During the night we saw a great glare of flame down the
valley at the lower end of the lake,
Sir Roderick Impey Murchison (1792-1871) was a prominent English geologist
who recommended Hector for the post of geologist to the Palliser Expedition.
He was president of the Royal Geological Society, a notable figure in British
science.
The influence of British exploration around the world during the l9th century
is evident in the fact that Murchison Falls on the upper reaches of the
Nile in Uganda are named after the same man.