Mr, Goldingham's Report £Oct. 



' ' *^ Instructions will accordingly be immediately issued for the 

 two persons, Messrs. John Robinson and P. Lawrence, whom 

 you consider to be calculated to conduct the desired inquiry, to 

 1)6 placed under your superintendence, in order that they might 

 receive that instruction which it is your intention to give them, 

 to insure the correctness of the observations which they will be 

 intrusted to make. Orders will also be given for the selection 

 of a conductor and sub-conductor, whose characters for steadi* 

 hess render them fit to take charge of the property ; and when 

 you shall have stated the number of Lascars, and the extent and 

 description of the establishment of tents that it may be neces- 

 sary to assign to the party, directions will also be communicated 

 for their being furnished with them. 



" With respect to the number and nature of the instruments 

 and other articles that it may be necessary to provide on the 

 occasion, the Honourable the Governor in Council will be pre- 

 pared to sanction your indent for. all such as are to be procured 

 from the public stores, and feehng confident that you will con- 

 fine the expense to be incurred within as narrow limits as may 

 he practicable, he will authorise any expenditure which you 

 may make in the provision of those which can only be supplied 

 by purchase. 



** The Marine Board will be instructed to report, whenever an 

 opportunity may offer for the departure of the party for Ben- 

 coolen." 



The preparations were immediately commenced at the Obser- 

 vatory, and completed about the close of the year ; the addi- 

 tional instruments were obtained, either from offices where such 

 were in store, or purchased ; the difficulty and trouble in a 

 country like this, attendant upon fitting out an expedition of 

 this description, and in. having delicate instruments properly 

 packed, may readily be imagined : * these difficulties, however, 

 were successfully overcome ; and the two assistants, Messrs. 

 Hobinson and Lawrence, were instructed and practised in the 

 duty they had to perform. I expected that an officer with a 

 guard would have been ordered by Sir Stamford Raffles to go 

 with the party from Bencoolen ; but it having been suggested 

 to me, that it might be better to dispatch an officer from hence, 

 and concurring in this suggestion, I addressed the Secretary to 

 Government in the Public department, upon the subject, under 

 date the 28th of Dec. stating. 



That it having been suggested to me, if an officer were sent 

 with the party going to the Equator, it might be of service to 

 him, and that difficulties might possibly occur, which persons, 

 merely scientific, could not so readily overcome, I begged he 

 ^t¥ould be pleased to submit for the consideration of the Honour- 



♦ The correspondence which this involved, and which was of some bulkj has been 

 omitted, as tending unnecessarily tO increase the length of the Report. 



