Kirk says that he has nothing of interest to report. He mentions that the Nyassa vessel is now afloat, has been loaded with equipment and that the party will be going up the Shire next month; she has been made a barge and will be taken in tow by the Pioneer. He says that their work is impeded by the slowness of the natives and that they work differently from Europeans (folio 24, 24a). He talks about the difficulties of bringing their vessel ‘Lady Nyassa’ on dry land whilst they go further inland into the Shire. He mentions that Mrs Livingstone has died of fever since his last letter, and that illness is always a problem for the members of the expedition; they also nearly lost their engineer also due to illness (folio 24a). He comments at length on the slave trade and how this affects the local people; he also wonders about the legality of the trade and the confusion surrounding this, affecting local issues and the Portuguese Government (folio 25). Kirk says that he has packed up the specimens collected in 1860 and that they will be despatched at the first opportunity; the first three boxes are said to contain specimens of natural history; plants and animals. He is also sending a collection of spear and arrows and ‘native workmanships in various substances’ (folio 25a). He says that they have had bad news from the Oxford and Cambridge Mission who has been attacked by slave traders, and blames it on the encouragement given to the slave trade by the authorities (folio 25a). Page one of four.