g 



I 



Traiixilioii Stiit/lix 28 



mary opening addresH. In this tuldreHS Galton ernpliaAist^ the important 

 VflatioiiH of climate to geography and remarks how liunian agency can 



iutlufUCtf lK)tll. 



"Wt> are buKtnning to look on our lioritiiKe of the earth much iw a youtli iiii){ht look upon 

 largt* aiK'i'stral jioHsession, long allowt<<l to run waJtt*, vinit«l !• ' ''V him for 



me, whose l)ouii(laric8 lie wii.s leaniitig, an<l whose c-apahilitieH In- iTiini; fo n 



TliiTc are tnictH in Africa, Australia, and at the Pol€>8, not yet m-. .iv-ililc  ' 



wonders may l)e contained in tlieni; l)ut tlie region of the ahsolulely unki. 

 and the career of the explorer, though still brilliant, is inevitalily coming to an end. The 

 ;,'eograj>hical work of the futun^ is to ohtain a truer knowletige of the world. I do not mean liy 

 .iccimiulating nia.sses of petty details, which subserve no common end, but by just and clear 

 Lfeneialisations. We want to know all that constitutes the individuality, so to speak, of every 

 Ideographical district, and to define and illustrate it in a way easily to be undemtood; and we 

 have to use that knowledge to show how the efforts of our human ractr may Ixat conforu) to the 

 geographical conditions of the stage on which we live an<l lalxjur." 



Galton finally turns to maps ; he does not refer as in the CamhriiUje 

 Essfti/s to the ultimate goal of the geographer — a map of the world with 

 ordnance map accuracy — but he doe.s retin-n to the idea of coinhininc/ 

 geogi'apher and artist. 



"The facility of nmltiplying coloured drawings will probably lea<l to a closer union than 

 eretofore l)ctween geography and art. There is no reason now why 'bird's-eye views' of large 

 racts of country should not be delicately drawn, accurately coloured, and cheaply prtxluced. 

 It is therefore to bo hoped, that the art of designing the so-called 'binl'.s-eye views' may 

 [become studied and that real artists should engage in it'." 



Galton finally concentrates on two practical map proposals. He notes how 

 ditHcult it is to procure ordnance maps and how much their format hinders 

 their popular use. He suggests that pocket forms of Government maps 

 should be issued, and what is more be sold at every head post-office. We 

 have had to wait many years for anything like the carrying out of (ialton's 

 proposal. Why shoul<l we, he asks, not succeed in getting '* the Ijeautiful 

 maps for which we, as tax-payers, have |)aid, but oidy copies or reductions 

 of them, not cheaper than the original and of very inferior workmanship 

 and accuracy"? Galton's .second proposal wjvs that the (lovernment should 

 be petitioned to issue a five mile to the inch map of the country "to serve as 

 an accurate route-map and to fulfil the demand to which the coui-se county 

 maps, which are so largely sold, are a sufficient testimony." Yet 1872 

 antedated the cycling and by nmch more the motoring tourist !' 



• Gallon's suggestions were not carried very far, but has not the time come for resuscitating 

 two of his ideas by means of air-plane colour photography and the use of the stereoacopet So far 

 I have not set^i any attempts at air-plane colour photography, nor using air-plane stereoscopic 

 cameras, but such may exist. There seems a real field for ex|>eriment in this direction, which 

 might jxissibly fulfil some of Francis Galton's fond hopes. Stereoscopic air-plane photogniphy 

 might also have military value. [Since writing these lines I have learnt that the latter asf>ect 

 of the matter has been considered by the .Vir Ministry.] 



^ (Walton's criticism did not wholly fail. The General Committoe of the British As.s<x-iation 

 resolve<l : "That Sir Henry Kawlin.son, F. Galton, Admiral Onnuanney, J . 1 lawkshaw, Bramwell, 

 VV. De la Rue, Godwin Austin be a Committee (with ])ower to add to their number) for the 

 purpose of represtMiting to the Government the advisability of an issue of the one-inch ordnance 

 maps, printed on strong thin pa|)er, each sheet having a portion of an index niap impressed on 

 the outside to show its contents and those of the adjacent sheets and their numbers. Also that 



