232 REPORT—1905. 
northwards, it would have to be carried through German South-West 
Africa, and it was unreasonable to expect that a work which would thus 
be of such advantage for the survey of German territory should be carried 
out entirely at British expense. I was accordingly instructed to proceed 
‘to Berlin to represent these views, and endeavour to come to some pro- 
visional agreement with the Foreign Office there on the lines above 
Indicated. 
The result of that mission was a joint proposal that Bosman’s 
triangulation should be connected at both its eastern and western extremi- 
ties with the geodetic survey of Cape Colony and continued northwards 
to the 22nd parallel of south latitude, thence along that parallel to the 
21st degree of east longitude, and for a short distance northwards along 
the latter meridian. The cost of the survey north of Reitfontein to be 
equally divided between the Governments concerned. 
Major (afterwards Lieut.-Colonel) Laffan, R.E., was appointed English 
Commissioner, and Lieutenant Wettstein German Commissioner, and the 
direction of the work was placed in my hands by bath Governments 
concerned. 
_ Lieutenant Wettstein at a later stage of the work was replaced by 
Lieutenant Doering. 
The Commission assembled at Reitfontein, Gordonia, in November 
1898. The Commissioners encountered the greatest obstacles in their 
work on account of the difficult and waterless character of the country— 
in fact some of the trig. points were forty miles distant from the nearest 
water supply ; in other places much time and labour were required to 
clear trees and scrub, and the work was not brought to a close till 
October 1903. 
Meanwhile Mr. Alston was employed by the Government of Cape 
Colony in connecting the eastern and western extremities of Bosman’s 
triangulation with the geodetic circuit in Cape Colony. This work was 
completed in 1900. 
Meanwhile, also in 1894, I urged on the late Cecil Rhodes the great 
scientific and practical value of commencing geodetic work in Rhodesia, 
and of the possibility of that work becoming part of the greatest arc of 
meridian in the world. Such an are would also form a basis for the 
co-ordination of all detached surveys through a most important and still 
unsurveyed part of Africa, and be a fit precursor of his great scheme for 
a Cane to Cairo railway. 
Mr. Rhodes was very sympathetic, but declared that Rhodesia was 
in the first place in need of roads, bridges, and other essential works ; 
that he felt its resources must first be directed to these objects, but in the 
course of two or three years he hoped to set the work on foot. When, 
later (in 1897), Earl Grey as Administrator of Rhodesia, on my strong 
representation, sanctioned the commencement of the work, Mr. Rhodes 
not only took a deep interest in it, but when it had nearly reached the 
Zambesi he promised that funds would be provided to carry it to Lake 
Tanganyika. The field-work in Southern Rhodesia was carried out under 
Mr. Alex. Simms, formerly a computer at the Cape Observatory, who had 
there qualified as a surveyor, and who is now in charge of one of the 
field-parties engaged in the geodetic survey of the Transvaal and Orange 
River Colony. Time does not permit a description of the many difficulties 
encountered in the work on account of rains, smoke of grass fires, &c., 
which left only a few months available in gach year for field-work, 
