May 23, 1859.] ADMIRALTY SURVEYS— ENGLAND. 261' 



The account of the progress of the British Admiralty Surveys, 

 which — as usual — is first given, is indeed as perfect as at any 

 former period ; for, in continuation of the practice of Admiral Sir 

 F. Beaufort, his revered predecessor. Captain Washington, the 

 hydrographer, has prepared this document with his well-known 

 and acknowledged skill. 



Let us, therefore, begin with this National Maritime Survey, 

 after the reading of which I will endeavour to pass in review the. 

 most important geographical discoveries in various parts of the 

 globe, as well as to note the progress of publication in various 

 countries. 



Admiralty Surveys. 



The Coast surveys in course of execution under the orders of the 

 Admiralty, both at home and abroad, have made fair progress 

 during the past year. - They are conducted by twenty different 

 surveying parties — one half of which are employed on portions 

 of the coasts of the United Kingdom, the remainder in the colonies 

 of Australia, Cape of Good Hope, West Indies, Nova Scotia, Canada, 

 and British Columbia ; also in the Mediterranean, in Banca Strait, 

 and on the coasts of China and Japan. 



England. — On the east coast of England, the only work of im- 

 portance has been the re-examination of Hartlepool bay by Captain 

 Bedford and Lieutenant Homer, with a special view to discover if 

 any silting up had taken place since the first detailed survey of the 

 bay was made by Commander Slater in the year 1829, and re- 

 peated by Mr. E. K. Calver in 1843. The new plan is drawn on a 

 scale of eight inches to the nautic mile, and is sufficiently minute 

 to have enabled Captain Bedford to furnish the Eefuge Harbours 

 Commission (at whose instance the survey was made) with a de- 

 cided opinion, or rather proof, that no perceptible change had 

 taken place in the depths within the last thirty years. Fortified 

 by this result, the Commissioners have recommended Hartlepool 

 bay as one of the sites for a refuge harbour on the east coast of 

 England. 



On the south coast. Commander Cox and Messrs. Usbome and 

 Davis are continuing the survey of Hamoaze, and have completed 

 St. J©hn Lake and St. Germans River, including 33 miles of river 

 bank line and 13 square miles of soundings. In the Channel 

 Islands, Commander Sidney has re-examined the harbour of Braye, 

 in Aldemey, and the Great Bank off Guernsey. A valuable addi^ 



