G26 Transactions of sEcTioJf fi. 



No poohible dire except generations of peasant proprietors. The olive, the tree of 

 civilisation, almost ceased to be cultivated except -where the Greeks constituted 

 the main body of the populatiou. 



VI. A revival of prosperity has taken place in recent times. The chief cause 

 is the restoration of communication, partly through railways, partly through road- 

 making. From this spring all the other causes, which are superficially more 

 conspicuous. Industries have revived, as is exemplified by the enormous growth of 

 the carpet trade ; the spread of an industrial population along the railways that 

 lead inland from Smyrna; the handkerchiefs of Bulladann. Agricultural develop- 

 ment is to be seen in the growing of cotton and the collecting of liquorice-root, 

 and the reclamation of waste land around Smyrna by giving allotments to bo7ia- 



Jide cultivators. 



VII. The Bagdad Railway is an important factor as regards the future. 

 The paper discussed the character of the line in Asia Minor; the religious cere- 

 mony at the inauguration ;' opening of the first section ; prospects. 



TUESDAY, AUGUST!. 

 The following Papers were read :— 



1. Proposed Remeasuronent of Geodetic Arcs in the United Kingdom. 

 By Major E. H. Hills, C.M.G.> B.E. 



The fundamental triangulation of Great Britain and Ireland was completed 

 fifty years ago. Though excellent work for the time at which it was done, it is 

 now far behind the standard of modern work of its class. 



The result of this inferiority is that the British work cannot be co-ordinated 

 with the Continental series for the purpose of geodetic discussion, such as a 

 determination of the figure of the earth. This defect is all the more noticeable 

 in that the necessary observations to connect the two series were actually made 

 at considerable expense. To remedy this defect, which may justly be described 

 as a standing reproach to British science, it is by no means necessary or desirable 

 to reobserve the whole original network of triangulation. What is required is 

 to connect geodetically, by as good a set of triangles as can be selected, the three 

 extreme points of our islands, viz. — (1) Saxavord, the northernmost point of the 

 Shetlands ; (2) Valentia, on the west of Ireland ; (3) the stations on the coast 

 of Kent trigonometrically connected with Franco. 



Were this work done we should have completed, as far as lies in our power, 

 two very important lines of geodetic triangulation — namely, the meridional arc, 

 through the longitude of Greenwich, and the longitudinal arc, along the parallel 

 of 52° north latitude. 



At present, without including Great Britain, these arcs extend from the 

 north-east corner of France to Ain Sefra in Algeria and to Or.sk in Eussia 

 respectively, amplitudes of 18° and 57°. 



With the British work there would be available added amplitudes of 10° and 

 11^° respectively. Geodetic work is now much more rapid, as well as more 

 accurate, than when the triangulation of England was done. The invention of 

 invar has enormously simplified the difficult operation of base measurement, and 

 the theodolites, for making the angular measurements, can now be obtained more 

 precisely graduated and of a design altogether superior to the older forms. The 

 general result of these improvements is that, while a much higher standard of 

 accuracy can be realised, the rate of progress of such work has been increased in 

 an even higher ratio. 



The work should be done by the Ordnance Survey Department, which is, it is 

 believed, quite ready to undertake it ; and the powerful influence of the British 

 Association might justifiably be exerted in persuading the Treasury to grant the 

 requisite funds. The total cost would be quite trifling compared with the existing 

 national expenditure upon survey work. 



