May 25, 1857.] COLONEL WAUGH— ROYAL AWARDS. 371 



base at Seronj, passing through Rajputana and the sandy desert to 

 Karachi, upwards of 700 miles in extent, where a base of veri- 

 fication was measured, whilst the triangulation of the Bombay 

 meridian was connected with this series. He further extended 

 another series in a north-west direction from the stations of the 

 meridional arc, Banog and Amsot, through the plains of the Panjab 

 and a great portion of the mountainous tract to Peshawar. Again, a 

 base of verification was measured near Attock, the series embracing 

 an area of about 67,000 square miles. A meridional series is far 

 advanced from the base at Karachi, along the Indus, to that near 

 Attock. This operation will complete a gigantic geodetical quad- 

 rilateral, of which the great arc series forms the eastern side. 

 Simultaneously with these trigonometrical operations, most minute 

 and elaborate topographical surveys have been executed under the 

 superintendence of Colonel Waugh throughout the greater portion of 

 these tracts. 



Lastly, having determined that of all the mountains whence the 

 affluents of the Ganges run, the loftiest summit is situated about 

 midway along the Himalayan chain, and finding that this culmi- 

 nating point (N. lat. 27° 56', E. long. 86° 53') was 29,002 English 

 feet above the sea, and consequently 846 feet loftier than the famous 

 Kinchinjanga of Nipal, Colonel Waugh has gratefully and appro- 

 priately named this, the highest known elevation in the world, 

 Mount Everest, after his valued geographical instructor. 



These great results appear to come peculiarly within the scope of 

 the Society, which takes for its motto '* Ob Terras Eeclusas ;" for 

 eight years ago, the mere exploration of the tracts in question would 

 have been deemed impracticable, whereas under the direction of 

 our Medallist, a vast portion of these countries is now accurately 

 delineated, on the basis of astronomical observations, connected by 

 the highest appliances of modern geodetical science and art. 



The President rising thus addressed Colonel Everest : — 



" Colonel Everest, — The reasons which induced the Council to 

 adjudicate the Patron's Gold Medal to Lt.-Colonel Waugh having been 

 made manifest by the document I have just read, I now place this 

 our tribute to his ability and success in your hands, requesting you 

 to convey it to your eminent associate, with the assurance that we 

 deeply appreciate the importance of his labours. 



" By transmitting this Medal, through your medium, to the officer 

 who learnt his lessons under jonr able guidance, the Eoyal Geo- 

 graphical Society recognises the right of your predecessor Lambton 

 and yourself to have had similar distinctions : and I rejoice that by 



