First footsteps in East Africa

First footsteps in East Africa

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Title: First footsteps in East Africa
Author: Richard F. Burton
Release Date: November, 2004 [EBook #6886] [This file was first
posted on February 7, 2003]
Edition: 10

Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8856-1
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FOOTSTEPS IN EAST AFRICA ***

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This file was produced from images generously made available by the
Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr.)

[Illustration: HARAR FROM THE COFFE STREAM]
FIRST FOOTSTEPS IN EAST AFRICA; OR, AN EXPLORATION
OF HARAR.
BY RICHARD F. BURTON

TO THE HONORABLE JAMES GRANT LUMSDEN, MEMBER OF
COUNCIL, ETC. ETC. BOMBAY.
I have ventured, my dear Lumsden, to address you in, and inscribe to
you, these pages. Within your hospitable walls my project of African
travel was matured, in the fond hope of submitting, on return, to your
friendly criticism, the record of adventures in which you took so warm
an interest. Dis aliter visum! Still I would prove that my thoughts are
with you, and thus request you to accept with your wonted bonhommie
this feeble token of a sincere good will.

PREFACE.
Averse to writing, as well as to reading, diffuse Prolegomena, the
author finds himself compelled to relate, at some length, the
circumstances which led to the subject of these pages.
In May 1849, the late Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm, formerly
Superintendent of the Indian Navy, in conjunction with Mr. William
John Hamilton, then President of the Royal Geographical Society of

Great Britain, solicited the permission of the Court of Directors of the
Honorable East India Company to ascertain the productive resources of
the unknown Somali Country in East Africa. [1] The answer returned,
was to the following effect:--
"If a fit and proper person volunteer to travel in the Somali Country, he
goes as a private traveller, the Government giving no more protection
to him than they would to an individual totally unconnected with the
service. They will allow the officer who obtains permission to go,
during his absence on the expedition to retain all the pay and
allowances he may be enjoying when leave was granted: they will
supply him with all the instruments required, afford him a passage
going and returning, and pay the actual expenses of the journey."
The project lay dormant until March 1850, when Sir Charles Malcolm
and Captain Smyth, President of the Royal Geographical Society of
Great Britain, waited upon the chairman of the Court of Directors of the
Honorable East India Company. He informed them that if they would
draw up a statement of what was required, and specify how it could be
carried into effect, the document should be forwarded to the
Governor-General of India, with a recommendation that, should no
objection arise, either from expense or other causes, a fit person should
be permitted to explore the Somali Country.
Sir Charles Malcolm then offered the charge of the expedition to Dr.
Carter of Bombay, an officer favourably known to the Indian world by
his services on board the "Palinurus" brig whilst employed upon the
maritime survey of Eastern Arabia. Dr. Carter at once acceded to the
terms proposed by those from whom the project emanated; but his
principal object being to compare the geology and botany of the Somali
Country with the results of his Arabian travels, he volunteered to
traverse only that part of Eastern Africa which lies north of a line
drawn from Berberah to Ras Hafun,--in fact, the maritime mountains of
the Somal. His health not permitting him to be left on shore, he
required a cruizer to convey him from place to place, and to preserve
his store of presents and provisions. By this means he hoped to land at
the most interesting points and to penetrate here and there from sixty