion of his porters and the hostility of the Arab
traders. In his:chief expedition Baron von Decken,
meeting at Zanzibar with the late Mr. Richard
Thornton, engaged that able and zealous young
geologist to accompany him, and who rendered
great services before he lost his life on the Zam-
besi. From some specimens of rock which Baron
von Decken had brought to Europe it was clear
that the lofty summit had been raised by volcanic
action, although there are no proofs of eruption in
the modern period. The Baron von Decken, how-
ever, was not content with having mastered Kili-
manjaro, but had determined to grapple with its
rival peak called Kenia, which, although not yet
reached by any geographer, had been placed upon
the map upon the equator, 200 miles to the north of
Kilimanjaro. The Barna had come to England to
equip himself at considerable cost with a long river
steamer, in which he proposed to ascend one
of the rivers near to Formosa Bay, and thus to pene-
trate rapidly into the interior, either towards Mount
Kenia, or, if foiled in that object, to Gondokoro, via
Kaffa. It was gratifying to announce that the
Baron having expressed a hope that in passing the
bar of the river which he might desire to ascend he
might be assisted by one of the cruisers in those
seas, he (Sir R. Murchison) represented that wish
to the Duke of Somerset, who at once acceded, and
sent orders to the Admiral at the Cape to lend all
necessary assistance to so meritorious a traveller.
Such devotion as the Baron von Decken had shown,
and was showing, in the cause of African discovery
called for the warmest commendation—(hear, hear)
—and the Council had that day elected Baron
C. von Decken a foreign honorary member of the
Royal Geographical Society. (Hear, hear.) A
short but interesting letter from Dr. Baikie had
been received, which could not fail to excite an
earnest desire to hear more of his last enterprise,
and to learn that the accredited envoy of the Bri-
tish Government,
who had done good service in in-
honest trade among the native
troducing habits of
chiefs high up the Niger, had, in penetrating far
into the interior, obtained important fresh know-
ledge, and had, at the same time, extended our
good name among the natives of Africa. He (the
president) had also received a letter from Mrs.
Potherick, dated Khartoum, July 26, giving a
touching narrative of the dangers and difficulties
which had beset her husband, who, too unwell to
write himself, had made himself unpopular in that
region by his efforts to check the trade in slaves.
The paper of Baron von Decken, describing his
account of Kilimanjaro was then read. It gave a
brief account of the various tribes through which
he passed on his way from the coast to Kiliman-
jaro, one tribe being sufficiently ingenious to smelt
iron and rudely convert it into weapons. He expe-
rienced great opposition from the natives, who de-
clared that the presence of Europeans would be fatal
to their cattle, and only succeeded in diverting the
enmity of ono chief by drinking blood with him.
h eight different nations, all differ-
He passed throug
ing in speech and feature, After a brief account of
the ascent of Kilimanjaro, the most noticeable faet
mentioned by the Baron was the existence in those
regions of an insect called the dondorovo, which at-
tacked and killed all his asses in two days. Upon
aeatemi,atisa of the animals killed it was found
that their lungs were covered with tubercles. He