What Led to the Discovery of the Source of the NileSpeke, John Hanning
History
What Led to the Discovery of the Source of the Nile
Speke, John Hanning
Horn of Africa -- Description and travel; Nile River; Tanganyika, Lake
A difference now arose about the Government £2000 in aid of the
expedition. The Foreign Office had paid their £1000, but the India
House thought Captain Burton's pay ought to be considered their share.
Finding this was the case I objected to go, as I did not wish, for one
reason, to put myself under any money obligations to Captain Burton;
and, for another reason, I thought I had paid enough for a public
cause in the Somali country, without having gained any advantage to
myself. Captain Burton, however, knew nothing of astronomical
surveying, of physical geography, or of collecting specimens of
natural history, so he pressed me again to go with him, and even
induced the President of the Royal Geographical Society to say there
need be no fear of money if we only succeeded. I then consented to go,
determining in my own mind, somehow or other, to have my old plans,
formed in India, of completing my museum, carried into effect, even
if, after all, the funds of the expedition did not suffice. Captain
Burton now gave me a cheque for my passage out of the public
funds;[32] but my incorporation with the expedition was not quite so
easy as had been expected; for the Government in India at this time
were using every endeavour in their power to increase their
Indo-European forces, and had written home to Leadenhall Street an
urgent desire that no officers should have their leave extended, or be
placed on duty out of India; and for this reason, the India House
authorities, although privately evincing a strong disposition to
permit my going, felt it necessary to withhold their sanction to it. I
was now between two fires. I had sacrificed my Caucasian expedition,
and could not speak with the authorities in India. So, to cut the
matter short, with a kind hint from my friend Sir Henry Rawlinson, as
I had still nearly three years' furlough at my disposal, I ventured
over with Captain Burton by the overland route to Bombay, and tried my
luck again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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