ON THE SURVEY OF URITISH PROTECTORATES. 397 



methods and impi-oved means have lately been introduced which greatly 

 simplify the work, but there is no method which does not require scientific 

 dii-ection. It would therefore be advisable that the same instruments, 

 under the same personal supervision, should be used in every case. Unity 

 of scale and of linear measurement is absolutely essential to final com- 

 pilation in such vast areas as Africa presents, and much good work now 

 in progress may be rendered valueless for general map-making purposes- 

 if'such unity is not secured ah initio. 



(3) It is the earnest desire of the lloyal Geographical Society that 

 those travellers and explorers who use their instruments and accept their 

 assistance financially should add to the practical outcome of mapping 

 material in Africa. For this purpose the Society has established training 

 classes in practical geography, and keeps a record of the names of those 

 who are qualified to work as geographical surveyors. But in order to 

 utilise their work to the fullest extent it is essential that the geographical 

 data determined by such professional surveyors as from time to time are 

 sent to Africa under the direction of the Intelligence Department should 

 become generally available ; and it is thei'efore most desirable that all 

 such material (indispensable for the proper location of field surveys and 

 for check on final positions) as may Ije collated at the Intelligence Office 

 may be placed at the disposal of the E.oyal Geographical Society. 

 Attention should very specially be drawn to the great amount of geo- 

 graphical mapping (at present disconnected and wanting in topographical 

 detail) which is annually turned out by irresponsible travellers. The value 

 of this might be largely increased if it were based on exact data. 



(4) One of the most important factors in dealing with the vast area, 

 of our African possessions in the matter of geographical (or first) surveys 

 is the absolute necessity of resorting to native agency for its topography. 

 Effective topography can never be secured without the assistance of 

 surveyors and draughtsmen specially trained to this particular branch of 

 map-making. European agency (except for purposes of supervision) is 

 out of the question on account of the expense. Indian native agency is 

 equally impossible for more than comparatively restricted areas. The 

 vast mass of African mapping must be secured through the agency of 

 natives of Africa, just as Asia has largely been mapped by Asiatics. 



There is apparently no reason why natives of Africa, trained in mission 

 and other schools, should not be as effective in the field of survey as 

 Africans generally have proved in the field of arms. 



It is suggested that in the earlier stages of the formation of such an 

 agency scientific societies might be willing to take the initiative. It is 

 to the interest of the Royal Geographical Society, for instance, to secure 

 the assistance of native topographers for explorers. AVhat is immediately 

 wanted is the initiation of a training school ; and it seems probable that, 

 if one or two promising pupils were selected from each protectorate for 

 training, an invaluable school would in a few years be established, which 

 would rapidly extend of itself. The Commissioners and Administrators 

 of our African Protectorates might be requested to assist in the experi- 

 ment by ascertaining whether volunteers from the native schools can be 

 found for the purpose. Every assistance to such a scheme may be 

 confidently anticipated from the Indian Government, who have lonf^ had 

 practical experience of the enormous advantages of native labour in the 

 field of surveying. 



