Johnston’s concerns regarding African partition prompted him to join an expedition through Southern Angola (led by the Seventh Earl of Mayo) in 1882. A year later he met up with Stanley, who was in the process of setting up the Congo Free State. The Royal Geographical Society engaged him on an expedition to Mt Kilimanjaro in 1884 and on the basis of his observations, and covert political activites, the foundation of British East African Protectorate (covering Kenya and Uganda) was laid.Johnston provides a history of the area as well as detailing the establishment of the protectorate. He had a genuine interest in natural history, which he was able to indulge on his travels and is apparent in this work. The plates and illustrations are all after original drawings by the author.
