HIS WIND AND CURRENT CHARTS 63 



sailings was decreased by one third and that for the 

 British by about one fifth. 



This shortening of ships' passages amounted to a vast 

 saving to the commerce of the world. It was estimated 

 that the annual saving to British commerce in the Indian 

 Ocean alone, from Maury's charts and sailing directions, 

 amounted to $1,000,000 at least, and the amount saved 

 to British commerce in all seas reached the stupendous 

 sum of $10,000,000 annually. As to the United States, 

 it has been conservatively estimated that the saving for 

 the outward voyage alone from her Atlantic and Cali- 

 fornia ports to those of South America, Australia, China, 

 and the East Indies amounted to $2,250,000 per annum. 



For many years the scientific world rang with Maury's 

 praise, though there were, of course, some detractors. 

 In referring to these ''closet men of science" who claimed 

 that he pushed his speculations oftentimes beyond the 

 limits which the facts before him would authorize a 

 prudent and cautious investigator to go, he wrote that 

 the true problem with which he had to deal was to use 

 his opportunities so as to produce the greatest good to the 

 greatest numbers, and that he was willing to be judged 

 by the fruits of his labor. Furthermore, he announced 

 again and again in his "Sailing Directions" the following 

 rule by which his investigations had always been guided : 

 "To keep the mind unbiassed by theories and specula- 

 tions ; never to have any wish that an investigation would 

 result in favor of this view in preference to that, and 

 never to attempt by premature speculation to anticipate 

 the results of investigation, but always to trust to the 

 observations". 



In spite of his great achievements, Maury's own coun- 

 trymen were rather backward about rewarding him. 



