24 Life and Letters of Francin fHalton 



be a north and south line, the angle cAh is the hedriiKj of C and this is 

 given in the tiret vertical column of the table. There is no instrument 

 needful and no calculation. Of course the method is rough, but if care be 

 taken that no angle of the triangle be less than 30°, practically valuable 

 results may be obtained. 



Another paper with the same intention of aiding the geographer was that 

 of 1858 on "The E.\ploration of Arid Countries'." Galton states his problem 

 as follows: 



"I suppose an 'exploring' party, an few in numbers as is consistent with efficiency, to Ix- 

 aided by a ' supjtortimj' party, who may 1h! divided into two or more sections. The duty of tliis 

 supporting party is to carry provisions, partly to l>e eattni on the way oiit^ and fuirtly to he 

 'edehed,' or buried in the ground, in order to supply tlie wants of a homeward journey. After 

 a certain distance from camp had been reached, and the loads of one 'sfction' of the supporting 



' Proc. R. Geographical Society, Vol. ii, pp. 60-77. Galton was much interested in the 

 difficulties of exploring the arid centit; of Australia. Among lii.s pa]K-rs I found a little map of 

 Australia indicating by differt-nt shading tlie settled and S(|uatting districts, and with the desert 

 routes of the Gregories, Stuart and of burke's cross-continental fatal journey. It was marked 

 in pencil "From my article in the ." This article, unsigned and not recorded in (lalton's 



list of published papers, was ultimately run to ground in the Coruhill for 1862, pp. 354-64. 

 Ita title is "Recent Discoveries in Australia" and it descriljes the work of the Gregories, Bab- 

 batge, McDonal, Stuart, Burke and King. It might Ix- read to-day by anjone dt«iring to get 

 ■o interest in Australian discovery. One wonders whether Burke's life would liave been saved 

 if Galton's system of caches had \)een fully adopted. One passage may be cited: ''It appears 

 hopeless to ascertain the habitable qualities of any district of Australia by seeing it only once. 

 The arid plains after a month's soaking rains are wholly alt^-red. An unexpecte<l fact still 

 remains, it is that wherever a sheep station is by any mejiiis (•stAblish>'d, the country Ikjcouios 

 rapidly i(nprove<l by its influence. Tt is a sulject for Darwinian s}>pcidation. Grazing improves 

 grasses, occupier (lams up creeks and deejKnis water-hole. Perhaps the grasses and bushes 

 flourish through the moisture. Their roots will then form a natural matting that checks evapora- 

 tion while long fibres of the roots encourage more water to enter deeply into the soil." 



