XXXVi FOURTH REPORT. — 1834. 



jesty's Government, with a view of expediting the completion of 

 the still unfinished or unpublished parts of the Ordnance Survey* . 



• In consequence of this recommendation the following Memorial, upon the 

 state and progress of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain, was presented to 

 the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the part of the Association, by a deputation 

 from the Council : 



Memorial. 



"The Trigonometrical Survey of Great Britain, conducted by men of high Sci- 

 entific attainments, commenced its operations in 1798, with a view to the con- 

 struction of a general map, and in 1805 the first sheets of that work were pub- 

 lished. Of one hundred and eight sheets required to form the whole map of 

 England sixty-five only have yet been published, at which rate of progress 

 thirty years would elapse before the survey could reach the banks of the Tweed. 

 Now, although from the exertions recently made in this department, the rate of 

 publication has been accelerated, yet, on reference to the highest authorities on 

 this subject, no prospect is held out, even upon the present improved system, 

 that the desired result can be attained in less than ten years, after which the 

 entire map of Scotland will remain to be constructed. 



" Your memorialists conceive that this simple statement of the condition 

 and future prospects of the Survey might in itself be a sufficient reason to in- 

 duce Parliament to increase the grant allotted to this branch of public service. 

 But to place the evil complained of in a clear light, they venture to submit to 

 you the following considerations. 



" Urgent calls for the acceleration of this Map are made by many proprietors of 

 land and mines both in the North of England and in Scotland, who contend that 

 in the construction of rail-roads, canals, or other public works, that portion 

 of the kingdom is subjected to great expenses and difficulties from the want of 

 it. In forming the Western rail-road from London to Bristol an outlay of several 

 thousand pounds in surveying has been saved by the possession of those por- 

 tions of the Map which are published, whilst the correctness of the physical 

 features laid down upon them has enabled the engineer at once to select his line 

 of operations, and thus to gain at least a year of time in the commencement of 

 the work. Similar results have been obtained in Ireland, in forming the Ulster 

 canal, in consequence of the publication of the Ordnance Map of that country. 

 Another important benefit will be conferred upon the public by the completion 

 of this Map, in the correction of the coast surveys, determining the precise posi- 

 tion of headlands and form of bays ; a point of considerable moment in the 

 northern parts of this maritime countr}', where the outline of the coast is broken 

 and dangerous. In illustration of this it maj' be mentioned, that in the progress 

 of the yet unpublished parts of this Survey, errors of position in the most ac- 

 credited charts of this coast have been detected to an extent in one instance of 

 eleven miles ! 



" Your memorialists particularly invite attention to the fact, that although 

 a very large portion of the expense relating to the Scottish survey has been in- 

 curred, not only in establishing the great triangulation, but also in minutely and 

 accurately surveying a large portion of the South-west of Scotland, the mate- 

 rials so collected are now, they believe, laid by in the archives of the Map-office, 

 without the prospect of their being made available for many years; whilst it 

 must be observed that the knowledge thus locked up relates to one of those 

 tracts of the empire where its diffusion would prove of singular advantage. 

 Upon this head, indeed, it can be shown that the delay is not only a negative but 

 a positive evil, in as much as, but for the conviction that many years could 

 not elapse between the execution of this Survey and its publication, the inhabi- 

 tants themselves would have endeavoured to improve the maps. 



'• In this backward state of a national geographical survey, Great Britain 



