This article provides, for the first time, a detailedand authentic account of the genesis and planning ofthe Somali Expedition, derived from previouslyunresearched documents in the Oriental and IndiaOffice Collections of the British Library, andsupplemented by material from the archives of theRoyal Geographical Society. The author has sought togive the subject a wider historical perspective thanthat provided by Burton, by including details fromthe works of earlier travellers in the north-eastregion of Africa such as James Bruce, Lord Valentia,and Henry Salt, which, to a greater or lesserdegree, have a bearing on Somalia. He has alsotouched on the ‘Eastern Question’, especially withregard to Muhammed Ali's territorial ambitions inArabia, which was an important factor in the Britishdecision to annex Aden in 1839, leading inevitablyto the development of an important relationship,both commercial and strategic, with the Somali coastacross the Gulf.