accomplished explorers as Major Holdich and Mr. McNair. The President
said that Mr. McNair agreed with Sir Henry Rawlinson that the route he
had described would undoubtedly be the best into Central Asia, but the
account of the journey did not inspire him (the President) with any
confidence as to immediate results in the future. Mr. McNair had to
disguise himself as a Mahommedan who was acceptable to the Kafirs, and
it did not appear that he had in any way facilitated the entrance into
the country of any one who could not conceal his nationality. The
reports, famished by native explorers sent from India, had, however,
been fully established by Mr. McNair, and it would therefore appear
that the best way of solving the problem was to send educated natives
into Kafiristan. He was sure the meeting would heartily join in giving
a vote of thanks to Mr. McNair for his interesting paper.

It will be noticed by those who read the paper closely flow remarkably
absent from it are all allusions to personal experiences, such as
fatigue, weariness, physical discomfort, sense of disappointment, or
other of the necessary incidents of so toilsome an effort and long
sacrifice. As was the character of the man, so is his paper, simple,
direct, without any of the exaggerations of peculiar features in the
exploration or rhetorical artifices of description to enhance the
effect of the discoveries of the traveller, and with an entire
suppression of himself. For all that appears in the paper, he might
have been engaged in the most enjoyable pursuit, free from all personal
risk or daily discomfort.

I desire to testify rather to what I knew of the man himself during a
close friendship of over eighteen years.

In youth he was very ardent and affectionate, but as he advanced in