Dear Sir,

Allow me to address a short note to you with reference to your communication to me before I left England last spring.² During our voyage up the river, & our residence in this spot I have been paying considerable attention to domestic breeds of animals, & I hope to be able to bring home specimens of most of them, & full accounts of all. I am in great hopes of being able to make a run as far as Princes’ or St Thomas’ before I return, as a Zoological & Botanical visit to these islands would be most interesting.³ I do not see why these islands should not contain some indigenous & peculiar species. Fernando Po, which is much nearer the coast of Africa does, especially of mammals & Birds. Of the former are 2 species of Hyrax, one or two Gazelles, & I think some bats, & perhaps a Pangolin, as one of these latter which I got appeared distinctive. I also got there specimens of a Malapterurus differing from that of Old Kalabar, as also from those I have since got in this river. Fernando Po is the only one containing an indigenous population, a very peculiar people, in appearance, in habits, & in language—⁴ I do not know whether you have seen a chart of the currents of the Gulf of Guinea, shewn at the R. Geographical Society about a year ago by Mr J. Campbell, Surgeon, R.N.⁵ By it you would see how unlikely D^r Daniell’s supposition is of animals having been floated to these little islands.⁶

I hope you will excuse me if I mention