236 



REPORT — 1884. 



I 



The geological survey of Ireland was commenced in 1845, with 

 Captain H. James as director, the subsequent directors being T. Oldham, 

 1845 ; J. B. Jukes, 1850 ; E. Hull, 1809. 



The survey of Scotland was commenced in 1854, and was made a 

 distinct branch of the geological survey in 18G7, with Arch. Geikio as 

 director, succoeded in 1882 by H. H. Howell. 



England, the original home of the Survey, was presided over by De la 

 Beche as director till 1845, when A. C. Ramsay became director ; he was 

 succeeded in 1872 by H. W. Bristow, now the senior director. 



The dates of appointment of the Directors-General are : H. T. De la 

 Beche, 1845 ; Sir R. I. Mnrchison, 1855 ; A. C. Ramsay, 1872 ; Arch. 

 Geikie, 1881. 



Until 1845 the Survey was known as that of Great Britain ; when the 

 survey of In'land was commenced, the original name was confined to that 

 of Great Britain proper, the entire Survey being called that of the United 

 Kingdom. In 1H67 the title of Great Britain was discontinued entirely, 

 this Survey being divided into those of Ewjland and Wales and Scotland. 



The total number of the staff of the Geological Survey is now fifty-seven, 

 distributed as follows : one Director- General, three Directors, three 

 District Surveyors, fourteen Geologists, twenty-five Assistant Geologists, 

 four Naturalists and Palaaontologists, four Fossil Collectors, three General 

 Assistants. 



The survey of the greater part of England has been done on the 

 l-inch Ordnance maps (1 ; 03,8(i0). In the North of England the G-inch 

 maps (1 : 10,560) have been u.sed, and much of the ground has been 

 published on this scale. In the South of Scotland the 6-inch maps have 

 been used ; but in the North of Scotland the survey will be mainly on the 

 1-inch scale. In Ireland the G-inch maps have always been employed for 

 field work. 



The contours on the 6-inch maps are usually at intervals of 100 feet 

 up to 1,000 feet, above that at intervals of 250 feet. In the maps ot 

 Yorkshire the contours are more numei'ous. The old 1-inch maps, on 

 which alone the geolog}' is yet published, have no contours, but heights 

 arc marked in some districts. 



In Ireland the drift has always been shown upon the l-inch maps by 

 ' stippling.' Originally no glacial drift was shown upon the English maps ; 

 but in 1871 the publication of drift maps was commenced, and two editions 

 of many of the maps are now issued — solid and drift. In the East of 

 England only the drift maps are issued, very little being here known of 

 the solid geology. 



At the end of 1883 the field survey of the original l-inch map of 

 England and Wales was completed ; the survey of the drifts of the 

 areas over which these are not yet mapped has been commenced. 



In Ireland and Scotland there is only one system of numl)ering the 

 maps. In England some maps are in sheets, some are divided into quarter- 

 sheets. In the new maps of the Ordnance Survey the system of dividing 

 into quartei'-sheets will bo discontinued. The maps and their divisions 

 in the North of England are the same in the old and the new series, the 

 numbering only being different ; but in the South of England there is 

 no relation between the boundaries of the old and the new maps. 



In addition to the maps there are ' Horizontal Sections,' on the scale 

 (for heights and distances) of six inches to a mile. These are published 

 at 5s. each ; many have ' Explanations,' price 2*/. each. 



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