OF THE UNITED STATES. S45 



service. It will have the advantage of preparino; officers in 

 an essential part of their eni[)loyincnt, and of givinj; them a 

 knowledge of the localities of the conntry, by which tliey 

 may become particularly useful in future. 



The survey cannot be carried into its details, until such a 

 portion of tlie above work shall be executed and actually 

 calculated, as will serve to occupy two or three detail sur- 

 veyors, in a certain district. 



The same is to be observed with respect to the nautical 

 survey, wliicli is to extend fioiii the coast as far as any ob- 

 ject important to navigation may occur. It will be most pro- 

 per to use, in these parts of the work, well informed officers 

 brought up at tlie military academy, and naval officers. 



It was tlic intention of Mr. Gallatin to divide the whole 

 work into two parts. If that should l)e the wish now, two 

 corps of surveyors, as described above, would be required. 



As the general chain of great triangles must, however, 

 form one single system, it may be found proper not to make 

 this division, until a part of these are done, and when the 

 secondary triangles, being more numerous, will require an 

 increase of the numl)er of observers. 



Such distril)utions of the work may be advantageously 

 made, as the |)rincipal work is proceeding ; when it might 

 be divided into such a numl)er as the localities would indi- 

 cate. Tluis. for instance, the coast of Louisiana being, by 

 its geograpiiical position, separated from tlie other jiarts of 

 the coast of the United States, would, of itself, form such a 

 subdivision. 



Roliert Patterson, Esq. Director of the Mint in Philadel- 

 phia, has, from the beginning, been appointed irencral su- 

 pcrintendant of this work. In him the correspondence, and 

 general communications relative to it, have been made to 

 centre. 



This part of the arrangement is therefore considered as 

 fixed, independently of the present plan ; which is intended 

 merely to comprehend the ways and means for putting the 

 survey itself into operation. 



VOL. II. K 2 



