864 THE PROGRESS OF GEOGRAPHICAL KNOWLEDGE. 



instance, the district known as the Karoo, where the Ijest military map 

 existing- at the time of the war did not even pretend to sliow the main 

 roads through the country. The stage of development at which that 

 part of the colony has arrived in the all-important matter of local irri- 

 gation is only worthy of the Dark Ages. It would })e laughed at in 

 Persia or Afglianistan. The Arabs of median^al times were experts in 

 the art of the conservancy and distribution of water in dry lands com- 

 pared to the modern South African (or South American) farmer. 

 Now, I do not say that schemes foi merely local irrigation require geo- 

 graphical maps to support them. Such schemes onl}' require a little 

 entei'prise, a littU^ common sense, and a little capital, but I do say that 

 the geographical map would long ago have revealed the opportunity 

 for comprehensive schemes, such as exist in India, just as it would 

 have pointed out the best alignment for roads and railwaj's, the best 

 means for dealing with an enemy who can move 50 miles in a night, 

 and who can make, not merel}^ a few square miles, but a whole district 

 the theater of his operations. What was wanted (and is still wanted) 

 in South Africa is what is wanted in every part of the continent sub- 

 ject to British suzerainty. I know that I am but echoing the urgent 

 demand which has been made by every connnissioner and governor 

 within the limits of that vast area — not for elal)orate or special maps 

 for fiscal and revenue purposes, all of which will come in due time — 

 but for scientific geograph}^ which shall now take the place of the pre- 

 liminary work of pioneer explorers, and deal Avith the country as a 

 whole instead of tracing it in outlines and in disjointed parts. In short, 

 they require all gaps filled up. They want to know what the country 

 contains in the way of forests, of open land suitable for agriculture, 

 of desert and swamp, of opportunities for roads and railways, for tele- 

 graphs and irrigation, before deciding on the right portion for the 

 center of an arterial system of i)ul)lic works which shall pervade in 

 natural and orderly sequence, and in due time, every part of the l)ody 

 of the country of their administration. Now, this is scientific geog- 

 raphy. It is not oi'dnance map making nor anything very nuich like 

 it. It is ii comparatively new demand on tlic scicMitific resources of 

 England, and those resources are by no means e(|ual to the demand. 

 Before considcM-ing resources, however, we nuist look to the scientific 

 means to this geographical end. I have alr(Muly referred briefly to the 

 subject of geodes}^, and I have told you that what is termed geodetic 

 triangulation is a function of high scientific order, demanding not only 

 minute and painstakinj>; care on the part of an able stafi' of ol)servers, 

 ])ut A'(>ry considerable time and very considerable expense to carry it 

 to a satisfactory issue. I have also pointed out that inasumch as the 

 exact distribution into parts of any large space of the world's area 

 must ultimately depend on the exact measurements which are a fiuic- 

 tion of onl}^ the highest class of geodetic triangulation, we must look 



