on national geological surveys : europe. 235 



Switzerland. 



Beitrage zur Geologischen Karte der Schweiz (ALateriaux pour la Carte 

 Geologique de la Suisse) (Berne). 



The present organisation dates from 1859, when the Federal Council 

 offered to the Swiss Natural History Society a grant in aid of colouring 

 geologically the topographical map (' Carte Dufour '). A geological com- 

 mission of five members was then formed, with Bernhard Studer as 

 president. 



The map is in 25 sheets ; three of the corner sheets are for title, 

 index, &c. Eighteen sheets are published, those not yet issued being XIII., 

 XIV., and XVIII., all in Central Switzerland. 



The scale is 1 : 100,000 ; the meridian is Paris, 2° 20' E. of Greenwich. 



The text, chiefly in German, but partly in French and Italian 

 according to the locality described, is contained in ' Lieferungen ' 1-28, 

 dating from 1862. Some of these desci'ibe one or more sheets of the 

 map ; others describe special districts, with maps on the scale of 1 : 50,000 

 or 1 : 25,000. 



A general map, ' Carte Geol. de la Suisse,' was published by B. Studer 

 and A. Escher von der Linth in 1853, scale 1 : 350,000 ; with text — 

 4 Geologie der Schweiz,' by B. Studer, 2 vols., 1851-53. 



United Kingdom. 

 Geological Survey of the United Kingdom (London). 



The founder of this survey was H. T. De la Beche, who before 1832 

 had coloured geologically the Ordnance one-inch maps of the South-West 

 of England. In that year a small grant was made by the Government 

 towards the cost of publishing these maps by the Ordnance Survey, but 

 De la Beche also contributed money for the purpose. Subsequently De la 

 Beche was definitely appointed to make a Geological Survey, under the 

 direction of General Colby, then the head of the Ordnance Survey. The 

 first result of this was the publication of the ' Report on the Geology of 

 Devon, Cornwall, and West Somerset,' 1839, with the one-inch maps of 

 the district. 



About 1832 other geologists were surveying various districts upon 

 the one-inch maps of the Ordnance Survey — William Smith in many 

 parts, 1 and W. Lonsdale near Bath. H. Maclauchlan and J. R. Wright 

 (both of the Ordnance Survey) mapped the Forest of Dean and the 

 country around Ludlow respectively, W. Logan surveyed part of 

 S. Wales ; the information collected by these three observers was incor- 

 porated in the official geological maps. 



In 1845 the Geological Survey was detached from the Ordnance Survey 

 and was placed under the ' Office of Woods and Works ;' in 1854 it became 

 a branch of the ' Department of Science and Art.' 



From about the year 1832 some officers of the Ordnance Survey in the 

 N. of Ireland collected geological information, which was completed and 

 published by Captain J. E. Portlock in 1843. 



1 Smith made a Geological map of Somersetshire upon the one-inch scale in 

 1799. 



