Ill 



Windward Isles and the 

 Grenadines 



WITH its 4000 navigational charts, the British Admiralty 

 claims to have world coverage ; and although a large 

 proportion of these are based on original surveys made 

 by earlier British hydrographic surveyors, they are kept up to 

 date and new charts made from British and foreign government 

 surveys, Hydrographers generally are generous in their exchange 

 of information and the international goodwill existing in this 

 field can be equalled only by the similar free exchange of ideas 

 and information among the world's oceanographers and astrono- 

 mers. International politics could profit from these examples. 



All the British Dominions, except Ceylon, now have their own 

 hydrographic services, leaving the Hydrographer of the Navy 

 responsible for the charting of British Home waters and those of 

 the British Colonies overseas. Even today this is a very formidable 

 task, difficult to envisage until one realises how much of this 

 area is still imperfectly surveyed ; in addition much of the earlier 

 work requires re-surveying with modern methods and equipment 

 to bring it up to the standard required for modern charts. 



The Hydrographer keeps constantly under review those areas 

 which require survey and it needs considerable foresight and 

 thought to decide which areas should be tackled next. The 

 Hydrographer is responsible that both the Royal and the Mer- 

 chant Navies receive the up-to-date charts they require, and to 

 a lesser extent he must be prepared to assist the Colonial Office 

 with surveys which may be needed to foster new developments. 

 For naval requirements an eye must be kept on the future, 

 judging which anchorages and passages will be of the greatest 

 importance in any emergency or future wartime activity. The 

 opening of a new oil refinery in a remote place may mean that 



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