595 



Report of the Committee. 



The Committee to whom it was referred by Minute of the Pre- 

 sident and Council of the Royal Society of the date of June 13, 1861, 

 to consider and report on a letter by Colonel Sir George Everest, C.B., 

 dated April 8, 1861, relating to the steps proper now to be taken in 

 reference to Colonel Lambton's Survey of an Arc of Meridian in 

 India, and on the subjects therewith connected, have to offer the 

 following Report : 



1. The Committee have examined the principal printed books on 

 the subject, namely, 



The several volumes of the Asiatic Transactions, containing the 

 details, to the extent to which in works of similar character they are 

 usually published, of Colonel Lambton's Surveys. 



The recalculation of the celestial amplitudes by Bessel in No. 334 

 of the ' Astronomische Nachrichten/ 



The two printed volumes by Sir George Everest, containing the 

 details of his own Indian Survey with much information on Colonel 

 Lambton's Survey. 



A former letter addressed by Sir George Everest to the Secretary, 

 and printed in the ' Proceedings of the Royal Society ' for January 

 27, 1859 (vol. ix. pp. 620-625). 



The Committee have also been favoured by Sir George Everest, 

 at a personal interview which that gentleman at their request most 

 kindly granted them, with very important oral information on the 

 instruments, the methods of proceeding, and other particulars re- 

 lating to Colonel Lambton's and to his own survey ; and they have 

 been permitted by him to peruse a most valuable document, partly 

 of private and partly of semi-official character, addressed to him by 

 Mr. De Penning, formerly Chief Assistant to Colonel Lambton in the 

 conduct of the Survey. 



2. The Committee will first advert to the observations and pri- 

 mary deductions from them (of the nature of adopted angles, &c.) in 

 Colonel Lambton's surveys. And in regard to these, they have no 

 hesitation in stating their opinion that no good whatever would be 

 done by general examination of the angle-books. It is evident from 

 Mr. De Penning's statements that the utmost care was used, and the 

 best judgment of the Officers was exercised, at a time when all the 



