An important British expedition into the Kenyan interior in 1890

A very rare map recording the route of Captain Frederick Lugard's first expedition into the Kenyan interior, an important event in the development of Kenya. His route starts at Makangeni (there already being an established route from Mombasa), follows rivers including the Tsavo and Sabakhi, and terminates at Machakos, 40 miles from modern Nairobi. Cartographic features (including the 6 stockades built by the expedition and 'Masai War Paths') are printed in black; the route and the expedition's notes (terrain and animals seen) are printed in red. Lugard was sponsored by the Imperial British East Africa Company (the 'IBEAC' printed in gilt on the cover), which had been founded only two years earlier to develop African trade in the areas controlled by the British. He was attempting to find a new route from Mombasa to Machakos, avoiding the harsh Taru Desert, with the intention of using Machakos as a centre for trade with Uganda. The post was established but by 1900 the railways meant Nairobi superseded the hilly Machakos, becoming the British colony's capital. Lugard devotes a chapter of his 1893 book, "The Rise of our East African Empire. Early Efforts in Nyasaland and Uganda", to the expedition.