SURVEYS AND MAPS 27 



of areas of permanent cultivation, grazing, scrub, and forest. Maps 

 of the type of the later Indian survey i inch series, but elaborated 

 along the lines of the Danish survey or the British land utilization 

 survey, would be the ideal. As a preliminary, however, a map on 

 a smaller scale such as 1:250,000 would serve, provided it were 

 contoured, but even this can only be drawn with accuracy after 

 a secondary network of triangulation is firmly based on chains of 

 primary triangulation. 



In the absence of such work, however, results of sufficient accur- 

 acy for many purposes can be attained by the method recently 

 evolved in French West Africa of making topographical maps of 

 an advanced reconnaissance type by means of rapid traverses. 

 This method has been employed with advantage in the little- 

 known areas bordering on the Sahara Desert. It is possible owing 

 to the fact that longitude is now quite easy to obtain accurately 

 by receiving wireless time from Greenwich; as easy, in fact, as 

 latitude has been for the past fifty years. Therefore rapid route 

 surveys can be accomplished with reasonable accuracy. Such 

 route surveys made by surveyors, as they travel from place to 

 place on triangulation or cadastral work, could contribute much 

 valuable information for topographic purposes. The data required 

 as a general basis for scientific and administrative work could 

 thereby be produced quickly, the tedious geodetic work following 

 later. This system would be particularly appropriate to areas 

 where population is small and where great accuracy for purposes 

 of cadastral survey is therefore not required. 



Cadastral survey itself is necessary in Africa on account of con- 

 ditions peculiar to undeveloped areas; it requires an accurate 

 geodetic basis, but this fact has unfortunately tended to be dis- 

 regarded in parts of the continent. In England compulsory 

 registration of title with Crown guarantee is not universal, and 

 even in those counties where it has been introduced, land titles 

 rest on the topographical map only. The guarantee does not 

 exclude the possibility of a boundary dispute between neighbours 

 nor does it insure a landowner against loss arising from such a 

 dispute. In short the landlord is given title to a piece of land 

 marked on a general map but not precisely defined by boundaries 

 of stated lengths and bearings. This system suits English con- 



