472 Chronicles of Science. [ July, 
Himalayas and the mountains of the Central Island of New Zealand, 
contrasting and comparing them with those of Europe, and showing 
their power in modifying the physical features of their respective 
regions. 
The rule against the continued re-election of the same President 
has been suspended, and Sir Roderick Murchison again enters upon 
the duties of the office, which he has filled so ably during the past 
session. 
THe ORDNANCE SuRVEY OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 
By that large class who love good maps, the announcement that the 
Ordnance Survey of England is completed, and is soon to be within 
their reach, will be received with pleasure. This announcement is 
made in the Blue Book, reporting the progress of the National Survey 
up to the 31st of December, 1863; and in the course of another year 
or two, we may expect to have the maps of the six northern counties, 
which have been the last to be surveyed, issued to the public. These 
counties have the special privilege of being published on three different 
scales, namely, 25, 6, and 1 inch toa mile. It has always appeared 
to us that the first of these is unnecessarily large for a national survey, 
and is only justiliable for towns and special districts. For landowners 
it is, doubtless, a great boon to have a survey of their property made 
free of expense to themselves, and on a scale which would enable them 
to measure the breadth of a furrow in a ploughed field; but for the 
general purposes of the public such a scale appears absolutely useless, 
and we therefore maintain that the public should not be saddled with 
the cost of engraving maps from which they can derive no benefit. On 
the other hand, it may be replied that one survey is sufficient for any 
number of smaller scales, and that the measurements once taken for 
the 25-inch maps only require a proportionate reduction in the plotting 
for the smaller scales. Besides this, it seems probable that the pro- 
duce of the sale of the 25-inch maps will ultimately cover the cost of 
publication ; as the return of sale (including the value of those copies 
supplied to the public department) is set down for the past year at 
2,135/. for England, and 2,624/. for Scotland. 
The value of the maps on the l-inch and 6-inch scales will not be 
disputed. As a matter of choice we should have preferred a 2-inch to 
a 1-inch scale, for the latter is so small in reference to the multiplicity 
of objects in populous districts that exaggeration and distortion can- 
not be avoided. This is particularly observable in laying down the 
turnpike roads, so as to distinguish them from country and parish 
lanes; on a scale of twice this size any undue enlargement would be 
unnecessary. We make these remarks because we feel satisfied that a 
re-survey of a large part of England will be undertaken on the com- 
pletion of the whole kingdom. This is especially to be desired in 
respect of the southern counties of Cornwall, Devon, Wilts, &c., 
which were amongst the first to be surveyed, and the maps of which 
