Footnotes

• THE HIGH NOON OF BRITISH IMPERIALISM – an album recording the life and exploits of a conspicuously successful Victorian admiral. Mid way through the volume Sir Harry Rawson (1843-1910) has pasted in an admonitory notice: "These papers are to be kept STRICTLY PRIVATE and are NOT to be given to any one to read except the family – If they get out they may do me much harm HHR".
  
  The chief events covered by this album are Rawson's expedition of August 1895, when he landed at Mombasa with the naval brigade which, with a force of Askaris, captured Mweli (some 15 miles from the coast), the stronghold of Mbarak bin Rachid, a Mazaria chief, and the one of a year later when, in August 1896, following the unexpected death of Sultan Hamed bin Thwain, part of Rawson's squadron bombarded the palace at Zanzibar and deposed the claimant, Seyyid Khalid. Our album contains letters home describing the expedition, the menus of the celebratory dinner held at Zanzibar and a letter in Arabic, signed by Rawson, which he later docketed: "My letter to Mbaruk which we found in his house at Mwele 17 Aug.st 1895".