10 KANSAS Academy of science. 



to do alone. The Director of the National Survey used all the available scientitic 

 material of these States to the best advantage; where the work already done is suffi- 

 ciently good, it is used as a basis, and where in error it is corrected. As all topographic 

 work heretofore done is in error, owing to the inaccuracy of old methods, all that 

 needs to be entirely new work. Some of the geological work is good, but, being 

 wrongly located, must be revised. So that it is to the advantage of the States in 

 every way to have the work done by the national organization, as being better than 

 they can do themselves. 



After the work of the Government corps in the West, it was found that with their 

 methods they could do more work for less money, than the State surveys of the East 

 working by the old methods. So the Government survey was invited to work in the 

 Eastern States, some of which had their entire maps made for them by the Govern- 

 ment corps of trained observers and calculators. Pennsylvania has had the topo- 

 graphic work done by the Government survey, and will pay the expense of additional 

 detail. Massachusetts began, years ago, to make a topographical survey, and has 

 turned over all the material to the United States Geological Survey, for its working 

 basis. This material is known as the "Borden triangulations." The Legislature 

 appropriated $40,000 for the use of the survey in giving them greater details on 

 maps of larger scale. 



The Government work had been begun in Massachusetts — just as it has been be- 

 gun in Kansas — and the opportunity was seized to secure to the State the best pos- 

 sible map. Maine had a preliminary examination of her rocks made — much as 

 Kansas has had — but made no survey nor maps. New York has had a partial tri- 

 angulation made by State authority, but the geological survey has not constructed 

 maps. In California a thorough topographical survey was made by Prof. Whitney, 

 and the geological work followed upon that of course, because a topographical sur- 

 vey must precede the geological as a necessary preliminary. Much of the Govern- 

 ment work in that State was done on that survey as a first basis. 



Grand triangulations upon which the geodetic surveys of the States must rest, 

 should be executed by the General Government, for interstate geodesy will depend 

 for accurate basis and for uniformity and harmony upon the Government survey, 

 which will cover a continent. All State, county, township and other boundaries 

 should rest upon the national system for permanence, as well as the boundaries of 

 estates, and the titles to property. Boundaries do not always appear in nature, but 

 should be defined by unchangeable mathematics, based on the astronomical meri- 

 dians. 



The General Government requires accurate maps for its own purposes — military, 

 political, fiscal, postal routes, etc., and they are necessary to legislation on a variety 

 of subjects; the distribution of mineral wealth, forests, arable and desert lands, the 

 relation of flood districts, drainage, areas, railroads and highways, etc. To these 

 practical subjects must be added the use of maps to that large body of scientific men 

 in every country, on whom the progress of that country depends, to whom accurate 

 maps are indispensable. 



It is part of the grand scheme of the national surveys that they shall be supple 

 mented in all the States in which they work, by State surveys, to carry forward this 

 work in greater detail. In fact, all Government work is of this nature. That is, it 

 furnishes the exact scientific basis, and from that the States and individuals can elab- 

 orate the minutiit'. And it is right that this should be so; for the general surveys 

 cannot be burdened with the details of the various districts whose different require- 

 ments are infinite. This is also the theory of the Meteorological office and the Fish 

 Commission, which furnish bases and material to be elaborated by workers in the 

 details in all the States. 



