The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-13 00:00:00

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.

The first meeting for the session of the above
society took place on Monday evening at Burling-
ton House. The chair was taken by Sir Rolerick
Murchison, president of the society.
The PRESIDENT, in opening the session of 1867,
detailed the news which had been received up to the
present date of the expedition in search of Dr.
Livingstone. It had arrived, after a prosperous
voyage, at the Kongoni entrance of the Zambesi in
nine and a half days from the Cape, and after ob-
taining a negro crew had departed up stream on the
27th July. He still retained his doubts as to Dr.
Livingstone's death, and hoped to have good news
by March next, when Mr. Young's party would have
returned. The next subject touched upon by the
president was Abyssinia, upon the geography of
which country, as ascertained in the early expedi-
tions of the Portuguese, a paper had been prepared
by their secretary (Mr. C. Markham). He (the pre-
sident) would remind the meeting that 24 years ago
he had given the society all the information he could
collect on the subject, compiled from the researches
of Dr. Beke. All the latest information confirmed
the statements of the illustrious traveller Bruce. The
Government had acceded to his proposal to send
scientific men out with the Abyssinian expedition,
and he was happy to add that Mr. Markham, their
secretary, had been selected as one of the number.
Mr. Blandford would also join the expedition from
Bombay, and Lieut. St. John (one of their fellows)
from London. From both gentlemen the most valu-
able and important scientific information might be
expected. Maps of all the routes through Abyssinia
had been obtained from the topographical depart-
ment, and a large and complete map of the whole
country had been compiled from a careful sifting of
all the previous documents. Until that map should
be published the maps presented by Mr. K. John-
ston and Mr. Wild could be referred to, as also one
which had been presented by Mr. Peterman, laying
accurately down the features of the country in which
the first operations of the expeditionary British
force would take place. After a compliment to the
work of Sir S. Baker, " The Nile Tributaries of
Abyssinia," the president proceeded to allude to the
various papers which had been sent in on the sub-
ject of Central America, particularly the one which
had been prepared by Mr. Collinson under the
direction of Captain Bedford Pim, R.N., and
which would throw much light on the physical
geography of that region. Mr. Whymper promised
an account of his recent expedition to Greenland,
for which the British Association had voted that
gentleman a sum of £lOO. In conclusion, he congra-
tulated the meeting on the list of candidates for ad-
mission, the largest since its formation, and which
included the Pasha of Egypt, the Duke of Buc-
clench, and Sir Bartle Frere.
Mr. MARTIN proceeded to read the paper which
had been prepared by Mr. Markham, the principal
portion of which was devoted to the Portuguese ex-
pedition, under Don Cristoval de (lama, in the 16th
century. That expedition, consisting of only 450
musketeers and six pieces of cannon, unprovided
with mules or camels, succeeded in crossing the
desert and reaching the high table-land in seven
days, after which they found plenty of water and
provisions. The Portuguese defeated the Moorish
invaders of Abyssinia, but were afterwards treated
with much ingratitude by the pople they had
saved. The various Portuguese expeditions to
Abyssinia had been sent out under the impression
that the country was the seat of the empire of Prester
John.

A warm vote of thanks was given to Mr. Markham
for his paper. The president, when putting the
question, noticed the presence of Count Lavradio,
the Portuguese Minister, the descendant of the first
Governor-General of India. Dr. Beke was then
called on by the president to give his opinion as to
the different routes through Abyssinia. (Cheers.)
Dr. BEKE was understood to say that the expedi-
tion would land at a place called Zula, close to
which, having followed the route which he suggested,
it would find abundant water and provisions. Hav-
ing given some details of his own visits to Abyssinia,
Dr. Beke came to the conclusion that there was
nothing insurmountable in the difficulties of Abys-
sinian travelling. The towns were merely camps of

huts built of mud and straw, and were run up wher-
ever the Emperor made a lengthened halt.

Sir H. RAW LINSON said that the route which would
be followed by the expedition from the sea coast to
Magdala would be round by the heads of the rivers,
thus avoiding the deep chasms and gullies which
formed the chief obstacle to travelling in
Abyssinia. This was the course which had
been recommended by Dr. Beke, to whom they
were much indebted for his explanations and sug-
gestions. With respect to climate, he believed that
of Abyssinia to be one of the most healthy in the
world, and he should not be much surprised if at
some future day the highlands of Ethiopia were
selected as a sanatorium for India. Zula, the place
of landing, was so short a distance from Magdala,
that the guns could be heard firing at the latter
place from it; so that with respect either to Climate
or the facilities of travelling he saw nothing to dread
for the expedition. (Cheers.) The political diffi-
culties were quite another question.
Dr. BEKE said that the beat proof of the healthi-
ness of Abyssinia was that the captives had retained
their health throughout the whole of their captivity.
He could not recall the case of a single European
who had died of the climate in Abyssinia. (Cheers.)

Lord HouGwroN concurred in the observations
of Sir H. Rawlinsou as to the importance of the
political aspects of the Abyssinian question. If her
Majesty's Government should not be able to show
that they had exhausted all milder means for the
liberation of the captives before determining on this
costly expedition they would have incurred a heavy
responsibility. He should also like to know whether
they had taken proper means to consult all the best
authorities on the peculiarities of the country, and
those who were capable of giving them the best
advice. (The noble lord's observations did not
meet the general assent of the meeting).
The PRESIDENT begged to inform the noble lord
that he himself and the Geographical Society had
been consulted by her Majesty's Government, and
the impression was that no expedition had ever been
started, either from here or India, in which greater
previous pains had been taken to obtain all the
necessary information. (Cheers.)

Mr. H. SEYMOUR reminded the noble lord that
the captives themselves had stated that their only
hope was in an expedition. (Hear, hear.) Sir R.
Napier would have the co-operation of the King
of Shoa, and also that of the Pasha of Egypt, so
that if Theodorus retreated before him he would
be completely hemmed in, and would find escape
impossible. Under all the circumstances he (Mr.
Seymour) had the best hopes of the expedition.
After some further conversation the proceedings
terminated.