32 



board, broken up by firths and lochs into every conceivable form of 

 promontory, cape, and headland, this portion of Great Britain com- 

 prises within itself such a variety of physical features as is only 

 found elsewhere distributed over much moi'e extensive regions. It 

 cannot be doubted, therefore, that a properly constructed map of 

 Scotland, on a scale sufficiently distinct, if executed with fidelity, 

 and with all the improvements of modern art, would present at once 

 a most pleasing and highly instructive example of this species of 

 design. That we do not already possess such a map, is not owing 

 to any want of interest in the subject on the part of our countrymen, 

 for Scotland has produced more works of this class than perhaps any 

 other country of similar extent and means. But these efforts, how- 

 ever creditable in themselves, could not be connected so as to pro- 

 duce a perfect map, for want of such a basis of union, as a com- 

 plete system of triangulation alone could supply. Now, this was a 

 work which, from its vast extent and labour, required the resources 

 of Government to accomplish, and hence the necessity for the so-called 

 Ordnance or Government Survey, to trace the progress of which is 

 the object of this Paper. 



The first map of Scotland on record is that attributed to Ptolemy, 

 the geographer of Alexandria, a. d. 140. In this celebrated work, 

 it is well known the bearings are altogether wrong, as the upper 

 part of Britain is z'epresented bending to the east instead of stretch- 

 ing to the north. Nothing further of this kind worthy of notice 

 occurs till the 14th century, when Richard of Cirencester compiled 

 a map, in which, though he generally follows Ptolemy, he gives the 

 true bearings of the country, and greatly adds to our knowledge of 

 British geography. 



Timothy Pont was the first projector of an atlas of Scotland. 

 In 1608 he commenced a survey of all the counties and islands, 

 sketching in the features on the spot. He died before his work was 

 finished, and in 1646 his drafts and notes were put into the hands 

 of Sir Robert Gordon of Straloch, who completed his design. All 

 the sketches and notes thus collected were transmitted to Bleau of 

 Amsterdam, who published his Atlas Scotia in 1654. This atlas, 

 begun at the charge of Sir John Scott, of Scotstarvet, director of the 

 Chancery in Scotland, was, probably, carried on and completed at 

 the national expense. These maps, which are wonderful productions 



