368 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



Mr. Coulcher looked at it, and then Mr. Carpenter, and 

 the moment the latter did he said " Beautiful ! Beautiful ! " 

 And on Mr. Hampden asking him if it was all right, he 

 replied that it was perfect, and that it showed the three 

 points in " a perfect straight line ; " " as level as possible ! " 

 And he actually jumped for joy. Then I asked Mr. Coulcher 

 and Mr. Carpenter both to make sketches, which they did. 

 We then fixed a calico flag on the parapet to make it more 



The "Bedford Level" Survey.— Sketches by the 

 Two Referees. 



Copied from the Field for March 26, 1870. 



These two views, as seen by means of the inverting telescope, are exact representa- 

 tions of the sketches taken by Mr. Hampden's Referee, and attested by Dr. 

 Coulcher as being correct in both cases : first, from Welney Bridge ; and 

 secondly, from the Old Bedford Bridge. 



visible, and drove back with the instruments to Old Bedford 

 bridge, where I set up the level again at the proper height 

 above the water, and again asked both the referees to make 

 sketches of what was seen in the level-telescope. This they 

 did. Mr. Carpenter's was rather more accurately drawn, and 

 Mr. Coulcher signed them as being correct, and both are 

 reproduced here. 



For those who do not understand the use of a level, it 

 may be necessary to explain that the cross-hair in the optical 

 axis of the telescope marks the true level of any object at a 

 distance with regard to the telescope. Any point that is 

 seen above the cross-hair is above the level, any point seen 

 below the cross-hair is below the level, and in the latter case 

 the line from the telescope to it slopes downwards. To show 



